There's still something funny about us (me included) spoilering in a thread that has such a title.

I don't know what they would expect if they clocked the link tho

Tempy wrote:

I don’t think it happens very often because it’s too easy to come across as a manipulative, calculated, lazy attempt to garner an emotion from the player. It really needs to be woven i to the fabric of the story you’re telling on a meaningful level, cod games struggle with emotion at the best of times.

It's often cheap, yeah, but I think a lot of other media still uses it to get an easy shock. Even modern 'high quality' TV shows will do it pretty often

I guess in comics it would have originally been because of their episodic nature, trying to make sure they can sell the next edition by putting something sensational in. Games don't usually have that issue, but they can still do plot twists, of course.

The other thing that perhaps still makes FFVII stand out from many of these other examples is that it's not just an NPC that goes. For that to work you have to have a party of playable characters in the first place of course, which counts a lot of games out from the start. Or pass from one playable character to another, as in one of the other examples up there. Those are probably the most effective for that reason.

Tempy wrote:

Wait, have we just written an article for you?

I wish it were that easy.

regmcfly wrote:

There's still something funny about us (me included) spoilering in a thread that has such a title.

It was always going to be a bit of a minefield. Even seeing the title of a game in this context is a giveaway, so it's definitely enter at your peril. But still, might as well spoiler specific content just in case.

In the last of us

regmcfly wrote:

You do know there's a whole ton of people who don't give a shit about spoilers, right? It's thus fucking star wars / marvel shite that has fermented it.

I'm one of those people with games, couldn't care less about stories in games 90% of the time, skip skip skip, most cut scenes get in the way of what I'm playing for anyway. With TV and films I'm the opposite - I don't want to know anything beforehand.

I try to use spoiler tags when I'm discussing either on here because it's so easy to do and it solves all problems.

People can have knowledge of some things but not others. I think the iconic in the title is misleading, cos only one of them is really iconic.

Not sure what an "iconic" death would be anyway.

It's in no way iconic, but there was a really great bit in a splinter cell game a while back. Xbox era. End of a mission you met a female contact and just as she left you in a lift, your boss told you to shoot her. She was unarmed npc at time, if you didn't she was a sniper in next mission, if you did, it made life easy. Was very effectively done.

Pedant.

It may not be iconic, but it is perfectly executed:

2019 GOTY

JonB wrote:

Tempy wrote:

I don’t think it happens very often because it’s too easy to come across as a manipulative, calculated, lazy attempt to garner an emotion from the player. It really needs to be woven i to the fabric of the story you’re telling on a meaningful level, cod games struggle with emotion at the best of times.

It's often cheap, yeah, but I think a lot of other media still uses it to get an easy shock. Even modern 'high quality' TV shows will do it pretty often I guess in comics it would have originally been because of their episodic nature, trying to make sure they can sell the next edition by putting something sensational in. Games don't usually have that issue, but they can still do plot twists, of course. The other thing that perhaps still makes FFVII stand out from many of these other examples is that it's not just an NPC that goes. For that to work you have to have a party of playable characters in the first place of course, which counts a lot of games out from the start. Or pass from one playable character to another, as in one of the other examples up there. Those are probably the most effective for that reason.

Tempy wrote:

Wait, have we just written an article for you?

I wish it were that easy.

My brother wrote a letter to Edge years ago about the death of Aeris and how the impact was different because of ALL THE FUCKING HOURS I SPENT LEVELLING HER UP THAT HAVE BEEN STOLEN. Unlike a film character dying, or a book character, you had quite literally STOLEN MY FUCKING LIFE I SPENT MAKING HER AWESOME. Something vaguely along those lines, anyway. I don't remember any of the specifics. All to do with how we invest in characters.

Halo Reach, the last stand of team noble and noble six in particular

Dinostar77 wrote:

Mass Effect 1, when you have to make that choice.

Wasn't much of a choice for a space stud like me.

tigersgogrrr wrote:

Dinostar77 wrote:

Mass Effect 1, when you have to make that choice.

Wasn't much of a choice for a space stud like me.

Hahaha