by Ravi Sinha
The good old days of gaming babes began when a little known company out East pondered the effects of combining Little Red Riding Hood, a Chinese masseuse and a Kung-fu goddess-in-training to create Chun Li in Street Fighter 2. Of course, this was around the same time that two little companies called Eidos Interactive and Core Design introduced goddess elite, nubile-adolescent-seductress-in-training (poised for early graduation from quick progress) and British-archaeologist-for-plot-closure, Lara Croft. The leggy beauty of SF2 bowled guys over with her speed and grown-up cuteness while the elegant Tomb Raider brought new meaning to the words, “Heavy Artillery”.
Soon, enough a whole bevy of heroines, dominatrixs, anime doe-eyed ringers, killer computers and Japanese school-girls appeared, each cementing and subsequently carrying their legacy for years after. Tifa Lockheart and Aerith Gainsborough of Final Fantasy VII, Sophitia of Soul Edge and Soul Calibur, Rayne of Bloodrayne (before Uwe Boll threw vampire cowboys in and genuine sexiness out in his cinematic adaptations of the franchise), Alyx Vance of Half Life 2. Heck, even psychotic artificial personalities SHODAN of System Shock 2 and GlaDOS Portal, and many, many more femme fatales have earned their name and fame in gaming, through sheer wit, ruthlessness and the occasional unlockable alternate costume.
This past E3 seems to have generated a rather varied smörgåsbord of gaming babes. There’s always been a likable heroine that gamers immediately connected with in past conventions (agreed, 2007 had Noriko, but that was also the year of GLaDOS). In 2008, aside from revamped franchise main-stays, just which of these foxy females hold the most potential for captivating gamers’ minds, imaginations and Saturday night dates with actual women? Do any of them have the potential to possibly surpass the likes of Croft Chun Li, much less a doomed flower girl or two? We take a look at some of the top contenders to for the new-age gaming babe tiara and find out.
Lightning, Final Fantasy XIII (Square-Enix)
Not enter or appear. Final Fantasy XIII had to explode on to the next-gen gaming scene. And which other FF heroine besides Lightning can take credit for the level of jaw-dropping team-killing and irreversible property damage that this feisty lass has wrecked thus far?
For: Tanned skin, feathery pale blonde-locks, pure white attire and a crimson mini-skirt give her Ashe-level solemnity and Paine-level ruthlessness. The way she keeps her composure, letting it drop in only brief moments of emotion, even when she faces down a monster in hellish high-speed traffic is as elegant as it is icy. Her arsenal and fighting style also provide for a previously unseen level of action in Final Fantasy.
Against: Unfortunately, this is the bronze-haired babe’s second E3 appearance — and her first came nearly months after her intial appearance. Even now, release details are still sketchy, with a playable demo to be shipped with Advent Children Complete later this year. Not that we mind our dates fashionably late — if the fashion justifies the lateness.
Ayumi, X-BLADES (Gaijin Entertainment)
Previously released in Russia more than a year ago, X-BLADES marks the entrance of anime-inspired and Dante-worshipping lolita, Ayumi. She casts spells. She wields blades, which are also guns (Gunblades for the win!). She’s single. Will gaming wonders never cease?
For: Coming from such a relatively unknown game studio, Ayumi definitely knows her priorities. Her skirt barely hides her mid-riff, with her “shirt” seemingly pasted onto her shoulders. Yes, there’s lolicon appeal to her character, with the ruffled blonde hair and big blue eyes adding some girl-next-door sparkles to her warrior ways. Let’s just hope that parental discretion doesn’t catch wind of a young cutie killing things with almost nothing on.
Against: Ayumi bears a very strong resemblance to another upcoming heroine, but I can’t quite put my finger on whom. Blonde. Gun-sword(s). Spells. Miniskirt. Who could it be? Also, for a such a hardcore runner, her adventure appears pretty typical at the moment, much like the anatomy of her face (due more to the faux anime design employed). Even DMC demon bangers can relax — Gaijin has already stated that Ayumi’s adventure is in no way an adrenaline rush.
