Video games are mostly dominated by the male protagonists. But once in a while, a company will release a big game featuring a strong-willed female character that we all can’t help but love. From Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft to Sarah Kerrigan of Starcraft, let’s check out seven of the coolest female characters in the history of video games.
Lara Croft of Tomb Raider
Lara Croft is the known English archaeologist of the popular Tomb Raider series. In the recent reboot of the game series, she is described as an inexperienced young woman, unsure of her goals and actions — a big contrast to her previous character background. Through her adventures and the perilous events she had faced, she became assertive and more focused, turning her into a deadly survivor. This character development makes her more badass.
Faith Connors of Mirror’s Edge
Faith Connors is the heroine of EA’s action-adventure game Mirror’s Edge. Living under a totalitarian regime, she became a part of an illegal underground courier group known as the Runners. This group transports private and sensitive documents across the city and deliver them to revolutionary groups. She does this while evading the watchful eyes of the City regime. What makes Faith a strong character is she fights to reveal the regime’s true oppressive nature. If you love Aeonflux, I’m sure you’ll love her too.
Sarah Kerrigan of StarCraft
Sarah Kerrigan was once a psychic Terran female who became a Confederate ghost and the Sons of Korhal’s second-in-command. However, after Arcturus Mengsk’s betrayed her, she was captured and infested by the Zerg Swarm. After being infected, she was transformed into a twisted Zerg hybrid, eventually becoming the Queen of Blades or the Zerg Queen. Through her power, she was able to lead the swarms and became one of the most feared entities in the galaxy.
Aveline de Grandpré of Assassin’s Creed: Liberation
Long before, Assassin’s Creed lacks the gender diversity most gamers asked for. Until in 2012 when Ubisoft finally introduced the series’ first playable female protagonist, Aveline de Grandpre. She is an Assassin of French and African heritage who lived around the 18th century. Liberation may not exactly be the best one in the franchise. However, Aveline is one of the strongest protagonists in the series. Her character developed through the game; rising as a powerful woman that fights against oppression.
Miss her? Assassin’s Creed: Liberation is available to download on Steam for gaming PCs and gaming laptops.
Jill Valentine of Resident Evil
Jill Valentine, no doubt, is the most popular female character in the Resident Evil franchise. She started in the game as one of the Special Operations Agents along Chris Redfield. She also happens to be one of the co-founders of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance which the main purpose is to exterminate and prevent bioterrorism.
Commander Shepard of Mass Effect
Lieutenant Commander Shepard is the main protagonist of Mass Effect up to its third installment. Although the player can choose the gender of Commander Shepard, I think many will agree that it is pretty cool to make Shepard a woman. To start with, Shepard is a veteran of the Skyllian Blitz, and is the first human to join the elite special task force for the Citadel Council known as the Spectres.
Chell of Portal
Chell is the silent protagonist of the puzzle video game Portal. A test subject to the Aperture Science, she became involved in the testing of the Portal Gun. Although little is known about Chell’s personality and background, she greatly shows “never say die” attitude throughout the game. According to GLaDOS, her IQ was above average, and she is highly resourceful, quick-thinking and is good in problem-solving.
Did your favorite female character make it on the list? If not, tell us about yours in the comments below and why you think she is a badass character. We’d love to hear from you!