Unexpected Sad Moments in Games

[Boggelz]

There's a bit in To The Moon where one of the stupidest lines ever spoken (out of context) made me cry. Literally this huge dawning realisation of a line. Once and only once mind. The entire rest of the game I was perfectly not crying. Even during the ending! Fuck you artsy game! You've failed the rule that all artsy games' endings have to make people cry!

Spoiler

"But what if you get lost or we miss each other?"

"We'll just regroup on The Moon silly!"

Oh... Oh. Ohhhhhhhh.

[sub]I see...[/sub]

[sub][sub]*sob*[/sub][/sub]

OHH MAN I know that, I was smiling because it was a great moment but when that was uttered I was like. Ohhhhhhhh... oh... damn. Such an awesome game

OT though the choice in bastion where

Spoiler

you save zulf. Seriously he started to become a dick but when you see his own people betrayed him and he is lying there dying you can't help but help him. The biggest highlight of the game.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

Bastion.

Who Knows Where, what the loading menu stated was a good place to test weapon combinations turned into really depressing stories about the pasts of the Kid, Zia and Zulf.

 

[NeutralDrow]

I tend to play games that have a reasonable chance of causing tears, so I'm not going to bring up, say...Da Capo (other than to berate the game creators for the unfairness of killing her, of all the heroines).

However, I was honestly taken aback in Sengoku Basara 3, at Ieyasu's red path ending. The battle of Sekigahara happens as usual, and he kills Mitsunari, which was predictable. What I didn't predict was him asking to be left alone with the body, having audio flashbacks to past interactions with Mitsunari, and then crying. Ieyasu's character in the game is that of a major justice freak who extolls the bonds of friendship and brotherhood as the highest virtue...but he failed to convince a man he admired, who was insane and violent but fanatically loyal and honorable, and who's insanity Ieyasu helped cause with his own hypocrisy. Mitsunari's death represented Ieyasu's ultimate failure.

It was a major Kenshiro moment, and it didn't help that Liam O'brien is a good voice actor who managed to imbue Ieyasu's quiet crying with genuine grief. I couldn't help but match it.

Also, Oichi.

Just...Oichi.

 

[LarenzoAOG]

Metro 2033's bad ending, even sadder in the book, also chapters 3-5 in the Walking Dead, every other minute is just a sucker punch to the soul, seriously, I actually cried twice during that game, and I'm more or less a barnacle that can only feel positive emotions.

 

[Tanis]

Final Fantasy 8's ending...

Bitter sweet, so damn bitter sweet.

 

[MrPhyntch]

The really good ones are ones that really involve player input to them. Not like FF7 or the SPOILERIFFIC ending of AC:Brotherhood, which are just "mash button get it over with", but rather those that use the actual interface you've learned to love to push you.

Great example is Journey.

Spoiler

On top of the mountain, as your scarf slowly dies off. I had a friend I had met on the way up, and at this part we were just cuddling for warmth and singing to each other to try to keep each other alive. We both bit the dust at the exact same time. Just that moment of using everything the game had taught me about staying alive, and it wasn't enough.

Another would be Bastion, where I had a similar experience.

Spoiler

I grabbed Zulf, as even though the sold me out, dammit, he was my friend. As I trudged along the path with him on my back, I kept getting attacked by the enemy. But I had 5 unused potions, so I persevered. However, after having watched my health wither and me using all my potions to save him. Just as I was on my last legs and had nothing left but to die, they stopped attacking. One of the most emotionally moving moments in gaming I have ever seen.

I guess you might not call them sad, but THOSE are how you get emotion out of games.

 

[Exius Xavarus]

Spoiler: Mass Effect 3

Thane's death. The whole scene with Kolyat and Thane just before his death. Especially when Kolyat tells you that Thane has already asked forgiveness. The prayer they chanted was for Commander Shepard. Punches you right in the feels.

 

[KINGBeerZ]

I really found the death of Claves during eternal sonata to be remarkably saddening.

 

[Quadocky]

For some reason, that one scene in Arc Rise Fantasia when a certain town is destroyed just really hit me hard.

Of course the voice acting in the game is hilarious but overall the narrative was strong enough to really demonstrate the horror of war very effectively. Most disturbing is when you go through the town in the aftermath and speak to those affected along with that soundtrack. I can barely describe it, how raw the presentation was.

