History NinetiesAntiHero / VideoGames

* Rayne from ''VideoGame/BloodRayne'' a [[{{Dhampyr half-vampire}}]] ActionGirl with {{Stripperiffic}} clothes who brutally kills monsters and nazis and she is mostly doing it for her own interests, having a distaste for both humans and vampires. But she has her genuine sympathetic moments.

* Rayne from ''VideoGame/BloodRayne'' a half-vampire ActionGirl with {{Stripperrific}} clothes who brutally kills monsters and nazis and she is mostly doing it for her own interests, having a distaste for both humans and vampires. But she has her genuine sympathetic moments.

** Also from ''VII'', there is Vincent Valentine. He wears a black leather outfit with a red cape and fights with guns, as well as turn into several sorts of monsters, most notably a demon. Personality-wise he is an aloof and distant anti-hero with a tormented backstory who is driven by revenge. Not to mention official artwork of him perching on top of a rooftop at night. This gets more pronounced in his solo game, ''[[VideoGame/DirgeOfCerberusFinalFantasyVII Dirge of Cerberus]]'', which expands on his powers and his angst, to the point of being seen as overblown according to part of the fandom.

** Though ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' first appears to follow the trend set by ''Brutal Doom'' in that he's still as [[HeroicMime silent]] as he's ever officially been, and still exudes all of the brutality has associated with him, it's [[SubvertedTrope clear that this is just the surface layer]], and calling 'The Doom Slayer' a NinetiesAntiHero when he lacks any sort of {{angst}} and WouldNotShootACivilian[[note]]DemonOfHumanOrigin notwithstanding[[/note]] would be incredibly disingenous. If anything, he's more of an UnscrupulousHero than a proper NinetiesAntiHero.

** Though ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' first appears to follow the trend set by ''Brutal Doom'' in that he's still as [[HeroicMime silent]] as he's ever officially been, and still exudes all of the brutality has associated with him, it's [[SubvertedTrope clear that this is just the surface layer]], and calling 'The Doom Slayer' a NinetiesAntiHero when he lacks any sort of {{angst}} and WouldNotShootACivilian[[note]]DemonOfHumanOrigin notwithstanding[[/note]] would be incredibly disingenous. This incarnation fits better into the UnscrupulousHero category.

* Caleb from ''Videogame/{{Blood}}'' is a old west flavored nineties anti-hero. A former member of a lovecraftian cult with [[GlowingEyesOfDoom glowing]] [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]], black clothes, lots of guns and explosives, most of his dialogue Is made of BondOneLiner with some pop culture references and he's primarily motivated by [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge revenge]] against his former master with no altruistic motives whatsoever. And he brutally kills everything that stands in his way.

* [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} Doomguy]] was originally something of a FeaturelessProtagonist, but {{Fanon}} rapidly turned him into one of these (aided and abetted by [[ComicBook/{{Doom}} the infamous comic]]). ''VideoGame/BrutalDoom'' picked this interpretation up and ran screaming at a horde of demons to beat them to death with it, and then ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' [[AscendedFanon more or less made it official]] - he's still as [[HeroicMime silent]] as he's ever officially been, but he still exudes all of the brutality ''Brutal Doom'' has associated with him. Rip and tear, indeed.

* [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} Doomguy]] was originally something of a FeaturelessProtagonist, but {{Fanon}} rapidly turned him into one of these (aided and abetted by [[ComicBook/{{Doom}} the infamous comic]]). ''VideoGame/BrutalDoom'' picked this interpretation up and ran screaming at a horde of demons to beat them to death with it, and then ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' [[AscendedFanon more or less made it official]] - he's still as [[HeroicMime silent]] as he's ever officially been, but he still exudes all of the brutality ''Brutal Doom'' has associated with him.

** Another Kombatant who falls into this category on occasion is Raiden in his [[FanNickname Dark Raiden]] persona. In this corrupted form, which debuted in ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception Deception]]'' ([[spoiler:and reappeared in [[TheStinger the last scene]] of ''MKX'' due to being exposed to the Jinsei that was tainted by Shinnok]]), the thunder god ceases to be the benevolent mentor he is known for and turns into a far more ruthless tactician who takes more aggressive measures to protect Earthrealm from foreign invaders, including the destruction of all the other realms, even those that were harmless to the earth itself.

