Emotionless James

James got a letter. From a dead person. Oh dear.

Moderator: Moderators

User avatar
Doctor Eggnog
Subway Guard
Posts: 1587
Joined: 22 Aug 2010

Re: Emotionless James

Post by Doctor Eggnog »

Loonwolf wrote:Don't blame James - you play the part of James in the game. If he does things like jump into crazy holes, that is your decision. Or you could wander aimlessly around Silent Hill forever. And just because he doesn't SHOW emotion very much doesn't mean he doesn't FEEL it deeply. Some people are like that, either by nature or because of experience. People say the same about me, that I don't show emotion and things don't affect me, but they really have no idea how deeply I feel things. Concerning Heather, she gets used to all the horrible things going on as that is normal where she is, and she says if she let herself get freaked out at everything she would go crazy.

James doesn't even HAVE to stick his hand in that filthy toilet. So if he does, that's entirely your decision. ("Who would even think of doing something so disgusting?")
No, it's all James' fault because those things are part of his subconscious. :roll:

Also, I'm kindof the same way. I actually seem really happy and calm most of the time. I guess it's because I used to be, so I still act like it. Only my two best friends know how I really am.
Socially Awkward Penguin is my hero.
User avatar
PIE!!!
Cafe5to2 Waitress
Posts: 158
Joined: 15 Dec 2010
Gender: Male

Re: Emotionless James

Post by PIE!!! »

Yep. Alot of people say James is emotionless due to bad acting, when I think it's because it's realistic, given James' situation. I really like how Guy made James monotone and have imperfect speech. Peoples' conversations don't always flow perfectly well like they do in the movies.

One example is the "I'm sorry" "No, it's okay" thing going on between James and Angela.
Wolfwood: Oh yeah, I almost forgot. "Go with the grace and protection of the Lord." It's the usual mantra for the big hero.
Vash the Stampede: Does it work?
Wolfwood: That depends entirely on you.
Vash the Stampede: Some mantra...

-Trigun
User avatar
Doctor Eggnog
Subway Guard
Posts: 1587
Joined: 22 Aug 2010

Re: Emotionless James

Post by Doctor Eggnog »

^ Yeah, I really never felt like SH2 had bad acting. Some of the best in the series IMO.
Socially Awkward Penguin is my hero.
User avatar
mikefile
Gravedigger
Posts: 567
Joined: 05 Aug 2010
Gender: Male
Location: Nathan Ave.

Re: Emotionless James

Post by mikefile »

I don't think he's emotionless, in fact- the opposite. But bad acting? Well.. maybe a bit.. the way he figures: "Is this blood?", "no it's cherry jam", though it's the bittest problem of every SH. While conversations are slight and perfect.
Image
User avatar
NeoAquarius12
Gravedigger
Posts: 507
Joined: 09 May 2008

Re: Emotionless James

Post by NeoAquarius12 »

The most awkward moments are with James and Maria, but it's not necessarily bad acting. Games just hire a different breed of voice actors that have a more monotorobotic way of talking.

New word. Use it if you can.
I don't make a signature.
Except for the part of the signature explaining that I don't.
And that.
And that.
And that.
...
...and that.
User avatar
Doctor Eggnog
Subway Guard
Posts: 1587
Joined: 22 Aug 2010

Re: Emotionless James

Post by Doctor Eggnog »

One scene of note for possible bad acting is James and Maria opening the fridge. I always thought it was silly and hammy on purpose, and to that end one of the examples of better acting. Same with a lot of Vincent's dialouge.
Socially Awkward Penguin is my hero.
User avatar
CerealKiller
Just Passing Through
Posts: 75
Joined: 23 Feb 2010
Location: Basements Basement

Re: Emotionless James

Post by CerealKiller »

He's totally suicidal or he is desperate to get Mary back. He wasn't a sociopath because she did show concern for some characters.
User avatar
JetFace
Just Passing Through
Posts: 21
Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Gender: Male

Re: Emotionless James

Post by JetFace »

Well if you remember at the beginning of the game, when he talks to Angela in the graveyard, she warns James about how the town is dangerous and his response was he didn't care because he's going regardless so that kind of explains his emotionless towards the monsters.
Missionary
Just Passing Through
Posts: 40
Joined: 23 Dec 2010
Gender: Male

Re: Emotionless James

Post by Missionary »

My take on James was not that he was emotionless, but dissociative and mostly running on auto-pilot. I'm surprised he managed to remember to shave that day.
User avatar
SHF
Historical Society Historian
Posts: 2301
Joined: 29 Jun 2009
Gender: Trans male

Re: Emotionless James

Post by SHF »

Not everyone shows their emotions the same exact way. If you watch carefully James shows a great deal of emotion.
[img]http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee419/silentfog/signature.jpg[/img]
nothingbut3%
Just Passing Through
Posts: 42
Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Gender: Male

Re: Emotionless James

Post by nothingbut3% »

Yes I think he is just really bottled up. But lots of times he will try to help or encourage the other characters so it's not like he's a SOCIOPATH LIKE HENRY NHEHEHEHE, but seriously it's not like this game is meant to be like a theatre performance or anything, so peoples' emotions aren't exaggerated but more subtle (sometimes.) Angela was still pretty crazy.

