skLaFarebear
Member
Tatsuya in Persona 2:EP is probably my favorite choice. He's just so cool.
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Best use of returning protagonist in a role other than protagonist
- Thread starter SolVanderlyn
- Start date
Oh yeah, his new outfit in Eternal Punishment is so cool!
skLaFarebear
Member
He didn't specify that. And I don't see why that matters at all.
Besides, protagonists returning as villains in other series is actually far more interesting. And there are few of them.
Mario as villain in Donkey Kong Jr. Deal with it.
Despite the events of DMC4, I thought even his no-protag stuff in that game was great. Like the opening.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
It really isn't though. It's not like Sonic in Smash Bros or something. It's a very unusual situation, a character who is a protagonist in another series making a story-based appearance in another game as a villain.
He only works because we know him as a demon-hunting hero from our experience in other games. It's poetic in a game where you are now the demon, and he shows up. You have a greater feeling that the tables have been turned, than if he were a generic and new demon-hunter character.
It's highly appropriate for this thread whether you're ignorant of that or not. Why "other posters" didn't have similar examples is because they're totally rare.
SolVanderlyn
Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
OP here, and yeah, I didn't intend for this kind of example when making the thread, but I guess it is applicable because it's slightly more than a simple cameo.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
You have the same thing where your experience in previous games adds weight to the character's new role. So thanks for allowing it.
I'm struggling to think of similar instances... there might be almost none?
king of fighters '99 is pretty up there for me
'98 is one of the most legendary kofs, so take this in context: the story arc spanning several years just ended with iori and kyo (the main characters who are bitter enemies, effectively) working together to take down a god. everyone knows and loves the main chars, kyo and iori because they're super unique and cool both gameplay-wise and design-wise.
in the next game, they're seemingly completely absent from both the roster and the cast. it's like if street fighter didn't have ryu and ken in them at all for a sequel. the plot revolves around mysterious clones of kyo appearing (with movesets from his older appearances, both '94/5 era and '98 era) and being selectable as characters, sharing his look from previous games with different colors.
if you beat the game normally you end up just fighting some SNK boss, no big deal, whatever, right?
however, if you beat the game with a high enough score, you're treated to an extremely short cutscene and this incredible intro/song combination when the real kyo appears as a secret boss:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doEok9wmBw0#t=5m26s
like imagine in that ryu/ken-less street fighter, just randomly some time you did real well and ryu appeared as a secret boss looking super different while sporting a crazy strong version of his old moveset
the headband burning is seriously one of my favorite char intros for a fighting game ever just 'cuz of how much it signifies an entrance into a new age (even though im not actually a fan of any of the kofs after it... haha) and actual development for a fg char which was so damn crazy at the time. plus it looks cool as hell and fits his theme perfectly
'98 is one of the most legendary kofs, so take this in context: the story arc spanning several years just ended with iori and kyo (the main characters who are bitter enemies, effectively) working together to take down a god. everyone knows and loves the main chars, kyo and iori because they're super unique and cool both gameplay-wise and design-wise.
in the next game, they're seemingly completely absent from both the roster and the cast. it's like if street fighter didn't have ryu and ken in them at all for a sequel. the plot revolves around mysterious clones of kyo appearing (with movesets from his older appearances, both '94/5 era and '98 era) and being selectable as characters, sharing his look from previous games with different colors.
if you beat the game normally you end up just fighting some SNK boss, no big deal, whatever, right?
however, if you beat the game with a high enough score, you're treated to an extremely short cutscene and this incredible intro/song combination when the real kyo appears as a secret boss:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doEok9wmBw0#t=5m26s
like imagine in that ryu/ken-less street fighter, just randomly some time you did real well and ryu appeared as a secret boss looking super different while sporting a crazy strong version of his old moveset
the headband burning is seriously one of my favorite char intros for a fighting game ever just 'cuz of how much it signifies an entrance into a new age (even though im not actually a fan of any of the kofs after it... haha) and actual development for a fg char which was so damn crazy at the time. plus it looks cool as hell and fits his theme perfectly
giga-ganon
Banned
I won't spoil the game, but if you've played it, you know what I'm talking about.
Ho yeah totally forgot about this one, thanks!
deddonpachi
Member
pliskin in mgs2
harry in silent hill 3
the valkyria chronicles 1 team in vc3
one of the worst examples has to be sonic in shadow the hedgehog
harry in silent hill 3
the valkyria chronicles 1 team in vc3
one of the worst examples has to be sonic in shadow the hedgehog
Rei no Otaku
Member
Came to say this. Drakengard 2 was a huge disappointment. Caim was the only part of it that they got right.
