A horse is a horse, of course, of course…
But not these horses.
Two weeks ago, we announced our year-long quest to find the Greatest Animal In Video Game History. First, we proposed a list of the best virtual horses and asked you, the readers, to tell us if we missed any. Then comes phase two today: the official vote.
Now this is serious business, folks. For our Blue Ribbon Panel, we went to straight to the top:
- A pretty good game creator – Ken Levine, President and Creative Director of 2K Boston and chief creative force behind the 2007 GOTGOTY
- A pretty good artist — Mike “Gabe” Krahulik, illustrator of the “Penny Arcade” webcomic
- A pretty good writer — Leigh Alexander, editor of Worlds in Motion, writer at Gamasutra and her blog Sexy Videogameland
- A pretty knowledgeable person about animals –Tofuburger, co-founder of cultural phenomenon/funny animal picture blog I Can Has Cheezburger
After weighting each judge’s top three choices — many of which, were, uh, shocking — the winner turned out to be…
Epona from the “Legend of Zelda” series. Pokemon’s Rapidash came in at a close second. The horses from “World of Warcraft” tied with Hannah the Horse from “Zoo Race” for third place.
And the Readers’ Choice winner: Agro from “Shadow of the Colossus.” (Epona was a distant second.)
Are the judges out of touch? Or do they know something the rest of us don’t? They are pros, after all. You’ve got to see what they picked and their justifications (provided in words and pictures). So read on.
Take it away, Ken Levine…
Ken Levine, 2K Boston:
My first choice, of course, is Hannah the Horse from “Zoo Race,” the biblically themed animal racing game. Set up as the credulous “science stooge,” this non-believer is shown the error of her ways when she’s transformed into her zoological alliterative equivalent and set running in an amazing racing challenge. Ham-fisted theology meets truly unspeakable production values. [EDITOR’S NOTE: Treat yourself to any YouTube clip and you’ll see what Levine is talking about]
Second, of course, is my dearly beloved War Horse from “World of Warcraft.” Why? Because if I had to lope on-foot another inch through Stranglethorn, I would have killed somebody. And not just metaphorically killed somebody. Actually killed somebody.
And last, but not least is my trusty steed from “Stampede,” the ancient Atari 2600 rootin-tootin roundup game. Why? Well, they say you’ll always remember your first time, and the “Stampede” horse was the first one I ever encountered in a video game. And why no updated “Stampede” for the Gen-Y kids? Come on, Activision!
***
Leigh Alexander, Sexy Videogameland:
Firstly, I know from net buzz that I should pick Agro, and that I’ll be berated mightily for not doing so. But I just didn’t play “Shadow of the Colossus,” and cannot in good consciousness promote a horse I haven’t seen firsthand.
1. Epona: Legendary hero, legendary horse. And especially because getting that goat-herding, whistle-loving, loyal steed back was more motivating in “Twilight Princess” than any of those kidnapped kids or Midna’s constant nattering (okay, the nattering was cute).
2. Rapidash: Did it always take so much work to evolve Ponyta? At times it seemed like it’d never happen, but when I finally raised a tricked out unicorn whose hair was made of fire, my dream team was complete and all the better for all that time I spent wandering around trying to make little Ponyta grow up.
3. Hudson Horstachio: It is a candy-filled, egomaniacal Hollywood-indoctrinated rainbow pinata shaped like a horse. I would say more, but then I would have to reveal that I actually watch the “Viva Pinata” TV show on Saturday morning. Which, uh, I don’t. Yeah.
***
Mike “Gabe” Krahulik, Penny Arcade:
1. Rapidash: Man, I have great memories of fighting 255 of these in a row to speed EV train my timid natured Dialga. I mean, everyone knows you need to outrun or tie-speed with Ubers he shares a speed group with. Am I right or am I right?
2. “World of Warcraft” Horses: I still remember how unattainable 100 gold seemed to my first level 40 character. It might as well have been a million gold. Which coincidentally is the price of the new superluminal space mounts in “Wrath of the Lich King.”
3. “Assassin’s Creed” Horse: This horse was so awesome that all it had to do was walk past a group of guards to drive them into a jealous frenzy. They would chase you for miles just trying to get a piece of this fine horse ass. Many players misunderstood and assumed the guards were after Altair. Nope. They just loved them some horses back then.
***
Tofuburger, I Can Has Cheezburger:
1. Epona - “The Legend of Zelda” - Link is a rockstar, and a horse that comes galloping when you jam on a flute is the definition of rockstar. Hyrule is a big place, and if every hundred years or so you’re reborn as a green-tuniced hero and have to defend the world from ultimate evil, well then, it’s nice to have company. Plus, ladies love an elf on a horse. ICHC Rating: Full of awesome and win.
2. Agro - “Shadow of the Colossus” - Killing colossi is cool, but it’d be slow and boring if you were forced to hoof it on your own two feet. I mean, without the horse, all you’ve got is a glowy sword and a narcoleptic princess. Not as cool.
3. Rapidash - “Pokemon” - I choose you! Rapidash is so cute, and so cuddly… but IT’S A TRAP! This little pyro shoots fire out of it’s mane and can stomp Pikachu in the face. Also, it lives in a tiny ball, so you can pretty much take it anywhere.