You guys probably have mentioned this before, but I haven't really talked about this game until now. This game was so ultra depressing and morbid. The whole mood of it was the most bleak out of the whole series (I think.) I almost cried playing this game before, and when I was younger it took me months just to get past the part in the hotel from the fear I felt. Now I'm just desensitized.
User avatar
SHF
Historical Society Historian
Posts: 2301
Joined: 29 Jun 2009
Gender: Trans male

Re: Emotionless James

Post by SHF »

[quote=". Now I'm just desensitized.[/quote]
Like Henry....
Dude...your a sociopath!!!
[img]http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee419/silentfog/signature.jpg[/img]
User avatar
jeremyjh
Just Passing Through
Posts: 136
Joined: 28 Dec 2010
Gender: Male

Re: Emotionless James

Post by jeremyjh »

I think his life without anybody around him drives him to not know much about any emotions for example when Maria/Mary (whatever) died he was really sad out of nowhere you see slight emotions or when the little girl locked him in the room he was furious.
http://www.youtube.com/user/jeremyjh13? ... BjX2Y0gNrc- Survival Horror Game Library
nothingbut3%
Just Passing Through
Posts: 42
Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Gender: Male

Re: Emotionless James

Post by nothingbut3% »

Do any of you agree with me that all the people in this game look kind of sickly? There's something that just seems a little off with their appearances that make them kind of dead looking because of SH2's art style.
User avatar
2QUAR3D
Just Passing Through
Posts: 6
Joined: 09 Jan 2011
Gender: Male
Location: Heaven's Night

Re: Emotionless James

Post by 2QUAR3D »

Given that none of the endings are 'canon' (waits for the trolls...) according to Konami, I thought that the player was James and he didn't show too much emotion because of it. The reason he seems to have such emotion is because the game itself is full of it and he's in quite the susceptible position. In other words, we envision a slice of ourselves as James and make him into a likeable character. This is represented by our shaping of the ending too.

As for "nothingbut3%", I thought that everyone, except Mary (before her illness) and Laura (the symbol of purity), looked "off". They all have something that makes them look untrustworthy or suspicious.
Image
User avatar
clips
Woodside Apartments Janitor
Posts: 1241
Joined: 21 May 2010

Re: Emotionless James

Post by clips »

nothingbut3% wrote:Do any of you agree with me that all the people in this game look kind of sickly? There's something that just seems a little off with their appearances that make them kind of dead looking because of SH2's art style.

I think the only person that looked kinda zombie-ish was James. His in-game model looked like he was dead or something, but i think the dev's tried to display an expression of depression and sadness and one of un-certainty....i thought they captured some of those emotions quite well in one of the CG cutscenes.................Spoiler.............where james is shocked that maria knows about some of the times he and mary have spent together in SH.....this is the scene where maria is locked up in that jail cell.

In that scene James looks flushed and surprised, but he also looks tired...you could see the bags under his looks eyes and his eyebrows were arched in a way that expresses concern, but also sadness,...maria talking about/looking like and i think to a degree actually sounding like mary in that praticular scene really threw james for a loop there, and for a scant few seconds, you kinda seen it in that CG cutscene.

All of the CG cutscenes of the characters were great...but their in-game models weren't that great, Angela's in-game model in particular was extremely ugly in the face...


SH3 changed all of that tho...Heather and Douglas's in game models were done exceptionally well....
User avatar
SHF
Historical Society Historian
Posts: 2301
Joined: 29 Jun 2009
Gender: Trans male

Re: Emotionless James

Post by SHF »

Here is a more in depth explanation to his demeanor:
http://lady-ducky.deviantart.com/art/OF ... -187299982
[img]http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee419/silentfog/signature.jpg[/img]
User avatar
xyinparadise
Just Passing Through
Posts: 31
Joined: 22 Jan 2011
Gender: Female

Re: Emotionless James

Post by xyinparadise »

I never looked at James being emotionless. Maybe it's because I don't show that much emotion myself ( even when I'm really sad or really happy)
And I also don't think that it was bad acting, even though the fridge scene is a bit odd.
HA BISKY!!!
Post Reply