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 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.

Happy 25th Anniversery Super Mario Bros.

Today is the 25th anniversary of the Super Mario Bros. This is the first game I remember playing ever and I loved it. The game was first released in Japan today 25 years ago and it made its way to North America March 1986. This game had has some great sequels including Super Mario 3, Super Mario World, Super Mario 64 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Mario also made his way to RPGs like Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Paper Mario. Now let’s go back to where Mario got his start. Mario made his Debut in the game Donkey Kong at the time his name Jump Man. In Donkey Kong Jr. he took the roll of the antagonist and he tries to Keep DK JR. away from his Dad. Then there was the classic Mario Bros. Arcade game which brought in his brother Luigi. He has also made cameos in games like Mike Tyson’s Punch Out and Tennis on the Game Boy Mario is so iconic everyone knows what you are talking about when you say Super Mario regardless of Age. Super Mario Bros. has also been ported to Super Nintendo, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and can be downloaded on the Wii Virtual Console. In my opinion Super Mario is the king of platformers. I now leave you with a video of game play from Super Mario Bros. Enjoy.

Video Games I need to beat

I own so many games and I love to buy games. The only thing is I buy so many games buy without beating the games I already own. What’s really bad is with some games I’m either at the end or very close to the end. So I’m going to make a list of some of the games I own that I need to beat.

Bioshock 2
Castlevania
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse
Castlevania IV (Super Castlevania IV) (On the next to last level)
Castlevania: Dracula X
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Chrono Trigger
Dragon Warrior
Dragon Warrior III
Fable
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (I need 1 more crystal star then it’s on to the final boss)
Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy V
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus
Final Fantasy IX (I’m on the final disc of the game)
Final Fantasy X-2
Final Fantasy XII
Golden Sun: The Lost Age
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts II
Legend of Zelda
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Mega Man 2
Mega Man 4
Mega Man 8
Mega Man X
Mega Man X4
Mega Man X5
Mega Man X6
Mega Man X7
Metroid
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (Just gotta beat level 5)
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Ninja Gaidan (NES)
Ninja Gaidan II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (NES)
Saga Frontier (This game has 7 different missions and at least 1 of them has multiple ending and it depends on the actions you take in the mission)
Skies of Arcadia
Star Ocean: The Second Story (This game has two different characters with similar but different stories and it has about 80+ endings so to see them all you will be playing a long time)
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (one main character 80+ hours of game play not sure how may endings this one has)
Super Mario Bros. (I’ve come so close)
Super Mario Bros. 2 (I’ve come so close)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (I’ve come so close)
Super Metroid
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis (At the last battle)
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider II
Tomb Raider III
Zelda II: The Adventures of Link

Well as you can see this list is long and the list is actually longer then want you see listed. I know some of you might look at some of these games and wonder why I haven’t beaten some of them yet. The answer to that question is I don’t know but I’m going to work hard to beat these games. I have a lot of games to beat ill add to the list and hopefully move some of these games to beaten games list. Wish me luck I’m Going to need it with some of these games. I will update you as I beat these games and mark through the game. I will also let you know what games I’ll move to after I’ve beaten a few of these.

Game of the Day: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Today's game of the day is New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

This game is a must own for the Wii. It brings you an old school style Mario game play with a new school feel. This games is tons of fun with its 4 player action. Never have we had a Mario game of this style that has had multiplayer action. For the first time every one can play at the same time no more taking turns and making your friend play all the levels you don't want to play. This is a team effort or you can be mean and kill your friends all, but you can't advance when you are playing together. If you want to compete you can play Free-For-All or Coin Battle. In Free-For-All its a race to the finish the first to finish wins and if everyone dies then everyone loses. In Coin Battle you battle to get the most coins and if everyone dies before the end the winner is the one who has collected the most coins by then. This game brings Bowser's kids from Super Mario Bros. 3 and it also includes Bowser's newest edition Bowser Jr. It also has Yoshi in the game so you get to use Yoshi as well just like in Super Mario World. This game really is a cross between Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. It has the worlds like Super Mario Bros. 3 and some of the gameplay from Super Mario World. If you do not own this game for the Wii you need to go and get it now its that good.