Top 6 Best (and Worst) Video Game Hugs

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Warning: Slight Spoilers ahead for several games.(Also a ton of images.)

While typically I hate to list things in top (insert random number) due to my ever changing views on things, I’d figure I should at least change up my writing structure a bit, as I’m hitting that brick wall known as writer’s block. So keep in mind that it doesn’t matter if the hugs are actual gameplay or cut scenes, here are THE TOP 6 HUGS!

1) BEST - Assassin's Creed 2 - (Ezio and Leonardo)

While taking a break from the usual stealth kills and ripping down wanted posters, Ezio is given the chance to give Leonardo a good old fashion hug. Who the hell leaves Leonardo hanging? I know for sure I didn’t as I mashed that button to watch that magic happen.

1) WORST - Resident evil 4 - (Iron Maiden and Leon)

Of course the worst type of squeezes can kill you if you’re not prepared, such as this horrendous enemy method of hugging. Which means it stretches its arms out and pulls you in for a spiky death.

2) BEST - A Boy and his Blob - (Boy and Blob)

In this updated remake of the NES classic, the developers made a decision to include an option to hug the blob at any moment. While some have deemed this as irrelevant, I find it heartwarming to know that you can give this creature a loving cuddle, as if to say “Thank you for all you’ve done so far”.

2) WORST - Mortal Kombat - (Mileena and Opponent)

Just when you find your player brutally beaten by Mileena, she decides to add insult by jumping up to hug the screen and spray your blood all over, while giving off a creepy grin.

3) BEST - Metal Gear Soild 4 - (Snake and Big Boss)

(Spoilers) At the very end of MGS 4, Solid Snake is about to kill himself in a cemetery, when out of nowhere, Big Boss shows up to stop him, by CQC and embraces him, saying there was no hatred between them. I was shocked at the revel of finding out Big Boss was alive and extremely saddened when he died soon after this moment.

3) WORST - Half-life 2 - (Headcrab and Your Face)

Fuck FUck FUCK! I can’t recall one moment when I wasn’t scared about being faced hugged by these bastards.

4) BEST - The Walking Dead: The Video Game - (Lee and Clementine)

As a newly appointed father figure, Lee must aid in raising little Clementine while a zombie outbreak is happing. Several Fucked up moments require a hug or too, which doesn’t feel forced but necessary as those big decisions made me wanted a hug as well.

4) WORST - Soul Calibur - (Voldo and Opponent) 

While Voldo is my favorite character to pick in matches, I wouldn’t want to meet him in person. His unusual grab attack, which forces him to hug his body along the opponent like a snake, and erratic movements are so bizarre, that I would run away if I saw someone attempt to replicate it next to me.

5) BEST - Kingdom Hearts 2 - (Sora, Donald and Goofy)

After all the shit the gang has been in, they deserve a group hug for beating the game on hard!

5) WORST - Disneyland Kinect - (Mickey Mouse and Lonely Kid)

If I wanted to hug a mouse in person, I’d go hop a plane to Disneyland and hug a disgruntled worker who accidently arrived with a terrible hangover.

6) BEST AND WORST - Shadows of the Damned - (Garcia and Paula)

The first few times you come across Paula, Garcia is forced to run away because she’s possessed and will give him the “seductive hug and kiss” of death, Which can be frustrating and scary if you’re not prepared for it. However, (Spoilers) at the end of the game, when Garcia has gotten Paula under control, both of them are surrounded by darkness and nowhere to escape. With his health slowly draining down, Garcia decides to spend his last moments alive by hugging Paula while the screen fades to black.

BONUS: Here's a link for several games I missed but didn't want to put.

There clearly were others I’d miss but honestly, it was hard enough to recall the recent ones I listed. So if you have other video game hugs you remember in games, feel free to share by adding a comment. Also keep in mind, this list isn’t meant to show off “the best” but merely a collection of ones I’ve noticed while enduring my writer’s block.

And now a random quote from a show I just finished.

“You know, when I was in high school, I was a troublemaker. I hardly went to school. Before I knew it, I was expelled. When I couldn’t go was when I first realized, that school was a great thing. There’s a lot of friends and lots of fun things. When I got this old, I wanted even more to go to school

That’s why I became a teacher. Because, if I become a teacher, I could stay in school until I die, right? That’s why I’m really happy now. I want you to be like that too. I want you to like school. Once it’s over, it’s too late Kikuchi.” – Eikichi Onizuka (GTO)