Question Of The Month Reader Responses: Issue #230

In issue 228, we asked readers what video game animal they would want as a pet. We posted a few of the answers in the latest issue of Game Informer (#230), but there were plenty more fantasy pet picks to go around.

Gotta Pet 'Em All:

• I would definitely have to say Pikachu, or any other Pokémon for that matter! Certainly any pet that has awesome powers and can understand and do anything you say would be a great pet indeed!
  
  Robert
• I would take a Ditto from Pokémon. The reasoning behind Ditto would be because it can turn into anything. I could have Godzilla under my control if I wanted (cue evil laughter). 
  
  Greg Irvin
• I could go with the cliche Pikachu, because who doesn't want a yellow rodent with a cute voice that can unleash the power of Zeus on anyone his trainer tells him to! 
  
  Michael Gillette
• I would without hesitation choose Squirtle. When I first saw him way back on Pokémon Red, I knew he was the one for me. Ever since I went through the whole game with just him (I was too young to understand the concept of catching more Pokémon) he has held a special place in my heart. From our first bubble attack against Gary to garnering the 8th gym badge, Squirtle has brought me so much joy and memories throughout my life. I can remember as a kid running around the backyard pretending like I was training with Squirtle, going through whole battles in my head. Call me crazy, but without Squirtle I would not be the person I am today (whether that is a good thing or not). I love you Squirtle!
  
  Justin Freund
• I think a Vaporeon (Pokémon) would make an excellent pet. Diving, swimming, and fighting would be awesome. The question is how to domesticate it...
  
  Luke Norman
• I'd have to choose Foretress from Pokémon. Don't get me wrong, I haven't liked Pokémon in years, but Foretress always used to be one of my favorites. Plus, if there's ever someone I don't like, he can use Hyper Beam on their head!
  
  Stephen Goralski

Train Your Dragon:

• My favorite animal from a video game to have as a pet would be a dragon from Skyrim. And this is because my dog can't protect crap!
  
  Sidney Ordoyne
• Any dragon from Skyrim. Instead of taking my slow as s--- moped to my 8:00AM classes every morning, I could arrive in style and would actually have the motivation to wake up. 
  
  Ian Liegeois
• I would have an ancient dragon from Skyrim. Having a dragon would be awesome enough, but having an ancient dragon would be doublely awesome because it could teach me dragon shouts. Imagine flying on a giant dragon's back, shouting at every living thing in your path. I would name him Ben. 
  
  William Curry-Johnson
• I think the Bahamut from Final Fantasy would be the best pet. The Bahamut is not only cool-looking, he is a fierce guard dragon and could carry me to school and back. Too bad his food bill will be more than my rent.
  
  Bree Stansberry
• Who would I want as a pet and why? Bahamut. 'Nuff said.  
  
  Joe Zieja

My Little Pony:

• Shadowmere! I mean come on, he's like the most bad-ass horse in all of Skyrim.
  
  Justin Burke
• I would like to have Shadowmere as a pet. Not only would it be awesome to have one of the fastest horses in the world, but he would follow me around everywhere! And if any dragons decide they want to mess up my day, Shadowmere will be there to kick it back to Sovngarde.
  
  Chris Poole
• I would probably have to go with the horse from Barbie Horse Adventures. I mean, come on. Who doesn't want a horse that can phase through mountains?
  
  Spencer Walton

Man's Best Friend:

• I would definitely choose a dog. Dogs have been in video game culture since early in their history, from the weird-morphing dog in Fable to the ever adorable block-eyed dog in Minecraft, the dog is the best pet ever. Always there for you, whether finishing your downed enemies or killing skeletons and zombies, they are always useful.
  
  Tyler Hietanen
• My answer is Dogmeat from Fallout 3. Once I found him, I had to have him. When he died, I used a Fat Man to kill everybody in the area. When the Broken Steel add-on added a perk to get his puppy after his death, I wept with joy.
  
  Casey 
• My favorite animal would have to be the dog from Fable 2. He would always be by my side whenever I needed him to find treasure or when I was low on health, and he would fight for me.
  
  Zach
• If I could have any video game animal as a pet, I would have to go with a Mabari war hound. Extremely powerful, fiercely loyal, and insanely intelligent. Why wouldn't someone want one!
  
  Glenn

Almost Man's Best Friend:

• If I could have any video game animal as a pet, it would be Amaterasu from Okami. As for why, seriously? She's a divine wolf. I dare anyone to mess with me.
  
  Joe Cashman
• I would choose Tenebrae from Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. Who can say no to a flying, talking, dog-like thing with a hand on the end of his tail? Plus, I enjoy his sense of humor. 
  
  Ryan Harrelson
• I would have to choose a Chain-Chomp from the Super Mario Bros. franchise. Carrying that thing around with me would make life a whole lot easier. I wouldn't have to worry about making enemies. Although, I would have to spend a lot of money putting "Beware of 'Dog'" signs everywhere.
  
  Nicholas Hood
• Hmm... any pet? I think it would be a Nightstalker from Fallout New Vegas! That thing is half dog, half snake – how can you go wrong?! Well, other than the possible chance of it biting your friends like that lady that got mauled by a – you know what? I think I'll just get a Pyjak.
  
  George Bonar
• I would choose Ifrit from Final Fantasy VIII, because even though he's a GF, he would look cool chasing the mail man. I do understand that you asked about animals, but since you have to care for them like animals in the game, I choose him. 
  
