Breaking the 'fourth wall'

[Rob Sharona]

If however, the title is serious, then breaking the 4th wall is a cop out, an attempt to use self awareness to pre-emptively defend gameyness conventions or shortcomings within the title.

That's just wrong.
Fourth wall breaking is usually humourous in serious games as well.

 

[stompy]

In Jak and Daxter sometimes. Daxter curses you out if you do something wrong, and in one particular scene in Jak 3, they have to race to stop something, and Jak and Daxter start joking. Then some girl says: "You think this is funny? You think this is a game?" Then Jak and Daxter turn to the camera and look straight at you.

Yes, that game's awesome.

Anyways, one example is, I think, when Merlin tells something to Sora and co. They're got no idea what he's talking about, but Merlin's talking to the audience. I think.

 

[TheMadDoctorsCat]

ALL the Warcraft games have that, and the outraged "Stop Poking MEEE!!!" was from the grunt in the original Warcraft, not W3. My personal fave is the very dead and very cranky ghoul Teron Gorefiend from the Warcraft 2 expansion pack though, click on him enough times and you get: "Stop that infernal clicking! This is the reason why I ended it all!"

 

[RonaldBakbacon]

How about Baten Kaitos? In it and its prequel, you are a character in the game. As in YOU, dude with the controller; you're a extradimensional guardian spirit who helps guide the main characters through the game. Often times the party will turn towards the camera and ask, "What do you think we should do, (insert name here)?"
It's always done seriously, and I suppose it's not technically breaking the fourth wall because you could be considered merely an\ actor in the story.
Also, I'll admit that some of the answers don't actually affect the story; the characters take the left path even though you suggested right. Luckily though, answering "right," i.e. in a way that pleases the designated hero, increases your luck in battles because you and the hero are in sync with one another.
Really, I'm surprised I'm the first to mention this.

 

[Rob Sharona]

I suppose it's not technically breaking the fourth wall because you could be considered merely an actor in the story.

Really, I'm surprised I'm the first to mention this.

Mystery solved.

 

[Gavaroc]

Personally I don't see why you'd go to the trouble of breaking down the wall when you can just open the fourth door.

...

What?

Anyway, to me there are many games in which the concept works well, and others in which it could very well destroy the game. If its subtle, as in Warcraft, it can get away with it anywhere. If it's pronounced and unavoidable, it's fine in a game made for humour, but is far out of place in serious or dramatic games.

...

There's also climbing through the fourth window if the dorr's locked.

 

[Gahars]

Well, the MGS2 finale is the first example that comes to my head.

And the three Spiderman games based on the films have as well, with the Bruce Campbell commentary.

I'm sure there is more, but I can't think of them right now.

Edit: Just remembered. The Mother/Earthbound series. How could I forget.

 

[Rob Sharona]

Personally I don't see why you'd go to the trouble of breaking down the wall when you can just open the fourth door.


There's also climbing through the fourth window if the door's locked.

BADOOM TSH

 

[end_boss]

Even better is when a game finds a clever way to NOT break the fourth wall.

In Quest for Glory 2: Trial By Fire, somebody gives you directions to a location, in terms of how many "skareen lengths" you have to walk. It's treated like "skareen lengths" are just a unit of measurement in the game world.

Fallout 2 (I think) had a great way of breaking the fourth wall to the player, but not to the characters. If you take on a side quest to track down somebody, you ask for a description, and they say something like "brown hair, brown jacket, blah blah." One of your dialogue choices is something to the extent of "that kinda describes half the people around here," in reference to the fact that the game re-uses generic sprites for most NPCs.

Actually, that's because of a cloning accident a number of years ago. One of the mafia quest givers tells you this when you tell him that everyone looks like that. I think there are a few more people that says similar things as well.

Yes, but it's all a tongue-in-cheek reference to the fact that the game reuses NPC sprites.


I also just remembered that Fallout 2 also BLATANTLY breaks the fourth wall when you finish the game. You're allowed to continue playing, and if you talk to a certain character, they will give you the "Fallout 2 Strategy Guide," which maxes out your stats.

