Have You Ever Felt Something For A Video Game Character?

[Seil]

Now, I'm not talkin' 'bout those weird Japanese games that I have to buy under the counter, those make me feel something. Three or four times actually. They really get a rise out of me, and at some point, I'll probably need a tissue.

No, I'm taking about something else: something probably almost completely stolen from The Escapist's forums - characters in video games that you like. Let's say... Gray Fox (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKLc3ZIVxew&feature=related) from Metal Gear Solid. Or Garret (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeFMOfg6qHE) from the Thief series. Or Janos Audrin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWty8BsL_g0). Or James Sunderland (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T7OBo47HLg). Characters that make you feel compassion, contempt, that make you laugh, or make you sad.

A good story pulls you in with an emotional connection. What emotions connected you to your favorite characters?

[Kim]

The protagonist of NieR. I really connect with him since he really has this "fatherly compassion" thing going for him.

[Azisien]

I'd say I've developed an attachment to Tali of the Mass Effect franchise. Probably that whole story and world in general, but more so with Tali.

[PyrosNine]

I like Boone, but who doesn't? A loner wandering a wasteland, discovers he actually had something truly horrific happen to him that started off his whole "silent and gruff" attitude and his being the most capable companion you get.

Ezio Auditore wins points for being a character that you literally follow from the womb to Old Age, and one who is both skilled and flawed, and yet an all around likeable badass.

Also, Colette from TOS, and most definitely Solid Snake! Both are people willing to give their all for saving the world, but we actually get to see what this means to the gory details! God Save the people saving the people!

Alyx, especially because she was designed to be: after long experiences of being completely alone, and doing incredibly superhuman and insanely difficult/awesome feats just to survive you finally get a companion who is justifiably a fangirl who appreciates how awesome YOU as Gordon Freeman are. The fact they made her an attractive dork helps her out as well too, and the fact she's coming onto the story secondhand compared to Kleiner, Barney and yourself. So while she knows how the dark future world works, the player still knows how to deal with this crazy one man against an alien apocalypse shit works.

I've seen cutscenes and several trailers occur in FF13, but I already felt a deep connection to the characters in that game: Just the knowledge that the people you're fighting for are doomed, you yourself are doomed to follow them, and there's this sense of hopelessness even though you're a badass super warrior riding an ice motorcycle made out of Twin Shiva's.

Persona 3's characters, but that may mostly be because of that one LP.

[Red Mage Black]

I can't really explain why, it was more of something that just happened. I'm pretty sure it started with Lavitz from Legend of Dragoon. It was just something that happened and when he was replaced by Albert, the connection was lost.

Not any bigger then with Lavitz, but Delita from FFT. Can't really find the words to explain why or how, like with the former.

Going more along a timeline, I'm not too sure, as I've felt a dozen connections before, maybe not as strong as the former, but they were there in their own ways. Yes, I've even felt it towards female characters. Honestly, with most of the newer stuff coming out, its been harder for me to connect with other characters. I guess I could say because sometimes they just feel like cookie cutter cutouts of previous characters I liked, but I don't feel like that's entirely true.

[Aerozord]

The horse from Shadow of the Colossus

[PCD]

I have a tendency to overanalyze really minor characters and look at their deeper backstory for all the sadness and etc that motivates them, even where there is apparently no actual backstory present and I'm just making shit up. Enough online RP will do that to a person.

That aside, I still think that Godot from Trials and Tribulations is a majorly tragic character. He's an ass, but it's because he's a broken man with nothing left to live for; everything that he felt made him who he was, or that mattered to him, was stripped away--even the person to take revenge on. So all he can think to do with himself is this sad little delusion that he needs to defeat Phoenix. He's got nothing else to do; there's no one waiting for him.

[Kim]

Half the NPCs in Majora's Mask.

[akaSM]

From Baten Kaitos: Origins, the guardian spirit (you, within the game). Finding about your past, and the connection you have with Sagi is really nice. Specially in the later parts of the game.

From that game, Shanath. Fuck that guy, I was so happy when I got to kick his ass.

In Super Paper Mario, there's a character you know nothing about but, as the game progresses you get a series of messages about that character. Once you reach the later part of the games, everything connects and...that last image you get in the credits (?) is a heartwarming moment.

I second Colette, both for what Pyros said AND because, even though she's quite clumsy, sometimes she solves stuff by pure luck...and clumsiness...just like me XD...except for the fact I'm not THAT clumsy :3

Also, Sissel and Missile from Ghost Trick. Can say anything though, don't wanna spoil anything :P

[PCD]

Hell, half the characters from Ghost Trick. Jowd and Yomiel are in no good place, and Kamila's not the happiest kid either, when you get down to it.

