Worst Protagonists.

[Ophiuchus]

I really hated Shu from Blue Dragon, him and his stupid "I won't give up!" Line that he just won't stop saying...

For me it went like this...

Shu: I Won't Give Up!
Me: Goddamn, there's no context for that statement, your just saying it because it sound determined and meaningful but theres no REASON WHY it's determined or meaningful, it sounds like you just tacked it on to make him more "main charactery"

I was going to say him, but you did a great job of summing up exactly why, so I'll just quote it. Bear in mind also that I've only played it for about three hours so far, which is testament to how irritating it is in just the handful of times I've heard it so far. God knows how I'm going to play it through without going mental.

Vaan from FF12 was particularly horrible, as was Tidus from FF10. I sort of consider them to be the same person for various reasons. Sticking with the Final Fantasy thing, Yuna was absolutely unbearable in FFX-2 (or FF: Barbie Edition, as I've taken to calling it). That game would've been a complete waste of time if it wasn't for the fact that I honestly believe that including Rikku could save even the worst game ever.

I must admit that I don't often find myself interested enough in characters outside of Final Fantasy games to notice their good and bad points, so other references are likely to be few and far between. I wanted to slap Nero for every second of the hour that I played DMC4 before vowing to never go near it again. Raiden never really bothered me, he's not great but far from insufferable.

I'm not particularly trying to defend him but I should probably say that I liked Squall for exactly the reason most of you dislike him... he reminds me a lot of myself at that age.

 

[schwal]

You mean Turok? That was his name you know. or do you mean Slade, cranial drill intrusion victim? (missed reply button)

 

[schwal]

(missed reply button)

 

[SteinFaust]

arbiter from halo 2.

Gordon "muteface" Freeman

anyone NOT Rikimaru from the Tenchu series.

 

[Cpt. Sarcastic]

I know im about to get hated on a little for this, but i gotta defend a few guys here. Master Chief *dodges the rotten tomatoes*, and Gordon Freeman.

Yeah i know the chief is considered too much of a super badass to be realistic or whatever, but if you read the backstory from the books, you find out a lot about it. and dont say that you dont have time for the books, those of you who played every single one of the final fantasys. theres two books tha really add on to the story from the halo series: Fall of Reach, and First Strike. i will agree that halo 2 sucked balls, because there were many problems with the story, and they shoved the arbiter on you in the middle of the game. while the arbiter had more speaking parts and was a religious nutcase for most of the game (very appealing to some of you im sure), he was a horrible character. he makes me think of the americans in Call of Duty 4. he so stuck up on his belief that hes gods messenger ready to destroy all nonbelievers, that he chokes when he learns hes being played. not to mention he learns this "horrible truth" from the enemy and instantly believes it.

gordon freeman. no speaking at all. backstory shrouded in mystery. somehow unstoppable main character. all things you seem to not like in a protagonist. but thats how his character is supposed to be. and his role in the story helps you care a lot for the other characters too. sorry. im not a good speaker, so im probably missing all the points i want to get across any way. this is all the defense i have for gordon right now.

what are the spects that define a bad protaganist? if we could set up guidelines for what one is, then it might be easier for everyone to come to an agreement.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Why does everyone hate Tidus so much, I actually thought the way he grew as a character throughout the game was endearing.

Also attacking "silent" protagonists is a cheap shot, they're not meant to be characters, but rather as a window for you to experience the game on your own terms. Not that your entirely wrong about it not being the best way to make a protagonist, it's just, as stated, a cheap shot.

 

[Ibuki]

Ethan watabe (? can't remeber last name) from Phantasy star universe.
he's dull, meh voice acting, and the character never realy gives you a reason to like him.

Shadow (the hedgehog) while probably not the worst, is up there.

I was one of the few that, while dispointed with raiden, didn't
go into a frenzy that it wasn't snake as the main in Mgs2. Figured kojima knows
what he is doing kind of thing.

 

[gungrave45]

mario

 

[Writerling]

Altair from Assassin's Creed.
Somewhat cardboard cut-outty...

 

[jebussaves88]

Here's an easy one: Raiden from MGS2. Possibly one of the worst protagonists ever.

I thought Raiden was alright. then again, MGS 2 was the first MGS I played. I can see Snake's appeal as being better, but Raiden was by no means that bad.

Worst protaganist probably goes to Pariah. Ok, so I'm a Doctor whose transporting this weird psychic chic, but wait, oh no, I'm gonna hand her over to these other weirdos. And top myself. It had a cool ending, one of the coolest endings in a game I'd say. But the character himself had no appeal through 95% of the game, and the game itself was a Halo clone.

 

[aidopotato]

while I wholeheartedly agree that nero was a whiney dildo in all DMC4s cutscenes, I enjoyed playing him so much that I can't consider him a bad character. He's no dante though

I would submit Buffy, from either of the two equally awful Buffy games. That quip wasn't funny the first time, ms summers. It remains unfunny the 1000th.

 

[Keithy George]

Worst protagonist ever for me is undoubtebly Lara Croft.

She serves no purpose than to look like a lad.

Simple test of a bad protagonist, replace them with the complete oposite, but with the same abilities.

I.e Lara croft replaced with a Rugged athletic man, the game would still work perfectly.

