Monday, February 13, 2012

Gameplay and Story Segregation

(Spoilers for the end of Chapter 3 of FFT below. No specific names given, though.)

Sometimes I'm able to overlook when a story treats an event as being a big deal when it could easily be stopped in-game, but this was stretching it a bit.

Event: Friendly NPC is shot by a gun.
What Happened: They died.
But the Problem Is: Guns do like 40 damage a hit.

Event: "Protect the NPC" mission begins (different NPC).
What Happened: Game Over the instant the NPC is out of HP.
But the Problem Is: Sarah is right there.

Event: Dead NPC from earlier is still dead.
What Happened: Second NPC mourns dead NPC.
But the Problem Is: SARAH IS RIGHT THERE.

I tell you, I would freaking love it if a dramatic death scene was interrupted by a character walking over, using a Phoenix Down, and saying "Quit your whining, sheesh." Sort of like what happened at Zoofights during the fourth Lord fragment fight.

Pech: *triess to do emotional death sscene*
Meat Boy: Nope.avi *potion*
Pech: Welp.

5 comments:

  1. Sarah: Nobody asks me for help :,<

    Generics get so ignored sometimes. So ignored.

    Considering that you're in Chapter 3, I guess you faught "That One Boss" already.

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    Replies
    1. "Considering that you're in Chapter 3, I guess you faught "That One Boss" already."

      Yell! Yell! Yell! Yell! Yell! Yell! Yell! Accumulate! Accumulate! Accumulate! Accumulate-FALCON PUNCH *boss dies*

      *cutscene*

      ...FALCON PUNCH *boss dies*

      Delete
  2. Ugh, I hate that kind of shit too. "Oh no! Important character has been fatally wounded!" Well then stop standing around and ram some magic feathers or something down their craw you lazy fuckbag.

    It's weird that ZF is really the only thing that addressed stuff like this. "I'm a mage with lifesaving white magic!" "I've got weird eldritch devices and long, drawn out explanations!" "Crazy-ass drugs and forty hospitals worth of organs on ice over here!" "Someone say something about respawns?"

    It'd be interesting to see a video game or movie go at this from that angle. Comics do it all the time with stuff like Wolverine and Deadpool.

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  3. Haha, I remember that. My next post was going to be Pech trying for a joke, something like "Ten thoussand yearss I kept mysself alive, but the one time I fought for the right reassonss I ended up like thiss. Life iss funny, Antoinette...." right before he died and the light went out of his eyes.

    Then I hit submit post, saw that The Deleter and Redspy had already healed him, and just shook my head and laughed. Good times.

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  4. See, on the one hand, great.

    On the other, having that shit ruins any fucking dramatic tension you want. How am I gonna kill off Jonesy (no I won't don't be stupid) if she can be revived with a snap of a finger? It's bloody annoying and it trivialises death, especially for a character who's schtick is "I will die and my immortal husband will not."

    On the third hand, Sine not entering fites because A BLOO BLOO MY SOUL was annoying as well.

    So there is no solution! Yaaaaay *muppet arms*

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