RPGs where you play strictly the role of a villain?
 

I'm not talking about RPGs like Black and White, Fable, Morrowind, Oblivion, etc where you can pick which path you want to go. I'm talking about games where you play strictly the role of the villain. Almost like a prototypical RPG, reversed. Like instead of playing with Cloud and friends in FFVII you play as Sephiroth.

Are there any games out there like this? If not, I'd wish there were. I think it would be interesting playing the role as a villain for various reasons.

1. Villains are usually more badass, have darker/cooler personalities, and are stronger.

2. It would be a breath of fresh air being a step ahead of the other side for once instead of being a step behind(and trying to track down the villain).

3. You would have a different task in the game all together. Instead of saving someone or something you would be out to destroy someone or something.

I think an RPG with this type of story element would be a breath of fresh air for me and other fans as well. I'm sick of playing the dorky good guys all the time. I want to be a badass villain.

http://www.tgfcer.com/shop/vb/wario01.jpg

I know, it's not an RPG, but that's really the only one I can think of. That and, of course, the other Wario games.

What about Disgaea? Laharl is quite the villain, you know.

As far as I know, for what you're asking, the only thing I can think of is a bonus chapter in Suikoden III. But that doesn't last very long at all. I guess in Shadow Hearts, you play as a sort of anti-hero, but you're still trying to battle greater evil. It might be fun for a little while, much the same way it is fun in GTA to go around killing pedestrians {fun for like twenty minutes and then it becomes boring}.

It is a crying shame this game didn't even get off the ground because of the console it was introduced on.

I don't know if it qualifies for what you mean, but n Breath of Fire IV, you play a while as Fou-Lu, the main antagonist in the game (although other characters receive a lot more hatred, like Yuna).

I think an RPG that you're asking for is a moot point. Either way, the protagonist has to be weaker than the antagonist. Be it a villain or not, because then all the fun would be sucked out of the game.

Plus the whole dark/cooler villain crap is cliched beyond belief.

Er. City of Villains?

There's some game for PC that looks like a cross between a strategy game and Sim Villain's Lair or something. I can't remember the name of it for the life of me, but basically you play the bad guy and you have to build your evil dungeon to most effectivly thwart the do-gooders that come to kill you. You know, build it, install traps, staff it with monsters, that kinda thing. Could be Dungeon Keeper, but my memory is fuzzy, so don't quote me on that.

Spoiler tags aren't very useful if you don't tell what game you are spoiling.

Drakengard is about the closest I've seen to playing a villain. The main character isn't motivated to save the world or anyone he cares about, he only wants to slaughter as many of his enemies as possible, and only welcomes more war and destruction.

Growlanser 2 features a scenario where you can join up with the main gang of bandits you normally deal with on the "correct" path. You even get to turn on your party members (although I think Hans remains loyal...been awhile since I played GL2 and that specific scenario). Very nice game that gives a lot of options to the player about how to proceed...Provided you dig up a little FAQ help to get the results you want. (Damn Charlone and her ending!)

And in a way...Would Odin/Freya be considered something of a villain from Valkyrie Profile? Considering 99% of the game is Valkyrie doing their bidding, in preperation for Ragnarok, that could qualify. Part of the reason the best ending is so worth the effort.

The name of that game is "Evil Genius." It's actually supposed to be rather fun, IIRC.

I played it and loved it. I've still got it around here somewhere. It was a great game.

Hehe Chrono Cross gets away with a technicality:

Yeah <3 Lynx from Chrono Cross.

How about God of War? Not an RPG, but an action game with a better story than most RPGs and Kratos is quite the evil bastard. Can't wait for the second one.

It would be funny if some games had the option of playing the "bad guy", but wouldn't that get boring? Think about it, you don't have to level (that may be a good thing...) and you have much more HP than the protagonists. I can't think of any games where I had the chance to be the villain. It may be a good idea for seeing a second point of view or something.

Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition allows access to Vergil but he goes down the same route as Dante, which sucks because I was anticipating a better half of his story.

Edit: Not also a RPG, but an action type that also has character growth.

Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. You play Kain and you're slain at the beginning of the game and then you return as a vampire and have your revenge.

Shining Force 3 Scenario 2, you play with the antagonist of the first scenario.

Not RPG, but if you play coperative in Streets of Rage in the last stage you can choose to fight your friend and become the king of crime.

It is very fun, the good guys do get annoying, espcially when there's too many body bags for your freezer.

Lol, I remember Evil Genius. Too bad I sucked at the whole world conquest sub screen. I could never get a balance between having enough and too many icons on the part where you commit crimes across the globe. Otherwise it was a nice little diversion.

I think you should try Planescape Torment. You don't really play a villain but you can behave like one and shape your character that way. The main reason it's different from other rpg's is because it doesn't involve saving the world, instead you have to figure out why you can't die and why you exist. It also doesn't contain elves, gnomes and that kind of shit. Highly recommended imo :)

I'd have to say Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines.
Yes, you can choose if you want to play as a nice or evil vampire. But things may get interesting if you start with creating a character from the Nosferatu clan.