30 Days of Video Games

[Sami]

Day 20 - Favorite Side Character from a Video Game

You know, despite the fact that the game Midna stars in was subtitled "Twilight Princess", I still can't help but be surprised at how much attention Midna got in this game. Sure, the game is called the "Legend of Zelda", and Link is still the player character, but Twilight Princess is very much Midna's story. Without her, the whole plot of the game would be practically non-existent, in fact. Zelda herself is nothing more than a side-character, Link is about as interesting as a stick, and the whole rest of the cast is either bland or annoying as hell (bar maybe Zant, who was both interesting and intimidating before being hijacked by Ganon). But this definitely works in Midna's favor in several ways; her position as Link's supporting character gives her tons of screen time, and Link's "Blank Slate" personality allows her to be the one getting all of the attention. She's essentially the puppet-master on the heroic side of the story; she helped Zelda escape Zant, she got Link out of captivity, and she used her own powers to allow Link to carry on in his quest. He literally would be completely useless without her. Thanks to all this screen time, Midna manages to get herself the best character development the game has to offer, the best personality the game has to offer, and the best backstory the game has to offer.

The other thing that helps her out significantly is the thing I pointed out earlier: The rest of the cast sucks, quite simply. Link is boring. Zelda is bring. Link's stupid friends are incredibly annoying (including the token love interest, who led me to be absolutely baffled at how Nintendo actually expected me to like this girl). Zant is cool, but is completely brushed under the rug when the game reaches its climax. Ganon has no place in this game, quite simply, and it's this game that made me absolutely sick of him. Everyone else is completely uninteresting. Midna is really the only likable character in the whole game, and for that reason, she really shines in my eyes.

It's really a shame she had to be in my least favorite Zelda game, I would love for her to have taken Fi's place in Skyward Sword.

[Bria]

Day 20 - Favorite Side Character from a Video Game

Midna from LoZ: Twilight Princess

I adored Midna's character from when she was first introduced in the game. She starts out with a rather snarky attitude towards Link, teasing him and not giving a care for what happens to his world/realm until the story progresses more. She has a change of heart and genuinely cares for Link and his homeland as well as her own, not to mention her near-sacrifice she did at the ending to save both Link and Zelda. I also love both her Imp and Twili designs as well.

Honorable Mentions

Cynder from The Legend of Spyro

In the third installment of the game, she becomes helpful and has a pretty cool arsenal of breath weapons to use. She's a pretty cool character as well.

Tails from Sonic the Hedgehog

An awesome friend (ignoring those Special Stages) and character, Tails was always fun to play with since he could fly, swim, and move at a pretty darn fast pace. Aside from Sonic, I always liked Tails as well.

[#EndyGate]

Issun is just that loveable, perverted little squirt for Okami that you just can't help but to love. Not only does he add a bit of comedy by messing with just about everyone, he also gets a sense of depth throughout the game, with his own little blips of development, such as his resolve with his family tradition as a painter near the game's end

[Gregzilla]

Day 20 - Favorite side character

Damnit, I am so sick of picking the same game for every day! It's Wheatley from Portal 2. But I am not going on about why I love this game any more. I hope this is the last question about favorite characters, so I can move on to other games. Alright, Wheatley.....he's hilarious. Moving on.

Runners Up:

Knuckles and Tails from the Sonic series - I love these guys, as they make a great trio with Sonic. You got the speedy and overconfident hero, the strong but gullible tough-guy, and the timid but super-intelligent young ward. They represent the adventurous tone that I always loved about the earlier Sonic games, especially when they actually DID stuff. Highlights include Tails helping you out in the Marble Garden boss fight and Knuckles realizing he's been tricked and helping you out in Hidden Palace and Sky Sanctuary. Nowadays I like Knuckles a bit more, because he seems to have more personality, but back in the Genesis days they seemed pretty equal, so I pick them both for one spot.

Victor Sullivan from the Uncharted series - Not much to say about this guy in particular, I just think he's cool. Adventurous, old, tough, and at times pretty funny. Even perverted at a couple moments, which always adds some funny points. As Nathan's mentor, he just seems like a really cool father/teacher figure for the series.

