The Joke(r)'s On You

I just finished seeing The Dark Knight for the first time (finally). Upon some reflection of that movie, and movies in general, I've ended up thinking about plot holes. Mind you, I enjoyed The Dark Knight very much, but there are a few unanswered holes. Namely, where did the Joker come from? Now, in this case, it actually works in the movies favor. Giving us nothing to go on (the Joker gives us a couple flashbacks, but really he can't be relied on) actually makes the character creepier. That something like this could just spring into existence is quite a shock, and adds mystery to the character and the movie as a whole.

This is a rare case where such a tool is used appropriately. Too often in games plot holes try to breeze by unexpected. Unfortunately, it either completely fails to do so, or does only the first time. The latter case only makes you feel like an idiot when all your friends point it out, or you're attempting to explain the game to them only to realize you can't (thank you Geist).

The alternate side to being unable to explain your own plot, is covering up a hole when you shouldn't. As I said at the beginning, not knowing the Joker's background makes him scarier. What if, right after the first couple of scenes with the Joker, Batman figured out who he was and read off his whole backstory to us? The mystery would be lost, and the character would be less powerful. In the game Condemned, the people of the city go mad and start attacking each other. Even after the horror game is finished, no explanation is given. In Condemned 2, they explain in the first chapter that someone has hung hubcaps on the walls which make a loud and annoying noise, driving sleepless people crazy (never mind how you get hubcaps to make noise 24/7). As one of my favorite reviewers said, "Thank you Condemned 2, I was just about to get interested."

Plot holes, when they don't add needed mystery, usually only make the developers look bad. As I implied before, can't you explain your own plot? I've noticed an increase lately in plot holes, Super Mario Galaxy 2's complete failure to acknowledge the first game being the largest and most recent. I think writers are trying too hard to come up with new and exciting plots (or in Mario's case recycling the same one for the last fifteen years or so) that they lose track of their own loose ends. Having a complex plot is fine, but make sure people can still follow it. And personally, I can't accept the "It's open to interpretation" excuse. In that case, I feel like I'm supposed to make up half the plot myself. Braid, I'm looking smack at you.

Of course, gameplay is the central most important thing to a video game. But, like so many other things, the plot can make the difference between a good game and a great game. Between a game people play once, and one people play year after year. Between a game people are over, and one people clamour for a sequel to. Between a bad game that everyone returns after an hour, and one people force their way to the end of (an ugly possibility, but still...).

One of the most out there (not there) plots I've ever heard of. Fortunately, the game itself is awesome.