Most influencial female characters

[pulse2]

No DOA characters?

 

[Andrew_Waltfeld]

Another one - I dunno how accurate but was fairly well done was Cortana. Both in the novels and games, she was pretty well done. Probably because they only turned it into a pseudo love interest instead of an actually one. Pretty much points out - no matter how smart you are, you still overlook things and sometimes being a barbarian with a cudgel is what you need. =P

Just a suggestion.

 

[pulse2]

Another one - I dunno how accurate but was fairly well done was Cortana. Both in the novels and games, she was pretty well done. Probably because they only turned it into a pseudo love interest instead of an actually one. Pretty much points out - no matter how smart you are, you still overlook things and sometimes being a barbarian with a cudgel is what you need. =P

Just a suggestion.

I think Cortana has become a recent influence, you didn't used to hear too much about her, but recently she's become quite an important character in gaming

 

[Fenreil]

For me, personally, I'll say Elearnor Lamb, from Bioshock 2.

Why? Eleanor fostered one of the strongest connections I've had with a character in a video game. Say what you will about Bioshock 2, Eleanor goes down as one of the most memorable female characters in my book.

 

[trooper6]

I dispute FemShep being not a good example of an infuential woman in gaming. But, that conversation, I think, would be a whole different conversation that would involve a lot more feminist and gender theory than is appropriate right now.

So, not to duplicate what has already been said, I'll add:

Ms Pac Man
April Ryan and Zoe Castillo from Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
Jade from Beyond Good and Evil
Kate Walker from Syberia
Carla Valenti from Indigo Prophesy
Kreia from KotOR 2
Mona Sax in Max Payne
Chun Li from Street Fighter
Victoria McPherson from Still Life
Carmen Sandiego from the Carmen Sandiego games

 

[SimuLord]

I'm suprised no one said Tifa Or Aerith yet, usually they always come up in female gaming related topics, lol.

Times have changed, yes they have

That's because Tifa and Aeris are stereotypical JPRG characters. They've inspired nothing, except maybe the death of a thousand teenager's socks...

They're not as bad as Garnet/Dagger from FF9, who is supposed to go through a coming-of-age/discovering herself line throughout the game, but she is ultimately submissive to Zidane.

 

[Andrew_Waltfeld]

Another one - I dunno how accurate but was fairly well done was Cortana. Both in the novels and games, she was pretty well done. Probably because they only turned it into a pseudo love interest instead of an actually one. Pretty much points out - no matter how smart you are, you still overlook things and sometimes being a barbarian with a cudgel is what you need. =P

Just a suggestion.

But she's a computer; female in shape and voice, but a computer nonetheless.

Alyx Vance. YOU'RE TELLING ME ONLY ONE PERSON SAID THAT!?!?!?!?!

If you can't tell, I think that's alarming. Femshep is regular shepherd with breasts and a different voice. So is Samus. As great as Mass Effect and Metroid are, they aren't completely representative of females in games at all. Like it or not.

Actually no, Technically she is a human, in computer form. Her AI core matrix is a copy of the human brain of Dr. Halsey. All UNSC Smart AI's are in the halo universe. Also does it matter if it's flesh and blood? Female character is female... regardless of form.

Also Alyx Vance, she's from half life 2, everyone curtains their favorites thru games they have played. Not everyone is going to have played every single game, probably why there is only a few being listed here.

Though you have reminded me that I do need to play thru the half-life 2 series. I didn't when it first came out because I such a young-in at the time. Also family was pretty poor. I probably would have mentioned her if I had play the game, but alas I had not.

 

[Zantos]

I think Princess Garnet from FF9 was pretty important, even if it's just cos she was my first VG crush.

 

[s0nic_al]

Why is there NO love for Jill Valentine yet? We are talking one of the most badass (in a reserved kinda way) sexiest (in a contemporary kinda way) women to ever grace video games. She busts zombies heads, plays piano, is a master locksmith, and takes now major evil corporations and still manages to retain the all-around-good-girl-image.

