They create a character who is so immune to enemy attacks that she is practically invisible and she spams health and ammo for you. She's basically a pretty tank. So what if she can take care of herself. An anti-Ashley Graham is now all of a sudden the best character in the history of games?
shareA companion character who doesn't walk into the line of fire or stand in the middle of a shooting gallery is already leagues better than what we've seen in most video games. A companion character like that who also doesn't steal the fun taking out enemies for you or looting the objects you're going after is also leagues ahead. A companion character who doesn't keep screaming at you or pestering you to move along or try rushing to do something, you get my point.
Add to that the incredible facial expressions, and her casual way of strolling around a room, acting more like a living character than most companion characters who just stand next to the player character, and who contributes largely not just to gameplay but to story, yes, is one of the best characters in a video game in a long time. Your "best character in the history of games" is a hyperbole that no one's really claimed.
"Last rat standing."
Obviously the OP has never played Resident Evil 5.
shareThe fact that she can throw a rifle 100 feet without any spin makes her the best character in the history of games.
shareCharacters that are immune/invisible or bullet sponges or however you want to describe non-escort companions have an unfair advantage when it comes time to compare them to the other game characters that actually need to be revived, have health bars and otherwise need to be looked out for. While some have said she has the best AI of game companions I don't think anyone has actually said she is the best character in games. Which seems odd the only AI she has is to recognize when you are low in health, salts or ammo she doesn't actually fight anyone herself. She does rival Alyx Vance as the preeminent female companion in games though in my opinion.
shareWhich seems odd the only AI she has is to recognize when you are low in health, salts or ammo
She also notices when you go on a binge and drink a bunch of alcohol.
shareI think the OP was using hyperbole to make a point, which is that her AI, while better than most, isn't anything special. Really I watched a video where Irattional pats themselves on the back for "finally getting her right". They talk about how she'd get stuck in places, do things that don't make sense, etc.
ALL of that made it to the final game. There are plenty of moments where she does indeed get stuck somewhere and you can look around for a minute before she comes running out of a room. Liz will offer health/ammo but if it's right when jumping on the skyline, hop off and sometimes the prompt won't show up again. When you fully expected that health to be waiting for you it can mess your strategy up. I never felt like Elizabeth "had my back" except for when the game randomly decided she did. Also, most of the Tears could've simply been placed in game without that gimmick and it wouldn't make a difference. Why not add an option to help Eilzabeth prioritize getting a certain item? Like have her focus mostly on ammo, or mostly on health? Her flipping me change when I have thousands of dollars does nothing for me.
For a game that spent 5 years in development a backlash on certain aspects is inevitable. It seems like Ken Levine has a lack of focus when making his games. He promises and advertises a lot and only maintains the very basics. We got Elizabeth, Tears, skyline, songbird, etc. but they were all under utilized.
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I'd love to see you in the moonlight with your head thrown back and your body on fire.
From all the comments I've read/heard, people love Elizabeth's AI because it doesn't get in the way and it isn't a burden on the player. While that's admirable, we shouldn't forget how the game achieves this:
Elizabeth isn't "taking care of herself" in combat, she doesn't enter combat at all. On top of that, the AI ignores her completely. Time and again, I came around corners where baddies were patrolling with Elizabeth running ahead of me. The AI didn't see me yet, but Elizabeth was so far ahead of me that they should've seen her. Instead, I could retreat back around the corner, Elizabeth would follow and the bad guys weren't alerted to our presence at all. Imagine this scenario with an Elizabeth that's not ignored by the AI *and* can be killed. Players would be going ape-$hit with frustration.
I do like the fact that she points out things I may have missed and overlooked (most notably those hard to find lockpicks), but that's hardly revolutionary. I'm certain that that's a pretty simple routine to write for a programmer. And like Spoony said in his review: Isn't it odd that she *doesn't* pick up the only items that she actually has a use for?
I also like how she tries to keep me stocked, but that's more like a built-in cheat - if we're honest. She doesn't collect stuff that's lying around for later use, she pretty much pulls the stuff you need out of a magic hat.
Bottom line for me is this: Elizabeth is a likable, well developed, well acted character. That's why she's memorable. Sure: She doesn't block you every 3 seconds and we don't have to worry about her getting killed (since she's invincible). But those are just nice additions.
S.
Elizabeth is not really a "cheat" per sa... she'll find money that you may have missed (or picked it up before you had the opportunity to pick it up, like in the garbage can, barrel, ground... etc). Ammo, I think she pulls that out of her ass which is nice because when you're in heavy combat it's great she keeps you stocked when you're running low. If it weren't for her you'd be up the creek!
Same with salts & health. You take a beating and here she is with a fresh supply. Granted, it isn't non-stop. You have to use it wisely because she'll tell you that she doesn't have anymore or she'll keep looking (wherever she actually looks, who knows?).
I did have her stuck once on a Skyline when in the Soldier's Field area. I forgot what I was doing, but I was jumping from Skyline to Skyline and she just got stuck. I was then working my way into the next battle and there she wasn't. I had to clear the area myself without her help. No ammo, no assistance, no health. It wasn't until I went back that she was still hanging there stuck in the air. I actually had to enter an old area just to get her back (kind of warped her, if you will).
So it was a little 'bug', if you will. I couldn't even shoot her down... thankfully didn't happen again, but didn't kill the game for me.
Elizabeth is not really a "cheat" per sa... she'll find money that you may have missed (or picked it up before you had the opportunity to pick it up, like in the garbage can, barrel, ground... etc). Ammo, I think she pulls that out of her ass which is nice because when you're in heavy combat it's great she keeps you stocked when you're running low. If it weren't for her you'd be up the creek!
I thinks it's more of a reaction to having a non-sexualized, helpful female protagonist in a game whose tit's aren't falling out, and who isn't a love interest to the main character, or an evil witch. I tend to think she was rather well written and acted. Also while first falling into the typical damsel in distress role it's fairly apparent by the end of the game who really needs saving and who the ultimate hero of the story is(it ain't Booker, he's merely a means to an end)
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