Guinness Ranks Top 50 Video Game Characters

It’s a list that’s destined to set the internet ablaze, and the folks at the Guinness’ perpetual World Records department is making it one of its top additions to this year’s compendium. 13,000 people voted to compile the list for the “Guinness World Records 2011: Gamer Edition”, and to celebrate, Guinness has launched a personality quiz on Facebook that will put you with the character you must identify with.

In terms of who made the cut, the top three is unsurprisingly filled with Mario, The Legend of Zelda‘s Link, and Halo‘s Master Chief. The rest of the full Top 50 selections can be found below. Guinness has not released any parameters of each possible character were judged for the list.

“The world has seen so many pivotal characters throughout the history of gaming that asking our readers to narrow it down to just 50 was a challenge in itself,” says Gaz Deaves, Guinness World Records Gaming Editor. “Some of the choices on the list are obvious, some less so, but it’s sure to get gamers talking about their favourites.”

1.     Mario (Donkey Kong, Nintendo, 1981)
2.     Link (The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo, 1986)
3.     Master Chief (Halo: Combat Evolved, Microsoft, 2001)
4.     Solid Snake (Metal Gear, Konami, 1987)
5.     Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII, Square, 1997)
6.     PAC-Man (PAC-Man, Namco, 1980)
7.     Lara Croft (Tomb Raider, Eidos 1996)
8.     Gordon Freeman (Half-Life, Valve, 1998)
9.     Kratos (God of War, Sony, 2005)
10.  Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega, 1990)
11.  Crash (Crash Bandicoot, Sony, 1996)
12.  “Soap” MacTavish (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Activision, 2007)
13.  Nico Bellic (Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar, 2008)
14.  Samus Aran (Metroid, Nintendo 1986)
15.  Ratchet (Ratchet & Clank, Sony, 2002)
16.  Nathan Drake (Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Sony, 2007)
17.  Captain Price (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Activision, 2007)
18.  Kirby (Kirby’s Dream Land, Nintendo, 1992)
19.  Marcus Fenix (Gears of War, Microsoft, 2006)
20.  Pikachu (Pokemon Red/Green, Nintendo 1996)
21.  Yoshi (Super Mario World, Nintendo, 1990)
22.  “CJ” Johnson (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Rockstar, 2004)
23.  Mega Man (Mega Man, Capcom, 1987)
24.  Sam Fisher (Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, Ubisoft, 2002)
25.  Shadow (Sonic Adventure 2, Sega, 2001)
26.  Jak (Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Sony, 2001)
27.  Duke Nukem (Duke Nukem, Apogee, 1991)
28.  Dante (Devil May Cry, Bandai, 2003)
29.  Naruto (Naruto: Konoha Ninpoch, Bandai, 2003)
30.  Altair (Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft, 2007)
31.  Zelda (The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo, 1986)
32.  Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII, Square, 1997)
33.  Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong, Nintendo, 1981)
34.  The Prince (Prince of Persia, Broderbund, 1989)
35.  Ezio (Assassin’s Creed II, Ubisoft, 2009)
36.  Leon S (Biohazard/ Resident Evil, Capcom, 1996)
37.  Ash Ketchum (Pokemon Red/Green, Nintendo, 1996)
38.  Guybrush Threepwood (The Secret of Monkey Island, LucasArts, 1990)
39.  Spyro (Spyro the Dragon, Universal, 1998)
40.  “Ghost” Riley (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Activision, 2009)
41.  Goku (Dragon Daihikyoe, Epoch, 1987)
42.  Max Payne (Max Payne, Rockstar, 2001)
43.  Jill Valentine (Biohazard/ Resident Evil, Capcom, 1996)
44.  Princess Peach (Super Mario Bros., Nintendo, 1985)
45.  Larry Laffer (Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards, Sierra, 1987)
46.  Augustus Cole (Gears of War, Microsoft, 2006)
47.  Bowser (Super Mario Bros., Nintendo, 1985)
48.  Eddie Riggs (Brutal Legend, EA, 2009)
49.  Ryu (Street Fighter, Capcom, 1987)
50.  Sackboy (LIttleBigPlanet, Sony, 2008)

Any characters they miss, shouldn’t have included, E-Gs? Which character did you get on Guinness’ facebook quiz? Let us know below!