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"Badass" game protagonists?
Xagarath
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, a throwaway remark in another topic gave me an idea for a thread.
Let's be honest, a lot of games aim to replicate the feel of the best action films; and a requirement for this kind of thing is a main character who is iconic, stylish, and any other cliches you can think of. A character designed to make the (presumably male) player desire to be them.
However, games seem to have a slightly rougher time replicating the Harrison Ford protagonist than we might have thought, and there have been a hell of a lot of different stabs at it.
Silent Gordon Freeman.
Wise-cracking Duke Nukem.
Wise-ass Dante.
DMC3 Dante, possibly aiming for "most irritatingly snarky guy ever" world championship award.
Morose, cynical Cloud.
Squall- laugh all you will, this is probably how he was intended.
Ball of muscle-and-pure-RAGE Kratos.
Faceless Master Chief.
Effortlessly cocky Yuri Hyuga.
Total pastiche Viewtiful Joe (I have at least one friend who misses the pastiche).
HULK. (smash?)
Supposedly world-weary Leon Kennedy.
Fourth-wall dismembering Gene.
Gloomy old Auron.
Supposedly Solid Snake.
Semi-Serious Sam.
Eyebrow-twitching Doomguy.
Max (imum) Payne.
Vegetarian bag (or something) HK-47
Yeah, you get the idea. They're all aiming for(or taking off) pretty much the same stereotype. Have they succeeded? Have they all failed laughably?
Discuss.
Let's be honest, a lot of games aim to replicate the feel of the best action films; and a requirement for this kind of thing is a main character who is iconic, stylish, and any other cliches you can think of. A character designed to make the (presumably male) player desire to be them.
However, games seem to have a slightly rougher time replicating the Harrison Ford protagonist than we might have thought, and there have been a hell of a lot of different stabs at it.
Silent Gordon Freeman.
Wise-cracking Duke Nukem.
Wise-ass Dante.
DMC3 Dante, possibly aiming for "most irritatingly snarky guy ever" world championship award.
Morose, cynical Cloud.
Squall- laugh all you will, this is probably how he was intended.
Ball of muscle-and-pure-RAGE Kratos.
Faceless Master Chief.
Effortlessly cocky Yuri Hyuga.
Total pastiche Viewtiful Joe (I have at least one friend who misses the pastiche).
HULK. (smash?)
Supposedly world-weary Leon Kennedy.
Fourth-wall dismembering Gene.
Gloomy old Auron.
Supposedly Solid Snake.
Semi-Serious Sam.
Eyebrow-twitching Doomguy.
Max (imum) Payne.
Vegetarian bag (or something) HK-47
Yeah, you get the idea. They're all aiming for(or taking off) pretty much the same stereotype. Have they succeeded? Have they all failed laughably?
Discuss.
Xagarath on
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What the fuck?
Seriously. Snake is arguably the most clearly modelled after an actual cinematic badass.
None more badass.
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I find Master Chief to be rather awesome, but I think a lot of that has to do with his amazing suit and his down to business demeanor.
I really should actually play MGS 1, 2 and 3, given I own them.
Plus, he kills BOWs like nobody's business.
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Possibly also Alexandra Roivas, because it takes balls to summon an ageless horror from before the dawn of mankind in order to save the world.
Edit: Also, Axel Steel. He is metal.
He's hardly a protagonist, though.
Snake will sneak up on you and snap your neck before you even know what happened, but Sam will usually make you squeel like a little bitch and beg for mercy after you tell him how many men are in your unit or where the missiles are located before he kills you.
Sam would probably get his ass kicked by a Metal Gear, though.
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He is in 4th Survivor, and was going to be in Outbreak.
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Still, he's hardly as major as a protagonist in games than the characters I've actually listed.
I agree on Sam Fisher's badassery. Well, Chaos Theory-era Fisher, anyway. Before he got all amoral and stuff.
fix'd
That guy is so badass, he has a girl's name and it doesn't even matter.
Who?
Vagrant story (right?)
Yeah. And he just gets more exceedingly badass throughout the game.
Actually, pretty much every character in VS was a badass.
edit: "I am the reinforcements."
and ofcourse....
Max Payne
Hell fucking yes.
Yes.
Also, Kate Archer.
"Very good, I did not hear you traverse the room."
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
Vangrant story, winner of the 'Its a fucking crime this game doesn't have a/more sequels' award (Previously held by Chrono Trigger, which still needs more games in its universe, but at least we got Chrono Cross)
I am a freaking nerd.
and, to actually attempt to say something about the topic, yes, I think they've all succeeded. And done a lot more for the type than film ever did.
I mean, is this a joke? The sheer volume of idealized, masculine heroics that goes on in 90% of the games produced today blows anything cinema has ever produced out of the water, by a long shot.
Whaddya bout this dude? He had a whole bunch of archetypes (the silent protagonist, muscle-bound supersoldier, sci-fi dude in a powered suit, vindictive anti-hero) all rolled into one red package. Plus, despite being an isometric game, you just felt like a goddamned badass playing him. Roll around from a corner, crouch down, blast five guards with an automatic assault rifle and hit an explosive barrel which makes another catch on fire and screaming in agony while massive explosions and carnage are going off everywhere. And then, while the flames are still burning, you stroll uncaringly through the wreckage and bodies like the badass motherfucker that you are. While an explosion goes off behind you for no reason. Man, those games were awesome.
I mean, just look at that picture! I could not find one picture of the Silencer without a gigantic explosion behind him. It follows him wherever he goes like an obedient pet.
That Boba Fett helmet also helps.
edit: Hell, even his name is badass. "The Silencer". If that doesn't scream "fuckawesomebadass," nothing does.
Fucker takes on an army of the undead armed with little more than a whip.
A lot of the voice work was flat and sounded like the VA was trying too hard but one line was absolutely cold and awesome.
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3DS: 3454-0268-5595 Battle.net: SteelAngel#1772
Someday, someone will give Matsuno the money and freedom he needs to make a spiritual follow-up to Vagrant Story.
Someday
If I ever win the lottery, it'll be me.
Both he and Paul sounded like robots. I don't think he belongs on a badass list either. He wouldn't be so tough if he didn't have all kinds of cybernetic augmentations anyway.