PlayStation has been established as one of the strongest brands in the gaming industry. Apart from the company’s focus on hardware and innovation, Sony Interactive Entertainment has built a reputation for crafting unique and powerful first-party video games that propelled the brand to new heights and set the bar high.
The gaming company got the ball rolling after the previous generation with a flurry of back-to-back first-party exclusives crafted with care by the best and most talented developers in the game industry. Here are some of the greatest and most iconic characters ever introduced in a Sony first-party video game.
9. Nathan Drake
The gaming community knew what to expect from Naughty Dog and was blown away by the Uncharted series. The franchise found its footing during the PS3 era with Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune where the fans were introduced to Nathan Drake, a treasure hunter with insane luck.
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The game developers were motivated to take this franchise to new heights and made three great sequels. The technology has advanced to the point where the developers can make life-like games and fans were impressed by the graphical fidelity of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End on the base PlayStation 4.
Fans grew up with the character and witnessed his growth from his desire to achieve greatness to realizing the treasure was the bond he forged with Elena and Sully and received the happy ending he earned.
8. Deacon St. John
Bend Studio was on to something massive with Days Gone and fans were enthusiastic to experience this post-apocalyptic story as a cool biker. Unfortunately, initial reviews were mostly negative because of the technical drawbacks and criticisms about the narrative and frankly, the characterization of the main character.
Director John Garvin argued fans could have seen the story continue with Deacon as he fights to keep his family and community safe from a looming threat if more positive reviews had been released. Nevertheless, Sam Witwer gave an exceptional performance and made Deacon one of the best PlayStation characters.
7. Aloy
Guerrilla Games had a strong vision for the Horizon franchise and required a strong protagonist. Aloy is the epitome of perseverance and determination as she fights to save the world from the horrors of the past with a bow on her hand against vengeful machines that are hellbent on destroying the world as she knows it.
The developers delivered a great single-player experience with Horizon Zero Dawn and followed up with an expansion, since then, the developers thought the world was large enough to incorporate an ambitious online multiplayer game. The project has yet to be officially revealed and many are hopeful it would feature Aloy in some capacity.
6. Miles Morales
Insomniac Games received the rare opportunity to craft an original world surrounding characters from the Spider-Man lore. The developers could borrow from any comic book and tie everything together nicely with a compelling narrative.
Fans were astonished by Yuri Lowenthal’s Peter Parker and expected to see him perish at one point after revealing his successor: Miles Morales, played by Nadji Jeter. Fortunately, Earth-1048 is big enough for two Spider-Men and fans were pleased to see Miles’ growth throughout the series and gain confidence.
5. Jin Sakai
Greatness takes time to perfect and Sucker Punch Productions went all out with this project. The game developers have the honor of introducing the gaming community to the PS4 era with an early title exclusive and closed it off beautifully with Ghost of Tsushima which blew everyone away.
Jin Sakai was a noble samurai warrior who resorted to darker and bloodier methods to win the war against the Mongol invasion of his home at the cost of everything. Jin made the hard choice to renounce his samurai code and prioritized his home over his name and honor making him an endearing protagonist.
4. Ellie Williams
Ashley Johnson brought her A-game during her time in The Last of Us and captured the hearts of fans for her endearing performance. Ellie is an orphan in a world torn by the Cordyceps virus which she is coincidentally immune to. Ellie’s desire to share her unique condition to restore the world at the cost of her own life is inspired by.
After experiencing enough loss, Ellie’s growth from a child to a bloodthirsty killer capable of great violence and gore in The Last of Us Part 2 made her the prime example of where rage can take a person. Her determination made her one of the most relatable PlayStation protagonists, especially after players walked in her shoes and understood her rage.
3. Peter Parker
Insomniac Games arguably made one of the best iterations of Spider-Man and Yuri Lowenthal cemented himself as a great Peter Parker. Struggling to find work-life balance, Lowenthal’s Spider-Man has already been established as New York’s one and only Spider-Man for the past 8 years, and the events of the first game pushed the emotional stakes to new heights after Aunt May’s death.
The sequel pushed the hero to a dark path and ended positively for the two heroes. Parker’s decision to take a back seat to focus on his life while Miles steps up as Spider-Man confirms Lowenthal has no idea where the Final Chapter will take him.
2. Joel Miller
After making a tough decision, Joel is unwilling to lose a second daughter. Troy Baker seems like an odd choice to play an old broken man in the apocalypse; however, his voice and performance made the character a PlayStation mascot overnight.
Fans fell in love with Joel’s gritty nature and gravitated towards his fatherly side as he guided and protected Ellie in a different world. His shocking demise in the controversial sequel turned the entire fan base against the game developers.
1. Kratos
The God of War franchise has been around for quite some time and Kratos achieved plenty of impressive feats during his career. Haunted by his past, Kratos wanted to atone for his sins by raising his son to become better than he was throughout the Norse Saga.
Kratos embodies growth and change as he did not let his past define the god he is today. The events of God of War Ragnarok encouraged him to be of service and use his powers for good.
Who is your favorite PlayStation protagonist? Let us know in the comments section below!
