Manipulated Protagonists

Is there any better twist to a video game than finding out that the protagonist has been manipulated by one of the villains or allies throughout the entire game, and it doesn't come across as completely obvious for the entire time until the second playthrough?

no, because 9 times out of 10 it's the writers just trying to project their failures and incompetence onto the player.

I prefer characters that stand by their actions, no matter how reprehensible.

This

It's usually obnoxious at best.

...

...

I think it's done well in Dark Souls, because your character has no personality and just keeps killing shit, so it's only logical that he'd be manipulated by everyone that can.

But user
basically every Protagonist is manipulated by the player.

...

...

Where do you think you are user?

That's what i want for watchdogs2. I'm hoping that the dindus protagonists, that are against not-Trump for the whole game, in the end find out that they were manipulated, and the real villain is a SJW
I know it'll never happen though.

"Just fuck my shit up"
-Lionel Messi

Master computer? It's been a while since I played Xenogears, but I thought Deus was simply a man-made god.

My understanding was that there were two peak-level advanced civilizations warring in space, and this left them at a stalemate, so one side created a god to give themselves an advantage.

The god gave them the advantage they wanted, but they realized they couldn't control it so a ship was assigned to drop it into a sun to kill it.

On the way there the god wakes up and realizes they're intending to kill it, and so takes control of the ship. The captain blows the ship up rather than let it take control.

The ship crashes onto a planet whose only sentient life are size-changing multi-colored hamsters (????) and all the people who died in the crash are reincarnated using pieces of the god's own flesh. It rests deep within the planet, it's endgoal being to re-connect with the real god, who is simply an omnipotent interdimensional traveler who accidentally creates life when passing through universes.

The main character is fated to kill god, and the experiments done on him by his possessed mother give him a split personality who while much edgier has a much cooler look and would have been a far more awesome protagonist.

Bioshock

Trips of truth. The last time I played that game was back in 99. I assumed the god was just a sentient biocomputer that became a god when it crashed on the planet. I really should play that game again, the story was pretty damn good.

LoK

It's better than nothing rolling over and waiting to be conquered. Leonar had the right idea, it's almost a shame he succumbed to it. Almost, because a redeemed hero in the public eye while everyone close to Denam knows it's bullshit is 10/10.

It also makes much more sense for Vyce to oppose you than suddenly turning into a psychopath. Whereas Law Denam sees the logic behind propaganda, there's nothing to Chaos Vyce's reason.

someplace that doesn't question authority apparently

Chaos vyce was consumed with jealousy and hatred for is station as a peasant that made him power hungry like delita.

Exactly.

Long as some figurehead says exactly what they want to hear, they'll put him in power, regardless of his actual actions.

I don't think it's made obvious until the sequel, actually.

not* made obvious until the sequel.

10/10 story writing

This word is a red flag that someone is a failed writer.

It was your god damn fault you followed the little quest markers. I'll admit, it can be a bit annoying when the person is obviously a villain. But when it's done well, there's nothing to complain about.

It's even more annoying when it shows up out of nowhere with no hint of it or anything, like a 180 turn.

It's even more annoying when something like a hint screen or the level select menu or just any trivial shit like that goes ahead and spoils that twist for you.

You didn't figure it out until your second play through??

Oh boy… you're a bit slow mate.

almost every metal gear game

...

Knights of the Old Republic 2.

It was obvious, though.

More than obvious, the person who's doing it basically tells you she's doing it the whole damn time.

Zero escape.

...

It's pretty cool how in MGS 4 you find out at the final cutscene that you've been manipulated by the (((globalists))) to do their bidding this entire time (for 6 games ayyy) and that you were killing the real heroes the entire time.

Solidus did nothing wrong.

I am pretty sure that you find that out in every single game in the franchise, not just MGS4

Well, you slowly find out about their existence and that they are plotting something, but most of the major plot twists are in MGS 4 when you see that the Patriots are globalists whose goal is to end all borders and mix all races, make every speak one language etc.

