10 Fantasy and Sci-Fi Characters we all meet in real life.

So, it dawned on me the other day that a lot, if not all, of my favourite characters can be mirrored in someone I’ve known throughout my life. It seems obvious, but when you really think about it, it is surprising how many people actually fit into certain characters molds the stereotypes they seem to represent. I thought up this list in a semi-delirious state. It is entirely for fun and, whilst you may not agree with some of the character descriptions, some of them are just there to pick fun out of the characters! Even though these are obviously gendered, every character and situation can be easilly switched around for the opposite sex. They’re in no particular order, so please, enjoy my first ever top 10; the 10 Fantasy and Sci-Fi characters you meet in real life!

 

 

10 – Link, The Legend of Zelda series.

We all know someone like Link. That strange silent person who seems to never say a word, yet always get stuff sorted. They’re the lone wolf who sits in the corner. The stoic, silent type who contributes, let’s face it, almost nothing in group projects yet always seems to come on top. Hell, somehow they even manage to be brilliant with the opposite sex. Even Link is able to become Hyrule’s number one fella in each installment. you’ve got Link and Marin from Link’s Awakening, Link and Malon, Link and Saria, Link and Ruto AND Link and Nabooru, the little lovedog, in Ocarina of Time, Link and Cremia in Majora’s Mask and Link and Ilia in Twilight Princess. Not to mention the series wide fling he seems to be having with Zelda! How does he do it? No one knows, and no one will ever find out seeing as he never says a word! Somehow you’re friends with him, somehow everyone is friends with him. No one really knows how or why, but they know he is a good guy, someone that you can trust and go to. But, he always seems to wear that green tunic…

 

9 – Auron, Final Fantasy X

Auron represents the badass in our lives. The person we WISH we could be, the one so cool, so clever, so undeniably awesome in every single way, that you almost hate him a little bit. He is just TOO cool, in an unfair way. The glasses, the ‘one arm in one arm out’ look he has got going on, his nonchalant attitude. Everything about this dude screams cool. But, why is he friends with me? This awesome guy, the one too cool to care about things that regular humans care for, he actually looks out for me. Wait, does this mean I am badass too? Hmm, something to think about… Regardless, whilst a little part of you wishes he would just disappear so you can share out his awesomeness, without him you know that the world will just be a little worse off.

8 – Morrigan, Dragon Age: Origins

We have all felt this one. Whether you are a guy or a girl, we have all had that time where we meet someone pretty awesome. They’re funny, clever, witty, charming, attractive and they like you. You’d never thought you’d meet this person! Behind all their sass and tough front, deep down there is a person that you really dig, you can actually see yourself being with them for a long time, hey maybe even forever. The trick is? Don’t screw it up, just keep that in mind, don’t screw it up! Whatever you do, be cool, be yourself, be the person that she likes. Don’t screw it up!

You screwed it up. She’s gone. Never to be seen or heard from again. Despite how hard you look and how hard you try, that’s it. It’s over. She will always be the one that got away. Who’s fault is it? Maybe yours, maybe theirs, but you will never truly work it out. It’s almost comforting to see it as inevitable. Hey, even in game there is literally no way to keep Morrigan around. At least we have that as a condolence?

 

7 – The Courier, Fallout: New Vegas

This guy really put’s you to shame. Whilst you’ve always had that, “Ahh it will be alright, I’ll do it some other time!” and “Ah, I guess I can’t really afford to do that now, I’m kinda tired y’know?” attitude, The Courier takes no excuses and gives himself no breaks. Whilst you were contemplating whether to go to the shop first and then do some work, or do some work and then shop, this guy has already been to the shop, cooked dinner, finished his work and is now chatting up that girl you’ve been wanting to talk to for so long. He has the drive, the motivation and, somehow, all the skills one needs to just get stuff done. Whenever he perceives defeat, he just gets on with it and carries on no matter what. Whereas you just retreat to bed for a few days. Even The Courier himself manages to get back up after being SHOT THROUGH THE HEAD to reclaim the wasteland and model it in whatever way he sees fit. This guy has the entire state of Nevada after him, yet still manages to live to tell the tale. He fights off Deathclaws with a switchblade, whereas you would probably lose to a Molerat, even if you had a Fatman with you. Overall, this guy is just better then you and everyone else, yet you just can’t quite bring yourself to hate him.

