I shot 'im in the eye - dude didn't even blink...
December 27, 2012 3:45 PM Subscribe
Wasn't there a book in Morrowind that expanded on this concept- that Vivec had player-like powers?
posted by dunkadunc at 4:09 PM on December 27, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by dunkadunc at 4:09 PM on December 27, 2012 [2 favorites]
Imagine being a boss in Zelda or one of the Blood Omen games -- you spend you existence trapped in a weird underground room, usually filled with lava or something, and you just wait there for someone to come by and kill you with a grappling hook or a blow gun or something that you cleverly hid right outside. I suspect by the time they are defeated, the bosses are ready to die.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:19 PM on December 27, 2012 [22 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:19 PM on December 27, 2012 [22 favorites]
Dunkadunc - it wasn't a book, it was a series of blog posts, but I'll be damned if I can remember where to find them. Really good series as well.
posted by Scottie_Bob at 4:34 PM on December 27, 2012
posted by Scottie_Bob at 4:34 PM on December 27, 2012
This is the sort of thing I have thought about a lot.
posted by cortex at 5:02 PM on December 27, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by cortex at 5:02 PM on December 27, 2012 [1 favorite]
My kids say a more appropriate title would be Uncharted From The Bad Guys' Perspectuves, and also, "there's no way he'd have dual wield."
posted by not that girl at 5:09 PM on December 27, 2012
posted by not that girl at 5:09 PM on December 27, 2012
See I am Legend (the book version, natch). The last man alive becomes a monster in the eyes of the vampires he kills during the day, and kills far more than they do. Almost every video game protagonist is a complete psychopath by this measure.
Shadow of the Colossus probably comes closest to addressing this well in video games, although Deus Ex is also not bad.
I am very, very open to other recommendations that aren't the terribly cack-handed Far Cry 3.
posted by jaduncan at 5:12 PM on December 27, 2012 [5 favorites]
Shadow of the Colossus probably comes closest to addressing this well in video games, although Deus Ex is also not bad.
I am very, very open to other recommendations that aren't the terribly cack-handed Far Cry 3.
posted by jaduncan at 5:12 PM on December 27, 2012 [5 favorites]
The goomba perspective on Mario is worth a look.
posted by squinty at 5:21 PM on December 27, 2012 [36 favorites]
posted by squinty at 5:21 PM on December 27, 2012 [36 favorites]
The goomba perspective on Mario is worth a look.
Oh my goodness, that's heartbreaking.
posted by kafziel at 5:28 PM on December 27, 2012 [14 favorites]
Oh my goodness, that's heartbreaking.
posted by kafziel at 5:28 PM on December 27, 2012 [14 favorites]
The goomba perspective on Mario is worth a look.
Can we delete this thread before my wife gets back from seeing family so there's no chance she ever sees this and cries for the rest of her life? She has such an affinity for goombas that I practically had to play Super Mario Galaxy 2 on a goomba sparing pacifistic run (koopas are still fair game).
I probably can't complain since I bought her the stuffed goomba that watches over our bed at night.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 5:45 PM on December 27, 2012 [11 favorites]
Can we delete this thread before my wife gets back from seeing family so there's no chance she ever sees this and cries for the rest of her life? She has such an affinity for goombas that I practically had to play Super Mario Galaxy 2 on a goomba sparing pacifistic run (koopas are still fair game).
I probably can't complain since I bought her the stuffed goomba that watches over our bed at night.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 5:45 PM on December 27, 2012 [11 favorites]
weird underground room
We call it "lair"
thanks
posted by deo rei at 5:48 PM on December 27, 2012 [5 favorites]
We call it "lair"
thanks
posted by deo rei at 5:48 PM on December 27, 2012 [5 favorites]
> Penny Arcade's take on this trope.
And another one (for Shadow of the Colossus)
posted by churl at 6:27 PM on December 27, 2012
And another one (for Shadow of the Colossus)
posted by churl at 6:27 PM on December 27, 2012
When I was a kid, I really loved Kirby Super Star, an anthology of Kirby games for the Super Nintendo. My favorite game of the lot was Revenge of Meta Knight. Meta Knight, the villain, is wreaking havoc using a fortress of an airship. Kirby boards the ship, destroys it, and saves the day.
