Xbox is the newest member of the big three in the gaming industry, but over its first few decades, it worked to develop and preserve a legacy next to iconic gaming platforms Nintendo and PlayStation. Though the Xbox might not have an extensive roster of iconic characters associated with its platform, there is still a handful of them people align with the green achievement machine.
Xbox Game Studios and Microsoft are working to expand the roster and return to beloved series. It's neat to look at what the first moments of game series like Halo, Perfect Dark, or Gears of War looked and sounded like.
8 Doomguy (Doom)
"Guts, guts, huge guts! Must kill them all!"
For years, fans were wondering if Doomguy would ever talk, and what his reasoning to do so would be. It turns out that all it required was for him to be captured and imprisoned, for him, the killing machine on two legs, to utter anything out loud.
When someone is trained for the sole purpose of killing things, it's hard to imagine what thoughts are going through their head. Thankfully fans, were given a glimpse at how straightforward it is. Doomguy's only motive, despite being in danger, is killing everything in his path regardless of the circumstances.
7 Banjo & Kazooie
- Banjo: "What do you want Kazooie?"
- Kazooie: "Let's get outside, there's trouble!"
Like with most games on the Nintendo 64, Banjo-Kazooie didn't feature any voiced lines, but that didn't mean the titular pairing of bear and bird didn't say anything. Classically, the first thing players hear is an expression of the two displaying what their interpersonal relationship is like on a day-to-day basis.
Banjo is a rather lax individual who wants to take the day as it comes, and is easily annoyed by his feathered friend. Kazooie, on the other hand ,is aware of their surroundings and knows it's up to them to alert and inform Banjo of what exactly is going on at any given moment. The two have a symbiotic relationship and need each other.
6 Conker (Conker's Bad Fur Day)
"Stupid logo."
Conker is as much a meme as he is a mascot character for Xbox. Despite the orange rodent being absent in recent years, his initial outing on the Nintendo 64 via Conker's Bad Fur Day is considered one of the edgier games on the platform. His first words are "Stupid logo," as he cuts through the N64 logo and replaces it with one belonging to the developer of the game, Rare.
People often wonder how Conker's Bad Fur Day was approved by Nintendo to be on their rather family-friendly platform, but it's even more puzzling how they were cool with the edgy rodent destroying their logo for his amusement.
5 Senua (Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice)
"I'm coming."
For a game as intimate and personal as Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, the first words from Senua don't come for a while once players start the game. The opening moments are filled with whispers from an unknown source, and it's unclear if they're meant to be unnerving to the player, Senua, or both.
It's unclear what the purpose of Senua's journey is, but when she says "I'm coming" under her breath while holding up a clothed dismember head, all players need to know is revealed. She wants to deliver someone of meaning to a specific location, and will stop at nothing to accomplish that goal.
4 Joanna Dark (Perfect Dark)
"Why the big hurry?"
It's unclear what type of personality Joanna Dark will have in Xbox Game Studios' upcoming reboot of the Perfect Dark series, but in her original outing, she was both sarcastic and wry with her humor. On her way to extract a target out of harm's way, she asks her commanding officer, "Why the big hurry?", despite the importance of an extraction mission is rather straightforward.
It's often said that people working in hostile, chaotic, or draining fields of work develop dark senses of humor to more easily cope with the traumas they witness. This is likely why Joanna Dark sprinkles in a bit of humor despite the danger she's often surrounded by.
3 Raz Aquato (Psychonauts)
"My name is Razputin, but everybody calls me Raz."
Psychonauts is a cult classic indie game from Double Fine Games that amassed a dedicated audience that lost their mind when Psychonauts 2 was finally released in 2021. The original game introduced the world to both Psychonauts, and its main character Raz Aquato. He's a confident kid who simply wants adventure and glory.
This was made clear in his opening line that came shortly after he fell from a tree as he was sneakily eavesdropping on a summer camp introductory speech by Coach Oleander. He proudly announces to everyone in attendance: "My name is Razputin, but everybody calls me Raz."
2 Marcus Fenix (Gears of War
"What are you doing here?"
Good writing is when characters can display their exact personality in a line of dialogue. Gears of War accomplishes this immediately in its opening scene. As Dominic Santiago is freeing his friend Marcus Fenix from a prison cell, he's greeted by Fenix saying "What are you doing here?"
Being the hard-headed man who doesn't need or want help from anyone else, he's more bothered by Dom's presence than relieved. Their friendship is on full display as Dom knows the type of guy Marcus is, but did everything he could to rescue him regardless of how Marcus would respond.
1 Master Chief (Halo)
"Captain Keyes..."
It's honestly pretty funny how little Master Chief talks in the original Halo, despite ascending the Mt. Rushmore of video game characters and becoming the main mascot of the entire Xbox gaming brand. When he addresses someone, he's stoic and to the point, understanding that the passing of information is more important than building interpersonal relationships.
That's what makes his bond with Cortana special. It's the only interaction that sees Master Chief tap into his human side and creates a vulnerable and emotional perspective into a man who was trained and programmed to be the greatest line of defense the human race had ever seen.