Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism/Video Games: Difference between revisions

{{quote|'''Micaiah:''' I'm killing with no malice, because I don't want anyone to be killed...}}

** Ike also has two tactical advisers, one on each end of the Sliding Scale (Titania on the Idealism side, Soren on the Cynicism side).

* ''[[Advance Wars]]: Days of Ruin'' has [[Wide-Eyed Idealist]] Brenner (and Will) clash with a lot of pragmatic characters on this topic, most of which call them out on their idealism in a world where everyone's struggling for survival. Their vision prevails, though, at the cost of Brenner's life.

* The ''[[Command & Conquer]]'' series has problems deciding if it should be cynical or idealistic. ''Tiberium Dawn'' points out that there isn't a clear-cut difference between good and bad, but there are clear moral differences between the GDI and the Brotherhood of Nod. ''Tiberian Sun'' goes even further down the cynical lane and has corruptible GDI officers and General Solomon runs some morally ambiguous plots, as well as references to Death Camps and genocide by virtue of Nod. However, the game ends on a high note no matter which side you play, allowing each side's objectives to be accomplished. ''Tiberium Wars'' goes even further with it's inconclusive ending, downright incompetent GDI commanders and horrible state of the Earth. Tiberian Dawn ends the Tiberium Saga on a high note as followers of NOD went on a [[Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence|Higher Plane Of Existence]] while the Tiberium is effectively controlled.

* ''[[Phantom Brave]]'' is, despite several few depressing elements, an extremely idealistic game. Marona is a [[The Pollyanna|Pollyanna]] who gets the most ridiculous [[All of the Other Reindeer]] treatment you've ever seen, but she's still confident that the people who hate and fear her will one day come to accept her - and, by the end of the game, ''they do''. Castille is an [[Ill Girl]] whose family can barely afford her medical bills. No problem; that [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]] running the pharmaceutical company isn't such a bad guy after all, really, and he'll help out once you save him from some monsters. Oh, and that guy who says money is everything and keeps trying to steal your rewards? [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|He's got a good reason, honest!]]

** While [[Nippon Ichi]] is very much in the business of making [[Sliding Scale of Silliness Versus Seriousness|silly and humorously-themed games]], the cynicism to idealism content varies. Above mentioned ''[[Phantom Brave]]'' is mainly idealistic, followed by the slightly more downcast ''[[Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories]]'' and ''[[La Pucelle]]''. ''[[Disgaea]]'', ''[[Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice]]'' and ''[[Makai Kingdom]]'', being focused around demons and the netherworld, are slightly more cynical as their protagonists tend to be cynics more than idealists. ''[[Soul Nomad and The World Eaters]]'' is by far the most cynical of all the games—it's a [[World Half Empty]] hit by a [[Depopulation Bomb]], [[The Lancer]] is the [[Omnicidal Maniac]] responsible for it, and things such as slavery and child abuse take place in the story. Notably, though, all of these games have [[Multiple Endings]] and alternate storylines however, and some of the [[Road Cone|canon endings as seen in later installments]] wreak havoc on the list.

* ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'': [[The Power of Friendship]] (and [[The Power of Love|Love]]) can restore your humanity after a [[Heroic Sacrifice]] (even if your old body just joined an evil organisation), the embodiment of evil can be destroyed by calling out the word "LIGHT!" in front of a giant door, and thinking about your possible love interest can save you from a deserted beach in the middle of nowhere. Guess what you upgrade your weapon with? Keychains, that you get from friends. The stronger the friendship, the stronger the upgrade. And let's not forget Sora's mantra: "[[Love Freak|As long as our hearts are connected, the darkness can't defeat us]]."

** See, ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' is what you get when a cynical director tries so hard to push a series so hard towards the Idealistic end of the scale that it simply ''falls off.'' Even though it's becoming increasingly clear that [[Wide-Eyed Idealist|being an idealist in this setting does nothing to shield you from the consequences of your own actions or the machinations of others]], being a cynic is far worse. Refusing to take advantage of [[The Power of Friendship]] doesn't make you a [[Grumpy Bear]], it makes you dead. Strangely, while cynicism is likely to kill you, pragmatism is necessary for survival - more often than not, the real [[The Power of Friendship|Power of Friendship]] is the willingness to do whatever it takes to save the ones you care about, regardless of the consequences to yourself or anyone else.

