The 8 Greatest Video Game Sidekicks

As a gamer, especially as an RPG gamer, I've come across a few terrible NPCs (non-playable characters) to say the least. But, there have always been a good amount of excellent sidekicks in the video game realm. Here are some of the best. 

GLaDOS from Portal 

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Sidekick support: No support, really. Just provides comedic relief in the most hateful way possible.

She’s actually the antagonist of the series. Still, her comedic timing and clever quips make up for her many attempts to kill you, especially since she’s the only one you stay in contact with throughout the entire game. In a way, it's sort of endearing, right? Eh. Maybe not. Though, the amusement factor does help her case tremendously.

Mickey from Kingdom Hearts 

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Sidekick support: Second chance and a reliable healer.

Odd, because at least for the first Kingdom Hearts, the AI wasn’t all that advanced and you usually had your sidekicks (*ahem* Donald) rarely help in battle. They would heal you directly AFTER you healed yourself or die within the first two attacks. I'm not bitter. No, not bitter at all.

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But the game developers put special care into Mickey (and Riku!). In Kingdom Hearts II, he was the one who would swoop in when Sora died and you had a brief period of time where you controlled him. With all those flips and all that agility, it felt like controlling Yoda. He was even better in Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep when he fought alongside Aqua. He did a great deal of damage (yeahhh, there was a time when I just sat back and watched him hack away at that life bar) and saved me more times than I expected.

Navi from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 

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Sidekick support: Information.

Uh, did I say best? I meant worst for this one. No, no. She was fine. Anyone who has played Zelda knows that Link comes across a variety of companions. Navi, the fairy friend in Ocarina of Time is extremely informative, unless you’ve played the game for the 100th time, then she just becomes annoying. I’m tempted to add Midna instead of Navi, but part of me is pleased by the fact that I might trigger some people’s dumbfounded wondering over why I put Navi on my list.

Miles "Tails" Prower from Sonic the Hedgehog

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Sidekick support: Two player ability and air support.

I kind of want to include Knuckles here, just because the later Sonic games had him as your sidekick and he was awesome, but the nostalgic side of me, the younger side, the one who had Sonic and Tails, definitely wants to say Tails is the best sidekick. I remember always wanting to try out Tails, at least once because, heck, he could fly!!

Personas From the Persona series

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Sidekick support: A manifested personality that evolves from social choices and battle. Also, gives you the ability to fight unseen monsters.

Okay, okay. I have NOT yet played Persona 5 (I know! What a crime.), but I have played Persona 3 and greatly enjoyed it. Two particular characteristics carry over in all Persona games: that your manifested personality, your persona, is affected by social choices throughout the game, and that both shadows (enemies) and personas are broken into tarot card categories, each with their own strengths, depending on real world and shadow world interactions.

Summons from the Final Fantasy series

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Sidekick support: Depending on the series, they could be a form of worship and/or resurrection (FFXV) or perhaps even a connection to the dead and ultimate weapon for the big bad (FFX), but really they’re just beasts/gods/critters you use to battle monsters. Chocobos are included! They have been used as summons before.

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Summons and chocobos have appeared in the Final Fantasy series since Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy II respectively. Summons are ALWAYS a powerful attack, no matter the game, and later, usually have stunning cinematics to accompany them. Besides, the summons tend to repeat throughout the series, yet differ ever so slightly from game to game. Hm, are all final fantasies parallel universes?

Elizabeth from BioShock Infinite

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Sidekick support: Emotional investment, complements main character’s personality, and is actually useful.

Bioshock Infinite was brilliant in many ways, one of them being the AI companion that follows you throughout the series, Elizabeth. Finally, a sidekick that doesn't typically die within the first 3 minutes of battle.

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Though I won’t delve into the spoiler territory, I will say that having Elizabeth by your side adds not only to the story as a whole but also the gameplay. There are certain instances in the game where Elizabeth will find coins on the ground and chuck them towards you. Thankfully, Booker is a pretty good catch. Again, not venturing into spoiler territory, but she's a key piece of the plot and quite the interesting character.

Pocket/Digital “Monsters” from Pokémon and Digimon

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Sidekick support: Best friend! Has emotional/cuddle/battle support.

How could I NOT add Pokémon for best sidekicks? Who wouldn’t want a gaggle of monsters you could carry around in your “pocket” to battle friends or total strangers? I mean, you were able to choose a starter Pokémon, making it seem interesting to say the least. Who would ever trade their starter? There’s a sense of loyalty there.

