Video game characters have all sorts of different fashion styles. Some like to don street clothes, while others prefer sharp suits. And many of them wear some form of armor, especially those in the more action-orientated genres. Strangely, though, not all of these characters utilize helmets. It's likely because developers don't want to cover up their faces.
However, unique headgear can function as an identifier just as well as a character's face. In fact, the appeal of certain protagonists is enhanced due to them wearing cool helmets. As a result, these pieces of headgear have garnered as much fame and acclaim as the people wearing them. Here are the most legendary ones in gaming history.
10 CryNet Nanosuit Helmet - Crysis Series
When you think of Crysis, your mind most likely immediately goes to the fancy nanosuit that the main character wears. After all, the skin-tight armor is the most recognizable thing about the Crysis series. It's not that there's nothing else good about the games, but the beautiful suit overshadows most of them.
The helmet, in particular, is iconic with its leather and metallic base alongside the eye-catching red visor. Over the years, many of the series' promotional material has made sure to include the stylish helmet.
9 N7 Helmet - Mass Effect Series
While the Mass Effect games are all about the adventures of Commander Shepard, it hasn't always been easy for Bioware to fit the character into the promotional material. This is because the protagonist doesn't have a defined gender or look as you choose that yourself.
Sometimes they still put the default male or female Shepard in trailers and promo shots, but often, they go with a helmeted version of the character. And the helmet they always use to represent Shepard is the N7 one, which is a part of the Commander's default armor set. While it's also one of the better-looking sets in the series, its usage is what truly makes it memorable.
8 Big Daddy Helmet (Bouncer Variant) - Bioshock Series
There are several different versions of Big Daddies in the Bioshock series. Arguably the most iconic one is the Bouncer Variant, due in part to its instantly recognizable helmet.
The big round dome with several lights would look silly in any other setting, but it works in the great underwater world of Rapture. And the helmet is important in adding to the mystery surrounding these beings. The lights aren't just to provide a cool visual either, as they also show you a Big Daddy's mood, which can be helpful in gameplay.
7 Intermediate Engineer RIG Helmet - Dead Space
Issac Clarke dons plenty of different suits throughout the series. Yet, the Intermediate Engineer RIG from the first game is the most recognizable. And the most iconic part of it - besides perhaps the health on the back - is the helmet.
It's not the fanciest-looking face covering of all time as it's a simply curved metal plate with three lit-up slits on it. But it does look like something that a futuristic engineer would wear. Plus, the simplicity fits with the grounded nature of the man who wears it.
6 T-45 Helmet - Fallout Series
If you've never played a Fallout game, you'd probably think that the T-45 power armor plays a bigger role in the titles than it actually does. After all, it features in much of the promotional material for the game. As a result, the T-45 helmet has become legendary.
Once again, its heavy usage in promo shots is likely because of the main protagonist not having a defined look. However, it's also a good way to help sell games as the armor looks awesome.
5 Praetor Suit Helmet - Doom Series
Since the recent reboot of the Doom series, the helmet of the Praetor Suit has become the main symbol of the games. It shouldn't really work as an identifier as it's not dissimilar to something you'd see in Halo. But its wider shape helps set it apart from anything in the 343 Industries series.
Along with working as a promotional tool, it also fits the Doom Guy's personality. The design is as simple and no-nonsense as the man wearing it. And the whole Praetor Suit makes him resemble a hardened demon slayer.
4 Iron Helmet - Skyrim
There are plenty of great armor suits to wear in Skyrim. None of them, though, are as iconic as the Iron Helmet that features in many of the game's trailers and screenshots.
It isn't even a very spectacular piece. It's just an iron helmet that's similar to what's often seen in the fantasy genre, with a few horns coming out of the sides. Yet, it feels special because it's so closely associated with one of the most beloved games in its generation.
3 Original Mega Man Helmet - Mega Man Series
Mega Man is among the most famous video game characters of all time. And unlike his contemporaries like Mario and Sonic, Mega Man is always wearing a helmet. In fact, his headgear is one of the first to ever become iconic.
It's the sort of helmet that would probably look silly on anyone else due to its bright blue color and funny shape. Yet, it's an important part of Mega Man's signature look, and he would look strange without it, which is probably why the other helmets he's worn tend to be similar to this one.
2 Varia Suit Helmet - Metroid Series
Perhaps the greatest twist in video game history occurred at the end of the original Metroid. Samus took off her power suit to reveal that she is a woman and shocked gamers everywhere. It's a moment that wouldn't have been possible if she wasn't wearing a helmet throughout the rest of the game. And that piece of headgear is as legendary as the Samus herself.
The bright green visor and the metallic red all over make for an eye-catching combination. Plus, it appeared on-screen long before many of gaming's other great helmets.
1 Mjolnir Mark VI Helmet - Halo
Since 2001, few series have been able to match the popularity of Halo. It's been a juggernaut of the FPS genre from day one. So, naturally, the helmet that the protagonist wears was always going to become iconic, and it has, particularly the Mark VI version that debuted in Halo 2.
The piece is sleek and shiny, plus it fits the rest of his powered armor perfectly. What's also cool about this helmet is that it's not only Master Chief who wears it. You're also able to equip it while playing the Halo series' various multiplayer modes, which has enhanced the Mark VI's fame even further.