Top 5s (Final Form) Created 9 years ago2015-02-04 19:14:41 UTC by Jessie

After Professor Plum or whatever his name is got me thinking about boss music, I wanted to revive this thread for a moment to cover one I don't believe was asked.

Top 5 Boss Fights
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List your top 5 favourite boss fights! There's quite a lot of variety in the forms bosses come in, so let's say a broad definition of "boss fight" to include significant minibosses and such. Use common sense + your personal judgement to decide whether something counts, and, of course, what qualifies a fight as a favourite.

OOO such a fun topic. I've only played so many games myself though. I'll compose a list based on memory soon.

I don't like boss fights, i prefer a long mission with action as a good ending over a single fight that lasts 5 minutes.

Just off the top of my head, the bosses in Descent were fantastic. Descent is the kind of game where you feel wonderfully empowered most of the time, but when you hit those boss levels, you suddenly feel very fragile and frantic. Coupled with the soundtrack and the physically imposing design of the bosses themselves, it added an amazing twist to the few levels they featured in.

Expect lotsa' Dark Souls.

5. Gravelord Nito (Dark Souls)
4. Ninhilath (Half-Life)
3. Gwyn of Cinder (Dark Souls)
2. Beatrix (Final Fantasy 9)
1. Ornstein & Smough (Dark Souls)

Fuck yes!

Top 5 Boss Fights:

5. Alora - Jedi Academy, 2003
You've finally been given a taste of real power. This game (albeit well received critically) seems mostly forgotten by most people, but I consider it a masterclass of ability pacing. For a mostly action-based game, the vague RPG element of improving your force power through training adds such a sense of progression and keeps you resolutely coming back for more.
So we're about half way through. We're on Hoth in the old Echo base ruins. It's about as iconic as a Star Wars game can be and you've finally maxed out a force ability. All of a sudden the storm troopers who have been a genuine threat throughout the game are mere playthings, there to do your bidding with a carefully executed Mind Trick or be tossed aside like ragdolls with Grip.

Then you meet Alora.

You've faced dark jedi before and won a few meagre lightsaber fights, but this is different. She's a force user too, not just a rookie with a lightsaber. She's more acrobatic than you; she can jump higher, faster and with greater precision. She's the perfect personification of the game saying "Ok, you've had your fun, now I'm going to have mine." Beating her takes finess and skill and unlike the final boss fight against Tavion which is simply unfair and exhausting, you never feel overwhelmed. Just fantastically challenged at the exact moment where you need to be.4. Wheatley - Portal 2, 2011
It was a real toss-up between Wheatley and Glad0s for this position. Both are immaculately thought-out puzzle-fights (who knew that was a thing?!) but Wheatley's wins out for two reasons:
Firstly, the inclusion of more elements wasn't a burden at all. It made the fight seem more strategic and less linear, whilst also making it all the more fun and frantic.
Secondly, the ending? Yeah. Being sucked into the ceiling is cool and all, Glad0s, but Wheatley is in fucking space.
And I genuinely didn't see the betrayal coming!3. Ganondorf/Ganon - Ocarina of Time, 1998
You've beaten him. You're standing at the foot of the ruined castle. Your princess isn't in another castle and you're about to get a much deserved victory snog. WHEN SUDDENLY.
I shat my pants when I first saw this. I'd already won, it didn't seem fair to crush me like this! But that was all part of the genius that is Ocarina. Ganondorf is such a wonderful bad guy that the satisfaction of beating him once wasn't enough, and the sense of achievement when you finally defeat him as Ganon? Damn. Perfect.2. Ninja / Gray Fox - Metal Gear Solid, 1998
This is one of those iconic gaming encounters that sticks with you for years. One of the most intimidating, brilliantly designed characters ever who at first glance is superior to you in every way. You don't stand a chance! You have to outsmart him in a tense game of cat and mouse that is both incredibly suspenseful and utterly strategic. You're given a fairly simple shaped level - a set of rules that escalate as he takes damage and the knowledge that most of your weapons are useless. Go.

Whilst the solution to Psycho Mantis was arguably cooler, it was nowhere near as tense as Ninja. And that hallway. That hallway.1. Scarecrow - Arkham Asylum, 2009
The least traditional boss fight is also my favourite. It's hard to exactly say where this battle actually begins, but I'm willing to bet it's around the time Scarecrow tricks you into thinking your graphics card is overheating. Literally digital distorts the game then replays the opening cutscene as if the game has crashed. You're swear in frustration before you notice that it's the Joker driving the Batmobile, not Batman. Something is awry. You're inside Scarecrow's game and he's inside your mind. It's beautifully executed, insanely captivating and completely turns the boss fight concept on its head. This is literally genius.

Ohhh this is a tough one, so many to choose from...

I know one that absolutely must go here:The closer he gets, the browner your pants become. I need to think about the other four bosses.

I'm going to have to put some thought into this before I post my own. I've played a lot of games with a lot of bosses.

1. Duriel ( Diablo 2, ACT II )
2. Wheatle ( Portal 2 )
3. Mefisto ( Diablo 2, ACT III )
4. Bhaal ( Diablo 2 LoD, ACT V )
5. dont remember

My base is most memorable boss fights.

1. Mass-Produced Ray (Metal Gear Solid 2)

2. Bowser (Super Mario 64)

3. Glad0s (Portal) [Replaced Shodan ;_;]

4. Crawmerax the Invincible (Borderlands)

5. Diablo (Diablo III)

It's quite hard to make this a discussion when nobody is providing any reasons!

I can't even think of one... I've completely drawn a blank.

I did have quite a few for each, I'll update later. I'm tired after today's activities... as I quickly wrote them before I went out.

I'm going to group slightly when there's more than one boss from the same game that I feel deserves a spot.

5. Khidr (and some others) - Rogue Legacy, 2013
While most of the bosses of Rogue Legacy are my kind of fun challenge (except perhaps Herodotus, who's just a pain, and the remixes of Alexander and Ponce de Leon), Khidr holds a special place as the first real challenge of the game. Everything you do before then you can bumble through quite happily, but when you get to this fellow, you have to step up with your dodging skills if you want to survive.Other mentions go to Astrodotus, who plays like an Asteroids game, and it can be pretty tough keeping out of the way when every time you hit him, he breaks into two smaller pieces and gets faster. Even keeping pieces to a minimum, you've still got a lot of bits flying around to dodge, and you can only get hit about three times. Also shouting out to Neo Khidr, the remix of Khidr. Basically the same fight as Khidr, but much harder; he shoots faster and tighter and you can only get hit five times, meaning if you want to live, you've really gotta train with those movement runes.

4. Dark Link (and Thunderbird) - Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, 1988
I would be reasonably comfortable in saying that this is probably the most challenging end boss of all the NES games I've played that doesn't feel cheap. Assuming you're not fighting him the exploit-y way, beating him is quite an endurance fight. You've gots to keep trading blows with him, most of which you'll both block (ideally), and wait until he jumps and opens himself up to a stab, which even then can be tricky to land. I think this deserves the spot just because it really does feel like a proper duel; neither of you have any real advantage over the other.Also throwing out the boss fought immediately before Dark Link, the Thunderbird. It just flies around the screen in a fairly predictable pattern constantly spitting fireballs out. That said, it's damn fun having to dodge those fireballs (which really quite hurt) to land your hits. Especially when at the halfway mark, the rate at which those fireballs come out goes up dramatically. For the real challenge, you get to that point with the single point in Attack that you started with. I counted how many times you have to hit her once, but I can't remember how many it was. Somewhere in the 50's, I think? Maybe around 100. Lots, either way. And when half of that time the fireballs are rather raining down, it's tough!

3. Dragon Zombies (and Dracula) - Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, 2001
I'm not sure why this boss strikes me as so memorable. I suppose it's just got a very nice balance of challenging and fun. And also it's a pair of zombie dragons. It can be tough keeping track of what both of them are doing, and you have to, otherwise while you're trying to keep out of the way of one, you can get a nasty bite from the other, and they do hurt.I'm also shoehorning Dracula from the same game into this spot. I've fought Drac in a lot of Castlevania titles, but the one in Circle of the Moon is one of my favourites. He's not too hard, but not too easy (with one attack in particular that is almost certainly OHKO, and needs good timing to dodge), and the music for the fight makes it feel so... epic. And I do not use that word lightly.2. The Nightmare - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, 1993
I really can't say why this is so high on my list, but it is. There's just something about it.1. [Various] - Monster Hunter Tri (Ultimate), 2009 (2013)
I tried to pick some MH3U representatives, but there's just so many great ones, it is basically impossible to decide. Pretty much every large monster can couunt as a boss, and most of the time, they're what you're fighting. I suppose I can at least pick out some specific reasons.
Rathian deserves a mention, because that's the first real "oh shit" moment. You're fighting a 'Peco, as per usual, but when it goes to call another large monster, as it does, it lets out a different, quite powerful roar. Foreboding sets in there, but you keep fighting and for a bit nothing special happens, the foreboding eases just in time for a MASSIVE GODDAMN DRAGON TO LAND AND SET ITS SIGHTS ON YOU. Deviljho would be the other major "oh shit", as it is a huge, hungry beast that will drop in in just about any quest after you clear the low rank quests. Effect amplified by the new tense orchestral music that accompanies it. And then, as though Deviljho wasn't, there's a Savage Deviljho.
And what about Jhen Mohran? A battle from a ship against this colossal leviathan over 100 metres long?
A special mention to Lucent Nargacuga, a rare species of a monster you'd know well to be very fast and powerful, which has the delightful bonus of being able to turn invisible and shoot poisonous spikes out of its tail along with nearly every attack it makes.

Special Mentions (in no order):
Robo-Manus - Battletoads, 1991: Damn fun to fight! He'll jump around. If he lands on you, you die instantly. When he lands, he'll shoot three shots, and if you're not ducking or jumping, that'll probably kill you too. To this day I've never been able to juggle him for long enough so that he never touches the ground, but one day...Big Mouser (and the Technodrome) - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 1989: Big Mouser is piss easy, but is still a cool boss. The Technodrome is good fun too.Death - Castlevania: Simon's Quest - 1987: The only reason this guy is being mentioned is because you can kill him with garlic. Unfortunately, I don't have a video to show why that's funny.

The Evil One - Faxanadu, 1987: He's just cool.Smithy - Super Mario RPG, 1996: Because it's a fun fight, and has good music.Ugh-Zan III - Serious Sam: The First Encounter, 2001 (/ 2009): Similar reasons as above.Makron - Quake II, 1997: Because it's the Makron.

1. Sonic 3 and Knuckles - Final boss / Epic Boss
2. Metal Slug 2 - Dragon Nosuke
3. Metal Slug 2 - Dai Manji
4. Sonic 3 and Knuckles - Master Computer boss
5. Duke Nukem 3D - Alien Queen

It's quite hard to make this a discussion when nobody is providing any reasons!

QFT

Just Shadow of Colossus I guess. Trying to think of fun bosses or ones I would fight multiple times and can't think of any.

I am having a lot of trouble thinking of any examples. My favourite game endings are the ones which go against the traditional boss ending actually, such as Halo or GTA:SA. If I had to choose, I would say:

1: Barrett, Psi Ops: The Mindgate ConspiracyIt's been a long time since I played the game, but basically I just remembered him as being pretty cool. His telekinesis was much more powerful than yours so you had to run around dodging train cars while you threw crates at him.

2: Mad Jack, Donkey Kong 64It has probably been well over a decade since I played this game, but Mad Jack is the only boss I remember fighting more than once just because I found it fun, not simply to progress further in the game.

3: Mister Freeze, Batman: Arkham CityBatman ends up locked in a room with Mister Freeze, who's had the cryogenically frozen body of his wife stolen from him. Convinced that Batman isn't intending to help, he attacks, and you have to incapacitate him while confined to one area. Unlike all of the other bosses you fight, he has various countermeasures for Batman's tricks and will update his tactics every time you land an attack on him, rendering said attack impossible. You have to use every technique available to you to take him down.

4: Zuan Lun Wang (Shai Gen Kingpin), CrackdownBasically this guy lives in the most hardcore, crime infested part of the city, in the tallest skyscraper in that area, which is filled with the most difficult to fight of all of the enemies of the game. And you have to fight your way through every level of it to reach him. If you have a deathwish, you could go there and try to kill him as soon as you start the game which is an interesting touch. You probably won't get very far though.

