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The 7 Best Video Game Lifebars

gamepro.com — Lifebars are a prominent, yet under-appreciated part of videogame history. Helping us keep tabs on our characters health without detracting from the gameplay experience is key--making a memorable lifebar is a task unto itself. While some games have done away with lifebars for more abstract and less memorable means

Who dugg this? Made popular Dec 5, 2008

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  • Fhwqhgads, on 12/05/2008, -12/+121Lifebars? Seriously?
  • DatVillain83, on 12/05/2008, -4/+66Gamepro's site ads are out of control.
  • GarmaZed, on 12/05/2008, -0/+60I think 007 Goldeneye's health and armor watch-ring-thingy is a notable mention.
  • inactive, on 12/05/2008, -0/+55DeadSpace's life bar is sick.
  • mtcobb2, on 12/05/2008, -1/+48dear god gamepro has a terrible website.
  • Sornos, on 12/05/2008, -3/+34Zelda is good and all but considering the other entries to the list, it being number one is really disappointing.
  • DumbRabbit, on 12/05/2008, -0/+28It's better than last month's "top ten video game controller button colors"
  • Timan, on 12/05/2008, -3/+31Yes, when games used to be a challenge and none of this regenerating health crap.
  • mercaz, on 12/05/2008, -2/+27GamePro still exists?
  • ashura001, on 12/05/2008, -0/+24Protip: Adblock Plus is your friend.
  • AsSubtleAsABrik, on 12/05/2008, -1/+24I have to give it to Resident Evil, it was the only game that made use of the Dreamcasts VMU well, displaying your health on it. It was much easier to just look at your controller than go to the menu to see your health. Man Code Veronica was awesome.
  • NinjaGod, on 12/05/2008, -2/+23Wewt, go Zelda
  • thinboyslim, on 12/05/2008, -1/+21Boob life?
  • Dundasbro, on 12/05/2008, -2/+15Don't like anything challenging huh?
  • DickyT83, on 12/05/2008, -0/+13Ah GamePro, haven't heard of you since British Knights were cool.
  • CyberSkull, on 12/05/2008, -0/+11We need more boob health meters.
  • zulfy26, on 12/05/2008, -0/+10What ads?
  • rickyisawesome, on 12/05/2008, -0/+10good thing there are ads over every single lifebar picture, makes it real easy to HATE THIS ARTICLE!!!
  • Stormwern, on 12/05/2008, -0/+9Diablo for design, Halo for function.
  • metroidragon, on 12/05/2008, -0/+9I always hated that one because after you hit start there was about a second it took james to actually look at his watch and pause the game, so you could still get shot while james was taking his sweet time raising his arm.
  • Rhendal, on 12/05/2008, -0/+9While it's one of the most recognizable health meters in gaming history, I wouldn't say best mainly because after you drop below 3 hearts it becomes the most effing annoying life bar. That beep used to drive me up the damn wall.
  • kevyn, on 12/05/2008, -1/+9I quite liked that list... but a really dull hearts system as number one? no way.
  • Elranzer, on 12/05/2008, -0/+8Well to be fair... it IS GamePro...
  • vonbroner, on 12/05/2008, -0/+7I'm holding out for the "Top 10 Lists of Top 10 Stuff" article. Seriously, what's with all the lists? And of increasingly worthless topics?
  • mikeoncampus, on 12/05/2008, -5/+12this is by far the most pointless list...
  • stewartheys, on 12/05/2008, -0/+7Wow, I got to the end of a Best Of list. Even with all the advertising.
  • Meocross, on 12/05/2008, -0/+7ads? all i see is ABP making sausages of those crap.
  • Gizza, on 12/05/2008, -1/+8Games where you can regenerate are easy mode. It doesn't matter if you do one section ***** because its like everything resets before the next section.

    With life bars you have to be on your game beginning to end. If you ***** up one area and come out of it with 15 health you're gonna be finding the next few moments pretty ***** intense until you can find a way to heal.
  • Gizza, on 12/05/2008, -2/+9I hate this dumbed down consolization of games removing the health bars. Could you imagine L4D with no health bars, instead you just needed to wait 5 seconds and you were healed.
  • johndavidjack, on 12/05/2008, -0/+6Eh, the guy from Wolfenstein is shaking his head at all the publicity Doom always gets...
  • Elranzer, on 12/05/2008, -0/+6Or like Fable II... which has a lifebar, but is meaningless because you can't die (if it hits zero, you fall down, you get a scar, and you get back up).
  • clyde1984, on 12/05/2008, -0/+6Primal Rage -bear hands down.
  • ScottyAnimal, on 12/05/2008, -1/+6Yea I won a pair of those on Guts.
  • bwolf180, on 12/05/2008, -2/+7gamepro suck
  • Elranzer, on 12/05/2008, -0/+5We're talking about LIFEBARS here! Zelda's hearts are probably the most iconic.
  • 83457, on 12/05/2008, -0/+5Not a very good picture of the boob heart tatoo. This is better:
    http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/screenshots/5 ...
  • Tamant, on 12/05/2008, -0/+5hearts? really?
  • Tochi, on 12/05/2008, -0/+5Go BKs! I remember wearing those and Bugle Boy jeans while listening to C+C Music Factory, playing Mortal Kombat and drinking Crystal Pepsi! Afterwards I went to see Wayne's World, then rollerbladed home and watched some Ren and Stimpy.
  • vertigo32, on 12/05/2008, -0/+5I was kinda partial to the Diablo 'jugs' of life and mana.

    Doom was pretty cool too.
  • yuravian, on 12/05/2008, -1/+5Nothing kills an FPS for me like Halo 2 style health. At least master chief had shields, instead of this "Shot? Took a grenade to the face? Hide behind a barrel and your wounds will fade away!" crap. I don't think World War 2 soldiers were issued regenerating shield technology. This regenerative health stuff needs to go.
  • inactive, on 12/05/2008, -0/+4I prefer it with no 'lifebar' like with Rainbow Six Vegas and Call of Duty 2 (and probably the other CoDs)
  • Al.x, on 12/05/2008, -0/+4Nemesis the Warlock on the C64 FTW. It had a heart (meat, not the symbol) beeing squashed in a fist. http://www.c64.com/games/screenshots/n/nemesis_the ...
  • mt4055, on 12/05/2008, -0/+4I'm glad I missed that one
  • FallenTurtles, on 12/05/2008, -0/+3Trespasser was my first major experience with boobs. It was wonderful.
  • badwithcomputer, on 12/05/2008, -4/+7http://i34.tinypic.com/103sk5j.jpg
  • Deltablade, on 12/05/2008, -0/+3Word.
  • roddack, on 12/05/2008, -0/+3Wow what a horrible site.
  • Van3ck, on 12/05/2008, -0/+3Wow... you just summed up my entire adolescence in 2 sentences.
  • TrevorBelmont, on 12/05/2008, -0/+3It's been my experience that most games with health regeneration have a life bar anyway.
  • frepnog, on 12/05/2008, -0/+3the reason life bars are going away is because dying ever 5 minutes isnt ***** fun. it isnt about challenge, it is about not having to be cheap as ***** and kill the player 100 times to artificially pad the length of the game.
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