10 Video Game Side Characters EVERYONE Loves

Assassin's Creed, like Call of Duty, may now be better known for its repetitiveness, coasting by on an all-too similar model for many years, but once upon a time it was a revolutionary gaming experience. Pairing parkour with historical storylines and settings, Assassin's Creed II built on the original's breakout success and expanded the possibilities, with new combat features, clever weaponry and even a few real-life characters, including famed polymath Leonardo da Vinci.

The second game takes us back to Italy during the Renaissance, where we play as Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a young assassin caught in a web of plots involving the Templar Order. Of course, Ezio requires a few hints, tips and tricks to get by, and who better to turn to than Leonardo, who helps engineer and build the weaponry and other devices that Ezio needs to fulfil his destiny.

Leonardo is suave, stylish and charismatic, and every time he appears on screen we know we’re in safe hands - which, considering how much of the game's plot revolves around misfortune and double-crosses, is a welcome reprieve. More than a passing fancy, he appears throughout this and the next game, Brotherhood, and, like a boss, he even turns down an invite into the Assassins Order, preferring to fly on his own breeze.