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[Kriken]

Games where the main character either were boring, the story focused on someone else, the game didn't fit the main character or simply a side character was just more interesting.

A game that I'd use as an example to start things off is MGS2 with Raiden. The trailer for E3 2000 focused entirely on the Tanker Chapter and snake despite the majority of the game focusing on Raiden and the Plant Chapter. I personally wish MGS2 focused more on Snake than Raiden because I didn't really care all that much for Raiden at the time (Although MGR gave me a new outlook on him).

So what about you? What games spring to mind where the main character should have been someone else?

 

[Kazerei]

FFXII shoulda been all Balthier

 

[dog$]

Let's start with another obvious example. Basch of FF12.

Yeah, that. Repeatedly. I'll leave my typo in, thanks.

 

[Velcro Fly]

FF12: the topic

 

[Kojirospath]

FFX, I hate Tidus...

 

[Black Door]

Why oh why wasn't Crowe the main character of Star Ocean 4 .

 

[No Love]

Metal Gear Solid 2: the thread.

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

I think Bayonetta would have sold more if it starred a male. I think everyone before the reveal wanted to play a character similar to Dante.

 

[Ferrio]

FF12, Panelo should of been lead.

 

[balohna]

FFXII shoulda been all Balthier

I actually would have liked Ashe as a main character. I used her as a secondary party leader.

 

[Markitron]

Assassins Creed 3, wish the entire game could have been Haytham. Conor was a terrible lead character

 

[rocketskates]

I just wanted a Fran-centric FFXII game

 

[disappeared]

This thread makes me wonder who the protagonist was in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

 

[Hellix]

DmC should have had Dante.

 

[methane47]

Metal Gear Solid 2: the thread.

this

 

[Tuck]

This thread makes me wonder who the protagonist was in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

Yoshi, hence why that game had no business being labeled Super Mario World 2.

 

[Dinjooh]

 

[HK-47]

Anyone who says mgs 2 is missing the point of mgs 2

The real answer is FFXII

 

[UnluckyKate]

FFXII shoulda been all Balthier

That first post :') came to post it, leave satisfied as a gaf bro did it first. Blathier all the way. Scap Vaan & Penelo

 

[MrBadger]

Banjo Kazooie - Nuts 'N' Bolts. I've not played it myself, but I've heard that a lot of people like it. But after years of no Banjo Kazooie games after the Rare/MS buyout, having him show up in a game about building cars certainly didn't go down well with a lot of the fans, who wanted a platformer.

 

[Into]

Every MGS game bar the original

I want to play as in prime, young Solid Snake, not Big Boss, not Raiden, not old Snake, not baby Snake, not the spanish El Solido Snake, not Cyber Raiden, not Jake the Snake, not one eyed Snake, not Snake on a Plane etc

Just regular ass Solid Snake, the bad ass from the original game, who goes on missions around the world

But that is just too simple, we cannot have that with this franchise, every game has to be a special unique snowflake and re write the whole canon to fit in

 

[Kraftwerk]

To the people saying FFXII...he is just a PoV character, that is why he is so useless and powerless in the grand scheme of things. It's as if YOU were there, just along for the ride.

Also, whoever says MGS2, you are completely wrong. No Offence, but Raiden being there was the whole point of MGS2.

 

[Savantcore]

Well the obvious answer is Sully in Uncharted.

I've never had a problem with Raiden. The game would be impossible without him.

 

[Ferrio]

Anyone who says mgs 2 is missing the point of mgs 2

Agreed.

 

[SnakeXs]

To the people saying FFXII...he is just a PoV character, that is why he is so useless and powerless in the grand scheme of things. It's as if YOU were there, just along for the ride.

That's a cozy explanation but he wasn't supposed to be the main character at all.

 

[panama chief]

FF12: the topic

.

 

[Acquiescence]

Raiden - MGS 2.

FFXII shoulda been all Balthier

Especially since Balthier was the only character in that game worth a damn.

 

[Tapejara]

Homefront. Player controlled character is a silent protagonist, but most of the action defaults to following around another character and doing whatever he says. And IIRC, this character was incredibly xenophobic. And sometimes quite sadistic as well. Main character should have been the girl (I think her name was Rihanna?), she was at least somewhat tolerable to be around.

 

[mullet2000]

Metal Gear Solid 2: the thread.

