The Usual Suspects: Iconic Video Game Characters

With the recent release of the unspectacular Duke Nukem Forever, I noticed that in a lot of the hype leading up to the game, the developers talked a good bit about Duke as an iconic video game character, even calling him “Perhaps the most iconic male character in video games.”

Stop.

What did they just say?

I mean, the Duke’s pretty badass, but is he really iconic?  What the hell does “iconic” mean anyway?

The way I understand it, an iconic character is one that is, first of all, easily recognizable.  I think that goes beyond people who have played games using that character, and should go beyond gamers in general.  Iconic characters have at least started to make the crossover into the the general consciousness.  Or can at least be recognized by at least some non-gamers.

Your mom doesn’t count.  She looks at your posters every day when she cleans your room.

The whole idea got me thinking.  So after much cogitation-induced pain and even a few brain cramps, I decided to put together a list.

Not on the list.

The 11 Most Iconic Video Game Characters

How does a character qualify to be on this list?  It’s a fairly complicated process.  I put together a complex metric and charted the character’s score through a formula…

Bullshit.

The characters below are on this list because I think they are among the most iconic video game characters ever created.  I’m sure there are going to be a number of people who disagree with me.  That’s cool, different strokes and all… That’s what the comments section is for.  I want to know what you think of this list.  Did I leave anyone off or include a character who doesn’t need to be here?  Also, I have left off characters who have been primarily made popular through other media, like films and anime.  And just so you know, this list tends to have a slant towards games and characters that have been popular in the United States.  That’s because I live there.

I’m putting number one first because I don’t want anybody to die from the suspense.

I picked 11 characters because it just seemed overdone to list 10.  Also, my 11th character is surging in popularity right now, so his inclusion is definitely warranted.

If you are tempted to scroll down and find out where Duke Nukem sits on this list, don’t bother.  He’s not there.

1.  Pac-Man

A 3-D version of a 2-D icon.

The first character on this list doesn’t have a strong chin, a smokin’ hot body, or recognizable features at all save for his large mouth and voracious appetite for dots.  I don’t even know what he is.  Still, just about everybody can recognize and name this character on sight.  He’s been running from ghosts and dealing with a serious case of the munchies since 1980 and has had a number of spin-offs that have achieved varying degrees of success.  He even has a female counterpart, though I can’t see any recognizable gender differences other than Ms. Pac-Man’s prominent lips from and choice of attire.  Personally, I think these representatives of whatever species they belong to is trapped in a maze-like government drug experimentation lab somewhere.

2.  Mario

"There's gotta be other hot girls in this town that aren't always getting kidnapped."

We go from a yellow ball with a huge mouth to an Italian plumber.  Mario is another character who is recognized by many people who have never played a single video game.  His outfit and porn-mustache seem to be everywhere.  With help from his brother Luigi, Mario has been traveling through world after world chasing down his girlfriend and dispatching enemies of the mushroom kingdom…

This plumber could kick Bowser's ass.

Wait.  Do I sense a drug theme in some of these games?

Did you know that when he was originally designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario wasn’t a plumber.  He was a carpenter.  I guess the plumbing industry is more lucrative.  Another little known Mario fact?  Although he’s been voice by Charles Martinet since about 1995, he was also played by wrestling legend “Captain” Lou Albano.

3.  Donkey Kong

The necktie is a must-have fashion accessory for swinging through the jungle.

The first monkey on this list began as just an adversary for Mario.  He was the first to abduct Mario’s girlfriend.  Bowser was just a copycat criminal.  After doing his time, DK proved that criminals can be successfully rehabilitated.  Through music therapy, where he learned to dance, rap and play drums, and taking care of his nephew Diddy, Donkey Kong became an iconic video game hero in his own right.

This Diddy is NOT Donkey Kong's nephew.

Confession?  DK is the only monkey on this list.

4.  Sonic the Hedgehog

Can I have another 5 hour energy drink?

