Favorite Video Game Characters

[Frosty]

Okay, let's see the folks I have in mind...

Vivi Orunitia, Terra Branford and Rydia for Final Fantasy , L'Arachel, Lilina, Kieran, Canas, Ilyana and Shanna for Fire Emblem, a lot of the side characters from Resident Evil; too lazy to list em' all... but if we're talking about main characters, alright then it's Jill Valentine; she's badass and a sandwich.

Then there's Cynthia, Lucian and Shauntal for Pokemon. Also, there's Keaton (not to be confused with the one from FE: Fates) from Aero Fighters; that dorky goofball pilot...

On 6/12/2017 at 5:06 AM, Slumber said:

Chris is the only RE character with an actual character arc, but he himself is pretty bland.

The only portrayal of him that I like is in the original game. Even if all the shit in the mansion has rained down on him; he still has a moment to crack out a freaking plant pun.

Edited June 26, 2017 by Frosty

[Slumber]

17 minutes ago, Frosty said:

The only portrayal of him that I like is in the original game. Even if all the shit in the mansion has rained down on him; he still has a moment to crack out a freaking plant pun.

I really want to like him more.

RE1 gives him a personal vendetta against Wesker and he kind of becomes a one-man anti-Bio Weapon army afterwards, then Code Veronica brings Wesker back, which focuses his goals on Wesker. Wesker takes out Jill when they track down Spencer, and Chris is basically single-minded in taking down Wesker. Which he eventually does, but he becomes an alcoholic after realizing that even though he beat Wesker, he's still making the same mistakes he made at the Spencer mansion, leading his men to their deaths. Eventually he overcomes this, and finds meaning in being able to lead the BSAA and recognizing his flaws.

Like, that's a full, proper character arc. The events of each of the games Chris appears in basically all feed into one another. Compare to Jill and Claire, who show up too irregularly to really get a consistent story, and Leon, who shows up enough to get a story, but the doesn't because he is basically a blank slate that the developers project whatever character traits they want for the games he shows up in. But yeah, Chris is just Beef Gunman.

Edited June 26, 2017 by Slumber

[Railgun]

On 6/21/2017 at 3:26 AM, Erureido said:

I have a definite top 4 for my favorite video game characters:

1) Professor Hershel Layton: Easily my favorite. I'm a huge fan of the Layton series because of the great story-telling, memorable characters, and shocking plot twists that all the plots have, and the Professor himself is a character who really stands out to me. Not only is he a brilliant puzzle-solver and fencer, but he's also a true gentleman. The latter of these traits is something that I find truly admirable about him. I love how kind and respectful he is towards others. He also knows how to be level-headed in the midst of desperate moments. Hershel Layton also has one of the most tragic backstories I have ever seen from a character.

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A criminal organization named Targent kidnapped his birth parents for their findings on the Azran civilization when he was very little, leaving him and his older brother as orphans. Eventually, an older couple named the Layton's wanted to adopt the one named "Hershel." The Professor we knew now was originally named "Theodore Bronev," while his older brother was once "Hershel Bronev." Right before the Laytons arrived, his older brother switched names with him because he didn't want the little Theodore to be left alone. Thus, Theodore Bronev became "Hershel Layton," and he would grow up with his foster parents.

While growing up in a small town called Stansbury in his teenage years, he was best friends with Randall Ascot, his fencing pal who also had a huge interest in archaeology. It was Randall who ignited Hershel's interest in archaeology, even though he was reluctant about it at first. He accompanied his friend on an archaeological adventure, but Randall lost his life (although we later he actually survived) from one of the traps in the ruins. Poor Hershel felt devastated when Randall died.

The most tragic part of his life has to be his love story with Claire. Claire was Layton's girlfriend from ten years before the events of Curious Village, Diabolical Box, and Unwound Future, and she was the one who gave Layton his signature top hat. Sadly, she died in a failed time machine experiment that she was working on, but we later learn that the machine worked for a split second and sent her into the present time when the events of Unwound Future take place. There, she claims to Celeste, her supposedly estranged younger sister that was searching for clues regarding Claire's death and ways to stop the Mobile Fortress. Eventually, it's revealed she was Claire all along, and by the end of the game, the time machine was no longer stable enough to keep her in the present. This leads to a very tearful goodbye between her and Layton. Layton becomes emotional and begs her not to leave him again, and once she vanishes, he cries and takes his hat off in her honor. Personally, I think this scene is up there for one of the saddest moments in gaming history. The Professor is commonly shown to be calm and collected individual who rarely gets angry, but in Claire's farewell scene, we see him emotionally broke down. That scene really humanizes him and shows how even the calm individuals are capable of feeling sorrow.