So far, so formulaic. But the great bit is that Meta Knight and his henchmen comment on Kirby's progress. The game renders their dialogue in text. They panic as Kirby destroys the engine. They plot obstacles to throw in his way. They snark about Kirby's eating habits.
I wish more games would take the villains' perspective this way.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 6:30 PM on December 27, 2012 [2 favorites]
So far, so formulaic. But the great bit is that Meta Knight and his henchmen comment on Kirby's progress. The game renders their dialogue in text. They panic as Kirby destroys the engine. They plot obstacles to throw in his way. They snark about Kirby's eating habits.
I wish more games would take the villains' perspective this way.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 6:30 PM on December 27, 2012 [2 favorites]
The goomba perspective on Mario is worth a look.
Only if you never intend to actually play the Super Mario games again.
posted by jeather at 7:05 PM on December 27, 2012 [3 favorites]
Only if you never intend to actually play the Super Mario games again.
posted by jeather at 7:05 PM on December 27, 2012 [3 favorites]
That stupid first-person goomba short threw dust in my face. Honest.
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:13 PM on December 27, 2012
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:13 PM on December 27, 2012
I have no sympathy for the Goombas, because "Just following orders, Sir" doesn't cut around here.
posted by XhaustedProphet at 7:22 PM on December 27, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by XhaustedProphet at 7:22 PM on December 27, 2012 [2 favorites]
Wait a second, I've seen this movie- in theaters.
posted by Apocryphon at 8:12 PM on December 27, 2012
posted by Apocryphon at 8:12 PM on December 27, 2012
The goomba perspective on Mario is worth a look.
This is exactly the idea for an RPG I had a long time ago, where you play as a goomba who has to rescue his sister, and after the whole game-- epic quests, enchanted dungeons, labyrinths and firestorms-- you find her, you free her, you are on your way home and that fucker Mario squishes her head without even looking and skips off into the distance.
posted by shakespeherian at 8:38 PM on December 27, 2012 [7 favorites]
This is exactly the idea for an RPG I had a long time ago, where you play as a goomba who has to rescue his sister, and after the whole game-- epic quests, enchanted dungeons, labyrinths and firestorms-- you find her, you free her, you are on your way home and that fucker Mario squishes her head without even looking and skips off into the distance.
posted by shakespeherian at 8:38 PM on December 27, 2012 [7 favorites]
"Wasn't there a book in Morrowind that expanded on this concept- that Vivec had player-like powers?"
Spoiler:
I think it's pretty clear that the Elder Scroll found in Skyrim is a way for the character to switch places with the game developer. Your character can't handle too much exposure, because they can't handle the meta, but that was the implied truth.
posted by jiawen at 11:22 PM on December 27, 2012 [3 favorites]
Spoiler:
I think it's pretty clear that the Elder Scroll found in Skyrim is a way for the character to switch places with the game developer. Your character can't handle too much exposure, because they can't handle the meta, but that was the implied truth.
posted by jiawen at 11:22 PM on December 27, 2012 [3 favorites]
There is a fairly early issue of Grant Morrison's The Invisibles which gives you a look into what goes through a henchman's mind as one of the heroes, King Mob, shoots him in the face. The guy is definitely working for the bad guys, and he's not a particularly nice person, but the issues humanizes him and deliberately undercuts the fun of watching the main characters chew up scores of minions.
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:39 AM on December 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:39 AM on December 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
I thought I first found this on Metafilter, but can't find that link. So straight to the video: The Last Days of Dr. Wiley
posted by jermsplan at 7:10 AM on December 28, 2012
posted by jermsplan at 7:10 AM on December 28, 2012
One of the things that I like about Dark Souls is that it uses its multiplayer to make other players in to the villain, which some players have a lot of fun with by way of gimmick builds (like putting on the armor of bosses in the game).
posted by codacorolla at 7:17 AM on December 28, 2012
posted by codacorolla at 7:17 AM on December 28, 2012
Serious beanplating going on in the comments to the goomba video:
Chris Tolworthy 8 hours ago
Propaganda. It's a war. In every war we claim we are compassionate, objective, doing the minimum necessary harm. In every war the first casualty is truth. War is war. The enemy is dehumanized. You do it yourself calling them "Bowser's minions" - a pejorative, belittling term.
