Keep talking and take my money.

June 23, 2015 5:58 PM

23 Games from E3 2015 with Badass Playable Female Characters - Sam Maggs for The Mary Sue
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome (41 comments total)

Both ReCore and Horizon: Zero Dawn look super great and were probably what I was most interested in from this year's E3. Neither are out this year unfortunately, I don't think.
posted by ODiV at 6:08 PM on June 23, 2015

Okay real quick which ones of these won't require me to shoot guns or aim at anything in real time?
posted by Mizu at 6:16 PM on June 23, 2015 [3 favorites]

Mizu: Presumably "Tacoma", as it's made by the same folks behind "Gone Home"
posted by hellojed at 6:18 PM on June 23, 2015 [2 favorites]

I saw the trailer for Horizon: Zero Dawn and rapidly went from "huh, this is cool, a female protagonist" to "HOLY SHIT DODGING UNDER ROBOT DINOSAURS WANT WANT WANT".

The name is horrible - a new game, not a sequel, with a colon in the title? but who cares. You get to be a lady who is SNEAKING AND STALKING AND KILLING AWESOME-LOOKING ROBOT DINOSAURS.
posted by egypturnash at 6:19 PM on June 23, 2015 [4 favorites]

Sure, sure, Tacoma's a given. But I'm open to pretty much every form of gameplay except aiming at something to shoot it in real time. Other things in real time I'm okay with, like swordplay and smashing with hammers, other sorts of shooting - ones I don't have to aim, turn-based strategy shooting. And yet? This is somehow an absolute requirement of nearly every open world or big budget game, especially in the scifi genres, because.... arghleblarghle guns shooty??? Okay okay I'm just bitter that I can't play Mass Effect, I admit it.
posted by Mizu at 6:23 PM on June 23, 2015 [3 favorites]

I have to keep reminding myself that A: Guerrilla Games has a history of BS trailers and overpromising, and B: I don't own or intend to own a PS4... because of that Horizon trailer. Holy crap.

Also very, very pleased we're getting a Dishonoured 2, although I find that voice actor who plays The Outsider really annoying. The new setting looks great and I look forward to slithering/teleporting/whatever all over everything.

Other than that, I am stoked that we get to play two indie space station exploration games, puzzled that there is a NieR 2(did someone at Neogaf hold a gun to a Square Enix exec's head?), and I'll skip the multiplayer stuff since it seems impossible to enjoy such games anymore given the player base.
posted by selfnoise at 6:23 PM on June 23, 2015

Sure, sure, Tacoma's a given. But I'm open to pretty much every form of gameplay except aiming at something to shoot it in real time. Other things in real time I'm okay with, like swordplay and smashing with hammers, other sorts of shooting - ones I don't have to aim, turn-based strategy shooting.

Have you played Dishonoured? You can play through the game without killing anyone, and you still get to do cool-ass stuff like teleport and possess fish. You could shoot or stab people, but where's the fun in that?

Dishonoured is so great.
posted by selfnoise at 6:25 PM on June 23, 2015 [5 favorites]

The new Mirror's Edge has no guns. Apparently in the previous game, guns weren't necessary or encouraged, but were still present if you wanted to use them. This one removes them entirely.
posted by naju at 6:28 PM on June 23, 2015

Mizu: XCOM 2 maybe for sci-fi goodness with female characters and no real-time shooting. I don't know if there's a "protagonist" though.
posted by ODiV at 6:28 PM on June 23, 2015 [2 favorites]

Yeah Mirror's Edge 1 has guns forced on it by corporate, and the entire game ground to a halt whenever the gunplay started.
posted by Elementary Penguin at 6:33 PM on June 23, 2015

This list is missing the Cactus and Sunflower classes from Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2, also announced at E3.
posted by hellojed at 6:36 PM on June 23, 2015

This list is missing the Cactus and Sunflower classes from Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2, also announced at E3.

Are they explicitly gendered? Because I didn't really get that sense after playing the first one. I think I'd almost prefer none of them have explicit genders anyway.
posted by chrominance at 6:42 PM on June 23, 2015

It's referenced in some of the game's copy, but isn't super duper obvious or really integral to anything.
posted by hellojed at 6:50 PM on June 23, 2015

The appearance of Horizon: Zero Dawn's protagonist of was definitely based on Robyn, right?
posted by JauntyFedora at 7:10 PM on June 23, 2015

she's a white girl with dreads, so maybe if robyn's the name of your barista
posted by flatluigi at 7:15 PM on June 23, 2015 [3 favorites]

YARNY
posted by poffin boffin at 7:30 PM on June 23, 2015

If I can, I always play as a female. ME3, Skyrim, Saint's Row, Demon's Souls, all the Souls.

