30 Days of Video Games - BONUS: Why Do You Play Games Pg. 142

[Endy]

Day 20: Favourite Side Character

 

 

I like Luigi. Its surprising how much personality they've been able to fit into Luigi considering he's a Mario character. The Luigi's Mansion series manages to give him lots of character and charm just through subtle animations, and the RPG's only make him even more likeable. He's almost always by Mario's side, and despite being afraid of most situations he comes to his senses and quickly leaps into action despite the big threats he has to face. Its a shame Luigi gets little to no credit, he deserves way more than what the Toads think of him!

 

 

Toad, you're a jerk >:U

[JezMM]

Day 20 - Favorite Side Character

 

ELLIE - THE LAST OF US

 

As much as I agree with your post, Ellie is so not a side character lol.  I mean...

 

Taking the DLC into account too, you play as her for over 25% of the game, and she has as much screentime as Joel overall.

 

Excuse my pedanticness though lol.

[T-Min]

As much as I agree with your post, Ellie is so not a side character lol.  I mean...

 

Taking the DLC into account too, you play as her for over 25% of the game, and she has as much screentime as Joel overall.

 

Excuse my pedanticness though lol.

I guess I didn't think of that.

 

Oh well. Do-over.

 

ALVIN [iNSERT LAST NAME HERE] - TALES OF XILLIA

 

This guy here...is really cool. He resides in a moral gray area, but his actions are really understandable. He's a badass too, and always likes to tease the other members of the cast. Really interesting back story, too. Other than that, I guess it mostly boils down to stuff Sonic Cycle said in his post.

 

Guess I just really can't write much today lol. Hopefully I'll do better tomorrow. 

[BakingBluePotatoe]

Day 20- "I can't Believe I got this far" Favorite Side Character

 

1) Tails, but he's been talked about already. I will say, I do have... what... at least 4 plushies of him?

 

2)Phantom Hourglass isn't exactly fresh in my head, or I'd talk about Linebeck. But god DAMNIT , if his theme song isn't amazing.

 

3) And I haven't played enough Half-Life 2 to really be able to talk about Alyx and DOG... can't have one and not the other!

So, here's Number 4 and the one that I actually remember that's not a Sonic thing:

 

 

WALLY! <3 I mean gosh, just look at him, he's totally adorable!

At first when you see him, he's this lonely sick kid who just wants a Pokemon for company. And of course serves as the obligatory capture tutorial We see him catch a Ralts, and then he leaves, and we think nothing of it after he leaves other than maybe "HOW did this twerp get a rare Pokemon so easily!?"

Well guess what, that's not the last we see of him. We see him again once we get to Mauville, about halfway through the game or so, and we see he's determined to do more with that Ralts than just goof around with it, yep, he wants to be strong, LIKE YOU. Even after the player defeats him, he's in good spirits, and realizes what being a Trainer is REALLY about. Overcoming your weaknesses, and having a tight bond with your Pokemon.

Well guess what? He overcame his damn weaknesses alright, and decides to travel around the region and become stronger and make a better team for himself, ILLNESS BE DAMNED. THAT is determination right there. Even the last battle you have against him in Victory Road doesn't shake his spirits, he STILL wants to be better than you. Oh, and for those not in the know, Victory Road can only be accessed by those with all 8 Gym Badges. Meaning he had to have gotten them all somehow. And in less time than the player did too!

Wally is just full of Awesomeness, Badassery, and Determination. Especially Determination, which I HIGHLY respect him for!

[Jimbo]

Day 20: Favorite Side Character

 

Keeping this pretty short because he's been mentioned a few times.

 

 

Miles "Tails" Prower has long been one of my favorite characters in a video game. He's always upbeat and optimistic, never worrying about the dangers of a situation. Tails has seen some significant growth throughout the series, becoming a hero on his own without needing to rely on Sonic all the time. He is valuable as a mechanic and inventor, though he's never one to brag about his ability.
His skills as a mechanic, as well as his intelligence, make him a great sidekick for Sonic; They both depend on each other for their unique skill set.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Day 20: Favorite Side character

 

Just had to this one, cause it hasn't been done as far as I can tell

 

DO A BARREL ROLL!

