Poll: Best Female Non-Player Character ever?

[Aurora Firestorm]

The Boss. We're done here.

Seriously, I have not found a stronger and more admirable female character in any game. Also, she's not young, and she has no romance plots except that once she truly loved one of her fellow soldiers, and she was a mother at one point. Trope-defiance for the win.

 

[Muspelheim]

I'd say dear ol' Magatha Grimtotem, of World of Warcraft fame (or infamy, after Cataclysm).

Basically, she's the chieftain of the "evil" (that is, motivated) tauren-tribe, and does a few, at least by Warcraft-standards, impressive schemes to secure her own power. Now, Blizzard have more or less made the tauren a group of inept, grass-munching pacifist, so it was fairly interesting to see at least one of them be at least a bit ambitious about her goals in life and with some will to actually do something whenever enemies are causing trouble.

http://www.wowpedia.org/images/8/89/Magatha_Comic.jpg

"How about I slap your shit, calf?!"

Goblin loggers ruining everything? Sneak in some poisoned gas into their camp! Assassination attempt? Hire an impressionable adventurer to blindly sort it all out for you in exchange for shinies!

Buuuut then again, it's Blizzard storytelling. So post-Cata, she's just an evil old witch leading an evil tribe of evilness... *Sigh*...

 

[Mrrrgggrlllrrrg]

Buuuut then again, it's Blizzard storytelling. So post-Cata, she's just an evil old witch leading an evil tribe of evilness... *Sigh*...

Magatha was evil before cata even came along, I just wished blizzard knew how to write a good story more consistently.


On topic: GLaDOS, sure she's technically a machine but it has a genetic component, a person forced to have immortality, into a body with seemingly godlike power of a facility, drugged up, and tortured with personality tumors all while not wanting it all. Cant forget also being forced to relive the moments immediately before deactivation forever if it stays off, that would screw up someone pretty easily.

 

[Muspelheim]

Magatha was evil before cata even came along, I just wished blizzard knew how to write a good story more consistently.

Point, but then again... Blizzard have an awfully black-and-white image of evil in their games. It's as if ambition and self-preservation is a bad thing, at least for their beloved "hippie-races".
The reason it bothers me is mostly that despite Magatha's failed coup and the humies basically parking their siege engines on their front lawn, the good tauren are still a bunch of pacifists, twiddling their thumbs and hoping the Orcs will sort everything out. And apparently, by Blizzard alignment logic, it's the right thing to do. It's like the Defias; they've got legitmate reason to be cross with the king, but since he's a faction leader and thus infallable, they're all evil bandits/instance mobs.

But still... A villain-role is still better than nothing, I suppose... And it could be personal preference on my part, I always admire some good scheming from a character, far more than flat ol' fantasy-brand righteousness.

But on the topic of GLaDOS; agreed. She/it is awesome, as well as rather tragic. All she wants to do is running tests in peace. And as soon as she starts getting somewhere, the pesky subject comes ruining everything... And even worse, it's her own dodgy programming that always gets in the way. She's ment to work with humans as subjects, but haven't really been programmed to understand them. Poor thing...

Chell, however... She's mute and unhumanly determined. She's not too different from a slasher-flick murderer from GLaDOS's perspective, is she?

 

[BrotherRool]

I came here thinking of all the strong female NPC's I'd encountered and found the thread full of amazing ones. Alyx Vance, Kreia and Cortana are all just very interesting people and well worthy of discussion. Even Elena and Chloe are pretty good when you consider the depth that Uncharted is aiming for (ie not much =D )

but I took one look at that poll and suddenly it was clear that those characters are just the shadows on plato's cave compared to depth and awesomeness of the true winner.

The Boss is a character on a completely different scale from the others. It's not fair to put the amazingly admirable Alyx or greatly good-humoured Glados on the same playing field as the Boss. It's like comparing a person with a blurry webcam screenshot.

The Boss is iconic. She represents an entire course of history, she is the archetype for the true virtuous soldier, the mentor of the ultimate spy, the person who is willing to do everything beyond the impossible to shape the world as she truly knew it. Her force of character was so great, that she inspired not one but two protegees to change the very world around her. She created wars and fought a war with war itself, changing its very nature, putting the world in chains and also setting in motion the events that would free it.

And then there are only petals and a gunshot.



Alyx? Yeah she was quite a nice gal

 

[PurePareidolia]

Of the given choices I picked The Boss - As much as I love Alyx, the Boss was just a more interesting character to me. GlaDos may be a semi-female robot, but she's still a robot. Same with Cortana. In the end the more memorable characters are the less conventional ones, so that's what I'm prioritizing.

Honourable mentions would go to:
Kreia who is a really strong contender for the top spot
Liara T'Soni who became the best character in the series by Mass Effect 3
Ravel Puzzlewell because she's brilliant, fascianting and more than a little crazy
Morrigan because she hated the world of Thedas just as much as I did
Rose of Sharon Cassidy sure talked a lot, but I genuinely enjoyed having her around and she just felt a lot more real than many of the other companions
Christine Royce is mute for most of Dead Money, but I'd have traded her for Veronica any day

So I guess what I'm saying is if it were a choice, I'd pick "any female character written by Chris Avellone"

 

[KINGBeerZ]

Personally my favourite videogame character is actually female. And that is Beatrix from ffix aside from being amazingly useful in battle for the short time you have and, having one of the best character themes ever (Rose of May). She is also an interesting character who despite being an antagonist early on eventually ends up helping you.

