We all know what it’s like - you sit down to start a new game, and a female character walks in - you know that they exist purely for your character’s gratification, because the game is marketed towards 14-year-old boys. Despite what marketers say they know about gamers, male gamers really do enjoy playing as female protagonists; what we don’t like is wishy-washy characters who exist purely to get kidnapped, or to wave a pair of tits at the camera. We want characters in our games.
With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of 10 female characters who are primarily good characters. They are fun to play as, and the fact that they have two X chromosomes is completely irrelevant. There are 3 rules we had in mind while writing this list:
1. The character is always female - no FemSheps (Mass Effect) or Lady Presidents (Saint’s Row 4). These characters are essentially genderless, and so have no place on this list, despite being awesome in their own right.
2. The character has to be playable - Cortana made us cry in Halo 4, and Alyx Vance from Half Life 2 is a legend among gamers - bur neither are playable. They also go on a separate list.
3. The gameplay doesn’t revolve around the fact that they are female - Samus Aran would be a contender, but after the whole Other M fiasco, where the fact that she was female became the plot., she has been DQ’ed. This list is for characters who could be male or female - it doesn’t make a difference: the characters were written simply to be good characters.
These are the kinds of characters we want to see more of, so without any further ado…
10. Morrigan – Dragon Age: Origins
While Morrigan isn’t the main protagonist of Dragon Age: Origins, she is a playable protagonist, and thus she counts. She is a funny, vibrant character who makes the world of Dragon Age a much more amusing place. Not only is she a dynamic character, causing mayhem and destruction on the battlefield whether you control her or not, put her in your party and walk around town for some truly cracking lines of dialogue. Morrigan is a brilliant character who we hope will make a comeback in the next Dragon Age title.
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9. Ellie – The Last of Us
Ellie - what a character she is. Throughout the main game, Ellie is the child you must protect. You quickly learn that this ‘child’ is a lot older than she appears to be, dispatching enemies with such readiness and skill that you stop and question whether or not this 13-year-old is actually 13 years old. Ellie is playable in both the main game and the DLC, but whether you are playing as her or not, she is a character you genuinely care about.
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8. Elizabeth – Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea (Episode 2)
Elizabeth is the main character in Bioshock Infinite, even if you do not play as her; everything that Booker DeWitt does, he does for her. Despite this, Elizabeth doesn’t even feature on the front of box. This complete and utter travesty aside, playing as Elizabeth during Burial at Sea is a welcome touch. Elizabeth may not be the big, burly, murdering asshole that Booker is, but the game tailors itself to Elizabeth’s physique and then makes no further comments. Well played, Bioshock… Well played.
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7. Clementine – The Walking Dead: Season 2
Clementine… We cried at the end of The Walking Dead: Season 1. Clem is kid that many of us had been looking after for almost a year at this point, but what felt like forever, either way. You cared about Clementine. She was your kid, and you were her protector. When she was in danger, you panicked. In Season 2 you play as Clementine - she is alone in the big, scary world, and this world has zombies. While other characters may comment on the fact that Clem is a little girl, it is not what the game is about; not once does the game make out that this 11-year-old kid - 8 years old in Season 1 - is a little girl and thus, defenseless. Clem may be a girl, but she’s tough as nails, and she’s a goddamn survivor.
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6. Red - Transistor
Transistor is a relatively new game, compared to the rest of this list, seeing as it was released last week. Red is a singer who has her voice stolen, and must fight through the world with her sword and partner, the Transistor. Yes the two are a couple, but the game is never crass about it. The two love each other, and that is how they act; this is an honest, genuine relationship between two people, that is beautifully presented and feels so real it’s palpable. Red may use her lover to win fights, but a sword is only as skilled as its weilder - Red is a woman who can look after herself.
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5. Jade – Beyond Good and Evil
Beyond Good and Evil is a strange game, set in a strange universe where strange animals are strange people too. It’s appropriate that in a world like this, your species and gender is completely irrelevant to who or what you are; everyone is taken at face value. Jade, our protagonist, is a photographer set on exposing a governmental plot so sinister that only a dedicated team of crack freedom fighters can uncover it. Obviously, Jade is the only one who does any footwork, and that is on top of looking after ophans with Uncle Pey’j. Uncle Pey’j is an anthropomorhic pig, for the record. Jade is a damn good person and the fact that she is female is never used once to bring her character into question.
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4. Nilin – Remember Me
Nilin is a good example of a character who just happens to be female. Nilin is another freedom fighter, but this time she is working to bring down a corporation which she used to work for - the memory altering Memorize, which created the Sensen technology which you use to hack into people’s brains and alter their memories. It’s only fitting that Nilin has amnesia then, isn’t it? Nilin’s reviews were mixed; many thought she was a boring character, while others praised her for being a female character who didn’t stick to any of the female stereotypes or tropes. At the end of the day, Nilin fights her way through Remember Me without once stopping to remind us that she is female - she simply kicks ass and takes names.
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3. Lara Croft – Tomb Raider
An obvious choice on any list of female protagonists, Lara has lost the ridiculous breasts that made her so famous, and has opted this time for being a well-rounded character. This latest version of Lara is the only one we want to see more of.
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2. Faith – Mirror’s Edge
Mirror’s Edge is a game where it is easy to forget that you are playing a female, as you only really see Faith’s hands for the majority of the game. This game is about parkour and free-running, with a bit of a plot thrown in for good measure. While it was by no means a ground-breaking game by any stretch of the imagination, Mirror’s Edge is a game where the main character is a woman second, and a person first. A sequel is finally on the way, after years of fan demands.
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1. Chell – Portal
Chell… The main character of Portal who is subject to GLaDOS’ ridicule and torturous science; it’s very easy to forget that Chell is female, because she never once speaks. She never looks in the mirror or follows any stereotype or trope that would identify her as female. You can see what Chell looks like through the tactical use of portal-placement, and you know that Chell is female because GLaDOS refers to her as such. All the same, Chell is an incredible protagonist - being the only person that GLaDOS cannot kill is reason enough for our admiration, but to take all of that and still not say a word or break down? Chell is a stronger character than most of us.
Nic Bunce
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