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Insect carapace is the new leather

This week we continue to pay homage to possibly the biggest badasses in gaming history. Here is our line-up for TOP FIVE hardcore badasses......

#5

Badass: Sarah Kerrigan aka The Queen of Blades (above)

Title: TheStarcraft series

You know you love her. Even before she went all evil, she was hot. You and Rayner both wanted to save her. Damn that Arcturus Mengsk! If only you succeeded, Sarah wouldn’t be the galaxy’s biggest threat. But if you had saved her, Sarah Kerrigan would not have become the Queen of Blades and risen to the rank of badass.

Let’s face it. Kerrigan is hot and it’s not just because of the gooey alien carapace she fits so well in, or that hauntingly raspy voice she speaks in; it’s the way she manipulates others and becomes sole leader of the most feared race in the galaxy, the Zerg. In Starcraft 2 Kerrigan is set to return and we know that wherever she goes, a wave of destruction follows.

That’s just badass, and no I’m not only talking about her behind.

#4

Badass: Kratos aka The Ghost of Sparta

Title: The God of War series

All your base are belongs to us

One of the most awe-inspiring titles on the PS2, God of War was cinematic and beautiful, and its lead Kratos was one of the most fun and powerful characters gamers have ever played.
Kratos carved his way into our hearts. He killed for pleasure, reveling in its glory. Only when he accidently killed his family under Aries’ manipulation, did Kratos’ bloodlust reached an all time high. While previously, he was a mortal killing in his patron god’s name, Kratos became an embittered man seeking only the destruction of his former deity, and managed to turn this rage against his foes.

What really gets him on this list, you ask? He ripped out Medusa’s head and used it to turn his enemies to stone before shattering them all.

That’s badass.

#3

Badass: Conan the Barbarian a.k.a Governor of California

Title: Conan, Age of Conan

Years of frowning has taken its toll on this face

Different people have different opinions of Conan. There are those that follow the cult classic, “Conan the Barbarian” played by then-newcomer Arnold Schwarzenegger; and there are those that devour every page of the original novels by Robert E Howard.

Conan has spawned a few games not worth mentioning, ultimately finding some fame in Funcom’s Age of Conan MMORPG. The game does not put players in the role of Conan but at a certain level you get to do quests for the King himself. Frustrated that he can no longer run the fields and live in the wilds, Conan rules with an iron fist from his throne in Aquilonia.

So why does Conan deserve a slot here? He has an entire Age named after him and an upcoming expansion based on his actions, which plunged an entire nation into darkness. He has lived and fought countless humans and non-humans. Wizards, ancient demons and kings alike are dead because they simply crossed his path the way you might cross the path of a black cat.

Conan will smash everyone in his way and by Crom, so will I! That’s badass!

#2

Badass: Batman a.k.a The Dark Knight

Title: Batman: Arkham Asylum

That's for giving me rubber nipples, Joel!

Let’s face it – Batman is probably the most popular DC Comics character ever, apart from Superman. It’s sad that he never really had a game that did him justice. Sure, some earlier games were a little fun and fit in with his early campy image but with the Chris Nolan’s retelling of the Batman’s mythos, it was time for change.
Fortunately, Arkham Asylum did not just prove that we can have a Batman game that’s fun, but fully reasserts that our hero is in fact a violent, broody, resourceful and extremely dedicated caped crusader.
Armed with his trusty gadgets, Batman zips from stone gargoyle to rooftop, engaging in hand-to-hand combat with tons of foes without breaking a sweat in that heavy suit. Despite all his abilities and violent tendencies, Batman refuses to kill, holding tightly onto the thin thread of humanity that if broken, shatters the distinction between human and monster.
So while that prevents him from being #1 on this list, it’s still enough to give him the title of badass.

#1

Badass: Kain aka The Scion of Balance

Title: Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver series

All hail the king!

Back when games didn’t tell much stories let alone had enough dialogue in the whole playthrough to fill a whiskey glass, Silicon Knights released Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain for the PS1 and PC, which featured the nobleman-turned-vampire Kain in a top-down action/RPG. The emphasis on storytelling and character at that time was simply breathtaking. The rest is history.

In the first game, Kain is given the choice to either sacrifice himself and restore balance thus eliminating the vampire species, or refuse the sacrifice and found a kingdom over the ashes of the old world. From the events detailed in Soul Reaver, Kain selfishly damned the world of Nosgoth and forged his own way. He desecrated the tombs of six pious Sarafan knights and raised them to be his Vampiric Lieutenants – his sons.

When eldest “son” Raziel evolved wings, it was speculated that Kain, being jealous that his fledgling evolved before him, ripped the wings from his back and tossed him into the abyss. This led to Raziel emerging as an undead wraith forced to feast on slain souls to survive. It was not much later and through the eyes of a vengeance-driven Raziel did we find out that much bigger things were at play, and Kain was expertly manipulating them to ensure they had a fighting chance.

So what makes Kain so badass?

He sacrificed an entire world to save himself. He threw his son into the Abyss thus condemning him to undeath and setting him off in a chase across time. He is arrogant, bloodthirsty, capable of telekinetically sucking the blood out of stunned foes, and has no qualms with destroying entire kingdoms to get what he wants. There is no line he will not cross and even without the Soul Reaver, he has proven capable of taking out whole armies. With the Soul Reaver, he is simply unstoppable.

And thus he is and will forever be the ultimate badass.

All hail the king!!