[mauve]

The horse from Shadow of the Colossus

Ah, the SOTC horse. Half the game makes you hate its guts (WTF WHY CAN'T YOU FOLLOW ME? WHERE DID YOU GO?! WHY WON'T YOU GO WHERE I TELL YOU TO? I'VE BEEN CALLING YOU FOR FIVE MINUTES WHERE THE HECK ARE Y--- oh you're up on the cliff twenty feet above me.) and then at the end it really feels like you've lost the only friend you had in the entire, empty, colossus-ridden world. The game did an amazing job of creating an emotional link to a non-sentient character without the use of any dialogue.


I absolutely HATED Dr. Magnesson from Half-Life 2 ep 2. That guy was a complete jerk and I didn't like that Ep2 didn't let you use weapons on NPC's because I wanted to shoot him in the face because he was such an ass. He was really well-written in that regard-- it wasn't just "You will dislike me because the story dictates so," Valve actually gave him a realistic and believable personality. He wasn't even a villain, and I hated him more than the striders and the GMan combined!

Okay, almost all of the characters in HL2 were amazing, good or evil. I cared about what happened to most of them, even the little random characters like Odessa and Father Grigori. And dammit, Ep 3 better have Barney cuz Ep2 was sorely lacking in poorly-voiced security guard!

I liked Double H from Beyond Good and Evil. He was a good mix of super-serious and dorkily cornball.

And I'll second the nomination of Every Character From Ghost Trick. That game was AMAZING and fantastically written and everyone should play it. Every single character was fun and likeable.

[Roland]

Half the NPCs in Majora's Mask.

First, this. Also have to agree with whoever said Tali. I was never bothered by her infodumping about her culture. And that one Paragon Interrupt in ME2, where you give her a hug? I genuinely wanted to hug her there, and feel that one moment completely justified the Interrupt system.

[POS Industries]

I would proudly follow Varok Saurfang to hell and back.

[Doc ock rokc]

FUCK YOU GUYS FOR NOT CARING ABOUT MARSTON! (http://youtu.be/QYLpYu2EQxg)

[Ryong]

Phantom Brave's Marona. Wanting to help her is what makes people play the game after a few chapters.

Radiata Stories has Cross, the definition of a smug bastard. No matter what do you do in the game, you will want him dead.

Tali was great, but I guess I missed a lot of her moments by not playing mass effect 2.

[Aerozord]

Ah, the SOTC horse. Half the game makes you hate its guts (WTF WHY CAN'T YOU FOLLOW ME? WHERE DID YOU GO?! WHY WON'T YOU GO WHERE I TELL YOU TO? I'VE BEEN CALLING YOU FOR FIVE MINUTES WHERE THE HECK ARE Y--- oh you're up on the cliff twenty feet above me.) and then at the end it really feels like you've lost the only friend you had in the entire, empty, colossus-ridden world. The game did an amazing job of creating an emotional link to a non-sentient character without the use of any dialogue.

that is why I thought it worked the best. Oh sure I had plenty of other examples, but that one worked because you dont even realize it. Gamer in you just treats him like a tool to call upon when needed. But you actually grow fond of him. Not sure exactly why, Link's horse functioned much the same and never cared much for it. Didn't hate it, I just honestly didn't care about it any more then my boomerang or hook shot

[Seil]

Heather. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPtDKCFFNVg&t=1m20s)

[Krylo]

Heather. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPtDKCFFNVg&t=1m20s)

I'm pretty disappointed that isn't VtM: Bloodlines Heather.

[phil_]

I'm pretty disappointed that isn't VtM: Bloodlines Heather.I thought we were getting Dynamite Headdy Heather, but I might be alone there.

[Marc v4.0]

FUCK YOU GUYS FOR NOT CARING ABOUT MARSTON! (http://youtu.be/QYLpYu2EQxg)

When he pushed open those doors and Dead Eye activated, I didn't want to play anymore :(

[Amake]

I think it would be easier to list video game characters who haven't made me feel something. Let's see. Luigi. No wait, I've sometimes sympathized with his struggle of being the younger brother. Diablo? He's pretty thoroughly unsympathetic. But he does have that wholehearted, passionate sadism that when you think about it makes it pretty hard to not feel one thing or another towards him. Wait, how about player characters? There's about fifty million WoW characters I don't give a rat's ass about.

[Seil]

Let's see. Luigi. No wait, I've sometimes sympathized with his struggle of being the younger brother.

http://www.interrobangstudios.com/images/comics/4e4200caed2ff.jpg

[BitVyper]

Breath of Fire 2 has some really moving bits with its characters. Then there's the scene with Evan before you fight him. You know the one.