 

[scorptatious]

Well there's Valkyria Chronicles:

Spoiler

At the end of Chapter 11 I believe it was. Right after Rosie finally got over her discrimination against darcsens and decided to be friends with Isara, the latter gets shot. It was almost like a kick to the gut it was so unexpected. It was even worse when Rosie sang at her funeral.

Needless to say, I was pretty depressed the rest of the day.

Also, most recently, Nino No Kuni:

Spoiler

When Shadar tells Oliver the truth about his mother. How the Great Sage Alicia, her supposed soul mate, was in fact, Oliver's mother. It was pretty unexpected and I kinda felt bad for Oliver.

Mind you, I haven't finished the game yet, so there might still be something else that happens involving this.

 

[JagermanXcell]

Persona 4

Spoiler

I knew you had to leave Inaba, I knew you had to say your goodbyes, I knew Nanako would have to come back to life, but I didn't know leaving your friends would actually make you cry...

 

[The Eupho Guy_v1legacy]

Well there's Valkyria Chronicles:

Spoiler

At the end of Chapter 11 I believe it was. Right after Rosie finally got over her discrimination against darcsens and decided to be friends with Isara, the latter gets shot. It was almost like a kick to the gut it was so unexpected. It was even worse when Rosie sang at her funeral.

Needless to say, I was pretty depressed the rest of the day.

You know, I just got to that part about 2 minutes ago... Got an A rank for that chapter too. That was a kick in the guts, right there.

 

[AngryBritishAce]

Fable 2 - Walking through Wraith Marsh when all of a sudden you see a familiar land mark...
Seriously I was feeling pretty dead towards any emotional toying this game was trying to pull on me and then that happened and for once I actually felt something while playing that game. And it was the only time.

That also got to me really bad.

Unexpected sad moments that got to me were:
Mass Effect 2-
[spoiler/] When you discover David hooked up to all these tubes in Project Overlord [/spoiler]

Mass Effect 3-
[spoiler/] Mordin's, Tali's, and Thane's death... Anderson's was sad but I was expecting it at this point [/spoiler]

The Walking Dead-
[spoiler/] Carley's death, when Lilly just shot her in the head without even hesitating. I was just silent all day after that. [/spoiler]

Guild Wars 2... yes, there was a sad point in an MMO for me :/
[spoiler/] In the Durmund Priory quest line, when you have to protect Lion's Arch from the Dragons and Undead, Sieran, that jumpy little Sylvari who's acted as the character's companion for hours now, sacrifices herself so that the player can escape. That really got to me, especially for a MMORPG. [/spoiler]

 

[Murrdox]

No one has mentioned Planescape: Torment yet? Just thinking about Nordom makes me tear up!

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JFnHFsBsjw

All your companions DIE for you, despite the fact that you (or your past incarnations) have treated them horribly over the course of the game.

 

[JemothSkarii]

For me, it was Sleeping Dogs:

Spoiler: Sleeping Dogs Spoilers

How Winston and his wife die on their wedding day, and Winston begs you to take her body away

So soul crushing ;_;

 

[Harlemura]

Resident Evil 6 slapped me in the face with sad. And no, not because the game sucked. Though it kinda did.

Spoiler

At the end of Chris' campaign, the most shooting based, actiony campaign no less. I wasn't expecting much of a story at all, but then the last boss rolls up and well.
Piers having to tear his arm off was more grim than I was expecting, but injecting himself with the virus thing just to save Chris. And then knowing he's gonna lose control of himself so he sends Chris off in the escape pod before he tries any heroics.
Oh I don't even wanna think about it.

That said, I kinda wish thunder-arm Piers was a character in Mercenaries. But then again I'd prefer anything over the two Ada Wongs they have now.

Oh and also a few times in Persona 4. But with all the character development and emotional stuff going about in that, the sad moments weren't all that unexpected.

 

[Kitsune Hunter]

For me, it's from Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, now I pretty much sympathise with Ezio considering he became an Assassin to avenge his family, but there's one particular part in Brotherhood I didn't expect. There are missions called Cristina memories which are flashback missions about Ezio and his first love Cristina during untold parts of AC2, but the last Cristina mission really struck me and made me tear up a bit as she's killed during the events of the Bonfire of the Vanities DLC

Spoiler: requiescant in pace... my love

 

[maninahat]

Deus Ex: Human Revolution, when after losing your limbs, your girlfriend and even your bathroom mirror, you find an email in which the neighbours tell you they euthanised your dog whilst you were comatose. Such a miserable little moment - a bit gratuitous, but it certainly got to me.