The 10 most creative life bars [ClassicRadar]
For your health
Nowadays, gamers have gotten so used to regenerating this or that, they mayve forgotten what the hell a health bar even looks like.
Dead Space
And since were not privy to any kind thermal, Teminator Vision, we can assume Isaac himself cant actually see these meters, which makes them logically unsound and essentially no different from your average health bar. But hey, its pretty damned creative to say the least.
Primal Rage
This battle of the Colossi brawler took the life bar to incredibly literal heights, depicting it as a blood-filled vein stemming from a beating heart. I suppose one could interpret the prehistoric blows as preventing blood flow to the heart. Either way, get to the end of that life bar with the gore turned on and KA-BLARP Cardiac Catastrophe!
Star Wars Masters of the Teras Kasi
Yep, thats pretty much all there is to it the most powerful weapon in the galaxy just sitting there, masquerading as a health bar. And that was about as creative as the developers got with what most consider one of the worst Star Wars games of all time. Sorry folks, well try our best never to bring the game up again.
Superman Returns
So, instead of giving the dude another life bar like so many horrendous games have done before, Metropolis itself is the one living on borrowed time. Thats right, the entire city gets a health bar, and once it hits zero Clark Kent has officially failed.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
Perhaps the life bar here isnt very creative in and of itself. However, Deadpools use of it most certainly is! The latest trailer shows that Marvels mentally unstable mercenary will actually be able to rip down the life bar and literally beat the diarrhea out of opponents with it. Is it a poignant metaphor on the ever fluctuating balance of all consuming power? Who cares?! Looks fun as hell!
Eternal Darkness: Sanitys Requiem
The Sanity Meter may not be a life bar per se, but its certainly just as crucial to the players mortality in the GameCube classic (God, that feels weird to write) Eternal Darkness. As the meter depletes, so does the protagonists grip on reality. It starts out with some creepy auditory hallucinations and skewed camera angles, until eventually the game detonates the 4th wall entirely with fake endings and even a phony Blue Screens of Death.
Jurassic Park Trespasser
What do Trespasser and GamesRadar have in common? They both force you to look at boobs! LOLOLLOL! Your life meter takes the form of a heart tattooed on a giant set of first-person gazzungas. If the game had anything else worth noting, which coincidentally it does not, it wouldnt matter. Also like GR, BOOBZ will be the only thing anyone remembers. *cue tiniest violin*
Doom
Doom not only made you the life bar, it was pretty much the only glimpse gamers got of the nameless space marine. His bloody dishevelment made low health situations feel all the more dire. And by creating viewable physical consequences to poor play and decision making, the bond it assuredly reinforced the bond between player and protagonist. You are bleeding, and its YOUR fault, mister! And yes, Im aware Wolfenstein 3D did it first, but Doom sprites were easier to find.
The Legend of Zelda
Zeldas heart meter is capable of indicating how many dungeons a fastidious player has beaten, while people who get up to twenty can wear them proudly as badges of exploratory honor. Hell, deep Zelda nerds can probably look at a single inventory screen and judge exactly where Link is in the game based solely on aspects of the heart collection. So who cares if theyre responsible for one of gamings most annoying noises?! More hearts is more gooder!
BONUS: Mega Man IV
As it turns out, Bright Man uses his cheap ass Flash Stopper according to specific levels in his health. Even without knowledge of his weaknesses, itd only take a bit of simple math and timing to conceivably defeat him without ever getting attacked by his signature move. So it stands to reason this pattern probably isnt exclusive to a single Mega Man boss, right? Well leave that to somebody with a lot more time on their hands.
Livin' it up
That's how these characters were able to get a life, but did we miss any good ones? Let us know in the comments!