Top 10 Video Game Characters of the Decade

When the world first played video games, the games were just 8-bit 2-D models with basic objects, save the princess, defeat the bad guy. Now, however, video games have become brand new narrative's for heartwarming, intense, horrific, and action packed story's that span galaxies and other dimensions. With the weight of the world on their shoulders, the characters of the past decade have grown so much, becoming heroes that had only been seen previously in movies or television. This is my list of the top 10 video game characters of the past decade, part of my video game awards. Warning, spoilers may be present in the following paragraphs. Be Warned, if you do not wish to see a spoiler or have not played the games mentioned before, do not read any further. Enjoy!


10. Andrew Ryan (Bioshock): "A Man Chooses, A Slave Obeys". The infamous words spoken by Bioshock's main antagonist, or one of them, depending on your view. Andrew Ryan is the creator of Rapture, the underwater utopia created in the Atlantic Ocean. Having built it away from the laws of the Government in hopes of creating a civilization run by the hardworking people, rather than government, Andrew Ryan's dream city soon turned to chaos, sporting genetically altered people known as splicers and creepy little sisters who are guarded by metal beasts known as Big Daddies. With the chaos, however, Ryan still tries to maintain control, using the splicers to prevent the game's protagonist from taking control of the city. While his methods and goals may be flawed, or possibly evil, he has a major impact on the entire series, and spouts the words that will define the meaning of the entire game. Whether good or bad, Andrew Ryan is Bioshock.

9. Alyx Vance (Half-Life 2): Also known as Gordon Freeman's better half, Alyx Vance is the reason why fans have come to love the series. While everyone knows Freeman and his heroism, no one would no Gordon without Alyx and her brave, strong character that has helped both her and Gordon survive every attack the alien menace has thrown at them. Living in an apocalyptic world where an alien race from another dimension known as the Combine have taken over, Alyx and Gordon fight with the human resistance to liberate their world from the alien's and take back what's rightfully theirs. While sporting an unspoken romance between them, Alyx has shown great growth in the short time we've known her, taking care of her father, the leader of the resistance, making runs across an alien occupied city to free prisoner's and human citizens, and transporting stolen alien data to prevent another portal from destroying the world. Even sacrificing herself for the mission, we see her nearly die and come back again, defying death itself to save the day. Without Alyx Vance, there would be no Gordon Freeman.

8. GLaDOS (Portal): One of the decades most surprising hit games was Portal, a puzzle solving game that took place in the same universe as Half-Life. While the puzzles and gravity defying objectives were amazing, what made the game so lovable was the birth of a truly evil yet hilarious new villain, GLaDOS, (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System). GLaDOS is a artificial intelligence running a science facility known as Apeture Science. Waking the main character up as a test subject, GLaDOS puts you through death defying missions while promising you "cake". After being destroyed by the main character at the end of the first portal, GLaDOS is set to reappear in the sequel coming out next year, Portal 2. Dead set on getting revenge on you for killing her, GLaDOS is sure to set new deadly courses and clever witticisms by this time next year.

7. Alma Wade (F.E.A.R. series): Sporting one of the bloodiest, most deadly pasts in gaming history, Alma is the definition of evil, made by society. The daughter of a powerful scientists and head of a major company, she is taken by her father after it is discovered she harbors a disturbed personality and kinetic powers. Put into stasis and used as a means of birthing prototype soldiers that would theoretically be able to use telepathy to control soldiers in the battlefield, she is impregnated using genetic material from her father, and only brought out of sleep in order to give birth. This happens two times before finally her body fails, and she dies. When her body dies, she makes contact with her second son, Paxton Fettel, another great villain, and forces him to go on a killing spree in order to release her. Once released, her spirit, or psychic energy, unleashing a wave of terror and rage on the city of Auburn. Players control Point Man, the agent of the special paranormal government team F.E.A.R. (First Encounter Assault Recon), who must hunt down Paxton Fettel, stop Alma, and learn the secrets of this disturbed girl's past. While the game is one of the horror genre's best, Alma is one of the most terrifying little girls in history, giving girls like Samara from the Ring and that Grudge girl a run for their money.

6. Sora (Kingdom Hearts): A young boy who dreams of adventure and finding love with his best friend Kairi, Sora finds his world turned upside down when a sinister force known as the Darkness infects his world, separating him from Kairi and his other best friend, Riku. He learns he is the keyblade master, a warrior destined to repel the Darkness. Joining forces with Disney favorites Goofy and Donald Duck, Sora must save the worlds from the Darkness, stop a group of Disney and Final Fantasy villains, and find his friends before the universe is engulfed in Darkness. We see this boy grow into the role of hero, shunning the boyhood dreams in hopes of becoming the salvation of the universe. Making new allies, finding love, fighting evil, and risking his life and soul in order to save everyone, this boy does not become a man, but rather keeps that boyhood wonder and innocence in order to see the good in people, and recognize the evil where it lies. Sora is the definition of a hero.

