Actions in games you had to take but didn't want to

[snappydog]

I guess there's a few reasons you might find yourself in a scenario like this.
For one, and I think this is possibly a mark of less effective storytelling, the game forces you to do something in order to continue but you don't feel it's necessary in terms of plot, or maybe inconsistent with your character. So in this case, you don't want to take the action because it doesn't seem like you should have to.
Another possibility is that you are emotionally involved in a way that makes it seem unpleasant et cetera. Here, the storytelling's more effective, the action has to occur for the gameplay to continue and it makes sense that this should be the case on a narrative level. The reason you don't want to do it in this case is that it'll make you upset, I suppose, although it's an effective storytelling technique and you accept that you must do so to continue.

For me, the end of Crisis Core had shades of this.

Spoiler: Well, if you played FF7, you knew this had to be coming...

I didn't want to march Zack out to his death, or face the Shinra army until he was inevitably killed. I knew that I had to, and I knew that it was necessary for him to die for the story to continue, but I was emotionally attached to him and didn't want him to die.

So yeah, effective and ineffective occurences of this?

 

[Dragonclaw]

I just finished Spec Ops...pretty much that WHOLE GAME! Especially given the ending...Felt bad about pretty much everything I did.

 

[Mysterious Username]

Going left in Metroid. What monster thought that shit up.

On a serious note I really don't like going to the last level in Psychonauts as then I can't go back to the over-world.

 

[Theo Rob]

Killing the nightkin leader in self defence in fallout: NV

 

[MBurdock]

The end of the first Fallout. I wanted to keep exploring...

 

[Andy Shandy]

In MGS3...

In MGS3

Spoiler

I left the controller for about 5 minutes, just hoping I didn't have to shoot The Boss. It was really sad when I had to pull the trigger.

Got me right in the feel.

Goddamnit, ninja'd!

Fine, thinking of others, Spec Ops: The Line...

I just finished Spec Ops...pretty much that WHOLE GAME! Especially given the ending...Felt bad about pretty much everything I did.

You know what, fuck this. Ninja'd in the first two replies!

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Choosing any of the endings in ME3. None were the solution my Shepard would have been satisfied with. He would have found another way to end the conflict than those on offer.

Dragon Age: Origins, where at the end the hero or Alistair had to you know what themselves, or you had to *wolf whistle* with you know who and she'd get you know so the hero didn't *cough* when they you know to the arch-you know what.

Dragon Age II: Having to side with Him or with Her.

In fact, every BioWare game of recent memory seems to force us to make choices we, or at least I, don't want to.

 

[Mirroga]

Infamous 2 Spoiler

Spoiler

Killing Zeke in Infamous 2 in the "Evil" Ending.

 

[Fappy]

Half of Shepard's dialogue in ME3. This is an RPG you say? Hmmm.....

 

[Chester Rabbit]

Killing Morinth in Mass Effect 2. I get why it had to be done...I guess. I just wish there had been a third option some way to save her; but you know what in life sometimes there only are two options right *sigh*

Having to kill Jack of Blades in Fable. Yeah I really wish I could have actually sided with him in that game. At least to a point, then I could choose to fight him for the sword.

 

[hazabaza1]

snip

Slap that in a spoiler, dude.

Can't really think of much. Maybe in Saints Row 3

Spoiler

Leaving Johnny alone in the plane. That sucked.

 

[King of Asgaard]

Killing Zeke in Infamous 2 in the "Evil" Ending.

Yeah, I'll go with this, the one moment that almost made me regret choosing the Evil path. Almost.
Oh, you should spoiler that for people who haven't finished Infamous 2.

 

[necromanzer52]

In portal 2.

Spoiler

When Wheatley took over and started to attack, I wanted to try to reason with him. Explain that he's not a moron, and that Glados was just being a *****. But noooooo. Chell has to stay fucking silent the entire game, which means I had to go through all that underground stuff, which could have been avoided if she'd just said something.

I really like that game, but that part just pisses me off.

 

[Vivi22]

In portal 2.

Spoiler

When Wheatley took over and started to attack, I wanted to try to reason with him. Explain that he's not a moron, and that Glados was just being a *****. But noooooo. Chell has to stay fucking silent the entire game, which means I had to go through all that underground stuff, which could have been avoided if she'd just said something.

I really like that game, but that part just pisses me off.

You do remember that she has brain damage right? Trying to talk to him would be difficult to say the least.

 

[mikeli4194]

Choosing any of the endings in ME3. None were the solution my Shepard would have been satisfied with. He would have found another way to end the conflict than those on offer.

Shepard's preferred solution would be to sex up all the Reapers until they left

 

[SonOfStayPuft]

Pressing Start on the Brink Title Screen.