Top Ten List: Favorite Adventure Main Characters (1/26-2/9)
 

The adventure game scene of the day discussion made me want to start a new series, the good ole top ten list. Every two weeks I'll post a new topic. Post your list as well as some commentary (cause it's always fun to read some reasons why). I'll rank the list 10 points for 1st, 1 for 10th and at the end of the two weeks compile the finished list. Hopefully there will be plenty of participation because I love to see what everyone thinks about their favorite gaming hobby.

Top Ten Favorite Adventure Main Characters

- Main character would be described as the player's character. The character you, the game player, portrays at any point during the course of a game.

10. Leisure Suit Larry. As long as the chauvinism isn't offending you then you'll probably find Larry Laffer a mostly lovable guy. Or at least persistant.

9. Zanthia. She was one of the mystics in the Legend of Kyrandia series; after appearing in chapter one she got her own game in the second. I enjoyed her sarcastic wit and determination.

8. Prince Alexander. His focus was mostly one-note but the path there was anything but. The finale won me over with his mix of brains and brawn (even if you were just watching it) to get the girl.

7. Manny Calavera. Grim Fandango is certainly one of the most original adventure game settings and Manny was a big part of that -- a 9-to-5 guy, a "travel agent" for the Department of Death.

6. Guybrush Threepwood. The wanna-be pirate. It was easy to relate to his desire to become something more as well as his continued pursuit of Elaine Marley.

5. April Ryan. I'm a sucker for the innocent character that plays a huge role in a gigantic important event. I enjoyed taking part in April's journey from naive artist to savior.

4. Lewton. As we near the top, you'll see my bias toward detective-style games. Discworld Noir's Lewton's old school film noir dialogue and tough luck backstory hooked me into the game quickly. Plus the opening cut scene instantly made me want to learn more about him.

3. Jake Quinlan. It's possible I'm the only one who would rank this character this high -- or at all -- but the player's character from Ripper remains one of my favorite. Actor Scott Cohen played Jake Quinlan and compared to the rest of the Ripper cast, he was an unknown. A peek at Scott Cohen's IMDB page reveals he's had quite a career since one of his first roles in Ripper.

2. Gabriel Knight. As you might have gathered from the top three in my top ten choices, I enjoyed the "full motion video" adventure era even though there were certainly more bad games than good. And I'm embarrassed to admit that never finished Sins of the Father the first time it was out but I played The Beast Within from day one and was totally engrossed. An intriguing backstory, multi-layered, a will-they-or-won't-they-romance -- there should have been a lot more games and stories for the great game character.

1. Tex Murphy. The broke, bumbling, yet still a genius detective isn't exactly a new concept but Tex Murphy still ranks as my favorite adventure main character. While I will admit the Tex Murphy of Under a Killing Moon is a bit too over-the-top slapstick, it's the Tex Murphy of The Pandora Directive that completely won me over -- especially on the "bad Tex" game path. My top two are so close to be almost indistinguishable but Tex narrowly finishes in front.

I love top ten lists :D

My list is going to be a bit Lucasarts biased, simply because I haven't played many adventure games. I think I'm a younger guy around here at age 20.

10. Ludger Brink

Mysterious, suspicious German guy. I never actually finished the game so Brink will always be a fascinating enigma to me... until I finish it.

9. Indiana Jones

I can't remember anything memorable about Indy from Fate of Atlantis.

But how could I leave him out! He's Indy lol

8. Adrian Ripburger

Awesome menacing villain from Full Throttle. Somehow voiced by Mark Hamill, who also voiced the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series :crazy:

7. King Graham

I suppose he is the prototype of the kind, wise, heroic king. A model of chivalry, he is the loving father to a much higher man on this list!

Also, I believe KQV broke sales records for computer game sales in 1995.

6. Rif the Fox

Cunning, quick-witted, resilient, and quite the talker, Rif is the furry protagonist from 'Inherit the Earth', by the Dreamer's Guild.

5. George Stobbart

Shadow of the Templars instantly leapfrogged my nostalgia-inducing favourite titles as my no 1. adventure game, upon finishing it last year. George is a guy that we can really relate to. I don't quite know how to describe his wonderful character lol.

Also, a mention out to the assassin Khan, for giving me the most thrilling, gripping moments in my adventure gaming to date.

4. Manny Calavera

A suave, gifted salesperson, trapped in the Land of the Dead until he pays off his debt. But something is wrong under the surface of society - everything is not as it appears.

I think this amazing title would be perhaps the most original, creative game I've played. The graphics are beautiful.

3. Sam

From SAM & MAX fame! My most replayed adventure title, I finished it again over Christmas in a race with my brother lol. The story is insane, and the comedy writing is the best I've experienced, even ahead of the next character's game. I don't know why this game doesn't make more top ten lists!

2. Bernard Bernoulli

"But now, I know that I must go... BACK, to the mansion!!"

Legendary character from Day of the Tentacle and Maniac Mansion.

I love Bernard :D



And number one...

