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This thread has been linked to the game 'Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'.
Videogames offer and portray many things, but for me some of the best and most memorable ingame moments are those of "aloneness".
Take Grand Theft Auto III for example. During a wild and wreckless police chase there is something strangely tranquil about caning it on foot as a "5 star criminal" to a hidden place of safety where the cops can't get at you. The lunacy of Liberty City is going off all around you, but you have found an unlikely haven of solace, and for now you can just wait in silence thinking about what your next move will be. For a few brief moments, all is perfectly still. You are totally alone within the calm before and after the violent storm.
Many games have space for this "aloneness". In the Tomb Raider games you could take Lara preferrably to a high location and just look down on the mysterious surroundings. She was alone. You were alone. It created a tangible feeling of immersion in the game's virtual realm.
The same thing can be said of Splinter Cell, where staying unseen and alone is the primary aim of the game.
Hiding in the darkness of the long shadows as guards patrol and search the area is probably the best moment of ingame aloneness I can think of.
I think it is this ingame aloneness that makes using "Sniper Mode" so satisfyingly enjoyable. You are hidden from the enemy, but within your sights you can see them. You zoom in on their oblivious minds and slowly squeeze the trigger. POP.
It's the same with driving games. I'm sure most of you take advantage of the Time Trial to just go for a power cruise on an empty track in your favourite vehicle. You are alone with the open road stretching out before you. Perfect ingame aloneness in motion.
I think what I'm trying to get at is that this feeling of aloneness in a game's virtual environment is tantamount to a feeling of "freedom". It's like we can stop and just observe and take in the game's surroundings as if we were in fact that character in or on the screen.
Ingame aloneness can also be found in the unlikeliest of places. For instance in the driving seat of a Formula One car during a long and arduous Grand Prix. I know it's not real, but you can become completely lost in the virtual participation and find yourself concentrating like IT IS an actual race and that the outcome seriously matters.
For me, this ingame "aloneness" or "solitude" (or whatever you want to call it) is a very important feature in the visual/gameplay experience. It creates a feeling of immersion, and that's what gaming is all about.
Take Grand Theft Auto III for example. During a wild and wreckless police chase there is something strangely tranquil about caning it on foot as a "5 star criminal" to a hidden place of safety where the cops can't get at you. The lunacy of Liberty City is going off all around you, but you have found an unlikely haven of solace, and for now you can just wait in silence thinking about what your next move will be. For a few brief moments, all is perfectly still. You are totally alone within the calm before and after the violent storm.
Many games have space for this "aloneness". In the Tomb Raider games you could take Lara preferrably to a high location and just look down on the mysterious surroundings. She was alone. You were alone. It created a tangible feeling of immersion in the game's virtual realm.
The same thing can be said of Splinter Cell, where staying unseen and alone is the primary aim of the game.
Hiding in the darkness of the long shadows as guards patrol and search the area is probably the best moment of ingame aloneness I can think of.
I think it is this ingame aloneness that makes using "Sniper Mode" so satisfyingly enjoyable. You are hidden from the enemy, but within your sights you can see them. You zoom in on their oblivious minds and slowly squeeze the trigger. POP.
It's the same with driving games. I'm sure most of you take advantage of the Time Trial to just go for a power cruise on an empty track in your favourite vehicle. You are alone with the open road stretching out before you. Perfect ingame aloneness in motion.
I think what I'm trying to get at is that this feeling of aloneness in a game's virtual environment is tantamount to a feeling of "freedom". It's like we can stop and just observe and take in the game's surroundings as if we were in fact that character in or on the screen.
Ingame aloneness can also be found in the unlikeliest of places. For instance in the driving seat of a Formula One car during a long and arduous Grand Prix. I know it's not real, but you can become completely lost in the virtual participation and find yourself concentrating like IT IS an actual race and that the outcome seriously matters.
For me, this ingame "aloneness" or "solitude" (or whatever you want to call it) is a very important feature in the visual/gameplay experience. It creates a feeling of immersion, and that's what gaming is all about.
