tl;dr : I'm searching for any game in which you can play the protagonist as evil, if you know any that's good please do share. I also proceed in giving several examples and explain why these fit my criteria or not (a few spoilers)
Hello everyone, I'd like to be the bad guy and want to know any good game in which you play as evil, it doesn't matter the platform or age of the game but I'd prefer the narrative to be well written and preferably emphasized. Even a well written mod or a pornographic game would be great, actually it could even be a good idea because these lacks the restrictions needed to publish a mainstream game.
I guess I'll start with what I don't want. Games in which you are an antihero or a plain psychopath :
Prototype : Alex Mercer seek the truth and justice. Yes he's a terrorist and doesn't care who he hurts to achieve his goals but the goals themselves aren't evil. Also... starting with amnesia... seriously?
God of War : Kratos is a murderous psychopath, but the game make it seem his actions to be justified, the gods he fights are portrayed as worse than him.
I want a protoganist who knows himself to be evil or at least who goes against genuinely good people.
Manhunt : Same as God of War in more extreme way, it even manage to put you up against people that are worse than your character (admitedly not by a large margin ^^).
Hatred : There's no narrative in this game, in doesn't go further than its premise, that you are a psychopath.
All of these games lack choice. What's truly evil is having the choice between several options and purposefully choose to cause harm :
Star Wars : Knights of the Old Republic : I think this one is the best example of what I want. It trully give you the feeling of being a sith lord. You manipulate, you betray your allies, you backstab all of that in order to gain more power, to exact revenge, for the sheer fun of it or even simply to prove a point.
Even though I had decided to follow the path of evil I did hesitate to force Zaalbar to kill the twi'lek brat. The fact being that I'm not actually a complete sociopath and some of these decisions I find somewhat disturbing to make, but that's exactly the thrill I'm seeking.
Only drawbacks of this game is that the mechanics and graphisms didn't age very well.
The are several other games with a morality system with two axis, I find it not often really succesful though.
Mass effect : The game is great, just renegade Shepherd isn't evil, he's just a dick.
Grand Theft Auto : Great games, although rather than evil you're mostly just a scum.
Path of Evil (a fan made mod for Neverwinter Night 2) : You play in a dungeon and dragon setting the story of a vilain before he threatens the realms.
Of course since this is a single man's work one can't expect the finish of what a team of professionals would make, but i really did enjoy it and there've obviously been lots of dedication put into it. There's about as much content in this mod than in the core campaign.
The core campaigns of NWN, 1 or 2, aren't very good for playing vilains. These are meant to be played by a benevolent character. Sure you have options to be a jackass toward everyone you encounter. Sure your character complains asking why he should care about fighting the evil,... but you still end up doing it. Doing the same things as a benevolent character while complaining that you shouldn't have to do it isn't really what I call evil.
Overlord : (I only played the 2). That's a great game and the entire premise is that you play as evil. Admitedly it's goofy evil which is perfectly fine; but the problem is that you hardly ever do anything that is evil, cruel or even injustified. You're a sorcerer and you fight against an empire who forbids magic and try to exterminate magical being, leading a rebellion against an oppressive empire isn't evil, in this case it's even self defense and a question of survival.
One could argue that the process of forging which requires you to sacrifice your minions by the hundreds is really evil but the game emphasizes the fact that these minions are happy to die for you and they do cheerfully jump in the fire, it kind of alleviate the moral hurdle of doing that. Especially since you don't really have a choice, it's not like you could forge any other way and spare your minions. It's not really a sacrifice if you can't choose not to do it, purposefully choosing the easy way and killing your servants that would be evil.
Evil Genius : In this game you play as a Bond movie like vilain and manages a secret lair on an Island. Also somewhat goofie evil but in this one you really act the part ; you're bent on world domination, you coerces mob bosses from around the world to work under you, you lure, kill and torture agents. Your minions may torture someone by dancing Michael Jackson style in front of them, but goofie though it may be, that's still torture.
In this game the evilness isn't only through the narrative but also through the game mechanics themsleves. For example a good way to increase the loyality of your minions is to choose one that is on the brink of betraying you and execute him in front of the others. You completely have the choice of not doing it and to inspire loyalty by other means (which is very hard) or to accept that every now and then a minion will leave your organisation.
I really like that because it's not the game at one point giving you two boxes : Kill him or spare him. You take the initiative of the decision by yourself.
A problem with that game would be that the narrative lacks a little bit of scope.
Papers, please : In a very different kind, I think it's still worth mentionning when talking about the evil through game mechanics. You're an immigration inspector who checks arrivals' documents. You do have some opportunities to accept bribery and corrupt you. What's great about it is that even if you want to remain honest, the games pushes you to become slowly more corrupt while never forcing you.
Darkest Dungeon : You have to hire henchmen to explore your "family dungeon". You can if you want take good care of the heroes you've hired but it cost money, or you can hire wannabee heroes, send them to fight unspeakable horrors in the utter darkness without so much as a torch, take the loot they come back with and send them back to the gutter you found them in, body and mind shattered.
