History IDidWhatIHadToDo / VideoGames

* [[spoiler:Kouin]] in ''EienNoAselia'' uses this as a justification for his actions. He has to do what he has to do [[spoiler:in order to save Kyouko, who has been devoured by her sword, Void.]]
* In ''PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'', Lana Skye has this attitude about forging evidence to help convict serial killer Joe Darke. [[spoiler:It turns out that she's actually motivated to protect her younger sister Ema from being framed by Gant]].

* ''[[AdvanceWars Advance Wars Dual-Strike]]'' has the player, as Jake, be presented with a choice: Either he can kill the BigBad, who is [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt draining the life force out of the entire planet]] in order to extend his own life, and has ([[OffstageVillainy presumably]]) killed millions if not billions of lives in doing so, or he can sit and watch as the villain wipes out all life on the planet to extend his own life just a little longer. Maybe this would trouble a normal kid, but Jake is ''a military officer who has just fought a war to get to this point'', and has ordered the deaths of hundreds, if not tens of thousands of [[WhatMeasureIsAMook enemy soldiers]] and [[WeHaveReserves made decisions that inevitably lead to his own units' deaths]]. In fact, you are graded upon the ''efficiency'' with which you mow down your opponents and minimize sacrifices. If you, for some reason, decide not to save the world, [[TheAtoner Hawke]] will [[BigDamnVillains do it for you]]... [[YouSuck you coward]].

* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', if the main character asks Alistair if the [[BadassArmy Grey Wardens]] are like heroes, Alistair responds that the Wardens do whatever is necessary, implying that that includes some pretty unheroic stuff. Depending on your decisions, a ruthless yet well-meaning warden may find themselves using this justification a lot.

* Defied by Ser Ruth in ''Videogame/DragonAgeInquisition''. She willingly submits to the Inquisition's justice, knowing that death is the likely punishment she will suffer. When it's pointed out that as a Grey Warden she could invoke this trope, she refuses to do so. As far as she's concerned, being a Warden doesn't excuse her for [[spoiler:murdering a fellow Warden for a BloodMagic sacrifice as so many others did]]. She also admits that she's done worse for less cause in the past [[KarmaHoudini using the Wardens' carte blanche to do anything if it means fighting the Blights to avoid punishment]]. Ser Ruth believes it's high time Wardens stopped using their duty to justify horrible crimes, and wants her fate to set an example for them. Thus the only punishment she will dislike is [[spoiler:being sent to the Deep Roads to die alone, because it's the only one that won't send any clear message]].

* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' has the Demoman. One of his quotes upon losing the round is ''"I did what I could!"''.

* In ''{{Halo 3}}'', the Sangheili Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum decides to completely incinerate a Flood-infected portion of Africa, a decision to which Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood initially reacts with hostility, but he is forced to realize that there was nothing else to do.

* In ''{{Halo 4}}'', this is how Dr. Halsey justifies the Spartan project.

* In most of the ''{{Myst}}'' games, there is an antagonist who goes into a monologue like this, most notably Gehn at the end of ''Riven'' and [[spoiler:Escher]] at the end of ''Myst V''.

*** Although in [[MassEffect3 ME3]], you discover that [[spoiler: the Spectres knew that [[TheExtremistWasRight Shepard was telling the truth]] about the [[EldritchAbomination Reapers]]]] - turning [[spoiler: Tela]] into either a complete hypocrite, or a foolish cynic, knowingly working with someone actively trying to screw over the galaxy's [[PlayerCharacter best hope]] for survival by turning over his/her [[spoiler: [[OnlyMostlyDead almost-corpse]] over to the [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Collectors]], rather than the aforementioned [[WellIntentionedExtremist Cerberus]], who - [[AsYouKnow as you know by now]] - ended up constructing a new body for Shepard's frozen-but-completely-intact brain.]]

** The Charm outcome of the Admiral Zaal'Koris rescue mission in ''3''. The Admiral takes a very admirable TheMenFirst approach and insists you rescue his men and leave him behind, but at that stage - unless you imported a bad save, no save at all, or a good one, and do ''absolutely perfectly'' in every other regard - you ''need'' him, in person, up on the bridge of a quarian ship in order to save the maximum number of lives, and with the Charm option you explain that to him. He accepts your logic, even though he's still not particularly pleased.

