Saddest Games

FidgetyAcolyte · 09-11-2011, 01:25 PM

Alright, guys, I wanna cry, and I want a game to do it to me.

What are the saddest games you've played? I'm sure this thread has probably been made before, but it's been a while since the last one, I bet, and I'm sure some newer games have come out with a bit of emotional impact. The games don't necessarily have to have made you cry, but just games that are pretty sad.

I'll start, kind of.

Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (the gameboy/gameboy color one). Something about this game, I guess the ending mostly, and the music, just seemed really sad to me. I don't want to really go into spoiler territory, but the entire game had this melancholic feel to it. Every character I recall talking to, every animal I encountered in it, they all just seemed a bit forlorn. And it's kinda explained and understood by the end of the game.

Another one, off the top of my head, and probably getting one of the obvious ones out of the way: Shadow of the Colossus. Again, don't wanna go into spoiler territory, but the entire game, while adventurous mostly, had a somber feel to it, probably because, while watching be tackle the first giant, my Mom walked by and said "Why are you killing him? He was just minding his own business..." as I stabbed the sword into his forehead.

JLB1987 · 09-11-2011, 06:56 PM

Deadly Premonition made me cry, but more because of the dawning realisation that this AMAZING GAME WITH "CULT HIT" WRITTEN ALL OVER IT, that I had paid around £15 for, was a pile of shit gameplay-wise.

But seriously, not many games come to mind; there certainly hasn't been one that has made me cry. The best I could do is describe games that have made me feel emotional, and still, this would be no easy task. One that does stand out in my head is The Darkness. It has a truly great narrative anyway, but there are a few scenes that are scripted and you have no/ little control over that help it to stick in my mind. The scene involving Jenny's fate fairly early on is wonderfully done.

Also, the end of Red Dead Redemption was pretty powerful for me, for a game that was quite happy to play itself as GTA: Cowboy edition for a large portion of the runtime. The last third of the game, though, (especially John Marston's fate), was wonderfully done, very sombre.

I'd love to hear more examples myself. Good question!

RandomRob · 09-11-2011, 08:40 PM

D2. Reminded me of what John Carpenter's 'The Thing' would be like if it was written by Jane Austen. It had a great sad, lonely vibe to it.

FidgetyAcolyte · 09-12-2011, 12:22 AM

These suggestions make me want to play all these games even more. I'm currently working through Deadly Premonition, and I'm very glad I just recently watched through Twin Peaks on Netflix.

I heard Majora's Mask was pretty sad. Never played it. Anyone know if that's true?

crackajack · 09-12-2011, 03:01 AM

outright sad? I don't think i've played something like that, so far.

Limbo had some bits of sadness, but overall it was more of an unsettling experience.

The end of my relationship in Vampire Bloodlines with this girl was sort of sad but more an upsetting event.

Very farfetched sad is the load scene story segments of PB Winterbottom. With this pie crazy Mr. Winterbottom and the starving kids on the other side.

Grim Fandango was rather melancholy than sad?

The end in Mafia 1. It was justified to not survive but overall he was not a giant asshole like other Mafia heroes are.

Also would name World of Goo. The Goos were sort of pitiful creatures/resources in the weird story.

Not exactly sad but very disturbing was the tiny hidden room showing the past of Agent Vodello in Psychonauts. Imo the most horrifying scene in a game ever.

The end of HL2 Ep2 was the first time HL revealed to me what others liked already since the first one: Valve can tell a good story if they do more than just through in some mysterious loose pieces. If HL2 and Ep. 1 would have been better in that regard i guess this would be number one on my list, but as it was this honor goes to:

Most close to true sadness comes the Luma story of Mario Galaxy 1. No hours long epic cutscenes but it hits every note precise and with feeling.

I guess games lack very very often fully developed characters we can really care for, so being genuinely sad (or having any other meaningful reaction) for any event happening to them is hard.

sleeveboy · 09-12-2011, 04:51 PM

Valkyrie Profile, A ending

Kin Korn Karn · 09-12-2011, 09:48 PM

This is a good question! Never really thought about it. No game in it's entirety did the trick, but either endings or certain scenes stick out in my memory.

Zelda: A Link to the Past: the poor little fellow in the forest, in the clearing, who was turned into a tree? Not sure if I remember that correctly, but it always was a bit sad.

