Question of the Day, September 23, 2010

[crudus]

If it fits with the story and genre, like

Spoiler

Halo: Reach

then I'm cool with it, but I was kinda pissed when it happened in Fallout 3.

Fallout 3's didn't make sense though.

Spoiler

"hi giant mutant who is my loyal friend! Want to walk into this irradiated chamber and flip this switch for me? You will remain unharmed since you are immune to it and no more needless blood needs to be shed today."

"no, fuck off"

uhhhh...what?

as for your spoiler

Spoiler

I didn't have a problem with him dying. I had a problem with them showing us repeatedly getting stabbed by two elites. It was kind of unnecessary. It would have been much better with an implied death or just watching the planet get glassed and a plasma bolt hitting him.

 

[Nocta-Aeterna]

As long as it fits the story, is handled well ánd the character is relatable, i believe it will be a very satisfying end to the story.

Spoiler: Good example

The ending sequence to Lufia II remains my all-time favourite example of this. Even though it's in a spoiler box, most likely anyone reading this will not have seen it. It really needs to be experienced to explain.

That was indeed a good ending: The sacrifice made sense and it had nice music to boot.
Sadly, the remake/reimagining features an alternative ending where both survive.

Thanks for the warning. I had misgivings when they revealed it was more like an Action-adventure, but now I'm sure I'm not getting it.

I've checked it for a second: the alternative ending comes up in the retry mode. Apparently Erim shows up again. After you defeat her again, she takes up the Iris persona, whisks Maxim and Selan away and destroys the final Mystical Stone herself.

 

[ZeLunarian]

When its made as a part of the story line... It leaves me like this-> D:
But i get over it P: Mebbe start a new game.. or just get on with the game, respectively~

 

[SilentHunter7]

If it fits into the story, the main character need not even have to wait until the end to die

Spoiler

Chrono Trigger

 

[Mysnomer]

Did nobody else play Robotech: Battlecry? I cried at the ending. The only other game that made me cry was FFX, but that already got a mention. And of course, Jackson in COD4, but that was less tearful and more depressing. Especially after they make you crawl out of the helicopter.

 

[unacomn]

If it makes sense in the story context, and it's not the work of lazy writing, then the death of a main character can be a profound experience.
I still give Mass Effect a hard time for coping out at the end with Sheppard surviving, and then killing him in the intro sequence of the second game.

And Sam and Max Season 3, man, that just blew my mind. I won't go into detail because I don't know how the spoiler tag works, but it was the most heartfelt emotion generated by a game I've had all year.

 

[Josdeb]

Spoiler: Heavenly Sword

I felt that Nariko's death at the end was fitting. Like, there is always the hope that "O, she'll find a way to live after using the life-draining sword, I'm sure something will come up...
Then nothing does and you see her dead body on a funeral pyre and the absoluteness is really impacting

 

[gizunt]

MW2 is an example of a game that pissed me off,you die trying to finish the mission a million times only to DIE at the end!!!! and after that i never wanna see the main player character die ever again. even if it fits the story

 

[Protocol95]

If it fits with the story it's fine. Best they die the right way.

 

[nipsen]

I don't know, I haven't played a game that can be exclusively defined by the phrase "the main character dies".

In fact, the question is so stupid that my Microsoft marketing senses are tingling. And the end to that story is pretty damned bad.

 

[SoranMBane]

The only time that didn't annoy me was Sgt. Jackson from Call of Duty 4, probably because of a combination of it being pure tragedy rather than some bullshit heroic sacrifice and Jackson not being the main protagonist. Something like Fallout 3 on the other hand, showcasing one of the aforementioned bullshit heroic sacrifices (And a particularly poorly handled one, at that), does give me a nagging sense of having been cheated, not to mention all the disgusting moral implications to be found in the "heroic sacrifice" hook.