The evil choice just seems unnecessary

[Kroden]

It seems to me that in some moral choice games that the evil choice just doesn't seem evil. My main point would be in mass effect the renegade option isn't bad at all. Such as when you threaten someone to give you something they have. To me the more evil option is to kill them and take it but nothing presents itself. Anyone have more examples? Thoughts in general?

 

[crudus]

Some of the Paragon options don't make sense in that game either.

Spoiler: For example...

When you are on the Geth mission in Mass Effect 2, you have the choice of mind controlling an entire species or genocide. The former is the "paragon" choice. That makes no sense what so ever, since (depending on who you ask, technically) it is clearly the more evil option. Either way, they are both evil choices. The same thing goes for choosing to either cure the genophage or destroy the cure. In reality, both are quite evil.

I can't really come up with a specific example other than those, but it does seem like they are talking the point of view as a law-enforcement officer. Punching someone or threatening to kill them isn't exactly something an officer would do (unless they were corrupt which is what the scale is showing I think). Then again, you are supposed to be above the law as a specter so that makes no sense.

 

[RaNDM G]

My main point would be in mass effect the renegade option isn't bad at all. Such as when you threaten someone to give you something they have. To me the more evil option is to kill them and take it but nothing presents itself.

Mass Effect isn't a good example. The main goal in that game is to save the universe, so you're going to end up being the hero either way you play the game. It's the same with games such as Fable and Oblivion. No one really cares about your infamy so long as you stop the unspeakable evil at the end.

What I personally find ridiculous is the systems in games like Baldur's Gate and KotOR. They're good games, but it seems wrong that good morality choices carry more weight than evil choices. For instance, you receive good morality points acting selfishly to get better rewards, and it seems as if the only way to receive a substantial number of evil morality points is to just kill everyone you meet. It certainly makes it annoying for people trying to keep a neutral alignment without cheating.

 

[mcpop9]

in Yahtzee's review of infamous two he makes some comments about moral choices, can't remember what they were exactly but it had something to do with a woman and a cheese grater

 

[Kroden]

yes that's another thing too but why do i have to save the world? in fable 1 i could choose from freeing the world of evil or becoming the evil. i liked that. your choices were simple:
1) be the ultimate good guy and purge the world of evil
2) be a super jerk and become the evil
and as for your other point i've only played KotOR but ya it is a pain.

 

[Vesuvius Hetlan]

Starcraft 2 has an interesting one. Kill all the infected colonists or defend the colonists to buy scientists more time to find a cure. Either way you're right tho'...

 

[TheIronRuler]

Here's a great example.
Power an orphanage or kill a box of kittens.
Why do I need to kill a box of kittens? Why, Yahtzee, you sick bastard?

 

[Skorpyo]

Starcraft 2 has an interesting one. Kill all the infected colonists or defend the colonists to buy scientists more time to find a cure. Either way you're right tho'...

I JUST played that mission last night, and with it you've brought up a good point...

The evil choice in that scenario (helping the Protoss to "cleanse" the colony with fire) is far easier to accomplish. It's less stressful to run around destroying things hand in hand with incredibly powerful aliens.

However, the good choice (Help the colonists by destroying the Protoss fleet) is far, FAR more difficult. You are required to destroy three heavily guarded command posts scattered around the map before you can attack the Protoss capitol ship, fend off "Terror Fleets" that attempt to destroy the individual colonies across the map ahead of the capitol ship, AND fend of regular attacks on your base. The time crunch involved is tremendous.

That's probably one of the best examples of how a Good/Evil choice system can be done correctly. Mass Effect 2, on the other hand, had one of the most arbitrary and unpredictable moral choice systems ever.