Top 11 Best Black Video Game Characters: Revised 2013

It's Black History month and its time to honor and remember all the Black people that have made and impact in history. In Honor of Black History month I have made a top 11 list of the best black video game characters that have made an impact in video games. I made a list in 2011 but since then I have played a couple of new games with characters that have claimed their spots on this list. Why top 11? Like the Nostalgia Critic I like to go one step beyond.

11. Adam/Skate – Streets of Rage Trilogy – These guys are rock. Adam was in the 1st Street of Rage and he gets kidnapped in Streets of Rage 2. That is when his 11 year old brother Skate joins the team to save his brother. Skate is also in Streets of Rage 3 on his roller blades taking out bad guys. These brothers tie for the eleventh spot on our list because they are hardcore fighters.

10. Mike Tyson – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!: If you have ever reached Iron Mike Tyson in this game you know how bad ass he is. He can knock you down with just two punches and that’s only if you have full health. Tyson is beatable but its takes and lot of trial and error and I have yet to beat him. I will defeat him one day though. He was a great boxer in real life and he is a great boxer in the video game world.

9. Eddy Gordo – Tekken 3 – He is an excellent fighter in Tekken 3. He is a master of the Brazilian fighting style Capoeira. He is also a break dancer which really helps his fighting. He can beat you up while walking on his hands.

*8. Clementine – The Walking Dead – Clementine is a tough little girl. She survived a zombie apocalypse on her on until she was rescued. She had to grow up quickly and she is also a very good shot. Her self-reliance and toughness for a little girl get her a spot on this list.

7. Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker – Michael Jackson wasn’t only a great singer and dancer. He was an awesome Video Game character as well. He could use magic to make his enemies dance and after then dance they would die. He didn’t just defeat his enemies with Magic and Dancing he also was able to transform into Robo-Michael. When He became Robo-Michael he could fly around and shoot laser and missiles and annihilate his enemies. For this reason he claims the number 6 spot on the list.

*6. Lee Everett – The Walking Dead – Lee is a character that came out of left field for me. Lee has tons of responsibility thrown on him he come across a little girl named Clementine and he ends up being her guardian and he does a good job taking care of her. He has to make a lot of tough decisions good and bad. He knows when to make the tough decision which earns him a spot on this list.

5. Captain David Anderson – Mass Effect Trilogy – Captain Anderson isn't a playable character in Mass Effect, but he plays a very important role in the success of Commander Shepard’s Mission. He also help Shepard in his pursuit of becoming a Specter. Captain Anderson is an awesome role model and mentor to Shepard. Captain Anderson is also voiced by Keith David making him even more awesome because Keith David is awesome too.

4. Barret Wallace – Final Fantasy VII – He has a gun arm do I really need to say anything else? I will say something else thought he is an awesome party member for Cloud and he is very powerful as well. His limit brakes are awesome his level 4 limit brake is called Catastrophe and he pulls hot magma out of the ground into his gun arm and he destroys his enemies with it.

3. Roland the Solder – Borderlands – Roland is a true solder. He can regenerate his ammo and if a team member is low on health he has an ability where he can shoot his teammate and it heals them. He is a natural leader and he is an essential person you want to have on your team.

2. Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson – The Halo Series – Sergeant Johnson is a take no crap kind of guy. He always has a cigar in his mouth and will fight whatever is in his way. He once hijacked a Scarab and then teamed up with the Arbiter to take out the brute Tartarus. His one liner are awesome as well.

1. Augusts Cole a.k.a. Cole Train - Gears of War Trilogy – Cole is the best character in all of Gears of War. He is there so that you don’t shoot Baird because Baird is a jackass. Cole is by far the best character on this list. The first time you encounter him you know he is a true bad ass. He always has something cool to say and he it freaking awesome. He gets the number one spot because you can’t stop the train baby.

Other Notable Characters: Sergeant Foley – Modern Warfare 2, Zack – Dead or Alive Series, Coach – Left 4 Dead 2, Louis – Left 4 Dead, Romeo – Halo 3: ODST, Shaq – Shaq Fu, Doc Louis – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! & Punch-Out!!, Fortune - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Jacob – Mass Effect 2, Jax – Mortal Kombat Series, Alyx Vance - Half-Life 2, Balrog –  Street Fighter Series, Dee Jay –  Street Fighter Series, Mr. Sandman – The Punch-Out!! Series

There are so many other characters that haven’t been named and there will continue to be more in the future so you may see a new list next year. We will just have to wait and see.