Peppy Hare, the sage advisor and wing man from the star fox series has been saying that since the original game, is still quite a classic. He's not just any tip character annoying you with advice(like omochao), but he does it in an entertaining way, and was the wing mate of your father, and the last to see him alive. Though he seems older in each game, he is still full of life and advice, and always seems to figure out some way to help out from whatever ship he is in. Oh and then there's that time he invaded steel diver

[Celestia]

Day 20: Fav Side Character
 
I love a lot of side characters in games. But after writing out the runner ups below, I finally thought of one that I can consider my favourite. Although, an argument can be made that, as important to the game as she is, she's not quite a "side" character...but on the other hand, she isn't the player character so...you know what, I'm going for it.
 
Literally the only image I could find that I actually want to use has a kinda ridiculous resolution, opps.

 

 

 

Midna

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

 

"But in exchange for my help, you have to do EXACTLY as I say!"

 
It's amazing how easily thoughts on a character can change midway through a game.
 
When I first started playing Twilight Princess, it was easy to not really trust Midna at first. Sure, in retrospect it makes sense that she wouldn't turn out to be one of the bad guys, but with the way she treated Link from the moment they met, well...you couldn't blame me for being as wary of her as Link seemed to be. Of course, I warmed up to her quickly; for one, she's hilarious. Her constant jeers towards Link (and Zelda, for that matter) were entertaining, and in general her commentary on things was amusing.
 
Then shit gets real and, due to a particularly selfless sacrifice on the part of one Princess Zelda, Midna warmed up to the "Light World" and it's people. After that she's a lot more friendly and becomes a genuine friend and partner in fighting giant monsters and all that. Which makes that ending so much worse...
 
Plus, while I only noticed this due to others pointing it out...think about it, it's revealed throughout the game that Midna has a lot of ridiculously powerful abilities; she even lifts humongous objects in her magic and teleports them away without much problem...which makes it all the more hilarious (and, on Link's part probably, frustrating) that she makes him do ALL the fighting. Yet this is so very in-character, even post-character development, that I can't even be mad.
 
Also, she's a Princess.
 
Honourable Mentions

• Groose (LOZ: Skyward Sword): I mean, it's Groose. What's not to love?
• Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney)--if only because I generally don't really think of him as an "antagonist"...but yeah, he's probably one of my favourite AA characters. What a nerd an interesting character.
• Curly Brace (Cave Story): Lady robot that kicks ass.
• TailsKnucklesAmyShadowRougeOmegazkladajl4jarjadl;ajljaljal;jfa9rja (Sonic the Hedgehog): yea
• Bianca and Cheren (Pokemon Black/White): I dunno, I liked them a lot.
• Princess Peach (Mario): When she's awesome, she's awesome. I particularly love her portrayal in the Paper Mario games...oh, and those official Mario comics, you know the ones. Also, she's a Princess.
• The new friends in Spyro 3: Sheila, Bentley, Byrd, and Agent 9. I loved those guys. Actually, all Spyro side characters are cool...Elora, Hunter, and the Professor...Bianca...err, yeah, I'll quit before I start listing random dragon names from the first game.
• ...a lot of characters in Mother 3, frankly.

[Phantomime]

It was hard to pick between this guy and Midna...

 

Favorite Side Character: Groose

 

 

 

 

Skyward Sword is a game that's kind of grown on me the last couple of years. First time around, I didn't really like it. Now it's probably my... third(?) favorite Zelda Game. Even on the first playthrough though, this guy was by far the best character. 

 

I didn't really like him in his first appearance though. He was just kind of a dick. An entertaining dick, but still just kind of a lame, stereotypical bully. After the scene where he falls from the sky and establishes "Grooseland" I began to enjoy him, but it wasn't until later in the game that I realized how cool he was.

 

See, from the beginning, Groose is convinced that he is destined for greatness. That he's supposed to become a legendary hero. But soon after he gets to the surface, he realizes that Link is the real legendary hero. So what does he do? Well... he goes off and sulks for a while. Later, though, he realizes that he needs to help anyway, despite not being as great as he thought he was. So he builds a machine to slow down The Imprisoned, and becomes a high-tier bro for the rest of the game. 

[MegasonicZX]

Without delving into sonic territory again (since its gonna be hard to stop once I get going) I'm going to go with P-star from the wonderful 101, I always liked how P-star was both a side character and the character that showed you where you were on screen so not only does he have some story significance, he also has some gameplay significance and while it can be annoying sometimes, I find it kind of funny how P-star almost always gives you useless advice in gameplay and even the characters themselves acknowledge when he gives useless advice (kind of like another robot I know from another super sentai thingamabobul) but nonetheless, P-star is a pretty good side character and I kind of wish you heard more from him throughout the story.

