“Daughter-mother”

Thoughts on the topic that I want to talk about today have visited me for a long time. Probably since the time of Bioshock Infinite and The Last of US (more about them will be further in the text). Then I noticed that a new trend begins to appear in the industry – "paternity". Strong, independent, closer to 40, a man who takes care of another character, usually a partner of a protagonist who cannot take care of himself. Previously, of course, there were also characters that had to look after, but our affection for them was not always explained by the fact that they are our “surrogate daughters”. Yorda from ICO was just a girl whom we wanted to help because some strange people from a local cult were worn behind her. Ashley from the Resident Evil 4 was the task "Save the president’s daughter". Our motivation was help, because they are weaker and more defenseless, and we, as a protagonist, are stronger.

Emotional attachment to your beloved character is not a bad thing, exactly until these characters begin to impose on us. Well, look, now she doesn’t bother, and she can distract enemies, and gives cartridges, and they can’t kill her, look at what a good partner. And the protagonist of the game likes him.

What was bad Ashley in Resident Evil 4? Well, she had to constantly look after her, the cultists were constantly intended to drag her, she had to hide her and hopes that they would not find her until you clear the road from the Spanish zombies. Yes, maybe this was bored, but it worked for the idea that – “We promised to return it home to my father, alive and sound”. Gameplay clearly reflected this idea. She is a defenseless girl who needs our help. And we, as a protagonist, worked for this idea. The same thing with Yorda, "she is defenseless, we want to protect her". Here you have a stick, here are the enemies who are trying to drag it away, add these two concepts and act.

All this finally leads me to Bioshock Infinite and The Last of Us, who prompted me to this topic. I don’t like partners in these games. But not from the point of view of the plot or how they are registered, but from the point of view of gameplay. Consider both games.

Bioshock Infinite: We have our protagonist, Boker www.turbonino-casino.co.uk Devitt, and our partner for the whole game (except for a couple of chapters), Elizabeth. We will not take the whole plot with this game, because in it the devil himself will break the leg, but just take the specific idea that the game puts us – “Bring us a girl and duty will be forgiven”. Take the character from point A to point B and so that nothing happens to him. The idea is always clear to us, and now let’s see how it affects the gameplay. Elizabeth helps us with the campaign from point A to point B, throwing up first -aid kits, cartridges, turrets and shelters. And, and even enemies cannot harm her. Wat. But after all, we must help her. Take it into wholeness and non -properness to the cherished point b. So why do they help us, and not vice versa.

And here the problem begins. From the point of view of the plot, they make it clear to us that she is weak, not yet accustomed to this evil world, girl. But when the gameplay begins, it is no longer possible to believe. Here she calmly sits in shelter, and the enemies do not even pay attention to her. By this logic, she could have left her tower for a long time and sit on the nearest conductor to Paris. Yes, this approach eliminates the problem when the partner is constantly attacked and you need to follow him and do not run into the bullet yourself. A partner is always a two -edged stick. Either the enemies do not react to him at all, or he needs a permanent eye and eyes. But I’m still more for the second approach. Because at the first, a certain emotional connection with the character is lost, about whom you bake the whole game in Katsen, but in the game itself you leave him alone on the battlefield, because nothing will happen to him.

Which approach would be more interesting? Let the player the first half of the game, take care of Elizabeth, as about Ashley in RE4. Saves her from enemies, makes sure she does not die, always be next to her. And in the second half of the game, when a turning point in her life occurs and she kills a person, cuts her hair and changes her outfit, she will become a full-fledged partner who can take care of herself (killing enemies with the help of her supernatural forces) and a couple of trinkets to throw. It will also look very harmonious and natural. Consistent and logical development of the character.

The Last of Us: Fuh, in general … um … I do not think this is a game of the year. She is good, but no more. I paid for it and for the addition to it, went through both at the level of the complexity of the “maximum” and did not receive a large “wow” effect. And here is one of the reasons why – the relationship of Joel and Ellie. Here for me there is the same problem, Katsets say that Joel is attached to Ellie and always tries to protect her. The gameplay says that Ellie is a strong, independent girl who is able to take care of herself. Damn, she even takes out a whole adult man, who still manages to raise to her feet, during the harsh winter, hunting rabbits in the forest with the help of a bow. Wat. As with Bioshock Infinite, there is the same problem. The plot contradicts gameplay. Enemies look at Ellie as a beautiful chair, which is except that you can accidentally hit. And so when at the end of the game we run to save Ellie, I cannot empathize with Joel in his intentions. Not only because he is a selfish asshole, but also because of the first thing: it was a completely decision by Ellie, and she, as I said, is a strong independent girl who can take care of herself. And secondly: because she simply cannot be found in a room with a large number of chairs.

Well, uniting The Last of Us and Bioshock Infinite with one topic, I can say that imposed paternity in these games looks at least strange. Why, in both cases, these so -called "fathers" behave like natural assholes? One thinks only of himself and does not think about others, the second at all sold his daughter in general. All these relations between the characters look like something alien and vaccinated to us as a justification of care. Just like … in Bioshock 2. Where we are a big daddy who, at the genetic level, is vaccinated with caring for a little sister and who is simply physically painful and unpleasant when she is far from us. And the whole goal of the game is to get to the object of our care by any means, cutting hundreds of "man" along the way. It seems that Bioshock Infinte took the wrong idea from his predecessor. By the way, Bioshock 2 has a rather interesting translated article on Geektimes.

That the future prepares us? As can be seen from the logo to this article, God of War. In which the former killer of the gods and the bloody sociopath Kratos, will be given the opportunity to educate his own son (whom he in all rollers calls only Boy). I see nothing that can go wrong.

God of War is the only game with E3 that interested me the most. I want to see how the developers will beat the topic of how Kratos will educate his son. For all videos, it is still clear that he has a certain detachment from him. It is understandable, the last marriage that he had was ended not so good (white skin color for life). He experienced a lot during this time. I want to see how his character has changed during this time and what he has taken out for himself. I hope that they will not forget about his son, and will be given the proper role in the gameplay.

Partners in games, this is very complicated, but at the same time very interesting game mechanics. You can recall not only Ashley from the Resident Evil 4, but also Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, where the developers solved the problem because they gave us two characters at once. Having solved the problem with constant supervision of a partner (in other words, everything is in your hands, hehe) and with an emotional response from the player. Due to control from one gamepad, they are felt as something full and inextricable. Therefore, the finale of the game, when one of the brothers dies, the player accepts very close to heart. He loses not just a character, but half of the whole team, which was inextricable for the whole game and one without the other is simply impossible to imagine. And in the last level, you feel it very brightly. Something is missing, something important, as if a whole piece was torn from you. A perfectly conveyed feeling of loss with gameplay.

Well, finishing, I want to talk about the best partner in video games-Portal Cub-Companion from Portal. He is simple, compact, plot-founded, does everything that he is ordered and can be carried with him everywhere. Yes, he can die. But if this happens, they will give you, without any serious consequences, they will give out exactly the same new cube. And he cannot be accused that you have overwhelmed the level, because only you are responsible for his actions. Well, maybe the physical engine that can substitute you. In general, the perfect partner.