8 Characters That Should Have Been Given More Screen Time

Summary

• Legion in the Mass Effect series deserved more screen time, offering a different perspective on his people.
• T-Bug’s intriguing character in CP2077 was cut short, leaving potential storylines unexplored.
• Lady Dimitrescu in RE Village should have been the main antagonist, not just a secondary one.

Most games contain plenty of characters, from major heroes to secondary antagonists. Naturally, writers and developers can’t give all of them a significant amount of screen time. After all, there is only so much screen time available. Some characters just have to accept playing minor roles in the overall narrative.

As they’re fictional characters that don’t have feelings, they won’t mind. Yet, their real-world fans may have an issue with their faves not getting their due. And sometimes, these fans have a point, as there have been plenty of characters that deserved more attention than they received. Here are some examples.

8

Legion

Mass Effect Series

Legion from the Mass Effect series is an interesting character because he is a Geth, which is a synthetic race of beings that are traditionally presented as villains in the series. In fact, you spent much of the first game killing his brethren. That said, you befriend Legion in the second game, which allows you to get a different perspective on his people.

Unfortunately, you can’t meet or befriend the creature until fairly deep into Mass Effect 2. As such, you don’t get a massive amount of time with him in that game. Then, the companion gets even less screen time in ME3. It feels like there were many more interesting conversations you could’ve had with him.

7

T-Bug

Cyberpunk 2077

You meet T-Bug early in Cyberpunk 2077 as she serves as one of your closest allies in the build-up to the game’s first huge mission called The Heist. At this point, it feels like she’s going to be a big character in the story. However, during the said heist, she dies off-screen.

Initially, you may think it is some sort of ruse and that she is betraying you. That is not true, though; she really dies, and you only confirm that through an optional piece of dialogue. It feels like there was so much more that could’ve been done with what is an intriguing character.

6

Lady Alcina Dimitrescu

Resident Evil Village

Lady Dimitrescu really captured the imagination of Resident Evil fans in the build-up to RE Village. Her large frame and domineering attitude had people very interested from the early trailers. Once the game was released, she proved to live up to the hype. She instantly became one of the best female characters in the series and earned her place among RE’s best villains, regardless of gender.

Yet, unlike most of the other iconic RE rogues, she doesn’t actually feature that much. This is because she dies fairly early in Village, and the game moves on to other antagonists. This is a shame because she is an interesting enough villain that she could’ve been the main antagonist of a game instead of just a secondary one.

5

Claudia Auditore

Assassin’s Creed Series

Claudia is the sister of Ezio Auditore, so she is featured in his sub-series of Assassin’s Creed games. Yet, she doesn’t feature that much, as she only appears in the occasional cutscene. She serves a purpose in the story, but she could’ve been a much more important character.

After all, she actually has a good arc. She begins as a noblewoman who abhors the idea of working. However, she eventually starts running businesses and leading people, and she is even accepted into the Assassin Order. Unfortunately, most of her personal growth occurs off-screen.

4

Decoy Octopus

Metal Gear Solid

In the original Metal Gear Solid game, the main villain group known as Foxhound has several operatives with special abilities. One of those is Decoy Octopus, who has the ability to take the form of anyone.

However, he won’t go down as one of gaming’s great shapeshifters, as he only transforms into one person before dying soon after. All the rest of Foxhound’s special agents get full boss battles, while Octopus just dies in a cutscene. So much more could’ve been done with his shapeshifting abilities.

3

Kar’Niss

Baldur’s Gate 3

There are many characters in Baldur’s Gate 3, but there is only one Kar’Niss. He is a character that is visually distinct from everyone else you meet during the adventure. This is because his upper body is that of a Drow, while his lower body is that of a spider. This gives him a unique and memorable look.

You don’t get to look at him for very long, though, as he only has a small part in the game. In that short time, you learn very little about the creature, which is a shame for someone with such a cool character design.

2

Bernie

Gears Of War Series

Bernie is a character who appears briefly in Gears of War 3. By that point in the series, there weren’t many female COG soldiers, so she stood out, especially as a grizzled veteran. That said, she has very little screen time, so you don’t get to know her.

Fans who’ve read some of the Gears of War books may know her better since she features in them more often. In those stories, she is presented as an interesting character and dangerous combatant. This would’ve been nice to see in video game form.

1

Michelle (AKA Karen Daniels)

Grand Theft Auto 4

Partway through GTA 4, your girlfriend Michelle reveals that her true name is Karen Daniels, and she works for the Government. She is an undercover agent that has been spying on you.

It should be an iconic plot twist, but you don’t see much of her prior to the reveal, outside of a few optional dates. Therefore, it doesn’t really have the impact that it should. Plus, you don’t see much of her after the reveal, either, meaning there isn’t much follow-up to it. So, this is a case where a character needs more screen time for the narrative’s sake rather than their own.