And Catwoman was great to play in Arkham City.

Badasses all.
posted by Trochanter at 8:02 PM on June 23, 2015

I showed my wife the Horizon trailer and she pointed out that while we're playing a woman it's a pale white redhead acting like a tribal hunter, which is exactly one step away from everyone's favorite trope, "White dude is instantly better than natives". I'm not sure if I should just be satisfied with what I get or if it's okay to ask this woman that is more or less always outdoors to have a bit of a tan.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 8:05 PM on June 23, 2015 [1 favorite]

I'm so glad that things are changing for the better regarding gender representation in games. As my daughter grows up and we play games together, it is very obvious this kind of attention is meaningful to her: from avatars she can choose, to gender options for main characters. It feels off to her when it seems like a game was just made for boys, like why would they do that?

For the record, I think one of the best, most realized and realistically strong female characters I've ever played was Ellie from The Last of Us.
posted by SpacemanStix at 8:07 PM on June 23, 2015 [1 favorite]

Hmph. I didn't know you could play as Ellie... Maybe I'll dust it off.
posted by Trochanter at 8:20 PM on June 23, 2015

Hmph. I didn't know you could play as Ellie... Maybe I'll dust it off.

I won't give anything away if you haven't played it, but there's a significant chapter where you play as her and use your wits to stay alive in ways that really take the game to a higher level. Also, the additional content that comes with pretty much any edition of the game now is an additional chapter where you play as Ellie before the events in TLUS.
posted by SpacemanStix at 8:27 PM on June 23, 2015

Mizu: XCOM 2 maybe for sci-fi goodness with female characters and no real-time shooting. I don't know if there's a "protagonist" though.

I may buy a new PC and take time off work for xcom 2.

I may also abandon a bit of dignity.

BUT XCOM.

Anyway, the current xcom lacks a protagonist but has several faces/skin colours/hair styles/voices for both genders. So I assume xcom 2 will be the same.
posted by GuyZero at 10:31 PM on June 23, 2015 [1 favorite]

I don't care much about modern games, but whoooooooo, new Mirrors' Edge (aka "The reason why EA will give you crappy games, when it does a good one, you all shit on it"). I remember when it was a substantially different game from all the brown games that made up most of the first few years of the past generation on looks alone.

I hope they go for the same look.
posted by lmfsilva at 10:41 PM on June 23, 2015 [1 favorite]

Mirrors' Edge is one of those games I'd love to like and play more, but it turns out I'm just as challenged virtually as in real life when it comes to executing perfectly timed acrobatics.
posted by MartinWisse at 11:35 PM on June 23, 2015

Yes. I wanted to love Mirror's Edge but I'm a "just the story please" difficulty level gamer and the acrobatics timing issue is what interferes with shooting people (in addition to my general aversion to guns). So of course if I get my hands on the new one I'll give it a try, but I don't have high hopes.

I'll be making room in my schedule for that Fable doohicky if only so I might go smashy smashy with a hammer.
posted by Mizu at 11:54 PM on June 23, 2015

oooh Mizu I am so there with you, I want to get a list of "games for the fumble fingered". I just can't do all that quick-push-the-exact-right-button-at-just-the-right-time thing.

Beyond Eyes looks pretty interesting!
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:55 AM on June 24, 2015 [2 favorites]

I so want Mirror's Edge, for everything from the to the protagonist's character design. Pity I have no precision and crappy reflexes. Maybe I'll give this to my wife and watch her play it flawlessly.
posted by happyroach at 2:10 AM on June 24, 2015

In other representation news, each version of the upcoming Fire Emblem game will feature a same-sex romantic option, a first for the series (at least as far as going beyond heavy subtext).
posted by NMcCoy at 4:56 AM on June 24, 2015 [2 favorites]

BUT XCOM.

Yeah, I'm playing the XCOMs right now. Definitely always nurturing my female squaddies -- hoping to get females on recruitment.
posted by Trochanter at 6:09 AM on June 24, 2015

Sign me up for that "games for the fumble fingered" list as well. This is one of the main reasons I only play PC games - because I just can't get my hands to work console controllers.
posted by MsVader at 6:11 AM on June 24, 2015

Speaking of turn-based tactical games with female characters, Massive Chalice is 50% off on Steam until Friday morning.
posted by ODiV at 8:55 AM on June 24, 2015

Definitely always nurturing my female squaddies -- hoping to get females on recruitment.