5: The Nihilanth, Half-LifeIt is at the end of Half-Life.

I don't really have a list of 5, but anyway...

Cyber demon, Doom. Too hard bro when using the arrow keys to move around...Gunther Herman, Deus Ex. Bring a fire extinguisher, or Laputan machine.The Master, Fallout. For me it was get good charisma and talk your way out of it... couldn't beat him in combat everHelicops, ALL BOSSES IN THE WHOLE GAME. Just too hard, well for me it was hard when I used to play as a kid...Natty Dread, Interstate 76. What made this frustrating was no quick save and you're up against like 5 creepers!King of Shadows, Neverwinter nights 2. My character sucked so I had to play this fight with cheats...

As said in the original post, there is quite a broad sense of what makes a boss fight good or memorable. The mechanics, epic abilities and the conquering of sheer power is different to most. My point is, this whole thread is pretty hard to discuss as it relies on too many opinions.

I think MGS has awesome boss fights, Dimbeak thinks Dark Souls has awesome boss fights and ninja difuse thinks that Diablo has awesome boss fights. I would say we need more of a tact when it comes to specifying what boss fights are listed in the top 5; in our opinion. We could maybe limit 1 boss per game or list best mechanical/memorable boss fights. This way it would spring discussion based on more equal comparisons.

I figured I might as well update my list with information since that's what everyone is doing.

5. Gravelord Nito (Dark Souls)This boss was really cool, and REALLY difficult. The Lord of the Dead is a collection of skeletons, floating around with a haze of black humanity around it, with a giant-ass sword and an army of undying skeletons serving him. This guy took me at least 10 tries to kill, just because his skeletons kept ganging up on me!

Eventually, you'll find that the strategy to this boss is try and get behind him at every change possible, and if the skeletons try and gang up on you, get them close to him and then run away when he begins to do his AoE spell which will hit all of the skeletons and give you a clean 10 seconds to attack him unhindered.

4. Ninhilath (Half-Life)
*See TJB

3. Gwyn, Lord of Cinder (Dark Souls)This was the final boss in all of Dark Souls, and it was really enthralling. Not only do you have to pass through the Fallen Land of the First Kiln which had turned to cinder and ash, but then when you face him, he isn't big, or humongous, or anything you'd really expect a Dark Souls fight to be.

He's relatively human-sized. And most things human-sized get thrashed quite easily, but not Gwyn. At this point in the game, you've murdered his sons and daughters, his friends and enemies alike, you've claimed his kingdom and you've every Lord he's ever associated with until he's the only God left.

And when you walk in, there's no grace, no opening cutscene like in other bosses, just Gwyn, running at you with a burning sword, to a song which feels like the boss has some meaning.

2. Beatrix (Final Fantasy 9)I just really like FF9.
And you never win against Beatrix, ever. She's too good.

Accurate music to how this boss plays out.

1. Ornstein & Smough (Dark Souls)Perhaps the most difficult boss in all of Dark Souls. It's 2 on 1, first of all, and this is really the point of the game where you either stop sleeping and spend your nights trying to deduce the best route of attack, or give up and live a life of eternal shame.

This is the most foreign-looking boss in all of Dark Souls. You battle a Dragon Slayer with an electric spear named Ornstein, and a large executioner with a big hammer named Smough. They've been given the quest of protecting Princess Gwynevere, and are the last battle which stands in the way between the Chosen Undead and the Lordvessel.

Their attack pattern is insane. Ornstein will run at you as fast as he can and try and slice you in half with his spear, while Smough lags behind and rushes at you with his absurdly large hammer and flies into the air to try and land on you and crush you. And when you kill one of them, the other will finish him off and absorb his power, so you end up fighting either a giant Ornstein or an electric Smough, whose kills will pretty much destroy you in one hit.

This boss fight took me quite literally 40 tries. I ran out of humanity trying to spend it on fighting them. At this point I was playing a piece of meat in a pile of metal armor, and I had to learn what clothes would help me roll faster and dodge their attacks better. This boss fight was perhaps the most rewarding boss fight I've ever fought in a video game.

Oh, and the theme song completely matches my feelings during the boss fight.

1. King of Stilwater (Saints Row IV)Okay, I know this really isn't a bossfight. It kinda has some harder enemies in it but nothing really boss-like. However, I love this mission. Everything about it is perfect. The music, level, and dialogue. As a rather huge fan of the Saints Row series, this mission also struck all the right notes with me because of it being a throwback to the earlier games.

2. Lawrence Barrett (Deus Ex: Human Revolution)I don't really like the bossfight itself, but I really like his character design and how he acts. He really seemed like an interesting character but not much was really revealed about him in the game. Only the books.

3. Alcor Class Warship (Serious Sam 3 BFE)Really fun and has cool music.

4. Shodan (System Shock)The whole game is practically a bossfight against Shodan in my opinion.

5. Maero (Saints Row 2)This asshole. You'd have to have played the game to understand how great it is to put a bullet in his head.

Top 5 intro cinematics / cutscenes

Let's keep this going!

5. Command and Conquer - Red Alert 2

If you can grit your teeth and get through the the hammy acting and dreadful CQ (which actually have a certain charm), you get this awesome little sequence of the Soviet Union invading the US in force. Also, Hell March is one of the best tracks in the history of anything ever

4. Syndicate Wars

One of my favourite games when I was younger. The graphics are shocking by today's standards. It's easy to compare it to The Matrix in many ways, with the chip implant that shows it's host a blissful 1960's USA, all the while disguising the real harsh reality that you live in a harsh, violent police state. All the while, the music is perfectly trippy.

DO NOT BE AFRAID. THIS IS THE WAY OF THE NEW EPOCH!

3. World of Warcraft

Blizzard have a knack for making incredible and epic cinematics. Every expansion has it's own intro and each is a masterpiece, but just watching this original intro for WoW makes me want to delve back into Azeroth again... but that's a slippery slope and I know better.

2. Dungeon Keeper 2

Another Bullfrog game, considerably better than back in their Syndicate Wars days. It's got wizards, dwarves, knights, skeletons and the horned reaper. It's all very silly and sets the mood of the game perfectly.

1. Warhammer 40k - Dawn of War

Just watch the fucking intro... Maybe count how many times the sergeant gets hit.

Vaguely irked that you took my #1 and #2 choices. I'll have to rethink what I'd put there...

