The 10 Greatest Video Game Sidekicks of All Time
Sorry, Luigi.
We’ve been playing through ReCore, legendary game designer Keiji Inafune’s new adventure game. As we’ve conquered the stunning levels and taken down bosses as Joule, the game’s protagonist, we’ve relied heavily on ReCore’s supporting cast of robot sidekicks to pitch in with enemies and get us out of sticky situations. If we were stuck way in the future, out of cryosleep and with no way back from the outer reaches, we’d gladly take ReCore’s sidekick robots, Mack, Seth and Duncan as our companions. If we were in these other circumstances, we may choose differently.
Here, the ten greatest video game sidekicks of all time:
1. Doc Louis – Punch Out
Yeah, we know that Doc looks more like Stanley from The Office than Apollo Creed, but there’s no one we’d rather have in our corner during a fight against Bald Bull or Piston Honda.
2. Cousin Roman – GTA IV
No one in all of video games made a new immigrant to the USA feel more welcome than Cousin Roman. Even as you were well on your way to being the crime kingpin of Liberty City, Roman was always there for you, doubly so if you were hoping to go bowling.
3. Cardboard Box – Metal Gear Solid
If Solid Snake has taught us anything, it’s that we can infiltrate any enemy base, forbidden zone or military compound as long as we have a cardboard box. Forget the military generals, highly-trained soldiers and scientists that helped out here and there, without Cardboard Box, Snake’s missions would be doomed and so would the world.
4. Rush – Mega Man
Dog is man’s best friend and Rush is Mega Man’s best friend. Need a submarine? How about a Go-Kart? Rush’s dog act didn’t fool us. He was an all-purpose locomotion machine, getting to the tough spots Mega Man couldn’t go alone.
5. Claptrap – Borderlands
The vastness of Hyperion’s wild west would have been a lot more lonely without this wise-cracking, rolling garbage pail. Claptrap is a master at opening doors; we wouldn’t have gotten past the first five minutes of Borderlands without him, not to mention opening up the loot chests at the end of the game.
6. Sully – Uncharted
The cigar-smoking silver fox himself got us out of many a jam on our adventures as treasure-hunting Nathan Drake. From cities of gold to South American prisons, we couldn’t imagine any of it without our Sully.
7. Cortana – Halo
Master Chief is already spread so thin. You know, between dealing with the invading Covenant Elites, eradicating the undead Flood and getting heat from UNSC Top Brass. It’s a good thing he’s had Cortana by his side from the very beginning. Or should we say plugged into his helmet? There’s something to be said for a girl who’s been talking directly into your head for 15 years, and it only makes you love her more.
8. Yoshi – Super Mario World
Sorry, Luigi, what have you done for us besides give us a sibling complex and make us wait for our turn? Yoshi is Mario’s true sidekick, the one who helped him run through weird worlds of pipes, eating bad guys and pooping out power-ups along the way.
9. Dogmeat – Fallout 4
When the world’s been irradiated and you need to get somewhere quick, Dogmeat is the only sidekick you want. Following scents for miles, sniffing out essential items and diminishing the loneliness of knowing your family, friends and anyone else you knew are long dead; that’s what Dogmeat does.
10. Navi – Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The hero of time would have just wandered around Hyrule if it weren’t for Navi nagging him to make sure he was on track. Without Navi’s “Hey! Listen!” we’d probably still be chasing chickens or breaking pots in the forest.