10 Video Games Where You Play As The Villain

In the original Halo, UNSC Marine super soldier Master Chief clashed with the Covenant: an appropriately named group composed of different alien races who desired control of the Halo ring, misled by religious promise. The frontline fighters, one of the most challenging races to fight, and certainly the most memorable were the Elites.

Whilst the pre-release hype for the game’s sequel revealed that we could play as Elites in the multiplayer, it was a total surprise to find that this was a necessary part of the game’s campaign. Thel ‘Vadam, a disgraced Elite taking on the mantle of legendary but expendable warrior The Arbiter, offered a totally unique story compared to the first game.

Halo 2’s Arbiter missions let us see through the eyes of the enemy, fighting splinter factions and non-believers using Covenant weapons and active camouflage. Whilst the general concept of the Elites were villainous due to their allegiance with the Covenant, the game offered us greater insight into the situation and by the end of the title saw the aliens change allegiance as they learned the truth.

This really unique campaign helped us empathise with the complex situation, playing as the warriors we had clashed with in the original title as they began to take back control of their own destinies.