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When Videogames Know They're Videogames
An anonymous reader writes "In 'I Never Metagame I Didn't Like', AllRPG.com goes into a discussion of metagaming - what it is and some games which feature it. The piece explains: 'Metagames show awareness of their nature as games. These games ignore all pretense of being a representation of a reality--rather, they know that they're polygons on a screen', and goes on to reference titles such as Earthbound and Metal Gear Solid as examples." Are there other examples of titles which address the player in this awfully postmodern way?
At least his footnotes know they are footnotes.
Money for nothing, pix for free
... because I have a copied version of the game, you insensitive clod!
Except these games are presented in a 2D medium :)
OK, so they're in 3D... will you settle for the 3-and-halfth wall?
deus does not exist but if he does
Also, when Fry walks into the room that is the final battle of the game (which is often called the "boss level"), he says something to the effect of: "Uh oh, this looks like a boss level."
There are other examples in that game.
At the end of the introductory clip, as Homer has decorated his car as a taxi and asks the family what they think, Bart says: "Just get to the game already!"
If you run out of time while driving a "Road Rage" level, at the end each character has a unique funny comment. Several of them say things that seem to refer to the game, like "I thought I had more time left" and so on.
When you finish the game, the camera zooms out of the "You Won The Game" screen to reveal that the game was being played by the aliens Kang and Kodos. One says, "This game grows tiresome!" The other responds, "Insert the alternate game disk." They then start playing an alien version of Pong and fly off.
Conker's Bad Fur Day has the most metagame ending there is. "Can you believe that? The game froze!"
I guess in that case it was more of "breaking the controller" rather than "breaking the third wall".
I googled to try to find the exact text of this, but was unsuccessful. Thankfully, the joke was funny enough that I remember it pretty well.
In Squaresoft's 1995 game The Secret of Evermore (which was produced entirely by Americans, coincidently), there was a section of the game that took place in a huge, open-air marketplace set in pseudo-Roman times.
Within this marketplace, there was a character tossing out the ambient "The End Is Near!" warnings and the like. Eventually, though, if you get into a conversation with him, the exchange goes something like this (emphasis mine at the end)....
The End Is Near Guy: The End Is Near!
You: Uh huh.
TEIN Guy: We have no control over our destiny!
You: Whatever.
TEIN Guy: In fact, we are being controlled by outside forces!
You: Suuuure.
TEIN Guy: It's true! We but answer to the directions of our huge, button-pushing overlords!
You: Riiiiight.
TEIN Guy: If I am lying, may the gods strike me down where I stand!
At this point, a dialog box pops up, with the options "Goat, Chicken, Basket" of which you get to select one.
After selecting, two lightning bolts flash down from the sky onto TEIN Guy, and whatever you selected is left standing in his place.
- Neil
My legal education, in nifty podcast format
...had numerous references to the player, the game itself, the developers (lionhead studios), and even south park. Ingame the player has a good and an evil conscience, and the two constantly bicker.
Some of the more amusing conversations between the two occur when you don't touch the keyboard for a while. Here are some samples:
Good conscience: "Jeez, our Boss is inactive. Let's rock from side to side."
Evil conscience: "Maybe we can tip over the monitor!"
Good: "No, you red fool. We're part of the conscience. We're inside our god's head!"
Evil: "Okay. Let's rock and tip over the Boss's mind!"
Good: "Hmm. You are the weirdest demon I've ever shared a skull with."
---
Good: "I spy with my little eye, something beginning with B"
Evil: "Brain."
Good: "Yes."
Evil: "OK. I spy with my evil eye, something beginning with S"
Good: "Skull."
Evil: "Yeah."
Good: "I spy with my little..."
Evil: "Shuddup! Sorry. I just can't take it any more. Skull, brain, brain skull.") Good: "You're right. We should get out more."
The best sanity effect, is the one that tells you that the game has ended (when you are in the middle of the story), and that in order to see the real ending, you must buy the sequel, Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Redemption:.
Very funny.