Your favorite games with choice.

mentalkitty789

King of Bel
Jan 26, 2012
93
4
✟7,739.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Single
What is your favorite game with choices in it? It doesn't need to be a huge branching path, or have completely different stories based on those choices, they could even be simple choices like talking your way out of a situation instead of fighting.
For me, my favorite is 'Ogre Tactics Let Us Cling Together', this is just the most brilliant game I've ever played. It has completely different radical stories based on the choices you make in the game, and you can recruit so many unique units you can form multiple teams out of them!

What I love the most though, is just because you choose something doesn't always mean you get the good outcome. An example would be the first major choice in the game, you are ordered by your commander to slaughter an entire village of people because they refuse to join the war effort. It is basically a 'false flagging operation', your faction, The Walister Resistance, plans to blame the massacre on your enemies.

--skip if you don't want spoilers--
So you have a choice, take part in your lord's plan following your orders, or refuse the orders and try to stop this massacre from taking place. I'll only spoil one choice, if you choose to try and stop the massacre, YOU FAIL MISERABLY. One of your good friends who intended to resist them with you gets fatally wounded before the fight even truly starts, and your closest friend betrays you becoming a 'bit' of a blood thirsty monster. Worst of all though, is you will fail to stop the massacre and be BLAMED FOR THE ENTIRE THING, which starts off that branch of the story, making you and the order you founded all wanted criminals.
--spoilers end here--

The choices quite simply create radically different tales, which all still lead to the same final act, still the fact that they did that is simply brilliant. I wish more games where like this.
 

TheProject

If it lives in water, I don't eat it...
Oct 11, 2011
9,229
268
GA
✟25,778.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
Epic Mickey is a game I enjoyed greatly that offers quite a few branching paths. The dynamic of the game is that Mickey has a paintbrush that he can use to paint (create) or wipe things out with thinner (destroy). Most bosses, as I recall, can be handled in different ways. If paint is used, the boss becomes a friend (well, at least not a bad guy). If thinner is used, the boss is pretty much decimated. Your choices are reflected a bit in how some characters speak to you, but are most noticeably seen in the closing credits where your actions and their consequences are seen throughout Wasteland.

And, of course, there are the Fable games, which I love.
 
Upvote 0

mentalkitty789

King of Bel
Jan 26, 2012
93
4
✟7,739.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Single
Epic Mickey is a game I enjoyed greatly that offers quite a few branching paths. The dynamic of the game is that Mickey has a paintbrush that he can use to paint (create) or wipe things out with thinner (destroy). Most bosses, as I recall, can be handled in different ways. If paint is used, the boss becomes a friend (well, at least not a bad guy). If thinner is used, the boss is pretty much decimated. Your choices are reflected a bit in how some characters speak to you, but are most noticeably seen in the closing credits where your actions and their consequences are seen throughout Wasteland.

And, of course, there are the Fable games, which I love.

I never played Epic Mickey, but Fable... -shiver- Those games were so much wasted potential.
They had a lot of good ideas in them, but they never got me to CARE about the things you could do. Why would I want to be able to marry anyone? Other than the benefit of taking their shop, if they owned one, there didn't seem to be that much point. The only time I saw this as worth while was marrying the head of the two, and in fable 2 where you bring her back from the dead, stealing her away from the other guy. Mostly because there are few unique characters you can have a relationship with, and the method of developing a relationship is so DULL.
As for the choices they never had any weight for me. At the beginning of Fable 3 where you have to choose between your friend and some peasants, the choice didn't matter to me. I didn't really know the girl, and I didn't care about the common folk. I didn't really know WHY they were brought in there, so why was I supposed to care?
Even after I chose my friend, she vanishes and never had any relevance again! It was so pointless to me, it really ticked me off how the choices didn't have any real weight.
 
Upvote 0

TwistTim

Whimsical, Witty, Wacky, Waiting, Wise Guy
Jan 27, 2007
3,667
617
43
Ork
✟22,644.00
Faith
Calvinist
Marital Status
Private
Politics
US-Constitution
Fluxx. It's a simple card game. Or is it?
Every action affects the rules of the game and the win condition is on a card, well on several cards, you start out with no win condition and draw one, later on you can or someone else can change it.

Would the Grand Theft Auto series count by your definition? If so, Vice City and Vice City Stories would also be on my list. They have great options for free roam, and yes missions are pretty much pre-set but then there are sub-missions that are dependent on making certain choices(For example in GTA III: Kill one of the bosses(Akira) for another boss early on(Kanji) or do her missions and gain control of her section of town, then kill her... either way killing her turns her gang against you).
 
Upvote 0

mentalkitty789

King of Bel
Jan 26, 2012
93
4
✟7,739.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Single
Fluxx. It's a simple card game. Or is it?
Every action affects the rules of the game and the win condition is on a card, well on several cards, you start out with no win condition and draw one, later on you can or someone else can change it.

Would the Grand Theft Auto series count by your definition? If so, Vice City and Vice City Stories would also be on my list. They have great options for free roam, and yes missions are pretty much pre-set but then there are sub-missions that are dependent on making certain choices(For example in GTA III: Kill one of the bosses(Akira) for another boss early on(Kanji) or do her missions and gain control of her section of town, then kill her... either way killing her turns her gang against you).

