Gameology: Commentary and Resources for the Game Studies Community

I split my comments up because they really have two different directions.

In reference to your musings about HUDs, Zach, I'd like to offer the Metroid Prime games (surprise!) as interesting examples of how the HUD can be used to break the fourth wall in really unique ways.

The Prime visor HUD is actually one of the most integrated HUD systems I have experienced, in that it is narratively incorporated into Samus's body while also being a functional tool for the gamer. The visor itself comes with different modes (X-Ray and Scan, for example) that act as filters to give the gamer additional data (some visual, some textual) about the environment. There's very little extraneous data like score that comes into the HUD; even the hint system is integrated into the Power Suit computer, if you will.

At the same time, though, the games have some really great moments that break the fourth wall and even turn the visor against the gamer. At the most basic level is the infamous reflection of Samus's face in certain lighting, which Corruption amplifies quite a bit and uses to unnerving effect. Different modes of the visor are useless in detecting, for example, Chozo ghosts, but at the same time the visor can be overloaded by certain attacks or the proximity of different creatures in the game, and only occasionally overridden by a change in visor.

My personal favorite HUD disruption is the Rezbit virus attack in Echoes that will make your suit go haywire and require a Power Suit restart in order to regain control of your body and vision.

So basically, the HUD is not just a frame in these games, but another tool that requires constant adjustment, attention, and patience.

But even that's complicated, because the game options are incorporated into the Logbook system, which should theoretically be part of Samus's suit software, which is accessed through the visor HUD, which should not be part of a Nintendo Gamecube game.

I think I've passed the point of being helpful now. You've taken up an ambitious topic!