Poll: Power in Video Games?

[Scrubiii]

Personally, I like incredibly weak characters. This is one of the reasons why exploring caves in Minecraft is one of the scariest things I have done in a video game. Something like dead space isn't scary when you know that you can easily kill any enemy you encounter. In Minecraft, all you need to do is let your guard down for a second, or not have prepared properly beforehand, and you can lose all the valuable items you have spent a very long time accumulating.

 

[Zap Rowsdower]

The reason I liked SW: TFU and Just Cause 2 was the feeling of ridiculous amount of power you had.

 

[Sean Hollyman]

I like starting off weak, but then getting absurdly powerful, and laughing as pitiful enemies assault you.

A 2nd playthorugh of The Force Unleashed with all powers unlocked is so fun.

 

[faceless chick]

in games i like to smash things.stylishly.
so devil may cry for me (over 9000)

 

[Twad]

IMHO: I like my heroes slightly better than the average human. Like garett (thief) or The guy from Assasin's creed. They are obviously better than most humans in a number of things, but not to a point where they seem overpowered/godlike.

I dont like godlike because whenever i see godlike powers, the game alywas end up showing the godlike hero stuck behind a environmental obstacle that could be broken/bypassed by the average joe (when he can punch out 15-ton monsters with ease and take dramatic 20 meters leaps) or taken prisonners by a bunch of weaklings due to a cutscene/plot.

I dont like rpgs method that much( I have japanese rpgs in mind here) because whenver you lvl up to a certain points, you can only wonder why starting towns dont hire high level soldiers and guards to really secure the suurounding area and stop low-level wanabe heroes/villians from wrecking stuff up.
Plus you always end up with the white haired prettyboy being the ultimate villain with a retarded plan/motivation to take over/destroy the world.
And you always end up with a team of childrens that have enough power to destroy several continents, when 30 years-old battle hardened veterans have no chance (at all) against them.

 

[Medimorpho]

I also like starting out weak, but then getting more and more powerful (>9000) as the game progresses, kind of like Prototype.

 

[Valkyrie101]

I question your (broad) definition of realistically powerful. Protagonists in realistic military sims are realistically powerful. In Call of Duty, they're unnaturally good but to a limited extent, keeping the realistic feel. Assassin's Creed protagonists are superhuman, half-alien ninja killing machines and generally unstoppable.

Personally, my preference falls for somewhere around the latter two, depending on the game.

 

[English Stew]

First of all, COD does not provide realistic power - just think about how many kills the player-character gets in comparision with his team-mates.

OT: While I think I can enjoy games with any of these power levels (and like others have said, it depends largely on the setting), I find that I enjoy games with uber-powered characters more often. For one thing, in any game where there's a great evil to conquor, or a challanging quest to complete, there has to be an explanation for why your character is the one to take it on, and making him the most powerful or best equiped character will almost always provide this. Admitedly, this is a slightly lazy explanation, but I rather have that then no explanation.

Also, making the character more powered gives him more freedom, which one could argue is the very essence of gaming. Leting the character do more stuff reneforces the idea that the player is in full controll; again, there may be less lazy ways to do this than giving him/her more powers, but sadly your just not going to get that from a lot of games.

So, while it may not be the perfect option, I find that an powerful character is usually a benefit to a game. Realistic is better for sims, weak is better for atmoshphereic games, increasing power can often compliment a strong story, but for your typical action game, the less limits there are the better.

 

[KaizokuouHasu]

Realistic. I draw the line at Leon S. Kennedy from Resident Evil 2 and 4. The only thing that makes him unrealistic is that he can take a projectile like a thrown knife or scythe at him without dying quickly (but I blame that on a glancing blow, or a bad hit). He is quick, agile and strong, but nowhere does he out-do what is physically possible for his body. Although... Call of duty is hardly 'realistically powerful'. These dudes get shot by gunfire repeatedly with only a short breather needed to cure all the wounds. Tsk..

 

[bluewolf]

Whoah, woah woah. Did he just say assassin`s creed is realistic?

 

[TriggerUnhappy]

Depends on the game, though generally I prefer to feel powerful/badass in some form. However it depends on how the game executes that, if you're overpowered then everything feels kinda boring and pointless, whereas if things are just difficult enough to overcome through sheer skill, then you get that badass feeling. It's like the difference between God of War and Ninja Gaiden in my eyes, or more obviously
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IiXm9VbIBlI/TOLzz6LU1aI/AAAAAAAAACg/HVXRxnUwfOk/s1600/batman-vs-superman.jpg
Being underpowered has its advantages though, for winning due to pure wit or skill against all odds is probably the best feeling of all.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Looking back at my games I guess I prefer the starting from weak to strong type of game characters (Metroid, Monster Hunter Tri, Legend of Zelda etc). I guess that make sense since when I start the game, I getting used to the control etc so I bound to make mistake so the learning difficulty suit me.

 

[Irriduccibilli]

My character getting stronger is my favourite. Seeing how they develop and grow stronger is more satisfying than having an already strong character

 

[GrizzlerBorno]

I like it when I feel equally as vulnerable as the "enemies" in the game. I like progression but progression has to be in a way that at any given moment, I am just as powerful as the enemies I go up against. Mass Effect did this well, as did Fallout.

And for all those complaining about Assassin's creed: You are kind of weak there, in that, (in many missions) if you get detected, you fail the mission. Especially in Brotherhood which emphasizes the Stealth gameplay more than the previous games. I think a better example would be Arkham Asylum though.

 

[Cheesus333]

The Fallout 3 progression always seemed to be rather well balanced, and it kept my interest for a good, long time.

Until I hit level 22 and started seeing Deathclaw's everywhere, that is.

Basically what I was gonna say, as it happens.

I like to earn my ability to fucking own anything in the world. When you're basically Godspawn right from the get-go, it sort of takes the edge off. And constant weakness certainly suits the Horror genre but that's really the only time feeling powerless is a desirable effect.

Whereas if you start out fleeing from rabid dogs and mutant subterranean rodents and build up to be conquering armies single-handedly, there's a very strong sense of "I did this. I started out as dusty, festering shit and grew to a legend. Bow to me, Wasteland."

 

[alfawx]

I voted weak, but I really like both weak and realistic. (Which, if we're using Call of Duty as an example, is a bullet defying god. ) Realistic is nice when you're in an over the top action game or anything of the sort, but I feel that weak is better on two fronts. For one, it makes the player focus much more on strategy and teamwork (if applicable) rather than just pushing forward through crowds of enemies. Also, when you're normally weak it just feels so good to finally use that shotgun ammo you've been saving up for about three levels/chapters/areas, find an enemy that terrified you up until that point and BLAST IT IN THE FACE LAUGHING WHILE THE GIBLETS GATHER AROUND ITS FEET AND IT SLUMPS ONTO - ahem. I've still got a little of the tension pent up in me from finishing Silent Hill 2 recently.

 

[AngryNerd]

I like Rpg heroes. It's nice to have to work for your powers.

 

[Amberella]

I like to start out weak and become stronger as I progress.