And you're never really shown how noble Solidus, Liquid and Ocelots goals are. You kill them because you're told they are terrorists, but really they are heroes trying to liberate the world from globalists, they just don't care if some people get hurt in the process, and honestly that's the right attitude.

If the options are kill thousands to save the entire world, or do nothing and let the Patriots create a world government and eternal slavery for mankind, the former should be obviously the moral choice.

...

In Soul Calibur it eventually turns out that Soul Calibur was no more moral than Soul Edge, and the heroes were manipulated by it since it first showed up. This isn't revealed until like five or six games into the series.

But it's not as good as the twist in Crash Bandicoot 2.

Finding out that the villain that was manipulating you was manipulated himself.

The real god in the Xeno games is the Wave Existence, right?

Maybe it would be a good twist if it wasn't always transparent as fuck.

An actual good twist in an otherwise shit game. It was nearly worth it in the end.

I do not remember much about that game at all. All I remember is that I stopped playing it once I entered some alien ship and I had to fight a gauntlet of those red aliens.

The events of Half-Life 2 and the G-man.

Does no one read the OP


I don't know a game that does this.

YOU WERE THE ETHEREALS ALL ALONG
You stopped at the end of the game too, but I don't blame you, the ending was shit too.

Dark Souls does it quite well because the vast majority of players won't even realize that they're being manipulated the first time they play it, and often even subsequent playthroughs. You have to happen to not place the lordvessel and kill the Four Kings in order to see that you were being manipulated, and even then Kaathe isn't very trustworthy himself so there really isn't a clear good ending.

For any that played the game and have no idea what I'm talking about, it is heavily implied that the Undead Curse was created by the lords as a last resort to consolidate a bunch of souls (gained when you kill anything) and burn yourself to extent the fire just as Gwyn did. The entire purpose of the lordvessel and its arbitrary requirements of killing the 4 are just so you can absorb their souls and be powerful enough to go through.

I get the feeling that it was both the serpents responsible for doing so, because they both want souls/humanity to consolidate with the only difference being that Frampt wants you to burn them to extend the age of cinders and Kaathe wants you to keep them to usher in an age or darkness.

But you listened to her because people see a difference in taking advice from a mentor figure on what to do versus being manipulated, with the only difference being whether when you look back on what you did you think it was good or evil. You could argue either or something in the middle in this case.

The ending was shit, but to be quite honest the fact that they deconstructed 3rd person shooting and the ability to order people just like that felt… oddly satisfying?

So Crash Bandicoot 2 and 3?

What, no love for Morrowind?

I know in Dark Souls its most likely that no matter what you do, you're being manipulated by either Frampt or Kaathe to do exactly what they want you to.

...

It was obvious she was pushing you towards something but untill you meet the jedi masters and confront Atris it's not completely clear what it is.

Talking about those games here is just a spoilerfest

Wasn't it established the first time they explained the legend of Algol? His son went crazy from it and had to be killed.

Hotline Miami.
Jacket doesn't really deviate from the calls, the entire game you are doing things a shadowy organization wants you to do.
Even in the end, after they kill Jacket's girfriend, he still goes on to kill mobsters.

how fucking dare you

I hope that's your psychopath run, user

Frankly I find it to be one of the worst twists you can put into a game, since it's almost always hamfisted and is basically just the writers giving up on creating believable villians.


It's different if the main character or player notices a few odd things happen but disregards it like a moron because BEST BUDDIES FOREVER but when there's absolutely no sign of treachery and then suddenly out of nowhere a character turncoats for seemingly no good reason it's just a sign of bad writing more than anything.

You are not only the worst, but you are all of the dumb.

Even if it's not obvious (and it usually is) that's shitty writing.

heres the real plot twist. every writer is just projecting things that they have experienced or learned and nobody has any creativity what.so.ever because were all just dumb parrots

reddit pls go