First off, I want to give all credit to my GS friend, chocolate1325, for the idea behind this post. I thought it was such a great topic for a post that I grew curious to find out what my own group of GS friends would say.

The question is: What, if any, video games have made you shed a few tears, perhaps even to the extent of all-out bawling?

As far as Im concerned, I have no problem admitting that I'm a sensitive guy. Movies have made me cry (ex: the Jedi Purge scene from SW Episode III), as have several books, the latter four Harry Potter books and some Star Wars books, just to name a few. Sometimes it's just a few tears sliding down my face. Other times (well, the only time I remember doing this, actually), I've had to actually put the book down so I could sob with tissues at hand for a few minutes (guess which book I'm referring to and you win a cookie). When it comes to video games, not much is different. The storylines in games these days can have very serious tones and themes, include heart-wrenching moments, and be so complex and involved that you can't help but feel for the characters and feel like you know them and maybe even believe they could be real, somehow. How is this different from the characters in movies and books? It isn't.

So which video games have made me shed a few tears and cause me to have to take some time to compose myself after turning the console off? Here they are:

1. Final Fantasy VII - I'm pretty sure everyone at least shed one tear when they first witnessed this scene. Most are just too proud to admit it. But as this was my first hardcore RPG (I'd only played SMRPG before it), I was completely unprepared and I definitely shed a few tears. The part of this scene that really made me tear up was when Cloud is yelling at Sephiroth and the battle that ensues. How totally smart of Square to have an epic battle whilst Aeris' now-saddening theme plays in the background. It doesn't make me cry anymore, but I remember that first time when it did.

2. Chrono Cross - At times, the storyline confused the heck out of me, but by the end, I was engrossed whether I fully understood what was going on or not. When I went up against Lavos for the first time, I made sure to get the good ending. The song that plays during the credits gets to me each time I hear it, regardless of the context. Especially the part at the end of the song when the vocalists are just harmonizing. Does the context even provide sufficient grounds for tears? I still don't know, but that doesn't change the fact the song makes me tear up.

3. Legend of Dragoon - After a long, thoroughly engaging story and adventure, it comes to a close in epic fashion. It came as a complete shock to both my brother and I that Rose and Zieg sacrificed themselves. Again, it came down to the song. The FMV shocked me and blew me away, and then the song let me release the emotions. I didn't cry, but I'm pretty sure a tear or two fell. It took me a long while to compose myself after that final scene of the two Dragoon spirits. My brother, too.

4. Super Mario RPG - My very first RPG. Needless to say, I loved it from start to finish and was very wrapped up in the characters and the story. I could not believe they made games that were so long (consider that the other games I was playing were all platformers like SMW and DKC2). When it was finally over, it hit me hard. My favorite character went back to being a spirit. We got to see happy endings all over the world. They hosted an awesome (and sometimes humorous) parade. The parade allowed me to recover, but I know I had tears running down my face from the previous two parts. After the ending concluded, I remember I sat there with the game on the main screen for a looong time. And then I remember being really upset, practically mad, that my favorite character went away (I guess I didn't understand that Geno was always a spirit from Star Road) while my brother's favorite character, Mallow, "got to live". By the end of the day, I was okay though, and the game quickly became an all-time favorite of mine. To this day, however, whenever I hear that song from the Star Road montage (which is often enough, since I have the soundtrack on my laptop), I tear up. It's simply because I remember the great journey (especially the first time through) and the ending that wrapped it up. P.S. You cannot honestly tell me that any of the Paper Mario, or Mario and Luigi games, or even that new Sonic RPG compare even remotely to SMRPG. You may love them, but they're not in the same league, not by a long shot.