[Rawpowered]

Wow, I've missed so many days. I can only attempt the 10 day badge now =P

Day 20: Favourite side character

Falco is my favourite Star Fox character and always has been. The sarcastic, in your face personality of his has always made me laugh and is so much more different to the happy go lucky Slippy and Peppy.

His addition in Melee and Brawl were also great for me. And it's great to see how fantastic he is and his positions in the tier lists

[Carbo]

You know, originally I wanted to make a sort of sidestepping mention of a protagonist in reality being a side character the same way I discussed a few days ago whether or not it's applicable to call characters like Midna and Linebeck for protagonists. But I feel that it sort of blows my chance to call the shots on another rather overlooked guy in an incredibly overlooked game.

Brutal Legend was tied with Bionic Commando for my Game of The Year 2009 because it met up with all the expectations I had from a Tim Schafer game. Unorthodox and interesting, but sometimes tedious game play being mixed with fantastic writing, beautiful concept, excellent design and amazing characters.

Mangus is the engineer for Eddie's faction; Ironheade, and is Eddie's right hand man. He doesn't even know what an engineer is. But goddamn is he dedicated, because he's learning from the best in business. He's a ditz and a lovable coward, dedicated to the ways of becoming a true roadie.

"You see, Mangus, merchandise is kind of like a wedding ring. It's a material thing, yes, but it's also a symbol of a deeper devotion."

You can bet your ass that he takes these words to heart. Reliable, oblivious but still lovable, you couldn't ask for a better pal on the road. After all, he's already in the booth.

[Sean]

Day 20: Favorite video game side character

HNNNNNNNNNNNNNGH.

Elizabeth is easily the most entertaining character in Persona 3. Her cheerful demeanor is infectious, but her social skills are so damn terrible that her interactions with you and the outside world can be a little - how should I put it - nightmarish. She finds everything amusing. The game uses her naivety to hilarious effect, especially when you finish quests for her and see her reactions. The best part is that while you can't form a Social Link with Elizabeth, what you can do is go on dates. Your character seems to make little effort in correcting her perception of the world, so listening to her elaborate descriptions of the most simple concepts is intriguing and ever so alluring.

And do you fucking hear that voice of her's? It's amazing how Tara Platt can switch from one character who is mature and serious (Mitsuru) to another who is full of morbid curiosity and unmeddled excitement.

She's also the only character in the game who explicitly makes it with Minato, as opposed to implicitly.

[Match]

FAVORITE SIDE CHARACTER

TAILS

Not the most original answer of the bunch, but certainly meaningful. Tails has always been Sonic's sidekick and best bud. Tails has been tagging behind our blue dude with the 'tude since Sonic 2, when we could grab our second controller and chase around our older siblings and throw fits when they won't wait up. Tails is, in many ways, the perfect sidekick. Tails' goal is to be as fast our as cool as our hero, so he shows a lot of dedication. Tails has a strong will, and will kick some egg by himself if he has to. Tails is a mechanical genius, with an IQ of "shove it up your ugly ass," and can fly to boot.

Also, he's fucking adorable. Look at him. Those big, blue eyes. He's YELLOW, for Christ's sake! And he just yawns and waits patiently when Sonic stops and goes to the bathroom in the classics. In more recent games, he's taken a bit of a backseat to the blue blur, but he's slowly earning his awesome back. Example: Being Sonic's little brother in Sonic Colors. That's just Tails' role in a nutshell, outside of being Jimmy fecking Neutron.

There isn't much to be said about Tails that hasn't been said, so to quote myself from the "Toys From Your Past" thread:

This is Tails. You know, just a fox and shit.

MOTHAFUCKAH'S GOT 2 TAILS AND CAN FLY

this shit ain't a typo. I said FLY. AS IN THE MOTHERFUCKIN SKY

He not only has soared just out the window of my school bus and lived to brag to yo momma's fat ass about it, but he survived an encounter with my neighbor's dog Yogurt. He only got one foot and he's saved the day more times than yo basta'd-ass dad has brought home some groceries.

[null]

Day 20 - Favorite Side Character from a Video Game

Princess Zelda - The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - Nintendo DS - 2009

Spirit Tracks was mighty unique for a Zelda game. Not so much as Majora's Mask or Zelda II perhaps, but definitely among the ranks up there. One reason was, obviously, the railroad overworld which I personally had a blast with. The second reason was Zelda herself.

