8List.ph
  • News
    • Showbiz
    • Opinion
    • Sports
    • Profiles
    • Weird
  • Adulting
    • Career
    • Money
    • Health
    • School & Learning
    • Relationships
  • Pop
    • Movies & TV
    • Music
    • Books
    • Games
    • Theater
    • Retro
    • K-World
  • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Beauty
    • Food & Drink
    • Nest
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Pinoy
  • Videos
    • 8List Asks
    • Pagsubeks
    • Kaya Today!
    • Archives
      • 8list Plays
      • 8List Explores
      • 8List Presents
      • 88 Seconds
      • 8secs
      • Filgood
      • Isabuhay Ang Panata
      • #8MinutesWith
      • YOUth DECIDE
      • Str8 Up with Delamar
      • Toughest Job 2016
  • H8 Mondays
  • Breathe
  • About
  • Sitemap
  • Advertise
  • Privacy
  • Archive
  • Bitesized.ph
  • Windowseat.ph

 

 

 

8List.ph is published by ID8, Inc.

Subscribe
8List.ph
8List.ph
  • News
    • Showbiz
    • Opinion
    • Sports
    • Profiles
    • Weird
  • Adulting
    • Career
    • Money
    • Health
    • School & Learning
    • Relationships
  • Pop
    • Movies & TV
    • Music
    • Books
    • Games
    • Theater
    • Retro
    • K-World
  • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Beauty
    • Food & Drink
    • Nest
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Pinoy
  • Videos
    • 8List Asks
    • Pagsubeks
    • Kaya Today!
    • Archives
      • 8list Plays
      • 8List Explores
      • 8List Presents
      • 88 Seconds
      • 8secs
      • Filgood
      • Isabuhay Ang Panata
      • #8MinutesWith
      • YOUth DECIDE
      • Str8 Up with Delamar
      • Toughest Job 2016
  • H8 Mondays
  • Breathe
  • 8List

Just A Few Of Videogaming’s Best Female Leads

  • Posted on Mar 21, 2019Mar 20, 2019
  • 4 minute read
  • Matthew Arcilla
Total
53
Shares
53
0
1

What makes a great female lead? It isn’t aggression, or weapons or sex appeal. Rather it’s what everyone wants from a decent protagonist: agency, personality, development. Whether their gender informs their worldview or is a matter of coincidence, the best videogaming leads are capable in times of duress and grow over time. And more importantly, they’re fully developed characters, not just men with tits.

Here are just a few of the best female leads in videogaming. For the purposes of this list, I avoided characters who are clearly part of an ensemble – fighting game characters like Street Fighter’s Chun-Li or multiplayer cast members like Left 4 Dead’s Zoey – or gender swappable characters like Commander Shepard. The focus isn’t just on the fact of the character’s gender but on them being written as their game’s intended protagonist.

8. Samus Aran

Via Ivan Flores @ DeviantArt

At a time when most videogame heroes were presumed to be male unless otherwise stated, Samus blew everyone away in 1986’s Metroid. When players defeated Mother Brain, it was revealed under that bulky exoskeleton was a bad-ass woman. While later games have done little to develop a consistent personality for Samus, developers have avoided sexualizing her focusing on her skill and power.

 


7. Emily Kaldwin

Via Zenimax Media

Originally appearing as a young child in the first Dishonored game, Emily returns in Dishonored 2 as a fugitive noble determined to retake her throne from a wicked usurper. While there are definitely questions to be asked about the aristocratic right to rule, Emily presents an interesting lead as a woman who doubts her capabilities as a political leader but still wants to do right by her people.

 

6. Susan Ashworth

Via Harvester Games

At first blush, Susan Ashworth seems like a less than ideal female heroine. She’s depressed and suicidal, a creepy cat lady who takes on the duty of ridding the world of five psychotic killers. Plent of horror and misery ensues, but ultimately the game ends with hope and the chance of a meaningful relationship. Susan represents every woman who endures being misjudged and mistreated in silence.

 

5. Nilin

Via Capcom

Just okay sales and mixed critical reception meant that Remember Me would be forgotten. But it initially stood out with its high concept cyberpunk premise and powerful female lead: Nilin, a memory hunter fighting to undo the damage wrought by unfettered memory sharing. Nilin starts out as kind of a blank slate but over time emerges a heroine determined to undo suffering.

