History HonorBeforeReason / Videogames

* This is one of the many causes for the backlash against ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM''. Samus encounters her former CO while on a mission, and even though she's no longer part of his squad she agrees to his request to keep her suit's many features [[BagOfSpilling deactivated]] unless he authorizes her to use them. Possibly reasonable for her advanced weaponry, but downright suicidal when it comes to her defenses, such as keeping her heat shields turned off while touring the LethalLavaLand. [[spoiler: Becomes less so toward the endgame, when she activates the Screw Attack and later the Power Bombs on her own]]

* Gerik and his mercenaries from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones''. When they and their employer [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Prince Innes]] are vastly outnumbered by an enemy army, Innes tries to convince them to surrender and save themselves since the other guys are only after him. Even after he fires them they refuse to (though he orders them to surrender [[WhatAnIdiot after firing them]]).
-->'''Innes:''' Unbelievable... and you people call yourselves mercenaries? I thought you fought for money, not duty.\\

** There exists an entire category of characters spanning the series called the Camus archetype who are more or less the embodiment of this trope. They're named for Camus in [=FE1/11=], the leader of the Sable Knights of Grust. Grust plays the part of the aggressor and obvious antagonist in the war (along with allies Dolhr and Gra) that serves as the backdrop for the game. Camus is well aware that his country is in the wrong and bears no ill will towards Marth or his army, yet he refuses to defect to them out of loyalty to his king and to his own code of honor. Other notables in the archetype include Eltshan of [=FE4=], Reinhardt of [=FE5=], Shiharam of [=FE9=], and Xander of [=FE14=], during the Birthright route.
-->'''Marth:''' General, I have no wish to fight you. You know this battle is pointless; surely, you must!\\
'''Camus:''' So long as Grust continues to support Dolhr's ambitions, it does not matter what I know or think. I am a knight; I have a duty to fight for my motherland's glory till the very end.

* In the canonical ending of ''[[VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga Jedi Knight]]'', Kyle Katarn has Jerec disarmed and on his knees. Jerec tries to goad Kyle into killing him. Kyle responds by giving him his weapon back.

* In the first ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts'', Donald Duck briefly follows Riku in his evil phase due to a literal interpretation of King Mickey's orders. He later realizes this is stupid and returns to Sora's side.

** General is one of the all-time offenders of this trope, enacting a myriad of disasters because of the honorable name of Repliforce. He meets a [[TheManBehindTheCurtain cloaked figure]], never discovering he's really [[BigBad the most feared Maverick on the planet, Sigma]]. Thinking this "stranger" is a [[AWolfInSheepsClothing man of reputable advice]] makes him fall victim to [[UnwittingPawn Sigma's deceitful logic]] and enter into '''''seriously''''' DirtyBusiness. Worse, he is unaware [[DoubleAgent Magma Dragoon]] caused [[ColonyDrop Sky Lagoon to crash]] and [[InnocentBystander wipe out millions]]- he thinks it's an accident perpetrated by the Maverick Hunters. This unintentionally causes Repliforce to dishonor its namesake, the army to be decimated, and General to decide the ends justify the means. Worse, General has [[KillSat Final Weapon]], a doomsday space station geared for armageddon. After X/Zero gives him a well-deserved WhatTheHellHero speech (Zero even more angered, on the verge of a RoaringRampageOfRevenge), pulverizing half his steely body in the process, General cools down long enough to realize that acting in favor of NecessarilyEvil was a deadly mistake, and he has a HeelFaceTurn. However, Sigma's EvilPlan allowed him to hijack Final Weapon to trigger the EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. To stop it, General pulls a HeroicSacrifice, using his halfway-ruined body to block the weapon's laser strike, but doing so vaporizes him into space dust.

* In the first ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars]]'' game, we have Kanbei, who fights off the protagonists without stopping to ask why they're on his soil to begin with. He even ignores his daughter's pleas to listen to reason so he can "defend" his country.

