BAFTA has released the results of its "Most Iconic Video Games Character of All Time" poll, and the results are...somewhat questionable, to say the least.
The poll was held to celebrate the 20th BAFTA Games Awards, which will take place next Thursday. More than 4,000 gamers engaged with the poll to determine the most iconic gaming character of all time.
The top spot is taken by none other than Tomb Raider's Lara Croft, who recently enjoyed a resurgence thanks to the release of remasters of her first three adventures. Is she the most iconic gaming character of all time, though? Hmm.
In second place, it's Mario, and it's difficult to imagine a world in which Lara beats him as the most iconic gaming character ever, especially given Super Mario Bros. Wonder's sales and the viewing figures for the recent movie.
Third place is where things start to get a little strange; it's Agent 47 of Hitman fame, who has managed to beat Sonic the Hedgehog, with the Blue Blur settling for fourth.
Fifth place goes to...erm...Sackboy. Don't get me wrong; like any platformer lover worth their salt, I loved Sackboy: A Big Adventure, but I'm not sure the little burlap fella has any place on this list.
In sixth, it's Pac-Man, who comes out ahead of The Legend of Zelda's Link, Halo's Master Chief, and God of War's Kratos (seventh, eighth, and ninth place, respectively).
Perhaps the greatest "what?" moment on this list is Baldur's Gate 3's Shadowheart rounding out the top ten, ahead of Red Dead Redemption 2's Arthur Morgan (perhaps understandably) and Pokemon's Pikachu (very much not understandably).
The rest of the list contains names like Minecraft's Steve, Final Fantasy VII's Cloud Strife, and Crash Bandicoot, but I'm still reeling from Pikachu's omission from the top ten. Surely Pikachu is a more popular character than Sackboy?
Here's the full list, courtesy of BAFTA.
- Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)
- Mario (Super Mario)
- Agent 47 (Hitman)
- Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog)
- Sackboy (LittleBigPlanet)
- Pac-Man (Pac-Man)
- Link (The Legend of Zelda)
- Master Chief (Halo)
- Kratos (God of War)
- Shadowheart (Baldur's Gate 3)
- Arthur Morgan (Red Dead Redemption 2)
- Pikachu (Pokemon)
- Steve (Minecraft)
- Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid)
- Crash Bandicoot (Crash Bandicoot)
- Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII)
- Astarion (Baldur's Gate 3)
- Kazuma Kiryu (Like a Dragon - formerly Yakuza)
- Ellie Williams (The Last of Us)
- Nathan Drake (Uncharted)
