Top 16 Non-White Males In Video Games

50 Cent: I know that I initially said that would not put 50 Cent on my list, but, why not, I am trying to make it to 20 listings. Also, believe it or not 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand isn't a terrible game.

Alex Vance: I may lose some gamer "cred" for saying this, but I don't know anything about the Half Life series. I have heard many tell me about the awesomeness. One day, I will be able to relate.

Afro Ninja: Samuel L. Jackson voices this bad ass MuthaF**in' samurai with a soundtrack support by the RZA. Need I say more.

The Agent: Known simply as “Agent” your real name is never quite known, but who cares when you can decimate a car or human being with just a single kick. This "Agent" is kind of like Will Smith's Hancock character. Meaning that he wants to help, but collateral damage happens unfortunately. It is interesting to play in a sandbox game as good guy “by any means necessary” cleaning up the city rather then destroying it. “An extreme solution to an extreme problem…” is how the story describes it. The diversity of the main character(s) only adds to this already amazing game’s charm.

Dead or Alive Girls: Bouncing Breasts! There I said it and it’s out of the way. Besides the aforementioned asset that these girls may catch the most attention for, all are deadly opponents. Hell, some of them even get picked over the typical fan favourite Ryu Hayabusa. Is there any doubt that the sexiness of the DOA girls catapulted the franchises’ success? Hell Yes! Would DOA have still been a success if the DOA Girls were not present? Depends? Would it still have been fun to play? Hell Yes! (Ok, there are some counter attack issues.) And sure none of their stories make any sense whatsoever, but who gives a damn when “she kicks high”.

Barrett: Barrett is one of the straight-to-the-point characters to come out of the already shrouded in mystery cast of FFVII. All he cares about is taking care of his daughter and toppling the Shrina Corporation. His affection towards his daughter plays in with the theme of FFVII. What is the theme you ask? Compassion? All of them care about one another as cheesy as that might sound. Barrett is somewhat the unofficial leader of the team. Throw in the awesomeness of his gun hand and his foul mouth make him a one of the favorites in FFVII.

Joseph Turok: This Native American does things to dinosaurs that most of us couldn't even imagine. Turok is one of the original "badassesness" of the last generation. (Killing mercenaries and dinosaurs!) The most recent update fell kinda short in my opinion. Nevertheless, this character does not need to be overlooked.

Aries and Tifa: I didn't know which one to choose so I went with both of them [Aries and Tifa]. Sure Cloud Strife had all the EMO problems and the ongoing battle with Sethroith, but Aries stole that attention of the game with her death. Personally, I am not ashamed to admit that I almost shed a tear for her. Almost…I am way to gangster for that though. Tifa, on the other hand, isn't a slouch and I doubt she would let a little thing like getting “Ginsued” right through the chest stop her. FFVII does a good job on making you feel bad about picking Tifa over Aries. You really feel bad. Especially, when Aries dies! Due to the sheer popularity of Aries (and the legion of fan boys still in shock of her death) there are many “methods” that can bring Aries back to “life” in FFVII. Yes, some of them require you to cosplay as Cloud. Kidding!

Jax: Yes I know, he isn’t the most popular character in the MK franchise, but he is somewhat a formidable opponent. Granted the metal arms are pretty cheesy now (Back in 1995 you thought they were awesome right? Admit it!) and the MK: Special Forces (starring Jax and Sonya Blade) game was so atrocious that it almost caused a black hole. It is still nice to see some diversity in the line up which is plagued with colour palate swapping ninjas.

Chun Li: Right along with Ryu and Ken, Chun Li is one of the most popular characters in the Street Fighter universe or video gaming for that matter. (Admit it, she was your first video game crush.) Her trademark “Lighting Kicks” and yells have entertained gamers for years and will continue to considering the anticipation of Street Fighter IV. I cannot wait and I am pretty sure gamers around the world cannot either.

Carl “C.J.” Johnson: From one extreme to the other. The opposing force of Crackdown (for lack of better words), GTA: San Andreas is arguably the best GTA game to date. C.J. is flawed, but you cheer for him nevertheless and what to see what happens next. The script, setting and memorable characters could easily be made into one of the films that came out in the early 90’s along with Boyz N’ the Hood, South Central and Menace II Society. Sure C.J. isn't a good role model (some might call it glamorizing the stereotype), but I am pretty sure you are looking in the wrong place within the GTA series for a role model anyway.

Prince: This franchise has been around since 1989 and developed for the Apple II and for good reason. It is one of the timeless franchises that can handle technology evolutions and trends in gaming. If you have never played a Prince of Persia game before shame on you!

Princess Peach: Ah, Princess Peach A.K.A. Princess Toadstool once was (and still is to some extent) the template for all damsels in distress before her. Princess Peach is helpless, beautiful and clueless all at once. Personally, I am glad that as of late she has shown some fighting ability in games of late (mainly seen in Super Smash Bros.). I picked Super Mario Bros. 2 as Peach’s coming of age because she was actually more the favourite to pick mainly because of the ability to glide. Yes, even over Mario! Now if getting picked over Mario isn't progress I do not know what is? For a princess though, she has some shitty bodyguards.

Lara Croft: This woman (franchise) has sold over 500 billion units worldwide (OK, I may have slightly exaggerated, its more like 32 million copies. (A huge achievement not to be taken lightly by any means.) Croft became a worldwide phenomenon, had mediocre films made based on the character, and probably more important encouraged even more (Metroid’s Samus is one of the originators although) lead females in video games. And I said all that without mentioning her huge…guns.

Samus Aran: If you could remember…think back to the late 80’s or early 90’s you are playing Metriod and just completed the game and to your amazement Samus is a chick. What?! How awesome is that?! Samus gave the definite shot in the arm that female leads needed. And I tell you it’s refreshing. Samus has endured two decades of popularity and shows no sign of stopping. The Metroid franchise continues to be one of Nintendo’s flagship franchises.