Let the Right One In and Play Videogames!

tendo82

Uncanny Valley Cave Dweller
Nov 30, 2007
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Let the Right One In and Play Videogames!

Videogames and strange Swedish vampire movies have more in common than you may think.

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meatloaf231

Old Man Glenn
Feb 13, 2008
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There is much agreement, especially with the bit about STALKER. Goodness that game was atmospheric.

Also, Let the Right One In is fantastic and you should all go see it. Yes, you, all you other people on this page.
 

Cousin_IT

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Feb 6, 2008
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Hollywood are remaking it for a mainstream American audience. It will undoubtedly be rubbish, but apparently non-weird Americans (& by extension the rest of the English speaking world) dont watch subtitled films
 
May 17, 2007
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tendo82 said:
I realized games are already doing a lot of the things Let The Right One In does so well; they just aren't doing them all in the same game
Yes! That's what I think whenever I hear the argument about games comparing with other media, or to use the cliché, "gaming's Citizen Kane." Some people, especially outside observers such as film theorists, insist on judging games by their cinematic qualities (including story elements, characters and so on) instead of their interactive qualities. It's no wonder few game designers spare the time to make their great game into a great movie, but many games have a few cinematic qualities that, if combined, would be the equivalent of a classic movie.
 

Valiard

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Feb 26, 2009
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I just saw it like 2 weeks ago, and i really am afraid that if hollywood gets their hands on this we are going to have another twilight..i think a part of me is crying now...
 

zoozilla

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Dec 3, 2007
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Weird. I also saw Let the Right One In on Sunday.

And I loved it. The final sequence with the swimming pool was genuinely shocking, in a way no cheap quick-cut could even compare. Definitely one of the best vampire movies I've seen.

I totally agree that LTROI could not work as a game. The pace is too deliberate, the shots too controlled, the action too subtle for any game to capture. Interesting to see some of the similarities to other games, though.

One aspect I think games could definitely improve is the camera. Ever since games went 3D, developers have struggled with the in-game camera, and movies like Let the Right One In are great examples of how important framing is to create a certain mood. I'd love to see a game developer take more liberties with the in-game camera and try to do something different with it.
 

mrstopadoodledoo

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May 21, 2009
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Interestingly, although I prefer the film to the book, it misses an awful lot of what makes the book so much more intelligent: particularly Eli's backstory. There's one hint in the film of something to do with this, but really it's completely passed over.

On the positive side, they also pass over some of the utter tripe that appears towards the end of the novel.

On the negative side, they seem to have recruited Puss in Boots from Shrek II to play the part of one of the computer generated cats.

Not that any of that is to do with video games...
 

Otterpoet

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Jun 6, 2008
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Spot on! Very good observations and I couldn?t agree more. Particularly with regard to S.T.A.L.K.E.R., which still continues to catch me like a fly in amber (certainly not good for survival, though). The first thunderstorm had me standing there for a good five minutes straight. I love games that can sweep me away like that.
 

CitizenMac

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May 20, 2009
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It's certainly a fantastic film, one of the best I've seen in the past few months. But yeah, you make a very good point on games and movies being fundamentally different media, despite the similarities they share. There are plenty of games out there that can move you and make an impact, just like some of the best examples of cinema -- but games don't have to follow the same rules or the same paths to get there.

Interestingly enough, I'd say the game that gave me the closest thing to the experience I had with Let The Right One In, was another recent release; Tale of Tales' The Path. It's an immersive, unsettling and not particularly fun experience, but there are elements and imagery in there that really stays with you. And it's the fact that it's not exactly what we've come to expect from a game, but it's nonetheless an interactive experience, that makes it all the more poignant, IMO.
 

Moeez

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May 28, 2009
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Great comparisons, and it's about time we focused on the stories found behind the gameplay of the game, instead of its overt cutscenes. Focus on how a game might affect you, instead of falling back on the pointless argument of "games as art".