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Round 1: Cameron Hawkins on behalf of Sora from the Kingdom Hearts series
Arguably the JRPG mascot for the PlayStation 2, Sora from Kingdom Hearts is an iconic PlayStation character. Even though Kingdom Hearts is now a multi-platform series as well as originally having numerous Nintendo exclusives, he is still seen as a PlayStation character. His charismatic charm was known from the first moment he wakes up on Destiny Islands. He may be an endlessly optimistic character, but he will do anything to protect his friends. Even for someone he’s just met.
Kingdom Hearts may not have aged that well since 2001, but Kingdom Hearts II has aged like fine wine and is considered to be one of the best JRPGs of all time. It is also my personal favorite game of all time. His weapon, the Keyblade, quickly became one of video games most popular weapons.
Sora is the face of a franchise that shouldn’t exist. Using Disney and Final Fantasy characters to create a pseudo-original IP with a cast of some truly incredible characters if you follow the entire story. In the end, all these characters share a connection. The same singular connection.
Sora.
Round 2: Emmett Watkins Jr on behalf of Leon Kennedy of the Resident Evil Series
There are many horror franchises that have graced the PlayStation platforms over the years. Silent Hill is a classic, but it’s been long dead due to Konami’s negligence. F.E.A.R. was outstanding, but it’s original game’s PS3 port was poor, and the third entry lost most of its horrifying atmosphere. And Dead Space, despite at least 2 great entries, has sadly gone dormant. But Resident Evil is the one franchise that has managed to outlive all of these franchises and more, and still manages to maintain its quality with nearly every entry. And, arguably, the most iconic character in the series is Leon Kennedy.
First appearing in Resident Evil 2, and most recently in Resident Evil 2 (😏), Leon has been one of the longest running characters in the series. But for me personally, I was introduced to him in Resident Evil 4. After trying to play through it on PS3 and PC, I finally beat it last year on PS4, and it was nothing short of a masterpiece. Despite that entry arriving first on the Nintendo Gamecube, the Resident Evil series as a whole has its roots on the original PlayStation, and more recently with RE 7 and 2, the series has once again attached itself to the console family. And why not get the protagonist from two of the series’ most widely loved games, RE 4 and RE 2, to represent the franchise in this roster.
But what could his moveset be? Well, he’d obviously be able to use his trusty knife, but his many grappling moves from RE4 would be incorporated as well. Rounding out ranged combat would be his grenade launcher, sniper rifle, SMG, and pistol. And additionally, as a fun nod to RE 4, and to balance his many ranged options, he’d be unable to move when firing his ranged weapons.
As for his supers, he could lean on all of the many creatures Leon faces in the series. Level 1 could have Leon throw out a Plagas from RE4 to take out one enemy, headcrab style. Level 2 could have Leon summon a Regenerator to generate additional AP from it’s attacks. Also, it wouldn’t leave the stage until a super is activated on it, much like Leon’s normal attacks didn’t damage Regenerators in RE4. Level 3 would be the biggest and most iconic threat, as Leon could summon a lingering Mr. X to stalk opposing fighters around the stage for a limited time as Leon takes advantage of the resulting chaos to gain some kills.
So, that’s the pitch. Sure, Leon hasn’t hung out with the likes of Mickey, Woody, and Elsa. But Resident Evil has always been one of the biggest franchises in PlayStation history, and even outside of games with its film series. So Leon is unquestionably worthy of being on this roster.
Round 3: Fight!
So, who’s taking this match? The master of the Keyblade or the rookie cop turned world saver? Vote in the Twitter poll embedded below, and follow @LosHarrowGames for the next match up!
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