[Ecks]

Goddammit almost all the cast of Dissidia

Fucking heartwarming sad cutscenes.

Especially in Duodecim when you find out that you're all on a suicide mission and NO ONE MAKES IT BACK ALIVE.

Cutscenes in Scenario 013 seem a lot more sad after you play through 012.

[synkr0nized]

I would proudly follow Varok Saurfang to hell and back.

There are quite a few from this world that I respect, enjoy, or whatnot. He's definitely one of them. I don't wish to enumerate all of them, but Blizzard did a really good job at pulling out my emotions with the Bridenbrad series. A'dal's lines at the end continue to get me.


Thanks to the first game, I spent most of the second game constantly hoping for GLaDOS's well-being and being angry at Wheatley.

[Kerensky287]

Cutscenes in Scenario 013 seem a lot more sad after you play through 012.

Hell, it feels that way when you replay the 013 missions and you see extra lines of dialog like...

Tidus: "Who's this staff chick? She seems familiar. Oh well, too bad I don't remember her or anything about her."

(slightly reworded)

I mean, to be honest I didn't feel much for most of the Dissidia cast because the writing felt like squirrelking-class fanfiction. But I agree that the potential was there, and I definitely COULD have felt something for them if they had any interaction beside "WHY DO WE FIGHT HURR DURR."


...Speaking of Final Fantasy, I do have one good example of me feeling emotional about characters. Remember Cosmo Canyon in FF7? The end of that.

EDIT: And Robo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdbTCPmpwAM&feature=player_detailpage#t=118s), the Seymour of Chrono Trigger.

[Mondt]

Everything about Final Fantasy 9.

So now I've done my Mondt thing and mentioned FF9. I'll lurk more.

[The Sevenshot Kid]

I got ridiculously attached to Mono in Shadow of the Colossus. I kept thinking about how single-minded and obsessive Wander was being so I started crafting this backstory to explain why he was so willing to go on this mission for her. It really kept me going even when the melancholy of the Colossus battles started taking it's toll. The last "boss fight" was the most sad and futile thing I've experienced. Just the fact that he didn't even get to hold her one last time brought me to tears.

[Ecks]

For that matter... MGS4 changed my whole perspective on Raiden. I thought he was a whiny tool in 2, and for good reason. I mean, backstory is tragic, but he's just such a douche I honestly couldn't give two shits. But then we see him a few years later when he becomes awesome and then we see how much the dude's really been putting up with (Rose and Campbell "hooking up" wtf is this i don't even) and it's like, damn dude.

[EVILNess]

Momo from Breath of Fire 3. I WANT TO HUG HER AND SQUEEZE HER AND I WILL LOVE HER ALWAYS.

Dogmeat from Fallout 3. He was the only companion worth anything in that game (Fawkes is pretty cool too though.) The image of a wanderer and his dog just really strikes me as heroic. Kinda why I was so pissed at Rex being inferior to ED-E in New Vegas. All the companions in New Vegas are awesome and I love talking with all of them. Cass and Boone are my favorites.

The main cast from Lufia and the Fortress of Doom. When the big plot twist is revealed you just feel betrayed, and then you feel sad. Then you fight the final boss and then the final moments between the characters and how they mirror the opening...

Dragon Quest 5. Pankraz. I cried manly tears.

The casts of Persona 2 IS, 3, and 4. The characters are probably the best parts of those games. Definitely the case for 4. <3 Chie <3

Rudy from Wild Arms. The part where he cuts off his own damn arm to cast the villain into a black hole is still one of the premier visions of heroic defiance in my mind. Double props for his arm becoming a freaking holy sword in Wild Arms 2.

Aya Brea from the Parasite Eve series. She is a strong woman, who isn't overtly sexual, and she has some depth to her with the whole "Am I still human" thing.

The villagers in Alundra. If you take the time to talk to them after every event you get a glimpse into their lives. Which makes the constant dying everyone in that game does kind of a bummer.

Megaman Legends: <3 Tron Bonne and anyone who says different is a filthy whore of a liar.

Suikoden: The silent protagonist. He just soldiers on, even when you know he has to be suffering emotionally. His best friend bestowed a cursed rune on his arm, which eats the souls of people who die near him. This includes: The rebel leader, his caretaker, his father, and the very friend who gave him the rune in the first place. Plus he has to deal with that guilt for a long time because the rune makes him immortal.

[Spooniest]

President Shinra, in the early Disc 1 cutscene of Final Fantasy 7. We see the Sector 7 plate smash the hapless denizens of Sector 7 to ooey gooey bits as they scream and run for their lives, and Cloud and Co. barely escape. Then we get a wide shot of the plate that pans up into his office...and he's calmly listening to an Opera piece called "The Creation." Son of a--


It makes you glad that he gets a giant nodachi right up the back just a little bit later.

