39,327
edits
Darker and Edgier/Video Games: Difference between revisions
m
update links
m (Mass update links) |
m (update links) |
||
Line 16:
* The shift in style between ''[[Jak and Daxter The Precursor Legacy]]'' and its successor, ''[[Jak II Renegade]]'' took place during the opening cinematic. In the original, the tone was light, the hero was a [[Heroic Mime]], his rodential sidekick joked all the time, and the combat was minimal and hand-to-hand. At the beginning of ''Jak II'' the heroes [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future|traveled forward in time]], released an extra-dimensional evil onto the world in the process, then skipped over two years of Jak being tortured under lab settings. After that, [[Suddenly Voiced|Jak got a voice]], a sardonic attitude, a [[BFG|gun]], and became a card-carrying [[Phlebotinum Rebel]]; Daxter got some dirtier jokes, and was dropped from the title. This [[Time Travel]] based change was a plausible way to change the world of the game drastically in one scene.
* The original ''[[Double Dragon]]'' was already a gritty game to begin with, but the arcade version of ''Double Dragon II: The Revenge'' attempted to up the ante by [[Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome|killing off the girl from the first game]], changing the objective from [[Save the Princess|rescuing her]] to [[Stuffed in The Fridge|avenging her death.]] All the returning enemy characters were redesigned to look more punkish (Linda the female [[Mook]] for example, was given a mohawk and a chain whip) and the new bosses includes a masked wrestler who leaves behind his mask when he dies and an [[Andre the Giant]]-lookalike with [[Terminator (franchise)|Terminator]]-esque sunglasses whose stature dwarfs Abobo from the original game.
* A much less successful video game example was ''[[Bomberman]]: Act Zero'' for the [[Xbox 360]]. That's right, Hudson tried to make '''''[http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/3/3d/225px-Bomberman-art-work-style.jpg Bomberman]''''' Darker And Edgier. To be fair, the original concept of Bomberman was rather dark (robot-like beings trapped in an underground arena and forced to kill each other with bombs) and the lighter feel of the original game was actually a compromise. However, none of the other games in the series [[Canon
* [[Sonic the Hedgehog]] is overall somewhere between Mario and Zelda in terms of creepiness, but its tone is darker nowadays than it was when starting out.
** ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog CD]]'' has [[Bad Future]] versions of each of its zones, and an overall higher concentration of [[Nightmare Fuel]] than the Sonic games before it.
Line 30:
* The teaser trailer in ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' suggested that ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]'' would be Darker And Edgier and involve people in [[Black Cloak|black raincoats]] fighting in a dark city.
** And then there's ''[[Kingdom Hearts: 358 Days Over 2|Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days]]'', featuring a much more depressing story, culminating with a [[Downer Ending]].
** ''[[Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep]]'' continues that trend, as shown by a line from the Keyblade Graveyard:
{{quote| '''Ven''': I'm asking you, as a friend. Just... {{spoiler|put an end to me.}}}}
** ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' kind of inverts the usual use of [[Darker and Edgier]]. Aesthetically, it has stayed pretty even for the entire series. ''Thematically,'' it's changed from a nostalgic romp through Disney worlds in search of missing friends to a thorough exploration of what it means to care wholeheartedly about other people - which in itself tends to run the gamut from [[WAFF|impossibly cute fluff]] to [[Tear Jerker|emotional pain so unbearable that not having a heart seems preferable.]]
Line 70:
** ''[[Halo: Reach]]'' is supposed to be the darkest depressing game thus far since you [[Doomed by Canon|already know everyone what will happen to you, your comrades and the planet itself]] . It's about the heroism and sacrifice of those people on a doomed planet watching their friends and everything they love fall. Hell even look at the medals when you perform a feet (Double Kill/Triple Kill), in ''Halo 3'' they were bright and brightly colored, in Reach they are darker, and look metallic, yes even these meta-game symbols are darker AND edgier.
