[realworksuks]

I am wondering if someone can provide some ideas about games where you can play the story through different character's eyes.

Games I have played and enjoyed that are in this category would be Suikoden III, Shining Force III, and Resident Evil 1 and 2.

Edit: I also played the Magus Chrono Trigger hack and thought it was very neat.

[Lilinda]

Seiken Densetsu 3 kind of does this, depending on your own point of view(>_> <_<).

[SunGodPortal]

Odin Sphere.

There is one big story and five characters from different kingdoms who each experience it in their own way with their paths criss-crossing the whole time. The character you play (and usually their kingdom) comes off as the good guy(s), but when you play as someone else they are sometimes seen in a different light.

You start with one character and after you beat her game that unlocks the next, and then the next, etc. After a characters game is complete you can then replay their game to level up and stock up for the final boss battles that are unlocked after all 5 characters' games have been beaten.

[FAST6191]

Are you going for full on Rashomon style different, possibly incorrect/contradictory, interpretations of events or more "while this was happening"?

There are plenty of games that might have a sequence set just before another character wanders through but other than those mentioned it is harder to find the Rashomon style stuff. I will say though that you might want to consider Eternal Darkness on the gamecube, it is not necessarily different perspectives but if I wanted that then it could scratch that itch. Monaco is also good for this but frankly I think I would rather play Hotline Miami as a game, which does have similar themes come to think of it. Also if you are going Resident Evil then code veronica had some of this as well, very technically I suppose 0 might have as well and you often get things like the Ada side missions (even if the one in 4 was technically not canon).

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RashomonStyle?from=Main.TheRashomon has a few more, though it is mainly just games with a small instance rather than it as a central or big theme in the story.

edit. On the scratching that itch theme then I should also mention games with time travel or something like it, I played Fairy Fencer F a while back and it had a sequence like that. Whether you want to abandon the concept you started with and go into full unreliable narrator, or insane player character, and start including things like Escape Dead Island will leave up to you, and possibly come back later to discuss.

[Nightcrawler]

It's been a long while, but doesn't Breath of Fire IV do this as well? At least I recall getting to play as both the antagonist and the protagonist.

[Gideon Zhi]

Dark Half and Rudra no Hihou do this as well.

[tvtoon]

For console RPG, there are also SaGa series (Romancing SaGa and SaGa Frontier), Wizardry and even Sailor Moon Another Story. We also could stick some recent Castlevania, and some shooting and beat'em up from 32-bits consoles, like Crisis Beat, in that list.

Just by flash memory, not considering fighting games, there are too many...

[Isao Kronos]

tales of xillia 1 sorta

[Recca]

There are a few good ones like that, though not many. Most games, especially RPGs usually only have one main story line and main character. Here's the ones that I've played and can think of off the top of my head. I'll divide them between different characters and factions:

Different paths/sides/factions:
Der Langrisser
Gothic series
Risen series
Shogo: Mobile Armor Division
StarCraft series
WarCraft series
Tactics Ogre series

Different characters:
Seiken Densetsu 3
Sword of Mana
Lord of the Rings (GBA series)
Live A Live
Rudra no Hihou
Nekketsu Tairiku Burning Heroes
Record of Lodoss War (SNES version)
Dark Half
Final Fantasy III/VI
Chrono Trigger

Some games, of course have the option of choosing different characters and sides as well, but I listed them based on which was more important overall. For example, in Der Langrisser, Shogo, Gothic and Risen, the choice of which side you join is the player's choice, but the main character is the same person. Whereas, in Lord of Rings: The Third Age, the choice of character determines which side you're on. Hopefully, this list will prove to be useful to someone.

I didn't bother adding games such as 7th Saga, Ancient Magic, Arcus Odyssey, Crystal Beans, Shining Soul series, Pokémon series and Mystic Ark to the list because even though you can choose which character/gender you prefer, the point of view and story lines are not much different. At times, it's pretty much identical. Same thing with games that let the player pick which class they prefer as in Baldur's Gate, Final Fantasy and Shadowrun (GENS version).

[SunGodPortal]

I'd just like add that in Odin Sphere each character's scenario involves the other characters as well. In some cases the other characters that you play are bosses and are either hunted by the character you are currently playing or working against them.

[realworksuks]

I'd just like add that in Odin Sphere each character's scenario involves the other characters as well. In some cases the other characters that you play are bosses and are either hunted by the character you are currently playing or working against them.

Odin Sphere sounds just like what I would like to play.  I really liked Suikoden III where there is one story going on but you get to experience it from different characters points of view.  The characters sometimes run into eachother and it's interesting to see what may have been happening at the same time through another character's eyes. 

Recently I have been playing Shining Force III and there are three scenarios but I understand it is just one story through different character's eyes.

Thanks for the recommendations, anymore would be welcomed.

[Zynk]

Threads of Fate for the PSX by Squaresoft

Its an action RPG platformer. I loved the characters esp. Mint.

[SunGodPortal]

Threads of Fate for the PSX by Squaresoft

Its an action RPG platformer. I loved the characters esp. Mint.

Recently started playing this. Very fun and Mint is a very funny character.

[MegaManJuno]

Being that Odin Sphere was mentioned, it bears mentioning another Vanillaware title. Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii)

Only 2 characters, as far as I recall, but I believe they had separate stories, take different paths, and fight different bosses.

This was also ported to the Vita as Muramasa Rebirth, which I think added some new playable characters.


Also, +1 for Threads of Fate / Dewprism.

[FAST6191]

I forgot about last time and I gather it should be something of a guilty pleasure but Ronin Blade/Soul of the Samurai could be worth a go. I do not imagine it has aged well and at the time it was called a poor Resident Evil knockoff but I do really like it.

[Gideon Zhi]

I just want to reiterate Dark Half and Rudra.

Dark Half takes place over six days. During the light hours you play as the hero, going around fighting injustice and whatnot. During the night, you play as the "devil", actively working to bring about the end of the world. It ends up being a lot less black-and-white than it seems at first, and it lets you make your own choices at the end of the game.

Rudra takes place over fifteen days and tells three different stories, each of which interact with each other at varying times. You'll cross paths with the other protagonists and, sometimes, see the results of their work. The one I remember the most is when Riza purifies the air of pollution, and the sun - which has not been seen in years - shines down on one of Sion's victories.

[Avster]

Check out Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy), in which you play as both an active killer on the run who is trying not to leave evidence or clues behind, and the detectives in pursuit who are of course trying to gather as many clues and pieces of evidence as possible.

[tc]

Mega Man X4 in a way. Same core story, alternate version of events.
X story: Zero and Iris essentially don't exist
Zero story: X and Double essentially don't exist

Mega Man & Bass took a similar approach to much less success.

[Jorpho]

Does Theresia count?  I still need to play that sometime.

[FAST6191]

How about we up the ante as it were and also go for different games that tell stories from different points of view.

Resident Evils 2 and 3 count, though, spoiler, while a character in the other game was knocked out.

Rainbow 6 Vegas 1 and 2.
Crysis has an expansion/stand alone mini sequel thing called Crysis Warhead. It mostly happens at the same time rather than different points of view but there are allusions.

Back to single games for a moment a lot of what Quantic Dream have done have this.

The Evil Within has some DLC (The Evil Within: The Consequence) that goes there, or at least a "while this was happening". Can't say I have played more than a few minutes of the main game but seen as Shinji Mikami did it I will probably put up with a lot. Actually if we do side stories as DLC we will be here all day so I will leave that one. Not sure if I have any amazing examples here, though a friend did rave about the The Last of Us: Left Behind DLC.