This saying isn't always true of course but more often than not it is what takes the game from great to fantastic.
The most memorable villains for me in gaming were, without a doubt, Dagoth Ur from Morrowind and Sephiroth from FF7. In the case of Sephiroth, CDPR actually did a good job in The Witcher 3. What do these villains have in common (Sephy and Eredin)?
1) They both had good introductions into the narrative
2) You got to learn a lot about them, making it more personal
3) The narrative humanized them by showing their other qualities, their ambitions, their personalities, their goals/dreams
4) They both affected the player directly (good and bad)
In CP2077's "Corporate structure" A Dagoth Ur like villain might serve a better purpose though. Why? What made Dagoth Ur such a good villain?
1) Dagoth Ur had a seemingly impenetrable fortress as a base, established early (He lived in a friggin blight infested volcano fortress)
2) Seemingly untouchable. With an army protecting him, even the land (blight, Ash) protected him. This could be translated well into the corporate jungle in CP2077
3) Arrogant, hubris, demigodlike. A similar approach could go with CP2077
So where am I going with this?
Good villains can make or break games imo. And is almost as important, if not more, than our actual character. In a big game like CP2077 this doesen't need to be a singular person or organization, hell it SHOULDN'T be even. Lots of games also has really fleshed out and awesome "Penultimate villains". Take Sion from Knights Of The Old Republic. Also recurring villains that often escape and you have to chase down is a trope, sure. BUT... it is a very satisfying. Think Piety from Path of Exile, or Murdoc from the TV show MacGyver. Here you have villains you chase.
As with any good RPG, it would also be awesome if you had options to:
1) REDEEM a villain
2) Solve an issue with a villain (peace or NAP through diplomacy and other non violent means)
3) Lastly... I don't see this in many games. Last saw it in NWN where you could JOIN Mephistopholes! That was friggin awesome.
So to conclude. I'd like to hear what your favorite villains in games were? What made them the best villains? How Important are the Villains you face in a game for you?
I don't really doubt CDPR will deliver. If anything, hopefully this is a reminder to any devs reading this how much of a narrative importance good villains makes for a game. A non-memorable villain/s in a game for me personally, will always struggle to be more than mediocre.
The most memorable villains for me in gaming were, without a doubt, Dagoth Ur from Morrowind and Sephiroth from FF7. In the case of Sephiroth, CDPR actually did a good job in The Witcher 3. What do these villains have in common (Sephy and Eredin)?
1) They both had good introductions into the narrative
2) You got to learn a lot about them, making it more personal
3) The narrative humanized them by showing their other qualities, their ambitions, their personalities, their goals/dreams
4) They both affected the player directly (good and bad)
In CP2077's "Corporate structure" A Dagoth Ur like villain might serve a better purpose though. Why? What made Dagoth Ur such a good villain?
1) Dagoth Ur had a seemingly impenetrable fortress as a base, established early (He lived in a friggin blight infested volcano fortress)
2) Seemingly untouchable. With an army protecting him, even the land (blight, Ash) protected him. This could be translated well into the corporate jungle in CP2077
3) Arrogant, hubris, demigodlike. A similar approach could go with CP2077
So where am I going with this?
Good villains can make or break games imo. And is almost as important, if not more, than our actual character. In a big game like CP2077 this doesen't need to be a singular person or organization, hell it SHOULDN'T be even. Lots of games also has really fleshed out and awesome "Penultimate villains". Take Sion from Knights Of The Old Republic. Also recurring villains that often escape and you have to chase down is a trope, sure. BUT... it is a very satisfying. Think Piety from Path of Exile, or Murdoc from the TV show MacGyver. Here you have villains you chase.
As with any good RPG, it would also be awesome if you had options to:
1) REDEEM a villain
2) Solve an issue with a villain (peace or NAP through diplomacy and other non violent means)
3) Lastly... I don't see this in many games. Last saw it in NWN where you could JOIN Mephistopholes! That was friggin awesome.
So to conclude. I'd like to hear what your favorite villains in games were? What made them the best villains? How Important are the Villains you face in a game for you?
I don't really doubt CDPR will deliver. If anything, hopefully this is a reminder to any devs reading this how much of a narrative importance good villains makes for a game. A non-memorable villain/s in a game for me personally, will always struggle to be more than mediocre.