This is, hands down, my favorite iteration of Zelda for breaking her frequent role of damnbitch in distress and without having to resort to an alter-ego this time. Well, unless you count being a freely-moving spirit as being in distress... and unless you count the Phantom Knight armor as an alter-ego... okay, regardless, it's the closest thing we've had to both of those.

ST Zelda's personality is radically different from all other Zeldas; she acts like a 14-year old drama queen, being more concerned about the possibility of a demon using her human body as a shell than she is about the state of the kingdom that she's the ruler of. It is hilarious, and there's plenty of laughs to be had throughout the game because of her. And that's not even touching the Phantom Knight subject. The Spirit Tower dungeon was loads more tolerable than Phantom Hourglass' Ocean Temple due to how useful she is. Because of her and the railroads, Spirit Tracks is tied with Link's Awakening for my favorite portable Zelda title.

Runner-Ups: Globox (Rayman) and Maya Fey (Ace Attorney)

[Your Vest Friend]

I just don't have the energy for it today.

Good thing I already have day 20 typed out elsewhere. I'll cut it in half since these are the first two distinct "tiers".

Mrow! <3

Pura the Tiger [Crash Bandicoot]

Ah, Pura. To me, Pura is the pure essence of what I like in cute characters. He’s adorable and good, yet also energised and mischievous. He’s loyal and determined, yet calm and relaxed. And he can pilot a goddamn spaceship despite being a pet. You don’t get much more awesome than that. Introduced to him in 1999, and still kicking around as my top fave into 2012.

Vector the Crocodile [sonic the Hedgehog]

The reasons I like him have been studied to death by others in different topics, so I’ll just give a run-down; tough and brash demeanour hides his softer, more charitable insides, realistic goals and desires, intelligent and quick-witted despite being a power type, great interactions with other characters (especially his colleagues), funny, not the typical hero type that gets along with everyone (nor is Espio, thinking about it), you get the picture.

Espio the Chameleon [sonic the Hegdehog]

Espio, to me, can be loved for completely different reasons to why I love him. From the usual fangirly perspective, he’s ‘cool’ in the same way that Shadow or Silver is; stoic, reserved, down-to-Earth, brooding, humble…

…Except that’s bullshit. SEGA themselves put it best in his bios; “Opinionated and obsessed”. Espio is an egotist, and the biggest of the quartet by far (which is saying something). The value he puts in ninjutsu and his own skill is ridiculous to the point of being self-parodying (he claims that ninjas can walk on water, what the fuck). He also isn’t hesitant on putting his view on things into the fray, to the point of…dare I say it…almost acting like a nagging housewife to Vector when he gets distracted in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (believe me, I have seen that scenario play out NUMEROUS times in my house, except replace whitestones with bills and bank statements). He himself can also be guilty of miscommunication that ends up with Vector scolding him (and him running away from the communicator. I’m sure Silver was just as confused as I was)

Though he’s much fuller on vices than people may claim him to be, he does have his good side, obviously; his ninjutsu gives him a steadfast moral code to follow, as well as duty and honour. He especially seems loyalty-bound to Vector at the very least, although he admitted doesn’t get that much interaction with Charmy (which is weird, when you think about it). Aside from that, he does have a plethora of skills to go some way to back up his tremendous ego. He’s hinted at having a mischievous streak in him stemming from his invisibility. He acts as the emotional core of the Chaotix, giving him the soulfulness (which is NOT stoicism). All in all, a character who may get a bit of misguided backlash thanks to the fangirl crowd who like him because he’s ‘kewl’.

Dingodile [Crash Bandicoot]

Meet Tails the ever adorable mutant canine…with all of the Reptiles are Abhorrent trope mixed in. Winner of biggest bastard on this fave list (despite there being more recognisable villains on it; see below). Dingodile is undoubtedly the most intelligent of the quartet; being a specialist in engineering, he also has enough skill to be able to help the scientists around the lab (or did anyway) and create hybrid animals of his own, and has a passion for Shakespeare and croquet, giving him all round sophistication. Like Vector with his tough veneer however, Dingodile prefers to indulge his sadism and cruelty moreso. His debut showed this off perfectly, where his first response to seeing adorable little Penta (a canon immigrant from a Crash 2 manga like Amy and Charmy were canon immigrants from a Sonic manga…from the same company!) is to attempt to barbeque it alive.

