Top 10 Female Leads in Video Games

10. Any game that supports female character creation –

I recently moved from rolling strictly dudes to rolling only female characters when given the chance in video games that allow me to choose between the two sexes. Because who wouldn’t want to spend 30-100+ hours playing as a female?

9. Sonya Blade –

Sonya Blade has been a staple in the Mortal Kombat franchise since the first game released in 1992. Ever since then, Sonya Blade has cartwheel-kicked her way into our lives and has made numerous appearances that spans 9 games, 2 movies, and various other entertainment outlets.

8. GlaDOS-

Ahh, GlaDOS our “the cake is a lie” loving, passive aggressive AI matriarch is a hard circuit board to deny. Although not THE lead in the Portal series, she is the one who cynically narrates Chell through two games.

7. Jade –

Jade (Beyond Good & Evil, not Mortal Kombat) is one of the most recognized female protagonists in video games and made her debut in 2003’s, Beyond Good & Evil. Armed with a brain and a camera, Jade broke the objectified female mold and has received praise in other various top ten female protagonist lists throughout the years.

6. Jill Valentine –

You may have heard of this little franchise called, Resident Evil. Yeah, I haven’t either. But from what I hear, there is this zombie-equalizing bad-ass character, Jill Valentine. Although I hear she wasn’t as strong as her partner, Chris Redfield, she was better equipped with skills and weapons which allowed her to kick serious zombie ass. Jill Valentine has also appeared in numerous other Resident Evil games and movies.

5. Commander Shepard –

Kicking ass and taking names is Commander Shepard’s second job in the Mass Effect franchise. Her first job is leading a rag-tag group of assassins, scientists, and mercenaries against an eminent threat, the Reapers. Spanning three games, this leading lady traversed the universe in the Normandy leading her crew, battle after battle, wiping out the Reapers which resulted in an ultimate act of selflessness.

4. Princess Peach –

This peach of a lady stole Mario’s heart in Nintentdo’s Mario and Donkey Kong franchises, which in turn stole our hearts. This heroine made her epic levitating debut in one of my favorite Mario games, Super Mario Bros. 2. Since then, Peach has been in a multitude of spin-offs and even getting her own game, Super Princess Peach.

3. Chun Li –

It’s only natural that the first female in a fighting game be on this list. Not only the first, but arguably the most effective in a fighting game as well. She debuted in Street Fighter 2 and has been in just about every other Street Fighter since. If you don’t think she deserves to be on this list, especially at number 3, I have a SF2 machine in my house that will prove otherwise.

2. Lara Croft –

Besides all the negative sexual attention this character received when the first Tomb Raider released, Lara Croft was one of the first female characters in a strong protagonist role. Armed with two pistols and the ability to climb any mountain, crevasse, hillside, or cliff, Lara Croft treads fearless into any cave welcoming any challenge she faces.

Recently rebooted, Lara Croft was given a new appearance and story. Although Lara was portrayed as a broken young woman, by the end of the game she was transformed into a fearless adventurer. I look forward to seeing what new adventures come her way.

1. Samus Aran –

Yes, Samus hails at number one of this top ten female lead list. Why, you ask? Samus is in the Guinness Book of World Records: Gaming Edition as, “the first playable human female character in a mainstream videogame.” Not only is she the first but, at the time, a dominant force in video games as the protagonist of the Metroid series. She didn’t just jump, bop, and run from left to right like her cousin, Mario. She spun, gunned down, and morphed her way in, through, and around the world of Zebes, eradicating Mother Brain.

Being a male in his mid-thirties, I grew up in the NES era and one of my favorite games was Metroid. The developers pulled one of the biggest and greatest switcheroos by unveiling that Samus was a female in this male dominated genre. Being young, and only seeing male protagonists, imagine how astonished I was when I found out that this ball-morphing, spin-jumping, arm-gun shooting protagonist was actually a female. Mind. Blown.

FYI….I Broke My Finger

Just a heads up guys and girls. No posts coming for the next couple weeks until my finger heals…video games on the other hand will still be played.

If You Want to Game With Me

Hey, you guys want to game with me? I play just about everything. Here are my gamer tags and names for the following consoles and sites.

