video game writing that'll satisfy a reader
Regrettably, I've been moved to write this post by bad writing rather than good. I decided today to give up on my attempt at Final Fantasy 7 remake (never played the original) because the writing in that game is, frankly, beyond bad. The target audience is clearly adolescent boys, and it tries so hard at that that I think I would have bounced off of it even had I found it when I actually was one.
Now obviously video game writing is very different from novel writing, and is designed to accomplish different things. In some guys the writing is very subtle or almost absent, like Souls-like that build atmosphere through visuals, music and some lore text on items. However, some of my absolute games of all time are these that gave me the kind of feel that the best SFF books do: as if I just shared an adventure with real people in a different world. They're full of solid dialog, they have deep and complex world building, and a meaningful story that has more conventional pacing, twists and plot threads for the various characters. Prime examples are Mass Effect (first two games especially), some of the Telltate series, Warcraft 3, Portal, Arkham City, and of course some others.
I'm really looking for a game that scratches that each: basically a novel in video game form that feels more visceral due to having played through it rather than just read it. Any recs?