First Appearance: Gears of War (2006) Marcus Fenix could quite possibly be the apotheosis of the third-person shooter genre: as bulky as a double-decker bus and so ripped he would make a topless Arnold Schwarzenegger (circa 1982) hurriedly reclothe himself from embarrassment. When you take control of Marcus Fenix you have a genuine sense of power as you butcher locust by the hundred. Part of the reason Marcus feels so powerful is thanks to Epics superb animation. Utilising the full horsepower of the Unreal 3 engine, as you sprint across the war-torn battlefield clad in that uber-thick armour you feel a genuine sense of weight as Marcus feet pummel the dirt or as his back slams into the conveniently shoulder-high cover. Though that incredible Mad World advert promoting the original game would have you believe differently, Marcus Fenix isnt the most emotionally complex of characters. He is very much a man of actions rather than of words. Marcus found himself involved in a dog-fight for his place on this list with Jim Raynor of the Starcraft series a character he is highly comparable to. However all it took was one glance on Youtube at Marcus using his Chainsaw Bayonet to cleave a Locust in half for our minds to be made up for us.