Hi Dark, I see what you are saying, and I guess what I was trying to point out that some games are just character specific. For example, Tomb Raider is and always has been about Lara Croft's personal story. When Edos Interactive added a male playable character in Angel of Darkness it did not go over very well with the fans. Most people, yours truly included, wanted to play the game as Lara Croft as usual not as someone else.
With something like Shades of Doom the main character isn't even named and that game is open enough to add more than one character. David Greenwood could change the story so that instead of one person entering the lab perhaps its a highly trained team of special forces types. He could design multiple characters for that roll, and whoever you decide to play ends up getting trapped and has to find his/her way out of the lab. Given this revised storyline you still get the first-person action, but a choice of character rolls to play. Basically, weather a game has multiple characters or not depends on the game in question. Some games are not so character specific that other characters and rolls can be added. Others like Tomb Raider are lone wolf types where it is very character specific, and adding additional playable characters detracts from the game instead of enhancing it. A good developer will know when is and is not a good time to add multiple characters. Cheers! On 1/20/12, dark <d...@xgam.org> wrote: > Hi tom. > > That is true to a point, but I certainly have seen several examples of games > where there is a single main character, but multiple other options. > > Even if you discount marrio brothers 2, (afterall technically both the > brothers are the main characters of the series), what about the Mega man x > series? > > X is the main character and much of the plot is about him, however as Zero > got more popular people begged for the chance to play as him, which they got > to do in a limited sort of special assist way in Mega man x 3, and in a > complete sense in each game after that, ---- indeed in Mega man x 7 Capcom > introduced Axl as a third playable character (the fact I think axl is > completely dull and uninteresting doesn't change the fact he's there). > > Then look at the Donkey Kong country series. In each game you play two > characters together, however tey are not always the same two even though the > big ape has his name on the title. > > In Dkc1 you play Donkey and his little buddy diddy. In two however, Donkey > is captured and you have Diddy and his Girlfriend dixy. Then in the third > game both! Donkey and diddy are captured and it's Dixy with Kiddy kong, ---- > > a large baby ape she is baby sitting at the time. > > This isn't to say you should! put other characters into Tomb hunter, only > that just because you have one main character and a story revolving around > them, multiple characters are not impossible depending upon how you want the > plot and gameplay to go. > > Samas Aran in the Metroid games is an absolute Loner, indeed in Metroid > fusion she only took a computer as commanding officer on her mission under > protest. It's very difficult to imagine Samus teaming up with anyone at > all, ---- one reason why the game Metroid Prime Hunter has been rather > disliked by several people, simply because it broke a games character for > seemingly no good reason other than nintendo wanted to turn metroid prime > into a more standard multiplayer fps. > > I sort of imagine Angela the same way as Samas, so it deffinately wouldn't > be unreasonable to say that multiple characters are out, ---- just pointing > out though that even in a one character series, you can always slot in > extras. > > indeed, I think a game like SSuperliam, Q9 or shades of doom could support > multiple characters very well, sinse there the main characters aren't > explicitely said to be loner types. > > Beware the grue! > > Dark. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.