The 10 Most Popular BaGC Posts (Of All Time!)

Discuss this post in The Guild Hall!

Hey all!

Before we get to the post for today, I have a pretty awesome announcement!  Today is the launch of my official Let’s Play Channel on Youtube!  The first episode is live, and a new episode will go live every day!  At the moment, I’m playing an online card/tactics game called Duelyst.  There will be other games in the near future as well, including (just off the top of my head,) Minecraft, Fallout 4, and Life is Strange!  Want me to play a particular game?  Stop on by the channel and suggest it in the comments!  Or just click here to go to my first video!

Just to note: first couple episodes aren’t great quality.  I was still getting my setup…um…set up.  Should be better from episode four onward.  Also, I don’t have delusions of grandeur with this.  I don’t think I’m going to become the next PewDiePie or Markiplier, but I figured it would be a fun thing to do and a way to maybe make up for people missing video content.  =P

Anyway, on to the top ten!

So, I want this to start being a yearly thing, but since we’ve never done it before this particular post will cover all posts, for all time, here on BeAGameCharacter.com  It won’t, unfortunately, go all the way back to our time on Blogger, but it will cover the entire time on THIS website.  We’re going to start at 10, and work our way up to 1.  I’ll throw out a link, and my thoughts on the post, how well it’s aged, and why it might be so popular.  So, let’s jump in!

10: The Fighter Diet

Though the original Fighter Diet post has now been rendered somewhat obsolete by Macros and You, it’s still got a lot of useful information and diet tips.  The obsession with “fighter this” and “fighter that” definitely helps this one in search results, which drives a heck of a lot of traffic to it, still.  Now, I didn’t title it with this in mind, but the rise of MMA as a popular sport has definitely helped!  I’ll probably be revisiting this post soon, to update the information and add some new content to it!

9: The Edward Kenway Workout

What’s more badass than a member of the Assassin order?  An assassin who is also a PIRATE.  The assassin’s creed characters have always been popular on the blog, and Edward is no exception!  This is one of the only workouts to include rope climbing as an exercise, which is a shame because it’s a great exercise!  Unfortunately, climbing ropes aren’t a very common piece of fitness equipment, and require a pretty specialized space to set up, so it’s probably going to remain a relatively rare exercise..

8: How to Build a Power Suit and/or Powered Armor, Part 1: The Basics

Probably the most verbose title in the top 10, this one’s been a perennial favorite since I first started the five-part series right after we covered Samus Aran.  Power suits capture the imagination of the public, and have since the early days of comic books.  The Avengers and Iron Man movies have only enhanced the longing for a functional suit, and people check this post out every day.

Most of the post series still stands the test of time, though the projects mentioned originally have come along further.  As for my part, if I every become a billionaire, I wouldn’t mind taking on a homebrew power suit as a pet project =P

7: The Sam Fisher Workout

Despite the popularity of The Fighter Diet, characters from the Rogue archetype dominate the top ten most popular posts on the blog.  Sam Fisher is one outstanding example of this archetype, and one of the few modern era representatives.  His workout routine is highly focused on endurance type activities, and I think it’s a particularly fitting program for the modern era assassin.  If I could think of an exercise to augment Sam’s workout further, it would probably be rock climbing!

6: The Solid Snake Workout

Snake is, was, and will probably continue to be one of the most often requested characters on the site (along with Raiden and Big Boss.)  His workout routine is very similar to a traditional military PT setup, and is based on real-world military PT requirements, which were cool to research and put together.  The cardio portion of his workout regimen is actually based on ideas I gathered from friends I had in various military branches, specifically when I asked them about particularly exhausting activities their drill sergeant would put them through in basic.  Pretty grueling stuff!

5: The Ezio Auditore Workout

The great grandaddy of BaGC workouts is still quite popular, even four and a half years after I first wrote it (and even more time since Ezio’s been featured in a game.)  When I originally wrote the article, I actually never thought anyone would reach level four so I made it RIDICULOUSLY, like IMPOSSIBLY difficult.  A incredibly fit, parkour-gifted friend of mine tried it a year later or so, and felt like he was going to die at the end of the week.  So I toned it down just a little bit by adding a mid-week rest day, because I didn’t want anyone injuring themselves on my instruction.  Rest assured, to this day it’s still one of the most difficult bodyweight routines on the site.

4: Character Breakdown: Connor Kenway AKA Ratonhnhaké:ton

Connor Kenway’s character breakdown is the only character breakdown to make it into the top ten.  I honestly can’t say for sure why it’s so popular, but I think it may have something to do with how nuanced and complex a character Connor is.  I was careful to use both his names in the character breakdown title, which I think helps a lot because it represents the dual natures inside of him.  Connor’s one of my favorite characters in gaming, and I’m really proud of his series on the site because I think I really did his character and personality justice.

3: The Link Workout

Link is one of the most beloved characters in gaming, and was one of my personal role models growing up.  I think this workout stands up to the test of time relatively well, despite its age.  Link spends almost all of his time running around on his feet (with the exception of traversing Hyrule on Epona in some games,) so the emphasis on stamina and endurance definitely fits.  I think, however, if you’re actually planning on serious sword-and-shield combat training, you might want to mix in some more serious strength exercises and weight lifting.

2: The Master Chief Workout

Microsoft’s mega star was a difficult one to approach in some ways.  Given the popularity of the character, it’s not surprising that this is the second most popular post on the blog.  Master Chief was difficult to cover, however, more than anyone else in the top ten, because his body augmentations and enhancements went so far above most other characters.  While it’s not really possible, with today’s technology, to emulate his DNA and skeletal modifications, I did the best I could to provide a well-rounded balance of strength, speed, and stamina.  I do think that one might do better switching to a 5-3-1 lifting schedule for the compound exercises in this routine (like the Juggernaut regimen in RPG Fitness.)  However, on the whole, this is a great program for developing serious overall strength and power.

And now, (drum roll please,) the most popular post ever published on Be a Game Character…

1: The Connor Kenway Workout

Connor Kenway’s workout has surpassed his grandfather and his distant ancestor to become the most-visited workout on the site from the Assassin’s Creed universe, as well as the most-frequented workout on the site.  The ironic thing about this is that many consider AC3 to be the worst game of the series (an opinion I draw issue with,) and Connor to be the worst character (an opinion I draw serious issue with!)  Regardless, this workout is awesome, and has definitely withstood the test of time.  If you want a serious, powerful physique with a lot of functional strength and speed, Connor’s is the way to go.  In fact, I think that’s probably why it’s so popular!

Tada!  That’s it!  The ten most popular posts ever published on the site!  Did any of them surprise you?  Was your favorite post or character listed here?  Want to know who the closest runners-up were?  Come chat about it over in The Guild Hall!

We’ll revisit this in a year, featuring the most popular posts from 2016!  I think it should definitely be an interesting comparison!  As for now, I’ll see you again on Thursday with another great post!  As always, remember to live boldly, change the world, and continue to be awesome!

Dan “DaRatmastah” Wallace