5. Dawn of War II
Whilst nowhere near as good as the original (both in terms of this cinematic & the game itself), it's hard to deny the awesomeness of this video. It was used as the game's trailer and OH BOY did I let myself get hyped. Unfortunately the wet tissue of a game which actually followed this epic was dreadful. I'd put DoW 1's intro cinematic as my #1 spot if Urby hadn't stolen it.

4. X-Wing
I'm probably just looking at this through nostalgia-tinted glasses, but every single sound effect, every single pixelated ship and every single painstaking second the titles run makes my inner 8 year old jump for joy. I remember this frame-by-frame. (Although maybe just because the whole video has about 10 frames of animation :P)

3. Shogun 2 - Total War
From the two distinct settings plot device to the soundtrack - combined with excellent mocapped action - this intro set the tone of the game fantastically. Every Total War fan has had one of those battles where it feels so intense. The soldiers melt away into the periphery as it becomes personal. Total War devs know their audience (at least, now that those responsible for Empire have been fired).

2. Theme Hospital
If I can't have Dungeon Keeper 2 then I'll take the next best option. Totally hilarious and memorable romp ft. a cameo appearance from Horny the Reaper. Slam that eject button like you mean it, son.

1. Fallout 3
Utterly haunting. Utterly brilliant. The pace, the tone, the music choice. It's Fallout through and through.

I swear to god there's one hiding behind this mental blank I'm having, I just can't remember what it is.

Fallout 3 is one of my favourite games of all time. I totally forgot about the intro...

I know, I'm certain, that there's something that I need to place in this list. It will gnaw at me until I figure out what it was.

bump
My mental blank seems to be perpetual, so I guess I'll just throw out Monster Hunter Tri and Monster Hunter Tri Ultimate. I really can't think of many games which have intros I've watched much, let alone enjoyed.

Top 5 Characters in Video Games
Because evidently the last one was too hard.

Protagonists, antagonists, both, neither, whoever floats your boat. Who are your five favourite characters in games — because emphasis seems to be necessary — and why?

My list seems to be mostly antagonists... how odd. There are some spoilers in my reasoning so if you see a game you intend to play, skip it.

5. Reapers - Mass Effect seriesFor the first half of mass effect one, you hear the reapers mentioned a whole bunch, every time being dismissed as an ancient rumour. Saren, the game's primary antagonist appears to be bent on aiding their return. Then, you find yourself 'talking' with Sovereign, Saren's ship. Except it's not a ship. Sovereign, this colossal, cuttlefish looking motherfucker, IS a freaking reaper! Throughout the conversation, Sovereign reveals that the reapers have been annihilating intelligent life throughout the universe in a cycle spanning billions of years.

The reapers are everything you would expect ancient, sentient death machines to be. Cold, calculating, entirely emotionless and utterly terrifying.

4. Barney - Half-Life seriesBarney (along with all the other BMRF security guards) is just an all round good guy to have around. He's unquestionably loyal to his friends and knows how to hold his own when the situation calls for it. While not the smartest man in the world, he knows when it's time to fool around and poke fun at others and when it's time to man up and charge into combat.

3. Pagan Min - Far Cry 4Despite only seeing him in person a couple of times in game, Pagan's constant abuse and anecdotes over the radio makes him one of my favourite antagonists in any game ever. I'm yet to finish the game so I don't know how things will turn out, but up to the points I am at he is perfectly unhinged and at times, utterly hilarious.

Some of his more hilarious moments are when he almost seems to mock various game mechanics in his rants, pointing out the ridiculous nature of the Far Cry series.

2. G-Man - Half-Life SeriesThis... thing is the reason the Half-Life story is so god damn intriguing. Despite appearing in 4 official games, we still no literally nothing about him. No clue as to whether he is even a genuine ally.

His involvement in Episode 2 really blows the lid off everything previously, not only revealing a huge chunk of answers but creating thousands of more questions.

1. Vaas Montenegro - Far Cry 3Vaas IS Far Cry 3. His "definition of insanity" was the first thing we saw at E3 when ubisoft revealed the game. Portrayed by and modelled after Micheal Mando, he was on the case art, he was on the posters, he was the star of all of the live action trailers and even had a live action mini series online.

He is completely insane, utterly terrifying to behold, and undeniably fascinating to watch.

Heres my listy list. Not quite 'top 5' but still something.

Bishop - Neverwinter nights 2Pretty much reluctant about everything, but had a cool hair cut. Too bad he turned over to the baddies side!

Barney - Half Life 1
(picture above bro)

The low def model from the original, such a cool guy. When I started playing HL ages ago he was always around to help. I was so sad I couldnt save him in the Blast Pit level!

Tommy Angelo - MafiaAnd all round good natual character, awesome philosophy too, pretty much gave the best monologues

Taurus - Interstate 76If you press the Q button during a mission, Taurus would give a poem over the radio to you. That, and of course other cool sayings he gave makes him underrated.

Lego Island characters - Lego IslandOk so 'every character' is a bit silly choice, but each character in the game was so unique I couldn't just pick one!

I'm not too surprised Barney is on both lists. He's a very likeable fellow. "Hey, catch me later, I'll buy you a beer!"

I'll do mine as soon I do the usual run-through-every-game-I-can-remember-looking-for-place-winners. I should really just write down a list of all the games I've played so I'm less likely to miss anything.

Once again I'm going to try to avoid using picks that other people have already made. Vaas, especially, would be a high contender for my #1 spot if Urby hadn't picked him.

5. Three Dog - Fallout 3

One of the first quests in Fallout 3 is restoring this man's golden voice to the airwaves and from that moment on he accompanies you through thick and thin, playing a delectable variety of classic pre-war tunes and cracking wise about your progress through the game.
It's Galaxy News Radio and it's your only comfort as you traverse the pitch-black wastes in the middle of the night. Wait, did you just hear something? Nervously turns off radio

"Thrrreeee Dooooggg! That's me, kids. Comin' to you taped from my fortified bunker in the middle of a D.C. hellhole. Ain't life grand?"

4. Sheogorath the Daedric Prince of Madness - The Elder Scrolls Series

He's so happy to see you and genuinely hopes you have a wonderful day. But also the air is hitting his arm a bit oddly and he's convinced you can totally tell which is freaking him out. Plus the cheese this morning was on the wrong plate and you KNOW he can't just let that slide so if it's all the same to you, he's going to teleport you and a cashew nut 5000ft in the air and see which hits the ground first. Oh, look, a worm! CATCH IT!

