The 15 Most Influential Video Game Characters of All Time

"There's no accounting for taste," said someone it seems rather a long time ago. Well, okay, some accounting. We wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't have rationalizations for our pick of gaming's most influential super-spies, brawlers, arch-villains and redoubtable heroines.

But before you wade in, a note about "influential," which we endeavored not to confuse with related terms like "beloved" or "innovative.