 


4. Clementine

Via Skybound Games

Clementine is the star of Telltale’s The Walking Dead who we first meet as an eight year old. As the playable lead of Season Two and The Final Season, Clem demonstrates maturity and determination most people would envy. In the third season she becomes so capable that adults begin to turn to her for leadership. It will be hard to say goodbye when The Final Season ends later this month.

 


3. Bayonetta

Via Nintendo

As a character famous for flaunting her figure and showing her sexy side, Bayonetta is not someone people would push to the front as an inspiring female protagonist. But once you strip away – stop snickering – the sexy facade, what lies beneath is a character who isn’t showing off for others, but for herself. She revels in her power and her style and it’s a singular kind of confidence few heroines have.

 

2. Celeste

Via Matt Makes Games

The hero of indie side-scroller Celeste, Madeline wants to climb a mountain, the titular Celeste Mountain to defeat her self-doubt and anxiety. These insecurities manifest as an evil version of herself that haunts her, but it’s only by accepting those fears can she succeed. For anyone who struggles with anxiety, she’s a heroine that’s easy to sympathize with and why Celeste is so unforgettable.

 

1. Lara Croft

Via Square Enix

While the Tomb Raider games are less popular than they used to be, Lara Croft remains the quintessential female gaming icon. The first half of her history she was a classic bad girl – a sexy adventurer cracking wise as often as she cracked tombs. In that sense, Lara Croft was a cocksure cartoon of confidence that inspired both lust and love.

But the second half of Lara’s history saw a very different hero emerge: a naive scholar plagued with self-doubt but determined to survive and make sense of the mysteries of the world. A more emotionally complex hero for a time when we ask for more depth from our gaming heroes. Whatever’s next for Lara Croft, one thing’s for sure: she adapts to become the gaming heroine we need.

 

Who are on your list? Share them with us below!


Total
54
Shares
53
0
1
Related Topics
  • bayonetta
  • female games
  • lara croft
  • metroid
  • samus
Avatar photo
Matthew Arcilla

Previous Article
  • Pop

RIP MySpace: The Site Just Lost More than 50 Million Songs, Including Your Favorite Ones

  • Posted on Mar 21, 2019Mar 21, 2019
  • Desiree Pore
View Post
Next Article
  • Style

Check Out These Flattering Swimsuits Perfect for the Summer

  • Posted on Mar 22, 2019Apr 22, 2019
  • Tynne De Leon
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • 8List

Shoot Your Shot: Make Parinig to Your Crush with This New Spotify Lyrics Feature

  • Posted on Feb 10, 2023Feb 10, 2023
  • Kyzia Maramara
View Post
  • 8List

8 Practical Bouquets to Sweep Your Lover Off Their Feet This Valentine’s Day

  • Posted on Feb 10, 2023
  • Kyzia Maramara
View Post
  • 8List

Where Else Have You Seen the Cast of ‘Alice in Borderland’? 8 Movies and TV Series to Watch

  • Posted on Jan 31, 2023
  • Andy Flores
View Post
  • 8List

Did You Know 1ST.ONE Spent a Whopping P20 Million for Their Comeback Music Video?

  • Posted on Jan 27, 2023Jan 27, 2023
  • Kyzia Maramara
View Post
  • 8List

PSA Car Enthusiasts: You Can Stream the Inspiring Lamborghini Biopic on Lionsgate Play

  • Posted on Jan 27, 2023Jan 27, 2023
  • Kyzia Maramara
View Post
  • 8List

Makati Resto Denies Food Poisoning Claims and Considers Taking Legal Action Against ‘Bullying’

  • Posted on Jan 26, 2023Jan 26, 2023
  • Kyzia Maramara
View Post
  • 8List

Fur-tastic News: LRT-2 Hints at Allowing Pets Onboard Soon

  • Posted on Jan 25, 2023Jan 25, 2023
  • Kyzia Maramara
View Post
  • 8List

Modus Alert: Fake Grab Driver Roaming SM North EDSA Alarms Victims

  • Posted on Jan 25, 2023Jan 25, 2023
  • Kyzia Maramara

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get the l8est delivered right to your inbox.

8List.ph
  • About
  • Sitemap
  • Advertise
  • Privacy
  • Archive
  • Bitesized.ph
  • Windowseat.ph
Your daily dose of entertaining, useful and informative lists.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.