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I also want to add digimon to this list as well. I mean, to have a monster that's tailored to your specific personality and needs, that you could connect with whenever you’re on the internet. After all, we’re always connected to the internet anyway, so you could basically see them 24/7.

Having an NPC that is informative, provides battle support, and contributes to the story and heart of the game is always welcome. They simply make the experience much more enjoyable and feed my fangirl heart, at the very least.

What's your favorite video game sidekick?

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How to Fix Sonic the Hedgehog

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First off, a caveat: I am by no means the first person to bring up ways in which the Sonic series has been less than perfect. The issue has been addressed in multiple ways. Simply Google the phrase “How to fix Sonic the Hedgehog” and you’ll get a number of hits and discussion boards all geared towards the ways in which he can be improved. I’ve heard of ideas such as going back to world-building roots or getting rid of the unnecessary edge to some of the characters (looking at you, Shadow) to simply sticking with the 2-D model that the game series first launched with. What I’m going to cover today has, in all probability, been talked about before. In other words, what I’m going to tell you probably isn’t a novel idea. It’s one I haven’t come across myself, but it surely must have been discussed in some forum board or late-night breakfast joint somewhere.

An additional caveat: I haven’t exactly played the newer games. The furthest I managed to bring myself (yes, effort was involved in getting myself to buy the later games) was in playing Sonic Heroes and Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II. I’ll be blunt now: I didn’t care for the former and enjoyed the latter, as well as its prequel. But, all the same, I couldn’t bring myself to continue purchasing the new games. Sonic Colors, Sonic Unleashed, Shadow the Hedgehog (ugh): I knew all of them would have the same core problem. Shadow probably had a few more (ha!), but at their core, the newer games all have the same issue.

Every segment of demo I see coming from a new Sonic game, every screenshot of a fan’s playthrough on Facebook, every mention of the different features and designs that the newest game in the series will incorporate--they all fail to address a basic issue.

Speed.

Sonic is too fast. There, I said it.

"Behold my legacy!"

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But let’s back up a bit. Let’s go back to what I said a moment ago. I mentioned that I liked Sonic the Hedgehog 4. I liked it because it was like the old games. It featured very similar sorts of levels and bad guys to beat up. It managed to touch on nostalgia without becoming dependent on it. And, most importantly, Sonic’s speed didn’t actually hinder the game play. Just like in the old games.

Back in the days when playing a game meant overcoming a challenge instead of just being immersed in a world (see my post on Dark Souls and Zelda for more), Sonic gamers knew that it took a few playthroughs to memorize a level and then blast through it once it was fully memorized. I myself can remember getting through several levels on Sonic the Hedgehog 2 without taking a single hit. Because this was naturally a function of the game, speed was allowed. Or, to be more precise, controlling Sonic’s speed was allowed. Higher scores were granted to the faster players, but knowing when to jump, when to duck, and where to go were more important bits of info to the players than just running to the right real fast. The point of the game became controlling Sonic’s speed so that the fastest playthrough could be found. Add to this different paths through which one could reach the end of a level (as well as hidden traps and goodies along the way) and the fun of Sonic becomes apparent: getting to the end in the fastest, funnest way possible without losing rings or dying.

You poor children will never know the joy!

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Fast forward to the newer, 3-D games. We’ll take Sonic Adventure for instance. While a large portion of the game involves playing levels that have nothing to do with speed (such as the Casino stage or any stage played with Big the Cat), those stages that use getting to the end as fast as possible as the mechanical basis for the level design leave something to be desired. The reason is that Sonic’s playstyle is at odds with how humans function. Before, during the 2-D era, Sonic was not too fast to be playable. He operated at a good speed and when he did go fast, that speed didn’t interfere with a player’s attempts to go through the level. The level could still be enjoyed. The mysterious backgrounds and hidden items and special stages (a glorious invention in gaming) could all be appreciated as they were meant to be.

But now? Now the focus is on making Sonic so fast that the games nowadays actually have to help you play them in order to maintain Sonic’s speed. From utterly boring single-lane movement to auto-controlled camera sequences, the 3-D games began letting the tail wag the dog. Cool level design and player experience was all hindered (or worse, sacrificed) to keep up the appearance that Sonic and his games are about speed.

The sad thing is that the cool parts of the old games were never about the speed. What drew me to the Sonic games were the music, the level designs, and the wonder of knowing that a whole world was out there for Sonic to save without being told much about it, which creates a sense of wonder and awe. We get none of that now. We get awkward controls that are either too sensitive to be used well or are so sensitive that the game has to take control away from the player to maintain the illusion that Sonic’s speed is the real name of the game.

