Much research and long debates by The Toonari Post gaming team have led to this short list of the top ten heroes in video games. In Part 1 of this article series Solid Snake, Master Chief, Samus Aran, Link, and Mario all made the list either because they are classics that are without a doubt some of the best characters or just extremely awesome in their fighting techniques. Polls to vote on battle pairings between heroes and villains will be posted on the Toonari Post Facebook page every week, so don’t miss your chance to have your comments and opinions in an article! You can also comment on this article to leave your vote.

Megaman (Megaman series)

Known as Rock or Rockman in Japan and the creation of Dr. Light; Megaman’s objective is to fight against Dr. Wily and his growing army of robots. He was originally a robot lab assistant named Rock who was transformed into Megaman by Dr. Light to stop Dr. Wily.

Despite being a robot Megaman possesses a great deal of humanity and is able to distinguish between right and wrong. Often he is confronted with enemy robots that seem too powerful for him to overcome, but his pure intentions and determination will always come through in the end. He does not fight for personal glory which is shown through his refusal to compete in an Annual Robot Tournament to prove which robot is the strongest. Overall this is one hero who is more than just another robot. His main method of battling is by stealing the powers of his defeated enemies, which he is able to do through several different methods depending on the game or television show.

Alucard (Castlevania series)

The half-human son of Dracula who fights alongside the Belmont clan of vampire hunters, he is Alucard. Even though he is part vampire and Dracula’s son, he takes up arms against his father because of his mother’s death and his promise to his mother to not hate humanity. Alucard’s mother begged him not to be bitter at her death when she was hunted down and killed by humans who believed her to be a witch.

Alucard listens to his mother’s wishes and seeks out the current member of the Belmont clan, Richter Belmont, in order to help him. Alucard’s determination to protect the humans that hate or fear him, as well as stop his own father, is what keeps players playing. His powers and abilities also give the player a new and different way of playing the Castlevania series.

These new abilities turn what had been a game where only weapons such as a whip, knives, holy water, and other human attacks were used into a game where the character had the ability to turn into a bat, a fireball attack, fog, and other vampire skills. Overall, Alucard is a hero who, though not a playable character in many of the Castlevania games, was certainly a memorable one.

Kratos (God of War series)

Kratos was a barbarian who fought in the name of Ares and was a good fighter. When he was about to die he prayed to Ares to save him, which then backfired. Ares tricked him into killing his wife and daughter, which led Kratos to hate Ares. Kratos decided to kill Ares for revenge, but when he does Kratos becomes the god of war, taking the place of Ares. In later games Kratos kills almost all of the other Greek gods, including Zeus, his own father. Kratos fights with two twin swords that are chained to his arms and with magic that is given to him by either the Olympian Gods or the Titans, depending on the game.

Agent 47 (Hitman series)

Agent 47, also known as Mr. 47, is the main character of the Hitman series of video games. He is a cold sociopath killer who always gets the job done and never gets caught. He is a genetically enhanced clone and hired gun for the International Contract Agency. Trained from birth to be an efficient killer, Agent 47 was born to be bad, making him an anti-hero.

Although he is a ‘hired gun’, his services are usually rendered to deliver justice where injustices have been done. Thanks to his training and genetic enhancements Agent 47 can remain calm in every situation and can use any weapon or vehicle accurately and proficiently; due to these enhancements he also has a great amount of endurance and can live through wounds that would be fatal to a normal person.

Dante (Devil May Cry series)

Dante is the son of the demon, Sparta, the only ‘good’ demon who stands up against other demons. Dante spends his time killing demons and resolving his family issues with his brother, Virgil. Dante is half-human and kills demons because his deceased father also killed demons, making it strange family tradition. He uses a giant sword, two magical guns, and several other kinds of weapons. In later games of the series he uses his father’s sword.

Now that you have a taste of the top ten heroes go vote in the polls on our Facebook page or comment at the bottom of this article. The hero pairings are: Samus v Link (don’t tell Zelda), Solid Snake v Agent 47 (there will be a lot of sneaking), Master Chief v Kratos, Mario v Megaman, Alucard v Dante. Some of these heroes were featured in the article “Top Ten Heroes of All Time Part 1.” Also keep a look out for the “Top Ten Villains of All Time” articles; you definitely won’t want to miss it.

