Top 10 Video Game Secret Agents

With the haircut and demeanour of X-files’ agent Mulder, Sasha Nein is the best of all worlds: a highly trained secret agent, and the only character on this list who can smoke a cigarette without using his hands. As a high ranking member of the psychonauts —a group of telekinetic agents— Sasha helps train children who show signs of paranormal abilities at a government run summer camp. Sasha’s work is cloaked in secrecy, but his goal seems to be teaching kids how to weaponize their thoughts.

When rookie agent Michael Thornton is sequestered from the United States government, he joins Alpha Protocol — an untraceable, sophisticated militia. In typical RPG fashion, players are able to mold Thornton into whatever kind of super-spy they want. That player input is crucial to developing him into a one of a kind spy. Sometimes the dashing conversationalist, other times the lethal rogue — always a top-of-the-line secret agent.

A modern day femme fatale, Ada Wong’s motives aren’t ever truly clear, making her an obvious pick for a secret agent countdown. One part style, two parts mystery, Ada Wong is always in the loop, and has saved —and been saved by— Resident Evil staple Leon S. Kennedy on more than one occasion. Ada is the kind of secret agent that embodies the job title wholesale, cloaking her personality in the same mystery her job demands.

An undercover network of spies know as bard cover the land of Thedas, and Leliana is one of the greats. But, in her own words, “being a bard is so much more than being a spy.” And in a world dominated by politics Leliana is an unknown giant — a member of the chantry pulling strings from behind the scenes. Leliana deals in secrecy, and is an agent you would never expect.

Spanning six video games, two novels, a movie (and a reboot of that movie), Agent 47 may very well be the most recognizable secret agentto debut in a game. The Hitman himself is a genetically engineered assassin; a calculated improviser, who can carry out his missions with just about anything at his disposal. For Agent 47, a contact is a contract. No moral qualms stand in his way, making Agent 47 the one of the most ruthless, calm, and calculated killers on our list.

After losing both her mother and father, and churning through a series of foster parents, Cate took to a life of crime where she learned everything she needed to know about stealth. Fast forward past her adolescence and Cate “The Fox” Archer becomes the coolest secret agent around. In additional to a James Bond-esque arsenal, Cate is quick on her feet, funny, and dangerous. You know, the kind of secret agent who can single-handedly wipe out an army.

In spite of the chaos brought on by the rest of the Team Fortress 2 ensemble, The Spy is a calm and collected secret agent. He specializes in imitating his targets, and using the likeness of teammates to lure his prey into a false sense of security. It’s this simple, pure deception that makes him such a powerful opponent. And by being part of a uniquely multiplayer experience, players who take control of The Spy get to experience that oh-so sweet feeling of deceiving another person firsthand.

Sam Fisher embodies grizzled, veteran secret agent like no other. A master of every futuristic gadget under the sun, Sam is unparalleled in covert operations. Despite carrying out his objectives with mechanical efficiency, Sam’s daughter grounds him, and helps him hold onto his humanity. That is, until her life is threatened. Voiced in most games by Michael Ironside, Sam Fischer may have debuted in video games, but has become a secret agent icon that holds up the Tom Clancy brand with aplomb.

Perfect Dark is often called the spiritual successor to GoldenEye 007, so it makes sense that a new protagonist, meant to replace James Bond, would have to be something special. Joanna Dark is just that: a culmination of the most important traits a secret agent should have. She’s adept with a wide array of arms, a master of stealth, and silver-tongued. It’s no surprise that Joanna —codename Perfect Dark— can hold her own against military forces and extraterrestrials alike. She’s one hell of an agent.
Before getting to our number one, lets look at some honourable mentions.

Gex
“Gex: Enter the Gecko” (1998)

Alec Sects
“Spy Hunter” series (2001-)

Rouge the Bat
“Sonic Adventure 2” (2001)

Clank
“Secret Agent Clank” (2008)

You knew it was coming. The larger-than-life secret agent has appeared in games for over two decades, and with good reason: no one holds a candle to the legendary hero Solid Snake. To fully appreciate Snake’s prowess you need look no further than the extraordinary array of enemies he’s faced, and the brilliant ways he has come to defeat them. Solid Snake isn’t just a devilishly cool secret agent, but one of the most interesting and important characters in gaming history.


Do you agree with our list? What agents have the coolest gadgets and gear? For more Top 10’s infiltrating your computer daily be sure to subscribe to Watchmojo.com