Thousands upon thousands of video game characters have been invented, so it's inevitable that some of them will look similar. But this lot... well, let's just say it would have been quicker but just as effective to hit Ctrl+C then Ctrl+V and have done with it.

The saddest thing is, while the older examples have rather innocent explanations, the newer examples are almost certainly indicative of a more sinister trend in the industry. They're faces that the target demographic will relate to, or aspire to be. Makes me sick. So let's have a look at the offending couples and hope they never meet each other. The space/time continuum may just implode if they do.

This is pretty funny, really, but understandable considering they were designed by the same person, namely Square-Enix and Final Fantasy legend Tetsuya Nomura. Sora from may as well be a younger version of Sion from The Bouncer. Same penchant for dangly chains and zippers everywhere, same hair, similar clothes... if you'd never played The Bouncer before, you could be forgiven for wondering why everyone's calling Sora 'Sion'.

Sora's wardrobe design was apparently intended to echo Mickey Mouse's, as a tribute to the Disney legend in this incredible Square/Disney collaboration. White gloves, red shorts and big, yellow shoes (oh yes, NOW his feet make sense)... I can see that. But still, you could also see Sora as Sion in unconvincing Mickey Mouse cosplay. Awkward.

The new on the side. Seriously, these are the exact same guy. Look at them! Same age bracket, same colour hair, same hairline, same scar above the right eyebrow, same facial hair...

(house style dictates I have to put a paragraph break here but I'm still going) ...same shape of flattish nose, same thin lips and mouth length, same piercing eyes - although he's clearly wearing blue contact lenses on the left - same angle of brow... the only difference is that 'Rico' Max has bent his eyebrows somewhere, presumably where they got melted in an explosion or something.

This one is particularly well-documented, not least because the character model for Ellie in was altered prior to release, which some say was to make her look less like Ellen Page, who didn't lend her likeness to the game and got a bit upset at ostensibly being in it. Ironically, I actually think the revised Ellie looks even more like Ellen. Different colour eyes, though. Yep. Those virtual contact lens people must be making a killing.

Of course, Ms Page DID lend her likeness to , which means we have an in-game render of Ellen Page to compare with an in-game render of not-Ellen Page. The result? Ellen Page. If anything, Page is probably happier with Naughty Dog than Quantic Dream right now. At least Naughty Dog didn't include a fully anatomically-correct naked version of their leading lady in the game. One step forward for gaming, two steps back...

Come on, own up. Who stuck a bicycle pump up Kirby's bum? Pokemon's Jigglypuff looks suspiciously like an uncomfortably-inflated Kirby. Ears and wisp of hair (ice cream?) aside, it's all the same. Pink. Spherical. Rounded protrusions instead of limbs. Visible tongues. Same shaped, small, smiling mouth. Large eyes. Dilated pupils. Exaggerated, manga-style reflections in eyes. Rounded feet. Rounded everything. Kirby and Jigglypuff might as well be brother and sister. Or married. But not both, obviously.

It's stock game journo fact #237, but Kirby was created as a placeholder, while the real hero was decided upon. But the endearing nature of the character (and therefore characters) is that both fit the 'infant proportions' archetype. Large, round face, big eyes, small mouth - it's instinct buried within your DNA that says these things are cute. YOUR BRAIN THINKS THEY MIGHT BE YOUR OFFSPRING.

There aren't that many male video game protagonists with a slightly receding hairline who wear glasses. In fact, I can only think of two. And because there's only one other notable character in that bracket who existed before Alex Taylor of , perhaps it would have been wise to make sure Alex didn't look exactly like him.

But no, it's time to get the Picard facepalm pic out. Half-Life's Gordon Freeman appears to have started street racing. This is weird. Especially as this bespectacled scienti...I mean 'racer' talks. And when he talks, he sounds like Troy Baker. I suppose if Half-Life 3 ever gets made and Gordon does work out how his vocal chords work, assuming Nolan North is still busy recording new Destiny lines, you can bet Troy Baker would step up to voice him.

In these pictures - both taken from Knuckles Chaotix on 32X, Mighty the Armadillo arguably looks more like Sonic the Hedgehog than Sonic the Hedgehog does. Indeed, for a while, I was convinced Sonic's sprite was simply altered to take him out of the playable roster (as the would suggest he was intended to be in it), and this 'Mighty' chap was actually Sonic wearing fake ears and armadillo armour. Look at the picture - surely Mighty is Sonic, right?

Wrong. Mighty The Armadillo was in SegaSonic the Hedgehog - the arcade Sonic game that also starred Ray the Flying Squirrel. No, you're right, you haven't heard of him either. Seeing as that game predates Sonic 3, Mighty arguably has more right to be in the game than Knuckles. And therefore, that shell doesn't come off. Not without a lot of screaming.

On the left: 's hero Chris. On the right, Atari classic Adventure's unnamed hero. It's totally a young Chris. Slightly richer colour (newer, see?), but those right-angles are unmistakable. Mind = blown.

And on that bombshell, that's it. Thought of any more gaming lookalikes? Let us know in the comments and I will update this article. Either that, or one that looks just like it. Hahahaha*gunshot*.