Games where the main character's reputation matches what you can do in game

[Erttheking]

This is gonna be kinda hard to explain but bare with me. We all know that a fair chunk of games have you play as a character who has an established reputation as a massive ass kicker. But here's what I want to talk about, those characters may have massive reputations or feats of skill, but sometimes they just don't mesh with gameplay. For example, Halo. Now I love Halo, but I have to say SPARTANS are supposed to be unstoppable killing machines that can dodge enemy projectiles, dance around enemy movements and thirty of them were able to eliminate an army of a thousand strong on their own. I have to say that while I did feel badass playing as Master Chief, I never really felt THAT badass. For being able to wipe out an entire army I start to feel overwhelmed if half a dozen Covenant soldiers that aren't considered in universe canon-fodder start to swarm me, and the contrast from the gods of war SPARTANs are supposed to be makes it feel a little off.

Now then, for the opposite side of the spectrum, Corvo from Dishonored. Corvo isn't a super soldier like Master Chief, but he is very well known as a skilled swordsman and the protector of the Empress. I know he gets magical powers too, but most of his reputation was formed before that when he was just another guy with a sword and a pistol, yet I find his reputation seems to fit what you can do a lot more. Corvo's greatest feat told was that he defeated three people in a sword fight on his own, and one guard says to another to not attack Corvo on his own because it would be suicide. And that's the funny thing, taking one guard out with your sword is piss easy, even doing it with three is manageable if a bit tricky, but above that there are just too many swords coming at you from too many directions and you have to get clever with your fancy new magical powers. See I like this better because it feels like they made Corvo badass without over blowing his abilities to the point of the game just not being able to keep up with them. I really like that.

So, can you think of any other characters who do this?

 

[DataSnake]

This is one area where the Arkham games excel. Batman in-universe is almost invincible hand-to-hand but relies on stealth when firearms come into play, and that's reflected in gameplay.

 

[Exius Xavarus]

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - The Fateless One.

You're Fateless, you can do whatever you want to do. Which is exactly what you do throughout the whole game.

 

[krazykidd]

Dante . From ( the original 3 )DMC . Badass demon hunter that is stylish and confident and fearless . And very very cocky .

Bayonetta . Sexy angel hunting witch , with magic powers and more sex appeal than she can do with .

Kratos . Badass , anti-hero who enjoys killing and will do anything for revenge .

Solid snake . Sneaky military bastard who can take out anything and anyone, without being seen .

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Yep, Batman from the Arkham games. That flashy counter reaction thing really ties fights together. And it feels just as awesome stalking people from above and taking them down silently without taking a single hit. Fire a couple of rounds on the guy though and you're borderline dead.

 

[Mirroga]

To me, it's Joel from The Last Of Us. He has a reputation of fear from Boston Quarantine Area. Even the Hunters' who didn't get killed or heard the news of their fallen brethren consider Joel to be a scary, murdering psychopath. And it shows on how much variety and flexibility Joel has to survive as well as murder and even on how to obtain information through torture.

 

[Fox12]

This is gonna be kinda hard to explain but bare with me. We all know that a fair chunk of games have you play as a character who has an established reputation as a massive ass kicker. But here's what I want to talk about, those characters may have massive reputations or feats of skill, but sometimes they just don't mesh with gameplay. For example, Halo. Now I love Halo, but I have to say SPARTANS are supposed to be unstoppable killing machines that can dodge enemy projectiles, dance around enemy movements and thirty of them were able to eliminate an army of a thousand strong on their own. I have to say that while I did feel badass playing as Master Chief, I never really felt THAT badass. For being able to wipe out an entire army I start to feel overwhelmed if half a dozen Covenant soldiers that aren't considered in universe canon-fodder start to swarm me, and the contrast from the gods of war SPARTANs are supposed to be makes it feel a little off.

Now then, for the opposite side of the spectrum, Corvo from Dishonored. Corvo isn't a super soldier like Master Chief, but he is very well known as a skilled swordsman and the protector of the Empress. I know he gets magical powers too, but most of his reputation was formed before that when he was just another guy with a sword and a pistol, yet I find his reputation seems to fit what you can do a lot more. Corvo's greatest feat told was that he defeated three people in a sword fight on his own, and one guard says to another to not attack Corvo on his own because it would be suicide. And that's the funny thing, taking one guard out with your sword is piss easy, even doing it with three is manageable if a bit tricky, but above that there are just too many swords coming at you from too many directions and you have to get clever with your fancy new magical powers. See I like this better because it feels like they made Corvo badass without over blowing his abilities to the point of the game just not being able to keep up with them. I really like that.

