What game franchises have lore and storylines that actually make sense?

I am partially inspired by this thread claiming how much Kingdom Hearts does not make sense as far as cohesive storytelling and lore goes. I can totally agree with that statement - but it also made me begin to scratch my head and consider...what game franchises have story and lore continuity that do make sense?

I'm not asking for the best stories ever told in games. For all I could tell you, a cohesive and successful story can have a simple narrative. What game series' out there have cohesive and non-convoluted storylines that don't trip and fall over gaping plot holes and disjointed narrative pieces held together by duct tape?

Edit: I am also asking for game FRANCHISES. I mean franchises that have more than one entry going for it. You can tell me a franchise like Portal works well together, but how does it work with Half Life too, considering they're in the same universe? Games like Horizon: Zero Dawn or Cuphead do not count, since there's only one entry for both of them.

Lore and storylines that make sense? Not sure what you're asking by that.

Cohesive Storytelling? Several games and it's what Sony is pretty much known for.

Here you go:

That's hard to say really. I'll just go with Halo series lore that was made by Bungie, not the guys from 343 Industry. I have been following Halo series for a long time, the lore, the characters, and storytelling of the Human/Covenant War was so interesting, I invested the lore from start to finish. Bungie did pretty well keeping up the lore, hardly notice any loopholes.

Most of my favourite games series' lore don't make any sense lol. Having to really think to come up with a plausible one now.

@Sam3231 said:

Lore and storylines that make sense? Not sure what you're asking by that.

Cohesive Storytelling? Several games and it's what Sony is pretty much known for.

Here you go:

For example, things that don't make sense: the Metal Gear Solid series. It's pretty much become its own parody at this point how Kojima seems to constantly sweep plot continuations under the rug on top of every other ludicrous nuance that MGS throws around on a constant basis. It's not because the series is outlandish that brings it narrative issues, it's because Kojima is either lazy or flat out does not care about continuity.

Legend of Zelda and Mario games. It is not because we have an Italian ex-plumber running around a Mushroom Kingdom stomping on bricks and mushroom creatures that makes it ludicrous, it is Nintendo's inability to progress storytelling forward from the original tropes that made up their initial games. Why does every Mario game have to revolve around Bowser kidnapping Peach? Are they all continuous on a timeline or is Nintendo just repeating the same variations all the time because they can't produce any original thoughts?

A singular game can have a great story, but with other entries in a franchise, do they all hold each other together or just throw rules out the window with each entry?

Instead of proclaiming your pompous Captain Obvious moniker, why don't you provide the substance my thread is asking for and explain why game franchises like Uncharted and God of War work so well consistently narratively from one game to the next?

If lore made total sense and was realistic AF, there would be almost no entertaining movies or games.

So you want "lore" and a "story that makes sense" and "simple narrative"?

Basically a cookie cutter hold your hand and make sure you don't get lost because we think you're too stupid to figure it out on your own type of plot?

Well there is Mario Bros NES...

Not really sure what you're looking for here but it doesn't sound too interesting.

Original Deus Ex has storyline that make sense minus whole sci fi and augmentation because it show what is going in this world actually.

Let me clarify, lore does NOT have to be grounded with reality in order for it to make sense and be cohesive. When you set up a universe and establish lore, you also have the duty to establish the rules that make up such a world. You can have a space opera that's completely grounded with fantasy, make sense and have continuity value if each entry in the series obeyed its own ground rules and kept plot strings tied together and not running loose.

Is there a franchise out there that does this consistently? I know it's not going to be Assassin's Creed, even though it could have if they executed it better.

@jaydan said:

@Sam3231 said:

Lore and storylines that make sense? Not sure what you're asking by that.

Cohesive Storytelling? Several games and it's what Sony is pretty much known for.

Here you go:

For example, things that don't make sense: the Metal Gear Solid series. It's pretty much become its own parody at this point how Kojima seems to constantly sweep plot continuations under the rug on top of every other ludicrous nuance that MGS throws around on a constant basis. It's not because the series is outlandish that brings it narrative issues, it's because Kojima is either lazy or flat out does not care about continuity.

Legend of Zelda and Mario games. It is not because we have an Italian ex-plumber running around a Mushroom Kingdom stomping on bricks and mushroom creatures that makes it ludicrous, it is Nintendo's inability to progress storytelling forward from the original tropes that made up their initial games. Why does every Mario game have to revolve around Bowser kidnapping Peach? Are they all continuous on a timeline or is Nintendo just repeating the same variations all the time because they can't produce any original thoughts?

A singular game can have a great story, but with other entries in a franchise, do they all hold each other together or just throw rules out the window with each entry?

Instead of proclaiming your pompous Captain Obvious moniker, why don't you provide the substance my thread is asking for and explain why game franchises like Uncharted and God of War work so well consistently narratively from one game to the next?

HA yeah things that "don't make sense" vary from person to person. Games are full of fictional stories after all.

Just be happy I gave your darling Sony a compliment because they in fact come up with some cohesive stories and narratives in their games. Even Metal Gear Solid tells an extremely "cohesive" story for a video game generally only met with opponents who nitpick because of the fact that they are sheer contrarians. (Why even engage people like that?)

