Valentine's Day: Games, pals and love

Hey what sorry I mean here's a load of characters from video games that you can fall in love with and that's like having human feelings? Remember these? Your old friends who you've discarded ... they miss you pal, maybe you could reconnect? Just for a day? No? Oh.
Let's cast aside the veil and get honest with each other. Sometimes characters in games are like real friends, that you fall in love with a bit. There's nothing to be ashamed of.

That feeling of loss when you turn the last page, when the story is over, is as real as any other feeling. The credits roll and it's sad because that means you don't get to spend any more time with someone who entertained you, made you laugh or smile or well up at the back of your throat. People form relationships with fictional characters and that's normal, let's just all admit it.

Half an hour, an hour after the thing is finished it's back to normal. There's a dreamy realisation as the fantasy world fades away like a morning mist, and the world of real things and concrete pavements reveals itself once more. All that's left is a pleasant wistfulness, then back to real life.



There's no grieving, no sad nights spent lonely and wracked with torment and emptiness. Because those characters - they're not really gone. They're still there, if you want. Ready to chirp the same lines, make the same faces that were so delightful.

But just because the memories fade doesn't mean those moments aren't important. Look, games are shit a lot of the time, but you can still make friends with the people inside them. Because you get to play the part, because you exist, in some sense, inside the game, it's easier to get attached. Characters are speaking to you, responding to you.

So here are some of the characters that I miss a bit. I was sad when my time was over with these guys and I'd like to have them back, maybe.
Jansen: Lost Odyssey



I'll admit now a lot of the characters I miss are from party RPGs. There's something about the format that encourages me to form bonds with characters. Jansen is a bit of a dick, and he's pretty useless in battle too, but he had plenty of charm. He also has a surprising love arc, which is quite the counterpoint to his usual quipping. The following two scenes give a pretty good idea:



haha good old Jansen. Lost Odyssey could get pretty heavy at times, with a lot of harps and strings and moody stories, but Jansen would usually shatter the melancholy with some crude joke or snark. I don't know that he'd be much fun one-on-one, so don't go planning any candle-lit meals, unless you want some of the 'charm' treatment he used on Ming there.

And yes, those two kids are voiced by the same person who did Phil and Lil in the Rugrats, if you were wondering.
Pidgey: Pokemon Blue



See, party RPGs, can't get enough of them. Pidgey was the first Pokemon I caught, and I kept him in my party right up till the Elite 4. Sure he was mute, had no discernible character traits and was nothing more than some poorly animated brown pixels, but whatever man. We had a bond. Seeing him faint was galling, but usually spurred me on to kick whoever's ass it was who took down my fair Pidgey. I called him Wingbrain.
Agro: Shadow of the Colossus



Agro and me were partners, see. We shared the same world, the same frustrations, and he was the only other one there to feel the guilt. I know he felt it too, how could you not?

In such a barren world, when you have to extinguish the only other living beings one by one, there's a powerful bond in sharing the responsibility. When the landscape forced us apart I would always return to him, colossus felled, with a heavy burden. Yes Agro, another one, it had to be done. And his stern acceptance was enough to keep me going.

When we had to work together to take down the giants, in that moment of contemplation as they fell, he was there to share the regret. And when he was not there any more, and the burden went unshared, it was almost too much.
Midna: Zelda Twilight Princess



Like Shadow of the Colossus, Twilight Hyrule is barren and desolate: the eerie gloom and falling ash create a lonely world. Without Midna it would have been almost unbearable, but she brought a glib brattishness to things. She was a tease, goading a mute Link constantly.


Much like Agro it was the companionship provided on such a lonely quest that formed the bond. Midna was irreverent, but there was a sadness within her that emerges towards the end of the game. Her melancholy contemplation of the world hinted at something deeper than she was showing.

In the end Midna chooses Link, discarding her own manipulative plan. It's an affirmation of the bond that's built up over time. It's a shame that a lot of people will never get to see the full arc of her story, having given up on Twilight Princess before it got into stride. She was cool though, and you should check her out.
Xelha: Baten Kaitos Lost Wings and the Endless Ocean



It has been a long time since I finished Baten Kaitos but for whatever reason I still remember Xelha.


I think partly its the way we met - she needs rescuing from some huge monster thing, but as soon as I jumped in she was right there by my side fighting away. She has butterfly wings and a Meg Ryan bob too but whatever.

What's interesting about Xelha is that she's pretty positive all the time, and although you can tell she's scared sometimes she doesn't ever give up. A couple of times during the game everything rests on her shoulders and she pulls it off. When Kalas goes mad and everything goes tits up she's the one who puts it all back together, without a second thought.

I think partly it's her attitude in the face of Kalas' own ineptitude and idiocy that makes her stand out. Whenever he says something stupid or gets frustrated she often keeps things ticking along with a comment or a plan. Her sacrifices towards the end of the game are pretty heartbreaking, and although she can be annoying (mostly due to the ponderous voice-o-work) it's still tough to see.
Sigh, there's more over the page. I know this one is longer than usual but just keep going okay? That's what she said lol etc sorry >>>