You probably have a couple of video game characters that you idolize in some way. There’s no shame in it, as video game characters have become as famous, if not more, than many characters from books and movies – I’d guess more people know who Mario is than they do Atticus Finch at this point.
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The thing about all those characters is that, while inarguably iconic, they can all be improved. Don’t get angry at the messenger, It’s just the cold hard truth that a character like Duke Nukem would be so much better if he had the voice of Plankton from Spongebob.
10Mario - A Full On Beard
Just imagine that glorious little Italian plumber’s mustache morphing intoone of the most rocking full beardsyou’ve ever seen. Throw in a pair of sunglasses and no one in the Mushroom Kingdom is going to want to mess withMario.
Bowser would think twice about messing with Princess Peach, for fear of having the newly grizzled Mario on his trail. Give Mario a little toad to act as a surrogate daughter to protect on his adventure, and I think we’ve got an entirely new line of Mario games just waiting to bring in the cash.
9Sephiroth - Frosted Tips
Final Fantasy 7’sSephiroth is a villain of legend, but there is one thing that would make him even better, and that’s trading in the long hair for a short spikey cut with frosted tips. Just think of how much more menacing Sephiroth would be if he had an uncanny resemblance to Guy Fieri.
His entire twisted plan and taunting of Cloud would hit so much harder if, instead of looking like a pretty boy, Sephiroth was painfully stuck in the nineties. He could even use some classic nineties slang to truly fit into the era and be hella fly.
8Commander Shepard - His DLC Personality As Default
Commander Shepardis probably one of the most legendary characters in RPG history at this point, but they could be even better. If Shepard was as wise-cracking and self-indulgent as they arein the incredible DLCwhile attempting to kill their evil clone, the entire series could be so much more amazing.
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Shepard certainly has a share of goofier moments like shamelessly punching reporters, but the different personalities would probably make for some better crew conversations. That would take people like Jacob and James and make them a lot more fun to be around.
7Scorpion - A Gun
Everyone’s favoriteMortal Kombatninja might already seem as cool as possible, but you know what would make him even cooler? A gun. There aren’t many things more terrifying than a demon ninja capable of summoning hellfire as he cuts you to pieces who is also absolutely strapped.
It’s almost shocking that Scorpion didn’t end up with one in his design considering that sort of thing was so nineties and early aughts.Much like WWE’s The Undertakeronce had, I’m kind of just waiting for some kind of hilariously bad decision to Americanize Scorpion, turning him into an American badass.
6Sonic The Hedgehog - Better Super Sonic Backstory
The fact thatSoniccan become Super Sonic is certainly cool, but something that would be even better would be if he had some kind of tragic backstory that triggered that change. The Sonic series isn’t shy about dipping into darker stories, so maybe it’s time for an edgier Sonic reboot.
The form is more or less a shameless copy of the Super Saiyan form from Dragon Ball Z, so why not have Eggman destroy Tails, and in a fit of rage, Sonic becomes super? Just revel in the inspiration and make Sonic so much cooler while getting rid of his dorky sidekick for good.
5Link - Every Link Is One
The Legend Of Zeldaseries has been led by Link for decades at this point, but a great way to refresh his character and make everyone scratch their heads all over again is to reveal thatevery single Linkis actually the exact same person.
I’m not just talking about reincarnation of a soul, I mean literally the same person. Thanks to Hyrule Warriors, time/timeline travel is technically possible, and everything would be so much more hilarious if it was the same Link being amazed by how many times he runs into the exact same people across thousands of years.
4Pac-Man - Square-Man
We live in a generation of people who love to see things that are oddly satisfying, and that’s exactly whyPac-Manshould be changed from a circle to a square. Seeing him fill up those hallways while he eats those dots would be a joy for everyone’s sense of space needing to be filled.
Exactly how he’d manage to properly turn is anyone’s guess, but those details don’t matter. We just need a petition to get Square-Man into the world. Those ghosts would be the ones truly horrified when a glowing mess comes screeching down a hallway at them.
3Master Chief - Trusty Alien Companions
I know thatMaster Chief is intended to be a very specific kind of character, but it’s hard to say he wouldn’t be even better with a ragtag group of alien friends to go on adventures with him. He’d feel a lot more like Commander Shepard, but that’s never a bad thing.
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The various aliens inHalodo tend to be on the less friendly side, but every hero could use a Garrus and a Liara in their life. It’s possible that being surrounded by characters like that would help Master Chief come out of his shell, but I wouldn’t bet on it, his voice is too cool and gruff for something like that.
2Kratos - Being Overly Polite
This next change might be a bit too goofy, but it’s hard to say it wouldn’t make him all the more memorable. IfGod Of War’sKratos kept all the same fiery passion he exhibits throughout his games, but instead, was as polite as the average hockey-loving Canadian, he’d be taken to a new level.
I want to hear Kratos shouting thank you as he boots people into bottomless pits. He needs to be thanking enemies for holding his axe every time he recalls it. There’s just something deeply funny about being so angry but so polite.
1Kirby - A Deep Voice
You might wonder what in the world could possibly be changed about a character as simple asKirby, and the answer to that would be to give him a deep, sultry voice. That pink little devil saying “Hi,” would never be more incredible.
It would be so unexpected that it would become instantly iconic. Sure, it would mess with Kirby’s cute image, but it would make him so much more of a meme-worthy character, skyrocketing him to gaming fame. Give him a James Earl Jones or a Barry White voice, and you’re printing money.
