VGC Top Ten: Gaming Grunts - News

by VGChartz Staff , posted on 22 August 2010 / 7,959 Views

There comes a time in every gamer's life where he or she must take a break from epic boss battles, blowing up secret fortresses and entire galaxies, or saving the world from some sort of apocalypse. At times like these we like to stop, relax, and reflect on just how far we've come. Each and every adventure we've had, no matter the scale, has started with one single step. Some of these steps have names, and we bounce off their heads on our way to more serious opponents. Some days we bounce off several of their heads in a row just for fun, a challenge, bonus points, or a 1-Up. Then we move on, fight a boss, and forget about them. However, they are the bravest villains of all, always proud to stand first in line when a hero is about to conquer the forces of evil. It is for this reason that we have chosen to celebrate ten of our favorite "gaming grunts." Here they are, in no particular order, for they are all dear to our hearts.

Grunts

First off, I'm putting all the grunts that are actually named Grunts into one spot on the list. Think of this as a tie. I don't want a list of the Top Ten Characters Named Grunts because that would be boring, and to be honest, naming your grunts Grunts is about as creative as naming your boss Big Boss. So here, clockwise from the top left, we have the Grunts from Halo, Quake, Mass Effect 2, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, Metal Arms: Glitch in the System, and Half-Life. That gives us an alien, a zombie with a probe in its brain that triggers happiness whenever it kills anything, a genetically engineered reptilian alien super soldier, an orc, a robot, and an alien. I know Grunt from Mass Effect 2 isn't even a grunt, but come on, the man's name is Grunt. He has to live with that. He deserves an award for that alone. And he also just does whatever you tell him to do. Grunt would be great grunt material.

Goombas

Goombas are possibly the most famous grunt-type character in all of gaming history, and they are famous for two things: walking off cliffs, and getting stomped on. They pulled these moves off so successfully in their first appearance (Super Mario Bros. in 1985), that they have since moved on to many bigger and better things. Now they can fly, drop baby Goombas on you, become gigantic, grow moustaches, and even join your team in some games. Some even wear spiked helmets so you can't even jump on them anymore. It took them a while to figure that out, but watch out, they're learning...

Zerglings

Zerglings can be either the perfect grunt or your worst nightmare. They're tiny, weak, and pathetic on their own, but they come in giant swarms and can hide underground. When you least expect it, 50 or 100 of them will sprout out of the soil beneath your feet and eat you faster than you can say "we must construct additional pylons." However, they are mindless drones that follow orders from a psychic hivemind. They have no free will, and like all good grunts, can be shot, sliced, bombed, or set on fire by the dozen. And while they were only in one game for 12 years (StarCraft in 1998), they were already some of the most popular gaming grunts by the time StarCraft II finaly released.

Slimes

The Slime was first seen in Dragon Quest (aka Dragon Warrior) in 1986, and it quickly began oozing its way through the hearts of a generation. Like the goombas, it was the weakest enemy in the game, and the first you encountered. But it's just so darn cute. Over the years the Slimes have been the focus of a great deal of merchandise, and even starred in their own games. That's not too shabby for a puddle of goop you can stab to death with one attack. In the DS game Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, not only do you play as a Slime who controls its own rocket tank, but you can even equip a human knight, who will ride you around and stab your enemies for you.

Zombies

Zombies are basically human Zerglings. They're mostly harmless when isolated, but they come in giant swarms like a tidal wave of undead flesh. Really "bitey" critters too. Depending on how well equipped you are for the situation though, you'll most likely be mowing through them with everything from guns, knives, bombs, cars, and tanks to water pistols, soda cans, shopping carts, and lawnmowers. Some popular games featuring loads of zombie grunts are Zombies Ate My Neighbors, The House of the Dead, Resident Evil, Dead Rising, Left 4 Dead, OneChanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers, Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies, and Plants vs. Zombies.

Rabbids

When the Wii launched in 2006, a Rayman spin-off launched these grunts into the limelight. The game was Rayman Raving Rabbids, which made the enemies more popular than the franchise hero, and in only a few years spawned two sequels and a spin-off for the Rabbids themselves. What makes these guys so popular is that they're stupider than your normal grunts, as well as clinically insane. They try to attack you with plungers and feather dusters, they all suffer from Tourette's, and they travel through toilets. They also cosplay as characters from several other games and films. The Rabbids will be having their second game all to themselves this November, Raving Rabbids: Travel in Time.

Genome Soldiers

Also known as the Next-Generation Special Forces or the Space SEALs, the Genome Soldiers from the Metal Gear Solid series are some of the best grunts a gamer could hope to find. They're genetically enhanced to become the world's most superior special forces military unit, but they're still as stupid as the Rabbids. Even though their hearing and vision have allegedly been "augmented," they won't notice a box following them down a hallway. If they do see an enemy and chase them away, they'll forget half a second later and turn around, calmly waiting for you to snap their necks.

Mets

Mets are Capcom's answer to Goombas and Slimes. Instead of slapping some eyeballs on a mushroom or a teardrop though, they slapped them onto a hard hat. Mets get their name by cutting the word "helmet" in half, and they are also called Metools, Metalls, and Mettaurs. Mets have been known to move about in several ways, traveling by train, jetpack, propellor, tank, and scuba gear, but most of them just sit still and hide under their helmets. While protected by their hard hats they're indestructible, but if you just give them a few seconds they'll try to peek out and shoot at you. That's when you blast them to bits. Good times.

Nazis

Nazis are the single most overused villain in video games. There are now more kids fighting virtual Nazis than there ever were adults fighting real Nazis. While Nazis have been used in several genres, they're primarily used in FPS games, where the gameplay often consists of pointing at Nazis until you get bored or old. The FPS game that popularized the genre was Wolfenstein 3D in 1992, and it was literally crawling with the things. They were even hiding in the bathrooms. It also featured the Hitler and Mecha-Hitler that are pictured above. Nazis have appeared in the following franchises: Battlefield 1942, Bionic Commando, Bloodrayne, Brothers in Arms, Call of Duty, Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines, Company of Heroes, Day of Defeat, Indiana Jones, Medal of Honor, Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, and countless others.

The Foot Clan

The Foot Clan, villains of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics, cartoons, movies, and games, have always been popular grunts in every medium they've graced with their presence. In the original comics they're human ninjas who get brutally murdered by the Turtles and bleed everywhere, but the cartoon and game adaptations turn them into robots so they just shoot out sparks and explode. They have appeared in many TMNT games, but it is their brilliant performance in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time that puts the Foot clan on this list.

In this game, the Foot come at you color-coded for your convenience. Purple Foot Soldiers come at you with their fisticuffs, pink ones attack with shuriken or tonfas, blue attack you with katanas, sais, or axes, white use nanchaku, yellow use frisbees or bombs, and red use blade-whips. They couldn't be more polite unless they actually let you use them as weapons and toss them at their own boss. Oh wait, they do that too. The Foot Clan never cease to amaze.

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