10 Video Game Heroes You Didn't Want To Succeed

Every story needs a good hero; it's important in all forms of fiction but in gaming, it's absolutely key. When you watch a good film you should feel connected to the protagonist of the story in some manner, and the same is absolutely vital in games, as we're basically being tasked with controlling that character's life for a period of time. If we're unable to form some sort of attachment to them, are we going to be fully invested in helping them out? This has become even more important with the rise of choice-driven games like Telltale's The Walking Dead series. Nowadays, we expect our heroes to have some added depth to them, because after all, why would you want to play as a bland, uninteresting lead when there are characters in the same world who are genuinely exciting and intriguing? That's not to say that a hero has to be perfect. In fact, nearly every great, fictitious protagonist is flawed in some manner as it separates them from the crowd and helps make them unique. Occasionally you'll find a central character's flaws can actually turn them into a thoroughly nasty piece of work, making for an even more intriguing proposition. A great example of this from TV is Breaking Bad; a series that constantly has us questioning Walter White's motives and goals as he explored different shades of grey that sometimes ended up as more black than white. On the flipside, if a hero possesses ulterior motives or is mixing with the wrong sort of crowds, we might want them to fail for their own betterment; a remarkably bizarre thought to have when playing a video game. As such, while we were playing as these ten heroes, there was something just slightly off that made it hard for us to root for them. If you have any other examples you'd like to throw into the mix, please feel free to add them in the comments below.

10. Aiden Pearce (Watch Dogs)

Entertainment is so flooded with anti-hero characters nowadays that it's become a bit tedious. Yes, we all love Batman, but that doesn't mean that every leading character ever has to put on a deep growl and act all mysterious. Watch Dogs had some immense hype before release, which it was never going to live up to, but it could have done several things so much better. For one, it could have had a protagonist that we actually were interested in. Aiden Pearce is the Vigilante in Watch Dogs, a mysterious hacker on a crusade against the higher powers of Chicago. As a result, he's a protagonist who keeps his cards close to his chest; he doesn't really open himself up for anyone. Again like Batman, that's par for the course. The problem is, we actually get to see Bruce Wayne when he's out of costume. The only time we really see Aiden Pearce is while he's running around as the Vigilante; we don't really get to see the person under the mask. Yes, he has a tragic past, but if we're expected to care about Aiden, we desperately needed to see more of him. Even his interactions with his sister and nephew are unbelievably cold; his actions frequently put them in danger, as well as drive a wedge between them, and when he finally decides to remove them from harm's way, the final farewell is so emotionless you have to wonder what exactly it is that drives him. We're told he cares deeply for his sister and nephew, but are we ever shown it? Certain aspects of Aiden's character fit in well with Watch Dogs' almost dystopian portrayal of Chicago but those same aspects make him a bland and unlikable hero. Again, that's fine, if we get to see Aiden when he's not obsessed with his war on corruption. Sadly, we don't, and that makes it all the harder to pull ourselves into his world and root for him.