You see this article began as nothing more than a thought piece about realism in games, and then I realized something. As I was typing I found out there is a much more important topic when it comes to realism, and it involves the heroes in our games today.

You see as a person grows so do the things they hold dear to themselves and the things they look up to. Heroes take many forms when we are children, from the comic book superhero to the imaginary friend. As we grow from children to young adults our heroes change to those more tangible, movie stars or athletes. Now they usually involve bulked up jerks who do nothing but chop people in half with machine chainsaws. But when we reach adulthood, the definition of hero becomes clear and our heroes become those that we love and can look up to. It took me a while to realize it but my hero is a 65 year old rancher.

In 2004, at the age of conversion from boyhood to manhood of 14 years old, I was given the news that a massive fire storm was heading towards our ranch. I’ve never heard what a fire storm was until this point. I was ignorant that a fire can grow to the size of the Hoover Dam and be able to destroy anything in its path including cities. The news scarred me; I was paralyzed in fear by the chance that I might be burnt alive, or worse my loved ones, or even worse the horses and animals on the ranch.

People where coming to our ranch for help crying and screaming how they were forced to leave there animals and homes by the fire and police department. In which the departments said, “the people safety is our there main concern so we have no choice.” Suddenly we could see the black smoke coming over the hills in what seemed a matter of seconds flames were charging towards us. The first time we saw the blaze they didn’t seen that big from where they where, until they got closer. The flames grew to the size of a three story mansion, and the smoke covered the sun turning day into night. Suddenly the high-rising flame speeded outward around us and was starting to become a ring of fire. We would be cut-off if we did not act soon.

There was a total of 24 horses, and about a dozen cattle at this ranch, we only had a trailer that could fit 16. I didn’t know what I was to do I panicked I was only a 14 year old kid. I fell to the ground as ash from the fire rained down upon my sweat-drenched forehead and covered my dark brown hair, black clothes, and turned it into a white shroud. The once red desert sand turned into a white blanket of ash. Horses whinnied, people shouted, my mother cried, planes flew over head to drop fire repellent and water on the inferno. These planes flew so close in fact that it shook the very foundations of the earth. I felt like I was in the scene of a war movie. Then my friend and mentor, the 65 year old Rancher pulled me up, asked for my help loading the horses onto the trailer, and swiftly continued with the process without a response from me. Like he knew what I was already going to do. I was inspired this old man could do what I could not. I mastered my fear, courage took over, and I grabbed a rope to a horse and leaded the majestic animal unto the steel trailer.

After the disaster was over he never asked for a raise and he never accepted praise. He would simply say,” It’s all part of the job kid.” The old cowboy continues riding in the same ranch with us today, and every horse and steer that was in the wild fire lived. You see heroes and heroine come in many form there not just super powered children of gods like in ancient days Greece, or the superheroes you see today in the movies and comic books. In reality they must be much more than that. Heroes inspire us to be something more than what we normally are. A lot of video games protagonists these days are just a macho roided-out jerks like Kratos or Marcus Fenix with there stereotypical bro mentality, and game companies want us to like this. Yet in some cases—in games– they are some genuine and noble. Much like a 65 year old cowboy that selflessly saved a helpless ranch and inspired a boy to become a man, and here are a few examples of noble heroes in video games.

5. Revan- Knight of the Old Republic

Revan the master of light and dark, a beacon in the force, and one of the most powerful beings to ever have lived in Star Wars, and also one of the most conflicted. Revan was once considered an honorable Jedi, until the Jedi Council betrayed him when they would not join the Galactic Republic and help protect innocent people on defenseless planet during the Madalorian Wars. So Revan defied the council and went to war without their consent. Many other Jedi were inspired by this rebellion and answered Revan’s call to war, and then the Sith were reborn. The war was won; lives were saved. Yet in the wake of this triumph, Revan, his loyal Jedi followers, and the third of the Republic fleet that remained under his direct control ventured into the Unknown Regions and ceased all communications with the known galaxy. Years later he returned with an infinite armada and took on the title Darth Revan. The once great Jedi war hero was not a Jedi anymore, he was the new Dark Lord of the Sith. Conquering the planets he once saved with the veterans of the previous bloody war. He was a traitor or was he? He only went after planet that were deemed unimportant to the Republic defense, and did so with extremely little collateral damage. What kind of conqueror was he? Before he could conquer the galaxy he was betrayed by his former friend and apprentice Darth Malak. The Jedi captured him. He was brainwashed by them to be used as a tool to see how Revan was able to corrupt so many so quickly, also to find out where this immense fleet was coming from. In this he saved the galaxy and found redemption. Revan is a hero who inspires loyalty, and in this sense he can turn simple soldiers into either courageous heroes or ruthless warriors.