I get it, though: speed is Sonic’s schtick, and in the comics and TV series, that schtick works, but it doesn’t work in the games.

So what would work? Athleticism.

Sonic games need to emphasize more of Sonic’s athleticism. The level designs could be revamped so that the platforming action happens via jumps, flips, slides, somersaults, wall-jumping, and all those sorts of things. Things that made Maria Robotnik and the God of War games fun. Speed needs to be taken out. We don’t need to prove that Sonic is faster than Mario (especially since he actually isn’t). We need to show the Sonic world again. We need compelling level designs with intriguing, minimalist storytelling and special stages. And so we need to stop pretending that speed is what the game is about. Having fun exploring the world is what the game is about and has always been about.

Well, maybe he can be a liiiiittle faster.

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So….

We can do one of two things. We can keep Sonic sequestered in the realm of 2-D side scrolling. Or we can take Sonic in a whole new direction, one that doesn’t involve streamlining the level designs so that it's easier for players to match their reaction time to Sonic’s. While I certainly want to see more 2-D games for Sonic to dash through, we can do better in the 3-D platform. We can let Sonic be his Sonicky self through the more standard platforming mechanics that have made several series the hallmarks that they are today.

Let’s agree to slow Sonic down before he crashes into yet another gaming blunder and give the blue blur a better way to be a snarky, rebellious freedom fighter.

Let me ask, intrepid, young speedsters,

What critical flaw have you found in the design of a great game or game series?

and

How else have you seen a 2-D game fall short when transitioning to a 3-D platform?

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Video Game Day Reflections

Today, September 12th is National Video Game Day. Due to this wondrous occasion a few of us decided to band together and share a few of our personal favorites in the gaming world.

Anna Gensimore

I didn't start playing video games at all until high school, and it was sporadic. From that point on, my interest only grew, and video games have come to affect me as a story-telling medium just as much as some books or movies.

The Last of Us

Every gamer has a game/series or two that they're exceptionally emotional about. The Last of Us definitely fits into that category for me. The world is visually stunning (even before the remaster), which Naughty Dog is known to perpetuate. Beyond that, it is simply good storytelling.

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Within the first hour of the game, I fell in love with the premise and the two main characters (Joel and Ellie), who have a pseudo father-daughter relationship. Both have been through a lot in life (who hasn't living in a post zombie apocalypse world?) and form a wonderful bond through it. Joel lost his daughter near the beginning of the outbreak, years before the game takes place, and Ellie is an orphan who's lost all that is dear to her. Yet the young girl has a secret; she's immune to the scourge that has taken over the majority of the population. As a fan of zombie fiction to begin with, this is and has always been right up my alley.

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Ellie is fantastic; at fourteen she's been thrust into worse situations than most of us can imagine and come through stronger for it. She's a great example of a teen girl character done right. From the first time I played the game, I've wanted to cosplay her. Her emotional maturity is astounding, yet there are moments when it's clear that she is still very much a kid. Those moments are meaningful and not pandering to her or the player. Although there are only few parts of the game in which you play as Ellie, she's my favorite character to play as. Don't get me wrong, Joel is a pretty great perspective character and helped me a lot during my early days of newer generation console gaming, but Ellie is just my favorite. It's mostly because she's quieter and better at stealth, and that comes in handy.

In fact, the choice to sneak around quietly or go in guns blazing is one of my favorite things about this game. Yes, it is a linear game, but you have options to solve problems and play the game the way that you like to play games. I change my strategies almost every time I play just to see if I can accomplish it. This game has grown with me as I've matured as a player and I'll probably play it a million more times. Of course, I've heard that there's a sequel in the works...

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BioShock

I know that I've mentioned that BioShock was the first game that I played in its entirety in a previous post. I can't help but be excited because the Remastered Collection is going to be released on Tuesday and a special someone got me a copy as a gift! I know that it's going to be gorgeous.

I can't wait to see Rapture and Columbia, only better.

I will never forget the first time I completed the opening sequence or the awe I felt descending into Rapture in the Bathysphere. Something about the concept of an underwater city like this combined with dystopian elements simply fascinated me. The other two games in the series affected me similarly. I found that the plot twists, brainwashing, and alternate timelines were simply inspiring. The steampunk elements incorporated into BioShock Infinite were some of my favorite aesthetic features of the entire series (which is tough to say since I have always loved the art-deco and 1950's style that are the backdrop of the first two games).

