Poll: Playing as the bad guy

[Guitarmasterx7]

As long as they're a solid character. For example, the main character from "Overlord" basically walked around with a big sign that says "LOOK! IM EVIL!" he even had an evil lair and fought heroes. He reminded me of a villain from a saturday morning cartoon. Now I don't mind a character like Kratos, or Alex Mercer, because they have insentive to be an ass. I don't mind the Jack Sparrow "I do everything for myself" character either, just as long as they aren't a badassified version of Bowser.

 

[Clarkarius]

I don't know why but playing as an evil character often seems to easy. Its easy to be a complete and utter douche bag then it is to do things properly. Also as already mentioned being an evil charcter never really seems to fit well with a games story as either way you always end up saving the world.

On the other hand though, sometimes playing as an evil character can be fun at times it is especailly useful when dealing with particularly annoying NPCs...

 

[Sanaj]

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.
...
But I felt so guilty after blowing up Megaton in Fallout 3 that I erased the entire save game and started over. I just don't get any kick out of being the bad guy in games that require deep immersion.

I find many games don't really make the moral choice important in terms of rewards.
Good or Evil choices usually end with the players getting similar value rewards.
e.g. - In Bioshock you get the almost the same amount of adam for plasmids whether you chose to harvest the little sisters or save them.
- In fable the decisions between good or evil were shallow and I found most decisions that my character made were ultimately pointless.

I personally couldn't stomach harvesting the little sisters in Bioshock.
Doing so just felt like pointless cartoon super-villainy or that it was killing just for sake of boredom.

However, in fallout 3 I felt no remorse for blowing up Megaton. (Still ended the game with good karma.)
Most likely because the town was populated by stiff unreal NPCs.
Whenever I bumped into an object that made any noise or even looked a locked door the nearby NPC's responses
were quite repetitive and annoying...it was similar to the weird hive mind reactions of NPCs in Fable.
I just didn't feel emotionally attached to any of the characters.
I found the character Moira by the end of the Wasteland survival guide quests to be quite grating and irritating.

Moral choices in games need to go beyond the noble crusader or the badass / psychopathic killer.
It would be more interesting if Good and Evil choices had quite different paths and rewards
Also, they would benefit if the decisions were more complicated...Not easy Black and White moral choices.

 

[TheDuckbunny]

Moral systems in games have big flaws. Mostly it's just bland 'kill everyone' or 'bring world peace' with no middleground or whatever. Where's the evil character that's civilized and calm?

That's the kinda character I'd like to play, someone with feelings, a kind person to some even, but taking no shit from anyone, and going above and beyond what law dictates to live life as he wants to.

 

[squid5580]

First I want a good motivation to be playing either good or evil. How many times have we assumed the role of an amnesiac orphan destined to save the world? Why is he or she the one who has no family and no memories trying to save something they shouldn't give to thoughts about?

Given the choice it doesn't seem to matter either. DO you save the orphaned kitten from the fire or not? Either way has no impact on anything other than giving you the power to decide.

I am impressed with Alex as a character. He is motivated perfectly. Sure he is one evil mofo if played that way. He can pick up a car and play civilian bowling which is great for a chuckle. If I choose to make him do so. When the control is taken away and you start getting into the story you realize he isn't evil or good. He is motivated a way few characters in VG history have ever been.

 

[Duskwaith]

Fallout 3 is so much easier being evil.

Pay you 500 caps for something tivial?*equips combat shotgun*

I still fail to see how stealing stuff when no one is around makes you more evil..

 

[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.
...
But I felt so guilty after blowing up Megaton in Fallout 3 that I erased the entire save game and started over. I just don't get any kick out of being the bad guy in games that require deep immersion.

I find many games don't really make the moral choice important in terms of rewards.
Good or Evil choices usually end with the players getting similar value rewards.
e.g. - In Bioshock you get the almost the same amount of adam for plasmids whether you chose to harvest the little sisters or save them.
- In fable the decisions between good or evil were shallow and I found most decisions that my character made were ultimately pointless.

I personally couldn't stomach harvesting the little sisters in Bioshock.
Doing so just felt like pointless cartoon super-villainy or that it was killing just for sake of boredom.