Faith, Mirror’s Edge (Digital Illusions CE, Electronic Arts)
To free society from total government control, sometimes you need to just need to run. In a totalitarian world with every form of communication monitored by a higher power, Faith is a Runner transmitting messages for free-speech across a dystopian city. Air-tight controls mean little to a girl who can literally sail through the air.
For: Tall, athletic, trim and tough — Faith has already left us spell-bound with her some of the daredevilry she’s already displayed. Be it tight-rope walking on a girder or leaping towards an adjacent sky-scraper, she never loses her calm or backs down against adversity. Also, nothing says you disagree with a totalitarian regime bent on controlling people’s minds like familial love, as Faith is out to rescue her younger sister from the government.
Against: One’s first reaction on seeing Faith’s face would be to ask what the bejesus is that on her right eye, and that wouldn’t be a wrong place to start given that her face is pretty plain. Also, would it kill any of our modern heroines to smile once in a while? She doesn’t appear too glamourous or androgynistic, but will she be too average for her own good?
Sheva Alomar, Resident Evil 5 (Capcom)
Naturally, Chris Redfield couldn’t go it alone in Capcom’s new survivor horror madness. Either that or the company really wants to apologise for saddling us with Ashley in RE4. Nonetheless, Sheva Alomar steps into the scene to help Chris control the vicious virus outbreak in Africa as a member of the B.S.S.A.
For: A woman is one thing, but a woman with Special Ops training is like RDX to fireworks. Sheva, unlike previous Asian themed RE heroines with perfect lip gloss, is gritty and down in the thick of the mess. Even when surrounded by hordes of monsters, she never backs down. Conversely, she knows when she’s mismatched and will need Chris’s (i.e. your) help.
Against: Having an assistant along to help in missions is all well and dandy, but you can’t control Sheva directly. Hopefully this won’t turn into another cluster-funk marathon like Resident Evil Zero did. And we certainly hope Sheva isn’t just another Rebecca Chambers — capable on the outside but really just a scaredy-cat who can play the piano (it makes sense, trust me).
Rubi, Wet (A2M, Sierra Entertainment)
A strong-spirited desperado type walking into an area of darklings and going to town as she massacres them left and right, slicing and dicing when convenient before settling down for a nice bath. Rubi moseyed onto the scene amidst a drawling, country tune armed with nothing but superior gun-play and gravity-defying mid-air attack ballets.
For: Aside from making her debut in a bath-tub, Rubi’s got a pretty nifty fight style that favours the flavour of the day: Magnums for long-range shooting and a samurai sword for close-up combat. Her “don’t-give-a-damn” recklessness means she has no problem letting go — both in battle fatigues and out.
Against: Probably the biggest case Rubi has against her is that her game is currently on hold. Nothing sucks like a girl who’s late but then later standing us up? Blasphemy! Aside from her complete lack of imagination in weaponry, she looks like the long-list twin of Lara Croft, only with more pout and less clout. Rubi also seems to have glued her hair together, since it never moves, ever. A win for combat effectiveness but a total loss for sane thinking.
Bayonetta, Bayonetta (Platinum Games, Sega)
When evil dons the attire of angels and goes on a killing spree, only a gun-wielding witch Bayonetta (who should be on the side of evil but probably has nothing better to do) can strap said guns to her heels, step up and go on a killing spree as well. To stop the evil, of course.
For: Her well-toned body lends itself well to the acrobatic artillery Bayonetta uses. Having guns on your feet would be a recipe for shooting yourself in the foot (all puns intended), but nothing beats seeing a curvaceous leg unloading a 9 millimeter slug into a demon’s skull at lightning speed. Almost nothing, that is.
Against: Aside from her bizarre stance in this battle against evil, Bayonetta’s magic seems to have transformed her to look like KOS-MOS from Xenosaga. Huh. So much for the originality of a gun-wielding witch (which also went out the window with Bulletwitch for the Xbox 360, released not long ago). Also, Sega is behind this, and they haven’t produced a decent game in almost forever.
Looking at each of these heroines, it seems like no one has a fair chance of success outside Lightning and Sheva, and the name of their brands easily means more than they do for the moment. Nonetheless, here’s to the new blood, and hopes that they’ll be ready at release time for some digital captivating.
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