Poll: Would you not buy a game, if they gender swapped your hero?

[FalloutJack]

You know, since Link is a succession of characters and not one single person, I would say there's absolutely no reason the main character cant' be female EXCEPT that people will confuse the MC for Zelda even more than they did before. So, only for that one reason, really.

It would ba little problematic on the Mario brothers. People would expect the moustaches, and if they still had 'em, Italian women might take offense.

Given the fact that the original Metroid game had people thinking Samus WAS a guy up until the end, publishing a game where they keep to that kind of formula and then revealing a male character would be pretty funny.

There are all Nintendo, though, and I have been mostly on Steam and Sony for the past few years. So, let's talk Playstation heroes...

Ash Williams - Evil Dead: Not Mass Effect, but Evil Dead, as in Bruce Campbell. We can't flip that one because nobody even male has that man's moxie, so where do you find a female actor to fit that groove? The same goes for Duke Nukem, Serious Sam, and the like.

Persona Characters - Persona Series: It's been done in P3P and you can play as Aigis in the FES expansion. The MC of Eternal Punishment IS female while the game it originally spouts from (Innocent Sin) features male character that she had a relationship with, and the two are close to the same game, but done a little differently. I wouldn't care if there was another Persona or otherwise Shin Megami Tensei game with a female lead.

ICO and Shadow of the Colossus: These games are far too good for gender to even matter.

Devil May Cry Series: First off, not that newer game. But second...I could live with a female lead on this one. Why? My girlfriend and I concocted a character by the name of Artemis Knight, a little like Dante AND Vergil, and her primary weapon is Yamato. All it takes is a little imagination.

Asura's Wrath: If you told me there was a game coming out that was as epic as Asura's Wrath, but it featured Kali as the main character instead? I would be behind it 100%.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

Yes. However don't get me wrong, its not because i have to play a female or anything. But if samus suddenly became male or link suddenly became female, it just wouldn't make sense in an established series where it was always the opposite.

Now however, if i was to get a new IP, that was inspired by metroid or Legend of zelda and i had to play as a girl it wouldn't matter. But do not genderbend a character and make it canon.

Link is one of the few protagonists for whom it would make perfect sense, given that my "3D only" Zelda collection includes 5 incarnations of Link, and there are at least as many in 2D. Why can't Linkle have the Tri-force of Courage for once?

I hate Linkle. She's an example of how not to do it. I agree with Lufia. Make an original character instead of gender swapping. I don't want her to have blond hair and a green outfit and to be another goody two shoes. Yeah, a spinoff adventure would be best.

Changing Samus' sex would be pretty lame. I'm not interested in 3D Metroid anyway. I want it to be third person and manual aim and I want the suit to be updated.

Wait, I think I am missing something but isn't Linkle a young sister to Link or something, rather than a genderswapped Link, hence being a separate char?

I coulda sworn all the kerfuffle about her was due to being a new char and not just THE Link of a main new game, which incidentally sounds just what you don't want btw lol.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

I can definitely see it in the design, though she looks even more like the Elf in dragon's crown, but like, what else is a female Link gonna be like, the look is iconic, they're not gonna move away from it just cause she's female now. Also I just think she kinda looks adorable since I loved the Elf in DC so there's that too. lol

Is the issue here that bein the little sister or looking cute has less inherent power than the big brother or other such nonsense? I think little sisters are fine.

You know, since Link is a succession of characters and not one single person, I would say there's absolutely no reason the main character cant' be female EXCEPT that people will confuse the MC for Zelda even more than they did before. So, only for that one reason, really.

It would ba little problematic on the Mario brothers. People would expect the moustaches, and if they still had 'em, Italian women might take offense.

Given the fact that the original Metroid game had people thinking Samus WAS a guy up until the end, publishing a game where they keep to that kind of formula and then revealing a male character would be pretty funny.

There are all Nintendo, though, and I have been mostly on Steam and Sony for the past few years. So, let's talk Playstation heroes...


Asura's Wrath: If you told me there was a game coming out that was as epic as Asura's Wrath, but it featured Kali as the main chacter instead? I would be behind it 100%.

How about this; the human girl who was voiced by Rie Kugimiya (even when she grunts unintelligibly you can tell its her lol) didn't actually die from the explosion but rather absorbed some of Asura's rage power which is why he never goes anger beast again, and is now on a quest to remind Asura of his past by breaking into his new dimension he creates....by of course punching a hole in it.

I'd play that.

 

[FalloutJack]

You know, since Link is a succession of characters and not one single person, I would say there's absolutely no reason the main character cant' be female EXCEPT that people will confuse the MC for Zelda even more than they did before. So, only for that one reason, really.

