13th December 2009 - These days for every balls to the wall hero, there is an equally assertive female, either to lend a hand or simply listen in and help at a moments notice. Lara Croft may have broken the mold; Half Life 2 may have paved the way- but this year, these ladies made our games:
10. Serena
Last seen: Talking to herself in Halo Wars
Developer: Ensemble Studio
Not really as attractive as Cortana, Serena fell short, as Ensemble failed to come up with a convincing name for the blue AI. In some ways she felt more like the original Cortana in Halo than the sexed up fiery number on Halo 3. With longer hair, Serena gets our vote for not wearing any clothes* but otherwise hard to relate to, because; you know- she’s not real!
*ok, yes she was more conservative than Cortana and did actually have 'clothes' on, but its all just 1 and 0s to us
9. Fat Princess
Last seen: Eating cake in Fat Princess
Developer: Titan Studios
So take Princess Peach, add a few more peaches, covered in butter and whipped cream and you come close to one of the most 'unique' bed time characters this side of the century. Sure there may have been a backlash over her over-eating antics, but who didn't have fun trying to hoof her round the level. She gets our vote for number 9 because cake is cool, and so was this game
8. Dana
Last seen: Crying in the corner in Prototype
Developer: Radical Entertainment
Take a broody pathological human form virus and give him an equally dark little sister. Pity she didn't realize her bro was dead long before she tried to help him. It seems you can't have a male protagonist these days without an opposite ying to the raging yang. Luckily these two were related or she may have found out just how many tentacles he was made of, if you know what I mean.
7. Neytiri
Last seen: Running through the jungle in Avatar
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
What’s not to like about 9 feet tall Amazonian women? Sure they might be blue as a cross between a panther and a giant dark-elf but who hasn't looked into those big yellow eyes, on every single movie poster across the country at the moment, and ...thought about 'it'. Romantic race relations actually play a large part in Cameron’s' new movie and given their exotic nature, the N'avii make a perfect 7.
6. (ONI Agent ) 'Dare'
Last seen: Falling from the sky in Halo 3-ODST
Developer: Bungie
To be fair, some games simply need to have a token female, just to appease the masses. This one was interesting for the number of 'fugly' comments she received in the model department. That said it made a nice change to the testosterone flying around in previous games, not to mention a very obvious nod in Gears Direction. Personally I'm still waiting for my Female Spartan Soldier; I know you’re out there!
5. Lucy Stillman
Last seen: Entering the matrix in Assassins Creed 2
Developer: Ubisoft
I'm pretty sure I saw this same chick in ODST, Gears and just about a ½ dozen other games. Generic hot babe #1 complete with jeans and a blonde ponytail. She rates slightly higher just for looking better- but allowing her to bust you out of your prison only to stick you inside the mind of a crazy Italian assassin? First dates are always awkward I suppose
4. Lara Croft
Last seen: Jumping up and down in Tombraider: Underworld
Developer: Edios
It wouldn't be a top 10 list without Lara, and true to form she is looking as bouncy as ever. Honestly, we put her in the list just to see how every one sat around her...looking, as the water dripped off- honestly though Miss Croft is getting on in years and there is plenty of competition. Perky as ever, the best we could do is No.4.
3. Rubi Rose
Last seen: Cutting the fat in WET
Developer: Bethesda Softworks
WET was named more to do with the amount of blood she created rather than any amount of wetness on our behalf. Surely though, Rubi Rose could make a man sweat. With some smooth acrobatics and a kick ass soundtrack, this deadly assassin made us too scared to put at number 2. A boozing shooting deadly gal, Rubi chewed us up and spat us back out.
2. Morrigan
Last seen: Refusing to put out in Dragon Age: Origins
Developer: Bioware
Morrigan might have ruined the moment some tween discovered he could 'see through' her clothes, but it was a very close second for an npc that was harder to impress than Paris Hilton in prison. She put out a lot less too. Dragon Age continued the trend of sexy cut scenes slowly creeping into a number of high profile games. An excellent offensive mage though, Morrigan cast a spell on our hearts as we kept her in our party till the very end leveling all the way to number 2.
1. Sheva
Last seen: In a leopard print bikini in Resident Evil: 5
Developer: Capcom
It may not make game of the year, but surely Sheva is our babe of the year, causing quite a stir for all her Zulu ethnicity. Some people went so far as to criticize the shade of her complexion saying that it was too white and they were hotting up a stereotype. We just thought she made good company while killing so many zombies and just couldn't get past the 'unlockable' costumes for yours truly. Good looking and useful too, Sheva is number 1.
So there you have it, from 9 feet tall and blue to fits in your pocket and carry anywhere, female companions come in all shapes and sizes. Whether it’s fighting off un-dead or simply trying to 'bed', this generation of gaming just wouldn't be the same without them. Hit up the forums and let us know who your favorite femme fatal is?
Article Written By Ian Crane