Jordan Fisher contributed significantly to the writing and research of this article.

The article Top Ten Video Game Heroes of All Time Part 2 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

After long debates and much playing the top ten video game characters of all time have been decided by the gaming team at The Toonari Post. Some of them made the list because of their classic appeal or maybe because they are just incredibly awesome characters. Either way, this list features the best of the best and is also the beginning to a series of articles in which the best of the best fight each other to the death.

In these upcoming articles, pairings of the best heroes and the best villains will fight and the winner will be determined by polls on The Toonari Post facebook page. If you are interested in voting and cannot find the poll on Facebook simply comment at the end of this article as to which character you believe will win. Also check out the follow up articles to this one “Top Ten Video Game Heroes of All Time Part 2,” “Top Ten Video Game Villains of All Time Part 1,” and “Top Ten Video Game Villains of All Time Part 2.”

Mario (Mario series)

The mustachioed Italian plumber who protects the Mushroom Kingdom and is always trying to save the Princess from the Koopa King, of course, has to make it onto this list. While there is not too much to say about Mario’s personal beliefs since he is a silent hero and fairly simplistic, he has still had a huge impact in video games. Mario is the first video game hero that most children play as since Mario has appeared in over two hundred, family-friendly games.

However, you shouldn’t sell Mario short (even if he is). Certainly in the majority of his games he is just rescuing a princess, but in other games he’s been known to save the Mushroom Kingdom and even the Galaxy. In every case he is definitely on par with hero status.

Mario has had many different incarnations, but in almost all of them his attacks include jumping on his opponent, shooting fireballs, hitting enemies with his raccoon tail, and becoming invincible for short periods of time. However, without the special drops of fire flowers, feathers, and stars that Mario might find in a random block, Mario is fairly powerless in comparison to some of our other heroes.

Link (Legend of Zelda series)

The Hyrulian Hero of Time who protects both the Kingdom of Hyrule and the world, Link is another hero many children played in their childhoods. Though each game features a different Link than the one before (whether he is a descendant of Link or from a parallel universe), he still is essentially the same character. Normally Link uses his sword, bow and arrow, boomerang, and bombs. Although Link is another silent hero he is often very expressive – especially in his newer releases – and players can still get a feel for his character.

Link is not above helping others and often participates in side quests to help people that are unrelated to his main quest. He is a courageous and kind-hearted character who always does his part to help anyone in trouble. He’s the Legendary Hero and the Hero chosen by the Gods he’s Link the Hero of Time.

Samus Aran (Metroid series)

Samus Aran is one of the few female characters to make it onto this list and the bounty hunter who has taken on both Space Pirates and the energy-draining parasites, Metroids. Samus was a Galactic Federation soldier who defected and became a bounty hunter. She is the chosen one to wear the armor of the Chozo, an ancient, bird-like race of super powerful individuals. The suit she wears is a one of a kind; she also receives upgrades for the armor in the ancient temples of the Chozo.

In the majority of the Metroid series Samus is portrayed as a silent no-nonsense warrior who spends most of her time in her heavily armored bulky suit that can shoot missiles and beams. Being one of the first and most famous female video game characters is reason enough to be on this list. Overall Samus is a hero that men and women alike can enjoy playing. Samus has many different attacks and moves such as her abilities to roll up into a ball, plant bombs, and use her blaster for an arm; a seriously powerful and well-‘armed’ character.

Master Chief (Halo series)

Master Chief is chosen by an AI program, Cortana, as the luckiest of all Spartans. He is a faceless warrior fighting against the Covenant and uses guns and grenades to win his battles – that is, when he can’t just steal an enemy tank or other hardware. Despite, being a relatively new video game and literary character, Master Chief has become very recognizable as a video game icon.

He is portrayed as a loyal soldier always following orders given to him without question and even remaining quiet when others show obvious signs of distrust towards him. According to Steve Downes, the man who voices Master Chief, the character’s personality and speech pattern were supposed to be modeled after Clint Eastwood.

Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid series)

Solid Snake is the code name for a spy who tries to prevent the end of the world from destruction. In the game there are terrorists who are trying to destroy the world and build giant mechanoids called Metal Gears which Solid Snake attempts to stop. Solid Snake must battle not only the giant Metal Gears but also the terrorists who are trying to stop him. Although Solid Snake fights in the game he is also known for his use of stealth and cunning. His weapons of choice include guns as well as pornography which he puts down to distract enemies.

Now that you have a taste of the top ten heroes go vote in the polls on our Facebook page or comment at the bottom of this article. The hero pairings are: Samus v Link (don’t tell Zelda), Solid Snake v Agent 47 (there will be a lot of sneaking), Master Chief v Kratos, Mario v Megaman, Alucard v Dante. Some of these heroes will be featured in the follow-up article “Top Ten Heroes of All Time Part 2.”

Jordan Fisher contributed significantly to the writing and research of this article.

The article Top Ten Video Game Heroes of All Time Part 1 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

San Diego, U.S.A. — At the San Diego Comic-Con International, the world’s largest pop culture convention, 343 Industries and Microsoft unveiled the official trailer for ‘Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn,’ the landmark live-action digital series based on the best-selling Xbox franchise. The series will be initially distributed worldwide by Machinima, debuting on its new channel, Machinima Prime, as well as on Halo Waypoint, on Oct. 5, 2012.

‘Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn’ will unfold through a series of five episodes, setting the stage for the worldwide launch of ‘Halo 4′ on Nov. 6. The official ‘Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn’ trailer is now available on Machinima Prime and on Halo Waypoint. Machinima will also be releasing exclusive content, backstory and character pieces leading up to the launch of this highly anticipated series.

‘Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn’ tells an exciting story of heroism and sacrifice on a scale never before seen in the Halo universe, taking fans back to the beginning of the human and Covenant war and leading into the events of ‘Halo 4.’ Set against the backdrop of a United Nations Space Command (UNSC) military academy, a group of highborn cadets are training to be the next generation of soldiers in the UNSC’s ongoing war with insurrectionists in the outer colonial planets.

Among these cadets, Thomas Laskystruggles with his doubts about this war, and with the burden of expectations he may not be able to carry. As Lasky comes to terms with his potential as a military leader, the terrifying alien alliance known as the Covenant arrives and turns his world upside down. Inspired by the Master Chief, he must decide what it means to be a hero. ‘Halo’ fans who experience Lasky’s thrilling origin story in ‘Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn” will be rewarded with special insights into the story of ‘Halo 4′ and the “Halo Infinity Multiplayer” experience.

Directed by Stewart Hendler (‘H+,’ ‘Sorority Row’) and written by Todd Helbing and Aaron Helbing(“Smallville,” “Spartacus”), ‘Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn’ features a diverse cast of established and up-and-coming Hollywood talent, including Tom Green (‘Dance Academy’) as Thomas Lasky, Anna Popplewell (‘The Chronicles of Narnia’) as Chyler Silva, Daniel Cudmore (‘X2,’ ‘X-Men: The Last Stand,’ ‘The Twilight Saga’) as the Master Chief, Ayelet Zurer (‘Angels & Demons,’ ‘Munich’) as Mehaffey, Mike Dopud (‘Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol’) as General Black, Enisha Brewster (‘Footloose’) as April Orenski, Masam Holden (“Grey’s Anatomy,” ‘Elizabethtown’) as Michael ‘Sully’ Sullivan, Osric Chau (’2012′) as JJ Chen, Iain Belcher (“Supernatural”) as Vickers, and Kat De Lieva as Dimah.

“Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn” is backed by a top-tier production team led by executive producers Lydia Antonini and Josh Feldman, former Warner Bros. and Playtone executives, respectively. Continuing its involvement with the ‘Halo’ franchise, Legacy Effects (‘The Hunger Games,’ ‘The Avengers,’ ‘Avatar’) is creating specialized costumes and armor, and visual effects are being designed by an award-winning team led by John Sullivan (‘The Pacific’). Production services are provided by Herzog & Co.

An extended, 90-minute Special Edition featuring additional footage and bonus content will be availableNov. 6 in the “Halo 4″ Limited Edition and on on-demand video services.

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