Why V works and the Sole Survivor doesn't
Sintesi
TLDRThe video examines the evolution and characteristics of RPG protagonists by comparing various games, notably Mass Effect, with its breakthrough in presenting a fully voiced and personality-driven protagonist, Commander Shepard. While early RPGs introduced blank-slate characters for player immersion, games like Mass Effect and later The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077 provide protagonists with distinct narratives and identities, influencing the story deeply. The focus shifts to Fallout 4's Sole Survivor, critiqued for insufficient freedom in player choice and narrative impact despite potential. Conversely, Cyberpunk's V successfully blends customizable aspects with a definitive backstory, demonstrating a balanced approach to character development in RPGs. The presenter expresses fondness for both Fallout 4 and Cyberpunk 2077, highlighting differences in dialogue, romance options, and story engagement, ultimately recommending both games for their unique experiences.
Punti di forza
- 🎮 RPG protagonists often serve as player vessels, leading to perceived blandness.
- 🌟 Mass Effect popularized the fully voiced protagonist with Commander Shepard.
- 🎭 Cyberpunk 2077's V successfully merges custom player inputs with narrative depth.
- ✖️ Fallout 4 faced backlash for its restrictive protagonist design.
- 📈 The Witcher series personifies successful narrative clarity by using Geralt.
- 💬 Modern RPGs struggle between dialogue freedom and narrative specificity.
- 🔀 Cyberpunk balances player choice with a strong narrative thread.
- ⚔️ Protagonist design deeply affects RPG storytelling and player engagement.
- 💔 Romance options in RPGs can build player connection or break immersion.
- 🎶 The cultural impact of games like The Witcher and Cyberpunk is significant.
Linea temporale
- 00:00:00 - 00:05:00
The video begins by discussing typical RPG protagonists, who are often bland because they serve as vessels for the player. Early RPGs reflected this with silent protagonists and minimal customization. However, games have evolved, giving protagonists more character, with Mass Effect being a pivotal example with its fully voiced protagonist, Commander Shepard.
- 00:05:00 - 00:10:00
Mass Effect allowed players to suit their character, Commander Shepard, with customizable looks and personality while also having developed personal traits and narratives. This blend enabled more engaging storylines, increased player immersion, and inspired many games despite some criticisms about restricted player freedom. Bioware, Ubisoft, and others faced backlash for over-inspired restrictions, with Fallout 4 being notably affected.
- 00:10:00 - 00:15:00
The narrator describes enjoying all Fallout games except Fallout 4 due to its restrictive protagonist, 'The Sole Survivor.' Unlike previous games with open-ended characters, Fallout 4 limits the player's freedom to shape the protagonist's personality and motives, even though some aspects like the world's narrative are intriguing.
- 00:15:00 - 00:20:00
The narrator criticizes Fallout 4's character restriction, explaining how it misses opportunities for variety and flexibility in the protagonist's portrayal. Games like Baldur's Gate 3 and the original Fallout allowed for more character customization or choice, which Fallout 4 lacks, causing a disconnect between the player and the protagonist's established identity.
- 00:20:00 - 00:25:00
The narrator compares Fallout 4 to The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 regarding protagonist portrayal, noting that while Geralt in The Witcher is a fixed character, Cyberpunk balances between a defined protagonist and player-driven customization. This balance enhances player engagement in Cyberpunk, unlike Fallout 4's constrained design.
- 00:25:00 - 00:30:00
The narrator praises Cyberpunk 2077 for its narrative design, where the protagonist V's personalized background and choices significantly affect the storyline, offering depth absent in Fallout 4. Fallout 4's Sole Survivor is critiqued for their lack of distinct voice and impact on the narrative, unlike V's dynamic involvement in Cyberpunk's world.
- 00:30:00 - 00:37:41
The video concludes by highlighting both Fallout 4 and Cyberpunk 2077's offerings, despite their flaws. Cyberpunk provides a fully engaging experience with its complex character dynamics, while Fallout 4, even with its narrative limitations, remains enjoyable due to its gameplay. The narrator appreciates both games for their unique appeals, signaling a preference for development seen in Cyberpunk.
Mappa mentale
Video Domande e Risposte
Why are RPG protagonists often considered bland?
RPG protagonists are often meant to be vessels for the player to inhabit, enabling players to project themselves onto the character.
Which game introduced a fully voiced protagonist that influenced the RPG genre?
Mass Effect introduced a fully voiced protagonist with Commander Shepard.
What was the main criticism of Fallout 4's protagonist?
The Sole Survivor in Fallout 4 was criticized for having limited character backstory and dialogue options, failing to provide meaningful player agency.
How did The Witcher series handle its protagonist differently?
The Witcher series used an established protagonist, Geralt, allowing the character's predetermined traits to enrich storytelling.
What approach did Cyberpunk 2077 use for its protagonist?
Cyberpunk 2077 created a protagonist, V, that blends player customization with an established backstory, allowing flexibility and interactivity.
