10 Top Badass Women of Video Games

It wasn't that long ago when video games were thought of as nothing more than a child's hobby. This idea was only reinforced by the immaturity of the industry, bombarding us with a plethora of busty babes wearing skimpy clothing. Of course, these women tend to draw more attention than the occasional well-designed and far more interesting female characters who wear actual clothes and aren't quite so strangely proportioned.

This is an issue that still plagues the gaming industry today—just look at pretty much any fighting game and your eyes will be immediately inundated with these ribald relics of the past. Thankfully, nowadays it's much easier to find a more realistic female character among the increasingly shallow sea of Ivy Valentines and Chun-Lis.

This list isn't just comprised of some of the most memorable women in video games—these ladies also happen to be total badasses.

Lightning (Final Fantasy)

I've never been a big fan of the Final Fantasy series, primarily because I've never been able to climb over the steep barrier that is the turn-based JRPG. But even I, a lowly Final Fantasy non-convert, can respect the feminine powerhouse that is Lightning. I could go on, but I'd rather leave it to Final Fantasy XIII director Motomu Toriyama to explain what makes her so appealing: "In past Final Fantasy titles, female characters in the leading role have traditionally been very... girl-you-want-to-protect... For Final Fantasy XIII, Lightning is not only beautiful, but she's very strong. She has this independence. In battle, she's very graceful in her movements, but she's very powerful and she's very speedy."

Sarah Kerrigan (StarCraft)

Sarah Kerrigan has a fan following that's almost as impressive as the legions of Zerg she controls. And rightly so. She was left for dead, but instead of dying at the hands—or claws—of the Zerg swarm, Kerrigan is assimilated into them, eventually becoming the Queen of Blades. She seeks revenge, and she'll bulldoze over anyone who's unfortunate enough to get in her way.

Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)

Lara Croft might suffer from some fairly unreal proportions, but that's not unreasonable seeing as she's been around for the better part of two decades. Her newest incarnation in the highly anticipated Tomb Raider reboot, due out sometime next year, adds more humanity to the series. It'll be interesting to see this younger, more innocent version of the femme fatale many of us have been kicking butt as for so many years.

Elena Fisher (Uncharted)

Elena is an incredible woman by anyone's standards. She's witty, amusing, and intensely intelligent. And to top it all off, she's an incredibly brave reporter who can do anything Nathan Drake can do—and probably better. She can hold her own, and she does it under some fairly terrifying situations that would give most of us the urge to run home to mommy.

Jade (Beyond Good & Evil)

Jade shares quite a few traits with Elena Fisher, though her motivations are a little different. Jade's sole purpose is to protect an orphanage while revealing the government for what it really is. She's not looking for wealth, power, or fame; she only wants to do what's right. On top of that, she can also effortlessly and gracefully kick your teeth in.

Samus Aran (Metroid)

Samus Aran has the honor of being one of the original badass women of video games. She's the embodiment of power, and what's more impressive than that is she doesn't even need her fancy orange suit to kick mountains of alien butt.

Cortana (Halo)

For the most part, the Master Chief can hold his own. He single-handedly stopped the Covenant forces on multiple occasions, but even so, he couldn't have done it without the help of his strategic, and sometimes sarcastic, A.I. companion, Cortana. She's made an appearance in almost every Halo game, even Reach where she made a sort of cameo appearance. Cortana is easily the most intelligent woman on this list, and without her, Halo would've been an exponentially more frustrating experience.

Jill Valentine (Resident Evil)

There are nearly as many capable women in the Resident Evil series as there are Umbrella-designed bio-weapons. You have Rebecca Chambers, Claire Redfield, Sheva Alomar, Ada Wong, Sherry Birkin—in Resident Evil 6, at least—and, of course, the sultry S.T.A.R.S. member Jill Valentine. Jill is a fan favorite for a reason, as she's an intimidating mix of brains and beauty, and it certainly helps that she knows her way around a gun.

Commander Shepard (Mass Effect)

Commander Shepard is one of the more interesting women on this list because there's a very good chance that even if you played Mass Effect you never saw her. Most gamers chose the male Shepard that's so often used in the marketing for the series, so a majority of Mass Effect fans have never experienced just how incredible the female Shepard really is. I usually choose women when I'm playing a video game and I have the option to do so, but Shepard is easily one of the most emotionally well-portrayed women I've ever seen in a video game.

Alyx Vance (Half-Life 2)

In a desolate world where an omnipresent threat is always looming, where you control a main character who isn't terribly fond of speaking, Alyx Vance is essentially the personality of the series. She's smart, emotional, humorous, and is a breath of fresh air in what can be a deeply depressing game.