10 Video Games That Punish You For Showing Mercy
2. Let Clarence Little Live, He'll Try To Kill You Later - Grand Theft Auto IV
Granted, the Grand Theft Auto series is so jam-packed with distrustful degenerates - often including the player character themselves - that giving them the benefit of the doubt is just asking for trouble.
In GTA IV's mission "Holland Nights," you're tasked with taking out Clarence Little, a drug dealer and pimp who has threatened to expose the corrupt actions of Deputy Police Commissioner Francis McReary.
Yet after killing Clarence's men, Niko chases him down. Clarence drops his gun, begs for his life, and promises to quit his life of crime, at which point the player is given a choice - kill Clarence or let him go.
If you grant Clarence mercy, however, he'll re-appear later in the game as a random encounter, and rather than having reformed himself as promised, he's out for revenge.
After a brief confrontation, Clarence pulls a gun and you're left with no choice but to kill him. Given that there's no true way to spare Clarence in the game, the message here seems to be that mercy is futile. As a result, you may as well just cut out the middle man and kill him during the earlier mission.