by Ben Mapp
Before we get started you can check out the first part of this article right here. Last time I made a case in three games (Assassin's Creed III, BioShock Infinite and Final Fantasy X) each contained complex storylines featuring antagonists who, arguably, was actually ultimately doing the right thing, despite however ruthless or relentless they were acting to do it. This time we will be giving focus to three more games with similar character designs, from right across the console generations. It goes without saying really, but in any case - SPOILERS AHOY!
Before we get started you can check out the first part of this article right here. Last time I made a case in three games (Assassin's Creed III, BioShock Infinite and Final Fantasy X) each contained complex storylines featuring antagonists who, arguably, was actually ultimately doing the right thing, despite however ruthless or relentless they were acting to do it. This time we will be giving focus to three more games with similar character designs, from right across the console generations. It goes without saying really, but in any case - SPOILERS AHOY!
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Konami
(2001)
Solidus Snake intends to take down the Patriots.
Metal Gear has never been a series to hold down a simple plot line, with the events of each game affecting the storyline of the next. Stay tuned for the third part of this article where I'll be discussing the antagonist of the highly acclaimed Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, which might be the most obvious example of a bad guy really being a good guy in the entire franchise.
For now however let's focus on 2001's Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty for the PlayStation 2. Solidus Snake, the third stable clone of US super soldier Big Boss, also known earlier in his life as 'George Sears' - once President of the United States - is revealed to have orchestrated the Shadow Moses incident throughout the events of the first Metal Gear Solid game. He is also directly responsible for Liquid Ocelot (i.e. Revolver Ocelot who it is suggested has been possessed by the mind of Liquid Snake) commandeering Metal Gear Ray in the opening chapter of the first sequel, during which an important military tanker is purposely sank in the Hudson River to make way for the construction of the Big Shell facility, disguised as a clean-up operation but is in actuality a cover for a new type of Metal Gear project. Solidus, the antagonist of the game, intends to use the new Metal Gear (dubbed Arsenal Gear, as it carries a whole fleet of Metal Gear Ray's) to locate and destroy the Patriots - a group of people he claims are responsible for controlling the world as we know it. According to Solidus, the Patriots have been manipulating events for decades with the intention of provoking wars in far off lands and profiting from them, keeping the global economy therefore in constant motion. Solidus seeks to 'liberate' the world from the Patriots through brutal force, unlike the covert methods of his brother/fellow clone Solid Snake, and his 'father' Big Boss.
Now, whilst crashing Arsenal Gear into New York City and having his adopted son Raiden single-handedly take down his entire fleet of Metal Gear Ray's with a skin-tight suit and a single RPG probably wasn't a part of his vision to free the world, Solidus wanted to give the population a new world where they could control their own lives (without being lorded over by an anonymous group of power-hungry men and women). Solidus's plan didn't work, although his sacrifice, vision and a little shameless guidance from Solid Snake and Hal Emmerich, inspires Raiden to retire from FOXHOUND and instead take a stand against the Patriots himself, ultimately leading to their final destruction in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. It also turns out that the Patriots aren't actually a group of people at all, but I don't want to over complicate things too much!
For now however let's focus on 2001's Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty for the PlayStation 2. Solidus Snake, the third stable clone of US super soldier Big Boss, also known earlier in his life as 'George Sears' - once President of the United States - is revealed to have orchestrated the Shadow Moses incident throughout the events of the first Metal Gear Solid game. He is also directly responsible for Liquid Ocelot (i.e. Revolver Ocelot who it is suggested has been possessed by the mind of Liquid Snake) commandeering Metal Gear Ray in the opening chapter of the first sequel, during which an important military tanker is purposely sank in the Hudson River to make way for the construction of the Big Shell facility, disguised as a clean-up operation but is in actuality a cover for a new type of Metal Gear project. Solidus, the antagonist of the game, intends to use the new Metal Gear (dubbed Arsenal Gear, as it carries a whole fleet of Metal Gear Ray's) to locate and destroy the Patriots - a group of people he claims are responsible for controlling the world as we know it. According to Solidus, the Patriots have been manipulating events for decades with the intention of provoking wars in far off lands and profiting from them, keeping the global economy therefore in constant motion. Solidus seeks to 'liberate' the world from the Patriots through brutal force, unlike the covert methods of his brother/fellow clone Solid Snake, and his 'father' Big Boss.
Now, whilst crashing Arsenal Gear into New York City and having his adopted son Raiden single-handedly take down his entire fleet of Metal Gear Ray's with a skin-tight suit and a single RPG probably wasn't a part of his vision to free the world, Solidus wanted to give the population a new world where they could control their own lives (without being lorded over by an anonymous group of power-hungry men and women). Solidus's plan didn't work, although his sacrifice, vision and a little shameless guidance from Solid Snake and Hal Emmerich, inspires Raiden to retire from FOXHOUND and instead take a stand against the Patriots himself, ultimately leading to their final destruction in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. It also turns out that the Patriots aren't actually a group of people at all, but I don't want to over complicate things too much!
