Howdy Pardner Trivia Quiz

Answer: Navi

Link and Navi are characters from 'The Legend of Zelda' series of video games. While Link has appeared in every game, Navi didn't appear until 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time' in 1998. Navi is depicted as a female fairy who is sent to assist Link in his various tasks which lead to him saving the Kingdom of Hyrule. Navi provides clues to Link, and the player of the game, to teach him how to overcome obstacles and work out puzzles.

Answer: Ratchet

The first game to feature 'Ratchet and Clank' came out in 2002 and has been followed by several sequels. The franchise is owned by Sony and is available only for their consoles such as the PlayStation. The games feature Ratchet, a character resembling a cross between a human and a cat, and Clank, who is a robot. The duo travel through space fighting evil.

Answer: Luke

The games featuring Professor Hershel Layton and his assistant, Luke Triton, are puzzle solving challenges which form part of a story. The first in the series, 'Professor Layton and the Curious Village', came out in 2007 for the Nintendo DS. Later games included prequels, showing how Luke first became involved with Layton, and sequels, which have Layton's children as the main characters.

Answer: Drake

Drake (Nathan Drake) and Sully (Victor Sullivan) are characters from the 'Uncharted' game series issued by Sony and available for the Playstation consoles. Drake and Sully are treasure hunters and the games involve overcoming physical obstacles and various enemies - shooting these using an array of weapons, some of which are obtained from the vanquished opponents.

Answer: Banjo

These characters are the ones that give their names to the 'Banjo-Kazooie' series of video games, the first of which dates from 1998. Banjo is a brown bear and Kazooie is a luridly bright red bird claimed to be a species called a breegull. Kazooie spends most of her time in Banjo's backpack, emerging to throw insults at other characters in the game.

The main antagonist is Gruntilda, a witch.

Answer: Marcus

The full names of these two characters are Dominic Santiago and Marcus Michael Fenix and they feature in 'Gears of War', a series of games created by Xbox Game Studios. The games involve the main characters fighting against enemies called the Locust Horde, who live underground and were originally human until altered by genetic engineering.

The first game came out in 2006 and, like most successful video games, several sequels have appeared.

Answer: Jak

The Jak and Daxter franchise is owned by Sony with the games being developed to be played on the various versions of the PlayStation. Jak is the main character, a sort of cross being an elf and a human, while Daxter is the trusty sidekick. He is described as an ottsel - an otter/weasel cross which has never been found in nature but does have some plausibility since they both belong to the same animal family.

The first game in the series came out in 2001.

Answer: Cortana

Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, to give him his full name, is the hero of the 'Halo' games, developed primarily for the Xbox. The first game in the series came out in 2001 with regular new games appearing since. The story involves battles between humans and a group of aliens known as the Covenant. Cortana is the character who provides information and guidance to Master Chief, and the player.

As with other video games, the concept has moved into other media such as anime films and a proposed television series.

Answer: Orville

These two are characters from the most recent game covered in this quiz - 'Animal Crossing: New Horizons', which was released in March 2020 for the Nintendo Switch. Orville and Wilbur are brothers - dodos - who owe their names to the first men to make a powered flight, the Wright brothers. Orville is a receptionist and Wilbur is a pilot, and both of them work for Dodo Airlines in the game.

The pair are very similar in appearance but Wilbur, in recognition of his occupation, wears aviator sunglasses.

Answer: Sonic

Possibly the character familiar to even non video games players, Sonic is a blue hedgehog who fights against the crazy scientist known as Dr Eggman. Tails is an usual type of fox, with two appendages (tails) which give him his nickname - his proper name is Miles Prower. Tails is Sonic's friend and companion in their adventures. 'Sonic the Hedgehog', created by Sega, first appeared in 1991.