Femme Fatales

When you think action games, the first image that would probably pop into your mind would be of this huge muscle bound protagonist, strapped with all the firepower needed to start Word War III, tearing through hordes of enemies. And to give the Devil his due, it’s true to a certain extent, but there are certain women out there who could kick as much ass as their male counterparts. Sure, they may be a bit subtle in their ways, but they still get the job done nevertheless.

Before I continue, let me remind you that this isn’t an article about “hot babes in games” or the list would probably go on forever (listing every babe from Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball or Rumble Roses would take a long time, wouldn’t it?). All I’m doing is paying tribute to a select few who have managed to break free from being mere eye-candy to being b-b-b-ad to the bone. So without further ado, I present to you a small list of women who give their male counterparts a run for their money.

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Rayne

This sultry Dhampir (half human, half vampire) created ripples when she burst on to the screen in Majesco’s third person actionfest, BloodRayne. Clad in a leather outfit you wouldn’t want your wife to wear, (in public that is) with blades attached to her hands she was the perfect killing machine. The agility she possessed while slicing and dicing Nazi soldiers made people forget about Ms Croft for a while and who could forget the pose in which she sucks her prey dry… of blood.
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Lara Croft

Lara Croft was the pin-up girl for most adolescent teens when she exploded on the gaming scene in 1996 and for years she ruled the roster with no significant competition. In fact, her soaring popularity spilled onto Hollywood as well that resulted in two (crapola) flicks starring Angelina ‘zomg-look-at-those-lips’ Jolie. For her latest outing in Tomb Raider Legend, she’s become even more flexible and agile (if that was possible) and has had a certain make-over somewhere in her vital statistics; this is one lady who really knows how to explore.
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Anya Romanov

For those who have no clue as to who this lady is, allow me to introduce you to this high-profile jewel thief who was the star of her very own 2005 stealth based game, Stolen. In all honesty, the game sucked really hard, but that’s really not the point here now, is it? The developers pumped in a lot of time and energy in making her every bit as feline and agile as Catharine Zeta Jones’s character in Entrapment. The game unfortunately buried itself as an extremely mediocre Splinter Cell clone, but Anya on the other hand carved a nice little niche in the hearts of adolescent teens. This is one thief I would definitely not hand over to the cops.
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Jill Valentine

Jill Valentine is a police officer who’s part of the Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) in Raccoon City. She was a playable character in the first Resident Evil game, but it wasn’t until Resident Evil: Nemesis, did she get the recognition she deserved. Clad in a blue tube top, black mini-skirt and a white sweater wrapped around her, she’s cold, calculated, efficient and certainly no damsel in distress. Jill received the Hollywood treatment as well with Resident Evil: Apocalypse and was portrayed by British actress Sienna Guillory.
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Alyx Vance

Alyx Vance is the daughter of ex Black Mesa Research Facility scientist, Dr. Eli Vance. Introduced in Half-Life2, she immediately captured the fancy of all gamers with her charm and warm attitude. In fact, her popularity rose to such levels, she plays a very crucial role in Half-Life 2: Episode 1. Even though Alyx is hot and is extremely proficient with loaded weapons, she comes across as some one you could take home to meet your mother. She’s kind, caring, passionate and a total badass, all rolled into one.