[General Discussion] Best 'justice system' or 'checks and balances'

The GTA games are tailored to a pick-up-and-play audience. In spite of numerous other questionable things they've got going on, the crime system works beautifully - short term consequences are hard as fuck to get rid of, but the casual, open-ended, ADHD-riddled philosophy the series is known for remains in place. Rockstar aren't trying to go for a grand, realistic, persistent game world.

Apples and oranges. Don't take everything at face value, either.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Terminus

The Mass Effect morality system is pretty bad to be honest. So what if you go good or evil, it only earns you points for use to access some talents and powers as well as achievements.

Sorry, not bad, but horrid.

Yeah, I agree. Plus, what about Fable 2's vehicle controls? They're terrible!

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Quote:

Mass Effect fails because although it's briefly amusing being an arse to people in conversation, Sheppard doesn't ever become more inherently evil as a result, there's no cosmetic or tangible gameplay benefits or costs.

I'm playing through Mass Effect for the first time right now. I'm about twenty hours in, and I'm actually rather pleased at the background nature of the morality system (if you can even call it that.) For once I'm playing a modern console RPG that isn't needlessly open-ended (and doesn't pretend to be) and doesn't shove a skin-deep you-killed-a-guy-so-now-you-have-horns system down the player's throat. You mentioned Ultima VIII above - similarly, the plot kind of hinges on Shepard being a good guy, so there's little point in allowing you to play him as an interstellar rapist. Mass Effect's setting and themes are very big on acting for the greater good, and while Bioware did allow players to be a dick along the way, they rightly realised that an emphasis on moral choices would have been completely out of place.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.