Best female video game characters?

[robwright]

'Cause I'm a sucker for lists, that's why. Any nominations? Please don't say Lara Croft. In fact, I'll start the list with some obvious ones.

Lara Croft (Tomb Raider series)
Rayne (BloodRayne)
Samus Aran (Metroid series)

 

[VBDude]

Lara Croft!

Now that I got that out of the way, I agree your list so far, but...and I have a few additions.

I'd include Alyx, the first lady of Half-Life. She represents to me why I like Valve. Alyx isn't a sex symbol, she's a strong lead character. I think it's testimant to their work on making characters real that I forgot there were a lot of women in Half-Life 2, many fighting right along with Gordon. Deus Ex was the same way, though I didn't like those women. :lol:

Another one that just came to mind is Aribeth from NWN. Actually, pretty much all Bioware games have great female characters. Bastilla from KOTOR; Silk Fox from Jade Empire; and let's not forget the other NPCs who'd join your party. I'm particularly fond of Mission Vao.

Here's a couple more:
Sarah Kerrigan (StarCraft)
Meryl Silverburgh (Metal Gear Solid)
Bella Goth (The Sims) :tongue:

 

[guruofchem]

Kerrigan from StarCraft is the one I remember the best. She had a great NPC role as a human, then gets reborn as a Zerg - how cool is that?

 

[stemnin]

Damn, beat me two it!

I can't stand Lara Croft in the video games, prob cause I can't stand those games!

Kerrigan (Starcraft/Starcraft Brood War)
Alyx Vance (Half Life 2)
Samus definitely!
B. Orchid (Killer Instinct/Killer Instinct II)
Anarki (Quake III - ok lol, I have no idea what i'm thinking)
The chicks from DoA (now i'm really losing it)


There seems to be so few good female characters....the first 3 are the best, Kerrigan being my fav, the character had soul, evil soul though :twisted: .

 

[infornography42]

Etna from Disgaea
hmm...
Not sure if its because I'm just drawing a blank or because most female characters are pretty two dimensional but thats all I got for now. I'll probably think of more later.

 

[robwright]

Disgaea, wow. Nice catch. A nice dark horse nomination for the list.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm up to about 50 characters so far. The list should be online in the next week or so.

And if you have any thoughts on who might play some of these characters in a movie, if they haven't already been adapted, throw those suggestions in as well.

 

[VBDude]

Is this another article you're working on or are you just going to blast us with a huge edit to your OP?

I'll be thinking about those movie ideas over the weekend...

 

[exit2dos]

American McGee's Alice - Supposedly, is already being made into a movie starring Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Ms. Pac Man - Could star Tyne Daly or Roseanne Barr.

 

[robwright]

American McGee's Alice - Supposedly, is already being made into a movie starring Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Already got that one on the list, but thanks. And it's true, Buffy is playing Alice. Couldn't think of a better casting choice myself -- which is hard, by the way. I mean, after all, who could play Sarah Kerrigan in a movie?

 

[GyRo567]

April Ryan from The Longest Journey.

Hands down. No objections even possible. I will personally track down & silence anyone who so much as suggests it's even possible for another character in a game to top her.


From there, I tend to like SHODAN from System Shock 2, Victoria from Tribes Vengeance, that mutant chick from Tiberian Sun (yes, I'm kidding), Farah from Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, and I'm having trouble thinking of any more serious contenders right now...

 

[robwright]

April Ryan from The Longest Journey.

Hands down. No objections even possible. I will personally track down & silence anyone who so much as suggests it's even possible for another character in a game to top her.

Wow. And I though I was a big April fan. I totally agree with you Gyro. I just started playing The Longest Journey, and she easily won me over.

Now the question is, who'd play her in "The Longest Journey" movie?

 

[antikristuseke]

April Ryan is indeed a great female character

 

[llama_man]

What about the main character from the NOLF games? (Can't recall the name unfortunately).

 

[guruofchem]

Cate Archer - excellent choice Llamaman! She was great, and I can't believe I didn't include her in my 1st post...

