Who Are Your 5 Favorite Video Game Characters?

[OcarinaBoy]

I cannot put a rank on these characters, as it is extremely hard for me to pick favourites. Here are five characters that I like (in no particular order):

-Mario. First video game character that I knew, still the first character I think of when someone says "Nintendo". Although I can't put a number on him, he will always remain in the top few.

-Link. I found out about link through Super Smash Bros. Melee (I only ever had Mario games up until then). I thought to myself, "He seems pretty cool" and looked at what game he was from in the trophy collection. One cruise across the Great Sea later, and Link became a main part of my game collection.

-Solid Snake and Naked Snake/Big Boss. These two characters are so close in relation (both literally and in terms of what they do) that I am listing them in one spot. I had no idea what Metal Gear Solid was before Super Smash Bros. Brawl came out. I decided to look into Snake's background and get Metal Gear Solid (The Twin Snakes). I have been a fan of the Metal Gear series ever since, buying each entry in the Metal Gear Solid line (not counting portable games) at least once (I bought the normal and special versions of MGS2 and MGS3)

-Shadow the Hedgehog. I always liked him more than Sonic. I don't know why, I've just always been drawn to the villians and antiheroes (examples: Vegeta, Team Rocket, Ganondorf, Ghirahim, ect. Speaking of Ghirahim...).

-Lord Ghirahim. I dare say I like him even more than Ganondorf (which, personally, is saying a lot). He's a tad flamboyant, immediately grabbing my attention whenever he appears. He's very active when he speaks, which I find somewhat entertaining. He has pretty awesome powers, any of which I would love to have. He has a tendency to be a smart aleck/jerk (just like me).

 

[Cfrock]

5 general favourites or 5 all-time favourites? Because the latter is gonna be much harder to do.

All-time favourites then, here goes:

#5 - My Elder Scrolls Characters

This might seem like a bit of a cop-out answer but it's true. When I play The Elder Scrolls I plan out my characters in great detail. Before I even start playing the game, I know my character's race and age, where they were born, their parent's names, how they ended up as a prisoner, why they use the skills they do, what their first job was, how their political views have developed and changed over time and even which hand they favour since Skyrim effectively let's you choose. Every character I make has a full history detailing their entire lives from birth up to the very beginning of whichever game I am playing at that point. It helps me focus my playthrough and ensures diversity in my play style across several characters.

More importantly, it helps me connect with my character on a much deeper level. You might join the Dark Brotherhood because they sound cool and you like killing people; I join the Dark Brotherhood because when my character was 16 years old he saw the hooded figures of the assassin's carry a large coffin out of Bravil and spent the next 10 years trying to find them, discovering all he could about the Brotherhood along the way and becoming fascinated and obsessed with them. You might be a master alchemist because potions are really helpful and it seemed like a useful skill; I am a master alchemist because my character spent 7 years living alone in the swamps of Black Marsh, studying the flora there for a book he wished to publish on why exactly the native Argonians were resistant to all poisons. It might seem silly but it really adds a whole other dimension to the games for me and makes me engage with the world more than I would otherwise.

#4 - Waluigi

Love him. You know how there are some characters who just make you laugh no matter what? That's Waluigi for me. He's just entertaining in pretty much everything he does and I love seeing him in Mario games. It was an absolute travesty that he wasn't in Mario Kart 7 and I demand an explanation!

I am still waiting patiently for the day when we finally have a Mario RPG (in the style of Superstar Saga and Partners in Time) in which Mario and Luigi are kidnapped and we play as Wario and Waluigi rescuing them (for a huge cash reward, of course).