 

[Mrrrgggrlllrrrg]

Magatha was evil before cata even came along, I just wished blizzard knew how to write a good story more consistently.

Point, but then again... Blizzard have an awfully black-and-white image of evil in their games. It's as if ambition and self-preservation is a bad thing, at least for their beloved "hippie-races".

But on the topic of GLaDOS; agreed. She/it is awesome, as well as rather tragic. All she wants to do is running tests in peace. And as soon as she starts getting somewhere, the pesky subject comes ruining everything... And even worse, it's her own dodgy programming that always gets in the way. She's ment to work with humans as subjects, but haven't really been programmed to understand them. Poor thing...

Chell, however... She's mute and unhumanly determined. She's not too different from a slasher-flick murderer from GLaDOS's perspective, is she?

Piece by piece I'll be working through here. Blizzard does resort to black and white but in relation to more than a few instances its mostly grey and gray morality. Hence most of the atrocities committed by both the alliance and horde.

Magatha is ambitious but not so self preservationist, she and her tribe do call out for the extermination of the other "lesser races" on kalimdor thats why I say she is an evil crone.

Tauren are somewhat hippy but since the blood pact between Thrall and Cairne the Tauren will fight with their brothers being the second best warriors in the opinion of the orcs and also supplying healers. The Tauren orc relationship and history alone bring the whole pacifist thing into question but the Tauren do put more thought into the responsibility of taking lives than the orcs. I'm starting to trail off onwards and upwards.

Before portal GLaDOS wasnt so much about testing but killing people, I'm willing to bet anything it was a traumatic response to having her consciousness put into a computer. On the topic of Chell, she was denied as a test subject because her profile stated her unusual tenacity, Caroline also had immense dedication to science so Chell and her are kind of alike in that sense. Although the murderer view could be justified since Chell really did murder GLaDOS.

 

[ImperialSunlight]

I'm not going to chose a "favourite", but I will point out good ones.

The Chaos Daughter/Quelaan/Ancient Spider Queen, The Lady of the Darkling and Anastacia of Astora, the firekeepers in dark souls, have very good stories behind them.

Also, Maiden Astraea from Demon's Souls.

 

[Nexxis]

I pick GlaDOS, but can she count as a female? I mean, she has a female voice and is referred to as "her", but I'm not sure if she could be listed with the others.

 

[Dirty Apple]

I'm in a bit of a pickle. My instant go to is Alyx Vance, but she's just as engineered as any of the rest of them. The difference is that she wasn't engineered for hormone crazy, pubescent boys. So while I'm inclined to like her as a character, I do so knowing that she was tailor-made for gamers like me.

While I never played it, I heard that 2nd Lieutenant Mira is a well written and fully realized character. Please, feel free to correct me on this one.

 

[The Consequence]

Meryl. Metal Gear Solid

 

[Zhukov]

While I never played it, I heard that 2nd Lieutenant Mira is a well written and fully realized character. Please, feel free to correct me on this one.

You mean the chick from the 2011 Space Marine game?

Eh, not really, unless you desperately want her to be.

She's just a standard person who's... kinda there. The story credits her with managing the hopeless, last ditch defence of a planet, but during the events of the actual game she doesn't get anything to do besides yelling the occasional objective at you over the radio.

At least her armour isn't modified to show the orks her navel.

 

[bandman232]

While she technically sin't an NPC, I'd have to mention Lyn from Fire Emblem 7.Tragic past, steadfast determination, prideful, and deadly on the battle field. I often think of her as Samus with a sword and not Power Suit.

 

[ZtH]

My normal response would be Farah fro Prince of Persia Sands of Time. However, I must admit I have a soft spot for Leliana from Dragon Age Origins. I went into that game expecting my character to be a fan of Morrigan due to her independence and snarkiness, but instead my character was swept off their feet by Leliana and her beautiful approach to her beliefs.

 

[sethisjimmy]

Alyx Vance. In addition to being a solid female character, she's actually a really good partner in the game, often helping you and just generally kicking ass on her own. Too often with an npc partner they are annoying and get in the way. With Alyx they designed her so you actually enjoy her company, but you are left alone often enough that she doesn't get annoying or boring.

 

[solemnwar]

Although the murderer view could be justified since Chell really did murder GLaDOS.

... in self defence. Legally, it's not really murder when the other person was trying to kill you.

Besides, she got better.

OT: Uhhh.... idk I like quite a few female NPCs. I'm just going to go with Leah from Diablo III because while she is Plot Device #284,393... at least she has the decency to help you out sometimes.

captcha: talk the talk
... are you trying to say something, captcha?

 

[Souplex]

None of the options provided are particularly great.
Of the list provided, the best is Zelda, the worst is Alyx.

 

[ReinWeisserRitter]

I... seriously can't think of single one that I thought was compelling enough to merit mentioning. Huh.