Best and worst companions in video games

[Zeke17]

So, the new Bioshock got me wondering if Elizabeth could be the best companion in gaming. While I have to say she's really good, she's actually not my favorite. To me, the best companion in a video game is Agro, your horse in Shadow of the Colossus. Man, that horse was so devoted to you it literally stayed beside you while you fought these monsters the size of skyscrapers. And the animations and programming that made Agro seem real are still impressive today. Who can forget this moment in the game?

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SclbRYmGG9A

As far as bad companions, Fi from Skyward Sword has to be at the top of my list. I actually blame that character as the reason I never finished the game.

So what are your best and worst companions in a video game?

 

[The Wykydtron]

Well, obviously the best duo in gaming history has got to be these two

Spoiler

[http://media.photobucket.com/user/DarkS0d0m/media/Noxus/AnnieTheDarkChildReverseSkin.jpg.html]

That bear does anything for you... Tanks towers, pushes towers, bitchslaps your lane opponent while you farm, provides massive burst, facechecks bushes, tower dives while you farm. Endless possibilities.

As for worst... Ehh, I got nothing. Maybe Claptrap from Borderlands 2? But I was one of those crazy people who actually liked him. The one time where he just wants a high five and your only choice is to just to ignore him and walk off... Oh come on game! Give him a break! </3

 

[mbarker]

I thought Dog Meat wasn't very good always ran head first into battle. Can`t play a stealth game with that dog as a companion and I always had to put my butt on the line to make sure that dog isn`t killed. It is also irritating that the dog would run down a huge mountain just to kill a Bloat Fly and you lose him.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

As for worst... Ehh, I got nothing. Maybe Claptrap from Borderlands 2? But I was one of those crazy people who actually liked him. The one time where he just wants a high five and your only choice is to just to ignore him and walk off... Oh come on game! Give him a break! </3

You...you realize you can high five him right? You just need to melee his hand.

As far as the OP goes, best would probably be Dogmeat (because fucking DOGMEAT!). Ok yeah, he's not very good in combat, and gets killed constantly, which forced me to constantly reload saves and save scum. But damn it, I was so attached to him as a companion that I just couldn't let him die. He made me feel feels!

Worst would be Dom from Gears of War. Goddamn it Dom, would you stop running straight at the locusts, going down, and then expect me to revive you in the next ten seconds while you're stuck in the middle of a horde of them?! No? Well fine then, guess I'll just have to fail this section 14 times in a row. Such absolutely abysmal AI.

 

[Mikejames]

Clementine from The Walking Dead's up there. Only eight, but she succeeds in being one of the few consistently helpful and trustworthy characters you meet, while being a lone source of genuine levity in a crapsack world.

As far as bad one's... Avoiding some of the obvious choices, Eileen from Silent Hill 4 comes to mind. Not so much from a narrative standpoint, as I don't recall really disliking her character, but from a frustrating mechanical perspective? She's forced to walk with a limp, and can't be bothered to open doors by herself. Guess what this equates to when being chased by a serial killer for half of the game?

 

[IllumInaTIma]

Whole cast of Persona 3 and 4 should qualify. As for others, I find Francis from Left 4 Dead really endearing. OH! Have anyone played King's Bounty: Armored Princess? Right at the beginning you get that cutesy-wootsy little dragon who completely annihilates everything! He's awesome!
<img src=http://playside.ru/gallery/60/20316_video_big.jpg>

 

[Soundwave]

Cassidy in fallout 2 with a gauss rifle (best).

After a lot of careful deliberation, I'd say Aeris from ffvii was universally terrible. I'm sure there's worse, but I haven't experienced it personally.

 

[scorptatious]

Gotta second Agro. She is friggen awesome. She's dependable, loyal, and is an overall lovable horse. I especially like it whenever we're near some water, she'll walk over to it and drink from it while I'm off hunting lizards and fruit.

I'll also vote for my companions in Fallout: New Vegas. Particularly ED-E and Veronica. ED-E is great for spotting enemies from afar, and Veronica's a real fun person to be around. Oh, and she punches out Fire Geckos like they're tissue paper.

As for WORST? Hmm. That's a toughie. Can't think of any at the moment.

