Comments on: Choices in Games

By: Pete

Pete — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:24:38 +0000

As far as Assassins creed I know I’m playing it a bit late but it only recently came out on PC.
The game is good but the problem with it is over all it’s the same objectives over and over.

Black & White was a brilliant game, I have looked into the style of games that have choices and it seems that its mainly the action/shooter games that seems to miss out from the choice making. This does leave for sequels however you could just have an expansion pack.

I suppose I’m just looking for an action game with choice instead of linearity.

By: City

City — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:21:02 +0000

I cant get into Assassins Creed, I got so frustrated with the training level and with the first few missions I havent touched it for a couple of weeks now.

I did love the choice element in Bioshock, Ive played it through as ‘evil’ and i loved it, when i got back to it ill go through as ‘good’..

I also liked that about Overlord, you could be good or evil or inbetween and the endings were all effected by what you chose to do.. I went for evil there too.. :/

I remember the first game with a choice element that really got me, was Black & White, especially the Battle of the Gods add-on. Its just fantastic being able to have more control over linear games

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:16:34 +0000

Yeah, I do like having a choice in a game – it gives more depth if you think you’re having an impact. With your example of Splinter Cell, there are multiple endings depending on how “good” you are – save Hisham and Lambert and stop the bomb on the ship and you get the best ending. Don’t and you, well, don’t!

However, that must somehow carry over to the next instalment… I doubt that Ubisoft would make a game based on the whims of players from the outset in this way. I doubt they could. There is, therefore, a “true” ending to SC:DA and choice ultimately means nothing. That was a theme of BioShock

Someone once pointed out that, in Mass Effect, if you had full choice you could have the chance to side with Saren. Intriguing, no?

By: Laura

Laura — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:52:14 +0000

I’m currently playing Assassins Creed and although it’s great fun to just play a bad guy who completes set tasks, after playing Mass Effect for AGES in the weeks before I really want the choices back, though I’d probably just kill most of the targets anyway. :)

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:33:33 +0000

Well said, I really enjoyed Bioshock and the harvest/don’t harvest conundrums it brought to the table.

Looking back a year later however, the choice meant the difference between two very short endings and a slightly different character growth rate. It was a case of all puff no huff.

Still I think the characterisation and excellent script made up for the lack of impact this had on the game itself, but when you think about it, you go through the same stages and reach the exact same end point whichever way you spin it.

In-game choices should have a massive, earth-shaping effect on the game world, I’m not talking destruction of nations or anything apocalyptic like that, but something a bit more pivotal.

I think the moral choices in GTA IV prove more influential. Hang out with Little Jacob a lot,and you gain the ability to request firearms, don’t and you wont get calls from him any more and you’ll lose a friend and backup in later missions. This is a better application of the risk/reward factor these choices create.

All of this said, I agree with everything you’ve said 100% by the way, it’s just hindsight a year after a game’s release can be a bit of a bugger :(

Roll on ’shock 2! :D