[tacticslion]

In no particular order:

Ico
Shadows of Colossus
Final Fantasy (6, 8*, Tactics)
Vagrant Story
Chrono Trigger**

I'm sure there are others, but these come to mind first.

* In eight, the characters are actually really well developed... at first. Then they get progressively more stupid in every way. At first, however, I really cared about them. Yes, I left seven out on purpose. I pretty much only cared about Yuna in X (the rest were boring, although I kind of hated Seymore, but not for the reasons this thread generally indicates), but then X-2... well. I haven't played 9, 12, or 13. No real time when they came out.

** To be completely honest, I don't feel strongly about everyone in Chrono Trigger. Just most of them. I like a few from Chrono Cross, but most of the way I think of them comes from fan fiction, which is really kind of sad.

[Locke cole]

Most of the characters of Final Fantasy VI, after reading a fan's translation, and seeing the GBA version of the game. Everyone in that game just needs a hug. Even Mog.

Oersted, from Live A Live. It's just... his story is so damn sad. In the course of a single day, he loses his hero and his best friend, the entire country thinks he's the demon king after he's fooled into committing regicide, but he presses on in the hope of rescuing the princess. "As long as there is one person who still believes in you, you must believe yourself!" And then... she denounces him. She believes that his best friend (who tricked him into killing his king and faked his death) was the only one who cared for her and even tried to save her, and commits suicide to be with him. I mean, hell, is there any wonder that he became a true demon king through the sheer force of his own despair and hatred? It makes me sad to have to kill him as the final boss, and I'm saddened that there are no true happy endings for him, in any of the game's four endings.

[Seil]

Merrill (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hihslMdRCRU) was pretty funny.

[Fifthfiend]

Oh man I felt something for Samus back in the day.

...IN MY PANTS

[Fifthfiend]

seriouspost I literally wept when Aerith died.

[EVILNess]

seriouspost I literally wept when Aerith died.

I wept because she was in my party the entire game up to that point and I had to replace her with a woefully under leveled replacement.

Come to think of it, that same shit happened to me in Persona 3.

[Intern Nin]

The ending of Professor Layton and the Unwound Future. Felt so sorry for Layton. For everyone really. I still get misty-eyed when I listen to this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEA1Bsv-raU&feature=related).

[walkertexasdruid]

I have always liked the villains of video games for some reason. Obviously I like Kefka from FF VI, how at first he seems like a scary, but not that significant henchman, but then turns the tables and becomes the god of the world. Plus anyone who can trapse around in that ridiculous clown gettup and still scare the crap out of you is a cool villain in my book. Seymour from FF X is also a favorite, I mean he is able to convince most of Spira that the only way to end the suffering caused by Sin is that he become Sin and wipe every single person off the planet. Plus he is relentless in achieving this goal, you have to kill him multiple times before he is ultimately defeated. There are others of course, Albido from Xenosaga, Avalon from Legaia 2, Fate from Crono Cross, Loyd and Melbu Frama from Legend of Dragoon. When I come back I will try to think of the heroes I like. Does anyone know where I could find Kefka's theme music? I always thought that it was amusing and menacing at the same time.

[Lost in Time]

I'm going to second FF9. That game had me so emotional. Anything by Freya had me going. When Vivi started talking about mortality, I had walk out of the room and get my thoughts together. And Zidane's scene in Pandemonium? Had me standing up playing it with adrenaline. That song that plays over that is one of my favorites ever. That's when I knew I was really attached to these characters.

[Seil]

A man chooses. A slave obeys. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmWy-5c7XWo)

[MSperoni]

My character in Demon's Souls.. WHY?! WHY WON'T YOU STOP DYING?! *cries*


Though seriously: I would like to mention The Boss from Metal Gear Solid 3.

[Bard The 5th LW]

I had this odd feeling of happiness for Chell when she finally got freedom at the end of Portal 2. Also, I really like the character overall due to the sheer tenacity she showed throughout the entire series. Especially the moon scene.

Also, I really felt for Phoenix during the last case of Trials and Tribulations. Godot made me pretty sad as well for a lot of similar reasons. I was pretty impressed by Mia for for being able to handle death so well though.

[walkertexasdruid]

Ramza from FF Tactics. He is in an uphill battle throughout the whole game. Not only does he get on the wrong side of both sides of a civil war, he is also almost single-handedly trying to prevent a conspiracy by the church from taking over. Plus he has to kill his older brothers, and defeat "St. Ajora" to save his sister's soul. And Weigraf is a real pain in the butt.