Come on, you didn't think Rockstar were going to endorse a law enforcing protagonist and not make him flawed, did you? We first meet Cole Phelps while he's the golden boy of the LAPD. He quickly rises through the ranks of the force, moving from being a patrolman to a fully-fledged detective, all while rather annoyingly, sticking as close to the letter of the law as he can. Does that make him a bad guy? Of course not; the complete opposite in fact. He's so endearingly boring that it leaves us a bit bewildered. Then, suddenly, about half way through the story Cole sleeps with another woman and is kicked out of his house by his wife. This scene arrives almost from out of nowhere; Cole had met with Elsa (his new mistress, apparently) before, but it wasn't in a scene loaded with sexual tension. For seemingly no reason, Cole destroys his family (and inadvertently, his reputation and career). Yes it's a plot twist, but it arrives out of nowhere and doesn't sit well within the story. It seems harsh to judge a character on one mistake but a quick search online shows that there is genuine hatred for Cole Phelps as a result of his actions. Team Bondi seemed to take influence from Rockstar, as they have a habit of forcing their 'heroes' to indulge in their darker sides, but with Cole it didn't work out. Perhaps because previously, there was no signs of a darker side brewing beneath the surface (his darker actions during the Second World War are referenced occasionally but judging by the rest of the game, he left that side behind). With his reputation in tatters, Cole begins a vendetta against corruption in the LAPD and while this noble action redeems him somewhat, for many players there was no redemption for a character who abandoned everything he had for seemingly no reason.
I have an addiction to achievements, a craving for new bands and a dream to become Captain America. I once finished second in a Mario Kart 7 tournament so I'm kind of a big deal.
