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When playing games with options in combat, if there is a non-lethal path then I try my best to take that pathway. I figure I should take advantage of the ability to not kill people. Though in most of the games with a non-lethal option, the states of a character being dead versus knocked out doesn’t really matter. There is no real reason to feel remorse for killing them either. But while continuing to play Peace Walker, I realize how much more granular lethality and humanity are represented in the interactions with the guards.
There are multiple methods for dealing with the guards beyond just sneaking past them. They range from holding them up to knocking them out to tranquilizing them to lethally shooting them and, in each case, the guards respond differently. They might get up after a little while, in the case of knock outs and tranquilizer shots, or they might stay down, in the case of hold ups or lethal shots. Most of the time, alerts are raised when a guard is found incapacitated, but if they are found asleep from a tranquilizer, it isn’t. Each method results in different behaviors—none of them are just alternate means to the same point.
In one of these methods, there is an option to tell the guards to speak and, while the lines that are available do eventually repeat, they are varied enough to make it seem as if each guard has a different personality. There are some responses one would expect from a video game, like telling me to not fight like a coward. Other guards fear for their life, some provide helpful information and some say they want to join me in my fight. But one said something more profound.
He said, “Do you think I’m here because I want to be?” It is a sentiment everyone can empathize with and I feel good for not killing this man nor his buddies. The question he poses is something to keep in mind the next time a video game forces you kill waves of dudes—in most games, this human element won’t even be brought up.
Comments
14 years, 4 months ago
metal gear as a whole has always done a good job of giving that human element. When you fight people, fight bosses, its not like other games where you need to kill them because they are evil. They have a backstory, they have motivations, and in some ways, they are doing the same thing you are. Granted mgs does lay it on thick at times but still it really gives you a sense of empathy towards everyone you meet, weither they are trying to help you or kill you.
14 years, 4 months ago
The Metal Gear Solid series itself has always made me think twice about the lethal option. In the original Metal Gear Solid the guards walk around, complain about the cold, get sick, talk to one another, and best of all they use their eyes and ears to figure out what is going on. In most games the small enemies have been de-humanized and are treated like one big blight on the world but Konami gave each one of them life.. Then in the Twin Snakes remake, and subsequent MGS titles, they gave each guard "dog tags" that carried their unique names... To kill them in the original was hard enough but when I killed them in the remake their names became almost haunting... I do realize the MGS series are just games and the soldiers are just 1's and 0's, but when I play they make me forget this..
And the thing is too, these are just the enemy drones.. When it comes to main characters, Konami does an even better job of defining them.. The final fight in MGS4 *no spoilers* made me shed a tear.. Never before has a game called for such emotional investment..
Long story short... Konami can really make a character pop off the page.
14 years, 4 months ago
I agree that when I play a Metal Gear game I try to avoid conflict, mainly because that is the point of the game. Now of course in Metal Gear if conflict came up I shot the guards, but that only because all your weapons are lethal. In the games from MGS and beyond I always try to avoid combat or use darts or CQC to take out enemies. It is a little more difficult in Peace Walker just due to the PSP controls. Don't get me wrong, the controls are fantastic as compared to Portable Ops, but still not as good as a consoles controls. So I find myself either luring guards around corners into a CQC encounter to which they stand no chance. Or I purposely let them see a hint of me, usually in a box so they come to me and I am able to hope out of my box like an N64 at Christmas and give them a nice knuckle sandwich. I do agree that some of the hold up dialog is quite interesting which it always has been. On a side note if any of you haven't played this game yet (Do it now) when you get to the cut scene when you are looking for the truck with stuff it it, make sure to look in all the wrong ones first, man I love Kojima, Metal...Gear? All in all, this game is great, Metal Gear is great!
Peace...
Walker.
14 years, 4 months ago
That is deeper than any ocean. When a video game character makes you feel remorse someone did their job right.(and not bad remorse for actually playing)
14 years, 4 months ago
So poignant.
I was in a similar situation in this game. I did my best to sneak past the soldier and got spotted because of the terrible controls. I did the whole mission over and got to the same place and got spotted again as I fumbled with the terrible controls. I had to do the whole thing over. And again and again all because of the terrible controls.
Then I set the game to auto aim and shot everyone in the face with my strongest gun. It was super effective.
The finer details....
14 years, 4 months ago
:|
Peace Walker needs better hitboxes.
GRUNTS WEARING HELMEST THAT BLOCK THE FIRST HEADSHOT ARE ANNOYING.
So hard to incapacitate at range with my Mosin-Nagant. :(
If I'm aiming at face/neck, that shouldn't block the headshot and knock the helmet off. So many unnecessary alerts because of that and the bolt-action of the Mosin-Nagant.
14 years, 4 months ago
This kind of makes me think back to that level in Modern Warfare 2 in the airport.. I really hated that level because it's just so.. pointless. The shock factor was such a demented publicity stunt and for some reason my game didn't actually offer me the choice to skip it but I really would have liked to.
Random slaughter of people in games makes me feel bad unless its Diablo in which case I BETTER KILL THEM COS THEY HAVE LOOT
14 years, 4 months ago
I don't feel bad for killing henchmen.
The only time I've ever felt like shit was when I killed a brain bot in Fallout 3 and it said "I'll miss you."
I got over it when I remembered it shot fucking lasers at my face.