Emotional Impact

[LadyCrimson]

*watches video*

 

...well, without any context behind it (haven't played the game) all I can say is that it looks and sounds like soap opera melodrama. I'm not really hearing the awesome, emotional voice acting. That said, I can understand how, if there's a lot of set-up behind that scene that one is into already, the scene itself might have some impact. But the voice of the woman, for me, actually ruins the scene on its own. Overdone for my tastes.

 

"Emotional impact" is going to vary wildly from person to person, in terms of subject matter, visual and tonal appeal, writing/backstory etc. Not something one can pin down or give examples of "this is the best!" or "this is the worst!". I could make a list of the (very few) times I was highly emotionally impacted by a game, and some might agree, while others would go "oh rly?" But Obsidian is, currently, pretty much the one company that makes/writes RPG characters that I do latch onto very strongly (I am, btw, much more into characters than main plots). So ... that's where my tastes run, I guess..and obviously, it's why I'm here.

[Jorian Drake]

LC, I am a bit like you myself, I think I remember game characters better in my fav games than actual setting/main story more often than not XD

(Baldur's Gate series and Septerra Core are two exceptions on my list where I remember all main and some minor characters but also the world and main story because either it was all done damn well, or because the story and world was just too good to forget)

[mcmanusaur]

Emotion is for sissies. End of discussion.

[Sedrefilos]

"Theatrical" acting in games is something i wouldn't like at all. There are the japanese games for that. Which i dislike too

[Pshaw]

I enjoyed the subject matter behind that particular bit of DA:O even if the acting/writing was a bit over the top and melodramatic. Since we won't need to worry about voice acting I think it's more reasonable for this game to have more emotional dialogue since it will be solely relying on the writing and we can add in the NPC 'voice' in our own head. So yes I'm all for tough choices in this game and that is a good example of one in DA:O if they had removed the ability to get there with the help of the mages circle.

 

I also confess I get more emotional impact from Mordin's death in ME3 than I do over this. He was a companion so you got to know him well and as such him dying meant more to you. I certainly don't promote killing of companions George R R Martin style but when it serves a higher purpose I think hard choices with companions and well known NPCs yield greater emotional impact as you're more invested in them than some random NPC. Using the DA:O example yes that lady is a distraught mother but your only interaction with her before that is her being a complete bitch. As such it doesn't really deliver the emotional impact it sets out to because killing her to save her kid isn't that hard of a choice.

[Sedrefilos]

Emotion is for sissies. End of discussion.

 

sexist

[Jorian Drake]

Emotion is for sissies. End of discussion.

 

there are a few thousand Cybermen which would agree with you /nods

 

edit: gosh, I really need moar new DocWho episodes, without some proper Warehouse 13/Primeval/Stargate/Eureka/Sanctuary treatment that is all I have left o.O

 

Why no moar Stargate or Primeval, WHY?

 

*sniff* O.o

Edited November 9, 2012 by Jorian Drake

[kenup]

lol This isn't Larping. And forced drama isn't good.

 

And that video doesn't own anything. There are much better scenes in video games and elsewhere.

 

The breasts of your love interest will scale to your level.

 

I don't understand this, will she grow more breasts, or will they scale in size?

[Sacred_Path]

I don't understand this, will she grow more breasts, or will they scale in size?

 

that's entirely dialogue driven.

[Monte Carlo]

They should have breasts in rogue-likes.

[Felithvian]

*watches video*

 

...well, without any context behind it (haven't played the game) all I can say is that it looks and sounds like soap opera melodrama. I'm not really hearing the awesome, emotional voice acting. That said, I can understand how, if there's a lot of set-up behind that scene that one is into already, the scene itself might have some impact. But the voice of the woman, for me, actually ruins the scene on its own. Overdone for my tastes.

 

Overdone? Geez man, is your heart solid as a rock or what?

[Heresiarch]

I don't think emotions come from theatrical lines, posh pseudofrench accent or backhanding hysterical women in the face. Emotions come from scenes like this.

 

http://www.youtube.c...2HhCFhKw#t=389s

 

It becomes even better if your character hasn't given a vow of silence and actually does some talking in appropriate moments like this.

Edited November 9, 2012 by Heresiarch

[kenup]

Overdone? Geez man, is your heart solid as a rock or what?

Dude, do you, or your character, really feel that much about a possessed character you've never met? Yeah, ok, killing children is bad; but forced melodrama doesn't help.

 

To top it off the alternative is much better overall, so that scene is even more stupid.

[Felithvian]

Overdone? Geez man, is your heart solid as a rock or what?

Dude, do you, or your character, really feel that much about a possessed character you've never met? Yeah, ok, killing children is bad; but forced melodrama doesn't help.

 

To top it off the alternative is much better overall, so that scene is even more stupid.

 

The monotheistic religion of Dragon Age nearly felt like a dumbed down version of Christianity, but I still found it very engaging. I don't know, perhaps I mixed up my real faith into all this.

[LadyCrimson]

Overdone? Geez man, is your heart solid as a rock or what?

I just got back from being having my heart polished. I like it to have a nice sheen to it.