webkinzspongebob 1 hour ago
Your comment only refers to the real world, not the Mario series. I'm not trying to be mean, but can I just ask, do you know the canon or storyline of Mario? In Mario, Bowser does not think of his actions as good, unlike real world people like Bin Laden or Hitler, who view their actions as heroic. The enemies join Bowser in a villainous way, and actually know that they're bad. But this is portrayed in a silly way because Mario isn't supposed to be serious, or warlike, but fun and advunterous.
webkinzspongebob 2 hours ago
Please don't be rude. I already said this video is amazing and well animated; I'm not trying to ruin the point. and, in a way, my comment probably made people less sad about "killing" Goombas.
OnlyHardCoreCOD 2 hours ago
@webkinzspongebob girl or not your comment is dumb, there is no reason to critique this video it's extremely well done, but being 12 is the obvious reason.
Reply ·
webkinzspongebob 2 hours ago
Please shut up bitch that fight's old, because I simply can't deal with a Mario amateur yet COD expert.
webkinzspongebob 1 day ago
The enemy Goombas are Bowser's minions. Not the citizens or good people. ALSO, when Mario defeats a Goomba, he doesn't actually kill it. He just "defeats" it. In Paper Mario 4 Sticker Star, when Mario defeats the Goombas in the first battle, they run away and are still alive, but defeated. In Paper Mario 2, he and Goombella, a GOOMBA, defeat 3 Goombas, who run away but are still alive! So, as you can see, this video is very well made and quite amazing but not very true to the real Mario.
posted by oneironaut at 9:01 AM on December 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Chris Tolworthy 8 hours ago
Propaganda. It's a war. In every war we claim we are compassionate, objective, doing the minimum necessary harm. In every war the first casualty is truth. War is war. The enemy is dehumanized. You do it yourself calling them "Bowser's minions" - a pejorative, belittling term.
webkinzspongebob 1 hour ago
Your comment only refers to the real world, not the Mario series. I'm not trying to be mean, but can I just ask, do you know the canon or storyline of Mario? In Mario, Bowser does not think of his actions as good, unlike real world people like Bin Laden or Hitler, who view their actions as heroic. The enemies join Bowser in a villainous way, and actually know that they're bad. But this is portrayed in a silly way because Mario isn't supposed to be serious, or warlike, but fun and advunterous.
webkinzspongebob 2 hours ago
Please don't be rude. I already said this video is amazing and well animated; I'm not trying to ruin the point. and, in a way, my comment probably made people less sad about "killing" Goombas.
OnlyHardCoreCOD 2 hours ago
@webkinzspongebob girl or not your comment is dumb, there is no reason to critique this video it's extremely well done, but being 12 is the obvious reason.
Reply ·
webkinzspongebob 2 hours ago
Please shut up bitch that fight's old, because I simply can't deal with a Mario amateur yet COD expert.
webkinzspongebob 1 day ago
The enemy Goombas are Bowser's minions. Not the citizens or good people. ALSO, when Mario defeats a Goomba, he doesn't actually kill it. He just "defeats" it. In Paper Mario 4 Sticker Star, when Mario defeats the Goombas in the first battle, they run away and are still alive, but defeated. In Paper Mario 2, he and Goombella, a GOOMBA, defeat 3 Goombas, who run away but are still alive! So, as you can see, this video is very well made and quite amazing but not very true to the real Mario.
posted by oneironaut at 9:01 AM on December 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Dr. Robotnik and Ganondorf are dead.
posted by Handstand Devil at 9:43 AM on December 28, 2012
posted by Handstand Devil at 9:43 AM on December 28, 2012
The goomba video was nice, it reminded me of this comic: "Invader"
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 3:21 PM on December 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 3:21 PM on December 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
BungaDunga: "The Metaphysics of Morrowind"
Previously on MetaFilter.
posted by radwolf76 at 5:32 PM on December 28, 2012
Previously on MetaFilter.
posted by radwolf76 at 5:32 PM on December 28, 2012
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posted by Rustic Etruscan at 3:51 PM on December 27, 2012