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I need something epic, and I need to cry
isaac17
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Alright, basically I've been feeling the rising need for a source of 'epic' entertainment, and it's gotten to the point where it's all I really think about over the last few days. I watched Lord of the Rings 1 tonight, and while that was in the area of what I'm looking for, I've seen it too many times for it to effect me like I want. Basically, I need either a new book, a new game, or a new SOMETHING. I'm really looking to be completely pulled away again, and I really want it to be emotionally captivating (don't call me a pussy, I just like it when a story pulls me in so much that it actually makes me cry).
I just quit my second job that I've been working on weekends, so I have a bunch more time now, and I'm not going to college until september. I'd really like something handheld that I can take everywhere, so I've been shopping around for handheld systems, but none really have that perfect game for me. I think a Final Fantasy that I haven't played might be the answer, but I'm not really sure.
Some things I've been considering:
Final Fantasy IV DS-looks captivating, never played 4 before, not sure how it fits with emotionally captivating.
Final Fantasy III DS-same deal
Golden Sun, possibly?
Read Lord of the Rings again, last time I read it was in the 6th grade, and I didn't understand it all that much.
To sum it up, looking for a captivating and emotional, fantasy-type story, in any form, that I can get sucked into. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
I just quit my second job that I've been working on weekends, so I have a bunch more time now, and I'm not going to college until september. I'd really like something handheld that I can take everywhere, so I've been shopping around for handheld systems, but none really have that perfect game for me. I think a Final Fantasy that I haven't played might be the answer, but I'm not really sure.
Some things I've been considering:
Final Fantasy IV DS-looks captivating, never played 4 before, not sure how it fits with emotionally captivating.
Final Fantasy III DS-same deal
Golden Sun, possibly?
Read Lord of the Rings again, last time I read it was in the 6th grade, and I didn't understand it all that much.
To sum it up, looking for a captivating and emotional, fantasy-type story, in any form, that I can get sucked into. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
isaac17 on
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I've played FFIII for the DS - it's all about level grinding, there's very little story, talking or character development, so you might want to steer clear. I can't say much about FFIV - I played a bit of the original and it seemed more...involved, so if you're set on getting a DS, it could be worth a try.
If you're deciding between DS and PSP, I would suggest PSP for the sort of style you're wanting - a lot of games have voice acting, which can straight away make it more involving.
Alright, that kinda confirms what I've been hearing about III. I played VII, and looked up crisis core earlier today, but it just didn't look like the giant-pull-you-in-world that I really want, though it did look way cool. I couldn't find any RPGs on the PSP that looked like what I'm looking for, but I'm open to suggestions. They seemed to all be strategy or action RPGs. I'm not set on getting a DS per say, I just liked what I was seeing of FF IV, DQ IV, and Chrono Trigger coming soon.
If you're looking for an epic fantasy series to get sucked into, you can't go wrong with A Song of Ice and Fire.
I LOVED a Game of Thrones, but half way into the second book, I couldn't take the graphic sex and violence, and put the book down (just a few months ago, actually).
http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/TY5DML75RJ18
Not sure if you're into anime at all, but if you are you may want to check it out.
Batman Begins
Braveheart
Gladiator
The Patriot
Saving Private Ryan
Lawrence of Arabia
Ben Hur
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Games:
Mass Effect
Oblivion (see mods)
Max Payne series (maybe, depends on taste)
Call of Duty 1, 2, 4 + expansions
Want to cry? Go see WALL-E.
Though truth be told, asking for things that might evoke a strong emotional response is really just setting yourself up to be prepared for it. I saw WALL-E at release with very little information ahead of time, and was woefully unprepared for the reaction I had to it.
Otherwise I'd second all the other opinions here in picking up one of the Bioware/Black Isle RPGs like KotOR or Baldur's Gate II.
It's about a Dutch trade ship with an English captain that gets shipwrecked in Japan. All the men on the ship are taken prisoner, and the ship's captain - along with the weaponry on the ship - ends up being used as leverage by a Daimyo looking to become the next Shogun.
