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Top five PlayStation 3 characters thus far

Throughout the last two generations of gaming, Sony has brought to us more than a handful of characters that we could associate with their console. The PlayStation brand has brought Cloud, Lara Croft, Spyro, and even that fluffy maniac Crash Bandicoot into our lives and homes. It’s been well over 20 years since Sony started their PlayStation design platform with Nintendo in 1986. Since the fallout between the two, Nintendo has continued pumping out the same characters like a bottle recycling facility, while Sony has brought new characters with every new edition of console release. The PlayStation 3 is no exception to this illustrious history of character design from first-party titles. We’ve taken it upon ourselves to list and detail our five favorite PlayStation 3 exclusive characters thus far.


King Bohan
: King Bohan was created by Ninja Theory as a villain for the title Heavenly Sword. Perhaps Ninja Theory had Scientology in mind when they decided to create Bohan and his back story as this crazy old fool who is a self-professed messiah who will stop at nothing until he’s gained the Heavenly Sword itself.

Bohan’s distinct character voice is the work of Andy Serkis, who you may know better as Smeagol the half-pint nut job from Lord of the Rings. Serkis is a very prominent actor who is never in the lead role and usually plays a character in the distance. That changed in Heavenly Sword as his voice was shoved to the forefront and it helped change the story and emotion of Heavenly Sword all for the better.

Apart from being the center of attention on the side of villainy, Bohan is a crazed, power-hungry fool who seems to lack true reasoning. With a mentally retarded son who he continually abuses and a flurry of followers not capable of getting the job done, it’s easy to see why the king finds it annoying to have to do things himself.

Bohan is responsible for wiping out Kai’s entire clan and for attacking Nariko’s kin. His thirst for the sword is all that drives him as he feels it will display his dominance over everyone and most importantly will reassure himself of his own status. The only being he seems to obey is a raven which has a gold faceplate protecting its face.


Nathan Hale: Hale from Resistance: Fall of Man is an Insomniac Games creation. Nathan Hale is an American soldier helping fight against the Chimeran threat; however, he is also a real-life American spy that is said to be the first of his kind. Whether or not this played any part in his creation for Resistance is unknown.

Nathan Hale is brought to life by David Kaye. Kaye is a very famous voice actor who has starred alongside the likes of Julia Roberts, Nicolas Cage, and Paul Giamatti. He’s also famous in gaming for the voice of Clank from Insomniac’s other prominent PlayStation 3 release, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction.

Hale’s ability to take in the Chimeran virus and remain himself was an unheard of occurrence. With the virus mixed within him, Hale helped liberate Britain from the Chimera and was presumed dead. That is, until a couple of mysterious American soldiers rescued him from a snowy badland. With Resistance 2 due out later this year, it’ll be interesting to see where Hale’s adventure takes him.


Kai: Kai was developed by Ninja Theory for their latest PlayStation 3 offering, Heavenly Sword. While many would prefer Nariko to be sitting comfy in spot #3, we felt differently. Kai is a breath of twisted fresh air in a world that needed it.

Kai’s voice comes to life through Lydia Baksh, an unknown talent in the gaming world up until this point. While Kai remains her only prominent role, we see a strong future for the voice-actress in years to come, which will probably and hopefully include a Heavenly Sword sequel featuring Kai as the lead role.

Kai is the adopted younger sister to Nariko, Heavenly Sword’s protagonist, who was orphaned when her entire clan was murdered. Being the lone survivor of such a prominent clan while witnessing her mother being murdered by Flying Fox has left Kai in a fragile state of mind. While she is always attached to Nariko, she’ll go out of her way in order to make sure she is safe at all times.

The reason why Kai is such a breath of fresh air is simply presented through the way she carries herself. Armed with a crossbow and a twisted personality, Kai loves playing games that involve shooting oncoming enemies from hundreds of yards away. It doesn’t surprise us to watch her dance over slain bodies that still have her arrows sticking out of them. This unique style of personality is usually reserved for a bad guy with a demented frame of mind, but Kai finds herself on the opposite side of the spectrum as the lovable, quirky outcast of Heavenly Sword that we have grown to love.


Ratchet & Clank: This duo counts as one entity and was created by Insomniac Games in 2002, which was also when it became a Sony resident. With Insomniac and Sony signing into an exclusive agreement, it solidified this furry Lombax and trusty tin-can sidekick as Sony exclusive for years to come.

Ratchet was originally voiced by Mikey Kelley, a prominent voice-over specialist, but wasn’t given the exclusive role of Ratchet and was replaced after the first title in the series by James Taylor. Taylor is no stranger to the role as he has done several high-profile jobs in the gaming industry. You may know him as Tidus from FFX/X-2, Captain Jack Sparrow from Kingdom Hearts II, and Tales of Symphonia’s Lord Yggdrasill. Clank is voiced by an illustrious voice-actor named David Kaye. You’ve already read about him a bit further up.

As you know, Ratchet is always trying to invent something new, usually getting him and Clank into the worst situations. Of course, this usually results in him saving the world. With his trusty robot friend Clank always having to bail him out with wisdom and ideas, it comes as no shock that these two together form one kickass team.

With recently released Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, we finally had the opportunity to view this dynamic duo in beautiful high-definition. Tools of Destruction game is the sixth installment in the series and we’re sure it won’t be the last.


Nathan Drake
: Created by Naughty Dog for their new title Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, this dark-haired, sarcastic, ladies man came out of left field and finally gave Americans their own male version of the British sensation, Lara Croft.

Nathan Drake is voiced by Nolan North, an American born voice-actor who is famous for his roles as Vossler from FFXII, Hades from God of War, Desmond Miles from Assassin’s Creed, and upcoming talent work in Metal Gear Solid 4, where he will play the voice of a slew of characters.

Drake is constantly obsessed with finding out everything he can about Sir Francis Drake, his self-professed ancestor. His main goal, finding Francis’ rumored fortune, is always on the front of his mind and he’s willing to jump through any hoops provided to find it. Though Drake is always spitting out witty dialogue with his counterparts Elena Fisher and Victor Sullivan, you’ll often find him to be resourceful, agile, and definitely capable of taking down the bad guys, no matter how many are sent his way.

With fans of Nathan Drake definitely awaiting the much anticipated Uncharted sequel which has no name or release date, he’s the obvious choice for PlayStation 3’s number one character of this generation thus far.

These five characters have helped shape PlayStation exclusivity up to this point. Had the list been made a year from now, you’d likely see Solid Snake and a few others being considered; unfortunately, those titles have yet to release. These are the characters who have gotten the console to where it is today. Feel free to leave comments of either agreement or opposition below and to give us your detailed top five characters.