Okay, so quick show of hands: who here thinks that
the gaming industry has improved recently?
I know it may seem otherwise with every other post
I write, but I’m glad to argue that there’s been progress. Indie titles are doing the lord’s work, as
usual. Some of the biggest releases of
the last year or two have tried to push the envelope in various ways. There’s innovation to be truly excited about;
would you ever have guessed that Nintendo, of all companies, would release an
online multiplayer shooter and instantly have
it become a success?
Yes, things are better than they were. But of course, they could be even better. There’s still a lot of work that needs to be
done on multiple fronts, with the treatment (or even usage) of female
characters well among them. We want a
better future, and people are trying to get there however they can. That’s true even if some days it seems like
“progress” is made while seemingly wearing a suit of armor during a triathlon.
But in order to see where we’re going, we have to
know where we’ve been. So it’s time to
do something I’ve never, ever done before…except
for the last time I did it.
So let’s be straight here. Do video games need more female
protagonists? Yes, absolutely, and
direly. Does that invalidate every other
female character just because she doesn’t take top billing? No.
I’m a firm believer in the idea that a main character is one of the most
important parts of a story, video game or otherwise; still, the rest of a cast
is 100% critical, and shouldn’t be thrown out just ‘cause. We should be
able to celebrate good characters whenever and wherever they appear.
I’ll assume there are about eleventy zaptillion
people in the world right now that want the fabled “strong female character” to
show up in the stories they take in. I’m
one of them, for sure. But that’s a
phrase that’s become muddled, as has its definition. Speaking personally? I want a female character without limits --
someone who has the freedom to explore various avenues, and be more in terms of
design and/or execution. So as long as
it’s within reason? I don’t care what
they look like. I don’t care what their
base-level role is. I don’t care how
much ass they can kick. Just give me
someone that’s good, and I’ll honor that.
As you’ll soon see.
So once again, I’m making a list of some cool
video game ladies. Note that this isn’t
even close to a complete list, because there are too many ladies and games to
compress into one post. Likewise, these
are the characters I’ve had
significant experience with, either through direct play or observation
online. I’d love to give a spot to Ciri
from The Witcher 3, but I don’t know
if I’ve got it in me to watch/play through a 100+ hour game.
Whatever the case, I’ll use the same rules as last
time. I won’t use to name any of the
more common choices so the following characters are BANNED from this list:
Jade, Faith, Samus Aran, Elizabeth Comstock, Ellie, Clementine, Bayonetta,
Chun-Li, and Lara Croft. Similarly, I’ll
tie a hand behind my back and avoid using some of my personal picks. In other words, Juliet Starling, Peach,
Zelda, Rosalina, Palutena, all of the Shin
Megami Tensei ladies, all of the Fire
Emblem ladies, and all of the Tales
series ladies are BANNED. And since I’m
doing this again, I’ll not only ban myself from using the same characters as
last time, but also the same games. No Mass
Effect, no Metal Gear, no Tekken, etc. Is it even possible to dig up another 10,
then? Of course it is -- but you’re free
to name your own ladies as needed. Might
as well, because this post will NOT hold back the spoilers.
Now then, let’s begin. And we’ll start moving forward by going waaaaaaaaaaay backward.
Not counting the stuff in my schools’ computer
labs, this is one of the first PC games I ever played. Does it hold a special place in my
heart? Well, it must if I actually managed
to remember it unprompted. And while
it’s probably aged horribly, the
skeleton of merit is no doubt still there -- plus it’s got a cool lady in the
leading role.
Like the cover of the game implies, Maya’s more
than willing to put her massive gun
to good use. She may spend most of her
days living as a scavenger on a desolate floating continent, but she’ll also do
her part to keep the peace -- whether that means solving the problems that crop
up, or standing up to crooks looking to misuse innocent robots. She’s strong and firm in the face of
opposition, but not without her caring side.
She’s also more than willing to get a little
pragmatic; part of the plot involves having her disguise herself as a lady of the evening to get what she
needs. It does come off as pandering
(for those looking for some sweet Diablo-style
ass), but it doesn’t take away from the fact that she’s willing to play hero in
the face of assaulting mutants, a continent-spanning war, and a band of
self-righteous zealots on track to ruin pretty much everything ever.
It’s a good thing she has that gun. Because gosh, isn’t it nice when a female character in an RPG isn’t just a doe-eyed,
waifish white mage?
Confession time: my favorite character in Until Dawn is actually Jess. She was more or less built to be a bratty
queen bee, but the game pulled it off so well -- and infused her with a
shocking amount of charm -- that I strove to keep her alive at any cost. She would
take this slot, but Sam gets a lot more play. I have to respect that.
