PlayStation's 10 most influential video game characters, ranked
By Mark Lynch
4. Kratos
Video games: The God of War franchise
“War does not measure the strength of a man.” - Kratos
There are layers to Kratos’ greatness. When he first appeared, players loved his ruthlessness and devil-may-care attitude. Despite seeming uncaring, Kratos had a heart. It was just hardened.
General Kratos loved his wife, children, and his country. Unfortunately, his need for war and Zeus' death cost him everything. After Kratos paid his penance, he was gifted a new lease on life. This time, he didn’t make the same mistakes.
Every character should evolve, but Kratos did it better than anyone. He remains the vicious former God of War (that was a must). The difference is the creative team gave him more of a personality. It’s why, 18 years later, Kratos is still known as the toughest character in most genres.
3. Nathan Drake
Video games: The Uncharted franchise
"Great, power's out, and a girl's trapped. I swear to God if there's a zombie around the next corner..." - Nathan Drake
Nathan Drake made adventure games funny. Most games like this come with bad dialogue and a poor story. Not Uncharted and definitely not Nathan Drake.
Nathan Drake epitomizes what a character should be. He’s funny and flawed, matures during every game, and has a happy ending after almost ruining his life. The latter two don’t normally happen. He's also a bad-*** fighter who overachieves. There's no way he should have accomplished the things he had. The best part is, he's aware of it.
Naughty Dog made the right decision to end Nathan Drake’s run. Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing. It would be a shame if he went from influential to insignificant. He could be responsible for making The Last of Us franchise popular.