Games that break the 4th wall? (or mindf*ck moments if you wish)

[TheMann]

Starcraft has some good ones with the in-games unit's "annoyed" dialogue. The best is during the protoss campaign in Brood War where you control Artanis as a hero unit:

Starcraft 2 does it subtly near the end of the campaign at the point when the artifact they've been chasing after the entire game is finally assembled. Raynor has to assure Tychus that the device won't disrupt space-time because that sort of thing only happens in science fiction. Here:


The Starcraft 2 "annoyed" dialogued for the terrans is downright hilarious. If you have the game, play a late-game campaign mission on super easy and keep clicking on the different units.

 

[Vault101]

Also, Batman AA deserves another mention, as that was f-ing brilliant.

Yea, I never got to play it, but I was told it actually made you think your Game system was messing up in real life. When it was just the game.

Yup. What's extra funny for me is that my console WAS actually pretty screwed up while I was playing it, and it was crashing every once in awhile. So I was REALLY fooled by it, and I was half a second away from restarting the console... before I realized the game was messing with me.

It was cool but I knew it was part of the game, since it semmed to be how a TV would break and not a computer screen

 

[Vault101]

you Could cinsider Bioshock as an example *spiolers*

when you find out that you have been programmed to obey "would you kindly" its almost as if YOU the player was under the controll but you didnt know it, because you do everything Atlas says without hesitation

(ok the game dosnt actually give you a choice but you dont even think about that, nor do you expect it to)

 

[Retal19]

Do you ever get the feeling that someone is playing games with your life?
All the time.

Oh I see what you did there Lionhead, giving the Fourth Wall a little prod with that Wrecking Ball again are we?

 

[natster43]

"Sorry Snake, you have to switch to disc 2 now. I know, I know, it's a pain." I think that is the line from MGS 4 at Shadow Moses. All the MGS games break the fourth wall.

 

[Mouse One]

you Could cinsider Bioshock as an example *spiolers*

when you find out that you have been programmed to obey "would you kindly" its almost as if YOU the player was under the controll but you didnt know it, because you do everything Atlas says without hesitation

(ok the game dosnt actually give you a choice but you dont even think about that, nor do you expect it to)

Yeah, I think Bioshock was as much a send up of FPS conventions as it was of Objectivism. I mean, who else would obey orders and objectives without considering not doing them, grab everything in sight and sometimes eat it, not wonder about your backstory, and just immediately buy the notion that everything you're doing is for the best. An FPS player, and also what the main character in Bioshock is, that's who.

 

[SyphonX]

I don't think anything could really compete with MGS and Psycho Mantis. Eternal Darkness is alright, but you pretty much expect it going in, and if not, you pick up on the patterns fast.

Psycho Mantis was a short-duration mindfuck sequence that I still remember today, along with the rest of the game.

 

[ChupathingyX]

I guess I'm the only one playing Destroy All Humans games. They do it all the time.

No you're not, I play Destroy All Humans! And yes those games break the 4th wall all the time.My personal favourite being:

"Oh sure THAT'S fair. Giant lizard lady gets to grow a new femur when SHE destroys things, but Crypto has to drain energy from vehicles like a sissy! Game designers, sheesh."

 

[octafish]

Xsar: "Stop touching me!"

Also try picking up an object that can't be picked up in Sam and Max, you'll give Sam a breakdown and Max will threaten to come out there and beat you up.

 

[Jaded Scribe]

In Dragon Age, near the bar on the coast by the Mage Tower, there are two NPCs, and one talks about how he feels like he's not in control of the world. That there is someone watching, choosing their behaviors, and he can almost hear a clicking noise.

 

[default]

I just remember a few in Rayman 3, when you punched Globox a few times.

He'd say:

"Quit it! The manual says you're my best friend!"

or

"Just because you're on TV doesn't mean you have to show off!"

or

(angry voice) "We're gonna be rated PG13!"

There were actually tons in that game now I think about it

 

[Asuka Soryu]

There was a Naruto game I was playing against my friend, and when I(Anko) won, she broke the fourth wall by yelling at us.

 

[Cooperblack]

The Bards tale is one big 4th wall tear down, In that game the the protagonist will even begin having arguments with the voice over story teller.. it's hilarious.

 

[Solo-Wing]

Well we have to mention all the games where the characters tell the protagonist to do something like "Press the Triangle Button to grab that object." The Sly and Metal Gear Solid series does this.

Oh and also Conkers Bad Fur Day and Banjo Katooie.

 

[smeghead25]

Batman AA (spoilers BTW) in one of the encounters with the Scarecrow, you repeat the whole opening sequence as the Joker and then when you die you get a game over screen and a continue but you return as if nothing happened.

Yeah this is what I was gonna say, it scared the bejaysus out of me. Mainly because my Xbox had done exactly that when it originally RROD'd.

 

[LittleChone]

This.
I laughed so hard the first time I heard it.

 

[Weaver]

I know eternal darkness has been mentioned, but it was probably my favorite game that did this.

Also space quest, kings quest and police quest had pretty liberal 4th wall breaking going on, but things were different back then.

 

[rabidmidget]

Any game that tells you something along the lines of "Press B to jump".

 

[darth.pixie]

If he says it, wouldn't it be original? Or else Wesp would have to do voice recording and stuff...

It's the original but I don't know if it was implemented or was simply around and never used. The patches add some lines to other characters as well such as Bertram.


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