Give a Man a Fish...

A famous gunslinger during the height of the Old American West, Landon Ricketts was the fastest hand of his time and spent 25 years killing other men. After moving to a quiet town in the middle of the desert, Landon served as an unofficial lawman. When a former outlaw named John Marston was forced to kill three bandits, Landon witnessed the event and took it upon himself to train him. After bestowing John with a more powerful revolver, Landon helped him master the “Dead Eye” targeting technique, which basically allowed him to move so fast that his targets appear to be moving in slow motion. For all intents and purposes, the Dead Eye technique gave John superhuman abilities. Stories of Landon’s adventures were widespread during John’s childhood, so the opportunity to train with him was not taken for granted.

Claiming to be the original Donkey Kong from the 1981 arcade game, Cranky was first seen in Donkey Kong Country where he attempted to motivate the younger generation with insults. Nearly every aspect of Cranky’s physical appearance serves to remind us that youth is fleeting. One minute, you’re kidnapping trollops, climbing construction sites, and throwing barrels at plumbers: The next, you’re sitting in a rocking chair on your porch and rambling on about “the good old days.” If I were in the same situation, I’d probably be pretty cranky too. After beating the game, Cranky insists that he would have finished the game in under and hour and would have found all the secrets. This motivated me to do the same and introduced me to the concept of speed running. Whether or not is was his intent, Cranky’s insults were inspirational.

Dr. Light invented Mega Man, provides him invaluable advice, and helps him understand the new abilities he acquires during his adventures. I’m recognizing Proto Man instead since he gets his hands dirty and does more to directly prepare Mega Man for battle. Proto Man made his first appearance in Mega Man III as an apparent enemy that would periodically emerge to battle the Blue Bomber. These fights never lasted long, and Proto Man would disappear as quickly as he came. Proto Man was revealed to be Mega Man’s brother, and was merely making sure he would be strong enough to proceed against Dr. Wily’s forces. Proto Man watches over Mega Man as the series progresses and continues to test his skills. He eventually decides that there’s nothing left for Mega Man to learn and gives him his Protoshield as a reward.

PaRappa can dazzle audiences with his sick beats, but the lovesick puppy becomes a ball of nerves in the presence of a beautiful flower girl named Sunny Funny. He has a pompous rival named Joe Chin who is also trying to win Sunny’s heart, so our hip-hop hero finds elaborate ways to impress the girl of his dreams. Throughout his adventure, PaRappa gets his driver’s licence, finds employment, learns how to cook, and masters the art of not shitting his pants after eating bad seafood. He has many mentors to help him along the way, but learning karate was the first thing on his agenda and Chop Chop Master Onion was the first instructor he went to. Chop Chop Master Onion helps PaRappa learn karate, but he also teaches him that fighting is all in the mind and helps reinforce the idea that anything is possible if you believe.

Hershel Layton is a archaeology professor at a London university who is often brought in as a consultant for perplexing cases. Whether he’s investigating the will of a deceased baron or looking into a failed time machine demonstration, Layton has a knack for problem solving and is renowned for his astute logical reasoning. During his investigations, Layton often faces hurdles in the form of brain teasers. Although Layton would be perfectly capable of solving these puzzles himself, he allows his young assistant, Luke, to test hone his problem-solving skills instead. Even in the midst of international conspiracies and murder investigations, Layton is willing to take a step back and allow his assistant to solve riddles or wrestle with sliding puzzles. Sometimes, the best way to teach is to let your students figure out things for themselves.

Professor Oak lives and works at his research lab in Pallet Town of the Kanto region where he focuses on relationships between humans and Pokémon. The professor was a successful Pokémon trainer in his youth, and has since become an idol to trainers and researchers alike. The professor is always willing to share his knowledge with the younger generation and more-or-less introduces the concept of Pokémon to the player in the first Pokémon game. He gives them their starter Pokémon and continues to provide insight as the game progresses. He lets you know where to find Pokémon, how to catch Pokémon, how to train Pokémon, and how to battle Pokémon. He also presents the players with a “Pokédex” that functions as a hi-tech encyclopedia and records information about Pokémon the players encounter during their journey.

Hey! Listen! Back in the day, Link had to work his way through an entire dungeon and waste half of his bombs just to hear an old man tell him that “Dodongo dislikes smoke.” In Ocarina of Time, Link no longer had to worry about vague clues because his fairy Navi was constantly by his side. Don’t know where to go next? Can’t figure out how to beat the boss? Need information about your new weapons? Navi is there to help! Navi can be a little annoying at times and she has a tendency to nag if you try to ignore her, but she played an important role in the game and helped Zelda veterans become accustomed to new play mechanics that were introduced as the series made the jump to 3D. Almost every Zelda game since Ocarina of Time has had a similar character, but Navi deserves credit for being the first.

Fox McCloud is one of the greatest star fighters in the galaxy, but he doesn’t get a lot of support from his team. Falco is sarcastic and self-important, Slippy is annoying and useless, and Krystal is so distractingly sexy that Fox had to kick her off the team. Peppy is the senior-most member of the group and the strongest source of support that Fox has. Peppy is always there to give Fox advice. He lets Fox know when to brake, when to boost, and when to perform somersaults. He also points out enemy weaknesses and warns Fox when he has an enemy on his tail. His instructions on how to “do a barrel roll” has become a legendary piece of advice and has gained a life of its own outside the video game world. Peppy served with Fox’s father on the original StarFox team, and honors his memory by keeping the team strong.

Nintendo’s version of SimCity introduced changing seasons, new scenarios, and reward properties to the series, but one of its most significant additions was the inclusion of a helpful adviser. SimCity allowed players to assume the role of a mayor, but Dr. Wright acted as an assistant who would give you advice on how to run the city. His comprehensive knowledge of municipal governments was second to none, and he could be called on at any time you needed his expertise. If a disaster took place, he was the first to inform you. When your city was being rewarded with casinos, amusement parks, or zoos, he was there to make the announcement and to offer his congratulations. His hairstyle is absurd and his moustache is even bolder, but Dr. Wright stays behind the scenes and lets you take all the credit for his expertise.

There has always been something a little bit strange about Doc Louis. What kind of respectable boxing trainer would put a 17-year old kid in the ring with experienced boxers that are twice his size? The advice Doc gives Little Mac between rounds raises even more questions about his mental stability. You know there’s a problem when the only advice a trainer offers his fighter is to “Join the Nintendo Fun Club today!” Doc’s training methods are also questionable. From what I can tell, Doc trains the kid by dressing him up in a pink jumpsuit and making him run through the streets of New York. It almost seems like Doc is trying to get Mac killed, but you really can’t argue with his results. Doc might not be the most eloquent speaker or the most graceful trainer, but he’s a former fighter who clearly knows the boxing game.