***
Multiplayer readers, there are your winners. Our year-long quest to name the Greatest Animal In Video Game History will continue in February as we apply this complex process to a new four-legged species.
January 30th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I *LOVED* Agro. The only thing I’ve loved in a Zelda game is my little sister in Windwaker.
January 30th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Epona’s cool, I’ll give you that, being a big Zelda fan myself. She jumps over fences, runs fast and eats carrots. But Agro is a trusty WARHORSE who will unerringly and fearlessly answer your call in battle (permitting you’re not fighting in an enclosed arena/temple or on water). Plus he makes the story about 1000 times more heart-wrenching (if you’ve played SotC, you’ll know what I’m talking about; it made me cry). And ditto to what T. Holbrook said about Zelda. I love my Zelda games, but there are few characters I really care about in that series.
So, yeah, shame on you for not picking Agro.
January 30th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Agro is by far the greatest video game horse of all time. The moment I read the title of this discussion, Agro immediately popped into my mind. Agro controls better, is cooler looking, and has more character than Links horse. Epona would be my second choice though.
January 30th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
This list shouldn’t be counted towards anything! Rapidash and Hudson Horstachio being included make this list automatically defunct. The horse in Assassin’s creed………. please man!
You ask a game developer who’s stated before that he hasn’t been able to keep up with anything besides world of warcraft for the last 5 years…….
How in the hell does a pokemon and a useless horse in Assassin’s creed rate higher the Agro from Shadows of the Colossus. Obviously these judges (or whatever you want to call them) are definitely out of touch to really even have these choices have any validity, at least concerning the “best horses” .
I plead with these people they should at least play Shadows of the Collossus before calling out “the best”. Shadows of the Collossus was truly a gem on the ps2 because of the artfully and tastefully done atmosphere the player experienced. Agro, the main character’s horse and really the protaginist only “friend” adds to the game immensely.
Favorite horses…maybe……Best Horse…..stop smoking crack
I may be a bit rash, but if you wanna take it to the next level by using a complex system or whatever, please tell me these don’t count. Heres an idea ask some editiors(the ones that play games) to name their favorite at least they might be more “in touch” with the players and recent games.
Ps: Amaterasu from Okami gets my vote for best animal!
January 30th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Agro - Agro felt like your best friend for many a reason. He felt/controlled like he was his own entity. And when you are the only character in a game who has a name, you know you’re bad ass. Never was there a more loyal horse in any game/story.
Assassin’s Creed horse - it would follow you around while you were off assassinating people/fetching flags, always making sure a getaway was some where close by. They would even run away from danger so the gawd awful combat didn’t get any worse.
Epona - the fan boy favorite, nothing special, nothing bad, except the fact she’s ok with spandex wearing, emotionally vacant, nancy pants riding on her back.
January 30th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
[…] game horse. Through all the judging and discussions, Epona came out on top. Quite a dubious honor! Click here to check out what the judges had to say. // Cache-busting and pageid values var random = Math.round(Math.random() * 100000000); if […]
January 30th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Agro, from Shadow of the Colossus by far. The controls in this game are by far the best of any game where you ride a horse. You’re not just pushing UP to go forward like it’s a warthog from Halo. In this game, you’re not controlling the horse. When you’re on the horse, you’re still controlling the Wanderer. So pressing X will kick the horse to get a speed burst. Pressing left or right will pull the reigns left or right. These controls are so simple, they allow for combat while on the horse as well crazy tricks like standing or turning around while galloping full speed.
After this game, going back to Epona in Twilight Princess was a total disappointment.
January 30th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
[…] MTV Multiplayer (pictures), was looking for the best virtual horses. Now after getting some “pros” together they picked…Epona from the “Legend of Zelda” series. Pokemon’s Rapidash came in at a close second. The horses from “World of Warcraft” tied with Hannah the Horse from “Zoo Race” for third place. You can read what they picked and their justifications after the break. And the Readers’ Choice winner: Agro from “Shadow of the Colossus.” (Epona was a distant second.) […]
January 30th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
[…] Link - MTV Multiplayer […]
January 30th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Just look at the similarities though. In BOTH Zelda and SotC theres a strong horse that you ride to get to the next checkpoint faster (because if you didn’t, it would have been an extra 2-3 hours), you can shoot arrows from their backs, you can jump things (which is badass), both characters are very much attached to their riding companions, both come at a whistle, in the case of both games the horse has to put up with a man turning into a creature from shadow, both of them have nifty swords, kill lizards and fight larger than life bosses. That’s not all of them, but I think it’s sounding quite similar, just Zelda has more side missions. (Don’t get me wrong ANYBODY, I LOVE both of these games, in SotC I didn’t stop playing until the credits were over and Zelda was just a phenomenal game). Also, it’s a good question: Were Amaterasu and Wolf Link considered? How about Panzer Dragoon? Or even the support characters kine, rick, and hoot(i dunno if thats right) from Kirby? At least THEY were better than Rapidash. I’m just saying, this doesn’t feel like a very comprehensive list.
