RPGs have given you the ability to be the villain for a long time. Many players even weigh their opinion of an RPG on how well that evil plot line is implemented. That said, you always get a choice. You can be good or badly, usually depending on the dialogue and narrative choices you make during your playthrough.
That is not the case with these upcoming games. Whether you like it or not, you have to play the villain in these stories. You might not know you're the villain all along, or you might be acting as the villain to stave off a greater evil, but no matter how you slice it, these games force you to be a pretty awful person.
Spoilers Ahead: There are some ending spoilers ahead shadow of the colossus, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Prototype, and Overlord.
Rearrange the cases in the correct US release order.
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Rearrange the cases in the correct US release order.
Light (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
Shadow Of The Colossus
That thing you've done? There's a reason it felt wrong
In the beginning, Wander's mission came in Shadow of the Colossus feels noble: bring someone he loves back to life by killing a bunch of monsters roaming the land. Then you actually kill some of them and it… doesn't feel good, to be honest. These are not evil monsters; they're just out there doing their job until Wander shows up and attacks them.
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It turns out that Dormin, the entity that sent Wander on this quest, is an evil being that was sealed away hundreds of years ago, and the colossi were created to maintain that seal. Killing them sets Dormin loose, and to make matters worse, he takes over Wander's body once he's free. Of course, there's no way Wander could have known this beforehand, but maybe he should have picked it up when he started growing black horns on his head.
Prototype
Monstrously evil in more ways than one
Some people will call Alex Mercer an anti-hero, but let's be real: he's a monster. He's a barely human shapeshifter on the move in New York City. Sure, he kills terrifying mutants and the occupying corporate army, but he also eats people. They're his health packs, so let's not pretend he's trying to do good “deep down.”
However, it is worse than that. Alex doesn't remember who he is at the beginning of Prototype, so he spends the entire game trying to regain his memories. When he finally does, he remembers that he helped create the Blacklight virus that has claimed New York and turned him into a shapeshifter. In that context, each the deaths in New York during the outbreak are Alex's fault, not just those he directly causes.
Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War
Talion succumbs to the ring
You could argue that Talion isn't always the villain Middle-earth: Shadow of War, but he definitely is in the end. Betrayed by Celebrimbor and left for dead, Talion dons Isildur's Ring of Power at Shelob's urging. After defeating Celebrinbor and Sauron (as much as he can), Talion decides that the best way to keep Sauron at bay is to trap Modor in an eternal war for as long as possible.
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It's practically what the entire playoffs are built around. Talion may not be the biggest or most dangerous villain in Middle-earth, but he's a classic example of a character who forgoes “doing good” in favor of doing what's necessary, and what's necessary is pretty ugly. Worst of all, he uses the One Ring to do it. Inevitably, Talion becomes corrupted by the Ring, joins Sauron and becomes a Nazgul, firmly anchoring him on the villain side of events going forward.
Tyranny
Serve Lord Cyrus with all your breath
Tyranny
9/10
- Released
-
November 10, 2016
In Terratus, the setting of Tyranny, the world has already lost the battle against an evil tyrant. After four centuries of rule, Overlord Kyros controls all but a small region known as the Well of Vendrien. As the Fatebinder, you are sent to quell any traces of rebellion that remain. If you fail, the Well of Vendrien will be subject to one of Kyro's edicts, basically a magic nuke that will wipe out the region entirely.
You have no choice whether you are a villain or not in this context; the only thing you can control is how ruthless you are in carrying out Kyro's will. Your companions will have opinions about how much pain you should inflict on the rebellion, but none of them will suggest mercy or kindness, and betraying Cyrus for anything other than usurping him as ruler is out of the question. Tyranny is a game about being the bad guy, and that's what you're expected to do.
No, I'm not a human
Do you really think you are a hero?
You may think you are doing a good deed in No, I'm not a human by letting strangers live in your tiny apartment to protect them from the now deadly sun and the mysterious “visitors” who dress up as humans, but aren't you. You can't even be sure that the people you welcome are really people; they can be visitors too, so you have to subject them to invasive examinations every night to confirm their humanity.
Then the men in hazmat suits arrive claiming to be with the government and demand that you give them one of your residents for “testing”. You have no choice, but you won't struggle much either. If one of your residents fails a test, you have a choice: let them live and risk another resident being killed by a visitor, or show your suspect the business end of a shotgun. You're trying to help, sure, but no one should fool themselves into thinking they're doing something heroic. You won't make it overnight No, I'm not a human without doing anything objectively evil “for the greater good”.
Destroy all humans!
For the honor of the Furon Empire
There is no doubt that Crypto is the villain Destroy all humans! That's the whole point: you're there to wreak as much havoc as possible to bring out a shadowy government corporation and wipe them out. You'll do this with anything from a mind control beam to a flying saucer, and subtlety isn't required.
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If you want to get technical, Crypto comes to Earth and harvests human brains to prevent the extinction of his species, the Furons, so not only is he a senseless killer, but he's certainly no hero either. Crypto does not discriminate between shady government agents and the average citizen; he will blast, hypnotize and harvest everyone he can. That crypto has a cause doesn't make him any less evil
Rampage: Total destruction
Old School Monster Mayhem
We're going back to a classic here, though Rampage is arguably the originator of “playing the undisputed villain” in video games. The original game's first sequel, Rampage World Tour, was released in both arcades and for home consoles such as the N64 and PS1. You play as one of three (sometimes four) giant kaiju who destroy every city they're in, all to take down the aptly named Scumlabs.
There should be little doubt that you are the bad guy in someone Rampage games, and World tour is no different. Your only task is to knock down every building in your vicinity. These aren't abandoned structures or anything; you see people running out. Sure, there's no reason to take these games so seriously. They're silly arcade fun, and that's exactly what they should be. Still, when it comes down to it, the fact is that you are absolutely the villain in these games.
Overlord
Knock those pesky heroes down in a stick
Think Pikmin, but you play as an evil ruler commanding an army of goblins, and that's pretty much what you'll get with 2007's Overlord. You play the Overlord, an ancient evil warrior who is awakened and tasked with killing the seven heroes who killed his predecessors. To do this, hunt down each hero individually and unleash your minions on them.
About like Rampage, there is no doubt that you are the bad guy here. You even look evil, dressed in Sauron-like armor and a blood-red cape. You can take some acts of mercy, like freeing some elf prisoners after killing their captor, but those are pretty small-scale things. You're not building a carefree world here; you are on the warpath. Even the “good” ending only sees the Overlord turn into a messiah. Everything good that happened to someone else doesn't matter.
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