 

[excessum ado]

In MGS I seem to recall naomi asking you to put the controller on your arm to receive a massage and when you did snake would tell naomi how good it felt.
Classic in my opinion.

 

[MeTheMe]

Baldur's Gate did that, clicking on some characters enough would get them angry enough to call out the mighty power that controls their every move.

And I think in some Spyro games, if you just stood around, the firefly would fly up to the screen, as if to get your attention.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Dungeon Keeper 2 anyone?

Let's see...reminders to go to bed, alterations based on the clock date, "I HAVE RISEN!" etc. etc. etc.

 

[BallPtPenTheif]

If however, the title is serious, then breaking the 4th wall is a cop out, an attempt to use self awareness to pre-emptively defend gameyness conventions or shortcomings within the title.

That's just wrong.
Fourth wall breaking is usually humourous in serious games as well.

it's not wrong.. it's called an opinion.

does this really need to be explained?

 

[Mr. Fister]

Bully: "Role playing is the height of human achievement!" cue lingering look from Jimmy

I'm not sure if I would count that as breaking the fourth wall.

Destroy All Humans! has some funny fourth wall breaks. In the second one, if you ask someone about modern art, one lengthy description later, Crypto says "You realize that the player has probably left to get some nachos or something at this point, right?"

 

[Johnn Johnston]

I like the Legandary difficulty opening video to Halo 3.

Normal difficulty:
Arbiter: "The brutes have our scent." Johnson: "Then they must love the smell of green."

Legendary difficulty:
Arbiter: "The brutes have our scent." Johnson: "Then they must love the smell of Bulgari. Yeah, I did a little product placement. I gotta make money too you know!"

 

[BallPtPenTheif]

the nazi teddy's conversation in Conker's Bad Fur Day was my favorite.

Tedi 1: Really, that's incredible...
Tedi 2: I mean, what if you were to give this game say... twenty intelligent people, honestly, what would that do? You see, what would that do?
Tedi 1: Yes, that's very interesting...
[Conker comes in with machine guns]
Tedi 2: What the fuck? It's that bloody squirrel! Quick! Get into character!
[Tediz make mindless snarling noises]

 

[Anton P. Nym]

Halo 2 had a fourth-wall breaker in its combat dialog. It's triggered if the controller has been left unattended (no inputs) for a minute or so... then, if the right Marine is with you, he'll call out, "Hey, if you're going to the fridge... grab me a beer, please?"
-- Steve

edited to remove busted link; sorry, didn't know the source site forbids deep linking. Search for the term "beer" on this page [http://nikon.bungie.org/misc/h2dialogue.html] and the quote will be listed.

 

[Champagnerocker]

Dungeon Keeper 2 anyone?

Let's see...reminders to go to bed, alterations based on the clock date, "I HAVE RISEN!" etc. etc. etc.

DK2 was a great game and when I first heard it talking to me i was ROFLMAO.

"If you were any kind of real keeper; you would have won by now."

The fact that the game told you to turn off you computer and go to bed if you played between 1am-3:30am was hilariously unexpected. This thread has inspired me to upload these "hints" onto utube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFZ1txwYWro

Among the other entertaining comments was the game noticing that you were overly fond of the "Dark Mistress" unit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-WOluNcppw

 

[Novajam]

I remember that in Warcraft 3, when you keep on clicking on Human Peasants, eventually they say something along the lines of "I've been chosen by the giant metal hand in the sky!", a reference to the curson being a metal gauntlet

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Dungeon Keeper 2 anyone?

Let's see...reminders to go to bed, alterations based on the clock date, "I HAVE RISEN!" etc. etc. etc.

This thread has inspired me to upload these "hints" onto utube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFZ1txwYWro

Among the other entertaining comments was the game noticing that you were overly fond of the "Dark Mistress" unit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-WOluNcppw

Heh...have you caught the Xmas, Hanukah or Birthday bits yet?