25 Video Game Characters Based On Real People
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We compare some gorgeous video game characters to some insanely stunning people.
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Video games have evolved in such a rapid way, that developers are now able to bring their vision closer to reality. From the iconic 8-bit games to our current video game generations, the character’s role has significantly increased over the years. Players now need to be connected with them to enjoy the game thoroughly. To that end, developers are devoting resources to create characters that players would easily be able to identify themselves. Though technology tools bring some level of deepness, the best characters are sometimes inspired by movies or real-life events that forever influenced our favorite game creators.
With that in mind, we propose you a list of 25 famous characters based on real-life people. Though some characters remain more famous than others, we’re quite sure that you won’t even expect their real-life inspiration. Besides, if you have time to read these lines, then you surely have time to read more. After all, you must be done work or studying (lucky you). As always, don’t be shy to give us your impressions (we know you are) and feel free to share this article if you’ve been stunned by what you just discovered. Enjoy!
25 Quiet – Stephanie Joosten
One of the most provocative characters in the Metal Gear Series, Quiet has been the subject of controversy due to her provocative portrayal. Many fans criticized her revealing outfit as unnecessary, and part of the overzealous nature of the female characters in video games. Despite that, Quiet can be considered as one of the strongest females in the video game universe along with The Boss.
Her likeliness was based on Dutch model Stefanie Joosten who provided her voice – for both the Japanese and English versions of the game – and motion capture. Except for Quiet’s voluptuous body type, Joosten’s face is very similar to the subtle details, as she was face-scanned. If critics of the game can get over her looks, they’d find a fascinating character that’s being defined by her complex nature and her attitude. Trust Me, mate!
24 Solid Snake – Jean Claude Van Damme/Christopher Walken
Out of every series that I’ve played, the Metal Gear series is the one that kept me the most jaw opened, mostly because of the end-credit scenes. But let’s not talk about nostalgia. Let’s talk about Solid Snake. If you’ve been a fan of the series, you might have been thinking that Kurt Russell’s character Snake Plissken was the inspiration behind our cynical spy. Wrong!
According to Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima, Snake was based on the physique of Jean Claude Van Damme and the facial features of Christopher Walken. Upon taking a look at the facial structure of Snake, we can recognize Walken’s cheekbones on it. Another trivia fact: did you know that the previous Snake’s pre-MGS incantations were a reference to 80s action movie stars? For instance, the original Metal Gear’s Snake was modeled after Michael Biene, from his Kyle Reese role in Terminator, while Metal Gear 2’s Snake was based on Mel Gibson. We’re quite grateful that Solid Snake’s hanged his 80s clothes; I hope he burned them, too.
23 Jill Valentine – Julia Voth
Jill Valentine is easily one of the most recognizable female characters in video games. Mainly known as Chris Redfield’s sidekick in the Resident Evil series, the former S.T.A.R.S member have been busy trying to make a living by shooting zombies and not turning onto a Jill sandwich (Resident Evil fans will get this line).
Throughout her numerous game entries, Jill’s appearance has been slightly altered to fit her esthetics, accordingly. When Capcom remade the original Resident Evil for the Nintendo Gamecube, Capcom enlisted Canadian model Julie Volt to base her likeliness on her. With positive feedbacks from players & critics, Jill’s remade appearance remained her default look for subsequent Resident Evil game entries. I mean, look at the blue eyes!
22 Zarya – Tamara Bakhlycheva
Since his debut release in 2016, Overwatch has already generated revenues past the billion mark and even have an upcoming official esports league. Though its gameplay is quite addictive, its diverse cast is definitely a significant factor in the game’s popularity. Zarya remains one of the most interesting characters on the roster. She has a strong fan base as her design is far from the traditional portrayal of female video game characters.
Zarya is supposedly based on Blizzard Entertainment 3D artist, Tamara Bakhlycheva. We can immediately recognize Tamara’s influence on the character as they notably share the same hairstyle and jawline. Though we truly admire Blizzard for creating a new type of character, we still wish they could give her more health in the game. I always keep dying every time I take her! I’m just saying.
