Top 10 Worst Things Done by Video Game Heroes
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VOICE OVER: Adrian Sousa
WRITTEN BY: Mark Sammut
Wait we're supposed to be cheering these guys on?! Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we'll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Worst Things Done By Video Game Heroes.
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To have your ideas turned into a WatchMojo or MojoPlays video, head over to http://WatchMojo.comsuggest and get to it!
Top 10 Worst Things Done By Video Game Heroes
Heroic in the loosest of terms. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Worst Things Done By Video Game Heroes.
For this list, we’re looking at questionable actions committed by gaming protagonists and heroes that led to rather disastrous outcomes. As optional actions and paths chosen by the player will not be considered, “Undertale’s” genocide run and “Fallout 3’s” Paradise Falls are disqualified. Please note that spoilers will be included all over the place.
James Sunderland
Denial is a hell of a drug. "Silent Hill 2" ranks among the best horror games of all time and James Sunderland is a big reason why. Traveling to Silent Hill after getting a letter from the protagonist's supposedly dead wife, Sunderland struggles to relate with other people and comforts the clearly bullied but unhinged Eddie Dombrowski by questioning whether the young man is going insane. Towards the end of the game, it is revealed that James' guilt for murdering his sickly wife Mary prior to the start of "Silent Hill 2" was the driving factor behind this entire nightmare.
Alex Mercer
At best, this dude temporarily played the part of a hero due to a brief bout of amnesia. "Prototype's" protagonist and the central villain for the sequel, Alex Mercer helped develop the Blacklight virus as the head researcher at Gentek but decided to go rogue when Blackwatch started killing scientists to cover its tracks. Cornered and mere seconds from death, an angry Mercer unleashes the virus and infects the entire Manhattan area. If that’s not bad enough, "Prototype 2" starts with Mercer instigating another outbreak to try and infect enough people to birth a new dominant species.
Booker Dewitt
Where to even start? Okay, how about the fact that Booker took part in the Wounded Knee Massacre to avoid scrutiny for being half-Native American? Reeling from a sudden death in the family, BioShock Infinite's hero gained an addiction to alcohol and gambling, so Booker agreed to sell Anna – his only daughter – to pay off a mountain of debt. While the protagonist instantly regretted this decision, Booker should have never even considered it. Putting aside some later plot twists which turn the story on its head, Booker accepts a kidnapping mission to, once again, clear some debt. Also, Elizabeth is hardly completely clean.
Shay Cormac
A turncoat who literally changed the course of history. As a respected member of the Colonial Brotherhood of Assassins, Shay Cormac was tasked with pursuing the Templars who stole two Pieces of Eden, but the man quickly grew disenchanted with the Brotherhood's actions. Sent out on a mission to retrieve an Apple of Eden from a Temple in Lisbon, Shay accidentally triggered an earthquake that reduced the city's population by thousands. Abandoning the Brotherhood and joining the Templar Order, Shay hunted down any remaining Assassins and effectively destroyed the organization.
Prince Arthas
Even the greatest of heroes can succumb to desperation. Lordaeron's Crown Prince and a member of the Knights of the Silver Hand, Arthas Menethil yearned to defend Lordaeron from a deadly plague released by the Lich King that transforms humans into undead soldiers. Desperate to slow the epidemic, Prince Arthas burned the infected city of Stratholme and slaughtered all of its townsfolk. From that point on, Arthas was nothing more than a shell of a man and, eventually, led an army of the undead in destroying Lordaeron before fusing with the Lich King.
Samus Aran
Behind Nintendo's iconic Power Suit, hides a cold bounty hunter with an affinity for genocide. Surviving a mass cleansing at the tender age of three, Samus Aran lives to extract revenge on Ridley and the Space Pirates responsible for murder the protagonist's mother. 1991's "Return of Samus" sees the soft-spoken hero riding an entire planet of the Metroid species, a move which backfires spectacularly in "Metroid Fusion." Due to the sudden power vacuum created by the extermination of the planet's dominant species, an even worse parasite is allowed to spread and, by extension, causes the death of the B.S.L space station's human crew.