For all the tragic events Layton had to go through, you really have to admire this man for how he was able to move on.

Layton also has many inspirational quotes:

• "Critical thinking is the key to success." From Curious Village
• "One must always show gratitude to one's teachers. That's what a gentleman does." - From Diabolical Box
• "You see, true friends share a special connection. And this connection endures no matter how far apart they may be separated physically. Distance and time apart are irrelevant to the bond formed by a true friendship." - From Unwound Future
• "In this life, one must always be true to oneself." - From Last Specter
• "If you spend your life trying to fit in with others, you'll never belong anywhere." - From Last Specter

If I had to be honest, Professor Layton is one of my biggest role models. I truly admire how much of a gentleman he is towards others, and I want to be more like him.

4) Jean Descole: My favorite villain in any work of fiction, Descole is the main antagonist of the prequel trilogy of the Professor Layton series. He has plenty of traits that make a him a fantastic villain in my eyes. For one, Descole is very cunning. He's a master inventor that can create various objects that would benefit him in many ways, whether it'd be for his own personal use or as tools of destruction. He's also a master manipulator, using other people to achieve his goals and even backstab them once he doesn't need them anymore. Although he is usually calm and arrogant, he can be frightfully angry and lose his temper when things do not go his way.

Descole even has a noble side. In fact, it's because of that he sees himself as a hero for what he does, and that ties into his tragic backstory.

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He is revealed to be Hershel Layton's older brother originally named "Hershel Bronev." When both were very young, their birth parents Leon and Rachel Bronev were kidnapped by a criminal organization named Targent because the two parents were on the cusp of uncovering a major secret regarding the Azran civilization, leaving the two brothers as orphans. There came a point in his life where Descole switched names with his younger brother, Theodore Bronev. That way, the Laytons would adopt him so that he wouldn't be left alone. With his younger brother gone, Descole began to heavily research the Azran civilization, the findings of which were the reason behind his parents' kidnapping, on his own. He would also be eventually adopted by a new family, and they gave him the new name Desmond Sycamore.

Some time passes, and he eventually gains a butler named Raymond, who assists him throughout the Prequel Trilogy. Later on, he also gained a wife and daughter. However, tragedy struck again when those two individuals were killed at the hands of Targent. It's from that moment that Desmond developed the Descole persona fans are familiar with. Whereas Desmond is the manifestation's of the man's hope, Descole represents the despair side to him. He also grew to despise his birth father, who had become the leader of Targent at that point.

Because of his hatred for Targent and how the organization ruined his life, everything Descole does is to exact revenge on them. Targent's goal is to discover the Azran's greatest legacies, so Descole executes his vengeance on them by doing all he can to beat them to these sites. In fact, he is so desperate for revenge that he would even resort to destruction in the hopes of finding certain Azran ruins. This desperation also ties into his relationship with Layton. The main reason he is mad at Layton over the course of the three prequel games and the movie is because, to Descole, Layton gets in his way of discovering those Azran secrets first. Descole does eventually work with Layton for most of Azran Legacy, but that's because he realizes the two share a common enemy. While there comes a point in Azran Legacy where the two split and fight, they align again for the final chapter.

In all, I consider Descole to be a very well-written character and one that I definitely enjoy the most when it comes to villains.

Someone else who appreciates the good Professor? It's so nice to see another Layton fan! 

And I agree that Descole is also pretty well written, he's very interesting as a villain.  

[Railgun]

I guess for me... I have quite a few. I really love Mega Man, classic in particular. He's such a cutie pie robot and while his games are damn hard, I enjoy playing them.

I also like Professor Layton, got into the series recently, and I dig the character and games. Hershel is just amazing. #LaytonForSmashWhen?

I also have a soft spot for Mario and Link. Mario for I grew up with, and Link for playing all SSB titles with him as my main. OOT is also a good game.

Oh, and Phoenix Wright. Can't forget Nick.