*New Addition to the list

Top Games of 2011

I finally got some time to get my top lists together. It only top 7 due to a limited cash flow this year I was unable to buy or rent games to play (we all can relate to that). But here it is my Top 7 games of 2011. These are games I have played if I haven’t played the game it’s not on this list.

7. Lego Harry Potter: Years 5 – 7: The Lego games keep getting better and better. This is a great addition to the Lego game and they have added so much more to the game play this go around. If you have played Lego Harry Potter: Years 1 – 4 you won’t be lost. They also have duals and many other things that make this an awesome game. It is also darker just like the Books and Movies are the farther you get into it the darker is gets.

6. L.A. Noire - This is one of the most original games I’ve played in a while. You get to start as a cop and move your way up the ladder at the LAPD. You have to investigate crime scenes, gather clues and evidence and Question and Interrogate witnesses and suspects. You also have to watch these people closely and figure out if they are telling the truth, fibbing a little or outright lying. If you accuse someone of lying you must be able to back it up. You have to fully investigate if you didn’t fully look over a crime scene you can miss something and if you can’t back up your claim you can lose a case or let a bad guy off the hook. When driving around the city it’s like GTA4 except you are the Law this time.

5. Mortal Kombat – This is an amazing fighting game. The thing I like most is the simplicity. The Moves are easy to do and the graphics are awesome. One small thing in the game that is huge for me is the ability to change your stance just like in a real fight. That may not be a big thing but someone like me who practices martial arts it is a big thing. This brings me back to the first Mortal Kombat. It’s so awesome that they went back to the old school style while keeping it new school. They also brought by the famous uppercut that everyone love. The Fatalities are awesome and you have more to choose from in this game. Even if you aren’t a fan of Mortal Kombat but you like fighting game you got to try this game out. If you Like Mortal Kombat you probably own this game if not go buy it.

4. Pokémon Black & White – An awesome addition to the Pokémon series. It adds so much an awesome story line, lots of content and for the first time you get 2 rivals which later turned its 3 rivals. What is nice about these Pokémon games is that unlike the other games that are pretty much identical games with different Pokémon. Black & White are the same but have a lot of differences like Black has the Black City and White has the White Forest. Also there is a city in the Black version that looks futuristic and high tech, but in the White version the city is an old looking city where the people cling to the old ways. Black has rotation battles and White has triple battles throughout the game. You can battle any way you want online which is awesome. The online battle system is very fun and the trading system is awesome it lets you connect to people all over the world and you can get all the Pokémon you need from others as long as you have a Pokémon they want. If you like RPGs this is a great handheld RPG. This is a great game for the fan I took a hiatus from Pokémon after Gold & Silver and this is the game that brought me back to the series now I have a lot of catching up to do.

3. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim – This is an fantastic game I have played other Elder Scrolls games is the past and this game has left the other in the dusts. The other games in the series are good but Skyrim is just that much better. I love the level up system and I also like that you can wield a spell in one hand and a melee weapon in the other. You can build up your character any way you want it feels like there are no restrictions to what you can do. Just like any other game in the series there is a lot to do and you will want to do it all.

2. Gears of War 3 – This was the most anticipated game of 2011 for me and it was a great way to end the trilogy. With 4 player co-op and very fun multiplayer modes this is a great game for the shooter fans. This story is great and pretty much all the loose ends are tied up you also find out if Clayton Carmine lives or dies. I voted to Save Carmine and I know people who Voted to have it killed off like it brothers but if you haven’t played the game I won’t ruin it for you. They added a couple more weapons and some new multiplayer modes include Beast mode which is the reverse of Horde mode. Horde mode is my favorite multiplayer mode to play.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – This game is simply a masterpiece. This game truly blew me away. Most Zelda games do but this game skyrocketed into my list of top Zelda games which I will save for another blog. I have never in my opinion played a bad Legend of Zelda game I thing they are bad one (As I’ve said before I don’t count the games on the CD-I they aren’t true Zelda game and I haven’t played them so it best to leave those games forgotten). I love playing with the WiiMotion Plus it added so much to the game and its pretty accurate. The story is awesome and the game play is as well. This game is a must play and a must own so go get it if you own a Wii there isn’t an excuse for you not to own this game.

Here is my list of top 4 games I haven’t played but want to play. These are based looks and what the reviews have said.

