Cry me a river.

Okay so in the past four months or so I have had two games make me cry.  I have become a total wuss apparently because I am now getting emotional over the interactive digital medium.  I guess I'm not as worried about this as I would have had I been a weeping over games say 5 years ago as I'm at a more stable point in life and I don't need to prove anything with gallons of testosterone.

 Lee and Clementine

The first game that had me balling was the Telltale Games masterpiece The Walking Dead.   I might give the game a review later on but in the broad strokes the game is about redemption  and fatherhood.   You play as Lee a convicted murderer who has a second chance at life when the zombie uprising goes down.  You meet and become the caregiver to a little girl Clementine.  

The Walking Dead is written in such a way so that Clemy a little girl who should be annoying never comes off as a burden.  Your constantly watching out for her but in a fatherly way and it feels natural.  This game has actually stirred unused paternal instinct in me.  Towards the end of the game Lee is bitten unfortunately and it is Clementine who must finish him off.  This scene had me in tears because I knew that I had taken her this far and that everything I had taught her during the game would help her survive in a world that I had myself failed to survive in. 

The second game and one that I just finished a few hours ago is indie developer Freebird To the Moon.   It's made in a JRPG art style but isn't an rpg its a point and click adventure like The Walking Dead.   To the Moon has a silly sci fi story about two scientists who go into dyeing peoples memories and change the memory for the client so that they will remember fulfilling a lost dream.  It should also be mentioned that this game really has excellent music that is used extremely well to be able to help emote a reaction out of the player.

The game is about a the client John and we travel backwards through his memories and we see his life with his wife River.  The story is really about John and Rivers marriage.   The ups and the downs.  Also before I forget it's implied that River has aspergers syndrome which hits home for me because my big brother has a high functioning form or aspergers.   Also another side note River is a redhead which also hits home to me as my darling fiance is also a ginger.  The game really abuses your emotional state and those little details really helped bring me to tears the first time.  

Stuff happens that I wont spoil as it really should be experienced but in the end I was in tears again.  To the Moon has me in such a weird emotional funk but I think that its a good thing.  It has me thinking about how I'm going to spend my life with my future wife and how I'll look back at our time together.  

I asked my fiance to marry me next to a lighthouse.

So there you have it two games that at least for me turned me into a sobbing quivering baby.   I loved them both.  The Walking Dead had me really thinking about what it means to be a father, make tough decisions for those who can't, and to care for a family.  And To the Moon with the themes of love, marriage the ups and the downs, and will you be satisfied with the life you led.