Again, there is just not really much to say here. If you read any game journalism at all, you will read the word "cohesive" thrown around quite a bit and they are referring to the relatively easy to follow, well laid out direction of the Sony story games. You could just pick them out of a hat.

I think you are just making a lazy response, which is ironic considering you are suggesting I'm asking for "hold-your-hand" narratives. I am not at all asking for simple narratives. What I am saying is both a simple narrative and a larger narrative can have equal value when they are properly executed. Just because a high-concept story is big does not mean it is smartly executed all the way through. It can have gaping plot holes and inconsistencies, but hey at least it was super high-concept so it's worth its recognition. Find me a high-concept franchise that does not trip over its own narrative.

Mario Bros. is not one of them.

Nah...

but now that you're in the thread I can think of one.

Max Payne fits the TC's requirements.

@Sam3231: I think The Last of Us, for example, has a fantastic story. I can't think of many plot holes in it; however, we can't technically include it here since as of right now we have only one entry in the series so far. When TLoU2 comes out, we'll see how continuity holds up.

@jaydan:

Max Payne?

Simple narrative and makes sense no?

Please explain why each Max Payne game works from one entry to the next. Simple narrative is not a good answer. Tell me why.

What about the Thief series or Metroid series? I know that both have a thread that made sense but I don't know if everything around that throughline made sense.

It's tough to say whether things make sense or not because they're not 100% placed in our reality per se. So in that world things make sense that don't make sense on Earth today.

Fable? I don't know Fable that well. Just suggestions. Does Assassins Creed have major plotholes? I mean, it is a rather convoluted story, so probably... Metal Gear Solid? I guess the bosses don't make sense... How some of them come back from the dead, for instance.

Chrono .... yeah I got nothing.

Edit: Does uncharted count? Simple and easy to follow.

Warcraft?

No!

Do your own research tool

https://www.youtube.com/

I never really played through Chrono Cross. Isn't that insane? I know it's way different than Chrono Trigger as intended. Somehow that idea just puts me off. Even though Chrono Cross has had excellent, raving reviews.

God of War.

I hated Chrono Cross. Didn't understand anything (lore/ storywise it ruined the first game for me.) and it got soo many useless characters.

Winner.

My problem with Metroid is it jumps around on its timeline way too much, and I'm not entirely convinced it does that because it was all pre-planned. I'm sure in many ways Metroid development casts a time and place from different periods, and Nintendo later capitalizes on an entry calling it a "prequel" to fill in a void. I mean, I guess it still works out at the end of the day.

Let me clarify where I left your text bold: narrative continuity and lore does not have to be grounded in our reality for it to be successful and make sense. I think a show like Rick & Morty has great continuity despite it's completely ludicrous half the time jumping to the most random scenarios. What's most important in a show like R&M is it created rules that it always obeys and not because Earth is where their house happens to be. The rule in R&M happens to be Rick has a portal gun that goes to infinite realities. The essence of that show always sticks with the fact Rick has a portal gun that gets him access to infinite realities and it never breaks such rules. Another important rule about R&M is the dysfunctional family dynamic. They are always fighting and even though by the end of season three, the family has definitely grown, we all know the roots of their dysfunctions because the show never strayed away or made inconsistencies in characterizations.

That's what I'm looking for in lore continuity, not whether or not it's simple or grounded with reality.

Lol bye Felicia. Don't waste your time in a thread if you can't add to the discussion at hand.

@jaydan: OK clear.

To be honest I never pay enough attention to the stories to know if they make sense. Especially when it comes to multiple sequels... I kind of consider each of them their own thing with ties to the other parts by default.

All I can do is come up with franchises that could be candidates but I can't tell with any certainty. The Witcher? I vaguely remember all 3 stories... and I think they are somewhat continuous and tied together. I don't remember big plot-holes, but I wouldn't be one to notice.

Can you explain how a Greek god ended up fighting with Norse gods?

He traveled.

Does the game ever explain that or is it left for speculation? If I recall Kratos finds himself in Norse mythology because he's pretty much broken down and trying to find an escape from all the chaos he's had in Greek mythology. Of course his problems follow him hence the plot of God of War PS4, and there is definite juxtaposition between two different things (Greek and Norse mythology), but I think it strings it together with just enough for it to be acceptable without pandering on it too much.

The game didn't. The director of GOW hinted at it. I think it will be explained better in the sequels.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/191627-god-of-war/76578006

I think the biggest hint as it currently stands in the game is the fact he has a son and he's trying to seclude himself and have a clean cut. He is interrupted and reminded he can't just get away from his past life. I feel like the continuity is definitely there even though it does not give full detail or answers. And yeah, I think that leaves room for explanations later on.

Video Game Lore is pretty bull sh*t.

You get stuff like Hyrule Historia which makes absolutely no God damn sense to the Zelda Franchise and if you dig deep enough you might find something related to "lore" in Mario which really it's just Saturday Cartoon Nonsense at that point.