[azoo]

Day 20 : Favorite Side Character

 

 

Midna. Going to Midna. Yep.

 

Midna's off the chizzain. She's funny, incredibly interesting, tough as nails, strong, independent don't need no man (but gets my ships with the link heeruhfhuerh), adorable, lovable, admirable, everything about Midna is good. Best guide character. Also too tired to write any more. Read ElementofChaos'/Celestia's post for more information on how a Midna is a good.

 

Runner - ups:

--------------------

Tails, Knuckles or Blaze (Sonic) - You know how it is. Each are amazing for their own reasons; none of the three made it to top spot due to them all coming from the same franchise and tieing in personal liking for each.

Luigi (Mario) - Everyone says why they love this guy and I agree. How can you not like him?

Tingle (Zelda) - Ye.

Mr. Saturn (Mother/EB) - YE.

Ado / Adeline (Kirby) - She actually belongs here a lot more than she did the "favorite protagonist" day. What was I thinking?

Sandbag (Smash Bros) - Actual best character in any franchise.

Owl Man from NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams - (haha no seriously screw that guy)

[Goldenlink64]

Day 20: Favorite Side Character

 

 

...GET IT?! BECAUSE, YA KNOW, NINTENDO TREATS STARFOX AS A SIDE FRANCHISE? AREN'T I SO CLEVER? I THINK I'M GOING TO CRY RIGHT NOW ACTUALLY.

 

anyway...

 

My real answer is a tie between these two 

 

Miles 'Tails' Prower

 

What can I say, I'm a sucker for Foxes, they're my favorite animal actually. Now add to the fact that he's friggin adorable, is a kitsune (multiple tails) and has the ability to fly and you most of my favorite traits here. I just love his character design and Tails has the potential to be a great character alongside Sonic, it's just that he has to be written well though. I'm not a big fan of how they handle him in some of the games.

 

Nowadays he seems to be more of a deadpan snarker than the little fox that used to look up to Sonic and try to keep up to him (both story and gameplay-wise), but hey I haven't played Lost World yet so who knows.

 

Speaking of gameplay-wise, now if only we could have him playable again.... outside a mech or car or whatever. I WANT TO FLY HIGH SO I CAN REACH THE HIGHEST AGAIN SEGA! IT'S ALMOST BEEN 11 YEARS SINCE SONIC ADVENTURE HOW LONG ARE YOU GONNA KEEP US TAILS FANBOYS WAITING TO PLAY AS TAILS IN FULL 3D HUH?!

 

Sakuya Izayoi (Touhou Project)

 

Battle Butler: Check

Ability to Stop Time: Check

Weapon: Infinite Knives + Time Stop........ UM ER, YEAH CHECK!

Amazing Theme Song(s): Check and Check

Um, did I mention she likes to use a lot of Knives and she's really badass? Check

 

Reimu? More like Reim...who? Marisa? More like... get that puny thing you call a "spark" out of here I HAVE KNIVES AND A POCKET WATCH OF BLOOD MUHAHAHAHAA YOU CAN'T BEAT MY ULTIMATE WAIFU!! >:DDDDDDD

 

Oh Sakuya, you could serve me Tea and then knive me for making fun of your pads any time of the week. I don't know why I'm such a big Sakuya fanboy but she's the complete reason why I got into Touhou Project. I completely fell in love with her original Flowering Night BGM and the rest is history. I love her character design and playing as her is such a joy in the games. She's not a technical main character which means she's only playable in a couple of the games, but when she IS in the game, I'm maining her. I'm maining her so hard, y'all can't beat me and my Waifu. Ever. We're unstoppable.

 

Previously on Day 19:

Next time on Day 21: Day 21:

[Celestia]

Sandbag (Smash Bros) - Actual best character in any franchise.

Oh no, I knew I was forgetting someone!

 

 

The only reason the Sandbag isn't playable is because it's godlike powers would make it literally unbeatable. Meta Knight? An amateur compared to this badass.

[DemonShad716]

Day 20: Favorite Side Character

 

Tails and Yoshi are my favorite sidekicks. 