** One case in point: ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]''. When you find out about how you've become an [[Unwitting Pawn]] in the machinations of {{spoiler|Organization XIII}}, this leads to a [[Heroic BSOD]], which is only solved by realizing that if you didn't keep fighting and doing what your enemies wanted, more people would get hurt. As soon as you get to [[Storming the Castle]], then you won't have to worry about that anymore.

** Another case in point: [[Birth By Sleep]], which is the closest the series has gotten to the cynical end of the scale (though that's still not saying much). [[The Power of Friendship]] was barely enough to keep the villain from achieving total victory (and that's not counting all the crap the current heroes ''still'' had to go through afterward), and in some cases {{spoiler|namely, Terra's}}, friendship and loyalty are just as likely to [[Knight Templar Big Brother|make you do something stupid]] as they are to give you superpowers.

* ''[[EVE Online]]'' falls on the cynical side. One of the four major powers is a [[The Empire|slaveholding theocratic empire]], while another is a corporate-run dictatorship. And every player is a [[Heroic Sociopath]].

** Though, to be fair, the other two powers are the freedom-loving descendants of the French (seriously) and a group previously enslaved by aforementioned theocracy and intent on righting that wrong.

* ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]'' games generally lie heavily on the cynical side. As an example, in San Andreas, the only two police officers that seem non-corrupt are both killed by the corrupt ones that drive the plot. Even generic cutscene cops often care more about taking bribes or eating snacks than actual justice.

** Mocked in ''[[Grand Theft Auto Vice City|Vice City]]''. On [[Butt Monkey|Maurice Chavez's section during VCPR]], there is a [[The Pollyanna|Pollyanna]] who is heavily implied to be taking drugs and [[:Category:Yandere|moments away from wringing Maurice's throat]], and on the other side, a goth/emo manchild who throws his cynicism (read: the world is bad and you should feel bad but I won't give any reasons because that's the world) over everything for idiotic, petty reasons.

{{quote|The Truth: You know, I mean, you beat the system! I tried for thirty years to cross over, but you've maaaanaged it, man! I mean, man, you're an icon, man!"}}

** The fourth installment couldn't be more cynical if it tried; upon nearing the end of the game, the player is given the choice between {{spoiler|siding with either Niko's girlfriend, Kate Mcreary, or his cousin, Roman (on whether or not to get Revenge or make a Deal respectively).}} The decision appears to have minimal repercussions, but later ends in {{spoiler|whomever you sided with getting shot and killed at Roman and Mallorie's wedding.}} This then eventually leads on to Niko {{spoiler|murdering his way to the [[Big Bad]], killing the villain under the Statue of Liberty and discussing that he feels no different despite getting vengeance.}} And ''then'' it rubs salt in the wound by treating you to a phone call where {{spoiler|Mallorie poignantly discusses how she will struggle raising a child she just discovered she is carrying '''or''' Packie sobs about how he can't cope with two dead siblings and an incarcerated brother in a month, and how his elderly mother is heartbroken at only having two children left}}.

** And if that isn't bad enough, just watching cute little houses, gas stations, mom & pop stores, farms, and little banks get kicked out of your cities to be replaced with apartments, [[Mega Corp]] travel stops, [[We Sell Everything|superstores]], factories, and massive skyscrapers in nearly the blink of an eye, you'd bet that the most idealistic people who feel that big business [[We Care|really doesn't care]] would freak but yet your Sims still just go about their lives as if nothing bad happened.

** [[Memetic Mutation|Do Sims feel pain??]]

* The ''[[Jak and Daxter]]'' games go Pure Idealism -> Harsh, [[Darker and Edgier]] Idealism. In the first game, everything is bright and shiny; the only casualties are rats and villains, and everything is solved without trouble. While in the later games Jak ''does'' summon up his Hero mojo and save the day, he usually starts out trying to evade it or wants to do it for all the wrong reasons, the main cities include a police state and a [[Wretched Hive]]...but it seems that only Erol and Mizo are full-on ''evil'', and the other villains - Veger and Praxis - seem to mean well on ''some'' level.

* ''[[Pathologic]]'' plants itself firmly on the cynical side. The plague you fight is killing hundreds each day, the townsfolk at best distrust your character and at worst want them dead, it is doubtful that a cure for the plague is even possible, and you find yourself wondering if the hell hole is actually worth saving.

* In the wii flight game ''[[Innocent Aces]]'' your wingman Kaida falls on the idealistic side while Ukumori (another wingman) falls on the cynical side, leading to arguments, which in turn escalate into a "friendly fight".

