Revenge

[dubious_wolf]

You know I see your, point on oblivion and it makes sense and stuff but you math equation forgot to take into account equipment. Nothing is more satisfying than pulling out the Umbra Sword and destroying lesser equipped guards and badits. And a lot of the enemies have level caps... revenge is good though sweet sweet revenge. mmmm

 

[Samurai Goomba]

The Count of Monte Cristo is actually my favorite book of all time. Yes, it was well before Yahtzee mentioned it. Sigh. Having Yahtzee say something can instantly reduce that sentiment to an Internet meme, like a lolcats picture that you can paste over anything from everyday life.

The Count is a better vampire than 99.9% of vampires in anything, ever. And he's not a vampire. ... Just sayin'.

On the subject of revenge, I like getting revenge on villains after I've had both time to get to know them and time to want them dead. Revenge before then is pointless. The best revenge stories are gradual and building. For this reason I love the last mission in the original Xbox version of Splinter Cell: Double Agent. After all the crap you went through working with homicidal scumbags, finally you can get a little retribution by stalking and murdering each of them. Screams are muffled by your hand as you slide the knife between the ribs of yet another merciless killer, exacting your revenge in the name of all the people they've killed and wanted to kill. Not to mention the time you wasted and things you did while working for them.

 

[AjNieminen]

Haha, I hate Oblivion becourse of that. It is fantastic game, but also so lame.

 

[RvLeshrac]

I wonder if anyone's made any references to Privateer in talking about FSG:TG.

FSG:TG needs to be some kind of cross between FreeLancer, Transcendence, and X3.

 

[Vestsao]

Well I concur with Oblivion... Enemies leveling up in parallel is incredibly frustrating as it takes any pretense of character developer or skill. Not to mention the world is simply dead..

 

[Katana314]

Phoenix Wright is actually really good with "revenge". Every case starts out with you facing off against a complete dick of a prosecutor who taunts your every move and even deflects most of your early arguments pretty easily. Midway you meet another dickface, named Im Not Killer, who pretty much dodges all your questions under the pretense of being a high-class, wealthy person with a whole lot of power, and generally makes a very hateable character. Then by the end of the case, both that dick prosecutor and dick murderer are sweating their asses off under the glare of a question you've just asked that they can't answer without admitting their guilt. Then each murderer has their own "flip-out" animation at the very end of the case where they just go berserk from frustration.

I gotta say; it really makes you feel pretty badass when your pointer finger drives someone to nearly claw his own face off.

 

[The Bum]

Actually, Yahtzee, nearly all advances in mathematical theory and application have come from adding things to both sides to change the form of whatever it is you're trying to mess with. Hell, many elementary differential equations require that you multiply by an integration factor on both sides to obtain the answer.

YOUNG MAN YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT FACTS ARE NOT TOLRATED ANY WHERE IN THIS ITNERNET NOT GO THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE DONE!!

 

[Nifarious]

Peasants read?

 

[The Youth Counselor]

As stated and restated before Half-Life 2 managed to bend the revenge angle very well and delivered satisfaction straight into my heart.

In it's opening vista you were dropped off at a decrepit train station with little awareness to your surroundings or how you arrived. After meandering around for maybe...ten minutes you quickly learn the oppressive nature of this society by witnessing the the constant surveillance, looping propaganda, overwhelming fear and hopelessness amongst citizens and bullying from the police who would beat you without warning for so much as looking at them the wrong way or being closer than they preferred. Later you frantically flee a ruthless crackdown on unarmed citizens only to get cornered and have the pussy beat out of you. Thankfully you are rescued and and left on your own with only a crowbar.

Moments later you hear the terrified screams from a helpless woman who along with her companion is suffering a ruthless beating from the same police whom blocked your every turn, tormented, and nearly killed you. Without regard to your own safety you charge into the corridor, yeah partially to save the poor couple but really payback has been building interest and you're gonna smash heads. And splat goes the porkers.

