10 Video Game Characters Who Deserved Better

Despite releasing in a borderline unplayable state on older hardware, Cyberpunk 2077 nevertheless bore the hallmarks of a CD Projekt RED game. Night City was a vast and visually striking (if unfinished) world that players could spend their time in. Likewise, its small ensemble cast were some of the best written characters to appear in recent games.

Judy Alvarez, Panam Palmer, River Ward, and Johnny Silverhand are just some of the characters players will have meaningful interactions with throughout the course of their adventure. But there was one character who was criminally underused: Jackie Welles.

Jackie is V's best friend who players meet during the game's prologue. His tough, streetwise charm establishes the ex-Valentino gang member as instantly likeable. He's the one who accompanies V on the ill-fated mission that acts as the catalyst to the rest of the game. This is also the last time players see Jackie, who ends up bleeding out during the escape.

This should have been a devastating moment. But the effect is undercut because players don't spend enough time with Jackie prior to it. Instead, V and Jackie's entire relationship is quickly glossed over in a montage sequence. It just doesn't have the same impact.