Games that inspire? (NiGHTS, etc.) and an introduction...

[Crafter]

Hey, everybody!

I recently joined the board, as you can tell by the menial number of my posts, and I'd like to introduce myself. First of all, I've been into videogames for about 18 years now, and given that I'm 23, it's consumed a lot of my life. I look forward to a ton of awesome discussion!

After considering the mathematics and science fields, I've strangely chosen the literature field, am in grad school for poetry criticism, and am in training to become a literature professor. I also work as a poet. In other words, I'm going to be poor. All of this has a point.

Lately, I've deliberated upon games that I've played which have actually brought me to a stage of near-transcendant inspiration, in which I feel as though I have been completely displaced from the real world, and then moved emotionally so that I have more than just a visceral reaction, but something moving. I know a lot of games endeavor to do this, but very few succeed. I know this topic may be a little unique and off-kilter, but it's intended to be. For research, kinda, away from books, and in another medium, I want to know what you guys think about this.

Although if I put my mind to it, scores of games would come to mind, the immediate four are:

NiGHTS into Dreams: (The entire premise of the game is simply unique to the extent that it provides for me a sense of innocence, and a hearkening back to childhood)

Final Fantasy III: (A few particularly poignant moments are still evocative)

The entire Panzer Dragoon series: (The Classical-Pastoral-Machinistic-Futuristic atmosphere, seamlessly blended with an epic story, and a beautifully realized language, have always impressed me beyond most games)

Skies of Arcadia: (A colorful, exalting tale that made me forget the real world completely for ~80 hrs.)

[MechDeus]

There are games that take into a trance (and when people remove me from that, they know it because it generally pisses me off when I'm concentrating so hard), but as for truly pulling me in, that generally takes a combination of wonderully imaginative ideas taht don't get screwed up.

Valkryie Profile, with its characters, mystery, oddities and battle system is an absolute joy to go through and explore. If they had taken it one step further (and had given you control disguised as a person amongst others more often, with more people to actually interact with), I probably wouldn't bother with much else in RPGs.

Xenogears, however, did a lot of that. A wonderfully realized world with lots of colorful characters, two sets to build and maintain (people and Gears), tons of little things (the spider that wriggles!), that one still leaves me in a special place, running around the world...

JSRF had a wierd effect on me, where I wanted the world to be cel-shaded and more vibrant, I kinda felt like Dorothy going from Oz back to black-and-white Kansas after turning that game off and wandering amongst the living. Rez had wierd effects on me as well.

[edit] Oh yes, and welcome! Please enjoy your stay here (indefinately, for some of us )!

[gamevet]

There have been many games that I feel just took you to a different place while playing.



Starfox: Turned down the lights and cranked up the stereo. This game just presented shooters in a whole new way, and I felt as if, a part of the ship I was controlling. The music was a perfect balance to the visuals presented before me.


Galactic Attack(Saturn): Never before has a shooter put me in a zone like GA. The music complimented the action on screen perfectly, and sometimes I was in such a zone playing, that I hardly noticed the gunfire surroundingmy ship. This game just blended the music and action so perfectly.


Nights: The game seemed pretty fun, but became phenominal once I purchased the Nights 3-D controller. The smooth movement of the analog controller stick fit the screen action so perfectly, and the colorful explosion of graphics as you smoothly flew through the air with ease.

[Low]

Welcome to the board! Nice topic too

Here's a few...:

Phantasy Star 2- very simple looking but unlike any RPG I'd played before. The storyline had some brillant moments and the game inspired me to draw what I thought Motavia actually looked like. Then...

PSO-showed up, and was one of the most amazing game worlds I've encountered. While boring to some, I love running around Ragol, even hundreds of hours later.

Lightning Force- One of the few perfect shooters I've played. The graphics were amazing even with the constraints on coloring, the music was excellent, and design of everything is a benchmark I hold to all shooters. The ending even had a bittersweet element. Definitely got the adrenline going.

REZ- O_o

*-neo

[Crafter]

Come to think of it, MechDeus, both JSRF and Rez have had this effect on me as well.

