The following is based off of my INITIAL observations of Dead Rising 2. I bought the game the night before and am currently not quite halfway through the storyline. As such, my opinion (and it is my opinion, feel free to disagree) may change before the end. Also, despite my critical tone, I'd say that Dead Rising 2 is a very enjoyable zombie game that's much better than the first one in terms of gameplay.
It's no secret that women in video games tend to suffer from some prevailing stereotypes. Despite the fact that nearly half of all gamers are female, it seems that many developers are content to pander to the "single males in their teens and twenties" demographic. As a result, many digital women are two-dimensional "bad girls" or "helpless waifs" who only wear enough clothing to cover a squirrel.
That said, there is evidence that this trend may be starting to disappear. Several female protagonists have surfaced that are beginning to demonstrate that it is indeed possible to create compelling women in video games without tarting them up. Samus Aran, Alyx Vance, and Left 4 Dead's Zoey are just some examples. Even some of the "bad girls" and "helpless waifs" have make steps towards changing their image (Super Princess Peach, anyone?). It seems the industry is finally starting to realize that they need to start investing more time and effort into creating female characters, but the old method is still firmly entrenched for now.
Well, that's a lengthy intro. Guess I should get to the point. While I'm having loads of fun killing zombies in Dead Rising 2, I'm also annoyed at how some of the women are portrayed.
The primary female characters in the first Dead Rising were Jessie and Isabella. I took a liking to both of them because they were well-rounded characters. Though Jessie was a rookie and answered to Brad, she wasn't afraid to take the initiative herself at times. She was determined to help, to do the right thing. Isabella was an even deeper character once you got to know her. Having survived the initial zombie infestation in Santa Cabeza, she agrees to help her brother take revenge on those responsible. Hatred and grief fuel her decisions, but as she witnesses the same horror unleashed upon thousands of innocents, she begins to experience a moral crisis. Eventually, she makes the hard decision to abandon family ties for the greater good.
Now to be fair, Dead Rising 2 also has some admirable female characters. Stacy, while idealistic, has a caring heart and helps serve as an emotional anchor for Chuck and Katey. Katey herself is impossible to dislike. In a city gone mad with zombies and psychos set against the backdrop of a cynical, jaded culture that revels in televised blood sports, her childhood innocence is a welcome reprieve (also, she likes Megaman).
Unfortunately, the female cast goes downhill from there. First, there's the twins. Ugh and double ugh. Shallow, two-dimensional characters who do nothing but strut around in provocative attire and make thinly-veiled taunts about men's virility and genitilia. Is this the best Capcom can come up with for female antagonists? Would it kill them to come up with a more subtle, deeper backstory for their motives besides being sex-crazed men haters? I can only assume that they're setting them up to be either sub-bosses before the finale, or have them die some gruesome, zombie-related death in a cutscene (at least, I hope that's the case).
Then there's Rebecca Chang. She's a shallow, two-dimensional character who struts around in provocative attire and makes thinly veiled taunts about men's...huh, sounds familiar. It's like they copied the character sheet for the twins and made a footnote at the bottom that reads "but this one decides to help you." Sure she knows how to carry a gun (has she covered wars?) and can snoop around, but does she know how to button up her shirt? Seeing that her breasts are in danger of falling out, I guess not.
In summary, while I applaud Capcom for their handling of Stacy and Katey, I must also jeer them for pandering to the frat boy demographic by falling back on the old "scantily clad bad girl" schtick. Of course, one could argue that Dead Rising 2 is essentially an interactive zombie movie, and such characters are zombie movie staples. I would counter that the first Dead Rising (mostly) averted this, so why can't the sequel? C'mon Capcom, stop being so lazy and give us some interesting female antagonists/anti-heroes.
It's no secret that women in video games tend to suffer from some prevailing stereotypes. Despite the fact that nearly half of all gamers are female, it seems that many developers are content to pander to the "single males in their teens and twenties" demographic. As a result, many digital women are two-dimensional "bad girls" or "helpless waifs" who only wear enough clothing to cover a squirrel.
That said, there is evidence that this trend may be starting to disappear. Several female protagonists have surfaced that are beginning to demonstrate that it is indeed possible to create compelling women in video games without tarting them up. Samus Aran, Alyx Vance, and Left 4 Dead's Zoey are just some examples. Even some of the "bad girls" and "helpless waifs" have make steps towards changing their image (Super Princess Peach, anyone?). It seems the industry is finally starting to realize that they need to start investing more time and effort into creating female characters, but the old method is still firmly entrenched for now.
Well, that's a lengthy intro. Guess I should get to the point. While I'm having loads of fun killing zombies in Dead Rising 2, I'm also annoyed at how some of the women are portrayed.
The primary female characters in the first Dead Rising were Jessie and Isabella. I took a liking to both of them because they were well-rounded characters. Though Jessie was a rookie and answered to Brad, she wasn't afraid to take the initiative herself at times. She was determined to help, to do the right thing. Isabella was an even deeper character once you got to know her. Having survived the initial zombie infestation in Santa Cabeza, she agrees to help her brother take revenge on those responsible. Hatred and grief fuel her decisions, but as she witnesses the same horror unleashed upon thousands of innocents, she begins to experience a moral crisis. Eventually, she makes the hard decision to abandon family ties for the greater good.
Now to be fair, Dead Rising 2 also has some admirable female characters. Stacy, while idealistic, has a caring heart and helps serve as an emotional anchor for Chuck and Katey. Katey herself is impossible to dislike. In a city gone mad with zombies and psychos set against the backdrop of a cynical, jaded culture that revels in televised blood sports, her childhood innocence is a welcome reprieve (also, she likes Megaman).
Unfortunately, the female cast goes downhill from there. First, there's the twins. Ugh and double ugh. Shallow, two-dimensional characters who do nothing but strut around in provocative attire and make thinly-veiled taunts about men's virility and genitilia. Is this the best Capcom can come up with for female antagonists? Would it kill them to come up with a more subtle, deeper backstory for their motives besides being sex-crazed men haters? I can only assume that they're setting them up to be either sub-bosses before the finale, or have them die some gruesome, zombie-related death in a cutscene (at least, I hope that's the case).
Then there's Rebecca Chang. She's a shallow, two-dimensional character who struts around in provocative attire and makes thinly veiled taunts about men's...huh, sounds familiar. It's like they copied the character sheet for the twins and made a footnote at the bottom that reads "but this one decides to help you." Sure she knows how to carry a gun (has she covered wars?) and can snoop around, but does she know how to button up her shirt? Seeing that her breasts are in danger of falling out, I guess not.
In summary, while I applaud Capcom for their handling of Stacy and Katey, I must also jeer them for pandering to the frat boy demographic by falling back on the old "scantily clad bad girl" schtick. Of course, one could argue that Dead Rising 2 is essentially an interactive zombie movie, and such characters are zombie movie staples. I would counter that the first Dead Rising (mostly) averted this, so why can't the sequel? C'mon Capcom, stop being so lazy and give us some interesting female antagonists/anti-heroes.