 

[The Wykydtron]

As for worst... Ehh, I got nothing. Maybe Claptrap from Borderlands 2? But I was one of those crazy people who actually liked him. The one time where he just wants a high five and your only choice is to just to ignore him and walk off... Oh come on game! Give him a break! </3

You...you realize you can high five him right? You just need to melee his hand.

As far as the OP goes, best would probably be Dogmeat (because fucking DOGMEAT!). Ok yeah, he's not very good in combat, and gets killed constantly, which forced me to constantly reload saves and save scum. But damn it, I was so attached to him as a companion that I just couldn't let him die. He made me feel feels!

Worst would be Dom from Gears of War. Goddamn it Dom, would you stop running straight at the locusts, going down, and then expect me to revive you in the next ten seconds while you're stuck in the middle of a horde of them?! No? Well fine then, guess I'll just have to fail this section 14 times in a row. Such absolutely abysmal AI.

Oh what the fuck?! The Mechromancer's melee isn't even remotely like high fiving so it never occurred to me. CLAPTRAP! NOOO! I'M SO SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! T_T

Actually, speaking of Borderlands and Mechromancers, Deathtrap is up there for the best companion. Eye lasers, claws and stylish spikes. BEST. ROBOT. EVER!

I need to finish that game I swear... It just dropped from my mind completely for no reason. I think i'm relatively close to the end.

Spoiler

Jack just used a magical phat lootz pistol to instakill Roland and grr Lilith smash. Yeah just after that. I want that pistol dammit. Anti Plot Armour Pistol X100

If that's the part where Jack goes super dark serious mode I keep hearing about then that's kind of weak. Would be interesting if he goes even more off the rails later on though

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

As for worst... Ehh, I got nothing. Maybe Claptrap from Borderlands 2? But I was one of those crazy people who actually liked him. The one time where he just wants a high five and your only choice is to just to ignore him and walk off... Oh come on game! Give him a break! </3

You...you realize you can high five him right? You just need to melee his hand.

As far as the OP goes, best would probably be Dogmeat (because fucking DOGMEAT!). Ok yeah, he's not very good in combat, and gets killed constantly, which forced me to constantly reload saves and save scum. But damn it, I was so attached to him as a companion that I just couldn't let him die. He made me feel feels!

Worst would be Dom from Gears of War. Goddamn it Dom, would you stop running straight at the locusts, going down, and then expect me to revive you in the next ten seconds while you're stuck in the middle of a horde of them?! No? Well fine then, guess I'll just have to fail this section 14 times in a row. Such absolutely abysmal AI.

Oh what the fuck?! The Mechromancer's melee isn't even remotely like high fiving so it never occurred to me. CLAPTRAP! NOOO! I'M SO SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! T_T

Actually, speaking of Borderlands and Mechromancers, Deathtrap is up there for the best companion. Eye lasers, claws and stylish spikes. BEST. ROBOT. EVER!

I need to finish that game I swear... It just dropped from my mind completely for no reason. I think i'm relatively close to the end.

Spoiler

Jack just used a magical phat lootz pistol to instakill Roland and grr Lilith smash. Yeah just after that. I want that pistol dammit. Anti Plot Armour Pistol X100

If that's the part where Jack goes super dark serious mode I keep hearing about then that's kind of weak. Would be interesting if he goes even more off the rails later on though

You're still not anywhere close to the end. In fact, you're only about 2/3 through the game. There's still a number of areas for you to unlock and a ton of quests.

 

[sextus the crazy]

Fawkes from Fallout 3, obs. He was a one man army.

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

Unsure on the best, bust the worst has to be fucking Ian from the first Fallout. Can barely hit the enemy, but has no problem tearing you to pieces if you happen to stand near to an enemy in his line of sight. Alas, I still mourned when a Mutant minigun shredded him into human wheat. Was a sad moment.

 

[MajorTomServo]

Companions are synonymous with Fallout in my mind...

Best: Raul, the old school ghoul. I just like how sarcastic he is. I call him my stalwart ghoul man-servant. <3

Worst: For real companions, I'd say Fawkes, because he steals all your kills and pretty much locks you in the level you recruit him at, but if we include temporary companions... MOTHERFUCKING STICKY. FUCK HIM. I led him into a patch of deathclaws and left him to rot.

