Video games have given us some truly awesome characters over the years. Mario, Mega Man, Cloud Strife, Sonic the Hedgehog, the list could just keep going and going. With that being said, many of these protagonists are carried by great supporting casts. In addition, many games such as those in the fighting genre feature ensemble casts that may not let each character shine to their fullest. Our favorite games would not be what they are without these characters and many of them deserve a lot more attention than they receive. Of course over the years there have been many spin-off games from popular franchises that feature a former supporting character or member of the ensemble now taking center stage. Some of these spin-offs have regretfully not lived up to their full potential, but others have become some of our most treasured games.
Today we are going to take a look at ten characters who we believe should have their own games. A few ground rules before we start, the characters in question can not have already starred in their own titles and only one entry per franchise. So without further delay let’s get this list started.
Farah – Prince of Persia
The Prince of Persia franchise was once among the highest held in gaming. Sadly, that is no longer the case. After a lackluster reboot the series has languished in obscurity, being completely dwarfed by Assassin’s Creed. Perhaps it’s time to bring the series back with a new lead? Farah was an important character in both The Sands of Time and The Two Thrones. She is a princess of India, the daughter of a Maharajah, and a very strong person. Supplement her bow and arrow skills with knifes, and some parkour and she could easily carry a game.
Cervantes de León – Soul Calibur
Who doesn’t love pirates? Seriously, with the rising popularity in modern culture, you could do a lot worse than to make a game starring one. Cervantes has a pretty fleshed out backstory that could easily be adapted into a full game. Maybe the game could begin during his happier, younger days, and then transition to the death of his father and his turn to piracy. Halfway through the game, he comes upon Soul Edge, and then the second half of the game takes place during the 20 year period that he terrorized the seas. Of course, we would end it all with his climatic battle against Sophitia, Taki, and Siegfried in Soul Edge. The game could be an action game, maybe similar to Assassin’s Creed IV. Make this happen.
James McCloud – Star Fox
Here, at The Nerd Stash, we love the Star Fox franchise. Blasting away at enemies in our Arwings, and doing barrel rolls are some of our fondest memories. When playing through Star Fox 64, we always wanted to know more about James McCloud, the father of the protagonist, Fox McCloud. We know that he was a military veteran and an ace pilot, and that he founded what is basically the A-Team in space, Star Fox Team. We think it would be a lot of fun to play a prequel game where you take on the role of James, and build Star Fox Team from the ground up. This comes with the added benefit of not having to deal with Slippy, although Pigma might not be worth the trade.
Morrigan – Dragon Age
One of the best supporting characters in video game history. The Dragon Age series wouldn’t be what it is without her presence. She was a shoo-in for this list, and one everyone should agree on. Her mysterious nature in the games means there are plenty of unexplored story possibilities for her to have her own title. Who wouldn’t enjoy spending more time with this Witch of Wilds? We know that one of the best things about the Dragon Age games is being able to create your own character, but a spin-off staring Morrigan would be awesome. It doesn’t have to be a full epic Bioware style RPG, maybe a experiment with different gameplay mechanics would benefit the series.
Chun-Li – Street Fighter
A fan favorite and one of the greatest fighting game characters of all time. Chun-Li has a lot more depth as a character than one might suspect by looking at her. A detective game highlighting her days with Interpol could be awesome. It doesn’t even have to be action-oriented, maybe something point and click, or something similar to the Phoenix Wright games. In the right hands it wouldn’t be hard to imagine a Chun-Li game that’s character driven. There are many great characters in the Street Fighter series, but after some debate we believe Chun-Li to be most deserving of a solo outing.
Princess Zelda – The Legend of Zelda
This one was too obvious. Zelda has been on lists like this for years now, fans really want to see her star in a proper game. She has shown several times throughout the franchise that she is as strong and capable as Link. We know that there is a lot of backlash against the idea of changing the lead of one of the most beloved series of all time, even just for one game. We would trust the guys at Nintendo to deliver a top quality masterpiece as usual though if this were ever to come to pass. Whether or not it does, or if we just see a female version of Link in a leading role at some point, we think we can all agree that Princess Zelda is a deep and interesting character deserving of her own adventures.
Daccat – Skies of Arcadia
Skies of Arcadia is a great and unappreciated game that should get a lot more praise. The game is full of dozens of interesting and well written characters. One that always stood out during our playthroughs though was the Legendary Pirate Daccat. This guy never actually shows up in person during the game, having died a long ago, but his influence is still felt throughout the story. You never even see what this guy looked like, but the characters make references to him all over the place. He was a Legendary Air Pirate who journeyed all across Arcadia and amassed great wealth on his adventures. He was one of the handful of people to have seen all seven moons with his own eyes, and we would love to see a new Skies of Arcadia game exploring the life of Daccat.
Scorpion – Mortal Kombat
How has this one not already happened? I mean even Jax and Sonya got their own (terrible) spin-off game. Arguable the most popular Mortal Kombat character of all time, it’s strange that Scorpion hasn’t had his own game. He was ninja in life, so why not a Tenchu-style stealth action game? A title exploring his pre-death life would only bring this undead ninja even more fans than he already has. We see this one as almost an inevitability, it will probably happen at some point. It could undo the damage that the other spin-off games did and restore the faith that games outside of the main Mortal Kombat line can actually be good.
Oki – Okami
By this point, everyone knows that Okami is an awesome game that you should absolutely play through if you get the chance. The game features a diverse cast of memorable characters, and several of them could have made this list. After consideration, we ultimately decided that the Oina warrior Oki would best be suited to his own game. With his ability to transform between man and wolf he would be ideal for the type of gameplay mechanics that Okami is known for. Any excuse to return to the world Okami would be welcome, and as much as we love Amaterasu, she might deserve a rest.
Sweet Tooth – Twisted Metal
Sure, Sweet Tooth is the face of the Twisted Metal franchise, but we’d love to see him star in his own title outside of the ice cream truck. We know from the game’s various fictions that he is a mass murderer who goes on numerous killing sprees, and that they don’t all involve automobile combat. Maybe something in the similar to Manhunt, The Suffering, or even Saints Row. Sure it wouldn’t win any praise fro parents, but lead by the right creators a game staring the killer clown could be awesome. Some of the other characters in the franchise are compelling enough to have been considered, but we think everyone can agree that if any of them were to get a solo outing it should be Sweet Tooth.
That’s it for this list. It was a blast to go through our favorite characters and select just ten. We may do another one of these in the future, and at least one of the editors here wants to do an Anime list on the same subject. If you thought we missed someone or just want to let us know what you thought of our choices please fee free to comment and let us know. Until next time be sure to check out the rest of The Nerd Stash for more great articles and other awesome content.