Visualizza altre sintesi video
How To Treat Skin Aging (latest protocol)
Sprache als Gravitation - Trailer der psycholinguistics laboratories - TU Dortmund
"You NEED To Own Just 0.1 Bitcoin (BTC) In 2025 - Here's WHY" Michael Saylor 2025 NEW Prediction
The IMPACT of Honoring Your Prophet @DagHewardMillsvideos
The $1 Trillion Private Health Insurance Scam
Building an African-American Literary Canon: Aesthetic and Political Perspectives
- 00:00:00[Music]
- 00:00:07come there ofar friend or traitor come
- 00:00:10come and look upon the heart and
- 00:00:13aulon RPGs are full of memorable
- 00:00:16characters ones that the player
- 00:00:17interacts with that have engaged in many
- 00:00:19conversations and battles throughout
- 00:00:21Many Adventures across many titles but
- 00:00:24rarely is it that the player Builds an
- 00:00:26interest in the protagonist RPG
- 00:00:29protagonists have a long history of
- 00:00:30being Bland in one note whether they're
- 00:00:33from the east or the west and the main
- 00:00:36reason for that is pretty simple the
- 00:00:39characters are supposed to be
- 00:00:41you yes I'm calling you Bland and boring
- 00:00:44these characters are meant to be vessels
- 00:00:46for the player so that they can fill the
- 00:00:48role themselves early RPGs are full of
- 00:00:51this and the games reflect this and
- 00:00:53sometimes they will allow the player to
- 00:00:54customize how your character can look
- 00:00:56and even when they don't allow for full
- 00:00:58customization they will usually just
- 00:01:00have a character be mostly silent with
- 00:01:02the exception of grunts or Battle
- 00:01:04Tactics persona but when it came to
- 00:01:06dialogue The only voice that could be
- 00:01:08heard from the protagonist was our own
- 00:01:12and the reaction of the NPCs was felt in
- 00:01:15the immersion through these games
- 00:01:16provided But as time went on games began
- 00:01:20to evolve and gaming as a whole was
- 00:01:23starting to become more relevant to the
- 00:01:24average person so it was then that
- 00:01:27developers started to give the
- 00:01:28protagonist a little bit more character
- 00:01:30Beyond just being a husk for the players
- 00:01:32to inhabit now while there were games
- 00:01:35that did it before one game in
- 00:01:37particular popularized the concept and
- 00:01:40introduced a new fully voiced
- 00:01:47[Music]
- 00:01:51protagonist Mass Effect introduced us to
- 00:01:54a character that was able to be
- 00:01:55controlled by the player and yet was
- 00:01:57still developed enough to have their own
- 00:02:00personality it was a move that paid off
- 00:02:02as now players were able to see the
- 00:02:04conversation between two people as
- 00:02:06opposed to the reaction of their
- 00:02:07dialogue options and in the case of
- 00:02:09Commander Shephard it worked because
- 00:02:12despite being able to customize how your
- 00:02:14Shepherd can look this game is not meant
- 00:02:16to be about who you are it's about who
- 00:02:19your Shepherd is and how they will save
- 00:02:22the Galaxy this allowed devs to create
- 00:02:24more spectacle based stories and by
- 00:02:27restricting the player to a specific
- 00:02:29character it allows for RPGs to grow
- 00:02:31more engaging in the conversation aspect
- 00:02:34and exciting in the combat aspect
- 00:02:36creating a blend of AR RPGs like Diablo
- 00:02:39and crpgs like balers gate the dialogue
- 00:02:42wheel was also a new and Innovative
- 00:02:44concept for the genre as well
- 00:02:46simplifying conversation choices and
- 00:02:48maintaining a tone of conversation
- 00:02:50rather than the words themselves now
- 00:02:52this did hold contention for some
- 00:02:54players as there were times where the
- 00:02:56options were misleading and Shephard
- 00:02:58would say something unexpected
- 00:03:00but it worked with the tone that the
- 00:03:02game was going for and it was a bold but
- 00:03:04impressive move that paid off and Mass
- 00:03:07Effect became a big hit because of it
- 00:03:09coming out with a sequel that generated
- 00:03:11even more fans and this would be the
- 00:03:14title that would get other devs to take
- 00:03:17inspiration and
- 00:03:19unfortunately they took a little too
- 00:03:20much
- 00:03:21inspiration BioWare followed up a game
- 00:03:24where the player could pick from
- 00:03:25multiple classes races and origin
- 00:03:27stories and made into a lesser fantasy
- 00:03:29class of Mass Effect that restricts
- 00:03:31player Freedom Ubisoft took a series
- 00:03:33that was running out of ideas with the
- 00:03:34narrative and decided to have it cosplay
- 00:03:36as an RPG with a dialogue wheel that
- 00:03:38makes no difference regardless of what
- 00:03:40you choose Horizon tries its best to
- 00:03:42make its World stand out but fails to
- 00:03:44differentiate its characters due to the
- 00:03:46Bland conversations vampire the
- 00:03:48Masquerade a game that was known for
- 00:03:50having a plethora of dialogue options
- 00:03:52and multiple routes with quest lines is
- 00:03:54now shown to have less variety than its
- 00:03:56predecessor removing any hope and hype I
- 00:03:59had for this game these are the issues
- 00:04:01that have popped up constantly with
- 00:04:03modern RPGs for years now and has caused
- 00:04:06an uproar from fans that want to go back
- 00:04:08to the old days of less restrictions but
- 00:04:11no game was affected harder from this
- 00:04:13issue than Fallout
- 00:04:16[Music]
- 00:04:264 Fallout 4 is a fun game
- 00:04:30but it's a bad
- 00:04:31RPG this has been said so many times
- 00:04:34it's one of the most popular phrases
- 00:04:36that you'll see and a lot of other
- 00:04:38YouTube [ __ ] have said this on this
- 00:04:40site as well but recently it has had a
- 00:04:42huge Resurgence thanks to the Fallout
- 00:04:44show that has come out on Amazon all of
- 00:04:47the games have had a huge increase in
- 00:04:49players and most of all Fallout 4 and
- 00:04:52honestly I'm really happy about it I
- 00:04:55love these games they're my favorite
- 00:04:57series of all time I have a vault tech
- 00:04:59tactic two on my wrist and I have
- 00:05:01enjoyed every game in the
- 00:05:03franchise except this one because I
- 00:05:06still haven't played it but I have been
- 00:05:08getting back into Fallout Rabbit Hole
- 00:05:10playing all the games from 1 to four and
