25. Assassins Creed: Ezio Trilogy
There is a painstakingly obvious reason why Ezio was gifted an entire trilogy while Altar and Connor are only blessed with one game a piece. Assassins Creed 2 as a trilogy gives us direct control of Ezio literally from exiting the womb and over the course of three games grows and matures as both an Assassin and character. From watching his parents unjustly getting hanged to eradicating Templars and surfacing an entire guild of Assassins we are emotionally invested every step of the way. The story is so damn great Ubisoft even released a CGI film of Ezio living out his elderly days in peace. I will go on record saying that Ezio is as nearly iconic as Solid Snake in the retrospect that we as gamers grew up with them as they defined their respective franchise. Also, in Assassins Creed 2 the futuristic Desmond arc about saving Earth from the Sun was relatively interesting and sci-fi brilliance. Ubisoft are cruel for having a game end with you killing a love interest against your will for a cliffhanger. Future stories in the franchise taint this moment but at the time, it was pure genius.
24. The Walking Dead
I feel like all I have to do is mention the dynamic relationship between Lee and Clementine to make my case for this selection. Seemingly brought together out of fate, a father daughter relationship brews and tightens with each episode. Rarely in games do you want to protect someone but Telltale Games spin the trope into something unforgettable. Players begin making each decision with the thought process of what will affect Clementine for the better in the long run in a post apocalyptic world brewing with flesh eating hungry zombies. Theres also the ending which speaks for itself as one of the greatest scenes in all of gaming
23. Half-Life Franchise
Moving on with iconic characters that transcend franchises into a legendary status, we have crowbar wielding Gordon Freeman. I dont know how a silent protagonist of all character traits resulted in something so iconic but you have to hand it to Valve. Outside of Gordon theres also a rich and carefully crafted with love sci-fi universe filled to the brim with feral creatures. I think I will end this little body of reasoning the way everyone would want me too; MAKE HALF-LIFE 3 ALREADY!