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
BioWare
(2003)
Darth Revan, former leader of the Sith Empire.
The direct precursor to the hugely successful Mass Effect series, Knights of the Old Republic (KotOR) is set around four thousand years before the events of Episode IV: A New Hope, and sees us adopt the role of a mute Republic soldier who gets caught up in an ongoing galactic war between the Jedi and the Sith. The main character, who is customisable and named by the player, is later found to be 'force sensitive' and trained by the Jedi Council, after which he/she is tasked with a secret mission to seek out ancient artifacts which will help to bring down the Sith Empire.
The main villain of the game is Darth Malak, a former Jedi Knight who was corrupted by his Sith master Darth Revan, who is using ancient technology in order to build a fleet of warships and take over the galaxy. Malak is so ruthless and power-hungry that he even sacrificed his master during a Jedi incursion onto his flagship. As it turns out, Revan was not killed during the event and was instead captured by one of the invading Jedi Knights (Bastila Shan) who kept him alive and brought him before the Jedi Council. They agreed to wipe his memory and plant the Sith Lord, now uncorrupted of the Dark Side, within the Republic fleet to see if he reveals any secrets to them he would not have done otherwise, through his actions in exploring the galaxy. However, the Jedi lost track of Revan when the ship he was on was attacked by Sith forces above the planet Taris. Revan again survived the attack and reunited with Bastila down on the planet's surface, who helped him escape from Taris just before Darth Malak wiped out the population with orbital bombardment. Revan's memories are kept from him for the majority of the game, until his first fateful encounter with Malak in the end of the game's second act, where Malak reveals his past to the former Sith Lord.
If you hadn't guessed already, you are that man/woman. You begin the game during the attack over Taris, and only discover that your character is in fact the amnesiac shell of a former Sith Lord. It's even more shocking if you designed your character as a female, although any mention of Revan throughout the game's story is done so delicately that no gender is specifically given, cleverly setting up the reveal. Various lines of dialogue are dropped throughout, which are pieced together during the revelation. This means that the real villain of KotOR, the one who corrupted Malak and initiated the Jedi/Sith War in the first place is - literally - the main character, although you don't know it until the final chapters!
The main villain of the game is Darth Malak, a former Jedi Knight who was corrupted by his Sith master Darth Revan, who is using ancient technology in order to build a fleet of warships and take over the galaxy. Malak is so ruthless and power-hungry that he even sacrificed his master during a Jedi incursion onto his flagship. As it turns out, Revan was not killed during the event and was instead captured by one of the invading Jedi Knights (Bastila Shan) who kept him alive and brought him before the Jedi Council. They agreed to wipe his memory and plant the Sith Lord, now uncorrupted of the Dark Side, within the Republic fleet to see if he reveals any secrets to them he would not have done otherwise, through his actions in exploring the galaxy. However, the Jedi lost track of Revan when the ship he was on was attacked by Sith forces above the planet Taris. Revan again survived the attack and reunited with Bastila down on the planet's surface, who helped him escape from Taris just before Darth Malak wiped out the population with orbital bombardment. Revan's memories are kept from him for the majority of the game, until his first fateful encounter with Malak in the end of the game's second act, where Malak reveals his past to the former Sith Lord.
If you hadn't guessed already, you are that man/woman. You begin the game during the attack over Taris, and only discover that your character is in fact the amnesiac shell of a former Sith Lord. It's even more shocking if you designed your character as a female, although any mention of Revan throughout the game's story is done so delicately that no gender is specifically given, cleverly setting up the reveal. Various lines of dialogue are dropped throughout, which are pieced together during the revelation. This means that the real villain of KotOR, the one who corrupted Malak and initiated the Jedi/Sith War in the first place is - literally - the main character, although you don't know it until the final chapters!
The Last of Us
Naughty Dog
(2013)
Joel chooses not to save humanity.
Ten years after the release of KotOR, and Naughty Dog released their post apocalyptic, exploratory third person shooter (with stealth elements). The game continues to receive much acclaim even two years later for its characterisation, voice acting, dark storyline, graphics and gameplay.
