Sometimes the good guys aren’t so good. Sometimes they’ve just got to break bad, and it’s up to you to put them down. In celebration of The Last Of Us: Part 2, we’re counting down all the games (and sequels) where your playable character becomes your enemy — this isn’t just about making bad choices, or following the evil route in a storyline. No, this is head-to-head action where it’s your job to put an end to a previously playable character.
Most often, this sort of thing happens in a sequel. Sometimes, you’ll get a choice to go head-to-head in a cooperative game, and other times your future characters cross paths with an old hero. No matter what, you’ll be fighting the former good guys. It’s a pretty great way to generate a buttload of drama; nobody wants to beat up characters we’ve grown to love! But those cruel game designers just love watching us squirm.
There are going to be some massive story spoilers ahead — so stop here to avoid. I’m starting off with the biggest one of the bunch, The Last of Us: Part 2. If you want to skip it, click right here to go straight to page 2. Everything past that? It’s all old stuff.
There’s more to explore! Revisit these lists on Gameranx:
- 10 Weirdest & Worst Mini-Games You Were Forced To Play
- 10 Best Bugs That Made Games More Fun | Most Useful Glitches List
- 10 Game-Breaking Weapons, Spells & Abilities That Made Games Easy Early
- 10 Ridiculously Funny Trophies & Achievements We Just Had To Unlock
- 10 Weirdest Video Game Sequels, Spin-Offs & Reboots Of Popular Series
Ellie Becomes The Boss [Last Of Us: Part 2]
For those following the raging discourse surrounding The Last Of Us: Part 2, you might already know the game’s first big spoiler — Ellie isn’t the only playable character in the game. Eventually, you’ll swap places and see the same events through a Wolf soldier’s shoes. For much of the game, Ellie hunts down the Wolves; a militaristic gang of survivors holed up in the blasted ruins of Seattle. By the end, you’ll swap sides and face off against Ellie.
Yes, Ellie is a boss battle. She’s the toughest boss in the game, using all of the player’s former techniques against you. She’ll plant trap bombs, sneak around, and slice your neck open if you’re not paying attention. She’s an intense killer, and for just a moment, you get to feel like the thugs Ellie spent the last 10 hours slaughtering.
You can watch the entire boss battle here.
Alex Mercer Must Die [Prototype 2]
The main character of the original prototype is Alex Mercer, an ordinary man infected with a strange virus that allows him to transform into blood-curdling shapes, sucking up humans and slaughtering civilians by the boatload. It’s just how the game is played! But people like me were left thinking — isn’t Alex Mercer kind of evil? He was never really presented as the bad guy in the original. His methods were never questioned. He was a good guy.
The developers must’ve agreed with me about the whole evil thing, because you play as an infected marine in Prototype 2. As one of the regular soldiers Alex Mercer turned into blood mist, you get to exact revenge by the finale. Returning to Manhattan Island, you’ll face off against a fully-transformed and fully-insane Alex Mercer. It’s a nice bit of catharsis that showed the developers were clever enough to comment on their own gameplay decisions.
Fight even more protagonists turned antagonists on the next page!
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