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There are a lot of big games out this holiday season, but most important thing about them is who you will be playing as while you’re exploring strange worlds, killing malevolent aliens or just trying to survive.
Identifying with the character on screen is often necessary in order to fully immerse yourself in the action.
Here are a few of the top games this season and the character you will assume:
In this battle-for-the-earth epic, you assume the role of Marcus Fenix, a no-neck gruffian who knows only that the Locust horde emerging from holes in the ground must be crushed. Being a COG soldier means lots of raspy talking and no-mercy killing, while Marcus fights alongside buddy Dominic Santiago.
Gears of War 2 features many cool weapons and a variety of aliens to kill, as well as environments that are nice to look at as you try to keep from being killed.
The game is available for the Xbox 360.
On the other end of the spectrum is Sack Boy, who is a hand-made yarn person who lives in the highly-customizable platformer world of LittleBigPlanet. Sack Boy finds adventure and fun in this colorful and cute world.
A major feature of the game is the ability to create whole levels from scratch, giving gamers the opportunity to unleash their creative talents. The levels can then be uploaded for the world to enjoy.
The game is available for the PlayStation 3.
Fable II is an adventure game where you can play as either male Sparrow or his sister Rose. Beginning as a child, your character soon finds a magical item that sets them on an adventure with many paths, both good and evil.
Decisions made will mold your future, your world and your character’s abilities and fortunes.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any pictures of Rose, so Sparrow will have to do.
This game is available for the Xbox 360.
Fallout 3 lets you create a main character from whole cloth, so there is no one distinct mugshot for the post-apocalyptic game, where the world have been decimated by nuclear war and your existence depends on fighting skill and scavenging abilities.
Pip-boy, a cheerful cartoon character that is featured throughout the game, as well as on your PIP-Boy 3000 wrist-mounted monitoring system, is more prevalent and is the face of the game.
Available for the Xbox 360.
Like Marcus Fenix, Resistance 2′s Nathan Hale is tough as nails and doesn’t take any guff from anyone.
Hale is a soldier who is Earth’s only hope against the Chimera – alien invaders trying to take over the world and turn humans into Chimeran servants and soldiers.
Hale’s biggest problem is that he is infected with the Chimeran virus and is slowing mutating into one of them.
Available for the PlayStation 3.
Adventurer and archeologist Lara Croft is back investigating her father’s death and her mother’s disappearance in the latest Tomb Raider story, a series that began on the Sega Saturn back in 1996.
Gamers can expect lots of climbing, puzzle solving and artifact gathering while the saucy explorer seeks to solve the mysteries of her past and travel to the underworld.
Available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Left 4 Dead features an ensemble cast of four main characters – grizzled veteran Bill; tattooed biker Francis; college student Zoey and computer analyst Louis. Gamers can play as any of the quartet as they fight waves of zombies while seeking out safe houses.
Of the four, Louis seems the best representation of the game. He is somewhat an ode to the iconic Ben, hero of the classic zombie flick “Night of the Living Dead.”
Available for the Xbox 360.
This horror game lets you use your imagination for protagonist Isaac Clarke, since you never see his face. Frequently venturing into space tends to make you want to keep your helmet on.
Set in outer space aboard an apparently abandoned spaceship, Clarke finds that there are things onboard that shouldn’t be there. Besides lots of spooky corridors, gameplay also involves trips into zero gravity situations. Alien dismemberment is the main selling point of the game.
Available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
The prince returns, this time as a cell-shaded adventurer, in this latest Prince game.
Hand-to-hand battle and acrobatic feats await the prince, who is aided by the mysterious Elika.
Available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
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