It may sound like a cop out, but the ending to FFX. I was pretty well invested in the characters, and it tugged at my heartstrings a bit.

Speaking of FF, in FF7 the death of that one character (I know everybody has played it, but trying to keep this a bit spoiler free) was kind of tough. Actually, there were quite a few moments almost as powerful throughout the game. Most playable characters are tragic.

The scene in Chrono Trigger where they are dragging the droid back to, um, wherever they were going.

What happens to Nei, and then with Nei First in Phantasy Star 2. An overlooked penultimate video game scene that predates the more popular event in FF7, I must add. Further, the ending of the game (I'll say it's like the series finale of The Sopranos) has you rooting for the good guys in a melancholy way.

I'd describe Zelda: Majora's Mask as "forlorn". But I cannot say with any certainty that it is "sad" since it is one of the few Zelda games I never bothered to complete.

RandomRob · 09-13-2011, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kin Korn Karn

Speaking of FF, in FF7 the death of that one character (I know everybody has played it, but trying to keep this a bit spoiler free) was kind of tough. Actually, there were quite a few moments almost as powerful throughout the game. Most playable characters are tragic.

I DO recall weeping when Red howls to the moon, having discovered the truth about his 'cowardly' father, as a matter of fact.

Li-Ion · 09-14-2011, 09:18 AM

I don't think I ever played a truly sad game. I played plenty of bleak games, prime example being Metro 2033. When I played Metro 2033 I switched the spoken language to Russian and put on subtitles, which made me feel like I'm lost in a unfamiliar country in dire circumstances. Every gameplay element enforces this feeling. In Metro I never felt powerful or safe, instead always like one step away from dying an inglorious death with nobody to tell about.

Resident Evil might call itself "survival horror", but doesn't hold a candle to Metro 2033 in this respect

FidgetyAcolyte · 09-14-2011, 10:17 AM

Bleak works as well! Pretty much any game in which things might feel like a "lost cause" kinda work well in this discussion, at least for me.

I almost bought that latest Halo game, Halo Reach, because I heard so much about how you know everyone is supposed to die in the end. But then I saw footage, and it just looked like Halo to me

Li-Ion · 09-14-2011, 10:33 AM

If you want to have a bleak game then there is none better than Metro 2033. According to the Eurogamer podcast people the lead designer (name I just forgot) is the most depressed person alive. Living in the Ukraine and being utterly disappointed by the revolution that went nowhere. That completely reflects in the game.

Mousse Effect · 01-23-2012, 04:46 AM

Hi everyone !

That's weird that I never hear about these games when people talk about sad games or what games made them cry. These are for me the saddest RPGs out there, apart from Nier.

Radiata stories is a pretty sad game. It reminded me of Secret of Mana but was way more emotional. You can see the story from two different perspective, and the second viewing is really depressing as you know what's going to happen, who is going to die, etc. and you see it from another angle, being the only one who how all this will end.

Xenosaga Episode III (which, like too human, starts with a quote of a German philosopher, Tim!) has the most emotional ending I've ever seen. Of course after spending 150 hours across the 3 episodes with all the characters, seeing what happen to them and the way it happens to them can be pretty rough.

Just my two cents.

Jenemap · 01-29-2012, 04:32 PM

year, that's really cool !

Pedro · 02-02-2012, 05:14 PM

[quote=JLB1987;198246]Deadly Premonition made me cry, but more because of the dawning realisation that this AMAZING GAME WITH "CULT HIT" WRITTEN ALL OVER IT, that I had paid around £15 for, was a pile of shit gameplay-wise.
QUOTE]

Ha ha, you bloody Philistine!

I found Deadly Premonition extremely sad (true, it happened mostly after struggling through terrible combat and infuriating QTEs).

It was the last game I played on the Xbox. I'm moving house shortly and was considering throwing my old 360 out (it makes a noise like a Harrier jet has just landed outside on the street) but I kept it solely for the opportunity to play DP again.

Virgil012 · 02-20-2012, 03:09 PM

Lost Odyssey is also a touching game. The game is loaded with sob-worthy moments, and the written lost memories, chronicling some of the Kaim's previous off-screen adventures, are sure to bring a tear to the eye.