Top 10 Video Game Dogs

“Fable 2” introduced a new gameplay element that proved to be popular among gamers: a Faithful Companion Dog. This loyal pooch is an integral part of the game, helping the Hero find treasure and mission objectives as well as battling enemies and opening Demon Doors. You can use various items such as collars to name your dog and books to teach him new tricks. The Hero and the Faithful Companion Dog share a strong bond, always helping each other out and risking their lives to save one another.

A member of the Ghosts squadron, Riley is a military-trained German Shepherd who assists you on your missions by sniffing out explosives and taking down baddies – enemy soldiers, wolves, helicopters, you name it. Equipped with a combat vest that carries a built-in radio and camera, players can assume the role of this canine using the vibrating collar around his neck, making it possible to stealthily scout out areas ahead. Who needs rocket launchers when you’ve got a dog this awesome?

This insanely fun third-person shooter offered a trio of playable characters known collectively as “Jet Force Gemini.” Among them is the cybernetically-engineered war dogLupus, a beastly ally who shoots down enemies with his mounted weapons. Lupus can also hover using rocket boosts underneath each paw, allowing him to hover for a short period of time. This ability allows the player to reach areas other characters can’t. Plus, he gets to ride his own tank – pretty snazzy…

Who wouldn’t want to chill with a cool, mellow canine musician? K.K. Slider is a travelling artist in “Animal Crossing” who appears on Saturday nights between 8pm and 12am to play his guitar and sing for the crowd. This smooth pup takes the player’s song requests and performs, making Saturday nights a relaxing treat. He even gets a promotion in New Leaf, where you can catch him spinning remixes and a club DJ. K.K. is so popular, he even got his own secret stage in “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” It’s a hard stage to find, but we’re guessing Saturday nights are a good bet to find this musical dog.

Sticking with the trend of musical canines, our next entry knows how to use a mic, spitting out rhymes with a sick lyrical flow. PaRappa is a young pup rapper that kick-punch-chopped his way into the hearts of gamers everywhere. With a colourful cast of anthropomorphic characters teaching him life lessons, PaRappa is the star of his rhythm game. With the motto “I gotta believe!” this dog became a popular PlayStation mascot, earning him a spot among other gaming heroes in “PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale.”

Part of a media franchise that released multiple video games, comic books and even a cartoon, Sam of “Sam & Max” fame is an anthropomorphic dog that fights crime as part of the Freelance Police. Wearing a noir-style suit, this dog with a sweet tooth always beats his partner Max to the phone when the Commissioner calls, ready to tackle on any weird mission assigned to them. He may be a little more calm and level-headed than his partner Max, but Sam has his fair share of weird and hilarious moments.

Even a one-man army like Snake needs a trusty companion every once in a while, and thankfully D-Dog (or DD) is as loyal as he is helpful. Found abandoned as a pup in the Afghan wilderness, this Half Dog-Half Wolf crossbreed ends up being trained by Ocelot to become a member of the Diamond Dogs family. Of course DD’s best trait comes on the battlefield as he is able to sniff out the locations of enemies, wild animal and useful plants … pretty much anything, You can even equip him with a knife or stun rod to take out enemies for you, which is pretty badass to watch.

In “Duck Hunt”, players use the infamous NES Zapper to, well, hunt ducks. Aiding you in retrieving their carcass is the Hunting Dog, an annoying yet charming bloodhound who giggles and laughs at you when you miss a shot. He’s a jerk that gamers absolutely love (and hate), never fading into obscurity in over 30 years of existence. He’s so popular, in fact, that he was included as a playable character in “Super Smash Bros. Wii U.” It seems that all those years of laughing and taunting have paid off for him!

There are very few friends to be found in the Wasteland. One worth having, however, is Dogmeat. Just like the cyberdog Rex in “Fallout: New Vegas”, this awesome canine is one of several companions that aid the Lone Wanderer in “Fallout 3”. Although he technically appears in the previous Fallout Games, it’s this incarnation in the 3rd where he really shines. Found in the Scrapyard fighting off raiders, this four-legged scavenger growls when enemies approach, notifying the gamer of nearby baddies and pouncing on anyone who means you harm. Based off Mad Max’s Blue heeler, Dogmeat is the best friend you could ask for… as long as you don’t get him blown up.
Before we reveal our number one video game dog, here’s a look at some of our
Honourable Mentions:

Shadow
“Dead to Rights: Retribution” (2010)

Interceptor
“Final Fantasy VI” (1994)

Peter Puppy
“Earthworm Jim” (1994)

Sam
“The Walking Dead: Season Two” (2014)

Cerberus
“Resident Evil” Series (1996- )

Chop
“Grand Theft Auto V” (2013)

The Blue Bomber’s faithful robotic pooch tops our list of best video game dogs. Rush was created by Dr. Light to assist Mega Man on his mission to stop Dr. Wily and his evil robot masters. Rush helps out in any way he can, transforming into a Coil, a Jet and a Submarine for Mega Man to use in order traverse through the levels. In later games, he could find items by searching for them and even combine with Mega Man to form a super suit. Always the trusty sidekick, Rush even appeared in Marvel vs Capcom alongside the Blue Bomber.

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