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Project content split across multiple mediums

Using Final Fantasy XV as an example I want to ask your opinions of media projects being split across different mediums in order to get the full picture.

Final Fantasy XV is available on PS4 and Xbone but to get the full story of the game and the world in which it is set (including character histories) you need to watch an anime series and a movie (and still you need to then buy a full season pass for the game itself).

Many people play games for the interactivity, which anime and movies aren't, supplemental material also adds cost to understanding the full experience.

Having such character and world histories locked away behind anime and movies means that the narrative content has been cut from the game in order for the movies and anime to exist, meaning the game itself is an incomplete story.

FFXV isn't the only piece of media to do this but what is your opinion of media being torn between different mediums each with necessary information missing from the core title?
 
Joined
Oct 14, 2013
Location
Australia
Only the hardcore fans care about this in my opinion. The majority just play the game and the DLC if they could be bothered and that's it.
I fall under the majority here. The few games that have other information I am into, usually it's the other sources that hooked me, not the game.

I really like Diablo and Starcraft lore. Apart from buying the artbooks I've not read a single Diablo or Starcraft novel. I don't feel I need to, to understand the lore just fine.
World of Warcraft lore is a clusterĵck. It makes little sense at the best of times. That's why I don't care about it.
 

Dio

~ It's me, Dio!~
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Location
England
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Absolute unit
I saw this title and instantly thought you would bring this up.

I get what you mean but I believe that with FF15 it is not the case that you require Kingslaive (delightful film) or other media to understand the story of FF15 the game, but it does help and in my opinion makes it better.

There is nothing wrong with having other media that allows those who want to gain a deeper understanding of the lore and characters from doing so. This is so long as the game itself is able to be understood on its own which I think it is. But I watched Kingsglaive during my playthrough so I might not be the best person to ask. I could tell there was a change in directors during the game as the storytelling is not as smooth as it should be transitioning from the first part to the second part of the game. It could have been done better and it should have been. I still think it is largely coherent and whilst it might leave the player with some questions they should be able to get what is going on.

The WORST offender I know of is....Halo mother****ing 5! Curse that game which killed my love of the series.

Some context. The villain of Halo 4 was sent into a slipspace rupture at the end of the game. What they don't tell you is that in between 4 and 5 he actually fought Master Chief again and was composed at the end of the comic. Then we get characters that are introduced from other media who for we that don't read the comics or the books, don't have a clue who they are because they aren't in other games in the series only other media and you basically need the novels and comics to understand what the **** is going on. The entire games plot only makes sense for those who have consumed the other media and I have been told this by people who have read the other media and having researched lore online.
 
I saw this title and instantly thought you would bring this up.

I get what you mean but I believe that with FF15 it is not the case that you require Kingslaive (delightful film) or other media to understand the story of FF15 the game, but it does help and in my opinion makes it better.

There is nothing wrong with having other media that allows those who want to gain a deeper understanding of the lore and characters from doing so. This is so long as the game itself is able to be understood on its own which I think it is. But I watched Kingsglaive during my playthrough so I might not be the best person to ask. I could tell there was a change in directors during the game as the storytelling is not as smooth as it should be transitioning from the first part to the second part of the game. It could have been done better and it should have been. I still think it is largely coherent and whilst it might leave the player with some questions they should be able to get what is going on.

The WORST offender I know of is....Halo mother****ing 5! Curse that game which killed my love of the series.

Some context. The villain of Halo 4 was sent into a slipspace rupture at the end of the game. What they don't tell you is that in between 4 and 5 he actually fought Master Chief again and was composed at the end of the comic. Then we get characters that are introduced from other media who for we that don't read the comics or the books, don't have a clue who they are because they aren't in other games in the series only other media and you basically need the novels and comics to understand what the **** is going on. The entire games plot only makes sense for those who have consumed the other media and I have been told this by people who have read the other media and having researched lore online.

From what I hear Destiny is bad for this kind of thing too.
 

Cfrock

Keep it strong
Joined
Mar 17, 2012
Location
Liverpool, England
I am 100% against it. If a story is split into various media that are all required for full coherence then **** right off. If I want to play a video game, I shouldn't have to read books or watch films in order to know what the hell is going on.

@Deus is right to bring up Halo 5. It's a travesty. And we really aren't talking about the books 'fleshing things out' or 'putting things into context'. If you haven't read four specific novels and watched three specific web films and two specific comics and been following the online ARG on 343's website then you simply will not be able to follow or understand the story presented in Halo 5.

Here's a taste. You do the first mission of Halo 5 as Some Dude where you rescue Dr Halsey from a Covenant leader called Jul'Mdama. Except Dr Halsey was with ONI, the human faction, at the end of Halo 4. Oh, that's right. Halo 4 had an episodic DLC campaign called Spartan Ops and Halsey was captured by Jul at the end of that. How silly of me.

Anyway, you start the second mission as Master Chief and he's trying to reclaim a human base. Hang on, what happened to the Didact, the ancient Forerunner general who tried to turn everyone on Earth into digital ghosts at the end of Halo 4? Oh, that's right. 343 put out a comic book that explained how Chief found the Didact and killed him. How Chief killed the main villain of Halo 4 in a comic book and how it is literally never mentioned in Halo 5. How silly of me.

Anyway, Linda explains to Chief about the Argent Moon base. Except who the living **** is Linda? Oh, that's right. Linda is Chief's literal best ****ing friend ever, who grew up with him at the Spartan training facility when they were literally children, and whose been on numerous missions with him to save humanity from the Covenant, the person Chief has the closest personal relationship he's ever had with anyone except Cortana herself. Linda, you know, that character who has never even been mentioned or alluded to ever, not once, in any of the Halo games. Linda, who's from the Fall of Reach novel that came out alongside the first game just after 9/11 happened. How very ****ing silly of me.

It's like how General Grievous just showed up as the leader of the bad guys in Revenge of the Sith and you'd only know him if you read some ****ing novel that came out after Attack of the Clones. **** that ****. If your story requires knowledge from other sources, regardless of what they are, then you're a bad storyteller. If you release a Halo 5, you have to write it assuming the only thing I have any knowledge of is Halo 1–4. Nothing else.

The Act Man has a video were he points out a bunch of the stuff you have to know before going into Halo 5. I'll put it below.
 

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