*Potential Spoilers*

I have 2 games in my mind that made the nuking emotional. The excellent strategy game world in conflict and the near-perfect shooter Call of Duty 4.
These games share one thing in common, both had a striking scene were a nuke is detonated. But they are both very different in the way it's done, so I ask you this. What game pulled this of in the best or most emotional way.

As I mentioned both of these games strove for different things when creating those scenes. WiC had the emotional part were a main character who you've learned to know and are probably caring somewhat about, sacrificing himself and his tank platoon to save his friends and country, and take the damned Sovies with him.

Cod4 on the other hand strove for the chock effect, You've just saved the crashed pilot and are making your escape, then the unexpected happened. The nuke (Against all videogame standards) actually goes off and takes you with it. Usually when this happens in videogames the player useally survives but not this time, you get to play the last breaths of a dying soldier in a "Beautiful" nuclear aftermath.

For me the winner is world in conflict because I actually cared about that guy, who both had a name and well explained personality/character. It's pretty hard to care about Mr.faceless even if the bomb looks awesome.

What's your opinion? If you've only played Cod4 (or vice versa) please take a look at these links before you decide. Although some back story is needed to get the effect that WiC gave, but if you haven't played this game yet. What the HELL? are you waiting for?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFiIY0PdsMA&feature=related WiC, nuke cutscene.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2S3N0uSSho Seriously, who haven't played this game?

I'd prefer World in Conflict's nuke scene, since, after the character and their battalion sacrifices themselves, you learn a lot more about the dead character, and chances are, if you hated them when they died, you'll feel a little guilt afterwards.

I'ma go with CoD's nuke, partly because I've never played World in Conflict, and partly because it was just such an epic scene.

CoD4, first person games have way more emotional atachment for me. Who cares about peons doomed to die due to your orders anyhow? Plus WiC's nukes are lame. This little "Beewwwww" sound and a mushroom cloud and its a nuke.

Also, Bannon is an ass, I was happy to see him die.

lol cod coz it halarious
especilly the bit after the nuke dets and the soldier is dying slowly (kinda gross)lol

I haven't played either (yes, I know I'm a douchebag) and I gotta say that the WiC vid was better than the CoD one because you could see as the scenery was getting completely destroyed by this massive bomb and nothing was left, while in CoD you see this explosion and see this guy fall out of a helicopter, which I'm guessing is some kind of guilt trick (even though we don't know them). Also, the WiC vid had better graphics on the explosion.

I'm going to go with the World in Conflict one. You'd grown to love/hate the various characters in the game and there was a sense of sacrifice and humanity to that scene.

The COD4 nuke was an excellent plot twist, a little reminiscent of the opening scene where you 'play' as the man on the way to his execution, but both pretty and horrifying at the same time. It had a much different tone to the WiC cutscene, plus the shock factor too, but fell down on being as emotionally involving.

DaCoMANder:
lol cod coz it halarious
especilly the bit after the nuke dets and the soldier is dying slowly (kinda gross)lol

There is something we like to use here at the Escapist, it's called grammar.

OT: I've only seen Call of Duty 4's scene, but from your description I would have to say World in Conflict.

Slayer_2:
Also, Bannon is an ass, I was happy to see him die.

You were not alone thinking that, and thats why some people were stricken by that nuke scene even more. It's hard to be mad at someone who does that.

What I'm saying is that Bannon makes his mistakes and learns from them, he develops. By the time the nuke drops, you've probably come to like him a little more than earlier in the game. That scene is also strong enough to give a feeling of guilt if you still hated him when it blew.

what bout mass effect where you leave that person to die in a nuke blast on that planet

Praelanthor:
what bout mass effect where you leave that person to die in a nuke blast on that planet

There was a sce..... Oh yeah that one. Well I don't really think it showed the level of destruction these games did. I can't even remember it properly, while both of these games are still clear in my head.

Blowing up Megaton in Fallout 3?

I was genuinely moved by Call of Duty 4s post nuke scene.

As i stumbled around, looking about the place in awe, almost expecting to be saved somehow. And as i died, i couldn't believe what was happening.

I loved the post-nuke scene in CoD 4. To quote Yahtzee "It was an unflinching and effective statement that cheered me up immensely, and not just because I hate my fellow man. It was the turning point that shifted Call of Duty 4 in my eyes from above average gun wank to actually pretty excellent gun wank." I heartily agree.

scnj:
Blowing up Megaton in Fallout 3?

Megaton's explosion was cool looking, but when you look at the aftermath, all you see is a crater (as well as Moira). It's not as though you were actually in the explosion seeing what it was like.

cthulhu257:

scnj:
Blowing up Megaton in Fallout 3?

Megaton's explosion was cool looking, but when you look at the aftermath, all you see is a crater (as well as Moira). It's not as though you were actually in the explosion seeing what it was like.

Besides, What I asked for were emotional nukes, not awesome ones. But I guess they go hand in hand anyways.
But the Fallout 3s nuke were awesome, just not awesome enough.

I liked CoD's. I'm a bit biased since I haven't played WiC, but I prefer the tone of CoD's nuke, plus I thought I could make it for a little bit, only to die by the see-saw =(.

I don't like the nuke scene in WiC because straight after the explosion "VICTORY" comes up on the screen straight away. That isn't really a victory, it's more of a tradgedy and you don't really have any time to reflect on what just happened. CoD4 never labels the Nuke scene as a victory and it gives you a brief moment to absorb what just happened.

CoD 4's.

I can't think of any film, game or even book I've read that presents a Nuclear bomb quite like that.