January 30th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Weel,
Can we agree that Wolf Link and Ameratsu are wolves and therefore don’t qualify for this horse-based round of voting? Check back to our original post, which is linked above, and I think you’ll see that we did start with quite a full list of horses.
Stick with us. In a couple of weeks we’ll be taking nominations for the best of a whole other species.
-Stephen
January 30th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
AGRO AGRO AGRO AGRO AGRO AGRO AGRO AGRO
WTF. I didn’t think it was possible to NOT play Shadow of the Colossus.
I only read two words of the title, horse and game, and I thought Agro. I no longer trust anything that comes from this website.
January 30th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Epona = means of transportation
Agro = your bestest friend in the world
January 31st, 2008 at 10:52 am
I also am shocked Agro did not win. Epona, WoW horses, etc.. I see them and I’m like “hey, nice videogame horse”.
I see Agro, and I’m like “wow, a real horse!”
Can you pet Epona? Nope.
January 31st, 2008 at 10:52 am
Agro is by far a better animal than Epona…
Epona is kinda like your car - nifty, but if it gets totaled you just have to get another one.
Agro on the other hoof is kinda like the dog you grew up with; loyal and willing to do anything for you - including running under the feet of a walking mountain.
I also agree with the controls argument. Epona was just something you drove around in the game. Meanwhile you asked Agro to go left, right faster, etc… Kinda like a real horse. That made Agro feel much more ‘real’.
January 31st, 2008 at 11:31 am
Is it required that the horse be playable to any real extent to be considered for this honor? If not, I respectfully submit the Pegasi of mythology who have made numerous appearances as enemy mounts and cameos as hero mounts, as well as Shadowfax from LoTR. Shadowfax may well be the ultimate natural horse of all time, and if you don’t think that’s so, RTFM. Also, none of these horses had armor as bitchin’ as that which you find in Oblivion. There was an un-killable black horse in that game that had red eyes, and you got it becoming the ultimate asassin. That game also had a unicorn which was a total bad-ass if you pissed it off. Centaurs have also been in a bunch of games - do they count? And are we talking about horses, per se, or mounts in general? Because riding a sentient, talking, armored polar bear king in The Golden Conpass has got to be right up there. Oh, yeah, the horse in Gun was very quick….
January 31st, 2008 at 1:29 pm
all those horses are alright but the greatest horse of all time is the shadowmere from elder scrolls 4:oblivion that horse would fight by ur side could never die and had un limited carrying capacity and it looked cool
January 31st, 2008 at 1:45 pm
All you Agro pushers are crazy. SotC is a great game and all, but the #1 spot for best horse DEFINITELY goes to Epona. It’s %#@%*%~ EPONA! COME ON! 1. Epona 2. Yoshi (Hey, he’s the Mushroom Kingdom’s version of a horse.) 3. Agro
January 31st, 2008 at 3:41 pm
I like the undead horse from Darkwatch as well. Tho many people probably didnt consider this horse, it played a vital role in its game. Its an awesome horse that u cant fall off of and that cant die. U can actually use it as a shield during mounted gunfights. Love this horse! but i totally agree with the judges decision on Epona from Zelda!
January 31st, 2008 at 3:54 pm
i call shenanigans on this whole thing, and call the integrity of the so-called “blue ribbon panel” into question, because i was not asked to be a member of it. (also, shouldn’t it be “blue-ribbon”?)
January 31st, 2008 at 9:40 pm
How could nobody have mentioned the Horse from Harvest Moon? At least a token mention? It’s just like Rapidash- it only has as much personality as you give it- and is intensely useful in most of the Harvest Moons. Given the emotional attachment you give to EVERYTHING in that game over the dozens of hours you spend with it, it’s one of the first things that comes to my mind.
Right after Agro, anyway.
February 1st, 2008 at 5:50 pm
what about Red Hare from Dynasty warriors!! this horse in real life stood about 9 feet tall and was RED
February 1st, 2008 at 7:55 pm
How CAN every1 frget the most famous horse of all but the great horse from (Lord Of The Rings). that is GANDALFS horse the great white 1
February 1st, 2008 at 9:34 pm
I love pokemon so im glad he got picked
February 3rd, 2008 at 8:41 pm
LOL i love rapidash, im still so much into pokemon that its not even funny but WE im glad it got second even though its not that important
\m/(O.o)\m/
February 3rd, 2008 at 10:49 pm
i remember the first time i actually got my horse for WOW. it was amazing because i was short about 30-40 gold and, quite literally, a complete stranger came along and gave me the rest of the money i needed.
Thank you again
-Finite
February 4th, 2008 at 7:51 am
I love Pokemon too.
;DDD
Rapidash is beautiful and powerful.
March 9th, 2008 at 3:32 am
I’m disappointed (disgusted?) that Agro didn’t win. A travesty. After playing SOTC, everyone knows Epona doesn’t hold a candle to Agro… especially clunky unrealistic Twilight Princess Epona. Would she die for Link? I doubt it.
Agro wins, at least in our hearts.
March 9th, 2008 at 10:44 am
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April 14th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Go Hannah the horse