15 New Video Game Heroes - Ranked From Worst To Best

15. JD Fenix (Gears Of War 4)

gears of war 4 JD fenix
Microsoft

Literally just a Nolan North/Nathan Drake impression stuff inside a spacesuit, JD is a man upstaged by his own surname. Case in point: Meeting up with his father, Marcus Fenix, star of the original Gears trilogy, who immediately becomes far more likeable and damn-near loveable, simply because he's not trying so damn hard.

If the original Gears helped spawn the aforementioned 'space marine' look, Uncharted has set in motion this manufactured attempt at a nonchalant persona we're now seeing multiple studios fall back on when they're aiming for 'mass appeal'.

Mass Effect Andromeda's male Ryder is the exact same (the exact same); a personality-by-design spreadsheet of C-grade grips come to life, masquerading as a worthwhile character thanks to otherwise solid game mechanics. There's nothing offensively bad about JD Fenix, but he reeks of everything wrong with each continued attempt to will consumer love onto a 'happy-go-lucky' hero.

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Gaming Editor
Gaming Editor

WhatCulture's Head of Gaming.