Tails is an awesome mechanic and techie who's building skills can easily match up to Dr. Eggman's. He is always that lovable little brother to Sonic, not to mention adorable. Yoshi is an awesome little dino that shoots eggs made from anything he eats and throws them at enemies. He's Mario's favorite mode of transportation aside from his go-cart, hell, he's even babysat Mario when he was a kid.

 

Both Yoshi and Tails have the ability of flight, but only for a short amount of time as they get exhausted. Tails has his two tails as helicopter rotors and Yoshi has his flutter kick. Each of them has also starred in their own games; Tails in Tails Adventure and Yoshi for Yoshi's Island, so both of them have had their own share in the spotlight.

 

Another reason for these two being awesome is that they are always there when the hero needs a lift. Tails always has his Tornado fitted with rockets and machine guns (also transforming into a fighter mech) and Yoshi gives Mario rides on his back and swallow or stomp enemies in his path. It seems as though each of them are following identical footsteps, with the exception of Yoshi in a plane/fighter mech which I'd like to see someday in a mod lol.

[SIXTH-RATE SOMA]

Day 20: Favorite Supporting Character

 

 

Rosalina, from Super Mario Bros.

 

Nobody really comes to Mario for great characters. For memorable characters, sure, but not so much the depth or anything. It's something reserved for a side game, something Nintendo can just conveniently ignore if it doesn't mesh well with the rest of the 'verse. It's something that's made Mario for a great template for all those RPGs and spin-offs and such, but it's also something that's always left me wanting. Those spin-offs and things gave me a taste of real character, and it was always a shame to see game by game go by without any real effort towards narrative.

 

But everything changed when the Super Mario Galaxy nation attacked. Nestled away in the far-flung epic platformer, one could find Rosalina's now-iconic Storybook, which, in the style of the French classic The Little Prince, gave tremendous amounts of development and nuance to a character who would've otherwise been forgotten in a blink. Here, in a mainline Mario game of all places, was a human character impeccably and cleverly written. For being the first Mario character in a long while to make me care about a platformer's story, Rosalina is my pick for today.

 

Also, dude rides around in a spaceship/observatory/orphanage powered by a comet. Dude.

 

Runners Up:

• Luigi, also from Super Mario Bros.
• Morte, from Planescape: Torment
• Every Single Paper Mario Partner Other Than Flurry
• Wheatley, from Portal 2
• Midna, from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

[Soniman]

 

Not actually to much to say about Medli actually, I just really find her character charming and has a very cute design. She's about the Ruto Prince whom she treats like a little brother and plays a nice harp... Oh and the scene where she wishes to leave Dragon Roost after her Sage revelation is a very sad and somber one, knowing that she has a duty to fufill (which is life or death) but doesnt want to worry the rest of her kin. I think what also help me love the character more is her assistance to you in the Earth Temple, I dunno it feels like you bond with her in a way, and it makes the final duet you share after you defeat the boss feel all the more touching

 

 

 

 

Groose is one of those Zelda characters that everyone remembers, akin to the likes of Midna or Tetra. What I mainly love about him is how he has a character arc of sorts where he goes from the generic egotistical bully character to a brave warrior who shows his ingenuity when he builds the Groosenator. Even near the end when Girahim is fucking shit up and threatinig Zelda, he's still right on the battlefield risking his life to save her. That's just badass man. By the end of it you can see how much of a genuine kind hearted her he's become, and a actual friend to Link and Zelda

 

 

The two tailed fiend, the genius sidekick, Sonic's right hand man, the Tails-meister is here. He's basically the yin to Sonic's yang. While Sonic rarely thinks ahead, is a bit reckless and has a very imputent tongue, Tails is soft spoken, very calculating, and very polite to top it all off. His machines and inventions are so impressive they can rival even Eggman's, from the Tornado Mech to artificial Chaos Emeralds he's certainly not someone you want to take lightly. And he's also one of the few characters in the series to under-go several games worth of development, becoming more world weary, less gullible and is even willing to call Sonic out whenever he does something rather stupid. You really see how in games like Colors or Lost World that Tails has moved beyond just being Sonic's sidekick, but an equal partner who contributes just as much in the fight against evil as he does, it shows good growth in the character

I find Daxter hilarious, his wild antics never cease to entertain me. I think the major charm of his character is that he's the designated sidekick yet he doesnt do shit 95% of the time, it's fucking hilarious they put so much energy into animations, voice acting, and wise cracks into a character that contributes almost nothing, but it doesnt matter since watching Daxter chew the scenery with his snarky monologues is just as entertaining as playing the game proper

[Sonictrainer]

 

Day 20 - Favorite Side Character

 

Coco Bandicoot

 

 

Coco is Crash's little sister (don't ask me how that works or who their parents are) and is very smart. She is always seen with her laptop computer or gadgets. Though she debuted in the 2nd PS game, she was playable in some of the levels of Crash 3: Warped. If Crash Bandicoot ever makes a comeback, hopefully his sister will be right there with him.

