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| The Supporting Cast |
The heroes are the ones that always get the glory. But, as we all know, many of them wouldn't be nearly as successful if they didn't have loyal friends to follow them as they traverse worlds and defeat evil. These sidekicks, the often used and rarely decorated characters, are the ones that our heroes rely on to get the job done. At Joystick Division, we want to honor those unique and powerful characters that help our protagonists on their long and treacherous journeys. Have fun!
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| Our cover's blown! |
10. Captain John Price Call of Duty Modern Warfare / Modern Warfare 2
Supports: S.A.S / Task Force 141 (particularly 'Soap' MacTavish)
Captain John Price is not a sidekick in the truest sense of the word. That is because most sidekicks don't teach their partners how to silently infiltrate a terrorist cell in the dead of winter or blow off some asshole's arm with a .50 cal. What he does do, though, is make soldiers out of men and helps the protagonists out of potentially lethal situations. Price, known for his boonie hat and M4A1, is as seasoned and salty as they come. In game, he leads 'Soap' MacTavish and a small task force on many different missions that require skills that range from stealth to assassination to all-out war. In a world full of back-stabbers, air raids, and headshots, Price is the perfect team leader -- he is strong, has a proclivity for justice, and knows how to use bullets very, very efficiently.
Defining Sidekick Quality: Leadership. Captain Price leads by example -- he moves quickly on the battlefield, never misses a shot, and will stop at nothing to make sure his men survive the fallout of war.
9. Weighted Companion Cube Portal
Captain John Price is not a sidekick in the truest sense of the word. That is because most sidekicks don't teach their partners how to silently infiltrate a terrorist cell in the dead of winter or blow off some asshole's arm with a .50 cal. What he does do, though, is make soldiers out of men and helps the protagonists out of potentially lethal situations. Price, known for his boonie hat and M4A1, is as seasoned and salty as they come. In game, he leads 'Soap' MacTavish and a small task force on many different missions that require skills that range from stealth to assassination to all-out war. In a world full of back-stabbers, air raids, and headshots, Price is the perfect team leader -- he is strong, has a proclivity for justice, and knows how to use bullets very, very efficiently.
Defining Sidekick Quality: Leadership. Captain Price leads by example -- he moves quickly on the battlefield, never misses a shot, and will stop at nothing to make sure his men survive the fallout of war.
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| This is your best friend. |
9. Weighted Companion Cube Portal
Supports: Chell
The Weighted Companion Cube in Valve's Portal is also a sidekick like no other. What sets it apart is...well, it's not exactly a sentient being. The inscribed heart is very endearing, though. In the Aperture Laboratories, where an evil AI called GLaDOS is trying to destroy the game's heroine and the tasks at hand are impossible to complete single-handedly, the Weighted Companion Cube is about as useful a sidekick as one could ask for. Used mainly to hold down buttons in a strategic manner, the Weighted Companion Cube always comes through when Chell needs it most. And always without question.
Defining Sidekick Quality: Silence. Portal is a game of puzzles and physics. Can you imagine how annoying it would be to try and negotiate time and space with another voice whining in your ear, besides GLaDOS? Weighted Companion Cube just shuts up and stays put.
8. Cortana Halo Series
Supports: Master Chief
The Weighted Companion Cube in Valve's Portal is also a sidekick like no other. What sets it apart is...well, it's not exactly a sentient being. The inscribed heart is very endearing, though. In the Aperture Laboratories, where an evil AI called GLaDOS is trying to destroy the game's heroine and the tasks at hand are impossible to complete single-handedly, the Weighted Companion Cube is about as useful a sidekick as one could ask for. Used mainly to hold down buttons in a strategic manner, the Weighted Companion Cube always comes through when Chell needs it most. And always without question.
Defining Sidekick Quality: Silence. Portal is a game of puzzles and physics. Can you imagine how annoying it would be to try and negotiate time and space with another voice whining in your ear, besides GLaDOS? Weighted Companion Cube just shuts up and stays put.
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| One-half of a weird interstellar romance |
8. Cortana Halo Series
Supports: Master Chief
Cortana is proof that a good brain can prove both helpful and sexy. She was created as a computerized replica of the famed Dr. Catherine Halsey's brain, and ended up being the only one of twenty clone attempts to actually survive. Since then, she has been aide to John-117, AKA Master Chief, on his various missions throughout the Halo worlds. Cortana is witty and lighthearted, but when it comes down to the seriousness of the missions, she is all business. She is talented when it comes to planning the missions for Master Chief and organizing many of the objectives in his campaigns, and always ready to offer advice. Sometimes she will even help guide spaceships out of harm's way. Cortana is the rare example of a sympathetic artificial intelligence and we will always be interested in the tensions and nuances that occur between her and Master Chief.
Defining Sidekick Quality: Competence. Cortana was designed to get inside of computer mainframes and enemy Artificial Intelligence. In the Halo series, she's the brains (and the hot), while Master Chief is the brawn.
7. Max Sam & Max
Supports: Sam
Defining Sidekick Quality: Competence. Cortana was designed to get inside of computer mainframes and enemy Artificial Intelligence. In the Halo series, she's the brains (and the hot), while Master Chief is the brawn.
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| I'm the batshit crazy one. |
7. Max Sam & Max
Supports: Sam
Max is a lagomorph. Or, in dummies terms, he is in the same genetic family as rabbits. But really the only commonality he has with rabbits are is the looks department. He comes off as a lunatic, doesn't jump hither and thither, and loves to destroy some kneecaps. Max is a violent, destruction-loving creature whose personality is the perfect complement to laid-back protagonist and dear friend Sam. He carries a Luger around and, considering his complete lack of clothes, does a damn good job of hiding it. Often used as a bludgeon or tool by his canine counterpart, Max does exactly what a good partner needs to: offer himself up for whatever task is at hand.
Defining Sidekick Quality: Personality. The Yin always needs the Yang, right? Sam is chill, not particularly eager, and docile. Max is the opposite of those three things. And hilariously so.
6. Daxter Jak and Daxter
Supports: Jak
Defining Sidekick Quality: Personality. The Yin always needs the Yang, right? Sam is chill, not particularly eager, and docile. Max is the opposite of those three things. And hilariously so.
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| Let's do this! |
6. Daxter Jak and Daxter
Supports: Jak
What would you do if your best friend fell into a puddle of goo and became a small, furry, pantless creature? Hopefully exactly what Jak does: keep them around and continue on the mission. Daxter is Jak's best friend, and in sidekick terms, it doesn't get much realer than that. Sure, he is a bit of a coward and is willing to run in the face of danger, but there's nothing wrong with that. A headstrong, passionate protagonist is done right by a hesitant, even keeled sidekick -- sometimes, you gotta consider the situations at hand and listen to your partner. Will Jak do that? No. But you can't fault Daxter for trying. As backbone-less as Daxter is, he will always be there for the fight. And that is a damn good quality.
Defining Sidekick Quality: Loyalty. Though Daxter is often concerned with his missing pants and the dangers of the missions, but he will always be there for Jak. And, psychologically speaking, having a good support mechanism is such a good thing for a hero.
Defining Sidekick Quality: Loyalty. Though Daxter is often concerned with his missing pants and the dangers of the missions, but he will always be there for Jak. And, psychologically speaking, having a good support mechanism is such a good thing for a hero.
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