Much of his activity after that was limited due to working as yet another Cortex lackey, but he got a big break in Twinsanity. Here, his sadistic qualities were ramped up to eleven, coupled with a new found greed for treasure (I think this makes Espio the only one with an explicit greed for material gain, although it’s bound to exist implicitly, knowing the trend…). Combined with his sewer-dwelling (and endurance; he was squished by a snowball then managed to trek over to the Academy of Evil before our protagonists) and willingness to attempt to kill Cortex to obtain the treasure of him and Crash, his slimeball aspects really shined here. He did reappear in Crash of the Titans once again working as another one of Cortexs lackeys, but only in the GBA and DS versions, which are incompatible with the main console versions thus are rendered non-canon in the same way the handhelds for Sonic titles are, so he’s still currently a traitor on his own in canon.

Komodo Joe [Crash Bandicoot]

Not nearly as much of a usual fan favourite. Still nearly as much of a bastard as the fellow reptilian Crash representative. Joe has much more of a business head, and utilises crooked dealings in his schemes to get rich. What differentiates him from the more recognisable “Honest John” of the franchise (Pinstripe) is the ambition and practicality within his plans. He thinks big; in CTR, his plan was to mine cubic zirconias and pass them off as diamonds while selling them to the Couch Slouch shopping network. In the Twinsanity concepts, his plan to obtain Crystals was to build an entire racing track to lure Crash there to pass over his Crystals and drive around the track. The trick was that Joe had cut the brakes This is also where he shows that he’s just as traitorous and murder-happy, given that Cortex (disguised as Coco) gets dragged along for the ride (it makes sense in context…sort of) and Joe is happy to kill him along with Crash knowing this. The practicality comes in from the fact he does much to of the technical stuff himself; given my theory on Dragon Mines (you can PM for that if you want, but I’d just copy/paste it from Crash Mania), Joe presumably had a hand in adapting the place to perform his desired function, and he knew enough about cars to be able to cut the brakes himself without arousing suspicion.

On top of that, he has a personality to back this all up; he’s an extreme cynic towards anyone who crosses him. He’s proud of his himself and his abilities (not as much as the water walker, that said). He walks all over his big brother, almost to the point of abuse (scolding him for incompetence in the Crash 2 concepts, using him to merely hold the sign in the Twinsanity concepts). He’s intelligent and snarky, while also prone to emotional outbursts (starts shrieking in a much higher pitch after some attacks in-race, continuously sobs when he loses a race). Did I mention he can use a sword? Because it’s kind of easy to forget that with my description of him.

[Indigo Rush]

[Shane]

I'd go with Kazooie, but I consider her to be on equal terms with Banjo. I'd go with Cranky Kong, but I feel we may have a day for our favourite NPC.

Tatl is more of a sidekick than Cranky Kong, in my opinion. Both serve similar purposes but Tatl is there for the entire adventure.

I like Tatl. Tatl is introduced as a friend of the Skull Kid, and she's actually part of the reason Link loses his horse, Epona, and the Ocarina of Time. Due to Skull Kid falling further under the control of Majora, he forgets about her, leading to a partnership between Tatl and yourself. Tatl serves the same exact purpose as Navi, but Tatl has a lot more depth. Whereas Navi was nothing more than a simple guide, Tatl slowly reveals herself to you as someone who cares deeply about what's going on.

Tatl is much more involved and much more straightforward than Navi was. She's not as formal and can even be a little harsh when you ask for help with something that you should remember from the previous game, Ocarina of Time. She doesn't have as much advice as Navi, but the advice she does give is a lot more useful. Where Navi felt more like a servant, Tatl feels like an actual friend.

Tatl is a vastly overlooked character, in my opinion.

[Chibinuva]

Day 20 - Favorite Side Character from a Video Game

Hmm, there are a lot of different side characters in games. However, if I had to pick one, it would be someone loyal. Someone who will be with you just for walking by him, and stick you to like glue. Someone who will protect you from harm no matter what. But at the same time, someone will desert you in your darkest hour, leaving you alone to face the enemy. He's also very fashionable, showing off his style in the gleaming sunlight.

This badass motha fucka right here.