[Carbo]

Day 20: Favorite Side Character

Maya Who?

Technically you could call her a protagonist of the game she's from because she's one of the three playable characters throughout all the cases, but I chose to call her a side character mostly because the name of the game is still "Phoenix Wright", and her and Apollo technically are Phoenix's subordinates.

Athena Cykes from Ace Attorney is a character I cherish and laud for a lot of reasons. I've always been skeptical whenever Ace Attorney introduces a new "sidekick" because the three times it ended up happening in the past it's either a Maya Fey clone with a personality twist (Ema Skye, though she got much better in AA4), a Maya Fey clone who's really underdeveloped (Trucy Wright) or a Maya Fey clone who's just kind of annoying and has a stupid gimmick (Kay Faraday). Athena is neither of these. Her design instantly stood out to me when it was shown, and I felt even more vindicated in my anticipation when I got to play the game. The most notifying difference is that Athena is incredibly capable, as she actually has the profession to back herself up in most circumstances that would actually matter for the character to influence the plot in what this series is based around. She does maintain some of the "sidekick" quirks that we got to see with all of the previous characters but she has one advantage to help balance those out - for a significant chunk of the game, she's playable. This means that we get to actually experience the world through her and every thought that runs through her mind. The best way to connect to any of these characters is to be put into their shoes, which was why characters like Edgeworth got so much more depth when we got to play as him for a moment in AA3.

That's not the only thing that sticks out, unlike the previous characters she actually provides a good game-changing gimmick. Her companion AI Trinket allows her to access the Mood Matrix which opens up a different form of cross-examination where the player has to analyze statements and point out inconsistencies with the testimony and the emotions they display while saying them. This starts off pretty basic but then it goes down really interesting territories, such as pointing out objects of definition within that testimony causing the emotional discord or even pointing out emotions that should be there but are not.

Much like our sidekicks before, Athena also has a lot of tragedy in her backstory justifying her behavior which I wouldn't spoil for the world. But I will say this - it ended up speaking a lot more to me than any of the characters that came before. It may not be as severe of a trial as what Maya Fey had to go through when all was said and done at the end of AA3, but again, you bond with the characters and their plight a lot more when you get to be put into their shoes. The fact that I got to play as Athena and see the world through her eyes made it all the more painful when she had to go through her ordeals. But really, if we go back to me mentioning my most tragic moment a few days ago in this topic, the very "point" that I ended up calling a heartbreaking thing to experience just adds onto how capable she is in the face of despair, even when she has everything to lose.

But when the defense team stands tall together at the bench it's like the moment in Anchorman when Ron summons his news team; pretty funny and awesome to have you raring to go. She's something of a rarity filled with personality, and more playable female characters could learn a thing or two from her.
 

[The Deleter]

Day 20: Favorite side character

 

Going to have to keep this short, as I'm super tired.

 

 

Captain Quark from the Ratchet and Clank series.

 

C'mon, what's not to love about him. He's a superhero, he fights crime on a galactic scale, and has saved the galaxy... no, the universe, multiple times! And look at those awesome abs, those marvelous muscles, and those beautiful buttocks! Did I mention he ran for presidency for the Polaris galaxy, and won?

 

Yeah, so what if he started out rough. Sure he went through the trial of falsifying his identity in the world, and then later wanting revenge for his terrible humiliation, but after a long period of reflection and self-searching, he finally emerged from his cocoon as the honorable, awesome, outstanding hero I-I mean, he, is!

 

See those?

 

Day 20: Complete

[Kamicciolo]

Day 20 - Favourite "These guys make your choice look like background filler, Ninja~" Side Characters

 

 

I couldn't not pick these two little nitwits, they're my favourite recent addition to the Sonic franchise. For one they're on the actual villains side for once (the heroes sorely outnumber the villains still but every little helps I guess :V.).