Still not sure about that, but she'll definitely hit him in the face with coins.

Before playing BioShock, I had it in my mind that I wasn't going to be a fan of first-person shooters. I didn't so much prove myself wrong as prove that I like quality games beyond the genre. The underlying social commentary provides lots of food for thought alongside its obligatory monstrous beings. I wasn't sure I'd be too keen on horror games until I gave this series a shot. I found much more emotional depth in the second game than I could have imagined and saw humanity, loyalty, and love in the most horrific of beings.

Besides, beyond awesome weapons, the BioShock franchise has some of the coolest powers that I've ever seen for the main character. I could write an entire article about the positive and negative effects of Plasmids and Vigors, but I'll spare you today and just encourage you to play yourself.

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Jaime Heller

I’ve played quite a few games during my childhood and even more as I got older. From Mario Bros. to Kingdom Hearts to every game that has to do with Lord of the Rings, I’ve played multiple genres and types of games. (Yes, I’ve even played Call of Duty. No, I’m not good at it.) It’s hard to choose just a few to recommend, but each one of these holds a special place in my gamer girl heart.

Sly Cooper

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The Sly Cooper games are some of the first I distinctly remember playing by myself. Previously, my brother would let me play with him, but I never played alone. Until Sly Cooper showed up at our house. Sure, the first game is so ridiculously hard I never beat it, but I adore these games. I love the story that goes along with each installation from tracking down the Thievius Racconus to trying to stop Clockwork 2.0 and all the other adventures (time-travel included). The story is written so well that I almost forget I’m playing a game and not experiencing a movie. Each level is distinct, creative, and vital to the story’s progression.

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In addition, the characters make the story work. In the first game, we only get to play as Sly, but Murray, Bentley, Carmelita, and all the villains are just as memorable. As we move into the other games, we get to play as other characters, and they became even more distinct. (Honestly, the best level of the second game is the first time you get to play as Murray and just whoop on the henchmen.) I also love that some characters from the first games return in the later games, whether they help or hinder Sly’s quests.

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Some of the aspects of the Sly Cooper games are awesome as well. Since we’re playing as a thief, it was cool to learn sneaky moves or interesting tricks, especially with Sly’s noteworthy Cooper Cane. In addition, the third game even had levels you could play in 3D! While the 3D wasn’t that spectacular, the concept was just intriguing for my middle-grade self.

Overall, Sly Cooper remains a favorite video game franchise because of the story, the characters, and the gameplay. While I have yet to beat any of the actual games (that just proves it’s a worthwhile game because of the challenge), I still look forward to hopefully more installments. And also the upcoming movie!

Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I’ve discussed in-depth my adoration for many of the Lego video games. However, I haven’t had a chance to discuss the latest Lego game: Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Like the other Star Wars games, it follows the main story line of Episode VII. You get to play as Finn and break Poe out of the First Order ship. You can fly the Millennium Falcon as Rey. And you get to battle Kylo Ren in the snow at Starkiller Base. But there is so much more to the game than just the main story line. There are characters galore--even some from previous films that you can get to unlock. There are multiple versions of The Force Awakens characters--such as Rey with just her staff or Rey with a lightsaber or even Young Rey.

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In addition, there are bonus levels that take place before The Force Awakens. As Poe and BB-8, you rescue Admiral Ackbar. With Han and Chewie, you can hunt Rathtars. And there are many more--even one that explains why C-3PO has a red arm…

For the gameplay, The Force Awakens is the best Lego game to date, in my opinion. They’ve improved greatly on the lightsabers, which were kind of terrible in the other Lego Star Wars games. They’ve added cool things like microfighters or close-range battles where you have to target Stormtroopers and other enemies to fight them. The graphics are improved and look awesome. Plus, as Legos, the game is just fun to play!

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Animal Crossing: New Leaf

One of my favorite Nintendo games ever--and the only 3DS game I currently own--is Animal Crossing: New Leaf. I used to play Animal Crossing: Wild World for ages when I was in middle school. Countless hours were spent tidying up my town, fishing, catching bugs, and annoying my neighbors. So when New Leaf was released, I needed to play it. And it’s wonderful.

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New Leaf takes the well-known world and controls of the other Animal Crossing games but improves on them. There is more to do and more to see in New Leaf. No longer are you a regular resident, but you are the mayor of the town. This gives you more options for building things and making decisions. There are new shops and new characters to interact with. And there’s also an island you can travel to that has mini-games and other opportunities to catch rare bugs and fish. You can also go deep-sea diving.

