The 10 Most Kick Ass Female Video Game Characters To Watch This Year
These women don't need plumbers or elves to save them.
Image via Complex Original
As the video game culture continues to mature, so has the images of women. Although there is still a lot of work to do as far as the portrayal of women in video games, some developers have been creating characters that are more complex than the princesses and near nude, mega-boobed fighters we've been accustomed to seeing.
Take for instance, Lara Croft. For over a decade, she's been mostly known for her tight clothing and prominent bust. Her abilities as an adventurer has always taken a back seat until this year's Tomb Raider reboot/prequel. Sofia Hendrick of Gears of War: Judgement isn't the stereotypical heroine fighting enemies in metal underwear. She's just as capable as any soldier in her fight against the Locust army. It looks as if 2013 will be the year to mark a step forward in the movement to create better female characters. To celebrate, we've decided to highlight the virtual women who will be making noise this year with their wits instead of their bodies.
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10. Nilin
Game: Remember Me
Formerly an elite memory hunter, Nilin is now part of an underground activist group called the Errorists. Nilin has the the ability to hack people's memory to either erase or alter them. After waking up in a prison in Paris, Nilin finds herself without her own memories and now must fight her way to the truth.
9. Purna
Game: Dead Island: Riptide
Sure she may come off a bit shady but can you really blame her? Purna was a cop who shot a child molester that no one wanted to convict. Now as a bodyguard for wealthy VIPs, she's still on the hunt for the sicko she couldn't take out the first time.
8. Sofia Hendrik
Game: Gears of War Judgement
Once a journalist, Sofia Hendrik left her career to join the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) after Emergence Day when the ruthless Locusts launched their attack on humanity. Sofia proved that being a wordsmith didn't mean that she couldn't pick up a gun and bang with the best of them.
7. Jodie Holmes
Game: Beyond: Two Souls
Ever since she was a child, Jodie Holmes knew that there was something different about herself. Unlike other kids around her, she had a special bond with a spirit she calls "Aiden." Now as an adult, she must call on Aiden to help her get out of a mess that has government officials after her. Don't think for a second that Jodie is a stereotypical damsel in distress. Her survival instincts and aggressiveness rival any male character out there.
6. Ellie
Game: The Last of Us
Ellie is this year's youngest heroines who must face the challenges of survining in a post apocalyptic United States. At 14, Ellie was raised in a quarrantine zone without much connection to the outside world. This only made her more curious about what life was like before the great tragedy. After leaving the quarrantined zone with Joel, Ellie learned how to defend herself and even kill if she had to as Joel's ways of survival continued to rub off on her.
5. Xian Mei
Game: Dead Island: Riptide
If you want to meet someone who had a tough break, check out Xian Mei. As the daughter of a police officer who was killed in the line of duty, she joined the force only to be delegated to a bogus team of undertrained cops and sent to the zombie-ridden Royal Palms resort as an informer. It's a good thing that her dad taught her how to kick ass in martial arts or else her passionate anger may have gotten out of her own control.
4. Sarah Kerrigan
Game: StarCraft II: The Swarm
We were first introduced to Sarah in StarCraft as a 26 year old Terran psychic who was an expert in espionage and assassination. After she was captured by the Zerg military, she was turned into a hybrid of humanoid and insect and her talents unleashed for evil purposes. Now in StarCraft II: The Swarm, she must face her inner conflict and decide which side to align herself with. Whichever she chooses will benefit greatly from her skill as a military mastermind and supreme space gangster.
3. Wonder Woman
Game: Injustice: Gods Among Us
As one of the most recognizable super women ever, Wonder Woman has returned as a no-nonsense head crusher in the upcoming fighter Injustice: Gods Among Us. The hardcore amazonian is no longer the butt of you-can-tie-me-up-anytime jokes. Step to her with that crap now and she'll likely tie you up with your own arms instead of her lasso.
2. Young Lara Croft
Game: Tomb Raider
Before her life of raiding tombs, Lara Croft was a young and ambitious anthropologist with a zest for solving the mysteries of ancient societies. After being shipwrecked on an island with bunch of insane terrorists, she developed the skills and abilities to survive her enemies as well as nature. Everything Lara learned was by experience and her own will to make it to the next challenge.
1. Elizabeth
Game: BioShock Infinite
Locked up in a tower for her whole life and monitored by a huge metal bird, Elizabeth spent her time studying everything from metaphysics to advanced lockpicking. Liz is an all-around bad ass who helps our Booker Dewitt in an effort to find out the truth about her past. Playing through BioShock Infinite is nearly impossible with Elizabeth's help which makes you question your own strength. The late prro-wrestler Randy "The Macho Man" Savage always needed his Elizabeth and so do you .