 

What I really enjoy about them though is the level of interaction they have primarily with Eggman. Before now we only got to see Eggman when he was directly confronting Sonic and pals so we generally only got to see him when the action was ongoing. The addition of Orbot and Cubot though gives Eggman someone he can bounce off of when in the quieter/earlier moments of the stories.

 

I also just really like the two as characters. Orbot is your snarky minion, always complaining about the crap he puts up with and the slagging off Eggman's schemes, sometimes to his face and sometimes behind his back, and Cubot is your loyal but stupid minion, who wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the enthusiasm he has in doing what he does. Together they form a great little duo to serve Eggman, bouncing off each other and the the other characters pretty.

 

My only want is for them to appear in a more story oriented game alongside Metal Sonic. I'd love to see the interactions and antics that would come from the more serious-minded robot and these two little bumblers.

 

 

[Jeffhog]

TWENTY MINUTES IN HEAVEN

~ Vizard, Just Get a Room With this Game Already ~

 

 

Day 20: Favourite Side Character

 

Character Selected: Palutena

Series: The Kid Icarus franchise

 

"I'm sensing treasure somewhere to your left."
"How do you know that?"
"From the heavens. I can see through your laurel crown to divine your surroundings!"
"Really? That's amazing!"
"And that's not all I can see, Pit. I can also see what's in your heart."
*beat* 
"Oh... heh heh. That's really... something..."
"So you'd better not be thinking of anything... naughty~"
"What?! How did you—"
"Just kidding! Seriously, reading hearts through laurel crowns?"
"I know... I was... also kidding..."
"Sure you were."

~Palutena & Pit, Chapter 2 -- Magnus and the Dark Lord

 

I think Palutena is a pretty cool gal. She's the Goddess of Light and doesn't afraid of anything.

 

In all seriousness though, Palutena generally plays the role of Mission Control for Pit in Uprising, helping to keep him in the air when she bestows onto him the Power of Flight, dropping down food for him when he's low on health, giving you tips on how to use your weapon or to fell certain foes, and helping to keep the mood and outlook as positive as possible throughout the campaign with that brilliant personality of hers.

 

As a goddess, she's a very wise, incredibly knowledgeable, and pretty sophisticated character, but she's also incredibly down to earth with the player. She laughs, she jokes, she teases, and as you go on through the game, she provides as much support as she can, whether it's to even the playing field with the Underworld Army or to boost morale. It does feel like she sort of looks out for you, you know? Also, she's a bit of a nerd too. You wouldn't imagine a goddess-type character to be quirky and all, but it works with her.

 

These reasons and more make the Chaos Kin arc incredibly depressing yet all the more urgent to complete. The Overworld is on the brink of collapse, Palutena is under the possession of a creepy crawlie eldritch abomination, and with it influencing her, she's become warped. When you do defeat the Kin at last, after the grueling Lightning Chariot chapter and making it through a ruined Skyworld (with her Army having turned on you), you just feel so relieved that someone so kindhearted who's cared for you so much throughout the ordeal is now okay.

 

Right up until the monster rips her soul from her body, at least, and tears a hole through the fabric of reality to escape into the Chaos Void. You saved her, then now you basically saw her get killed before your very own eyes, and it's going to stay that way if you lose track of the Chaos Kin.

 

You feel more compelled to save someone who's been with you throughout the story rather than it being the basis of the plot, I find. I don't recall heading right onto the next chapter so quickly because god damn it, no! Right when everything was starting to look up again, I only get knocked down a peg again! The Aurum are gone, and suddenly, I've been a ring for three years because of that asshole! When I'm finally "alive" again, I discover that my body's been slaughtering humans during the time I've been forced away. Get my body back, and now Palutena is the Kin's plaything! Get the Chariot, save her, and now her soul's been torn out right when victory was in my hands!

 

Fuck no, not this time!

 

"Hold on, Lady Palutena! I'm coming for you!!"

~Pit, Chapter 22 -- The Chaos Vortex

 

Sure, her Army might not have the best dental plan, but not only do I really like her, Pit's pretty darn fortunate to have a boss like her.

 

 

i really love this game okay don't look at me

[Solkia]

I guess I didn't think of that.

 

Oh well. Do-over.

