What would an action story be without heroics? What would victory be without sacrifice? The worlds created in videogames are rarely button-bright affairs; often they’re dark and war-torn, shattered by conflict or terror. Yet into these dark realms, heroes must stride, whether to rid the world of evil or save it from some horrendous end. The stars themselves are tyrannous, Fate is cruel and callous and, sometimes, not everyone makes it out alive.
Today we pay tribute to the fallen, without whose bravery Humanity would be far worse off.
Behold, my Five Favourite…
HEROIC SACRIFICES
#5
EDDIE RIGGS
Brutal Legend (Xbox 360)
Double Fine Productions / EA, 2009
Ok, so technically there are greater heroic sacrifices than that of legendary roadie, Eddie Riggs, but frankly the manner of his death, so sudden and undeserved in the defence of the band – albeit the most annoying band in the world ever, including Coldplay – means he earns his place by dint of pure dedication to the cause.
One moment he’s there, and the next he’s gone, flattened by a huge section of elaborate stage scenery. What made his sacrifice greater, of course, is that it didn’t end there. Where most of us would curl up our toes and rest in peace, Eddie wasn’t given the chance to lay back and push daisies. Instead, he was transported to the Land of Metal, and became entwined in a fight to the death to save it from the evil Doviculus. Of course, his compatriot Lars met his heroic end along the way, too – but then, he wasn’t voiced by Jack Black…
So, here’s to Eddie Riggs and his sacrifice. Roadies, eh? They just don’t make them like they used to.
#4
LT. KAIDEN ALENKO
Mass Effect (XBOX 360, PC)
Bioware / EA 2007
Come on, be honest: who let Chief Williams die to save this guy’s life? Anyone? That’s what I thought. Lieutenant Alenko, God bless him, was marked as soon we were introduced to his bland, “fifth-member-of-the-boyband” face.
One of the most undeniably beige characters ever to feature in a Bioware game he may have been, but you can’t fault his commitment to Commander Shepard’s cause. When someone had to stay behind on Virmire to activate the explosives and save the day, the choice was clear: hot, casually racist girl in uniform, or whiny, pretty-boy dullard?
Yeah, nice working with you, Kaiden…
#3
MIKHAIL
Resident Evil: Nemesis (Playstation)
Capcom, 1998
Plucky Jill Valentine had probably had it up to here with the inconvenient dead by the time a zombie invasion of Racoon City disrupted her policeman’s ball, but thankfully she wasn’t running around the streets alone at night in that dress – she had a handful of Umbrella’s biohazard operatives on side.
Of them all, it was Mikhail who made the most impact on my memory – more so even than Carlos – when he went toe-to-toe with the Nemesis in the carriage of a speeding train. “You lose!” he gargled, glowering determinedly in the face of a full-fat ass-kicking, before pulling the pin on the grenade he was holding and exploding like a meaty firework in the monster’s hand.
It didn’t kill the Nemesis, granted, but it was heroic nonetheless.
#2
STARKILLER
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Lucasarts, 2008
Between the lines, Star Wars is one of those franchises replete with genre tropes: sorcery, princesses, magic swords, secret paternity cases and, of course, heroic sacrifices.
Vader did it, Obi-Wan did it and, most recently, Galen Marek – AKA, Starkiller – did it. As Star Wars sacrifices go, it’s among the best – definitely better than Obi-Wan’s compliant beheading having previously handed Vader his ass in Episode Three, and more affecting than seventy or eighty tribal teddybears blindly hurling themselves under the feet of Imperial Walkers. And no, it doesn’t make a difference that he was later cloned in a slightly naff sequel, either.
Secret apprentice to the former Mr. Skywalker snr., Starkiller had some tough choices to make throughout The Force Unleashed, and in the end decided that his love for the feisty Juno Eclipse and respect for General Kota was more important than being the Emperor’s rent-boy, and threw himself on a big fork of force lightning. Good call.
#1
DR. JACK MASON
Pariah (Xbox, PC)
Digital Extremes / Groove Games, 2005
Oft-overlooked last-gen shooter Pariah had its moments, particularly in terms of storyline. More mature in its narrative than most shooters (even on the current generation), the story of medic Jack Mason and virus-carrier Karina on the run from the sinister Shroud across a post-apocalyptic Earth took a few surprising turns…
After their transport is shot down over a restricted corner of the planet, Mason finds himself the sole protector of Karina, a girl infected with a virus so potent that it causes her emotions to generate huge amounts of destructive kinetic energy. Throughout the story, Mason is forced to make a lot of difficult decisions and swallow his conscience more often than not – particularly when it’s revealed that he’s been working for the bad guys all along: the Shroud want Karina, in return for resurrecting Mason’s deceased daughter.
Double-cross follows double-cross and, like all conflicted heroes, Mason makes up for it in the end, when in an effort to save Karina’s life and atone for his own double-crossings, he turns his gun on himself, causing Karina’s emotional outburst to destroy the facility in which they’re imprisoned and annihilate the Shroud, ensuring the poor girl’s survival.
Fair trade...
So, dear reader, when you’ve finished raising a glass to these noble men, be sure to tell me what you think. Any sacrifices more deserving of a place above? Is there anyone I should be honouring instead of these guys?
Let me know, and I’ll see you again soon with another five favourites…
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