10 Shocking Video Game Bait-And-Switches You'll Never Forget
So busy looking one way, you didn't see these coming.
Following the formula is easy and if you do it right you can put out some really good content. However, shocks and unexpected surprises are one thing that can elevate a product to new heights.
Largely, twists and turns in stories are all about expectation and subversion. In the case of the most extreme of these, it becomes the bait and switch. The writers present something that seems like the obvious conclusion but then goes a different way with it completely, stunning their audiences and, hopefully, creating a truly memorable twist.
With video game stories becoming ever more deeper, complex and comparable to any other medium, plenty of games have the opportunity to pull a fast one on us naïve players.
Moreover, it's even more clever when developers use our expectations of gaming traditions to do something wild and wicked.
This list will look at just some of the great examples of video games that subverted our expectations in ways so powerful that they are sure to stick with us forever.
10. The Electrocutioner Is A Pushover - Batman: Arkham Origins
Being the only game in the series not developed by mainstays Rocksteady, Arkham Origins might be the black sheep of the Batman: Arkham bunch but does have plenty to give.
One particularly memorable moment is the face off with obscure comic book baddie the Electrocutioner. Bats finds himself face-to-face with Lester Buchinsky on Penguin’s ship, in a makeshift gladiatorial arena in the first major boss fight of the game. Launching into battle, Electrocutioner says: “I’ll kill you, then jumpstart your heart then kill you again” which, as far as threats go, is a little alarming.
And then the player knocks Buchinsky out with a single button-push as Batman slams his crime-fighting boot into the bad guy’s mush.
Considering that Origins takes place earlier into Bruce Wayne’s vigilante career you’d think that Batman would be still finding his feet or struggling but this scene makes the player feel as though they are truly in a position of power. More importantly, this is not the real boss fight. That comes later when the player comes back through and is against the much cooler and much tougher Deathstroke which, even besides the comparison, is a challenging battle.
And what becomes of the Electrocutioner? Let’s just say there’s a reason he’s not in any of the other games.