Today is Shark Awareness Day. Geekly’s celebrating by listing the top five sharks that originated in video games. Things are about to get fishy.
Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. With today’s list, we won’t include all sharks in video games. These are the sharks that originated in video games. So, we won’t include King Shark, Jeff the Land Shark, or Jaws, because they started in comic books or in the movies and then made their way over into video games. We’re talking straight video game sharks.
Honorable Mention) Sharks from Hungry Shark World
None of the sharks in Hungry Shark World have names, but this game may be one of the highest-rated games where gamers play as sharks. The game features numerous fun maps and 30 species of sharks that players can customize into their own cuddly predator. Hungry Shark World just misses our list because there isn’t one specific shark to feature. Instead, Hungry Shark World pits gamers’ shark creations against unique enemies.
5) Gran Bruce (Viewtiful Joe)
Gran Bruce is one of the many bosses Viewtiful Joe faces. This shark enemy pays homage to the world’s most famous movie shark, Jaws. Steven Spielberg’s crew gave the prop sharks on the set of Jaws the nickname Bruce. Players can even trigger an explosion in Gran Bruce’s mouth, which was how Jaws was defeated at the end of the first film. Gran Bruce may be little more than a dim-witted boss for Joe to slap down in the first game, but he also had a role in the Viewtiful Joe anime, which makes him one of the few gaming sharks to crossover into other media.
4) Megalodon (Battlefield)
What started as a joke in the Battlefield series became a random appearance of a Megalodon shark in the game. The Megalodon is one of the largest creatures to ever prowl the seas, so of course, this ancient beast lurked in one of Battlefield’s maps. It didn’t help that gamers photoshopped a large shark in some of the gameplay. The gag became reality when Battlefield 1 included a Megalodon in its mission “They Shall Not Pass.” The rest is history. Or prehistory.
3) Lurker Shark (Jak and Daxter)
Many video games during the early 2000s would prevent heroes from swimming beyond the limits of the game world with an invisible wall. Jak and Daxter decided to ward off would-be cross-game-world swimmers by having a shark eat them alive. While the Lurker Shark made its biggest impact in the first game of the Jak and Daxter series, it would return in Daxter in a variety of shapes and sizes. It even has a brief cameo in Jak 2.
2) Snacker the Shark (Banjo-Kazooie)
Snacker the Shark serves the same purpose as Lurker Shark in Jak and Daxter. Snacker is a clever way to keep Banjo and Kazooie within the limits of their game world. Snacker makes two appearances in the original Banjo-Kazooie, but he made his debut in the Treasure Trove stage, spouting one-liners and taunting players before he eats them. Like Gran Bruce, Snacker also pays homage to Jaws with his Jaws-inspired theme song. He’s cute even while he devours you.
1) Tiny (Batman: Arkham City)
While investigating the Penguin’s lair, Batman runs into a great white shark ironically named Tiny. This encounter is one of the most blood-pumping moments in Batman: Arkham City. Batman must carefully cross a body of water without being eaten alive by Tiny. Looks like Bats forgot the shark repellent. Never leave home without it. Despite a brief appearance in Batman: Arkham City, Tiny made an impact. The series brought him back with a jump-scare sequence in Batman: Arkham Knight.
I may have listened to the Jaws theme song while putting together this list. Which video game shark is your favorite? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
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