It would ba little problematic on the Mario brothers. People would expect the moustaches, and if they still had 'em, Italian women might take offense.

Given the fact that the original Metroid game had people thinking Samus WAS a guy up until the end, publishing a game where they keep to that kind of formula and then revealing a male character would be pretty funny.

There are all Nintendo, though, and I have been mostly on Steam and Sony for the past few years. So, let's talk Playstation heroes...


Asura's Wrath: If you told me there was a game coming out that was as epic as Asura's Wrath, but it featured Kali as the main chacter instead? I would be behind it 100%.

How about this; the human girl who was voiced by Rie Kugimiya (even when she grunts unintelligibly you can tell its her lol) didn't actually die from the explosion but rather absorbed some of Asura's rage power which is why he never goes anger beast again, and is now on a quest to remind of Asura of his past by breaking into his new dimension he creates....by of course punching a hole in it.

I'd play that.

You know, that'd make a good bit of story, actually. I think that would really work out.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

SNIP

But my original point is still valid. Little to nothing would change in the overwhelming majority of games.

 

[DefunctTheory]

SNIP

Spoiler

But my original point is still valid. Little to nothing would change in the overwhelming majority of games.

Its even more valid then when you started - Even the title doesn't change!

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

Is there a fun, good reason for it?

Is the gameplay and plot still good?

If yes yes and yes, then I'll still buy it.

 

[Outcast107]

Depends. Are the characters one gender in the game before and all of a sudden change sex in the next game? probably not.

If the character a son/daughter of the nervous character, (Like Samus had a son and we are playing him. Or Kratos had a daughter and we play as her) sure. I don't like gender bending all that much and I feel like its a cheap shot to get "points" with a certain crowd.

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

I don't see the problem with it. Seriously, to change Doomguy into Doomgal they'd just need to model a couple forearms and swap some pronouns, so why not? It'd make some people happy and make hilarious people mad. Two good reasons right there.

Plus, the Triforce is better balanced with one dude, one gal, and one choice than with two dudes and a gal. Unless you think one gal is worth two dudes, you misandrist!


EDIT: Man, how would you even gender-swap Kirby? The guy's already kawii-as-fuck, pulling a Ms Pac-Man ain't gonna cut it. 'Course, I dunno how you tell the gender of just about anybody in that series. Is it just titles and pronouns.

NOTEDIT:

"Linkle: Female version of the hero Link. Created to be like a little sister to Link." (Hyrule Warriors Official Game Guide (Prima Games), pg. 246)"

You know they aren't actually related, right? She's a niave kid from a cucco farm in the middle of Nowheresville, Hyrule. Linkle thinks she's the reincarnation of the legendary hero, hence the well-established-by-folklore get-up, plus she's got a compass that glows in hero-y circumstances. It's a case of mistaken identity. Or is it? I mean, she does get up to some impressive heroics out of her drive and sense of duty. Kinda like another person who wears a lot of green for no real reason.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

I don't see the problem with it. Seriously, to change Doomguy into Doomgal they'd just need to model a couple forearms and swap some pronouns, so why not? It'd make some people happy and make hilarious people mad. Two good reasons right there.

Plus, the Triforce is better balanced with one dude, one gal, and one choice than with two dudes and a gal. Unless you think one gal is worth two dudes, you misandrist!

"Linkle: Female version of the hero Link. Created to be like a little sister to Link." (Hyrule Warriors Official Game Guide (Prima Games), pg. 246)"

You know they aren't actually related, right? She's a niave kid from a cucco farm in the middle of Nowheresville, Hyrule. Linkle thinks she's the reincarnation of the legendary hero, hence the well-established-by-folklore get-up, plus she's got a compass that glows in hero-y circumstances. It's a case of mistaken identity. Or is it? I mean, she does get up to some impressive heroics out of her drive and sense of duty. Kinda like another person who wears a lot of green for no real reason.

Hell make Ganon female too.


The Legend of Zelda: Two Girls one Triforce

 

[the December King]

No thank you.

I'm not interested in this in my escapism. make more characters, make some gender-swapping, go nuts if that's what folks want.

But it's not what I want.

 

[MythicMatt]

If it was for just no reason at all, and had little bearing on the plot, it'd be a little out of place.

But should any of the writers actually think about the hows and whys of changing something like that, or make it the plot, I'd probably end up getting it whenever I can.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Well Douglas, the game I play feature a myriad of playable characters of multiple races, genders, creeds and species! [sub]very expensive[/sub], HYUK-HYUK!