21 Lara Croft – Neneh Cherry
If you think that 2013’s Tomb Raider was the first entry of the series, then you’re probably too young to drink alcohol yet (or play the game, because it’s M-rated). For starters, Lara Croft was first introduced in the original Tomb Raider, in 1996. One of the most acclaimed female video game characters in the video game character industry, she is quite known for her gorgeous physique and adventurous personality.
Contrary to popular beliefs, Lara was not modeled after any fashion model or popular actresses. Instead, she was based on Swedish singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry and comic-book character Tank girl. Though Tank Girl seems to have mostly been used for Lara’s personalities traits and outfit, we can definitely see Cherry’s influence on Lara’s facial features. Though model Megan Farquest serves as her current face model in the series’ reboot, we will always remember Neneh Cherry as being the original Lara.
20 Elizabeth – Anna Moleva
When Bioshock Infinite first came out, the game literally blew me away with its aesthetics and very competent A.I (which is a rarity, nowadays). Sadly, life’s obligations (such as “working”) prevented me from finishing the game. Elizabeth is a central character in the game. She mainly fits the damsel-in-distress role, but she does offer fighting assistance to the player.
When developer Irrational Games first revealed Bioshock Infinite, Anna Moleva noted the strong resemblance to the Elizabeth character. She decided to cosplay her in a photoshoot which gained the attention of the developing team. They initially flew her to the studio in which she was face-scanned to represent Elizabeth in promotional material. However, Elizabeth’s facial structure was lightly tweaked to more resemble Moleva, in the final version of the game. On a side note, we’re still going crazy over her blue eyes. I mean look at them!
19 Kratos – Edward Norton
With more than nearly 22 millions game sales, the God of War series is one of the most successful IPs in Play Station platforms. With guest appearances on different major game series like Soul Calibur and Mortal Kombat, many Sony fanboys (pardon my french) are considering Kratos as the de facto mascot of the PlayStation brand. I mean, what’s not to like about our raging half-God?
His likeliness was based on Edward Norton’s portrayal of neo-nazi Derek Vinyard, in American History X. According to God of War director David Jaffe, Vinyard’s arrest scene provided the basis of Kratos’ physique and aggressive nature. Upon taking a look at both characters, we can see the buff physique, bald head and badass attitude they both share. Luckily for us, Kratos is slated to return next year with a new God of War installment, exclusively on the PS4.
18 Princess Zelda – Zelda Fitzgerald
Princess Zelda is easily one of the most popular faces in the video game industry. Even though she traditionally have to be rescued from evil forces, by Link, her role seems to have slightly evolved with time. In the recent game entries of the series, she is often seen supporting Link throughout the climatic final bosses fights.
Zelda’s name was initially based on Zelda Fitzgerald (1900-1948), wife of famous novelist F.Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940). According to creator Shigeru Miyamoto, he found Fitzgerald to be a “famous and beautiful woman from all accounts” and found her name appealing to hear. Despite their physical appearance unrelated, we still think that they both radiate a kind of mysteriousness.
17 Sonya Blade – Cynthia Rothrock
Mostly known as a femme fatale in the Mortal Kombat series, Sonya was easily one of the most recognizable female characters in the 90’s. She, along with Chun-Li from rival Street Fighter series, is often credited for redefining the role of a female character by making them more significant.
Martial actress and action-movie star Cynthia Rothrock was used as a reference to create Sonya Blade. Needless to say, they look very facially similar. Both have also mastered Taekwondo and have a have a very same body type. However, the height is the only physical feature thing that they do not share. While Sonya Blade is listed at 5’9, Rothrock is much shorter with 5’2. Oh and we’re pretty sure that Rothrock was in no way involved with Blade’s gory fatalities.
16 Balrog – Mike Tyson
For those who don’t know (but should know), Balrog is a playable character in Street Fighter, who specializes in boxing. Being one of dictator M.Bison’s chief henchman, the boxer is known to be a ruthless being that only serves his purposes. He’s also very popular among fans and tends to be often seen in the Street Fighter’s competitive scene.
