Social Smash 4 Social Topic 2.0

[Deleted member]

Though part of what makes Conker and Madoka so dark is because they're (obviously) presented as rather cutesy and kiddie until someone gets their intestines torn out. I assume if they weren't presented in such a way then the disturbing value would be lost a bit.

Exactly. Shadow the Hedgehog on the other hand, is presented in a cutesy and kiddie way the entire game

false advertising is the best kind of disturbing

 

[Kenith]

Though part of what makes Conker and Madoka so dark is because they're (obviously) presented as rather cutesy and kiddie until someone gets their intestines torn out. I assume if they weren't presented in such a way then the disturbing value would be lost a bit.

I love that sort of stuff. It is really effective if it is done right.
Another, more subtle example is Bioshock Infinite. When you first enter Columbia, you are taken through a beautiful city in the sky, however, there is a distinct undertone of horrible racism in this community, and eventually you end up sawing a guy's face off with a fan.

 

[Admiral Pit]

Even Sonic Adventure 2 can be darker than Shadow the Hedgehog, ironically enough.

Anyway, some stuff darker than Shadow the Hedgehog:
- Any survival horror video game series done right
- Soul Eater (especially the manga, though I'd say it's more on the realm of freaky and surreal than actually dark)
- Fullmetal Alchemist
- Death Note
- Attack on Titan (or really, any minimally well done post-apocalyptic story)
- Fire Emblem series (some parts, mainly those that portray war in a more realistic light. The Future Past DLC of Awakening can qualify too.)

I say honorable mention to Kid Icarus Uprising...

Spoiler

For the first Reset Bomb killing god knows how many humans

And I thank all who wished me a Happy Birthday. I appreciate it lots. >_<

 

[Substitution]

Which would have been fine if they knew they were making a terrible game. Like Sharknado.
But they made the game the way it was unironically, so everyone hates it.

That's the thing. Maybe if it did take a few more jabs at the dark and edgy media maybe it would've sold a lot more.
But nope, they had to appeal to the Linkin Park loving rebellious 12 year olds.

 

[Deleted member]

I love that sort of stuff. It is really effective if it is done right.
Another, more subtle example is Bioshock Infinite. When you first enter Columbia, you are taken through a beautiful city in the sky, however, there is a distinct undertone of horrible racism in this community, and eventually you end up sawing a guy's face off with a fan.

It can definitely be effective, and Madoka and Conker are just two instances of it being done right (though Conker can be endearing at times until it hits you with a pretty harsh downer ending.)
Then on the other side you've got Happy Tree Friends, which when boiled down to it's essence is essentially mindless gore juxtaposed over cute animals, so it loses that value quite quickly because that's really all it is.

 

[Gunla]

Any opinions on Under Night In-Birth?

I haven't played it in a while (so no idea if they patched this out yet), but timer scams are still fresh in my mind.

Other than Walden-Tager, I've gotten to play the game a bit and I do think it's pretty good.

 

[TewnLeenk]

Shadow the Hedgehog is "dark" if you're a prepubescent 11 year old.

You know what's darker? Earthbound. Seriously, there's so many little things in that game that are disturbingly eery.

 

[Frostwraith]

Though part of what makes Conker and Madoka so dark is because they're (obviously) presented as rather cutesy and kiddie until someone gets their intestines torn out. I assume if they weren't presented in such a way then the disturbing value would be lost a bit.

I'd say that pretty much applies to any serious animated series/movie (anime included) when you consider how there are people who (wrongly) associate animated media as kids' stuff.

Many anime series start rather tame and/or comical, but get more disturbing and serious as the story progresses which may catch people off-guard.

I say honorable mention to Kid Icarus Uprising...

Spoiler

For the first Reset Bomb killing god knows how many humans

The Chaos Kin arc too. Mind that the story thus far had been mostly under a comical tone, with characters being parodied versions of common character archetypes and comedic jabs at common storytelling and video game tropes and clichés.

 

[Gunla]

Many anime series start rather tame and/or comical, but get more disturbing and serious as the story progresses which may catch people off-guard.

I've had many an experience where I've been shown anime by friends, without having a clue what it was about until then...

 

[JamesDNaux]

Did someone seriously say that Shadow the freakin' Hedgehog was more recognizable than Pennywise?


Steven King best slap a shmoe. Oh wait, CliffJumper, carry on.