They almost don't qualify, I don't mean games where you have a lot of choice in what you can do. I mean choices within the story. Mostly because in games like GTA, the sub-missions do not affect the main story, or have much of a story at all, from what I observe. They are usually just a set up to get you to play a 'mini-game'.
I meant games like Dragon Age, Mass Effect, those sort of games where you make choices that affect the rest of the gameplay.
Although yes I with how vaguely I originally put it, those are perfectly acceptable. ^^
 
Upvote 0

mentalkitty789

King of Bel
Jan 26, 2012
93
4
✟7,739.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Single
I agree with you on Fable missing out on many opportunities. I love the games, but there was a reason I didn't herald them as highly as I did Epic Mickey.
Yeah, I enjoy Fable 2 and 3 as guilty pleasures. >w< Still Fable one was good, legitly good.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

The-Doctor

Man with a scarf
Nov 12, 2002
3,981
262
England
✟28,282.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
I liked mass effect because there was usually another way to do certain things like talk the terrorist group leader into letting their hostage go or you go in shooting and risk killing the innocent bystanders. Fallout three was similar but you were really faced with two choices, help or hinder so you were either really good or really bad depending on what choices you made.
 
Upvote 0

mentalkitty789

King of Bel
Jan 26, 2012
93
4
✟7,739.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Single
I liked mass effect because there was usually another way to do certain things like talk the terrorist group leader into letting their hostage go or you go in shooting and risk killing the innocent bystanders. Fallout three was similar but you were really faced with two choices, help or hinder so you were either really good or really bad depending on what choices you made.

Fallout 3 was kind of comedic extremes. Either disarm the nuke in town, ignore it, or blow it up for 200 caps and the giggles. Also a free house, but that doesn't count when you get one for disarming it as well.

Mass Effect was fine but it felt like the choices were 'Nice guy' 'Neutral' 'Jerk'.
They were pretty black and white. I kind of like The Old Republic's way of doing it better, constantly clicking up won't always be the nicest way to say things. Still when you are making a decision that affects your alignment they take the time to point it out.
 
Upvote 0

SashaDusty

Spade of Ace
Jan 31, 2012
64
14
USA - Colorado
✟7,754.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
In Relationship
Politics
US-Others
I would like to play Epic Mickey now that I've heard about it.

I'm going to go ahead and say what your typical rpg gamer would say and say: Oblivion, Fallout New Vegas, Skyrim. (though in Oblivion/Skyrim your choices don't really effect the game's ending, you still have a lot of choice that affects how people feel about you)
 
Upvote 0

mentalkitty789

King of Bel
Jan 26, 2012
93
4
✟7,739.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Single
I would like to play Epic Mickey now that I've heard about it.

I'm going to go ahead and say what your typical rpg gamer would say and say: Oblivion, Fallout New Vegas, Skyrim. (though in Oblivion/Skyrim your choices don't really effect the game's ending, you still have a lot of choice that affects how people feel about you)
That would be your light rpg gamer. There are plenty of older rpgs which are just SO much better when it comes to making decisions in games.
Baldur's Gate, Planescape Torment, Jade Empire, Geneforge, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, and there are so many more.
There is even a trope for having multiple endings in a game!
Multiple Endings - Television Tropes & Idioms
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

Cute Tink

Blah
Supporter
Nov 22, 2002
19,570
4,624
✟102,861.00
Faith
Humanist
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Libertarian
Chrono Trigger tried to run with this idea, but it was more about the 13 or so endings that you could get by finishing the game before or after certain big events. Most actions just moved you further down the timeline regardless of what you did. And the actions you took when playing around with the princess at the beginning only affected the result of the trial - not the outcome afterward.
 
Upvote 0

mentalkitty789

King of Bel
Jan 26, 2012
93
4
✟7,739.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Single
Chrono Trigger tried to run with this idea, but it was more about the 13 or so endings that you could get by finishing the game before or after certain big events. Most actions just moved you further down the timeline regardless of what you did. And the actions you took when playing around with the princess at the beginning only affected the result of the trial - not the outcome afterward.
Well in a sense that is what I meant, what you can do, or in Chrono Trigger's case choose not to do, affects the ending of the game.
 
Upvote 0

Cute Tink

Blah
Supporter
Nov 22, 2002
19,570
4,624
✟102,861.00
Faith
Humanist
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Libertarian
Well in a sense that is what I meant, what you can do, or in Chrono Trigger's case choose not to do, affects the ending of the game.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Chrono Trigger and I got most, if not all, of the different endings because it was worth it to me. I just thought you were focusing more on how choices could affect the game play itself.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

mentalkitty789

King of Bel
Jan 26, 2012
93
4
✟7,739.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Single
Don't get me wrong, I loved Chrono Trigger and I got most, if not all, of the different endings because it was worth it to me. I just thought you were focusing more on how choices could affect the game play itself.
No not really. I meant affects on the story and plot, although if you want a good came with choices that affect game play I'd say play the Dues Ex games. =P
 
Upvote 0