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Post by Discoalucard on Aug 10, 2014 22:20:18 GMT -5
Updated this with a bunch of new entries, and fixed the typos (thanks!) so unless there's anything major, this is probably as complete as it's going to be.
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Post by Narushima on Aug 15, 2014 15:55:59 GMT -5
Pege 3:
"maybe naming her character after a slang term for breasts maybe wasn't the best idea" > maybe maybe.
"noteable" > notable
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Post by Woody Alien on Aug 17, 2014 8:27:53 GMT -5
Extremely interesting read, as usual! Also, the ending of Sabrina's game is probably based on an infamous "wardrobe malfunction" when one of her boobs popped out of her corset. Janet Jackson who?  Also also, thanks to the article I finally found the title of the Youko-chan game, I saw it at a fair about 20 years ago and always wondered what it was called (and what's with games and idols called Youko?)! |
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Post by TΛPETRVE on Sept 6, 2014 10:10:23 GMT -5
Nice summary. Anita Sarkeesian should consult youse for history lessons . |
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Post by Brand on Sept 6, 2014 11:37:33 GMT -5
Just want to say this was cool and I really enjoyed it. I do hope you can get around to doing a 90s version some day. The Femicom website might be helpful in compiling a list. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2014 14:57:53 GMT -5
Hold on now, Ghost Lion is an adaptation of a Japan-only film (direct-to-video, I think), so it shouldn't be eligible for this article, surely. Also, there's an old edutainment game called " Think Quick!", wherein you're given the choice of a boy or girl player:    Dunno if it counts, but I though I'd bring it up all the same. It's a rather sparse (especially compared to developer's earlier, far more engaging "Rocky's Boots" and "Robot Odyssey") Zelda-like adventure game; the most memorable part is escaping the innards of the colossal caterpillars which roam the game. It was preferable to whatever they had me doing in the first/second grade, so I have a personal fondness for it. |
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Post by Discoalucard on Sept 6, 2014 15:02:37 GMT -5
Ah, that White Lion bit is super obscure! I'd like to keep it in but make a note of it.
A few others were brought up on Facebook, like Princess Purapril from Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair and Stella from Alex Kidd: Lost Stars, as well as one or two other C64 games. We've discounted female player character avatars so The Learning Company one doesn't really count.
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Post by pennywise on Sept 6, 2014 15:14:32 GMT -5
There's a DQ clone for the Famicom called Ninja Rahoi, but it came out in 1990  It was definitely developed during the 80s though. Halfway through, your sister joins the party and she has her own Jutsu to learn. |
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Post by gbennett on Sept 7, 2014 0:19:49 GMT -5
Alter Ego, a life simulation from Activision in 1985 is a unique example. There is no particular set character as it is played from a first person perspective and the game encourages you to develop your personality as you see fit. However, the game was released in both male and female versions. I can not think of any other game to do this before or since.
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Post by derboo on Sept 7, 2014 0:54:35 GMT -5
I do hope you can get around to doing a 90s version some day. Such a list for the 90s could only be meaningful when it's limited to characters who are the central star of their game. Otherwise it'd just be flooded by hundreds of fighting game characters and JRPG party members. |
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Post by vetus on Sept 7, 2014 9:34:54 GMT -5
As for Super Princess Peach's issues, the biggest one isn't the "Vibe Sceptre" translation nor the "women weaponizing her emotions" subtext, but the whole "gotta dumb it down and spell out everything to make it easy mode for young girls" gameplay. Τhey make it easy in order to appeal better to younger audience generally, not girls only. |
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Post by r0ck3rz on Sept 7, 2014 10:37:24 GMT -5
Hmm... come to think of it, how does Nei not count on her own? PSII was 1989, and Nei was also a permanent character, until a specific major event in the game.
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Post by proflayton on Sept 7, 2014 14:48:09 GMT -5
Moero TwinBee: Cinnamon Hakushi wo Sukue! / Stinger features a female character called WinBee who pilots one of the ships. Apple Town Story (1987), Squaresoft's port of Little Computer People, features a young girl as the main character. Mother (1989) has a party member named Ana who is looking for her missing mother. She uses PK powers in battle. I don't know if it should be included, but Faria: A World of Mystery and Danger was originally released in 1989 in Japan. In this game you play as a heroine for most of the game, but it is revealed that the character has been "cursed" when the spell is broken and she is actually a he! Perhaps one of the earliest examples of transsexualism in video games?
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Post by strizzuth on Sept 8, 2014 11:56:03 GMT -5
Here's one I actually remember playing in my childhood... Jenny of the Prairie
It's basically an adventure game with some survival sim elements long before that was a genre. It was developed for the Apple II in 1984 but soon hit other platforms including Atari 8-bit and IBM PC. Since Moby Games doesn't have any info on this game I'm not sure what else it came out for. I played it on a PCjr sometime around 1990 but I don't know if it was specifically a PCjr port or not (I'm guessing not). Box art
screenshotI guess the article is finished and this game is pretty damn obscure but just thought I'd throw it in there. |
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Post by Discoalucard on Sept 9, 2014 12:10:00 GMT -5
I'll definitely be updating it at some point to include a few things we missed.
If we did a "sequel" to this article, it would probably be to feature any other remaining 8 and 16-bit gaming heroines, because otherwise it would get too overwhelming.
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It was definitely developed during the 80s though.