 

ALVIN [iNSERT LAST NAME HERE] - TALES OF XILLIA

 

This guy here...is really cool. He resides in a moral gray area, but his actions are really understandable. He's a badass too, and always likes to tease the other members of the cast. Really interesting back story, too. Other than that, I guess it mostly boils down to stuff Sonic Cycle said in his post.

 

Guess I just really can't write much today lol. Hopefully I'll do better tomorrow. 

 

Alvin Vint Svent :V

[SuperLink]

Hmm I am still lazy with these.

 

Day 2twentee0 - Favourite Side (of chips) Character

 

Palutena - Kid Icarus

 

 

Considering I became known around here for a while for having Palutena as my avatar a lot.. she was bound to come up eventually. Palutena is awesome, and her and her relationship with Pit were doubtlessly among my favourite things about Kid Icarus: Uprising, a game where I can't help but laud every line of dialogue and every plot element and every character.. Palutena stands right at the peak of that. You could say she presides over it

 

Nintendo is often characterised as having kinda.. "princessy" side-female characters, and you wouldn't be blamed for thinking that for the most part. While many initially assumed Palutena would be similar, a princessy, "pure" kind of character, she is anything but. Sure, she thinks she's fucking great, but not in a majestic or honoured kind of way.. actually, the kind of way where you'd big-headedly say "I think I'm pretty fucking great" about yourself and mean it 100%. One thing I loved about Kid Icarus: Uprising was that it took Kid Icarus' extremely loose Greek mythology inspirations and gave them more basis.. and made them more extreeme. Kid Icarus was no longer Greek mythology in name, but instead it became a more cartoony Greek mythology AU of sorts, because gone is the vague sort of "uh.. the main character is like Icarus or something I think but he's an angel and the ruler of all evil is that random gorgon from one Greek myth" nope instead we've got gods and goddesses partaking in a pissing contest per second and Palutena characterises that perfectly.

 

Why..? Because she's supposed to be good, pure, she's your guiding light, she's your role model, she's supposed to be the character you look at and say "yeah, we're the good guys who can do no wrong and we'll beat all the unquestionably bad guys!".. that's what she'd be if Kid Icarus was like most games, I think. Instead, she's selfish, short-sighted, she thinks she's better than everyone else but doesn't recognise that she and her army and her methods are still far from pure. She's.. a Greek god, and the fact that your main supporter side-protagonist throughout the whole game is someone with a questionable moral clock really sets the scene better than anything and more than anything she's fresh. It's fresh to have a side female support character who is more than a pretty face, more than puns and jokes, Palutena is utterly and thoroughly thought and fleshed out, her playful banter with Pit and her initially pure-seeming personality end up contrasting with her uncanny ability to go over the top, say stupid things and.. just have way more dimensions than I expected.

 

And she's not even really a bad person, far from it, she genuinely cares about Pit when it counts, and her friendly relationship and mutual trust with him is as solid as it can possibly get despite her faults and his.. naivety. Even though she's officially his commander, a goddess to his "foot-soldier" status, they're also friends.. even though she teases him about it, I'm pretty sure Pit is Palutena's best friend and the person she trusts most. Palutena, the "great Goddess of Light", wouldn't be who she is without Pit, that one angel foot-soldier who can't fly, and she probably knows it and I think that's adorable. You could even say she'd a "product of her time", a time when Greek gods and goddesses were all assholes to one another for barely any reason. One thing's for sure though she's a hell of an entertaining and likeable character from every aspect, and I think she far outdid most peoples' expectations, my own included. I'd love to see more of her.. maybe she'll reach "playable" status for that Smash Bros. game coming up.. I can dream.

 

Honourable mentions (because there are soo many great side characters):

• Luigi - Mario series
• Rosalina - Mario series
• Aigis - Persona 4
• Cynthia - Pokémon
• Rydia - Final Fantasy IV
• Faris Scherwiz - Final Fantasy V
• Balthier - Final Fantasy XII
• Sophie - Tales of Graces
• Karis - Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
• Riku - Kingdom Hearts 3D
• Aaand Midna, Groose and Fi from the Zelda series

[Tornado]

All this Ace Attorney talk has led me to play the first game again. And, man, Maya is really fun as a character. It's always a delicate line to write "precocious kid character", because if you do it wrong you end up with Wesley Crusher (and most shows do). Maya manages to toe that line very nicely. She's a major asset to Phoenix in every game (even the ones where she's being framed for murder or kidnapped, which... is surprisingly common) but isn't more competent than him; and when she fails at her main raison d'être (which is justified quite well in story) she still always manages to find a way to help no matter the consequences. She even acts as the voice of hope when the usually-idealistic Phoenix feels about giving up. And despite that, she manages to be a well-rounded character with her own faults; some humorous, some more serious.