* Both [[KnightTemplar Colonel]] and [[WellIntentionedExtremist General]] from ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'' have been duped into sending Repliforce to war with the world by [[ManipulativeBastard Sigma]], forcing X and Zero to stop them. Colonel foolishly becomes a MartyrWithoutACause, which has a ''horrific'' [[KillTheCutie repercussion]] if you're playing as Zero. [[spoiler:His sister Iris tries to exact [[RevengeBeforeReason a heartbroken revenge]] after being [[BreakTheCutie emotionally wrecked by the death of her brother]], and Zero, her beloved boyfriend, is forced to do her in (Similar to RomeoAndJuliet, but Romeo still lives). Zero has a '''''stratospheric''''' HeroicBSOD as a result]].

** However, this trope is downplayed [[FridgeBrilliance when you think about it]]. If you pay attention, he's actually staring at you while he's bowing, which is considered ''extremely'' disrespectful in Japan (and considering the game is from a Japanese company, they knew this quite well). He's not so much being honorable as he is being [[StealthInsult ironic]].

** And in the second game, he enters a highly-dangerous battlefield, complete with the enemy's experimental weaponry, so he can save ten cities with no strategic value. Surprisingly, it works.

** While several characters show signs of this, nowhere is it more apparent then in Colonel. By stubbornly refusing to allow his forces to be questioned by the Hunters due to his [[{{Hubris}} pride]], he is hugely responsible for the Fourth Maverick War, which leaves himself, his sister and the rest of Repliforce dead. In fact, he is one of the few villains from that game who is ''completely unsympathetic''. [[spoiler:It's justified, however, [[AllThereInTheManual as stated in the manual]]-- he was built without the supposed capability of compassion and pacifism that he was supposed to have (that part went into Iris), thus he lacked the capability of peaceful reasoning. The only time he ever relents on anything is when Iris shows up in person to stop him during his first duel with Zero]].

** However, this trope is downplayed [[FridgeBrilliance when you think about it]]. If you pay attention, he's actually staring at you while he's bowing, which is considered ''extremely'' disrespectful in Japan. He's not so much being honorable as he is being [[StealthInsult ironic]].

*** The End is a more pure embodiment, as he wanted "one last" honorable sniper battle. even if he gets the drop on you, he only ever knocks Snake out and drags him to an ''unlocked'' cell at a previous base instead of killing Snake. In turn, Snake is sad to disappoint The End if the player lets him die of old age, which causes the Major to chew him out over the radio for trying to be dramatic.

* Ronin leader Kazuo Akuji from ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' suffers a terminal case of this. His casual disrespect of a ''gaijin'' Ultor Executive whom he deems as beneath him backfires when that guy --BiggerBad Dane Vogel-- immediately gives crucial intel to the Saints in retaliation, and his insistence on an honorable katana duel against The Boss goes awry when it turns out The Boss is a CombatPragmatist who has no problem bringing a gun to a swordfight.

** There exists an entire category of characters spanning the series called the Camus archetype who are more or less the embodiment of this trope. They're named for Camus in FE1/11, the leader of the Sable Knights of Grust. Grust plays the part of the aggressor and obvious antagonist in the war (along with allies Dolhr and Gra) that serves as the backdrop for the game. Camus is well aware that his country is in the wrong and bears no ill will towards Marth or his army, yet he refuses to defect to them out of loyalty to his king and to his own code of honor. Other notables in the archetype include Eltshan of FE4, Reinhardt of FE5, Shiharam of FE9, and Xander of FE14, during the Birthright route.

** The Zealots take this '''especially''' far in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}''. The WordOfGod at the time was that these officers had a honour code that prohibited them from using ranged weapons, and entering vehicles is considered cowardice. When you do get one as an ally, [[DevelopersForesight giving him a gun will just result in him running up to enemies and bludgeoning them with it, and he will stubbornly refuse to enter any vehicle]]. Of course, they're still more dangerous than their subordinates because they're 8 foot aliens with a one-hit kill weapon; on Heroic, which is as close to realistic difficulty, unless if several marines focus fire on a single Zealot, he ''will'' reach lunging distance before his shields drop and he ''will'' annihilate the group of marines by himself.

