Ya beat me, I was just about to post this.
1. Mario
2. Solid Snake - Metal Gear
3. Sonic
4. Master Chief - Halo
5. Lara Croft
6. Link - Zelda
7. Ms. Pac Man
8. Kratos
9. Gordon Freeman - Half Life
10. Ryu/Ken - Street Fighter
Interesting list.
They forgot the most dominating force in video game history, the Techmo Bowl version of Bo Jackson.
Kinda suprised Madden isn't in there. I know he's not playable, but he changed the landscape of football video games. If not ALL sports games.
Witty signature.
No brainer choice right here. Although, I do feel compelled to point out that it has been a while since a truly 'amazing' Mario game has come out. I thought Mario Sunshine was "eh" -- Mario 64 was good, but felt like a shakedown cruise for Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and its engine.1. Mario
The Mickey Mouse comparison in the article is quite appropriate; both are the faces of their respective companies, yet neither would be considered "flag bearer" for the top quality titles produced. Been a while since a good Mickey Mouse cartoon was made too.
Good games, but I'm not sure I'd rank Solid Snake this highly on any video game character list. Most people who are fans of this franchise probably have no idea how truly awful the original Metal Gear was.2. Solid Snake - Metal Gear
Lost a bit of his luster when Sega went defunct as a hardware manufacturer. I was never a huge Sonic fan, but thats more a personal preference than anything else.3. Sonic
I'm not certain this choice is at all different than the later choice of Gordon Freeman (which was a better selection, IMO). Both protagonists in sci-fi FPS games, both really more a cypher for the player than a character themselves.4. Master Chief - Halo
Other than wasting the time of countless young teenagers in the 90s, who searched the net far and wide for a "nude code" for this game, I don't see this character as worthy of a Top-10 spot. Lara Croft is also responsible for 2 awful movies, which should impact her draft stock.5. Lara Croft
My #1A behind Mario. Probably one of the most recognizable video game characters outside of the gaming world. Earns bonus points for never having produced a bad game in the series (the Phillips CDi games notwithstanding)6. Link - Zelda
If you're going to go old school, your character list is pretty much limited to Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man Dig Dug and Q-Bert. Ms. Pac Man is the solid choice.7. Ms. Pac Man
Truly a "The Hell?" selection. The franchise is way too new to consider this character anything close to an icon.8. Kratos
Like the selection. Half-Life has been something of the gold standard for non tournament-style FPS games, and the stories have actually managed to be pretty interesting. Head crabs freak me out.9. Gordon Freeman - Half Life
The original "fighting game" characters -- pretty much gave birth to the genre that would be responsible for Mortal Kombat, Samurai Showdown, Darkstalkers, etc. I think just about any guy between the ages of 20-30 could put up a competent fight in a Street Fighter game, even if they hadn't touched a controller in years, if they had Ken or Ryu.10. Ryu/Ken - Street Fighter
I think the list is OK...but I'd probably find a way to add a few of the following to the list:
* Simon Belmont (Castlevania) -- They kept adding new Belmont members to the family, but the original is still the most iconic vampire hunter of all time. And yes, I'm fully aware that Trevor Belmont (from Castlevania III) starred in the superior game.
* Samus Aran (Metroid) -- The original space-monster fighting chick.
* Sam & Max -- Bunny and Dog "Freelance Police" from the old-school Point-n-Click adventure game Sam & Max Hit the Road. Also a short-lived cartoon series on Fox.
Really, a genre that produced some frigging unbelievable games back in the day (Space Quest, Leisure Suit Larry, Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, etc.) Somebody should represent from that list of games -- and somebody should bring those games back.
* Little Mac -- Hero of Mike Tyson's punch out. Somehow managed to defeat men 4 times his size with nothing more than an uppercut, a body blow, and that crazy twisting punch that stopped working after 7 or 8 fights.
Cincinnati Reds: Farm System Champions 2022
Werd.
When Bo was in "Excellent" condition, we used to try to get him to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single game. The only way that I could ever accomplish this was to have Marcus Allen take the first handoff of each possession and run backwards to his own 1 yard line and then go out of bounds. That way, Bo could get the maximum allowable 99 yards on each of his TD carries.
At the end of the day, Bo would surpass 1,000 and Marcus would...uhm...have to "take one for the team."
Anyways, about the list..
Mario is a lock for #1 on any list of this nature, no doubt. Snake probably fits on here somewhere but definitely not at #2. Sonic is probably better fit for #2, that series has sucked it hard lately, but he was Sega in the 90s. The Master Chief probably goes at #3, if not 2. At this point, everyone knows what Halo is, gamer or not. Laura Croft belongs no where near this list. Terribly flawed games, and spawned a terrible movie franchise as well. Link should definitely, definitely be higher than Croft. I'd probably pick Pac-Man before Ms. Pac-Man, but OK. Kratos just is not an icon yet, God of War is far too new. Half Life itself is a icon in gaming, but Gordon Freeman isn't really recognizeable (to me anyway) outside of the series. Ryu/Ken fits well near the bottom.
I'd probably cut out a few, maybe put in Mega Man, Donkey Kong, Scorpion from Mortal Kombat, or Cloud from Final Fantasy VII. In fact Cloud could probably slide in right front of Link, IMO.
I don't recall the numbers I used to put up with Bo but I think he did break the NFL CAREER rushing record in one season.
We used to start Bo at the one, have him run to other one, thus gaining 98 yards, then we would have the QB or whatever get sacked for a 98 yard loss. Back to the Raider 1 yard line. Then Bo would go the distance. He would end each drive with 196 yards and a TD. Top that Adrian Peterson. Actually, since the sack occured on first down, Bo could go back to the other one and then after another sack, score a TD on 4th down for 294 yards on the drive.
If you dind't play the game, YES Bo was THAT good. He could go 99 yards on every play. The defenders used to just bounce off him. Needless to say, the creators of Techmo Bowl considered Bo to be a serious badass.
Its a good thing the video game industry came up with dweebs like Mario. If Bo was in every game you'd be able to solve it about 10 minutes after opening it.
Last edited by MaineRed; 11-07-2007 at 07:10 PM.
I get that it was a game that took RPGs somewhat mainstream, but, in my mind, I can't get past the fact that Final Fantasy VI was a superior game an all areas other than graphics.
For better or worse, Cloud & The Giant Sword™ is the "face" of the series, though.
I played through a season in Tecmo Super Bowl with Tampa Bay. They had no running game to speak of, so I passed on every down. Turns out they stop recording passing TDs at 63, so I'm not sure what my final total with Vinny Testaverde was. Likely a lot.Originally Posted by MaineRed
Great game.
Cincinnati Reds: Farm System Champions 2022
I'm just like everybody else. I have two arms, two legs and 4,000 hits."
-Pete Rose
In our tournaments I don't think we let anyone use the Raiders either. My friends and I used to play tourneys and we all had our own team. San Fran, Philly, Denver, Buffalo, NYG, Washington and Chicago were our normal teams.
I used to play as SF and would bug my friends by constantly switching out Young and Montana. Young had that run up the gut that worked for an easy first down if the D didn't call that play. And the D never called that play because otherwise Jerry Rice would be wide open.
Brilliant game for the time.
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