Best/worst Morality systems in games

[6PrinceofDarkness6]

Silent Hill 2. Most subtle I have ever seen, where your morality choices were all determined by how you actually played the game, and not just answering some questions.

I'd say that (an ending based upon how much health you averaged throughout the game...woah), and Fallout 3 like everyone else.

 

[bookboy]

Black and White/2 had good systems (if flawed games) where not only did the general theme change, but things in the game changed as well (good=giant polar bear, but only if you put the effort into it; evil=they're dead). In 2 your gameplay was also tied into it (city build or conquer).

I agree, in fact, I would go so far as to ay that Black and white 2 (I have'nt played the first one) had one of the best morality systems ever, because the entire game was based around it. everything you did was either good or bad, every choice you made had an effect even down to the look of your city and the workload of your citizens. Scorched earth and non-stop workers=evil, beautiful grasslands and light plus workers who partied and slept at some point=good.

 

[Nurb]

Silent Hill 2. Most subtle I have ever seen, where your morality choices were all determined by how you actually played the game, and not just answering some questions.

I'd say that (an ending based upon how much health you averaged throughout the game...woah), and Fallout 3 like everyone else.

meh, I wouldn't mind the subtlety of Silent Hill 2's morality system so much if I knew it existed. I mean, almost guranteeing the suicide ending just for studying the knife?? c'moooon XD

 

[WolfThomas]

The Witcher, always morally grey and the outcome is told much later in the game (at least 30min), so you can't reload for the best decision.

Also there is no good ending, all three have pro and cons.

 

[Lord Krunk]

Either Jade Empire or Fable 2.

With Jade Empire, there is no 'good' or 'evil', just the Ways of the Open Palm and Closed Fist. Do you help people out of good will, or so you have a little extra money? Do you kill someone to help the world, or so you can nick the key to their treasure trove? It's not the best description, but the Open Palm represents Harmony (affinity with all life, live for the sake of others) and the Closed Fist represents Discord (Honour above all, corrupt), but they are used in such an innovative way that you would be surprised.

As for Fable 2, it used a 4-way system with it morality: Good/Evil, and Purity/Corruption. It needs a bit of work, but it was a serious step up from the standard 2 way morality systems used in most games.

 

[Noone From Nowhere]

It is really too bad that there aren't more games with Morality Systems. Even my worst choice isn't that bad, just more flawed than the others. It's one of those things in gaming that people seem to think is more common place than it really is.
None of it is as unfulfilling as simply picking if you want to play an evil character or not as is the case with Sacred 2 or Sonic Adventure 2 or Samurai Showdown V.

 

[Wingmna]

Chrono Trigger didn't have a morality system as such (since it wasn't good/bad) but IMO it is the best 'choose your route' system in a game yet and think that morality systems could learn from it. Overall I agree with Yahtzee and hate pretty much all morality systems in games, not that I hate morality systems but they are just done badly in pretty much every game (either really good or really evil with no middle ground).

 

[akmarksman]

GTA's system worked..
You kill someone and the cops are after you.

Was driving to go to a mission in GTA IV and some ped walked right out in front of me while I had a green light..of course a cop was right behind me..(i wasn't speeding or anything..)

 

[furnatic]

In terms of morality systems, while I believe video games have a good thing going with em', old school pen and paper games will always have the top morality system for obvious reasons.

 

[Skullpanda]

I'm not sure about the best, but the worst would have to be the "morality" system from "The Bard" (Ps2, Xbox). Yeah, you could decide to follow the good or evil path, but if you didn't respond the game wanted you to, the story wouldn't move forward. Plus, there was no major incentive to be anything but a snarky prick simply because there were 3 possible endings, all stemming from the choice you made in the final boss fight. Hell, I saw all 3 endings simply because there was a save right before the fight, which was incredibly easy, no matter how little you had actually played the game.

 

[Herb sewell]

As far as morality systems go Jade empire, fallout 3 and mass effect were some of my favorites. Fable's was ok but the rest of the game i disliked and Bio-shock just gave you one choice over and over again while having one my favorite story lines and game play styles. pretty much exact oppisites in what did or didn't work.

 

[Fallen_Hitokiri]

Mass Effect had a very good moral choice system as choices actually made some kind of IMPACT. I thought it was great even if the choices you made in the first game are going to cause anxiety prior the release of the second.

Also it seems that all Yahtzee needs to do these days is say:
"This is a bad thing in games."
and almost like we responded to him snapping his fingers there is immediatley threads about it. He is just a gamer like us and his opinions are no more valid than anyone elses.

cept for Yahtzee has a cool hat...

and yeh mass effects system was ok
to bad the game is utter ...
wow cant think of a word that isnt rude...long pause...
utter lemons?
there you go

 

[Fallen_Hitokiri]

As far as morality systems go Jade empire, fallout 3 and mass effect were some of my favorites. Fable's was ok but the rest of the game i disliked and Bio-shock just gave you one choice over and over again while having one my favorite story lines and game play styles. pretty much exact oppisites in what did or didn't work.

Fallout 3s....meh....you could do 1 good thing like i dont know trim someones lawn(nothing dirty!)....and then you could kill a whole city and still be good, or at most neutral

 

[CheeseSandwichCake]

I liked Fallout 3's one because I could be the second coming of Jesus most of the time, but steal everyones shit most of the time and as long as nobody knows I stole it everyone thinks I'm... well... The son of God. Sort of like real life.

If you're loved by everyone but are a serial killer and nobody knows it you'd technically stay good with the people who don't have any idea what you're really doing.

 

[NotAPie]

Fallout 3 had a nice karma system and I guess I'll go with that one.
I kept going from nice to bad and then back to nice.

 

[high_castle]

So far, the best would go to Mass Effect which avoids the simple Good vs. Evil, dealing instead with tactless versus tactful, patience versus impatience, passivity versus hostility. Best of all, there are no true rewards for playing extremes (outside of a one-time achievement)while the middle-ground often turns up the best results.

Well, yes and no. In ME, up to 4 charm points are avoided for filling up your Paragon meter throughout the game, and another 4 for your Renegade meter. So there is a reward for leaning strongly one way or another. What I liked about the system, though, is that you don't need to make every paragon choice to fill up the meter. You can be a pretty decent guy who also makes some negative choices. In short, you can actually role play in this role playing game.

The other thing I liked about this system is the lack of good and evil. The Paragon side can be a little naive at time, while the Renegade side is just a bit of a jerk. Both are still saving the galaxy. So, to reference another Yahtzee review, the choice is a little deeper than Mother Theresa versus eating babies.

I d have to agree that Fable II's choice system was ridiculous, mostly because the choices were extreme and unlike most BioWare RPGs, there was no middle ground. It annoyed me to no end, but is only one of the problems I had with that game.

 

[Moriarty]

the problem i have with morality systems is that they only reward pure evil or good.
If you have to be a jerk all the time, just to keep your abilities/weapons you can't really make decisions anymore, because you are forced to follow a path.

The Fallout 3 karma system is a good example of a karma system, that let's you choose youre actions, because there are some nice perks even if you're not on the extreme sides of the karma meter