"I once dug a pit and filled it with clouds....or was it clowns.... it doesn't matter, it didn't slow him down. But it really began to smell! Must have been clowns. Clouds don't smell, they taste of butter. And tears."

3. Garrus - Mass Effect Series

Garrus is the most solidly sound guy ever. He's the best friend you wish you had; someone you can knock back a few beers with and just talk about whatever's on your mind. He respects you and your choices even when he disagrees with them, yet he's never afraid to tell you what he really thinks. He's to Shep what Barney is to Gordon. Catch him later and he'll buy you a beer.
Also he's a fucking badass with a sniper rifle.
Garrus can date your sister.

"If this thing goes sideways and we end up on the other side, meet me at the bar. I'm buying."

2. The Joker - Arkham Series

Certainly not exclusive to the Arkham games, but I'm picking this particular incarnation because, with the possible exception of Heath Ledger's, he simply is the best Joker. Voiced in Asylum and City by Mark Hamill who voiced the character for years in the animated series, The Joker is one of the most unpredictable and therefore terrifying baddies in fiction. Vaas is just The Joker without the sense of theatre.
While his appearances in the first two games are sublime, I have to make specific mention of his harrowing story arc in Origins. It's the weakest of the Arkham games, but you get a new take on the Joker's first ever encounter with both Harleen and Batman. These are seen from his perspective, retrospectively as he recounts his past to Dr. Quinnzel. Haunting visions and disorientating gameplay reveal a side of the Joker never really explored before and it's deeply, deeply impactful.

"You of all people should know, there's nothing so cruel as memory.... the pointy biting little thunderbolts, unwanted party crashers, SCREAMERS through your synapses.. inescapable, unrelenting.... not at all friendly. You can't even escape into MADNESS!"

1. Glados - Portal Series

How can she not be everybody's favourite? She's the most perfect villain ever created. She's Shodan with a sense of impeccable comic timing and you are her play thing. It's pointless to list all the characteristics that make Glados the obvious #1 choice because there are simply too many. She's brilliant. Portal wouldn't even be noteworthy without her. Imagine if it was just the puzzles.

"He's not just a regular moron. He's the product of the greatest minds of a generation working together with the express purpose of building the dumbest moron who ever lived. And you just put him in charge of the entire facility. [clap clap] Good, that's still working."

Put way too much work into this, but here goes:

Garrett (Thief: The Dark Project/The Metal Age/Deadly Shadows)"I've always equated feelings with getting caught; they both get in the way of my money."

As an orphaned child Garrett attempted to pickpocket a mysterious man he spotted on the streets, a man who did not wish to be seen, and who nobody else could. This odd display of talent led to him being recruited by the Keepers, and ancient sect dedicated to observing and maintaining balance in a world locked in conflict between order and chaos. Here he was trained in the arts of discretion and subterfuge, before he decided to leave and forge his own way in the world as a thief. He is cynical, solitary, and sarcastic, but also professional, and insanely talented. There's a reason Garrett came to be known as the Master Thief. And while on the outside he seems cruel and insensitive, in the few instances where his interests align with someone else's, he reveals a sense of loyalty and concern you didn't think existed.

The less said about the reboot abomination, the better.

"The Indomitable" Cate Archer (No One Lives Forever/No One Lives Forever 2)"Excuse me, do you mind if I borrow that parachute? "

Cate spent her early life as a cat burgular ("The Fox") which left her with a particularly useful set of skills when England gave her a second chance, and put her to work at UNITY. When a series of UNITY operatives are murdered by a mysterious assassin, she is called up on to prove to UNITY, herself, and particularly doubtful superiors she had what it takes. By the end of the first game she's one of the top, if not the top field agent. There's something to be said about a game set in the 60s featuring a subplot about a powerful women having to prove herself, but the game is so wonderfully subversive and does not even remotely pander to you. Cate simply gets the job done, and in such style. Not to mention the games are freakin' hilarious.

Jeanette Voerman (Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines)"I can tell you and I are going to get along just like fire hoses. When we get turned on, there's bound to be flames!"

One of the best examples I can think of a for a character that is way more than meets the eye. First impressions make you think she's little more than a sultry bar fling, but the more you talk to (and before long work for) her, the more intriguing her story gets. The Baron of Santa Monica, she runs a seedy little club called The Asylum with her twin sister Therese. Anyone who's played the game knows she and her sister have one incredible, dark, twisted little secret. Can't really say much without spoiling it, but the writing in this game is so damn good in this game, it's almost worth it for her quest line alone.

SHODAN (System Shock/System Shock 2)"Good. You've murdered their young... and prevented their escape."

A pretty obvious choice, but a good one none-the-less. An AI suffering from megalomania, and one of the coldest, most manipulative, scary, and downright awesome game villains I can think of. Famous for one of gamings most original and terrifying plot twists. Originally created to oversee a research/mining space station, an unlikely hacker removed her guidance and ethical restrictions, resulting in SHODAN seizing control of the station in typical rogue AI fashion. Unlike most rogue AI stories however, SHODAN has ambition way beyond KILL ALL HUMANS. She began creating, and before long biological experiments of hers evolved and into something beyond comprehension. By that point she is a literal machine god, a mother to new life forms, but of course she does not want to stop there, and before long she seeks to create a new reality in itself. One of which she holds total dominion. SHODAN would not be half as frightening without the amazing voice work of Terri Brosius.

Alyx Vance (Half-Life 2/Episode 1/Episode 2/Development Hell)"Yeah, we make a pretty good team."

The original kick-ass sidekick NPC. Surprised she's not up here already! More modern games have tried their best to replicate her (looking at Elizabeth), but none of them seem to understand how important it is to have a character who actually reacts to the world with you. She fights along side you instead of hiding behind cover, comments on your actions, and her role is not simply about springing to life when the script demands it. There's real talent in building a game character who endears themself to you through actual in-game actions instead of just looking and sounding like they walked in off of some Hollywood casting call. It also helps that she's got a great personality, top notch voice acting and strong motivations.

