As is often the case in RPG's, towards the end of the story the player aquires a member to their party that represents "evil" attributes; often it is a character that the players has fought previously in the game. This can range from the mysterious vampire with alterior motives to the brutish orc that's just saving his own skin. Some games take this so far as to star the game with a character that has questionable motives, at best. Examples include the twisted cop that works outside of the law, to grander forces like the NOD of command and conquer games. However often as this may be, when playing as the typical anti-hero, we discover that his motives and intentions are not so bad after all. Even in the case of the most villainous, the end of the game still signifies a "happy ending." I suppose what I'm asking is this.. what do you expect when you play the anti-hero? I often feel more powerful, because I'm not expected to follow the same moral code as the "good guy." Even if this is the case, the end of the game rarely asks me to do something the anti-hero is certainly capable of doing, but I as the player may have my own inhibitions. In a game playing as an assassin, I'd rarely expect to actually have to shoot the child witness to a crime that i'd been pursuing the entire game. In posting this, there may be a follow-up thread based on the outcome of this one. I'm curious as to your thoughts on this.

Well I can't tell you what I expect but I'll give some input on what I enjoy and what I don't.

<IMO>

I really hate when a video game introduces the "bad ass" only to see that he has the exterior of a grizzly but the interior of a teddy bear. I *hate* it... ruins the character.

However I do enjoy a character that goes through a rough time with his lifestyle and eventually accepts an alternate way of life. This has to be done with care, he can't just go from black to white inside a single moment... he has to evolve until he becomes good. I loved Cecil in FF2 (It didn't have the richest dialogue/story but you knew he was looking for redemption until he became the paladin).

I also like the anti-hero who joins you but has a different goal then your own. The type of character who wants to get revenger for the loss of someone and by helping you he'll get to said person faster. This is a fun character because he can be unstable and create some problems along the way because of he's an eager beaver!

</IMO>