Favorite Rockstar Games Protagonists

[The Butcher]

Like many gamers, I've been eagerly awaiting the release of Grand Theft Auto V and am pumped that it's almost here. I've been playing the series since it was a cheap looking, top-down perspective PlayStation 1 game, and have been a loyal fan of Rockstar/DMA Designs games ever since.

Not only did Rockstar change the way we play when they introduced what we now call "sandbox" gaming with GTA III, they've also done more than arguably any other game maker in changing the way we think about games in terms of story and character. In both regards, they have made strides in providing gamers with content that is squarely and unapologetically aimed at older audiences. Be it a mobster trying to rise to the top of the criminal underworld, a haunted cop hellbent on revenge, a troubled teen trying to navigate the social hierarchy of a new school, or a cowboy fighting for his family amid the last vestiges of the wild west, Rockstar Games has provided gamers with many great, memorable, and complex anitheroes.

Now, with Rockstar's latest addition to their flagship series just days away, I thought it'd be fun to discuss and perhaps dissect our favorite protagonists from Rockstar's games. No poll or consensus seeking, just an open forum to reflect on these characters before we sequester ourselves with the newest Grand Theft Auto.

I'll start with one my favorites, Red Dead Redemption's John Marston. I'm not a huge fan of westerns (I love Hondo, though), have never been to a rodeo, and when I first moved to Texas one of my first thoughts was, "I'm ready to leave Texas." That said, however, the romanticized version of the Old West cowboy resonates with me in a way that I imagine it does with a lot of men. John Marston embodies that vision. A reformed outlaw fighting for his wife and son, Marston could have been right out of a Louis L'Amour novel. Marston spoke with a sort of unrefined elegance which gave his words weight and made him instantly likeable to a guy like me. Although he often referred to himself in self-effacing ways such as "semi-literate", his manner of speaking belied an intellect that could have been much more if properly fostered. A credit to RDR's superb graphics, Marston's scarred face gracefully conveyed the fury of gunslinger pushed to the edge as well as the love and regret of a father and husband who wanted to put his past behind him and raise his son right. He didn't have all of the answers and was smart enough to know that he wasn't smart, but he knew right from wrong and let that guide him. The game's main story and side-missions provided a wonderful milieu for which to explore Marston's complexities. A mysterious stranger tested John's moral compass, eccentric allies tested his patience, and a couple of lost elderly people and a disobedient son tested his emotions. While some of Rockstar's characters are morally ambiguous enough to give the player no second thoughts about being sociopathic, with John Marston I more often than not found myself doing the noble thing because I felt that John would more often than not do the noble thing. It's an admirable accomplishment that a game character is strong enough to have that kind of influence on how I play a game. John Marston pulled it off with aplomb.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Tommy Vercetti from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Guy was a bad ass, and more importantly, he wasn't too flashy. Vercetti was a no nonsense tough guy, who didn't take shit from anyone, and Ray Liotta was the perfect choice for the voice.

Vice City is still my favorite GA game, and because I was lucky enough to recently acquire the PS3 with backwards compatibility, and I can still play Vice City whenever I feel like it. I love the authentic 1980's feel of Miami, and they really went out of their way to make everything look and feel real. The music (I know I'm not the only one, who constantly stopped on the station that played Michael Jackson's Billie Jean), the look, the dialogue, the clothes the main characters wore, everything.

The storyline is an obvious imitation of the 1980's Scarface with Pacino, and you can draw comparisons between Vercetti and Scarface character wise (i.e. the low life criminal, who had nothing, but rises to power as the most feared and wealthy kingpin). And the Ken Rosenberg character is clearly inspired by Sean Penn's Dave Kleinfeld from Carlito's Way (the sleazy, drug addicted lawyer). Still a fun, fun game though. I can't count the number of times I've played it over and over again, because I love Vice City that much.

 

[Lowdown]

Gotta go with Carl "CJ" Johnson in GTA San Andreas. While I liked the Scarface type story of Vice City, CJ branch out more so with his dealings, even doing covert missions for the government. While still an antihero, he seemed to have more of a conscience than Vercetti. Plus CJ was quite the ladies man; the coffee vignettes were comical.

