Your Favorite NPC (Tertiary and Beyond)

[Frezzato]

I was just playing Fallout 4 again for what I believe is the last time, or at least for a long while. I was wandering around my primary settlement (I chose the Red Rocket) and was basking among my settlers and companions and I realized just how happy the

Spoiler: minor side quest spoiler

Beer Buddy[/spoiler] makes me. I find his broken, staccato speech charming and there's none of the usual "OMG life sucks" or "Why am I covered in dirt?" sentiment from him. He's just a happy little guy and the exact opposite of that damn witch Marcy Long.

There's only a few minor NPCs that make me happy while playing a game. If you've ever had the pleasure of playing a Ratchet and Clank game, you'll know about Mr. Zurkon [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlgGwTlHbQ8], a hovering robot you can deploy as a weapon. There's something about his constant bravado that makes it great to have him along.

It's very odd. Yes, there's plenty of wonderful characters in Fallout 4 as well as, well, any other game, but these side characters, the ones far removed from the main plot, I appreciate them more for some reason.

Does anyone feel the same way about this? I definitely have a strange sense of humor so I wouldn't be surprised of nobody agreed with me. I'm trying to think of more examples and I think the next best one would be the first time you get the Warthog in Halo: CE. If there's anyone left to mount the gun on the back he does this happy fist pump the first time you make a huge jump. And the first time that happened I was like, "Yeah man, you read my mind."

 

[Saelune]

Well, cause you brought up Halo CE, I'm going with Foehammer for one. Shes awesome, and I like to think she is out there still, going on adventures with Noble 6 and Sgt. Johnson.

I really like Kharjo from Skyrim. The Khajiit warrior who protects one of the caravans who will join you if you find his amulet. I hate that you cannot marry him, cause I would.

Also Baladas Demnevanni, Divayth Fyr and Master Aryon from Morrowind, all interesting Telvanni wizards who my character was allies with.

 

[Zhukov]

There's an indie RPG series out there called Geneforge. They're honestly not much good, especially in the writing department. I played them as a kid when I had bad taste and no money.

However, there was one NPC that got wedged firmly in my memory. I don't remember her name. She was on old wise women type character who appeared in the first three games. She was old in the first one and downright ancient by the third.

In the third game when you meet her she offers you a trade. Usually when this happens the game allows you to bargain for a lower price or even get what you want for free if your negotiation skill is high enough.

You get the option to try with her but if you do she just shuts you down immediately. Says something along the lines of, "I am well over a hundred years old. I've seen more history with my own eyes than you will ever learn. Do you really think I am going to be swayed by a few clever words from some selfish, smiling fool? You've heard my price, either pay it or don't."

I thought it was cool to find an NPC who doesn't treat the player character like the center of the universe and doesn't give a shit how high your awesomeness numbers are.

 

[Kingjackl]

Mankind Divided made me realise just how much I appreciated Pritchard and Malik from Human Revolution (Sariff was good too, but he made it in). Malik's personal quest took her from another generic video game pilot to a likeable and cool character, and I love Pritchard's snarky chemistry with Jensen. They tried to repeat it in Mankind Divided with Chikane, who's basically the two of them rolled into one, but it just wasn't the same.

Actually, any NPC that is snarky and dismissive of the player character (provided it isn't artificial, as in "oh he's secretly a bad guy, so of course he's mean to you") gets points in my book because I'm so used to modern game NPCs constantly praising the player character, which gets on my nerves. It's why I adored Javik in Mass Effect 3, and why I'm currently loving Roche in Witcher 2. When you do finally earn their respect, it actually feels earned.

 

[SmallHatLogan]

Spoiler: This guy.

But seriously one that springs to mind is Captain Kirrahe from Mass Effect. I'm usually not one for heroic speeches but for some reason the ones in Mass Effect get to me, and Kirrahe's is no exception (I also loves how Mordin makes fun of Kirrahe's bravado in Mass Effect 2).

Spoiler: We will hold the line.

I also really like Laurentius from Dark Souls. He's one of the few NPCs who seems genuinely nice and genuinely sane. Most of the other nice NPCs seem at least a little bit unhinged. He's so nice one could suspect him of having an ulterior motive but I'm willing to take him at face value. "Good bye then. Be safe, friend. Don't you dare go Hollow."

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

The owl from ocarina of time. Probably the only worthy surrogate father figure at the time, who knows. But at least that owl came with a very cool tune.
Actually, maybe it's just because I like owls and funky tunes, so that doesn't count.
Is it cheating to say Clementine? Or Sasha from Tales from the Borderlands?
Oops I sold the beer buddy robot. Even followed him across the wasteland, Christ, he is a slow trundler! I was hoping to get the experience from the quest but it wouldn't give it to me until I sold him.

 

[Frezzato]

Well, cause you brought up Halo CE, I'm going with Foehammer for one. Shes awesome, and I like to think she is out there still, going on adventures with Noble 6 and Sgt. Johnson.

[...]

Damn, that's right. Foehammer. Man that's a good one. You don't even get to see her, I mean, she doesn't even have a character model. Just a pelican.

