Something went wrong. Try again later

Darkpen

This user has not updated recently.

97 0 29 6
Forum Posts Wiki Points Following Followers

Top 10 Most Awesome Female Video Game Protagonists

With recent minor controversy surrounding news that Treyarch's plan on making a True Crime game with a female lead was overridden by Activision's focus testing, there was a brief outcry concerning female characters in games, and whether or not they're marketable, or in Activision's case, "safe."
 
When it comes to female leads in games, or just choosing to play as a female when given a choice, many male gamers can be pretty divided, and mostly for good reasons. Most who choose not to when given a choice simply state that it effects their level of immersion, which is something I absolutely agree with (when there's a romantic relationship flag, anyways). But some simply outright refuse to play as a woman, whether it be Bayonetta, Lara Croft, or April Ryan.
 
To the group of boys and men in the latter category, I say to you: Stop being such insecure twats. You're missing out. Did you play Portal? You know you were playing as a chick, right? What about Metroid?
 
I'm sorry to say, however, that the list omits supporting female roles, but despite that, honorable mention must go to The Boss from Metal Gear Solid 3, for showing us what motherhood and love really means. Another honorable mention to Kaine from Nier, for being the first canonical hermaphrodite with a complex past in video games.

List items

  • As the star in one is undoubtedly one of the best PC adventure games ever made, April Ryan takes the top spot. The writing for her character alone beats out the rest of this list, but what would be the point?

  • Being the first video game character to pull off the "wait, Metroid's a girl?" trick, causing chaos and confusing on school yards across the world, Samus grabs the #2 spot. While she's always been fairly quiet, Metroid: Other M seems to promise great exploration of her character's depth and an over-arcing maternal theme.

  • Considered Alyx Vance's long lost twin, Jade has been a sort of cult darling amongst video game enthusiasts, representing what a strong female protagonist can be.

  • Lara, oh Lara. Where would 3D games and CG porn be without you?

    I'm joking, of course, but with solid gameplay, and amounting more or less to being Indiana Jones with two X chromosomes, Lara Croft has become an established cultural identity for badassery meeting feminism (sans motherhood). Sure, some of her games are lame, and she gets awfully angry in the more recent entries of the series, but that doesn't stop her from nabbing the #4 spot.

  • Chell takes the #5 spot in sheer importance of being who she is in the overall scope of what Portal, as a game, represents. With a flurry of essays written on Portal by rabid undergraduates, Chell represents a part of the feministic whole that is the game and the symbolism it carries. While very little is known of her character, you could say that she's right up there in fan-determined awesomeness as Gordon Freeman is.

  • Starring in what many considered an incredibly experimental RPG at the time, and still do, Aya Brea stands out as an incredible badass who goes it alone to defeat a threat to humankind, and continues to do so for to additional games.

  • Famously touted by gaming journalist Leigh Alexander as being representative of female empowerment, Bayonetta has come to represent different things to many people, but one thing that you couldn't argue is just how badass she is.

  • Professional, cool, and a Master of Unlocking, Jill Valentine takes #8 for her pivotal role as a hallmark in the Resident Evil franchise. Escaping sure doom of being a Jill Sandwich, Ms. Valentine continues her role as a badass in Resident Evil 5 and the upcoming 3DS title as well.

  • With a game like Odin Sphere, where there's a whole collection of female protagonists, its difficult to choose between them, so I pick the game as a whole for #9.

  • Chun-Li, as a character, is as classic and fondly remembered as Lara Croft for being one of the earliest ladies of gaming who were willing to show a fair bit of body shape. Mostly famous amongst the boys and girls for her "thunder thighs," Chun-Li takes the #10 spot in this list of the most awesome female video game protagonists.

  • (Bonus) Although Amaterasu mostly amounts to being a silent protagonist in line with established characters like Link in the Zelda series, her fan following and the general cult status of all Clover games earns her an honorable mention at #11.