Legendary heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson served as Balrog’s reference. In Japan, he’s referred as M.Bison which is the name of the main villain in North America. To avoid any possible legal actions from Tyson, Capcom decided to switch the names of the three main Shadoloo villains (Vega, Balrog & M.Bison) during the English localization of the game. As such, Balrog is the Japanese name of the Spaniard ninja Vega. Pretty confusing, isn’t it? To simplify things, they are commonly referred as Boxer, Claw, and Dictator, by the fighting game community.
15 Liu Kang – Bruce Lee
If you’re reading these lines and don’t know who Bruce Lee is, then either you’re a clever newborn baby, or you’re not from our world. As one of the most recognizable and influential martial artist of all time, Bruce Lee’s popularity even extends to the video game world. Few developers tend to pay tribute to him, by creating original characters based on his likeness.
Amongst the numerous characters based on Bruce Lee, his most popular one will remain Liu Kang, from the Mortal Kombat series. Not only do they both share similar physical traits and ethnicity, but they do also share similar attitudes and fighting style. While Bruce Lee created the Jeet Kune Do martial art and was an able nunchaku user, Liu Kang would officially adopt his fighting style and iconic weapon, on a few Mortal Kombat entries. Oh, and did we say that they’re very vocal when they fight?
14 Ellie – Ellen Page
With a highly favorable reception and recipient to many video game awards, The Last Of Us is considered to be one of the best video games of all time. Though its engaging plot is part of its winning formula, the relationship between protagonists Joel and Ellie is the true ingredient to its success. What’s also truly interesting is the fact that Ellie bears a strong resemblance to Canadian actress Ellen Page.
Now don’t get me wrong, The Last of Us developer Naughty Dogg has never made any official report that Ellie was based on her. In fact, voice actress Ashley Johnson provided the voice and motion-capture for the character. However, the resemblance is so strong that It even stemmed a reply from Page, criticizing her likeliness to the character. Coincidentally, Page was featured as a protagonist in Beyond Two Souls; another Sony exclusive game that came out the same year as The Last Of Us. 2013 was indeed a busy year for Ellen Page.
13 Rebecca Chambers – Ayumi Hamasaki
Although not the most popular character in the Resident Evil series, Rebecca Chambers is still a beloved character amongst the game series’. Apart from minor appearances in the series, Chambers’ is mostly remembered from being a main protagonist (alongside criminal-turned-partner Billy Coen), in Resident Evil: Zero.
In this game, Capcom modeled her after Japanese pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki, who also served as the official spokeswoman for the game. When we compare these two, we can definitely see Ayumi’s influence on her face as they both have the same jawline, nose, and eye forms. Sadly, Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami revealed that Rebecca was their least favorite character in the series due to her “submissive nature.” In my opinion, I’d rather have Jill or Ada as a partner than Rebecca. Do you agree?
12 Lei Wulong – Jackie Chan
Speaking of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan is another example of a legendary martial artist. Having been featured in more than a 130 movies, Jackie Chan can easily be considered as one of the most popular Chinese, internationally. Though Chan was also associated with many mediocre licensed games (no offense to the die-hard fans), gamers will mostly recognize him as being the inspiration behind Tekken’s character Lei Wulong.
It doesn’t take much of a genius to see the striking resemblance between those two. Aside from that, Jackie & Lei have many in common: both are from Hong Kong and are very fluent in English. Also, Lei Wulong’s hints many references to Jackie Chan’s movies. For instance, his detective background is a reference to Chan’s Police Story film series, while his Drunken stance command is a direct reference to Chan’s Drunken Masters’ movies. Chan also infamously paid tribute to video games in the 1993 action-movie City Hunter, in which he portrays many characters of the Street Fighter series.