It’s true that Until
Dawn bounces between eight characters, but (with the exception of the
mentally-unstable mastermind Josh) Sam is the one that gets an incredible
amount of focus. In a cast built on and
filled with stereotypes, she’s arguably the closest to being a real human. She’s willing to call out the others for the
prank that incites the whole incident; she’s eager to try and stop the
bickering between her pals; she’s capable both physically and mentally, especially
since she starts the game with some impromptu climbing in snowy conditions.
Is Sam the best fighter? I guess we’ll never know for sure, but she
does as well as she can against masked assailants and screeching
wendigoes. It’s not exactly with raw firepower or weapon
skill, though; it’s with her wits and resourcefulness. Even if she has to do a lot of panicked
running, give her a second to breathe and she’ll find ways to mess up a
pursuer’s day with bats, vases, and even a good old gas-fueled explosion. And while it may not sound very impressive on
paper, I think it’s worth noting that she’s one of the few characters to secure
victory (and win a final boss “fight”) just by standing still. Can you imagine the amount of composure it
takes to do that when you’re getting swarmed by near-invincible, cannibalistic
hell-beasts? Probably not, because you
wouldn’t be able to survive just by setting your controller on a flat surface.
It’s incredibly tempting to name Elma as one of
this list’s cool ladies, and she certainly is -- least of all because she’s
arguably the main character. But that
would mean I wouldn’t be able to recognize Lin, and we can’t have that.
It would’ve been way too easy for the devs to make
the 13-year-old Lin into a stereotypical cute girl you’d expect from any given
moe-driven anime. But they didn’t. Even if Lin isn’t even tall enough to reach
the top shelf in the kitchen, she’s exceedingly mature for her age -- a woman
of science who spends most of her days trying to develop flight technology for
the mechs of humanity’s last bastion.
Part of that has to do with her personal passion (she’s a little too into giant robots); part of
that is to pay tribute to her parents -- people who were engineers, but passed
when humanity came under fire.
Lin puts on a brave, cheery face most of the time
(and isn’t afraid to let the jokes fly), but there are times when she
cracks. It’s hard to blame her; time is
running out on the human race, she’s facing near-insurmountable odds on an
alien planet, and as a BLADE there’s no shortage of officials counting on her
on the battlefield and in the
lab. She basically had to grow up fast
-- and yet she’s able to make it through day after day, week after week without
breaking down. She doesn’t need a
babysitter. She’s more than worthy of
standing beside Elma, which is pretty obvious given that she’s supposed to be
one of the game’s primary tanks.
So yeah, cool character. Now, if only she’d stop joking about eating
Tatsu…
Controversial opinion, but I respect the crap out
of Life is Strange. While it does invite a lot of scorn with its
hipster stylings and characters that are -- to put it kindly -- an acquired taste, I can’t even come
close to hating the game for trying to offer up something it thought was
special. So I want to take a minute to
honor it by honoring a character that might have flown under a few thousand
radars: Joyce.
Whereas most of the other cast members are art school
students (with all the baggage that that implies), Joyce is a grown woman who
makes a living via the local diner. It’s
hardly glamorous, but there’s something refreshing about seeing a normal woman
in a normal situation -- an oasis in a medium awash with fantastical
worlds. There’s a level of weariness
about her, but that won’t stop her from being kind and accommodating to anyone
looking for a meal. Not that she’s a
total pushover, mind, given that she’ll call out anyone who causes trouble. That includes her new husband David, who
forces a very important duty upon her: bridging the old and new members of her
family together.
That’s a struggle you don’t see too much in video
games, and I hope the success of Life is
Strange convinces other devs to branch out.
In the meantime, I’ll say this: you could argue that Joyce deserves to
be on the top of this list. Why? Because prior to the magic of character
development, she has to be the mother to Chloe. She’s not the nicest person to be around. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.
I’ve never been a big fan of Mortal Kombat, but I have more respect for it now than I did in the
past thanks to strong showings from Injustice
and the recent MKX. Admittedly it’s been a hot minute since I’ve
played MKX, but it’d be nice to get
back into and learn how to play someone besides Jax. And who better to start using than a member
of the Kombat Kids, AKA Jax’s daughter?
Calling her “self-made” seems strangely
appropriate. Whereas Jax’s infamous
metal arms are effectively a part of him, Jacqui pretty much has to strap some
gauntlets onto her wrist -- which implies that she has to take pretty good care
of them if she wants to fight the likes of Quan Chi or Ermac. She joined the good fight against the baddies
no matter what others said, which denied her of some crucial training.
And even though she’s the daughter of a famous
fighter, she doesn’t have the I Win Button that Cassie Cage inherited from Johnny. Note that none of those issues stop her at
all; not only does she hold her own, but she also proves herself infinitely
more competent (and worth taking seriously) than ostensible team leader Cassie,
who gets shafted and bumbles about until it’s time to resolve the plot at the very end.