See:

Anyone who says mgs 2 is missing the point of mgs 2

 

[The Silver]

Like the good man above said anyone who says Raiden missed the entire point of MGS2.

 

[Zephyrus]

FFXII shoulda been all Balthier

THIS. Goddamn this

 

[ChawlieTheFair]

Metal Gear Solid 2: the thread.

The only legitimate right answer.

 

[Kraftwerk]

That's a cozy explanation but he wasn't supposed to be the main character at all.

Not really. They had initially wanted to put in Balthier as the main dude, but the heads of the company forced them to add a younger guy as the protagonist. That is precisly why is so useless. The creators didn't really care about Vaan, so they made him a PoV character.

 

[Cheeky]

Atelier Iris 1, should have been Atelier Veola

 

[aly]

Everyone already stole my answer about FFXII . Should've been Basch or about Fran and Balthier.

 

[Owlowiscious]

Every game with a male main character should have starred an underage female character.

 

[Sydle]

FF12: the topic

lol, this. Balthier should have been at the center of FFXII. I loved the exchanges between him and Fran.

 

[methane47]

Like the good man above said anyone who says Raiden missed the entire point of MGS2.

Please explain it to me.. im curious

 

[L Thammy]

The lead pair in The Last Story is boring as hell. The rest of the party is pretty cool.

I think Bayonetta would have sold more if it starred a male. I think everyone before the reveal wanted to play a character similar to Dante.

I'm not sure if it would have sold better with a male lead, but a power fantasy party dude personality would have done it.

Please explain it to me.. im curious

Spoiler

The plot of MGS2 is basically about engineering another Solid Snake.

 

[TheRealTalker]

Why GG


WHY

 

[HiddenWings]

FF12: the topic

This was my thought when I read the title. Vaan and Penelo were almost completely unnecessary.

 

[Riposte]

I can't believe it is 2014 and people are still salty about Raiden.

Every MGS game bar the original

I want to play as in prime, young Solid Snake

Well, Solid Snake was already an aging, embittered veteran by the time MGS rolled around.

 

[AgentLampshade]

Devil May Cry 4 should've had 2 seperate campaigns.

 

[Yawnier]

Many people are going to unsurprisingly say Raiden and MGS2 but I personally disagree. It was neat seeing Solid Snake in the Big Shell as the ideal and 'perfect' soldier while you controlled Raiden, who was nearly the total opposite of Snake's persona and character in MGS2, a rookie with no actual field experience and only experience being in VR training while Snake had already saved the world numerous times such as in Shadow Moses. It only reinforced one of the game's major themes too.

 

[okayfrog]

I want to play as in prime, young Solid Snake

There's always Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2

 

[KingGiddra]

To the people saying FFXII...he is just a PoV character, that is why he is so useless and powerless in the grand scheme of things. It's as if YOU were there, just along for the ride.

I don't want to be there along for the ride as myself, a dopey teenager. Let's set aside the fact that I can't relate to this character at all, for the majority of the game Vaan whines constantly and aggravates the characters around him. While the country is on the brink of war, Vaan is in the background crying about finding Penelo.

It's horrific.

Basch works as a great lead with Ashe, while I feel like Balthier serves as a better supporting role as the Han Solo.

 

[HK-47]

Not really. They had initially wanted to put in Balthier as the main dude, but the heads of the company forced them to add a younger guy as the protagonist. That is precisly why is so useless. The creators didn't really care about Vaan, so they made him a PoV character.

He was shoehorned into a story already created. That's why he has no real role.

 

[Dark Octave]

Japanese dev makes this request/wish/dream and any like it, 110% impossible.

Has never and will never happen, ever.

 

[cerulily]

I think Bayonetta would have sold more if it starred a male. I think everyone before the reveal wanted to play a character similar to Dante.

this sounds like a terrible idea. Besides Bayonetta IS pretty similar to old dante already.

What's wrong with bayonetta? she's a tonne of fun as a character.

 

[Village]

Devil May Cry 4 should've had 2 seperate campaigns.

I'm down with this.

To add to this KH2 should have had 2 seperate campaigns for riku and sora. From the end to KH1 to about now in the game timeline riku is the one doing so much of the work to the point where calling him the protagonist in many instances is actually valid. So much of the work, to a degree where sora seems useless besides the implied deus ex maguffin.


Also I will add the already known FF12.