Day 20 - Favourite Sidekick

It's Vinyl again everyone <3

Now, favourite sidekick? It's gonna be hard to chose from so many, but I would chose someone that a few of them may know:

The Watcher from Darksiders

Voiced by the GLORIOUS Mark Hamill, The Watcher is like War's Wheatley, supporting the protagonist and acting as a helping character.

But he is nothing like Wheatley personality-wise.

The Watcher is a sadistic, evil, bitchy sidekick to War, who basically is strapped to the Horseman after War is accused of starting the Apocalypse early.

The Watcher isn't afraid of showing his disgust at War, threatening the horseman saying that he could kill him in a blink of an eye and stuff like that. He doesn't show mercy, forcing War to kill Tiamat and take her heart without remorse ("Do it, tear out her heart while she still lives, I want to hear her scream!")

Overall, The Watcher is possibly my favourite sidekick. He's sadistic, lacks feelings and isn't afraid of showing his hatred at War.

[Nintendoga]

Day 20 Diddy Kong

He's back again, and about time, too

And this time, he's in the mood!

He can fly real high

with his jetpack on...

With his pistols out, he's one tough Kong!

He can make you smile when you hear his tune...

But, DK beware

'cause he's after you!

Diddy Kong is the better one in Country, got his own game in Country 2, has a spinoff and a remake, and is the ONLY REASON YOU HAVE BEATEN DONKEY KONG COUNTRY RETURNS. Seriously, without him the game is impossible.

He's also the quickest and coolest character in the series, even though his has little to no personality. I'm always estatic when playing as Diddy Kong, and love DKC2 to death, so that's probably why I find him the better out of the main duo (Or Pento, or however many people are playable in the game.) There's hasn't been one person in the series that I find more useful then Diddy Kong, it's like the series was made just for him sometimes.

...Okay maybe he's not the most helpful in the series, but he's still my favorite. Better be the main star again in DKCR2.

[SuperStingray]

Alyx Vance

Far too often, video game sidekicks are an empty personality, simply put there because they have a role to fill, be it a tutorial character, comic relief, a place holder for a possible co-op player or an exposition parrot. Even important supporting characters like Tails and Luigi started as this. Alyx Vance, however, is none of these things (At least not after Red Letter Day.) The game doesn't even need her to work. Half-Life 1 didn't offer you any companions; you were pretty much on your own the entire game. In fact, the game would move faster without her. Yet Half-Life 2 wouldn't be half as good as it is without her presence. Why?

In a word, she's your friend. From when she first saves you outside Kleiner's lab, she's never had to tell you where to move, as the game mechanics do a good enough job of that. She's not there to be an escort mission, as she's practically invincible in most situations. She's not there to be played by another player, as HL2 is a single player game. She's there to have a presence. To let you know you're her hero, to validate your accomplishments, to give you support when progressing on your own seems impossible, and to not just let you be a hero, but to feel like one.

There are many characters in gaming that try to give you this feeling, but only Alyx has the nuances that make her feel human. The way she gives you a smile when you glance at her when she's idle. The way her voice cracks when she protests the Combine's inhumane ways with a passionate contempt. The way she cheers when she kills an enemy. The way she awkwardly laughs at her own jokes. The way she can't stand to say goodbye to her dad, even for short periods of time. She's not a born hero, she's a person forced to be a hero, strong enough to hold her own, but still relying on your support as you rely on hers.

And not only is she a good character, she's a good female. My problem with most female game characters is when they're not vapid sex objects, they're overcorrected to the point essentially just men given a woman's frame that serve to say "look at me, I can haz testosterone too!" Alyx never explicitly brings attention to the fact she's a girl, nor does she act like a man to have to prove she's strong, but her feminine qualities still surface organically.

The adventure in the Half-Life series is just incomplete without the moments Alyx walks by your side. And those moments are made all the more special during the times she's not. I don't think there's ever been a moment in a game I've been happier to see a supporting character than when I ran into her in Nova Prospekt. And very few times have I been more devistated than when she was nearly killed by the Hunter in Episode 2. Really, her character development would be incomplete if it weren't for the fact you played as her companion. Her personality revolves around the fact that it's you, not "Gordon", who is her companion. When she's in trouble, it's you who saves her and you who she thanks.