I guess there’s not much point in dwelling on
that, though. The important thing is
that Jacqui can prove how dedicated of a JoJo
fan she is with her
best impression of Star Platinum.
You don’t need a crack team of scientists and
historians to figure out that Sophitia’s gotten a lot more ogle-friendly as the
series has progressed. I don’t fault
anyone who calls that out as a problem, because boy there some negative connotations there. Even so, I’m willing to forgive and forget
because -- setting aside the fact that it’s just as negative to pass judgment
on looks alone -- it doesn’t change the fact that Sophitia’s pretty cool.
In a world where fighters come together and clash
for the right to own an evil sword (or a holy sword which is evil in its own
way), it’s nice to have someone whose core goal is to do the right thing. Chosen by the gods to sort shit out, Sophitia
ventures forth with sword and shield.
Fine and dandy, of course, but what’s critical about the character is that
she gets what everyone, male or female, needs in a story: progression.
She has the opportunity to fall in love, get
married, and even have kids. None of
them hamper her status; if anything, her family’s presence actually makes her
stronger. Of course, that strength and
willpower end up being used against her, because SCIV has her get strong-armed into helping the bad guys --
including protecting an evil sword --
in order to save her daughter’s life.
It’s a real turnaround from where she started, and it gives her the
chance to be more than just a basic outline.
I’m down for a new SC entry that puts her back in players’ hands (given that her death
has apparently been retconned), but there’s yet another elephant in the room
worth addressing. And to do that, we’ve
got to move on to…
One of the big talking points for SCV is that it takes place after a time
skip of nearly 20 years. That’s fine in
principle, but as others have noted, there was a disparity. The time skip meant that the series famous
for its beautiful women would have to age
up its beautiful women -- and instead of doing that (save for Hilde), the
devs just went “LOL, NOPE!” and dropped pretty much everybody but Ivy…who
doesn’t age because magic. Perfect.
The point here is that you don’t really get to see
a lot of older ladies in video games -- which not only makes Ana an anomaly,
but also a welcome face. It’s not as if Overwatch is lacking in fantastic
femmes, but Ana is certainly one of the newest and worthy of respect. Given how chaotic a match can get when the
clock ticks down and the ults start flying, I like to think of Ana’s experience
and professionalism as a soldier shining through despite the lack of a dedicated
campaign. She can support her comrades
from a distance, dismantle her foes, and even provide a critical assist
with her Nano Boost. Sun Tzu would
be proud. Maybe.
It’s a tragedy that the game’s story is scattered
across the four corners of the earth (i.e. in supplementary materials), because
there’s a hell of a lot of potential with the character. And indeed, Ana already has plenty of story
beats spelled out: her blossoming sympathy for her enemies, her costly
hesitation in a critical moment, her terse relationship with the cast’s key
players, and so on. Even if she’s
literally a hero, she’s a complex character with a story to tell and foibles to
her name. So yes, she’s absolutely a
cool character.
A lot of people have thrown shade at BlazBlue for seemingly taking Guilty Gear’s place, only being “worse”
at it. I’ve always thought that there’s
room for both franchises, but as BB progresses
and new content gets introduced -- how many scantily-clad little sister clones
does one franchise need?! -- I start losing interest. Even so, there are some absolutely fantastic characters among the cast, and
Tsubaki is my favorite of the female side.
It’s worth noting off the bat that when she first
came out, people named Tsubaki as one of the worst characters. It’s not hard to see why; even though she could
link various normal and special attacks together, her damage and range were
generally pitiful. She’s gotten better
over the years -- considered
A- or B-tier by some of Japan’s top players -- but I found it interesting
that there was synergy between the gameplay and the story. Even though Tsubaki is a high-ranking soldier
with smarts and skills, she ended up being shoved aside so the bigwigs could give
preferential treatment to the clearly underqualified
Noel Vermillion.
She doesn’t take it well, which feeds into my bigger
point. We need good female characters,
but that’s only going to happen more often if we achieve parity -- a
willingness to have ladies that can be anything, do anything, and experience
anything. So while Tsubaki by default is
a kind, noble, intelligent young woman, she’s also someone with an arc and --
more importantly -- genuine flaws. Driven
by jealousy and lust for series mainstay Jin, her push for justice is as much a
result of duty as it is a way to lash out at the world that wrongs her on a
regular basis. Suffering is an intrinsic
part of her character, to the point she actually goes nuts and/or evil for a
bit. Soooooooooo…yeah, somebody give
that poor girl a hug.
I wonder if this is another one of those instances
where people are left going “Who? Who?” at the sight of her. I know Dangan
Ronpa, but I have a hunch that not a lot of others do. So I’ll do you a service and explain.
The franchise revolves around exemplary high
school students being pulled in to a prestigious academy. People like the Ultimate Chef, Ultimate Swimmer,
and the like all get brought into “Hope’s Peak”, only for it all to be a ploy
by a freakish bear (and his shady cohorts) to have them kill one another and
name the culprit in a series of class trials.