Some games completely rely on a Timeline to keep a series progressing like Resident Evil 2 must come after 1, but then you get Resident Evil 3 which doesn't take place after 2, but DURING 2. Or how about Castlevania 3 actually doesn't come after Castlevania 2, but BEFORE Castlevania 1, or that Castlevania 4 is JUST A REMAKE OF CASTLEVANIA 1!?

Then you get games like Persona 3 which is actually the 4th game in the Persona series and doesn't refer to anything before it in the slightest...which is a lot like the Final Fantasy series which is filled with a Mythos and Interconnected Timelines with Similar Deities and Crystal based Religions, but ultimately stand by themselves because whatever.

Video Games might as well be Comic Books at this point. There maybe a lore or a backstory or two, but once the current plot arc is done, it's time to rinse and repeat and start again. You might see a reference here or there from a story plot from two or three arcs ago, but that story was said and done and we're on to a new one.

That formula is probably why most Nintendo games are so good. Many of the games don't take place in any particular order, but are aware of the many adventures that were had in the series history. It makes people nostalgic and acknowledge the growth that these characters have had and doesn't alienate the Newcomers when a new entry comes out.

Now that you mention it, I don't think Uncharted: Golden Abyss is one of those that's easy to follow.

Dark Souls, but there are gaps and points of clarification that don’t happen until later in the series, so it doesn’t necessarily make sense standalone.

Also Bioshock Infinite, minus its DLC. BaS only confuses the inter dimensional aspect of the vanilla game.

I really love the lore of Dark Souls as individual games, and they're very complexly displayed. Do you think all three of them, however, display the best of continuity? Do you think that Dark Souls 2 was in many ways a misstep from the original and in some ways a departure? I felt like that was kinda what happened, and Dark Souls 3 was kinda trying to tie it all back together with the loose ends that DS2 left behind. I guess it works but I think Dark Souls works best as individual games.

Bioshock I think works wonderful, if only it was not for Bioshock 2. I feel like Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite are amazing complimentary pieces and the whole tie of alternate realities is very thought-provoking...I just wish Bioshock 2 did not exist so the other two stood more poignant together.

Bioshock 1 and 2 were masterpieces.

Legacy of Kain managed to build an epic and detailed world while telling a compelling story within it. It's all the more impressive considering the time travel. Heroes become villains become heroes again. Kingdoms rise, fall, get ret-conned as a paradox corrects. The whole thing could have been mess, and I'll admit by the last game keeping track of it all was getting a bit overwhelming, but on the whole good games with great lore and writing.

Does a fictional world needs to make sense? In fact, some aspects of the real world does not make sense, such as why sometimes "good" people die young, while the "bad" people live long lives be they died.

Dark Souls

Horizon Zero Dawn

Things don't always have to make sense for it to work well in continuity. I agree with you, there is an importance in the value of the unknown and less told. Take the movie Inception for example, it ended on an ambiguous note, and it worked all the better for that reason. Did the main character make it out of the dream or was he trapped? That's something we might never know, and it totally works because of that.

Think about the ending of The Last of Us, there was a bit of ambiguity there too. Ellie makes Joel swear he was telling all the truth, and in some ways the truth became vague to even us players. We didn't get to see the entire sides of everything going on beyond Joel's emotional choices. We'll see how it is explored in the next game but sometimes leaving loose ends (Just imagine in the sequel Joel is actually dead before Ellie ever learns the truth, and what kind of weight that leaves her? That can be a powerful device of knowing less) is for the best.

Probably the Witcher series. Or Tetris.

Metal Gear Solid.

@jaydan: Never played Bioshock 2, though I’ve meant to many a time. Just never get motivated enough to make it happen.

I find DS2 to be the most well-rounded lorewise, and probably has the most poignant ending (granted they had to patch it in months later, so does it really count?). I still struggle grasping the nature of the Untended Graves and how it manages to fit within the “convoluted time” premise, but it also fills in the gaps of the exiled son of Gwyn, which discredited the fan theory of Solaire that I still can’t let go.

Talking to Vigil on Ilos and learning about the Reaper invasion was pretty fascinating in Mass Effect 1... but they changed gears in ME2 to focus more on crew members.

Still it probably is my favorite universe, even though ME3 was a big let down.

Dark Souls makes sense, the lore isn't easy to follow but its been carefully made for the player to discover.

Dragon Quest V is the most well-written "simple" story I can think of in gaming. The Dragon Quest series has always been known for straightforward "simple" storytelling, and DQV is the narrative pinnacle of the series. DQV has some of the best storytelling in the medium, while at the same time maintaining much of DQ's simplicity.

DQXI is now better outside maybe some Act 3 stumbles.

DQVII is also very underrated.

I haven't played DQXI yet. I'd be very surprised if it could top DQV's story.

all ff games set in ivalice.

Metal Gear Solid Franchise has an easy story to follow. It makes sense.

Anyone who claims it is “convoluted” is simply stupid.

These are the type of people who can’t pay attention and ask questions every minute during movies when the movie hasn’t explained it yet.