Definitely a role-model for women.

 

[migo]

Anyone but Samus. I'm really quite sick of people calling Samus "strong" or "influential". A strong influential character should be so because they have a good character, not because they do what a male character does with extra boobs. Which is exactly what Samus does.

Samus does what anyone with a power suit and gun would do when faced with enemies that are only interested in killing her - shoot them. That's not just what a man would do, it's idiotic to suggest a woman would act differently. What's interesting about Samus is that everyone assumes she's a man, and has to have it pointed out that she's actually a woman. It's like "hey, a woman can be badass too, and it doesn't have to be lampshaded that she's a badass woman."

On the exact opposite end of the spectrum is Bayonetta. She's totally badass in a very female way, half rejecting the patriarchy and half embracing female sexiness. Traditionally women were expected to cover their hair with clothing as it gave them power over men - she uses her hair as clothing and it gives her power over badass demons from hell. Also, not only does she rock stilleto heels, and kick angels in the face with them, she has guns strapped to them and shoots bullets from her high heels!

In the middle is Yuna, she had some very impressive character development over FFX and FFX-2 (nothing wrong with FFX-2's story, just the gameplay broke in chapter 5), and changed noticably over the course of each game individually. Samus' character has been the same until Other M. Bayonetta also didn't really change across the course of the game, so in both cases they could be described as charicatures rather than characters. Yuna really is a character.

Faith. She was done well simply because everything is so seamless. She seems like a woman, but there's nothing particularly drawing your attention to it as pretty much everything she does would be handled the same way by a man. So she's like Samus in the latter aspect, while actually having some characterisation like Yuna (although to a lesser degree).

I haven't played Beyond Good & Evil, but it seems to me that Jade has made a big impression on a lot of people.

 

[hazabaza1]

Anyone but Samus. I'm really quite sick of people calling Samus "strong" or "influential". A strong influential character should be so because they have a good character, not because they do what a male character does with extra boobs. Which is exactly what Samus does.

Samus does what anyone with a power suit and gun would do when faced with enemies that are only interested in killing her - shoot them. That's not just what a man would do, it's idiotic to suggest a woman would act differently. What's interesting about Samus is that everyone assumes she's a man, and has to have it pointed out that she's actually a woman. It's like "hey, a woman can be badass too, and it doesn't have to be lampshaded that she's a badass woman."

Well, my main issue is not the fact that she acts logical, my issue is that she is a generic voiceless (until other M) space marine who goes around killing things with guns, Make a character like that as a man and "IT'S BLAND AND GENERIC" but make on like Samus (aka female) and "IT'S NEW AND REFRESHING".
Samus is in the same line of Gordon Freeman and Link, and even F.E.A.R Guy, the category of "no character but still having massive fanbase". None of these characters do anything redeeming, and yet people seem to think of them as great wonderful characters. Hell, even Master Chief has a better personality.

Anyway, I realised I never really made a proper contribution to this topic, so I'll probably just quote this guy:

For me, personally, I'll say Elearnor Lamb, from Bioshock 2.

Why? Eleanor fostered one of the strongest connections I've had with a character in a video game. Say what you will about Bioshock 2, Eleanor goes down as one of the most memorable female characters in my book.

Eleanor was great, strong, could fight for herself, HAD A PERSONALITY GASP SHOCK, in fact, she had multiple personalities, reflected by the players actions, far better than the aforementioned Gordon Freeman does.

 

[Andrew_Waltfeld]

OK, technically she's Halsey's brain running off of a computer. I've read the first few books, and recently wrapped up a Halo canon argument. I will not argue that again.

Nah Don't worry about that, I won't get into a halo Canon argument, just pointing that limiting influential characters to flesh and blood even when there is few of them will mean the list is made shorter.

Honestly, though, would Cortana's character really have had a much different role in the story if it were male? Some say there was a romantic interest. Chief was just too flat a character to have a romantic interest, in the games anyway (yeah, I know, the books, Linda). I think some people just liked the character design and voice, and wanted it that way. It would not have been the same Halo with a male Cortana, but it could have been done with the same lines.

