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Bioshock ad Trumps Resident Evil: Degeneration

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLgCuKSwIW8]

I just finished watching Resident Evil: Degeneration and feel quite strongly that the Japanese have come to a standstill in regards to storytelling in the game space. Perhaps it was the language barrier being filtered through translated dialog and voice acting but the story felt exactly the same as the convoluted conspiracies and worn-to-dust archetypes that I’ve seen in video game storylines since the first “mature” titles appeared. It definitely follows the Resident Evil structure but after 10+ years shouldn’t the narrative have evolved just a little bit?

Then I turn around this morning and see this incredible ad for Bioshock in Japan and I wonder what my problem was. Yes, it’s more of a visual thing but it’s a brilliant representation of what takes place in the game. I don’t know what the narrator is saying but I get the point instantly. I don’t claim to have a magical formula but there’s gotta be something in such a simple visual surmation that can be applied to how we see, hear, and feel the story and characters in our games.