I know, all of these characters on the list so far have been around for a while.  That’s part of the whole “iconic” thing.  Staying power.  In 1991, Sega needed a flagship character, an icon if you will, to compete with Nintendo’s Mario.  His gimmick?  He gets all hopped up on stimulants and runs around really fast, when he’s not curled up in a ball or hanging out with a fox that has two tails.  According to a 90′s poll, American children were more likely to recognize a blue hedgehog than a mouse with suspenders or an Italian plumber with a porn mustache.  I’m not sure which 5 American kids they surveyed, but I’m pretty sure the results wouldn’t come out the same today.

My dog has not been a fan of Sonic since this ordeal.

5.  Lara Croft

"Mario, I swear if you try to touch my 150's again, I'll put a bullet in you!"

The first female character on the list is also the first character on the list that originated outside of Japan.  The protagonist of the Tomb Raider franchise, Lara is an archeologist with much more visual appeal to young male gamers than Indiana Jones, Lara Croft was created by Toby Gard in 1993.  An accident on Gard’s part created Lara’s huge fan bases and caused many adolescent gamers to go blind in front of their gaming consoles.

I’m sure your mom warned you that you would go blind if you kept doing that.  And by “that” I mean sitting too close to the television while playing video games.

As the film version of Lara Croft, Angelina Jolie did her own stunts and used her own breasts, refusing to pad them past 36D to avoid presenting an unrealistic image to young girls.

Lara is also the first character on the list who has a somewhat realistic appearance (okay, realistic if she “danced” her way through archeology school).

6.  Link

"I've come a long way since 1986."

Link made his first appearance as the pixelated young elf who attempted to save Hyrule from the evil Gannon in 1986′s Legend of Zelda.  He has appeared in more than a dozen games since then.  Even though Link has undergone several major makeovers and appearance changes, he is always recognizable by his green tunic and green pointed cap.  The pointy sword also helps.

7.  Master Chief

"THIS IS SPARTA!!! Wait... I'm not THAT kind of Spartan?"

The protagonist of the Halo franchise, Master Chief is one of the most nameless, faceless characters on this list.  While this is often cited as a weakness of the character, it does serve to show that he is apart from normal humanity and is little more than a weapon of mass destruction.  Unfortunately, this is likely one of the things that has made it so difficult to get the Halo franchise to the big screen.

This guy won't save you from the Covenant, but I hear he makes some mean Grunt stew.

While Master Chief hasn’t made it into movies, he has been depicted in many other forms of media, including plastic building blocks.

8.  Kratos

Even Chuck Norris hasn't killed Zeus!

The name Kratos comes from the Greek word for power.  This anti-hero of the God of War franchise kills pretty much everybody that ever called Mount Olympus home.  I think they got the name right.  His pale skin and dramatic red tattoo help make him recognizable even to people who don’t own a Sony system and likely spent April and May of 2011 playing online games.

9. Samus Aran

"If you call me 'sir' again, you're getting blasted!"

A super soldier much like Master Chief, but with a cool ability to curl up into a ball and roll over her enemies, Samus was one of the first female video game protagonists.  Since her debut in 1986′s Metroid, she has appeared in more than a dozen games.  Though she is almost never scene without her virtually gender concealing armor, Samus still makes it to the top of lists of hot video game characters.  Many critics thought that her portrayal in the latest Metroid game, Metroid: Other M, was sexist.  I think both groups have too much time on their hands.

Does this make you hot and sweaty too?

10.  Snake

Chuck Norris in disguise? Yes, the eyepatch completely hides his identity.

The protagonist of many of the Metal Gear games, Snake is a loner and a badass.  Those two traits actually work well together since badasses tend to get non-badass companions killed with alarming regularity.  The creation of Hideo Kojima, Snake has been included on many lists of the most memorable video game characters.  Including this one.

11.  Nathan Drake

"Don't EVER call me the 'male Lara Croft' again!"

Voiced by Nolan North, Nathan Drake is the protagonist of Naughty Dog’s Uncharted franchise.  Making his first appearance in 2007, Drake is one of the newest characters on this list, but is here because he has become sort of a poster child for Sony’s Playstation 3, arguably replacing Snake and Kratos as the “face” of that console.  Of all the characters on this list, Drake is the most likely to climb it faster than Donkey Kong on a vine.  Especially since there is an Uncharted movie in the works, starring Mark Wahlberg as Drake.  I won’t call him the male version of Lara Croft, but there are some strong similarities between the two.

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What do you think?