The Gamer's Quarter

helicopterp · . Joined: 13 May 2006 Posts: 1435 Location: Philadelphia

So...with that in mind, it's been a while since anyone started a kind of best-of thread: How about game characters that particularly stand-out as being well-conceived and well-implemented in games?

I'll start with two that immediately spring to mind:

-The computer who falls in love with Princess Peach in Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. Is its name R.O.B.? I can't remember. In any case, he's adorable.
-The evolving protagonist from Rez who, constantly at the center of the screen, perfectly captures the conflict between technology and rhythmic calm.

What have y'all got?
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Nana Komatsu · weak sauce Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293

Midna
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silentmatt · Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 4:16 pm Post subject:

Ummmmm..... Kratos?

[I kid, I kid]

I have been playing Valkyrie Profile though, of late, and I absolutely love the Valkyrie's character. She is just so badass/doesn't give a shit about "trivialhuman tragedy". I'm only on Chapter 4 (this is my first time through) but I am totally digging it.
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Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

Pyramid Head - Silent Hill 2.
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Nana Komatsu · weak sauce Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293

Maya Fey.
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dessgeega · Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 6:22 pm Post subject:

the computer in paper mario 2 is an absolutely fantastic character, and i think demonstrates how effective the developers were in taking the original paper mario and giving it a more serious story. it's sort of a cop-out that it's magically brought back post-game (and without even resolving its relationship to peach), but paper mario 2 has such a developed post-game that i can forgive it. if you havn't turned on the game since you saw the ending, you really should.

midna is pretty much the only reason i played through the entirety of twilight princess. she's such a domme. actually, andrew toups, having read an article i wrote on D/s themes in rule of rose (for the perpetually forthcoming issue 8 ), told me "you'd like twilight princess. midna's a total dominatrix." and after the mess that rule of rose is, it's revelatory to see a D/s relationship characterized so well (and less overtly) as is midna and link's relationship in twilight princess.

ultima runes of virtue 2's black knight is a great villian in the flamboyant moustache-twirling sense.
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Nana Komatsu · weak sauce Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293

Cooking Mama.
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dhex · Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 10:43 pm Post subject:

dog from hl2
harold from fallout

and lu bu in destiny of an emperor.
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david · . Joined: 03 Mar 2005 Posts: 170 Location: b, md

The guy in Mario 64 made from a "sphere" sprite.
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Nana Komatsu · weak sauce Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293

The package of the cosmos (as seen attached to the King of All Cosmos).

Also KOS-MOS.
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extrabastardformula · . Joined: 08 Feb 2007 Posts: 295

Gum from JSR
Parppa'srelentless optimism always does wonders for me. It makes me wonder what Shenmue would have been like if all the conflicts were resolves via freestyle rap and dancing instead of the awkward fight scenes it had.

helicopterp · . Joined: 13 May 2006 Posts: 1435 Location: Philadelphia

Now is probably a good time to get Yorda out of the way.

And how about the Skull Kid from Majora's Mask? His story is handled so elegantly, especially through the lens of Tatl's memories.
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dizzyjosh · . Joined: 20 Jun 2006 Posts: 64

do emergent characters count?

Erith Mistymirrors, from Dwarf Fortress:::

She was one of two guards in my keep, a little marksdwarf married to a mechanic who had just rigged up the floodgates for the farms and was setting up traps protecting the bridge over the river in the center of the fortress. When the lizardmen attacked, she proved adept at taking them down before they got to the rest of the dwarves. Only her partner, the speardwarf, lost his pet war dog, and didn't take it too well. He went nuts, and attacked the first dwarf he could see-- her husband, busy replacing stones for the traps, didn't even notice. Erith saw this and beat her old partner up, leaving him crippled and down to half a lung. She stopped only to find that she'd been pregnant, and miscarried the child. She somehow avoided melancholy --she liked the dining room, and I presume got really fat as was her right. I eventually made her a farmer, and she actually made legendary grower, although she never cared for much after that. Beautiful, strong female character who, while not flawless, was so effing noble and strong that she lifts up the rest of dwarfkind.

.

simplicio · . Joined: 03 May 2005 Posts: 1091

dessgeega · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 3:18 am Post subject:

he dies bravely, if ignobly, too.

the zork adventurer, as portrayed in enchanter.
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Fred · . Joined: 18 Apr 2006 Posts: 99 Location: Iowa

I know it's cliche, but Delita Hyral fascinated me as a teenager. His running narrative was a wonderful analysis of a sociopath politician I more often associated with Shakespeare than with video games at that point in my life. It's still hard to top, come to think of it.

I don't know... Irwin and Matilda from Legend of Mana? I think I just have a thing for star-crossed lovers.

Ketch · . Joined: 17 Sep 2005 Posts: 420

SHODAN from System Shock 1 and 2 (of which I have only played the latter). The voice and the way she personally speaks to you. Her disdain for the player, a great villain.

Nana Komatsu · weak sauce Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293

Paine.
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Mister Toups · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 1:54 pm Post subject:

Cate Archer.
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B coma · . Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 279

Metroid . Uh, the one specifically featured in Super Metroid.

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

helicopterp · . Joined: 13 May 2006 Posts: 1435 Location: Philadelphia

For goodness' sake, Shaper, it's all in the intro anyway.

Pijaibros · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 11:06 pm Post subject:

ryan · . Joined: 20 Feb 2005 Posts: 999

B coma · . Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 279

wourme · . Joined: 01 Jul 2005 Posts: 362 Location: Maridia

The kid in ICO
How many little kids in video games (and movies and books) actually act convincingly as little kids? Not many, in my experience.

Cynthia in Silent Hill 4
She was shallow and kind of irritating, but the way that she wasn't the sort of person who belongs in an adventure somehow made her fate seem sadder and more real. And I was impressed at the way she was used to tie the worlds together.

Vigoro in Skies of Arcadia
I like several characters in this game, but Vigoro stands out especially because I thought at first that he was definitely my least favorite character. But some of his final scenes changed my opinion.

A few others:
Huepow in Klonoa
Basch in Final Fantasy 12
Morte in Planescape: Torment
Paul Luther in Eternal Darkness (poor guy)

internisus · . Joined: 25 Nov 2006 Posts: 354

Mike · . Joined: 14 Feb 2007 Posts: 7 Location: UK

Vectorman.

He was a green, environmentally friendly robot with a cool voice and a penchant for kicking arse. About as deep as a run and gun character can be, really.
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Swimmy · . Joined: 16 Sep 2005 Posts: 990 Location: Fairfax, VA

Pijaibros · Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 10:49 am Post subject: