by Jon Wagner

Created on: August 17, 2009

Since the release of Pong in 1972 video games have come a long way. There can be no doubt that they play a big part in the entertainment of our youth. Over the years thousands of games have come out each featuring a unique character. Out of these countless characters a few have found a special place in our hearts and minds to be the very best.

Mario- There is no doubt that he is the most famous game character ever made. This popular plumber has been featured in over 200 video games in his short life of only 28 years. Weather you ask someone who is 6 or 60 it does not matter they will all be able to pick Mario out in a line up. Once known as "Jumpman" there is no doubt that Mario is now a household name.

Pacman- Everyone remembers the original ghost buster who appeared for the first time in 1980. Who could forget the little yellow circle man whose diet consisted of little yellow dots, various fruits, and an assortment of different colored ghosts?

Link- This elven warrior with a wide assortment of weapons fights to save a beautiful princess from the forces of evil. That is enough reason right there for everyone to love this guy. But does anyone else find it odd the game isn't even named after him?

Samus Aran- No doubt in my mind the most powerful and most beloved video game girl ever to be created. With her power suit she stalks extra terrestrial bad guys because she is the number one outer space bounty hunter. I don't know why more people like her, is it because she is totally awesome or is it because she is so good looking?

Mega Man- No list is complete without the "Blue Bomber". This little blue robot boy packs a punch, especially because his left hand is a cannon.

Donkey Kong- This giant gorilla wearing a neck tie is the second most famous made up monkey ever. He is second only to the monkey he was based off of, King Kong. This video game superstar evolved from an arcade game where he actually took on the role of the villain, but he later became a force for good. For this we should all be thankful because now we get to play as him and beat up on bad guys.

Pikachu- This cute little creature we all know and love has become the icon of one of the biggest video games to ever hit the hand held world. This power packed yellow mouse is afraid of no foe.

Lara Croft- This girl has more going for her than just looks. She has a set of pistols and some killer moves to go with them. This timeless tomb raider is one girl i would not want to mess with.

Sonic- This super fast blue hedgehog has been around for years and we are all hoping he doesn't run away from the gaming world too fast. Being the fastest game character ever made, Sonic has quickly become an icon in the video game world.

Master Chief- This is by far the newest character to be on this list. In fact he is the only one to be on this list that is less than 10 years old. This super solider debuted in 2001 and has pretty much become the figurehead of the most powerful modern day video game franchise.

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