Would You Play as a Villain

[Pumpkin]

Would you play a game where you're the main villain or "big bad" of the game? Would it make a difference if you knew from the start or if you found out at the end that SURPRISE you just killed all the good guys and doomed the world? Is this something you'd like to see more of in games?

[Depression Moon]

Yeah, I have no problem with it and I think I might have played a game or two with this. The special edition of Devil May Cry 3 lets you play as Vergil and I'm forgetting anything else. Doesn't matter much if I'm told upfront or find out until the end.

[Mirage]

I have already.

[Formalhaut]

I can't say I'd choose to play as the villain. In every game where you can choose to be 'good' or 'bad' (any game with a morality system ever) I always go full-on Paragon.

[Fynn]

Live A Live, anyone?

Awesome game, seriously. Everyone should play it.

[Pheesh]

I'll play any game so long as it's good.

[Formalhaut]

Not that I'd be against being the villain mind if that was the only path available. It's just that whenever faced with a choice, the more evil/ruthless option is far more gut-wrenching.

[Fynn]

That's kind of the problem with those morality systems in general. You're either a shining paragon of justice or just kill puppies. I much prefer the Shin Megami Tensei approach.

[theundeadhero]

I would love it. Doesn't mat if you know at the start or not.

[Karifean]

I definitely would.

[Vermachtnis]

I beat Spec Ops: The Line and got the Conquest ending in Neptunia Re;birth2, that's enough playing villian for me.

[Wolf Kanno]

Villains are more fun than heroes. There's a reason they're called the Heavy in writing because they do most of the work that constitutes a plot.

[Elly]

i'm a fan of the Saints Row and GTA games, where you often play a criminal, so i have no problem playing the villain...

[Kalevala]

Absolutely, and I love that this is a concept that has found its way into the medium.

[FFNut]

I would love to know the events that made them that big baddie. Sooo.... YES.

[TheKeybasHKey]

Playing as Villains? Three Words: Skylanders: Trap Team.

You can play as villains, but they have a timer so you can used then a certain amount of time.

[FinalxxSin]

Hell yeah I'd play as a villain in a game if I could get away with it. There have been waaay too many games over the years where you are playing as the good guy. I guess that is a reason why I like the God of War series so much because Kratos is more of an anti-hero than anything else.

[rhophiehalul78]

Absolutely. Games should not always be about saving the world. :)

[Vyk]

I'm with Formy, given the choice I will go good. But if it's the story's narrative to be bad I can appreciate it. Loved Saints Row. Loved Overlord. And in Fire Emblem Fates I'm considered the villain and it's an interesting take

[Pete for President]

I wish more games would let us play as actual villains.

[Rez09]

I loved the evil path in Soul Nomad. >: D

[Madame Adequate]

The problem with games that let you choose to be a villain is, they usually... don't. They let you be a prick, for sure, and you can complete quests in the most asshole manner possible... but you still end up saving the world/defeating Alduin/whatever.

If you want to be a villain you're better off with a game that lets you be an explicitly villainous character. Like in Darkest Hour how you can be Nazi Germany, or how you can play as an all-conquering horde in Europa Universalis IV, i.e. France. It's often best when played for laughs like in Dungeon Keeper, Evil Genius, and Overlord, where your 'evil' is either ridiculously over the top or so petty as to be hilarious.

There's also the very small sub-genre of torture/trap games, specifically Wild 9 and Kagero, where your methods are so brutal and cruel that your actual objectives kind of fade into the background anyway.

If you want to be a real villain though, the best way is always going to be playing a Space strategy game that lets you genocide entire species, blow up planets and suns, and crush entire galaxies beneath your heel. Distant Worlds, Space Empires, and I want to give a special mention to Star Ruler here because it is possible to kidnap enemy planets. I do not mean blockade and hold to ransom or abduct the entire population or threaten to bombard or anything - I mean you can build gigantic rockets on them, fly them across deep space, and put them in your own system.

Or, you know, you can just play Custer's Revenge.

e; Oh I forgot, a game series which did really good in this regard is Legacy of Kain.

[Wolf Kanno]

If you want to be a real villain though, the best way is always going to be playing a Space strategy game that lets you genocide entire species, blow up planets and suns, and crush entire galaxies beneath your heel. Distant Worlds, Space Empires, and I want to give a special mention to Star Ruler here because it is possible to kidnap enemy planets. I do not mean blockade and hold to ransom or abduct the entire population or threaten to bombard or anything - I mean you can build gigantic rockets on them, fly them across deep space, and put them in your own system.


This reminds me how most of my Civilization 2 games always end with me sending my ship off to Alpha Centauri and then seeing if I can enact a nuclear holocaust on the entire world before it reaches the star. What? I didn't spend all those resources to build a nuclear arsenal with the intention of never using them. :shifty:

[krissy]

infamous 1 and 2 were pretty good

[Rez09]

This reminds me how most of my Civilization 2 games always end with me sending my ship off to Alpha Centauri and then seeing if I can enact a nuclear holocaust on the entire world before it reaches the star. What? I didn't spend all those resources to build a nuclear arsenal with the intention of never using them. :shifty:

I totally do this in Civ V. :roll2

Speaking of strategy games, I've played and beaten Panzer General and Panzer General II numerous times, which means I basically led the Nazi forces to worldwide conquest. That probably counts as being a villain. :D

[Bubba]

Doesn't every Grand Theft Auto game let you play as the villain?