Spoiler Alert: plot spoilers for Grand Theft Auto IV, Metal Gear Solid 4, and Lost Odyssey ahead



Last year I played many of the games that were released, a strange number of which dealt with the themes of marriage and death. Weddings and funerals are events normally reserved for movie endings to wrap everything up neatly, to show who lives or dies, and who lives happily ever after. Some games used these ceremonies like their movie counter-parts, but others utilized the medium to twist the player's heartstrings even more.

Lost Odyssey

Nostalgia: the Pain of Returning Home
Playing as Kaim the immortal was an intriguing opportunity. He was immediately an unreliable narrator due to his lack of memories, and unlike most plucky RPG protagonists, he was apathetic to the world surrounding him. Rarely speaking more than a few syllables, he felt that he'd rather forget the past than regain his painful thousand years of memories. One recurring memory shakes him from his sleep often during the beginning stages of his journey: the memory of a young girl (possibly his daughter) stepping back off of a cliff to her death with him unable to save her.

It's understandable for Kaim to be upset at the loss of his child, and the few tears he sheds are more likely shed at the pain of remembering anything at all, so we forgive these outbursts when no one is around. He is still stoic in front of the others, not opening up, not giving a damn. When the party encounters two children being bully by armed guards, naturally the opportunity arises to kick some tail and save the little kids. They've been gathering flowers for their sick mother, and take the group back to their little cottage.

It is here that Kaim is reunited with his daughter, Lirum, as she passes away in front of him once more. The sight of his daughter shatters that barrier Kaim his lifted, and all his emotions come pouring back; the two children, now motherless, are Kaim's grandchildren. Kaim, who until this point has been devoid of emotion, is bawling his eyes out, the two grandchildren and the mother are too, and it is this moment that Kaim becomes an actual character.

Lirum's funeral changes the pace of the game drastically. Before Lirum, the gang was escaping prison by the skin of their teeth, fighting giant worm monsters, and Kaim was the sole survivor of an outright war. The death of Lirum and consequent funeral slows everything to an almost depressing crawl, forcing the player to play as Cooke and Mack (the kids) to gather wood for the pyre and flowers to go around their mother's head. After everything is arranged, the ceremony begins. Mack uses his torch to make the necessary signals to send his mother on her way peacefully and then ignites the ribbon that binds her to this world. Seeing her body float away from the children, I could feel their loss.

Hey kids, wanna see some MAGIC?
On the opposite end of the scale, there's Jansen. I loved Jansen's character; he mutters under his breath, he boozes it up too much, he's a womanizer, a mortal, and if he couldn't use magic, a nothing. His introduction to Queen Ming, his future bride, is to kidnap here and attempt to rape her. Stockholm syndrome plays a large part in several of the weddings in video games, as you'll see in another example.

Jansen casts a sleep spell on a woman and brings her to an abandoned basement where he wants some alone time and her repayment is an eventual marriage. Why, you ask? Because she was faking it. That's right, she faked being asleep to 'test him'. Ming is a powerful cleavage, um sorceress and an immortal to boot. I suppose a marriage to a guy like Jansen to her is like going through a bad boy phase (she's going to outlive him anyway). In any event, the game caps off with a happy little ceremony where the remaining heroes attend Jansen's wedding, much like a movie.

Grand Theft Auto IV

The Unfortunate McReary's
On my play through of Grand Theft Auto IV, I grew attached to the McReary family. At the start they consisted of Frankie, Gerry, Derrick, Packie, Kate, and their Ma. When I finally finished the game, I just had a voicemail from Packie telling me he was all his Ma had left. In my game, Derrick lived as a homeless druggie who disappeared from sight later on, Frankie bit the dust by my hand, Gerry rotted in prison for a long time, and Kate was gunned down because of my decisions.

Choices. That's what sandbox gaming is all about, and it effects even the big things. Gerry was going away for life anyway, nothing I could do to save him. Derrick and Frankie both approached me to put a hit on the other one. Derrick was a nobody, a bum. Frankie was the cock of the walk, a real scumbag and a cop. No one would miss Derrick, but I'd know he was gone. Frankie could pull favors with the boys in blue, but he was a real prick. When I made my choice and pulled the trigger, Francis McReary died on the spot.

A funeral service was held in his honor at a large church downtown. If i had taken out Derrick, it would have been one of the rundown local churches, not a big cathedral like this. Everyone was caught up in the 'tragedy', not knowing his brother called the hit, or that I was the one that did it. Packie sounded mad and wanted revenge, and I bit my tongue, no sense losing another McReary. I even drove the hearse that bore his coffin to the site of his grave.

