With the release of Mirror's Edge this week, there's been all sorts of talk about the female protagonist, and lots of yapping about whether male players will feel a real connection with their in-game self if that self happens to have teh boobies.
Well, if you're a retro gamer, you know that the concept of a lady saving the day is by no means a new one, and there were times when she'd do so without anyone realizing she wasn't a dude. Tonight we'll be taking a look back at some of the heroic ladies of retro, be they playable characters or not, and to make sure it's done right, Chad and I will be recording the entire show in drag.
Hit the jump with your questions for us, and to save you the trouble: yes, this bra is very uncomfortable.
[This week's header pic comes to you courtesy of our own Stella Wong!]
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Contest:
4:41 PM on 11.13.2008
| 
A WOMAN, I SAY.
Glad to see y'all back in action this week, and what a wonderful topic, too.
I've always had a big crush on Lucca from Chrono Trigger, so I hope y'all talk about her some tonight. She might not have always been in my party, but her backstory and the relationship she has with Robo always makes me feel bad for her. She also is really smart, which is hot!!! Also, bewbs!
Anyways, because there have been heroines that we thought were dudes (ie Samus), are there some good retro heroes that any of y'all thought were actually chicks?
Also, It's my birthday today, time to go get drunk with friends! Bye!
Is there any news about those broken Retroforce Go episodes being fixed? I haven't received an email back :(
Thanks
Do you think there is an argument that retro games had a better depiction of females in games then modern games? As a result of higher quality, there is more pandering to male demographics nowadays, but back in the NES SNES Genesis era, there were games like metroid and FF6 that had awesome representations of women because the sprites were so simple that there was no need to exploit them. Just curious what you guys think about this.
Also, which do you prefer: tomboy heroines or the more feminine heroines?
Personally, I like tomboys because chicks who can kick my ass are kinda hot, i.e. most chicks.
Meet Rachel Aldana
Celes is the strongest female lead that I remember from early RPGs. She didn't have to stand in the back and heal. Truly hardcore.
Tops from dino city.
What character were you most surprised by when you find out they were a guy even though they were super feminine? (What is up with Birdo?)
Do you like it better when you can customize your character so you can chose your gender or do you like the preset character better?
What was your first reaction when you found out a game would star a female lead and what game would that be?
Oh, almost forgot, Blaze Fielding from Streets of Rage. She is hot!
If you could transport one videogame character into real life who would it be and why?
p.s. Chad, say my name, say it! You know you want to ;)
After Samus was unmasked, did you ever wonder if any other video game characters dawned in armor were woman?
Why the hell was she in a bikini? Did you even wonder if other video game characters dawned in armor wore bikinis?
(Seriously, Samus, I would think that at least a sports bra and shorts would be practical. Same goes with your zero suit, we don't need to see you jugglies floppin' all over the place) (Actually, the all or nothin' method wouldn't be too bad...)
Now onto breaking destructoid with kindergarten doodles and cute animals.
TITTIES
Also, Banjo and kazooie retro limbo episode plz
Which birthday-themed game should I not emulate to celbrate this occasion?
Also ON TOPIC: Was Ms. Pac-Man the first Videogame heroine and how amazing was she?
P.S. So a few podcasts ago, it was mentioned that Chad had the CD to The Prince of Egypt. I want to hear him sing that middle part of "Through Heaven's Eyes." You know the part. Here's a hint: "lai lai lai lai..."
I don't think Samus counts, since there's not much character/personality there--at least in the early games.
Zelda and that "Cock-Teasing Whore" aren't exactly fleshed-out...
The girl from Phantasy Star, which I have yet to play?
I would have to say probably one of the females from FF2/4 (which I also have yet to play) or Terra & Celes from FF3/6. You guys have any insight?
BTW, awesome artwork, Stella!!
My question is this : What game do you feel may have benefited in some way from having a female protagonist as opposed to a male? Also, HOW would it have benefited?
Examples : If you could play a woman in Manhunt, would it make it seem more twisted? How would it have changed the story and feel of the game if Kratos was instead a female character?
Also, why is she such a cock-teasing bitch?
Has a woman's coming of age ever been featured in a video game? I don't mean that in the gross way. We always see plucky young male RPG heroes maturing on a quest to save the world. Are there notable examples of this done with a female, where she grows significantly as a character along the way?
Do you think Lara Croft is an empowering heroine for females, being a globe-trotting ass kicker that is confident and self-reliant? Or, do you see her as little more than a pair of boobs with guns designed to make fanboys drool and buy more games?
Is there any place for Birdo in this episode?
I absolutely love Terra and Samus <3
Also, the obligatory cuteness:
I can't think of a good retro example, but a more modern one would be in Prince of Persia: Sands of Time: Princess Farah is not controllable, but she has a strong female role in the game. Would she be considered a video game heroine?
On the same line: Princess Peach in the original Super Mario Bros, is she a heroine, or is she simply an obtainable goal?
*cough cockteasingbitch cough*
after mario 2.
she saves mario.
Obviously, anyone who has finished that freaking hard ass game knows she kicks total ass though :-P
1- Which one of you guys, when have to choose characters in a game always chooses women first?. i ask it because I always do that in every game. From Fighters to Guitar Hero, y always tend to like the most how the women designs look.
2- Which one do you think is the MOST ANNOYING voice for a female character ever? For me, Daisy is the only choice.
Also women and games. Sometimes I forgot I was playing a woman until someone or some cut scene reminded me ohh yeah I play faith. But then I remember that I don't care.
I don't really have a question... just missed you all last week! :D
"So, do you think that the retro era provided us with better heroines than the last- and current-gen systems?"
I think that there have been a lot of heroines in later days, but I've always felt that they were undermined by the fact that they fought demons in their underwear or had giant breasts that defied logic and physics.
Colette and Stella: from a woman's perspective, who is the most embarrassing female character in video games? Who has done the most to set back the fairer sex? Who is the Sara Palin of video games?
Compared to other retro game fans, I'm a bit odd -- I got into shoujo anime and manga a few years ago, which are stories by women for girls. I really wanna see something similar in video games. There's a few girl-friendly games in English, such as any of the indie games created by Hanako Games, but the oldest shoujo-style game I know would be Angelique for Super Famicom from 1994. Barely anyone's attempted to translate it, but I'm sure you can wade through a not!rom if you want. See http://angelique.neo-romance.net/index.php for more info.
First off, Pronounciation guide: "TAK-tiks" (although my name isnt that hard to pronounce)
As far as retro heroines are concerned the two that stand out are Aeris cause she really does save the world with her holy materia (not that retro, but I LOVE Aeris to death, no pun intended) and Princess Peach. Cause honestly, who played as anyone else in Super Mario 2? She could FLOAT!
My question is, what game series/genre would you like to see made from the females point of view? For example, Princess Peach was always captured and in another castle, but do you think maybe she was actually traveling from castle to castle for some other purpose? I think it would be cool to see that the "damsel in distress" is not as helpless as you thought :P
Anyway, I got my RFGO shirt in, and it is AMAZING!!! I shall be wearing it with pride in the next couple of days :D
Colette Bennett and Stella Wong!