Listmas

Listmas 2024: Cary’s Favorite Teammates and Companions

Posted by cary on

Merry Listmas! In considering our first topic of the season – our bestest (or mostly so) buds in games – my mind immediately went to the most obvious place…BioWare. We’ve been traipsing around game worlds with teammates and companions by our sides for decades, but BioWare companions, or at least some of them, are second to none. That’s why, for my list here, I’m looking outside the BioWare box. This isn’t to diminish the importance of the friendly faces I know and trust from the likes of Mass Effect and Dragon Age, but hey, there are lots of great companions out there that have nothing to do with one company’s output! My picks from that vast lot are…

Drax (Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy)
Image captured by author during Xbox gameplay of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (© Eidos Montréal, Square Enix).

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is an impressively fun game that’s made all the better by a stellar cast. This ragtag band of space misfits might have a bigger presence on the big screen, but the performances in this game are among the best there are. I had such a great time with everyone, but Drax rose to the top as my favorite. (Followed very closely by the “team” of Drax and Mantis.) While he initially comes off as brutish, Drax is anything but a brute. Yes, he’s good at whacking things into oblivion, but he has the biggest heart of all the guardians. His character arc in the game is pretty dang compelling, too.

Parvati (The Outer Worlds)
Image by author during PS4 gameplay of The Outer Worlds (© Obsidian Entertainment, Private Division, Take-Two Interactive).

While I came out of The Outer Worlds with mixed feelings, none of them were directed at Parvati, one of my several companions. I’ll admit that I wasn’t as drawn to Parvati initially as I was to some of my other teammates, but it was hard to deny her sheer excitement in being part of the team, along with her determination to do what was right. She became a steadfast friend, and we had some interesting conversations about what made her tick and how she perceived her small world suddenly made very large. Aside from excellent dialogue, it didn’t hurt that she could also hold her own in combat.

Claire Russell (Cyberpunk 2077)
 Image captured by author during PS5 gameplay of Cyberpunk 2077 (© CD Projekt RED).

If I have one resolution for the next time I play Cyberpunk 2077, it’s to not make Claire mad at me. (If that’s even possible, I suppose.) Of everyone with whom relationships could be formed in the game, Claire was one of my favorite “friends,” even after she refused to talk to me. It was unfortunate that her companionship in the game revolved solely around street racing…and, yeah, her motives behind the races were pretty twisted. Claire was far from perfect. Still, I enjoyed spending time and talking with her. Her character may not have been as fleshed out as the likes of others in the game, but she remained memorable nonetheless.

B-12 (Stray)
Image captured by author during PS5 gameplay of Stray (© BlueTwelve Studio, Annapurna Interactive).

Stray, all-around fantastic in the end, is a mildly unsettling game before Cat discovers its companion, B-12. This little drone that rests in a backpack (that Cat certainly hates, but only for a second), and serves as a guide and storyteller, helping Cat find its way home and meeting its own destiny along the way. What’s really great about B-12 is that it’s not an intrusive companion. Cat can freely explore without B-12’s help, and the drone pops up with information only when needed or asked. Stray would have been a very different game had B-12 not been part of it; if nothing else, how would Cat have survived the Zurks without B-12? (So many awful Zurks!)

Dog (Fable II & III)
Image captured by author during Xbox gameplay of Fable II (© Lionhead Studios, Microsoft Game Studios).

Without question, my all-time favorite companion of any game, anywhere, is the famed and faithful dog in Fable II and Fable III. While the dog’s roles of fighter, treasure hunter, and ball-chaser remain the same in both games, I have a large soft spot for the one in Fable II. Dog, or whatever you choose to name it, sticks by Albion’s hero through thick and thin. The canine even serves in a (potentially heartbreaking) decision the hero has to make at the end of their story. Fable II’s dog is the embodiment of “best friend,” and having it around makes the hero’s journey a thousand times better and more entertaining, and boy oh boy, do I hope the trend continues in the new Fable game. (Perish the thought if not!)

Lede image captured by author during Xbox gameplay of Fable II (© Lionhead Studios, Microsoft Game Studios).