Strange lads where you live. Also, wouldn't the opposite of Lara be fat, not athletic?

 

[the protaginist]

I signed up to this website just for this.....and i cant believe NO1 has mentioned this douche bag yet.........

Desmond miles from assassins creed...what a stupid whining weak little girl. He cops all this crap from some old dude for no reason and just takes it like a beaten wife. I think he is the WEAKEST protagonist of all time....I believe he cant be beaten.

He's dull he's boring and the guy doing the voice acting was weak in his delivery and barely believable(the writing for his character didnt help).

yeah!and he looks like adam sandler.

 

[end_boss]

Worst protagonist ever for me is undoubtebly Lara Croft.

She serves no purpose than to look like a lad.

Simple test of a bad protagonist, replace them with the complete oposite, but with the same abilities.

I.e Lara croft replaced with a Rugged athletic man, the game would still work perfectly.

I'm not sure if I buy into this theory. I don't see Half-Life being negatively affected if they chose Gordon Freeman to be a female protagonist instead.

 

[Housefly]

I despise Dante from Devil May Cry. He's like that guy who loves to show off his big muscles and six-pack. He is that guy. And there's this other guy who is also that guy, who everyone seems to love: I'm sure I'm missing something with Solid Snake, but I've never wanted a protagonist to succeed less than I did him in Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes.

Hi, I'm Snake. I talk like Ken Kaniff from those old Eminem skits. I'm meant to be trying to stop terrorists launching a nuclear weapon but I've got time to flirt with this chick with a bangin' body and make a reference to "the battleferrrlllld" every other sentence. You're meant to identify with me.

This coupled with the fact that I generally like Link (whose character did develop in Wind Waker, at the very least, even though he wasn't able to give an "I have developed my character!" speech) means my tastes in protagonists must be inverted.

 

[jebussaves88]

I signed up to this website just for this.....and i cant believe NO1 has mentioned this douche bag yet.........

Desmond miles from assassins creed...what a stupid whining weak little girl. He cops all this crap from some old dude for no reason and just takes it like a beaten wife. I think he is the WEAKEST protagonist of all time....I believe he cant be beaten.

He's dull he's boring and the guy doing the voice acting was weak in his delivery and barely believable(the writing for his character didnt help).

yeah!and he looks like adam sandler.

I didn't mind Desmond. I always assumed the reason he hung around was because he was just as curious as the Templar dude. Altair was ok in his own way too, from arrogant twat to more humble murderer. I can name tonnes worse.
I always thought Link was ok too (although I haven't played Twilight Princess) Just like Gordon Freeman, he fits his purpose rather than being a mouthy twat.
As for Master Chief, he's not a bad character, they just leave a lot out. Why do we need to know? He's a genetically modified super soldier with a cool husky voice capable of killing wave upon wave of strange pointy people from another planet. Again, he fits his purpose.

However, I'd have to say one of the best characters ever (I know, kinda off topic) is Max Payne. That dude is fucked up.

 

[jebussaves88]

Also, CJ, whilst annoyingly gangster, did prove entertaining. He wasn't portrayed as a genius or anything (as proven by being Catalina's *****), but he did have some interesting character development. I'd say Tommy Vercetti was more annoying occasionaly, because of constant "I did your wife, ya poor bastard". Ok the first time, but after a few weeks play, its enough to make you want to ring his filthy neck

 

[windfish]

A silent protagonist is not a bad protagonist. The reason Link and Pokemon trainer don't speak is that they are supposed to be YOU. You're supposed to fill in his thoughts and dialog as you go. Same with Gordon Freeman. He's YOU, and you are him. Developers know that any break in that connection often changes it from feeling like living an experience to feeling like watching TV show. In my mind, my favorite protagonists are those that never speak, but just let me immerse myself in their situation. A bad protagonist is usually one who does speak, and does have a personality, but it's so bland and run-of-the-mill that it's not even close to being as interesting as a well-written movie character, let alone the living, breathing and thinking person who's playing the game.

 

[Housefly]

I always thought Link was ok too (although I haven't played Twilight Princess) Just like Gordon Freeman, he fits his purpose rather than being a mouthy twat.

Twilight Princess did a strange thing where Midna's really the main character over Link. Most of the time, anyway: in the scenes with Zelda she's too busy talking with Midna to acknowledge your existence, and during the climax the final boss starts off addressing Midna alone. Perhaps this is isn't really what they intended, though, but just the way I saw it; I kept thinking "I'm the one sticking a sword in you, you bastard, so talk to ME!"

 

[Metalix Knightmare]

Marche from Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced.

SPOILERS!



Marche ends up in a new world thanks to a magic book. He becomes convinced that wanting it to stay that way is a sign of immaturity, and rounds up a group of natives (who don't have counterparts in "the Real World") to change it back and kick the butts of his recalcitrant friends. But don't worry! He's sure that there will be a copy of Ivalice the World for the natives after he destroys this one to change back for himself. It's fake for him and his friends, but real for everyone else. Am I the only one who looked at the ending and thought, WTF?!!!

Everyone is happier in the book world than in the real one, (One of the characters can even WALK there!) and he's trying to destroy it all for no real good reason! The native inhabitants are begging him not to destroy their world. And he's the HERO!




End SPOILERS!