History Main / FirstPersonGhost

Give or take in any FirstPersonShooter game, you may not notice that you're controlling a ghost. You may be able to see the arms but everything else about the body appears to be non-existent. Look down, you won't see any torso or legs... And that's about all you can look since the body "rotates" with the view. You cannot even see your nose which a real life person can see. Most First Person Shooters do suffer from the players being ghosts. This was [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality to be expected]] early in the pioneering days of these types of games, as there wasn't enough hardware power to render what was going to be hidden half the time anyway (and many raycasting engines of the time limited vertical camera rotation to well under ±45° in order to minimize perspective distortion artifacts.) But as hardware got more powerful and software became more sophisticated, this may appear to be more or less a case of developer laziness.

Since most First Person Shooters follow this trope, it's easier to list those that ''don't'' follow this trope. Though games that do this humorously could be added.

See also InvisibleAnatomy

* Battlefield 3 looks to avert this. The recent trailers show amazing depth perception and body awareness.

* ''DeusEx'' has a strange subversion. While you can see JC Denton in mirrors and other reflections, you can't see his feet when you actually look down (though you would see a “blob shadow” under him.) The same holds true for just about any game based on the early builds of the [[GameEngine Unreal Engine]]: ''VideoGame/{{Unreal}}'', ''TheUndying'', etc. The MindScrew in DeusEx comes when you notice that your reflection never holds anything in the same position as you. Particularly odd in the case of well-polished floors, where you could see the soles of JC's boots reflected back at you.

* Particularly tasty in ''GoldenEye'' and ''PerfectDark'' on the Nintendo 64 since you can freely look down to the floor. Try it while standing in a corner and look for your feet...

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<<|VideoGameTropes|>>

* ''DukeNukem3D'' was one of the first FPS games with mouselook, and therefore one of the first examples of this trope. Of course, in early versions, you ''could'' see both of Duke's feet ? but only if you equipped the Mighty Boot and used it ''and'' the quick kick hotkey simultaneously.

* ''{{Minecraft}}'' averts this: the player can toggle between first-person and third-person view by pressing F5. [[GoodBadBugs Amusingly]], the Ghast enemies aim at the camera rather than the player model, so going into third-person view and finding a good angle allows you to dodge their attacks indefinitely.

* ''{Far Cry 2}}'' allows the player character's entire body to be seen.

* ''{{America's Army}}'' allows you to see your character's entire body when you look down.

Give or take in any FirstPersonShooter game, you may not notice that you're controlling a ghost. You may be able to see the arms but everything else about the body appears to be non-existent. Look down, you won't see any torso or legs... And that's about all you can look since the body "rotates" with the view. You cannot even see your nose which a real life person can see. Most First Person Shooters do suffer from the players being ghosts. This was [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality to be expected]] early in the pioneering days of these types of , as there wasn't enough hardware power to render what was going to be hidden half the time anyway (and many raycasting engines of the time limited vertical camera rotation to well under ±45° in order to minimize perspective distortion artifacts.) But as hardware got more powerful and software became more sophisticated, this may appear to be more or less a case of developer laziness.

* ''{{Portal}}'' lets you see yourself by looking through the portals, though you can't see yourself otherwise.

* ''[[Minecraft]]'' averts this: the player can toggle between first-person and third-person view by pressing F5. [[GoodBadBugs Amusingly]], the Ghast enemies aim at the camera rather than the player model, so going into third-person view and finding a good angle allows you to dodge their attacks indefinitely.

* Geist, while not allowing you to see your legs by not letting you pan down to look, does show you doing EVERYTHING when you're possessing someone.

* ''DeusEx'' has a strange subversion. While you can see JC Denton in mirrors and other reflections, you can't see his feet when you actually look down (though you would see a “blob shadow” under him.) The same holds true for just about any game based on the early builds of the ''{{Unreal}}'' engine: ''Game/{{Unreal}}'', ''TheUndying'', etc. The MindScrew in DeusEx comes when you notice that your reflection never holds anything in the same position as you. Particularly odd in the case of well-polished floors, where you could see the soles of JC's boots reflected back at you.

* ''{{}} 2'' and ''3'' have visible legs.