- 00:05:13they have been a very enjoyable
- 00:05:15experience overall four has been a ton
- 00:05:17of fun to go back to the world is
- 00:05:19engaging and the combat flows well
- 00:05:21compared to the previous titles and the
- 00:05:23gun customization is one of my favorite
- 00:05:25things about it there is so much to
- 00:05:27improve and Tinker with and I got to say
- 00:05:30even the story has honestly gotten
- 00:05:32better over time with me as well I
- 00:05:34really like how the Brotherhood is in
- 00:05:36this game and Elder Maxon has grown on
- 00:05:38me as a character recently this might be
- 00:05:40because I'm more into Warhammer but it's
- 00:05:42really engaging to see this zealous
- 00:05:44group of Hoarders with this much power
- 00:05:47but still decent enough intentions but
- 00:05:50one thing I still don't like in this
- 00:05:52game and that's who I'm playing as Nate
- 00:05:56Norah Soul Survivor whatever the [ __ ]
- 00:05:58you want to call him Mr [ __ ] face is to
- 00:06:01this day the most conflicting player
- 00:06:04character in the whole series before
- 00:06:07this the only real thing that was known
- 00:06:09about the player character in Fallout
- 00:06:11was their role they were the Vault
- 00:06:13dweller The Chosen One the lone Wanderer
- 00:06:16and The Courier all of these characters
- 00:06:19were open to interpretation and allowed
- 00:06:21the player to fill in the dots with
- 00:06:23their actions but the soulle
- 00:06:25Survivor weren't like that no matter
- 00:06:29what you are playing a veteran or a
- 00:06:31lawyer that was alive before the war and
- 00:06:34you took shelter in a vault to be
- 00:06:36cryogenically frozen and wake up 200
- 00:06:38years later to find your missing son in
- 00:06:40a radiated Wasteland now on paper this
- 00:06:43is actually a really cool idea it
- 00:06:45follows what the main quests of the
- 00:06:47games have always been about the main
- 00:06:49protagonist in every game is always
- 00:06:51chasing after some sort of methin
- 00:06:54whether it's an object a person or a bit
- 00:06:57of both and this is still a great
- 00:06:59opportunity for the game cuz this allows
- 00:07:01just as much flexibility because just
- 00:07:03the idea of your character being pre-war
- 00:07:05and cryogenically frozen that means you
- 00:07:08can be
- 00:07:09anyone but you're not you're restricted
- 00:07:13to this character and you have a
- 00:07:15connection to your son whether you want
- 00:07:16to or not well surely that means you'll
- 00:07:19stop at nothing to save him right
- 00:07:21pedaling poison to kids are we today you
- 00:07:25face the silver shroud yeah this [ __ ]
- 00:07:29got Meed to hell when the game came out
- 00:07:30but what's also annoying is that despite
- 00:07:33the effort Bethesda went through to
- 00:07:35differentiate the two playable
- 00:07:36characters they really aren't that
- 00:07:39different from each other whoever you
- 00:07:41don't choose gets domed in the head and
- 00:07:44then they are promtly left behind other
- 00:07:46games have tried this similar method
- 00:07:48with the protagonist to make them stand
- 00:07:50out instead of making them a male and a
- 00:07:52female character to be different
- 00:07:54versions of the same character they make
- 00:07:57them two different characters they did
- 00:07:59this in Mass Effect Andromeda Assassin's
- 00:08:02Creed Odyssey and genin impact and it's
- 00:08:04a cool idea in theory but every time it
- 00:08:08becomes pointless because in all of
- 00:08:11these games the other character just
- 00:08:13[ __ ] off out of the story and plays
- 00:08:15little to no part and the Soul Survivor
- 00:08:17suffered not only from that but also
- 00:08:20from a lack of real choice in the
- 00:08:21dialogue and
- 00:08:23personality it's really hard to play
- 00:08:25this game as anything that's not a lost
- 00:08:27and depressed widower but but I would
- 00:08:30forgive all that if they at least
- 00:08:31committed and made it work in the game
- 00:08:34play as well but this is still a Fallout
- 00:08:37game so you set your special and with
- 00:08:39the exception of the opening monologue
- 00:08:41You're Still expected to fill in the
- 00:08:43blanks for yourself as a character that
- 00:08:46is already established and it doesn't
- 00:08:49work as well as other games Elders
- 00:08:51rolles games start your character with
- 00:08:54nothing you're a prisoner and that
- 00:08:56allows you to easily get into the shoes
- 00:08:57of them deaz X right off the bat tells
- 00:09:00you that you are JC D and you are not
- 00:09:03going to be playing as anyone else other
- 00:09:04than JC D Boulders Gate 3 gives you the
- 00:09:07option to play as one of seven origin
- 00:09:10characters or to play your own character
- 00:09:12and just join in and that sucks because
- 00:09:15I feel like there was a missed
- 00:09:16opportunity to implement something like
- 00:09:18that into Fallout 4 but instead we're
- 00:09:20left with these two characters that have
- 00:09:22different professions but yet have
- 00:09:25identical Personalities in dialogue and
- 00:09:28Hell having the preset characters of
- 00:09:29Nate and Nora would have been fine it
- 00:09:31could have expanded on the game a lot
- 00:09:33more if they were optional characters
- 00:09:37the original Fallout game had this as
- 00:09:38well when you first start the game it
- 00:09:41gives you the option to play as one of
- 00:09:43three preset characters that all have
- 00:09:45their own perks traits and special but
- 00:09:48you still had the choice to start from
- 00:09:50scratch and make your own character and
- 00:09:53I feel like Fallout 4 could have done
- 00:09:55something with this I feel like they
- 00:09:56could have done something like balers
- 00:09:57Gate 3 where they give you the option
- 00:09:59play as An Origin character and you have
- 00:10:01unique scenes and dialogue because of it
- 00:10:04this would have given the characters and
- 00:10:05the game much more variety in the
- 00:10:07choices and it would have went a long
- 00:10:09way into making them stand out as
- 00:10:11separate people because as they stand
- 00:10:13now they don't and this issue gets
- 00:10:16bigger as we move on later into the game
- 00:10:18as you interact with other characters
- 00:10:21the issue that's has been brought up
