In Creation Games

I don’t want Space Marines, I don’t want clichéd JRPG heroes,  I don’t want blank slates, I don’t want American soldiers, I don’t want hot girls with very little clothing (Well maybe I do) but I do want animals. Animals tend to either by the main heroes trusty sidekick or appear in platformer games. Nearly all of them are aimed at kids but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some that are not and that the ones that are don’t appeal to everyone else. Most animals in gaming tend to be quite amusing but they can bring tears to your eye. For the list I am only including characters that are real animals and not animals that have been made up for the game.

5. Sonic the Hedgehog

Now I know that a lot of people who are reading this are thinking that Sonic should be a lot higher than 5^th place. I would have put him higher if it wasn’t for the 3D games though. In the 2D games that everyone loved he had next to no character and was simply a cool, blue hedgehog that could run faster than a jet. Now, in the 3D games, he’s an annoying, cocky hedgehog who can run faster than a jet and has an annoying “surfer” voice. Sonic used to be cool. He still remains as iconic as ever and there is no denying that but he just isn’t what he used to be so that’s why he isn’t as high as he would have been years ago. He is still likeable though, whether it is just because he was in some fantastic games or whether it is just because he is such an iconic character in gaming.

4. Conker

If you’ve ever had the privilege of playing Conker’s Bad Fur Day on the N64 or Conker: Live & Reloaded on the Xbox then you’ll know what to expect from Conker. Now Conker may look like a nice, cuddly squirrel aimed at the kiddies but that definitely isn’t what he’s about. He smokes, he drinks, he likes women, he’s violent, he swears, he fights and is just generally a badass. If you piss him off he won’t let you go because he doesn’t take shit from nobody. He does some pretty badass stuff. He will piss wherever the hell he wants which includes on cavemen; he also stormed the beaches of the teddy homeland with a cigar and a machine gun. And how can I forget that he sung opera with a giant pile of singing poo before finishing it off. You don’t want to piss off Conker because even if he doesn’t look it he will kick your ass.

3. Crash Bandicoot

My childhood years were spent with this guy. I have some great memories with him and back in the day we were best buddies. Of course now we’ve had a big fall out since he left Naughty Dog and got stuck in with a bad crowd. Since then he’s been even more idiotic than before and the quality of his games has shot down quite a bit just like our other pal, Sonic. Back in his day though he was nothing short of amazing. His games were really fun and he was so funny and cool and like I said my childhood icon. What isn’t to like about good old Crash though? He comes with all the typical platformer moves but on top of all them he has a motorbike, a leather jacket, a Bazooka, a tribal mask and a polar bear called Pola. And of course he is one hell of a dancer. He’s wacky, cool and can spin even better than the Tasmanian Devil himself.

2. TimeSplitters Monkey

Ah, the good old TimeSplitters Monkey. TimeSplitters is known for being a great arcade shooter with great multiplayer and some incredibly wacky characters. Quite a few animals are in there too. Duckman Drake is a psychotic duck who loves nothing more than to kill and Robofish is a robot fish who also enjoys killing. Despite these animals the Monkey is the one that we all know and love. Even though he never appearing in the first game he has been became the most iconic character of the series. They are very small, fast and know how to use an assault rifle. Monkeys are always awesome but a Monkey with an assault rifle is even better. Let’s not forget that they are kind creatures too. In TimeSplitters 2 the loser of Monkey Assistant would be aided by an army of Monkeys that would try to make kills for him. However as well as being good with assault rifles, cool and everything that else that makes them so special they also have various other forms. Brains is a zombie monkey, Cyborg Chimp is a robot monkey and Ninja Monkey is a ninja monkey! Now there are some good combinations.

1. Agro

Agro is your trusty horse from Shadow of the Colossus. Unlike the rest of the characters I’ve mentioned here she is supposed to be taken seriously and isn’t supposed to be silly in any way, shape or form. She is loyal to your character throughout the entire game, she will take you where you want to go without any hesitation and when left alone she will patiently wait for you. However you never want to leave her by yourself to go fight a Colossus, it just didn’t seem right. Even in battle she will try and help you as much as possible. You build a connection with Agro through the entire game and she really is the character of the game. I haven’t shared an emotional connection with any of the other characters on this list but I have with Agro. [Shadow of the Colossus Spoilers] I was devastated when she fell of the cliff. I really did feel sad; the connection that had been built up for the entire game seemed to be completely ruined. Even when it turns out she was alive and she came back limping I was still sad. I was overwhelmed with joy that she was alive but she came back for your character who wasn’t exactly there anymore and left her without her faithful companion. [Spoilers End]

Honourable Mentions

Worms (From Worms Series) – Now everyone loves theses little guys who can’t help but blow each other up

Red XIII (From Final Fantasy VII) – I don’t know if he can be counted as an animal but he is a very good character.

Donkey Kong (From Donkey Kong) – What’s not to like about a big gorilla who throws barrels at people?

Monkey (From Ape Escape) – The always crazy monkeys of the Ape Escape series deserve a mention here.

Solid Snake (From Metal Gear Solid) – Not really an animal but I couldn’t resist.