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1. The Greatest Heroes of the Decade
   

   Player Chronicle -- Posted on Nov 18 2009

   Dead Pixels
   11-16-09
   By Ryan M. Eft
   With special help from BEN, the Broduer Bros., Zach Ellsbury and Anthony Rodriguez
   
   Here we are rounding out another decade of gaming. But this decade was different from the others; in was the one in which games arguably surpassed movies and television in their ability to draw you into a good drama. Of course, no tale worth telling is, well, worth telling without some great protagonists to spearhead the whole thing. From an eastern European immigrant to a space marine to a conflicted knight, the past ten years have given us some faces we’ll remember forever (or in the case of Master Chief, NOT given us a face that we WON’T remember forever). So without further ado, Dead Pixels presents: The Ten Greatest Heroes of the Decade!
   Note: the picks aren’t in any order.
   
   Kratos
   I can boil down this one pretty easily: if you literally kill a god, you’re guaranteed a spot on this list. Kratos is a killing machine who’s only got one undefeatable enemy: his past. Having once sold his soul to Ares, the god of war, in return for battlefield victory, he sets out to murder Ares after the deity forces him to commit a horrible atrocity. Sure, everyone remembers how awesome the Blades of Chaos, Kratos’s signature swords, were, but Kratos is the rare video game bad-ass with an engrossing story dark enough to justify his bloodlust. There have been many copycats since God of War released in 2005, but Kratos remains the gold standard.
   
   Tidus
   There were a lot of folks who, having been trained on Final Fantasy VII and VIII, would have preferred a darker, more brooding hero. They may have been surprised to see Final Fantasy X headlined by an extreme sports star in a coat-of-many-colors ensemble. But by the time FFX’s epic tale has unfolded, Tidus had become perhaps the most relatable main character in series history. The very fact that he was so very human made people gravitate to him, and the romance between him and Yuna never, ever felt like it happened because the script needed it to. His tale culminated in one of the most touching finales in gaming history, and was powerful enough to justify the first ever direct sequel in the series.
   
   Master Chief
   True, he isn’t much on personality and has no face. But when you’re humanity’s best hope against a horde of extraterrestrial invaders, you can be a little short on words. John-117 was successful precisely because a player could get into his shoes and feel like the fate of the world was in their hands. The innovations introduced to the FPS genre by the Halo series have made Master Chief perhaps the most recognizable new gaming icon of the decade, and it’s a sure bet we’ll be seeing his distinctive helmet on game covers for the next ten years, too.
   
   Chris Lightfellow
   Those relatively few who played Suikoden III still remember it fondly. That was largely due to a varied, memorable cast of characters, the most noteworthy of which was the female knight captain Chris. A tragedy early in the game defines her dichotomy; depending on whose eyes you’re looking through, Chris comes across as either a monster or someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. From there, her ultimate loyalties are never a sure thing, which was refreshing in a genre whose stories can often feel pre-determined. A soldier caught between loyalty to country and doing what’s right is not new ground for RPGs, but Chris perfected the archetype.
   
   Tim
   He may not have been quite as heroic as most of those who made this list, but Braid’s business-suited protagonist was the perfect modern hero. When he sets out on his quest to rescue his princess, you think you know what’s driving him, and then the game pulls the rug out from under you. I won’t dare reveal Tim’s secrets here; it’ll suffice to say that he is the one video game hero who really is living with the same sort of baggage his audience probably is. And in an industry dominated by decidedly unrealistic heroes, that alone is worth applause.
   
   Dominic Santiago
   While Gears of War is primarily known for the levels of Gore it throws at the player, the second installment made good use of something shooters were not historically renowned for: character depth. When Dom’s eleven-year search for his wife, Maria, finally ends, it isn’t the reunion players may have been expecting. The difficult choices Dom has to make help turn him into more than just a generic soldier, and the outcome had gaming jaws wagging for weeks.
   
   Altair
   Opinions on Assassin’s Creed were split, but no one can deny the level of success it enjoyed. That spotlight largely fell on the main character, Altair. This middle-eastern killer moved like no other video game character, behaved like no other video game character, and lent humanity to what could have been a vacuum of a role. It wasn’t that Altair was a master assassin that made him popular; it was the fact that was capable of screwing up, as well. His game may have its critics, but the distinctive white robe of the central hero is already one of the most recognizable sights in gaming.
   
   Three Dog
   “This is Three Dog, and you’re listening to Galaxy News Radio! Bringing you the truth…no matter how bad it hurts.” Yeah, you may have been out there doing the super-mutant-blasting legwork in the post-apocalyptic D.C. of Fallout 3, but ask any sports fan: a hero is only as good as their cheering section. With Three Dog manning the radio waves, providing news updates and rooting for your success (or your failure, if you were a complete prick) you always knew you weren’t going up against the Enclave alone, even if your back-up was on the other side of a radio tuner.
   
   Vivi
   Yet another game whose supporters and detractors are equally vociferous, Final Fantasy IX nonetheless gave us at least one thing that everyone approves of: the plucky little black mage, Vivi. This kid found out he was manufactured for war, and still managed to keep his spirits high as he laid down some magical butt-kicking. Not only did he give a face and a voice (well, a voice anyway) to years worth of nameless black mages, he stood up on his own as a lovable and heroic icon of an already venerated franchise.
   
   Niko Bellic
   From an artistic point of view, Niko Bellic is almost inarguably the most important protagonist of the decade. His role in Grand Theft Auto IV was a first for the groundbreaking series: a foreigner. This may not seem that important, but Niko’s struggle to build a better life in America, and his almost inevitable wake-up call, was a powerful portrayal of the modern American dream. This war-grizzled outcast brought the less-than-photogenic parts of New York…excuse me, Liberty City…to life with his story, and headlined one of the most ambitious gaming experiences ever made.

   
   

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Dead Pixels has 2 comment s on this chronicle.

1. Dead Pixels
   Posted On Nov 18 2009

   The opinions of our friends credited in the column actually pushed the scales from Auron to Tidus. If we were after the biggest bad-asses, it likely would have gone to Auron. He's another of my personal favorites.
   
   Get ready for next week's Greatest Moments of the Decade! Hop on over to the thread and start debating what should go in!

2. Wolvatron
   Posted On Nov 16 2009

   God I hated Tidus...
   
   Otherwise, dang good list! I'm sure it must have been excruciatingly hard to bust out the top ten characters in the last ten years of gaming.
   
   Nice job, and I'm looking forward to more installments.