Interesting Question, Honestly, Some of the dialogue would have to be changed, some of it has the female-ish lines to it that wouldn't work. However - yes Cortana could have been male, but I don't think it would have made a impact that cortana did.

Yes, she works as a character, but I'm still not sure if a computer, no matter where her programming (AI core matrix, whatever the hell) came from, can well-represent females in video games. Maybe I'm too skeptic, but the idea of a guy loving a computer with a holographic body is kind of creepy.

well technically, The Spartans basically got fixed to hell and back. They don't have sexual urges I guess, according to the books. Hmmm Super human strength/Spartan Abilities... or the being neutered and not have the urge to have sex... Decisions, Decisions. What pushes us past friendships and professional relationships is the need to mate which we're all usually programmed with. Hormones and all.

To be honest though I never saw the relationship proceed more than a professional relationship despite bungie trying to paint it that way (partly because I had read the novels). Chief was too... much of a soldier. Even in halo 3 - It felt more like that rescue mission in MW before the nuke hit. Just rescuing a comrade and preventing a enemy from getting intell. Flood was nothing to be trifle with either.

But I digress, getting back onto the main trunk of the topic... when you get down to it. Kind-of odd, but uh no, not really. I don't find it odd. I mean, we name ships and our computers whatever. So perhaps I'm a odd-ball, but I don't see it as odd.

Philosophically, we like to give inanimate objects human qualities. Cortana just represents the ultimate in-animate object. Much food for thought about this when you think about it. Assuming humanity somehow doesn't wipe itself out thru ignorance, some group of people being dicks and natural disasters... cortana is probably achievable. Now this is theory and all, but I believe it is entirely possible to make cortana so to speak.

We've been slowing making the foundation for the technology with video games believe it or not. The AI that controls everything will eventually be granted a personality. Lion Head's Kinect project is another foot step in that direction. Once you give something enough changeable variables that it can keep going on it's own (A personality), it's pretty much a living creature in a way.

 

[trooper6]

Eleanor was great, strong, could fight for herself, HAD A PERSONALITY GASP SHOCK, in fact, she had multiple personalities, reflected by the players actions, far better than the aforementioned Gordon Freeman does.

Well, pulse2 didn't say human women with the best personalities, zie said most influential female characters. Female might not mean human. And influential may not mean good personality...or even any personality.

 

[s0nic_al]

Hmmm Super human strength/Spartan Abilities... or the being neutered and not have the urge to have sex... Decisions, Decisions.

Well, if you are neutered to the point of simply not caring, it can't be that bad. I mean, which is worse, all the opportunity in the world and not wanting it, or wanting it bad with zero opportunity?

 

[Andrew_Waltfeld]

Hmmm Super human strength/Spartan Abilities... or the being neutered and not have the urge to have sex... Decisions, Decisions.

Well, if you are neutered to the point of simply not caring, it can't be that bad. I mean, which is worse, all the opportunity in the world and not wanting it, or wanting it bad with zero opportunity?

True. Very very true. Was having a bit of fun there but your point is valid.

 

[Andrew_Waltfeld]

I can't say you aren't wrong, because I don't know where computers will take us. However, in order to be an actual "smart" Cortana - like computer, it must have the ability to make its own decisions, which modern computers cannot and there's no reason to think that it will be able to. A computer can have ten million different variables, but throw something new at it and it will never be able to understand that until somebody tells it how.

So I guess Cortana could stand for some sort of hypothetical computer personality in gaming?

true but really, the most important foundation stone is having the computer adapt on its own as you said. That is perhaps the last roadblock and foundation stone to be lain. Once that is accomplished, AI's will certainly flourish. I believe some of those problems are going to be overcome sooner or later.

It will need to have two routines built into it at least. One for input of the user and the other is input of self-discovery. Perhaps a key to this is the randomization protocol common in computers.

However - yes your also right, she could stand for a computer personality.