  Cedric Jones
• I would choose a Futon Dog, from Growlanser: Heritage of War. A Futon Dog would be excellent as a pet, because they do not shed. No clean up. You would not be taking them for a walk, either. Further, you can use them as a convenient footstool or chair, since they are like an ottoman. Probably the most important thing would be the provision of a chair. Therefore, I would be able to sit, rather than lying on the floor to play video games.
  
  George Kaiser
• I would have Red XIII as a pet and here's why: He kicks ass, he looks awesome, and his grandpa has outer space in his attic.
  
  Samantha Rossetti
• My choice would be Red XIII from Final Fantasy VII. Red XIII rocks, and just straight out looks really cool. A talking wolf with bad-ass tattoos, and can destroy enemies in battle? Count me in. Red XIII is welcome in my house any day!
  
  Eddie

The Classics:

• I would choose Yoshi. For one thing, he's one of the most lovable video game characters ever created. Who doesn't love his character design or his voice? Also, he would be incredibly useful. Kite stuck in a tree? No problem. Yoshi can flutter jump his way up to the top and get down it for you. Pile of junk lying around the house that you want to get rid of? So what? Yoshi will eat anything you put in front of him. Bullies? Thing of the past! Just snap your fingers, and Yoshi will shoot out his long sticky tongue out, snatch the jerk up, and swallow him whole in the blink of an eye. Not to mention you could also probably make money having him eat things nobody wants. And where else are you going to get a dinosaur that's friendly enough to keep as a pet?
  
  Joshua Hankins
• I would want Yoshi as a pet because he can eat everything/everyone that stands in his path, and he can fly. 
  
  Logan Naillon
• I would have the red Yoshi from Mario. It would be really funny to have Yoshi swallow someone I hate, then spit him out as an egg.
  
  Brenden H.
• I would definitly say Kazooie from Banjo and Kazooie. Not only would he carry me around and help me get to hard to reach places by flying, but he may help me save my sister from that witch that lives next door.
  
  Ian Russell
• Not only would Sly Cooper be an awesome pet, he could steal a great amount of stuff for me too.
  
  Jordan Brewer
• For me it's easy, I always wanted a moogle from Final Fantasy 6. Why? They kick ass. Kupo!
  
  Keith Olsen
• With these rising gas prices, I would have to go with a golden Chocobo as my pet. Who wouldn't want to be flying to work every morning? 
  
  Reilly Barton
• No question about it, I would have a Chocobo from Final Fantasy (VII, specifically). I live in Manhattan and you best believe the sidewalks would clear as soon as people saw that big gold bird tearing down the street. That's right, in this scenario I've skipped the excruciating hours it takes to breed a gold Chocobo and gone right to the fun.
  
  David Purdy

Everyone BUT Sonic?:

• I think I would have Knuckles from the Sonic series as a pet. I always thought he was a bad-ass and I would ask him to super punch people in the face!
  
  Raul De Anda
• I've always wanted Miles "Tails" Prower as my pet. Who wouldn't want that cute little two-tailed fox as a companion? He can give me a ride in the air anytime I want. The best part is I could kill him all the time and he'd randomly come back to life. Sweet!
  
  Niles Dobbs
• Ever since I was 10, I always thought it would be cool to have a Chao from the Sonic Series as a pet, mostly because they can fly, you dont have to clean up after them, and they have that awesome ball thing floating over their heads. I dont know what exactly that is, but it would still be pretty damn epic.
  
  Joph Chandler
• If you ask me what video game pet I'd want, then you might be surprised to find I'd say a Chao from the Sonic The Hedgehog series. I mean, look at the cute little creature!
  
  John Brown
• My first choice would be a Chao from Sonic Adventure 2, mainly because of the gut-wrenching cuteness. But the diet (fruit), life span (immortal, if well cared for), and the fact that their appearance changes based on your personality are all factors as well. After that would be several types of  Pokémon, then a space hamster.
  
  Nyssa Mayfield

More Sidekick Than Pet:

• I would choose Sackboy from LittleBigPlanet. I would use him to create a Sackbot army and they would be my personal minions for everything, such as the laundry and yard work.
  
  Kenny
• The Blob from a Boy and His Blob. All you have to do is feed it jellybeans and it turns into anything. A rocket, umbrella, trampoline, anything!
  
  Matt Baggin
• If I were to have any pet from a video game, I would choose Bob the Goldfish from Earthworm Jim. What's not to love about a psychopathic, obsessive compulsive, delusional, insane fish trying to take over the world from your apartment's kicthen/living room?
  
  Matt Barnes

Robopet:

• If I could have any video game pet it would be Clank from Ratchet & Clank. I mean he acts as a jet pack, he can talk, he's a robot for God's sake – why wouldn't you want to have him as a pet?
  
  Troy Fisher
• If I could have any video game animal as a pet – well, he's not exactly an animal, but I'd say Claptrap from Borderlands. That would be so awesome – he is so bad-ass! I mean, he can start a revolution and break out into a sick dance. What else does a pet need to do?
  
  Sam Miller

Not Our Choice, But Whatever:

• If I could have any video game animal as a pet, it would have to be a headcrab. Why? Well, it is the cutest alien monster out there besides zerglings, and I could also use it to make my brother do anything I want (one way or the other – MUAHAHAHA!). 
  
  David Rollins