5. Commander Shepard (Mass Effect 2): The leader of a human manned ship, Commander Shepard is the hero in the hit series Mass Effect. After saving the Citadel, a capitol planet in which all alien leaders convene, from the evil Saren from using the Reapers, an ancient alien race that destroys all sentient life in the galaxy every million years or so. In Mass Effect 2, players get to know Shepard a little better, seeing the natural leader that he is. After being killed in the opening scenes, he is resurrected by The Illusive Man, the head of a human controlled corporation who is seeking Shepard's help in stopping the Collectors, an alien group working for the Reaper's by taking human colonies across the galaxy. Players get to see Shepard become the leader of his ship once more, making allies with other aliens of all classes and positions, from scientists and soldiers to warriors  and psychotic killers. He develops friendships with his crew, saves planets from various disasters, investigates crimes, and develops romantic relationships with members of his crew. With the fate of the galaxy in his hands, Shepard does a great job of being a balanced character, not perfect, but heroic nonetheless.

4. Paxton Fettel (F.E.A.R.): The son of F.E.A.R. villain Alma, Paxton Fettel is the cannibal leader of mindless soldiers he controlls using his natural psychic abilities. When first encountered, we find him hunched over the body of a security officer, where his mouth is covered in blood and he continues to eat pieces of the officers body. Besides a cannibal, however, Fettel is the complete opposite of the main character, Point Man. The Yin to his Yang. He is always appearing out of nowhere, killing key characters or helping his mother kill hundreds of people. Leaving a bloody path behind him, Fettel always appears to Point Man, spouting words of wisdom and trying to confuse Point Man as to who he really is. When it is learned later on that Point Man is the first son of Alma, and Fettel's brother, fans all around gasped, and it made Point Man shooting Fettel that much more ironic. In the upcoming F.E.A.R. 3, fans will once again be reunited with Fettel, as he has to work with Point Man in his spectral form in order to stop his mother, who is once again pregnant and on a warpath. Yes, he is the quintessential villain, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

3. Ezio Auditore (Assassins Creed 2, AC: Brotherhood): One of the best series of the past decade, Assassins Creed follows Desmond Miles, a born Assassin kidnapped by the Assassin Guild's enemies, the Templars. Although he himself has never been an Assassin, he holds genetic memories in his DNA, and knowing this, the Templars use a machine known as the Animus to put Desmond into the shoes of his ancestors, reliving key moments in his various ancestors lives to locate ancient artifacts known as Pieces of Eden. In the second and third games, the ancestor in question is Ezio Auditore, the face of Assassins Creed. The son of an Assassin, he is introduced to his destiny only because his father and two brothers are taken into custody by the Borgia, leaders of the Templars in Renaissance Italy, and are executed for false crimes. In hopes of taking revenge, we see Ezio go from vengeful son to natural leader and hero, killing all Templars who support the Borgia, and rebuilding the Assassin Guild so that their work can continue once more. As Ezio, players are able to travel across Italy, visiting famous cities such as Rome, Venice, and Florence, and meeting famous figures such as Leonardo Da Vinci and the Pope. Ezio is the best example of growth in a character, going from an arrogant boy to a grown man and hero of the people of Italy. Through him, we see the hardships and trials a hero must go through, and the corruption seen in Italy in the early 16th century. Ezio Auditore gives Assassins a good name.

2. Marcus Fenix (Gears of War series): In a world overrun by monsters and torn apart by war, humanity needed one man to become the face of hope, and give humanity something to believe in. That man is Marcus Fenix. A former prisoner of war during a planetary civil war, he is released during the Emergence of the Locust horde by his best friend Dom, and joins the Gears, soldiers of humanity set against the Locust. Putting their differences aside, all of humanity pulls together in hopes of stopping the monsters, and rebuilding their civilization. While fighting these creatures, Fenix must also be the best friend who helps Dom find his missing wife, while trying to learn who his father really was, after learning of experiments done by his father within in the Locust hive. With only his teammates and a gun in his hands, Marcus looks death in the eyes, and then punches it in the face, risking life and limb to stop the Locust. After losing so much and facing deadly odds, Marcus has again and again dealt crippling blows to the Locust. With the third game in the Gears trilogy due out next year, we will get to see Marcus's last stand, and the end of his long journey. Will he stop the Locust, and the mysterious knew creatures attacking both sides? If anyone can, Marcus will.

1. Master Chief (Halo series): If there were ever one man who was defined as the hero of all video games, Master Chief is that man. The last of a super soldier program known as the Spartans, Master Chief is humanities last hope of survival against an alien coalition known as the Covenant, religious nutcases who want to use the Halo rings to purge humanity and go on a religious journey. Master Chief knows from experience that the Halo rings are mass sentient purges that wipe all life from the universe so that a deadly alien lifeform known as The Flood cannot feed, kinda like zombies. Over the course of three games, Master Chief is seen jumping in outer space out of an alien ship, blowing said ship up behind him, and falling to earth and surviving in one piece. He takes an impossible situation and flips it around, defeating enemy onslaughts at every turn. Even after losing great allies and friends, Master Chief still manages to sacrifice all in order to defeat the Covenant, and even though he saves the galaxy, he and his AI companion Cortana are left behind, presumed dead, and is forced into stasis. While little is known about the man behind the mask, we know he is a hero by definition, and without him, Xbox itself would not have gotten the name it has over the past decade. He is the face of Halo, of Xbox, and of all heroes after him.