Fri, 17 May 2013 22:30:57 -0700 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/ Lussumo Vanilla 1.1.4 & Feed Publisher http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10386#Comment_10386 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10386#Comment_10386 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 08:38:40 -0800 curb
One of the most common enemies in the game is the head crab zombie - a human transformed into a violent, marauding fiend by the application of an alien parasite. They're one of the weakest enemies in the game but, like your standard issue zombie they can be dangerous in large numbers. One area of HL2 is swarming with HCZ's, and the game gives you the opportunity to dispatch them in all sorts of inventive ways. So far, so good.

Thing is, the game is designed in such detail that HCZ's emit a constant muffled insane babble, the product of the human host driven insane by being used as a meat puppet but being unable to resist (or so I assume). When you attack a HCZ in certain ways, this babble rises to a genuinly disturbing scream of pain. Before long, I found myself feeling sorry for the HCZ's and trying to take them out in the most 'humane' way. Which brings me to my question(s).

Have you played any other games that make you care about your in -game 'enemies'? Do you think games are now at a level that they could conceivably be used as behaviour modifying tools? If so, would that be a good thing, or would it just reduce our ability to distinguish between real humans and fictional characters? ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10390#Comment_10390 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10390#Comment_10390 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 09:25:58 -0800 Alexis http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10391#Comment_10391 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10391#Comment_10391 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 09:51:19 -0800 pKone
A couple enemies in Zelda and Final Fantasy appeared the same way ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10395#Comment_10395 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10395#Comment_10395 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 10:26:23 -0800 pi8you http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10408#Comment_10408 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10408#Comment_10408 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 12:36:09 -0800 curb http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10412#Comment_10412 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10412#Comment_10412 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 13:48:28 -0800 acacia http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10413#Comment_10413 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10413#Comment_10413 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 13:58:50 -0800 Drunkard http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10414#Comment_10414 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10414#Comment_10414 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 14:05:52 -0800 ARES While I'm certain there's others that have given me pause like that, Shadow of the Colossus really stands out as one where I have much sympathy for the enemies, after all, its not like the Colossi are rampaging about, and here you are just going and intruding on their solitary lives while you hunt them down one by one. Agreed. After 20 years of playing video games, this was the first game I truly felt a bit of guilt toward destroying the so-called enemy. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10416#Comment_10416 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10416#Comment_10416 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 14:35:05 -0800 nleavitt http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10419#Comment_10419 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10419#Comment_10419 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:05:10 -0800 sacredchao Yeah, Shadow of the Collosus was (from what I played) was a bit weird in that sense. Killing 8 or so unique, beautiful and non agressive creatures seemed like a bit of a shit thing to do, even if it was to bring back your sister (?) from the dead.

I agree. There was one Colossus that didn't even actively attack. It just swam around and had an electric eel-style current flowing through it. It could go underwater and if you hold on you can drown, and the electricity shocks you, but it was more of a defensive mechanism then an offensive one. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10420#Comment_10420 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10420#Comment_10420 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:26:12 -0800 biglig superb performance from Ellen McLain, or course). ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10428#Comment_10428 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10428#Comment_10428 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 16:09:53 -0800 curb Did you ever play the Dark Brotherhood arc in Oblivion? I wonder how other people felt at the end of that.

See, that was one of those times where I didn't feel bad, so much as a strong desire to cackle maniacally and twizzle my (imaginary) pencil moustache. Possibly while wearing a black stovepipe hat. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10444#Comment_10444 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10444#Comment_10444 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 19:34:28 -0800 Fauxhammer
It sucked playing KotOR; being a Sith was a childhood dream of min ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10459#Comment_10459 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10459#Comment_10459 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 23:08:44 -0800 Andre Navarro Did you ever play the Dark Brotherhood arc in Oblivion? I wonder how other people felt at the end of that.

My favorite guild in Oblivion.

I usually prefer to be good in games, but give me an excuse to kill someone and it's BOOM, HEADSHOT. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10461#Comment_10461 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10461#Comment_10461 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 23:10:32 -0800 Adam Violent
I was genuinely disturbed the first time I harvested science juice from a little girl. What. The. Fuck. I debated the decision for like 10 minutes and then when I finally did it, I felt so guilty. I was also probably hungover. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10499#Comment_10499 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10499#Comment_10499 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 09:04:41 -0800 Solario
HeEeEy. Put mE dOWn. I DoN'T blAME yOU. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10508#Comment_10508 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10508#Comment_10508 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 09:41:20 -0800 Necros
That said, I usually have very few issues and play all games with an alignment swing twice through to see the game shift. I always start out evil though. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10575#Comment_10575 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10575#Comment_10575 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 21:37:30 -0800 aduckworth
For the record, I think we are headed toward a golden age of gaming soon (or maybe silver age if we consider the Atari/NES era the golden age) -- most people who grew up with the first generation of console games are now old enough to program, and the technologies available to them are allowing for increasingly sophisticated storytelling techniques, game mechanics, and player connectivity. It was about this time in history when cinema started giving birth to its first major auteurs and classics... ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10588#Comment_10588 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10588#Comment_10588 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 23:38:22 -0800 Elana http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10597#Comment_10597 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10597#Comment_10597 Thu, 03 Jan 2008 06:38:36 -0800 curb It was about this time in history when cinema started giving birth to its first major auteurs and classics...

