Top Ten Videogames with Emotional Depth

Some games are pure adrenaline rushes, while others rely more upon logical or mathematical challenges. There are games that demand quick reflexes and dexterity, and then there are those which aim to bring the family closer together. The progression of technology has lead to another the maturing of another type of game however, one less concerned with challenging players and more intent on delivering unique experiences in virtual worlds. Games in which the delivery of the story is considered of equal importance to that of the player’s interaction, and that an emotional bond with the characters is the ultimate goal.

[BABY-JEDI]

that ICO & SoC would have been on this list. As gaming emotions go, you cant get much deeper than these.

[velocitygamer]

Uhhh....WHERE THE HELL IS MGS4?!!!

"!"

[ChickeyCantor]

YES MGS4!!!
Microwave immunity imminent !!

O MAN THE EMOTION I HAD WHEN I REALIZED I WAS PRESSING X FOR NOTHING....AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[Jio]

I completely agree. These guys dont know emotional, in video games. Ico and SoC where the best ps2 games ever, and had a certain emotional feeling that cannot be replicated in any other game. Except for the last guardian which will no doubt be incredible

[BYE]

Red Dead Redemption should also be on that list.

They forget like 80% and just put fillers in there to get the 10 spots filled.

[Hellsvacancy]

No Hitman Blood Money? i almost cried myself to death when Mr 47 was deaded at the end of the game, well, i thought he was dead (untill i saw the hidden endin)

[Ducky]

Oh God... that was an epic way to end things.
Especially with the story building up to that one point.

Kudos for mentioning that.

[AKS]

Considering ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, and Half-life 2, Episode 2 should be around the TOP of any such list, total fail for the author of this lame article. Also, how is Bioshock there and System Shock 2 is not? "I am Shodan!"

[Acquiescence]

Heavy Rain
Final Fantasy VII
Shenmue
Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Yakuza 2
Yakuza 3
Red Dead Redemption
ICO
Mass Effect 2

...have all made me either well up or done enough to make me care considerably for certain characters.

[Ducky]

Metal.... Gear?
It can't be!

[Cloudberry]

.
Metal Gear is one of the secret black ops project.

How do you know that!?

[Downtown boogey]

FFVII, are you kidding?
You crack me up, holmes!
Tifa: "Don't worry! Think!"
Cid: "Hey, the girl's right! You start worryin' and there's no stoppin' it! Things just start fallin' apart and get worse and worse.
..."I've been thinkin' about this and that. All the time we've been up there lookin' at the planet. I've been thinkin' when we were floatin' in the ocean in that escape pod."
Cloud: "I've been thinking too... About the universe... the planet... the ocean... How wide and big... No matter where I go and what I do, it won't change a thing."
Cid: "Maybe you're right... But I came up with something different. I always thought this planet was so huge. But lookin' at it from space I realized it's so small. That's why I'll say this planet's still a kid. A little kid sick and trembling in the middle of this huge universe. Someone's gotta protect it. Ya followin' me? That someone is us!"

Color me "touched"

[Acquiescence]

By plucking a character exchange out of a game that has thousands of them, you have effectively proven that Final Fantasy VII is devoid of any emotional power.

Let's just conveniently ignore moments like the destruction of Sector 7, Ilfana's back-story, learning about the lifestream in Cosmo Canyon, Barret and Dyne's final face-off; all bolstered by one of the most acclaimed and memorable soundtracks ever featured in a video game.

Oh and, something about the death of Aeris as well.

I won't colour you "touched"...just "ignorant."

[toaster]

I would have thought Half Life 2 would be up there, your connection with Alyx throughout the game is very deep even though Freeman never actually says anything. You just feel a bond. And whenever Alyx leaves you know some crazy shit will happen to you :3.

[NecrumSlavery]

This Is a bad list. Reach at #2? why is Enslaved up there and not Heavenly Sword?

And where the hell Flower?

[Jikla]

okokokok...Halo reach at second place? I mean come on! That game shouldn't even be on the list because you don't really connect to the other characters in the game since they're dying like flies.

[Downtown boogey]

That's right. Every other Halo game actually connected with me on some level mainly due to the relationship between the Chief and Cortana but Reach... That was super lame.

[Ducky]

I really connected with that floating lightbulb-thing in the first Halo =/

[Bloodlyte]

"!" NO MGS3!!!!!!!!!! or any game of the MGS SAGA?

I know, I know personal opinion and stuff, but cmon, this is just retarded! Dead Rising 2? are you serious?

[n to the b]

agree. I tried the Case Zero demo and was not impressed. IMO some movies/tv shows/and now games use children as a cheap way to try and rile my emotions. lame!

EDIT: ok I only tried the demo which had no survivors. according to this opinion piece it's the conflicting needs of Chuck's daughter vs. other survivors that get you going emotionally so I could be wrong.

hey, at least they got Bioshock right... right?

[Bloodlyte]

I have the game and it's really hard to get emotionally into a game when you headshot a zombie with a golfbal while wearing a borat syle mankini.

and yes, Bioshock definitely deserves to be on the list.

[thesithfreak]

this list has no depth

heavy rain,sure. but wheres
mgs, shenmue, ico, sotc, kotor, god of war

[Deleting]

FF7, I know a lot of people think so and I respect that but I thought FF8 had more emotional depth then 7 and the eyes on me song really went well with some of these kind of scenes in the game

[Matthew94]

all heavy rain gave me was anger

i hated them all so much,

[BYE]

Yeah you definitely played it...

[Downtown boogey]

Haha :D

[n to the b]

I've said it before but The Darkness gave me some really good times for a while (ending was a disappointment though, of course). the end of Act I and into Act II were intense and 'had me going'.

[blackburn5]

First of all Halo does not have emotional depth.It has emotion but there is no depth to it. Secondly I agree with HR. Despite every negative thing that was said about it, it really did a number on me. When the guy couldn't find his son in the park and ran around trying to find him, that tugged at my heart strings. Finally I thought that games like Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter and Sly Cooper had a surprizing amount of emotional depth for platformers. Sly's father's death, his friends doubting their friendship, Bentley's accident, Carmalita and Sly relationship. Ratchet's search for the Lombaxs and his father, his straining friendship with Clank, the determination to find each other when they were seperated. And the ultimate depth ,Jak's transformation into Dark Jak, his relationship between the two girls, his friendship with Daxter and the shift into a darker world. @ thesithfreak I agree. How could they forget Kratos's plight?

[Arup02]

Okami was the best game ever, and the most emotional game i've played.
1-Okami
2-MGS3
3-SotC
(it's just my opinion m'kay?)