8 of the Most Iconic Video Game Heroes

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8 of the Most Iconic Video Game Heroes

These eight video game characters are bigger than the games they star in - they're pop-culture icons!

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[Lightknight]

FYI, you guys know that there's no quick link to comment on these things in the main article? You have to find the link through other means.

At least, it's not as obvious to me as it is in others.

Regarding the article itself. I like these things and would generally like to comment on them more easily.

I don't think the Lara Croft picture listed is the iconic version of her.

I'd probably have put Sonic near the top of the list. I don't care for the game but I certainly can't diminish his iconic status.

Maybe Samus too but to a lesser degree.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I'd probably have put Sonic near the top of the list. I don't care for the game but I certainly can't diminish his iconic status.

I'd take DK out and replace him with Sonic. And replace Master Chief with Kratos.

 

[CaitSeith]

I'd probably have put Sonic near the top of the list. I don't care for the game but I certainly can't diminish his iconic status.

I'd take DK out and replace him with Sonic. And replace Master Chief with Kratos.

I wouldn't call Kratos a "hero"...

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I'd probably have put Sonic near the top of the list. I don't care for the game but I certainly can't diminish his iconic status.

I'd take DK out and replace him with Sonic. And replace Master Chief with Kratos.

I wouldn't call Kratos a "hero"...

He puts the hero in anti-hero!
Also I didn't read the full thread title.
Certainly more iconic than guy-with-the-helmet though.

 

[fix-the-spade]

I'd take DK out and replace him with Sonic. And replace Master Chief with Kratos.

No!

Kratos is not iconic, merely popular among gamers, or you could call him distinctive. Or to put it another way, my Grandparents know who Mario, Sonic, Lara Croft and The Master Chief are, they recognise the images and they know the names, even though games as a medium fly right over their heads.

That's iconic, recognition above and beyond the medium they populate. Kratos is not there, he's not 'Ubisoft iconic' but he's not an icon of gaming.

 

[Vigormortis]

Mmm, I'm not sure I'd put Link or Lara Croft on there, but it can be argued that they deserve their spots. Definitely wouldn't put Solid Snake in there, though.

There rest of the list? Absolutely. Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Mario - everyone and their grandparents know 'em. But I'm surprised Sonic, Princess Peach, Luigi, and a number of others were excluded. It's certainly more likely non-gamers will know of Princess Peach than they will Solid Snake.

But then, I suppose giving most of the slots to Mario/Nintendo characters would be boring.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I'd take DK out and replace him with Sonic. And replace Master Chief with Kratos.

No!

Kratos is not iconic, merely popular among gamers, or you could call him distinctive. Or to put it another way, my Grandparents know who Mario, Sonic, Lara Croft and The Master Chief are, they recognise the images and they know the names, even though games as a medium fly right over their heads.

Gee mister, I don't know. My grandparents don't know who Master Chief is. I'm not sure where that puts us. If we're going to gauge things by what your non-gamer circle of relatives know and don't know, why can't we do it with my own? And for that matter, "merely popular among gamers" could be applied to MC as well. I live in a country where the Xbox sold late and sold like crap, and have yet to see a single game store use Master Chief in any of its promotional art. Whereas Mario and Kratos are nation-wide visual shorthand for THERE ARE VIDEOGAMES IN HERE.

I would say the truly iconic characters are Pac-Man, Mario and Sonic (Pikachu comes 4th). These guys spearheaded entire gaming generations. They're the Mickey Mouses of their respective owners. They're distinctive and have an appealing design. None of which applies to MC.

 

[Gindil]

I knew there was going to be a LOT of Nintendo around...

The fact that they have a monopoly on so many great franchises is rather telling.

 

[Xan Krieger]

Despite first appearing in Pokemon Red and [/em]Pokemon Blue[/em]

Why did you attempt to put one in italics and not the other one?

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

The lack of Mega Man really disappoints me...but it really isn't a shocker. With how that franchise has been treated after Keiji Inafune left, it's lucky we ever hear of Mega Man at all.

Not to mention a version of him is STILL STUCK ON THE GODDAMN MOON!

 

[Thomas Barnsley]

I'd take DK out and replace him with Sonic. And replace Master Chief with Kratos.

No!

Kratos is not iconic, merely popular among gamers, or you could call him distinctive. Or to put it another way, my Grandparents know who Mario, Sonic, Lara Croft and The Master Chief are, they recognise the images and they know the names, even though games as a medium fly right over their heads.

That's iconic, recognition above and beyond the medium they populate. Kratos is not there, he's not 'Ubisoft iconic' but he's not an icon of gaming.

Agreed. I can think of many characters that I'd consider more iconic than Kratos; Scorpion from Mortal Kombat seems the obvious one, since they're vaguely similar.

In fact I'd have liked to have seen Scorpion somewhere. He'd certainly be an iconic hero (sort of) for fighting games.

 

[Lightknight]

I'd probably have put Sonic near the top of the list. I don't care for the game but I certainly can't diminish his iconic status.

I'd take DK out and replace him with Sonic. And replace Master Chief with Kratos.

I'd say the Master Chief deserves the spot. Drastically changed FPS games and multiplayer shooters forever.

Kratos is popular, but not as much and not as influential.

I'm not sure what's funnier ... that the majority of our iconic heroes are all from Nintendo or the fact one of the heroes listed was originally a circle with a mouth .... literally.

None of his subsequent appearances have really mattered. I'd say he's still a circle with a triangle mouth.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I'd probably have put Sonic near the top of the list. I don't care for the game but I certainly can't diminish his iconic status.

I'd take DK out and replace him with Sonic. And replace Master Chief with Kratos.

I'd say the Master Chief deserves the spot. Drastically changed FPS games and multiplayer shooters forever.

Kratos is popular, but not as much and not as influential.

Halo made a difference in multiplayer shooters (I think the "drastically changed FPS" title should go to games like Half-Life or BioShock). But then God of War "drastically changed beat 'em ups" for that matter. And I've heard more games talked of as "God of War clones" rather than "Halo clones". What's a Halo clone? Military FPS with a sci-fi motif. What's a God of War clone? It goes beyond subject matter and addresses gameplay specifically.

Anyway, we're not talking about iconic games, we're talking about iconic characters. And there's nothing iconic about Master Chief.

Master Chief has no face, no personality, no name, no backstory and practically no voice.
Kratos has a face, a personality, a name, a backstory and TJ Carson's instantly recognizable voice.

There are 7 God of War games, and Kratos is protagonist - and center - of all of them.
There are 9 Halo games, and Master Chief is the protagonist - and not exactly the center - of merely 4.


Kratos is the big burly strongman with ashen-white skin, cutting-edge cheekbones, prominent chin with a goatee, a big red tattoo slashing across his entire body and two fiery blades chained to his forearms.
Master Chief is a nameless, featureless guy wearing space marine uniform.