- 00:10:22incredibly often is the issue of a voice
- 00:10:24protagonist now that's not to say that
- 00:10:26the voice acting is bad far from it
- 00:10:29Briant T Delaney and Courtney Taylor do
- 00:10:31fantastic jobs with the delivery you can
- 00:10:33feel the desperation from their voices
- 00:10:36in the beginning of the game come on
- 00:10:39there has to be a
- 00:10:44release oh
- 00:10:46God why would vault tech do this and the
- 00:10:49sarcastic options are genuinely funny me
- 00:10:53no I'm from the Moon still got cheese in
- 00:10:56my shoes the dialogue honestly fit the
- 00:10:58vibe of the outlanding lines that
- 00:11:00previous protagonists have been able to
- 00:11:01say and it's pretty hilarious to hear
- 00:11:03someone say them but the problems come
- 00:11:05when you realize that every conversation
- 00:11:07revolves around the same four options no
- 00:11:10matter what and the voice shows more
- 00:11:12restriction to the game as a whole
- 00:11:14because now the game has to account for
- 00:11:16what the main character is able to say
- 00:11:18in response and it causes NPCs to only
- 00:11:21have limited responses now naturally
- 00:11:25there will always be restrictions to
- 00:11:26keep a story going I understand that for
- 00:11:29any game even RPGs that let you do what
- 00:11:32you want but if you're going to put me
- 00:11:34on a character like this you might as
- 00:11:36well give me a little bit more to work
- 00:11:38with here so I can relate to them other
- 00:11:41than the monologue at the beginning of
- 00:11:42the game we don't really get that much
- 00:11:44to connect or relate with our character
- 00:11:46and their family because we got to keep
- 00:11:49moving along to get to the main game and
- 00:11:51if you want to play a female character
- 00:11:52you don't even get the [ __ ] monologue
- 00:11:54but you still just keep chugging away
- 00:11:56like nothing even happened but if that's
- 00:11:58the case why did Bethesda insist on
- 00:12:01making Norah a lawyer if you're going to
- 00:12:03have the characters be so similar to
- 00:12:05each other why not just have them both
- 00:12:06be veterans would have made more sense
- 00:12:08in the long run so you could avoid the
- 00:12:10[ __ ] online who complain about how
- 00:12:12it makes no sense for a lawyer to get
- 00:12:13into power armor at the beginning of the
- 00:12:16game what and yeah I get it people have
- 00:12:20complained before about how Bethesda
- 00:12:21openings are long but having a little
- 00:12:24bit more time with the family to show
- 00:12:26them spending time in the vault before
- 00:12:27getting Frozen would have gone a long
- 00:12:29way to create at least a little bit of
- 00:12:31care from the player but we don't get
- 00:12:34that we just get thrown into the world
- 00:12:36and when we do it does have a passable
- 00:12:39start if you choose to play up how your
- 00:12:40character would act they express
- 00:12:43desperation and confusion to wanting to
- 00:12:45find their son and struggle to
- 00:12:47understand what the hell just happened
- 00:12:48for the past 200 years now I have less
- 00:12:52problem with the voice I have more
- 00:12:53problem with the
- 00:12:54believability because when I'm saving
- 00:12:57settlements conducting an investigation
- 00:12:59with a robot detective or helping my new
- 00:13:01Irish girlfriend kicker chem habit I
- 00:13:04understand why I'm doing it because I
- 00:13:07want to do it I want to level up I want
- 00:13:09to get the companion perks I want to get
- 00:13:11the unique weapons I want to explore new
- 00:13:13areas but the question I have in my mind
- 00:13:16is would my character do this would
- 00:13:19someone want to go through the trouble
- 00:13:21of establishing settlements for a
- 00:13:22faction that fell onto their lap would
- 00:13:24they dress up as a superhero and murder
- 00:13:26a bunch of people would they spend just
- 00:13:28as as much if not more time
- 00:13:30investigating in helping someone try to
- 00:13:32find their missing daughter than their
- 00:13:34own [ __ ] kid and that's when I
- 00:13:37realize that this character just doesn't
- 00:13:40work they play in the middle too much
- 00:13:43they are by far the most bizarre case
- 00:13:45for a player character in an RPG and
- 00:13:48yeah you could make the same argument
- 00:13:50for the lone Wanderer in Fallout 3 as
- 00:13:52they are established in the opening as
- 00:13:54well as being the kid of Liam niss in
- 00:13:56the whole water purification thing but
- 00:13:59here at least our character is Young and
- 00:14:02this is their first exposure to the
- 00:14:03world outside the Vault so you could
- 00:14:06still fill in the blanks of who your
- 00:14:08character will be and how the Wasteland
- 00:14:10shapes them the Soul Survivor by
- 00:14:12comparison is too much in the middle
- 00:14:15he's too established for the player to
- 00:14:17fill in the blanks but he's not
- 00:14:18established enough to be relatable to
- 00:14:21the player and despite having two
- 00:14:23separate career paths for each of the
- 00:14:25characters they are essentially the same
- 00:14:27person
- 00:14:31but then I was thinking there was
- 00:14:33another game that came out in 2007
- 00:14:35alongside Mass Effect and it also had a
- 00:14:37voice protagonist with their own
- 00:14:39backstory and motivation a game that was
- 00:14:41fairly underwhelming in sales but did
- 00:14:44well enough to get a cult following and
- 00:14:45eventually two sequels that would be
- 00:14:47received exceptionally well The Witcher
- 00:14:50was a series that introduced players
- 00:14:52into the dark fantasy world of the
- 00:14:53popular polish book series with the same
- 00:14:55name and like Mass Effect it was
- 00:14:58introduced with a the character that was
- 00:15:00already set in stone but to an even
- 00:15:02greater extent than Shephard was in all
- 00:15:05the Witcher games you play as geralt
- 00:15:08every decision and action that you made
- 00:15:10in the game was geralt's choice you see
- 00:15:13his motivations his desires his
- 00:15:15relationships his drama all of it was
- 00:15:18seen through his eyes and while it did
- 00:15:21take the third game to really get people
- 00:15:23into the franchise this concept worked
- 00:15:26because players knew right from the
- 00:15:27get-go who were playing as and the gabes