Kiss Me, Kate
During my dealings with the McReary clan, I met Kate. She was a very traditional Irish Catholic, and no amount of "I respect you" was going to let me into her house at the end of a date. I'd taken her out bowling, but she was more at home shooting pool and grabbing a few brews. When she was drunk she had a mouth like a sailor, and I loved it.

Packie kept a close eye on her as any protective brother should. He liked me, but if I disrespected his sis, that would be the end right there. Every other girl I dated in the game at this point was tough to impress, but say the right thing and you were having the night of your life that night. Kate was different. That tough to get attitude made me want to date her even more. Things were getting kind of serious when Roman called to tell me that he proposed to his girlfriend, and she said yes. Naturally, I would go to his wedding, and even bring Kate as my date. Who knows, maybe having an open bar would be the perfect thing to take the relationship to the next level...

I was faced with a dilemma: choose revenge, or choose to wuss out and settle things. Roman felt strongly one way, Kate the other. Not wanting to ruin this chance, I sided with Kate. On the day of the wedding, I show up at her house in my nice tux and stolen taxi cab. Things go well, Roman and Mallorie kiss, everyone is happy. That's when my jaw hit the floor. As we're piling out of the church, Pegorino and his men drive by, gunning down Kate. The rest of the game is a blind rage that only a man with intense blueballs can accomplish.

The alternate ending is just as bad, if not worse. If you side with your brother, Roman gets gunned down on his wedding day. For me, the first way left me so empty at the endgame. The McReary family was decimated just by my involvement alone. Packie no longer wanted to hang out, and the despair in his voicemail left me feeling the guilt for it.

Metal Gear Solid

Rookie Eyes
What can I say about Meryl and Johnny aside from "!". When the two first met, Johnny Sasaki was Meryl's prison guard after the FoxHound revolt on Shadow Moses. He was sick, thought "that woman is built all right", and constantly had to use the bathroom. She was the Colonel's niece, liked to strip while doing her workout routine, and couldn't hide her butt swagger from a war vet like Solid Snake. After refusing to "shut up in there, will ya?" Meryl stripped Johnny completely naked, stole his uniform and advertised her codec number to anyone willing to shell out the cash for the game case (or google it). Johnny meets up with her again under different circumstances, but still can't keep from crapping his pants as much as a chimp. This is apparently a good quality, as it makes him less predictable than the troops who've been injected with nanomachines.

Regardless, the two have a long history, and if Meryl's not aiming her sights on Snake after his premature aging kicked in, then Akiba it is. As goofy and fun and happy as this coupling is, it is always a counterpoint to Snake's suffering and unhappiness. The only reason the two can get married in the first place is because in Metal Gear Solid, Snake didn't give in to Ocelot's torture. Snake endured torment to give Meryl the chance to be happy and live. When Johnny/Meryl propose, it is juxtaposed to the scene of Snake crawling through the microwave chamber. Finally, when they tie the knot, Snake is on his knees with a gun in his mouth.

The wedding is bittersweet. Meryl and Campbell are reunited amicably, as it turns out he is not in fact a creep. The crew of Rat Patrol 01, the Colonel, Hal, everyone is there enjoying themselves, but Otacon isn't taking Snake's absence well. His line about Snake having a hard life still gets me a little choked up.

Funeral for a Friend
The entire game of Metal Gear Solid 4 was Solid Snake's funeral. We first encounter him in the graveyard he ends the game in. He sacrifices himself wholly so that others are happy even when he's miserable. Snake tries to ensure that he's senile enough that no one will miss him, yet everyone still would. His actions are his eulogy, and the gun in his mouth seemed to be his interment. Even if he succeeded, Hal would stand by his grave, much like he stood by the Boss'.

Throughout the game, the wear and tear of the world begins to show on his face and hands. He is dying, and the world is killing him. We knew it's his final mission, but when he accomplishes it, there is no longer the option of a hero's death. He is forlorn and purposeless. Snake can't fit in with the crowd at the runway celebrating a new start to life. He is bred for war, and deserves respite. After playing through all his missions and making it to this point, I am glad he was spared. I'd rather see him live out his life as David then die as Snake.

Solid Snake, I salute you and your bravery. The torture you endured against the Geneva Convention, the fratricide and patricide you perpetrated were all torments you faced for our safety and freedom. Rest well, old friend.