10. Banjo/Kazooie
This bird and bear duo have accomplished quite a bit together. They've defended Spiral Mountain, taken the fight to evil witch Gruntilda, and, most recently, played amateur mechanics in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. In all games (with the exception of Banjo Pilot) Banjo and Kazooie have worked in tandem to accomplish their goals, solve puzzles, and defeat enemies.
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| Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (2008) |
When Donkey Kong is kidnapped by his nemesis Kaptain K. Rool, it's up to Diddy Kong and his girlfriend Dixie to rescue the lumbering ape. Diddy and Dixie made a great pair in Donkey Kong Country 2. Each had unique moves: Diddy could run faster and jump farther; Dixie could use her ponytail to glide over long distances, very useful in certain stages. Dixie would later win the starring role in Donkey Kong Country 3.
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| Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995) |
Metal Gear Solid deserves much of the credit for merging video games and movies. And a significant part of the cinematic story told in MGS is the relationship between super-soldier Solid Snake and rookie recruit (and Snake's commanding officer's niece) Meryl Silverburgh. Meryl is no pushover, though; she twice gets the jump on Snake. Theirs is a real relationship, built on trust, attraction, and shared experience.
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| Metal Gear Solid (1998) |
In Ico, the relationship between the titular character and the princess Yorda is the game, and the game is the relationship. Players control Ico as he and Yorda attempt to escape an enormous castle. Ico must help the young princess navigate obstacles, cross gaps, and climb buildings. He can communicate with her also, asking her to follow him or stand still. Particularly touching is Ico's ability to hold hands with Yorda, pulling her away from enemies and across the environment.
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| Ico (2001) |
Here's a couple for the ages, literally. The Prince of Persia meets his intellectual and physical match in Farah, the daughter of an Indian king. Initially enemies, The Prince and Farah begin to trust each other as they combine forces to take down a common enemy, a traitorous vizier bent on controlling the flow of time. The relationship between Farah and The Prince evolves, backward and forward in time, across two games.
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| Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003) |
Those who played through the superior Pac-Man game, Ms. Pac-Man, are familiar with the love story that plays out in three parts by way of "intermissions," animated cut-scenes built into the game. In Part I, Ms. Pac-Man and Pac-Man meet and immediately fall madly in love. In Part II, they chase each other playfully across the game screen. And in Part III, Ms. Pac-Man and Pac-Man anxiously await the arrival of a stork, which hovers briefly overhead, then drops a bundle that opens to reveal a baby Pac.
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| Ms. Pac-Man (1981) |
Surely one of the less traditional relationships in gaming history, the bond between Master Chief and the artificial intelligence construct Cortana is one of the most engaging story elements in the Halo trilogy (soon to be tetralogy). For most of the trilogy, Cortana resides in a neural implant connected to Master Chief's armor. When she goes missing, Master Chief goes to hell and back to rescue her. Theirs is a symbiotic relationship: Master Chief provides the weapons, armor, and brute strength; Cortana supplies vital information. How the relationship will evolve in Halo 4 is a mystery.
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| Halo 3 (2007) |
Final Fantasy is a series replete with partnerships, friendships, and romantic relationships, but perhaps none is as famous as the one between Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart. Cloud and Tifa are childhood friends who meet again later in life as part of AVALANCHE, a group of freedom fighters. Together with a ragtag group of heroes, they attempt to save the world from a powerful enemy. The relationship is never easy, interrupted as it is by battles, memory loss, and the occasional love triangle, but it represents a bit of normalcy in a world on the brink of destruction. One can't help root for Cloud and Tifa.
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| Final Fantasy VII (1997) |
"Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!" So it goes for Mario, who seems destined to rescue (or be rescued by) Princess Toadstool, aka Peach, for the rest of eternity. Mario has made quite a living out of rescuing the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom from Bowser, the villainous turtle bent on capturing her. Mario and Peach represent two classic archetypes, knight in shining armor and damsel in distress, better than any other video game twosome. And it is obvious, in everything from Super Princess Peach to Paper Mario, that each keeps a special place in his or her heart for the other.
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| Super Mario 64 (1996) |
Here is the most transcendent relationship in the history of video games, an unbreakable bond that stretches across time and space. Link, the young hero clad in green, and Zelda, the once and future princess of Hyrule, have lived and relived a generational conflict between good and evil, always relying on the other to vanquish whatever dark force threatens the land. The most recent Zelda title, Skyward Sword, gives players never-before-seen glimpses into the foundational mythology behind Link and Zelda's supernatural relationship.
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| The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011) |
Love this! Happy Valentine's Day!
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