Give or take in any FirstPersonShooter game, you may not notice that you're controlling a ghost. You may be able to see the arms but everything else about the body appears to be non-existent. Look down, you won't see any torso or legs... And that's about all you can look since the body "rotates" with the view. You cannot even see your nose which a real life person can see. Most First Person Shooters do suffer from the players being ghosts. This was [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality to be expected]] early in the pioneering days of these types of games, as there wasn't enough hardware power to render what was going to be hidden half the time anyway (and many raycasting engines of the time limited vertical camera rotation to well under ±45° in order to minimize perspective distortion artifacts.) But as hardware got more powerful and software became more sophisticated, this may appear to be more or less a case of developer laziness.

* ''{{Halo}} 2'' and ''3'' have visible legs.

!!Exceptions
* ''{{FEAR}}'' in development articles drove this point home. You can at least see the main character's feet, even while performing kung-fu. You also need to use your hands to climb ladders and swim, although curiously not to press buttons or open doors.
* The ''MaxPayne 2'' FPS-Mod makes the game probably the most realistic FPS game, in the context of this trope.
* ''{{Killzone}} 2'' does try to avoid this to some extent, but for some reason you can't see all the way down.
* ''{{Halo}} 2'' and ''3'' have visible legs.
** If someone leaves the party while playing multiplayer campaign online, the game freezes and glitches allowing you to look down directly into your torso.
** It's perfectly possible not just to look down and see your thigh, but to stick a plasma grenade to it.
* The recent ''{{Turok}}'' relaunch has visible legs.
* ''MirrorsEdge'' lets you see Faith's legs. Good thing, too, because the game requires a lot of precision platforming. Additionally, you can see her full arms, shoulders, and torso, body position permitting (your camera is constrained to the directions Faith's eyes could actually be looking at any moment). The tip of her nose is the only thing really missing.
* Related to ''MirrorsEdge'' in the context of this trope is ''JumpingFlash''. Since this game was a {{Platform Game}} and an {{FPS}}, it was important to see where you were going to land. The developers of this game had the camera pan down as you fell. Not only did you get to see the character's feet, but a shadow as well.
* ''OperationFlashpoint'' is one of the earliest games that does an honest attempt at not doing this trope. Of course, it'd invoke some really obvious FridgeLogic if you couldn't, since it also allowed you to use a third person view.

* ''Left4Dead'' also lets you see your feet and legs (including the infected if you play as one) when you look down, but they don't appear if your graphic settings are too low. Humorously, the height at which your body is situated [[GoodBadBugs makes it look like your arms are sprouting out of your neck, at least from your point of view.]]
* ''{{Portal}}'' lets you see yourself by looking through the portals, though you can't see yourself otherwise.
* In ''{{Thief}}: Deadly Shadows'' you can see your whole body ([[CaptainObvious save for your back and head of course]]) in first person.
* Though both are already older games (made in 2002), ''Iron Storm'' and the second ''{{Hitman}}'' installment let you see your legs, feet and hands while in FPS view (third person view being their default mode).
* ''{{Crysis}}'' permits players to view their character's lower torso and legs, arguably to show off the extreme level of detail that was put into the game's Nanosuits.
* ''TheChroniclesOfRiddick: Escape From Butcher Bay'' allows you to see the title character's arms and legs, as well as his shadow. This proves very useful in making a lot of the jumps, as well as creating a more immersive experience.
* ''Zeno Clash'', although more of a brawler than a shooter, makes a point of being very detailed. The main character's hands are visible as his default weapons, his leg shows up during counterattacks, and when hit by a heavy blow, you can see him realistically scramble to his feet through his eyes.
* ''[[MetroidPrime Metroid Prime 3]]'' not only allows you to see Samus' lower body and arms when she's sitting in her spaceship, you can also view her skeleton when using the [[XRayVision X-ray visor]].

!!Notable Examples

* In [[TheElderScrolls The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion]] you cannot see anything but your arms in first person. Additionally, you cast a shadow in third person view but not in first person. This gets even more strange when the horse you are riding always casts a shadow so if you look at the ground while riding your horse in first person you will see the shadow of a horse with no rider.

* Not just FPS games suffer from this. The [[{{Myst}} Myst Series]] is a series of first-person puzzle games that had a First Person Ghost whose only visible appendage was a floating hand cursor. Justified in ''Myst'' and ''Riven'' due to movement limitations, but by the time ''Myst III: Exile'' rolled around, the player could not only look down and see that they had no feet, but also wind up standing ''on thin air just off of the edge of a cliff.'' ItGotWorse in ''Myst IV: Revelation'' when [[UncannyValley the hand cursor gained a more realistic look.]] You could even inexplicably tint the hand strange, unearthly colors other than 'skin tone' or 'heavily pigmented skin tone'. The developers thankfully fixed this in ''Myst V: End of Ages''.

