8 Video Game Side Characters We Should've Played As Instead

8. Barry Burton - Resident Evil

The original Resident Evil gave players the choice of stepping into the shoes of either Jill Valentine or the inventorily-challenged man-mountain that is Chris Redfield.

But much as we might like Jill and Chris, they ultimately play a distant second fiddle to the true beating heart of the entire Resident Evil franchise - Barry Bloody Burton.

Barry may be a goofball support character for Jill in the first game, but his penchant for howlingly ridiculous one-liners, healthy appetite for tasty Jill Sandwiches, and all-round Good Guy vibes make him by far its most charming and generally likeable character.

Even with his rep for being quasi-unintentional comic relief, Barry is extremely helpful throughout the game, often showing up at just the right time with his trusty .357 Magnum Colt Python to provide a handy assist against a tough enemy, enough to make you wonder why we're not just playing as this guy all along.

Though Barry did eventually become a canon playable character in Resident Evil: Revelations 2, the fact that he remains an out-of-reach NPC in the original game is just a damn crying shame.

As resourceful and tough as Jill and Chris might be respectively, they're just not Barry, who steals every damn scene he's in.

Seriously, Capcom - a Barry campaign which covered the original Resident Evil from his perspective would sell like the hottest of hotcakes. Get on it.