I got into a
Jack countered that film characters are not deep and interesting a lot of the time. I counter-countered that this wasn't a good thing.
Games also would benefit from better characters even more than films because, a lot of the time, you are the protagonist. You take them from place to place, you make their decisions and you get to see their personality closely. Because of this, good characters make a good game even better.
Of course, I don't think the problem is strictly with the developers. When you have an audience screaming that Generic Character is soooo kawaii and the epitome of awesomeness there's no reason why they should risk making a character that does not appeal when the formula in place already works so well. The problem with that is, when a great character does come out, people who appreciate these values go nuts for them; they're really well received and they're loved by many. Compare that to a game with the cutesy girl with little clothes on, or the big buff man who just wants to blow shit up, who may get the vote from a few but who don't strike many others as an asset to the game.
Of course, in games where story isn't a major issue, the point can be overrided. For example, I really enjoyed Gears of War despite the minimal personality of the characters. If, however, the game was trying to convince me it was a deep one, I don't think I would enjoy it so much, because the emphasis would now be on these flawed characters. But, as a post-apocalyptic game about gruff, sardonic guys trying to get through a gritty war, they fit well and the depth isn't required.
Preferred, but not required.
I think so long as the gameplay is fun, it doesn't need the best characters. I think my opinion is biased because I play games that don't have major characters or stories as the focus.
ReplyDeleteAs long as the characters are as well thought out as is appropriate for the game then it's absolutely fine. Vanquish or Unreal Tournament never affected me emotionally because they didn't need to, they're both mindless games about rocket pants and gibbing people.
ReplyDeleteGames like Deadly Premonition or Alan Wake which are much more focused on story have much deeper characters. I can't speak for Alan Wake having not played it, but the twists and turns in Deadly Premonition kept me interested to the end, and I really liked the various characters. They all had different personalities and it was fun talking to them all.
Bioshock is another good example, too. Although there aren't many characters you meet, the overall tone of the game and Rapture is brought across excellently. If you collect all of the audio diaries, it paints a magnificent picture of the world, there are various characters with side stories, completely unrelated to the actual game.
I'm standing by what I said about Rochelle though.
In conclusion, stop playing bad games.
Also Final Fantasy games are bad, stop paying attention to them. Audiences are stupid and don't know what they want.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the Vanquish thing is how I felt about Gears. Sam is a tool but the game doesn't need a great character, so it's fine.
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