Although I was thinking Call of Duty 4, in retrospect I'd have to go with World in Conflict. The fact you've been hating Bannon for pretty much half the game sets it up as completely unexpected and sort of makes you feel bad as well. The second half of the game fills in his background, painting him almost as a tragic figure who had nothing to lose, and thus sacrificed himself. Call of Duty 4's nuke is no doubt visceral and upfront, but it's the aftermath of that scene that stands out more clearly for me. So I'll have to go for World in Conflict, but Call of Duty 4 has a better post-nuke atmosphere.

CoD 4 cos thats the only one i have played...and for an additional one when you decide to take the moral low ground and blow up megaton in fallout 3 for giggles.

and money

Rise of Nations.

Or possibly Red Alert.

nikomas1:

cthulhu257:

scnj:
Blowing up Megaton in Fallout 3?

Megaton's explosion was cool looking, but when you look at the aftermath, all you see is a crater (as well as Moira). It's not as though you were actually in the explosion seeing what it was like.

Besides, What I asked for were emotional nukes, not awesome ones. But I guess they go hand in hand anyways.
But the Fallout 3s nuke were awesome, just not awesome enough.

Megaton's could be emotional. Depends on how far into the game you've played and whether you care about the townspeople or not.

I found the COD4 Nuke scene alot more moving.

I think viewing it through the eyes of a person made it more effective than the WiC scene.

I'd say that's hard, considering how many people don't ever think of actual nuclear strikes.

I enjoy CoD's more, mostly because I haven't played WiC.

I play neither, but The COD one is more scarier, partly because of the better graphics, but mainly cuase its not a cutsence, its still gameplay and you would expect this thing to be in a cutsence

You were not alone thinking that, and thats why some people were stricken by that nuke scene even more. It's hard to be mad at someone who does that.

What I'm saying is that Bannon makes his mistakes and learns from them, he develops. By the time the nuke drops, you've probably come to like him a little more than earlier in the game. That scene is also strong enough to give a feeling of guilt if you still hated him when it blew.

Hmmm maybe, but he's just a video-game character, and an RTS one at that. I rarely feel emotional about video-game characters deaths, even in FPS games, excpet maybe Medic Anderson from Quake 4, why do the nice guys always die and not the assholes? Excepting WiC, but that is an RTS game, so quite different.

Also, Fallout 3's nukes shouldn't count, as they are all detonated by you and you have the option to walk away and forget about it.

Neither the fallout series uses nukes for dramatic effect wonderfully. Starting the first game with the nuclear explosion in the background and hearing, "War. War never changes."

It still moves me to this day.

Viewing both those videos as an unbiased fellow who never played the full version of either game, I'd have to go with CoD4. The 'self-sacrifice to win the war' angle doesn't have quite as much clout as the 'witness the fun of being killed in a nuclear explosion' angle.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was a much more interesting take to the impact of a nuclear bomb, if only because they resorted to high fantasy in causing the whole thing to rip the fabric of reality in a variety of interesting ways.

CoD's one was epic, and just came out of nowhere, I truly did think we were going to make it out, and at first I didn't even know I could move, and when I did, the game took over so I thought 'oh well someone is coming to help me then!'

.... K.I.A. O_O

Iampringles:
I found the COD4 Nuke scene alot more moving.

I think viewing it through the eyes of a person made it more effective than the WiC scence.

I hink it would be more moving if your character actually said something, or you had a comrade dying next to you or something, it shocked me but I don't think it was emotionally charged.

nate30030:
I haven't played either (yes, I know I'm a douchebag) and I gotta say that the WiC vid was better than the CoD one because you could see as the scenery was getting completely destroyed by this massive bomb and nothing was left, while in CoD you see this explosion and see this guy fall out of a helicopter, which I'm guessing is some kind of guilt trick (even though we don't know them). Also, the WiC vid had better graphics on the explosion.

Thing is, with the CoD4 nuke, there was a section before that where you rescue an injured teammate from certain death (Which becomes rather pointless considering what happens later) but it was a touching scene, because, deep down, you knew that the nuke was going to go off and the character was going to die, but the whole 'no-one gets left behind' nature of it made it a bit more touching then the WiC nuke (also, because WiC tries and, for me, fails to get me to like the characters, RTS games are not made for interesting characters, FPS games are)

DI7789:

nate30030:
I haven't played either (yes, I know I'm a douchebag) and I gotta say that the WiC vid was better than the CoD one because you could see as the scenery was getting completely destroyed by this massive bomb and nothing was left, while in CoD you see this explosion and see this guy fall out of a helicopter, which I'm guessing is some kind of guilt trick (even though we don't know them). Also, the WiC vid had better graphics on the explosion.

Thing is, with the CoD4 nuke, there was a section before that where you rescue an injured teammate from certain death (Which becomes rather pointless considering what happens later) but it was a touching scene, because, deep down, you knew that the nuke was going to go off and the character was going to die, but the whole 'no-one gets left behind' nature of it made it a bit more touching then the WiC nuke (also, because WiC tries and, for me, fails to get me to like the characters, RTS games are not made for interesting characters, FPS games are)

Oh do we have different opinions there my friend, RTS games have made many memorable characters. An example, any respectable gamer should know who Kerrigan is. And everyone knows a certain fanatic leader of a fanatic faction.

You can score 3 points here people.

There was no emotional attachment for me in CoD 4. I played SGT Jackson of the USMC - a nameless faceless badass killing machine with no past and no future save war. His death in my hands was unexpected of course because I have come to expect that if anyone survives, it will be the guy I'm controlling.

The death of virtually every named character in the game on the bridge on the other hand WAS an emotional nuke. I was attached to those people and watching them get shot one at a time was quite gut wrenching. When you finally find yourself armed, there was no pleasure to be found gunning down the villan and his henchmen; only sadness that I couldn't do anything to stop it from happening.