One of the first real video game characters ever made was that of villain Donkey Kong in the 1981 game Donkey Kong as it was also one of the first inclusions of a plot into a video game. You would play as Jumpman, later on to become Mario, in a quest to rescue Lady from being kidnapped by Donkey Kong. In order to get her back Mario would have to jump his way up a series of levels under the constant threat of being hit by one of the barrels Donkey Kong would endlessly throw at you. Donkey Kong was also the first video game character to emote inside a video game, smirking when you failed and upon his defeat would look surprised and scared. It was these small details that added to the character.
The 90's
While the original Half Life came out in the late 90's (1998), I still feel that the most notable character to emerge in that time is that of Gordon Freeman. Silent protagonists had been done before, but never with this amount of interaction with other characters. It is hard to believe that one of the industry's most famous characters is one that is completely silent, and this is because of instead of having his own dialogue to build his personality, he is characterized by those who you interact with in the game. This paved the way for multiple games to use a similar system to this as it allows the player to feel as if characters in the game are interacting with them and not just another character.
The 2000's
The Master Chief from the Halo series is probably the most well known science fiction action hero in the entirety of gaming. Halo came as a launch title for the original Xbox in 2001 and became a staple of the platform ever since. The lasting appeal of the character came from his iconic armour design and his stoic voice and attitude to unfolding events. While not necessarily innovative compared to the previous two characters but builds more on being a character that players want to be, the writers clearly trying to emphasize how 'epic' they wanted the character to be, and they really did succeed.
The 2010's
Handsome Jack. In my opinion one of the greatest written villains of all time, was the main antagonist in Borderlands 2 and his overwhelming charisma and presence was felt throughout the entire game. Whenever a quiet moment in the game was had, Jack would be there to interject a quip or insult to you to really grind in how despicable his character was. It really was a testament of how great the character was written of how disgusting Jacks actions were, yet he remained so likable and entertaining to listen to and as a result became the most enduring character of the series, having a prequel game flesh out his back story and telltale create a miniseries of games showing how his legacy still effects the world of Pandora.
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