1. Prince Alexander

From KQVI. Voiced by Robbie Benson. I think he edges out Bernard as number 1, but I don't know why. He is just a really good guy. Very humble, polite, intelligent, and softly spoken. Heroic like his father - possesses the same iron will and adventurous qualities.

Oops this was for main playable characters!

Replace Brink with Boston and Ripburger with Big Ben!

Yes, playable main character! :) You'll have a chance to pick your favorite secondary characters or villians another time :)

Thanks for responding!

10. Freddy Pharkas - If I force myself to forget the sometimes too scatological humor of the second act, what impresses me the most of Freddy Pharkas Frontier Pharmacist is the titular character: well-rounded, with an in-depth background story, very definite interactions with other characters (particularly his awesome sidekick, Srini), and a concept as original as mind-twisting. Plus, with his naivete and yet his ancient-minded courage, he was the perfect vehicle for one of the most poignant, ferocious satire of progress and ruthless modernity.

09. Larry Laffer (as depicted only in the original trilogy) - he's not only in search of sex; he's not trying to get laid (well, not exclusively). He's more importantly in search of love - he's a lonely man, a sad man living in a dream of past times and B-movie, who wants to be with someone, to find a soulmate. His quest is not only very human, but also very tender and "touching". Unfortunately, the last three games lose (at least in my opinion) this particular balance between sentiment and sex, sensibility and obscenity with a slight bias toward heavy-handed situations and scatological humor. Oh Patti, where art thou?

08. King Graham - the one with whom it all began. King Graham is archetypal, it's true, but his archetype evolve from game to game showing his maturation, from young, daring knight to wise king, father of two rebellious children. In KQ5, when he puts on again his Adventuring Cap, I was touched by his naivete and his strength alike.

07. Tex Murphy - Oh yes, the only one not from Sierra's stable can't be anyone but the most lovable PI "under" the red sky of San Francisco. Maybe not multi-layered like Gabriel, and maybe not "loser" like Larry, Tex is the perfect man next door, a man I will trust momentarily and a man I definitely want to drink a beer with!

06. Jerrod Wilson (Gold Rush!) - Jerrod is just a rose cube of pixels, but has one of the most detailed background of the first era of adventure games. A well depicted family, with parents, grand parents and uncles; a brother; friends; foes; co-workers, etc. And this is just one is still in Manhattan. When he leaves for California, he can take three routes and each route will bring him to his destination, but with very different outcome and, in the meantime, he can make new friends, new foes and, more importantly, make new experiences, change and grow up, become a man. And it was 1988.

05. Sonny Bonds (Police Quest) - Unfortunately, Sonny is almost always forgotten nowadays but, back then, he was a lavishly depicted character, with a clear ideal in mind, with realistic friends, women to court, duties to perform and, most importantly, a ruthless villain to defeat. And he did all of this with no superpower, no breath-taking thriller-y gimmick but only with his bare hands and the aid of his Police Department. One of the most realist adventure ever realized, and one of the most compelling character (I won't give it away but, at the end of Day 1 in Police Quest 3 I was really, utterly shocked!)

04. Prince Alexander - handsome, brilliant, witty and yearningly romantic, Alexander has all the perfect traits to be a wonderful fairy tale hero. He has even a troubled, on-disguise childhood and an history of turning evil wizard into cat. What differentiate it from the stereotypes is not only his slightly disfunctional family (:D) but also the frail, sensitive quality of his soul. Human, very human.

03. Robin Hood (Conquests of Camelot) - cunning and deceitful, both courteous and sleazy at the proper time, bold and noble, satirical and ferocious with his enemies, he's one of the most well-rounded characters of our genre, and his story is not only historical accurate but also epic and powerful. His relationship both with his Merry Men and with Marian is wonderfully depicted and conveys a vivid sense of reality, of friendship and love.

02. Grace Nakimura - (since she's a playable character both in GK2 and GK3) Like Gabe, Gracie shows a clear path of maturation during the three games: she learned to let her Upper East Side, Manhattan-y attitude fade a bit away; learned to be more secure and less waifish; learned the value of an open-mind over a "boorish, bigoted one" (from the novel of The Beast Within). But she also learned, as Mrs. Smith recommended her, to let her feminine aspect to flow more freely over the endurance and toughness of her Empress, and in GK3 she reached her maturity far more early than Gabe himself.

