Emotionally Powerful Games

[Strafe Mcgee]

I was talking about Requiem for a dream earlier in the film topic and it got me thinking about games. Whilst we seem to have nailed the bombast and slick production values of Hollywood blockbusters (Gears Of War, Halo, God Of War, Half-Life 2 etc) there are currently very few games that I can think of at least that are truely devastatingly powerful in much the same way as films,(e.g. Requiem for a dream, Schindlers List, One Flew Over The Cuckoos nest etc.) Whilst it's perhaps unfair to compare games, which sre still relatively young compared to films, what games can truely qualify as being capable of really affecting the player?

Perhaps the best example I can think of at the moment are the Shock games, particularly Bioshock for it's deep and dark storyline. I'd also include some survival horror games such as the Project Zero series as being just as powerful (if not more so) than their hollywood counterparts.

So, what do you think? Are games capable of being as powerful as cinema?

 

[Nossy]

Zone of the Enders captivated me throughout the entire game. So did Metal Gear Solid.

 

[Amethyst Wind]

Lost Odyssey's pretty good for emotions. As is Final Fantasy VIII, well all FFs really, but I'd say VIII focuses on the human aspect more than any of the others.

 

[Strafe Mcgee]

Of course they are, if for no other reason than you're directly involved in the drama, rather than being an observer.

If you're "doin' it rite" you should develop an attachment to your character.
Provided it's that type of game.

Okay, fair enough. But when was the last time a game ever left you devastated at the events that had occurred, like Requiem for a dream? In games I find that you often develop an attachment to the character but nothing really affects your feelings about them unless the game has a particularly good plot, like HL2. I don't think gaming's really seen anything that can rival the emotional scarring that certain movies have given me.

 

[pantsoffdanceoff]

FFX made me teary at the end I might have cried if I wasn't too busy WTFing...

 

[runtheplacered]

Video games tend to not be particularly emotionally engaging just because of the long drawn out bits of actual gameplay inbetween the story. At least, that's a theory I just made up.

But, video games instead have emotionally powerful pieces to them. Aeris from Final Fantasy VII, for instance. Or Chrono's revival from Chrono Trigger. (two obvious ones that just popped out of my head.)

 

[Fanboy]

Shadow of the colossus was pretty emotional imo, and it had barely any dialogue. However, I don't think it's the best example of what you're describing.


I'll have to go with good ol' chrono cross. The game was epic, both in story and in gameplay. And since it was an old RPG the dialogue wasn't ruined by terrible voice acting like so many are nowadays.

 

[AboveUp]

I cried one time in a video game.

The time when Hamlet, the pig, sacrificed himself in Illusion of Time/Gaia. It hurt me, knowing that I only survived because a useless and annoying team member's pet sacrificed itself for the good of the group. Becoming food for a group of poor hungry people looking for something, anything, to eat.

 

[LINKXIII]

FFX or Tales of Symphonia oh and Superman 64 except the emotion was pure concentrated hate
The Nuke part of COD 4 was done nicely too

 

[Strafe Mcgee]

I dunno. I've never seen Requiem for a Dream. And I don't get emotional.
Ever.

Heh, check the film out. If it doesn't affect you then you are officially a robot.

 

[JenXXXJen]

I'd have to say FFX too. Yeah, the game was basically 'walk forwards for next cut scene', but when the cutscene's were good, they were gooooood.

 

[Kingsman]

Metal Gear Solid 2 gave a very weird, surreal feeling towards its end. It really made the player think about what was evil, what was free will, and even if fighting the final boss was right at all.

 

[Elexia]

I cried when my brother finished FF7 and again in FF8. I thought they were the best stories and conclusions in game history. I'd always sit through the final cut scene, the credits etc. to hold onto the characters for as long as possible.

Yeah it's sad but I was younger back then.

 

[RH3INLAND.]

I think that games definitely have the potential to emotionally connect with someone as much as movies, but alot of game developers haven't really figured out how to yet.

The only real examples I can think of were:

-At the end of COD4, that was pretty devastating because I had become so attached to the characters.
-Mass Effect, because the characters have so much depth to them, it's nearly like having an actual conversation. (i.e. I felt really bad when I was forced to pick a person to stay behind and die on one of the planets.)
-Half-Life 2, I don't really know why, but I just felt really a part of the story.

 

[Nitro_Hedgehog]

Metal Gear Solid 2 gave a very weird, surreal feeling towards its end. It really made the player think about what was evil, what was free will, and even if fighting the final boss was right at all.

indeed, finding out that you were being manipulated by a computer program all along was most unsettling

 

[The_Echo]

"I'm sorry, but the princess is in another castle." I CRIED.

......... Alright alright, I'll be serious.

I agree, BioShock left a mark on me. More so than any movie I ever watched. Personally, the only emotionally powerful (Though maybe not really powerful) game I can remember would be Silent Hill 2. It was rather cinematic, and the story had me thinking for the longest time.

And, though not emotional per se, Trauma Center was pretty intense, and had its moments.

 

[UsefulPlayer 1]

Half-life 2: Episode 2.

If you played it, you would know.

 

[Killerabbit]

It has to be with out a doubt Max Payne. I LOVED all the characters, Its one of the few games that I will play again JUST for the plot.

 

[LordSnakeEyes]

My list of the top 3 most emotional games I've ever played:

3- Final Fantasy 7: I know I sound like a fanboy for this one... But Aerith... I WAS 8 Years Old! I had never seen a good guy die permanently... ever (having been a Dragonball kid)

2- Metal Gear Solid 3: I don't know about you guys, but I developped a feeling of kinship with Snake (I don't know why, I just relate to him a lot) mostly during the last Boss fight, it might have been the music, might have been the story or might have been the characters, but I think it was the combination of all 3.

1- Shadow Hearts Covenant: Just Play It... The ending tore my heart apart... *cry*

 

[iggyus]

BioShock. When you have to decide about the Little Sisters. I tried harvesting one of them once but I was so disgusted with myself that I reloaded the game and saved her instead.