Top 10 Female Video Game Heroes REDUX

If it’s a skilled secret agent you want, then Joanna Dark is the perfect woman for you. Espionage? Check. Skilled marksman? Check. Hand-to-hand combat? Check and check. Codenamed “Perfect Dark,” Joanna excels at everything she does, which is to be expected from someone who started training at age seven. It was only a matter of time before she joined the Carrington Institute, becoming one of their most valuable agents. She’ll get the job done no matter what, so it’d be best to stay out of her way, but if you insist... it was nice knowing you.

Let’s address the scantily clad elephant in the room: there’s a certain kind of... dress aesthetic when it comes to some of the women in gaming. That being said, Bayonetta does more than embrace her sex appeal: she completely owns it, so much so that she uses it in battle. A fiery witch who partakes in fast-paced, high action adventures, she’ll bend an angel over, spank it, and shoot it in the face with her bullet-infused boots. The only thing more intimidating than a deadly bombshell like Bayonetta is one who knows exactly how dangerous she is -- and gets a kick out of it.

Waking up in a strange laboratory isn’t exactly the most ideal scenario, but that’s exactly how Chell’s story starts. It seems innocent enough -- just a couple of tests, here and there -- but then there’s... her. GLaDOS. One of the best video game antagonists who makes you kill your cubed friends and blatantly lies about cake. We assume Chell stays silent because she’s too busy trying to outsmart the sadistic A.I. That’s what makes her such an iconic character. The battle against GLaDOS is a battle of wits, and it’s one that Chell excels in. She thinks quick on her feet, and earns her status as a dangerous, mute lunatic.

Bringing us one of the most unique styles of gameplay, Faith Connors lives her life as a runner. While she is skilled in combat, the preferred method is running at top speeds and leaping across buildings like some kind of parkour superheroine -- guaranteed to give you at least one heart attack when traversing through the city. Faced with a totalitarian government that has torn her family apart, Faith fights to give society the freedom to live their lives the way they choose. This, of course, is easier said than done, but that doesn’t stop Faith from doing what she does best.

Jill Valentine is a woman who’s been through the ringer. Zombies. Sunglass wearing mad men. Rocket launcher carrying bioweapons. Jill has seen it all, yet somehow, she manages to come out on top after each of her horrifying adventures. As a former member of S.T.A.R.S, she came face to face with the zombified terror of Raccoon City, the Umbrella Corporation... and Barry’s cheesy jokes. Jill and survival go hand and hand, whether she’s diving headfirst into trouble or trying to escape it. Armed with an arsenal of weapons, determination, and agility, she’s proven herself as the master of unlocking... ugh, thanks Barry.

You know a character is memorable when you’ve been waiting for a sequel since 2003. Part martial artist, part photojournalist, all incredible woman, Jade is an ideal example of a video game protagonist. She can throw down in a fight, but more importantly, she’s cunning and incredibly smart -- all necessary assets when infiltrating government facilities. It’s also hard not to love a character who is literally caring for orphans, especially when she fights against the aliens who orphaned them. Even with her only appearing in one game, we still adore her, and we still want to go on another adventure with her.

Clem is one of those characters who sticks in your mind -- and your heart. A child who’s been forced to grow up way too fast, not just because of the walkers, but because of the different people she’s comes across. We get to watch Clem develop throughout the series, and unsurprisingly, she develops a hard shell. She learns to depend on herself more than others, but what makes her so remarkable is that despite all her hardships, she still manages to maintain a sense of humanity in the ugliness she’s surrounded in.

A newer member of the ongoing list of amazing, female protagonists, as soon as we saw Aloy in action we knew she was something special. Living in a remarkable world that’s a mesh of the past and the technological future, our leading lady has been an outcast since birth. That doesn’t stop her from training to win “The Proving,” a competition held by her tribe that’ll make her a member of the Nora Brave. Of course, all hell breaks loose soon after, spiralling Aloy into an adventure where she’ll discover the truth of her origins and the mysterious world she's living in.

Lady Croft quickly made a name for herself as a kickass explorer who traversed the world's darkest corners because, well... she likes adventures. She sought out adventure for the thrill of it, which at the time, was practically unheard of for female characters in video games. Years after the sunglasses and double guns, she was rebranded into a young woman who was a bit more hesitant about pulling that trigger -- until she worked up to becoming that no-nonsense tomb raider. No matter which version you’re familiar with, the end message is always the same: Lara Croft is not to be messed with.

The greatest “gotcha” moment in video game history, this bounty hunter took a major step for female gaming leads everywhere. It’s hard to believe there was a time where gamers assumed that the orange suited protagonist of this space adventure was male, but yes, once upon a time it was a surprise to see a woman underneath that suit. Over the years, Samus has become infamous for getting the job done without breaking a sweat. While she has been called on by the Galactic Federation, at the end of the day she plays by her own rules -- and we wouldn’t have it any other way, seriously, don’t ever “Other M” us again.