20 Greatest Video Game Heroes Of 2012

By Todd Eisenhauer / December 28, 2012

17. Pit (Kid Icarus: Uprising)

Pit is the character most likely to induce arthritis in people, though that's not his fault. Gamers have been waiting for a new Kid Icarus game for quite a while now and Nintendo finally delivered. In a quest that involved battling through the skies against the likes of Medusa and even Hades, Pit had come back in a huge way. Thanks to the goddess Palutena, Pit takes to air in seriously breathtaking fashion that shows off yet again that the 3DS is to be taken seriously. Not content with being strapped onto those rails of the skyline shooting sections, Pit can drop to the ground and run around with a plethora of weapons to take out enemies in a more personal way. With plenty of humor, some intentional, he's easily likeable even through the fact that he makes you stretch your fingers in ways that are normally reserved for instrument players.

16. Maxwell (Scribblenauts Unlimited)

I continue down my path of quirky heroes that most people wouldn't consider with yet another cutesie Nintendo based character, but Maxwell's true value lies in the back story that was fleshed out in the latest Scribblenauts game. In the past we have just gleefully collected those Starites without wondering why Maxwell chooses to spend his time this way. Well ladies and gentleman, we have ourselves an honest to God redemption story on our hands - a true protagonist favorite. A tale that involves Maxwell being a royal jerk when he gives a rotten apple to a hungry old man. The old man must have been an extra in Steven King's "Thinner", because he straight up curses Max's sister to slowly turn to stone. Max then has to go around helping people to atone for his sins, as those Starites he gets as a reward are the only thing that can break the curse.