 

....yeah, just not into showy displays of dramatic weeping and wailing in entertainment, in most cases. It too often comes close to the "Noooooooo!" type of thing even if there's no actual "Noooo!". I think emotional impact can be made (and has more impact) without such. Example, the film Rob Roy, when Tim Roth is chasing Eric Stotz in the woods. (edit - or other scenes in that film)

[Death Machine Miyagi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsJIU5Sbl1Y&feature=related

 

This video alone of Dragon Age owns most if not all the dialogue in most games.

 

This reminds me of the time when Roger Ebert declared video games were not and could never be art on his blog, which resulted in a ton of people posting YouTube links to the video game moments that moved them emotionally, like Aerith getting skewered in Final Fantasy 7. Though I disagreed with Ebert, whenever I watched one of the 'emotionally effecting' videos from a game, I was always struck by how much lower the bar is for quality writing in a game compared to a genuinely well-written book or movie. And how singularly unimpressed Ebert must have been, if he watched them.

[LadyCrimson]

Rather than edit my last post, I'll make a new post:

 

Melodrama isn't inherently bad and can add to a story, but one issue for me is that I tend to get more impact from facial expression and body language during the dialogue (or lack of dialogue if it's a silent emotive scene) ... a good voice acting job that fits a character is a great thing, don't get me wrong, and I love/admire many a voice actor. But the problem with current games is that with today's shiny graphics, they still can't reproduce human expression/movement to the extent that a live human actor can. Thus the voice-acting has to be something seriously top notch for shown melodrama to work. More often than not, however, it becomes more of a case of uncanny valley on top of overwrought voicework, making the whole scenario feel kinda creepy instead, and I end up laughing.

 

In something like anime/cartoons, it can work a little better because there's no uncanny valley (you don't expect much detailed expression) and you're focused more on just the words and tone. So in the case of P.E., where we won't have VO or full animations anyway, some melodramatic dialogue moments, if done/written well within believable scenarios, could be just fine.

[Jorian Drake]

I for one have not even an idea who that Ebert is, but this video is while not a bad moment, not exactly the best either... and honestly, the still-image from youtube makes the woman look as if she must go to WC

[Death Machine Miyagi]

I for one have not even an idea who that Ebert is, but this video is while not a bad moment, not exactly the best either... and honestly, the still-image from youtube makes the woman look as if she must go to WC

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Ebert

 

I'm guessing you're not American, since Ebert is pretty well-known on this side of the pond.

[Jorian Drake]

I for one have not even an idea who that Ebert is, but this video is while not a bad moment, not exactly the best either... and honestly, the still-image from youtube makes the woman look as if she must go to WC

 

http://en.wikipedia....iki/Roger_Ebert

 

I'm guessing you're not American, since Ebert is pretty well-known on this side of the pond.

 

You guessed right

[Wirdjos]

I was going to comment on the quality of the clip, even in the content of that game alone, and realized I might have missed your point, OP. It almost sounds as if you personally would stack the aforementioned clip up against the most dramatic, best written text based moment and the latter would come up short due to its lack of voice acting. So what I'm asking is, was the intention of this thread to state how awesome the writing/acting in DA:O was or a defense of full voice acting in games?

[Death Machine Miyagi]

Incidentally, you don't need to use blood magic to save the kid. The optimal ending for that quest is getting a bunch of mages together, going into his head and fighting the demon. Everybody wins.

[Jorian Drake]

Incidentally, you don't need to use blood magic to save the kid. The optimal ending for that quest is getting a bunch of mages together, going into his head and fighting the demon. Everybody wins.

except the demon, unless you choose the option to only have sex with it (if I remember correctly)

[Felithvian]

Incidentally, you don't need to use blood magic to save the kid. The optimal ending for that quest is getting a bunch of mages together, going into his head and fighting the demon. Everybody wins.

 

Hmm, is that even possible?

 

You might not use blood magic, however exposing your body and soul to the Dream Realm, the Veil is not a great idea, especially for somone who's roleplaying as a follower of the Maker, for demons are drawn to you. They seek to use you as a gateway to this world.

[Death Machine Miyagi]

Incidentally, you don't need to use blood magic to save the kid. The optimal ending for that quest is getting a bunch of mages together, going into his head and fighting the demon. Everybody wins.

 

Hmm, is that even possible?

 

You might not use blood magic, however exposing your body and soul to the Dream Realm, the Veil is not a great idea, especially for somone who's roleplaying as a follower of the Maker, for demons are drawn to you. They seek to use you as a gateway to this world.

 

Yep, perfectly possible. The ideal solution is to go rescue the Circle tower mages, who will then send some people to use a ritual which allows one of them to enter the kid's head. Only a mage can make the journey, though, so if your character isn't a mage you need to send in Morrigan, Wynne, that blood mage guy or the head wizard guy. You make a short trip through the kid's spirit playing as said mage, confront the Desire Demon, and then are given a bunch of options, the most 'honorable' of which is 'kill her and drive her out of the boy's soul.'

 

Once this is done, everybody lives, from the kid to the mom to the blood mage and so on. Huzzah.