The First Annual GamerGaia Zombie Celebration Awards

Lots of video games have zombies in them, some of them scary, some of them corny, many of them very unoriginal. In a world flooded by zombies left and right in every form of media from video games to television, comics, and movies, being just a zombie doesn't cut it anymore. It is hard for a single zombie to stand out from the pack - they need to be original, have a little special flair. Here at Gamer Gaia, we’ve decided it's finally time to recognize those zombies that are most memorable, from either being dangerous or just being funny. Here is our list of top ten video game creatures that desire to eat your brains.

Most Persistent Zombie - ReDead: Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time

Time to save the Princess; these five zombies in our way won't be a problem at all, right? Well, yes and no. Sure, killing them might not take much time, but they have a pesky habit of not staying dead. These aptly named ReDeads will get up and try to take you down every time you come back to an area and pass by them; you can put them down once, but never for the count. Take extra care if you aren't grown-up Link, as these zombies are great at giving young Link a scare and a stun, which is usually bad news when you're surrounded by undead creatures. For their persistence at not staying dead, the ReDead win the title of Most Persistent Zombie.

Best Catchphrase - Scorpion: Mortal Kombat

This resurrected ninja has been around for a long time. Scorpion has a lot going for him even in his undeath; he is a ninja, which is pretty cool, he is one of the most iconic fighters of the Mortal Kombat series - oh, and his skull is on fire. Not only is he cool, but he can actually pull off the flaming skull look that Nic Cage failed so horribly at. He is known for diligently seeking revenge against the people who killed his family and destroyed his clan - oh, and for impaling his opponents. Scorpion likes to throw a spear attached to a rope at his opponents, impale them, and then violently pull them back, all while shouting, “Get over here!” For this, Scorpion gets a spot on the list for best catchphrase.

Most Memorable Zombie - The First Zombie: Resident Evil 1

Remember the first time you put Resident Evil 1 into your Playstation? After one of the cheesiest cutscene intros of all time, you were quickly treated to a particularly chilling one as you met the first zombie ever in Resident Evil history. While not any more dangerous than the many zombies that you will meet and dispatch after him, this zombie is one that seems to stick in people's minds. This is the flagship zombie, the zombie that launched the Resident Evil brand, and for that, he gets the spot as the most memorable zombie.

Most Iconic Zombie - Headcrab Zombie: Half-Life 1/ Half-Life 2

Headcrab zombies have been around since Half-Life was first released back in 1998. For a bright young scientist like Gordon Freeman, seeing all his coworkers turn into these horrible parasitic alien-zombies was just traumatizing enough to turn him into one of the greatest action heroes of all time. These zombies have been skulking around in one of the greatest video game franchises of all time, and they are at the heart of some of the best moments in the Half-Life series. Everyone remembers their first trip into Ravenholm: howling zombies, circular saw blades being shot with the gravity gun, limbs flying everywhere. While these guys might not be the toughest zombies around, they win the award for Most Iconic Zombie.

Scariest Zombie - The Witch: Left 4 Dead

What's scarier than silence in a post-apocalyptic city that is overrun by zombies? The answer as it turns out, is sobbing. There is nothing quite as alarming as playing Left 4 Dead on Expert and hearing weeping emanating from a dark room ahead of you, and being forced to turn off all your lights in order to not wake up the deadliest zombie around. Turn the corner and you see her gaunt pale form whimpering in the corner; get too close, and it's lights out for good. The Witch gets points not only for style, but also for execution. For this, she is awarded the prestigious title of The Scariest Zombie.

Cutest Zombie - The Zombies: Plants Vs. Zombies

Zombies, much like everything in Plants Vs. Zombies, are pretty darned adorable. They have some great accessories - everything from parking cone hats to newspaper shields. They get points for creativity, as when they’re trying to get brains, they'll try almost anything. The reason they win Cutest Zombie is because in addition to being adorable, the zombies of Plants Vs. Zombies employ tactics most often used by middle-school girls: note-writing. Leaving badly misspelled notes at the front door won't scare anyone away, but it is pretty cute.

Best Retro Zombie - The Zombies: Zombies Ate My Neighbors

Your neighborhood is in chaos, buildings are burning, intermittent screaming interrupts the occasional police siren that passes by in the distance, and there’s blood - so much blood - everywhere. Your neighbors are in danger, the zombies are coming, and you are their only hope. Okay, so Zombies Ate My Neighbors isn't a particularly scary title, but that doesn't detract from the hilarity that can be had killing these brain-dead zombie scum with a water gun or a weed whacker. These might not be the strongest, toughest, or even the most numerous zombies out there, but the zombies from Zombies Ate My Neighbors are a whole lot of fun.

Most Successful Zombie - Sylvanas Windrunner: World of Warcraft

Most people have their ambitions go straight down the drain upon joining the ranks of the undead. That isn't the case for the undying hard worker Sylvanas Windrunner. Sylvanas managed to restore a sacked and destroyed city, turning the crumbling Lordaeron into the hustling and bustling Undercity. She gathered the undead who wished to fight the scourge under one banner, the Forsaken, and turned them into one of the strongest factions on Azeroth. Most impressive of all is the fact that Sylvanas managed to do all of this with supremely racist and anti-undead neighbors, The Scarlet Crusade, breathing down her neck the whole time. No one zombie has ever handled the adversity of death quite like Sylvanas Windrunner, and that is why she is the Most Successful Zombie.

ARR IT BE A PIRATE ZOMBIE AWARD - Captain LeChuck: Monkey Island

It is pretty easy to see why Captain LeChuck would win the award for most pirate zombie. He is a zombie, and he is a pirate. He has all the qualifications! Let's take a moment to give some credit to LeChuck; not only is he a dastardly villain, but he goes back to the old-school zombie roots by using voodoo. As far as his pirating goes, LeChuck has an awesome beard, a great pirate captain’s outfit, and he is a general menace to anyone and everyone sailing the open seas. LeChuck served as one of the greatest antagonists in the video game world, menacing Guybrush Threepwood. Even if he is one of very few in the pirate zombie niche, LeChuck has certainly earned his way onto this list.

Most Personable Zombie - Stubbs: Stubbs the Zombie

Stubbs was just your typical zombie out for revenge, but he had that uncanny ability to be a real people person. Stubbs gets a spot on this list for his tenacity and energetic ability to interact with the everyday man, to get out there and change some views on life. Stubbs found new and interesting ways to get people to see things the way he did, and for converting a rather ridiculous number of citizen to his undead point of view, Stubbs get the spot on the list for Most Personable Zombie.

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