Since the beginning of video game history, we as gamers have always found ourselves attracted to certain video game characters for one reason or another. Even in the 16-bit or 32-bit eras when our fictional protagonists were nothing more than oddly shaped, disproportionate polygons...like Lara Croft, for example, with her oddly chiseled face and breasts so pointy you could lose an eye. Despite the in-game appearance - and discounting her pre-rendered, much better promotional appearance - Lara Croft was still just as beautiful then as she is today.
Back in the early days of my gaming roots, having been raised alongside the Nintendo 64 and first model of the PlayStation, we're all well aware of the technological differences of the then and now. Visuals back in 1993 were nothing to shake a stick at, but to our desensitization and expectations of 2015, twenty-two years ago was beautiful for that time period. However, growing up, I found myself often infatuated with video game characters not because of their looks, but their behavior and personality. Lara Croft wasn't attractive to me because of her bust size or shorts so scant that a normal person's rear cheeks would fall out. Lady Croft was captivating because of the way she carried herself. Her demeanor, tenacity and determination to uncover lost artifacts was the true appeal to me there. Not to mention her retorts. "Pardon me, if that was just your way of trying the door for me," she remarks after grabbing a rear assailant and hurling him against the locked entryway.
Fast forward twenty years and now, we've grown accustomed to immersive physics, photo-realistic visuals and not a triangular bosom in sight. We've come an understandably long way in both technological advancements for graphics, but also character development. We've essentially seen it all at this point, which is of course, where the creative vice comes in. One of this generation's top contenders for video game protagonists is none other than Nathan Drake of the Uncharted franchise, who is arguably Lara Croft's Y-chromosome counterpart.
I was having a chat with an overseas friend this morning while playing Resident Evil 6 and, admittedly, gushing over Piers Nivans. As I confessed my infatuation, she raised the question of what video game character I find the most attractive. Of course, I had to dig deeper into the question and retort with, "Physically or mentally?" To which she replied with the most heartless of all answers, "Both." It's hard for me to really sit down and pick apart who I find more attractive when comparing and contrasting people, both fictional and real. However, without giving it too much thought, I gave the answer off the top of my head: Chris Redfield. Of course, it was a biased response because I'd just spent the past hour and a half looking at the man. After a bit of thought, I updated my answer to Nathan Drake, to which she wholeheartedly agreed.
What I adore the most about my lovely Scottish friend, Audrey, is that she and I always usually see eye to eye when it comes to video games, but have enough differing opinions to keep things interesting. But another factor about her that I truly appreciate is that our discussions formed by questions are never ended at a single answer; they're always carried on by the question of why. Naturally, I asked her what she found attractive about Nathan Drake, in particular. Her response was, "Well, for starters, look at that face. I don't care if you're a man, a woman, straight, gay, what-have-you. That face has been chiseled by the Gods themselves. Humor aside, his personality, sense of humor, determination and overall presentation is truly compelling."
It almost sounds like Audrey was describing an actual person. That's where the beauty of art tips its hat. Without proper character development, credible voice acting and substantial script writing, a character could be as boring as a silent protagonist...or worse: Ashley Graham (Resident Evil 4.) Nathan Drake is without a doubt, an insatiably alluring man, for numerous reasons indeed. His physical appearance, top-notch sense of humor - "You tried to get up here? Ha, with those boots?" - determination to get what he wants (and stop the bad guys in the process), bravery, tenacity, strength...I'm sorry, what was I saying?