* K' from ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters''. Given life at the end of the decade but still fits in with the trope. Abrupt and harsh name ("Kay-Dash"), cold-hearted SOB who only cooperates when it suits his end (his victory pose has him saying he's good enough to fight your whole team), and has a laser-like focus on his objective (stamping out the NESTS organization and anyone associated with it). However, he ''does'' [[DefrostingIceQueen move away from this a bit as time goes on]]. K' also, [[HiddenDepths surprisingly enough]], has a strong moral compass and sense of justice (perhaps even more so than previous ''KOF'' lead Kyo Kusanagi) in spite of his general disdain toward being dragged into the eponymous tournament year after year, with more recent entries establishing that beneath [[JerkassFacade the stoic, unfriendly surface]] lies a rather decent guy who prefers solitude [[QuestForIdentity as he tries to piece together his missing past]] and [[ClonesArePeopleToo establish himself as something more than a mere]] [[CloneByConversion "Kyo clone."]]

* Dante and the ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' series are either an affectionate parody of the gothic anti hero supernatural genre or another edgy trope from Capcom that needed a radical 90s type of anti hero who lived in a satanic nightmarish world filled with leather-clad gothic babes, a darker and edgier twin brother who was the evil foil, and a one-liner-spewing half-human half-demon rebel without a cause with a tragic back story and the most edgy weapons this side of a ''Comicbook/{{Spawn}}'' comic. Nero embodies this trope more than Dante as the misunderstood angsty teenager with a hidden {{Macguffin}} and a bad attitude.

* Velvet Crowe from ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'', unlike other protagonists in the ''Tales'' series, is motivated entirely by her desire to murder the man who killed her little brother with no altruistic motives about saving the world. All she talks is murdering the guy, and any other discussions are met with glares and threats. As a Daemon she cannot eat normal food, instead she can only eat other Daemons, and the only thing she can taste is blood. Her outfit is a RummageSaleReject made up of shredded bits of clothing held together with belts, and has a black and crimson color.

* ''VideoGame/{{God of War|Series}}'': If Kratos' muscle-bound and grizzled appearance combined with his multitude of oversized weapons and [[DarkAndTroubledPast dark backstory]] don't convince you, then his lethal and very brutal methods and [[NoIndoorVoice HIS MONOLOGUES IN WHICH HE DECLARES THAT]] [[RageAgainstTheHeavens HE WILL ASCEND OLYMPUS TO KILL THE GODS!!!]] may show otherwise. He has mellowed out a lot in the [[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 PS4]] game, though.

* ''VideoGame/{{God of War|Series}}'': If Kratos' muscle-bound and grizzled appearance combined with his multitude of oversized weapons and [[DarkAndTroubledPast dark backstory]] don't convince you, then his lethal and very brutal methods and [[NoIndoorVoice HIS MONOLOGUES IN WHICH HE DECLARES THAT]] [[RageAgainstTheHeavens HE WILL ASCEND OLYMPUS TO KILL THE GODS!!!]] may show otherwise. He has mellowed out a lot in the [[VideoGame/GodOfWar2018 PS4]] game, though.

* ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal'': [[MonsterClown Needles Kane]] (AKA Sweet Tooth), who debuted in the first game released in 1995 and was created by David Jaffe (also the director for the VideoGame/GodOfWarSeries), is a sociopathic BloodKnight serial killer who has no compunction to killing anyone in his way to getting at [[BigBad Calyspo]].

* Ivy Valentine of the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries''. Initially introduced as a villain? Check. DarkAndToubledPast? Uses morally questionable methods in the name of good? Check. Wears a skimpy outfit? Check.

* ''Videogame/DrakeOfThe99Dragons'': The titular Drake is a undead assassin with a black leather coat, a pale corpse-like skin color, uses an infinite number of guns, always beats up and kills his enemies, and he speaks primarily in corny BadassBoasts with a raspy, low-pitched voice. You may think he's a parody of this before realizing he was meant to be serious.

* ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal'': [[MonsterClown Needles Kane]] (AKA Sweet Tooth), who debuted in the first game released in 1995 and was created by David Jaffe (also the director for the VideoGame/GodOfWarSeries), is a sociopathic BloodKnight serial killer who has no compunction to killing anyone in his way to getting at [[BigBad Calyspo]].
* Velvet Crowe from ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'', unlike other protagonists in the ''Tales'' series, is motivated entirely by her desire to murder the man who killed her little brother with no altruistic motives about saving the world. All she talks is murdering the guy, and any other discussions are met with glares and threats. As a Daemon she cannot eat normal food, instead she can only eat other Daemons, and the only thing she can taste is blood. Her outfit is a RummageSaleReject made up of shredded bits of clothing held together with belts, and has a black and crimson color.

* ''Franchise/MetalGear'':
** Raiden from ''VideoGame/MetalGear''. Tragic backstory? [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty Check.]] Cyborg? [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots Check.]] Prone to bouts of bloodlust and rage? [[VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance Check.]] Though Raiden is a bit more idealistic than most examples, and he's also from quite a ways after the archetype's height of popularity, introduced in 2001 and not really hitting the necessary number of notes for it until 2008.
** The turn towards DarkerAndEdgier in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidV'' is negotiated by starring Punished "Venom" Snake, a brooding, demon-themed, bloodsoaked, eyepatched, {{cyborg}} [[TortureTechnician torturer]] BloodKnight war profiteer who smokes hallucinogenic drugs. (This is in contrast to previous protagonistic Snakes, who could often be [[KnightInSourArmor bitter]] and [[SociopathicSoldier screwed-up]] but ultimately always hated and regretted violence.) Quiet also fits the model of the "Bad Girl" Nineties heroine, as she wears basically no clothing (in mid-80s Afghanistan, an absurdly bad place to be a naked woman), pouts and [[MaleGaze displays her rack constantly]], and has incredibly gory, monstrous supernatural powers that evoke [[Franchise/{{Predator}} the Predator]] or [[Film/TheThing1982 the Thing]] as well as powers that make her really good at shooting huge guns.
* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'': As a series that started in 1992, ''Mortal Kombat'' in many ways embodies many elements of the Iron Age/Dark Age of Comic books particularly in the form of its [[BloodierAndGorier overt violence and gory]] [[FinishingMove Fatalities]], but also avoided being completely serious replications of those kinds of comics by including some tongue-in-cheek humor. These are two characters who exemplify this archetype:

** Another Kombatant who falls into this category on occasion is Raiden in his [[FanNickname Dark Raiden]] persona. In this corrupted form, which debuted in ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception Deception]]'' ([[spoiler:and reappeared in [[TheStinger the last scene]] of ''MKX'' due to being exposed to the Jinsei that was tainted by Shinnok]]), the thunder god ceases to be the benevolent mentor he is known for and turns into a far more ruthless tactician who takes more aggressive measures to protect Earthrealm from foreign invaders including the destruction of all the other realms, even those that were harmless to the earth itself.

** [[PlayerCharacter The Boss]] plays this straight, having [[TookALevelInKindness graduated]] from the VillainProtagonist he was in ''Videogame/SaintsRow2''.

* Dante and the ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' series were either an affectionate parody of the gothic anti hero supernatural genre or another edgy trope from Capcom that needed a radical 90s type of anti hero who lived in a satanic nightmarish world filled with leather clad gothic babes, a darker and edgier twin brother who was the evil foil, and a one liner spewing half human half demon rebel without a cause with a tragic back story and the most edgy weapons this side of a ''Comicbook/{{Spawn}}'' comic. Nero embodies this trope more than Dante as the misunderstood angsty teenager with a hidden {{Macguffin}} and a bad attitude.
** One of the criticisms leveled at ''[[VideoGame/DmCDevilMayCry DmC: Devil May Cry]]'' is that it tries to take [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry a light-hearted series]] and give it the full Nineties treatment, leaving it overwrought with attempted edginess and shallow satire. This is exemplified by the reimagining of Dante, who is a few pouches and a bucket of steroids away from leaping off a Liefeld cover. What's really weird is that the game does still go full {{camp}} every now and then, leaving the game with characters who can't decide if they want to crack wise or tell each other to fuck off.

