Let's have/create an index/discussion of games staring female main characters.

[LilithSlave]

What exactly is an example of a western game with overt sexualization?

- Tomb Raider
- BloodRayne
- Mortal Kombat
- Duke Nukem
- Lula Virtual Babe
- King's Bounty: Armored Princess
- WET
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
- BMX XXX
- Perfect Dark Zero
- Lula 3D
- Psychotoxic
- Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
- Catwoman
- Primal
- Druuna: Morbus Gravis
- The Operative: No One Lives Forever
- Wet Attack: The Empire Cums Back
- Xena: Warrior Princess
- Space Bunnies Must Die!
- Riana Rouge
- Jill of the Jungle
Just to name a short few.

And I stated in the OP that I'm not making a "non-sexualized female main chracter" list. I made a joke about Dead or Alive Extreme, nothing more. And you've just been throwing a bunch of words in my mouth to argue with. You came into this thread and made an argument about Japanese and Western culture/games, because of a joke I made about Dead of Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball. I didn't "slam Western" games, anywhere. Even after you made the generalized statement that Japanese games are more sexualized. You said that Japanese female protagonists are more sexualized, and I said "no, if anything, Western female protagonists are more sexualized on average". An entirely objective rebuttal with no emotional torque thrown in is not "slamming" something.

 

[Takuanuva]

Ctrl + F shows no 'Halo: Reach' (or 'Halo' at all), so here.
You can chose between having your main character male or female, and theyeven look diferent despite wearing that whole armor. They even talk with diferent voices. That counts, doesn't it?

 

[Ordinaryundone]

What exactly is an example of a western game with overt sexualization?

- Tomb Raider
- BloodRayne
- Mortal Kombat
- Duke Nukem
- Lula Virtual Babe
- King's Bounty: Armored Princess
- WET
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
- BMX XXX
- Perfect Dark Zero
- Lula 3D
- Psychotoxic
- Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
- Catwoman
- Primal
- Druuna: Morbus Gravis
- The Operative: No One Lives Forever
- Wet Attack: The Empire Cums Back
- Xena: Warrior Princess
- Space Bunnies Must Die!
- Riana Rouge
- Jill of the Jungle
Just to name a short few.

And what makes those worse than Japanese examples? Also, I'm not sure its fair to use deliberately pornagraphic examples like BMX XXX. I mean, you should know what you are getting in that one. Thats like playing "Super Tentacle Hentai 3" and complaining about sex.

 

[LilithSlave]

Those examples don't need to be more sexualized. You're the one arguing they're more frequent in the East.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

Those examples don't need to be more sexualized. You're the one arguing they're more frequent in the East.

If we're including deliberately pornagraphic titles, the Japanese made RapeLay. I rest my case.

 

[Da Orky Man]

Homeworld. There's only one named character, and she's female. Ish.

 

[LilithSlave]

Though some of those example you gave, would, coincidentally be hardly sexualized, if even sexualized at all.

If you want to say that Rule of the Rose is sexualized. Give better examples. Schoolgirls are not in and of themselves, sexual. Nor is cruelty sexual unless you make it so.

Final Fantasy XIII has almost no sexualization. The most sexualized momement in the whole game was perhaps one brief moment with Vanille showing her mark. Lightning is not sexualized at all. And Vanille is not particularly sexualized so much as she's just made generally cutesy. Perhaps the only other sexual like thing in the entire game is Vanille telling Sazh not to sleep too close to her. XIII is almost devoid of sexuality of any variety.

Final Fantasy VI is not very sexualized other than their outfits do show a little bit of leg.

I don't know what "bonus costume" youre talking about. But I have seen no sexualization in Clock Tower games.

As for those examples, yes, things like Tomb Raider are clearly more sexualized. Tell me, how is Clock Tower more sexualized than Tomb Raider?

If we're including deliberately pornagraphic titles

Not me, you just said "any Western game".

the Japanese made RapeLay. I rest my case.

How does that "rest your case"? What case? That you think Japan sexualizes female main characters more than the West? You just sound like you're othering Asian people with statements like this and saying "the" Japanese.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

Though some of those example you gave, would, coincidentally be hardly sexualized, if even sexualized at all.

If you want to say that Rule of the Rose is sexualized. Give better examples. Schoolgirls are not in and of themselves, sexual. Nor is cruelty sexual unless you make it so.

Final Fantasy XIII has almost no sexualization. The most sexualized momement in the whole game was perhaps one brief moment with Vanille showing her mark. Lightning is not sexualized at all. And Vanille is not particularly sexualized so much as she's just made generally cutesy. Perhaps the only other sexual like thing in the entire game is Vanille telling Sazh not to sleep too close to her. XIII is almost devoid of sexuality of any variety.

Final Fantasy VI is not very sexualized other than their outfits do show a little bit of leg.

