SoulBlazer
08-18-2003, 10:55 AM
It seems with the passage of time that games are slowly being accepted as a art form, just like books, music, and movies. One of the things I love about modern gaming (no disrespect to anyone here who only plays classic games :) ) is the often deep and moving stories. It does'nt even have to be a RPG -- even some shooters like Einhander and Half Life have good stories. A lot of games have better stories then some books and movies I've read and seen. :) It's one of the things I never seem capeable of explaining to my folks that leads to my enjoyment still playing games.
So I'd thought I would ask -- ever seen anything in a game so moving it pulled at your heart strings and almost made you cry? Or actually did?
Of course, this topic is going to have spoilers, so please read at your own risk.
I can think of several off the top of my head.....
The 'classic' moment for many modern gamers would be the death of Aeris in Final Fantasy 7. And yeah, it's a sad moment, but I don't think it should be put up as the 'classic' moment, though.
The earilest one I can recall seeing would be in Phantasy Star 4, just after it came out, when I borrowed a friend's Genny and the game for a while. The main hero in the game has been raised by a woman hunter and although neither would admit it, they care for each other. So when she steps in front of enemy fire in the middle of the game to save his life, she gets criticaly wounded and passes away in a touching scene with a very sad song ('Pain') playing in the background.
Another old game that had a (surprisingly) good scene was Final Fantasy Adventure for the Game Boy (also known as the first Mana game). I'm curious to see what happens to this scene in the new GBA remake. In one point of the game you help a young girl, whose brother is very ill. He needs a tear (it could be blood -- been a while) of a Gorgon. This one, however, can't turn men into stone by gazing -- it bites people and then they become one. Despite the danger, the two of them pair up, encounter a Gorgon, and defeat it in a battle. Everything seems okay, they found the tear and were heading back -- when she realizes she's been bitten. As she starts to change, she begs you not to admit what happened to her brother and to go back and save him for her. Then she pleads with you to kill her, so she does'nt harm anyone else. With no choice, you accept.
One of the best scenes I think would be in Suikoden II. The main character of this game is a young boy, with a adopted older sister, Nanami. Toward the end of the game, there's a key event that happens that determines which of the game's three endings are possible for you to see. During a fight up a castle on a critical mission, you get ambushed. As you are the leader of the resistance country, you're the primary target, and several arrows are fired. Nanami steps in front to protect you, blocks most of them -- but fails on the last one. As she hovers close to death in your arms, she tells you she's just glad she was able to give something back to you and asks to hear you call her 'big sister'. Despite the doctor's best efforts, she passes away from the injury......
.....at least if you were'nt quick enough hitting the button during a text box just before the fight. :) If you were'nt, that gives you the game's first ending. If you WERE, you can see both the second and third. To get the second ending, you have to confront your old friend turned enemy ruler Jowy and grant his request to kill him in battle (another sad scene, really -- the game had a lot of them, one reason it was a personal favorite of mine). That gives you the second ending. But if you ignore his requests, Jowy is saved, and you find out from your advisor that Nanami DID live -- she asked her condition to be kept secret because she did'nt want to worry you anymore and did'nt want you protecting her. She asked it to be kept under wraps till the war was over. So the three of unite once again and travel -- the game's third and best ending.
The most recent example I've seen would be in Arc the Lad II, part of the Arc the Lad Collection by Working Designs for the PSX last year. During one part, your party in checking out a mysterious town where a cult seems to have everyone under control except for one kid. He finally gets 'taken over' one night and you go after him in a large church, the cult leader's HQ. At the top, he shows you a giant machine, the source of his power, laughs about it -- and then demonstrates it by having the kid and his folks come out and making his folks kill themselves right in front of him. This action so pisses off one of your party members he's able to break free from the hold spell placed on all of you and smashes the machine, allowing your party to go medevil on him. :)
Of course, the endings to the last three Final Fantasy games (8,9,10) have been really intense also, enough to almost bring me to tears myself. :)
I have others, but this note is long enough now as it is. :)
So I'd thought I would ask -- ever seen anything in a game so moving it pulled at your heart strings and almost made you cry? Or actually did?
Of course, this topic is going to have spoilers, so please read at your own risk.
I can think of several off the top of my head.....
The 'classic' moment for many modern gamers would be the death of Aeris in Final Fantasy 7. And yeah, it's a sad moment, but I don't think it should be put up as the 'classic' moment, though.
The earilest one I can recall seeing would be in Phantasy Star 4, just after it came out, when I borrowed a friend's Genny and the game for a while. The main hero in the game has been raised by a woman hunter and although neither would admit it, they care for each other. So when she steps in front of enemy fire in the middle of the game to save his life, she gets criticaly wounded and passes away in a touching scene with a very sad song ('Pain') playing in the background.
Another old game that had a (surprisingly) good scene was Final Fantasy Adventure for the Game Boy (also known as the first Mana game). I'm curious to see what happens to this scene in the new GBA remake. In one point of the game you help a young girl, whose brother is very ill. He needs a tear (it could be blood -- been a while) of a Gorgon. This one, however, can't turn men into stone by gazing -- it bites people and then they become one. Despite the danger, the two of them pair up, encounter a Gorgon, and defeat it in a battle. Everything seems okay, they found the tear and were heading back -- when she realizes she's been bitten. As she starts to change, she begs you not to admit what happened to her brother and to go back and save him for her. Then she pleads with you to kill her, so she does'nt harm anyone else. With no choice, you accept.
One of the best scenes I think would be in Suikoden II. The main character of this game is a young boy, with a adopted older sister, Nanami. Toward the end of the game, there's a key event that happens that determines which of the game's three endings are possible for you to see. During a fight up a castle on a critical mission, you get ambushed. As you are the leader of the resistance country, you're the primary target, and several arrows are fired. Nanami steps in front to protect you, blocks most of them -- but fails on the last one. As she hovers close to death in your arms, she tells you she's just glad she was able to give something back to you and asks to hear you call her 'big sister'. Despite the doctor's best efforts, she passes away from the injury......
.....at least if you were'nt quick enough hitting the button during a text box just before the fight. :) If you were'nt, that gives you the game's first ending. If you WERE, you can see both the second and third. To get the second ending, you have to confront your old friend turned enemy ruler Jowy and grant his request to kill him in battle (another sad scene, really -- the game had a lot of them, one reason it was a personal favorite of mine). That gives you the second ending. But if you ignore his requests, Jowy is saved, and you find out from your advisor that Nanami DID live -- she asked her condition to be kept secret because she did'nt want to worry you anymore and did'nt want you protecting her. She asked it to be kept under wraps till the war was over. So the three of unite once again and travel -- the game's third and best ending.
The most recent example I've seen would be in Arc the Lad II, part of the Arc the Lad Collection by Working Designs for the PSX last year. During one part, your party in checking out a mysterious town where a cult seems to have everyone under control except for one kid. He finally gets 'taken over' one night and you go after him in a large church, the cult leader's HQ. At the top, he shows you a giant machine, the source of his power, laughs about it -- and then demonstrates it by having the kid and his folks come out and making his folks kill themselves right in front of him. This action so pisses off one of your party members he's able to break free from the hold spell placed on all of you and smashes the machine, allowing your party to go medevil on him. :)
Of course, the endings to the last three Final Fantasy games (8,9,10) have been really intense also, enough to almost bring me to tears myself. :)
I have others, but this note is long enough now as it is. :)