1. Tommy Vercetti - GTA: Vice City
Quite simply, Tommy Vercetti is the ultimate Rockstar protagonist. He may not have a complex moral code or the most original storyline, but manages to be truly iconic despite this. Brilliantly portrayed by renowned Hollywood star Ray Liotta, Vercetti strolled into Vice City in 2002 and captured the hearts of a gaming generation. Tommy is a cool character, of that there's no doubt, but much of his uniqueness also stems from the fact that he's also painfully uncool. He rocks a garish Hawaiian shirt and loses his temper very easily, a far cry from glitzy nightclub bouncer Luis Fernando Lopez or enigmatic mob driver Claude. Tommy's an everyman, one who happens to build a massive criminal empire. The Scarface inspirations are clear. Both Pacino's iconic character and Vercetti rise to power in 1980s Miami (or 'Vice City'), both have anger issues, and both have certain psychotic tendencies. In fairness to Tommy, he's hardly a rampaging lunatic on the scale of Trevor, but is rather prone to fits of murderous rage. Vercetti is perhaps the hardest Rockstar protagonist to judge as 'good' or 'bad'. His redeeming qualities are considerably less than those of the sympathetic Michael De Santa or good-hearted CJ. Even characters such as Claude end up saving somebody in the final missions of their respective games, but Tommy's quest centres around pure revenge. Ultimately, Tommy Vercetti is the best Rockstar protagonist because he's the purest representation of their gaming worlds. He's good and bad, intelligent and furious, loyal and vengeful - not a particularly complex character, but one pushed to these extremes by the pressures of the world around him.