The Contrarian Corner turns THREE tomorrow! Can you believe that it’s been three years of this already? I certainly can’t! I guess they always say that time flies when you’re having fun. Here’s to many more years of fun!
It’s been quite awhile since I’ve re-visited a Top Ten article like this (the last time was when I did “Another Top 10 Boss Fights”). However, if you know anything about video games, it’s that there are millions upon millions of them in the world. And of those millions, quite a few have rosters of characters that you can pick to choose to play as. I couldn’t possibly cover all of my favorites in just a single article, especially not when I’ve discovered new favorites since then! So, let’s get into another article of my Top 10 Favorite characters to play as from games that include a character select.
(Like last time, I won’t be including RPG party members. Maybe I’ll do a re-visit of that article again in the future!)
10) Tyra ~ Paladins
I don’t play Paladins very much anymore, nor did I ever latch onto this game as much as I did with Overwatch and Battleborn. But, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a fun game, and aside from Skye (who placed on my previous rendition of this article), Tyra was who I spent the most of my time playing as. Honestly, for as much as I love Skye, I felt unstoppable whenever I was Tyra. She does obscene damage with her automatic rifle, has shockingly good range, and mows down foes before they can even blink. Plus, her mid-range capability meant it was easy for me to stay out of harm’s way while still contributing!
9) Menat ~ Street Fighter
Street Fighter has always felt like a difficult fighting game to get into (and I’m sure a lot of die-hard fighting game fans just lost a bit of their souls hearing me say that), but that doesn’t mean I haven’t played and enjoyed most installments! My last article espoused my love for Juri, so this time I’ll highlight the flexible fortuneteller herself, Menat. With engrossing moves and animations, tricky ranged attacks that batter foes from a distance, and a fun personality to top it off, Menat is a real treasure to play as. Annoying for opponents, I’d have to imagine, but still really fun from my perspective!
8) Nekomata ~ Zenless Zone Zero
An extremely recent favorite of mine, Nekomata was the first S-Rank character that I summoned in the recently released action gacha, Zenless Zone Zero (created by the same people who made Honkai Star Rail). I’m exceptionally happy that Nekomata was the character I got, because by golly is she my exact playstyle! She unloads a flurry of fast hits with high critical chance, and her unique passive gives her a massive damage boost each time she dodge counters an enemy (evading just before their attack hits you). This sort of twitchy reflexive playstyle is right up my alley, and in the hours I’ve put into this game since release, I have loved every second of dominating the twisted monsters and corrupted robots of this sci-fi world with this spunky cat girl!
7) Tory ~ Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues
My article all about this game was released quite a while ago, but if you remember anything from it, it might’ve been my lengthy praise of Tory. As she’s my favorite character from the show proper, it wasn’t a difficult choice for me to prioritize using her to clear level after level of this janky-but-fun side-scrolling beat-em-up. She’s simply the best character to use if you pick to play as Cobra Kai, as she’s got an answer for every situation, and so many good ranged options. Her explosions, fiery kicks, back-flips, and slides enable her to avoid being cornered while keeping enemies at bay, which is crucial in a game like this that heavily penalizes you for each stray hit from foes you take.
6) Phoebe ~ Battleborn
Alright, Phoebe! It’s finally your time to shine! In my last article I gave the Battleborn nod to Orendi, but now I can gush about my original main! Phoebe is just so fun, and so elegant. Being a melee character in a Hero Shooter is always a tricky task, but with Phoebe’s ability to teleport and also shoot her swords as ranged projectiles, she never feels like she’s at a disadvantage amongst her gun-toting friends. On the contrary, if you manage to close the distance on a foe as Phoebe, they are also as good as dead what with her bleed damage, ability to slow foe’s escape attempts, and teleporting shenanigans. Plus, she can teleport twice in a row, allowing her to dash in for a kill and then escape safely. Also, how can I not praise her fantastic vocal performance or her childishly amusing taunts?
5) Widowmaker ~ Overwatch
This might be silly to say, but Widowmaker is responsible for a lot of what has happened in my life over the past few years, particularly with regards to non-job/education stuff. Like, pretty profoundly important, honestly, which again is silly to think about.
