Not in a horror movie way, but in a drarma way. (Well, you can list games that have any kind of emotional effect, but I'm more interested in games that can actually touch your heart in some way.) I'm actually the sappiest, easiest target for human drama in almost any form. Any form except games, that is. They leave my perennially moistened eyes absolutely dry. I don't know if it's the form or the execution, but, yeah. They just don't do it for me. Let me try to think of some exceptions... Super Metroid, I guess. I don't know if was emotional, but Drakengard and Shadow of Destiny kind of resonated with me, somehow. The end of Conker was bizarrely moving, in a totally unearned way...

That's all I've got, for now. How about you schmoes?

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Shadow of the Colossus. Ending was like nothing I had come across before. It made me replay the game to pay attention to just how it came to the way it finished.

Majora's Mask kinda did it for me too at parts. I was rather moved when I finished reuniting Anju and Kafei (the BEST Zelda side quest in my humble opinion). The last few minutes were a test of patience and faith as the moon came close to crashing down. But it all came through.

Final Fantasy X, closely followed by Final Fantasy XIII.

I connected with X because of the religious themes that I was dealing with at the time, and with XIII because of the intricate rumblings within my own family and myself that was quite revealing after playing that game.

I don't really tend to get emotionally affected by games unless I can strongly relate to them. The exception is with the Zelda games, because I kind of get emotionally attached to the gameworlds, and when they are over I get kind of sad.

I haven't finished Silent Hill Shattered Memories, but so far that game has really impressed me with its immersion factor and psychological influence. I look forward to finishing it.

I'm sure there are a bunch of them but I'm just not thinking right now. It seems like indie games are the ones that affect me the most emotion-wise. Braid, Company of Myself, even World of Goo. And if the final Bit.Trip game ends the way I think it's going to that could be a really touching moment.

Oh crap my brain just turned on. Metal Gear Solid 3 is probably the closest I've come to crying during a game. The ending was perfectly done. Half-Life 2: Episode 2 also had an amazing ending. The Kingdom Hearts games have some pretty emotional parts too.

Ocarina of Time always gets me, it's too bad that I'm becoming less and less tolerant of the actual game, because I still think the presentation and direction is absolutely top notch, especially the very last scene.

Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask a little.

Link's Awakening a good amount.

MOTHER, EarthBound, MOTHER 3 to varying degrees. Actually the first chapter of M3 made me so damned depressed, at a time I was already super depressed, that I had to stop playing and try again months later when I was feeling stronger emotionally.

Elite Beat Agents stupid Christmas level!!! Actually had to pause to wipe tears off the screen and my face. Very unexpected.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box. Teared up a little at the end.

I'm sure there are more but that's just off the top of my head.

Oh thought of another one:

Yeah, I have to admit (and maybe hand in my "Man Card") .... Elite Beat Agents got me. It was the first game to ever get me to react like that. I couldn't have picked a worse place to suddenly have that happen to me though. I was playing it on an airplane on a flight back home from California... I had tears coming down my face, my nose was sniffling... my wife was like "What the heck is wrong with you?" Thinking back to it, I kinda "lol" to myself about the whole situation. I couldn't even explain to her why I was crying like a kid... I mean I *could* explain it, but she wouldn't understand.

On the brighter side, Chrono Trigger was such a masterstroke and work of genius, the impact of that game still resides in me. I absolutely love that game, and playing it always puts me in a good mood.

That's all I got for now, I'll post more if I can think of any.

The final few hours of Persona 4. You just don't do that, game! You just don't.

drarma?

That actually wasn't a typo. I could sell it in person.

Is that your accent coming through?

Tons of games have affected me emotionally.

Whether it's something between characters, story, music, or even just sheer awe of a game, I have become emotional while playing games. Many many times. I get emotional during game trailers.