Xbox 360:

 

PSN:

Wii U: blkzombie

Steam:

RAPTR:

Shoot me an invite, I would love to game with you guys sometime. Thanks!

The VGA’s Celebrate 10 Years Tonight on Spike

Tonight, 9et/6pt, Spike will bring to you its 10th annual Video Game Award show. Some of the categories include: Game of the Year, Best Shooter, Best Multi-Player Game, Best Xbox 360 Game, Best PS3 Game, and much more. Just like every year the show will come packed with new trailers and celebrity appearances. By the looks of it on Spike’s VGA website, Borderlands 2 and Dishonored claim the most nominations. Both nominated for Best Xbox 360 Game and Best PS3 Game. Dishonored is also up for Game of the Year. If you haven’t had the opportunity to play Dishonored, I highly recommend it. Also, don’t forget to leave a comment and vote below.

Am I A ‘Game Addict’?

“One of the leaders in that field(gaming addiction) is Dr. Han Doug-hyun, from Chung-Ang University Hospital in Seoul, South Korea’s capital. Han’s research lab treats people who are addicted to games using techniques similar to those used to treat alcoholics, including counseling and virtual-reality therapy.”

“Here are Han’s top 5 warning signs of gaming or Internet addiction:

1. Disrupted regular life pattern. If a person plays games all night long and sleeps in the daytime, that can be a warning he or she should seek professional help.

2. If the potential gaming or Internet addict loses his or her job, or stops going to school in order to be online or to play a digital game.

3. Need for a bigger fix. Does the gamer have to play for longer and longer periods in order to get the same level of enjoyment from the game?

4. Withdrawal. Some Internet and gaming addicts become irritable or anxious when they disconnect, or when they are forced to do so.

5. Cravings. Some Internet and gaming addicts experience cravings, or the need to play the game or be online when they are away from the digital world.”

This was from an article I found on CNN’s website. Here is a link.

So, ok, maybe I do display SOME of these signs, am I an ADDICT? Fuck no! Just because I feel like I’m going to take a shit when I go to pick up a new game on release day like some sick cocaine addict going to score his first bag of dope, doesn’t make me an addict, does it?

No, seriously. I LOVE games! People that know me well might tell you that I’m obsessed with gaming, and they might be right.

What draws me in is that I appreciate the story, character development, technical aspects, problem solving, and escapism that gaming has to offer. I think for any gamer it’s about the experience and connection one has with the characters, world, and setting. A game also has to be fun to play and, for the most part, offer something new to the player.

For me, I have become mildly addicted to the story aspect of a game. I love experiencing new worlds and narratives created by these highly creative developers. Cracking open a new game, popping it in, and exploring the world is, in some sense, euphoric. It plays on all my senses of curiosity and intrigue. I am not the type of guy that can play a game over and over again. I get too bored with the game, and since I all ready know where the story will lead, I lose interest.

I’ve been gaming since Pitfall and Pac-Man. I was born into it. My mother and father had an Atari and Intellivison, so naturally it was ingrained into my habitat. It was just there, like air or water. Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s  I had an NES, Gameboy, a Sega Genesis, Sega CD, a N64, PSone, Dreamcast, PS2, PSP, then onto Xbox 360 and PS3.

It wasn’t until development of HD consoles that I became completely enamored with video games. With progression of the home console came my love affair with this digital media, and I will admit that this affair has turned to an obsession. I now own again, a NES, Dreamcast, Sega Genesis, 2 Xbox 360’s, a PS3, PS Vita, gaming PC, Wii U, and a Street Fighter 2 arcade machine. As well as a proper library of games throughout. I wouldn’t call this an addiction, maybe more of a hobby or collection.

So, my question to you is, do you feel the list above is valid? Are you addicted to gaming or do you see it as more of a hobby? What do you love most about video games? Leave your comments below. Thanks!

Wii U, a week(or so) later

WAKE UP!! THE WII U IS HERE!

Last Sunday I stood eagerly awaiting outside my local Game Stop for the newly released and highly anticipated Nintendo Wii U. Albeit skeptical at first, the Wii U delivered all the pleasure one would receive on Christmas upon opening their first gift. Giddy and delighted, I drove home and set the console up for major time consumption.