- 00:15:31do a superb job at making geralt a
- 00:15:33likable and relatable character
- 00:15:35especially in the world that he lives in
- 00:15:37and geralt's journey was an
- 00:15:38unforgettable one rich with iconic
- 00:15:40characters and moments that forever live
- 00:15:42on in the hearts of the players but when
- 00:15:45cdpr moved on to introduce Mike Pon
- 00:15:47Smith's world of cyberpunk
- 00:15:492077 they did things slightly
- 00:15:53differently they made a protagonist that
- 00:15:55in my opinion is the perfect blend of a
- 00:15:58v
- 00:15:59and established
- 00:16:06[Music]
- 00:16:08character cyberpunk introduces V in one
- 00:16:10of three ways as a street kid Punk with
- 00:16:13an attitude a nomad without a home or a
- 00:16:16corpo rat who loses everything and every
- 00:16:19intro is crafted in a way that
- 00:16:21introduces the world and the character
- 00:16:23in a unique way that gets you invested
- 00:16:26every intro starts you in front of a
- 00:16:28mirror showing off your V and then
- 00:16:30immediately thrusting you into the world
- 00:16:33The Nomad intro takes its time to build
- 00:16:34on the scale of the world allowing you
- 00:16:36to drive to night City from the vast
- 00:16:39desert the street kid intro has you
- 00:16:41hopping fences and walking down dirty
- 00:16:43streets experiencing night City closeup
- 00:16:45and having a close encounter with the
- 00:16:47gangs that reside in it and the corpo
- 00:16:49path has you working half to death in a
- 00:16:51Megaton building and it has you taking
- 00:16:53off flying in AV watching civilians walk
- 00:16:56by like ants each intro has a unique and
- 00:16:59detailed way to introduce the character
- 00:17:01of v and the Metropolis of night City
- 00:17:04they each are different but build on the
- 00:17:06general themes of the game many people
- 00:17:08complained before about the fact that
- 00:17:10they all lead to the same outcome of
- 00:17:11meeting Jackie and moving in with him in
- 00:17:13the same apartment and while that is
- 00:17:16true they also allow for new context for
- 00:17:18how you meet Jackie Dragon AG Origins
- 00:17:21did something similar with their intro
- 00:17:22as well with how the player character
- 00:17:24meets Duncan and this works in a similar
- 00:17:26way we are able to build a connection to
- 00:17:29v through the life paths we choose and
- 00:17:31we can see their struggles close up and
- 00:17:33face them early on in each life path and
- 00:17:36this is felt later down the line with
- 00:17:38the unique dialogue that shows up with
- 00:17:40conversations the immediate thing that
- 00:17:42this game does better is that there is
- 00:17:44no favoritism with either of the genders
- 00:17:46you pick you pick V's life path and then
- 00:17:49their gender and they work regardless of
- 00:17:51what you choose so in this sense it
- 00:17:54allows players to choose the gender they
- 00:17:56want without being told that they're
- 00:17:58picking the wrong wrong version of the
- 00:17:59character but the life paths and intros
- 00:18:02also leave a lot for interpretation as
- 00:18:04well as just enough is established about
- 00:18:07V to make them relatable and if the
- 00:18:09player wants they can build more on the
- 00:18:11character in their own head cannons as
- 00:18:13well now granted when it comes to the
- 00:18:15promotion of the game especially
- 00:18:17recently there is a lot more love for
- 00:18:19female V than male V with her being on
- 00:18:21the cover of a special edition and the
- 00:18:23most recent game trailers showing her
- 00:18:25more often without any sight of mail fee
- 00:18:28however m v has been shown quite a bit
- 00:18:30when the game was initially coming out
- 00:18:32and has still been seen in official art
- 00:18:33of the game but also they managed to
- 00:18:36both have Variety in the dialogue and
- 00:18:38conversations and I'm not just talking
- 00:18:40about the voice acting or romance
- 00:18:41options NPCs will have slightly
- 00:18:43different conversations depending on the
- 00:18:45gender and life path you choose and you
- 00:18:47also have the option to choose the life
- 00:18:49path dialogue to respond to someone but
- 00:18:52it's not just the life paths that give
- 00:18:53you varying options but also the stats
- 00:18:55of your character's abilities as well if
- 00:18:57you have enough cool you can smooth talk
- 00:18:59your way out of a conflict or if you
- 00:19:01have enough reflex you can disarm
- 00:19:03someone's gun from their hands and while
- 00:19:05some of these conversations may loop
- 00:19:07back to a similar or even the same
- 00:19:09result it shows that the game is
- 00:19:11accounting for what your V is like by
- 00:19:13allowing them to show knowledge in the
- 00:19:15stats you have speced them into with
- 00:19:18both the combat and the conversations
- 00:19:20and because V is an open enough
- 00:19:22character to reflect that that allows
- 00:19:24them to have more personal connection to
- 00:19:26the player and they still have a say on
- 00:19:29what they are like when they interact
- 00:19:30with people and this is Amplified with
- 00:19:32how the dialogue Works in this game
- 00:19:34compared to Fallout 4 where you always
- 00:19:36have four options speaking of which
- 00:19:40let's talk about the conversations in
- 00:19:41both of these games so the dialogue
- 00:19:43wheel in Fallout 4 [ __ ] sucks I'm not
- 00:19:46going to sugarcoat it it [ __ ] sucks
- 00:19:49and I'm not even going to talk about the
- 00:19:50lack of choice or the four yes mem that
- 00:19:52people always bring up mainly the
- 00:19:54fundamental standpoint it [ __ ] sucks
- 00:19:58because there is little to no indication
- 00:20:00on whether the dialogue will progress
- 00:20:02the conversation further or if it will
- 00:20:04just be an investigation option and it
- 00:20:07also doesn't help that they shorten the
- 00:20:08phrases so much that it's almost
- 00:20:11impossible to determine what your
- 00:20:13character will say it's worse than how
- 00:20:15it is in Mass Effect and you probably
- 00:20:17noticed from the footage I am using a
- 00:20:19mod that changes this which is just a
- 00:20:21staple of Bethesda games isn't it
- 00:20:23getting mods that fix issues in the game
- 00:20:26hell I had to do this for the [ __ ]