Sometimes I just want to hug the screen when I see her, and it takes ALOT for any work to make me feel that way about a character.

Runners up: Missile (Ghost Trick), Otacon (MGS), (Revolver) Ocelot (MGS), Jack Marston (Red Dead Redemption), Yoshi (Mario), King Dedede (Kirby), Max (Sam & Max), Lt. Col. Robert Burns (Vanquish)

Edited February 5, 2012 by SuperStingray

[Tornado]

Let me tell you a story. There was once a game called Street Fighter II. In it, karate men (and women!) travel the globe and beat each other up.

And then there was a game called Art of Fighting. In it, karate men who are in no way based on the first group of karate men travel around a city and beat people up. There's also a Star Wars parody involved. None of it really made any sense until the sequel came out.

Well, those guys behind the first game didn't like that. But they decided not to call their lawyers as they were wont to do with most of the knock-offs of the time. They decided to have more fun with it this time. And thus, Dan was born. Or, in plainer terms:

And so I nominate:

Dan THE MAN Hibiki

Street Fighter

What about Dan makes him so awesome? Is it the constant bumbling throughout the series events, so tenuously related to the plot that his storylines might as well not be from the same game? Is it the satisfaction of playing as him and succeeding despite how (intentionally) terrible he is (Street Fighter IV excepting)? Is it this?

Or this:

?

No. It is his self-aggrandizing nonsense representing a delightful counterpoint to a series that has tended to take itself far more seriously than it ever had a right to. Dan represents the polar opposite of the series' main character. Where Ryu is stoic near the point of parody and the strongest character in the series; Dan has an ego the size of Manhattan, bounces off of walls like he injected cocaine into his eyeballs and is decidedly not the strongest character.

For example, look at this screenshot:

In which Dan is offering to teach the man who beat Dan's father to death how to fight.

Hilariously enough, that man, who stands a good foot and a half taller and has fists the size of Dan's skull, threw the fight canonically because he was ashamed of being the main catalyst for Dan being the way he is. And that is why Dan is so great.

If I had to compare Dan to anyone directly, I would say he is like Hercule from DBZ. Much like Hercule, Dan is almost pathetically outmatched by everyone he surrounds himself with. Like Hercule, Dan steals absolutely every scene he appears in. And like Hercule, the people who know what is going on know how much of a joke he is. But unlike Hercule, there is no realization that he is full of shit. Unlike Hercule, there is no facade put up to pretend that he is the best fighter in the world.

Oh no. Dan legitimately believes that to be the case, because according to him why wouldn't he be? And no matter how many times he is beaten up by the main characters, no matter how ridiculous everyone views him, and no matter how hard his life is because of those things, he never stops believing; and he is all the better for it.

Edited February 5, 2012 by Gilda

[Serperior]

He taught me and every other 90's child to never trust anyone. A priceless life lesson.

It's not priceless, it cost 500 Pokédollars.

Anyway, favourite side character....I should've saved Luigi for this but eh, too late to change it now. He'd be on here if I didn't already put him in protagonists though.

Finally, a chance to write about a Sonic character where all but a few people haven't done so already. Tails is one of my favourite side characters, and is probably overall my favourite character in the Sonic series. His gameplay is fun, as it usually (Ignoring Sonic Adventure 2) sticks to the standard Sonic gameplay while adding something new to it with the added ability to fly, allowing you to traverse different paths for a new experience in the game that wouldn't be possible without it. His design is pretty nice as well, it's simplistic, and has a nice charm to it. I'd also say he's had a good bit of character development over his time in the series. Going from idolising Sonic and being unable to leave his side without thinking he wouldn't be able to do anything in the Genesis era, to realising that he is capable on his own and even capable of doing things that his previous idol couldn't during and after the adventure series, to even being able to realise Sonic's flaws and point them out to him (Jokingly of course) in his recent outings. His expertise with machinery also brings something unique....to the hero side of the cast anyway in the series as well, which helped maintain giving him a unique personality trait after he lost the idolising Sonic trait in Adventure.

Honourable mentions:

Guile: I know it's debatable on how you would place a fighting game character in terms of being a main character or a side character, but I'd put Guile down as a side character since he isn't as important to the Street Fighter plot as other characters, and he wasn't in any of the games for a good while.