Also, Conker is just depressing for me, though that's because of Rare being dead and whatnot. None of their beloved characters will ever be in Smash... Conker is just such a masterpiece of a game, because it somehow pulls together childish adult humor like an opera singing pile of feces, various pop culture references, and then hits you with a serious ending that makes you think about life.

Plus the game looks so good, you'd think it were an early GameCube title. Chris Seavor is amazing, man.

 

[Deleted member]

Shadow the Hedgehog is "dark" if you're a prepubescent 11 year old.

You know what's darker? Earthbound. Seriously, there's so many little things in that game that are disturbingly eery.

You know what's darker than EarthBound? The entire MOTHER series.

 

[Kenith]

It can definitely be effective, and Madoka and Conker are just two instances of it being done right (though Conker can be endearing at times until it hits you with a pretty harsh downer ending.)
Then on the other side you've got Happy Tree Friends, which when boiled down to it's essence is essentially mindless gore juxtaposed over cute animals, so it loses that value quite quickly because that's really all it is.

Oh yeah, Happy Tree Friends is pure garbage.
I had a friend who used to love that show. I never understood why, because even at face value it is pretty pointless.

 

[Substitution]

Then on the other side you've got Happy Tree Friends, which when boiled down to it's essence is essentially mindless gore juxtaposed over cute animals, so it loses it's value quite quickly because that's really all it is.

But then again, that's the joke. The idea of having very soft and friendly cartoon then thrown in with violence and gore really shows just how bad modern media has gotten. To the point where franchises such as and CoD, a game meant for the 17+ plus crowd, are a kid's game now.

Then again, I never cared for it anyways. So...

 

[Smooth Criminal]

You know what's darker than EarthBound? The entire MOTHER series.

Mother 3 takes the cake, IMO. Lotsa dark implications there, especially with the Pig Army and the dystopian world the game is set in.

Smooth Criminal

 

[JamesDNaux]

Oh yeah, Happy Tree Friends is pure garbage.
I had a friend who used to love that show. I never understood why, because even at face value it is pretty pointless.

I saw the one with the lolipop and the eyeball and the tree... and the brain...


God that was disturbing.

 

[FlareHabanero]

I haven't played it in a while (so no idea if they patched this out yet), but timer scams are still fresh in my mind.

Other than Walden-Tager, I've gotten to play the game a bit and I do think it's pretty good.

Yeah, I've actually heard some rather brutal stuff from Waldstein. Like one of the rare times "the big guy"/grappler is a top tier character.

Also, I believe the timer scams (at least that one) are still in as of the latest version.

 

[Substitution]

Don't forget Yume Nikki and is slideshows of strange.

 

[Kenith]

I saw the one with the lolipop and the eyeball and the tree... and the brain...
God that was disturbing.

You mean any of them?

 

[Deleted member]

But then again, that's the joke. The idea of having very soft and friendly cartoon then thrown in with violence and gore really shows just how bad modern media has gotten. To the point where franchises such as and CoD, a game meant for the 17+ plus crowd, are a kid's game now.

Then again, I never cared for it anyways. So...

But again, when done well (such as Madoka or the entire MOTHER series) it can be incredibly effective. I honestly think HTF is simply shock value for the sake of shock value and nothing more than that.

 

[Frostwraith]

I've had many an experience where I've been shown anime by friends, without having a clue what it was about until then...

Are you being sarcastic? I can't tell, because you sound serious, but have a rolling eyes emoticon...

Oh yeah, Happy Tree Friends is pure garbage.
I had a friend who used to love that show. I never understood why, because even at face value it is pretty pointless.

Just like Shadow the Hedgehog, Happy Tree Friends is just trying too hard.

But I think in HTF, the gore is meant to be comical (black comedy), but it gets repetitive too fast.

 

[Substitution]

But again, when done well (such as Madoka or the entire MOTHER series) it can be incredibly effective. I honestly think HTF is simply shock value for the sake of shock value and nothing more than that.

I guess, that's just how I always saw it. Maybe I'm just looking into it too much, this is the Internet after all.

 

[Kenith]

You know what's darker than EarthBound? The entire MOTHER series.

I know that Mother 3 is particularly depressing.

 

[Gunla]

Also, I believe the timer scams (at least that one) are still in as of version 2.03 of Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late.

I see. French Bread has talked about how an upcoming update will likely remove that infinite. (This is why I really like Skullgirls and their revamped version of the Infinite prevention system instead of nullify damage and timer scams).

Are you being sarcastic? I can't tell, because you sound serious, but have a rolling eyes emoticon...

