My Favourite Video Game Character
Up until just recently, Frank West was my favourite video game character. I don’t know why, but I instantly took a liking to the photographer/zombie slasher from Dead Rising. And even now, if I was to ever find myself stuck in a mall with +54,000 zombies, he’d be the man I’d want by my side. Even if it did mean finding my life was second priority to getting a good photograph.
What I found so appealing about Frank West was how unconventional a hero he was. He wasn’t hired to clear Willamette mall of zombies and psychos, or trained in the art of Tai Kwon Do; just a freelance photographer with enough ambition to enter a zombie infested mall for some decent photographs. And I love a man with ambition. On top of that, he’s a handy guy who continually makes good use of his surroundings. Who else would think to clear the way by knocking over 15 zombies with a bowling ball? Who else would know to find a Katana on top of an orange canopy? Only Frank!
But someone else has stolen the favourite video game character crown. Meet Jansen.
While no where near as primitive as Frank West, Jansen is the only video game character who has actually had me laughing out loud at a video game. Several times over. I’ve found humour in games before, sure, but nothing like Jansen has provided. And humour isn’t something that is usually utilised so well in video games, at least not to the extent where you are laughing out loud at a particular character or one-liner, which Jansen delivers many of.
So who is this - admittedly rather annoying looking - fella? He’s the witty, albeit bumbling, cowardly, often shallow, wine loving, woman chasing, love lothario from Lost Odyssey. The first time you meet Jansen in Lost Odyssey he’s stupidly drunk with three women draped over him, instantly making you take a dislike towards him. It doesn’t improve when you realise all Jansen can do is whine and complain, and that for someone who’s meant to be saving lives, he wears out pretty easily, although, according to himself, he doesn’t “wear out in bed”. He considers himself to be somewhat of a romeo, but as the story progresses you’ll see that there’s actually only one woman on his mind, and that he’s well aware she’s out of his league. That doesn’t stop him trying, however, and often making a fool of himself in the process as he indefinitely tries to impress her. It’s very cute to watch!
Love story aside, ask anyone who’s played Lost Odyssey what they think of the characters and they’ll be sure to mention the biggest personality of them all; Jansen. Not to mention a few funny quotes as well. All of my favourite moments in the game were as a result of something Jansen nonchalantly quipped. There was the time youngster Mack lost his rag and started screaming, with Jansen replying “Wow. Puberty’s weird!”. Or the moment Kaim snapped at Jansen, resulting in Jansen muttering to himself and a fellow party member “Gee. I don’t think he was ever breast fed”. Not to mention when the party were climbing a mountain in the freezing cold and Jansen asked Seth - who’s female - to “turn around for a second”. 
Whether you’re a big J-RPG fan or not, Lost Odyssey is worth playing purely for the hilarity Jansen has to offer. Sure, he may start off annoying and in everyone’s bad books, but being the charmer he is, not only did he manage to win my heart in the game, but he’s stolen my favourite video game character crown, too. Frank, who?
Do you have a favourite character from a video game? And if so, why are they your favourite?
Hmm. Uhh. Yeah. Skyrim. It’s massive. The quests are never-ending. My character has a mohawk. My class is Breton. Don’t
Matt Brett