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230°

How Long Until Gaming Sees A Real Female Protagonist?

Reflecting upon the heroes that have been sweeping gaming lately it's hard for me not to wonder where all the girls are. Not in the sense that I want to see more ladies popping all over gaming, it's never gone well when a company has simply decided to inject a random character simply to meet a gender/race quota. But with characters like Isaac Clarke redefining the face of survival horror and Nathan Drake's sharp wit and smooth moves making its way to the big screen, it's hard not to wonder where the female leads are. This isn't to say that they don't exist, but why hasn't a developer taken the time to make a female lead that doesn't embrace the typical 'girl' characteristics?

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mephman4848d ago

I think the new Lara Croft design might help, but it's true, the only real female protagonists recently have been satirical jokes.

ShawnCollier4848d ago

Bayonetta being one in particular.

TeaRunner4848d ago

Zoe from The Longest Journey (Dreamfall) is the one that comes to mind. Funcom (the developer) has yet to release the last chapter in her story. But it's coming in the future. I think she really fits into that universe.

Also that girl from Beyond Good and Evil comes to mind. There are still companies that treat the female lead with respect, although they are few and far between.

hotgamergirl4848d ago

This gen has had some decent female leads.

Nariko (Heavenly Sword) although skankily clad was a strong female lead.

Faith (Mirror's Edge) was a strong female lead.

Samus (Metroid Trilogy) as always is a strong female lead.

Zoe and Rochelle (Left 4 Dead) Technically not lead characters, but they are a few of the only women to survive a zombie apocalypse they must be strong.

There have been some, but still Samus is the only one who stands up there, which is sad, girls kick butt too.

UnSelf4848d ago

i always thought there was goin to be a female agent you can pick in Crackdown.

At least thats what GI's cover story woulda had u believe

HolyOrangeCows4848d ago (Edited 4848d ago )

"Nariko (Heavenly Sword) although skankily clad"
I say if Kratos can wear a loincloth, Nariko can wear what she wears, lol.

"did people already forget about faith from mirrors edge? That game was awesome!"
That's the problem...all of the games with good female protagonists are forgotten. So devs just plop a massive set of boobies on the character, strip her down to nearly nothing, and move on.

frostyhat1234848d ago

Am i the only one who doesn't care about not having a female protagonist?

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SkyCrawler4848d ago (Edited 4848d ago )

I liked Heavenly Swords protagonist. Heavy Rain's was ok too I guess. Bayonetta was eye candy (for those that found her to be).

Edit: Lightning killed me with her one toned emotions. At least my opinion of her...

Lamarthedancer4848d ago

Lighting was just bland and depressing

TheDivine4848d ago

Trip from enslaved was a great female character. Reach had a female in it, not the lead but all 6 characters were important. Gears 3 finally has a woman in it too. Its come a long way.

Headquarters114848d ago

did people already forget about faith from mirrors edge? That game was awesome!

shooterexpert4848d ago

How long until that real female protagonist makes male characters a sammich.

hotgamergirl4848d ago

How long until your maturity kicks in...NEVER.

nskrishna24848d ago

People like you is why gaming is dominated by Male Leads....

shooterexpert4847d ago

I actually don't mind female characters.

I do have one firm belief though, you don't mix female and male characters in online shooters.

Female characters would be smaller and have smaller hit boxes. there is no need to unbalance a game this way.

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DrRichtofen4848d ago (Edited 4848d ago )

Madison Paige from Heavy Rain was one of best new female characters I've seen in a while.

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tweex4848d ago

FFXIII-2 seems to be focusing more on Lightning. Not necessarily the ideal female protagonist that Adam seems to be talking about, but it's a far cry better than some of the others out there.

Hardedge4848d ago

I think a lot of JRPGs fall into this trap. Most of their female characters are either really shallow or just plain fan service.

WildArmed4848d ago

lol current gen JRPGs yes,
not old-goldies last SNES, PS1, etc era.

But I believe we've seen some great female protagonist, off the off of my head, Resident Evil comes to mind.

ActionBastard4848d ago

Silent Hill 3. Dug it more than 2.

TOSgamer4848d ago

Jeanne D'arc for PSP. Too bad no one bought it.

Exquisik4848d ago

Valkyria Chronicle
Valkyrie Profile

Two awesome RPGs with Female Protagonists but yet no one bought them either.

tunaks14848d ago

lack of samus in this article.

Eamon4848d ago

I think it's due to how she was portrayed in Other M.

Xander-RKoS4847d ago

I think ignoring her as a female character is bit more insulting than saying she no longer is one (I don't think that, but lack of Samus did disappoint in this article)

tunaks14848d ago

sure she had emotions (which is not bad) but she still kicked ass, 1 controversial game shouldn't erase years of awesomeness.

ChickeyCantor4848d ago

Emotions....NOT...FAP...MATERI AL...NEED BOOBS...IN ACTION...NOW...

callahan094848d ago

Female Shepherd from Mass Effect never gets the credit she deserves...

