(SOME OF) THE COOLEST FICTIONAL WOMEN

Women are pretty cool. But sadly, they tend to be underrepresented in the various forms of media, though strides are being made, there's still plenty of work to be done. And I know, I'm a white male, I'm probably the last person qualified to talk about representation, but I realize the value of having diversity in media. It not only better reflects the world we live in, but it just makes things more interesting. So, with that said, I compiled a list of some of my favorite fictional females out there. I tried to avoid obvious ones, and go with some that may be lesser-known, so these characters can get more exposure.

(Note: Mild Spoilers follow)

Terra Branford (Final Fantasy VI)

The SNES game Final Fantasy VI (or III, depending on when you played it first), technically has no main protagonist. It's true, with fourteen playable characters, the game is much more of an ensemble piece than others in the series. But, if a main character needed to be picked out from the bunch, it would be the teenaged, amnesiac Terra. I mean, her theme is the main theme of the game (and what a theme it is...)! Her story is one of tragedy, forced to work for the evil Gestahlian Empire against her will, Terra slowly comes to terms with the larger conflict she eventually finds herself entangled in, while also discovering more about her past. Now, I'm not going to spoil this game here (even though it did come out over 20 years ago at this point), but let me just say that she is obviously much more than she appears on the surface. 

What makes Terra stand out is her compassion. As a victim of torture herself, she is immediately able to sympathize with others who have been wronged by the Empire. This compassion is shown even more during the latter half of the game, where without saying much, everything goes to shit. Your party has been separated, and Terra finds herself on an island without her companions. All of the adults on the island die, and Terra takes it upon herself to take care of all of the remaining children. The love she has for these children is what ultimately allows her to rediscover her resolve, and she is an instrumental part of the final stand against main antagonist Kefka. She may not be the strongest physically, but she shows that compassion and love are vital tools in a world that is oftentimes sorely lacking in it.

Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel 

One of Marvel's newest superheroes, Kamala Khan has also become one of its most popular. Seen as Peter Parker for a new generation, she is also notable for being one of the first (and one of few still) Muslim characters to lead a comic from a mainstream publisher. This isn't something that is taken lightly, either. Her religion is a big part of who she is, but it doesn't define her. Like Spider-Man before her, she is someone who is suddenly thrust with incredible abilities, and decides to use them for good. She also has to deal with being a teenager in high school on top of all of that. 

At her core, she really is just a teenage girl. She even obsesses over superheroes (including her namesake, Carol Danvers, the original Ms. Marvel)! Kamala is a fascinating look into how the younger generations view religion. She never rejects Islam, but she also knows that she does not want to be restricted by it either. In fact, it's a moment of rebellion that leads her to become the superhero she is today. She may still be a teenager, but she suddenly finds herself thrust into the world of superheroes, even becoming a member of the Avengers (although the events of Civil War II made some changes in her status quo). Balancing high school, religion along with a religious family, being a teenager on top of being a superhero is a lot of pressure, but Kamala Khan manages to handle it all, most of the time.

Betty and Veronica (Riverdale)

The most recent additions to this list, though ironically they are have also existed the longest. Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge are pop culture mainstays, originating in the 1940's. In their original Archie Comics appearances, they were defined by their relationship to Archie Andrews. See, their biggest trait was that they were constantly fighting over him, while still being best friends...somehow. They were polar opposites, Betty being sweet and down-to-earth, while Veronica being rich and vain, yet they were both in love with Archie, and constantly competed for his affectio

ns. But the Betty and Veronica from the new CW series Riverdale are not that. They're so much better.

Betty and Veronica are friends. Like, best friends. They truly care and support each other, and there is no competition between them. The love triangle is still there, yes, but it's presented in a much more grounded way. Veronica knows Betty is in love with Archie, and does everything she can to help her new friend, despite her feelings for him as well. It's truly refreshing to see such a supportive female friendship showcased on screen, between two girls who are still polar opposites. Hell, the two of them would probably be better off without Archie in their lives, who at this point has really done nothing worthy of their affection. I fear that the show will eventually turn to the love triangle that has defined Archie comics for years, but for now, Riverdale is a prime example of how two strong women can have a healthy, loving friendship.

Clementine (The Walking Dead: The Game)

Trying to survive the zombie apocalypse is hard. It's even harder when you're just a kid, one whose parents are out of town as the outbreak happens. When we first find young Clementine, she's stuck up in her treehouse, no one else to depend on, her only source of communication a walkie talkie. Bringing her along with you, Clem slowly develops a strong father-daughter relationship with convicted murderer Lee Everett. But, as always happens in The Walking Dead universe, there must be tragedy, and Clem definitely goes through the ringer in her short life. But, she doesn't let that stop her or define her. She grows from it, learns from it, and uses it to push forward.

