Kratos : God Of War
Arguably the best anti-hero the gaming world has known. The story of the game starts with Kratos on a cliff and committing suicide by jumping off the cliff. The story goes into flashback mode. He even kills his own family at one point. He ravages through populations killing with impunity, the game heats up when he tries to redeem himself by helping the Gods defeat Ares, God of War. It is the journey of Kratos from a young ambitious Spartan captain to becoming the God of War. The graphic detail that has gone into the characterization of Kratos requires a special mention.
Hitman : Codename 47
Hitman would have increased the blood pressures of many parents. He is a genetically-engineered assassin. He has a eccentric style associated with him and his every action and you just start to like him more and more after every mission you complete. This is one of the few games where a lot of emphasis was placed on the character, at some point in the game you start to sympathize with the protagonist, though he is a cold-blooded killer. This is not the kind of game where you kill everyone in sight, you have certain hits to be taken out and the lesser the mess the better. I do not believe the film adaptation does justice to this character. Reasons to like him - Stealth, amorality, professionalism.
Prince Of Persia : WOW
The Prince returns. Only this time he is not the charming, well mannered guy in the first part. The character in the second part of the Prince of Persia series is rugged and tough. The character is shown with permanent stubble and a tattooed body. He is more aggressive in this bloody sequel. During fights you can hear curses being ditched out. This ramped up version of the character seemed to impress as it outsold its prequel. The character was perfectly suited to the story line of the game.
Max Payne
Max Payne took the gaming world by storm with the matrix-styled slow motion action sequences. Max Payne is probably the run of the mill character we are used to seeing in our films. The good guy seeking revenge. He works as an undercover cop for the DEA after his family is killed by some junkies. Though the characterization seems worn out, the story moves ahead at a fast pace with the necessary suspense element thrown in. The cinematography inspired by John Woo films and the captivating graphics along with the action sequences have given the necessary style and aura to the character. So much so, that Mark Wahlberg has been roped in to play the part in the movie adaptation.
Sub-Zero : Mortal Kombat
Superheroes are considered cool, but this guy's literally so. This character created as part of the Mortal Kombat series(Does this require introduction?) is one that immediately catches your attention. Everything about him seems attractive. Unlike the other characters above, Sub-Zero has supernatural powers, he has the power to freeze. A even better one is to create Ice-Clones( Full marks to the guy who came up with this). Though not a main character in the original story line and a pretty difficult character to master in the game, Sub-zero's reputation just shot through the roof, in spite of being in the wrong side of the fight between the good and evil. His popularity forced Midway to resurrect another version of the same character albeit without the mask siding with the good. Talk about influence, introduced as a supporting character, changes were made to the story because of his popularity.
