Ethical choices I've wanted to make but couldn't

Here's the thing Sam. You're going to re-write your toons' motivations whatever missions you go on anyways, why are you worried about how the comic book inspired in-game story goes?

Heck, why even do missions in-game, barring the ones where NPCs specifically call your toon out? If I was going to go for the sort of toon that you're going for, it'd be pretty easy to focus entirely on street sweeping regular and hazard zones to "prove" their strength.

There is ONE mission where I really, really wanted to take a third option, and that was the end of Tillman's arc. I wanted to kill the target. When my options were "give her to Mother" or "Let someone who regularly aids murderers go free," I really just wanted to shoot her in the face and be done with it. In the end, I gave her to Mother, because you can't tell me "I protected that girl and kept her hidden while she murdered people, but I'm totally not responsible for those murders even though I actively worked to keep the police from stopping her" and expect me to let you get away. That's the thing about the Black and Black morality... Even when I believe the enemies that my side is doing bad things, I still feel obligated to take down the enemies because they're doing horrible things, too.



That said... I see Lord Recluse as somewhere between Lex Luthor and Dr. Doom. Even people like The Joker recognize that these are the top dogs around, and other villains don't mess with them, and they work with them when the price is right. And this isn't a question of loyalty to their organization, but it's the simple factor that working with Arachnos is all upside. Luthor loves hiring mercenaries, and he doesn't have a reputation for betraying them at first convenience like, say, Magneto does. With Archnos, like with Luthor, you know where you stand: As long as they're getting their money's worth, you're gonna be fine. And what's your last real task in the Rogue Isles? It's not "Become Lord Recluse's best friend." It's "Show Lord Recluse that you can't be treated like an underling anymore." Consider this line from the end of Black Scorpion's patron arc.

"Through your long struggle you have become a true villain, wielding power over all and beholden to none. Go now, and work your terrors upon the Earth!"

This says to me that your goal has ALWAYS been to be out for yourself. And come to think of it, you can go through the entirety of the Rogue Islands fairy easily without doing a SINGLE job for Arachnos. From the start you get the option of Kalinda OR BURKE, with Burke being a more Mercenary path. And in each zone, you choose your contacts. You can work for the Goldbrickers, the Sky Raiders, and the Family as you level, and probably others I'm forgetting.

Yeah, while the Rogue Islands clearly show that Arachnos is top dog and that the ultimate status symbol in the isles is being an Arachnos "Patron", it's pretty easy to go through the isles without working for Arachnos until Patron Power time.


So while I agree that Praetoria is very heavy in the forcing you to choose sides, I disagree that the Rogue Isles make you do so.