Five Characters Whose Deaths You May Remember

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Brad

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Edited By Brad
Gone but not forgotten.
Gone but not forgotten.
It's Memorial Day here in the States, a day when we all take a pause to remember the many brave men and women who have lost their lives in the service of their country over the years. Since we live and breathe video games in here (and since it's business as usual at Giant Bomb HQ today), the holiday got me thinking about notable video game characters who have had notable death scenes. That got me thinking about the fact that hardly any video game characters ever die. Why is that?

Anyway, here's a handful of the more memorable game deaths that came to mind in 15 minutes of spitballing around the office. And no, you will not find Aerith on this list. Also, it should probably go without saying that there's a big fat implicit "HEY! SPOILERS!" sign hanging on here.


Call of Duty 4 made us stop and think about what it might be like to get up close and personal with a nuclear weapon. Truly a chilling scene.


So you don't actually see the guy die. And he ended up coming back off and on in various Mortal Kombat games anyway. But DUDE. Johnny Cage! Dead! Unthinkable!


Certainly the most high-concept death we can think of in a video game. The man lived and died by his ideals... and a golf club.

Remember this guy?
Remember this guy?
Tassadar

Possibly the noblest death we can come up with, this leader of the Protoss in the original StarCraft sacrificed himself to defeat the Zerg and save his entire race from extinction.


OK, so we had to exclude a bunch of female significant others from the list so it wouldn't look too weird, but man, a lot of ladies get offed in video games. (Mona Sax, anyone?) Jenny's is probably the most gut-wrenching, the way she's gunned down right in front of main character Jackie while he's completely powerless to save her. Painful.

Honorable Mention: Solid Snake. Because he should have died at the end of MGS4, damnit. He should have placed pistol to mouth and finished the job himself.

What are your favorite (or most painful) memories of gaming death scenes?

And before we go, Kotaku's Stephen Totilo has come up with another excellent list idea in light of Memorial Day, characters who wear white pants.

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Brad

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#1  Edited By Brad
Gone but not forgotten.
Gone but not forgotten.
It's Memorial Day here in the States, a day when we all take a pause to remember the many brave men and women who have lost their lives in the service of their country over the years. Since we live and breathe video games in here (and since it's business as usual at Giant Bomb HQ today), the holiday got me thinking about notable video game characters who have had notable death scenes. That got me thinking about the fact that hardly any video game characters ever die. Why is that?

Anyway, here's a handful of the more memorable game deaths that came to mind in 15 minutes of spitballing around the office. And no, you will not find Aerith on this list. Also, it should probably go without saying that there's a big fat implicit "HEY! SPOILERS!" sign hanging on here.


Call of Duty 4 made us stop and think about what it might be like to get up close and personal with a nuclear weapon. Truly a chilling scene.


So you don't actually see the guy die. And he ended up coming back off and on in various Mortal Kombat games anyway. But DUDE. Johnny Cage! Dead! Unthinkable!


Certainly the most high-concept death we can think of in a video game. The man lived and died by his ideals... and a golf club.

Remember this guy?
Remember this guy?
Tassadar

Possibly the noblest death we can come up with, this leader of the Protoss in the original StarCraft sacrificed himself to defeat the Zerg and save his entire race from extinction.


OK, so we had to exclude a bunch of female significant others from the list so it wouldn't look too weird, but man, a lot of ladies get offed in video games. (Mona Sax, anyone?) Jenny's is probably the most gut-wrenching, the way she's gunned down right in front of main character Jackie while he's completely powerless to save her. Painful.

Honorable Mention: Solid Snake. Because he should have died at the end of MGS4, damnit. He should have placed pistol to mouth and finished the job himself.

What are your favorite (or most painful) memories of gaming death scenes?

And before we go, Kotaku's Stephen Totilo has come up with another excellent list idea in light of Memorial Day, characters who wear white pants.

