Poll: Playing as the bad guy

[asinann]

I play evil characters whenever given a choice.

Even in MMOs, I tried to play city of heroes, but couldn't get into it. I played City of Villains for almost a year.

In EQ I play a shadowknight. In WoW I play a deathknight.

Give me a chance and I'm evil.

 

[Rand-m]

Most of the time, I choose to play good guys because I know that most other people will choose to be evil, especially in online games. It helps keep balance, IMO.

 

[Blood_Lined]

I really don't mind, as long as the role you play doesn't involve you throwing children into furnaces.

 

[M3707ik]

I dont want to be Dr. Evil cartoon villain tht killed a very cute puppy for giggles.

I prefer my moraly impared character to be round (complex) and dynamic (changing). (Woot literary terms) For example The exile from Knights of the Old republic. Complex backstory. If you went berserk and killed everything in tht game, it was understandable.

All im saying is give me a good reason and ill be as evil as you need. That was the problem with the manhunt, and i shudder to say this, "plot".

 

[Deleric]

I like charismatic villains with a sense of humor. Ones you can relate to, like Nico. But in games like Fable, I'm usually the good guy.

 

[Cuniculus]

I love games where I get to choose to be evil. I love KOTOR especially because you can corrupt others as well. I like being able to bring the whole team down with my dark ways.

Though I will admit it is fun, it's not AS fun to play an evil character without the moral choices. Such as, playing as Kratos... sure, he's evil... but not MY kind of evil.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

I can't relate to some dick with no regard for life.

I can and really enjoy games where I play as the bad guy. I guess it's a result of how society treats people who aren't the norm (people with dissabilites [where I fit into], people with emotional issues, etc etc...). People suck and it's when you play as the bad guy that it's like you're having revenge on everyone.

I can actually see your point there. And hey, at least your unleashing a cathartic rage in a video game instead of real life.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Now maybe I'm just a wuss, but every time a game makes me play an evil character I'm not immersed and not interested. I can't relate to some dick with no regard for life.

Have you played Disgaea: Hour of Darkness? It's debateble as to whether Laharl is a complete bastard, maybe a semi one, but could be worth you time.

Personally, I lean towards you about the relatable issue... but then again, most goodguys in videogames are unrelatable also. When was the last time you had a heroic main character in a game that had any depth? This is perhaps the reason why so many developers have created evil characters to play as, as if they aren't that likeable, it's an easy excuse to say "well maybe you're not supposed to!"

Nope never played it.

It's true I don't relate to Marcus Fenix as a person, being a skinny geek sitting in my room with a cup of green tea.

When I game, I can however relate to the Gears, Shephard (even Master Chief) and the like in one way:

That I am a part of thier universe and want to help them stop it getting all fucked arseways by some annoying aliens.

 

[ninja steve]

i try to be good but have to vent my anger which led to having an ugly fable 2 caracter

 

[Jandau]

If given a choice to play as good, I'll take it almost every time. I find it unsetlling to make evil choices if good ones are available.

Having said that, I don't mind playing the bad guys in bad guy oriented games. Especially if they aren't THAT evil. Overlord 1&2, Dungeon Keeper 1&2, Legacy of Kain series, etc. I did find playing Alex Mercer in Prototype to be a bit unpleasant at times. Once I fired off a Devastator in the middle of several dozen people. After I realized what I had done, I turned the game off for a few hours.

 

[DND Judgement]

i enjoy playing both but i tend to go with a good character cos i do feel a little guilty if i'm evil... in fallout 3 i got to level 20 and had finished every quest and was good the whole way through and then had nothing to do so i decided to commit genocide...

 

[terribleyetfun]

if the options there I`l be the evil guy I just enjoy the lack of restraint it allows me to have when deciding whether or not to kill something.

 

[veloper]

Anti-hero's, vigilantes, clowns and regular assholes, yes.
Killing puppies and kiddies for fun, no.

In most games that have alignment, the evil option is just a pure waste of scripting and animation IMO.
Fable, NWN and fallout3 really fail at providing a believable motivation for doing the wrong thing. It makes no sense to choose the evil path for the same or similarly crappy reward.

Bloodlines got it right, but then you already start as a vampire and the inhumane choices have a rational purpose.
Overlord also works, because the whole setting is tongue-in-cheek. Evil sucks unless you can play the clown.

 

[messy]

When ever I get something with moral choices, I go through the good path fully regardless of any immediate negatives or increased difficulty later on (Bioshock springs to mind). Then I normally play through on the evil side of things; normally a bit easier but I can never relate to more character and I don't feel particularly attached to them.

 

[Gyrefalcon]

The problem with every game with a moral choice system is in the end you still save the world, you just eat puppies along the way.

HA this is so true... I know a lot of people who were mad about not being able to join the Enclave.

I am one of them, and this also happened to me with Prototype, I gave the black watch all the right to kill half the city. If you phrase it like that sure, they sound evil, but a virus is eating and turning your civilian population into zombies, I say that that is more then enough reason to nuke the city.

If you want the fun side of being the bad guy, "Dungeon" and "Dungeon Keeper" are good. You play the evil overlord whose nice dungeons keep getting invaded by annoying, misguided "heroes". They are both funny.

But how about this in a "moralistic system"-a game that doesn't TELL you how good or evil you are until the end. Something with a sliding scale that has GOOD rewards for at least 5 different playstyles would be nice.

Say a Good, Semi-good, Neutral, Semi-evil, and Evil ranking that gives you access to equally awesome weapons and armor? Why should any part of a game look/feel bland or cheap? We like the villains because they look better and get the best toys. I demand equal rights for everyone else! Make the games BETTER!!!!

 

[Excelcior]

Well, if I had to choose between protecting a village from bandits, or helping bandits plunder the village, I'd probably help the village. What I wish I could do is kill the bandit boss and become their new leader, kill the village's boss and become their new leader too, and have myself a nice lil' kingdom.

I wish they'd add some new to the old good/evil system, like ruler/something non-rulery...

 

[Scrythe]

My rule: Good guy first, bad guy second. Best of both worlds.

Then I just play bad guy over and over again. Besides, they're not bad, they are just misunderstood. And will eat your face. Twice.

 

[Chrissyluky]

as long as they arent absolute jerks for no reason like uh... ill get back to you.

 

[c0rtha]

in games like KOTOR, Fable etc i prefer to play as a good guy

however if there is no moral choice in the game, and the character is evil, i will have no remorse, its just in moral-choice games the bad guys always seem to look ugly and dirty and the endless screams of people running away in fright

 

[LongAndShort]

With so many games the badguy, is not just a powerful badass, but a complete tool who you hate anyway. I'd like to see some more likeable villains. Otherwise I just go neutral when I can.