.

snip

This is also significant to me because it reminds me of the ending to KOTOR 2. I won't quote it, but the ending diatribe was the equivalent of "You think you're a good person but you're just a punk," and I was genuinely floored.

I've helped a ton of people move, as well as helped out a lot of stranded motorists, and those closing words made me question my real-life motivations.

 

[Erttheking]

DO YOU EVEN NEED TO ASK!?

Spoiler

http://darksouls.wdfiles.com/local--files/npcs/solaire-of-astora-large.jpg

He's basically a co-op player incarnate. He constantly tries to help other people, and he encourages others to do the same, and he's a friendly, albeit eccentric, person with no strings attached in a dark cruel world. I love him for the same reason Siegfried was my favorite character in the original Witcher. You can have a dark fantasy and still have good people, in fact you probably need good people even more. Solaire delivers. People love him so much they call him sunbro.

 

[Level 7 Dragon]

No idea why, but I love Oswald of Carim from Dark Souls and the Shopkeeper from RE4. Both of them have very simple tasks that they love to overdramatize.

 

[Erttheking]

No idea why, but I love Oswald of Carim from Dark Souls and the Shopkeeper from RE4. Both of them have very simple tasks that they love to overdramatize.

I'll boost "Wotcha buying stranger" just for the sheer gall of the guy who got through the zombie horde faster than Leon and decided it would be a good place to set up shop.

 

[Saelune]

Well, cause you brought up Halo CE, I'm going with Foehammer for one. Shes awesome, and I like to think she is out there still, going on adventures with Noble 6 and Sgt. Johnson.

[...]

Damn, that's right. Foehammer. Man that's a good one. You don't even get to see her, I mean, she doesn't even have a character model. Just a pelican.

I always imagined her as the Pine-Sol lady in military clothes.

Spoiler

 

[Casual Shinji]

I love the dude in The Last of Us who propositions Tess with ration cards, and then tells her not to get all huffy puffy about it when she shoots him down. It's just his voice; he sounds like a genuine weird hobo man.

I'll boost "Wotcha buying stranger" just for the sheer gall of the guy who got through the zombie horde faster than Leon and decided it would be a good place to set up shop.

He's most likely one of 'm, or atleast has the same infection, since his eyes glow in the dark just like the ganado.

 

[Sonmi]

Spoiler

Their fucked up AI is source of so much hilarity that it's impossible not to like these guys.

 

[Barbas]

Spoiler

Their fucked up AI is source of so much hilarity that it's impossible not to like these guys.

Spoiler

Gods bless Wes Johnson.

Or maybe there's this happ'nin' dude:

Spoiler

I'm partial to Piper in Fallout 4, because she has a personality that's usually sufficiently warm and cheery but isn't above calling crap crap. Apart from that, there's Poobadoo the wandering harassment Quaggan from Guild Wars 2, and my current personal favourite, Muggy:

Spoiler

* * *

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

I'm partial to Piper in Fallout 4, because she has a personality that's usually sufficiently warm and cheery but isn't above calling crap crap.

Oh yeah, I was going to mention her, not sure what stopped me. My sassy lady character and her seem to make such a lovely couple, I decided to go solely for that one romance.

 

[happyninja42]

For me it's Zeke Dunbar from inFamous 1 & 2. He was just so much damn fun, and in the second game, they really fleshed him out as the emotional center of the game. His friendship with Cole was genuine, and was fun to explore.

Also, and I forget his name, but the side character in Alpha Protocol that you meet if you go to China first. He's an American (I think), and the opening scene of him is torturing this asian guy, who is tied up, and his mouth taped shut. He's desperately trying to answer the guys question of "WHERE IS IT!? I KNOW YOU KNOW WHERE THEY ARE?! ANSWER ME?!?" he then stops to talk to you, and starts dumping gas on the guy, all the while you are talking to him. He then gets out a lighter, lights it, and gives the guy one more chance to talk. The victim is desperately jerking his head to the side, and the torturer looks over there with a casual "Hmm? OH!" *walks over, grabs a set of keys* "There they are! Thanks!" and then walks away.....

He then later shows up to "help" you infiltrate this one subway station (it's got a secret entrance in one of the stations to get to a badguy place). And how does he help you you ask? He rigs up a mounted mini-gun to a traincar, and drives it through the chest-high wall area you are fighting in, telling you to duck. He then proceeds to gun down anyone standing upright...including you if you don't duck...all the while laughing like a lunatic. By far, one of the more memorable npc's i've ever seen in a game. He was fucking insane, but it was a most amusing kind of insane.

 

[Xprimentyl]

OG Loc aka "Jeffery" from GTA San Andreas. Between his pretentious gangsta attitude, that ridiculous hamburger hat, his shitty rapping and the mission wherein you chase down his ex-cell mate that stole his rhymes while they were in prison ("rhymes" being a euphemism for "bootyhole,") he made me laugh every time he was on screen.

Jenny from The Darkness because... because... (I miss you so much, Jenny!) X'(

 

[go-10]

my favorite NPC still remains to be Beatrix from Final Fantasy IX

 

[Breakdown]

Boone from Fallout New Vegas. I made him keep the sunglasses on though because his eyes looked really weird.