Special Mentions:

Gunther Hermann (Deus Ex)"I-I-am not a machin-"

You're probably thinking "That blocky stereotype?" but the more you think about poor Gunther, the more realised and afraid he seems. If you can look beyond the questionable voice acting and crude graphics, there's a lot to pity about the big guy. He's seemingly one of the last of the fully decked-out mech-augs still in service, and along come the Denton brothers with far more advanced nano-augs that both outperform him, and carry none of the body-image stigmas that his mechanical counterparts bring him. To top it off, you have no choice but to eliminate his partner Anna - possibly the only other person who truley understands his violent, miserable life. Outdated, alone and hideous, it's no wonder he goes a little Terminator on you before the end!

Smiling Jack (Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines)"The Sabbat are worthless, man. Fake tits on a zombie worthless. Fun to watch though. Like the Three Stooges with chainsaws."

Hard not to love this guy, and not just because he's voiced by Bender. When you're first thrown out on your ass as a vampire fledgling, Smiling Jack is the first person you find who befriends you, cracks a joke or two, and helps the crazy new world you entered make a bit more sense. Beyond that he can be found a downtown LA bar offering various insights into the games events. Apparently a pirate when he was mortal, he's lived for many generations, and by the end of the game it's revealed he knew a lot more than he led on, and might be in league with one of the most ancient and mysterious players of the Masquerade universe.

Someone's angling for an Invert-x guest spot!

Great list. I did consider Alyx for my #1 spot, but decided to just pick my favourite Valve character for that slot rather than populate my entire list with them. Eli, Alyx and G-man would probably be my 2, 3 and 4, with Glados still in the lead. Thought I'd give some other games a chance.

I can't believe I forgot to mention that Jeanette Voerman is voiced by the one and only Grey DeLisle. That's like... 'nuff said, right there.

Someone's angling for an Invert-x guest spot!

How much do you pay.

Alright, let's have a go at this. I'll try and choose characters who haven't already been picked:

Atrus - Myst series
"I realized the moment I fell into the fissure, that the book would not be destroyed as I had planned."
Theme song - Atrus' Theme, by Robyn Miller

Myst has some incredibly deep story if you are willing to read all the journals in the games, and the novels as well. Atrus, played by Myst creator Rand Miller himself, is the central character of most of the series. You learn about his childhood, his family, the worlds he has created, his mistakes and his regrets. Atrus is the central figure that connects all the plot points in Myst.

Kyle Hyde - Hotel Dusk series
"Maybe I can deduce my fist to your face. Bet that would shut you up."
No specific theme song, here's the full soundtrack instead

Kyle Hyde is a really cool character, in every definition of the word. The games are set in the 80's and ooze noir and hardboiled detective mystery from every possible outlet. Hyde himself is a former detective, now a travelling salesman, though that's just a cover to move around a lot and investigate stuff without being noticed. He's chasing his former partner, who disappeared after an undercover job went wrong. He's usually calm and collected, but he can get quite emotional if provoked. Whether he's helping a child solve a jigsaw puzzle, grilling a suspicious person for their hidden secrets, or drinking a whiskey on the rocks, Kyle Hyde does everything in the coolest possible way.

Lynne - Ghost Trick
"Oh, I just LOVE stomping out evil! It makes me feel so alive!!!" (said while dead)
Theme song - Lynne ~ A Targeted Redhead, by Masakazu Sugimori

Lynne is quite a light-hearted and energetic character who you initially assume will play a "hyperactive sidekick" type of role in Ghost Trick. She has a lot of amusing quotes and she's generally a really fun character. However, as the story unfolds, you start to discover that her motivations aren't as simple as first assumed, and she has quite a dark past that is revealed over the course of the game.

Mordin Solus - Mass Effect
"Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong."
Theme song - Mordin, by Jack Wall

Garrus is a cool guy and all, but Mordin has a more interesting backstory, in my opinion. He's basically a badass special forces guy as well as a super smart scientist, which is a pretty interesting combination. He's also quite morally ambiguous, which makes for some interesting dialogue in places, especially since most of his sidequests involve his participation in the krogan genophage.

Miles Edgeworth - Ace Attorney series
"I object! That was... objectionable!"
Theme song - Great Revival ~ Miles Edgeworth, by Akemi Kimura

In the first Ace Attorney game, Miles Edgeworth is an antagonist who you immediately dislike, but over the course of the trilogy, his character changes quite a lot. He goes from an incredibly arrogant and aggressive prosecutor who will do anything to win, to somebody who believes in using legitimate methods to persue the truth, even if that truth ends up being something he doesn't like.

What's great about Edgeworth as a character is that he's multi-dimensional. He prides himself in being a classy and refined person, but he's not perfect - he can get flustered like anyone else and can even get miserable and sulky at times. He'll sometimes get surprised by something unexpected and panic in court, resulting in him choking on his words and saying something silly. He's also a closet fan of the children's show The Steel Samurai, but tries as hard as he can to hide the fact, usually resulting in amusing dialogue.

His dynamic with detective Dick Gumshoe has a perfect combination of fondness and disdain. In the chapter you play as Edgeworth and in the two Edgeworth spinoff games, they make for a very amusing pair as they perform investigations, with Gumshoe playing the funny man and Edgeworth as the straight man.

I have no such qualms about naming already named characters. If they're in this list, it's because they damn well belong there!

5. Scientists / Isaac Kleiner - Half-Life (et al.)

"I believe this will make for a notable paper, don't you?"

I suppose this one is a bit general, but then all the scientists seem to have roughly the same personality and role anywho, and that gets passed on to Izzy. Anyway.
A.I. stupidity aside, I suppose I like these guys because they usually embody the regular joe. They've been dragged into this nightmare, and all they really want is to get out of it. They're no good at fighting (as the general public probably would be), they engage in idle chatter with the people around them about their situation, they're helpful... in short, they're very relatable, without achieving it cheaply, like, say, Gordon himself does (by not saying anything at all and not doing anything but what you make him do, thereby having no personality of his own).
Dr. Kleiner developed a bit of his own character without losing the personality he inherited. Despite obviously being very smart and skilled (being able to construct teleporters and what-have-you), he has a kind of childlike quality to him. While the world around him is in a dire situation, he still pays attention to the simpler things in his life, like Lamarr. I appreciate that sort of innocence he displays.

