An honourable mention for Rikimaru et Ayame from Tenchu. The games on PS was awesome. I hope some day we will see a reboot

 

Well, I did say that I probably forgot a few characters. There's alot of lovely characters and I only mentioned those that came to mind when I wrote that.

 

Mengsk was always my favorite character from Starcraft. It's always nice seeing a leader done well with charisma.

 

A topic close to my heart, as someone who thinks characters are way more important than story:

Ellie [The Last of Us]
Just an absolute brave little badass. In a game where she could have easily been the annoying little hanger on (RE4), she shines as lovable and dependable.

That moment where I was getting choked out in the beginning of the game and she comes flying in from off screen yelling 'Get off him, fucker!' while bricking the attacker in the face is still probably my favourite moment in that game.

Nate/ Elena/ Sully [Uncharted]
One word. Chemistry. It just oozes of these characters. They play off each other so well and are probably the main reason a generic third person shooter is so highly acclaimed.

Sylvanas Windrunner [Warcraft - before ruining her]

A cunning Ranger General, her story from her death by Arthas to Arthas' death is awesome, fuelled by vengeance, hatred and duty.

Oh, and:



Dorian [Dragon Age Inquisition]
Snarky, witty and devilishly handsome. As someone who didn't like Mass Effect, I suppose he's my Garrus.

Honourable mention: Pretty much everyone in Persona 4.

JRPGs are largely terrible when it comes to story and characters. Usually convoluted and overly dramatised messes, P4 came to me at a time where I was about to give up on JRPGs. While Chie and Nanako probably win out, damn near every character in that game is lovable - something that can't be understated. That game crumbles if the characters aren't done perfectly.