** While several characters show signs of this, nowhere is it more apparent then in Colonel. By stubbornly refusing to allow his forces to be questioned by the Hunters due to his [[{{Hubris}} pride]], he is hugely responsible for the Fourth Maverick War, which leaves himself, his sister and the rest of Repliforce dead. In fact, he is one of the few villains from that game who is ''completely unsympathetic''. [[spoiler:It's justified, however, [[AllThereInTheManual as stated in the manual]]-- he was built without the supposed capability of compassion and pacifism that he was supposed to have (that part went into Iris), thus he lacked the capability of peaceful reasoning]].

* In ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryII'', a fighter faces TheDragon in a climactic swordfight, and quickly disarms him. If he chooses to kill his unarmed foe, instead of letting him have his sword back, the game treats it as a dishonorable act... even though TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt is due to happen ''in a few minutes,'' if the hero doesn't get a move on. The VGA fan remake is even more extreme in this regard; giving the sword back leads to a truly NintendoHard fight. Apparently, TheDragon waits until after you show him mercy to bust out the really nasty moves.

* Alluded to in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX''. According to Auron, Jecht would often try and talk his companions into helping someone out because it was 'the right thing to do.' If he used that phrase, both Auron and Braska knew it would get them into a whole heap of trouble.

* In ''VideoGame/ArmyOfTwo'', Tyson Rios makes it a point to try to bring the conspirators within [[spoiler: Security and Strategy Corporation]] to justice, even going to so far as to force [[spoiler: Ernest Stockwell, CEO of SSC]] to turn himself in once they rescued him. His partner, Elliot Salem, who is much more pragmatic and selfish, repeatedly calls him on his honorable nature, pointing out that the two are [[PrivateMilitaryContractors mercenaries]].

* Lupa from ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'' is a very strong believer in this philosophy. [[spoiler: Tragically, it leads to his downfall because victims of the Atma Virus need to eat their opponents, or they become permanently berserk and have an insatiable bloodlust. Gale then takes up this philosophy after Lupa's death triggers his emotions]].

* Both [[KnightTemplar Colonel]] and [[WellIntentionedExtremist General]] from ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'' have been duped into sending Repliforce to war with the world by [[ManipulativeBastard Sigma]], forcing X and Zero to stop them. Colonel foolishly becomes a MartyrWithoutACause, which has a ''horrific'' [[KillTheCutie repercussion]] if you're playing as Zero. [[spoiler: His sister Iris tries to exact [[RevengeBeforeReason a heartbroken revenge]] after being [[BreakTheCutie emotionally wrecked by the death of her brother]], and Zero, her beloved boyfriend, is forced to do her in (Similar to RomeoAndJuliet, but Romeo still lives). Zero has a '''''stratospheric''''' HeroicBSOD as a result]].

** While several characters show signs of this, nowhere is it more apparent then in Colonel. By stubbornly refusing to allow his forces to be questioned by the Hunters due to his [[{{Hubris}} pride]], he is hugely responsible for the Fourth Maverick War, which leaves himself, his sister and the rest of Repliforce dead. In fact, he is one of the few villains from that game who is ''completely unsympathetic''. [[spoiler: It's justified, however, [[AllThereInTheManual as stated in the manual]]-- he was built without the supposed capability of compassion and pacifism that he was supposed to have (that part went into Iris), thus he lacked the capability of peaceful reasoning]].

** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'': [[spoiler: The Boss inverts and plays this trope straight. Her GambitRoulette ensured that she'd be dishonored and declared "the biggest traitor of this century," her personal honor keeps her from killing, and sometimes even passively '''helping''' Snake in his mission.]]

* In a rare ''villainous'' example of this trope, in ''Weaponlord'', it has been prophecied that on the night that the moon bleeds, the BigBad Zarak will be killed by the Weaponlord, whose identity is unknown except for the clue that he/she was born under the Warrior's Moon. Zarak's lieutenants advise him to pull a Herod and simply slaughter all the infants born under that moon, but Zarak instead decides to wait until the Weaponlord is grown up, and then face his prophecied killer fair-and-square in single combat to see if the prophecy will really work. [[spoiler: This gets Zarak killed if you play anyone but him, and if you play Zarak himself, it is revealed that Zarak ''himself'' was born under a Warrior's Moon, and since he killed the ''previous'' BigBad, Zarak ''himself'' becomes the Weaponlord]].

