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When the Playstation2 was released last year the public was subjected to hype by the bucketload. Sony called the Playstation2s chipset the "Emotion Engine" and promised to deliver a new type of game, a game where you could actually emphasise with the characters in the games. Sony’s dream is to have people completely immersed in their games, relating to the games main character as they relate to the main character in a movie.
There have been attempts at this sort of game on previous game systems such as the original Playstation but these never quite cut the mustard, anyone who remembers the bad acting in the original ResidentEvil game will verify that! To be fair the characterisation in games has got better over the years, the characterisation in DinoCrisis2 is far better than that in the original game. I almost felt sorry for Dylan as he (don’t want to give the plot away!) .
The Playstation was never really capable of bringing these emotions out though, the characters always looked stiff, artificial and computer generated. Perhaps it’s the fact that in order to feel for the characters in games you have to believe that you could be them! I’m not sure what it is exactly that brings a game to life, or makes you have empathy for the main character but Shenmue was definitely a step in the right direction.
Shenmue brought the realism of life to Dreamcast, no longer limited by a lack of processing power that had limited the Playstation this game has almost life like graphics and plays like a dream. At times you truly feel like you Ryo the main character, such is the stunning realism of this game.
As yet the Playstation2 has yet to deliver a game of this quality, but with its impressive specs perhaps it’s only a matter of time before it does.
I’m not sure what brings a game to life, but I know that characterisation is important and hopefully the Playstation2 will eventually deliver on its promise, and take us to “The Third Place”.
There have been attempts at this sort of game on previous game systems such as the original Playstation but these never quite cut the mustard, anyone who remembers the bad acting in the original ResidentEvil game will verify that! To be fair the characterisation in games has got better over the years, the characterisation in DinoCrisis2 is far better than that in the original game. I almost felt sorry for Dylan as he (don’t want to give the plot away!) .
The Playstation was never really capable of bringing these emotions out though, the characters always looked stiff, artificial and computer generated. Perhaps it’s the fact that in order to feel for the characters in games you have to believe that you could be them! I’m not sure what it is exactly that brings a game to life, or makes you have empathy for the main character but Shenmue was definitely a step in the right direction.
Shenmue brought the realism of life to Dreamcast, no longer limited by a lack of processing power that had limited the Playstation this game has almost life like graphics and plays like a dream. At times you truly feel like you Ryo the main character, such is the stunning realism of this game.
As yet the Playstation2 has yet to deliver a game of this quality, but with its impressive specs perhaps it’s only a matter of time before it does.
I’m not sure what brings a game to life, but I know that characterisation is important and hopefully the Playstation2 will eventually deliver on its promise, and take us to “The Third Place”.
You see, the problem with the question "Are there any games you've found emotional?" is that most people think that means "Are there any games that have made you cry?" (no). My whole point was that ALL games cause emotion - be it frustration, happiness, dissappointment, anger etc.
In reply to asroktjusaetg, I am connecting good graphics with good characters... that's because I believe that it's easier for me to emphasise with characters if they look almost life like. It's not the only thing that makes a good character though; humour is another factor that I find important. The great humour in old games like MonkeyIsland2 made characters like Guybrush Threepwood seem almost like your best mate.
What I'm trying to say is that graphics are important to me, it helps me to get into a game and emphasise with the games characters. I believe that if the Playstation 2 can deliver the level of realism that we were promised, perhaps it will be easier to emphasise with the main characters in those games. Hopefully this will make the whole videogame experience more human.
I agree though that graphics aren't the only factor that shapes characters in games, even the most realistic graphics in the world can't bring a game to life if the voices are provided by the cast of Neighbours! :-)
Are there any other games that you've found emotional?? MetalGearSolid is one game that seems to have hit the spot, although I personally found it hard to relate to the chain smoking genetically engineered hero Solid Snake..Im sure we all felt for Sniper Wolf.
What I'm trying to say is that graphics are important to me, it helps me to get into a game and emphasise with the games characters. I believe that if the Playstation 2 can deliver the level of realism that we were promised, perhaps it will be easier to emphasise with the main characters in those games. Hopefully this will make the whole videogame experience more human.
I agree though that graphics aren't the only factor that shapes characters in games, even the most realistic graphics in the world can't bring a game to life if the voices are provided by the cast of Neighbours! :-)
Are there any other games that you've found emotional?? MetalGearSolid is one game that seems to have hit the spot, although I personally found it hard to relate to the chain smoking genetically engineered hero Solid Snake..Im sure we all felt for Sniper Wolf.
turbonutter wrote:
> Games do not need good graphics to spark emotion. Come on, admit it,
> who didn't feel a little chokey when Sniper Wolf died?
Me...WAHAHAHAHA...Ahem
> Games do not need good graphics to spark emotion. Come on, admit it,
> who didn't feel a little chokey when Sniper Wolf died?
Me...WAHAHAHAHA...Ahem
Games do not need good graphics to spark emotion. Come on, admit it, who didn't feel a little chokey when Sniper Wolf died? The character models on MGS were PANTS compared to these days, but it was still very emotional. All you need is a good script writer and a good director and you're off. Just like films.
You seem to be connecting graphics with good characters - something I totally disagree with. Have you never read a book? A simple text adventure running on a LCD screen could cause the player to emote if the writing was good enough. The glitz and glam of the PS2 has seen nothing of the sort yet. In fact, the whole Emotion Engine thing is silly as games have always caused players to empathise with the game through frustration, elation etc...