Let's analyze his face for a moment. Nathan Drake's physical appearance is rather stunning. I remember my first thought while playing Uncharted for the first time several years ago was, "Dear God, he's handsome." Physicality is often the first thing you notice in people, unless of course you're chatting with an anonymous person and all you have to go by is their personality, sense of humor and other features you can observe without face-to-face interaction. Nathan Drake, however, is something spectacular. His face is so well proportioned and symmetrical, I think it's safe to set him alongside Jensen Ackles as defining Leonardo da Vinci's idea of perfection. Having been said to be created in appearance and personality based on Johnny Knoxville, Harrison Ford and several pulp magazine heroes, I'd say Amy Henning did a bang up job and God bless that woman. According to Stanley Ducharme, Ph.D, of Boston, Massachusetts, there are four main points that determine one's overall attraction: grooming (check), clothing (it doesn't really matter, especially considering most of us wouldn't mind a lack of a shirt), posture (both literally and the way you carry yourself; check) and accentuation of masculinity or femininity (check.) With stubble or a clean-shaven face and beautiful green (sometimes blue?) eyes, he's truly a marvel.
But there's more to it than just physical appearance, isn't there? Like I mentioned previously, Nathan Drake's personality is on the whole, as much captivating as his physical appearance. He's essentially a regular guy that just happens to get himself into absurd situations, acknowledges them and gets through them with a stampede of bullets, explosions and quips. Unlike his female, British counterpart, he's not an athlete, he hasn't fought dinosaurs or immortal Gods, but he's marveled at quite a lot of beautiful, historical and often insane moments and took them in stride. He's confident, cocky-in-a-cute-way and while his one-liners, sarcasm and laughable attitude has gotten him into deep water time and again, he always comes out on top and saves the day. He's full of charm and has the swagger of a distinguished lady killer, but would rather take home "the one."
It goes without saying, Naughty Dog has done an undeniably brilliant job at creating a truly magnificent video game character, one so widely cherished by the gaming community for one reason or another. Of course, while there are some people still sucking on sour grapes that Nathan Drake is nothing more than a Lara Croft clone, at least he's just as sexy as our favorite archaeologist. Nathan Drake is a character not only loved for his appearance, but for his personality and undying humor, of which I would never want to see the end of.
I'm widely known for my undying, irrevocable puppy love for Daniel Craig, but admittedly, I'd have a hard time choosing between the two if I were given the opportunity. I guess that gives me the chance to quote another favorite, sexy, fictional man, Sterling Archer, and say, "Either and/or both."
Travis Bruno of Capsule Computers writes:
"When it comes to a visual novel you never quite know what you’ll be in for. Will it be a straightforward kinetic novel looking to tell its own storyline without player interaction? Could it be one with multiple choices that offer numerous endings or even completely different routes that follow specific characters depending on player choice? Or can it work some other type of mechanic as well, such as offering army commanding or puzzle solving to mix things up even further? This makes the visual novel genre one that, despite having a simple surface, quite a complex one and Blankspace, a visual novel from NoBreadStudio now arriving on consoles via Penguin Pop Games is definitely one that is more than meets the eye, especially at its low entry price."
Good news for looter-shooter fans: the eagerly-awaited Borderlands 4 will now launch more than a week earlier than originally planned.
Publisher Playtonic and Developer BadgerHammer will be releasing their brand new Basketball style party game Dunk Dunk on Switch and PC May 8th, 2025.
Truth be told this latest iteration of Uncharted has Drake looking a lot like Joe Bob Briggs from MonsterVision. Wouldn't mind seeing some Drive in Movie totals for the Uncharted series either!
as beefy as drake might look im more interested in seeing lara croft running around on my tv
He is so beautiful, funny and intelligent, don't want to brag myself, but i'm just like him.
Joel is much the same, but in a more fatherly role. I think a lot of it's the writing and the voice delivery.
Loads of female characters look great but they rarely have the sort of personality/humor/spark I find all that attractive. If it wasn't for her uber confidence for example I don't find Lara that interesting. Samus I find moreso and she pretty much never speaks, so I guess there's an element of projection there, haha.
Physically I like a lot of japanese female characters but in terms of writing and the way they treat archetypes I don't really find many of them all that attractive either. Though weirdly Yukiko (and Yosuke on the male side) are great. Hmm, I find such different traits attractive in either sex, clearly.
Nathan Drake is attractive because he is the figure of what every man wants to be and what every woman desires: strong and athletic, displays confidence, and displays a sense of humor. Who wouldn't want those qualities?