** ''[[Dragon Age II]]'' takes a dive into the cynical, such that every achievement in the game could be seen as an extended [[Hope Spot]]. At the very best, you can be left in charge of a broken and battered city, waiting for two hammers to fall from internal and external war, and in order to get this ending you have to slaughter a lot of innocents yourself. Subverted: {{spoiler|you end up having to abandon your post anyway, making any gains effectively nil.}} On the other hand, if you decide to protect said innocents, most of them will die in the conflict, but your name becomes a rallying cry for freedom fighters across Thedas and for moderates on the other side. Let's just say things get worse before they have any chance of getting better.

* ''[[Red Dead Redemption]]'' is definitely on the cynical end. Despite the romantic image the West may present, free of law, order and restraint, it is a dangerous, dark place of [[Black and Gray Morality]], happy endings are rare and both the incoming world of technology and federalism and the outgoing world of cowboys and anarchy are utter-shite.

* ''[[BioShock (series)]]'' gives an interesting variation of this sliding scale that [[Karma Meter|the player himself decides if the story is idealistic or cynical]]. It has 3 endings in the first game and 4 in the second, all but one in each game are cynical, obtained by players who choose to commit the sin of harvesting even just one little sister; the only good ending in each of the two games is an idealistic one, earned by players who manage to remain pure-hearted protectors of the little sisters throughout the entire game.

** It is recently discovered that ''Bioshock 2'' actually has a total of 7 combinations of endings, with 2 of them both idealistic even though in a contrasting way, and the rest of the 5 entirely cynical.

* ''[[Armored Core]]'' is generally on the cynical side of things (As well as the plots), a common theme is the [[There Can Only Be One|Last Raven]] standing and how when you become the last raven. This sums it up:

{{quote|But this revelation is not one of " I am the strongest" but its implications , falling in line with the rest of the Armored Core series canon endings, are in themselves asking a question of the player. What does it mean to be the strongest? I'm standing at the top, alone. Was it worth it? Is this all life is worth? What have I really done?}}

** That's not how it's more cynical though. What makes it cynical is that whenever you want to be treated seriously, you had better drop whatever idealism you had. As of current, the one who had their optimism and idealism high are just Bang and Taokaka... and they're the story's [[Joke Character]]s.<ref>Ironically, both of their seiyuu had previous roles in extremely cynical anime/games</ref>

* Many 6th or 7th Generation shooters bend heavily to the cynical side. ''[[Resistance Fall of Man|Resistance]]'', ''[[Modern Warfare]]'', ''[[Halo]]'', ''[[F.E.A.R.]]'', and ''[[Gears of War]]'' all falling into a generally [[Hopeless War]] for the main character despite your best efforts [[Cutscene Incompetence|thanks to cutscenes]]. Even [[Electronic Arts]] First Person shooters went to a darker side with ''[[Army of Two]]'' and ''[[Battlefield (series)|Battlefield]]: [[Battlefield: Bad Company|Bad Company]]'' (which were in the first games were more on the Idealist side before their [[Darker and Edgier]] paint). Due to the Trilogy Effect however, it is more about having to seriously [[Earn Your Happy Ending|earning their good endings]].

* The newest ''[[Castlevania]]'' game, ''[[Castlevania: Lords of Shadow]]'', is unrelentingly cynical and morally ambiguous. In spite of every single effort Gabriel has made to [[Screw Destiny]], it is later revealed that [[You Can't Fight Fate]], as not only did he fail to revive his childhood sweetheart, but he also turned into Dracula and suffered a lonely life of immortality. The prophecy that a pure-hearted warrior will return the world to the light turns out to be a lie, too, and the entire tragedy has been the result of Satan's work of manipulation. Every single action a misguided Gabriel has done to achieve his selfish goal has been questionable as well, making him no different from the villains at the end.

** But again, ''[[Death Smiles]]'' is not a part of the ''[[Don Pachi]]'' series.

* Don't let the cute chibi characters in [[Dept. Heaven]] series fool you. The series is pretty much outright cynical from the get go.

* The ''[[Metroid]]'' games all tend cynically, given that the basic scenario is "things are bad. Stop them from getting worse," and then [[Action Girl|Samus]] inevitably has to destroy things to stop things from getting worse. There are a few idealistically redeeming bright spots, but they always have a bittersweet tinge.

* ''[[Red Faction]]'' is pretty much an optimistic series of a [[The Revolution Will Not Be Villified|revolution that is rarely vilified]] against an absolutely evil authoritarian group.