#3 - Garrus Vakarian

Mass Effect doesn't have enough Garrus. He is one of the very first characters you meet and I had him with me for literally every moment it was possible to have him with me across the entire series but there was just not enough Garrus in Mass Effect. He's just so awesome. The games make a point of building Commander Shephard up as the second coming of Jesus but we all know that, really, Garrus is the heart of it all. One of the best moments in the whole series was the rooftop shoot out you have with Garrus in Mass Effect 3, where he basically says "I am better than you, Shephard," but it's all just banter so we respect him more for it, the cheeky little chappy ^^

I would be content for Mass Effect to rebrand itself as 'The Continued Adventures of Garrus Vakarian'. That would be a smart move I think. That and dump Casey Hudson.

#2 - Master Chief

"Chief, one question. What if you miss?"
"... I won't."

He sure didn't. I know Chief is the 'brainless, steroid junkie action hero stereotype' and you know what? That's why he's awesome. We need characters who are simple in that way. It's what makes him memorable, makes him iconic. Chief is a symbol of an entire genre and he wouldn't have been if he was deep and complex, like an onion (or something). Sure, 343 are adding depth to him now in Halo 4 (and it's done fantastically too) but with Halo (or more specifically, Bungie's Halo) the real story was the universe you inhabited. The characters were the grander ideas of the UNSC and the Covenant, not Chief or Cortana or Keyes. They were great characters, sure, but they weren't the focus. Making Chief 'Space Rambo' works with that because it gives us something we can understand immediately and thus focus on everything else. We can take in the true beauty of the Halo Universe because we weren't trying to figure out the Chief. We knew him immediately and Halo 2 is perhaps the best example of why Chief works. I mean, just look at the quote above, or these ones below:

"Sir, permission to leave the station."
"For what purpose, Master Chief?"
"To give the Covenant back their bomb."
"... Permission granted."

"Master Chief, you mind telling me what you're doing onboard that ship?"
"Sir, finishing this fight."

And then a personal favourite, from Halo 3:

"You given any thought to how you're gonna get out of here?"
"I thought I might try shooting my way out. Mix things up a little."

#1 - Leon S. Kennedy

I can't imagine my life without Leon Kennedy. I love him. There, I said it. I love him. He was awesome in Resident Evil 2 because of his dedication to his profession despite the extreme circumstances ("It's my job to keep you safe.") and he was awesome in Resident Evil 4 because Resident Evil 4 was awesome and he was awesome in it! Over the series, Leon has developed considerably and his portrayal in Resident Evil 6 was bang on in my eyes. He looks the part of the hero, he has depth and he knows how to deliver a one-liner in typically cheesy fashion ("Your right hand comes off?").

The Resident Evil franchise is one of my absolute favourites and if it weren't for Leon I may well have never played it beyond the original game. It was Leon who made me appreciate Resident Evil 2 in all of its brilliance and made me a fan of a series I hold very dear in my heart. I have years upon years of enjoyment that are all because of him. So many memories and stories because of him. Resident Evil is the reason one of my closest friends in real life O) and I became friends in the first place so I have Leon to thank for that too. Seriously, I fudging love Leon S. Kennedy.

 

[Lady_Yuna]

^ In regards to Leon, you should definitely watch Resident Evil Damnation. I think he shines the brightest in terms of personality and character. He was super fabulous. =D

 

[Gamer Miki]

Great topic!

1.) Alis Landale -- original female RPG protagonist FTW! Without a doubt, she's the strongest player in Phantasy Star I.

2.) Link -- no explanation needed ^^

3.) Joe Musashi -- Ninja with mad skillz. Enough said.

4.) Mario -- how could I not include the famous plumber of Mushroom Kingdom?

5.) Rune Walsh -- of Phantasy Star IV. He's like a god with his magic skills, seriously.

 

[gamzee_makara]

1. Kirby
2. Tiny tina (borderlands 2)
3. Jack krauser (resident evil 4)
4. Uncle leo (fallout 3)
5. Sheagorath (elder scrolls 4 oblivion)

 

[Kupsacker]

Link (specifically Twilight Princess)
Samus Aran
Ghirahim
Ike
Master Chief

 

[Ghirahimiscool]

My favorites are Ghirahim, Ganon, Zant, Vaati, and Shadow Link.