True. I'd say that the auters have generally been a positive force in cinema, and hopefully the same can be said for those who emerge (or have emerged) in gaming. Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid seems a good example. While I can only speak of the first PS1 game, I feel it added a level of nuance and subtlety to game characterisation that I hadn't seen before. Most of the bosses, while still being flagged up as 'bad guys', were given a fairly sympathetic backstory that made their motives seem less 'black and white' than your standard villains. A step in the right direction, if you ask me. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10598#Comment_10598 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10598#Comment_10598 Thu, 03 Jan 2008 06:54:53 -0800 Flabyo http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10602#Comment_10602 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10602#Comment_10602 Thu, 03 Jan 2008 09:46:11 -0800 curb
That's what I heard, sadly. I was so keen to play Sons of Liberty that I intended to buy a PS2, but heard nothing but bad things about the game and didn't bother. The PS1 version still, IMHO, acts as a decent blueprint for games that go further than the usual shooty death kill action. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10611#Comment_10611 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10611#Comment_10611 Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:51:53 -0800 screaming meat
I think it shows development of the form if you start to look at 'enemies' in a much more liberal way (like portal, bioshock and shadow of the colossus). It shows maturity if anything.

If anyone remebers uesagi... uh, something-something. Uesagi yojimbo, thats it; samurai rabbit on the c64. You would walk down a long japanese pier and could only attack if you were, in turn, attacked. Some of the random people walking by looked suspicious but you were never sure... even with the villagers. Possibly the most paranoid game I ever played. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10613#Comment_10613 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10613#Comment_10613 Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:06:12 -0800 acacia http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10641#Comment_10641 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10641#Comment_10641 Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:50:29 -0800 roque know. are they "real" monsters? are they all in your mind? or are they hapless townsfolk that illusion or madness has caused to look like monsters? it's just ambiguous enough to add to the games' overall disturbingness. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10716#Comment_10716 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=10716#Comment_10716 Fri, 04 Jan 2008 08:04:45 -0800 Elohim http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=11412#Comment_11412 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=11412#Comment_11412 Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:40:56 -0800 screaming meat
Oh yeah, Half-life 2 kind of retconned one of the enemies of half-life 1 as good guys (can't for the life of me remeber their damn names). So, does that affect you when you play the game again just knowing they are slaves? Not literally, of course. Just a thought. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=11450#Comment_11450 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=11450#Comment_11450 Thu, 10 Jan 2008 05:52:30 -0800 Andre Navarro The thing with Kojima is that he very quickly developed a 'frustrated movie director' streak, the later Metal Gear Solid games are incredibly overblown and have far too many overly long cutscenes, ridiculous plot twists and even the fourth wall breaking elements grated after a while. I'm all for complex plots in my games, but I do draw the line when the game feels that delivering it's plot is more important than giving the player a game to play.

He's an over-the-top director, but he has his merits. The ending of Metal Gear Solid 3 is beautifully directed, and the action scenes are fantastic. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=11467#Comment_11467 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=11467#Comment_11467 Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:38:21 -0800 screaming meat
Nothing wrong with cheesy action films or cheesy action film-based games especially when it is in the hands of Kojima who shows an awareness and deft mastery of genre, politics and philosophical issues all bound up in an easily recognisable, and often tongue-in-cheek, style.

Anyway, you can skip the damn scenes. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=11606#Comment_11606 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=11606#Comment_11606 Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:45:55 -0800 Eidoloclast
There's a level that's a factory for the warriors whose arms launch bee-darts.

In it, if you don't attack the alien slave, they won't fight you, unless you break open one of the crates with the warriors in them, in which case their overseers force them to fight and they become hostile. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=11630#Comment_11630 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=11630#Comment_11630 Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:11:10 -0800 alter alias I would like to assume fantasy vs. reality, because quite frankly otherwise I'd be past sociopath and into sick depraved monster, I just plain find fictional evil entertaining. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=11642#Comment_11642 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=424&Focus=11642#Comment_11642 Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:05:15 -0800 offtandiscord
I've been playing splinter cell doublr agent too recently, it's interesting because your moral choice for that level has an effect on the next level and what happens, if you stay neutral i.e. kill some, knock out others, then neither side you're playing for get suspicious...

after i'm done playing it i'm gonna go back and see what happens when you try snd stick mostly to one side, see how different the game progresses. ]]>