The Game Plan 01.25.08: The Greatest Video Game Heroes...Ever, Part 1

Posted by James McGee on 01.25.2008

This week, I kick off an epic (epic, I say!) list of the greatest characters in video game history. First up are the heroes, and I start with the most obvious choice you could think of.

Originality is overrated. That's what I keep telling myself as I begin work on this current series of columns. Everybody has a "Top Ten" or "Best of…" list floating around in their head, and most of them end up looking pretty similar in the long run. Many fine writers have compiled their list of favorites in various categories on this website, and here I am to take my turn. Over the course of the next several weeks, I'll be giving my two cents on the great video game characters over time. I'll be compiling Top Four lists of heroes, villains, and anti-heroes. Yes, Top Four…because fives and tens are just so passé. I'm sure these columns will cause a few fights, and there is little I can do to prevent that, but I'll attempt to assuage the inevitable venom by explaining the criteria behind my choices. I'll start by copping-out…er, I mean…explaining that I'm discussing these characters in no particular order. If I happen to write about Crash Bandicoot in the final column (which, for the record, I will not be doing), that doesn't mean I think he's the greatest. That's just the order I decided to put him in.

As for how I have gone about choosing my particular list, I try to think about the impact a character has had on video games as a whole. Did they introduce some new genre or innovation that stood the test of time? Do they have an army of imitators standing on their shoulders? Maybe my most important consideration is how well gamers are able to connect with a character—in other words, do players actually enjoy taking on the role of a character, and do they leave a lasting impression after the game is over? Looking over these points—lasting impact on games, inspiring imitators, connecting with an audience, etc.—it's pretty easy to pick the first gaming hero this week. So, without further adieu, let's kick this series off. I'm James McGee, and here's The Game Plan.

If there is anything more cliché than lists of the greatest video-game characters of all time, it would be putting Mario somewhere on that list. It's what my literature professors would have called "a low-hanging fruit." But, hey, things become cliché for a reason, and no one capable of rational thought will argue that Mario is one of the most iconic figures imaginable when it comes to video games. Just like non-comic book readers immediately recognize Superman or Spider-Man, most people could pick Mario out of a line-up even if they've never touched a game controller. He has become the undisputed mascot for Nintendo and, by extension, the world of video games. More than any other game character, he's crossed over into pop-culture consciousness—getting slapped on lunchboxes and underoos, starring in cartoons and even a live action movie (but we won't hold that against him). That's all pretty impressive when you consider how little his character has developed over the years. Excluding the cartoons and movie (which I tend to do), there's very little back-story, he rarely speaks in more than one-line Italian stereotypes, and his whole life seems to be spent saving the princess (in between pick-up games of hoops and soccer, but more on that later). But even though he has so little to work with, the guy has loads of personality. He has a charm that is infectious and he seldom fails to put a smile on the face of even the most jaded modern gamers. Mario is all about fun, and he appeals to the carefree child in all of us with his simple adventures. Nintendo may have taken a back-seat in terms of market share before the DS and Wii re-solidified their dominance, but Mario never went out of style. If there is a Video Game Ambassador, it has to be Mario.


If you don't like Mario, you probably don't have a soul. You might want to have that looked at.

But, if all Mario had going for him was a familiar face, he wouldn't be on this list. A lot of people would probably recognize Britney Spears, but what kind of lasting effect will her "legacy" have on the music industry ten years from now? No, Mario is more than just a marketable mascot. He's a true trend-setter. He popularized the most prominent game genre of the 8-bit/16-bit era: the 2D platformer. Everything from Mega Man to Castlevania to Mario's arch-rival Sonic The Hedgehog owes it's existence to Super Mario Bros. , no matter how much they experimented with the formula. Mario was the first character to prove he had the stuff to cut it in the 3D world with Super Mario 64, creating yet another template that games are still copying to this day (Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, etc). If this pattern continues, we'll see hundreds of Super Mario Galaxy clones before this generation of consoles is through—though that game is so unique, I find it hard to imagine any other title managing to pull off zero-gravity platforming with such aplomb as Nintendo's chubby plumber. Whenever the little guy tries something new, he changes the way we think about games, and inspires a swarm of imitators. Yet each milestone of the Mario series manages to stand the test of time and hold its own alongside its more sophisticated brethren. A character is only as good as his games, and a true Mario game is, almost without fail, brilliant.

Noticed I said "true" Mario game, which brings me to my final point. More than any other character, Mario has crossed-over into just about every conceivable genre. Now, I realize the little Italian dude gets a lot of heat for this. He's the Barbie of video games—he's been a soccer player, a golfer, party host, kart racer…you name it, Mario has either done it or there's a game in development for it as we speak. Yeah, it does get a little ridiculous after a while, but you have to admit that the games are usually pretty darn good, and when you actually sit down to play them, you're too busy having fun to think about the shaky logistics of it all. Mario's innumerable spin-offs always catch a lot of grief from critics, but those same people are always as stoked as everyone else when the new Mario platformer emerges. Anyone who can keep his integrity after so many sell-outs has to be respected.


Hail to the king, baby.

I know I said earlier that this list would be presented in no particular order. But if—hypothetically, mind you—I were to rank these characters, I just couldn't put Mario anywhere but in the number one slot. He just is video games, plain and simple. If it weren't for him, I seriously question whether any of us would be here talking about games in the first place. For that, Mario, we thank you.

My exploration of the greatest video game heroes of all time continues next week with one of Mario's fellow Nintendo creations. As always, I welcome comments.