Anyway, Guile is a character who is so awesome that he ignores peoples' genders when insulting them at the end of a fight, has hair that completely ignores physics, was given a special moves that puts on shades so he can look like a boss while he beats you into the ground, and has the American flag tattoos on both of his arms to show how much he loves his country. He's just such a silly character when you get down to it and that makes me like him. He's also pretty fun to play as as well, and is a really effective character in some of his appearances.

Plus he has the most badass theme song in the history of forever.

Proto Man: He's like Mega Man, who was pretty cool anyway, but if Mega Man was super chilled out about everything, (His life is basically on a timer and he doesn't even care), willing to help out his brother when he desperately needs it, a pretty memorable and iconic theme song and an awesome pair of shades and a scarf. The fact that he also keeps the charge shot and slide in the 2 newest classic series Mega Man games make him pretty cool as well, even if taking double damage and knockback when hit does make him pretty hard to play as at times.

There's probably more, but I'm too tired to think right now, and this is probably the last chance I'll get to make this post before the next day starts, so I'll edit it later once I think of more. Not that anyone cares either way.

[Badnik Mechanic]

Day 20 - Favorite Side Character from a Video Game

The minor protagonists, the sidekicks, NPCs etc., all of them go here.

I'm going to break my rule as to try and do a different game each day.. but this guy wins day 20 for me.

Stockpile Thomas

"You have a heart of gold, don't let them take it from you..."

Now... when it comes to you and your RPGs, you usually have a choice betweena bottomless inventory or a restricted system which limits to what you can or cannot carry.

When you can't carry anymore items. Stockpile Thomas is there.

When you pick up too many slave shields and it takes too long to drop them all one by one Stockpile Thomas is there.

When you need to find the right precious material to craft your new weapon, stockpile Thomas is there.

Who is he? This man?

.......... ........... is he a lover? Or a fighter?

Who are the other people he agrees to help? Are they still alive? Or did they perish? To Stockpile Thomas it doesn't matter, he waits... for the day they return.

He had a family... the demons took their souls.

Whenever you return to the Nexus' he's there, your belongings are all safe and in order... he puts them in order himself, doesn't ask you to do it. And he will continue to encourage you not to be turned by the demons.

But who is he? This man?

Stockpile Thomas is one of the first NPC's you find in Demons Souls, he is also one of the most crucial NPC's in the whole game. Everytime you find an item in Demons Souls, Stockpile Thomas acts like a giant inventory for you, simply drop your items off with him and he'll keep it safe until you return, reducing your weight burdon and keeping safe all your resources which you'll need to rely on when it comes crafting weapons.

He has no strength and no fighting skill, so he does what he can for the brave warriors like you, he'll look after your belongings so you can continue the fight, but he also stores everything in it's correct catergory so you can find everything easilly and quickly.

Should you attack or kill Stockpile Thomas... the game punishes you for this grave crime... any items you stored with him are lost until the next game... and you may not store any additional items.

Why is Stockpile Thomas so special?

.... .... Because he is missed!

When the Dark Souls came to the land, when everyone picked up their game to fight the demons, we saw the cowardly crestfallen warrior, the snide Patches the Hyena... and even a small nod to Blacksmith Boldwin... but Stockpile Thomas... was gone.

Replaced by this...

The Bottomless Box

The Bottomless Box... the box which you store all your items in... which will not store them in order, will not combine the items (so your 99 slave shields will be displayed individually), will not make it obvious when you deposit or remove an item... Will make you wish for Stockpile Thomas' return.

When Dark Souls came out and people saw Thomas' replacement... there was quite an outrage at how bad it was compared to Thomas, there was quite a loud demand for his return in a patch (which never came) because the box was so bad compared to Thomas' storage system.

Stockpile Thomas is one of the most important NPC's in Demons Souls, and he's evidence of an important gameplay device for RPG's, your game needs Stockpile Thomas... oh he might not be a man sat by bags and boxes... but what he does should be there in some way... keeping your belongings safe... in order... easy to find and access.

But... Stockpile Thomas had another secret that he only shared years after Demons Souls was released, was this a blessing? Or a curse? For many, this greatly improved Demons Souls as it added months of life to the online since nobody was afriad to duel anymore.

