Why am I never allowed to side with the bad guy?

[Miyam2]

Most RPGs feature a massively evil Big Bad who wants to conquer the world, and often they invite you to "Join them or die." So, of course, my goody little hero always refuses, and subsequently destroys the Big Bad. My question is, why is it that games don't allow you to accept this offer?

One particularly erroneous example is when, in World of Warcraft, it turns out that you have been unwittingly helping a minion of the Lich King take over an entire civilization. After you have defeated his main opposition, he reveals that he is evil, and offers for you to join as his right hand man, leading hordes of undead minions. Now that, is an extremely tempting offer, and if I could, I would immediately take it. However, the game denies me that option, and I have to take him down personally.

So escapists, have you ever wanted to side with the evil team? Do you know of any games that allow you to rule the world with an iron fist and your evil partner?

 

[The_Blue_Rider]

Because that guy would eventually just kill you anyway perhaps? And also if its an RPG like final fantasy or Dragonquest then it wouldnt make any sense at all

 

[Corven]

Because that guy would eventually just kill you anyway perhaps? And also if its an RPG like final fantasy or Dragonquest then it wouldnt make any sense at all

funny you should say that because there was a dragon quest game on the game boy that I distinctly remember you do actually have to choice of joining the big bad.

 

[NeutralDrow]

In the case of WoW, because they don't have anything for you after you do. They already have the division of Alliance and Horde, why are they gonna make a third faction, just to accommodate people who want a villain fantasy rather than a heroic/mercenarial one? Go play City of Villains.

In other games, a lot of the time it's because it's out-of-character for who you're playing.

 

[ChupathingyX]

Uhhh, what about RPGs like Fallout: New Vegas that don't feature a "big bad" and instead just allow you to pick your faction and go with it?

Even in the DLCs you can join the antagonists (except for Honest Hearts).

Even in the original Fallout you could join the antagonist, and I'm pretty sure there are others.

 

[Tharwen]

Because Shepard is a good person at heart, even if he likes to express it in unusual ways...

 

[scorptatious]

Because Shepard is a good person at heart, even if he likes to express it in unusual ways...

OT: Well in Demon's Souls you can choose to join the big bad at the very end of the game. Of course after that the credits roll, so there isn't much too it.

 

[Amethyst Wind]

Alpha Protocol seems like the game for you then. You can be as evil as you want to be.

 

[Vault101]

never? there are a few games...

anyway I guess it comes down to the amount of work to allow such a path..hence why no matter how much of a bastard you are in fallout 3 you will always have to work with thr brotherhood (I think)

 

[Berenzen]

Check out Obsidian games really. Some of them don't have a clear-cut evil, or if they do, they give you the option of joining them.

Spoiler

You can join with the Guardian in NWN2, you can become the Soul-Devourer in MOTB, you can join with Leland in Alpha Protocol, you can join with the Legion in FONV. Never played KotOR2, but, considering it's Star Wars, I'm pretty sure you can go Dark Side.

 

[chadachada123]

...In Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, you're given the option when (right before?) fighting the big bad. If you pick it, though, you get a game over. That makes a bit of sense because it's Nintendo though, hah.

 

[GameMaNiAC]

Cough. Arcanum [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcanum:_Of_Steamworks_and_Magick_Obscura]. Cough.

The game continues on after what was supposed to be the 'good' ending if you decide to join the Big Bad.

End of thread.

 

[Gatx]

Obviously it's because joining the bad guy would require a completely different storyline path. The best that games with moral choice systems can offer is letting you do everything the good guy dies, but with some evil flavoring to it.

 

[Ranorak]

In Star Wars The Old Republic I was actually really pleased I could.
As a Imperial Agent I was tracking down a terrorist, and when confronted I could actually join him.
...so I did.

 

[Arqus_Zed]

Play Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call.

Spoiler: Huge spoiler!

Side with Lucifer himself.

Destroy the world and any chance it had to ever recover.

The game ends with you leading the armies of hell to the gates of heaven to kill God himself.

Evil enough for you?

 

[LawlessSquirrel]

Dungeon Keeper forces you to be bad. Black and White was more-or-less a story of fighting oppression, but whether you did so as good or evil was your call. Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines lets you choose which force is in your best interest for your ending. Darkwatch was a vengeance story, but ultimately you got to choose if you wanted to harvest the dark power for yourself or abolish it (essentially, do you become the big bad, or stop it?)

It's rare for a game to have an entire alternate storyline for if you want to take the evil side when the option presents itself, but it does happen. I guess it's harder to write without the assumption that the player will be the hero, and stories become harder to do the more freedom you give the player to mess with things. I would love for the option more though, just saying that it's understandable if most games want to tell one story well and not split the focus into two drastically different experiences.

 

[Gabriela D.]

In Jade Empire, ...... no. Wait. You get killed if you accept to stand down. Never mind.

 

[Aethren]

It's because the opposition -whether good or bad- is directly opposed to your character -whether good or bad- given his or her ideals as chosen by you over the course of the game, and thus cannot be sided with.

 

[Dandark]

It would take a long time to script all the options although it can be done and Bioware has previously had things like that in their games.
Possible spoliers below


In KOTOR I think you could join the evil empire.