So, can you think of any other characters who do this?

The Last of Us and Arkham Asylum.

Joel is respected as a dangerous man, and stories of an old man traveling with a teenage girl spread wherever you go. The thing is, if you charge in head first with your hands waving in the air then you're screwed. If you try to fist fight two guys, and your not careful, they can beat the tar out of you. His reputation feels earned, because he outsmarts enemies, he doesn't just overpower them.

Arkham Asylum was very similar. Batman has a certain aura around him, and his opponents are truly terrified of him. But if you get shot, you're finished. The sequel ruined this, but the first one was perfect. The way you execute knockouts was great, because you felt like a predator, or an insurgent, executing complex strategic maneuvers to defeat your enemies. Both games turned the combat into a puzzle.

Tomb Raider is a good example of how not to do it. Lara sits and whines about how hopeless it all is atop a mountain of corpses.Master Chief is supposedly amazing, but then you read about how he can run 30 miles an hour, or lift a metric ton, and all you can do is think "where was that at?" It actually gets funny when you realize you can just pistol whip him to death after about two hits.

 

[keiji_Maeda]

The nameless one.

You ARE whatever incarnation you play. But crunch wise you always restute into flesh. Dying all the time? Well, that is you incarnation this time, being a dick and then a nice guy? Different incarnations.

GENIUS!

 

[Odinsson]

Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher.
He's supposed to be a super-badass monster hunter and also has a nasty rep as a murderer (the 'Butcher of Blaviken'). He (you) can beat most opponents in a swordfight one, two, or three-on-one without overwhelming difficulty, and

Spoiler

end up defeating a dragon single-handedly

Sure, you can mess up, but Geralt's never put forward as an unkillable demigod or anything.

 

[mrm5561]

damn everyone already said batman. well john marshton from red dead was a badass cowboy, and sgt. walker is a haunted badass from spec opps

 

[Hero of Lime]

I guess Mario in the RPG games. When Mario travels around most characters know who he is and will often ask him to show off his famous jumping ability. He always ends up saving the day just like he does in the platformer games. I've always thought it was pretty cool to play as a celebrity figure, sure Mario is also a famous hero in his universe, but people just know him as Super Mario, the famous guy.

Similar to Mario, Samus is well known for being the bounty hunter who took down entire Space Pirate operations, and eventually destroying a planet or two. She has the in game abilities and accomplishments to back it up, usually anyway. Even if she has to give up her abilities for an arbitrary reason, or be "ordered" to withhold her abilities.

Cookies for everyone who brought up Batman in the Arkham games.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

Mass Effect. Apparently Commander Shepard is the single greatest soldier who ever lived and thus gets to decide the individual worth of each species and make decisions of galactic proportions.

He practically becomes God.

 

[The Madman]

Garrett from the Thief series is fantastic in this regard. His name is well enough known that you'll hear people talking about the famed master thief while no one actually knows what he actually looks like... meanwhile you're silently crouched in a corner grinning like an idiot to yourself as you listen in on their conversation, unseen. Maybe you'll steal their stuff on the way out, you know, as a kindness. Then they'll get to say they might've gotten robbed by Garrett! They can't be sure though, they never saw you.

 

[skywolfblue]

Bayonetta: Badass-but-classy sexy angel killing witch. Dialed up to 11, every moment of gameplay gets more and more insane. Yeah, she lives up to her reputation and more.

Commander Shepard: Gets to decide whether whole species live or die, persuades a galaxy to follow him/her, decides the path of all life in the galaxy. That's a pretty big reputation to live up to.

I think actually most of my games have protagonists that live up to their reputation. Dead Space Series, Alan Wake, Red Dead Redemption...

...Skyrim is an uncertainty, the player lives up to being the dovakin and killing aldiun, but it's set back by the fact that the combat isn't very thrilling, and there's very little proper recognition by the other NPCs for what the player has done.

...Assassin's Creed (2/Brotherhood/Revelations) would be a game that doesn't. Ezio is skilled, but he shouldn't be able to take on 10+ guards at once, but in gameplay he can do so without blinking. He's too powerful for his reputation.

 

[Gatx]

In Mount & Blade you're treated differently depending on your actions. If you raid towns and kill civilians of one faction (or make yourself an enemy of that faction in any way), the civilians will start running at the sight of you and the faction's lords will become hostile to you. If you've been buddy buddy with them by doing stuff like letting them go when you defeated them in battle, they might even return the favor.