It cannot be understated how incredible the hype was for Overwatch back in 2016, and for me it was the exceptional animated shorts that won me over. After having never truly wavered from being a Nintendo fanboy, I took one look at Widowmaker in the Overwatch shorts and the open beta for the game, and was utterly hooked. I saved up, I bought a PS4, and my ensuing love of PlayStation erupted from there. Valkyria Chronicles, Nioh 2, Witcher 3, God of War, Spider-Man, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 6, A Hat in Time? They all trace back to Widowmaker in some way or other. Them and countless others.
So why is she only here in the middle of the list? Honestly, it’s because I’m pretty terrible at using her! My sniping skills are lacking, and so I end up playing her midrange like some bootleg Solider 76! Whoops!
4) Arachne ~ Smite
What if you took Phoebe from Battleborn, gave her even stronger abilities, the power to summon spider underlings, and an escape move so strong she’s practically unkillable? The answer is that you’d get Arachne. I just can’t help myself when it comes to loving characters who can get into the action, deal massive damage and unleash craziness, and then escape without being punished. Sometimes it feels cheap, and sometimes I feel a bit guilty when its the twentieth time in a match that I’ve obliterated the enemy team’s squishy healer, but thems-the-breaks when you’re playing a competitive multiplayer game! So I push those feelings of guilt aside and relish in the carnage of the spider queen!
3) Carol ~ Freedom Planet 2
Lilac might have been my go-to in the original Freedom Planet, but I truly cannot stop singing the praises of her feline companion here in the sequel. I honestly don’t think you could argue for any of the other three heroines being better than Carol. She has good aerial mobility with a rising slash and a dive, can climb up any walls, and annihilates opponents with her unending button-hold stream of attacks. And then she gets a motorcycle which makes her the effortlessly fastest character, can ride up walls, and can double-jump. She’s even got a ranged attack with her disc blade which she can subsequently leap to for platforming and fighting antics! She’s got it all, and it’s so much fun!
2) Moze ~ Borderlands 3
A little over a year ago I re-visited Borderlands 3 for the first time since release, and had an absolute blast (actually, re-visiting Borderlands games and enjoying them much more the second time is a running theme with me). I played as Amara for my first time and more-or-less had fun, but picking the mecha-piloting Moze for my second playthrough opened my eyes to a brand new world of enjoyment. There’s just a certain primal joy in piloting a weapon of mass destruction across a hostile alien world, laying waste to everything in your path. I tailored my build around the mech (affectionately known in-game as “Iron Bear“) and it was so much fun. In the late-game I switched more into Moze herself, and had just as much fun blasting foes to smithereens with reckless abandon. Also, Moze’s nonchalant attitude is a highlight during side quests.
1) Zelda ~ Super Smash Bros
I have quite a few favorites in Super Smash Bros, as my friends and family could attest. But, as of the latter entries in the franchise, if I’m not playing Lucina the chances are very high I’m playing Zelda instead. Sure, I’ll always be down to play a match as Shulk, Peach, Wii Fit Trainer, Inkling, Corrin, Mythra, or others, but it’s Zelda I’ll turn to if the stakes are high. I know she isn’t exactly top-tier if you asked competitive Smash players, but who cares when she’s so much fun!
It feels like I’m never out of options when I’m playing as Zelda. From a distance she can pelt foes with exploding fireballs, and you’re able to alter their trajectory if opponents try to dodge. Up-close, she can cast a shield around her that counters attacks and reflects enemy projectiles (which can catch overeager ranged spammers off guard). She can also summon an armored knight to put pressure on foes, and her recovery move is a teleport that damages anybody who might be trying to camp at the ledge. Her Final Smash is excellent too, being a black-hold Triforce that sucks up and purifies foes, instantly deleting them if their damage percentage is over 100. If you suck someone up and they are around 70% when you do so, they’re goners.
But by far my favorite move is what I’ve dubbed “The Lightning Kick“. I have absolutely no idea why Zelda of all people got this move, but if she attacks someone in the air, the very tip of her outstretched kicking toe has a lightning effect on it. If she hits anywhere else, the foe takes minimal damage. If she connects with her toe, there’s a big flash of energy and then her opponent gets launched like a ballistic missile towards the blast zone. It’s a touch of skill mixed with a bit of risk/reward, and I love it.
(Okay, maybe I lied. My real favorite move might be her taunt, which has her happily lean forward and wave while laughing. I like using it after I’ve launched someone off the stage. It’s cheeky, and a bit mean, but that’s why they call it a taunt, right?)
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 