Every game needs a cool old guy, whether it's to help out and advise a cast of whippersnappers or just to be a raging badass who should theoretically be too old for this shit. It's an established trope, but a fun one.
I'm increasingly becoming one of these. Except for the cool part.
Tales of Vesperia's Raven is an exceptionally shady character, often feeding lies to the party or trying to hit on the female characters half his age. Dude usually knows what's going on, though, and is one of the more versatile characters in a fight.
The great hero Auron assisted Summoner Braska in defeating Sin a decade ago. Now he's helping a new Summoner, Braska's daughter Yuna. The mystique surrounding an enigmatic character is usually what makes them cool, yet Auron's of a rare breed that actually get more awesome the more you find out about them. It's not like FFX had a particularly worthwhile protagonist to overshadow him.
Jolee rants and complains like the Jedi Order's equivalent of Grampa Simpson. If he had the means to tell the Galactic Republic that there are too many alien sovereign nations and they should eliminate three, he would. Except, of course, it's mostly just an act to mess with people, like KOTOR's Revan. Jolee's survived this long, rare for a Jedi that isn't a tiny green thing that can hide well, so he no longer gives a shit who he annoys.
The Cid of FFVII is only in his 30s (which is still old by JRPG standards), but the dude is still ornery as hell after a botched space launch shatters his dreams. He's certainly spry (again, because he isn't even middle-aged yet) enough to leap around with a spear and help a ragtag bunch kick his old employers in the nuts. As long as he gets to curse a lot while doing so.
Well, I reckon Rucks here has something of a reputation 'round these parts for his homegrown wisdom and knowing what in the dickens is going on in the world of Bastion. He ain't got much to do now the Calamity's gone and done what it did, but he'll lend a hand anyhow.
Georg Prime is a knight in the company of the Kingdom of Falena, but really he's just a mercenary helping out a friend (now the King by marriage). Because he's not particularly beholden to anyone, he comes and goes as he pleases. Perhaps fortunate, since the guy is so overpowered that having him around would make Suikoden V a cakewalk.
I'd probably get chewed out for forgetting Solid Snake, entering cool old man stage and then some by the time of Metal Gear Solid 4. Though his back makes shuffling around in boxes less than comfortable, he can still get the job done.
Keldorn's a paladin well into his middle-age and still dedicated to his order. Perhaps overly so. Still, as paladins go, he's softened a bit with his staunch morals with old age, though hasn't softened in the slightest at kicking tremendous amounts of evil ass. He's a handy companion for your Baldur's Gate 2 group, provided you aren't going around actively murdering innocents.
Frank Goldfinger is America's first Ninja enforcer, having learned the art of Shinobi from a giant talking cat. Though utterly terrible at concealing his presence, he does have the skill of picking up random bits of the scenery to turn into his new weapon. Shadow Hearts is a weird series, you guys.
Augus is just this trope personified. He doesn't get or need any further character development than "booze, fucking and killing shit". Hell, he'd probably say that character development is for wusses like Asura. Either before or after stabbing him through the planet.
How could I forget Dunban? Like Auron, he's a grizzled veteran brought down by a recent famous battle who fights with one hand in a samurai style and is a source of hard-earned wisdom for the party. That's.. quite a few similarities, actually. But whatever, Dunban's awesome.
You know which Claude I mean.