* The Yehat in ''StarControl''. In the second game you'll find they, formerly members of the Alliance of Free Stars as humans were, became BattleThralls as their Queen prefered to surrender to the Ur-Quan rather than being the first ruler in the dinasty's two thousand years to lose a battle. Their oath of loyalty to her means that, as much as [[ApologeticAttacker they dislike it]] they'll attack you [[spoiler: at least until you bring them an [[UpliftedSpecies Shofixti]], what will cause a civil war between those loyal to the Queen and those who think she acted dishonourably.]]

* After disobeying orders in a previous mission in ''[[VideoGame/MechWarrior MechWarrior 2: Ghost Bear's Legacy]]'', the next mission consists of your commander challenging you to a duel for your insubordination. Instead of the usual video mission briefing, you instead get audio of your commander's commander chewing him out before the duel for letting his ego get in the way of Ghost Bear's mission.

* Gerik and his mercenaries from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones''. When they and their employer [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Prince Innes]] are vastly outnumbered by an enemy army, Innes tries to convince them to surrender and save themselves since the other guys are only after him. Even after he fires them they refuse to (thoughhe orders them to surrender [[WhatAnIdiot after firing them]]).

** The Zealots take this '''especially''' far in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}''. The [[WordofGod Word of God]] at the time was that these officers had a honour code that prohibited them from using ranged weapons, and entering vehicles is considered cowardice. When you do get one as an ally, [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything giving him a gun will just result in him running up to enemies and bludgeoning them with it, and he will stubbornly refuse to enter any vehicle]]. Of course, they're still more dangerous than their subordinates because they're 8 foot aliens with a one-hit kill weapon; on Heroic, which is as close to realistic difficulty, unless if several marines focus fire on a single Zealot, he ''will'' reach lunging distance before his shields drop and he ''will'' annihilate the group of marines by himself.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Quest for Glory 2}}'', a fighter faces TheDragon in a climactic swordfight, and quickly disarms him. If he chooses to kill his unarmed foe, instead of letting him have his sword back, the game treats it as a dishonorable act... even though TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt is due to happen ''in a few minutes,'' if the hero doesn't get a move on. The VGA fan remake is even more extreme in this regard; giving the sword back leads to a truly NintendoHard fight. Apparently, TheDragon waits until after you show him mercy to bust out the really nasty moves.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Romancing SaGa}}'', Lord Theodore is the leader of the Knights of the Dominion, and one of the few who still follows their code to the letter. Unfortunately, he is '''''so''''' convinced that he's '''''the''''' bastion [[JusticeWillPrevail of justice and honor]], '''''the''''' [[HolierThanThou last such bastion left in the Dominion]] that he constantly overcompensates for the failings of his kin, both real and imagined. Rather than leading by example, he becomes LawfulStupid incarnate.

* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'': Dragons have an extreme sense of honour that guides their every action. A ''real'' dragon in a losing fight is expected to FaceDeathWithDignity and keep fighting to the bitter end, and will also always respond to challenges, even if they're clearly being led into a trap. {{Justified|Trope}} as [[DeathIsCheap dragons can only be permanently killed when a Dovahkiin absorbs their souls]], so they can afford to be a bit reckless. [[spoiler:When Alduin runs away from the Dovahkiin after their first fight, it leads to a lot of dragons questioning his authority; there's no shame in submitting to a superior foe, [[NoTrueScotsman but what kind of Dovah]] ''turns tail and flees'' when faced with one?]]

** While several characters show signs of this, nowhere is it more apparent then in Colonel. By stubbornly refusing to allow his forces to be questioned by the Hunters due to his [[{{Hubris}} pride]], he is hugely responsible for the Fourth Maverick War, which leaves himself, his sister and the rest of Repliforce dead. In fact, he is one of the few villains from that game who is ''completely unsympathetic''.