The comparison to the DS and 3DS is uncanny and spot-on. It’s easy to see that Nintendo took their wildly popular handheld machines and made it into a high-definition home console, and it works. Having only picked up two of the twenty-something launch title games and the game that came with the console(Nintendoland), my time with the machine is limited to those games. From my experience, and from what I’ve heard thanks to Miiverse, ZombiU displays the best of what the Wii U has to offer in terms of utilization and synchronization.

The key apps and features are scarce and pretty much non-existent at launch. Miiverse and the Nintendo eShop were up and easy to navigate. Miiverse is the communal hub from which people, or “Miis”, can communicate to one another in a chat room corresponding to a particular game. So, say I was playing ZombiU and wanted to post something about the game and let everyone know I has having a hard time and ask for help. I can hit the home button, click on Miiverse using my stylus or finger, and post whatever was giving me trouble. There are three ways I can post content. Text, digital pad(a drawing using the stylus or finger), or screenshot. Now, if your thinking, “Well, what about spoilers?” Fret not, Miiverse comes equipped with a “spoiler” button that hides the post and warns the reader of spoilers. Even though the spoiler button may sound awesome, it’s been my experience that people in Miiverse are a little too hyper-sensitive and quick to report you for misconduct and spoilers, which has turned me off to Miiverse a little bit. Also, there’s A LOT of fan boy-ism circulating the community which is also a huge turn-off. This can make for a bias and sometimes annoying experience.

The Nintendo eShop was easy to navigate and in my opinion doesn’t warrant to much explanation. There were a few indie and retail games made available for purchase and after buying an indie game, I found the process of purchasing a game quick and painless. The eShop also allows you to browse and read synopsises of other games made available through retailers.

YOU GET THE IDEA

Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, and I believe Netflix, were not up and running day of launch and the following few days after. Since I do not have a Hulu Plus or a Netflix account I can not comment on those apps, but I do have an Amazon account and was very pleased with the service. Like the eShop, Amazon Instant Video was easy to navigate and very responsive. After launching a movie to see how it would handle the GamePad integration, it soon became my top choice for running that service. While the movie is running on the television screen, the game pad offers all playback functionality, a movie poster, and quick synopsis on the movie. Also worth mentioning is the ease of use after choosing a genre or collection. Using the GamePad all you have to do is swipe to the left or to the right and choose your movie on the GamePad. There is a second or so delay while the movies load on screen but I found this easier than using a remote control.

The Wii U does not support DVD or Blu-Ray functionality due to the cost of licenses and patents. The President of Nintendo went on record saying that many people in today’s society have devices that support those functions and it wouldn’t be in Nintendo’s best interest to support DVD and Blu-Ray in their upcoming console. This in my opinion is smart because it drives the cost to the consumer down which in turn makes it obviously more accessible.

Seeing what the Wii U is capable of in terms of game play, accessibility and community support, it’s easy to see that Nintendo has made a solid console. My concern is lack of third-party support and the risk Nintendo will take to support those third parties that make up so much of the games market. Also, one of my gripes is the lack of original titles Nintendo produced at launch(even though Nintendo’s self proclaimed launch window stretches to March, which is absurd). So, like everything else on this green earth, only time will tell if Nintendo has come up with a console to compete with today’s ever stretching console cycles and the inevitable future high-definition console behemoths that lurk just around the corner, Sony and Microsoft.

In the beginning…

“Gram’pa, what’s that?”

My name is Brian and I’ve been putting this idea of a video game blog off for quite sometime. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do, but just haven’t really got around to. I would either be playing the latest release or enjoying (I use the word ‘enjoying’  very loosely due to how belligerent I can become) my time playing any modern multiplayer game, pretty much Battlefield 3. So, there is absolutely nothing hitting the shelves and I have all this time, why not help flood the internet with my opinions. Well then, here is a little background of where my history and love affair with video games began.

At the beginning of my life my parents had an Atari, much like the one pictured above. In fact, I’m pretty sure it was the Atari 2600. I thought it was the coolest thing (next to He-man and my G.I. Joe’s.) I vivedly remember  the glimmer and glow of Pitfall and E.T. emitting from the bulky CRT television, this glorious machine would indeed spawn my love and passion for, “The Video Game.” A few short years later I, and the rest of the world, would be introduced to the genre changing and life altering machine, the Nintendo Entertainment System (a.k.a. the NES.)

