List time! The 10 greatest Grand Theft Auto characters.

Bloggers love lists. In fact, we all like a good list every one in a while (that or it's just me)! So with the GTA V hype barely unabated more than a week since the game's release and my review of the game landing very soon (tomorrow hopefully) I took the opportunity to list my ten favourite GTA characters of all time. As an affectionate of the classic PS2 era of GTA games there's plenty of characters from the classic trilogy, but I've included a few of my favourites from the time I've spent with Rockstar's latest instalment too.

Number 10: Maurice Chavez
Not a character in the conventional sense of the word, Maurice is the self-obsessed presented of political talk show Pressing Issues on Vice City Public Radio in GTA Vice City. Despite making no in-game appearance, Chavez makes the list for his frequently hilarious banter with goths, priests and politicians on what is surely the greatest talk station of any GTA game. In a single episode of Pressing Issues, he offends countless guests and listeners, violently grapples with a naturist and is held at gunpoint by an insane televangelist named Pastor Richards. Chavez embodies the stunning sense of humour with dominates modern GTA games, and I was glad to see him honoured in a GTA V Easter egg.


Number 9: Frank Tenpenny
GTA has seen many villains, some ridiculous, some hilarious and some downright terrifying. But the series has never created an antagonist quite as chilling as corrupt police officer Frank Tenpenny. As the main villain in GTA San Andreas, Tenpenny harbours a barely controlled hatred for the game's hero CJ, which comes to a dramatic climax during the game's final mission. Voiced by legendary actor Samuel L Jackson, Tenpenny's careful stalking makes him one of GTA's most memorable characters.

Number 8: Lance Vance
The two-faced Lance Vance first appears in GTA Vice City as a helpful yet troubled criminal eager to prove himself to the game's protagonist Tommy Vercetti. As the game progresses however the player witnesses a bizarre and gradual change in Lance's persona until he eventually comes to despise Vercetti and attempts to put him out of action for good. Lance was one of the first truly three-dimensional characters in video game history, the hatred that overcomes the goodness in his heart making him a brilliantly believable character.
























Number 7: Trevor Philips
Easily the most psychotic protagonist in GTA history, Trevor is the wild card of GTA V. The third playable character the player comes across, Trevor is a former bank robber who now spends his time cooking meth and battling with biker gang The Lost from his home in Blaine County. As we learn more about his dark, troubled character, we see past Trevor's manic levels of violence and he becomes a deeper, more interesting person. One of the true greats.


Number 6: Big Smoke
A member of the Grove Street Boys gang in GTA San Andreas, Big Smoke becomes the game's second major villain when he betrays CJ for his own gain. Full of fantastically written dialogue, Big Smoke is featured as major player in the game's early stages before becoming elusive for the middle segment and reappearing towards the game's climax. Despite this, Big Smoke is the character GTA San Andreas players remember, as much for his appearance as his humorous speeches.


Number 5. Maccer
As lead singer of the English band The Gurning Chimps, Maccer was perhaps San Andreas's most humorous character.  Voiced by Shaun Ryder of The Happy Mondays, Maccer provided a strange mixture of references to British music and bizarre, drug addled comments such as "Pabsy! I'm a Raspberry!" And Maccer was to The Gurning Chimps what Kurt Cobain was to Nirvana, with Kent Paul commenting "drummers and keyboardists are ten-a-penny anyway" when referring to the rest of the band.


Number 4: Ken Rosenberg
Drug addicted layer and champion of awful suits Ken Rosenberg made two appearances in GTA games, one in Vice City when he became Tommy Vercetti's right-hand man in his efforts to take over the town, and again in San Andreas as a washed out friend of Kent Paul and Maccer. Rosenberg's scheming nature and bizarre tendencies made him a cult favourite in Vice City, and fans were gratified for his return in CJ's story. Clearly based in both personality and appearance on David Kleinfeld's  character in Carlito's Way, Rosenberg remains a personal favourite.


Number 3: Michael De Santa
Possibly the most important of GTA V's three protagonists, Michael's story is the classic tale of the rich and retired band robber who returns to a life a crime. But what might have been a clichéd character takes on more depth as his history and relationships with his family and the other main characters are fully explored over the game's long campaign. While many players leaned towards Trevor, Michael was the character I truly connected with in GTA V. A brilliantly likeable protagonist.


Number 2: Tommy Vercetti
As the protagonist of GTA Vice City, Tommy was a convicted criminal sent to Vice City by his mafia bosses to complete a major drug deal. When the deal went wrong and Tommy lost the cash, he began an epic quest to regain the money and to take revenge on the boss who had set him his arrest ten years ago. Tommy was the first GTA protagonist who felt like a real person, rather than the unspeaking pawn you played as in GTA III this character had a personality; he was violent, cruel and frequently very funny. Tommy was a revolutionary milestone in GTA games, the man who laid the foundation for all the sarcastic,psychotic characters of the future games.


Number 1: Kent Paul
No, he's not a protagonist, or even a real main character. But for me, cockney band manage Kent Paul, who made appearances in Vice City and San Andreas, is the single most humorous, interesting and brilliant character the GTA universe has ever seen. Voiced by Danny Dyer, Kent managed legendary metal band Love Fist in Vice City and steered the Gurning Chimps through their disastrous American tour in San Andreas. With superb dialogue poking light fun at the British music scene and packed chock full of references to real bands, Kent Paul is one of my favourite characters across the whole of entertainment.



Disagree? Think I missed someone out? Feel free to leave a comment informing me of the error of my ways!