** The Charm outcome of the Admiral Zaal'Koris rescue mission in ''3''. The Admiral takes a very admirable TheMenFirst approach and insists you rescue his men and leave him behind, but at that stage - unless you imported a bad save, or no save at all - you ''need'' him, in person, up on the bridge of a quarian ship in order to save the maximum number of lives, and with the Charm option you explain that to him. He accepts your logic, even though he's still not particularly pleased.

*** Although in [[MassEffect3 ME3]], you discover that [[spoiler: the Spectres knew that [[TheExtremistWasRight Shepard was telling the truth]] about the [[EldritchAbomination Reapers]]]] - turning [[spoiler: Tela]] into either a complete hypocrite, or a foolish cynic, knowingly working with someone actively trying to screw over the galaxy's [[PlayerCharacter best hope]] for survival by turning over his/her [[spoiler: [[OnlyMostlyDead almost-corpse]] over to the [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Collectors]], rather than the aforementioned [[WellIntentionedExtremist Cerberus], who - [[AsYouKnow as you know by now]] - ended up constructing a new boy for Shepard's frozen-but-completely-intact brain.]]

*** Although in [[MassEffect3 ME3]], you discover that [[spoiler: the Spectres knew that [[TheExtremistWasRight Shepard was telling the truth]] about the [[EldritchAbomination Reapers]]]] - turning [[spoiler: Tela]] into either a complete hypocrite, or a foolish cynic, knowingly working with someone actively trying to screw over the galaxy's [[PlayerCharacter best hope]] for survival by turning over his/her [[spoiler: [[OnlyMostlyDead almost-corpse]] over to the [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Collectors]], rather than the aforementioned [[WellIntentionedExtremist Cerberus], who - [[AsYouKnow as you know by now]] - ended up constructing a new boy for Shepard's frozen-but-completely-intact brain.]]]]

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' gives you the option to justify your actions this way several times, especially if you chose the Renegade path. Notably, a Paragon Shepard, when pushed toward this sort of action by those around her/him, will make it clear that this is a weak justification for making supposedly "hard" choices in order to avoid difficult actions to ensure a better outcome.

* In ''{{Halo4}}'', this is how Dr. Halsey justifies the Spartan project.

* In Halo 4, this is how Dr. Halsey justifies the Spartan project.

* In Halo 4, this is how Dr. Halsey justifies the Spartan project.

*** Interresting is that despite [[spoiler:destroying a solar system]] the [[MemeticMutation "We have dismissed that claim"]] Council does not revoke Shepards SPECTRE status despite supposedly not believing in the "immortal race of sentient starships" [[spoiler:Shepard supposedly sacrificed the Bahak system to delay.]]

* "[[VideoGame/{{Portal}} Aperture Science]] - We do what we must, [[ForTheEvulz because we can]]." Arguably, makes this a little [[SubvertedTrope subverted]].

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' gives you the option to justify your actions this way several times, especially if you chose the Renegade path.

-->'''Rtas 'Vadum''': "One single Flood spore can destroy a species. Were it not for the Arbiter's counsel, I would have glassed your entire ''planet''!"

* [[SubvertedTrope Attempted]] by [[KidFromTheFuture Lucina]] in ''FireEmblemAwakening''. When she realizes that [[spoiler:The Avatar]] is being controlled, she draws her sword and prepares to kill them on the spot to prevent the BadFuture. Chrom stops her before she can, [[spoiler: or if you are her mother or husband, [[HeroicBSOD she stops herself.]]]]

* ''MassEffect'' gives you the option to justify your actions this way several times, especially if you chose the Renegade path.

*** [[spoiler: Mordin]]'s HeroicSacrifice at the Shroud (if you don't talk them out of it).

* [[SubvertedTrope Attempted]] by [[GenderFlip Lucina]] in FireEmblemAwakening. When she realizes that [[spoiler: The Avatar]] is being controlled, she draws her sword and prepares to kill them on the spot to prevent the BadFuture. Chrom stops her before she can, [[spoiler: or if you are her mother or husband, [[HeroicBSOD she stops herself.]]]]

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Portal}} Aperture Science]] - We do what we must, [[ForTheEvulz because we can]]." Arguably, makes this a little [[SubvertedTrope subverted]].

* [[SubvertedTrope Attempted]] by [[GenderFlip Lucina]] in FireEmblemAwakening. When she realizes that [[spoiler: The Avatar]] is being controlled, she draws her sword and prepares to kill them on the spot to prevent the BadFuture. Chrom stops her before she can, [[spoiler: or if you are her mother or husband, she stops herself.]]