Much later in the game, like a rat in an electrified maze frenetic you run through the streets of the wartorn City 17, while leading scattered squads of survivors, and dodging and absorbing a relentless bombardment from enemies of all shapes and sizes from every which way. You survive this action climax and reach both the game and City 17's of the Citadel. After a long vista you get dumped into a compartment while your cherished weapons are confiscated. At which you find yourself thinking: Bullshit! Did I survive all that for this? Is this the weak-ass moment required in every shooter where you are stripped of your weapons and must collect them all back again like a recovered junkie's reputation?

No, instead you're compensated in more ways than one by receiving SUPER-EPIC-AWESOME-FUCK-THE-BFG9000 gun and all those bastards that gave you trouble previously from Gunships to Striders to Combine Elite are now catapult gayly through the air, go splat under the crushing of items weighing in tons and disintegrate into crispy bacon strips faster than you can type OMGWTF!

 

[ValentineBlacker]

SPOILER

I JUST read Count of Monte Cristo and I thought the ending was too happy. He literally sailed off into the sunset with fresh Asian tail. His giant plot of revenge had NO negative consequences to him whatsoever.
Maybe I'm being too cynical.

 

[AmayaOnnaOtaku]

As far as revenge stories go, Edgar Allan Poe's Cask of Amontillado has to be one of my favorite stories in all of fiction. It's only a few pages long, so I'd certainly recommend it for anyone who hasn't already read it.

In today's day and age, revenge is never a happy event. Even upon achieving retribution, it's quickly found out that there is either

a) Little other meaning in the avenger's life now.
b) A slew of other problems brought about by the revenge coming to fruition.
c) No happiness gained in the moment of revenge, but rather regret or despair.

Or any number of other issues. That's precisely why I like The Cask of Amontillado so much: It ends in revenge as a happy ending. It was the story of an offended man who took revenge on his offender by tricking him into following him deep into his wine cellar, and then burying him alive by chaining him into an alcove and erecting a wall. After he's done, he just leaves.

There is not even a tinge of regret or remorse in the main character's voice; he enjoys his work thoroughly. After he nearly finishes walling up his opponent, he sits on a pile of bones in the catacomb so he can properly enjoy the screaming. At one point, it teases you into thinking he feels regret, only to further solidify just how cold the main character is: "My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so."

No moral lesson learned. No angst or gloom or sorrow. Nothing but the simple message of "Payback's a *****" learned in one of the most horrific ways possible. Why can't more revenge stories be like that?

Another Poe Fan *bows*. Yes the Cask is a classic revenge is a dish best served cold story that keeps you glued to the pages until the last word.

 

[Yeager942]

FSG:TG seems to remind me of the the flash game Azul Baronis. Most addicting flash game in the world. Anyone else?

 

[kahlzun]

I'm hoping he finishes FSG:TG. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[Mantheron]

Hear, hear!

 

[WolfThomas]

Niko always reminds me of the Russian terrorists in South Park, "I don't want to die before I get paid!"

 

[wonkify]

It's only wanker if you cite a book 100+ years old if the book is unreadable suck. The Count of Monte Cristo is still an awesome read, no matter how old it is.
Nothing wanker about that.

 

[Sampler]

So what you're saying is the protagonist in Fun Space Game is Mal Reynolds? Could this be a first movie/tv show tie in game that doesn't suck balls?

 

[Nohra]

Niko was one of my favorite characters too, which was really cemented after rescuing Roman when his dumb ass got captured. Here's Niko, after all the shit he and his cousin put each other through, /flipping the fuck out/ while mowing down baddie after baddie just to save what remaining family he has.

One other thing to keep in mind with a scaling difficulty curve would be customizable equipment. In the case of Fallout 3, for instance, you face progressively tougher enemies in the world as you level. But if you keep on top of getting high quality armor and weapons, you'll still stay ahead. And I'm not talking about the Fatman, oh no. The Terrible shotgun, used out of VATS, with a head shot sneak attack can do over 2000 damage in a single shot. That's enough to turn a super mutant behemoth into paste.

In games with more RPG elements, at least, scaling difficulty enemies can be trivialized with appropriate tactics and equipment. In most cases.