Flight of the Valkyries isn't the hardest achievement to get, but it's not the easiest either. It's not likely to happen by accident or as part of the normal game plot. You gotta work for it.
posted by GuyZero at 9:52 AM on June 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

I just checked, (I don't really follow achievements) and I do already have Flight of the Valkyries. Doesn't surprise me given what I've been saying. What surprises me is that I only got it a couple of days ago.
posted by Trochanter at 10:12 AM on June 24, 2015

SpacemanStix: "For the record, I think one of the best, most realized and realistically strong female characters I've ever played was Ellie from The Last of Us."

Have you seen Naughty Dog's The Making Of documentary? It's absolutely amazing. (And free!) I've never seen so much love and care and attention put into characters, the true depth of which wasn't apparent to me until I watched that video.

I can't praise it enough.
posted by erratic meatsack at 10:15 AM on June 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

Also I just finished watching all of these trailers in a row and I am just so goddamn pumped and happy for 2015-16! It's seriously making me want to get a new console. I look forward to supporting these games and making more developers/publishers aware that there's a market for progress like this, vocal minority of female-character-booing crazies be damned.
posted by erratic meatsack at 11:48 AM on June 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

Have you seen Naughty Dog's The Making Of documentary? It's absolutely amazing. (And free!) I've never seen so much love and care and attention put into characters, the true depth of which wasn't apparent to me until I watched that video.

I have not, thanks for pointing that out. I just rented it! You can't beat free.
posted by SpacemanStix at 12:33 PM on June 24, 2015

The new Mirror's Edge has no guns. Apparently in the previous game, guns weren't necessary or encouraged, but were still present if you wanted to use them. This one removes them entirely.

This is inaccurate. The new Mirror's Edge does not ALLOW you to use or pickup guns. This is not to say that there will not be enemies shooting at you, just that you no longer have the chance to pick one up a fallen gun and use it. My reaction to this is "aww, that's too bad." Mirror's Edge was never a shooter, and it was never ABOUT guns, but it was cool to run up to a guy, slide into his legs, disarm him, and empty the clip into him, all in the span of about 2 seconds. That was a fun CHOICE a player could make about how to deal with a given situation. I don't see this change has a unilaterally positive thing.
posted by hellphish at 2:33 PM on June 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

I think it's pretty clear that "has no guns" was just in terms of things the player is able to get their hands on.

I personally feel that when a dev team spends time finessing shooting mechanics in lieu of what might be more interesting or challenging, especially when guns don't really add anything, it's kind of time wasted.
posted by erratic meatsack at 3:48 PM on June 24, 2015

If they can ever get the sequel to Beyond Good and Evil 2 completed, in will include a really great female protagonist. Jade was excellent and a fully realized character, and she is also slated to be the main protagonist in the sequel.
posted by SpacemanStix at 6:06 PM on June 24, 2015

The problem with Mirror's Edge and guns (warning I'm speaking from memory, and I last played it some 5 years ago) is that the shooting and hand-to-hand combat mechanics were unpolished, and in a few areas it was impossible to avoid combat, Deus Ex-style. Ideally, the game should allow all sorts of gameplay choices between casually sneaking past guards in the rooftops and sliding towards them, kick them in the nads and steal their guns.

Other than that, it was the 3D prince of persia I've always wanted to play.
posted by lmfsilva at 1:48 AM on June 25, 2015

I'm trying to work out whether it's coincidence that the games I'm most excited about tend to have female protagonists, or if having a female protagonist tends to coincide with a particular style/subgenre that I like but can't quite put my finger on. Hmm.

Apparently in the previous game, guns weren't necessary or encouraged,
That's not really correct. It's possible to complete the game without shooting anyone (the "Test of Faith" achievement), but it's difficult. It's definitely an additional challenge for when you're really good at the game, not just an alternative play style. Even starting combat unarmed, disarming the enemy is generally a good early move so you'll quickly find yourself holding a gun, probably facing the guy you just stole it from, and have to use it or make the conscious choice to throw it away.

I didn't hate the occasional gunplay -- I'm not generally an FPS fan, but variety can be fun -- but I did hate the set-pieces where you're forced into a choke point and the only way to progress is by winning a big gun battle. I really wanted Mirror's Edge to be a game of running, leaping, dodging and sneaking around the cityscape with lots of pace and fluidity, and those sections just felt like something I had to grind out in order to get back to the fun stuff. So I'm interested to see what they've done in the sequel: have they made the effort to remove those choke points (or at least given us the option of sneaking / free-running our way through or around them), or kept the big combat set-pieces, just with fists instead of guns?
posted by metaBugs at 3:49 AM on June 25, 2015