Suspenion of Disbelief and You

I was playing Ninja Gaiden Black last night and I started thinking as I sometimes do:

Who the hell built this place? Why did they make trap infested corridors ending in buttons that need to be pressed to open a door elsewhere? Why is there a lava pit with steam jets and a ledge as the only way to get across? Why a series of rooms in which you have to switch these stones around to open the door you want to get through?

I realize being a gamer requires a massive suspension of disbelief, it's necessary the first time you pick up a controller. Otherwise you'd have scoffed at a fat plumber throwing a fireball and walked away, forever cheating yourself.

Yet with games far more realistic looking these days, one starts to wonder. Sure it's a fantasy world, it's made up, but just for the sake of argument, who the hell built these places?

Anyone else have this sort of situation happen to them?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Personally I'd like to see the trend of games like Splinter Cell continue, albeit with the idea expanded on. Imagine Ninja Gaiden Black or Prince of Persia where instead of navigating these elaborate traps and such, you have to get from point A to point B attempting to utilize the architecture itself. The upcoming Assassin's Creed looks to blow the roof off with that concept and I can't wait. It just better come to X360 as well because I need Gears of War.

In SMB I always wondered why there was an axe there in the first place. Precariously placed in such a way that it could drop the bridge, no less. How come Bowser doesn't just grab the axe and hack Mario to bits?

While it's odd enough that lava is just laying about, I found it a lot more puzzling when a game had water as the deadly substance you couldn't touch.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Kolba

How come clouds can support the weight of platform game characters?

Why, the same way that floating platforms with no apparent means of upward propulsion can!

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

What was great was that in SMB3 it was a secret to be able to go behind the platforms. Truly 2D thinking right there.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Kolba

How come clouds can support the weight of platform game characters?

All video game characters able to stand on clouds have top secret government boots that treat the clouds as solid objects.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Kolba

What about Wonderboy, he's bare foot.

So you would think! Take a closer look.

Spoiler:

you will see in the magnification I've so generously provided that wonderboy has invisible government cloud-detector boots on his feet, complete with patented Stand on Clouds stumps. The Sega Master System simply could not render the invisible boots and the special stumps. It's actually a common misconception that he's barefoot.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Elixir

These are the aspects of gaming that you're not meant to think of. It's like thinking "Why is an oversized purple dinosaur teaching kids how to read? Why does he have friends? Why are they implying that dinosaurs still exist?"

I did this with ICO. Why is there a specific box hidden in the corner, which convinently happens to fall somewhere allowing you to reach another destination? Why do stone seats allow you to save? Why is Yorda so stupid? I'M RIGHT ABOVE YOU, TAKE MY FUCKING HAND.

I don't read too much into it. When you start questioning stuff like this, you have too much time on your hands. The games are supposed to be for entertainment, not realism.

I'm not saying every time I load up a game I sit and ponder why the wolf I just killed is spewing gold and swords or why the only way to open a certain door in what is supposed to be merely a palace is 100 feet above the floor. You're right, that would indicate one not only having too much time on their hands, but not enjoying games as the escape from reality they're meant to be.

My point was that sometimes the thought just pops into my head that while it's good game design to have a complex path of ledges, poles to swing from, curtains to rip through, huge swinging axes to dodge, and other various dangers, it doesn't lend itself to an extremely immersive game experience. I've found the games I get the most into beyond simple enjoyment are the ones in which I'm doing things that are at least somewhat within the realm of human possibility.

Take Splinter Cell for example. Some people hate Splinter Cell, but I love the games. I love that everything Sam Fisher can do, a person in top physical condition could also do. To me that lends an extra bit of immersion to the game. I love my Prince of Persia, Ninja Gaiden, platformers, and my slew of FPS games that defy realism simply for the fact that you can take a slew of bullets and walk over top of a health pack to feel better. It just makes me chuckle :P

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Kolba

I wonder if he ever felt aggrieved that, while they could supply him with cloud walking studs, they had never thought up any more advanced techniques in the means of personal protection than to lob bits of flint.

Come to think of it, we never do see a fully side-on Wonder Boy.



Is it possible there's a laser gun strapped to his back, out of view, for extreme circumstances only?

Perhaps. What we do know is that he went on to not only wear armor and brandish a sword:

Spoiler:

but also had opportunities to indulge in drinking and the redemption of sexual favors from dinosaurs:

Spoiler:

Most amazing jew boots

Why the hell does Dr. Wily keep wasting money building elaborate bases with expensive robots confined in the last room?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

In the original SMB, Mario is a terrorist. None of the enemies really actively seek you out (as far as I can remember), it's Mario who is running through the landscape squashing and burning.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by TheKnightOfNee

I always wonder where people go to the bathroom. Hardly any games have a bathroom in them, and when you're exploring the world, you'll need one in every town you stop in.

Video game characters just go in their clothes. Like in the days of yore.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

The last game I remember that hyped itself as having no obstacles and make your own path because locked doors don't mean a damn thing was Red Faction. Yet, in playing it, on the off chance you did get something explosive with which to blow a hole in a wall, you couldn't do anything to a locked door. If you were lucky enough that the wall next to it was breakable, then yeah. The door would remain standing even if the wall all around it was completely obliterated.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?