Martin Walker
A masterpiece of storytelling that subverts tropes associated with military shooters. Set in a war-torn Dubai run by Colonel John Konrad's 33rd Battalion, Captain Martin Walker is tasked with leading a small search-and-rescue Delta Force unit, but the protagonist commits some seriously heinous acts along the way. Forced to kill both American Soldiers and civilians, Captain Walker's worst moment involves firing a white phosphorous mortar that massacres countless innocents and members of the 33rd. Unable to cope with the guilt, the soldier goes insane and hallucinates that Konrad is the one dictating Walker's actions.
Wander
In gaming, towering monsters exist to be slain, so we did not think twice when Wander set out on a mission to kill sixteen massive entities. Obsessed with saving Mono's life, the enigmatic Dormin informs our hero that the girl's only hope is to take out the Colossi roaming the Forbidden Lands. Despite being warned that such a journey comes at a cost, Wander never hesitates when butchering these beautiful and docile creatures, who seem uninterested in attacking the protagonist. In a twist that everybody should have seen coming, Dormin was actually being held captive by the Colossi and Wander inadvertently helped set the antagonist free.
Joel
The Trolley problem questions whether sacrificing one person to save the lives of five is the morally correct choice. With Ellie serving as humanity's final chance at creating a cure for a deadly widespread infection, "The Last Of Us'" ending sees Joel faced with a similar conundrum; should the hero save the girl or the entire world? Well, it is safe to say Joel will not be winning any utilitarian awards. Ellie is a great character and deserves a shot at a normal life, but Joel's decision is driven solely by a selfish desire to save his new daughter.
Kratos
With a title like "God of War," was anyone genuinely shocked by this so-called hero's actions? Tricked by Ares into slaying his own family, Kratos willingly throws humanity down the crapper to satisfy an insatiable thirst for revenge. After replacing Ares as the new god of war, Zeus betrays Kratos, so the blood-thirsty protagonist sets out on a mission to burn Olympus down to the ground. Massacring everyone and everything, including a number of gods which the Earth depends on for survival, Kratos transforms from a standard anti-hero to the destroyer of worlds.
Heroic in the loosest of terms. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Worst Things Done By Video Game Heroes.
For this list, we’re looking at questionable actions committed by gaming protagonists and heroes that led to rather disastrous outcomes. As optional actions and paths chosen by the player will not be considered, “Undertale’s” genocide run and “Fallout 3’s” Paradise Falls are disqualified. Please note that spoilers will be included all over the place.
#10: Lack of People Skills & Killing His Dying Wife
James Sunderland
Denial is a hell of a drug. "Silent Hill 2" ranks among the best horror games of all time and James Sunderland is a big reason why. Traveling to Silent Hill after getting a letter from the protagonist's supposedly dead wife, Sunderland struggles to relate with other people and comforts the clearly bullied but unhinged Eddie Dombrowski by questioning whether the young man is going insane. Towards the end of the game, it is revealed that James' guilt for murdering his sickly wife Mary prior to the start of "Silent Hill 2" was the driving factor behind this entire nightmare.
#9: Infecting Manhattan With The Blacklight Virus
Alex Mercer
At best, this dude temporarily played the part of a hero due to a brief bout of amnesia. "Prototype's" protagonist and the central villain for the sequel, Alex Mercer helped develop the Blacklight virus as the head researcher at Gentek but decided to go rogue when Blackwatch started killing scientists to cover its tracks. Cornered and mere seconds from death, an angry Mercer unleashes the virus and infects the entire Manhattan area. If that’s not bad enough, "Prototype 2" starts with Mercer instigating another outbreak to try and infect enough people to birth a new dominant species.
#8: Selling His Daughter
Booker Dewitt
Where to even start? Okay, how about the fact that Booker took part in the Wounded Knee Massacre to avoid scrutiny for being half-Native American? Reeling from a sudden death in the family, BioShock Infinite's hero gained an addiction to alcohol and gambling, so Booker agreed to sell Anna – his only daughter – to pay off a mountain of debt. While the protagonist instantly regretted this decision, Booker should have never even considered it. Putting aside some later plot twists which turn the story on its head, Booker accepts a kidnapping mission to, once again, clear some debt. Also, Elizabeth is hardly completely clean.