** [[PoliceQuest SWAT 3]] as well, but entering the code "handsup" would avert this.

* Taken to the extreme in the TimeSplitters series up until the third one. And in GoldenEye (except pistols).
** It is particularly tasty in GoldenEye and PerfectDark on the Nintendo 64 since you can freely look down to the floor. Try it while standing in a corner and look for your feet...
* The ''{{Penumbra}}'' series and its SpiritualSuccessor ''Amnesia : The Dark Descent'' play this trope completely straight, due to engine limitations. In Penumbra, you don't even see your own hands - even when you're holding a flashlight or swinging a pickaxe in front of you.

* So does the recent ''{{Turok}}'' relaunch.

* OperationFlashpoint is one of the earliest games that does an honest attempt at not doing this Trope. Of course, it'd invoke some really obvious FridgeLogic if you couldn't, since it also allowed you to use a third person view.
* Related to ''MirrorsEdge'' in the context of this Trope is ''JumpingFlash''. Since this game was a {{Platform Game}} and an FPS, it was important to see where you were going to land. The developers of this game had the camera pan down as you fell. Not only did you get to see the character's feet, but a shadow as well.
* Arguably most famous example? ''[[{{Trespasser}} Jurassic Park: Trespasser]]''. Not only did you see your arm but also your breasts, an essential part of your anatomy since it had a tattoo that represented your health meter. There's a code to play the game in third-person, but your character model is invisible except for the things mentioned above.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/7-trespasseryx8_612.png

* Arguably most famous example? ''Jurassic Park: Trespasser''. Not only did you see your arm but also your breasts, an essential part of your anatomy since it had a tattoo that represented your health meter. There's a code to play the game in third-person, but your body is invisible except for the things mentioned above.

Give or take in any FirstPersonShooter game, you may not notice that you're controlling a ghost. You may be able to see the arms but everything else about the body appears to be non-existent. Look down, you won't see any torso or legs... And that's about all you can look since the body "rotates" with the view. Most First Person Shooters do suffer from the players being ghosts. This was [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality to be expected]] early in the pioneering days of these types of games, as there wasn't enough hardware power to render what was going to be hidden half the time anyway (and many raycasting engines of the time limited vertical camera rotation to well under ±45° in order to minimize perspective distortion artifacts.) But as hardware got more powerful and software became more sophisticated, this may appear to be more or less a case of developer laziness.

* The ''{{Penumbra}}'' series and it's upcoming SpiritualSuccessor ''Amnesia : The Dark Descent'' play this trope completely straight, due to engine limitations. In Penumbra, you don't even see your own hands - even when you're holding a flashlight or swinging a pickaxe in front of you.

* Arguably most famous example? ''Jurassic Park: Trespasser''. Not only did you see your [[strike:feet, legs, and]] arm[[strike:s]] but also your breasts, an essential part of your anatomy since it had a tattoo that represented your health meter. There's a code to play the game in third-person, but your body is invisible except for the things mentioned above.

* Half-Life 2 (HL too, but that is beside the point) also has this flaw. Portal and Half Life 2 were great, except if developers are going to make precise jumping part of the game, one should be able to see the feet. Too many times in Portal I stood closer and closer to the edge of something so I could jump with a cube only to find out I was no where near the edge (or worse, past it).

** It's perfectly possible not just to look down and see your thigh, but to stick a plasma grenade to it. ThisTroper found that out the hard way.

* ''DeusEx'' has a strange subversion. While you can see JC Denton in mirrors and other reflections, you can't see his feet when you actually look down (though you would see a “blob shadow” under him.) The same holds true for just about any game based on the early builds of the ''{{Unreal}}'' engine: ''Unreal'', ''TheUndying'', etc. The MindScrew in DeusEx comes when you notice that your reflection never holds anything in the same position as you. Particularly odd in the case of well-polished floors, where you could see the soles of JC's boots reflected back at you.

* Taken to the extreme in the TimeSplitters series up until the third one. And in GoldenEye (except pistols).