* [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} Doomguy]] was originally something of a FeaturelessProtagonist, but {{Fanon}} rapidly turned him into one of these (aided and abetted by the infamous comic described above). ''VideoGame/BrutalDoom'' picked this interpretation up and ran screaming at a horde of demons to beat them to death with it, and then ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' [[AscendedFanon made it official]]. '''Rip and tear!'''

* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' lets you make these with all the SpikesOfVillainy costume pieces that are equally available to heroes. Though there's no real representative of them in-game (it has more of a [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] flavor), the closest could be Hardcase, an [[AntiVillain Anti]]-VillainSue and [[TheScrappy one of the most loathed contacts in the game]].

* ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal'': [[MonsterClown Needles Kane]] (AKA Sweet Tooth), who debuted in the first game released in 1995 and was created by David Jaffe (also the director for the VideoGame/GodOfWarSeries), is a sociopathic BloodKnight serial killer who has no compunction to killing anyone in his way to getting at [[BigBad Calyspo]].

* ''VideoGame/{{God of War|Series}}'': If Kratos' muscle-bound and grizzled appearance combined with his multitude of oversized weapons and [[DarkAndTroubledPast dark backstory]] don't convince you, then his lethal and very brutal methods and [[NoIndoorVoice HIS MONOLOGUES IN WHICH HE DECLARES THAT]] [[RageAgainstTheHeavens HE WILL ASCEND OLYMPUS TO KILL THE GODS!!!]] may show otherwise. He's mellowed out a lot in the [[VideoGame/GodOfWar2018 PS4]] game, though.

* ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal'': [[MonsterClown Needles Kane]] (AKA Sweet Tooth), who debuted in the first game released in 1995 and was created by David Jaffe (also the director for the VideoGame/GodOfWarSeries), is a sociopathic BloodKnight serial killer who has no compunction to killing anyone in his way to getting to at [[BigBad Calyspo]].

** Cloud Strife in the original ''VII'' was something of a DeconstructedCharacterArchetype version of this, attempting to act like this as a conscious affectation, and soon abandoning it. Played completely straight in most of his later appearances, especially in the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' games and ''[[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Advent Children]]''. He certainly [[http://semna4.webs.com/KH_Cloud_1.jpg looks the part]] in the first ''Kingdom Hearts''.

* ''VideoGame/{{God of War|Series}}'': If Kratos' muscle-bound and grizzled appearance combined with his multitude of oversized weapons and [[DarkAndTroubledPast dark backstory]] don't convince you, then his lethal and very brutal methods and [[NoIndoorVoice HIS MONOLOGUES IN WHICH HE DECLARES THAT]] [[RageAgainstTheHeavens HE WILL ASCEND OLYMPUS TO KILL THE GODS!!!]] may show otherwise.

* Dante and the ''Franchise/DevilMayCry'' series were either an affectionate parody of the gothic anti hero supernatural genre or another edgy trope from Capcom that needed a radical 90s type of anti hero who lived in a satanic nightmarish world filled with leather clad gothic babes, a darker and edgier twin brother who was the evil foil, and a one liner spewing half human half demon rebel without a cause with a tragic back story and the most edgy weapons this side of a ''Comicbook/{{Spawn}}'' comic. Nero embodies this trope more than Dante as the misunderstood angsty teenager with a hidden {{Macguffin}} and a bad attitude.
** One of the criticisms leveled at ''[[VideoGame/DmCDevilMayCry DmC: Devil May Cry]]'' is that it tries to take [[Franchise/DevilMayCry a light-hearted series]] and give it the full Nineties treatment, leaving it overwrought with attempted edginess and shallow satire. This is exemplified by the reimagining of Dante, who is a few pouches and a bucket of steroids away from leaping off a Liefeld cover. What's really weird is that the game does still go full {{camp}} every now and then, leaving the game with characters who can't decide if they want to crack wise or tell each other to fuck off.