#7: Setting off an Earthquake & Joining The Templars
Shay Cormac
A turncoat who literally changed the course of history. As a respected member of the Colonial Brotherhood of Assassins, Shay Cormac was tasked with pursuing the Templars who stole two Pieces of Eden, but the man quickly grew disenchanted with the Brotherhood's actions. Sent out on a mission to retrieve an Apple of Eden from a Temple in Lisbon, Shay accidentally triggered an earthquake that reduced the city's population by thousands. Abandoning the Brotherhood and joining the Templar Order, Shay hunted down any remaining Assassins and effectively destroyed the organization.
#6: Slaughtering a Sleeping Town
Prince Arthas
Even the greatest of heroes can succumb to desperation. Lordaeron's Crown Prince and a member of the Knights of the Silver Hand, Arthas Menethil yearned to defend Lordaeron from a deadly plague released by the Lich King that transforms humans into undead soldiers. Desperate to slow the epidemic, Prince Arthas burned the infected city of Stratholme and slaughtered all of its townsfolk. From that point on, Arthas was nothing more than a shell of a man and, eventually, led an army of the undead in destroying Lordaeron before fusing with the Lich King.
#5: Wiping Out The Metroid Species
Samus Aran
Behind Nintendo's iconic Power Suit, hides a cold bounty hunter with an affinity for genocide. Surviving a mass cleansing at the tender age of three, Samus Aran lives to extract revenge on Ridley and the Space Pirates responsible for murder the protagonist's mother. 1991's "Return of Samus" sees the soft-spoken hero riding an entire planet of the Metroid species, a move which backfires spectacularly in "Metroid Fusion." Due to the sudden power vacuum created by the extermination of the planet's dominant species, an even worse parasite is allowed to spread and, by extension, causes the death of the B.S.L space station's human crew.
#4: Annihilating Countless Civilians
Martin Walker
A masterpiece of storytelling that subverts tropes associated with military shooters. Set in a war-torn Dubai run by Colonel John Konrad's 33rd Battalion, Captain Martin Walker is tasked with leading a small search-and-rescue Delta Force unit, but the protagonist commits some seriously heinous acts along the way. Forced to kill both American Soldiers and civilians, Captain Walker's worst moment involves firing a white phosphorous mortar that massacres countless innocents and members of the 33rd. Unable to cope with the guilt, the soldier goes insane and hallucinates that Konrad is the one dictating Walker's actions.
#3: Murdering Innocent & Harmless Creatures to Save One Girl
Wander
In gaming, towering monsters exist to be slain, so we did not think twice when Wander set out on a mission to kill sixteen massive entities. Obsessed with saving Mono's life, the enigmatic Dormin informs our hero that the girl's only hope is to take out the Colossi roaming the Forbidden Lands. Despite being warned that such a journey comes at a cost, Wander never hesitates when butchering these beautiful and docile creatures, who seem uninterested in attacking the protagonist. In a twist that everybody should have seen coming, Dormin was actually being held captive by the Colossi and Wander inadvertently helped set the antagonist free.
#2: Damming All of Humanity
Joel
The Trolley problem questions whether sacrificing one person to save the lives of five is the morally correct choice. With Ellie serving as humanity's final chance at creating a cure for a deadly widespread infection, "The Last Of Us'" ending sees Joel faced with a similar conundrum; should the hero save the girl or the entire world? Well, it is safe to say Joel will not be winning any utilitarian awards. Ellie is a great character and deserves a shot at a normal life, but Joel's decision is driven solely by a selfish desire to save his new daughter.
#1: Deicide
Kratos
With a title like "God of War," was anyone genuinely shocked by this so-called hero's actions? Tricked by Ares into slaying his own family, Kratos willingly throws humanity down the crapper to satisfy an insatiable thirst for revenge. After replacing Ares as the new god of war, Zeus betrays Kratos, so the blood-thirsty protagonist sets out on a mission to burn Olympus down to the ground. Massacring everyone and everything, including a number of gods which the Earth depends on for survival, Kratos transforms from a standard anti-hero to the destroyer of worlds.
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