This 8-bit, off-white rectangular shaped box was bad-ass! Every kid (and probably adult) had to have one and if you didn’t, it would be hard to relate on the yard at school with the other kids that did own this magical box. As I write, I can remember the smell of plastic fumigating my little nostrils after unboxing this gorgeous Japanese machine. The controller wound tight, bound by twist-ties, and the peeking of a plumber on a grey cartridge. A plumber that would later become a household name and mega-pop icon, “Super Mario Bros.” That was a great era that spawned a lot of future franchises and characters that still breath life today. A few of my favorite names and games from that era were Super Mario Bros. (1, 2, & 3), Metroid, Kid Icarus, Contra, Blaster Master, and Fester’s Quest, to name a few.

Onward and upward a few years to very different looking machine, the Sega Genesis. OHHHHHH, this thing was GREAT in all of it’s 16-bit, side-scrolling glory. Glossy black and curvy stealth like design, it is hard to mistake this machine for anything else, much like the NES. The Genesis is iconic for it’s 16-bit graphics and unparalleled fighting games, such as Mortal Kombat and Super Street Fighter. I remember cutting school and rendezvousing with my friends, a big sack of  weed, and an occasional 40 oz., to play Eternal Champions and Primal Rage. Goddamn, those were the days! Some other games that I idolized were Streets of Rage 2, Altered Beast, Golden Axe, Shinobi, Sonic the Hedgehog(naturally), and Earthworm Jim.

After the Genesis, I had a Sega Saturn. I never played it much because, at around this time in my life, the love and passion for gaming fell by the wayside as girls, booze, bands, music, and drugs became more the focal point in my life. I had gaming systems but wasn’t actively playing as much as I once had. I feel deep into a hole that took a long time to crawl out of. I still played games like GoldenEye 007 and Banjo-Kazooie for the Nintendo 64. Crash Bandicoot, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, and Final Fantasy VII(which I played for over 24 hours straight, thanks to a certain stimulant that shall remain nameless) for the Playstation. And, for a brief time I had a Sega Dreamcast as well, I don’t remember too much about that machine other than I loved the VMU‘s and the graphics, at the time. It’s just too bad I loaned it to the wrong person and never saw it again.

 

Things would pick up when I decided one day that I wanted a Playstation 2. Being on hiatus from gaming and witnessing the fruits of  the ever increasing nature of technology, the Playstation 2 was gorgeous and alluring. Once again, a little black machine would catch my eye, I had to have one. I recall the day I bought it. It was a sunny day, I rode my bike down to the local Best Buy, and made the purchase. I was unhinged with excitement, went straight home, plugged, and played.

Fast forward to the Xbox 360. I received this glorious high definition machine one Christmas from my parents(who are professional people in their 50’s and still game). One of the first games I played was Gears of War…FUCK, that game was AMAZING. The level of detail and fidelity it had pushed was staggering. My eyes were having sex with the beautiful colors and my mind was mesmerized by the crimson color of spraying blood. One year later and a few price drops I was given a Playstation 3 and introduced to mind-blowing games like Uncharted and Killzone 2. 5 to 6 years later, 1 more Xbox 360 and PS3, and high end gaming PC (from the wife) later, here I sit writing about the very thing that has taken over my life, video games and the surrounding culture.

I own 2 Xbox 360’s, 1 Playstation 3, a gaming PC(Intel i7-2600k @ 3.4Ghz running a Geforce GTX 560Ti and 1 TB of mem), an NES, a Genesis, and a Dreamcast, plus around 200+ (and counting) games spread across PC and console.

My objective for writing this blogs is to satisfy my love for video games and to convey to the reader(hopefully) something of interest. I’m not only going to write reviews of games old and new, but I want to write about current events that I find significant in this medium. I am also totally open to suggestion and would love feed back as to what you think. Also, if there is something you would like me to review, I will try and get my hands on a copy and do that for you. I really hope you, the reader, enjoy what you read and maybe smile a little. There will be more posts to follow in the very near future. Thank you for reading.