Favourite characters
Cliché, but fun to do. Not restricted to just video games.
List items
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The whole knife-fu between him and Leon in RE4 were among the best segments in the game. His boss fight was intense and a worthy warm-up match for the finale. Above all else, he demolishes enemy hordes in Mercenaries mode with his bow and freaky mutant arm blade.
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He's pretty well represented across the entire board of media mediums. It wasn't until Nolan's films and the Rocksteady games that I started taking an interest in the character specifics rather than the franchise as a whole. Bats is an amazing hand-to-hand combatant who is as equally talented in the stealth department. He is also dangerously intelligent and resilient to the point where he poses a major threat to beings with god-like abilities like Darkseid.
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Probably the best (and most iconic) character to come out of the hellish world of Dark Souls, Solaire's bizarre yet charming personality won many people over in the Souls community. His standing in the game has also left many a player wondering whether he Gwyn's first born son, who was cast out and stripped of his deity status. This has helped propel him into an even better standing amongst players, who remain keen to connect the dots in the rich lore of Dark Souls. Oh, and he can hurl lightning bolts too.
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What if Batman was a lovable rogue alien with an affinity for revenge and marksmanship? You'd get Garrus Vakarian, and then some. This gun-totting turian came onto the scene in BioWare's Mass Effect series and found his place in my heart long before the credits were rolling in the second entry. He received one of the better character arcs of the ME franchise, and will always be Shepard's No. 2.
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This is definitely one of those picks where it's less about the character and more about their abilities. Alex is fairly dull when it comes to personality, but his powers are anything but boring. Prototype was rough around the edges in all of its departments, but I could look past these flaws simply because Alex was a blast to play as. I wish more games would give us a protagonist who can drop kick helicopters out of the sky.
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As you may be able to tell by now, I'm a sucker for characters who display monstrous feats of power. When a character grows to the size of a planet and blows up stars and other planets, they've got me on lockdown.
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Speaking of OP entries, the mad Titan easily makes the list for being so goddamn powerful that he handed most of Marvel's big guns their asses at the same time. Did I mention the reason he's an omnicidal maniac is because he wishes to please Mistress Death. Love kills.
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I may not be well-versed in the Metriod franchise, but I've played and seen enough of this stoic bounty hunter to know she makes the cut. Her arsenal is impressive enough and I don't think I've seen another character go through so many power-ups since the cast of Dragon Ball.
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Still the greatest Mass Effect villain to date, Sovereign was the complete package. Menacing voice, menacing appearance, menacing motives, menacing monologues, you name it, he has it. Whilst the rogue Spectre, Saren, took centre stage for the antagonist spot, it was his puppet master who posed the greater threat with overwhelming power and zero empathy for his enemies (which was pretty much everyone else).
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One of gaming's most decorated heroes (though he believes otherwise on the hero part), Snake is a master of stealth and hand to hand combat, among other traits. Although his biological "father", Big Boss, is still considered the greatest soldier who ever lived, Solid Snake remains the poster boy for the franchise, despite Hideo Kojima's efforts to throw replacement protagonists down our throats. Fans will never let Snake die.
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The Master of Magnetism is one of Marvel's most iconic villains/anti-heroes and for good reasons. I'm usually one to squawk at Marvel's character designs, but Max Eisenhardt looks positively pimping in his prime. The fact that he has a tendency to just wipe the floor with his opponents also gains him some cool points.
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Aided by a secret crush on Yvonne Strahovski, the Cerberus operative earns a place because of her character development during ME2. Once an uncompromising bitch, she soon warms up to Shepard and his compatriots (well, except Jack). The outfit's just a bonus.
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Personally, I think Adam Jensen boasts one of the sleekest designs I have seen across all mediums of fiction. It helps that he has a voice and personality that intertwine so well with his appearance. His retractable glasses, hidden elbow blades and kick-ass trench coat are just the icing on the cake.
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Representing the English nation, Capn' Ash is just about the best character to come out of Free Radical's TimeSplitters franchise, and those games featured a ton of wacky folks. I imagine Ash as the genetic offspring of James Bond and Indy Jones, come to think of it. "That was my best pipe, you bounders!"
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Make no mistake, Roy Earle is a scumbag. He is easily one of the most despicable characters in L.A. Noire and that's saying something, considering the game is filled with serial killers, corrupt politicians and other unsavoury folk. However, he is so well written and acted that he damn near steals the spotlight for every scene he appears in. Even filthy degenerates need loving sometimes.
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There may have not been many memorable additions to the cast in Guns of the Patriots, but Drebin stood out in my mind as the best. His neat tricks of turning handkerchiefs into hand grenades and lighting the tip of his fingers on fire to light Snake's cigarettes just had me thinking, "that's one cool customer."
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Of all the New Vegas companions, Boone was the one I kept around from start to finish. His seething hatred for Caesar's Legion matched my own as we both saw them as nothing more than primitives and scum. To that end, my character Rover Tenbout and his deadly NCR marksmen marched onto Caesar's Fort. We left none standing (except for the slaves, of course) and it was in that moment that I was well and truly role-playing in an RPG, and it's all thanks to this guy and his bitter veteran soaked demeanour.
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It is a criminally overused term, but BADASS pretty much sums Rodin up as simple as one would need to know. Like Drebin before him, Rodin makes a habit of 'lighting it up' using his fingertips. He can also bat a mean home run and serves as a bonus boss battle for those who want an extra difficult challenge. Even when shining and surrounded by peacock feathers, Rodin remains a MAN!
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Dante's aloof big brother has been around longer than you might expect, courtesy of his appearance as Nelo Angelo in the original Devil May Cry, back in 2001. Four years later, when DMC3 released, we finally got to see the real Vergil before he became all corrupted and stuff. He didn't disappoint. While some may presume he is merely a palette swap of Dante, the twins have quite a lot of differences. The one that stands out for me is his weapon of choice, Yamato. I have a fondness for Japanese curved steel/katanas. This particular example and cut from quite the distance (as displayed by Dante near the climax of DMC4). All in all, his choice in personality and arsenal are what rank him above his red clad brother in my eyes.
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Yet another case of "Oh man, why couldn't I play as that guy instead of the protagonist?" (upcoming DLC aside of course). Jetstream Sam is sort of painted in a similar fashion to Raiden, but this guy here has that sassy style that his rival lacks. You can almost imagine it in-universe, Raiden being jealous of Sam's abilities and attitude. His sheath even has a built-in trigger mechanic that helps propel his sword out at the speed of a bullet. Raiden wishes he could be this cool.
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