 

6 – Ellen Ripley, Alien series

Probably one of the best Sci-fi protagonists out there, Ripley truly is the epitome of ‘I told you so’, and, by God, we all know someone like that. The person we really should have listened to. The one that, deep down, we know we should be taking their advice, yet, we do not. Instead, we listen to ourselves. Our own silly advice that, usually, get’s us into a worse situation then before. And what do we do when that happens? Run back to Ripley. But does she moan? Does she refuse? Does she throw a fit? Hell no, she ends up kicking ass and sorting most of your shit out on the way. Hell, you may end up being eaten alive by Xenomorphs before the end of it, but at least Ripley is there to fix the mess that you probably created. Oh, Ripley, where would we be without you?

 

5 – The Hero of Kvatch, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

It’s all about them isn’t it? They always have to be the center of attention. Somehow they manage to be hosting the greatest party whilst also having the greatest job and the greatest house. Constantly at the center of the attention, you seriously do not understand how they manage to pull it off. If that was you, you would be six feet under due to all the work, hassle and stress that comes with the title of “best person in the world ever.” They could be the greatest person ever or they could be a complete idiot, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is their ridiculous stamina and their seemingly alien ability to be everywhere, all the time. The Hero of Kvatch himself managed to be The head of the Fighters Guild, the Mages Guild, the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood. He saved Tamriel from a Daedra, he became a Daedra himself, he was the Knight of the Nine, collected every rare artifact, explored every dungeon and cave, became the Grand Master of the Arena and was somehow able to just teleport  to any location in Cyrodill. Something wasn’t right with this fella, and something isn’t right with his real life counterpart.

 

4 – Tifa, Final Fantasy VII

One of the best characters from Final Fantasy VII is also one many of us know in real life. This girl, often a childhood friend, is the one we all seem to push aside for, apparently, people who are better. Seemingly unaware of her obvious interest and lust in you, she is always given the backseat whilst you pursue other people and other things. Yet, she is always there for you when you inevitably take a snap back into reality and she never seems to blame you for your obliviousness at her advances. In the end, when everything has calmed down and things are back to normal, you start to realise that perhaps you have been staring something brilliant in the face. You realise how similar you two are, how well you get on and how long you have been there for each other. You realise- oh wait, is that Morrigan? Oops, gotta go!

 

3 – Daenerys Targaryen, A Song of Ice and Fire series

A fan favourite and rightly so, Dany represents the social hub that we all gravitate to. Girls want to be her, guys want to be with her. She has everyone after her, whether they be older sugar daddies like Jorah Mormont or the young heart throbs like Daario Naharis, she seems to get them all. Despite this, she doesn’t settle and always strives to better herself and those she cares for. She is determined, strong and relentless in her pursuit for making herself and the world better. However, no matter how popular she is and how amazing she seems to be, you can never truly hate her for it. After all, how could you hate someone who is genuinely that nice? It just so happens that she is also ridiculous beautiful, very intelligent and a shrewd diplomat too, among many other things. In many ways, she is like Morrigan. Yet, you know you will never stand a chance with this person, but that’s OK. She is a brilliant friend yet a harsh enemy. Get on her bad side? Well you better well pray for forgiveness or that is the end of you. Oh, and also, try not to mention her crazy brother. He is a bit, how shall we put it, over-protective.

 

2 – GLaDOS, Portal and Portal 2

GLaDOS is crazy. Not the a bit kooky crazy, but the trap you inside a science lab and experiment on you crazy. Relentless, remorseless and down-right frightening, you don’t really understand how this person manages to function. You try and keep your distance, not really knowing what they’re going to do next. You pray that you don’t come under fire from their, how best to put it, ‘eccentricity’, yet this person truly is unpredictable. Yet, somehow, someday, you manage to talk to them. A series of strange events meant you two are now working together or living near each other. You start to see that, despite their completely terrifying front, they have a heart, they have emotions. You start to care for this person, even though you know that you shouldn’t, you know that they will turn crazy any moment. But you can’t help it. In the end, you go along with their craziness. You become a partner in crime and join together to tackle something both of you are united in sorting out, whether it a group presentation or, like Portal 2, a crazy Stephen Merchant voiced A.I. that you end up sending to the moon. Whatever it is, somehow you and this crazy character come to an understanding. You don’t work with each other ever again and probably never speak again, but you both remember that little time you had together.