P.S : The examples given aren't in an order of preference, the order is that of relevance to the point I'm trying to make.
Edit : Lots of great games have been mentionned, some I didn't know about, some I forgot to mention and others I didn't mention because I didn't think it was relevant.
Bioshock : A great game with a very well written narrative. As for playing as evil there is an evil route but saddly the game merely gives you the illusion of choice as there is no consequence for your choice.
Star Wars - Jedi Academy : Choosing the Dark Side does make your character slighlty stronger but also makes the end of the game harder, this one does give a sense of consequences for your actions.
Star Wars - The Old Republic : I didn't mention it initially because I already mentionned KOTOR. I feel like this game suffered from BioWare's choice wheel that gives you only three choices per dialogue node. In KOTOR you had as many dialogue options as was relevant, in TOR when you have a moral choice it gives you only two options good or evil and the evil is mostly just senseless killing. As Darth Bane put it : "Killing without reason or gain is a petty pleasure of sadistic fools."
If you play as a sith lord you're going to want to have choices that spans different ways of being evil.
Shadow of the Colossus : It's written like a tragedy, it portrays the slow decline of a man overtaken by grief... and literal demons (but that's a metaphor). Willingly damning himself for his lost love.
Tyranny : Not out yet. Based on the technology of Pillars of Eternity you start out as a general under some sort of evil overlord.
Vampire the Masquerade : Bloodlines : One of my favorite game ever. I didn't mention it initially because I feel like you mostly fight for your own survival in an unforgiving world and there's nothing evil in that. Sure you're a vampire and have to drink human blood, but that's not your fault. Still the game does allow you lots of choices that have consequences within the game and some are really evil.
Vampire the Masquerade : Redemption : You're a crusader wounded in battle who falls in love with the nurse that heals him. Until a lady vampire chooses him to become her child. The story span a thousand years and end in the year 2000, you're a walking anachronism, but will you evntually earn your redemption and get reunited with your love or will you embrace your damnation and become the monster you were fighting?
That game has a great narration, the gameplay and graphics didn't age well though.
And here are the ones I either haven't tried or don't have a comment about : Saint Row 2, Baldur's Gates 1 and 2, Dragon Age Origins, Fable, Planescape Torment, Final Fantasy tactics advance, Jagged Alliance 2, Dungeon Keeper, Undertale, Age of Wonders, Crusader Kings 2, Blackguards, The Witcher, NWN : Mas of the Betrayer, Lucius, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows DLC.
Hello everyone, I'd like to be the bad guy and want to know any good game in which you play as evil, it doesn't matter the platform or age of the game but I'd prefer the narrative to be well written and preferably emphasized. Even a well written mod or a pornographic game would be great, actually it could even be a good idea because these lacks the restrictions needed to publish a mainstream game.
I guess I'll start with what I don't want. Games in which you are an antihero or a plain psychopath :
Prototype : Alex Mercer seek the truth and justice. Yes he's a terrorist and doesn't care who he hurts to achieve his goals but the goals themselves aren't evil. Also... starting with amnesia... seriously?
God of War : Kratos is a murderous psychopath, but the game make it seem his actions to be justified, the gods he fights are portrayed as worse than him.
I want a protoganist who knows himself to be evil or at least who goes against genuinely good people.
Manhunt : Same as God of War in more extreme way, it even manage to put you up against people that are worse than your character (admitedly not by a large margin ^^).
Hatred : There's no narrative in this game, in doesn't go further than its premise, that you are a psychopath.
All of these games lack choice. What's truly evil is having the choice between several options and purposefully choose to cause harm :
Star Wars : Knights of the Old Republic : I think this one is the best example of what I want. It trully give you the feeling of being a sith lord. You manipulate, you betray your allies, you backstab all of that in order to gain more power, to exact revenge, for the sheer fun of it or even simply to prove a point.
Even though I had decided to follow the path of evil I did hesitate to force Zaalbar to kill the twi'lek brat. The fact being that I'm not actually a complete sociopath and some of these decisions I find somewhat disturbing to make, but that's exactly the thrill I'm seeking.
Only drawbacks of this game is that the mechanics and graphisms didn't age very well.
The are several other games with a morality system with two axis, I find it not often really succesful though.
Mass effect : The game is great, just renegade Shepherd isn't evil, he's just a dick.
Grand Theft Auto : Great games, although rather than evil you're mostly just a scum.
Path of Evil (a fan made mod for Neverwinter Night 2) : You play in a dungeon and dragon setting the story of a vilain before he threatens the realms.
Of course since this is a single man's work one can't expect the finish of what a team of professionals would make, but i really did enjoy it and there've obviously been lots of dedication put into it. There's about as much content in this mod than in the core campaign.