4. Cloud Strife-Final Fantasy 7

An Ex-SOLDIER, and an arrogant swordsman at first, Cloud must come to terms with the fact his memories are false and rediscover who he truly is. In a theme that has carried over to many of his other appearances since Final Fantasy VII, Cloud attempts to find redemption from his dark and tortured past. His arch rival Sephiroth, having killed many of Cloud’s friends, is the metaphorical embodiment of Cloud’s dark memories, and the two have done battle several times to finish their conflict.

In the end of it all Cloud conquers his fears and brings justice to his ruthless arch-nemesis Sephiroth.

3. Spider-Man-Spider-Man 2

Did you really expect me to ignore Spidey?

When Spider-Man 2 came out it was the first time, players could actually feel like they were living the life of a superhero rather than acting in a movie. What a difference it makes.

Along the lines of Grand Theft Auto, players could take Spider-Man through a sprawling metropolis, swinging from rooftop to rooftop at their own free will. You could practically go anywhere. It was incredibly liberating and radically fun.

Sure, the fighting mechanics get stale and the missions can be boring at times. But the shift from a point-A-to-point-B playing style, which was so tied to superhero games before, to Spider-Man 2′s wide open world was, when it came out in 2004, groundbreaking. After that superhero games have never been the same!

2. Link-The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Link is the dictionary definition of hero in my book. A child woken up in the forest going about his daily activities, and then he is suddenly thrust into a world of evil and violence. Link is the chosen bearer of the Master Sword, a powerful magical sword which he wields. As a child, he challenges Ganondorf in order to protect Zelda before he inadvertently helps Ganondorf find the Triforce forcing Link to undo the damage he had caused. In the end link of course wins and gets the girl.

1. Gordon Freeman-Half-Life

Freeman is a theoretical physicist (Ph.D. from MIT) who finds himself thrust into a battle for survival against both alien and human forces. Throughout the series, Gordon must prevail in hostile situations despite overwhelming odds, often without backup. A man with relatively no combat experience finds himself beating the odds and saving the world. While all he is doing is just trying to survive the Black Mesa Research Facility. If you want to talk about a Hero I think this guy takes the cake.

5. Lost: Via Domus 2

I can already hear your confusion whilst reading that, but I did just say what you think I did. Lost: Via Domus was a poor game. BUT, imagine after the ending of Lost later this year, a game not bound by an unfinished story, a full voice acting cast, a more open world and a less linear campaign. Lost embodies every great thing you need for a good game, the story, the characters, the enigmas, the morality, the relationships and the weaponplay, and if effort was made, we could see the best movie / TV tie-in game. Now that would be wonderful, wouldn’t it?

4. Bully 2

Grand Theft Auto is a wonderful game series, with the only flaw being that whilst it is fun, we cannot really relate to a drug smuggling, prostitute pimping gangster who goes around bumping people off and being all… criminal. However, replace the crime-ridden city with a school and the drug smuggling with wedgie giving and you’ve found an environment everyone knows and everyone loves. Tongue-in-cheek humour, great gameplay and many fun endeavors left Bully as a much loved game that screams ‘sequel’. Rumours are circulating about just that, and we wholeheartedly agree. If only because we want to experience the school life as we should of, instead of being a real life goody-two-shoes.

3. Dino Crisis 4

If we exclude the woeful Dino Crisis 3 from our memories, the last (decent) Dino Crisis came out for the PlayStation 1. Now, Capcom have shown with Resident Evil 5 just how fantastic they can make a survival / horror game on this generations consoles, and a makeover for Dino Crisis in glorious HD would be a welcome change from the rather lacking alternatives in Turok and Monster Hunter. Resident Evil created a fantastic game with fantasy creatures, but imagine being able to experience being chased by a T-Rex, perhaps without an exploding-head-infested-crawly-typical-Resident Evil-monster-thing thing.

2. KOTOR 3

Yes, I know The Old Republic will be the next installment of the Knights of the Old Republic series, but as a PC MMORPG, it’s not suitable for a fan of the console RPG we’re used to. A new installment for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 would be a fitting move for Bioware / Obsidian who have both had much success with Mass Effect 2 and the much anticipated Fallout: New Vegas. The two biggest RPG developers, arguably one of the best RPG series of all times, and an eager audience waiting for their next fix of Pazaak.