For example, I remember one summer where me and two friends literally spent two months playing Premier Manager 2 on the Amiga. This is a text based game but the emotions were so high we sometimes fell out over games and transfer deals. All because of a silly game and the high levels of rivalry it caused. Every now and then you'd have to take a step back and think "it is only a game". Would that experience be any better because of the Emotion Engine? Can't really see how. Manybe it would crunch numbers faster so games would load quicker and we wouldn't have been sitting around waiting so much - but how does that cause more "emotion"?
In fact, how do you measure "emotion" anyway? This game causes three emotion whereas that only two? Is happiness better than confusion? They are both emotions and in terms of games playing one is usually good and one usually bad. In truth we've always emoted with games - how does the PS2 make this any different?
The important aspect in feeling a bond with the character will always be be the story - be that a back story about, for example, Lara Croft being from a rich and powerful family, or the on-going, in-game story, such as Cloud's travels in Final Fantasy 7 (N.B. I'm not saying these stories particularly make me emote - just using them as examples :) The sad part is the story is usally tacked on at the end as a filler for the first few pages of the games manual. If it is an in-game story it is usually made up and filled out as they go along. Sure, they know the main areas of the tale, but it is often those incidental minor things that make a novel or a play truely great.
Until we start getting propper writers into games making there will be no increase in the quality of gaming characters - it is as simple as that.
For example, I remember one summer where me and two friends literally spent two months playing Premier Manager 2 on the Amiga. This is a text based game but the emotions were so high we sometimes fell out over games and transfer deals. All because of a silly game and the high levels of rivalry it caused. Every now and then you'd have to take a step back and think "it is only a game". Would that experience be any better because of the Emotion Engine? Can't really see how. Manybe it would crunch numbers faster so games would load quicker and we wouldn't have been sitting around waiting so much - but how does that cause more "emotion"?
In fact, how do you measure "emotion" anyway? This game causes three emotion whereas that only two? Is happiness better than confusion? They are both emotions and in terms of games playing one is usually good and one usually bad. In truth we've always emoted with games - how does the PS2 make this any different?
The important aspect in feeling a bond with the character will always be be the story - be that a back story about, for example, Lara Croft being from a rich and powerful family, or the on-going, in-game story, such as Cloud's travels in Final Fantasy 7 (N.B. I'm not saying these stories particularly make me emote - just using them as examples :) The sad part is the story is usally tacked on at the end as a filler for the first few pages of the games manual. If it is an in-game story it is usually made up and filled out as they go along. Sure, they know the main areas of the tale, but it is often those incidental minor things that make a novel or a play truely great.
Until we start getting propper writers into games making there will be no increase in the quality of gaming characters - it is as simple as that.
When the Playstation2 was released last year the public was subjected to hype by the bucketload. Sony called the Playstation2s chipset the "Emotion Engine" and promised to deliver a new type of game, a game where you could actually emphasise with the characters in the games. Sony’s dream is to have people completely immersed in their games, relating to the games main character as they relate to the main character in a movie.
There have been attempts at this sort of game on previous game systems such as the original Playstation but these never quite cut the mustard, anyone who remembers the bad acting in the original ResidentEvil game will verify that! To be fair the characterisation in games has got better over the years, the characterisation in DinoCrisis2 is far better than that in the original game. I almost felt sorry for Dylan as he (don’t want to give the plot away!) .
The Playstation was never really capable of bringing these emotions out though, the characters always looked stiff, artificial and computer generated. Perhaps it’s the fact that in order to feel for the characters in games you have to believe that you could be them! I’m not sure what it is exactly that brings a game to life, or makes you have empathy for the main character but Shenmue was definitely a step in the right direction.
Shenmue brought the realism of life to Dreamcast, no longer limited by a lack of processing power that had limited the Playstation this game has almost life like graphics and plays like a dream. At times you truly feel like you Ryo the main character, such is the stunning realism of this game.
As yet the Playstation2 has yet to deliver a game of this quality, but with its impressive specs perhaps it’s only a matter of time before it does.
I’m not sure what brings a game to life, but I know that characterisation is important and hopefully the Playstation2 will eventually deliver on its promise, and take us to “The Third Place”.
There have been attempts at this sort of game on previous game systems such as the original Playstation but these never quite cut the mustard, anyone who remembers the bad acting in the original ResidentEvil game will verify that! To be fair the characterisation in games has got better over the years, the characterisation in DinoCrisis2 is far better than that in the original game. I almost felt sorry for Dylan as he (don’t want to give the plot away!) .
The Playstation was never really capable of bringing these emotions out though, the characters always looked stiff, artificial and computer generated. Perhaps it’s the fact that in order to feel for the characters in games you have to believe that you could be them! I’m not sure what it is exactly that brings a game to life, or makes you have empathy for the main character but Shenmue was definitely a step in the right direction.
Shenmue brought the realism of life to Dreamcast, no longer limited by a lack of processing power that had limited the Playstation this game has almost life like graphics and plays like a dream. At times you truly feel like you Ryo the main character, such is the stunning realism of this game.
As yet the Playstation2 has yet to deliver a game of this quality, but with its impressive specs perhaps it’s only a matter of time before it does.
I’m not sure what brings a game to life, but I know that characterisation is important and hopefully the Playstation2 will eventually deliver on its promise, and take us to “The Third Place”.