However, in fallout 3 I felt no remorse for blowing up Megaton. (Still ended the game with good karma.)
Most likely because the town was populated by stiff unreal NPCs.
Whenever I bumped into an object that made any noise or even looked a locked door the nearby NPC's responses
were quite repetitive and annoying...it was similar to the weird hive mind reactions of NPCs in Fable.
I just didn't feel emotionally attached to any of the characters.
I found the character Moira by the end of the Wasteland survival guide quests to be quite grating and irritating.

Moral choices in games need to go beyond the noble crusader or the badass / psychopathic killer.
It would be more interesting if Good and Evil choices had quite different paths and rewards
Also, they would benefit if the decisions were more complicated...Not easy Black and White moral choices.

I may be wrong but I think that you actually gained even more Adam from saving the little sisters, the amount rewarded to you by Tennenbaum tipped it over.

So yeah, there really was no incentive to be evil.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Fallout 3 is so much easier being evil.

Pay you 500 caps for something tivial?*equips combat shotgun*

I still fail to see how stealing stuff when no one is around makes you more evil..

For some reason I think it's fine to steal in F3... my good character helps eveyone out and only kills if attacked first but he will steal anything he can get his hands on...

 

[FalloutJack]

When I am king, or at least hired by someone who likes my ideas, you shall play as powerful monstrous bad guys to your black heart's content! In Gazuga's name, madness be had, monsters be made, and murderous mayhem be displayed!

 

[Piorn]

It depends on how you define evil. As far as I know, Alex Mercer doesn't kill for fun but to survive, so imo, he's not evil, just like a snake can not be accused for hunting mice and defending itself.
I, personally, have no problem playing 'evil' characters, as long as I can understand their motivation.
I'd even go so far to claim, that the truely evil characters are the ones without any motivation, that are the 'villain' or 'anti-hero' just to be malicious. They are also the least interesting characters.

 

[Nouw]

What I'm seeing here is that bad-guys are better because they usually don't have much to lose. The part about where villans get better stuff is true but I'm more of a neutral guy.

 

[Sanaj]

I may be wrong but I think that you actually gained even more Adam from saving the little sisters, the amount rewarded to you by Tennenbaum tipped it over.

So yeah, there really was no incentive to be evil.

Yeah, the reward from Tennanbaum might in the end have made helping the little sisters give slightly more adam.
Not sure though, I just know that there's no noticeable difference between the rewards for harvesting or saving the little sisters.

Fallout 3- Is there any reason not to steal stuff? It never felt that way to me.
My character was being hailed as a messiah while stealing from anything locked the second no one was looking.

Are the rewards for pickpocketing worth it normally?
No, unless you're trying to do the reverse-pickpocket a grenade in trick.
That gets your character 1 exploding pants count.

 

[SnowCold]

I like playing a bad guy, since I'm not evil in real life (or atleast, not strong enough to express my evil...). And thats the whole point of gaming, to escape reality!

 

[bob-2000]

if i'm really pissed off, I like being the bad guy. If i'm not, however, i don't like to be super evil (i.e Fallout 3 and such)
Although being evil in Oblivion is fun because i hate all of the characters.

 

[ohgodalex]

Playing as the bad guy's no fun, but I like playing as characters with warped morals.
My Fallout 3 character, for example, is beatific aside from her tendency to brutally murder anyone that threatens her friends.

 

[Hazy]

I usually play good my first time through, then second time I'm evil.
Wreaking havok is Awesome.

 

[ssgt splatter]

I love the bad guys. They have the best lines, they look cooler, and they usally have the more destructive powers.

 

[hagaya]

I enjoy playing as the bad guy as well as the good guy. If a game lets me chose either one (KOTOR, Fallout), I will keep two saves with an evil and a good character.

 

[skcseth]

I felt so guilty after blowing up Megaton in Fallout 3 that I erased the entire save game and started over.

Damn! You weren't kidding.
Well, I don't care either way. If the main character is inherently a bad guy, I'll play the bad guy role to the fullest(Prototype, GTA IV). But if I have multiple moral decisions to make, like in Fallout 3, I'll usually stay neutral, but steal for a few extra caps and weapons here and there.