From that weirdly charismatic stick in the game Pong – through to Banjo and Kazooie video games have always had memorable characters. It has had some forgettable ones too! Here is the Versed’s list of memorable video game characters.
Pacman
How they managed to squeeze so much personality into what amounted to three-quarters of a pie chart is anybody’s guess.
Mario
We were tempted to give the nod to Luigi, however, isn’t it nice to see the short, portly brother become the biggest success? Yeah, we thought so too.
Sonic The Hedgehog
In many ways, the Sonic versus Mario debate is the one that defined the early console war between Nintendo and Sega. Mario games were great, but Sonic was just so cool. In the end Nintendo won that battle.
Donkey Kong
He started life as a villain throwing barrels at a young plumber, now look at him. Donkey Kong along with his cute sidekick, Diddy were the stars of Donkey Kong country, arguably one of the greatest platformers of all time.
Earthworm Jim
Perhaps not the most famous of characters, and was almost edged out by James Pond (Robocod) but he was exceptionally unique.
Link
One of the most highly rated game franchises of all time. How could we not include the star of the Zelda games? Link is stoic and brave. He is everything you could want from a hero.
Master Chief
It takes a lot for our generation to form an emotional connection. The fact that we were able to do that with a guy whose face you never really get to see speaks volumes about the Halo series.
Lara Croft
This gal has sparked films, comic book, and a crazy amount of cosplay rip-offs. Not only is she a wonderful character but perhaps video games first ever sex symbol. One of the most iconic characters of all time.
Cloud Final fantasy 7
Almost as famous for his sword above everything else. Final Fantasy 7 was arguably the best in the series. (so much so that it warranted a swanky remake). And Cloud with his large weapon was the star.
Niko Bellic
There are a host of GTA characters that could have appeared on this list. Niko was brilliant. Likeable but believably tough. In many ways having a US-based game with a Russian lead was a statement by Rockstar and it paid off with sales that were astronomical.
Nathan Drake
Almost worth buying a PlayStation just to play the Uncharted series alone. And make no mistake Drake’s female counterpart could have easily made the list too. He is such a good looking guy and proof that your characters don’t have to have hulking muscles to be cool.
Augustus Cole
Okay so characters don’t have to have a big physique, but it’s cool if they do. Gears of War had a surprising emotional depth at times. Absolutely none of that came from Cole though. The Cole Train is brash, larger than life and just plain cool.
John Marston
The star of Red Dead Redemption. The way that Marston wrestles with his past and gets sucked back into a life he doesn’t want is one of the greatest stories in gaming history.
Commander Shepard
The Mass effect trilogy remains one of the best Role Playing games series of all time. Mass Effect just wasn’t the same without Shephard and his crew, many of whom would sit proudly on a list of best sidekicks. Primarily I’m thinking of Seth Green’s Joker.
Starkiller
Perhaps a controversial choice but the Storyline in Force Unleashed was surprisingly great. Watching Star Killer uncover the truth behind his heritage and wrestle with his conscience was captivating and made the repetitive gameplay more palatable.
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