Video Game Cruelty Potential You DO NOT CROSS

For stuff like Mass Effect, I think I've done every option there was, good or bad, except kill Wrex. Because why purposefully lose a party member, with no gameplay benefit to offset the loss? I don't think I've ever came across a choice in a game where I wouldn't try the "evil" option at least once.

Stuff like killing the PC over an over again like the OP mentions, I don't do that. That sounds creepy.

I shoot people who are downed in FPS games, Mainly because they're still shooting back.

Killing wounded soldiers or letting them die in MGS: Peace Walker. You're coming back to Mother Base, soldier, and you're coming back alive.

Where you brainwash them into becoming your loyal cannon fodder. ;)

Purposefully killing pikmin in Pikmin.

Not even a Pikmin baptism and then reset afterwards? Come on, you must have been somewhat frustrated with them when they failed you badly.

I've done a Pikmin extinction once, just to see what would happen, and promptly deleting my file, but other than that...

I mean, that little "weeoooeoo" sound they make when they die... D:

Well, given the events in Ground Zeroes, maybe I wasn't doing them a favour... ;~;

I am very conflicted as to whether I want to play the Chaos path in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey. I've decided I will play Law, which can be pretty unnerving itself given that it ends with all human aggression if not free will being magically removed, but I find Chaos, which involves basically sending society back to the Aztec days even more terrifying.

I generally avert Evil Is Petty, especially for games like Mass Effect (some of the Renegade options are just pointlessly cruel), and I try to leave innocents unharmed in most games.

If at all possible I keep my allies alive, especially if they have personalities.

edited 27th Mar '14 9:03:31 PM by Rationalinsanity

Essentially, don't kill civilians or teammates. Running them over is different since I'm usually a crap driver.

In my first playthrough I locked into Law by simply trying to be a good person, and regretted it the [[moment I had the fight Gore]]. That's the reason I'll cross it if needed now.

edited 28th Mar '14 7:54:05 AM by Cross

I actually like Chaos less than Law usually. In IV I did the Chaos path due to being needed for 100% Completion of the Compendium, and it was easily my least favorite path. It basically consists of going around being a dick to everyone and I also found the final dungeon underwhelming.

In SMTIV, I got locked out of the neutral ending for being too neutral, so I said "Fuck it," did the bad end, and traded the game in. Not sure how much cruelty potential the bad end is, but it was cathartic for me.

And for a general guideline, I will not intentionally kill or cause the death of children in games.

You gave up the whole game for that? You know it's advised to play all four endings, and save Neutral for last, right?

Neutral was the only ending that was even close to appealing, and I was extremely agitated to find out that the reason I couldn't get it was because I was too neutral for the mechanics to allow me.

The Chaos and Law endings in SJ and SMTIV are pretty much the same for me, but the Law routes hurt a bit more.

I do have some lines that I dare not cross in Dwarf Fortress that people would likely find me abhorrent on.

• I shall never sentence a dwarven child or baby to their death. The children can work to deconstruct constructs.
• I shall not mindlessly devastate other civilizations, unless they commit a crime in the fort. (Goblins and kobolds tend to land themselves into the crime in fort territory, so they get no mercy.)
• Even if I do get a pain in the butt mayor, I shall not execute him.
• If a vampire is found early on, and has not killed, the vampire will be spared in isolation.

To be honest, I sometimes try to avoid the video game cruelty potential as a self-imposed challenge, as it's easier to just plow through stuff and do the wrong thing.

Dragon Age: Origins, Elf Commoner origin: You raid the mansion of a serial rapist noble to save your cousin, your fiance (if male), yourself (if female) and your wedding guests. The noble offers you a lot of gold if you leave and let the women be raped. I refuse to ever take that offer.

I've only done Jade Empire's Closed Fist ending once. It's probably the most messed up ending that Bioware has ever done.

While we're talking about Jade Empire, I refuse to side with Ya Zhen ever again.

edited 30th Mar '14 6:07:09 AM by lrrose

I won't intentionally pickpocket monks or other religious figures in Assassin's Creed games.

I have no lines. I LOVE seeing just how far the game will allow me to push its intended morality.

In Neverwinter Nights 2 :Mask of the Betrayer, I never force Akachi to devour the Founder's soul. That would be like the ultimate insult.

Having just played Skyrim, there are a few quests I've left hanging.

The first involved bringing an ally somewhere east of Windhelm and sacrificing that person.

The second was the Dagon quest. When told to kill the quest giver I opted out.

The third was the abandoned house in Markarth. When I found the guy in that quest, I thought I could tell the demon/spirit/thing to fuck off as I did with Dagon, but I had no choice but to beat the man with the rusted mace. So instead, I reloaded the my save.

As much as I find Esburn to be a badass, no, I will not kill Parthanax.

I really don't stick to a code when I play video games. I like to have fun, and if that means mowing down peds in GTA or using those hilarious berserk darts in Assassin's Creed, so be it. I do have a pacifist character on Skyrim but I rarely play him.

In Jade Empire, I don't do the Closed Fist ending, but that's because it doesn't really feel Closed Fist, it's just a hackjob version of what Sun Li is doing.

Anyway, I think on my evil characters or evil games I'm pretty much open to crossing any line. However, I have a hell of a time doing Run, Goodsprings, Run in Fallout: New Vegas. Aside from the fact that they saved my life, Doc Mitchell is just too nice of an old guy. And in general, nice old guys and ladies get me to say "no, this person is not to be killed," even if I'm casually slaughtering the rest of their town.