10 Video Game Moments You've Always Misunderstood
Context is crucial, and Final Fantasy X's laughing Tidus meme has it all wrong.
Video games are the most complex and expansive art form there is, offering far more for players to experience and take in than a mere movie or TV series ever possibly can. The possibilities are quite literally endless in some cases.
That heightened complexity also means there's much more room for players to get the wrong idea about a story scene, character beat, or level of gameplay. With so much for players to make sense of over potentially dozens of hours of play, it's to be expected.
But it's now time to correct a few of those misconceptions and show where you might've gone wrong while playing these beloved and classic video games.
From totally mis-identifying a character to thinking one's dead when they're actually still alive, and even wildly misunderstanding the tone of a widely-mocked scene, these 10 video game moments probably aren't quite what you think.
In many cases the Internet itself is to blame, taking a context-free clip and spreading it virally with a new, misinformed context which becomes the new truth. But it's absolutely fake news, all of it, and here's why...
10. "Raptor" Isn't The U.S. President - Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's early mission "Wolverines!" tasks players with, among other things, securing a VIP given the callsign "Raptor."
You've got no other direct information about the target, and their appearance simply gives away that they're a middle-aged white man clearly working in a high level of government, hence the VIP status.
Nevertheless, many fans have assumed that "Raptor" is actually the President of the United States, largely due to the fuss made about securing him and the possibly telling nature of his codename.
Given that "Eagle" was used as President Bill Clinton's Secret Service callsign in real life, Raptor might appear to be superficially referring to the POTUS, but there's absolutely nothing in the game concretely pointing to that.
For starters, while the soldiers are presumably prohibited from referring to Raptor as anything but his codename, the lack of a reaction to seeing the President in-the-flesh suggests it isn't him.
Plus, data-miners discovered that Raptor was originally supposed to be the President, but this was removed from the game, making it far more likely we're actually dealing with either the Vice President or someone high-up in the Cabinet such as the Secretary of State.
It's a cool idea from fans, but ultimately more wish fulfillment fantasy on their part. It ain't the President.