I will freely admit that there are certain TV shows and films that make me tear up. I’m not quite as bad as my mum who will cry at pretty much anything, even stuff that I don’t actually think is sad, and, weirdly, stuff that actually happens to me doesn’t actually get much of a response. It’s much easier to take the cathartic root and let your own emotions out through characters on a screen.
The weird thing is whilst there are plenty of shows, films and even some plays that really grab me at the core emotional level, there weren’t any games that managed it until very recently. In fact there’s exactly one game that’s managed it and that is Halo: Reach. I don’t want to give away too much as the game is still pretty new, but there’s a point where something completely unexpected left me with my mouth hanging open, whispering ‘No’ and found my eyes filling with tears. Even thinking back on it now it brings a tear to my eye, so resounding the moment was.
Now I will admit that I don’t play a huge volume of games, but it’s not like I’ve only ever played Reach. I’ve certainly played enough that only getting a real emotional response from one game doesn’t exactly speak volumes about the quality of writing in games.
Games do often get attacked  for having a weak story, and I do find that hard to argue with sometimes. Even the games that get compared to blockbuster movies rarely have a story that you could imagine as passable. There are a few exceptions where I think the story is spot on, but there really are fairly rare. Perhaps it’s stretching a story over eight to ten hours rather than the two to three of a film that often  causes the story to fall apart.
However, I’ve nearly really thought about game writing apart from the story and occasionally the characterisation. Looking at it from an emotional stand point had never really occurred to me before now, but actually it really does seem lacking when you look at it. I want to feel connected and involved in the story and characters. If you can really emotionally invest in a game I think it becomes far more involving and feels more real compared to modern games.
That may sound a little, but surely that’s the whole point of a game. I’m not talking about realism itself, that’s a whole different discussion that I’ve had numerous times before. What I’m talking about is whether or not you feel a game’s world is real, whether or not it’s something that you feel you can actually connect to and grab hold of. The more involving a game is the easier it is to have the feeling of escapism, and that’s what a good story is about at the most basic level.
Sure it can make you laugh or make you cry, a good story can make you feel a hundred different ways. However what you really want is to escape from  your every day life  into another world and I think the easier it is to make a connection into the other world  the easier it becomes to escape. Maybe it’s a little sad that we want to escape from our real lives so much, but then again so is most of the human condition.
TSBonyman
Ico is the game that stands out for me, i think the mechanic of having to hold Yorda’s hand grabs you early on (pun intended, obviously) and i can’t wait for The Last Guardian – i’ve already felt strong emotion just watching the trailer for that! A boy and his dog/pet, that’s got to strike a chord with everyone.
minerwilly
Was just about to post that , but thought id best read the other posts first . Heavy Rain and PS3 Valkyria Chronicles where two others that i think of in the recent past .
There wasnt so much of this emotional stuff in the 80’s , perhaps this is why kids are becoming soft and more effeminate with every passing year . Instead of climbing trees and building ramps for Bmxs and stuff lads are now using hair straightners (i kid you not) wearing womens tight jeans and carrying man bags.
jayjay119
4 Words; Metal Gear Solid 3
Nuff said!
PoorPaddy89
“She was a true Patriot!”
Have to hold back the tears every time.
solidsteven
Same here, i think the saddest mgs moment was Namoi’s message.
solidsteven
Fallout 3 when ***** died and Final Fantasy 7 when Aerith Died. MGS 1 ,3 and 4 had lots of sad moments. Heavy rain had a load of sad moments from the start.
solidsteven
And Bioshock 2 ending always has me in tears.
Roynaldo
Aries in FFVII had me shocked right to the core. Couldnt frickin believe it!
Michael
Sports games. NBA 96 in particular. Shawn Kemp’s attempted 3-pointer from just inside the half-way line, letting the shot go about half a second before the buzzer sounded. This was Game 7 of the NBA Final. If the shot went in I’d win the final game by 2 points, and if it missed it was a loss to the Orlando Magic.
He drained it, and I leapt from my seat and did laps of the room. Awesome.
grimm
lol that’s awesome m8
Peter Rushton
SNAKE NOOOOOOO
lol jk
solidsteven
GT5 getting delayed.
Boomshanks
RPG’s tend to get to me more than any other game, because you spend so much time with the characters. The ending of Final fantasy X is unmatched in my opinion, in part due to the amazing score.
Also the ending for Kingdom Hearts one left me feeling really sad and certain parts of BioShock 2 were pretty sad. Not many games get to my emotions though
SpikeyMikey23
still havent finished ffX, on the last boss, all leveled up to f**k, and i stopped playing. I really have to stop doing that, ive done it with so many games!
Roynaldo
oh dear oh dear. FFXs ending is one of the of not THE best ending i have ever witnessed.
Loxstokk
End of RDR = sad, lack of romance between John and Bonney in rdr = frustrating, end of U2 = happy, end of HL2 = awe struck, lots of others I can’t put my finger on…
Really hard to comment on this and not spoil stuff for other people :(
CaptainMurdo
I finished Medal of Honor last night and it left me in a state of shock. Brilliant ending. MW2’s ending was the same for me. I think the more realistic the game is, the more I can connect and be left in awe.
scubastevie
I 100% agree with you on Medal of Honor it was one of, if not the best stories and endings Ive seen in a long time.