Poll: Playing as the bad guy

[ShotgunSmoke]

I usually play pretty neutral.

Being a child-slaughtering villain has little appeal to me, because...
Well, I play games to get away from my day job.

You won the Internet.

I enjoy playing as a bastard, but only if they're not complete assholes. That makes them impossible to like and ruins the game.
In games, where you have a choice (i.e. Mass Effect) I'm usually good to my allies and civilians, but mean as f*ck to my enemies.

 

[Stryc9]

I can't honestly vote here because, "I'd like to think I can but can't bring myself to do it.", isn't an option. In most cases that's how it works for me, except Postal 2, I never had much of a problem blowing away all the civilians and stuff.

 

[Blackadder51]

The bad guy is so much better then the good guy, there funny more powerful and just more awesome

 

[Terramax]

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!"

 

[Neotericity]

When you wanna blow off some steam, and of course, liberate vital organs from virtual people, nothing beats swinging around in your electronic playground, picking on kids smaller than you with an arsenal of DNA powers or whatever Mercer uses.

It's good to be bad.

It's also hip to be square.

*ahem anyways, on occasion I'm known to become a baby-eating badass, especially in Fable.

 

[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.