* ''[[Devil May Cry]] 2'' was clearly made under the assumption that the overblown camp of the first game was a ''bad'' thing, and decided to play the B-movie setting straight, as evidenced by changing the stylish wise-cracking, cowboy-esque, demon hunter Dante to a generic, stoic badass who barely gets any lines. It might also have to do with the fact it was rushed into production ''without'' informing or involving the original creators. To say the least, [[Fanon Discontinuity|it didn't turn out well]]. Capcom made up for it with a return to [[Camp|the appeal of the original]] with ''[[Devil May Cry]] 3''.
** Dante in ''[[Devil May Cry]] 4'' grew up and apart from bishounen self in previous installments, sporting [[Perma
** This appears to be what Ninja Theory is going for with DmC, which is a reboot featuring a younger, more rebellious Dante. Many fans complained that this "emo" kid wasn't the "real" Dante, ignoring the fact that the design isn't too far off from DMC 4's Nero, who wasn't the "real" Dante either, and completely eclipsed him in the promotion. He even has the a similar hoodie-and-trenchcoat look. Also, the new Dante seems to be more cocky and punk rock than emo.
* Done in ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]'', replacing the cheesy crime dramas with an immigrant story wrapped in a crime drama, while retaining the humor.
Line 77:
** Subverting the first two main stories of the IV generation, the last IV DLC ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV the Ballad of Gay Tony|The Ballad of Gay Tony]]'' went in the [[Lighter and Softer]] direction, with the return of some over the top elements of games from the III era, and an overall happy ending that doesn't end in the deaths of any major characters close to the protagonist Luis or anything being left in ruins.
* The original ''[[Super Mario Bros. (video game)|Super Mario Bros]]'' was fairly light and soft, with a generic "save the princess" story, fairly comical villains, and overall cartoony style. ''[[Super Mario Bros 2]]'' had more of a "[[Dreaming of Things to Come|seeing upon waking what you saw in a dream]]" story, and introduced a variety of spookier enemies, like the Sparks, the Albatosses, (no, that's not a typo) the mousers, the tryclydes, the fryguys, and let's not forget the [[Super Mario Bros./Nightmare Fuel|ESPECIALLY intimidating]] Phantos. Even {{spoiler|the hawkmouths}} eventually become enemies. It's also the first Mario game to involve the use of bombs. Of course, many of the introductions are due to it being a [[Dolled-Up Installment]] of [[Doki Doki Panic|another game]].
** ''[[Paper Mario:
*** ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'' is even ''darker'', what with Mario and company saving the multiverse from an [[Omnicidal Maniac]] and his dysfunctional flunkies.
** ''[[Mario
*** Toad Town. Literally just pieces of rubble tossed around. Compare to Toad Town of ''Bowser's Inside Story''. Even Peach's Castle from the latter isn't so... Devastated and dangerous as Shroob Castle!
** ''[[Mario Strikers|Mario Strikers Charged]]'' did this in a tongue-in-cheek, over-the-top way.
Line 120:
* ''[[American McGee's Alice]]'' is almost a literal definition of this.
** And ''[[Alice: Madness Returns]]'' manages to top even that, what with all the [[Mind Rape]] and surprisingly [[Anvilicious]] pedophile psychologist.
* There is some of this between ''[[The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind]]'' and ''[[The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion]]'' where major plot points are concerned. Not only does the player character in Oblivion spend the main quest {{spoiler|helping the Empire's last heir sacrifice himself in order to provide a stopgap against demon invasion while simultaneously [[Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu|eliminating any possibility of such protection in the future]]}}, Oblivion also has the Dark Brotherhood series of quests wherein the player character can actually become an assassin with all that this entails. Further, many of Oblivion's NPC dialogues discuss events in ''Morrowind'' and involve events that overturn previous cheerful endings, such as {{spoiler|Vivec disappearing and Ald'Ruhn being burned down}}. At the same time though it also censors a few in game books, and makes the gameplay much softer (the only way to fail most quests is your death or bugs).
** Rather, ''Morrowind'' is lighter on the surface. ''[[The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall|Daggerfall]]'' featured nudity, graphic texts in books, ''insane'' dungeons, disease is instant death if not cured in time, etc..
