This never happened before (Warning, spoilers)

[Dracowrath]

I'm not sure why I'm putting this out here, as I'll likely be mocked endlessly for it but I wanted to see if anyone else felt the same.

Normally, I've been able to see sad and terrible things in video games without tearing up in the slightest. I feel the emotion, but I remain detached enough to not cry. That changed today. Yesterday, for my birthday I got a game I'd been meaning to buy, Dragon Age 2. Those familiar with it's story may already know where this is going.

At one point in the story, you go to your manor to find Hawke's mother is missing. Due to previous events you know she's in danger, and when you finally get to her it's too late. Hawke holds her as she says her goodbyes. For most of the game I had been playing Hawke as if I were in his shoes, what I'd do. Perhaps due to my closeness with my own mother, I couldn't stop myself. I didn't openly or loudly sob, but the tears came all the same. Now I know what it's like to have a game make me cry.

I used to mock people like that, people who freely admitted to crying over Aerith for instance. But now I understand. Did anyone else react like this during this part? And please, keep the ridicule to a minimum.

 

[Grospoliner]

People cry when sad shit happens to characters they are emotionally invested in. No shame in that.

 

[manythings]

I didn't cry but when I only figured out she was in danger later on. I'd tried to find that guys wife and the mage but no luck, so whatever, and continued on. Then later in the manor Hawke's mother talks about seeking a suitor and, goody two shoes hawke, was supportive.

About an hour later I had just left the viscount's manor when it struck me that a suitor would give/leave flowers and the other women had recieved white lilies but what surprised me was I actually felt panic at the revelation and (in my own head) I could see hawke rushing home and smashing her own door in to find her gone and a vase of lilies. That's not what happens but I sometimes take departures from the actual story an slot in more appropriate reactions to things that are happening.

One moment that made me rage was the moment that Ashkarri kills the revered mother just when I thought I'd fix everything. Ass hat Qunari.

 

[Woodsey]

It wasn't particularly well acted or written, so I'm not too sure how anyone could've gotten a cry out of that.

 

[Slycne]

I didn't cry, but I did feel a unusual sense of accomplishment when Hawke crit his Assassinate for 30,000+ to put that guy down. He was a sarcastic ass most of the time, but you didn't mess with his family and friends. So it somehow the perfect connection between character and gameplay that he'd put all his frustration into that last attack.

 

[Linkassassin360]

It all depends on how involved you are in a game, and what emotional strings it is pulling.
I wasn't that involved in Dragon Age2, mostly because I havent finished the first one.

 

[FlyAwayAutumn]

I remember that part. I was so mad at myself because I thought I could have done something different to save her. I was pretty sad honestly. I murdered everyone.

 

[varulfic]

Personally, I reacted more to the bit where

Spoiler

my sister died on our epic quest in the deep roads, and it was totally all my fault, and even after my mother begged me not to bring her along.

I'm very good with suspension of disbelief, and easily getting emotionally invested in the plot. It's something about me I value highly, since I can get so much out of a well told story this way.

 

[Ragsnstitches]

The event definitely had an impact on me. What's more, I was playing the charmer/joker part and when the dialogue option came up after his mother said "I knew you'd come" Hawke said something like "You know me... I always arrive just on time", with a notable pang of sorrow in his voice.

Hawkes reaction got me more then the actual event though... it surprised me how well my jokester hawke reacted to the event and still stayed in character. I only learned after my first playtrough that there was a choice system at play that kept Hawkes character consistent within each chapter. Twas novel.

I'm prone to tearing up during intentionally heart pulling moments but only on occassions do I actually properly cry. I teared up at least once in each MGS game and cried multiple times in MGS4. I teared up at that scene in Shadow of the Colossus, 2 scenes in ICO... there are quite a few games that have gotten me over the years.

I'm very good with suspension of disbelief, and easily getting emotionally invested in the plot. It's something about me I value highly, since I can get so much out of a well told story this way.

Same here, it applies to most media too... Being the only person who teared up in the cinema at the end of king kong made me feel a little odd, but like you I value that feature.