 

[Byrne12197]

1 link
2 link
3 link
4 link
5 link (You get the point link is ultimate)

 

[Sir Quaffler]

I'm gonna go protagonists and antagonists, just to make it easier on myself

Good guys:
Link - because he's awesome.
Samus - because she's a badass bounty hunter who doesn't take crap from anybody (leaving out that abomination which I will not speak of here)
Crono - another silent protagonist, but he looks so cool with the red spiky hair. And his selflessness is really inspiring as well.
Celes (FF6) - We see some real change with her throughout the game as she learns to embrace her feelings for Locke. I like a lot of characters from this game, but she's my favorite.
Donkey Kong - come on, who doesn't like giant apes?
Honorable mentions to Magus (CT), Cyan (FF6), Lucas (Mother 3), and Gordon Freeman (although honestly that last one's entirely because of the freaking hilarious Freeman's Mind on Youtube...).

Bad guys:
Kefka Palazzo - a mad nihilistic clown who ACTUALLY SUCCEEDS in his ultimate goal to become a Dark God of Magic, then proceeds to rape and pillage the whole world just because he likes killing people!
Big Boss (Naked Snake) - Out of all the antagonists, I actually am on the same side as him, what he had to go through was unforgivable.
Lechku the Gold Demon - a classy mechanical British owl with a top hat, evil mustache, monocle, and a cane! What's not to love?
Ganondorf - awesome bad guy, don't need to say anything else.
Wheatley or GlaDos - can't really pick, just love their humor.
Honorable mention to Lavos. Once you find out what Lavos really is and what he has done to the whole planet, fighting him becomes more than just a matter of exterminating a space tick, you're basically fighting throughout all of time against the being solely responsible for the development and cultivation of all human life; in other words, you're fighting God.

 

[distractionbomb]

1. Link
2.Zero
3.Lyner (Ar Tonelico)
4.Akihiko (Persona 3)
5.Kanji (Persona 4)

 

[vengenz]

1. Link
2. Lightning (from FF XIII)
3. Namine (from Kingdom Hearts I & II)
4. Vincent Valentine (from FF Advent Children + games)
5. Shadow The Hedgehog (From Sonic games)

 

[Burning Beast]

This list may change but... here we go;

1: Link TLOZ Series
2: Arthas Warcraft III
3: Samus Aran Metroid
4: Zeratul Starcraft I-II
5: Jim Raynor Starcraft I-II

 

[Wasteland Dream]

5. Alexandra Roivas (Eternal Darkness)
4. Ayane (Dead or Alive)
3. Farah (Prince of Persia- Two Thrones/Rival Swords)
2. Tiffa (Final Fantasy 7)
1. Jill Valentine (Resident Evil)

 

[Zorth]

5 ~ John Price from Call of duty series.

I like this guy because of how he seems to always stay cool but intimidating when handling things and is an awesome soldier in general, he also deeply cares for his fellow crew. Throughout the games he also smokes a cigar and has a cool hat.

4 ~ Darth Sion from the Old Republic series.

I like the concept of this character as a Sith, he can't be killed and only gets stronger the more you hurt him because he channels his pain as a source of power. (unless you are the Exile lol)

3 ~ Carl "C.J" Johnson from the Grand Theft Auto series.

I simply loved playing as this guy, he can recover from any kind of injury and never dies! (obviously).

2 ~ My Sith Warrior from the MMO Star Wars: the Old Republic.


I love this guy, the way I played him he was everything a Sith warrior would be. Somebody on a quest for power and doesn't care who gets in the way but at the same time plays things smart and doesn't ruthlessly kill everybody who opposes him but tries to establish connections everywhere to help him build an army against his superiors so he can overtake them.

1 ~ Kirby

Hands down, the cuteness just makes it the best character I've every played. :3

 

[Igos du Ikana]

1.Link
2.Commander Shepard
3.Harbinger
4.Saren
5.Majora