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 almosthealed
me 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."