Do you feel sick playing as the good/bad guy?

[StreetFighterRyu]

This question of mine is mainly targeted to games that give you choices of doing something good, evil, or just bad. Like KOTOR (Knights of the Old Republic) and Darkwatch. When you play those types of games, do you feel a little quezy sometimes when you're doing a "good deed" and that you can't stand doing it? Or stealing, killing an innocent when you're the "good guy"?

I actually have this problem when I play KOTOR and other RPGs. When it comes to games like God of War, Saint's Row, and GTA, it doesn't bother me how many innocents I killed. You know? You're not doing it for real or anything. But I don't know. Can someone please explain to me what's with this issue? Am I playing too much? lol Or is it just my "inner boyscout" doing this to me? Because seriously, I would actually hesitate when playing Dark Side and feel really good when I play Light Side despite that I'm just playing a game. So, am I the only one and have a funny issue, or do you get something similar to this?

'Cause what's funny is that my brother would actually snap for playing Light Side. lol He only lasted 2 minutes.

[Sanagi]

For me it just depends on how convincing the world is... Twilight Princess has no morality system, but the first time I had to kill something I actually felt guilty because it was so lifelike.

But in Ultima: Quest of the Avatar I'll gladly pay 1 gold for 99 mandrake since I know I can just go talk to Flamis a bunch of times to bring my honesty level back up.

[Gargus]

No to both because its just a game.

[Jmacq1]

I think any trepidation about playing the "bad guy" might be more worrying that somehow it's going to come back and bite you in the butt later than morality concerns. ;)

There's also the minor problem that with most games the "bad guy" story isn't usually considered the "official" story. Though that's really only a concern for things like Star Wars games, where the plotline will likely end up as part of the overall continuity later on.

I usually play through games like that twice anyway, once "good" and once "bad." I usually don't enjoy the "Bad" as much though...aside from the few moments here and there where you can be such a glorious bastard that it becomes funny or shocking in its over-the-topness (KotOR 1 spoiler examples: spoilers:

convincing everyone to kill each other in the "Romeo and Juliet style family feud on Dantooine" for the funny side, or forcing Zaalbar to kill Mission on the shocking side

end of spoilers) , it's just not that much fun for me to be a complete a-hole to everyone you meet, even in a video game.

If they ever make a game in that vein where you can be evil but still be portrayed as a character that sane people might follow around, respect, and listen to, I'll be set. Many games (KotOR was particularly guilty of this) end up making your band of buddies out to be a bunch of gullible, spineless idiots for trusting you if you play the "evil" path of the game).

[DaeJi]

I've always like going down the middle, which is nest to impossible to do on games like KOTOR and Jade Empire; those I tend to go light side. However I was pure grey playing Fable and loved being the charming hero who would steal and lie when I had too.

[Karl H]

I always have to play star wars games as lightsiders. just the way I was brought up I guess.

[Genma:TheDestroyer]

*Thinks back to the towns I've left ruined (Jade Empire), families decimated (Knights of the Old Republic), races I've doomed to extinction just for a bit of gold (Overlord), compatriots I've manipulated, then left to die (The Suffering), people I've exploited for money (Fable:The Lost Chapters), and many more. Don't get me started on my behavior in Oblivion or Deus Ex*


...Nope.

Hearing "How could you", and "You monster", is actually pretty commonplace in those game worlds, nowadays.

And with games like Fable 2, Mass Effect, Two Worlds and Bioshock coming out soon, I imagine there'll be much more.


Mwahahahahaa!

*Cough*

Have to work on the laugh, of course. But I'll get it down.

[xxunder-takerxx]

i think in a game like KOTOR, what you do to people actually effects what goes on in the game, and has reproccusions, or rewards. In GTA, its pretty much just plain fun to run people down, not like in KOTOR where you can get so caught up in the amazing story, that you actually feel like you are there and you are actually hurting these people, and that can give you a sense of amazing guilt, or become drunk on evil.

in my opinion, i LOVE games like KOTOR because you really feel like you are there and you alone decide the fate of these people, and you are held responsible.

[StreetFighterRyu]

Funny thing. In Overlord you're already playing as the "villian". lol For tha it doesn't bother me if I just killed random people. lol I like said about Saint's Row and GTA.

[BlairH]

Funny thing. In Overlord you're already playing as the "villian". lol For tha it doesn't bother me if I just killed random people. lol I like said about Saint's Row and GTA.

In the GTA games (particularly San Andreas) the main character isn't simply "evil". He does some bad things -for sure- but he has a moral compass.

[Aelo]

Deleted due to profanity - Perry

[StreetFighterRyu]

In the GTA games (particularly San Andreas) the main character isn't simply "evil". He does some bad things -for sure- but he has a moral compass.

Sorry, I didn't mean to address the GTA series like that. I meant the killing random people for no reason thing.

[Kyle_Ion]

For games like Fable, KotoR and KotoR2 I go straight evil. I can't stand playing mr or mrs goody goody two shoes in games where they give you a choice to be evil. Those games where you don't have a choice and you have to be good I don't like it but hey what can I do about it.

[G. Wayne]

I usually run through the evil options first in as many different ways as I can imagine, but I tend to stick to more, ah, "noble" evil more often than not. It pops up more in KoToR 1, but there are some sequences where I go the neutral route. (The woman on Tatooine with the skull plate, for example.)

In Fable: TLC I couldn't bring myself to spoilers:

take out the teacher, his name escapes me, to get the last good soul.

end of spoilers

I've stuck with City of Villains more than City of Heroes. Playing through the Dark Brotherhood missions in Oblivion is amusing too.

Gonna get Overlord sooner or later. I love the comparison that instead of playing Good or Evil, you can play Evil or Really Evil.

[Mike Pothier]

I can't be evil, even in fantasy games. I just don't have it in me. In NWN or KOTOR, I'm always the upstanding guy who defends the innocent and tries to do everything for the good of all. I totally have the paladin-type personality.

I really wanted to punch Kreia from KOToR 2 several times when she constantly questioned my upstanding nature.

And yeah, I'm aware thats not a paladin-like statement...:rolleyes: