Welcome to Week 27 of the 411Games Top 5. This week we look at the Top 5 Video Game Character Heroes. First, let's see what the forumers had listed.Dwhightone
5. The Player - The beauty of video games is that they allow you, the player, to be the hero. There have been countless adventures, whether swinging over alligators in "Pitfall" or blasting aliens in "Halo", and they had one common factor besides being great; the player, you.
4. Lara Croft - Another example where the layout changed the landscape of gaming and a female could shine as the lead. Didn't hurt that she was hot, British, and bad-ass.
3. Samus Aran - Surprised the world when our favorite Metroid hero turned out to be a hot chick. Showed that the game is more important than the sex of the hero.
2. Link - Helped start the fantasy-adventure gaming genre. You can always count on Link...
1. Mario - The unlikely heros are the best ones. A little moustached Italian plumber runs through magical kingdoms to rescue a Princess and save the world. Someone should make a movi-....well, anyways....Mario!
Kermit the Beer Snob
5. Link - This guy is the premier fantasy hero. Countless times he saved the world (and the Princess too), and he will keep doing for countless more years. The success of Twilight Princess shows just how far this 8 bit hero has come.
4. Samus Aran - The first great female hero in video games. And to have her in a game that screams Male was a nice touch. I remember one of my best friends from grade school dressed up as Samus for Halloween one year claiming she was "such an awesome hero".
3. Mario - A pudgy Italian Plumber saving a Princess? Why not a muscle filled man wearing a loin cloth? Or gun wielding solider? Or a man with super human powers? Nope, we get a stereotype that is still enduring to this day. Mario has become a lovable addition to the pantheon of heroes due to the heroic qualities he shows. While he is not strong, or tough, he has courage, dedication, and a determination to save the innocent. That's a hero.
2. Solid Snake - Bad ass, doesn't take crap from anyone, can kill a man with his bare hands, and smokes. Snake is the hero to end all hero. And the fact that he has a "softer" side makes him a better hero. For all his gruff exterior and one liners, several points over the many games he has starred in have shown his compassion and emotions. From wondering why he does what he does, to grieving over lost friends, Snake's human side, coupled with his shear awesomeness in combat, makes him perhaps one of the greatest hero of all times.
1. The Player - As Highone points out, the greatest hero in video games is you. With the success of the MMO and more and more console video game companies making games that allow the player to create their own hero, we the players are the ones that save the world. While Link, and Mario, and Snake get the credit, we directed their actions and in turn, became the heroes.
Bobby21
5. Pac-Man - I'm not sure what Pac-Man is the hero of. But he is the hero of something. Pac-Man is that mazing of a game. It is the simplest and easiest re playable game of all time not named Tetris.
4. Donkey Kong - The definition of a reformed hero. Was a bad guy but turned it around. The big ape is fun and I'm hoping to see a Donkey Kong for the Wii.
3. Sonic - Gotta rep some Sega on this. Sonic is a legend. He is Sega. Running along getting rings and beating that crazy old doctor is still one of the most fun things in video games. Like all the games on this list Sonic can be played over and over again.
2. Mario - He's Mario, any list without him is incomplete. We all know this. The little plumber that could carried Nintendo on his back. He is the original video game Hero. Every time you hear you get top save the Princess with your boy Luigi you know you get pumped. And hey, who doesn't enjoy popping an old school Mario game back in and playing the classic over and over again.
1. Link - Easily the greatest hero of all time. He goes way back and is still beloved. Not to mention he was the hero of the greatest game of all time in Ocarina of Time. Everyone still gets pumped when they hear a new Zelda is coming out. Nothing beats swinging that sword and battling all types of crap. And all the Zelda games still have playability all these years later.
Five Star Grr!!1
5. Samus - just about the best example of a character that you really want to "be" when you're playing a game. People equate the Metroid series with Samus due to her incredibly cool character design and abilities. The character itself isn't that great but the appearance is amazing and you can't help but mark out when you see Samus.
4. Ryu - the first definitive fighting game character. His fireballs and special moves in general would be copied for years to come; he's a total ripoff of Bruce Lee, but an original in the video game world. Sure, Ken's his "equal" in the game, but nobody really chooses Ken anyway.
3. Mario - a pretty bizarre character to get this popular, but that plumber just has some indescribable charm, and you never forget that high-pitched voice. Kind of a character that you just "have" to have on any list of video game characters.
2. Sonic - the reaction to Mario, and a damn good one at that. Where Mario was fat, Sonic was skinny. Where Mario was slow, Sonic was lightning fast. Where Mario was a human, Sonic was a hedgehog. Where Mario had no fashion sense, Sonic had a really cool design...etc. I don't like the Sonic games very much, but the character is awesome.
1. Solid Snake - I'm tremendously biased here, but Hideo Kojima did such a masterful job creating the legacy of Snake. The character has soooo much depth, and as someone said above, it's the flashes of his human-ness that really make his character. He was the OG badass before Jack Bauer came along. A stealth spy who takes down huge nuclear missile-firing machines all by himself? Yeah.
Lavernius Tucker
5. Master Chief - I'm not even one of those Halo fanboys who thinks it's one of the best games ever, but at the start of halo 2 when he goes "I need a weapon", it gave me chills.
Also him "surfing" the bomb down to earth was awesome as well
4. Guile - Some people say Ryu, but when SFII was the hottest things in arcades, I was drawn to the military guy with the awesome haircut. It's a shame he's weakened in every subsequent game since, but he's still my fave to bust out.
3. Guy & Haggar (Final Fight, tie) - I couldnt choose, but back in the day I always choose Guy cuz he was this bad ass ninja pimp, and when they brought him into the SF universe I was a happy man. And Haggar is Haggar. Who doesnt love piledriving a punk onto the concrete?
2. Ryu Hyabusa - Ninja Gaiden owns your soul. Ryu is easily the most awesome Ninja in all of videogames. He would eat shinobi for lunch, easily.
1. Sonic The Hedgehog - Words cant express just how much of a Sonic fanboy I was growing up. If I was aware of the internet back then, I would have been one of those furry idiots you see all over the place these days. From the games, to the cartoons, to the comics, Sonic was my shiz. I still contend to this day that Sonic 1 has the best in game music ever.
The Rabid Wolverine
5. Donkey Kong - Taking the role of villain and her, he has been the cornerstone in gaming history, without him Gaming really wouldn't be the same. Plus he had his own CGI TV show!
4. Mario - King of Nintendo, the pioneer of the platforming genre and everyman of gaming characters allegedly. An overweight Italian-American plumber with fantastic jumping abilities who saves a princess yet maintains a tight grip as top class racing driver, umpire, tennis player etc.
3. Solid Snake - A bad-ass spy who has defined modern heroes in games.
2. Link - Nintendo's recurring hero who always saves Hyrule has been in some of the greatest games of all time, always rising up the task of saving Hyrule regardless off what Ganondorf can fling at him, young boy or troubled adult...
1. Samus Aran - She gets the job done, alone. Never needs to make lameass comments after every kill and only reveals her true feelings to computers or in evalators, she has been involved in maintaing stabily across a wide universe despite being an orphan, plus she can turn into a frikkin ball!
And now, here's what the staff listed as their top heroes.
Will Scott
Yes, this list has two Star Wars characters. I don't apologize.
5. Gideon Wyeth (Advent Rising): One of the last humans left at the end of Advent Rising, Gideon mostly benefits from being written by Orson Scott Card. His powers were great, but you could definitely identify with a guy who was really trying to work past his emotions to get through the game.
4. Razputin (Psychonauts): First of all, shame on your for not playing this game. Secondly...Razputin is by far the most entertaining comedic protagonist in the history of gaming. For a platformer, he's got an unexpectedly deep backstory. He's fun, he's funny, and he's got emotional baggage in the form of a circus tent. He'd (like Gideon) be higher, but he only made on short appearance on our consoles.
3. Revan (KOTR): In the "official" storyline, Revan's a man on the ultimate mission of redemption. We know through the sequel that he was definitely lead astray to the dark side, and the first game is almost entirely penance for that.
2. Jimmy Hopkins (Bully): I wrote a column on this kid, you know. All he wants is for the bullying to stop - and he does whatever it takes to get there. The best part? He always looks out for Petey.
1. Kyle Katarn (Dark Forces/Jedi Knight Series): It's rare we get to see a character grow over the course of five games. It's even rarer that we see the character grow so much. Kyle started off as kind of a Han Solo clone, and grew to become a powerful Jedi Master. He has a powerful backstory (issues with his father, duped in to becoming an Imperial soldier). We're there to watch his relationship with Jan Ors grow (and, possibly, die...their status is murky as of the third game). We watch him go from a novice to the teacher. But why is he the best protagonist? He's transcended the genre. Kyle's a character in the Star Wars novels now, and his adventures are still continuing.
Chris Kovatsh
5. Sabin (FF3/6)
He was so cool back when I first played this game. He was a crazy strong badass character and he was a cool looking sprite. Also using the blitz command was always entertaining.
4. Snake (Metal Gear)
Snake has always been one of the most liked characters. He has such a cool look and is also part of one of the most successful series of all-time.
3. Gideon Wyeth (Advent Rising)
So many people crapped all over this game and it was justified. The story though was outstanding, you couldn't help but feel sorry for him. If you ever get the chance to play it and you're about to put it down because you don't like it, just do the cheat to unlock all the videos and watch them. You will not be disappointed.
2. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)
She was a big deal when she was first created. Not only was she a strong female lead she was also someone you wouldn't want to mess with. She's the reason why developers try to turn you on with their videogame women.
1. Donkey Kong
Maybe it's my love for him in Smash Bros. or maybe it's because he used to be a bad guy who matured and saw the light of the good side. He's been in so many great games like Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong 64. What's not to love about this guy?
Vincent Chiucchi
Honorable Mentions: Kirby, Sonic, Samus, Leon Kennedy, Gogo (FF6)
5. Solid Snake - Defines everything there is to being a badass. Taking out armies by himself, rocks a mullet, and uses freaking cigarettes as an item.
4. Ryu (Street Fighter) - The one Street Fighter character that everybody can just pick and kick ass with. His hadouken is THE fireball of all fighting games.
3. Mega Man - I liked Mega Man back then mainly due to his ability to take the powers of other robots and use it for himself. I still would like him a lot if his games were much better.
2. Link - Despite Link being very popular, I actually think he's under appreciated. Why in the HELL does Zelda get her name in the title of Nintendo's famous franchise when Link does all the freaking work?! Besides that gripe, I love how Link is one of the few characters that has NEVER really talked in the games (Phillips Cd-i games don't count) thus he never says anything stupid. He's got the classic makings of a hero: Get the legendary sword, sum up your courage, fight evil monsters, and save the princess.
1. (TIE) Mario & Luigi - These guys are my childhood idols. Watching their cartoons, dressing up as them for Halloween, watching the movie multiple times (as a kid, things that suck don't seem to suck)...I loved the Super Mario Bros. ever since the NES days, and as long as Nintendo doesn't screw up like Sega did to Sonic, I will still forever love Mario Mario and Luigi Mario.
Don't you just hate it when you look forward to a game, but when it's released and you hear all these bad reviews or actually play the game that you feel really let down? Odds are it happens a lot, which is next week is the Top 5 "Games that disapointed you the most". Feel free to send us your five disappoints and we'll see you next week.
