Strata: Down but not out?

[Amgard]

Basically we all laughed our asses off when Strata went down for the count in The "End of the way". But that got me thinking, exactly why would Lun "kill" (In usefulness) a character JUST as he reaches his true potential as a character (When he realizes what an idiot he's been when Lyrra gets killed).

Bam! I remembered Lyrra lost her sword, and Kalmar said it would go to another? Supposedly these babies go to the worthy ones. Who is in incredible emotion like Trazuin, who vows revenge like Trazuin, who would give up everything he knows and loves to get his way like Trazuin?

Essentially, Strata.

Strata is going to get Kalmar's sword, which will rocket him into center-stage as a major villain to Rhue. Remember Strata scared every plunger on the Way with his mere abilities. Now what will happen when good ol' Strata becomes the embodiment of hate and revenge with a kickass sword of death to boot?

That's right! Folks, I present the fact Strata WILL become uber-powerful.

[Sage Of The Wise]

Reading this gave me a vision of Strata floating in mid air, evil arura around him, light shooting out of the eye sockets, speaking in a diembodied voice. That would be cool, ecpesially when I kick its ass.

It also occured to me that unlike most games, the thought of what or who the "final boss" will be has never come up into any disscusion. Its kinda interesting how its never been discused, atleast as far as i've seen.

[OverlordBill]

That's because The Way doesn't lend itself to a final boss. Everyone has changed role, and a bunch of enemies die out and pop up in each episode. You can't really find anyone constantly still working against Rhue from the beginning of the game. Except of course, for Rhue himself.

[DSOK]

Basically we all laughed our asses off when Strata went down for the count in The "End of the way". But that got me thinking, exactly why would Lun "kill" (In usefulness) a character JUST as he reaches his true potential as a character (When he realizes what an idiot he's been when Lyrra gets killed).

So Strata is to be lionized like Cetsa? I guess it makes sense. They're both stone killers, with just enough remorse to be believable as human beings.

Seriously, why is it that when an evil character does one apparently non-evil thing, people here get all mushy about it? What did Strata do really? He got really angry when his girlfriend (whom he mistreated) died. That's a pretty natural reaction. Stalin was quite broken up when his first wife died, even if its was Uncle Joe's malicious tormenting that drove the woman to take her own life.

[Impossible]

I was wondering about what happened to Ghost Horror (that was the sword, right?) a little while ago, and I guess when you think about it, the only person around to take it was Strata. So it's possible.

[Kyle]

DSOK, it's quite simple actually. Have you played many other games next to The Way? I'll explain:

Strata has an awesome sprite.
Strata has a very believable personality.
Strata is powerful.
Strata is a bad ass.

That's why he's cool. Evil characters can be liked in a game. In real life they'd be hated, but in a game you want to have characters like him run around. It's the same with the evil characters in other games. If they sport an ugly model and don't have a special personality, people won't like him. If the character does have the rigth characteristics he can obliterate a planet and still be liked.

[Impossible]

Strata is a lot like Excell, actually... He's a goddamn fucker. I've despised him since E3, that heartless bastard. Strata, I mean.

[Berserker]

Strata is going to get Kalmar's sword, which will rocket him into center-stage as a major villain to Rhue.

I think in Ep6 there will be many "paths" for the story, with strata's defeat (or not), kloe's suicidal intentions (or not), rhue's evilness (or not), etc.
Maybe if you beat strata he'll get the shadow sword, if you don't beat him he'll get wasted by traziun/gaius.

[DSOK]

DSOK, it's quite simple actually. Have you played many other games next to The Way? I'll explain:

Strata has an awesome sprite.
Strata has a very believable personality.
Strata is powerful.
Strata is a bad ass.

That's why he's cool. Evil characters can be liked in a game. In real life they'd be hated, but in a game you want to have characters like him run around. It's the same with the evil characters in other games. If they sport an ugly model and don't have a special personality, people won't like him. If the character does have the rigth characteristics he can obliterate a planet and still be liked.

You miss my point entirely. I understand why people like Strata, and I can see that he is a very effective character. I don't have any problem with people liking Strata.

What I object to is the idea that Strata, by going after Rhue to avenge Lyrra's death, has suddenly proven himself to be a much more profound and sophisticated character. It's the reaction almost anybody would have in that situation.

[Kyle]

Not when you consider he actually dumped her for Cetsa... The way we've seen him throughout the game before that would suggest his reaction to have been much more cold than it was.

And let's not compare Strata to Stalin

[DSOK]

Not when you consider he actually dumped her for Cetsa... The way we've seen him throughout the game before that would suggest his reaction to have been much more cold than it was.

And let's not compare Strata to Stalin

It's obvious from earlier events that Strata does have a fondness for Lyrra (a rather narcissistic from of fondness, but fondness nonetheless). He had only just split with Lyrra, and anyone familiar with human nature knows that it would take some time for Strata's feelings to die away.

If you study the circumstances surrounding Stalin's wife's suicide, I think you would find that the comparison is particularly apt. Strata won't be offended either.

[Kyle]

He just used Lyrra because a champ can't go without a woman by his side I think :/ If it were more than that he would have felt bad for Lyrra when he heard her father was killed.

But then, at the end of episode 5 he realizes he does have feelings for her, but is pissed off because it's too late and no matter how powerful he is he can't bring her back. So the next best thing to do is kill Rhue

[DSOK]

He just used Lyrra because a champ can't go without a woman by his side I think :/ If it were more than that he would have felt bad for Lyrra when he heard her father was killed.

How do you know he didn't feel bad about Jed's death? He wasn't above using the matter to manipulate Lyrra, but he could still have felt sorry for her (and probably did).

[Kyle]

Well that's as much an assumption as my theory

[DSOK]

Well that's as much an assumption as my theory

On the contrary, while you take absence of evidence as evidence of absence, my argument is based merely on the principle that such an inference (besides being completely unjustified logically) is not likely to be correct when it requires a characterization that is contrary to the generalities of human nature.