Top 50 Video Game Characters according to Guinness World Records

In the realm of information verification there are easy to follow stages that we all go through -- as children we accept the word of our Mom when it comes to establishing the veracity of a claim -- your older brother tells you that if you get hit on the back while making a face you will be stuck with that face for the rest of your life, you turn to Mom to find out if it is true (and you make sure that your older brother is nowhere behind you until you know for sure).

As teenagers Google quickly replaces Mom as our trusted source for fact verification -- at least for the functionally intelligent folks -- while your idiot best friend swears that Wikipedia is absolutely trustworthy -- but when it comes to establishing firsts and world records, there is only one absolute authority that we can rely upon, and no, it is not Mom or Wikipedia! It is the Guinness Book of World Records -- and for all things Gaming? Why, only the Guinness Book of World Records 2011 Gamer's Edition will suffice, of course!

The question today is a simple one: Who are the 50 greatest video game characters ever? The answer just might shock you... But you should know this, and you should know how it happened so that next year maybe you can help Duke Nukem get the respect he deserves -- that's all we're saying.

The answer to the question "Who are the Top 50 Video Game Characters of All Time?" was provided by the votes of more than 13,000 fans on the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition website (http://gamers.guinnessworldrecords.com/), and the list includes heroes and villains from more than 30 years of video game history.

Nintendo ruled the line-up with an impressive 11 characters included, followed by Sony and Capcom with six and five respectively. Additionally, 1996 had a noteworthy five timeless characters, followed by 1987, 2001, and 2007 with four each.

"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 faves."

So who are the 50 Greatest Video Game Characters in the World? Well, for your edification here is the list -- but I want to be clear on something... Mistakes were made... Clearly when the list was being tallied up the person responsible for cutting and pasting was fumble-fingers Pete, because Duke Nukem should be Numero Uno! Number ONE! Not number 27! This thing was rigged I tell ya! Note that the full list below includes additional information like the publisher, the game, and the year of the character's first appearance -- as if you did not already know that?!

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)

Wow. Overwhelmed. That list caused massive flashbacks to games of the past, and reminds us that it was good to be a gamer in the latter part of the 20th Century!

How accurate is it really? Well, considering that Guinness World Records is the universally recognized authority on record-breaking achievements I guess we have to say that it is the ultimate source, even if they did make a mistake with the Dukester. Guinness World Records also annually publishes the Gamer's Edition; a records book devoted solely to the world of computer gaming and high score record achievements. Sigh.

Well, the only thing I can say in response to this is: Vote OBAMA & DUKE NUKEM in 2012!