25 Legendary Video Game Characters, Part 2

A bit of a troublemaker, Jak is headstrong and quiet in the first game--mute, actually--but that changes in Jak II, where he is injected with Dark Eco. In Jak III, however, things even out and Jak is blessed with Light Eco abilities.

Cross Ahnult the Terminator with Vanilla Ice, and you get a pretty fair physical resemblance to the talented Mr. Nukem. Originally employed by the CIA to save earth from Dr. Proton, Duke eventually evolves into a hypermasculine, egotistical, womanizing tough guy. His missions usually involve killing aliens that invade Earth, and he's known for his dual talents at kicking ass and chewing gum (though he's usually out of gum).

On a side note, Duke is scheduled for a comeback in 2011.

A half-demon, half-human hybrid, Dante is a mercenary dedicated to dispatching demons who killed his mother and corrupted his brother.

Naruto is a young ninja who strives for recognition and aspires to someday become a Hokage, the resident ninja of his village, acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of all.

Known as Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, meaning “Flying One--Son of None,” Altair was raised as an assassin from birth. By the age of 25, he had attained the rank of Master Assassin. Altair has the task of eliminating the nine corrupt leaders of the Knights Templar.

Zelda is the princess of Hyrule and the protector of the Triforce of Wisdom. Most of the time Link, the hero of the series, has to save Zelda, but occasionally she displays considerable talent as a fighter, using magic spells and weapons such as Light Arrows to help Link.

Probably my favorite villain of all time, Sephiroth originated in an experiment performed by the corporation Shinra using cells from the extraterrestrial life form Jenova. Sephiroth is featured in several other games and is known to be an extremely tough boss to fight.

Donkey Kong likes to spend his days collecting bananas and hanging out with his friends and family. He is quite protective of his island as well as of his bananas and will do whatever it takes to defend them.

The Prince, with his parkour-like abilities, is a well-trained warrior known for his kindness and good heart. Using the Dagger of Time, he unlocks the hourglass of time only to inadvertently turn the members of his father's court into sand monsters.

Ezio is unaware of his assassin heritage until he is 17, when his two brothers and father are murdered. He then flees to Florence, and his uncle begins training him as an assassin. Ezio then takes up his quest against the Grand Master of the Templar Order to avenge his brothers and his father.

Leon arrived in Raccoon City only to encounter the T-virus outbreak firsthand on his first day on the job. He survived the incident and later went on to become a secret agent for the U.S. government.

Ash's goal in life is to become the world's greatest Pokemon Master, an ambitious goal to be sure. Leaving home at the tender age of 10, Ash travels far and wide with his cheeky cohort and best pal Pikachu, trying to understand the power that's inside.

Endowed with a razor-sharp wit, which allows him to get out of some sticky situations, Guybrush is a youthful and somewhat excitable character; he becomes somewhat egotistical in later installments of the Monkey Island series.

Friendly, energetic, curious Spyro shows little regard for his own safety and is often described as a courageous hero, despite his puny size. Always willing to help both friends and strangers, Spyro uses his abilities as a dragon to ram enemies with his horns and to breathe fire at them.

Always wearing dark red sunglasses and a skull-painted balaclava, Ghost is a lieutenant and second in command of Task Force 141. Ghost is also portrayed in the Modern Warfare 2: Ghost graphic novel series.

Goku is known for his lighthearted, energetic personality and for his love of competition--especially in sport fighting and eating. Goku fights to win, but he spares his opponents, only to have them attack him again when he turns his back. His immense power is kept in check by his morals and loyalty.

Once a NYPD detective and fugitive DEA agent, Max Payne goes undercover in the mob after his wife and newborn are killed in connection with a drug case. Max turns vigilante and wages war on crime. Puns, painkillers, and perps: What more could you ask from a gritty film-noir-style third-person shooter?

Long time partner of Chris Redfield, Jill is one of the founding members of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance. She has devoted most of her life to combatting bioterrorism and her arch-nemesis, Albert Wesker.

The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, Peach always seems to be playing the damsel in distress. Despite her recurring stints in captivity, Peach is portrayed as selfless and perky, even when she is fighting. Fun fact: Peach landed on Forbes' Wealthiest Fictional People list, with a fortune exceeding $1 billion.

Larry Laffer is a babbling, dorky, leisure-suit-wearing would-be lothario who spends his time trying (and generally failing) to seduce women. He likes to introduce himself in much the same manner as secret agent James Bond: “Hi, my name is Larry; Larry Laffer”--a tactic that makes his situation with the ladies even more hopeless.

Rejecting every military promotion he was ever offered on the grounds that it wouldn't affect how many enemies (Locust) he could kill, Augustus "Cole Train" Cole combines uncompromising intensity and flamboyant style. Cole is known for his catch-phrase, “Can't stop the Train, baby.”

Arch-nemesis of Mario and leader of the Koopa Troop, Bowser is known for repeatedly kidnapping (or attempting to kidnap) Princess Peach and take control of Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser occasionally plays an anti-villain in several Mario RPGs.

Named after the mascot of Iron Maiden--Eddie the Head--and its creator Derek Riggs, Eddie repeatedly proclaims himself to be the greatest roadie of all time. He is known to be sarcastic and snarky; but when things get serious, he can buckle down and become an efficient and skillful leader of men.

The hero and main character of the Street Fighter Series, Ryu appears in every Street Fighter game and also in every crossover game that includes Capcom characters. Ryu is a silent and serious individual who often seems boring to others, though he is actually a kind and good-hearted person.

Sackboy, or Sackgirl, is the generic avatar of LIttleBigPlanet. SackPeople are only 8 centimeters tall, and they're stuffed with fluff and ice cream. SackPeople don't really have personalities, so they can be whatever you want them to be. They can express four different emotions: happiness, sadness, worry, and anger--each at three levels of intensity.

Top 25 Video Game Characters Part 1

Have you seen the first part of this series yet? If not, be sure to check out it out--you might find your favorite character there. If not, why not post a comment below?