Best Written Female character in Gaming?

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disgruntledgamer

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Who do you think is the best written Female character in gaming and why? (Just don't list a bunch with no explanation.) Keep in mind this is about character traits not just who has the best curves, that's just a bonus.
 

Fappy

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j-e-f-f-e-r-s said:
Depends on the game genre in question.

Samus Aran for instance has traditionally had very sparse characterisation in the Metroid games. But that's always been one of the strengths of the series. The developers have never felt the need to point at Samus with a big neon sign saying "Look! She's a girl! A real girl!" to justify her badassery. She's a kick-arse bounty hunter, and the fact she's also female is a sidenote.
I agree with this. Ignoring Other M, Samus is the pinnacle of badassery.

Also, I've always thought Ayla from Chrono Trigger was a great female character.
 

disgruntledgamer

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j-e-f-f-e-r-s said:
Depends on the game genre in question.

Samus Aran for instance has traditionally had very sparse characterisation in the Metroid games. But that's always been one of the strengths of the series. The developers have never felt the need to point at Samus with a big neon sign saying "Look! She's a girl! A real girl!" to justify her badassery. She's a kick-arse bounty hunter, and the fact she's also female is a sidenote.
That's true, but at the same time they never really bothered or tried to give her a personality until Other M. They just really screwed it up.
 

Valis7

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Morrigan from Dragon Age 2
Alyx Vance from Half Life 2
Naoto Shirogane from Persona 4

Personally I can't stand Morrigans guts, but you don't need to like a character to appreciate how well developed they are. Bioware did a great job making her such a polarizing (albeit unlikable) character.
 

shrekfan246

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I'm going to stick with the same answer I chose last time.


The Boss, from Metal Gear Solid 3.

She is one of the primary antagonists your entire way through the game, and yet you never feel like she's flat-out against you, and you can tell that she almost regrets being on the opposing side. You feel sorry for her, yet understand her circumstances and can see why she does what she does. And it all leads up to the final encounter, which was just so well done, not to mention the absolutely devastating cut-scenes that follow.
 

Swyftstar

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I always liked Cortana, thought she was funny. She at least has a somewhat believable or viable personality.
For some reason I remember Luna from Silver Star Story fondly. I don't remember exactly why though. Could just be nostalgia.
 

The Madman

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BloatedGuppy said:
1. April Ryan (The Longest Journey)
I have to agree with this wholeheartedly. April Ryan literally *is* the game. In terms of actual gameplay Longest Journey is crap. The story is interesting, but not spectacular. Visuals interesting, but far from good enough to hold the game up on their own especially now when they're all shitty low res.

No, you play the game for April Ryan. Her character and story arc are what drives the entire experience and I can't think of a single other game that quite compares.
 

Gethsemani_v1legacy

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I am surprised no one has mentioned Elena from Uncharted. Manages to stay a side-kick character while providing plot relevance, helps the protagonist out on various occasions and comes off as a well-rounded character in general.
 

Tien Shen

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Shepard from Mass Effect, voiced by Jennifer Hale. IMO she worked well because she had the exact same lines (mostly) as maleShep and so was not given any sort of stereotypical female quirks that so many other female characters get saddled with in movies and games.

Also did I mention she was voiced by Jennifer Hale?
 

Baron_Rouge

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Kat from Gravity Rush. She's a very endearing character, who comes off as human and vulnerable, as well as powerful and independent. She's a character you can empathise with.

Also, both the female leads in InFamous 2 were well written, with real emotion and convincing motivations. That game was just brilliantly written as a whole though.
 

Harker067

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Go April and Zoe as best i can think of.

Also count me against Samus (who's as lazily written as most male character only female) and Naoto (who imo the writers fumbled her gender issues but is otherwise well done).

Honestly though as much as I love games the character development is often lacking can we hire a few more writers already.
 

Tohuvabohu

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disgruntledgamer said:
Who do you think is the best written Female character in gaming and why? (Just don't list a bunch with no explanation.)
I'm surprised nobody mentioned....



Kreia!

As not only a GREAT female character. But in my opinion, one of the greatest Star Wars characters, and perhaps one of the greatest characters ever, across every game I've ever played.

