Earlier this year, Nippon Ichi, creators of the popuplar tactical RPG series Disgaea, released a game called Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? The game is an action/platformer set in the Disgaea universe that stars the prinnies, a race of damned souls that take the form of explosive penguins.
Yeah, it's a weird series, but it goes to show the value of creating memorable, appealing characters.
This isn't the first time a side character has been brought to the fore. What other characters could stand on their own as the protagonists of games? Who should be freed from the shadow of a scene-stealing lead and become the hero of his or her own epic?
GameCareerGuide challenged its readers to think back to supporting cast members and antagonists -- like Tron Bonne, from the Mega Man Legends series, who scored her own game on the original PlayStation -- and figure out who deserved a chance in the light.
Winning entries suggested retooled gameplay suited to the new starring characters, and imagined how the surrounding game universe would change as a result of the narrative's shift in focus.
What follows are the best and most original entries we received. Here are our top picks:
Best Entries
Jorge E. García Celorio (see page 2)
Goomba Fever! takes a familiar enemy from Super Mario Bros. and builds a unique puzzler in which the object is to overwhelm series protagonists Mario and Luigi with Goombas. García Celorio's suggested multiplayer mode is especially intriguing -- two players can control the Mario brothers while a competing team inundates them with a flood of Goombas.
Joe M. Francia (see page 3)
Francia takes boxing coach Doc Louis from Nintendo's Punch-Out!! series and puts him into an RPG-like board game. In Doc Louis: Super Coach Out!, players must train and promote Little Mac during his rise through the heavyweight ranks, with quick-reaction minigames providing stat boosts and bonus prestige points.
Will Armstrong IV (see page 4)
While the recent Space Invaders: Get Even was the first Space Invaders game to put players in control of the invading alien army, Armstrong's Space Invaders: The Second Wave offers a deeper and more strategy-oriented experience. Players will create troop formations and capture targets during their attack on Earth, while arcade-style shooting sequences recall the franchise's early days.
Honorable Mentions
Stuart Lilford (see page 5)
Dan Johnson (see page 6)
Vladimir Villanueva (see page 7)
Carl Killian (see page 8)
Tanoy Sinha (see page 9)
Ryan Jones (see page 10)
Ken Vermeille (see page 11)
