Rivals

[Alita the Pun]

For years, video game designers have included rivals in their games. They not only help move the story along, but they also give the player a reason to keep getting better and stronger in game. Often times these rivals will not be actual enemies but more of antiheroes. Rivals tend to be pretty memorable, their prideful nature and sarcastic remarks make them characters that are fun to compete with and (hopefully) win against. My three all time favorite rivals in video games are:

3. Falco: Star Fox 64

Falco is a classic example of the sarcastic wit that rivals so often have in common along with that indignation of having to rely on the hero, in this case Fox. He's also got a pretty cool look and is really good in Smash Melee.

2. Terry: Forge Quest

Terry is the fella in the middle there with the red hair. Forge Quest is not very well known but it has addictive gameplay and a fun story. Terry starts out as kind of a jerk but as the game progresses, you are forced to work with him and become friends.

Spoiler

Near the end of the game he ends up taking a fatal hit for you and dies. It's a touching story and it gives you even more resolve to beat the end boss.

Terry is definitely one of my favorite rivals of all time.

1. Gary Oak/Blue: Pokemon

Gary is one of the classic examples of video game rivalry. He's cooler than you, stronger than you. and he knows it. Gary meets you at various points on your journey and challenges you to battle. He tends to look down on you as weak until you begin to beat him more where he grows to have some respect for you. beating him can be harder than some gym fights but its really rewarding. not only do you get a lot of money but you also get the satisfaction of beating this guy. For me, this guy always stuck out as a really fun character and has always been prominent in my mind when I'm thinking about my favorite characters.

So what about you guys? do you like having rivals in games? or would you rather leave them out? what's your favorite rival?

 

[Morbid Minish]

I don't mind having rivals in games. It's a fun way to have an opponent that isn't necessarily 'bad', but that you still really want to beat. And most of the time you're working towards the same goal, so if worst comes to worst, they're able to lend a helping hand.

Sora and Riku is probably my favorite example of rivals I can think of. Though I didn't really see Riku as someone I wanted to beat. Maybe because I like him more than Sora.

I also like Sly vs Carmelita Fox in Sly Cooper. She's technically the 'good guy' in that situation since she's part of Interpol and you're a thief, so that's a pretty fun addition to the rivalry. Plus there's a bit of romance mixed in between the two which adds another layer to it.

 

[Jamie]

I don't mind having rivals in games. It's a fun way to have an opponent that isn't necessarily 'bad', but that you still really want to beat. And most of the time you're working towards the same goal, so if worst comes to worst, they're able to lend a helping hand.

Sora and Riku is probably my favorite example of rivals I can think of. Though I didn't really see Riku as someone I wanted to beat. Maybe because I like him more than Sora.

I also like Sly vs Carmelita Fox in Sly Cooper. She's technically the 'good guy' in that situation since she's part of Interpol and you're a thief, so that's a pretty fun addition to the rivalry. Plus there's a bit of romance mixed in between the two which adds another layer to it.

Your avatar is so hot.


Anyway I like rivals in games as long as there's some plot behind it.

 

[WraithHawk]

I'm pretty neutral on the subject of rivals. As long as they're done well I don't mind them and sometimes even like them.

My favorites are Silver from Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal and Wally from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald.

Silver starts off as a jerk and a thief but his constant defeats at your hands and being berated by Lance for his callousness lead him to question his methods and whether he needs to treat his pokemon as partners rather than tools. After you become the champion you can challenge him in a few places and, at long last, his Golbat has evolved into a Crobat which only happens when Golbat has a high friendship value with its trainer. He took the lesson to heart after all. Also, in the Gen IV remakes of these games, his starter (the one he stole) starts to follow him around just like the player's pokemon do.

Wally starts the game as a frail and sickly kid who needs help catching his first Pokemon before he moves to stay with some relatives. When you get to that town he challenges you with a single pokemon (the one you helped him catch) and his defeat inspires him to become stronger. You don't see him again until the end of victory road where he comes out of nowhere with a team of five well-trained pokemon (and in the remakes he has a mega stone for his starter) and a *****ing theme song. The kicker? You need all eight badges to get onto victory road, which means this little badass started his journey sometime after you tackled the third gym, beat all eight gyms faster than you did and still had time to catch up to you on victory road. Hot damn.

 

[NintendoCN]

I need a rival in games, it gives me someone to 'love to hate'. After all if I don't have a recurring character to hate I have to hate someone or something else. My favorite rivalry is definitely Ike vs The Black Knight. You can try to defeat him a couple times in the game before the final confrontation, but until then, there is no possible way (Without cheats) to damage him. It give you a goal to shoot for, someone to surpass.