Silent Hill 2 makes me feel very, very alone.
Huh? AH what's that!
*dicing noice of sliced flesh*
Huh? AH what's that!
*dicing noice of sliced flesh*
And on the other hand you've the very annoying aloneness of GTA3 / VC. This is when you're doing a rampage (usually) to blow up cars, you're in the middle of a road and nothing comes near you for the whole 2 minutes.
That's just annoying.
I've got a cheat on my AR for Vice City for no cars or people or anything. It's really disturbing.
That's just annoying.
I've got a cheat on my AR for Vice City for no cars or people or anything. It's really disturbing.
Yes, the "aloneness" of TR1 was very special indeed - the likes of which we'll probably never see again in future big console games.
Zarathustra wrote:
> I wonder if the new "revamped" TR: Angel of Darkness will
> still have the same desolate feel? - I doubt it. My bet is it will be
> action-packed, and thus ruin the ambience of the earlier games in the
> series.
Twould be a simple ploy to woo us disheartened TR1 lovers back to the series. The first game had perfect atmosphere, and that was done on 32-bit gen consoles, so what could they do with the 128-bit PS2?
Oh wait, because of the graphics, there would have to be lots of fancy explosions, tons of human enemies (very detailed; very 'impressive', apparently. To whom?). And because of the sound chip involved, lots of talking and vehicles and general commotion, to 'show off' the power,and because everyone LOVES fighting, there'll have to be drive-by battles on skidoos galore. It doesn't bode well.
> I wonder if the new "revamped" TR: Angel of Darkness will
> still have the same desolate feel? - I doubt it. My bet is it will be
> action-packed, and thus ruin the ambience of the earlier games in the
> series.
Twould be a simple ploy to woo us disheartened TR1 lovers back to the series. The first game had perfect atmosphere, and that was done on 32-bit gen consoles, so what could they do with the 128-bit PS2?
Oh wait, because of the graphics, there would have to be lots of fancy explosions, tons of human enemies (very detailed; very 'impressive', apparently. To whom?). And because of the sound chip involved, lots of talking and vehicles and general commotion, to 'show off' the power,and because everyone LOVES fighting, there'll have to be drive-by battles on skidoos galore. It doesn't bode well.
LL Cool TT wrote:
> I totally agree. One of the best things about Tomb Raider 1 was the
> fact that you were alone in this giant area, with no help, but no
> distractions from the real world.
I wonder if the new "revamped" TR: Angel of Darkness will still have the same desolate feel? - I doubt it. My bet is it will be action-packed, and thus ruin the ambience of the earlier games in the series.
> I totally agree. One of the best things about Tomb Raider 1 was the
> fact that you were alone in this giant area, with no help, but no
> distractions from the real world.
I wonder if the new "revamped" TR: Angel of Darkness will still have the same desolate feel? - I doubt it. My bet is it will be action-packed, and thus ruin the ambience of the earlier games in the series.
I totally agree. One of the best things about Tomb Raider 1 was the fact that you were alone in this giant area, with no help, but no distractions from the real world. And driving along an empty track was about the only part of Gran Turismo that I enjoyed.
Peace and serenity are the two most important things in my life, and by recreating this in video-game form is a very relaxing experience. That's probably why I'm not such a fan of footbal games, at least not in the same way, because there's that feeling that you can rely on the positioning of your team-mates, and that you're not out on your own. It's also one of the reasons I enjoyed first playing Phantasy Star Online on the DC - exploring a completely foreign jungle on your own is something that really makes me feel a lot better.
Peace and serenity are the two most important things in my life, and by recreating this in video-game form is a very relaxing experience. That's probably why I'm not such a fan of footbal games, at least not in the same way, because there's that feeling that you can rely on the positioning of your team-mates, and that you're not out on your own. It's also one of the reasons I enjoyed first playing Phantasy Star Online on the DC - exploring a completely foreign jungle on your own is something that really makes me feel a lot better.
