First Appearance:Half Life (1998) Though perhaps not tough enough to top this list, Gordon Freeman is certainly one of the most compelling characters in all of video gaming. In a genre dominated by implausibly muscular protagonists with more veins popping out of their biceps than brain-cells, Gordon Freeman is likely to be far more similar to the gamers garnering so much enjoyment from controlling him. With his thick glasses, ginger hair and slight frame, Freeman is essentially one of us (admittedly he was given the Hollywood treatment in the second instalment to resemble Hugh Laurie). Despite his PhD in Theoretical Physics, the green-eyed geek-fantasy can handle himself with aplomb. Whether he is blasting at Combine soldiers with a hefty SPAS-12 shotgun or smashing aliens oversized heads in with that iconic crowbar, Gordon Freeman is a tough one. Indeed it is an ironic twist on an iconic weapon that a character so intelligent should be so heavily associated with such a primitive blunt weapon. We may have only had the pleasure of seeing him in two proper games but on both occasions Freeman has proved his mettle by stepping up and saving humanity.
Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.