 

[llama_man]

How great were those games? (/awaits NOLF3 with little hope]

 

[guruofchem]

How great were those games? (/awaits NOLF3 with little hope]

Little hope indeed - and that is a darn shame. The second one in particular was a game I have replayed more than almost any other - good sneaking, quirky story and characters, two thumbs WAY up!

 

[robwright]

Okay, so who plays Cate Archer in the movie?

Kate Beckinsale? Kate Winslet? Rachel Weisz? Posh Spice?

 

[exit2dos]

Okay, so who plays Cate Archer in the movie?

Kate Beckinsale? Kate Winslet? Rachel Weisz? Posh Spice?

I vote for Mila Kunis - need to see her do something besides comedy.

 

[guruofchem]

Okay, so who plays Cate Archer in the movie?
Kate Beckinsale? Kate Winslet? Rachel Weisz? Posh Spice?

Beckinsale would be nice, and she has the requisite wardrobe from the Underworld movies. Rachel Weisz would be excellent as well - very easy on the eyes and ears. Winslet is not sufficiently winsome - hard to imagine her slinking around in Pleather convincingly. Posh hasn't enough neurons to rub together, and Ms. Archer is a bright girl, so Posh is out altogether. No other ideas coming at present, but I'll add some as they occur...

 

[Aaron McKenna]

Anyone remember the Nazi Assassin babes in Return to Castle Wolfenstein? No, not their fat overmaster, the girls themselves.

Anyone recall Crystal Steele from Blade Runner?

 

[VBDude]

Anyone remember the Nazi Assassin babes in Return to Castle Wolfenstein? No, not their fat overmaster, the girls themselves.

I remember they were used a lot for screenshots in game magazines.

Speaking of assassin babes, I can't believe I forgot about the ninja chicks in the original Half-Life. Now those were scary.

Oh yes, Princess Daphne from Dragon's Lair.

 

[Aaron McKenna]

The assassin chicks in Half-Life always struck me as being more A-Sexual than attractive. Unlike the RTCW ones. Mmmmm.....

 

[infornography42]

I think one question that needs to be asked, what do you mean BEST CHARACTER?

When I think this I compare their CHARACTER, what makes them who they are and their personality, backstory, etc. A lot of the girls being recommended have no character whatsoever, they are nothing more than a pretty face and some art ASSets.

Just pointing it out.

 

[robwright]

I think one question that needs to be asked, what do you mean BEST CHARACTER?

When I think this I compare their CHARACTER, what makes them who they are and their personality, backstory, etc. A lot of the girls being recommended have no character whatsoever, they are nothing more than a pretty face and some art ASSets.

Just pointing it out.

Fair question. The criteria will be explained eventually in the article next week, but for the purposes of getting feedback on this forum, here it is:

By best, I don't mean hot or attractive. In other words, I'm not going to throw chicks from Leisure Suit Larry or Playboy: The Mansion on this list because they're not memorable characters beyond their physical appearances and are almost indistinguishable.

That's not to say looks don't count. But the list isn't the "hottest" female characters. It's the best, meaning the characters have to be memorable beyond looks. They have to make a significant impact on the actual gameplay or narrative, whether they are central characters, playable characters or supporting characters. Thus, the list will feature characters like Sarah Kerrigan of Starcraft and Victoria and Julia from Tribes: Vengeance, who are emphasized more thrugh the game's story than the visuals, as well as attractive characters like Ada Wong from Resident Evil or Eva from Metal Gear Solid.

In essence, the point isn't to grab a bunch of well-designed digital images in skimpy outfits and prop them up as the female icons of gaming -- Playboy has already done that twice, and it was a disgrace. The point is to pay tribute to the female characters that had an impact on us, from Zelda and Princess Peach all the way up to Alyx Vance. Oh, and to find the appropriate actress/model to play that character in a movie, too.

 

[Aaron McKenna]

If you think that Princess Peach is one of the hottest videogame characters ever then you are, in the words of Peter Griffen to his wife, a pedophile. She couldn't have been more than 12 or 13. That Mario fellow... Italian plumber, mustache... come on, like you never saw the signs.