Videogames offer and portray many things, but for me some of the best and most memorable ingame moments are those of "aloneness".
Take Grand Theft Auto III for example. During a wild and wreckless police chase there is something strangely tranquil about caning it on foot as a "5 star criminal" to a hidden place of safety where the cops can't get at you. The lunacy of Liberty City is going off all around you, but you have found an unlikely haven of solace, and for now you can just wait in silence thinking about what your next move will be. For a few brief moments, all is perfectly still. You are totally alone within the calm before and after the violent storm.
Many games have space for this "aloneness". In the Tomb Raider games you could take Lara preferrably to a high location and just look down on the mysterious surroundings. She was alone. You were alone. It created a tangible feeling of immersion in the game's virtual realm.
The same thing can be said of Splinter Cell, where staying unseen and alone is the primary aim of the game.
Hiding in the darkness of the long shadows as guards patrol and search the area is probably the best moment of ingame aloneness I can think of.
I think it is this ingame aloneness that makes using "Sniper Mode" so satisfyingly enjoyable. You are hidden from the enemy, but within your sights you can see them. You zoom in on their oblivious minds and slowly squeeze the trigger. POP.
It's the same with driving games. I'm sure most of you take advantage of the Time Trial to just go for a power cruise on an empty track in your favourite vehicle. You are alone with the open road stretching out before you. Perfect ingame aloneness in motion.
I think what I'm trying to get at is that this feeling of aloneness in a game's virtual environment is tantamount to a feeling of "freedom". It's like we can stop and just observe and take in the game's surroundings as if we were in fact that character in or on the screen.
Ingame aloneness can also be found in the unlikeliest of places. For instance in the driving seat of a Formula One car during a long and arduous Grand Prix. I know it's not real, but you can become completely lost in the virtual participation and find yourself concentrating like IT IS an actual race and that the outcome seriously matters.
For me, this ingame "aloneness" or "solitude" (or whatever you want to call it) is a very important feature in the visual/gameplay experience. It creates a feeling of immersion, and that's what gaming is all about.
Take Grand Theft Auto III for example. During a wild and wreckless police chase there is something strangely tranquil about caning it on foot as a "5 star criminal" to a hidden place of safety where the cops can't get at you. The lunacy of Liberty City is going off all around you, but you have found an unlikely haven of solace, and for now you can just wait in silence thinking about what your next move will be. For a few brief moments, all is perfectly still. You are totally alone within the calm before and after the violent storm.
Many games have space for this "aloneness". In the Tomb Raider games you could take Lara preferrably to a high location and just look down on the mysterious surroundings. She was alone. You were alone. It created a tangible feeling of immersion in the game's virtual realm.
The same thing can be said of Splinter Cell, where staying unseen and alone is the primary aim of the game.
Hiding in the darkness of the long shadows as guards patrol and search the area is probably the best moment of ingame aloneness I can think of.
I think it is this ingame aloneness that makes using "Sniper Mode" so satisfyingly enjoyable. You are hidden from the enemy, but within your sights you can see them. You zoom in on their oblivious minds and slowly squeeze the trigger. POP.
It's the same with driving games. I'm sure most of you take advantage of the Time Trial to just go for a power cruise on an empty track in your favourite vehicle. You are alone with the open road stretching out before you. Perfect ingame aloneness in motion.
I think what I'm trying to get at is that this feeling of aloneness in a game's virtual environment is tantamount to a feeling of "freedom". It's like we can stop and just observe and take in the game's surroundings as if we were in fact that character in or on the screen.
Ingame aloneness can also be found in the unlikeliest of places. For instance in the driving seat of a Formula One car during a long and arduous Grand Prix. I know it's not real, but you can become completely lost in the virtual participation and find yourself concentrating like IT IS an actual race and that the outcome seriously matters.
For me, this ingame "aloneness" or "solitude" (or whatever you want to call it) is a very important feature in the visual/gameplay experience. It creates a feeling of immersion, and that's what gaming is all about.