The 38 Most Memorable First Enemies
- October 22, 2008 23:37 PM PST
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19-God of War: Legionnaire
First encounter:
The Legionnaire is first introduced while receiving an earful from Kratos about getting sent back to the depths of hell. This scream session takes place on the bow of a shipwrecked boat, and while these Legionnaires don't seem to take well to Kratos' vocal belittling, their indignation doesn't prevent them from being easily slaughtered.
We remember it because...
Kratos makes short work of the Legionnaire and he does so often. The enemy is repeatedly seen throughout the game, making him easily identifiable as the game's most prominent antagonist. His strange, blue skin also makes him stick out in a crowd of your everyday, run-of-the-mill Greek soldiers.
18- Silent Hill-: Knife-wielding Babies
First encounter:
After passing a blood-soaked gurney and broken wheelchair in a pitch-black alley at the beginning of the game, you run into two knife-wielding demonic infants who lunge at you.
We remember it because...
Silent Hill was the kind of game that was just dripping with evil, and what other game before had the guts to kick things off with a fight against something as freaky as murderous toddlers carrying meat cleavers?
17-Half Life: Head Crab
First encounter:
Following the failed teleportation experiment, and just after all hell breaks loose in the Black Mesa Research Facility, Dr. Gordon Freeman will eventually come across these ugly aliens. And since early on the only weapon at ole Gordo's disposal was the crowbar, those alien's mugs suffered extensive blunt trauma.
We remember it because...
Half-Life spent a lot of time on developing plot prior to any sort combat, and not only did this make the eventual combat that much more profound, but it also was a welcomed change of pace from the listening to those scientists talk about science.
16- Sonic the Hedgehog: Moto Bug
First encounter:
Upon joining Sonic in the Green Hill Zone, a slow (at least in comparison to the hedgehog), mechanized bug rolls up on one wheel. Ultimately, he poses such a minimal threat that he's often jumped and then subsequently forced to eat the dust of the blue mammal.
We remember it because...
Sonic the Hedgehog was an amazing game that was striking not only for its intense gameplay, but also for its extremely colorful art design and world. Part of that world included those strange amalgamations of robots and animals called Badniks, who were as annoying as they were creative. The Moto Bug was such a Badnik, and upon crushing him, an adorable woodland creature would hop out and scurry away.
15- Portal: Sentry Robot
First encounter:
For the first few stages of Portal, your only visible enemy is a terrifying drop to your death. The first outside threat to your character's existence comes 16 stages into the game, when an armed and dangerous robot cutely asks "Are you still there?"
We remember it because...
As the only enemy type outside of GLADoS, the Sentry Robot needed to pretty darn memorable. By being as lethal as it was adorable, every single sentry you'll encounter will warm your heart... if it doesn't fill it full of bullets first.
14-Mike Tyson's Punch Out: Glass Joe
First encounter:
After a disembodied boxing glove punched through the mesh Punch Out logo, we would see for the first time this ugly Frenchman's mug. In a couple more minutes, that face would become even uglier.
We remember it because...
Mike Tyson's Punch Out is a game that has aged incredibly well, and as a result, it is still frequently played and fondly remembered. One of its more memorable aspects was the incredibly varied and distinct cast of characters it employed, each of which possessed a very unique personality and fighting style. Glass Joe's style involved taking frequent punches and repeatedly falling down, making him the unforgettable creampuff.
13-Metal Gear: Sleepy Soldier
First encounter:
The original Metal Gear world was split up into various screens, and the player could not see the next area until he proceeded to the edge of the one he was in. Upon entering the second area, Solid Snake would come across the infamous, drowsy soldier--who by choosing to feel asleep at this inopportune time, would frequently be punched to death.
We remember it because...
The initial Metal Gear not only served as the predecessor for a highly successful and influential gaming series, it was really the precursor for the entire Stealth genre. It introduced a new and novel type of gameplay that was first experienced when this particular soldier decided to rest his eyes. As a result, that soldier would frequently awaken to face-punches.
12- Bioshock: Splicer
First encounter:
The player first makes his/her acquaintance with a Splicer as the player's bathysphere arrives at Rapture. There, he/she witnesses said enemy gut a pleading man while an overhead light flashes ominously. The Splicer then screams, attacks your sub, gives up, screams again, and retreats. Later you put a bullet in its head.
We remember it because...
BioShock's encounter was so easy to remember because it was so terrifying and cinematic. The creepy atmosphere had already been well established before that abomination showed up; however, its incoherent shrieks significantly added to the frightening ambiance. After meeting your first Splicer, you tiptoed through the rest of this creepy game.
11- Asteroids: Asteroid
First encounter:
The main antagonist of Asteroids -- the asteroid -- appears immediately on the screen at the same time as the player's triangular spaceship. This means that the action begins the second the game starts, and there is no need to first seek out the enemy before attacking or avoiding it.
We remember it because...
During the golden age of the arcades, few games were as popular as Asteroids, and regarding the medium in general, few games so repeatedly recycled their main enemy than Asteroids. During the course of an average Asteroid game, 99% of the objects fought are of the flying-space-rock persuasion. This enemy was prominent.
10- Doom: Zombie Space Marine
First encounter:
In a large room immediately to the player's left resides a tall staircase, and perched atop that staircase stands a former Space Marine, now in a form that enjoys brain-eating. Depending on what version you played, sometimes a pair of Zombie Marines waited to get blasted atop those stairs, sometimes not. Either way, blasting ensued.
We remember it because...
Doom created atmosphere in spades with one of the first utilizations of immersive 3d graphics. It also turned out to be an incredibly bloody title, which the gamer first realized after shooting the head of that undead marine, leaving a bloody pile of gory goo on the ground in its place.
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there is also one more I will always remember, the helmet guys on mega man.
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Red Vested Woman Puncher... what an a-hole! Cool list... intersting read! I would have to add the first enemy in Dead Space... scared the crap out of me!
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BS. Zombies entrance from RE1 was EPIC! Goombas just kinda appear onscreen
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ZanonX wrote:
there is also one more I will always remember, the helmet guys on mega man.
Ah, good one zanon. We considered it, but the fact that you got to pick your first stage meant that you may not have fought the Met (his official name, if I recall) first.
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I think that giant statue that you fight at the very start of God of War 2 should be on here. That was the most awesome opening ever.
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