I'm being dead serious. I've been fooled into watching a lot of weird anime and such that I really, really do not like... one in particular that I never heard about before and I regret listening to that friend about it completely...

 

[Frostwraith]

I'm being dead serious. I've been fooled into watching a lot of weird anime and such that I really, really do not like... one in particular that I never heard about before and I regret listening to that friend about it completely...

My misunderstanding, it seems.

But yeah, there's some really weird **** out there.

And lol at this entire discussion because someone stated Shadow the Hedgehog was dark... when it really isn't.

 

[Deleted member]

And lol at this entire discussion because someone stated Shadow the Hedgehog was dark... when it's not.

Such is the way of the social thread.

 

[Deleted member]

My misunderstanding, it seems.

But yeah, there's some really weird **** out there.

And lol at this entire discussion because someone stated Shadow the Hedgehog was dark... when it really isn't.

The only thing dark in that game is the protagonist! Literally!
*rimshot*

 

[Deleted member]

The only thing dark in that game is the protagonist! Literally!
*rimshot*

I was waiting for that joke.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

The only thing dark in that game is the protagonist! Literally!
*rimshot*

And the antagonist, Black Doom! Can't forget him!

Oh wait everyone did because he sucked

 

[FalKoopa]

I see the topic is about... Darkness.

I tend to avoid that kind of stuff unless the material is really good, like Madoka or the Mother series.

By the way, is Earthbound really dark? I know Mother 3 is... but Earthbound's wackiness undermines that.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

I see the topic is about... Darkness.

I tend to avoid that kind of stuff unless the material is really good, like Madoka or the Mother series.

By the way, is Earthbound really dark? I know Mother 3 is... but Earthbound's wackiness undermines that.

In my opinion, I think Earthbound has dark undertones in certain areas and elements, but they're WAY more subdued than Mother 3.

 

[Frostwraith]

I see the topic is about... Darkness.

I tend to avoid that kind of stuff unless the material is really good, like Madoka or the Mother series.

By the way, is Earthbound really dark? I know Mother 3 is... but Earthbound's wackiness undermines that.

I haven't played EarthBound, but I know about the final boss.

That thing is some of the freakiest things I've ever witnessed in my life.

And, of course, is darker than the entirety of Shadow the Hedgehog.

 

[Substitution]

By the way, is Earthbound really dark? I know Mother 3 is... but Earthbound's wackiness undermines that.

It is. It's basically weird with a disturbing undertone that grow and grows...

 

[Kenith]

And the antagonist, Black Doom! Can't forget him!
Oh wait everyone did because he sucked

Black Doom was my favorite part of the game, actually...
He's voiced by Goku.

 

[Gunla]

I see the topic is about... Darkness.

I tend to avoid that kind of stuff unless the material is really good, like Madoka or the Mother series.

By the way, is Earthbound really dark? I know Mother 3 is... but Earthbound's wackiness undermines that.

Earthbound isn't really overtly dark, it's just a game with themes that are a little more mature in general/are a little more serious. (Excluding the Final Boss, however.)

Mother 3 is dark because of what happens is very emotionally charged and meant to inflict emotions that are hard to grasp for younger players and is a very serious game dealing with serious issues in a non-light hearted manner as Mother 2 does sometimes.

(On another note, sometimes I call Mother 1 Spacebound and Mother 3 Homebound. It's my own personal little titles with what happens with the game, but they're a bit spoiler-heavy.)

 

[Substitution]

Black Doom was my favorite part of the game, actually...
He's voiced by Goku.

Ironically enough, he's also playing Lucario in SSB4.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

Black Doom was my favorite part of the game, actually...
He's voiced by Goku.

Doesn't mean he was a good villain.

 

[JamesDNaux]

Luigi's Mansion is a very dark game.



But then you turn the lights on.

 

[Substitution]

Luigi's Mansion is a very dark game.



But then you turn the lights on.

But then they turn off, in the next room!

 

[Kenith]

Doesn't mean he was a good villain.

Ironically enough, he's also playing Lucario in SSB4.

How is it ironic?

Luigi's Mansion is a very dark game.
But then you turn the lights on.

Luigi's Mansion is actually sort of creepy.
I couldn't beat it when I was a kid.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

Luigi's Mansion is a very dark game.



But then you turn the lights on.

Well, to be fair, you are catching the ghosts of what I can assume to be at least mostly what could be a deceased family to turn their souls back into paintings.

2spooky4me