---

Serious answer, I don't care WHO I play as so long as the game itself is engaging and fun to me. If I find out TODAY that everybody in Tokyo Mirage Session Pound-sign Feh is being swapped over to every member of Malice Mizer and Moi Dix Mois I literally wouldn't care because at the end of the day it's still a game about J-pop stars dungeon crawling in Tokyo with Phantom Gackt. I would actually consider getting an Xbone S a bit more seriously if Gears 4 swapped out to an all female cast...well no I wouldn't but it would give me more pause than the fact that Gears 4 features humans rather than grizzled hunks of sentient beef.

 

[2HF]

If a man was flipped to a woman (Female Garrett, female Gordon, female GTA protag, Link whatever) I would buy the hell out of that.

If Samus, Lara, Chell, became men I would avoid that like the plague.

We have countless (literally I doubt anyone has an accurate count of games with male protagonists) games with men as the leads. Precious few with female leads.

Sign me the hell up.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Not reading any comments yet as not a good day for added despair, but fuck, gender swap whoever, i don't care. Why not? I'm up for pretty much anything now. Hell, i'd buy a game if they did, just out morbid curiousity. You know, how about a female Adam Jensen? Called Eva Jenson? She smokes 80 a day and sounds like my south london cockney aunt; "Oi you fuckin' ****...I didn't bloody ask for this! Although this 'ere's a fine lighter you installed on me thumb! Pass me my fags, if you would be so kind, mate."
Yeah, something like that. Squeenix...Get on it!

 

[happyninja42]

Zelda can't get in on the adventuring action?

I'm all for this, and would in fact prefer it, simply on the grounds that the entire fucking game line is HER NAME and yet she's never actually the protagonist. It's like going to see a Spiderman movie, and instead it's about some other hero. Sure it might be fun, but you came to see Spiderman damnit!

I find Princess Zelda bland and would rather not play as such a dolled up, formal, righteous, girly sweetheart. I would instead remove her title from all the Zelda games, so that she wouldn't need to be a part of nearly every story. Everybody will recognize the games anyway. The fans would probably go mental, though.

Is she bland because she's bland, or because they never do anything productive with her? I mean for most of the games she's basically just window dressing, and yeah, window dressing is bland. That doesn't mean her character is inherently bland, just that the people who make the games that she's in, can't seem to actually give her anything interesting to do.

 

[MrFalconfly]

Generally I buy games depending on if I think the gameplay looks fun, not what gender the character has.

If the game looks sufficiently fun, then I might be persuaded to buy a game where the player character is a genderwapped version of a long established character.

However, I still don't like the practice of "genderswapping" established characters. It just reeks of laziness.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

If a man was flipped to a woman (Female Garrett, female Gordon, female GTA protag, Link whatever) I would buy the hell out of that.

If Samus, Lara, Chell, became men I would avoid that like the plague.

We have countless (literally I doubt anyone has an accurate count of games with male protagonists) games with men as the leads. Precious few with female leads.

Sign me the hell up.

We have even fewer dragon leads, what if the female chars were turned into genderless dragons? Would you buy that? I always want more playable dragons.


But yeah more seriously, a game with a male Samus can be good and a game with a female Link can suck, to buy or avoid either based on the swap alone without first looking at the actual game is illogical.

 

[Frostbyte666]

Don't like the idea of having established characters gender swapped, it makes it come across as look where reaching out to such and such a demographic and throwing our original fans by the wayside. Though I'm probably not the best person to ask since I refused to be the new DmC for a few justified reasons though the major one was what the hell have they done to Dante.

That being said same universe different character could be a lot of fun, continuing on the DMC vein, have an adventure for Lady, maybe to find out more about her backstory and have some more tactical options to the gameplay since she's a squishy human who's badass enough to still take on demons and win.

 

[2HF]

If a man was flipped to a woman (Female Garrett, female Gordon, female GTA protag, Link whatever) I would buy the hell out of that.

If Samus, Lara, Chell, became men I would avoid that like the plague.

We have countless (literally I doubt anyone has an accurate count of games with male protagonists) games with men as the leads. Precious few with female leads.

Sign me the hell up.

We have even fewer dragon leads, what if the female chars were turned into genderless dragons? Would you buy that? I always want more playable dragons.


But yeah more seriously, a game with a male Samus can be good and a game with a female Link can suck, to buy or avoid either based on the swap alone without first looking at the actual game is illogical.

Being intentionally idiotic only makes your position look idiotic. Bring me a reasonable debate and I'll participate.

As for the more serious part, we're operating here under an assumption of equal quality levels in order to keep the debate afloat. If you want to dig for that one little pebble to claim the soil of this conversation is tainted then you're missing the point.