- 00:20:27settlement Builder the settlement build
- 00:20:29it's okay off topic the settlement
- 00:20:31building in this [ __ ] game I wanted
- 00:20:34to tear my [ __ ] hair out dude like I
- 00:20:37wanted to make a cool little base around
- 00:20:40red rocket and I just wanted to build a
- 00:20:43[ __ ] wall and I was doing it without
- 00:20:45mods and I oh my God it's awful it's so
- 00:20:49[ __ ] awful but this dialogue system
- 00:20:52also lacks in variety from what was
- 00:20:54available in other games and there is no
- 00:20:56way to have a reflection on what you're
- 00:20:58character is like and what their
- 00:21:00speciality is the only stat that ends up
- 00:21:03making a difference is charisma because
- 00:21:05it allows you to press the colored
- 00:21:07dialogue to get more money or have a
- 00:21:09character reveal some secret to you it
- 00:21:11also doesn't help that most of the
- 00:21:13dialogue just goes on to progress the
- 00:21:15same thing it's just slightly different
- 00:21:17tones depending on which option you
- 00:21:20choose there's a reason why most people
- 00:21:22on subsequent playthroughs just Spam the
- 00:21:24sarcastic option because at least then
- 00:21:27your character will say something funny
- 00:21:29in cyberpunk the tone of conversations
- 00:21:31feels way more interactive and even when
- 00:21:33the plot does move along the same way
- 00:21:36there's at least a new context for how V
- 00:21:38achieves it v may be a predetermined
- 00:21:41character within the story but they can
- 00:21:43still reflect on what the player wants
- 00:21:45them to be and how they act with their
- 00:21:48friends and enemies and this goes
- 00:21:50further with the romance options in
- 00:21:51these games romance options are a
- 00:21:53Mainstay in a lot of RPGs they have
- 00:21:55become a very appealing concept and for
- 00:21:57good reason
- 00:21:59being able to engage in a romantic
- 00:22:01relationship with a companion can be a
- 00:22:02great way to immerse the player into the
- 00:22:04world and have them connect with the
- 00:22:06character on a greater level now that
- 00:22:09being said they have always had their
- 00:22:11share of problems sometimes they can
- 00:22:13feel very syy not due to the scenes or
- 00:22:17conversations themselves but with how
- 00:22:19they work for the longest time romance
- 00:22:22options would always revolve around a
- 00:22:24player character talking to partner
- 00:22:26character and after you do it enough
- 00:22:28time times or complete a personal quest
- 00:22:30for them character tells player that
- 00:22:32they are interested in them to which the
- 00:22:34player confirms or denies and then the
- 00:22:36relationship is formed and this goes
- 00:22:38into a scene with the character is
- 00:22:40hugging kissing or full-on banging and
- 00:22:43every game does romance options in
- 00:22:45different ways for example in jrpgs like
- 00:22:49Persona 5 you can establish a
- 00:22:51relationship pretty early on into the
- 00:22:53game and you can even do it with
- 00:22:54multiple people but there's consequences
- 00:22:57to that whereas with Fire Emblem the
- 00:23:00sranks as they call it are saved at the
- 00:23:02very end and are shown as an epilogue
- 00:23:05for your character and their romantic
- 00:23:06partner the important thing is that the
- 00:23:09romance should build on the character in
- 00:23:10a way that makes sense and add something
- 00:23:13to either the narrative or the game play
- 00:23:16cuz if it doesn't there's really no
- 00:23:18reason for it to be in the game and in
- 00:23:20this case cyberp Punk has romances that
- 00:23:23to me are some of the best I've ever
- 00:23:25seen and Fallout 4 has ones that add
- 00:23:28nothing to the companions or the player
- 00:23:30character well I mean I guess you could
- 00:23:33say Fallout 4 has a gameplay mechanic I
- 00:23:35mean you get an extra XP bonus whenever
- 00:23:38you sleep near them but that doesn't
- 00:23:40change the fact that my character
- 00:23:41literally woke up not long ago and
- 00:23:43watched his wife guy man he gets over
- 00:23:46that [ __ ] pretty quick but compar this
- 00:23:48to V where the relationships between all
- 00:23:51the characters you're able to romance
- 00:23:52not you work in very compelling and
- 00:23:55engaging ways that connect with both V
- 00:23:58and the character that they are
- 00:23:59interested in and adding to the overall
- 00:24:01story let's do a quick comparison we're
- 00:24:04going to look at two scenes the final
- 00:24:06romance conversation between the Soul
- 00:24:07Survivor and Kate and the final romance
- 00:24:10conversation with v and PanAm did you
- 00:24:13know I spent three years fighting at the
- 00:24:14combat zone three years of getting
- 00:24:16beaten to Hell by a bunch of losers and
- 00:24:18lunatics after the matches were over I'd
- 00:24:21spit out the blood Stitch me wounds and
- 00:24:24do a couple of shots of psycho to keep
- 00:24:26me going I [ __ ] hated it I hated the
- 00:24:28crowds I hated the other Fighters and I
- 00:24:30hated myself I never understood why I
- 00:24:33put myself through all that until now it
- 00:24:36was because I was
- 00:24:37alone and I think deep down I wanted to
- 00:24:41die I wanted one of my opponents to
- 00:24:44crush the life out of me the easy way
- 00:24:49out well that's the past you're not
- 00:24:52alone anymore then maybe you know what
- 00:24:54I'm trying to say to you V you have to
- 00:24:57tell me what is happening the blood you
- 00:25:00were out for hours what's
- 00:25:03wrong Pam
- 00:25:06I it's getting
- 00:25:09worse every single day okay B relax take
- 00:25:13it bit by bit what is happening
- 00:25:19exactly to tell you the whole
- 00:25:22truth I'm afraid things won't be the
- 00:25:24same between us if I
- 00:25:26do V listen to to me there is not a
- 00:25:30thing you could say to me that would
- 00:25:31change
- 00:25:32out I mean just cut the [ __ ] and
- 00:25:35tell me what's going on my life's been
- 00:25:37nothing but one huge failure after
- 00:25:40another you've heard all my stories and
- 00:25:43you know the prices I've paid there were
- 00:25:45a few times when things got really bad
- 00:25:48but I I found myself staring down the
- 00:25:52barrel of my own shotgun I don't know
- 00:25:54why I didn't pull the