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
How about, protagonist
to antagonist
to protagonist again?
to antagonist
to protagonist again?
yo old man heihachi aint even close to jin
LoZ: Twilight Princess
heh
Dem feels ;_;
Robot Pants
Member
I liked uncle Dante in dmc4. Although you eventually play as him but Nero is the main guy
thewhitehawk
Member
Dragon Age Inquisition hasn't made a very strong impression on me yet, story-wise at least, but it makes very good use of most returning characters. There was one which was awkward:
who just popped out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly and only uttered a line or two in
, but all of the other characters who have returned have been decently characterised and provide help, aid or advice to the new protagonist.
Alistar
Redcliffe
Lightning Count
Member
John from InFamous.
JediLink
Member
I came here for that. I'm satisfied. Sadly, I also agree with the others: this was the only thing Darkengard 2 did right.
Piston Hyundai
Member
As a few people have said before, Mafia 2's use is pretty novel. They go as far as to give you the car that appears in the first game's ending scene to pull up in and even have a song from the first game playing on the radio as you're on your way to make it happen.
IdreamofHIME
Member
Soap in MW2. In COD4 he was the rookie and in MW2 he's leading his own Black Ops group and youre under his wing.
Then of course MW3 :'(
Then of course MW3 :'(
Him in TWEWY
Can't tell much more without massive spoilers...
I don't get it. Returning protagonist?
Good examples abound in this thread. I can only hope that Kratos would serve a similar role in the next God of War instead of being the protagonist again. At some point I hope the Street Fighter games go in this direction as well - with older versions of some characters like Ryu becoming cameo mentors of newer ones, or even tutorial type characters that teach basic mechanics to the player.
I can't remember at the moment but aren't there examples in the Souls games of important characters returning in a different role, or even the protagonist if you dig deep enough into the lore?
One example not mentioned yet I believe is Vyse and Aika showing up in a more recent SEGA game
as playable characters. It's not as dramatic as some of the examples in this thread, but cool nonetheless.
I can't remember at the moment but aren't there examples in the Souls games of important characters returning in a different role, or even the protagonist if you dig deep enough into the lore?
One example not mentioned yet I believe is Vyse and Aika showing up in a more recent SEGA game
Valkyria Chonicles
It's a bit flawed since there isn't a sequel game, but the in the plot of TWEWY it does make sense.
Oh, sure, but I thought that was implying Joshua was in a previous game in some form as a protagonist and made his return in TWEWY.
Triggerhappytel
Member
This is probably what I'd go with. Kain was an awesome antagonist in Soul Reaver and I like what they did with the story at the end of Blood Omen, and how his choice affected the rest of the series.
Snake in MGS2 was very cool, and even though I disliked Raiden fighting alongside Snake was stupidly awesome.
CrichtonKicks
Member
No, I'm specifically referring to 2 and not only the flashback sequence where you play as Altair but also the details of Altair's post AC1 life that you find from reading the codex pages that IMO flesh him out much more than what we saw in AC1.
Will never be beaten. The absolute best.
Such a cool battle.
Yep, I forgot to add it happens inside the same game.
It's sad it's the only TWEWY we have
The best ones have already been mentioned, but I'm struggling to think of more examples.
Solatorobo has cameos from Tail Concerto's protagonist and it's adorable.
GTA: San Andreas has a race mission against GTA III's protagonist, too. They gave him a French name, something like Claude?
Solatorobo has cameos from Tail Concerto's protagonist and it's adorable.
GTA: San Andreas has a race mission against GTA III's protagonist, too. They gave him a French name, something like Claude?
Leafhopper
Banned
That isn't a returning character though. That's Nicole.
DOA
FrontalMonk
Banned
I'd say phoenix wright in AA4. Wanting to know his story was the only motive to keep playing that game.
I know it's the opposite of this thread, but this reminded me of the moment in AA3
where you play edgeworth as the defense.
AlteredForms
Banned
A fantastic example and quite probably the best one here. However Mafia II trumps I as the better game.
snow in jamaica
Member
I thought of this. I love seeing him still a one-man army while no one else can keep up.
Red Mage
Member
This. It's the firs thing that came to mind.
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