Choose your own path games seem to often fail to deliver

[peteyt]

I was reading an article about someone looking at what Fallout 4 should offer, the writer really trying to make it more into Skyrim than Fallout - he complained about the multiple choice way Fallout 3 offers and it got me thinking.

To me many games that try and allow you to choose your own path fail. Two games I have played a little of recently are Heavy Rain and Deus Ex Human Revolution. The games are actually really good games or from what I have seen/played so far, but the way they try and allow you to choose your own path seems to actually fail for me.

For example Deus Ex allows you to in a sense choose your own method of fighting - you can do the full assault type or you can go all stealthy, knocking people out. Going all guns blazing doesn't seem smart I guess and it isn't, it seems to be near impossible at times and not something I would recommend, as if they want people to pick the stealth option. This doesn't help when you look at the point system - more points for going stealthy - so if you want to get as many augments in the game as possible stealthy is the way. This however is contradicted in the boss fights when all of a sudden after playing stealthy since you began playing you are then thrown into a full on boss fight.

Heavy Rain certainly does allow you to choose your own path but it rewards you with trophies for choosing certain paths and really seems to award you with nothing (well apart from a slightly different ending I presume) if you go a different way.

To me Fall Out 3 is just right - you can be good or bad - each has its advantages and disadvantages and each has its own perks e.g. you'll get a reward for doing something good and a different reward, but still a reward, for doing something bad. I also love how unlike most games the way you play influences the characters around you - for example some characters won't work with your too good or too bad and stuff you do at one point will effect stuff later.

Maybe its just me but I just wish if they want you to really choose your own way they'd make the advantages and disadvantages for both balanced meaning people will choose the one they want and not just go on the side that get's the most perks.

[dbgtz]

I also agree for the most part, when I played Heavy Rain I was expecting the story to change actively as I played through it rather then just different endings and the odd change of story (like if a character dies you obviously don't continue with them). However Heavy Rain does have quite a vast number of endings which sort of makes up for it.

Also I'm surprised there was no mention of the Mass Effect 3 endings.

[Inseriousity.]

I quite like the choose your own path stories. GTA, for example, you do stuff in between missions but it doesn't effect the story. It's more interesting to me if the things you do outside the main plot line have an effect on how the story develops. It does help if the story is any good though.

[samsaBEAR]

Deus Ex guns blazing doesn't work because the combat system is ******* terrible. I do like choose your own path games, but I get far too invested in them and what one decision might do along the way and end up not enjoying the game fully

[Neil]

It's odd that this entire thread hasn't even mentioned Fable once, these games basically live on the ability to make choices that effect the characters and the world, Fable 3 has some of the most radical changes to the outcome of the game while the others really just played about with it a little.

I really enjoy games that give you options that will allow for different paths of progression, it makes for multiple playthroughs that bit more enjoyable but I do agree that most games say that they have all these choices but you never really feel like anything has changed, Mass Effect has a lot choices but for the most part it only changes small elements or offers different dialogue, I felt at the end of Mass Effect 2 the only things that really effected the overall outcome were, 'did I upgrade my ship enough' and 'did I select the right people for the job' - of course you have many choices that effect a lot of things throughout all 3 games, those aren't really much, mostly just decides who is alive at the end and who isn't, I don't really see that as being a huge thing, while Fable has choices that physically effect the world around you for good and how people perceive you, Skyrim would be a much better game if it had that element from Fable.

[peteyt]

It's odd that this entire thread hasn't even mentioned Fable once, these games basically live on the ability to make choices that effect the characters and the world, Fable 3 has some of the most radical changes to the outcome of the game while the others really just played about with it a little.

I really enjoy games that give you options that will allow for different paths of progression, it makes for multiple playthroughs that bit more enjoyable but I do agree that most games say that they have all these choices but you never really feel like anything has changed, Mass Effect has a lot choices but for the most part it only changes small elements or offers different dialogue, I felt at the end of Mass Effect 2 the only things that really effected the overall outcome were, 'did I upgrade my ship enough' and 'did I select the right people for the job' - of course you have many choices that effect a lot of things throughout all 3 games, those aren't really much, mostly just decides who is alive at the end and who isn't, I don't really see that as being a huge thing, while Fable has choices that physically effect the world around you for good and how people perceive you, Skyrim would be a much better game if it had that element from Fable.
Sadly I'm not much of a gamer - I really enjoy games but can't find the time for them most of the time so my review is really on what I've played a little off.

Deus Ex guns blazing doesn't work because the combat system is ******* terrible. I do like choose your own path games, but I get far too invested in them and what one decision might do along the way and end up not enjoying the game fully
Yeah the combat system I think might be bad to make people use stealth although I could be wrong. And I agree sometimes with some games because of the multiple choices you end up over analysing - I think I've definatley for some looked online to work out what I would get in the end for both to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages which I guess kind of takes you out of the game. I do enjoy some games that are the opposite and just pull you right into the action but I do like to plan things out.