I'm *not* a huge JRPG fan, I've mostly only enjoyed tactical JRPGs and JRPGs that hybridize choices into the narrative (like the Persona games, for all my complaining)
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Replying to @BootlegGirl @MudDude4 and
If I had to make one request of this conversation, it's that we move toward conversations about diversity in protagonists that are like this one and reflect the embeddedness of (the illusion of) choice in the entire thing, and don't automatically glorify CRPG character creators
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Replying to @BootlegGirl @MudDude4 and
Like, I played Mass Effect 2 10 times in 2010 and ME3 probably 7 between 2012 and 2015. Been through 1 at least 6 times. I LOVED those games.And they're *more* constrained than traditionally CRPGs in character creation - they give you a surname and one of a limited set of history
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Replying to @BootlegGirl @MudDude4 and
But despite having a "look" for "my" Shepard I'm pretty dedicated to (basically ended up being Jodie Whitaker's Doctor only I had no idea who that was at the time obviously) and all these times playing through multiple relationship paths, I have only the vaguest idea who Shep is
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Replying to @BootlegGirl @MudDude4 and
I know in one of the paths for Shepard, we know who her mom is. If you tried to do a TLOU2 style flashback to Shepard's childhood, it would absolutely not hit me in the gut, even though I've played basically the same Shepard way more times than I've played the TLOU series
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Replying to @BootlegGirl @MudDude4 and
What does Shepard write in their holo-diary? Why did they become a Earth Alliance military officer? Why do they collect fish? Why are they so bad at dancing? Do they have exes? Do they have siblings, are they on good or bad terms? Do they have trauma besides that one kid in ME3?
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Replying to @BootlegGirl @MudDude4 and
We don't know, and it's not bad writing - Shepard is remarkably well-defined. It's because the CRPG character creator model doesn't lend itself to that for the 10 minutes in ME2 where you play Seth Green's Joker character you're playing a deeper character than Shepard ever is
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Replying to @BootlegGirl @MudDude4 and
That's just how it is until we develop a procedural psychoanalytic AI that can generate stories that pluck at the emotions of specific players on the fly. Either your story can be about Anyone, or it has to be about specific people
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Replying to @BootlegGirl @MudDude4 and
I could imagine a ME-ish game where the character has a well defined but multiple choice past, rather than *no* past, I just don't know if it'd hold up to knowing that
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Replying to @LizardOrman @MudDude4 and
I mean Shepard does have that, and it was a step toward limiting choice in CRPGs. Shepard has three pre-military histories and three military service records. It still leaves a lot of variation, which is likely why Andromeda (rather clumsily) makes Ryder a very specific person
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The Ryders, rather It's even to the point where Scott and Sara Ryder are their canon names and you can only change the name of the one you choose to play as, the other one stays the same
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