I don't know what "bonus costume" youre talking about. But I have seen no sexualization in Clock Tower games.

As for those examples, yes, things like Tomb Raider are clearly more sexualized. Tell me, how is Clock Tower more sexualized than Tomb Raider?

If we're including deliberately pornagraphic titles

Not me, you just said "any Western game".

the Japanese made RapeLay. I rest my case.

"The" Japanese. Yes, let's other those yellow people.

Lol, and now you are calling me racist? Nice defense there, Phoenix Wright.

 

[Hides His Eyes]

Oh come on, give it a rest, guys.

 

[LilithSlave]

Saying "the" like that is a pretty othering form of speech.

And funny how that was the only thing you decided to respond to.

Hides, you're right. This is a terrible derail.

 

[pneuvo]

Did anyone mention The Exile in Knights of the Old Republic II? You can play as male or female, but Star Wars cannon says this was a female.

I also think Bethesda deserves some recognition in this area. They have done a good job of making their player characters gender neutral (Oblivion, Fallout 3, and the like).

 

[Ordinaryundone]

Saying "the" like that is a pretty othering form of speech.

And funny how that was the only thing you decided to respond to.

Hides, you're right. This is a terrible derail.

Why bother arguing anything else? We clearly have completely different opinions when it comes to games. Hell, you didn't like Human Revolution because it "wasn't cute". Its pointless, we won't find middle ground.

However, random out of nowhere ad hominim attack against me? Thats not cool.

 

[Gorilla Gunk]

While they weren't the stars (Well, nobody was really the star) Zoey and Rochelle of the L4D games were both good characters that weren't sezualized in any way.

 

[Wintermoot]

half-life 2 (although Alyx is more of a supporting character)
any Bethesda game (if the player chose to)
FO1/2

 

[Hides His Eyes]

Oh, in Dungeon Siege you can make a male or female character, but in DS3, which is set hundreds of years afterwards, the player character from the first game is part of the game world's lore, and was apparently a woman. But, um, she doesn't have a personality of any kind in either game, so barely counts as a character really.

 

[Quantum Star]

You missed Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. Estelle is right up there with Jade and April as one of the best heroines ever.

 

[burningdragoon]

Buh, so many games I can think already covered.

-almost every create your character game
-Sacred 2 ('main' good race is female)
-Panzer Dragoon Orta
-um...

 

[SirFuzzi]

No Septerra Core, starring the spunky-and-thrify Maya, a rough-and-tumble junker from the slums?

Septerra Core gets honorable mention from me not for being particularly amazing or unique, but for being a flippin' PC RPG with a female lead who isn't some sort of amazoness or detective. It's a fairly amusing little gem, if one with its own set of faults, and it stands the test of time with relative durability.

But seriously, Septerra Core. Maya.

There's also our first Fire Emblem stateside, starring Lyndis (beside Hector and Eliwood).

I haven't PERSONALLY played them, but I know a lot of people who swear by Lost Kingdoms (both 1 and 2) as a solid series; both star fairly dainty ladies, too.

Lastly, Yggdra Union. Yggdra may be cookie-cutter, but she's the female lead no less. Hell, the game's named after her...

 

[LilithSlave]

Okay, just for the record again, this thread isn't for females that aren't sexualized. It is for a discussion about female main characters/protagonists.

I do happen to think however that females in games are oversexualized. Both Japanese and Western developers alike even say they often go for that because "sex sells". I don't have a problem with the sexualization of women in games or any heterosexual male gaze, I just find it to be overall a little too frequent. It would be nice if we lived in an industry that game developers didn't think they had to sexualize a female to have a female main character and it sell.

That could be a secondary topic for this thread. But most of all, I don't think there's enough female main characters in video games.

Dungeon Siege, eh? Well that add that to the list. Sounds good. Speaking of that, they seem to be giving that game out with nVidia cards right now. If only I wasn't such an AMD fan.

However, random out of nowhere ad hominim attack against me? Thats not cool.

That's not an Ad Hominem. Ad Hominem is saying that someone is wrong about something because of a name you're calling them. Ad Hominem would be "oh yeah, and this coming from someone who is clearly a racist! You gonna trust the word of a racist?". That's Ad Hominem. I merely responded to that the way I did because I'm tired of people using othering language to Asian countries and Asian people.

And honestly, I don't see why you found it necessary to argue with me in the first place. You started off with a misrepresentation of what I was arguing and kept with it. Did you just have an axe to grind with me?

Lastly, Yggdra Union. Yggdra may be cookie-cutter, but she's the female lead no less. Hell, the game's named after her...

Oooh, that looks fun.

Is it fun? What's the female main character like?

 

[Hides His Eyes]

The latest Big Picture episode is very very good on the subject of sexualisation of women in games. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/the-big-picture/4719-Gender-Games