4. Mario - Super Mario RPG

Couldn't find a good picture, and he doesn't have a quote for reasons to follow.

Like in all (?) of the titles preceeding SMRPG, Mario never says a word. Unlike the titles preceeding SMRPG, he does, however, have things to say. So he pantomimes everything. I just love the exaggerated manner in which he expresses himself and the comments he recieves because of it. When he's trying to describe someone else, his miming ability seems to reach to the point where he completely transforms into them. When he does this at one point as Bowser, it frightens away all the Toads nearby him, so it must be a very convincing performance. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any good demonstratory videos on youtube, and I certainly can't be bothered making my own right now. Sorry!

3. The G-Man - Half-Life (et al.)

"When I plucked her from Black Mesa, I acted in the face of... objections that she was a mere child, and of no practical use to anyone. I have learned to ignore such naysayers when... quelling them... was out of the question."

As Urble stated, and as everyone damn well knows, the G-Man really is a mystery. We don't know what his motives are. We don't know what his goals are. Hell, we don't understand anything about him. He could be helping us. He could be doing something far more nefarious, and if so, potentially on any possible scale. We don't even know what he's called. The only direct mention we've ever heard called him "our mutual friend". "G-Man" is just from the files, and I think perhaps a reference in the manual of Opposing Force.
He's been observing Gordon since before the Black Mesa incident was set off, he may have had direct involvement in the incident, he destroyed the facility afterwards (is Opposing Force proper-canon?), he's got his eye on Alyx for god-knows-why... Even apart from the big cliffhanger Episode 2 dropped upon us, the G-Man alone makes the whole damn series a cliffhanger. And that mystery is why we all love him.

2. Spy - Team Fortress 2

"Aww, you almosthealedme to death that time!"

Need more be said? Nevertheless. The Spy is deceptive. The Spy is cunning. The Spy is deadly. The Spy, in a word, is the best. More significantly, the Spy knows he's the best. While most of the time he remains quite professional and dry-humoured, he occasionally shows his true colours and makes it clear he takes great pleasure in his work, in particular with many mirthful and very mocking domination lines. I think that's why I like him so much. Fool someone once, you're just doing your job. Fool someone that many times, you're good, and you and your victim damn well know it.

1. Garrett - Thief: The Dark Project/The Metal Age

"I've never robbed a god before. It'll be a challenge."

Stridy already gave a pretty good description of Garrett. Above all else, he's professional. For example, he never kills, not for any particularly practical or ethical reasons, but because killing is the mark of an amateur.
One of my favourite Garrett parts is a particular Thief Gold mission called "Assassins". The mission begins as an arrow flies through the window, killing a merchant Garrett had just bought a set of thieving tools from. The arrow was meant for Garrett, who then tails the assassins. He finds out that they were sent by Ramirez, a City Warden that had been threatening Garrett over his independent status for some time. In recompense, Garrett decides to steal from him, and to maximise the insult, he steals the purse from right off of his belt in his own home[i]. [i]That is how a professional teaches a lesson.

Special mentions:

Luther - Lands of Lore 2: Guardians of Destiny[to himself] "Friends? Hmmm. I have no friends. Yes, that's it! I'll get some friends, and we'll all change into lizards and have a pint and skittles afterwards."

Luther is a great character. For much of the game, his main motivation is just to be normal. Unfortunately, he's pursued by Gladstone's guards because he's cursed with the same dark magic that his mother Scotia used to try to conquer Gladstone and the the rest of the place. That curse makes him occationally uncontrollably transform into a lizard or a huge bipedal beast.
He's often quite snarky and sarcastic (as the quote shows), but usually friendly and helpful. Well, unless you've decided to play him evilly, in which case he'll chuckle mercilessly when, say, attacking and scaring off villagers for no real reason. You also get to hear what he thinks to himself, which can be funny in situations where some things are best left unsaid. Case in point (playing evilly) (paraphrasing, I can't remember the precise wording):
"Is there a fellow named Daniel among you?"
"I am Daniel."
"I have a gift for you from your mother. [to himself] I took it off your mother's corpse."

Booyan - Rogue Legacy"Can't even hit 8 targets? Pfff, good luck with the rest of the castle."

"He's kind of an ass."

I think it says something about me that my top three are the mysterious types, the top two of which are definitely the sneaky types.

Oh, and is Deadly Shadows worth playing, or will it taint my love of Thief? (I know the new one will.)

How much do you pay.

All the money, ever.

Oh, and is Deadly Shadows worth playing, or will it taint my love of Thief? (I know the new one will.)

Hm, yes and no.

Yes because it's another great supernatural & mysterious story in The City, more like the first game then the second. Garrett is still in fine form and you'll learn a lot more about the Keepers, who have their own sins.

No because while it's still essentially Thief, it's Thief spoiled by Xbox limitations and a bunch of iffy design choices. Instead of sprawling, non-linear levels like the originals, they're fairly small and connected by frequent loading zones. There's glitchy ragdoll physics, loot glint, glowy arrow trails and lots of giant, weird UI elements. You can explore regions of The City between missions, which you may or may not like because again, they're small and full of loading zones. There's also a faction system now you can use to stay in favour with the Hammerites and the Pagans, but it amounts to little more than Oblivion fetch quest type stuff.

It is to Thief 1 & 2 what Invisible War is to Deus Ex, really. Not completely terrible as people claim, but a dodgy version of a classic.

There's a number of tweaks you can apply to ease the pain a bit, but there's also a fan project underway to connect the levels into singular maps and fix as many of the issues as possible. If you're in no rush to play it you might want to hold out for that.

All the money, ever.

Ooh too bad, my fee is all the money ever plus one.

Danke for the overview. I've had it for ages without really touching it, so I'm sure I can wait a little longer.

N.B. I'm a cheap bitch and would take less than all the money, ever. References? Oh, uh, I left them... in my other pants. They're rll good. Honest.
/lies

WELLP, that was short-lived. It's never too late to make a list for a previous category, though, so keep them coming if you get inspired.

New one:
Top 5 Official Game Levels/Maps

Be it for the challenge they pose or the visuals that leave you drooling, what are your top five maps? For this category, these should be official or expansion maps only - no mods.

Of anything? Hmmm, interesting theme. I shall return shortly with my list!