- 00:25:56trigger I guess I was that I could find
- 00:25:59a single decent scrap of humanity in
- 00:26:01this fooked up world and then what you
- 00:26:05did for me back there at Vault
- 00:26:0795 it was like the answer to those
- 00:26:09prayers that's the first time in me life
- 00:26:12I fully depended on someone else and
- 00:26:14they didn't let me down God damn it I'm
- 00:26:17making a mess of
- 00:26:18this you're not messing anything up
- 00:26:21you're doing just fine I'm trying to
- 00:26:24hold it together maybe I should just get
- 00:26:27to the point
- 00:26:29you ever hear of The Relic the arasaka
- 00:26:33tech does something with personalities I
- 00:26:36saw the ads sounds like some rich people
- 00:26:38scam to be honest it's not [ __ ] I've
- 00:26:41got a biochip in my head with one of
- 00:26:43those
- 00:26:44constructs and the chips damaged so take
- 00:26:47it
- 00:26:49out definitely not that simple relics
- 00:26:53also keep me alive but so this is cyber
- 00:26:56psychosis because if it is is I know
- 00:26:58people who no no the Chip's data is
- 00:27:01affecting my neural connections got
- 00:27:03nothing to do with cyber psychosis I
- 00:27:05remove the Relic I die if I don't deal
- 00:27:09with the construct I
- 00:27:12die
- 00:27:14[ __ ] just trying to live with it survive
- 00:27:19actually the longer we've been spending
- 00:27:21time together the more I'm beginning to
- 00:27:24realize what you mean to me and I'm not
- 00:27:26just talking about you watching me back
- 00:27:28or sharing a drink together I mean more
- 00:27:31than that before we met I'd never let me
- 00:27:34guard down around anyone I didn't dare
- 00:27:37but with you I feel like I can let you
- 00:27:39in and see me for everything that I am
- 00:27:42For Better or For Worse look I can't go
- 00:27:45back to the way things were before we
- 00:27:46met I won't but what I need you to do is
- 00:27:49look me in the eyes and tell me you feel
- 00:27:52something
- 00:27:56too of course I do I'm in love with you
- 00:28:00Kate you you're what you said you're in
- 00:28:05love with me I I didn't know I mean I
- 00:28:09felt something between us but I thought
- 00:28:12it was something else why why would you
- 00:28:16fall in love with someone as screwed up
- 00:28:17as I
- 00:28:19am because you're special to me
- 00:28:23Kate and I don't think I'd be happier
- 00:28:26with anyone else
- 00:28:28you you really mean that this has to be
- 00:28:32the first time I put all me cards on the
- 00:28:33table and didn't end up losing
- 00:28:35everything you don't know how much this
- 00:28:37means to me to have someone special in
- 00:28:40my life V back to what we were
- 00:28:44saying I will not even pretend to
- 00:28:47understand I don't think it has even
- 00:28:48sunk in yet but I am serious how can I
- 00:28:53help
- 00:28:55honestly not a clue but there has to be
- 00:28:58something someone who
- 00:29:00can remember Helman he's the one who
- 00:29:03created the personality construct
- 00:29:05Tech that's why you wanted to get him
- 00:29:09but it was a dead end now I have to
- 00:29:11figure out where to go next you'll find
- 00:29:14a way and once you do let me know I will
- 00:29:17help this whole family will help Saul
- 00:29:20was not joking you understand thanks for
- 00:29:23everything for being here from me
- 00:29:29take care of yourself and let me
- 00:29:32know well just please keep in
- 00:29:37touch so obviously cyberp Punk has the
- 00:29:40advantage of having better choreography
- 00:29:42and animations that sell the scene but
- 00:29:45the dialogue is also vastly Superior as
- 00:29:47well because in the Kate scene this is
- 00:29:50just someone trauma dumping to another
- 00:29:52person that has very short-term
- 00:29:54responses and that eventually leads to
- 00:29:56the Soul Survivor just confessing love
- 00:29:59and sure there's a shock to the voice of
- 00:30:01Kate when she hears this but it's shown
- 00:30:03as a bonus rather than a gradual
- 00:30:05increase in the emotions of the
- 00:30:07characters as conversations prior are
- 00:30:09the same type of backstory Exposition on
- 00:30:11the companions with the occasional flirt
- 00:30:14option that appears when it comes to V
- 00:30:16and PanAm throughout the quest lines
- 00:30:18they are talking about their
- 00:30:19relationship and the dialogue reflects
- 00:30:21the struggles that both of them have
- 00:30:22with their past and they're slowly able
- 00:30:25to open up with each other it's a give
- 00:30:27and take with both characters rather
- 00:30:28than just one character unpacking to a
- 00:30:31voice box fans have grown attached to
- 00:30:33the characters of cyberp punk much more
- 00:30:35and they have stayed with them even
- 00:30:36after 4 years because their writing and
- 00:30:39personalities but also because their
- 00:30:41interactions with each other now that's
- 00:30:44not to say that cyber Punk is perfect
- 00:30:45with the romances there is clearly
- 00:30:47favoritism with the female romance
- 00:30:49options you meet Judy and PanAm and main
- 00:30:51quest and both of them learn about V's
- 00:30:54condition with Johnny whereas river is
- 00:30:56met in a side quest that is missable and
- 00:30:58he doesn't even learn about Johnny and
- 00:31:00then Carrie does know about Johnny but
- 00:31:02he's very late into the game but even
- 00:31:05with that being said it is more
- 00:31:07believable with v because their
- 00:31:08character is written to have flexibility
- 00:31:11and is open to getting into a romantic
- 00:31:13relationship despite the Hard Road they
- 00:31:15walk on but the final thing that makes V
- 00:31:17work is their stake in the story
- 00:31:20regardless of any complaints that
- 00:31:21players may have had with the game or
- 00:31:23the story of cyber Punk V is needed to
- 00:31:26tell the story that cyber Punk 2077
- 00:31:29wants to tell all of the life paths give
- 00:31:32V some sort of connection to arasaka and
- 00:31:34they in turn also have a connection with
- 00:31:36Johnny and the other cath of characters
- 00:31:38that they meet along the way because of
- 00:31:40the heist and The Relic that is slowly
- 00:31:42destroying their brain and this is what
- 00:31:43pushes them to meet characters like
- 00:31:45takamura this is also true with Johnny
- 00:31:47and the conflict between him and V the
