Top 10 Female Video Game Characters that Deserve Their Own Spin Off

Sly Cooper and his band of thieves are quite the elusive pack of prowlers, as they infiltrate heavily guarded locations without breaking a sweat and getting away with all the moolah. Just as impressive is Inspector Carmelita Fox’s capacity to somehow find them at every turn and even throw a wrench in their otherwise foolproof plans. Her acrobatic skills and powerful shock pistol make her a formidable crime fighter, which leads us to envision a Sly Cooper-style game where you play as the cop instead of the robber. Maybe play up the ‘inspector’ aspect of her character and provide us with actual cases to solve. It would be a shift from the series norm, but one we’d happily welcome.

For being such a central figure in Max Payne’s story, there’s very little we know about this deadly assassin. Mona knows her way around a firearm just as well as Payne does, so the same frantic, bullet time gunplay could easily be preserved for an entry starring this femme fatale. On top of that, Mona can be quite mysterious and deceptive, which leads us to imagine the implementation of a gameplay mechanic that takes advantage of this characteristic she has. Of course according to the official canon, Mona did bite the bullet in Max Payne 2 so obviously we’re talking about a prequel here, but given how much we’ve got to work with, she’s far more than capable of owning her own title.

There are many playable characters within the Street Fighter franchise, so for any of them to stand out is no easy feat. Chun Li is one of these characters who has transcended the rest of the roster, thanks to her trademark uniform and kickass combat style. Her origin would actually be perfectly suited for a standalone adventure, as she’s a seasoned martial artist and Interpol officer, Chun Li relentlessly pursues the man responsible for murdering her father. We picture a high flying adventure game with gameplay in the same vein as something like Bayonetta while retaining the same visual flair the Street Fighter series is known for. Actually yeah, that sounds pretty awesome, (away from the microphone) Can someone get Platinum Games on the phone?

Nathan Drake has been on some pretty wild adventures over the course of his career, but the 4th game showed him getting a little too old to be jumping off cliffs and running from enemy gunfire. So we suggest letting his daughter pick up where he left off in plundering tombs and traversing dense jungles. By the way she expressed interest in her father’s legacy, Cassie clearly has the gusto to carry her through the perilous exploits of fortune tracking if she truly follows in her parents footsteps. We aren’t sure if Naughty Dog included her in Uncharted 4’s epilogue as a way of setting up a passing the torch moment, but it would be awesome if it were the case.

We imagine that fending off an alien invasion isn’t exactly a walk in the park, but Alyx Vance tackles the challenge with great determination and a much appreciated lighthearted tone to alleviate the otherwise desperate times. She is a total computer whiz, able to hack into any computer system and operate nearly any machinery she comes into contact with. Ms. Vance shows off some impressive marksmanship skills, so a game starring her would still be able to retain the action already found in Half-Life. It could all come together as a shooter with puzzle elements, a unique combo not often seen in gaming. We’re ready to accept that Half-Life 3 is never going to happen…but we’d be just as happy with an Alyx Vance spin-off in its place.

You’re damn right she’s the boss. As the main character of Snake Eater; Big Boss is undoubtedly one tough cookie but The Boss was the woman who taught him everything he knows. Having been through World War 2, the Cold War and being deeply involved in the ‘Snake Eater’ operation which is the crux of the game’s storyline, we’d like a game to show us the series trademark “tactical espionage action” from her perspective. She understands the art of CQC (close quarters combat for the uninformed) better than anyone else, and her tenacity against the overwhelming odds she goes up against makes her one of the biggest badasses in gaming…so where’s her solo outing, already?!

The Resident Evil franchise is known for providing gamers with palpable intensity and atmosphere so uncomfortable, it makes you dread the possibility of a zombie apocalypse actually happening. With all this in mind, it’s fascinating how “the woman in red”; Ada Wong can keep such a calm demeanour when she’s surrounded by some of the most unholy abominations in gaming history. Her fearlessness in such horrifying situations makes us feel like she is always in control of every obstacle and confrontation she runs into, which could indicate that she has more cahones than series’ tough guys Leon Kennedy and Chris Redfield. Ada is wickedly intelligent, great with guns and has just the right hint of mystery to always keep us at the edge of our seat.

While the player controls the gruff and brooding character Joel for a large portion of the game, a good portion of the narrative focus was placed on the young woman he was tasked with protecting: Ellie. Gamers fell in love with her wit, charm and courage in the face of unbelievable odds Yes, there was the Left Behind DLC for the game which provided gamers with deeper insight into who Ellie is, but it was over far too quickly and left us wondering what a full game about this tough teenager would be like. Considering the huge positive reception to the character, perhaps the second Last of Us game will have Ellie take up the role as the main protagonist? We can only hope.

Series protagonist Geralt isn’t the only Witcher of Rivia running around. When Ciri was younger, the previously mentioned Geralt trained and raised her as his apprentice, despite having reservations about her becoming a full fledged Witcher herself. We’d say the G-Man is being a complete doofus for doubting her capabilities. With her knowledge of the mystical Witcher arts and her own special magic powers, Ciri is a force to be reckoned with and is even said to be able to destroy the entire world if she wanted to. Many fans of the franchise are already clamoring for Ciri to be the main character in a potential fourth Witcher game, so this is one spin-off that is more likely than most on our list.


Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions…

Coco Bandicoot
“Crash Bandicoot Series” (1996-)


Rosalina
“Super Mario Galaxy” (2007)


Sonya Blade
“Mortal Kombat Series” (1992-)

If you control Mario in Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong Country, then how come in a series called “The Legend of Zelda” we’re playing as…a dude named Link? Link is cool and all, but we think it would make for an awesome experience to just once control the franchise’s namesake in an epic adventure to vanquish evil. Throughout the series, Zelda has proven to be proficient with magic and swords so she can undoubtedly hold her own in a fight. Furthermore, she can be quite cunning as her alter-ego Sheik. Take the stealth of Assassin’s Creed and the combat in the aforementioned Witcher series and we have a hit on our hands.


Do you agree with our list? Which female video game characters do you feel deserve their chance to shine? For more standout Top 10’s published everyday, be sure to subscribe to MsMojo.