| swyggi said: I've played FFVI several times over.
To sympathize on a relative human level (ex: car crash victims, burnt victims, etc) you don't need to be too attached, but to really feel for a character on a personal level you do need those interactions and it is ESSENTIAL that you know the character well before then. Would you break down and cry for a woman you just recently met whom died a day later?
Good writing involves great interaction. FFVI has a lot of good moments, but their executions relative to what we already feel from the current cast leaves a lot to be desired. FFVII filled that gap with a lot of unique, good moments combined with a huge depth of dialougue.
BTW, can you explain to me why you feel for that train scene? It's unique, I'll give it that, but I only have relative sympathy for Cyan at that moment. It's not just the moments themselves either, there are several elements needed for any moment to have impact. And Cyan is the most important element in that moment. With him being focused on, it loses it's attachment. It's not incredible, it's just unique: like so many FF events. |
For the train scene, just follow the link I did above. That's so much better written than I could tell you.
And if I saw a woman die on the streets, yes, I would be sad and depending on the circumstances I could break down and cry.
If she were just randomly hit by a bus, I would think well that's a shame and be upset a saw someone hit by a bus but I don't think I would cry.
If I saw the same woman hit by a bus and then as soon as the bus finished whizzing by I saw her young kid screaming in agony at the sight of her mother being brutally killed in front of their eyes, I would be devastated even though I know nothing about that woman.
FFVII's emotional scenes try to work on just shoving the emotion in your face and expecting it to work. The direction in FFVII is equivalent to Michael Bay. He gets the job done but there's no subtlety, it's all just right in your face. It's the lowest form of emotional writing and while it gets the job done there's just so much more better.
FFVI's take on emotional direction is more like the second bus example above. Rather than just relying on your being so attached to your characters and then shoving death in your face, they just do so much more to tug on those heart strings. You say all the emotional parts are wasted in the first half of the game, and while I agree the first half is better, the second half is where you learn so much more about the characters and really get into some deep emotional themes.
