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A real heart-breaker
There are plenty of scenes in video games designed to break our hearts--hell, some even have the sternest of men and women crying like babies. Carly's [SPOILER] in The Walking Dead, or Jenny's untimely [SPOILER] in The Darkness spring instantly to mind. However, those sad scenes aren't what I'm looking at here. These heartbreaking moments are a bit more... literal.
The literal 'heart-ripping moment' - Mortal Kombat
Perhaps the most famous of heart-breaking moves belongs to Kano, the Mortal Kombat warrior and apparent Phantom of the Opera enthusiast. With a simple button sequence, Kano can reach into his opponents chest and pull out their still-beating heart, holding it high above his head for all to behold.
Heart-break from the inside - Gears of War 2
When Marcus and pals first see the Riftworm in Gears of War 2, you know there's plenty of... unpleasantness just around the corner. After dodging it for some time, and just when they think it's safe, the COG team is swallowed by the behemoth and forced to fight its way out. It seems like too large a beast to ever crush until... they see it.
The heart-break from outer space - Contra
After fighting your way through the ridiculous difficulty of Contras main campaign (no doubt using the famous Konami Code for extra lives like we all did), the final battle takes place inside of Red Falcon, the alien invading Earth and starting the whole mess. That damn alien needs to pay for whats he done to the world, and youre going to make sure his heart stops beating by shooting it yourself.
Heart of the nation - Grand Theft Auto IV
Ah, the Statue of Liber, Happiness. Standing watch over Liberty City in all of her majestic glory, this beacon of hope for a great life in the GTA IV world holds an interesting secret. By piloting a helicopter close the statue and jumping out at the right time, Niko will find a door that he can walk through, leading to a hidden area inside the statue.
The hearts of darkness - Resident Evil 5
As no doubt intended by Capcom, the Lickers in Resident Evil always give me the willies (strange choice of words - Ed). Creeping towards me with their insides out and their outsides in, their long tongues like whips trying to make a meat-snack of my intrepid hero's body theyre the things of nightmares, come to life in video game form. Oh, then Resident Evil 5 comes along and Capcom makes an even stronger Licker called Licker B. Fantastic!
Some assembly required - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
I dont envy Simon Belmont. The man kills Dracula and saves the day, but a terrible curse is brought upon him. How can he fix it? By resurrecting Dracula and killing him again! Hooray! The only problem is, Draculas body parts have been scattered around the massive world and must be brought back to his castle for re-assembly, and thus Simons Quest is on.
The fog of, er, heart-break - Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2
Blood Omen 2 starts with Kain, the vampiric face of the franchise, able to stealth his way through levels by turning into a fog of some kind. As a bonus ability, once he morphs he can sneak up behind his enemies and dispatch them with no effort at all. How does he kill them? BY JAMMING HIS FIST THROUGH THEIR CHESTS, THATS HOW.
The song and dance - Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure
Take one of those turn-based strategy RPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics or Tactics Ogre, inject a little Broadway theater, and youve got Rhapsody: a Musical Adventure on the DS. I'm not kidding; cutscenes in this game are sung rather than spoken, and the entire game plays out like Wicked or Once Upon a Mattress. Its also much easier than other turn-based strategy games, making it a great way to get into the genre if you can deal with the singing.
The heart of the earth - God of War III
Well, we all knew in God of War III wed have to take out Gaia eventually. Kratos rage spares no one, not even the mother of the planet herself. We didnt know what wed have to do to take her down, but once we saw the old girls heart early in the game, we knew wed be back to cut it down. Sure enough, during the final battle with Zeus, Gaias heart meets its fate at the edge of the Blade of Olympus.
Heavy metal heart-break - Brutal Legend
The main antagonist in Brutal Legend is one ugly and evil demon, voiced by the incredible Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show). Doviculus wields a staff with an axe on both ends (!) and the Hydra, an electric guitar with four necks that he uses to summon a giant Black Tear monster. Somehow hes able to do all this without being able to see, as his entire head is covered by leather. Not sure how that works, but it's probably best not to ask him too many questions.
The one that literally makes a devil cry - Devil May Cry 3
Theres a theme in this article it seems: heroes getting swallowed by mammoth creatures, then needing to find and destroy the creatures heart in order to escape. Dante suffers this fate in Devil May Cry 3, falling into the belly of the giant demon whale called Leviathan the Evil God-Beast. Thats a hell of name, even for a demon.
Ye olde heart-break - Medievil
Sir Daniel Fortesque, the brave skull-headed knight that most kids under the age of 10 had never heard of until PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, finds himself breaking a foes heart right in the beginning of his first adventure. A giant demon made of stained glass serves as boss number one, and the glassy enemys weak point is, of course, its glowing heart.
The heart of oak - Fallout 3
Look, I really feel sorry for poor Harold. Where other ghouls just become horribly mutated but continue living normal lives, Harold here becomes a human tree as the series progresses. Eventually, you find him in the Oasis of Fallout 3, wanting nothing more than for his life to be ended and his suffering to go away. The player is presented with a choice, and oddly enough all three involve Harolds tree heart.
Hungry (for) hearts - The Darkness 2
Jackie Estacado learns to harness his super-natural powers in The Darkness II and use the tentacles that sprout from his body to do his bidding. The Darkness is very much part of Jackie, which explains why he rips the hearts from his fallen enemies to restore his own life-force. It's his version of eating a sandwich.
Breaking Mom's heart - The Binding of Isaac
The Binding of Isaac is truly in a class of its own when it comes to breaking hearts. Sure, other games let you destroy a giant beating heart, but how many of those others games give you the heart of the characters mother to destroy? Binding of Isaac does, and the fight inside The Womb is--like the rest of the game--utterly crazy.
