10 Video Game Characters With Amazing Beards

Many psychologists believe that playing video games can be one of the most important things a child can do while growing up but as you probably understand this conclusion caused a lot of controversy since the most populous group of gamers appears to be men age 25 to 35. The truth is the world has changed quite a bit in the last thirty years and many of today’s parents are Generation Xers who grew up playing video games and many of them still play, but now with their children.

This is the main reason why the majority of videogame characters from the past fifteen years appear to be men in their thirties, forties, or even older, who gradually replaced the boyish figures of the great arcade games of the ‘80's and early ‘90's. Inevitably, many of the current characters happen to be beardsmen and some have managed to become legendary figures of the gaming world that most gamers remember for their beards among other qualities.

We’re pretty sure that you’re already trying to guess who made the cut so just grab a cold one and get ready to reminisce about or be introduced for the first time to ten epic beardsmen who have appeared in the world of video games.

1. LeChuck

Monkey Island

 

LeChuck is undoubtedly the fiercest pirate ever to sail in the video-gaming world, one of the most skilled swordsmen ever, and a master of manipulation. For those who might not know, LeChuck’s character, especially his bizarrely cool beard, influenced the creators of the Pirates of the Caribbean since both Captain Barbossa and Davy Jones were heavily based on this legendary character from the Monkey Island series.

For the record, once Ron Gilbert (video designer of the first two Monkey Island games) found this out he stated that if he had thought of a squid tentacle beard he would have done it first because he really loved it. One way or another, LeChuck is the most epic beardsman in the history of video games and no one can ever take this away from him.

2. Zangief

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior

Before the USSR and its communist regime collapsed and the “beasts from the East” became professional boxers and MMA fighters dominating most of the heavier weight classes in these sports, we could only get a taste of them through fictional dudes such as Ivan Drago (Rocky IV) and videogame character Zangief, who first appeared in Street Fighter II. Zangief hailed from “Mother Russia,” and his fighting style was wrestling/grappling. He’s best remembered for his immense size, weirdly hairy chest, Mohican haircut, and Hercules-style beard, which to this day is considered one of the toughest beards in videogame history.

3. Max Payne

Max Payne 3

With Max Payne 3 (released in 2012), Rockstar Games verified what most gamers already knew: Max Payne is probably this generation’s most important third-person shooter game. The great graphics, amazing sound and music, the intriguing story, and exciting gameplay give this game a mythic status, but very few have probably focused on the fact that its developers decided to put a beard on the one and only Max Payne.

Of course, this huge detail didn’t go unnoticed but most gamers just didn’t care. For us, however, the fact that Max Payne transformed into a beardsman even for just this title is enough to add him to our list and for Max Payne 3 to become our favorite in the series.

4. Dominic Santiago

Gears of War

Dominic Santiago, also known as Dom in video-gamer circles, is a supporting character in the Gears of War franchise and a wingman to Marcus Fenix, the primary protagonist and leader of Delta Squad, of which Dom is a member.

However, thanks to his intimidating physique and pompous beard he has become one of the most memorable figures of the franchise even though when he didn’t have the beard in the first two games he went completely unnoticed. All this changed when the developers decided to grow him a kickass beard at some point between Gears of War 2 and Gears of War 3. That was a wise move indeed.

5. Robert “Big Dog” Duggan

MotorStorm: Apocalypse

In MotorStorm: Apocalypse instead of sending race cars into the wild, nature comes to the drivers and this change makes everything dramatically better in this title of the MotorStorm series. The best part of MotorStorm: Apocalypse, however, has nothing to do with the game’s graphics or gameplay but with the most awesome character we had the chance to play with—Robert “Big Dog” Duggan, who can be found at the Veteran segment of the Festival of this game.

Big Dog looks like every American old-school biker should; he’s big, muscular, and intimidating; he has tattoos all over his body and a bandana on his head; he wears shades a la Terminator 2, rides a big black bike, and wears an even bigger white beard that makes him look like a street crusader. The absolute highlight of the game is when Big Dog is seen performing the wedding of Lucky and Vigilante one night at the Festival, where all he says is,

“Do you kids love each other? OK, you’re married!”

6. Salvador

Borderlands 2

Fans of the Borderlands franchise are aware that Salvador the “Gunzerker” was introduced in the second game of the series as the dude who would help us forget Brick from the first game, and for that matter he actually succeeded. The Pandoran native from Truxico was easily noticed from the first moment thanks to his unbelievably muscular stature, especially for such a short dude, which is the result of heavy steroid abuse.

Even though we don’t like “juicers” we’re giving Salvador a pass simply because he has one of the most unique beards that makes him look like a mix between the ancient Greek god Zeus and a Mr. Olympia champion.

7. Zachary Comstock

BioShock Infinite

 

All right, all right, Zachary Hale Comstock is the leader of the Founders, the ultra-nationalist/nativist party that founded the floating city of Columbia and thus the bad guy of BioShock Infinite but we’re not judging anyone for his character or morals on this list. So, the fact remains that Zachary is one of the most superb beardsmen in video-gaming history.

Further, Zachary Comstock has earned the title of “the Prophet,” and he claims to have the ability to predict the future of his city and possible attacks from his enemies. However, even if he couldn’t predict the future his Moses-style beard would still lead us to call him the Prophet, anyway.

8. William “Bill” Overbeck

Left 4 Dead

 

Bill is one of the four playable “survivors” in Left 4 Dead and a Vietnam vet who served in the US Army 1st Special Forces Group. That alone makes him a tough bastard but Bill is also known for being the oldest of the group; he is in his late sixties, with a white beard to go with his wisdom and battlefield experience.

Maybe that’s why he’s usually seen wielding the Assault Rifle, which appears as the M16, a real-life assault rifle used by the US military in Vietnam, probably to complement his glorious military past. Add into the mix how he always appears with a lit cigarette in his mouth that only goes out when he dies and Bill qualifies as the ultimate old-school beardsman who you wouldn’t want to mess with in real life.

9. Bitores Mendez

Resident Evil 4

 

Bitores Mendez might not be a significant character in the series but he’s well remembered among avid gamers for being the menacing village chief at the beginning of Resident Evil 4 and his “heavy-metal” beard which makes him stand out. Bitores is also very tall and has a fake eye that goes perfectly with his metal beard. He can also take a lot of damage without getting hurt really. To make a long story short this beardsman is bad, really bad, and if you get a chance to play this game you will find out that we truly mean it.

10. Bear Hugger

Punch Out!

 

Bear Hugger is known for three things: he’s really big and fat (he’s over 6’3″ and weighs about 440 lbs), he’s a Canadian lumberjack who can punch really hard, and he has one of the thickest beards you’ve ever seen. Oh yeah, if this isn’t good enough for you then you should know that this man managed to tame a bear at some point, which then became his coach and boxing manager. Weird stuff, I know.