Top 10 Video Games Characters With Real-Life Prototypes

Today, game developers try to do everything possible to make their project successful, popular and really epic. Much money is always spent to create realistic surroundings, characters, unbelievable graphics, and stunning visual effects. The frameworks of graphic reality are incredibly expanded today, but anyway, real people are often used as prototypes of this or that video game character. Every new blockbuster brings us familiar faces, and it’s quite easy to guess what celebrity has become its real-life prototype.

Here they are: the top 10 most popular and well-known video games protagonists and characters whose appearance is easy to recognize and find among our favorite actors and models. They look very alike, don’t they?

10 Zoey (Left 4 Dead)

Everyone who plays Left 4 Dead, or plans to play it anyway, should know about Zoey, a Survivor in this game. A well-known model Sonja Kinski has been chosen as a prototype for this character, though designers planned to use Alesia Glidewell first (also known as Chell in Portal, by the way). Sonja is an American model, who was born is Switzerland and moved to California with her family when she was 7.
As you understand, Sonja doesn’t bring dual pistols with her as Zoey usually do, but her facial features will definitely remind you this famous Left 4 Dead character. As for Zoey’s voice, it belongs to Jen Taylor.
Sources:
http://left4dead.wikia.com/wiki/Zoey
http://www.fashionmodeldirectory.com/models/Sonja_Kinski/

 

9 Alyx Vance (Half-Life 2)

This young woman named Alyx Vance is the character of Valve’s well-known game Half-Life 2. She struggles against the alien race known as Combine, hacking their computer systems and changing them on her own. She is very friendly and athletic, a skilled shooter and vehicle repairer. Her facial features will definitely remind you an American actress and host named Jamil Mullen.
Actually, Jamil is widely known thanks to Alyx today. Her small roles in such movies as Highway or 25th Hour haven’t made her as popular as she believed to be. As for Alyx’s voice, it belongs to Merle Dandridge.
Sources:
http://sectorw.wikia.com/wiki/Alyx_Vance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamil_Mullen

 

8 The Illusive Man (Mass Effect 2)

One of the Mass Effect’s most mysterious characters, Illusive Man, struggles for making humanity the main race in the Universe. He is a leader of Cerberus at the moment, and his past still remains unknown. If you take a look at his silver hair and blue eyes, doesn’t he remind you a famous American actor Martin Sheen, known for his role in Apocalypse Now? By the way, Mr. Sheen is not only Illusive Man’s face, but his voice too.
Described as a creature who combines human’s best and worst traits at once, Illusive Man stays one of the most charismatic characters of Massive Effect. We bet, that Martin Sheen played his role here as well.
Sources:
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Illusive_Man
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Sheen

 

7 Sheva Alomar (Resident Evil 5)

Resident Evil 5 is impossible to imagine without Sheva Alomar, a brave and charismatic agent of BSAA, and a faithful partner of Chris Redfield. She helps him complete all missions, shoots well, and make some tricks Chris is unable to do.
Karen Dyer is believed to be the prototype of Sheva, both with voice and face. Her real name is Eva LaDare, and she is famous for her role in Idlewild. Karen is a television actress and voice artist. Naja Hill and Michelle Van Der Water are also believed to be Sheva Alomar’s prototypes. Anyway, all of them look like twins with Sheva, don’t they?
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Dyer
http://residentevil.wikia.com/Sheva_Alomar

 

6 Ethan Mars (Heavy Rain)

When you play Heavy Rain, doesn’t its protagonist remind you a well-known English character Pascal Langdale? He gave both his facial features and voice to one of lead characters (there are four of them in general).
Ethan Mars lived happily with his family (a wife and two sons), but everything has changed when one of his sons was killed. When Ethan’s second son is kidnapped, he doesn’t want to wait anymore, and decides to find a boy. How far will he go to save his son?
Sources:
http://heavyrain.wikia.com/wiki/Ethan_Mars
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal_Langdale

 

5 Crying Beauty (Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots)

 

Crying Beauty, also known as Crying Wolf for all Metal Gear’s fans, is a very unusual creature. She is fast, she is extremely strong, but very sensitive at the same time. Together with other members of The Beauty and the Beast Unit, she can’t help crying during battles, expressing her deep sorrow in such a way.
Crying Wolf turns to Crying Beauty each time when a battle ends, and gamers can see a beautiful and sensitive girl. A well-known swimsuit model named Mieko Rye gave her facial features to Crying Beauty, and her voice belongs to Debra Wilson Skelton.
Source: http://metalgear.wikia.com/wiki/Crying_Wolf

 

4 Starkiller (Star Wars: The Force Unleashed)

Starkiller is not the real name of this character. This is just a code for Galen Marek’s clone who was created after his death in 2 BBY. His brown eyes and hair, as well as his fair skin, remind us Samuel Witwer a lot, who gave Starkiller not only his likeness but his voice too.
Samuel Witwer is a well-known American actor and musician who also appeared in numerous episodes of TV shows. He played Galen Maren and his clone Starkiller both in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and its sequel.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Witwer  
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Starkiller_(clone)

 

3Lucy Stillman (Assassin’s Creed)

The member of Assassin Order, Lucy Stillman, is one face with a famous American actress Kristen Bell, isn’t it? Just take a look at Lucy’s face, and you won’t have any doubts in it. Kristen has given her likeness and voice to Lucy in three Assassin’s Creed games (the years of 2007, 2009 and 2010). The actress herself is known for her roles in Veronica Mars (2004-2007) and When in Rome.
Assassin’s Creed fans still don’t believe that Lucy Stillman is dead after she was stabbed and killed by Desmond’s Hidden Blade.
Sources:
http://assassinscreed.wikia.com/wiki/Lucy_Stillman
http://assassinscreed.wikia.com/wiki/Kristen_Bell

 

2 Liara T’Soni (Mass Effect)

This clever though a little bit naïve Asari scientist has been studying Prothean technology for 50 years already. Her mysterious appearance and kind soul becomes the source of Shepard’s romance interest. Depending on a player’s decision, Liara may become Shepard’s lover or good friend.
Liara’s body and face are easy to recognize when you take a look at Jillian Murray, a famous American actress. If you don’t know who she is, you better watch An American Carol.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jillian_Murray
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Liara_T’Soni

 

1 Commander Shepard (male) (Mass Effect)

And finally, here he is: the human protagonist of mass Effect franchise, Commander Shepard. Actually, his gender, character and appearance can be chosen by a player himself, and all these qualities will influence the plot. Shepard can be both a man and a woman, but when we speak about his male version, Mark Vanderloo comes to our mind at once.
Mark is a Dutch model, a face of Hugo Boss black-and-white billboards. Moreover, he works with such well-known brands as Armani, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan and others.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Vanderloo
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Commander_Shepard