Early game appetizers

[rrmorton]

Over at OO, there's a discussion about Silverfall in which the topic of early game appetizers came up. What's an EGA? It's when a game gives the player a little teaser sampling of your late game powers/weapons/vehicles/spells during the opening level/race/prologue/mission and then takes them away when you start the game proper.

So what titles can you guys think of that do this?

God of War 2 is one.

And Need For Speed: Most Wanted when your sweet ride gets jacked by the bad guy.

[Destructor]

The Metroid games are the ones best known for doing this.

[Graham]

Tachyon: The Fringe IIRC.

[Brendan]

My recollection is that Kameo starts you out in situ with access to a number of the eventual forms you shift into.

[rrmorton]

Good picks.

Has Metroid been doing it all along? I thought it was a newer innovation.

What are some others?

[Teggy]

Spoiler for Hiden:

I don't remember how much you get, but in

Riddick

Spoiler for Hiden:

you get some weapons and cash and then realize you've been dreaming.

[HankRaptor]

I do LOVE when they do that.

[kathode]

I do not enjoy this unfortunately.  Play for a whole level of God of War 2 as a total badass, and I think I'm going to get even more badass, but no. Instead it makes me into a complete pussy.  Now all I have to look forward to is what I just played.  Bleh.   

[Kevin Grey]

Good picks.

Has Metroid been doing it all along? I thought it was a newer innovation.

What are some others?

Metroid has beend doing it at least since Super Metroid on the SNES (never played Metroid 2). 

[ATB]

uncaring gibberish that ruins people's lives and makes teggy feel like a man 

spoilaz!

[Teggy]

I fixed mine, now you have to fix yours

[rrmorton]

I do not enjoy this unfortunately.  Play for a whole level of God of War 2 as a total badass, and I think I'm going to get even more badass, but no. Instead it makes me into a complete pussy.  Now all I have to look forward to is what I just played.  Bleh.   

That's not true. You get a whole bunch of new weapons and powers that you didn't have during that first level. (It does kinda suck to lose it all, but that's what fuels your empathy and your inner-Kratos.)

[Kobra]

Over at OO, there's a discussion about Silverfall in which the topic of early game appetizers came up. What's an EGA? It's when a game gives the player a little teaser sampling of your late game powers/weapons/vehicles/spells during the opening level/race/prologue/mission and then takes them away when you start the game proper.

So what titles can you guys think of that do this?

God of War 2 is one.

And Need For Speed: Most Wanted when your sweet ride gets jacked by the bad guy.

I love this technique in games..  Silverfall locked me in big when I started with a pretty badass wizard, then lost him. 

[Autistic Angel]

That's not true. You get a whole bunch of new weapons and powers that you didn't have during that first level. (It does kinda suck to lose it all, but that's what fuels your empathy and your inner-Kratos.)

Personally, I don't feel any empathy for Kratos at all. 

He was a god with the power to reform himself and the world that had been so devastated by the brutal campaigns of Ares, and what does he do?  He devotes himself to the exact same course of savage bloodshed and perpetual death that caused the gods to conspire against his predecessor in the first place.  Zeus is kind of a prick, but I can't really blame him for wanting to see Kratos gone.

However much he pisses and growls about how the gods of Olympus have screwed him over, the horrors of Kratos' life have all been the result of his own decisions.  It was his choice to become a warrior, his idea to offer his life in service to Ares, his bloodthristy carelessness that resulted in the deaths of his family, his cruelty and arrogance that turned the other gods against him -- if Kratos had any sense of responsibility for his own actions, he'd realize that his own ruthless vendettas are not the solution to, but the *cause* of all of his problems.

I think God of War III should center on an encounter with Helen of Counselor Troi, a beautiful empath who launches a thousand ships as part of a complex metaphor to help Kratos get back in touch with his feelings.  If he could put as much effort into slaying his inner demons as he does into the outer ones who are always trying to kill him, maybe he could finally make some real breakthroughs...!

-Autistic Angel

[Kevin Grey]

Zeus is kind of a prick, but I can't really blame him for wanting to see Kratos gone.

That's not why Zeus wants Kratos gone.

I think God of War III should center on an encounter with Helen of Counselor Troi, a beautiful empath who launches a thousand ships as part of a complex metaphor to help Kratos get back in touch with his feelings.  If he could put as much effort into slaying his inner demons as he does into the outer ones who are always trying to kill him, maybe he could finally make some real breakthroughs...!

God of War 2 Ending Spoiler:

Spoiler for Hiden:

I think that's sort of what will happen with GoW 3.  Kratos will lead the Titans in conquering Olympus and killing the gods only to find out that he has probably done a great wrong in the process.  I think he's the Titans' pawn for now. 

Agree with your comments about Kratos's character. 

[kathode]

That's not true. You get a whole bunch of new weapons and powers that you didn't have during that first level. (It does kinda suck to lose it all, but that's what fuels your empathy and your inner-Kratos.)

You kinda do but you don't know it at the time.  It's a downer.  My reaction - "Aww, I suck now."  Losing all my cool shit doesn't fuel any empathy in me. 

[Farscry]

I agree on the inability to empathize with Kratos. That's one thing that I don't like about the franchise: I'm playing a character I despise, and frankly would rather be killing for his crimes rather than playing as to achieve success for him.

The gameplay is awesome, the character is a dick whom I'd cheer to have locked away in prison in reality.

So yeah, ditto what Autistic Angel said.

[rrmorton]

Yeah, you hate him, but you love him cuz he's you.

Deep down, aren't we all just poor, bruised, misdirected, rage-fueled idiots like Kratos?

[Kevin Grey]

I agree on the inability to empathize with Kratos. That's one thing that I don't like about the franchise: I'm playing a character I despise, and frankly would rather be killing for his crimes rather than playing as to achieve success for him.

The gameplay is awesome, the character is a dick whom I'd cheer to have locked away in prison in reality.

So yeah, ditto what Autistic Angel said.

Yeah, but everybody else (barring maybe Athena) is just as bad as Kratos.  So it's more a matter of choosing the bad guy to root for. 

[CeeKay]

Didn't FFXII do this to you too?

[Calvin]

Didn't FFXII do this to you too?

Absolutely not. Put away the jesus juice dude!