The Top Video Game Heroines
Because I wrote about female gamers in my last post, I thought it only appropriate to dedicate my next piece to gaming's greatest heroines. Listed below are my favorite female video game characters, selected because they meet two important pieces of criteria - historical significance and superb design.
The list as follows:
1. Ms. Pac-Man - She's not the buxom, sexy lady gamers are accustomed to seeing in today's games, but she truly was video gaming's first female star. Even today, the Ms. Pac-Man arcade game remains popular around the world, even beating out the original Pac-Man in total units sold.
2. Princess Peach Toadstool - With all the tough and violent female characters in games today, it's sometimes difficult to remember a time when video game women weren't all about maiming and slaughtering bad guys. The lovely Princess Peach, the Big N's first princess of gaming, remains a breath of fresh air in a sea full of game women barely distinguishable from their male counterparts. True, the Princess still plays the damsel-in-distress role in many titles, but games like Paper Mario reveal her to be a character full of heart, hope, and courage, untainted by the dark edge seen in many other female protagonists. And while her recent depictions in games such as Super Mario Strikers seem a bit out-of-character for her (see earlier post "Sacrilege! Nintendo, What Have You Done?!"), other titles still show her as the kind, peaceful woman we've known since her first appearance in Super Mario Bros. back in 1985.
3. Samus Aran - Heroine of the Metroid series, Samus was the first female character many gamers took serious notice of. Clad in heavy armor that concealed her true identity, most gamers playing the original Metroid naturally assumed they were playing through the game as a male character. Only after defeating the final boss, the heinous Mother Brain, was her true identity revealed, delightfully shocking gamers across the country. Believe it or not, many a young man's first crush was on Samus Aran, which is probably why the heroine remains rooted in the consciousness of many modern gamers. For an excellent modern take on the character, readers should seek the games Metroid Fusion (Gameboy Advance) and Metroid Prime (GameCube).
4. Chun Li - Originally the only playable female character in Capcom's now legendary Street Fighter 2, the beautiful Chun Li quickly stole the hearts of SF2 fans everywhere. The fact that she was one of the game's better contestants didn't hurt her popularity either, and even today she remains one of Capcom's most prized female characters. Her personality has changed slightly over the years, with her lighter, feminine side sometimes overshadowed by a more serious, determined disposition, but at her core, Chun Li will always be the struggling, virtuous daughter seeking justice for the murder of her father.
5. Aerith (Aeris) - Perhaps gaming's most tragic character, the serene and compassionate Aerith was a ray of sunshine to the often dark locales in Final Fantasy VII. In fact, gamers became so attached to her, the damsel's shocking death mid-way into the game still haunts Final Fantasy fans to this day (myself included). Her fate greatly affects the game's other heroes as well, namely Cloud Strife, the game's primary protagonist and Aerith's love interest. Gamers still hope that Square Enix will one day remake the game and provide gamers with the option of preventing Aerith's untimely death from ever occurring.
While these are my favorite game women, I am fond of many others. A few runner-ups are: Princess Zelda (from The Legend of Zelda series, although versions of Zelda vary from title to title), Cornet (from Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure), Amy (from Sonic Adventure), and Shantae (from, well, Shantae). Also, for significance's sake, I should also mention Lara Croft (from Tomb Raider, although I am not a big fan of her myself).
So, agree with my choices? Disagree? Have your own favorites you want to share? Let me know! Until next time. . .
posted by GamerDan @ 10/14/2005 04:17:00 AM
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