01. Gabriel Knight - Because he is the most layered, intriguing, complex, hung-up character ever to walk my screen. He's more than realistic; he's definitely real. Plus, he's charming and lovable, tender when you don't expect him to be and harsh when you want he's just the opposite. And his tale through three games is a tale of meaningful self-discovery and maturation, of acceptance of one's responsibility and role, and love. In this regard, I always like to remember what Jane wrote about this particular subject: "part of the theme in GK3 was about family, and the game's ending (not to give spoilers) has Gabriel finally getting his comeuppance for his behavior with Grace. [...] Personally, I just don't think Gabriel was likely to ever turn around on this issue without getting a fairly big pie in the face first. The end of GK3 and my plans for GK4 were that pie"

10 -Roger Samms (aka the cockroach of Bad Mojo)
9- Max (Sanitarium)
8 - Lydia (Keepsake)
7 - As-Sayif (Legends of the Prophet and Assasin )
6 - Gage Blackwood (Journeyman Project Trilogy)
5 - Jim Pearson (Black Dahlia)
4 - Kate Walker
3- Tex Murphy
2- Gabriel Knight
1- me :devil: ( aka AFGNCAAP )

I would have liked to add Duckman, As-Sayf, Feeble, Lewton and Ben, so they're 15, 14, 13, 12, and 11. ;)

10. Roger Samms (Bad Mojo). I’ve replayed the intro a dozen times, can’t get enough of this “hero”. He’s a real selfish loser. Totally over the top in the cut scenes too.

9. Sherlock Holmes (The Rose Tattoo). Sherlock to a T. Dialogue, voice, character are perfect. No other Sherlock Holmes game comes close.

8. Laverne (DOTT). I love everything about Laverne: her hair, her crazy looks, the way she moves, her voice, the things she says, her more or less repressed aggression. She always makes me laugh.

7. Edna (Edna bricht aus). Yeah, a German game, but this is MY top ten and Edna is another crazy heroine I adore. What is it with me that I prefer them to the lovely, smart, kind Kates, Aprils, Rosellas, Victorias, Monas... :crazy:

6. Klaymen (The Neverhood). Cute, funny, touching, unique.

5. Jake (Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon). My heroes should have a real personality and a dark side. So I love Gabriel Knight, right? Wrong. He’s not here. :P I dislike the guy intensely, don’t really know why. Jake is great, he is the nicest of all my heroes. Maybe he's even a little too good to be true.

4. Manny Calavera (Grim Fandango). Need I say more.

3. Tex Murphy. Good old Tex!

2. Rincewind (Discworld). I’ve never read a Terry Pratchett novel, but I loved Rincewind from the moment I set eyes on him in Discworld 1. He’s so incredibly funny. Much, much funnier than that tenth-rate loser Simon. :) And wordy. And delightfully incompetent. And he’s got Luggage!

1. Robert Cath (The Last Express). He’s everything a hero should be: Deep and mysterious personality, nothing shallow about him. Impudent. Sexy. Sarcastic. Emotional. Courageous. Provocative. Cultured. Witty. Loyal and at the same time detached. :kiss:

Poor Gabe :frown:

Hehehe... he's got a flock of followers, he won't miss me. :devil:

Awww, I love the way you describe him :D
I cannot make my Top 10, it would be more like Top 1 and some others.

Thanks for the responses guys!

If you don't have a top 10, you can do a top 5 if you can stretch it to at least that and I can weight the selections appropriately.

I'm doing a Top 5:

5.George Stobbart - I liked him the best in B.S -Shadow of the Templars. Cute guy, stumbling into adventure.
4. Manny Calavera - His looks, his voice and his gentle nod when he reaches a hot spot.
3. April Ryan - Ordinary girl discovers her mission in life. I really like her a lot.
2. Lewton.- So cool! And so many hilarious comments
1.Gabriel Knight - The most intriguing personality of them all.

So, Andrea... you like Sierra games?








:)

Well, like... I won't exactly use "like"...

Let's say I have a slight, tiny, teeny preference.

:D

Cool! Top tens! I'm probably forgetting a lot of them, but here are mine


10 - Larry

9 - Indiana Jones

8 - Sam

7 - George Stobbart

6 - Kate... Walker...

4 - Guybrush Threepwood

5 - Rincewind (maybe this has something to do with books)

3 - Tex Murphy

2 - Phoenix Wright (It's scientifically impossible to dislike the character)

1 - Roger Wilco (this is probably nostalgia...)

10. John Parker - cowardly journalist with heart problems, just what a horror game like Shadow of the Comet needs
9. Zanthia - April, Kate, Phoenix.. The best female character appeared almost 20 years ago with Legend of Kyrandia
8. Robin Hood (Conquests of Longbow) - can't say much about him, just perfect man for the role of Robin Hood
7. George Stobbart - from the first two Broken Sword games. Witty adventurer who doesn't need to be Indiana Jones
6. Tex Murphy - very strong character, funny acting and all the noir you can dream of
5. Klaymen - the whole point of Neverhood. The funniest mime in computer history..
4. Woodruff - or maybe him. Well, Klayman is still the cutest one
3. Feeble with his files - a wonderful character with a wonderful voice of Robert Llewellyn. His naivety mixed with black humor sold me
2. Guybrush Threepwood - most notably from Monkey Island 2. Now this is A real pirate!
1. Gabriel Knight - simply the most interesting and controversial character I've ever met in an adventure game

OMG. No one likes Zoe in Dreamfall?
:)

Make a list Romer! :)

Thanks for all the responses so far!

What do you mean, "thanks". Are we doing you a favor?

Oh yes. I like her. A lot! But should I choose a character for Dreamfall, I'd go with Kian Alvane. :)