The Last of Us primarily takes place twenty years after a viral epidemic wipes out much of humanity, infecting the majority of the world's population with an evolved fungus - turning them into mindless zombie-like creatures. The survivors take refuge within strictly-ruled militarised zones, seperated from the major urban areas. By this point in time the world's cities have reached a state of collapse and decay, providing a unique visual backdrop for the plot. The main character is Joel who, traumatised by the death of his only daughter during the game's prologue chapter, is tasked by the Fireflies - an underground group intent on defying martial law and restoring humanity somehow - to escort Ellie, a teenage girl born after the world ended, to Salt Lake City. It is revealed early on that Ellie is immune to the virus, even after being bitten by an infected. Her DNA could therefore lead to scientists in Salt Lake developing a vaccine. Whilst this is all well and good, and seems to make sense from a moral standpoint, it is later revealed that the only way to develop a vaccine is by experimenting on Ellie's brain, as that is where the fungal infection takes over its host. This would mean that, after falling in love with Ellie's character as players and watching her and Joel become close friends (with her filling the void left by the death of his daughter Sarah), the Fireflies intend to kill Ellie. All gamers react the same way when they are presented with this revelation in the game's final chapter, and it is simply 'fuck humanity!' It doesn't help that Ellie's character is likeable and well characterised. They are essentially telling us to give up our child for the betterment of the planet. Joel's violent reaction is understandable, of course, as he ultimately kills the Fireflies and saves Ellie, even at the expense of making a workable vaccine.
Now, of course the game was designed in such a way as to make us feel as Joel does bu this point in the game, you do have to try and take in the bigger picture. The population of the world is getting smaller each year and a vaccine would see the infection die down and - eventually - allow humanity to repopulate their cities, rebuild their homes and retake their lives. It's the option between two people retaining their close friendship, or the rest of the world recovering from an impossible and brutal pandemic. Emotions run deep through the entire game, such as when Joel is almost killed during a skirmish with attacking humans at an abandoned university campus, and you desperately want these two to have a happy ending. That's why you agree with Joel that Ellie's sacrifice isn't worth saving humanity, especially when it was humanity who killed Joel's daughter. But on the other hand, how many more people will die now as a result of that choice. Ellie's survival means no vaccine, which means no cure, which means humanity will likely die out before the century's end. The Fireflies knew the worth of Ellie's sacrifice and wanted to save the human race, but were stopped before they could.
The Last of Us primarily takes place twenty years after a viral epidemic wipes out much of humanity, infecting the majority of the world's population with an evolved fungus - turning them into mindless zombie-like creatures. The survivors take refuge within strictly-ruled militarised zones, seperated from the major urban areas. By this point in time the world's cities have reached a state of collapse and decay, providing a unique visual backdrop for the plot. The main character is Joel who, traumatised by the death of his only daughter during the game's prologue chapter, is tasked by the Fireflies - an underground group intent on defying martial law and restoring humanity somehow - to escort Ellie, a teenage girl born after the world ended, to Salt Lake City. It is revealed early on that Ellie is immune to the virus, even after being bitten by an infected. Her DNA could therefore lead to scientists in Salt Lake developing a vaccine. Whilst this is all well and good, and seems to make sense from a moral standpoint, it is later revealed that the only way to develop a vaccine is by experimenting on Ellie's brain, as that is where the fungal infection takes over its host. This would mean that, after falling in love with Ellie's character as players and watching her and Joel become close friends (with her filling the void left by the death of his daughter Sarah), the Fireflies intend to kill Ellie. All gamers react the same way when they are presented with this revelation in the game's final chapter, and it is simply 'fuck humanity!' It doesn't help that Ellie's character is likeable and well characterised. They are essentially telling us to give up our child for the betterment of the planet. Joel's violent reaction is understandable, of course, as he ultimately kills the Fireflies and saves Ellie, even at the expense of making a workable vaccine.
Now, of course the game was designed in such a way as to make us feel as Joel does bu this point in the game, you do have to try and take in the bigger picture. The population of the world is getting smaller each year and a vaccine would see the infection die down and - eventually - allow humanity to repopulate their cities, rebuild their homes and retake their lives. It's the option between two people retaining their close friendship, or the rest of the world recovering from an impossible and brutal pandemic. Emotions run deep through the entire game, such as when Joel is almost killed during a skirmish with attacking humans at an abandoned university campus, and you desperately want these two to have a happy ending. That's why you agree with Joel that Ellie's sacrifice isn't worth saving humanity, especially when it was humanity who killed Joel's daughter. But on the other hand, how many more people will die now as a result of that choice. Ellie's survival means no vaccine, which means no cure, which means humanity will likely die out before the century's end. The Fireflies knew the worth of Ellie's sacrifice and wanted to save the human race, but were stopped before they could.
Part Three - Coming Soon!
Three more games await dissection, featuring antagonists who double as protagonists - depending on whether you not agree that their ultimate goals outweighed whatever sacrifices they had to make to get there.
Do you agree/disagree? Let us know in the comments below!
Do you agree/disagree? Let us know in the comments below!
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