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Al3xand3r

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#2  Edited By Al3xand3r

I thought the lists were for April Fool's only?

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pablodiablo

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#3  Edited By pablodiablo

Are you guys gonna start spamming Top 10 lists again?

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natetodamax

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#4  Edited By natetodamax

Nice list. I especially remember Jackson from CoD4 mainly because, well, you play as him.

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deactivated-5c5cdba6e0b96

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Holy fuck, I didn't beat Bioshock yet and I just read this and I`m like half way through....my fault I guess : (

Thanks for putting the spoiler warning, Bioshock is still an awesome game, besides it came out 2 years ago, my fault for reading.

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Death_Burnout

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#6  Edited By Death_Burnout

Haha good article, i like the Honerable Snake mention. and err yeah, Jenny was a painful one.

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OmegaPirate

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#7  Edited By OmegaPirate

Agree with most of these :) not too sure about tassadar - in my opionoin i was a lot more shocked at the end of Tomb raider last revelation when it appeared lara was dead - especially at the time it was an immense prospect!


Also, loads of guys from the resident evil games have had pretty rad deaths!

But yeah- jenny - man ive never fought so hard to get through a door in my life!
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The_A_Drain

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#8  Edited By The_A_Drain

Here's mine.

Dogmeat
Dogmeat
Dogmeat
Dogmeat
Aeris/Airith

It's my own fault for getting into so many fights in Fallout I guess.

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Everyones_A_Critic

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There's an alternate ending to Max Payne 2 where Mona doesn't die. Nice call with Jenny from The Darkness, one of the more difficult sequences to watch in that game, or any game in general.

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minus_273

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#10  Edited By minus_273

buuuuut aerith?

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natetodamax

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#11  Edited By natetodamax
@Bucketdeth: You can't really get upset over that seeing as the game came out two years ago.
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Rhaknar

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#12  Edited By Rhaknar

I guess no "SPOILER WARNING" needed since this is basically about spoilers...

The Carmine brothers in Gears 1 and 2 (especially the second)

Oh and Nathan Hale in Resistance 2, since i was just glad after all the teasing we get throughout the game that if he turns the other dude would blow his brains out... he DOES (unlike Snake in MGS4, which I freaking hated and totally agree with Jeff). That was a pleasant surprise

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deactivated-5ffc9b0923f9f

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Everyone who dies in the Metal Gear series is usually pretty memorable.

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Video_Game_King

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#14  Edited By Video_Game_King

What about Nei in Phantasy Star 2? She was Aeris before there was Aeris. Also, to avoid more JRPGs, what about Sega :P?

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TOYBOXX

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#15  Edited By TOYBOXX

The most memorable gaming death scene that popped into my head is the death of Captain Price in COD4. And the most depressing is the death of the 5 teenagers, in the video game Maniac Mansion, with the dreaded light switch that activated the unstable nuclear reactor located in the basement, nuking the entire city. Yeah that was some bad mojo there. 


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OmegaPirate

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#16  Edited By OmegaPirate
Rhaknar said:
I guess no "SPOILER WARNING" needed since this is basically about spoilers...The Carmine brothers in Gears 1 and 2 (especially ... [more]
SHIT yeah! forgot about hale -that shocked the hell outta me
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The_A_Drain

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#17  Edited By The_A_Drain

Ohh damn speaking of gears, man I was actually really sad when that huge awesome guy died (Ty was it?) he reminded me of Tuvok for some reason.

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nohthink

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#18  Edited By nohthink

Aerith Final Fantasy VII. Saddest death in the video history, I think

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#19  Edited By mattbodega

Good list, but I agree with the sentiment that Giant Bomb lists are best when they can be mocked. Serious lists.....it goes against the Giant Bomb Code!
(The Giant Bomb code is XYXYBABA Triangle Joystick down, Waggle,  Z2 C Up L,Start Select RuN)

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Rhaknar

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#20  Edited By Rhaknar
The_A_Drain said:
Ohh damn speaking of gears, man I was actually really sad when that huge awesome guy died (Ty was it?) ... [more]
UGH...good one dude, how the hell did I forget Taj when Im mentioning the goddamn Carmines from the same game >_>
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Krias

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#21  Edited By Krias

Totally agree about Jenny.I personally was p'ssed , very angry(and sad)when that  happened.