- 00:31:49growing rivalry that eventually can turn
- 00:31:52into a friendship between the two of
- 00:31:53them even the DLCs find a way to give
- 00:31:56via connection with so many contacting
- 00:31:58them with the promise to give them a
- 00:32:00cure to The Relic and connecting them to
- 00:32:02this government Espionage in an engaging
- 00:32:05way that works with the narrative in a
- 00:32:07way that makes sense and because V
- 00:32:09exists in a way that is both established
- 00:32:11by The Narrative and formed by the
- 00:32:13player they can thrive in a way that
- 00:32:15enhances the story and their character
- 00:32:18without sacrificing player choice
- 00:32:20compare that to the Soul Survivor where
- 00:32:22if you were to remove their connection
- 00:32:24to Shawn and replace them with a blank
- 00:32:26slate character the story
- 00:32:28really wouldn't change that much it
- 00:32:30would only really require a few
- 00:32:32reworkings to have it make sense but
- 00:32:34essentially it would just be a random
- 00:32:36character waking up in a new Wasteland
- 00:32:38region that has multiple factions
- 00:32:40fighting for control over it and you
- 00:32:42just have to pick aides for which one
- 00:32:44controls the
- 00:32:45Commonwealth and that's pretty similar
- 00:32:48to what New Vegas was about they managed
- 00:32:50to make it work with the main character
- 00:32:51just being a [ __ ] mailman hell some
- 00:32:55mods even do exactly that make your
- 00:32:57character into a self-insert and even
- 00:32:59change up the NPC dialogue to fit it it
- 00:33:02would solve the lot of complaints that
- 00:33:04players have like the female character
- 00:33:05not being as fleshed out or the
- 00:33:07restrictiveness on character builds and
- 00:33:09the romances being incredibly jarring
- 00:33:12compare that to cyberpunk where I was on
- 00:33:14the edge of my seat as we watch V go
- 00:33:16through the pain of having to watch
- 00:33:18their best friend die find comfort with
- 00:33:20Judy reconcile with Johnny rock out with
- 00:33:23Carrie and be forced to choose between
- 00:33:26SOI and Reed and the overall journey of
- 00:33:29balancing finding a cure to The Relic
- 00:33:32while also being influenced by Johnny's
- 00:33:34Vendetta is a story that can only be
- 00:33:36told with the character of v and with
- 00:33:39the recent updates it's even easier to
- 00:33:42get invested in the character of v in
- 00:33:44night City with being able to purchase
- 00:33:46new apartments have drinks at bars and
- 00:33:48go on dates with your partners now some
- 00:33:51say that it's not realistic that you
- 00:33:52would have all these options if your
- 00:33:54character is on a time limit to save
- 00:33:56themselves from a fatal head wound
- 00:33:58and that the quote unquote time limit is
- 00:34:00non-existent because you can spend your
- 00:34:02time doing side quests gigs without any
- 00:34:05risk to the story and yeah I agree but
- 00:34:08to me that's just the nature of a lot of
- 00:34:10RPGs in general where there is an
- 00:34:12artificial time limit to push the story
- 00:34:15when in reality you have all the time
- 00:34:17you need to complete the content in the
- 00:34:18game the only game that's been able to
- 00:34:20do the time mechanic right is like Dead
- 00:34:24Rising but anyway V is a more flesh out
- 00:34:28and engaging character to play as and
- 00:34:30step into the shoes of they are able to
- 00:34:32have a history and a presence in the
- 00:34:34world while also allowing the player to
- 00:34:36influence their decisions compared to
- 00:34:38the sole survivor that lacks almost all
- 00:34:41of
- 00:34:48that these two characters are very
- 00:34:51similar to each other they both have
- 00:34:53backgrounds in the main setting of The
- 00:34:55Game both have connections to the main
- 00:34:57antagonist and both are characters the
- 00:34:59developers and story gives to the player
- 00:35:02the difference is one finds a balance
- 00:35:05the other stumbles one is essential to
- 00:35:07the story the other could be replaced
- 00:35:11one can be molded by the player the
- 00:35:13other is set in stone no matter what and
- 00:35:17yet despite everything I still recommend
- 00:35:20both of these games even with the many
- 00:35:23problems I have with Fallout 4 it's
- 00:35:26still a Fallout game and I'm a Fallout
- 00:35:28fan and honestly if you go into this
- 00:35:31game to play as the character that
- 00:35:33Bethesda wants you to play it's a lot of
- 00:35:35fun you can play up the whole
- 00:35:37traumatized war vet to sell the
- 00:35:39environment you're in a lot of creatives
- 00:35:41have made some really cool stuff with
- 00:35:42this game and at the end of the day I
- 00:35:45got to level 50 in this session I gave
- 00:35:47Todd my time and money cyberpunk 2077 is
- 00:35:51a game that means so much to me I never
- 00:35:54get tired of the world the city the
- 00:35:57characters
- 00:35:58it leaves me wanting more from the game
- 00:36:01itself the tabletop routs Edge Runners
- 00:36:04all of it is just captivating to me it's
- 00:36:08the reason why I made that video two
- 00:36:10years ago and it's still my most viewed
- 00:36:13one on my channel which I am eternally
- 00:36:15grateful for at the end of the day I'll
- 00:36:18always come back to both of these games
- 00:36:21except with Fallout 4 I'll come back for
- 00:36:23the gameplay for cyber Punk I'll come
- 00:36:27back for the whole
- 00:36:36package hold
- 00:36:39[Music]
- 00:36:42down
- 00:36:47oh oh no
- 00:36:51[Music]
- 00:37:01so when it came to this video I had a
- 00:37:03goal in mind get this video done before
- 00:37:06ComicCon and I actually did it so that's
- 00:37:09pretty cool the passion for making these
- 00:37:12videos has come back and I feel myself
- 00:37:14getting a lot faster when it comes to
- 00:37:16actually making them so that's always a
- 00:37:18nice thing to see thank you guys for
- 00:37:20watching and for your continued support
- 00:37:22the nice long-term project is bound to
- 00:37:23be a three-parter but it's one that I'm
- 00:37:26particularly very interested in
- 00:37:29[Music]
- 00:37:35I think I'll find it all somewhere the
- 00:37:39ice and
- RPGs
- Mass Effect
- Character Development
- Fallout 4
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Gaming Evolution
- Player Agency
- Narrative Design