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10 Best Cinematic Games Ever

10 Best Cinematic Games Ever

This is my list of the best cinematic games I have ever seen. The criteria for this list is simple: the games had to be story-driven (regardless of play type) and had to have a cinematic approach to the way they wove the story into the game itself. Don’t get all riled up if I left out one of your favorites, just share in the comments section below!

God of War III

God of War III

This romp, following the final exploits of one seriously pissed off Spartan, is the best in the series. By the time you played this game, you hopefully had played the two before it and possibly even the two on PSP. Even if you didn’t, there is absolutely no denying that the third installment of this series was by far the most cinematic. The button-prompted boss battles alone are enough to land it a spot on this list. But the views from high atop buildings of immense size are yet one more layer that add an incredible amount of depth and scope to the story as it builds to its final moments when you kill the king of the gods himself, Zeus.

Final Fantasy X

Final Fantasy X

First off, I have to say that it was a struggle to figure out which Final Fantasy game I thought would be best suited for this list. I have played them all and loved every one for various reasons…even FFXIII . This series of games has always possessed an awesome way of weaving top-shelf CGI cutscenes into cool RPG gameplay. Final Fantasy X is my resounding favorite for the way the story is crafted and displayed throughout the game. Even though Tidus may be the whiniest main character in history, the supporting cast as well as the story itself land FFX a spot on this list.

Bioshock

Bioshock

I am a fan of shooters in all their forms. But the very first time I played Bioshock , I was completely blown away. From the reveal of Rapture to the final moments of Andrew Ryan’s miserable life, I felt like I had been sucked into another world and that I was trapped there until Atlas helped me find my way out. As the game progressed, new stories were introduced in various and wondrous ways. Even the tutorial movies explaining how to use plasmids only added to the overall effect of feeling like you were truly in Rapture and that this crazy story somehow involved you personally.

Halo

Halo

As amazing as many of the shooters out there have been, few have been able to match the overall intensity and feel of the Halo series. Especially the first one. Until getting my first Xbox, there were really only a handful of shooters that had truly grabbed my attention. But the first time I popped this game in my new console, I was transported into a movie featuring a full cast of excellent characters that were part of a huge, galaxy-spanning plot. It made me feel like the fate of our galaxy rested in my hands.

Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider

The most recent installment of the Tomb Raider series is most definitely one worthy of note. The obvious things like graphics upgrades and a re-imagined Lara Croft helped to launch this game into a new dimension and bring in a lot of new fans to the franchise who may not have been around since the beginning. The way that the cut scenes were woven in to the very fabric of the gameplay as well as the timely placements of button-prompt action made for one seriously cool experience. Having been around since the beginning of the series, I am willing to forget that any game before this one ever happened as long as the rest that follow are equally as awesome.

Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots

Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots

Hideo Kojima has been the master of twisted story telling since his arrival in the big leagues with Metal Gear Solid on the Playstation. As the series has gone on and Kojima has branched out to hit on games like Castlevania, his story telling chops have tightened to the point of sheer insanity. Nowhere is this more apparent than in MGS4 . As you progress through this game, you start to feel what Snake feels. You start to ponder his questions on the world. Then, as you finish it, you realize that Hideo Kojima has tied nearly every title in the series into the ending.

Mass Effect 2

Mass Effect 2

This series of games relies heavily on a cinematic style of storytelling throughout. But in the second installment of the game, you get to do something really cool. You get to alter the story to how you would do things if you were in command of the Normandy. You die in the first five minutes, but are reborn and are able to craft the visage of the character that you want to play as. That alone adds so much to the story. Mass Effect 2 also helps you get to know all your crew members, so that by the zenith of the series, you’re really invested in the fate of your companions.

The Order: 1886

The Order: 1886

This one is a newcomer to this list. This game has garnered a lot of hate in the review circles of every major video game website and publication. But love it or hate it, not a soul can ignore that it’s an incredibly cinematic entry into the new generation of story-driven games. While the gameplay is completely mediocre and nearly the same as any other cover-based, third-person shooter, the story is awesome and very unique. And that unique story is laid out in front of you in a seamless blending of cut scene and gameplay where there are very few ‘loading’ moments that detract from the progression of the story. In fact, the chapter-based progression adds to the already Jules Verne feel to the story.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

I actually played the second game in this series first. Honestly, I didn’t really even feel like playing it. I thought that it looked like a male version of Tomb Raider and I didn’t really care to find out otherwise. But after relenting and playing the first few minutes of it, I was completely and hopelessly hooked. The whole, “climbing out of a burning train as it teeters over a cliff and starts falling apart with you in it,” deal got my adrenaline pumping in a crazy big way. Even though there were things about these games I didn’t like, at no point was I ever disappointed with their cinematic style of storytelling.

Heavy Rain

Heavy Rain

If you disagree with me on this point, than you’ve probably never finished this game or really given it a chance. Sure, it’s a few years old now, but if there is anything that Quantic Dreams knows how to do, it’s make a totally immersive cinematic story. Heavy Rain literally changed everything about how I viewed point-and-click games. Until it came out, I believed that those types of games were stale and devoid of life . But Heavy Rain proved that you could create a deep and rich story with multiple outcomes based on your decisions. And they could wrap it all up in a package that felt more like an interactive movie than a video game. So for the mind-boggling story and the way they told it, Heavy Rain nails the top spot on this list.

Honorable Mentions : I couldn’t leave this list with only ten spots filled, but it’s all I have to work with. However, I wanted to leave you with a list of honorable mentions that I had to think long and hard about not including in the aforementioned spots on the top ten. In no particular order, here they are.

  • Beyond: Two Souls
  • Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
  • Red Dead Redemption
  • Grand Theft Auto V
  • Sleeping Dogs
  • Assassin’s Creed II
  • Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
  • Far Cry 3
  • Dying Light
  • Gears of War (series)
  • The Witcher (series)
  • Half-Life 2
  • Beyond Good & Evil
  • Legend of Dragoon
  • Chrono Cross
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