The second most painful moment seeing women die,was in Prince of Persia The Two Thrones.Seeing Kaileena stabbed .
Now that was stupid,because she knew how to fight, ontop of that she was a hard challenge for the Prince.But creators thought otherwise..so they decided to simply kill her.
I loved 'Warrior Within'  for many reason,one of them being characters of the game, I haited when that happened in 'The Two Thrones'.

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Milkman

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#22  Edited By Milkman
Rhaknar said:
The_A_Drain said: Ohh damn speaking of gears, man I was actually really sad when that huge awesome guy died (Ty ... [more]
First off, it's Tai, not Ty or Taj. And second, no, he was not awesome. He sucked.
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The_A_Drain

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#23  Edited By The_A_Drain

Haha. I was a little shocked when the first Carmine died, but the second I just couldnt bring myself to care about as I knew he would die in some hilarious fashion.

But Tai, man, I was not expecting that.

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FLStyle

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#24  Edited By FLStyle
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Crono

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#25  Edited By Crono
Milkman said:
Rhaknar said: The_A_Drain said: Ohh damn speaking of gears, man I was actually really sad when that huge awesome guy ... [more]
QFT - He, like all characters in Gears, was too hokey and totally lame.
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buzz_clik

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#26  Edited By buzz_clik

Agro in Shadow of the Colossus. NOOOooo...

(well, not really a death, but you were made to think it was)

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RelentlessKnight

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#27  Edited By RelentlessKnight

Wow?! I'm surprised that you put in Tassadar from Starcraft frame.

Nice one!

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jakob187

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#28  Edited By jakob187

Jenny.  That's it.  You named the greatest death scene in video game history.


Also, thank you for NOT saying Aerith.
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CarolinaFan3515

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#29  Edited By CarolinaFan3515
@FLStyle: Would you believe you may have just spoiled that game for me?  I just found a copy of Legend of Dragoon and had been playing through it some.  Haven't got to that part yet though.
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RHCPfan24

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#30  Edited By RHCPfan24

Jenny, Andrew Ryan and Sergeant Paul Jackson are great choices. And I am getting a bit of a spolier overload by reading the comments. I am going to stop before I hurt myself.

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ryno9881

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#31  Edited By ryno9881
@TOYBOXX: We don't actually know that captain Price is dead.
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Yzzerdd

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#32  Edited By Yzzerdd

Snake not really killing himself is the embodiment of Metal Gear.

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TheClap

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#33  Edited By TheClap

Girl's dad from HL2 Ep2

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The_A_Drain

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#34  Edited By The_A_Drain
Milkman said:
Rhaknar said: The_A_Drain said: Ohh damn speaking of gears, man I was actually really sad when that huge awesome guy ... [more]
Says you... 

Ohh no, I don't like a character because he's cheesy and generic, booooo hoooo hoooo. Why don't you chillax for a second, not every game needs to be taken as seriously as you possibly can. Don't see me readin Terry Pratchett and going "Rocks? Believing they can fly? Oh that's just fucking ridiculous."
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pepper_2000

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#35  Edited By pepper_2000

Terrorist #43's death in COD 4 brought me to tears.

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FLStyle

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#36  Edited By FLStyle
@CarolinaFan3515: You are joking, right? Oh dear, that's rather random xD
Erm sorry about that, I can't believe I just spoiled a PS1 game in the year 2009!

