Fanservice in games, the good and bad!

[Pete for President]

I was watching a bit of Dark Souls 3 stream on Twitch.tv. I was shocked when the player (Peeve, in case anyone wonders) ran into a rehashed NPC form the original Dark Souls named 'Siegward of Catarina'. Boasting similar character traits as our trusty Siegmeyer from the original; wearing the same suit of armor and weapons, I suspect the same voice actor, and even opened with: "Hm... Hmmm.. Oh!". I was a little bit disgusted by this. First of all because I'm a Dark Souls 1 fanboy, but mostly because of the developers deliberate decision to pretty much copy an old loved character which I can only assume is for fanservice. And I, as a fan, don't really like it at all!

On the other hand there was Metal Gear Solid 4, where we took control of Rex and fought smurfing Ray! I totally did not see that coming and it was awesome. Going back to this place was fan service too, but it got so over the top and unconventional that I really liked it!

TLDR: what are some fanservice/throwbacks in sequels that you liked/disliked?

[Wolf Kanno]

For games like MGS4, Dissidia, Dynasty Warriors*insert franchise here*, and Smash Bros; I'm pretty cool with the fanservice because the games are absolutely up front about said service. Hell the whole point is the fanservice for some of them.

For fan service showing up in other series, it really depends on a case by case scenario. I will say that I don't necessarily appreciate favoritism though.

[Aerith's Knight]

When I think fanservice, I always thing DOA: Extreme beach volleyball.

Which is both a form of good and bad fanservice, if you know what I mean. :jokey:

[Karifean]

When I think fanservice I usually think sexualization (goddamnit anime) which I'm not particularly fond of, but a lot of other types of fanservice I can totally get behind. Smash Bros and Ougon Musou Kyoku are awesome.

Though quite often the problem with fanservice is that it lacks substance and is only good while it lasts. Prime example being Umineko Episode 8 which gets pretty crazy with its fanservice and while it was fun to read ( Come on, it has Battler punching Bernkastel IN THE FACE) it also ended up being easily my least favorite part of the story. Higurashi Episode 8 had the same problem now that I think about it. Too much emphasis on the characters looking awesome.

[Midgar Mist]

I'm on the fence as to whether Kingdom Hearts works well as fanservice or not. At least Aerith gets to live in that scenario. There's also this weirdly named obscure thing (I forget the name) where Cloud and Sephiroth are in a fighting game. It was one never released in PAL but who knows whether that game is interesting or just plain weird.

[escobert]

There's also this weirdly named obscure thing (I forget the name) where Cloud and Sephiroth are in a fighting game. It was one never released in PAL but who knows whether that game is interesting or just plain weird.

Ehrgeiz. It was ok. Seemed to be pretty much pure fanservice.

[Skyblade]

Hyrule Warriors is pretty much a game of pure fanservice, and I adore it. The combat is great, the characters are fantastic callbacks to nostalgia, and there are so many little gems and references that it's just a dream for Zelda fans. And with even more characters coming (including Medli, Marin, and more), we have a lot to look forward to still in the future, especially now that they're pulling from 2D games as well. Unfortunately, no sign of Vaati yet (none of his games are featured on the DLC list), but he's about the only character remaining that I'd actively want in the game.

Honestly, I can't really think of fanservice that I don't enjoy. I love everything from full character replacements, to little references, hints, and easter eggs. I love all of that stuff. A reference would have to be incredibly out of place, and a pretty good size, for me to be upset about it.

[Zanmato]

When I think fanservice, I always thing DOA: Extreme beach volleyball.

Which is both a form of good and bad fanservice, if you know what I mean. :jokey:
Yes, I know and don't like this kind of fanservice.
Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams is an example of a game with great fanservice. :love:
The ending, where the game reveals that Tenkai Nankobo is an alias of Samanosuke Akechi, was the one of the biggest surprises in this game.

[Midgar Mist]

There's also this weirdly named obscure thing (I forget the name) where Cloud and Sephiroth are in a fighting game. It was one never released in PAL but who knows whether that game is interesting or just plain weird.

Ehrgeiz. It was ok. Seemed to be pretty much pure fanservice.

That weird collection of vowels and consanants sounds about right.

Just thought of crappy fan service!

The one that really bugs me is FF 10-2 HD Remaster, complete with a terrible novella and a bleh tape recording. Yeah because turning Yuna from a carefree adventurer back into a meek and modestly dressed summoner and bringing Sin back so she can defeat him again, what were SE thinking!?

Are SE running out of ideas so much that they resort to poorly executed sequels of sequels and remakes? Do they have any originality left?

[FFNut]

Not a fan of fan service in general. It was great the first time, if you want a throwback in passing that's fine, but let's have a new idea for the next game that moves the series to a new high!

[Pete for President]

Not a fan of fan service in general. It was great the first time, if you want a throwback in passing that's fine, but let's have a new idea for the next game that moves the series to a new high!

I totally agree with this! I value originality and creativity way more than the safe route of rehashing popular ideas from earlier creations.

[Rez09]

But how do you really feel about FFIX?







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[Forsaken Lover]

I thought this thread was about boingy-boingy.

I am disappoint.

I, for one, liked seeing Maria and Weltall/Weltall-Id in Xenosaga III.