Flashbacks and dying

[s0nic_al]

Just recently played Assassins Creed for the first time. Trying to decide if the series was worth my attention. It wasn't. I'm sorry I just didn't enjoy it. But this got me to thinking about something that really annoyes me in video games. When your character is having a flashback, he shouldn't be able to die! Granted, in Assassins Creed nothing I can remember actually says that he survived X mission or Y mission, but there are better examples.

I'll take Final Fantasy Tactics. This is the first game that I recall getting cheesed off at for this (possibly because I did it a lot). Nearly the entire first chapter is a flashback. We see your character is alive in the opening battle, then flashback for the rest. So if I'm fighting in a memory, why am I able to die and have to restart? I know it's petty, but this just really bugs me when I play a game with an interactive flashback sequence and I buy the farm for real. It just doesn't make sense to me.

So far, the only game I've seen pull an interactive flashback, correctly, (again, the only one I've actually SEEN) was Final Fantasy VII. Everything you did is narrated, and you can not be killed during the (i think) one actual battle in the sequence.

 

[genericusername64]

Technically if you die in Assassins Creed it slaps a huge sign in your face saying THE MACHINE FUCKED UP WE ARE REBOOTING

 

[s0nic_al]

Fair enough. But that game is what got me on the topic.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

Its like the Prince of Persia SoT. The entire game takes place in a flashback, and when you die the game stops and says "No, wait, my bad. Thats not how it goes" and you go back to your last checkpoint.

Honestly, you are overthinking it. Flashbacks are a storytelling mechanism, they don't have to stand in-line with gameplay mechanics. Assassin's Creed at least attempts to justify it by saying that the Animus is not portraying a play by play accurate portrayal of history. But if you step too far out of line (die, fail an objective, etc.) the machine reboots.

 

[s0nic_al]

Now be fair. It's a different story when the game gives an actual excuse for your death. But, take my Final Fantasy Tactics example. No excuse given. You just died even though you clearly didn't. Just kinda pulls me out of the game when that happens.

And I gave credit to Assassins Creed when I was corrected.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Yeah, I hate gameovers in memories... >.<

If you mess up, you should just lose the opportunity to learn more.

 

[krazykidd]

Its like the Prince of Persia SoT. The entire game takes place in a flashback, and when you die the game stops and says "No, wait, my bad. Thats not how it goes" and you go back to your last checkpoint.

This . In any game that has a flashback , you dying, is like you messing up the story . As if you were telling ( or remembering ) a certain thing, fuck it up , and go , whoops that's not how things went , let's try that again .

 

[burningdragoon]

Technically if you die in Assassins Creed it slaps a huge sign in your face saying THE MACHINE FUCKED UP WE ARE REBOOTING

Yeah. Screed actually addresses this 'issue' pretty well. If you mess up it says "YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG! START OVER!"

Also, you've pretty much denounced prequel games as well since it's the same thing. Of course some games do that wellish too. For example, MGS3: Snake Eater. Though MGS has always done some 4th wall stuff in the series.

 

[s0nic_al]

I can argue the prequel one. As yahtzee said himself,(and mind you, this is pure paraphrasing) when you die in a video game, you restart and it's more like, you died in one timeline, when you restart, its more like a different timeline. So in a prequel game, this applies.

However, I have never in my life said "Wait, why do I remember having my head cut off?" Or "Bob, didn't you die then? No? I must be mistaken."

I mean, I appreciate flashbacks as a storytelling mechanic. I just don't feel dying is actually possible when you clearly didn't. Again, FFVII handled it near perfectly.

And yes, MGS3 had a pretty good death mechanic.

 

[Ilikemilkshake]

Its like the Prince of Persia SoT. The entire game takes place in a flashback, and when you die the game stops and says "No, wait, my bad. Thats not how it goes" and you go back to your last checkpoint.

I always found that quite amusing, the idea that the prince tells the story wrong, especially if you get bored and decide to throw the prince off a cliff 5 times, rewinding it each time until you hit the game over screen, and then he says oh wait that didnt happen.

anyway, as for the question ,i think you're getting a bit worked up over nothing, sure it doesnt entirely make sense but its a game, most things probably dont make any sense, epecially outside of the context of the game, i havent played it but im pretty sure final fantasy tactics is turned based, how does that make sense in real life? people dont really line up across from each other in battle and take turns hitting each other