2011’s Greatest Pets in Video Games
We always give the credit to the great gaming heroes in each story, but in some cases, these people would be nothing without their pets. What would Mega Man be without Rush… or Sonic without Tails (he’s a pet, right!?!)? 2011 had some of the greatest gaming pets, and you’d be crazy not to give them some kind of recognition. From the loyal to the powerful to the essential, it’s time to give them their due. Here are my top 5 gaming pets in 2011.
Ugly Checkpoint Dog
Mighty Switch Force
3DS E-Shop
Never before has a character been so appropriately named. In Mighty Switch Force, Cyborg police officer Patricia Wagon may have been doing all of the dirty work while tracking down the Space Hooligans. But during those occasional moments where she would fall into spikes or smack herself into the screen with a poorly timed block switch, who would be there to help her back on her feet? That’s right. Ugly Checkpoint Dog. He doesn’t really DO anything; he just lies on his back until you find him. Then he just kind of stands there… and twitches. But at the very least, he saves your stage progress! And in the end, that’s all the over medicated pup really needs to do.
Johnson
Shadows of the Damned
Xbox 360/PS3
Garcia Hotspur’s tour through the underworld in Shadows of the Damned was made much easier by his demon companion Johnson. While he’s not a traditional pet, he’s an invaluable asset to have when fighting off hoards of demon. And the best part is you can really make Johnson your own. You can upgrade your Johnson, use your Johnson to slap demons around or even fire off your Johnson in the face of your enemies. This multi purpose friend really helped this already messed up game become that much better. Oh Johnson, you just might be the real man’s best friend.
Loosha
Professor Layton and the Last Specter
Nintendo DS
Moving on from the demons of the underworld, Professor Layton and the Last Specter visited another type of myth. Loosha, a sea monster that befriends Luke’s friend Arianna, pops up late in the game as the true source behind the so-called specter’s attacks. All along, Loosha was protecting the town of Misthallery from the villains who looked to drain the town of its livelihood in order to take its hidden riches for themselves. So I wonder how that works out for her?
In a final act of selflessness, Loosha gives up her life to give Arianna a new lease on hers. For a simple puzzle game, the last two Layton’s really seem to want to drive you to jump off a bridge in a fit of depression.
Sissel
Ghost Trick
Nintendo DS
Now Loosha was pretty awesome, dying for her friends and all. But Sissel one-ups her by protecting his friends even after death. At the start of Ghost Trick, Sissel has no memories of himself other than his name, and he has til sunrise to solve the circumstances surrounding his murder before his spirit vanishes for good. As the plot unfolds and he learns more about himself, he finds out he’s not who he that he was… or even what he thought he was. Assuming he was the ghost of the corpse he woke up next to, it’s eventually revealed that he was that man’s pet cat who was accidentally killed at the start of the game. By the time the credits roll, this crafty kitty manages to stop an international crime ring, save many people from death and even saves his master by traveling through time… and this is all in the afterlife! Now how can anyone top that?
Missile
Ghost Trick
Nintendo DS
How can anyone top Sissel? Easy, by being the mastermind behind the whole thing. Missile starts off as a simple Pomeranian who befriends Sissel in the afterlife when he’s shot trying to protect his master during a kidnapping. After being saved, he decides to “create his own path” when it comes to protecting his friends. But all he’s really good at is barking. After all, that’s all that really matters in life. But when he stumbles on his own version of Sissel’s abilities, he turns out to be an invaluable ally in solving the mystery surrounding the Temsik meteorite. While being killed once by gunshot and once by motorbike and still protect his masters may sound impressive enough, all of that pales in comparison to the final reveal; that an elderly Missile from the future had manipulated the events that would force Sissel to help him save their families since he failed to do it himself in his own timeline. Like Jurassic Bark in Futurama, he just waited until the time came to rescue his loved ones. Now that’s dedication!
And now that it’s done! Go give your dog, cat, turtle, gerbil or fish a hug. Done? Good! Now were there any that I missed? Did you have a favorite pet that you felt should be on the list? Go ahead and comment below.