I get more bang for my buck then most, that's for sure.

 

[Imp_Emissary]

I didn't cry but when I only figured out she was in danger later on. I'd tried to find that guys wife and the mage but no luck so whatever, and continued on. Then later in the manor Hawke's mother talks about seeking a suitor and, goody two shoes hawke, was supportive.

About an hour later I had just left the viscount's manor when it struck me that a suitor would give/leave flowers and the other women had recieved white lilies but what surprised me was I actually felt panic at the revelation and (in my own head) I could see hawke rushing home and smashing her own door in to find her gone and a vase of lilies. That's not what happens but I sometimes take departures from the actual story an slot in more appropriate reactions to things that are happening.

You know what's funny(if you're sick like me)? If you don't take The First Sacrifice quest your mom never talks about getting remarried. In fact all she does later when you try to talk to her is hum happily.

 

[Tohuvabohu]

I laughed at that part, honestly.

No I'm not some morbid douchebag that laughs when people dies. I get quite emotionally invested in my games, and I like to feel profound emotional reactions to thing that occur in games. Red Dead Redemption for example, had me heartbroken and utterly consumed by rage by the "end" of the game.

DA2 had it's moments too. Like Merrill's quest to fix the Eluvian, very sad stuff.

But that quest....

One of the biggest gripes I had with DA2 was the conflicts in the story. I hated how the game seemed to blatantly force both Templars and Mages to seem like absolutely shitty horrible/pathetic people you do not want to help. Everything that happened just screamed "DOESN'T THIS PISS YOU OFF, BRO?" It was incredibly transparent very early on in the game, and I just knew that "the next big thing" was going to be some other arbitrary event written and tailored to piss you off about one group or the other.

The quest with Quentin and the Mother was so random, forced, and culminated to a ridiculous ending to a point where it actually made me laugh. When the mom stood up and she looked like some Tim Burton wet dream, it just stunned me. This came out of fucking nowhere and I could do nothing to stop it. What the hell is this? I felt no hint of sadness when it was all over. Actually I was pretty goddamn mad as if someone had just played a prank on me. I felt like I saw right through this miserable attempt to make me upset like, 20 hours earlier.

By the time it was over, I just stood up and threw my hands up in the air in a "What-the-fuck-is-this-shit?" fashion, then went to grab myself a beer.

Captcha: "be nice"

 

[Veronika-Barbara Rideg]

There is no shame crying about the even of the game. I personally cried at the noble story line in Dragon Age:Origins, when the PC's mother and father are killed and don't see the brother until the very end! Dragonage 2 in comparison I was not as emotionally invested in, I feel the massive gaps between events and then having to assume that such and such character is bad/evil etc, it misses out on lots of plot and development!

 

[Fr]anc[is]

I've cried during other games, but I personally didn't give two shits about Hawke or her family, so that part didn't really phase me.

 

[teebeeohh]

that part was actually moving, the whole time fighting to get to her i was thinking: please don't be dead. But then the free of choice finale happened and i was so pissed i forgot the good parts about the game and only remembered the copy/paste.

 

[Herbsk]

I didn't cry - but I did get extremely angry. That's called being emotionally invested in a character - and it can happen in any good story!

 

[ms_sunlight]

I didn't cry at Leandra's death, although it did move me. I have however cried over video games.

(Every single time I see the Final Fantasy 6 ending sequence I bawl my eyes out. Every single bloody time.)

 

[MarsProbe]

Have never played Dragon Age 2 (beyond the demo anyway), but just a hint, you may actually want to put the name of the game the spoilers relate in the title of your thread. That way, people won't need to actually open the topic to see what they're getting into (as well as risking the potential spoiler).

 

[Dracowrath]

Earlier today I actually finished the game, and I realized something. There's really no way for Hawke to side with the templars in the end without murdering his own sister and/or committing suicide.This game didn't just bring sorrow out of me though. Whenever a mission occured and someone mentioned threatening Bethany I myself got pissed off, not to mention when Meredith casually mentions your mother's death to insult you.