Video games used to be a man’s domain. It seemed like the only time you saw a woman was when she was in trouble and had to be rescued by some muscle-bound hero.
Thankfully, things have changed. Today, you can find many strong female characters saving the day – not waiting to be saved.
Here’s a list of our favorite heroines, women who can take care of business themselves. These are the stars of the show. These ladies are not somebody’s sidekick, and they’re certainly not stuck in the shadows of someone else’s game. Check out the list and then tell us who your favorite heroine is.
-- Ken Smith";
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games_top5_070403[i-1].body = "
Lara Croft
Lara Croft is the modern day version of Indiana Jones, albeit with an impossibly fabulous figure and a gun in each hand. And she’s not afraid to let loose a barrage of bullets.
Croft was the trailblazer – the gal who kicked the door down for other female video game action heroes. The success of “Tomb Raider” showed that girls could kick butt too. And even ten years after the first game in the franchise, she is still the benchmark by which all other video game females are measured.
";
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games_top5_070403[i-1].body = "
Samus Aran
You've got to love a girl who’s a hard-core bounty hunter.
Samus Aran is the definition of fearless – she never backs down from a fight. Dressed head-to-toe in a full suit of armor, she’s willing to take on anyone and anything that gets in her way.
Samus shocked the gaming world when she removed her helmet at the end of \"Metroid,\" revealing for the first time that this fierce warrior was, in fact, a woman. That simple action proved that it doesn't matter if you are a boy or a girl - it's how much butt you can kick that counts.";
games_top5_070403[i++] = new Array("","JOANNA DARK","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070330/070330_joanna_hmed_3P.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Rare", "252", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
games_top5_070403[i-1].body = "
Joanna Dark
If Lara Croft is the modern Indiana Jones, then Joanna Dark is the ultra-modern James Bond. She’s the agent with all the special skills: Cross her and you’ll end up dead, and she won’t even chip a nail.
We dig all those high-tech gadgets she has, as well as her flair with a gun. But most of all, we dig how she crushes the bad guys while remaining so stylish. Espionage never looked so good.
She not only looks good, she wields serious power. When the Xbox 360 was released in 2005, Joanna Dark’s “Perfect Dark Zero” was the big-name launch title. A lady who can carry a console is a true force to be reckoned with. ";
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games_top5_070403[i-1].body = "
Princess Peach
Princess Peach may have started off as a weak character waiting to be rescued by the pint-sized plumber Mario in “Super Mario Bros.,” but she’s come a long way since then.
Soon Her Highness was beating the boys at sports like tennis, soccer or basketball and lapping them all in the “Mario Kart” games. No matter how hard the competition got, she never lost her head – or her tiara.
But it was her turn in the fighting game “Super Smash Bros. Melee” that proved once and for all that Peach is a force to be reckoned with. She took on the brutes while never forgetting that she’s a lady - although, how can you forget when you’re wearing that much pink?";
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games_top5_070403[i-1].body = "
Ms. Pac-Man
What, she doesn’t fit into the heroine category just because she’s not human? Pshaw, we say. She’s the first lady of video games, in every sense of the word.
We love her feminist attitude (it’s Ms., not Miss or Mrs.) and her fearlessness (she ain’t afraid of no ghost). And we love how successful she became. Even if you walk into an arcade today, chances are good that you’ll see a Ms. Pac Man game, with no Mr. in sight.
But most of all, we admire her boldness. In an age when many women feel pressured to be super-thin (hello, Lara Croft?), Ms. Pac-Man follows her own path. She’ll eat anything she desires, be it pellets, pears or pretzels. That alone makes her our hero. ";
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Tell us: What do you think of our picks?
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