What kinds of choices do you make when playing video games

When playing video games that have a choice system like say Infamous. Do you usually take the good ones or the bad ones?

I usually go with what I would do if really there. In real life, I'm generally well-intentioned, but often disturbingly pragmatical and vengeful, so in case the choices are completely black and white, I always go with good. If it's more complicated than that, my karma meter falls down a lot.

Since most evil choices are mostly being a prick for no reason I usually take the good choices. But yeah as said mostly based on how I would react unless I'm playing as a specific type of character.

edited 17th Jul '11 2:27:29 PM by mahel042

I take whatever choices are fun, most of the time. If the good/evil choice offers a much greater reward than the alternative, however, I'll take that one.

For example, let's say I could turn in a merchant to the authorities and get 10K gold, or let him go and get karma points...

Screw being nice, I'm taking the gold.

First time through I'll usually go for choices I'd probably make, i.e. mostly good, but long on revenge and short on Taking A Third Option unless it's shoved in my face, like in Dragon Age. I also keep my eyes peeled for choices that look like they'll give better rewards, and even when I'm evil I try to remain polite to my party members.

Generally what I'd do, which is usually good, revenge being case by case. I don't care for games that have it being saintly good vs MWAHAHAHAH evil because of this, because I'd like for it to be a harder choice to make.

Usually good. When I try to play evil characters I always feel like I'm being a dick for no reason.

Whatever gets me the most loot.

edited 17th Jul '11 3:08:27 PM by Neo_Crimson

I try to be considered good while being the biggest douche possible.

I usually try to be the good guy.

I usually cleave to lawful good. but with a slight LE pragmatic streak at times.

I recently started playing inFamous and I was good because I knew that was the canon option. Like Spider Man Web Of Shadows where I saved the city, I play the canon way first, then do the other alternate choices.

Like most of the others said, I usually do whatever I feel I would do in the situation. Usually I end up on the good side of things, but not always. In kotor 2 I tried to be good, but kept slipping to the dark side more and more as I became really comfortable using violence to solve my problems. That, and Kreia makes some damn good points about morality.

If there's a special "good ending," I often go for it on my first playthrough. On subsequent playthroughs, I'm pretty good, but it's possible to push me too far. (If I ever replay Overlord, I am not saving the lives of those goddamn elves again!)

I actually thought about this thread in terms of tactics—I favor melee weapons even in games that focus on ranged attacks (the wrench in Bioshock, the axe in The Suffering, unarmed strikes in Alpha Protocol, etc.) When I do pick up a gun, it's usually either a tranquilizer gun (if available) or a pistol (if not), and I go for headshots whenever possible. I don't get much use out of grenades, and I don't typically use magic in games that allow for it.

edited 17th Jul '11 4:29:15 PM by feotakahari

the good ones, generally. however much i want to be a jerkass, it doesnt change the fact im not.

ever going to be up to the level games want you to be anyway. i simply cannot make jerkass/evil/prick my default response type so at most i'll be a more or less decent person with one or 2 kick the dog moments. because games tend not to make me want to go both ways.

im currently going for the 0% corruption ending of overlord. what do the elves do to piss you off so much? they just seem like useless pansies to me.

oh but smt games usually get me to act differently. default for me is neutral path, otherwise chaos, then law, because law just doesnt have the oomph or whatever chaos does

edited 17th Jul '11 4:31:50 PM by Tarsen

I like to pick the good ones whenever I feel like I have no reason to be a jerk to whomever the choice is concerning. However, if I'm dealing with someone who's done harm to others, or is being a jerk himself, then I'll pick the more aggressive/merciless choices.

Exception for games with a karma meter (like Infamous) where you HAVE to be one or the other...

edited 17th Jul '11 4:58:40 PM by MrPoly

Infamous? :I

Can I pick a game where the alignment system isn't binary?

In either case, I'm always as nice as possible.

edited 17th Jul '11 6:44:10 PM by JotunofBoredom

How about an octal alignment system?

edited 17th Jul '11 6:22:13 PM by Fluid

It seems like I always pick the merciful/good option. I avoid killing whenever possible, and I love when options in Mass Effect allow me to talk my way through things and not have to fight and kill people.

I'm always the good guy. I find it almost difficult to choose the dickish options in a lot of games. Killing/extorting/enslaving/stealing from innocent people just does not mesh with who i am or what i want to be in an escapist fantasy environment. I don't even go on bloody rampages in Grand Theft Auto. Anymore.

That said, i can't resist the snarky dialogue options from Dragon Age 2 or a few renegade ones from Mass Effect. Just because i'm on the side of justice doesn't mean i have to be polite or peaceful about it. I never skip fights unless it would end with civilian casualties. It's how i (and by extension my character.) have fun after all.

First playthrough is usually how I would reaction in the situation.

Subsequent playthroughs, it depends on the character I've cooked up in my head.

i kill everyone so i can be neutral

edited 17th Jul '11 7:38:22 PM by CommanderObvious

I generally try to be a hero in my first playthrough. This doesn't mean *always* picking the most good aligned choice, but its a good rule of thumb. That said, i almost always disregard questions of monetary reward, because its a damn rare RPG where choosing the payday option is ever worthwhile. Typically either money is easily acquired elsewhere, mostly useless, or the other reward is just plain better.

I forgot to say that I'm an XP hog, and that it influences most of my decisions.

Usually good.