Girls of Summer 2003 Special @ Gaming Target

Written by Chris Reiter on June 27, 2003

Special: Don't worry. These drawings can't slap you back.

It used to be that males were the dominant gender in life. Well, they still are in some respects, but it is true that women have had to work extra hard to get their own shot at the spotlight -- especially in gaming roles. We've grown up with games where many a male hero must rescue the female damsel in distress. Times have been changing though. Today anyone or anything can be a hero...whether they're hot or not. But in recent years in the case with the female gender though, we've been introduced to some of the most ravishing ladies this side of the polygon. And with more and more sex symbols charging in, females are receiving their due. With 2003 around now, this is especially one gaming year where PlayStation 2 owners are getting the most out of their buck with heroines who have stolen or have yet to steal the show. This article intends to outline the history of those certain video game babes who have already made a big splash in the industry or who have yet to make one...and why not, you'll get to see some T&A while we're at it. So, without further ado, I present to you this year's PlayStation 2 in 2003: Girls of Summer.

Name: Lara Croft
Appears In: Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness
Past Releases: Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider II, Tomb Raider III, Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation, Tomb Raider Chronicles, Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword, Tomb Raider: The Prophecy

Ms. Lara Croft began her role in 1996 as literally one of gaming's first major sex symbols that would continue to remain a hot topic for years to come. First released as a multi-system adventure title, Tomb Raider eventually wormed its way as solely one of the leading franchises the PlayStation had to offer since it first paved its way to success. Like in all Tomb Raider titles, Lara Croft is the heroine who's actually an extremely skillful archeologist (like a female version of Indiana Jones). Bad things happen when you deal in risky situations, and Lara's had many shares of danger as she sets out to destroy whatever fierce animal, human, or demon creature types standing in her way of the lost treasure she's always out to dig up. And even though Lara eventually drained from many gamers' view as recycled trash in a repetitive series, Lara has always remained one of today's most recognizable gaming mascots. Today Lara's still trekking into mysterious territory, as her latest travels take her into the long overdue PlayStation 2 adventure game, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, where for the first time she's the bad guy.

Name: Jennifer Tate
Appears In: Primal
Past Releases: None

A young woman in every respect, Jen is the type of person you might think of as just a pretty face who knows nothing about the world. To an extent, that is what Jen's story is about. It isn't until an enormous demon creature into the fabric of another realm kidnaps Jen's boyfriend, Lewis. When paired up with Scree, a real life talking, moving gargoyle, Jen learns that her world is more than what she thought it was. Jen also learns that she is more than what she thought she was -- that she is actually part demon. Being half demon just goes to show you that there's more to a chick than just her looks, that sometimes you have to make sacrifices to become stronger if you're to rescue your loved one and the rest of the world while you're at it.

Name: Mio and Mayu Amakura
Appears In: Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly
Past Releases: Fatal Frame

Fatal Frame began as and is continuing to be a female dominant horror franchise. Last year, the first episode of the series handed players the role of Miku, a young Japanese girl who went searching for her missing brother inside the dreary depths of a haunted mansion, who in turn the brother first went inside to search for his missing mentor. Strange, huh? Anyway, what's so unique about this game however is that you're fighting ghosts -- not with a gun, or a laser weapon, or even blowing cancer inducing smoke at them with a lit cigarette: all you've got is an ancient camera and a sixth sense to see things that no one else can. The original Frame was also based on a true story, so that just goes to show you what Mio and Mayu (twin sisters by birth) have to follow up to. Little details are known about whether or not their adventure will be constructed from another real life tale of horror, but what will prove these two young ladies to be worthy of recognition in the archives of powerful gaming chick legends is that they'll actually need to work together to survive the adventure throughout a haunted and deserted city.

Name: Yuna
Appears In: Final Fantasy X-2
Past Releases: Final Fantasy I, Final Fantasy II, Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy X

Many beautiful ladies of locks and lore are known to Squaresoft's Final Fantasy RPG series, but lately in today's age of gaming, they've been growing even hotter. With this technology progression occurring, it's not just looks that are upgraded, but also character voices. Final Fantasy X culminates the first Final Fantasy game ever to feature a full round voice acting for just about every thinkable character. Yuna being the first to earn such a spot in this role as the introductory leading lady in the franchise to have a voice is lucky. Not only that, Final Fantasy X proved to be such an enormous success that Squaresoft has opted for the very first sequel to a Final Fantasy game. EVER. Also appearing now as the game's main heroine, Yuna's newly appointed position should be setting a trend for more RPGs to follow. Chicks rule! You dig?

Name: Heather
Appears In: Silent Hill 3
Past Releases: Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2

Heather is not your average video game based female persona. Despite the fact that she's starring in Konami's next Silent Hill game this summer (a horror game you can easily wet your pants to, for all of those who don't know), she is a normal every day teenager. Which is why she's not exactly the type of chick you'd expect to appear in such a game, or any game for that matter: This girl is all woman. She didn't grow up slaying demons with a sword, or traveling to the ends of the earth to gain super human powers. She's just human, and that's what makes her great. Heather's story is almost going to be represented like in the last two Silent Hill releases, where Harry and James were both searching for someone. Except for the fact of the matter that Heather isn't searching for anyone -- the town is searching for her instead. Given that Heather was never looking for a fight to begin with, it'll be interesting to see how much strength throughout the story this teen is willing to embrace.

Name: Shion Uzuki and KOS-MOS
Appears In: Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht
Past Releases: Xenogears

Reminiscent of the Star Wars legacy in a way, Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht (try saying that five times fast), or Xenosaga as it's known to most people, fuels the beginning of a rich history of RPG of what will tie into six other related storylines eventually in this expanding Namco universe. Xenosaga is also a by-product of Squaresoft's first attempt to bring the series into the know in Xenogears from the PlayStation's middle ages when the franchise eventually ended up in the hands of Namco, still in the development chair of most of its original creators now called Monolith Soft...but of which is a tale gamers will get used to for a whole other period. Shion and KOS-MOS are the women who make Xenosaga happen. In this futuristic space setting, Shion is a scientist working to perfect her android creation called KOS-MOS -- otherwise known as a weapon built to destroy the Gnosis, an alien race threatening the lives of humans everywhere. Together these two are the quite appealing brains and brawn of a team that hopes to set the record straight by attempting to meet the goal of putting a stop to these soul sucking life forms and the evil entities who will try to get in their way.

In Closing
You've now seen and heard a good deal about some of what the PlayStation 2's got to offer in its top lineup of women fed parts. Some have the power to do the extraordinary, while others don't. And then there are those ladies who must adapt to their fitting characteristics through the job at hand. What it all boils down to though is that even chicks can do the things men can do, and more. They can dance, they can sing, they can even put a hole through another living thing and come out clean in the end. Without women, there'd be no men, and without men, well...there'd obviously be no women. So as the tables of time move on, these lavish, luscious, and luxurious ladies should not be taken lightly as insignificant specs, but as some of the true leaders for today's new gaming icons to be born.