Have You Ever Felt Something For A Video Game Character?

Seil · 09-21-2011, 11:25 AM

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 from Metal Gear Solid. Or Garret from the Thief series. Or Janos Audrin. Or James Sunderland. 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 · 09-21-2011, 12:14 PM

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

Azisien · 09-21-2011, 12:22 PM

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 · 09-21-2011, 12:57 PM

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 · 09-21-2011, 01:16 PM

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 · 09-21-2011, 01:46 PM

The horse from Shadow of the Colossus

mauve · 09-21-2011, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aerozord

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.

Aerozord · 09-22-2011, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mauve Mage

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

PCD · 09-21-2011, 01:54 PM

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 · 09-21-2011, 02:15 PM

Half the NPCs in Majora's Mask.

09-21-2011, 11:25 AM	#1
Seil Super stressed! Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: British Columbia Posts: 8,081	Have You Ever Felt Something For A Video Game Character? 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 from Metal Gear Solid. Or Garret from the Thief series. Or Janos Audrin. Or James Sunderland. 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? Last edited by Seil; 09-21-2011 at 11:29 AM.

09-21-2011, 12:14 PM	#2
Kim adorable Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 12,950	The protagonist of NieR. I really connect with him since he really has this "fatherly compassion" thing going for him. __________________ this post is about how to successfully H the Kimmy

09-21-2011, 12:57 PM	#4
PyrosNine Zettai Hero Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: A figment of my own imagination Posts: 6,103	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. __________________ Pyrosnine.blogspot.com: An experimental blog of writing. Updated possibly daily. Possibly. A fair chance. Current Works for reading: War Between them, Karma Police. PyrosNine: Weirdo Magnet Extraordinaire!

09-21-2011, 01:46 PM	#6
Aerozord So we are clear Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Former murder capital of the world Posts: 13,824	The horse from Shadow of the Colossus __________________ "don't hate me for being a heterosexual white guy disparaging slacktivism, hate me for all those murders I've done."

09-21-2011, 02:15 PM	#10
Kim adorable Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 12,950	Half the NPCs in Majora's Mask. __________________ this post is about how to successfully H the Kimmy

09-21-2011, 12:22 PM	#3
Azisien wat Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 7,177	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.

09-21-2011, 01:16 PM	#5
Red Mage Black Sent to the cornfield Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Where the Sun isn't so warm. Posts: 2,673	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.