This type of list is put together all the time by all major websites. You don’t have to be a small blog or a site looking to attract hits to create a greatest characters list, however, I don’t believe anyone has created a list detailing the Top 8 next generation main characters before. We’ve narrowed it down to our favorite 8 characters that we’ve had the chance to go into battle with over the last three years. You may be able to rotate one or two people out of the list, but the core of it is stable and I’d go to war with these guys on my side any time – especially that little Sackboy. He’s resilient.

Of course, this list is limited to titles appearing on a PlayStation console and not the ‘other’ guy. So, for those who love to leave the comments, “…might as well have put PlayStation in the title.” Lighten up. We’re a PlayStation website; of course we’re catering to our brand.

1.Kratos
The God of War seems like one of the easiest choices to include in a list such as this one. There aren’t very many characters in any generation that could go toe-to-toe with this badass and stand a chance. In fact, I honestly can’t think of one. Not only is Kratos deceptively smart in being able to figure out simple puzzles, but he could probably punch a hole through someone’s stomach. You could almost say that Kratos is as close as it gets to the total package. Don’t worry ladies, Kratos doesn’t believe in monogamy – He’s all yours for the taking.

2.Nathan Drake
Nathan Drake burst into the video game scene this generation and has already left a lasting impression. With the sequel to Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune just around the corner, Drake is preparing to do battle against not only other thieves, but weapon’s dealers as well. Voiced by Nolan North, Drake has been able to slowly, but surely turn himself into the poster child of the PlayStation 3. I consider this to be somewhat impressive considering the PlayStation has a long history of great figureheads (Kratos, Lara Croft, etc.). There is no doubt in my mind that this character will slowly creep into other websites Top 10 Greatest Character lists in no time.

3.Solid Snake
Being included within a list that details the greatest characters of this generation isn’t exactly something that’s unfamiliar to our boy Snake. Solid Snake has been appearing in these lists for each of the last two generations and there is no evidence of that ever stopping – until Kojima kills him of course. That brings me to my next point as well…it seems like the only way this guy is ever going to die is if the developers write him off. I just don’t think there is any mere mortal who can take him down. His impressive list of victories is nothing to shun and we’re sure they’ll continue to pile up in Peace Walker.

4.Batman
Normally, I wouldn’t feel comfortable including a character like Batman in a list like this. History has shown that super heroes don’t exactly translate that well to the video game world. Not even Iron Man could produce an amazing video game despite his arsenal of weapons. However, I feel I would be doing a great injustice to the developers if I didn’t include Batman in this list. Batman: Arkham Asylum is undoubtedly the sleeper hit of this generation. Nobody saw it coming and nobody could have predicted we’d be talking about it months after its release. Despite some people feeling this is a cult classic Game of the Year, we’re pretty sure it won win the award – though we wouldn’t be against it if it did end up impressing at that level.

5.Sackboy
You can burn him, drown him, electrocute him and even try to eliminate him via poisonous gas, but our main man Sackboy continues to roll on. Sackboy has proven that you can take something that was knit and make it cool. While this probably won’t lead you to believe that that sweater you got from Grandma last year is worth wearing, it should make you realize that cool things come from unexpected places. Sackboy is the definitive platformer of this generation and I’m pretty sure not many will debate that. With unlimited replayability due to user-generated content online, LittleBigPlanet has proven to be a golden gem for the PlayStation brand and its main figure, Sackboy, has shown that he can be a great leading character in a video game. We just can’t wait to see him in ModNation Racers – They’ve got to include him, right?

6.Buzz
Annoying. This is a term I used to describe Buzz for quite some time. His repetitive taglines and slick hair made me resent him immediately. It’s not very realistic that he can bounce around like that and it stay in place perfectly. However, Buzz has done a great job at bringing families together on the couch to enjoy some solid trivia. Having this guy included in our list will probably be met with some serious, “WTF?” moments, but we stand by our all knowing quiz show host.

7.Altair
It’s hard to deny that assassinations haven’t always been cool in video games, but they have. This element is what helps make Altair one of the best characters this generation. While his assignments may be repetitive, the ways he can kill a man are plenty. Throw in the ability to scale buildings and blend into any crowd (even if you don’t fit) and you got a man who can nearly do it all. Some may resent the fact that Altair kills without remorse, but let’s face it…if we were in his shoes, we’d probably do the same thing. I mean, it’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it. World peace is overrated anyways.

8.Nariko
One of the ways people like to describe Nariko is “God of War ripoff.” Unfortunately, like the upcoming title, Dante’s Inferno, being referred to as a God of War ripoff isn’t exactly an insult. We’re sure that Nariko would love to be compared to Kratos and they would definitely make a good pair – amirite? When you take this entire list into consideration, Nariko probably stands the greatest chance of being able to kill our #1 guy, Kratos, but in the end, he’d probably pillage her and leave her for dead. Still, we love Nariko and hope that in the future, Ninja Theory chooses to go the route of a sequel.