 

[The Butcher]

Loved both characters, but I gotta say that CJ was the more well-rounded and true to life. While I enjoyed Vice City more than San Andreas, I found myself caring about CJ more. A part of that certainly goes to the fact that he was more customizable, but he was also more accessible in terms of being a relatable person. Both guys were the perfect leads for their respective games, though. Like Dwayne, I appreciated the fact that Vercetti wasn't too flashy, as it actually highlighted the flash and style of the setting. In spite of his penchant for violence, his no-nonsense approach made him likable because of the fact that everyone against him was a two-faced scumbag. With CJ, he was a modern day John Marston. He ran with a rough crowd and lived in a rough world, but he was just as capable at showing compassion as he was at dishing out damage. CJ was an important step in the evolutionary ladder of Rockstar antiheroes, because he set the stage for characters like Jimmy Hopkins, John Marston, and Niko Bellic.

 

[Slash-LN]

CJ was awesome because I like the "thug" character. I also liked being able to edit him to my liking and wish they would bring that back. With the three new characters that are going to be in the new GTA I maybe able to get around that but for now it's CJ.

I also liked John Marston because I was a big fan of cowboys growing up. I was fascinated by guys like Billy The Kid. So having a good game where you were a cowboy was awesome for me.

Jimmy Hopkins from Bully. It was another fantastic game and I liked the never back down mentality they gave him throughout the game. He was a total bad ass kid. I wish this had been re-released on PS3 even knowing how the story turns out. I had a fun time terrorizing the school once I beat the game.

 

[Thom]

Tommy Vercetti from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Agree with this completely. Far and away my favourite - possibly because Vice City is among the finest games ever made, but also because he worked so well as a character. I really haven't got anything else to add about him that hasn't been said in the quote above, but for those who played VC and San Andreas, I don't know how people prefer CJ. I'm not trying to start an argument or anything, of course you may have reasons, I just don't see it personally. Tommy for me.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

While there were elements of Nico Bellic and CJ Johnson that I enjoyed, it has to be Tommy Vercetti . GTA Vice City is easily my favourite game of the series. I loved the map, the cars, the music and the characters. I thought it was great how Vercetti's lawyer was based on the Sean Penn character from Carlito's Way, and the mansion Tommy ends up taking control of was a direct copy of the house from Scarface. Plus, the fact Ray Liotta voiced the character of Vercetti seals the deal. He was clearly based on Tony Montana in that he comes from nothing and rises up to the top, and the whole sleazy 80s feel of the game is just damn cool.

 

[lowandmighty]

Tommy Vercetti was my favourite. He had no family, his friends stabbed him in the back and his boss wanted him dead.
The man was on his own and had no reason to trust or align himself with anyone.

San Andreas was the better game though, I just thought Carl had more of a soft side which wasn't appealing to me. Was fun as fuck turning him into a fat bastard though.

I still think San Andreas was better than what gta 5 is.

 

[JGlass]

I've got three.

John Marston is my classic favorite, and it's not really for any one reason in particular. He's not as funny as Tommy Vercetti or Trevor Phillips, he's not as tough as CJ or Johnny Klebitz, and he's not as well rounded (story-wise) as Michael DeSanta or Niko Bellic. He is, however, one of the few protaganists that knows exactly who he is and what he is. He knows that he's done some messed up shit and that there's really no way to properly atone for his sins, but he's just trying to make a life work for his family. He also has his priorities straight, something that is very rare for a Rockstar protagonist. For John Marston, family comes first, and he doesn't change that. He might not be willing, but when push comes to shove, he'll kill any of his old friends if it means getting his family back.

He's also oddly respectful towards women, as evidence by the care he takes of Luisa and his refusal to use all of the local saloon's amenities.

Johnny Klebitz is one of the more tragic GTA characters because he's fighting for something that is so clearly not worth fighting for, but it's all he has. As anyone that's watched Sons of Anarchy can tell you, the glory days of the motorcycle club are long gone, but there are a few souls scattered around the country that will hold onto the MC dream until the day they die. Johnny Klebits is one of these people. Johnny is particularly depressing because he really doesn't have anyone to turn to besides his club. He has no friends outside the club, his last girlfriend is a methed out floozie that can't commit to him, and he has no family. All he has is the club, and even that is slipping away. But he still fights tooth and nail for what he wants, and he practices what he preaches as well.

Trevor Phillips is probably going to be on everyone's lists once they've played GTA V. I won't go into specifics so as not to spoil anything for anyone that hasn't experienced the joy of playing GTA V, but Trevor is absolutely hilarious. A lot of people claim to not give a fuck, but Trevor really doesn't have any fucks to give. He sleeps where he wants to, he drinks when he wants to, he fucks what he wants to, he eats what he wants to, and he does what he wants to. Trevor is the biggest wildcard in Rockstar history, and there are no boundaries that Trevor isn't willing to cross without a second thought.