Lara Croft should be an inspiration to all the other females who dabble in digital adventures. She's been at the top of the gaming mountain, she's taken a few tumbles to the bottom, and now she's regained her top spot. Next year's Tomb Raider should prove just how strong Ms. Croft still is in this industry.
That got us thinking. There are a wide variety of ladies who were the cover stars for their respectable games. But a lot of those ladies haven’t received a long list of sequels or franchise reboots like Croft has.
It’s time these heroines got another chance at gaming redemption. We’ve compiled this list in hopes of seeing one of these franchises get developed once again.
Campaign alongside us as we count down 10 gaming ladies who deserve a sequel/reboot.
10. Vanessa Z (P.N. 03), Deserves a Reboot
During the Nintendo Gamecube’s heyday, Shinji Mikami crafted five exclusive games for the system. One of those games happened to feature this mobile woman. Her game was the equivalent of Space Channel 5 meets Vanquish. The game was great for some and a repetitive romp for others, however. We’d like to see Vanessa Z get a rebooted adventure that realizes the untapped potential of her first outing.
9. Marina Liteyears (Mischief Makers), Deserves a Sequel
Marina Liteyears is one of gaming’s unsung platform game heroines. Her jumping and shaking took place in a 2D platformer called Mischief Makers. Treasure treated us to a girl who was capable of hand-to-hand combat and feats of amazing maneuverability. We’d love to do another go-round with Marina. There aren’t many 2D platformers nowadays, so maybe her sequel could fill that void. A digital release would do just fine.
8. Rubi (Wet), Deserves a Sequel
Ol’ Rubi here is a stone cold killer. Her sword has sliced through countless goons and her large array of guns have put bullets through ‘em too. Rubi made her first appearance in Wet, an intense action game that had a Quentin Tarantino feel to it. We happened to enjoy that feeling and we think it should be felt again. Rubi’s a strong female protagonist we’d love to cause havoc with again.
7. Cate Archer (No One Lives Forever series), Deserves a Sequel
This lady spy did her adventuring in an excellent series of first person shooters. The 1960’s setting and tight gameplay made these games stand out, but Cate Archer was the main reason we
gave this series a go. It’s about time someone took the reins of this franchise and crafted a worthy sequel for this fine female operative. Keep the humor intact, spruce up the graphics, and give Cate more guns and tech to play with. Easy.
6. Hana Tsu Vachel and Rain Qin (Fear Effect series), Deserves a Reboot
Most gamers remember these ladies more for their lesbian relationship than their actual games. But, we actually enjoyed the Fear Effect games (and their heated “antics” with each other, too). Both games in the series showcased a unique take on graphics, third person shooter controls, and health meters. Both ladies should be reintroduced to this new generation of gamers through a total reboot of the series. The personality and risqué action should stay intact for this one.
5. Jennifer Tate (Primal), Deserves a Sequel
The PS2 had a ton of overlooked action/adventure games during its life cycle. Jennifer Tate stared in one of those games: Primal. She made her stay in a bunch of demon realms while contending with evil and working alongside a mini-gargoyle. Sony should bring this series back to its first party
catalogue by giving Jen a second outing. Refine the battle mechanics, retain the dark look and feel of the first game, and the PS3’s got another hit.
4. Joanna Dark (Perfect Dark series), Deserves a Reboot
Joanna Dark started out with such promise. The first game she starred in was pretty cool, but then she hit a low point because of her abysmal sequel. Luckily, today’s gamers were reminded of her former
greatness through the HD remake of Perfect Dark. Now that her status is back to being good again, we think a proper reboot should be in store. An experienced first person shooter developer (Crytek, perhaps?) should be able to do the trick.
3. Nariko (Heavenly Sword), Deserves a Sequel
Nariko, aka “The Goddess of War,” starred in one of the most beautiful action games this generation. We sat in awe as we controlled Nariko and laid waste to hapless soldiers and mutated offspring. Her
adventure ended on a sad note, though. *SPOILER ALERT!!!* She died. But video games have brought back plenty of dead protagonists before. Maybe the same could be done for Nariko. We want Heavenly
Sword 2, Ninja Theory!
2. Regina (Dino Crisis), Deserves a Reboot
Capcom was riding high off the success of their Resident Evil games back in the day.
They tried a different take on the survival horror formula with Dino Crisis, a game that had us hauling ass from dinosaurs. Regina played her part and took down those reptilian killers. The sequels weren’t exactly great, but we think Capcom should give this series and Regina another chance. Dino Crisis + current Resident Evil controls/mechanics = another classic.
1. Faith (Mirror’s Edge), Deserves a Sequel
Ya know what? We have a sneaking suspicion that this game is actually being developed in secret. Electronic Arts halted the game’s creation at one point, but it’s said to be back on track. And now we’re hearing that it could possibly run on the Frostbite 2 engine? How awesome does that sound? Very awesome! Faith’s parkour skills were fun to utilize in her red and white world. The game’s concept and look truly stood out amongst other generic FPS’s. A proper sequel could make Faith one of gaming’s next icons.