11 Lucy Stillman – Kristen Bell
Before Aya (from Assassin’s Creed: Origins) or Evie Frye (from Assassin Creed: Syndicate), gamers were first introduced to Lucy Stillman; the first female Assassin of the series, in the original Assassin’s Creed. Though she’s not the most popular female character in the video game universe, Lucy embodies the strong woman personification as she’s knowledgeable and highly skilled in combat.
American actress Kristen Bell serves as her voice and character model in the game. Needless to say, Stillman is literally a scanned copy of Bell’s face as Ubisoft seem to have kept all of her facial features and hairstyle. Knowing this, we wonder if Bell would win in a mirror-fight against Stillman. You never know!
10 Sonic The Hedgehog – Bill Clinton/ Michael Jackson
When we first think about what game designers drew inspiration from to create Sonic, we would naturally think about a silly story that includes a hedgehog, right? Well, It seems that even simple characters got the most complicated designs.
According to Sega’s co-creator Naoto Ohshima, Sonic was mainly inspired by legendary performer Michael Jackson and U.S president Bill Clinton. Clinton inspired Sonic’s go-ahead attitude, as Ohshima admired Clinton’s dedication to resolving problems. As for Michael Jackson, his shoes from its 1992 Bad’s music video served as an inspiration to create Sonic’s iconic shoes. The shoes’ color would later be edited to the red and white pattern; a reference to Santa Claus. Despite that, Jackson would later help to compose Sonic 3’s music. However, his involvement went uncredited.
9 Nathan Drake – Johnny Knoxville
Nathan Drake is perhaps one of the most popular faces of the PlayStation brand. Fearless, adventurous and charismatic, Nathan’s journeys across Sony platforms have generated more than 38 million games sold (including sales from Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End).
Stunt performer Johnny Knoxville served as an early inspiration for Nathan Drake. Naughty Dog initially designed Drake to be a goofier and even created an animated draft version of him. In the end, the team decided to create a more serious Drake, which would become the character we all love now. Still, we’re able to notice traces of Drake’s original design in his current form, as he bears a slight resemblance to Johnny Knoxville, and is even found to be goofy at times.
8 Sheva Alomar – Michelle Van Der Water
Though she’s only been featured in Resident Evil 5, Sheva Alomar is one of the most robust female characters in the video game universe. She fits the perfect example of a heroine as she’s able to fend off by herself without any vital assistance from anyone and she’s a million years away from occupying the damsel-in-distress role.
Karen Dyer provides the voice and motion capture of Sheva Alomar. Due to Capcom heavily marketing the development of the game, many players thought that Dyer served as her face model. Instead, she was heavily based on Australian actress Michelle Van Der Water whose likeliness is genuinely noticeable. However, it didn’t stop Dyer from cosplaying as Sheva Alomar, which we also find her very resembling. Maybe Capcom should bring her back for a future entry. You heard It first here!
7 Ganondorf – Christopher Lambert
I’m sure veteran gamers can all remember when 2D games transitioned to 3D. Thought It was revolutionary at the time, developers also had to redesign their characters, to meet the console standards. When The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time first released in 1997, on the Nintendo 64, many critics applauded the 3D conversion of its characters.
Ganondorf was no exception to the rule. According to Satoru Takizawa, Ocarina of Time’s graphic designer, French actor Christopher Lambert served as an initial reference for the villain. Though Ganondorf’s design dramatically differs from the French actor, It’s still an honor to be the inspiration of one of the most iconic villains in the video game industry…right?
6 Zoey – Sonja Kinski
For those who don’t know, Zoey is one of the main characters in the survival-themed, first-person shooter game Left 4 Dead. Though she appears to be the youngest of the four protagonists, Zoey is as equally skilled as her partners and is an essential force in the team. Despite not being the most popular character, Zoey still had some visibility as the series has sold over 12 million games in total.
Zoey was initially supposed to be voiced and modeled after voice actress Aléshia Glidewell. However, American actress Sonja Kinski served as her official model, after Valve decided to redesign the character. Though we may never get to see the original version of Zoey, we’re still truly delighted with her current look.
Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/video-game-characters-based-on-real-people/