Mass Effect, Fallout 3, Dishonored, Bioshock, Bioshock 2, Bioshock Infinite, Skryim

Piggybacking directly from Mass Effect (2007), the final section of the character creation is their military specialization, from the gun-toting soldier to the technical expert, the biotic adept (think of the Force in Star Wars) or a mix between two of them.  Each of six classes has a unique set of talents and skills that, in many cases, are only available to that particular class, impacting the type of character in-combat Shepard may become.  At this point, players can physically customize Shepard.

Throughout Mass Effect, as players fight their way through the galaxy, they ‘level up’ and gain points to assign to different skills and talents: proficiency in firearms, class-specific talents, and charismatic statistics.  This is another level of customization; does the player choose to become a powerhouse in their weapon of choice, concentrate more on the powers that come with their class, or do they sacrifice those combat-specific talents to be a more diplomatic or intimidating leader?  Remember the Paragon and Renegade points mentioned earlier?  One and the same.  Applying the points to any of those areas will change the type of narrative a player encounters.  As an example: I knew that I wanted to be able to talk well in the game.  I put as many of my points into speaking diplomatically (the “Charm” talent) as I could, and while that allowed me the opportunity to defuse or confront otherwise high-intensity scenarios, I wasn’t as skillful in a fight; there was a lot of hanging back, letting more combat-capable teammates take the reins, while I fought from a distance.  But my Shepard’s diplomatic abilities helped to save a number of lives (one of which Tom Bissell laments in Extra Lives) and change the course of what would have otherwise been destructive scenarios.  It was a choice that I, the player and, by relation, Shepard, made that changed how the narrative progressed and what options were ultimately available to me.

This idea illustrated in Mass Effect, and in many other games, is an “Incomparable Choice,” a problem of apples and oranges that is referenced in the webseries Extra Credits episode Choice and Conflict.  (Floyd & Portnow, 2010)  In Mass Effect, do I decide to pursue talent A that will help me in combat, or talent B that will make me a better speaker?  Other games explore this kind of choice and customization, too.  Fallout 3 begins the game, soon after your character’s birth, with their formative years.  Players define their character further by reading a SPECIAL book (Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, Luck) that allows players to assign point values to the listed core traits; this, in turn, impacts the more particular skills that correlate with each trait (i.e., increasing the Charisma trait increases the Speech and Barter skills).

Additionally, at each ‘level-up,’ earned when enough enemies are defeated or missions completed, players can choose a ‘perk:’ an active or passive ability that has an impact on the player’s gameplay.  Naturally, there is a list of perks, so players cannot have everything.  They must decide what perks they would like most, what benefits their playstyle best: do I want to speak better to a different group of people, or do I want my guns to do more exploding?  Do I want to be able to bring back my pet dog (also a powerful ally) if he ever dies, or do I want to explode in nuclear fire when I’m low on health (somehow, a non-lethal option)?  Decisions, decisions, all aligning with how I play or want to play the game.

Dishonored (2012) and the Bioshock games (2007-2013) employ another system of upgrades and applications.  Beginning with the Bioshock series, players discover a wide variety of Plasmids (in Bioshock and Bioshock 2) and Vigors (in Bioshock Infinite), genetic enhancements, throughout the game, allowing abilities like shooting lightning, summoning hordes of wasps, and controlling security systems and the frightening protectors throughout.  In the first two Bioshock games, players cannot acquire or fully upgrade all Plasmids; they must pick and choose depending on how they would like to play.  Conversely, while all Vigors can be acquired in Bioshock Infinite, players must choose how they would like to spend their hard-earned money (which they lose chunks of upon defeat): on Vigor or weapon upgrades, items, or ammunition.  Depending on Vigor and weapon preferences, particular upgrades may be pursued to augment one’s preferred playstyle.  In addition, players find, respectively, Gene Tonics and Gear, which grant passive abilities, like the Perks in Fallout 3.  Again, players cannot equip all Tonics or Gear, so they must pick and choose according to their play-style.

In Dishonored, players pick up Runes and Relics: Runes act as currency to upgrade the supernatural powers the player-character possesses, which help to enhance effective sneaking and non-lethal stealth, or empower the character to more effectively, efficiently, and violently take a life.  Similarly, Relics are the passive upgrades in the world, a la Gene Tonics and Gear.  And lastly, players can purchase upgrades for weapons and gadgets that further augment one’s lethality or non-lethality, stealth or strength.