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More and more, characters drive games. They might call it God or War, Halo, Uncharted, or Tomb Raider, but it's Kratos, the Master Chief, Nathan Drake, and Lara Croft featured on the box. We show up to play as old friends, see how they're doing, and help them annihilate entire populations.
Can we hire someone cheaper? And younger?
But if the stars draw the crowds, others can still steal the show. Supporting characters might not get the same amount of screen time, but the really good ones leave a deeper impression…and we've had a lot of really good ones in recent years. To the point where I say it's time to bring them out of the background and put them center stage.
That's not to suggest every great supporting player could sustain a 10-hour opus, but a quick DLC campaign? You bet. I'd pay for that. And here are five characters you'd pay to see in the spotlight, too.
Mordin Solus (Mass Effect 3)
You can fill multiple lists with main characters who, all combined, lack the depth and soul of one Salarian sidekick. He's a dedicated healer with Special Forces training who believes that sometimes the best cure is a bullet between the eyes. He participated in the neutering of an entire species without hesitation, but the ethics of those decisions still trouble him. He has absolutely no filters between what he thinks and what he says, and with a lifespan topping out at 40 years, no time to mince words. He even leaves extraneous words out to shave off precious seconds.
At his core, Mordin Solus just wants to help people and advance science within his own strict guidelines: "Never experiment on species with members capable of calculus. Simple rule, never broke it." A game centering on him could take us back to his days in the Salarian Special Tasks Group (read: black ops) or follow his own research going forward. But really, whether he's dispensing sexual advice or belting out a show tune, any game that lets Mordin talk is a winner.
The Sniper and The Spy (Team Fortress 2)
You could tell a fun tale with any of Team Fortress 2’s manly maniacs – and they have – but pairing up an earthy Aussie assassin with a suave French operative might be the true definition of comedic genius. You've got the Spy’s rich history of surprise sexual conquests bumping up against the Sniper’s phone calls home to Mum and Dad. Naturally, at some point, the Spy will disguise as the Sniper and take one of those calls. That's fine, but just give me one scene of the Spy bouncing around in the back of the Sniper’s Winnebago, having a conversation while on their way to do something bad to someone.
If their water-and-oil relationship doesn’t sell you, picture a game — possibly a co-op shooter — that fluidly switches between long-range headshotting and hands-on backstabbing, and then maybe throws in a few surprises…like role reversal. Or pitting them against another sniper/spy combo. That’s a game that keeps you on your toes…when you’re not laughing your ass off.
My early prediction: They try to kill each other a minimum of three times in a five-hour ride.
Fawful (Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story)
Bowser gets all the press in the Mushroom Kingdom, but you know what? He doesn't have fury. Fawful does. Oh yeah. He has it. In spades.
How awesome is Fawful? His original Japanese name — Gerakobits — translates as a diabolical cackle. The mustard of your doom gets up to the usual Mario Bros. shenanigans like kingdom conquering and princess kidnapping (if only just the voice), but he does it with a schizophrenic, non sequitur style all his own. The joy of Fawful lies in his tauntings and his FURY, which comes in both potent and impotent flavors. Both are equally hilarious.
He doubts his own power when he realizes he's been another villain's minion all along. He tries to suppress his evil ("I HAVE CALM.") as proprietor of the Bean and Badge shop. But no turn-based combat can contain Fawful's jackpotfulness. Give him a side-scroller, a 3D platformer, a dual-analog shooter, anything…so long as Fawful has game of his mighty pants that is laughing at you.
Chloe Frazer (Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception)
Admit it…you miss that ass. You sure didn’t get nearly enough of Chloe’s acerbic, practical approach to stealing antiquities in Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception. Hell, her loyalties and goals didn’t shift even once. Shame.
A game built around the divine Ms. Frazer wouldn’t drift one millimeter from what you’ve played before in recent Uncharteds, but the story — and we play Uncharted for the story, right? — could twist into shapes a good and pure hero like Nathan Drake wouldn’t even recognize. Lies? Check. Betrayals? Double check. Mind you, I’m still talking about Chloe…haven't gotten into what the bad guys might throw at her yet. And since they seemed to bond during Uncharted 3, I'd throw Charlie Tucker in as the poor sap she sells down the river in the short term for a long-term mutual gain. Best of all, unlike Drake, Chloe’s smart enough to walk away when things get too crazy, which might make for a nice narrative surprise. Hey, she’s not interested in solving your problems…she’s here to get paid.
Hey, where's Zeke Dunbar and HK-47? Tell us who else got left out, why they deserve star treatment, and what that game is.