The Lament of Completion
by PixelCub, HSM guest contributor
This month, Rockstar Games released a free DLC add-on for their hugely successful – and one of my absolute favorite games of all time – Red Dead Redemption, in appreciation for the continuing support from the online users. It had been a while since I had played the game, in single or multiplayer, when I heard about the upcoming DLC on the Rockstar website.
The anticipation for this add-on sparked me to play through the single story mode again. I had played through the game before, and as I began the single player campaign, I was taken back to the first time I had ever played the game. The nostalgia quickly faded as I played through the first few tasks, as missions don’t come right away in this title.
Something seemed off at first; I loved the game still, as much as I ever did. Few stories have ever really captivated me from video games. Few experiences in games have ever really stood out as much as this one.
As I explored the landscape on horseback, another memory sparked in me, of years ago playing a game that has stood out in my mind as one of the most haunting and beautiful games on PlayStation 2. It’s what always pops to mind when the debate comes up, whether video games are “art” or not: Shadow of the Colossus.
What do these games have in common you may ask? Well aside from the massive scale of the environment, and riding on horses, not much. The two do share a common beauty in design, as well as scope. The correlation for me though came in what comes from many games that really absorb you into their story and experience.
What I felt as I worked my way through the story once more in Red Dead Redemption was familiarity, not the thrill of discovery that comes from playing a game the very first time. That initial experience where you are exploring and learning your way through. Since Sony is releasing an HD remix of the two classics, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, I was already stirring in anticipation to pick up my preordered copy of the game, when I realized I’ll be playing my way through a game I had already beaten at least four times. I bought two copies of Shadow of Colossus before – one new which was lost, and one pre-owned which I also lost when I got rid of the PS2. So there was no question when it came to purchasing the game again for the PS3.
It is a timeless classic which I am still excited to experience again, but there is also a sadness that comes from playing these games with stories that are so captivating they involve you to an emotional level. Few games have ever been capable of doing this, and as I worked my way through to the end of the campaign in Red Dead Redemption I felt the lament of completion. There are games you play to kill time, games you play to socialize, games you play for the sake to blow steam, and games you play because you become enamored with their world and immersed in the escapism they can afford you. You invest hours upon hours of your free time to be in that world, interact with those characters, and become involved in their stories and participate in their goals or their failures. After such involvement it gets hard to say goodbye and reach the inevitable end.
No matter how much you love the game, playing through it a second time is never the same. You know what happens, you know the tricks. You know the danger ahead and how to overcome it. The world is familiar, and you know how to get around it and the sense of discovery is gone. Reaching the end is like saying goodbye to a good television or movie series you’ve been so invested in, and being left with nothing but reruns, and hoping for a similar substitute that will grip you as the last one did.
When reaching the end you are left with two choices, play through again or move on to the next and maybe just maybe come back to visit that virtual world again someday.
Is it trivial to get so emotionally invested in a video game? Not at all; it is arguably the greatest accolade a game designer who takes his art seriously could receive – to incite an emotional reaction from their users. It is the purpose of any piece of art. When you consider the efforts taken by the creative team to conceptualize and develop a game with so much character you begin to realize how much heart went into the making of it. The games may differ dramatically, but the enveloping stories and attachments they generate are what make the games worth revisiting, and what leave us longing for more.
It takes a heart of stone not to feel an iota of emotion as you watch your faithful horse Agro in Shadow of the Colossus fall off the bridge and into the chasm, or to reach that pivotal moment in Red Dead Redemption after fighting the army’s forces and in the urgency sending your family off to the unknown to flee for their safety, and opening the barn doors to meet the execution squad dead on. The moment further accentuated by the haunting a cappella rendition of “Bury me not” by William Elliot Whitmore in a sobering baritone voice, as Jack, the protagonist’s son, stands over the graves of both his parents just before you proceed to conclude the story.
These heart wrenching moments, that are never the same as when you experience them the first time, are what stay with us long after the game is over and what keep us coming back hoping to recapture that feeling or longing for the next game that can make us feel the same again. Those lamentable moments are also what makes it just a little more arduous to complete such thought and emotionally inspiring games a second time, because no completion, however familiar, comes without a little sadness at reaching the end.
September 30th, 2011 by PixelCub | 12 comments
There are some games which have really hit me in the gut, which I’ve replayed just to relive their amazing storylines and endings.
For instance: while most people will probably cite Aeris’ death in FFVII, I consider the ending to FFVIII to be one of the best endings to any video game ever put together. I’ve actually gone onto YouTube and just rewatched the ending sequence because it’s so powerful.
One of the other games that just kept hitting me was Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. BioWare is remarkably proficient at presenting moral quandaries, and the first KOTOR title presents a real doozy. Remember the shock you felt the first time your character’s true identity was revealed to you? And how do you choose to handle the situation thenceforth, once this knowledge is imparted to you?
Same goes for Silent Hill 2, for that matter. Once you discover what James did to Mary, it really does force you look at him and the whole game differently.
One of the other games which has two astonishing endings — and they both take frakking FOREVER to achieve — is Front Mission 3. It’s pretty hard to forget the cutscene of Emma Klamsky talking about being a laughing, carefree child whilst running through a field of flowers.
As video games — and their core audience — continue to mature and become more accepted as part of mainstream culture rather than a youthful indulgence, I personally believe more and more people will simply look upon them the same way as we look upon movies or stage plays: simply another medium by which to make us laugh and cry.
I cried for a week when I finished FFX… I was so Heart Broken… then I tried beating it 2 more time to see if I could Change the Ending.
OMG i totally know the feeling, oh this is one of the saddest endings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9832BrE2q4
Great read pixelcub. I personally enjoy a story which touches me with sadness or tenderness MORE than one that simply excites me. That being said I 100% totally and completely disagree with the addition of the spoilers in this article. By mentioning the death of Argo a wonderful moment has been ruined for those who have yet played this classic title… shame.
ditto
Sounds like you could be talking about a classic novel, movie, musical work et al… but then again, why not?
I love RDR too. I have played it online way past the original storyline. This is the first online game I have ever played in my life, and I have enjoyed myself immensely. The story was well done as well, the way they continued it after Marstons death was very cool, and allows the players to finish all of their trophy hunting if they are into that kind of thing.
I wish they would really consider a redo of FF7 in newer graphics. It would sell millions of copies I am sure and would be a win win situation for everyone.
I apologize if i spoiled anything for anyone. I probably should have added a Spoiler warning.
It happens from time to time PixelCub. I think the experience will be powerful just not as powerful as it was for me when I first played Shadows. I genuinely grieved the loss of Argo. I must say that your writing style is tremendously easy to read. I enjoyed your article immensely. I hope to see more from you in the future!
RDR is by far one of my favorite games, I love westerns and i wasn’t a fan of Red Dead Revolver, but they evolved Redemption into a monster of its own, and did an amazing job of it. Just wish they had added a zombie free roam option for the Un-dead Nightmare pack. I know this is for Sony fans but i have to say Zelda is another of those franchises that has always captivated me. I found a lot of Zeldaisms in Shadow of the Colossus that were part of the reason i loved that game as well.
yikes, i was in the middle of RDR for the first time. i wish you would have warned of the *spoiler alert* -_-
I’ve played through the game several times now and i still find it as moving…Game of the Year version coming out soon, and I’ve heard rumors of a PSVita title Red Dead Record:1847, I’m already stoked to find out more, and it may just be what pushes me over the edge to buy a Vita.