8 Video Game Side Characters We Should've Played As Instead
6. Nick Valentine - Fallout 4
As great as Fallout 4 might be, that's rather in spite of the fact that its protagonist, the Sole Survivor, is an absolute nothingburger of a hero.
Even with this being the first game in the series to feature a fully voiced protagonist, the Sole Survivor's cringey sarcastic quips and lessened impact on the overall world make them one of the series' least compelling main characters to date.
But Fallout 4 did introduce fans to one of the greatest sidekicks in video game history in Nick Valentine, so we'll forgive them.
A trenchcoat and fedora-wearing detective synth heavily inspired by classic hardboiled fiction by way of Blade Runner, Nick is by far the game's most entertaining companion and, honestly, one of the Bethesda's best-written characters EVER.
And so, banishing him to supporting NPC duty can't help but feel like a waste - like hiring Humphrey Bogart to be a mere day-player in a film noir. It just doesn't make any damn sense.
From his fascinating backstory to his amusing personality, Nick basically feels like a perfect Bethesda lead on paper - a gruff gumshoe with a heart of gold whose wild case history could keep players entertained in perpetuity.
Simply, Bethesda is leaving a small fortune on the table by not giving the world a Nick Valentine game.