Top 10 Animals in Video Games

By Laurence Gardner / December 21, 2012

8. Banjo and Kazooie

Gruntilda: Hopeless bear runs to and fro, but takes a whack for being so slow! RARE certainly love their animal protagonists, and video game fans wont be surprised to hear that theres another name from their franchise list still to come. For now, though, lets focus on the two exemplary N64 games Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. There was also an Xbox 360 title centred on vehicles, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, and a GBA title, but its the first two games that show this dynamic duo at their finest. Representing the pinnacle of platforming gameplay on the N64, the games were challenging, charming, amusing and inventive. The level design was a particular highlight, and Gruntys rhyming taunts never failed to amuse. Heres a selection, for your enjoyment: This broom is hard and as it streaks, across the sky it chafes my cheeks! My belly's big, it's rather neat, it's years since I have seen my feet! Don't scratch and bite, my little bear, you'll soon need bigger underwear!

7. Angry Birds

Angry Bird: Tweet! The Angry Birds are intent on world domination. Apart from the recent, hugely successful Star Wars game, theres a TV series in development for Nickelodeon, a book, several flavours of Angry Birds soft drink and a 3D computer animated film slated for release in 2016. Giridhari Dasi of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in Brazil even wrote a five-part essay entitled Angry Birds Yoga How to Eliminate the Green Pigs in Your Life. Of course, none of this would have been possible if Rovios breakaway hit wasnt a surprisingly deep and addictive game. Theres a tactic to the order in which you take out the pigs, and the game strikes just the right balance of frustration and elation as you finally beat the level thats been annoying you. Theres a hefty amount of content in the titles, too, so my daily commute to work has been a lot more enjoyable. Click Next to see numbers 6 and 5 in our countdown.