[QUOTE="dakan45"] Yup thats my point, most blant characters ever, I can hardly call them characters, masterchief is like a faceles strooper that just replies to orders, and marcus is the big tough guy that rarely speaks about his characteristics or laugh at the enemy. Just following orders and give some. Nathan Drake is actually a pretty good character that actually has a spefic atitude, prefences and nice quotes.skrat_01
Pretty much.However I find characters like Marcus Fenix horrible contradictions. He is supposed to epitomise the ' silent hardened vetran warrior who has seen the worst', and 'war is hell' - on an emotional level however during gameplay its all thrown out.
Its pretty clear Marcus enjoys killing and chainsawing locust in two - in the second game moreso - and is pretty damn vocal about it.
So you have this horribly weird mis match of character archetypes. One being the scarred vetran, the other being essentially - The Duke.
Master Chief is different.
Half the time he is a heroic projection for the character, however in cut scenes the amount of depth put into the character... well there really isn't any, because displaying character development and emotion can compromise the player being able to project themselves.
So you have someone who is ultimately bland as hell in game (despite being very heroic) - while in the actual lore, there is quite alot too the character... which is a real pity.With character projections the best emotional connection you have is with characters around you (e.g. Alyx Vance), however as Master Chief works on both levels you have a disconnect... which really marred things like possible character development and relations with personalities like Cortana.
This is why if you are going to give a character... character at all, at least do it right, and concentrate specifically.
Case point two shooter extremes - Gordon Freeman, the transparent projection for the player, or The Duke - someone with personality who the player wants to embody.
On an emotional level though? A complex central character? Well then designers and narrators have to give reason for the player to *care* about the character they are controlling / playing as, which is usually relevant to the gameplay mechanics, as that is how we interact with the gameworld on a meaningful level. This is where things really complicate.
Oh.
What a tangent.
/rant.
As for Nathan Drake, he is the like-able wisecracking hero, who people generally like. We want to be him, or see him succeed so we relate with him. Which fits Uncharted's premises well as an action adventure - its narrative, characters and setting(s) and of course gameplay. He is still just a guy, although a heroic one, so he is quite vulnerable (in combat) in the gameworld, during player control - this being one example.
Whereas a character like Dante - he is a 'stylish wisecracking badass' - who fits with DMC's completely over the top premises, narrative, and *especially* gameplay.
Sure they aren't extremely compelling characters, but they arent supposed to be. They simply fit their purpose and role placement very, very well, and act as a good connection for the player into the gameworld and narrative.
I'm betting that's why so many gamers find strong appeal to Final Fantasy Characters. Why FF characters are almost always traditional repetitive archetypes, they fit their roles, and are developed in them so well, that they can draw an emotional connection from the player.
Heh, did it again.
/rantx2.
Great post. *on topic* Jack black is there to be funny; not a bald space marine.
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