Both Jet Set and Rez solidify the fact for me that a game does not have to have the most coherent of plots to aid in displacing the person. The use of color, I think, is an important aspect, as you mention. And I think it depends on how well the world is realized.

In both JSRF and Rez's instances, the games tend to take rave/techno culture and blend in a seamless gameplay delivery. They're just awesome games, and are so damn unique. In Rez, it gets to the point in which you forget you are holding the controller, and act with your character through intuition, a sort of temporary symbiosis. I guess I could say the same thing about Panzer Dragoon. (Speaking of which: Panzer Dragoon Orta: I WANT.)

[Green]

As I get older, games seem to be losing the hold on me that they had when I was younger. What I mean is, the story, music, and art don't grab my attention as much as a movie or book do now. I think this has also to do with Gamefan going away, they had a way of making a game seem much more important than it was (Rox on the FF7 preview anyone?), something more than a game. I think any game that has a world you wouldn't have imagined if the game didn't exist is inspiring, becuase you are taking part in something only a videogame can create.

[Crafter]

Neoalphazero:

Crap. I've been trying to find Lightening (why do they spell it that way?) Force for a long time.

And how could I forget PSO? That game took me "there."

[gamevet]

Originally posted by neoalphazero
Welcome to the board! Nice topic too

Here's a few...:

Phantasy Star 2- very simple looking but unlike any RPG I'd played before. The storyline had some brillant moments and the game inspired to draw what I thought Motavia actually looked like. Then...

PSO-showed up, and was one of the most amazing game worlds I've encountered. While boring to some, I love running around Ragol, even hundreds of hours later.

Lightning Force- One of the few perfect shooters I've played. The graphics were amazing with the constraints on coloring, the music was excellent, and design of everything was benchmark I hold to all shooters. The ending even had a bittersweet element. Definitely got the adrenline going.

REZ- O_o

*-neo

I thought about mentioning PSO also. The on ship visuals were quite entrancing, and the movie A.I. seems to borrow the look.


Phantasy Star 2 just took RPG's to a whole different level. The advanced world, with clone shops and tech weapons were very unique.

[Tracer]

Originally posted by Crafter
Hey, everybody!

I recently joined the board, as you can tell by the menial number of my posts, and I'd like to introduce myself. First of all, I've been into videogames for about 18 years now, and given that I'm 23, it's consumed a lot of my life. I look forward to a ton of awesome discussion!

After considering the mathematics and science fields, I've strangely chosen the literature field, am in grad school for poetry criticism, and am in training to become a literature professor. I also work as a poet. In other words, I'm going to be poor. All of this has a point.

Lately, I've deliberated upon games that I've played which have actually brought me to a stage of near-transcendant inspiration, in which I feel as though I have been completely displaced from the real world, and then moved emotionally so that I have more than just a visceral reaction, but something moving. I know a lot of games endeavor to do this, but very few succeed. I know this topic may be a little unique and off-kilter, but it's intended to be. For research, kinda, away from books, and in another medium, I want to know what you guys think about this.

Although if I put my mind to it, scores of games would come to mind, the immediate four are:

NiGHTS into Dreams: (The entire premise of the game is simply unique to the extent that it provides for me a sense of innocence, and a hearkening back to childhood)

Final Fantasy III: (A few particularly poignant moments are still evocative)

The entire Panzer Dragoon series: (The Classical-Pastoral-Machinistic-Futuristic atmosphere, seamlessly blended with an epic story, and a beautifully realized language, have always impressed me beyond most games)

Skies of Arcadia: (A colorful, exalting tale that made me forget the real world completely for ~80 hrs.)

I dig your style man - I like your list and will add to it.

Alisa Dragoon (I love the game)

Phantasy Star series. Even Online to a degree.

Rez

The Legend of Zelda

Star Ocean the Second Story

E.V.O. The Search for Eden

Ico

Halo.

Nights, Rez and Star Ocean are the most outstanding of all of these IMO.

ºTracer

[Green]

Oh, and welcome aboard Crafter. I want Lightening Force too. The way you talk about Jet Set Radio makes me think you would like anime. Do you watch it? I think you would like Akira.