4. Portal 2 – Portal 1 was totally awesome game and then we get portal 2 which looks 10 times better.

3. Batman: Arkham City – Batman: Arkham Asylum was another awesome game and from want I have seen and heard Arkham City is much better.

2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – I love the Modern Warfare series I will purchase this game soon. It looks so awesome. If it is anything like the previous Modern Warfare games it will be awesome.

1. Super Mario 3D Land – I don’t own a 3DS but I want a 3DS for this game. I have watched someone play it and it looks awesome this game looks like a good enough reason to buy a 3DS.

Here is my top list of most anticipated game of 2012.

4. Bioshock Infinite – Bioshock came out of the blue and blew me away this series is awesome and I can’t wait for this latest installment.

3. Halo 4 – I love the Halo Series and can’t wait for the 4th installment I love the story line of this series and I love the multiplayer as well.

2. Diablo III – This year marks the 15th anniversary the Diablo Series so it’s a perfect year to release a new Diablo game. I hope that this game come out this year we have been told it will be out in the first quarter of 2012, but we know how Blizzard is they are perfectionists and they will push a game back just to make sure everything is perfect. It’s good to know they do this but its can get frustration as anticipation builds the more and more as we wait for this game.

1. Mass Effect 3 – My most anticipated game of 2012. This is my favorite video game trilogy and I haven’t even played the 3rd game yet but I know it will be awesome. Bioware is the best at making choice adventure games and it always gives you a reason to play the game multiple times. I will be sad to see the Mass Effect games come to the end but all good things must come to an end. That is why Mass Effect 3 is my most anticipated game of 2012 because the first two games and so freaking awesome.

Top 11 Best Black Video Game Characters

Check out my revised list.

Black History Month is a time to reflect back on all the great black people who made a different in the world. People like the North Carolina A & T Four, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and many more have made a huge impact on the world today. In Honor of Black History month I have made a top 11 list of the best black video game characters that have made an impact in video games. Why top 11? Like the Nostalgia Critic I like to go one step beyond.

11. Adam/Skate – Streets of Rage Trilogy – These guys are rock. Adam was in the 1st Street of Rage and he gets kidnapped in Streets of Rage 2. That is when his 11 year old brother Skate joins the team to save his brother. Skate is also in Streets of Rage 3 on his roller blades taking out bad guys. These brothers tie for the eleventh spot on our list because they are hardcore fighters.

10. Balrog/Dee Jay– Street Fighter Series: These guys are awesome Balrog is a Boxer who is a tough brute I remember the first time I fought him he tore me up. Dee Jay is a cool Kickboxer from Jamaica. These guys both differ in personality Balrog being a bad guy and a stone wall, and Dee Jay being a cool guy who can fight and loves to have fun. They tie for the tenth spot because they are both great boxer and great characters in the Street Fighter series.

9. Mr. Sandman – The Punch-Out!! Series: This guy has been in every punch out that I can remember he is very notable for having very fast and explosive moves. He is one of the toughest guys to fight in any of the Punch Out games. I remember in Super Punch-Out!! on the SNES after knocking him down twice he jumps up and comes at your with a barrage of attacks and you have split seconds to get in and hit him. If you are not quick to dodge him you will get knocked out even if you haven’t been knocked down once.

8. Mike Tyson – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!: If you have ever reached Iron Mike Tyson in this game you know how bad ass he is. He can knock you down with just two punches and that’s only if you have full health. Tyson is beatable but its takes and lot of trial and error and I have yet to beat him. I will defeat him one day though. He was a great boxer in real life and he is a great boxer in the video game world.

7. Eddy Gordo – Tekken 3 – He is an excellent fighter in Tekken 3. He is a master of the Brazilian fighting style Capoeira. He is also a break dancer which really helps his fighting. He can beat you up while walking on his hands.

6. Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker – Michael Jackson wasn’t only a great singer and dancer. He was an awesome Video Game character as well. He could use magic to make his enemies dance and after then dance they would die. He didn’t just defeat his enemies with Magic and Dancing he also was able to transform into Robo-Michael. When He became Robo-Michael he could fly around and shoot laser and missiles and annihilate his enemies. For this reason he claims the number 6 spot on the list.

5. Captain David Anderson – Mass Effect Trilogy – Captain Anderson isn’t a playable character in Mass Effect, but he plays a very important role in the success of Commander Shepard’s Mission. He also help Shepard in his pursuit of becoming a Specter. Captain Anderson is an awesome role model and Mentor to Shepard. Captain Anderson is also voiced by Keith David making him even more awesome because Keith David is awesome too.

