BEST HERO
Previous Winners
2012: Lee Everett (The Walking Dead)
2013: Lucina (Fire Emblem: Awakening)
2014: Bayonetta (Bayonetta 2)
2015: Kazuma Kiryu (Yakuza 5)
What makes a hero? Last year our choice for the best hero was a guy who was very good at beating up bad guys. This year our nominees for the best hero are a monster slayer, a Godslayer, a pilot, and an attorney. One of those does not seem to sound as exciting as the others…
Geralt – The Witcher 3: Blood & Wine
NA Release Date: May 31, 2016
Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
The work of a Witcher never seems to end. In the expansion, Blood & Wine, Geralt once again sets out to find a monster that needs to be slain. However, as usual, things are never really that simple for Geralt. This, of course, won’t be too much of a problem for our favorite Witcher since he always gets the job done somehow. So if you need a hero you can always count on Geralt, just make sure you have enough to pay for his services.
Phoenix Wright – Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice
NA Release Date: September 8th, 2016
Platform(s): 3DS
An attorney is probably not one of the first occupations that you think of when you hear hero. With that being said the Ace Attorney knows how important his role is after having been falsely accused in the past. In Spirit of Justice, we see Phoenix going on a trip to Khura’in to visit Maya and like always, Phoenix ends up becoming involved in a number of cases. However, he is in a place where lawyers are looked down on and, if a client is found guilty then his attorney also receives the same sentence. That may dissuade most, but not Phoenix Wright.
Nanashi – Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse
NA Release Date: September 20th, 2016
Platform(s): 3DS
The world is definitely not in a good place in this game, and our protagonist’s story starts off a bit rough with him getting killed. Usually, things end there but, Nanashi gets a second chance at life in exchange for becoming a demon’s puppet. After our resurrected protagonist becomes the demon Dagda’s “Godslayer”, he sets out on a path where he decides who will end up controlling humanity. Sometimes a hero has to make some tough decisions.
Fox McCloud – Starfox Zero
NA Release Date: April 22, 2016
Platform(s): Wii U
In Starfox Zero an evil empire has been formed with less than benevolent intentions. Yeah, it is a real original premise but, you can’t deny that it shows that a hero is needed. With that, we see Fox McCloud once again jumping into the cockpit of an Arwing while being supported by the other members of the Starfox team. Just being a bit outnumbered isn’t going to stop Fox McCloud from being a hero.
This year’s best hero is…
Phoenix Wright – Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice
Compared to the other contenders, the Ace Attorney doesn’t seem to hold up well to them. Phoenix isn’t the strongest guy, his profession isn’t exciting like being a pilot, he doesn’t fight monsters or supernatural beings (unless you count his crossover appearances), but what he does is protect the innocent from being wrongly punished. With the newest game, Spirit of Justice, we see how he is even willingly to risk punishment for himself by defending those who are innocent. He shows that even if you aren’t the chosen one or possessor of some special ability, you can still be a hero.
