Top 10 Kickass Women in Video Games
Bright, dynamic, strong and fearless, here are our top 10 ladies in video games. You’re welcome.
Oh sure, there are plenty who say the video gaming industry is dominated by men – but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of seriously awesome girls to take control of during gameplay. Bright, dynamic, strong and fearless, here are our top 10 ladies in video games. You’re welcome.
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10 – Black Kat (Pirates: The Legend Of Black Kat)
Remember Black Kat? She was a pirate? Yeah, ok, fine – not many do. But Black Kat, despite her voluptuous breasts, wasn’t just a pretty pixellated face, oh no! She was a PIRATE, for crying out loud. And, better than that, she was a PIRATE WITH A HEART! Aboard her ship the Wind Dancer, along with her crew, she raided Crimson Guard ships and used their loot to help those people hurt by the wildly corrupt Captain Hawke. So she was, essentially, Robin Hood – but on a boat. Throw in some magic powers, a pretty impressive double sword technique and a pretty awesome ensemble and you have one of the ultimate playable females in the world of gaming ever. Bagsy yourself a copy of Pirates: The Legend Of Black Kat for yourself and give it a whirl.
9 – Bayonetta (Bayonetta)
“I whip my hair back and forth…
Shapeshifting witch with magical attack hair? Gimme. Bayonetta is a pretty intriguing character, considering she’s got a 500 year period of serious amnesia to figure out, and spends much of the game contemplating time travel, the Eyes Of The World and battling angels. Freaky, yes, but also freakishly entertaining. Where else can you traverse dimensions AND kill people with your hair AND turn into a panther, eh? Keep an eye out for the Star Wars-esque “Bayonetta, I am your father” bit and… well, just have fun, guys.
8 – Lilith the Siren Girl (Borderlands)
Lilith genuinely has superpowers, making her the most fun pick out of the four playable characters for Borderlands. Trust us. Think turning invisible, phasing into other dimensions, becoming near invincible and shockwaving your enemies into oblivion. Sounds pretty neat, huh? No wonder so many fans have joined forces with Lilith in a bid to defeat The Destroyer. As she says herself: “With me around, you might actually get somewhere.”
7 – Faith (Mirror’s Edge)
Parkour. We’ve all wanted to try it and all feared plummeting to our deaths, so Faith helps us to achieve our dreams withOUT risking our lives. This game is all about the person, rather than the combat, and Faith has to use her wits to plot a strategy and route through this dystopian city. And there’s also the fact that she does battle against Project Icarus not to save a lover (so cliched), but for the sake of her sister – what could be more girl power than that? NOT A LOT, THAT’S WHAT!
6 – Chell (Portal)
All she ever wanted was cake and grief counselling. That’s all she ever wanted. But, sadly for Chell, the “cake is a lie” and she has to rely on everything she’s got to help her navigate her way through the test rooms of the Enrichment Centre. Can she, with a little help from the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device and Companion Cube, find victory? Or will she come face-to-face with a previously unrealised threat? Yeah, the second one. Obviously. Get in there and help her, damn it!
5 – Jill Valentine (Resident Evil)
Let’s get old school, shall we? Resident Evil’s Jill Valentine has worked hard to get where she is today – starting off as one of two protagonists (and significantly weaker than her male counterpart), the feisty explosives expert won us over with her serious skillz (lock picking, firepower, piano playing and genuine awesomeness) to eventually become the SOLE protagonist of the Resident Evil franchise. And she ends up rescuing Chris from a terrorist group. You go, Jill Valentine! Just how about you don’t go into that dark shadowy basement prettified only by a single [GREEN HEALTH] pot plant. Um, no, seriously, wait…
4 – Buffy (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)
Joss Whedon is all about creating empowering female figures, so it makes sense that the video game versh of his work shows the Buffster off as a seriously strong, quick-witted, intelligent and utterly hilarious young woman (in fact, we’ve made Buffy a previous Feminist Icon of the Week. From staking vampires to cracking jokes about the oncoming apocalypse, there’s nothing she can’t do. And she positively runs circles around all the menfolk who surround her. Time to stick the disc into your nearest Xbox and smash your way through Sunnydale High, stat!
3 – Ellie (The Last Of Us)
A relative newb to the world of video gaming, Ellie isn’t playable to begin with as you advance through The Last Of Us – but, obviously, being the only one immune to that terrible zombie infection, she was bound to become more important as gameplay progressed. Aged just fourteen, and ever so intent on saving humanity, she (along with Joel) rely on stealth tactics and cooperative combat to survive zombie attacks AND the corruption of humankind. Dark, eh? We don’t want to give away any spoilers, so you’ll have to give this one a whirl for yourselves.
2 – Samus Aran (Metroid)
Samus has never, ever suffered from being underdressed for battle. Chainmail bikinis? Not her problem.
What kind of a list would this be without including Samus, one of the first EVER female protagonists in the history of gaming? No kind at all, that’s what. Unlike many of the ass-kicking girls on this list, Samus doesn’t expose a whole lotta flesh during her missions – in fact, she opts for a powered exoskeleton kitted out with cannons and grapple beams, which meant that, when she took off her Power Suit for the first time ever, men everywhere were stunned to find that the fearless bounty hunter was a WOMAN. Nothing better than a surprise woman, eh? Especially a non-sexualised surprise woman.
That’s right, the fact that she’s a woman kind of isn’t important at all. She’s not baring her bubbies to keep the male gamers impressed, she’s not baring her face in public for female gamers to latch onto as a leader of the civil rights movement. She’s just a supremely talented action figure – that occasionally wears mascara. That’s it. And, to be honest, that’s almost all we’ve ever wanted.
1- Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)
“What’s that, Marlon? I literally can’t hear you because you’re mumbling like a big mumbly man in the corner. No, I *still* can’t hear you because of the choppers and the Wagner. Let’s be honest, I don’t even care what you’re saying. Listen, I had to watch a BUFFALO getting slaughtered a minute ago. It wasn’t even a special effect. Wait… what do you mean this isn’t Apocalypse Now? Are you SURE?” (Gorgeous) art by Reiup
But not quite, eh? Because Samus Arran hadn’t banked on Lara Croft rocking up and stealing her crown.
Perhaps THE most influential female protagonist of all time, the inimitable Lara Croft is the source of inspiration for women everywhere. She’s redefined what women can do in the world of video gaming, relying on self-sufficiency, serious brainpower, awesome survival skills and fierce combat moves to battle her way to the top – and she’s still going. So what if she’s a little busty? Women have bubbies, get over it. So what if she does a handstand where handstands are not strictly necessary? She’s got style; that’s always a good thing. You’ll never get marked down for reacting to any given challenge with a handstand. She’s basically the female version of Indiana Jones, employing her linguistic skills and historical knowledge to solve some pretty enduring mysteries (HELLO LEGEND OF KING ARTHUR’S SWORD!) and her badass gun-toting moves to put an end to any male character who dares cross her. She doesn’t have a boyfriend. She doesn’t waste time on love interests. She puts her thirst for archaeology (and protecting her friends) above anything else and, in short, has brought XX power to the video gaming industry. Atta girl Lara!
Done? Now you might want to check out some of the toughest women in films. Or check out our Top 10 video game men
Playing like a don.
