Have you ever cried in a game?

[BumblebeeCody]

(07-22-2012 11:31 AM)Beardy Wrote:  

(07-22-2012 11:20 AM)BumblebeeCody Wrote:  

(07-22-2012 11:08 AM)Beardy Wrote:  

(07-22-2012 10:59 AM)BumblebeeCody Wrote:  

(07-22-2012 10:38 AM)Beardy Wrote:  This'll probably be an unpopular opinion, but hey... I don't think that emotive writing is important enough to the industry for a game to have really touched me emotionally yet. I've been attached to characters, yes, but that's been going on since I've been trying to keep Jools and Jops alive. In terms of storyline, I can't think of anything properly touching yet. And I've wept like a little girl at movies and books.

Shoutouts to Cannon Fodder.
Interesting thought. Have you played Heavy Rain?

No, I've not got a PS3. I hear it's very good, though and I really, REALLY want to play it. Knowing NOTHING about it, I strongly suspect that it hasn't bridged that emotional gap, though.

Games have to be interactive, that's their nature. The entire history of narrative previously is basically passive (unless you want to turn to page 42...etc). You get swept along with the story and characters. It's empathy rather than empowerment. Whilst I do honestly believe that gaming has the potential to eclipse this, I don't think it's even nearly happened yet.

Yeah I understand. I think it's because when you watch a film you're sitting and watching. If you watch a cutscene from a game like MGS4 or Final Fantasy which are amazing to watch(mini films), you're completely engrossed in that moment, but then you get pulled back out of that once you have to pick up the controller and start tapping away at buttons.

For me Heavy Rain is one of the few games that really bridged the gap. When I played that game, damn, I could not stop playing it. I bought it and completed it the next the day. The story was incredible and I never felt out the "emotional factor" once the game told me to press something. Here's their latest project

That looks fucking awesome, man. How was the gameplay in Heavy Rain? I've never played it and constantly been jealous. The good reviews say it's amazing, the bad reviews say that it's a QTE game.

HAAAAnyway. Yeah, I still think that gaming is capable of a complete revolution in the arts. But it's nowhere near happening, still.

Take a look for yourself It's not a spoiler by the way. But it does give a decent insight into how the game is played. You can also check the related videos for different scenarios on how to tackle each different situations. They give so many different situations to work with. If you've ever played Fahrenheit(for us in Europe) Indigo Prophecy(US) (also made by Quantic Dream) it's a QTE game but not in a bad way.
Edit: I forgot point out. DO NOT READ YOUTUBE COMMENTS. They're will be that one a-hole who spoils the entire game.

Like the video I just linked, you press the buttons when you want but each have their consequence. It's not like RE4 where you need to press a button to dodge an attack. There are certain parts in the game which do have that, but it's mainly because of high tension situations. I honestly think this is the game you are looking for. If you have a PS2, PS3 (backwards compatibility), Xbox or Xbox 360 you can buy Farenheit for those consoles. You can download Farenheit from the Xbox marketplace, just to get an idea of the company and their method of story telling. Heavy Rain is a huge step up however.
They convey the emotion so well through story telling that you when you go back to the gaming it doesn't through you out.

Spoiler (Click to View)

I agree with you though on the point about

Quote:Yeah, I still think that gaming is capable of a complete revolution in the arts. But it's nowhere near happening, still.

I don't see that boundary being broken, but there are those game companies at least trying.