** If you include the spinoffs, ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'' constantly went through two phases of going [[Darker and Edgier]]. ''Arena'' was pretty light, ''Daggerfall'' was darker, ''Battlespire'' pushed the darkness as far as it could go. Then ''Redguard'' went back to square one, followed by ''Morrowind'' and ''Oblivion'' being progressively darker.''Skyrim'' meanwhile goes...in a bit of a zigzag. The world in ''Morrowind'' was pretty Crapsack, but you make it better. ''Oblivion'' is in a Crap-saccharine world. ''Skyrim'' goes ''right'' back to a crapsack world...even ''worse'' than the world in the previous games! Yet the story ends on a pretty idealistic side.
* ''[[Donkey Kong Country (video game)|Donkey Kong Country]] 2'' was subtly darker than the previous, and [[Your Mileage May Vary|arguably]] a bit better.
Line 186:
*** If you didn't feel [[Tear Jerker|anything]] [[Break the Cutie|at]] [[Darkest Hour|all]] watching the goddamn trailer, you are a horrible, horrible person.
* ''[[Tenchu]]'' isn't exactly a family friendly game but its prequel, ''Birth of the Stealth Assassins'', got rid of the supernatural elements and the soothing music and elaborated on Rikimaru and Ayame's tragic back story.
* ''[[Golden Sun: Dark Dawn]]'' is darker and edgier than its predecessors. Weyard in the two previous games was largely at peace, and the only characters who tended to kick the bucket were the villains. Now Angara, and very likely the other continents of Weyard, is full of budding countries who frequently war with each other, and once the {{spoiler|the Grave Eclipse is activated, townspeople start dropping like flies in the face of an overwhelming monster horde, with even a few named characters both good and bad getting [[Killed Off for Real]].}}
* ''[[Portal (series)|Portal]]'' 2, while still being as hilarious as the first game, has a noticeably darker and more serious plot.
* While ''[[Mabinogi (video game)|Mabinogi]]'' [[Crap Saccharine World|isn't exactly one of the cheeriest games around]], its prequel game ''[[Vindictus]]'', focusing on humanity's war against the Fomors to reach [[The Promised Land]] (Mabinogi's original setting Erinn) is as violent as all get-out and has a lot more serious themes. In the third major episode, {{spoiler|a young cadet that you spent the first few episodes getting to know is viciously murdered}}, and as the game goes on, we learn it's only the beginning of [[It Got Worse|how worse things are getting]].
Line 193:
* ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' also has its fare share of Darker and Edgier moments. A particularly notable example is ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'': There are hints at unethical experimentation towards a sentient race by [[The Empire]], the amnesiac main character, when knocked out, experiences [[Flashback Nightmare|a particularly horrifying recollection]] about her being outfitted with a slave crown in a manner that is implied to be unwilling on her part, then being forced to torch fifty of the imperial troops alive, and the war speech made by the Emperor. In addition, the main villain, a psychotic jester named Kefka Palazzo manages to gleefully poison an entire civilization's water supply and was implied to have wiped out said civilization in what is essentially an act of Genocide, with the Empire also suffering losses from the same poison as well, and then proceeds to stab the Emperor in the back and cause the world to be significantly ruined, remaining this way throughout the second act, and it is implied that the world's condition is slowly getting worse, with the main bad guy (now a god) murdering various people with his Light of Judgement, even orphaning various people, and then trying to destroy the entire planet.
* ''[[League of Legends]]''' newer skins as of August 9th, all of them felt a lot darker and grittier.
* ''[[Hyperdimension Neptunia]]'' was a fun light-hearted [[Console Wars]] game filled with a fun cast and a happy game overall. The [[Hyperdimension Neptunia
* ''[[Need for Speed]]'' is seemingly heading into this territory with [[Need for Speed]] The Run.
* Compared to the rest of the series, ''[[Hitman]]: Contracts'' is probably the darkest. All of the missions take place at night and it's usually raining. The game also has really haunting background music, and at least 4 of the missions have already dead bodies, one who was horribly butchered.
| |||