Game spoilers below

[spoiler]She's the one Star Wars character that turns everything I've ever believed about the universe upside down and inside out. When I first played this game, I [i]really[/i] disliked her, because she seemed like an angry old crone who was impossible to please. Berating me for doing good, berating me for doing evil. I thought she was intended as a person to annoy us no matter what we did, challenging our stance on the force regardless of being Light or Dark.

Her long-winded cryptic monologues were too thick to pay attention to, so I found myself trying to ignore her most of the time - especially when she disapproved of my actions.

But... during one quest, I made a somewhat uncharacteristic decision on my behalf that Kreia approved of. Holy shit, I actually pleased this crazy old woman??? She went beyond stating her approval of my action and explained why my decision was the best course of action to take. And you know what? [b]It made absolute complete perfect fucking sense.[/b] I was rather stunned with myself that I made the most sensible decision as a blunder, as opposed to starting a massacre (Dark side) or trying to dissuade the angry mercenaries with Love and Peace (Light Side).

After that, I stopped ignoring her, and being frustrated with her. [i]And I started to listen[/i]. Seeking her out more often, asking her questions, and doing the best I can to comprehend her difficult cryptic messages. Everything she said treaded on grounds which Star Wars never tread before. The amount of information she gave was overwhelming, and put me into a state of mind of thinking about my actions much better than the first KOTOR did. She singlehandedly made me question everything I ever knew about the force.[/spoiler]
 

Casual Shinji

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Maria from Silent Hill 2.

The jail scene can explain it better than I ever could.


Also Farah from Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. She's kind of a damsel, but she feels like a real person with her own motivation and not a tacked on love interest.
 

aguspal

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shrekfan246 said:
I'm going to stick with the same answer I chose last time.



She is one of the primary antagonists your entire way through the game, and yet you never feel like she's flat-out against you, and you can tell that she almost regrets being on the opposing side. You feel sorry for her, yet understand her circumstances and can see why she does what she does. And it all leads up to the final encounter, which was just so well done, not to mention the absolutely devastating cut-scenes that follow.


Thats a lot of stuff to feel for about...


Um...


Man, I will never understand why people cant bother to name the character/series they are talking about in those kind of threads. I am guessing it is metal gear but it took a good 3 mins to guess it right.

Captcha: School is cool. Who the fuck did make me write that man, its cruel.


OP: Ok, I guess my vote goes to Jade (Beyond good and evil) Simply because she is like the only one female main character in a game that I personally played. LOL. Thats so funny and somewhat sad at the same time...

EDIT: Oh wait that actually isnt true because theres Faith and Chell too... Well with the personality they both have they may as well not count at all.


EDIT 2: before some comments on it, I know the thread isnt asking necesarily for main female characters but it just so happens that usually only those can have a little chance to be a good character. Well IMO anyways. To be fair this applies to the vast majory of the characters in general, I mainly rememeber the protagonists of the games I played, the rest usually gets somewhat forgoten :( xD
 

dancinginfernal

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Darn someone ninja'd me for The Boss from MGS3.

Oh well, I can still say Kre- GOD DAMN IT.

Stop stealing all the amazing characters, Escapist.
 

DioWallachia

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IJI from IJI
The Boss from Metal Gear Solid 3
Shanoa from Castlevania: Order of Eclesia
Marina from Mischief Makers
Blackbird from STRIFE
Heather from Silent Hill 3
Irisu from Irusu Syndrome
SHODAN from System Shock 1 and 2
Practically every female that ISNT a harlot on Planescape Torment (even Ravel)
Mercedes Colomar from Grim Fandango

Honorable Mentions:
Linda from Strecht Panic.
The Snow Princesses from The Snow Brothers, Sega Genesis version. Not well written mind you because there is no plot but still.
Shepard From Mass Effect. If only she had an actual character arc in the games, she is only a military brick in all games REGARDLESS of the PR system.
The Chaman from Populous 3: The Beggining
 

dimensional

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Yup my vote goes to April Ryan as well not just one of the best written female characters but one of the best written characters in gaming ever imo.