Has a video game ever pulled a "Psycho"?
 

Meaning that, has a game ever killed of your main character half way through and you played as a different character through the rest of the game?

The crapfest Jericho did this, kind of.

I think Snake appeared dead halfway through Metal Gear Solid 2. After that you controlled some young agent kid. I never finished the game but i'm sure Snake came back at the end.

Yes, a very recent and very well received game:

That's a good example. I don't remember if Snake ever came back.

Off subject kind of, but I've certainly read accounts of people being shocked at Janet Leigh's death in Psycho and that always amused me. I mean I can see getting sprung for a surprise in The Sixth Sense or The Crying Game (and I was surprised in both cases), but when you go to a movie entitled "Psycho", one where the title font is jagged and ripped and one whose poster indicates that Janet Leigh is NOT the main character :
http://www.onesheetindex.com/pix/5109_1.jpg
well, anyone who was shocked by her death had to be pretty dim, in my opinion.

And in answer to the OP's question : One character sprang instantly to mind :
http://www.ffshrine.org/ff7/fmvshots...alls/00001.jpg
http://www.ffshrine.org/ff7/fmvshots...alls/00008.jpg
http://www.ffshrine.org/ff7/fmvshots...alls/00021.jpg
http://www.ffshrine.org/ff7/fmvshots...alls/00027.jpg

Metal Gear Solid 2. I never finished that game because I stopped caring when the silver haired fairy became the main character.

Kingdom Hearts 2.

I'm still waiting for the Tomb Raider where you start as Lara, play as her until she is inexplicably murdered, and continue the game as a new franchise character.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney does a variation on this. In fact,

The difference, though, is that isn't your main character. It was a surprise, yes, but doesn't meet the criteria the OP set up.

If I remember correctly, in Wild Arms 2 the main character appeared to be dead for some time. You had to continue playing as another character, until the main one was found to be alive again. Something like that.

metal gear 2, i beat it years ago. i dont think you control him tho. (dont quote me) i remember the final fight was with raiden.

kingdom hearts 2, yea that was a piss off because if you didnt play chain of memories than you were like wtf for the 1st part of the game. (i plyed CoM a year later)

Legacy of Kain;
Vampire: the masquerade

I loved Jericho. :grunt:

But yeah, it kinda pulled a "Psycho".

Exactly. This wouldn't fit the description but IIRC in FF7 there was a point where Cloud goes comatose for awhile and your main walking around charactor becomes Tifa (or was it someone else?)

You have to think of it in relation to the times. The movie was released in 1960 and Janet Leigh was a pretty big star. It wasn't a normal thing in those days to see a big star get killed in the first 45 minutes of the movie. Hitchcock was an innovator like no other and he has copied many times over, but in 1960 it was new.

Scream attempted this in 1996. They sold Drew Barrymore on the cover of all their posters but billed her last among the cast.

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/im...am-Posters.jpg

I was young when the movie was released so I can't remember what how well the shock value worked. Someone else may be able to clarigy but I'm sure it wasn't as good as Psycho worked out.

Sorry for the off topic, back to your regularly scheduled thread.

Quake 4. :)


Not sure if this is what you are referring to, but Lara Croft did die at the end of The Last Revelation, then inexplicably returned in Angel of Darkness where you played as her and a second character named Kurtis Trent.

Not dead but in Bloody Wolf for TG-16 one of the two is captured and the other must insert himself to save him.

Partway through Chrono Trigger, the protaganist dies.

There is a story line / subplot to revive him, but it's not mandatory, and there is an alternate ending with him dead.

COD4 is the most recent/famous one.

Battalion Wars 2, you start off against the Iron Legion with a Solar Empire staff carrier, then suddenly get your guy destroyed, then you have to be another one, too bad that guy doesn't come back though.