Don't suppose more than 4-5 people could do this one, aye? :rly:

1. Saints Row IV - King of Stilwater (again)
2. Deus Ex Human Revolution - Upper Hengsha / Tai Yong Medical
3. ...

I'll extend my list later.

Initial list is... 22 levels. I've got some trimming to do. Thank god you clarified no mods/maps or my list would be three times as long.

5. Level 10 - Rat Race - BattletoadsWhile I enjoy just about every level of Battletoads (somewhat excepting level 12, but even then, it's still good), something about this one has stuck with me. It's quite a straightforward level, though for this game, probably one of the more complicated ones; it's split into three main sections. Shortly into each one, a race starts to the bottom, where a bomb waits. If you get there first, you disarm it (kick it), and if you don't get there first, you get dead. It took quite a long time to hone the nimbleness required to finish it, because in that third section in particular, you've gotta nail it nigh on perfectly to stand a chance of getting to the end. By now I've got it down, unfortunately. Kinda wish I had never played it, just so that I could start fresh =P

4. ONS-Torlan - Unreal Tournament 2004Well, I had to pick something from UT2004. Onslaught is my favourite game mode, and Torlan is the most notable map to me, so it gets the place. A simple level and damn fun to play. I feel I must preach my love for the Goliath tank. I can't think of any weapon in any other game that feels so powerful. I mean, the Leviathan can tear it up like tissue paper, but it just doesn't have the same sense of impact, y'know? And this map does it well, when you see one of those rolling up over that hill into sight... It's also ridiculously fun sitting around the enemy base in a Manta running people down, or better yet...

3. The Frag Pipe - Quake 2A good Quake 2 map altogether, this one is standout to me because of the eponymous frag pipe (at least, I assume that's what it is). As pictured, within the pipe is a rather nice weapon, not to mention a good connection between two areas. There are buttons all around it, however, that will close the pipe and fill it with lava, and Quake 2 has some delicious lava-swimming sounds >=D This symbolises what I love in a good deathmatch map: traps! The Snark Pit of Half-Life has some similar traps, but there's nothing quite like running through the pipe, seeing the door close ahead of you, and experiencing that moment of dread before you start to melt (loudly).

2. The Grand Cathedral - Serious Sam: The Second EncounterI had a great internal debate over whether to place this or The Great Pyramid from TFE, but this one gets it. A colossal corridor followed by a wide open field (with scattered rain of fire and brimstone), culminating in the last boss fight of the game. This whole level just feels impressive, and the music (oh, the music) aids in that impression oh so much.
I put the effort in and, after a number of attempts, got myself the achievement for finishing this level on Serious mode without dying or loading. A worthy challenge for a Sam fan!

1. Stalkyard - Half-LifeI have many memories of the matches I would have with my brother in this place. And, really, it is an incredible map. Rather than the brazen running and gunning you're relatively free to pursue in other maps, this one lends itself marvellously to stealth.
You heard him run into the main room, but you don't know where he is in there. There's cover everywhere, and he could be anywhere. So you move slowly and carefully, and keep your eyes and ears wide open. You're looking for the slightest telling movement, and listening for the slightest clue. You might hear a quiet "use" sound, and odds are that means he's opening or closing the crate full of satchels. You may hear the sound of the longjump being picked up. You might take the high road and head towards the roof, giving you a superior view of the area. You can't see him, so perhaps he's not here anymore. You jump down to take the longjump yourself while its safe. Only to find he's put a tripmine between you and the only way out.
Speaking of tripmines, this map is quite good for traps of the created kind. There's lots of nooks where tripmines and satchels can be hidden, And there's nothing more satisfying than getting kills with those.

Fantastic list; fantastic reasoning.
I love Stalkyard, it really holds a special place in my heart. Excellent #1 contender.

Thinking about my list over the course of my shift at work today

Alright, this shouldn't be too hard for me, in roughly reverse order, let's go:

Facing Worlds - Unreal Tournament
Runner up: Grendelkeep (UT03/04)

Facing Worlds. The best teamplay map I have ever played. The positioning of the sniper rifle makes it easy for a team to get picked off, forcing the team to work together to counter-snipe while rushing the enemy tower.

The Camping Grounds (Q3DM6) - Quake 3
Runners up: The Longest Yard (Q3DM17), The Very End of You (Q3TOURNEY6)

Campgrounds is the best free-for-all deathmatch map that I've ever played. It's small enough that you'll run into enemies often, but big enough that you don't get crowded too often. The center of this map is the quad-damage courtyard and the jump-pad up to the rocket launcher, and it is heavily contested. Excellent use of verticality makes this map one of the best that Quake has to offer.

Amateria - Myst III

This map gets a spot simply for being absolutely stunning. Myst III is amazing in general, but this map is the best of the lot by a big margin. It has some great puzzles, all centered around a complex marble-track where large balls roll around like a giant pinball machine. The best part: after you solve the final puzzle, you get to ride inside one of the pinballs like a rollercoaster as it runs around the track, passing through each of your solved puzzles one-by-one. It's satisfying, glorious, and beautiful.

Surface Tension (the cliff face) - Half-Life

All of the HL series will obviously get a good review from me, but the cliff face would easily be my favourite map of them all. There's something really special about stepping out onto the cliff, climbing down and then back up again, shooting grunts and choppers, all while looking out at a vast desert skybox. An excellent map that gives a unique sense of scale, it was amazing when HL first came out, and it's still amazing now.

The Milkman Conspiracy - Psychonauts
Runner up: Lungfishopolis

This list could probably be full of Psychonauts levels - it really has a lot of really amazing and unique levels. "The Milkman Conspiracy" delves into the mind of an incredibly paranoid security guard, and the whole level is suitably delusional. My favourite thing about this level is the freaky gravity effects that are played with.

Locomotion - Uncharted 2
Runner up: Abducted - Uncharted 3

The Uncharted series is packed full of amazing cinematic levels, but Locomotion takes the cake. You start in the middle of a jungle in Nepal, where you climb onto a train headed to the Himalayan mountains. While you're fighting your way to the front of the train, you travel through a beautifully lush forest, then a tunnel, and then finally the snowy cliffs of the mountains. The entire time, the scene is seamlessly looped as the train moves through it, to the point where it doesn't even seem like a loop at all. It's one of my favourite cinematic gaming experiences.

(Yes, I chose six instead of five. Sue me!)