The days of a blank avatar shooting white dots and bad guys are long gone. The importance of having a character with real personality traits in gaming is just as important for the players in today’s generation as they are for the reader of a book or the viewer of a film.
RELATED:10 Best JRPG Villains And Antagonists Of All Time
This even goes for players that enjoy more action in their games than most. Having a relatable character with endearing personalities, flaws and strengths are just as important as taking on the role of a protagonist that gives gamers the opportunity to embrace their power fantasies like no other. Let’s take a look at ten of the best action heroes in gaming.
Released in 2010 on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3,Red Dead Redemptionis an open-world action-adventure game set during the final years of the American Wild West. It was developed byGrand Theft Autocreators Rockstar.
RELATED:Red Dead Online: 10 Best Weapons (& How To Get Them)
A major part of what madeRed Dead Redemptionso endearing to its players was its lead character, John Marston. Marston was a former outlaw turned family man forced into working for the government and hunting down his former comrades. Marston goes completely against the grain of other Rockstar protagonists in that he’s honorable, faithful to his wife and just wants to get back to living a quiet life with his family once his duties have been fulfilled.
9Solid Snake – Metal Gear Solid
Solid Snake made his first appearance in 1987’sMetal Gearwhich was released for the SNES. It was the first game in the series but his mainstream popularity came with the release ofMetal Gear Solidon the PlayStation.
The character is a reflection of the designer’s Hideo Kojima’s love for the 1980s American action movies. The most obvious inspiration isEscape From New York’s Snake Pliskin starring Kurt Russell. Fans of the genre will also see clear nods to Sylvester Stallone’sRambocharacter too. It’s the character’s complexities and development over the long-running series that transcends the typical 80s action archetype and make Snake such a great character.
8Lara Croft – The Tomb Raider Series
Ever since Lara Croft first emerged on the scene with the very firstTomb Raidergame in 1996, she has been a mascot and an iconic figure for gaming. She developed over the years from an object of desire to an adventurer that can rival Indiana Jones.
RELATED:Tomb Raider: Lara Croft’s Best Outfits Of All Time, Ranked
Arguably, Lara’s best development came in the 2013 reboot/prequel which shows a more vulnerable side to her character development. It gave players a chance to experience Lara’s growth into a fighter, survivor and of course theTomb Raider.
7Batman – Arkham Series
The Batman character is obviously not an original videogame character but his first appearanceBatman: Arkham Asylumchanged the landscape for superheroes in gaming forever. SinceArkham Asylumreleased on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and the PC in 2009 Batman became the benchmark for every superhero character in videogames since.
RELATED:10 DC Characters Who Need Their Own Video Game (Like Batman Has)
Furthermore, the series was so popular that it became a major influence on the TV shows based in the DC Universe. Even the upcoming movie starring Robert PattinsonThe Batmanlooks like it’s borrowed elements from theArkhamseries with its suit reveal.
6Aloy – Horizon Zero Dawn
Horizon Zero Dawnwas released exclusively for the PlayStation 4 in 2017. It’s an open action game with RPG elements and stars one of the most memorable female protagonists in gaming since Lara Croft. Aloy is a character that was shunned and an outcast in her own society and struggles to get accepted by her tribespeople.
As a result, her development as a heroic character feels natural mainly because she doesn’t see herself that way. Aloy grows as a character with every discovery she makes about the world around her and its history. In addition to being a very capable warrior, she’s a human being that takes the player on an unforgettable journey.
5Kiryu Kazuma – The Yakuza Series
Kiryu Kazuma is the lead protagonist of theYakuzaseries which began in 2005. He’s a character that developed over the course of seven games from a gangster with a heart to a family man and a loving father.
Of course in typical gangster story fashion, no matter how hard Kiryu tries to get away from the Yakuza lifestyle there’s always something that drags him back into the life of a mobster. Whether Kiryu is running an orphanage or giving bad guys a beat down in the alleyways of Kamurocho, he’s one of the most endearing and believable characters in gaming.
4Nathan Drake – The Uncharted Series
Nathan Drake is the lead protagonist of the PlayStation exclusive action-adventure seriesUncharted. A lot of work was put unto Drake to make sure that he appears as human as possible. He’s not a stone-cold super-soldier with superhuman abilities, Drake is a relatable everyman that just manages to survive by the skin of his teeth.
Of course, to accomplish some of the things he does, Drake is still very much an athletic survivalist with a deep knowledge of ancient civilizations and treasure. For many he’s the closest gaming has got to giving players a truly greatIndiana Jonesexperience.
3Ellie – The Last Of Us
Ellie is the co-protagonist ofThe Last of Usand despite being a fourteen-year-old girl she’s a long way from being helpless. She has to struggle with overcoming a traumatic experience with one of the game’s antagonists and instead of being a damsel in distress she fights with an incredible amount ferocity to free herself, rejecting the player’s expectations of Joel rescuing her.
InThe Last of Us 2, Ellie will return in the lead role as a young woman at the age of nineteen more battle-hardened and seemingly on a path of vengeance.
2Dante – Devil May Cry
IfMetal Gear Solid’s Snake represents the look and style of 80s action heroes then Dante from theDevil May Cryseries is the epitome late 90s and early 2000s action films like theBladeandThe Matrixfilms.
The trench coat wearing demon hunter stylishly despatches waves of demons and monsters with the kind of coolness and cockiness that only Dante can pull off. Ever since the firstDevil May Crywas released in 2001, Dante has remained one of the coolest characters in gaming despite his roots being in the early 2000s.
1Kratos – God Of War (2018)
Before the release of the 2018 reboot/sequel ofGod of WarKratos may have been one of the most unlikeable characters in gaming. He was always in an endless state of shouting and screaming and made it very difficult for gamers to sympathize with him as a character.
The fourth entry simply titlesGod of Warcast a new voice and motion capture performer in the role withStargate SG-1’sChristopher Judge. The actor brought a more grounded and human character to the role of Kratos. He convincingly portrays a man that trying to verify that his son was strong enough to face the perils and the dangers of the world as well as protect him from it at any cost.