[Kaabiitorori]

Day 20: Favourite Side Character

 

 

Fidget (Dust: An Elysian Tail)

 

Mentioned as my favourite Indie title back in Day 5, Dust: An Elysian Tail had a pretty captivating story as well as a good cast of characters to interact with. Fidget not only serves as one key component in the gameplay but a great companion throughout the story. At first, Fidget comes across as a rather useless character on her own (and even Dust snarks at her for using her projectile attacks which barely inflict damage on enemies), but combined with Dust Storm her energy blasts can multiply into several dozens which can home into nearby enemies. Through game progression, Fidget learns fireball and thunderbolt attacks which can also be combined with Dust Storm to create greater attacks and deal greater amounts of damage. Fidget's magical powers can be raised whenever Dust levels up and when you equip items which can multiply her damage up to 3x, becoming a powerful ally from the mid to end-game if her attributes are well managed early on.

 

Fidget serves as the guardian of the Blade of Ahrah, one of the five blades of Elysium; in terms of personality, Fidget is the total opposite of Ahrah's cautious and wise personality, whereas is seen to have a playful, lighthearted and even mischievous view of things. Fidget's interaction, bond and trust with Dust grow stronger as the story progresses and more of Dust's memories and mysterious past is revealed. Another aspect I love about Fidget is her comic relief which blends perfectly well to the darker and more serious elements of the plot, and her constant use of metafiction to break the fourth wall and make the player have more than just a laugh with her dialogues and even references to other video games.

 

(Just finished my post before the next question is up! I'll have to leave my introduction and honourable mentions a bit later once again...) .w.;

[Sami]

Day 21 - Most Memorable Unlockable

Costumes - Spider-Man PS1

Okay so I've talked about Spider-Man a few times already now. As you can probably tell, I was at one point a total fanboy (to an extent still am, not gonna lie). But you know what introduced me to all that?

This game. "Spider-Man" on the PS1, N64, and Dreamcast. I had the PS1 version as a kid, and played it to death. I swear I must have beaten it at least twenty times. I'd have another go at it now for nostalgia's sake if I still had it.

The main plot revolves around beating up bad guys and eventually stopping Doc Ock's super evil plan which involves lowering the city's draw distance making everything foggy or something. I dunno, it was cool.

So you beat Doc Ock and you're watching the credits roll. A sequel is teased ("The End?") and you're feeling accomplished. You're sent back to the main menu and

BAM


http://
wow this was one sexy ps1 game amirite

OH SHIT DUDE IS THAT VENOM DO I GET TO PLAY AS VENOM???!??

no

sit down

BUT ITS JUST AS COOL SO WHO CARES WOOHOO UNLIMITED WEBBING AND YOU LOOK LIKE A BADASS AWW YEAH

So yeah you get extra powers to break the game with and you look cooler. Sweet. I swear there was like a bazillion suits to unlock, too. One of them made you invisible. It was awesome. You'd press a button and all of a sudden you're in stealth camo mode just messing around with the idiot guards. Good fun.

I think the new movie game has this too but that looks like a shitty game so I'll just fondly remember when Spider-Man was made by the Tony Hawk Pro Skater guys and he was kind of the shit

All this Ace Attorney talk has led me to play the first game again. And, man, Maya is really fun as a character. It's always a delicate line to write "precocious kid character", because if you do it wrong you end up with Wesley Crusher (and most shows do). Maya manages to toe that line very nicely. She's a major asset to Phoenix in every game (even the ones where she's being framed for murder or kidnapped, which... is surprisingly common) but isn't more competent than him; and when she fails at her main raison d'être (which is justified quite well in story) she still always manages to find a way to help no matter the consequences. She even acts as the voice of hope when the usually-idealistic Phoenix feels about giving up. And despite that, she manages to be a well-rounded character with her own faults; some humorous, some more serious.

Totally agreed. Maya hate makes me sad, man. D:

The bit in 1-2 where she takes everything Phoenix says at face value and plans to bust him out of jail cracks me up every time, she's just so pleasant lol.