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Storylines have grown dramatically along with their
RPGs counterparts over the years. While they started
off with humble beginnings, they have evolved
dramatically over the years and have become one of the
most important components of the genre. Stories have
become hours upon hours long, complete with extensive
dialogue and large casts of developed and supporting
characters. Here are the top staff choices for RPGs
that have taken storylines to the next for 2004.
The top game RPGamer Staff voted for is none other
than La Pucelle Tactics. The Dark Prince,
servant of the fallen angel Calamity, is about to rise
again and cover the world in darkness. Players join
the loud, angry, and self-centered demon huntress
Prier, her little brother Cullotte, Alouette, and many
other colorful characters as they hunt demons and go
on an extensive adventure in order to stop him.
Though it was made by the same developers as Disgaea,
La Pucelle has a far greater emphasis on story. While
there are a number of plot twists that appear as the
game progresses, the emphasis is on developing the
cast of characters and their relationships with each
other. The strength of this character-driven RPG's
storyline was enough to merit it the prize for first
place.
Our second choice is for the latest RPG adventure of
everybody's favorite plumber: Paper Mario: The
Thousand-Year Door. While Mario is as flat as he
was in the previous Paper Mario, the story certainly
isn't. Paper Mario 2 is almost twice as long as the
original, in part due to the increase in story. The
primary story naturally focuses on Mario's adventure,
but there are two additional storylines that involve
the princess and Bowser respectively. This time
around the story is humorous, light-hearted, and
enjoyable enough to earn it second place.
Third up is the latest installment of the Koudelka
series: Shadow Hearts: Covenant. Set during
World War I in France, it manages to keep a balance of
historical and entirely fictitious events evolving the
hero Yuri and his companions. While it may be dark in
theme, it also managed to retain a good balance of
humor as well. This interesting mix, along with its
mature and developed storyline, earns Covenant third
place here at RPGamer.
by Derek Cavin
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