The core campaigns of NWN, 1 or 2, aren't very good for playing vilains. These are meant to be played by a benevolent character. Sure you have options to be a jackass toward everyone you encounter. Sure your character complains asking why he should care about fighting the evil,... but you still end up doing it. Doing the same things as a benevolent character while complaining that you shouldn't have to do it isn't really what I call evil.
Overlord : (I only played the 2). That's a great game and the entire premise is that you play as evil. Admitedly it's goofy evil which is perfectly fine; but the problem is that you hardly ever do anything that is evil, cruel or even injustified. You're a sorcerer and you fight against an empire who forbids magic and try to exterminate magical being, leading a rebellion against an oppressive empire isn't evil, in this case it's even self defense and a question of survival.
One could argue that the process of forging which requires you to sacrifice your minions by the hundreds is really evil but the game emphasizes the fact that these minions are happy to die for you and they do cheerfully jump in the fire, it kind of alleviate the moral hurdle of doing that. Especially since you don't really have a choice, it's not like you could forge any other way and spare your minions. It's not really a sacrifice if you can't choose not to do it, purposefully choosing the easy way and killing your servants that would be evil.
Evil Genius : In this game you play as a Bond movie like vilain and manages a secret lair on an Island. Also somewhat goofie evil but in this one you really act the part ; you're bent on world domination, you coerces mob bosses from around the world to work under you, you lure, kill and torture agents. Your minions may torture someone by dancing Michael Jackson style in front of them, but goofie though it may be, that's still torture.
In this game the evilness isn't only through the narrative but also through the game mechanics themsleves. For example a good way to increase the loyality of your minions is to choose one that is on the brink of betraying you and execute him in front of the others. You completely have the choice of not doing it and to inspire loyalty by other means (which is very hard) or to accept that every now and then a minion will leave your organisation.
I really like that because it's not the game at one point giving you two boxes : Kill him or spare him. You take the initiative of the decision by yourself.
A problem with that game would be that the narrative lacks a little bit of scope.
Papers, please : In a very different kind, I think it's still worth mentionning when talking about the evil through game mechanics. You're an immigration inspector who checks arrivals' documents. You do have some opportunities to accept bribery and corrupt you. What's great about it is that even if you want to remain honest, the games pushes you to become slowly more corrupt while never forcing you.
Darkest Dungeon : You have to hire henchmen to explore your "family dungeon". You can if you want take good care of the heroes you've hired but it cost money, or you can hire wannabee heroes, send them to fight unspeakable horrors in the utter darkness without so much as a torch, take the loot they come back with and send them back to the gutter you found them in, body and mind shattered.
P.S : The examples given aren't in an order of preference, the order is that of relevance to the point I'm trying to make.
Edit : Lots of great games have been mentionned, some I didn't know about, some I forgot to mention and others I didn't mention because I didn't think it was relevant.
Bioshock : A great game with a very well written narrative. As for playing as evil there is an evil route but saddly the game merely gives you the illusion of choice as there is no consequence for your choice.
Star Wars - Jedi Academy : Choosing the Dark Side does make your character slighlty stronger but also makes the end of the game harder, this one does give a sense of consequences for your actions.
Star Wars - The Old Republic : I didn't mention it initially because I already mentionned KOTOR. I feel like this game suffered from BioWare's choice wheel that gives you only three choices per dialogue node. In KOTOR you had as many dialogue options as was relevant, in TOR when you have a moral choice it gives you only two options good or evil and the evil is mostly just senseless killing. As Darth Bane put it : "Killing without reason or gain is a petty pleasure of sadistic fools."
If you play as a sith lord you're going to want to have choices that spans different ways of being evil.
Shadow of the Colossus : It's written like a tragedy, it portrays the slow decline of a man overtaken by grief... and literal demons (but that's a metaphor). Willingly damning himself for his lost love.
Tyranny : Not out yet. Based on the technology of Pillars of Eternity you start out as a general under some sort of evil overlord.
Vampire the Masquerade : Bloodlines : One of my favorite game ever. I didn't mention it initially because I feel like you mostly fight for your own survival in an unforgiving world and there's nothing evil in that. Sure you're a vampire and have to drink human blood, but that's not your fault. Still the game does allow you lots of choices that have consequences within the game and some are really evil.
Vampire the Masquerade : Redemption : You're a crusader wounded in battle who falls in love with the nurse that heals him. Until a lady vampire chooses him to become her child. The story span a thousand years and end in the year 2000, you're a walking anachronism, but will you evntually earn your redemption and get reunited with your love or will you embrace your damnation and become the monster you were fighting?
That game has a great narration, the gameplay and graphics didn't age well though.
And here are the ones I either haven't tried or don't have a comment about : Saint Row 2, Baldur's Gates 1 and 2, Dragon Age Origins, Fable, Planescape Torment, Final Fantasy tactics advance, Jagged Alliance 2, Dungeon Keeper, Undertale, Age of Wonders, Crusader Kings 2, Blackguards, The Witcher, NWN : Mas of the Betrayer, Lucius, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows DLC.