4. Barret Wallace – Final Fantasy VII – He has a gun arm do I really need to say anything else? I will say something else thought he is an awesome party member for Cloud and he is very powerful as well. His limit brakes are awesome his level 4 limit brake is called Catastrophe and he pulls hot magma out of the ground into his gun arm and he destroys his enemies with it.

3. Roland the Solder – Borderlands – Roland is a true solder. He can regenerate his ammo and if a team member is low on health he has an ability where he can shoot his teammate and it heals them. He is a natural leader and he is an essential person you want to have on your team.

2. Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson – The Halo Series – Sergeant Johnson is a take no crap kind of guy. He always has a cigar in his mouth and will fight whatever is in his way. He once hijacked a Scarab and then teamed up with the Arbiter to take out the brute Tartarus. His one liner are awesome as well.

1. Augusts Cole a.k.a. Cole Train - Gears of War Trilogy – Cole is the best character in all of Gears of War. He is there so that you don’t shoot Baird because Baird is a jackass. Cole is by far the best character on this list. The first time you encounter him you know he is a true bad ass. He always has something cool to say and he it freaking awesome. He gets the number one spot because you can’t stop the train baby.

Other Notable Characters: Sergeant Foley – Modern Warfare 2, Zack – Dead or Alive Series, Coach – Left 4 Dead 2, Louis – Left 4 Dead, Romeo – Halo 3: ODST, Shaq – Shaq Fu, Doc Louis – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! & Punch-Out!!, Fortune - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Jacob – Mass Effect 2, Jax – Mortal Kombat Series, Alyx Vance - Half-Life 2

There are so many other characters that haven’t been named and there will continue to be more in the future so you may see a new list next year. We will just have to wait and see.

My Top 11 Games of 2010

Well 2010 is over and we are in 2011 and it should be another great year in gaming. Here is a top 11 list of games that I thought were the best of 2010 that I played. Why top 11? Like the Nostalgia Critic I like to go one step beyond.

11. Lego Harry Potter Years 1 – 4 - I love the Lego games. I grew up playing with Legos and its great they makes games based on great movies and comic books like Star Wars and Batman. Lego Harry Potter brings you to Hogwarts in the Lego Universe and its tons of fun.

10. Super Street Fighter IV – This game is more than just an expansion of Street Fighter IV. It added more characters and more game modes it’s an awesome game from the Street Fighter series and it keeps its old school feel.

9. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Finally a 3D Castlevania that is very good. This game is awesome and Konami bringing on Hideo Kojima for this game was the best thing they could have done. This game is awesome and it has a very awesome battle system.

8. Bioshock 2 – This is the sequel to one of my favorite FPS games. You take control of the first Big Daddy and you get to dual weld weapons and plasmids. It’s a great sequel to a great game with a great story line. Bioshock 2 keeps the eerie dark atmosphere that made me love the first Bioshock.

7. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies – The Dragon Quest series is a solid series and Dragon Quest IX is a perfect addition. Every Dragon Quest game has a similar party/battle system and that’s what keeps people playing these games.

6. Donkey Kong Country Returns – When I heard they were making a new Donkey Kong Country and E3 I was so happy. This game is just like the original games. The multiplayer is the best in this game you can play simultaneously with a 2nd player. This is an awesome addition and if you played the any of the older Donkey Kong Country games you will understand what I mean. me

5. Halo Reach – This is the Halo that was perfect for Bungie to go out with. This game was awesome with a solid single player campaign, but the multiplayer is where this game excels. With more options of game play, better matchmaking, and best of all a beefed up Firefight which is my opinion was the biggest improvement to multiplayer. I’ve been a Halo fan from the beginning and this is an awesome game for the series.