As far as simply games that made me cry, there are


EarthBound (haven't played Mother or Mother 3, but I'm sure they would too)
Metal Gear (almost any game, but MGS3/4's endings in particular)
Illusion of Gaia
Paper Mario
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VII
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (I cared about Emil/Marta)
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Resident Evil: Code Veronica X
Mischief Makers
Contra: Shattered Soldier (totally srs; you'd understand if you've played it)
Mega Man X5
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (I can't believe I went so far in this list before I remembered this game!!!)
Valkyria Chronicles
Braid
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney



This next set of games didn't make me cry (or if they did when I played them, I don't remember; that probably only could apply to like 2 or 3 games here), but I still felt strongly about them in some way, whether it's by getting particularly pissed at a villain in the game, or feeling a huge sense of accomplishment after something in the game, or sadness (without tears) at what has happened, or anything else along those lines.


Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 4
Mega Man X-X3
Mega Man Zero
Mega Man Legends
Super Mario World
Super Mario 64
Super Mario Galaxy
Ninja Gaiden (NES)
Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos
Mass Effect
Deadly Premonition (I haven't beaten this game yet!!! but so far it seems like a worth contender)
Dead Rising
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
The Legend of Zelda: Oracles of Ages/Seasons
Pokemon Blue/Silver
Tony Hawk's Underground
Disaster: Day of Crisis
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle
Half-Life








Maybe I'm just a pansy

Speaking of which, it always shocks me to see how many gamers can't handle horror. Get desensitized, already!

@carlosrox
Were you the guy crying in the theater when they unveiled Twilight Princess? (Has/have that/those guy(s) ever been named?)

Marsh said:

Is that your accent coming through?

My totally neutral Midwestern accent, which newscasters are forced to emulate??

No, it's my thick-voiced British affectation.

Actually I haven't gotten too scared with games in general. I was freaked out by Resident Evil 4 (and a few other games in the series), but that was my first real taste with anything horror-related (as far as games/movies/etc. go). Nowadays I am fine with most scary games. I don't get scared whatsoever by Fatal Frame, and I didn't find Dead Space scary either. Deadly Premonition has actually scared me a couple times, but I'm by no means incapable of playing the game.

The original Manhunt is hella creepy, with a headset. I guess I could count that as emotionally affecting. My friend was about to piss himself when he was playing. I had to stop the game, him being on my couch, and all.

No, but you know what would be an incredible step forward in horror games? Negative physical feedback. There were some arcade games that experimented with this (like some pain-Pong cabinet that shocked you when you lost, among others), but it would make a badass peripheral. Immersive and scary and real.

(Maybe it's built into the vitality sensor? Like, a little prick when you took heavy damage?)

I'm kind of kidding, but kind of not. Like, how do you raise the stakes, so that avoiding the enemy creates actual tension, without any need for suspension of disbelief? How do you bring genuine fear to the homes of all?

I guesssss you could do it with unforgiving game mechanics and harsh penalties, a la Shiren...

Ah, I dunno. I find most games that attempt to pull emotional strings to be laughable at best. MGS3 was one of those games but I'll be damned if they didn't do a pretty fine job of it. Deus Ex and Half Life 2: EP 2 were both great. Mass Effect has one of the best stories I've seen in a video game. Ocarina of Time for the time was exceptional.

Off the top of my head that's about it.

I've got to crack open Mass Effect one of these days. I'm kind of scared, due to how clunky everyone says it is. Plus, I'm not sure if I can enjoy an RPG.

@anandxxx

I would have been if I were there. I pretty much cried when I saw the trailer at home so...yeah I'll say I was that guy

@anandxxx I assume you're playing the 360 version then? I didn't have any major problem with the game. There are loading textures of course when entering a new area, and elevator load times can be a pain, but I certainly didn't find that these made the game unplayable.

What is it about RPGs that you don't like? Is it the overall progression, or is it turn-based combat? Because Mass Effect's battle gameplay is pretty much like Gears of War, but occasionally pausing the game to select a power to use.