I will say no more, the LoD page on GB has full storyline spoliers too so don't go there either. Good luck and have fun!
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Milkman

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#37  Edited By Milkman
The_A_Drain said:
Milkman said: Rhaknar said: The_A_Drain said: Ohh damn speaking of gears, man I was actually really sad when that huge ... [more]
No, actually, I didn't like him because he was boring and annoying. Also, you sound like you're the one who sounds like they should "chillax".
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buzz_clik

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#38  Edited By buzz_clik

Oooh yeah, what TheClap said.

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Pikemoney

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#39  Edited By Pikemoney

wheres i love mondays

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CarolinaFan3515

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#40  Edited By CarolinaFan3515

VINNY AND JEFF: DO NOT READ!!!!!
     PERSONA 4 SPOILER


I think one of the most powerful deaths I've experienced lately in a game would be when Nanako dies in the hospital bed by your side.  I actually felt a little bit of anger towards the guy that did that to her.

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innacces14

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#41  Edited By innacces14

DAMMIT! I forgot about Jenny! *sigh*

Bravo to Starbreeze though. If there was anything that reminded me that this cruel world is made up of healthy doses of "F*** You"s to make you feel worthless then THAT WAS IT!

Sgt. Paul Jackson was also a shocker. Made me drop the controller and reasured me that this was $70 well spent.

Andrew Ryan's was awesome. What a table turner, hahaha.

Enough quoting. I thought Shadow's death in Sonic Adventure 2 was a good way to end his story.........BUT THEN SEGA BRINGS AN F'N LOOPHOLE!!........ =P

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TheKidNixon

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#42  Edited By TheKidNixon

One of the most memorable parts of Mass Effect is the time you have to choose to kill Kaidan or Ashley. Granted, the decision usually breaks down to A) which you're using in gameplay and B) if you're trying to knock boot with one of them. But the idea that you can't save both of them was pretty heavy. Especially if Wrex just died too.

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ryno9881

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#43  Edited By ryno9881
Raziel; Legacy of Kain: Defiance.
The only way to defeat the Elder god would be for Raziel to enter Kain's sword, Soul Reaver. Only then would Kain have the power to defeat the Elder God. Raziel submitted to his destiny for the greater good.

Honorable Mention: Elika; Prince of Persia
She died for about 10 minutes but when she sacrificed herself to trap Ahriman, that was awesome and counts for something.
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RedSox8933

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#44  Edited By RedSox8933

The dog in fable was kinda sad, and HOLY FUCK Agro from Shadow of the Colossus, I was on the verge of sobbing. Okay he didn't actually die, but I thought he did.

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FuzzYLemoN

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#45  Edited By FuzzYLemoN

Fucking yes! I'm so glad I'm not the only one left on the planet that remembers The Darkness. That game was way more awesome than people think.

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The_A_Drain

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#46  Edited By The_A_Drain
Milkman said:
The_A_Drain said: Milkman said: Rhaknar said: The_A_Drain said: Ohh damn speaking of gears, man I was actually really sad when ... [more]

lol

You hated him, I thought he was awesome. Ohnoes clash of the titans.... Why don't we get Ray Harryhausen over here to animate the fight scene?
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Number1

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#48  Edited By Number1
The_A_Drain said:
Here's mine.DogmeatDogmeatDogmeatDogmeatAeris/AirithIt's my own fault for getting into so many fights in Fallout I guess. [more]
Ha I took my evil karma character seriously, i killed Dogmeat and ate him...he was worth all of the +5HP +2rads mwahahahaha
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The_A_Drain

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#49  Edited By The_A_Drain
Number1 said:
The_A_Drain said: Here's mine.DogmeatDogmeatDogmeatDogmeatAeris/AirithIt's my own fault for getting into so many fights in Fallout I guess. [more] Ha I ... [more]

Haha, thats cold man, cold.
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DECA555

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#50  Edited By DECA555

MGS3 - The Boss 


Silent Hill 1 - Cybil Benette 

Both of those were pretty rough.