It's long, but it's so engrossing that I was reading 200 pages in a sitting. It's incredibly epic; there's lots of great battles, struggles for power, lots of backstabbing and political intrigue, you'll learn a little bit about Japan, and there's a beautiful love story as well.
Can't recommend it enough to satisfy your craving.
I hate anime and this movie still made me cry.
By Guy Gavriel Kay:
Tigana
The Fionavar Tapestry (a trilogy containing The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, and The Darkest Road)
The Lions of Al-Rassan
By Steven Erikson:
Deadhouse Gates
Memories of Ice
Both authors should give you what you're looking for. Kay writes lyrical, beautifully-crafted fantasy based (with varying degrees of closeness) on historical events. Tigana's setting is very loosely rooted in the Italian city-states of the medieval age; The Lions of Al-Rassan is a retelling of the Reconquista, the great series of battles between the Christians and the Moors in Spain. Most of his books are standalone works, with the exception of The Fionavar Tapestry and The Sarantine Mosaic, but several of them are set in the same semi-historical world, and you can catch some little references between them. Kay actually helped to edit The Silmarillion by Tolkien, which most people seem to have forgotten.
Erikson, on the other hand, is more traditional fantasy. He has incredible world-building powers - most fantasy stories are rooted in the shallow present, with the occasional reference to some epic event a thousand years ago, but the history of Erikson world goes back hundreds of thousands of years, and it's all relevant. It is as epic as Gilgamesh, Achilles, King Arthur, and El Cid fighting each other in the Thunderdome to decide the fate of the free world. The only downside is, his books are a series, and the first book in the series - Gardens of the Moon - can be pretty tough to get through for some readers. It was written about ten years before he started on the other books, so his writing style isn't quite as solid. And he pretty much just drops you into the world and lets you figure things out for yourself, which is tricky to do when you're immediately faced with a cast of about 100 characters, including mortals of various species, ancient tyrants, gods, ascendants, and Kruppe.
'tis epic.
300. Ignore the brutal, stylized action (though it is a lot of fun), and focus on the story. The ending really hit me, and in my mind, the word epic really comes to mind.
And also the Half Life series. You don't have to play 1, but HL2+Episodes 1 and 2 are pretty intense. The end of episode 2 is a really emotional experience, as far as games go.
Might not be your thing (I'm a big fantasy fan too, was surprised I loved this as much as I did), but give it a bit of a read to see if it catches you.
If you don't feel like unloading tons of bucks for the game, you can actually find a word format of it online - it pieces the story of the game, which is undeniably the best part, together with great fluidity and makes a great, emotional read.
I'll also second George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones and it's sequels. Excellent books.
Edit : Ahh ty TC
Also I highly suggest reading The Silmarilion if you are into LoTR. Its pretty much like The Bible but way cooler deities.
Actually there is a widesreen mod I believe.
Shamus speaks the truth. At least, he speaks the truth about Hero. I thought 300 was garbage, but I'm well aware I'm close to alone in that opinion.
This. This is a great series of books, guaranteed to suck you in. I'm gonna have to dig mine out and read it again.
Master and Commander- The sea voyage movie is epppppppppiccccccccccc
Definitely epic, and The Dark Tower is probably the only book that has evoked such a strong emotion from me that I simply could not continue reading it (for about a week, I mean, I finished it, but goddamn.)
It was published only a few years ago, but it is composed wholly of Tolkien's assembled notes, and it is an incredibly epic tragedy. The language, etc, may be a bit much (much thicker and old english-y than lord of the rings) but it is definitely worth a read.
the maturity and epicness in Tolkien's work goes
The Hobbit --> LotR --> Silmarillion/Children of Hurin
Children of Hurin shares a lot of material with both the Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales, but I'd definitely recommend CoH first. It's the most polished and novel-ly.
I cannot lime this enough. All of the Kay books are excellent, and these are great ones to start with. Even though I've read them all many times, they still get to me - and my husband re-reads The Lions of Al-Rassan about once a year (it's his all-time favorite book). Kay's style of writing is so incredible that I just wish I could eat it or make love to it, or something.