Theo11304848d ago

So much better than Shepard

callahan094848d ago

Hahaha. Whoops. I spelled the name wrong, oh well.

Ducky4848d ago

Cate Archer never gets the credit she deserves.

Coincidentally, most of the characters in NOLF1 never gave her any credit either. =(

ChickeyCantor4848d ago

Most of the time i'm paragon, i think that made her a far better character.

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130°

Essential Video Games Everyone Needs To Play At Least Once

Video games are no longer just a simple past time. Today's games are evolving into true works of art. Offering intriguing narratives, cinematic setpieces, and profound messages, games can entertain us for hundreds of hours.

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Chard27d ago (Edited 27d ago )

I never got around to mass effect - I’m skeptical that it would hold up if I were to try it now

Furesis27d ago

I would say it does. The combat is a bit shit for todays standards but everything else is great.

anast27d ago

It's worth a play through today.

gold_drake26d ago

the first one is abit the odd one out but after u finished it, believe it it gets tremendously better and better

110°

The 7 Best Western RPGs: Immersive Adventures

RPGs are often huge, sprawling endeavours. With limited playtime, we have to choose wisely, so here's the best western RPGs available today.

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SimpleSlave45d ago

"I started playing games yesterday" the List... Meh!

How about a few RPGs that deserve some love instead?
1 - Alpha Protocol - Now on GOG
2 - else Heart.Break()
3 - Shadowrun Trilogy
4 - Wasteland 2
5 - UnderRail
6 - Tyranny
7 - Torment: Tides of Numenera

And for a bonus game that flew under the radar:
8 - Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

DustMan45d ago

Loved Alpha Protocol in all it's glorious jank. Great game.

SimpleSlave45d ago (Edited 45d ago )

Not only glorious jank, but the idea that the story can completely change depending on what you do, or say, or side with, makes it one of the most forward thinking games ever. The amount of story permutation is the equivalent of a Hitman level but in Story Form. And it wasn't just that the story changed, no, it was that you met completely new characters, or missed them, depending on your choices. Made Mass Effect feel static in comparison.

Alpha Protocol was absolutely glorious, indeed. And it was, and still is, more Next Gen than most anything out there these days. In this regard at least.

Pity.

230°

All the Essential Video Games Everyone Needs To Play At Least Once

Given the medium's wild diversity, this primer of the essential video games everyone should try is a good place to start.

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thorstein69d ago

.... from the 2000s (mostly).

shinoff218369d ago

I can't fk with this list. They missed on alot of games probably before the writers times. Also I know people loved some portal but I was never a fan.

Cacabunga69d ago

Tomb Raider 1
Driver 1
Abe’s Odyssey
FF6
King of Fighters 94
Mortal Kombat OG
LINK 2 the past
Street Fighter 2
Resident Evil 1

Inverno69d ago

Infinite but not the first two games? Witcher 3 but not the first two games?? GTA V but not literally any of the games before it??? Portal 2 but not the first? Also if you're going to play Shadow of The Colossus play the remaster and not the remake. Can't say I disagree with the list but my man it's all over the place.

Name Last Name69d ago

I mean some sequels are objectively better and you don’t need to play the whole series.

Inverno69d ago

But most of these games have a story to follow, sure you can catch up with a YouTube vid but where's the fun in that?

LucasRuinedChildhood69d ago (Edited 69d ago )

A list like this isn't telling you not to play the previous games if you want to. It's just giving you legendary games to play.

But tbh, you don't always have to force yourself to play every entry in a franchise to get to the better ones.

- The vast majority of Witcher 3 players never played the first 2 and had a great time. The first 2 games aren't in the same league.
- The GTA games are self-contained with the odd fun reference. You can easily jump into any of them.
- The Shadow Of The Colossus remake looks and controls better than the original (plus it has a 60fps option while the remaster is just 30fps). New players will enjoy it more.
- Portal 2 is a lot better than Portal 1 and takes the concept much further gameplay-wise. Storywise, Portal 1 is fairly light too. Not that you shouldn't play it but realistically ... you'd love Portal 2 whether you play it or not (at lot of Portal 2 players have never played 1).

Bioshock 1 is the only one I agree with you on simply because it's one the best games of all time and arguably better than Infinite. No other setting like Rapture.

Looking at the list, I'd recommend playing Uncharted 1 before 2 but no doubt, 2 is the legendary one you have to play.

Inverno69d ago

I get it, but that's just my opinion on his opinion. I just think that before you play a sequel you should still play what came before it. Maybe it's just me but i find it fascinating playing through the first game in a series and seeing how it has evolved through its sequels. Like I said I don't disagree with the list, other than SoTC which I strongly believe the remaster of the original should be played above the remake.

AuraAbjure69d ago

Awesome list! Hot take on Fear (and it's hard af expansion Persaus Mandate!) Bioshock Infinite is stellar, so is the Witcher 3 and you nailed it by having Ocarina of Time. So many fantastic games! Gotta play 'em all! Next one on my list is Prey after I beat Dead Space 2 and Splinter Cell Conviction.

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