Weekend Debate: What makes a great lead character? (update)

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The Weekend Debate

UPDATE: Thanks for getting involved with this week’s debate. As ever, there was plenty of entertaining discussion. Alas, not everyone can walk away with a game download – here are this week’s lucky winners: seb_grant, ThugETH, Aceterix, DoYouLikeMyID and toxic-inferno. Congratulations folks. Keen an eye on your PMs over on the official forums for your code.

ORIGINAL POST: Two very different games have been on my mind this week, and for the same reason: Beyond: Two Souls, which received its Paris premiere this week, and rain, which launched on PSN, both feature very atypical protagonists. The former boasts a young, grounded, believable female in its central role; the latter puts you in the shoes of an invisible boy. Both are a far cry from the broad-shouldered male archetypes we see so often elsewhere in the medium.

However, the first thing that struck me when playing both games was not how unusual their leads are, but how enjoyable and engaging it was to play games offering such fresh perspectives and engaging characters. Whether you personally enjoy either game if/when you play them is another discussion, but it’s undeniable that both titles take you places you’ll never have been before.

With that in mind, this week’s debate topic: who is your favourite videogame protagonist, and what is it about their character or design that make them so memorable? In short, what makes a great lead character?

Your prize this week? The five most thoughtful responses claim a download voucher for the uniquely atmospheric rain, on PS3. Good luck!

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