Oftentimes, a vehicle in a game is a way to transport your character to areas faster, simply providing a means of getting around that helps you reach various objectives. However, other vehicles are the core of a title’s experience, providing the only gameplay you see or even forming the backdrop to all of your adventures. Truly reliable gaming vehicles are not only memorable for how they support your journey, but also for providing strong tools for overcoming many challenges you might face.
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Racing games, for example, are completely dedicated to using vehicles to form the high-speed competitions players engage with. That being said, memorable vehicles are not just known for their utility, but for unique and unmistakable designs that reinforce a player’s attachment to it. Although a fancy sports car might be revered in a new Forza Horizon game, sometimes a vehicle needs to be reliable and look striking to capture an audience’s heart.
5. S.S.V. Normandy (Mass Effect)
The Normandy might not be a ship you control, but throughout the first three Mass Effect games, this vehicle is your home. Both you and your crew use the Normandy as your hub, with Commander Shepard being able to form lasting relationships with multiple characters recruited to the galaxy-traveling starcraft. Some of the best interactions with fan-favorite faces take place on the Normandy, creating a sense of connection and nostalgia for the ship across its multiple iterations.
Personally, the Normandy SR-2 from Mass Effect 2 might be the best version of the ship. The Stealth Reconnaisance-2 vessel was constructed by Cerberus to be an advanced station for Shepard, even including the advanced AI “Enhanced Defense Intelligence,” or EDI, who is just as much a character as anyone on your crew. In later games, the Normandy can be upgraded through research, expanding its capabilities to be an even more consistent vehicle in your greatest missions. Auxiliary vehicles like the M35 Mako give the Normandy extra utility, only adding to how dependable it can be.
4. Arwing (Star Fox)
The Arwing is a vehicle far more capable of just a barrel roll, as it is the “character” you actually control for any Star Fox game. While you are technically the iconic Fox McCloud piloting his personal Arwing in this series, the Arwing is what you use to navigate missions as messages featuring various characters appear at the bottom of your screen. The Arwing is a striking starship, with sharp angles and sleek colors that have made it a highly recognized vehicle in any game, with many other titles taking inspiration from it for their machines.
Although it’s been a long time since Star Fox has had a new title with a fresh Arwing design, the core functions of the vehicle have emerged in other Nintendo properties. The Arwing is a highly mobile, acrobatic vehicle that responds well to even the slightest of player commands, making it an intuitive sci-fi vessel to control. For players trying to take down everything on every Star Fox stage, mastery of the Arwing’s functions is crucial, as the vehicle’s reliability only reaches its full potential with a player’s skill.
3. Batmobile (Batman: Arkham Knight)
Batman: Arkham Knight mostly has you play as the caped crusader, but the larger open world of Gotham in this title is made easier to travel through the iconic Batmobile. This high-tech vehicle is used in a variety of missions, with a hyper-stylized design picking up high speeds to chase down criminals over the city’s longest night. However, one of the biggest features of the Batmobile in this game is its ability to transform into something tank-like, with non-lethal weaponry creating a mobile fortress that makes Batman a one-man-army.
The tank form of the Batmobile is ridiculously strong, capable of taking out enemy drone tanks unleashed by the armies of the titular Arkham Knight. There are even boss battles with the Batmobile, where players have to use its agility to dodge the destructive power of similar vehicles. The Batmobile is almost too prevalent in Batman: Arkham Knight, being involved in puzzles and detective work just as much as travel or big fights. Some Riddler trophy collectibles even demand the use of the Batmobile, so it’s good that the vehicle is blast to use at every stage of the game.
2. Seamoth/Cyclops (Subnautica)
Swimming endlessly in Subnautica is impossible with just your diver suit, as some areas of different undersea biomes are either full of radiation or packed with monsters who can kill you quickly. Oxygen runs out fast at lower depths too, so a vehicle capable of navigating the deepest reaches of the alien world you crash land on is a huge help. When you find the right blueprints, the Seamoth is your starting vehicle, allowing for faster navigation through a vast ocean of secrets.
Eventually, you’ll discover the means to build its larger counterpart, the Cyclops, which almost acts as a mobile hub for your journey. Likely to return in the upcoming Subnautica 2 Early Access, both the Seamoth and Cyclops are excellent milestones for your adventure, immediately taking pressure off your character and simplifying exploration processes. Half of Subnautica isn’t accessible without one of these vehicles, so in a way, they are tools that unlock new portions of the game.
These vehicles also provide protection against Subnautica‘s deadliest creatures, at least to a certain extent. The Seamoth or Cyclops requires many materials to build, but also plenty to maintain as you keep their power active throughout different expeditions. Each machine has its pros and cons, such as the Seamoth’s light nature and mobile speed, or the Cyclops’ array of cameras and larger cargo space for collected resources. When used together, many obstacles in Subnautica become much easier to face, even in the most lethal underwater areas.
1. Warthog (Halo)
The Warthog is, arguably, the perfect vehicle in Halo, supporting up to three players to work together through its robust design. With one driver, one passenger, and one person operating the Warthog’s rear weapon, this vehicle encourages a cooperation between everyone to succeed. That being said, the Warthog is the ultimate example of sturdy transport, hosting high durability against even the harshest enemies you face.
Halo players of all kinds can tell you a story where a Warthog saved them during the crucial hours of a mission. Whether it’s the desperate last Warthog runs of Halo: Combat Evolved or Halo 3, or using a Warthog to transport victory in a Capture the Flag online multiplayer game, fans love this vehicle for how reliable it is in any given moment. Unlike the slower Scorpion or the fragile Ghost, the Warthog can endure hits, turn on a dime, and let players work as one unit to take down wave upon wave of enemies.
Some Warthogs come equipped with heavy machine guns, highly damaging cannons, or collections of rockets for explosive firepower. Capable of ramming enemies just as easily as its weapons can shoot them, the Warthog is responsible for some of Halo‘s most memorable missions and moments throughout the series’ history. For that fact, it is easily one of the most reliable vehicles in any game, standing the test of time as it even comes back for the Halo: Campaign Evolved remake.
What vehicle in a game was the one you relied on the most? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!
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