4. Castlevania: Harmony of Despair – This is a great 2D Castlevania and the best part of this game is that it’s multiplayer. This game was designed to be played multiplayer you can play single player, but you should build up a character first before you play single player. You can choose from a great cast of characters which include: Soma Cruz, Alucard, Jonathan Morris, Shanoa, and Charlotte Aulin. You can also download an extra level and extra characters which include: Yoko Belnadas, Julius Belmont, Maria Renard, and Richter Belmont. Some characters may share similarities but there are have their differences. This is a great game for the Castlevania fans

3. Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty – When this game finally came out all the Starcraft fans flocked to the store to get this game. It took Blizzard long enough to release it, but if you know Blizzard Entertainment they will not release a game until they believe its fully ready for release. Even after its released they are constantly releasing update patches. This is a perfect sequel to an awesome RTS. If you are a fan of Starcraft you must game this game. If you aren’t a fan of Starcraft or Real Time Strategies you might want to check this out because it’s an RTS anyone can get into. The reason is not only does it have solid multiplayer it has a solid single player campaign and not many RTS games have the best story line for a single player campaign.

2. Golden Sun: Dark Dawn – This is the must own game for the Nintendo DS. This Golden Sun game is the best in the series. They have improved on everything in the game. The first two Golden Sun on the Game Boy Advance in fact Golden Sun is the reason I went out and bought a Game Boy Advance just so I could play Golden Sun. The battle system in Dark Dawn is better because if you played the first two games if everyone targets the same enemy and that enemy is defeated the remaining characters that haven’t attacked will just defend. In Dark Dawn they just switch to the next enemy and attack them. Golden Sun is a solid series you don’t have to play the first two Golden Sun games to get into Dark Dawn. Dark Dawn takes place 30 years after the 2nd game ends. Regardless of if you have played the first two Golden Sun games or not this is still a must own.

1. Mass Effect 2 – This is the best game of 2010 it came out in January 2010 but nothing could top it. This game is a masterpiece. The guys at Bioware really know how to make a game. Mass Effect 2 improves on the first Mass Effect in so many ways. The best part of this game is that you can import your character from Mass Effect and continue the story in Mass Effect 2. This is so great because people remember who you are I remember doing something good for someone and they said in the first Mass Effect they owed me a drink. When I bumped into her again she did just that. The Character development is so great and the great voice acting is awesome especially from Keith David (who is awesome in everything he does) as Captain David Anderson who depending on your choice in Mass Effect will be Councilman Anderson or Admiral Anderson in Mass Effect 2. You don’t have to play the first Mass Effect to enjoy Mass Effect 2, but in my opinion the game is much better if you import a character from Mass Effect 1 into Mass Effect 2.

There were many great games that were made this year. Sadly I was not able to play every game. So there are a few Games I haven’t played from 2010 that I want to play and demos don’t count. Here is a top 5 list of best games of 2010 based on looks and reviews alone.

5. Rock Band 3 – If you played Rock Band 1, 2 or even Lego Rock Band there isn’t too much of a difference between the games except a few upgrades and new playlists. Then Rock Band 3 comes along and added a keyboard and a pro guitar/bass. I really want to try out the keyboard and I’m not too crazy about trying out the pro guitar because it’s just another guitar to buy and I already have 2 guitars. It’s cool they are trying to make the game more realistic so that it feels like a real guitar. They have made a lot of innovations to this series and that’s why I want this game.

4. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX – I love Pac-Man. I have played the original Pac-Man Championship Edition and it was fun but this game looks awesome and it had very good reviews. I can download this game from the Xbox Live Arcade but I’m running out of space on my hard drive I still haven’t upgraded from a 20GB hard drive and once I do I can download this game.

3. Red Dead Redemption – This game have gotten perfect scores across the board. I’m not too big a fan of western games but this game might change my mind. The game looks awesome and what I’ve heard it truly lives up to the hype.

2. Kirby’s Epic Yarn – I love Kirby games. This game looks awesome and seems to be simple fun. The game has gotten decent reviews. I like Kirby games and I really want this game.

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops – Some people would say I’m stupid for not getting this game the day it came out but I really couldn’t. I still haven’t played it but I really to play this game. I’m a huge of the Modern Warfare series and I’ve been told that Black Ops stays true to Call of Duty. Black Ops wasn’t made my Infinity Ward but most people don’t seem to care. I really want this game because Modern Warfare 1 & 2 are my favorite FPS games to play online. Once I can I will be getting this game and I hope I can get it very soon.

Well that’s the games of 2010 that made an impression on me. I’m looking forward to see what the games of 2011 will bring to the table. I will also not forget the games that came out in the past years. There are still many games I need to play and I hope to get to play all these games very soon. I hope you all are ready to play some games this year because there are some great games coming out like: Marvel VS Capcom 3, Pokemon Black & White, Mass Effect 3, Hopefully Diablo III, and many more. I hope everyone has a great year of gaming.