1. Hogs Of War 2

Basically, think of Worms. Now, take away the Worms and add Pigs. Change 2D to 3D and voila, Hogs of War is born! Boasting the much adored Worms gameplay, adding some RPG elements to it (you were able to ‘upgrade’ your pigs to equip with more health, new weapons etc) and an unrivalled amount of humour from Rik Mayall, Infogrames unleashed one of the greatest games of the PlayStation era. HoW2 was slated for an April 2009 release but… well, that date has passed with no release. Even if it was simply a remastered Arcade release with new content, more Hogs would certainly offer the greatest multiplayer experience for all the family.  Take a peek at Hogs of War here.

Imagine, a blank black screen fills up your television set. As you patiently wait for some kind of sign to let you know that the game has indeed started strange noises of early morning announcements for the Black Mesa employees travel from the stereo and to your ears. Onto what was once blackness upon your screen a title emerges, it simply reads, Half-Life.  This was the only thing that was separating you from total immersion into an eerie, strange, and virtual world.

The title disintegrates along with the emptiness of the screen, and appearing is the inside of what seems to be a shuttle to a research facility.  As your avatar transit through locked out security guards, nuclear missile tests, radioactive sludge facilities, and underground caverns he finally arrives at his final destination, the research lab.

As my character exits the transit work shuttle he walks across a cold metal bridge connecting the train to the lab. Guarding the door to the facility are two security men dutifully standing at their posts. “Hey Freeman how’s it going?” one of the guards ask, as I wait reply for over a minute I say to myself in an upset fashion, “This game is freaking broken!” To my surprise the guard responds, “Whoa, whoa, whoa take it easy! What are you talking about Gordon?!”  Thinking that the game has finally responded to its aggravating glitch I speak to myself yet again, “That’s better.” The guard responds and looks almost confused, “I still do not understand what the hell you’re talking about?”

Shockingly I realize that the guard is responding to me and what I am saying to myself. Just to test my theory out I respond to the fictional guard, “Are you talking to me?” “Well who else would I be talking too there is no one else here, except for Joe, and he never talks to anybody,” the guard affirms. Amazed at the technology that has been placed before me I respond with my jaw dropped, “I’m sorry I just don’t know what to say? I’ve just never experienced something like this.” The guard replies, “Something like what?”

Now collecting my thoughts and throwing my sense of awe into the past I acknowledge the guard in a more sensible and astute way, “Never mind what I said. Do you think you can open up the door for me?” The guard, with a confused look about him, replies with a long drawn out response, “Sure did you need anything else?” My reply being, “No thank you,” as I quickly march into the Black Mesa Research Facility, which has been renovated in beautiful HD graphics. I walk up to the counter using my Xbox 360 controller, and the guard informs me of an experiment that requires my attention, and little did I know that this experiment is to start the abnormal and astonishing journey that has been placed before me.

This is the future of gaming, this is Half-Life adapted for the Natal technology.

During CES when Microsoft was presenting Project Natal, and assuring us that this is a technology that hardcore gamers will fall in love with. I couldn’t help but think that, “they may be right.” Think about it for a second how many RPG’s have you played that have restricted you to only 6 sentences, what if you could respond with what you were actually going to say in reality.

Let’s take another example, Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic. Remember when Darth Malak, the ruthless Dark Lord of the Sith, revealed that you were the once his master and former Dark Lord, Darth Revan. What would you have said to Malak? What would you say to your companions? How would you deal with that? The scope of the game rises to infinite possibilities, and immerses us so deep into a fictional universe that I may never want to leave it.

Now I’m not supporting the motion control in any way, shape, or form. I hate wiggling and waggling just as much as the next gamer. What I am supporting about Natal is the highly intelligent Milo concept. In my opinion, Milo is the stepping stone in what can be a revolution in the way we play games.

Contemplate the cinematic possibilities you can have with some of the characters using the Milo concept.

How would you tell your father in Fallout 3, that you blew up Megaton and how would you deal with yourself for blowing up a community who could actually respond to you in an all too real way. How would you feel for a little boy who lost his teddy bear in the Wasteland of D.C. Would you endlessly search the Wastelands looking for it, or would you spend some caps to buy the little tike a new loveable bedtime buddy?

This is the next step of gaming, there is no denying it. Natal gives us a technology that immerses us so deep into a fictional world, which Hollywood can only envy. I for one am looking forward to this Christmas when I let myself spend some money on a technology in which I consider the future of gaming.

-Quinn Sullivan (Soulibon)