Sonia shows up in the sequel as the Ultimate Princess, and has to deal
with murders aplenty -- and stave off
the despair so desired by the baddies.
Though the odds are against her, she handles the
situation like a pro; she never gets killed, never gives in to any murderous
impulses, and manages to command respect as well as show compassion. Crucially, Sonia is never, ever wrong throughout the entire game. It’s up to the player to solve the murders,
but Sonia offers a serious push toward the truth on multiple occasions. And then there are other times where she
professes her love of serial killers, admits that she did some “disgraceful”
things in front of cameras, and has a tenuous grasp of slang. Somehow by saying “Jesus! Shit!
God damn!” near-unprompted, she manages to become one of the game’s
funniest characters -- and it’s a game featuring anime punk rock girl
Deadpool.
So how the hell do you top that? Well…
“It’s a good thing she has that gun. Because gosh, isn’t it nice when a female character in an RPG isn’t just a doe-eyed,
waifish white mage?”
--Voltech, about 2400 words ago
This is going to come off as a contentious
choice. Final Fantasy is a long-running and storied franchise, with no
shortage of highs and lows. Worse yet,
opinions are as varied as there are stars in the universe. Which game is the best? Which game signaled the downfall? Who’s the best character? Who’s the worst character? We’re never, ever going to come to a
consensus on that front, so there’s only one option: if you have something you
like (or dislike), you have to use your skills and wits to make a good
case. Hopefully, I’ll do that within the
next few paragraphs.
2001’s Final
Fantasy 10 was the franchise’s first foray into a new generation, with far
greater capacity for cutscenes and voice acting. It was (and still is) about as awkward a
transition as you’d expect. Be it with the audio or the
visuals, there’s a ton of awkward, stilted, and bizarre moments --
execution problems that still kind of hang around to this day. Yet somehow, the game managed to stick to
some familiar territory. FF10 is built around having you play
guardian (literally) to Yuna, a soft-spoken priestess who regularly gets
kidnapped, slots in to the love interest role quite neatly, and has a whole subplot devoted to being
forced into marriage. On the surface, things
don’t look good for her; good thing there’s more going on under the surface.
There’s a built-in defense for pretty much every
facet of Yuna’s character. Oh, she’s
just the squishy healer? Turns out she’s
actually a better black mage than Lulu by default, and thanks to the game’s
mechanics you can make her into the dedicated tank if you want. Oh, she’s just Tidus’ girlfriend? She falls in love with him over the course of
their journey, with all of the bonding and mutual understanding that that implies. Oh, she’s just a pure and innocent priestess
with no personality besides “is nice”?
That’s kind of the entire point of her character, born from years of
societal pressure and years of religious dogma she has to cast off before
game’s end.
And let’s not pretend like Yuna’s efforts are
undeserving of respect. We’re talking
about a young woman -- not even old enough to drink in our world -- who was
willing to journey across the land of Spira, brawl with undead nightmare
creatures, survive encounters with atheist mechanics (any one of which could’ve
been a secret relative or friend of the family), use herself as a bargaining
chip to banish a creepy government official from the living world, and solve some of the dumbest
puzzles imaginable. And her reward
for it would’ve been death, if not for the power of the plot.
Yuna’s dedication and resilience are what really
sell her as a character. Even when she
finds out that her sacrifice would only earn temporary peace (if that) and her
world’s religion is basically a sham, she’s still willing to soldier on to
defeat a nigh-invincible kaiju. She
won’t let anyone sacrifice themselves in her stead. She won’t let the innocents of Spira have to
live their lives in fear, or without a symbol of hope. She absolutely
won’t run away, and stands on the frontlines with Tidus even after the team
destroys their supposed saving grace. I
don’t know about you guys, but that sounds like a pretty strong female
character to me.
And that’s what it’s all about. We can’t limit our way of thinking to a
single path, or expect every fictional woman ever to conform to a set of
standards. If we do, we’re doomed to
hamstring ourselves. More importantly,
we’re bound to overlook the efforts of countless creators and the quality of
their works. A world where female
characters can generally, consistently, and honestly have the essential
elements -- traits, arcs, foibles, uprisings, downfalls, bonds, desires, and
more -- is a world I’m eager to see for myself.
And maybe I’m reaching a bit here, but I have a
feeling that I’m not alone on that front.
Thanks for reading. As always, feel free to leave your thoughts
in a comment. Name some of your cool
ladies, mull over some of my choices, or do the sensible thing and set a wicker
replica of me ablaze. Presumably, you
should do that third thing after you’ve gotten the proper permits. I wouldn’t want you running into legal
trouble on my account.
Or would I?
[ominousness
intensifies]
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