Video Game Heroes

(Going for some pity here. I spent four hours working on this Thursday, and was just about done but had to go to school, so I could not save and and then my computer was shut off by my step-dad. Then, Friday, I spent five hours doing everything again, and then before I could save it, my internet stopped working and I lost everything. AGAIN. So, what you are now reading is the third time I've done this project.

Video game heroes. We see them all the time. It used to be just the basic heroes who were trying to save a girl, but now heroes in games have developed into real characters with tons of depth, leading to a better gaming experience. When I think of video game heroes, I immediately think of Snake from Metal Gear Solid, Tidus and Auron from Final Fantasy X, and Sora from Kingdom Hearts I and II.

Note - There will be spoilers for the following games:

Note 2 - I cannot provide a full summary for all these games, because it would be hundreds of pages long, but I will try to provide some back story for the following games:

• Metal Gear Solid 1


• Final Fantasy X


• Kingdom Hearts I-II
  

Metal Gear Solid:

Metal Gear Solid is a stealth action game directed by Hideo Kojima. The story of Metal Gear Solid follows Solid Snake, a retired soldier who infiltrates a nuclear weapons disposal facility to neutralize the terrorist threat from FOXHOUND, a renegade special forces unit. Snake must liberate two hostages, the head of DARPA and the president of a major arms manufacturer, confront the terrorists, and stop them from launching a nuclear strike. The series/game is famous for its exploration of the nature of politics, warfare, censorship, genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, loyalty, reality, subjective vs. universal "truths" and other philosophical themes.

Metal Gear solid Snake tribute [Hero]

Throughout the video, you can see the ways in which Snake is a hero. He defeats Liquid (the bad guy), saves the DARPA cheif, destroys the helicopter with a bad guy in it, etc.

Solid Snake: It's easy to forget what a sin is in the middle of a battlefield.

Even though some may view Snake as just a normal soldier, he knows the difference between right and wrong, even though it may be hard to differentiate.

Sniper Wolf: I finally understand. I wasn't waiting to kill people, I was waiting for someone to kill me. A man like you. You're a hero.

As she said, Snake's a hero. He mercy killed her even though she attempted to kill Meryl (the girl) and Snake himself, out of his own good will.

Solid Snake: A strong man doesn't need to read the future, he makes his own.

Snake knows that he is strong and powerful enough to create his own future, through his own actions.

Final Fantasy X:
For this game, I will be analyzing two heroes: Auron (who incidentally is shown in my profile picture) and Tidus (even though he is typically a whiny crybaby). Final Fantasy X is basically the story of the never-ending quest to defeat Sin, and Tidus' quest to go "home" to Zanarkand, which he was taken from. The group that goes after Sin is composed of the following: Yuna, Lulu, Tidus, Auron, Wakka, Kimahri, and lastly Rikku.

Auron telling Tidus about Sin

(Go to 1:50 for the part I will be discussing) (Warning: Tidus is a huge whiny crybaby for this part) Auron finally tells the truth to Tidus, and in doing so reveals that he has followed a promise to Jecht (Tidus's Dad) all this time. Tidus also finally realizes what he must do, becoming more heroic in the process.


"Outside the dream world, life can be harsh--even cruel, but it is life." -Auron

Auron knows that life can be terrible and horrible, but it must be faced, because it is all we have. This idea shows heroism in Auron.

"This is my story. It'll go the way I want, or I'll end it here." -Tidus


Tidus, still kind of a crybaby, can stand up to what others say and determines his own fate, which many view as a heroic quality.


"Now! This is it! Now is the time to choose! Die and be free of pain or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands!" -Auron


Auron, even though he expects certain things to happen, allows others to choose their own path and story in life. This is a noble trait for people to have.

Sin

Sin is the monster of Final Fantasy X, an ever-present threat that (initially seems to) represents the evil that people commit. Everyone 10 years, people sacrifice someone to kill it, and every 10 years, it returns (at least, until the end of the game).

Kingdom Hearts I and II:

Kingdom Hearts I:

Kingdom Hearts is an interesting combination of Final Fantasy and Disney. The game stars Sora as the hero, trying to save the world from the heartless and trying to find Kairi his friend/girlfriend.

Kingdom Hearts II:

Basically the same, but in addition to fighting the heartless, he also has to fight the nobodies.

Sora's Sacrifice (Kingdom Hearts I)

Sora is such a hero that he unlocked his own heart (using the keyblade) to bring back Kairi, knowing what would happen if he did (by the way, he didn't actually die).



Sora Finds Kairi and Riku



After looking for Kairi and Riku for all these years Sora finally finds them, going through many hardships just so they could be together again. Overall, he is a huge hero, because he could just have left them on their own.


The World That Never Was and Kingdom Hearts (Kingdom Hearts II)

Though the picture may not seem significant, this is where the final battle against Xemnas is held. Sora could have left when Xemnas tried to enter Kingdom Hearts (the giant heart in the sky), but he strives and chased after him into Kingdom Hearts, yet again saving the world and being a hero.

Overall, heroes can be divided into a few categories. There are some heroes that feel they are not a hero at all (ex: Snake), and there are some heroes who are forced into it (Sora gets the keyblade because he is chosen, and same with Tidus). Also, of course, there are heroes by choice, like Mario. In conclusion, there are tons of heroes to be found in video games, all very different with many different stories leading to, typically, a good ending.