The Stockpile Thomas item dupe glitch... controversial yes, but the arguments as to why it was a good thing destroyed the other.

But now... we have the Dark Souls... and they got rid of him!

OH STOCKPILE THOMAS! You had a heart of gold... I won't let the Dark Souls take it!

Edited February 5, 2012 by Hogfather

[Zany Mallet Maniac]

There are a million that come to mind but for the sake of not making this incredibly long, I'll just name one of the first that come to mind. That being this fella here:

That's right, you know him as Mario's twin brother Luigi. He is so awkward and strange. He may be afraid of almost everything, but when someone is in trouble, he can push his fear down and get down to business. Some of Luigi's best moments are in the RPG and Paper series. In Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door you can talk to Luigi and he tells you all about his odd adventures, all of which had me in tears laughing! It's not easy being green, but Luigi always gives it his best, no matter what!

[Meow]

FAVE SIDECHARACTER:

DAMN STRAIGHT ITS MIDNA.

Edited February 5, 2012 by Marina

[Cobalt_Bolt]

Day 20 and favorite side character. This one is another easy one for me as it is part of my favorite series that I mentioned a few posts ago.

Miles "Tails" Prower

This little guy has been with Sonic for quite a long time since the second of the 16-bit era games. At first he just followed Sonic around and occasionally was helpful in gathering rings and powerups. Later on in the series he was taking on the crazy doctor himself who had better armaments while he had little more than his two tails, a rhythm badge, and jet anklets yet he still won after in the face of those odds. Tails also applied his mechanical knowledge and built racing equipment for two types of events which goes to show he is pretty competitive and willing to take on his older brother figure. That right there shows how much he has grown throughout the years from one who had no direction in life to taking on the major threats on his own without assistance.

[Mandyrobin]

My favourite female side character, and my all-time favourite video game character. Rouge is beautiful, intelligent, independent and strong. She was the first female playable character in the Sonic series after Amy and I loved her for not being a love-sick fangirl or dependent on a male character for help all the time. She always does what she wants, when she wants and how she wants, refusing to let anything or anyone stand in her way. You also can't deny she has a good fashion sense, as she always looks good in whatever she wears. I love how her character has developed since her initial appearance in Sonic Adventure 2 and how her relationships with other characters has developed. I would really love to see more done with her in the near future.

[PSI Wind]

Tails, hands down. Sure, he may have fucked you over in Special Stages in Sonic 2, but he's still great. I love his design and the two-tailed thing brought the great idea of flying, which was awesome in Adventure 1. I also really like how smart he is at technology. He almost brings Eggman to shame sometimes too! He's also a great companion for Sonic, as both share some similar traits, but have many different ones to stay different characters. And I love how he's developed into someone who can rely on his own while still being like Sonic's little bro.

[Shoot em up Capbusta]

I like Knux even with all of his flaws as of now he's just pushed aside as one of Sonic's shitty friends. Knukles was one of sonic's first true rival with it being fueled by eggman of course, he was duped into thinking sonic was the bad guy trying to take the chaos emeralds. From the design to his personality knuckles was always one of my favorite characters besides sonic.

[The Kid]

Favorite Side Character:

Alright let's do this! This is one of my favorites, even if I no longer play the games he's in.

"Resetting... it's like...pressing an emergency call button. You press it and I gotta come read you the riot act. See?"

"The name's Resetti. Mr. Resetti."

This is the first character that actually makes it fun to reset your game without saving. Not only that, he teaches you a fundamental lesson, SAVE YOUR DAMN GAME! He goes from calm, to slightly angry, to swinging his pick axe at you in blind fury. I remember resetting my game repeatedly just so I could piss him off even more, until I actually got a little creeped out by him. Then he really starts to scare you, in a "I'm going to come out of your Gamecube and kill you in your sleep" sort of way. He even goes so far as to fake reset your game for you! I mean what kind of sick bastard does that?

At the time it really made me hesitant to reset because I knew when I turned it back on, he'd be there, waiting for me.

All in all Mr. Resetti can be hilarious and slightly creepy (and insane, don't forget insane), adding a fun little twist to starting up your game now and then. Honestly I'm wondering why he has that job in the first place, considering he hates it to the point of probably killing someone.

Edited February 5, 2012 by Issac Clarke