 

1 – Samwise Gamgee, The Lord of the Rings series

Oh, Sam. The true hero of middle-earth. The one that puts up with the most shit from the most people. We all have a Sam. We all have that one person who, without them, our lives just would not be the same. They put up with our multitudes of problems and dilemmas and are constantly there to pick up the pieces once it is all done. You’ve been friends forever and will probably be friends for the rest of your lives. Yes you’ve had fall outs, yes you have argued and disagreed. But, no matter how long you are angry with each other, it always works out. whether you argue about cancelling arrangements or being corrupted by an evil Ring, in the end the good will always shine through. You don’t really remember how you two became friends, all you know is that Sam has been there pretty much forever. And when that Gollum comes along, because they will, remember that Sam has always had amazing abilities at first impression. Despite how cool you think Gollum is, how well you have gelled and how close you are getting, they will never replace Sam. However, eventually the day will come where things will change. Perhaps one of you will get married, perhaps one of you will move away. Whatever it is, one day you will have to part. Just remember that Sam was and always is the best friend you will ever have, so remember him when you get to the top!

 

And that’s it! I hope you enjoyed my list, feel free to leave a comment on whether you agree or not. Or maybe you think someone else should have been in this list? Let me know in the comments and thank you for reading!

 

 

A quickie with the White Wolf

The Witcher series is home to probably one of the best fantasy universe’s I’ve come across in a very long time. This is a very brief post on what it is all about. Taking inspiration from, what seems to be, very Germanic, Nordic and Slavic mythologies and creatures, The Witcher world is set within a political boiling pot with fantastical creatures, alluring sorceresses and extremely badass monster hunters. The gameplay itself is an action-RPG. Fairly fluid combat, interesting character development and a multitude of enemies and ways of dispatching them.

The games revolve around Geralt of Rivia. a ‘Witcher’, a man who devotes his life to hunting monsters for rewards. After being infused with magical energies from a very early age, Geralt is a master swordsman and an extremely skilled monster hunter. The stories of the games revolve around Geralt embroiled within various political struggles alongside his personal struggle of trying to regain his memory and discoverer the fate of his lost love.  I have sunk many many hours in the second game, The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings. It is an extremely good game, in my opinion.

However, the third game looks immense. An open world, next-gen masterpiece, it will be the grand finale to Geralt’s brilliant story. You can pick the second and first installments of The Witcher trilogy on Steam. You can also find copies for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

If you are unaware of the series at all, have a look at these trailers and gameplay videos to see if they tickle your fancy. In the meantime, watch this space! The Witcher 3 will be a day one purchase for me and I will be giving it a review once I have played the hell out of it. Have you played any of The Witcher games? What’s your opinion on them? Thanks for reading!

Fallout: Hopes and Dreams for a better America

Please play the following soundtrack whilst reading this post

The Enclave needs YOU citizen!

America is in turmoil. It’s been a long time since our boys beat back those commie sons o’ bitches from Alaska, but the fight isn’t over yet! Our once great capital, the beautiful Washington D.C. is overrun by filth.

Supermutants, Raiders and the self-righteous Brotherhood of Steel, the home of our great American leaders is now home to vile packs of interlopers and intruders. Who is going to stand for freedom and the good of America? Who is going to show these villians that America is the land of the free! The home of the great! Will it be you, citizen? Will you stand with the Enclave? Will you stand for liberty, freedom and courage, the cornerstones of American life?

A brave Enclave troop!

I remember a time, back home in Texas. My pa would be on our Ranch, ma would be baking a nice pie and my dog, Buddy, and I would run around the fields, baseball in hand. Those were the good old days. Before the war, before the turmoil. Now, citizen, we fear for our lives. Starvation, dehydration, mutilation; all of these are common threats to the great people of America. Do you want a way out? Do you want to take a stand? Do you want to refuse to be downtrodden and beaten into the dirt? Then join the Enclave, Citizen. The Enclave is America. The Enclave is hope. The Enclave is the future!

I know what you have been thinking. We have been gone for so long. We have been strangers to these parts for many years. For that, I apologize. We let you down in your time of need, something we can never be forgiven for. However, what I can promise you is that we will repay that debt tenfold. Do you dream of a powerful America? Do you dream of safety and security? The Enclave will give you all of this and more. There is no need to cower from our enemies. There is no need to turn to the Brotherhood technophiles for your solution. There is no need to seek shelter from the storm. The Enclave is the calm. 

So join me, citizen, join me in our great reclamation of America, join the Enclave!

Valentines day doesn’t exist in Middle Earth – Thank God for that…

But do you know what does exist? A sneaky, Orc-killing, wraith using assassin bad ass. So if, like me, you’ve have had enough of the pinky red haze of the Valentines Day mania and if, like me, you’re trying your best to seperate yourself from the madness, check out this gameplay video for ‘Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor.’ A game to be released this year for both Next-gen and current-gen consoles and PC, developed by Monolith Studios. It’s an Action/RPG Sandbox that looks as if it is putting similar milked franchises (Assassin’s Creed) to shame!