Top Video Game Heroines

Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff
by Mark Hughes

There are many heroines in video games. Damsels in distress, fierce warriors, sneaky spies, femme fatales, and more are represented. These characters were selected based on the number of games they have been in, their popularity among gamers, and the impact their presence has had on each game's story. This is by no means a comprehensive list of all heroines in video games, and it’s purely subjective.

Two of these characters have been featured in films, Lara Croft and Jill Valentine. Lara Croft is probably the most famous heroine to move between games and films. Making a video game into a movie is a difficult job. Writers must tackle merging the many hours of a video game’s storyline into an entertaining form to fit a film’s almost standard two- hour length. Many scripts are created and rejected until one seems good enough to bring to the big screen. For instance, the first script for the Tomb Raider movies was penned in 1999. It was rejected when another story was selected for the first movie, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001). Pieces of that 1999 script were later incorporated into the 2003 sequel, Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.

Lara Croft | Samos Aran | Zelda | Princess Peach | Jill Valentine

Lara Croft
Lara Croft

British archeologist, adventurer in search of ancient treasures. She is the main character in the long-running Tomb Raider series. Lara Croft was played in both films by Angelina Jolie.

 
Video Games
YearTitlePlatform
1996Tomb RaiderPlayStation, Saturn, PC
1997Tomb Raider 2: The Dagger of XianPlayStation, PC
1998Tomb Raider 3: The Adventures of Lara CroftPlayStation, PC
1999Tomb Raider 4: The Last RevelationPlayStation, PC, Dreamcast
2000Tomb Raider 5: ChroniclesDreamcast, PlayStation, PC
2003Tomb Raider 6: The Angel of DarknessPlayStation 2
2006Tomb Raider: LegendPC, PSP, XBOX, XBOX 360, GameCube, DS, GameBoy Advance
2007Tomb Raider: AnniversaryPlayStation 2, PSP, XBOX 360, Wii
2008Tomb Raider: UnderworldPC, PlayStation 2 and 3, XBOX 360, DS, Wii
Filmography
YearTitleStudio
2001Lara Croft: Tomb RaiderParamount Pictures
2003Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of LifeParamount Pictures

Lara Croft | Samos Aran | Zelda | Princess Peach | Jill Valentine

Samos Aran
Samos Aran

Intergalactic bounty-hunter. She is armed with and armored by a cybernetic suit. Samos battles metroids (nasty parasitic cybernetic creatures) and space pirates in her many adventures across the universe.

 
Video Games
YearTitlePlatform
1987MetroidNES
1991Metroid 2: Return of SamosGameBoy
1994Super MetroidSuper Nintendo
2002Metroid FusionGameBoy Advance
2002Metroid PrimeGameCube
2004Metroid Prime 2: EchoesGameCube
2004Metroid: Zero MissionGameBoy Advance
2005Metroid Prime PinballDS
2006Metroid Prime HuntersDS
2007Metroid Prime 3: CorruptionWii
2008Super Smash Bros. BrawlWii

Lara Croft | Samos Aran | Zelda | Princess Peach | Jill Valentine

Zelda
Zelda

Princess and ruler of the world Hyrule. Zelda is also known as Sheik, in Ocarina of Time, and Tetra, a pirate in The Wind Waker. She is an ally of Link and a fierce defender of her world against the evil schemes of Ganandorf.

 
Video Games
YearTitlePlatform
1987The Legend of ZeldaNES
1988Zelda 2: The Adventures of LinkNES
1992The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the PastSNES
1993The Legend of Zelda: Link's AwakeningGameBoy, GameBoy Color
1998The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of TimeN64
2000The Legend of Zelda: Majora's MaskN64
2001The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of SeasonsGameCube
2002The Legend of Zelda: Master QuestGameCube
2002The Legend of Zelda: Four SwordsGameBoy Advance
2002The Legend of Zelda: The Wind WakerGameCube
2003The Legend of Zelda: Majora's MaskGameCube
2004The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords AdventuresGameCube
2004The Legend of Zelda: The Minish CupGameBoy
2006The Legend of Zelda: Twilight PrincessWii, GameCube
2007The Legend of Zelda: Phantom HourglassDS

Lara Croft | Samos Aran | Zelda | Princess Peach | Jill Valentine

Princess Peach
Princess Peach

Princess Peach has also been known as Princess Toadstool. She rules the Mushroom Kingdom. When the evil Bowser attacks, Peach enlists the help of her allies, Mario & Luigi.

 
Video Games
YearTitlePlatform
1985Super Mario Bros.NES
1988Super Mario Bros. 2NES
1990Super Mario Bros. 3NES
1991Super Mario WorldSNES
1992Mario KartSNES
1996Mario 64N64
1996Mario Kart 64N64
1999Mario PartyN64
1999Super Smash Bros.N64
2000Mario Party 2N64
2001Super Smash Bros. MeleeGameCube
2001Mario Party 3N64
2001Paper MarioN64
2002Super Mario SunshineGameCube
2002Mario Party 4GameCube
2003Mario Party 5GameCube
2004Mario Party 6GameCube
2004Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year DoorGameCube
2004Super Mario 64 DSDS
2005Mario Kart DSDS
2005Mario & Luigi: Partners in TimeDS
2005Mario Superstar BaseballGameCube
2005Mario Party 7GameCube
2006New Super Mario Bros.DS
2007Super Paper MarioWii
2007Super Mario GalaxyWii
2007Mario Party 8Wii
2008Super Smash Bros. BrawlWii
2008Mario Kart WiiWii

Lara Croft | Samos Aran | Zelda | Princess Peach | Jill Valentine

Jil Valentine
Jill Valentine

A S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics and Rescue Squad) officer in the survival horror series, Resident Evil. The character of Jill Valentine (played by Sienna Guillory) only appeared in Resident Evil: Apocalypse. It should be noted that the principal character in the films is Alice, played by Milla Jovovich. The film version of Alice has multiple characteristics of other characters from the Resident Evil video games, most notably Jill Valentine and Alexia Ashford.

 
Video Games
YearTitlePlatform
1996Resident EvilPlayStation
1999Resident Evil 3: NemesisPlayStation
2006Resident Evil: Deadly SilenceDS
Filmography
YearTitleStudio
2002Resident EvilConstantin Film Produktion
2004Resident Evil: ApocalypseConstantin Film Produktion
2007Resident Evil: ExtinctionConstantin Film Produktion

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