Side note, because I don't know what other discussion I could fit this in, but my sister happens to be named Cassidy Rose. Weird coincidence.

 

[Nouw]

After having finished Bioshock 2, Little Sisters and Big Daddies come to mind. Although protecting the Little Sister while she extracted ADAM was boring at times, that small violin motif and the sight of a normal, innocent child made it worth it. When I eventually got the last Hypnotize plasmid upgrade, I didn't bother fighting half of the Big Daddies. In hindsight, it made the end of the game a bit too easy.

 

[ItsNotRudy]

So, the new Bioshock got me wondering if Elizabeth could be the best companion in gaming. While I have to say she's really good, she's actually not my favorite. To me, the best companion in a video game is Agro, your horse in Shadow of the Colossus. Man, that horse was so devoted to you it literally stayed beside you while you fought these monsters the size of skyscrapers. And the animations and programming that made Agro seem real are still impressive today. Who can forget this moment in the game?

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SclbRYmGG9A

As far as bad companions, Fi from Skyward Sword has to be at the top of my list. I actually blame that character as the reason I never finished the game.

So what are your best and worst companions in a video game?

What are we judging the companions by? Your first example is a great one for a companion that does useful stuff, while your second one is just a vehicle that breathes.

 

[Daniel Ferguson]

For personality, Veronica from Fallout New Vegas. Or Fawkes from Fallout 3. A supermutant with a Harvard education! (or something like that... he had a lot of books and not a lot else to do).

 

[Souplex]

Spoiler: Best sidekick in gaming: Missile.

Missile.

Spoiler: This adorable guy

Spoiler: With this adorable theme:

Not only is he well written and fun, but he's useful to gameplay in a way that makes it more varied and interesting.

Spoiler: Worst sidekick in gaming: Alyx Vance.

Alyx Vance. (Valve's continued hatred of the English language means that in addition to not being able to capitalize correctly, and using numbers 4 words, they also can't spell names properly.)
There are ways that a sidekick can be bad:
1. Useless to gameplay. (Truly terrible sidekicks hinder gameplay)
2. Useless to the story. (Truly terrible sidekicks make the story worse with their presence.)
3. Annoying.
Alyx Vance is all of these.
1. She actively hinders gameplay. If she runs ahead and gets herself killed while you are breaking boxes or whatever, it's game over.
2. The fact that she tries to have conversations with you demonstrates how not to do the whole "No cutscenes, character does not have a voice" thing. Whenever she talks at you, "Gordon, hamfisted exposition, Gordon!" it destroys immersion, and proves that cutscenes are a good thing.
3. So very annoying. Her voice actress is terrible, her writing is terrible, and she just makes the whole game worse with her presence.
Alyx Vance is the worst sidekick in Gaming history.

 

[Boggelz]

My favourite companion? Kazooie! who doesn't love a wisecracking bird who is essential to gameplay!

Least favourite? Probably the little sisters in Bioshock 2. Seriously trying to do the adopt parts was annoying.

 

[God's Clown]

The best is probably Garrus. That man knows how to calibrate a straight mans heart.

The worst is probably *insert companion with really bad A.I that just dies a lot.* That guy sucks.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Best Companion: Ashley from Resident Evil 4.

She keeps up with your running speed, huddles behind you and stays there no matter what when you draw a weapon, ducks if she happens to be infront of you, and she fucks off when the game decides you need some alone time. She adds to the tension of the action and never gets in the way of it.

From a gameplay standpoint there's absolutely no reason not to like her, unless you don't like A.I companions by definition, or you simply suck at the game.

In terms of the companion I had the most emotional connection with, I'm gonna go with Agro too. Totally loyal, sticking with you through thick and thin, and the only companion you have in this lifeless wasteland. And "that" moment right before the final Colossi only strengthens this. And all of this achieved through gameplay alone.

Worst Companion?

As much as I liked Farah from Prince of Persia: Sands of Time as a character, she sucked a giant penis when it came to the gameplay. She's no help at all and has the dexterity of wet tissue paper.