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There are more holiday-related days that include activities and special opportunities. I love this game because of how much there is to do and because the entire world is made of animals, except you. It’s like a fantasy-version of The Sims. The conversations are hilarious, and everything is just adorable. Plus, there is endless fun since the game doesn’t really end. There’s always more room for fun and adventure!

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Kelly Chaplin

Oh, heck yes. It’s Video Game Day! Thank the gamer gods. 

Sonic The Hedgehog

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? When I was five, I was introduced to Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis.

Back in my day (wow, feeling old saying that), I didn’t have games that connected to the internet. Rather than play online with friends, I would play in the same room as friends. My friends and I would pass the controller whenever one of us died, simple as that.

But Sonic was special to us. We cursed Dr. Robotnik’s name (by which I mean, we said things like, “you darn meany”). It was a bonding experience, especially since I was the only girl and in a way I had to prove myself. Thus, I proved myself via video games, especially when the game required skill. Sonic made you hone your skills. You had to jump at an appropriate time, you had to flip and bounce off enemy robots, you had to dodge lava flows, etc.

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Sure, maybe the storyline wasn’t the most intricate, but the game was delightfully fun and challenging. Everyone worked as a team in order to beat the final boss. And it was in that camaraderie that I began to love video games.

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Final Fantasy X

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Okay, so I have a confession to make...I played Final Fantasy X-2 before I played Final Fantasy X. I know, blasphemy (also, confusing). You see, my mom got it for me for my birthday and thought I’d like it. And my, was she right. But I wanted X as well! I kept hearing that it was this beautifully constructed masterpiece of melancholy and strategy. My kind of game, even back then.

Not too long after, we purchased it. But much to my surprise, the game didn’t start off with Yuna, who I was familiar with, but with Tidus, a peppy hyperactive Blitzball jockey who’s whisked away to Spira, a land a thousand years into the future. Just the juxtaposition of East meets West, the comparison of old versus new, the divide between technology and magic, were all nicely interwoven. I couldn’t help but be swept away right along with Tidus.

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Then there’s the love story! The greatest in Final Fantasy history (in my opinion). It was this tragic roller coaster of up and down. I mean, Tidus was forbidden from becoming romantically involved with Yuna (a summoner). Her mission was to defeat Sin, her destiny was...well, just play the game to find out.

Final Fantasy X had gorgeous graphics and high end voice-acting (at least for its time), and the battle system was fine tuned and brilliantly customizable. You actually had to think through attacks, you couldn’t button mash your way out of a boss battle (phew, especially near the end).

The music was heavenly, the villains were dastardly, and the concept of existence and death and love completely rocked my point of view to the point where I sat awake for hours just thinking about it.

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Kingdom Hearts

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The Kingdom Hearts series. Boy, where to start? Whelp, It’s my absolute favorite game series of all time. As mentioned in Sonic, it was one of those games where I played with a group of friends (into the wee hours of the night, mind you). There was just something about the game that made me want to play more, whether it be to find out which Disney World I’d be visiting next or if I’d finally find Kairi and Riku or what outrageous antics Sora, Donald, and Goofy would pull next.

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Not to mention that the characters were all amazing. I went from angrily cursing Riku’s name to wanting to fold him into my loving embrace. I saw Sora grow from a baseball bat swinging naive little kid to (though still naive) a more mature, much more skilled Keyblade wielder. Though, I’m still waiting to play as Kairi...but I had a plethora of characters to love as the series went on.

There’s a lightheartedness that was intoxicating, that was pure and right and simple. It harkened back to a more innocent time, a time where all that mattered was playing with my cul de sac brethren and believing in Santa Claus and...well, you get it.

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Then there were games like Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II, which introduced more complicated concepts and emotions. Maybe darkness isn’t evil, maybe I’ll have to say goodbye to friends, maybe making mistakes is all part of life. And the first Kingdom Hearts touched on that, but later games really brought that into the light. Beneath the fake smiles and puntastic jokes, there was something more tragic and complicated (if you looked hard enough). And that was perfect, that was me as a player and as a person growing up with the game.

As for gameplay, I mean, it’s still my favorite go to game for both button mashing and (if played appropriately) strategic planning. From summons to drive forms to shot locks, every game introduced something new and fun to add to the experience. And that’s the thing, Kingdom Hearts keeps surprising me. Now I just have to wait for Kingdom Hearts III.

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What are your favorite video games?

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