Over the course of three (as of now) seasons, we see Clementine grow, both physically and mentally. From the scared little girl we find in the treehouse, to her first time learning how to shoot a gun, Clem slowly evolves into a hardened survivor. Watching her growth is astonishing when you look at the whole picture, especially when people twice her age aren't as composed as she is. But the thing is, she's still just a kid. She may be a lone wolf who can more than survive on her own, but the oldest we see her thus far is still age thirteen. And the moments we see her truly be her age, however brief they may be, are all the more striking. Clem's been through hell and back, but she still carries on, and never gives up.

Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls)

Gravity Falls is one of the best shows to come out in recent years. One of the things that makes it so is its world-building, especially with it's characters. If you were to ask me who the best character was, I would no doubt say Mabel, the goofy
twin sister of Dipper. What makes Mabel so great is that she knows she's weird, and she owns it. Of all the characters, the one with the most self-confidence by far is Mabel. Which is so refreshing. Oftentimes when we see a character that's as self-assured as she is, they are someone who is at the top of the food chain, metaphorically speaking. No, she knows she's odd, and that she's never going to "fit in". But that's what makes her great.

She also has one of the best sibling relationships I've seen on TV. Her and Dipper are truly best friends, and while they may not always be a constant presence in each other's lives, they both know they can depend on each other. Especially for what is essentially a kids' show (it was on Disney Channel, after all), it's just nice to see a sibling relationship that isn't based on constant bickering, but rather based on love. Basically, Mabel doesn't care what anyone thinks, whether it's aggressively pursuing boys with love notes, having a squad of boyfriends that are clones, or just spending time with her pet pig Waddles, Mabel knows who she is, and isn't about to change it to please anyone. 

Also, this is the perfect excuse to post this:

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What are some of your favorite fictional female characters? Lemme know by leaving a comment or on Twitter. 

REVIEW - RESIDENT EVIL 7: BIOHAZARD

Can a change in perspective bring a return to from for one of gaming's longest-running franchises?

Resident Evil has become one of the most famous game franchises out there. Chances are, most people will have at least heard of it, whether it be from the games, the film series, or just from hearing about it. Resident Evil, the first game in the series, was released in 1996, and is largely credited with popularizing the survival horror genre. But, as time went on, and influenced by the success of the more action-oriented Resident Evil 4, and the shooter genre in general, developer Capcom took the series into an increasingly action-focused lane, while slowly decreasing the horror elements.

NOPE

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard was shown as a return to the series' horror roots, with one big change. For the first time, the series was presented in a first-person perspective, similar to indie horror hits Slender, Outlast, and Alien: Isolation. There was a general consensus that Resident Evil 7 was highly influenced by these titles, which put you in control of a virtually powerless protagonist, and all you could do in most situations was either run or hide from your enemy, with no option to fight back. People began to wonder if Resident Evil 7 would truly return the series to its roots, or if the series would be taken in yet another direction, albeit one closer to the first games in the series. Thankfully, the change in perspective aside, this a a true Resident Evil game, one that very much harkens back to the original entry.

Resident Evil 7 puts you in the shoes of Ethan Winters, who after receiving a message from his long-missing wife, Mia, decides to head out to an abandoned (or so they think) Louisiana mansion, and it goes about as well as you would think. Soon enough, Ethan finds himself hunted not only by a crazed family of cannibals, but also Mia (yeah, great plan, Ethan), and strange monsters known only as "Molded". Ethan now has to escape the Baker family property and find a way to cure his wife, who seems to be infected by something.

First off, a stealth game this isn't. Thankfully, the similarity to stealth-focused horror games was only given off by the game's marketing. There's only one truly stealth-focused moment in the game, and that is when you have no other items or weapons to aid you. Most of the time, you don't have to worry about hiding from enemies while they scout an area. There are points like that in the game, but the goal is more to progress to the next area without getting caught, instead of hiding and waiting for them to leave.

In case you haven't realized, the Baker family is completely deranged

This is classic Resident Evil in that it's very much like an adventure game. You've got an inventory to manage, obtuse puzzles that shouldn't make any sense, and the game is very much focused on exploration. But despite this, Resident Evil 7 is still a horror game, and there's always an underlying feeling of tension, not quite sure what's going to be around the corner. In a sense, the first-person perspective is the evolution of the fixed, close-up camera angles of the PlayStation games. The first-person perspective really limits what you see, which makes the tension ramp up even more.

This is also classic Resident Evil in the sense that you are constantly worrying about your inventory. You have very limited space at the beginning, and while you do acquire upgrades periodically that increase your space, you still will never have enough open space to feel comfortable. Add to that the fact that some items take up two slots, and items that can stack, like ammo and first aid meds, can only have a certain amount per slot, before taking up another one, inventory management is crucial. Item storage boxes are helpful, but those are only located in safe rooms, so if there's an item you know you'll need to solve a puzzle later, it's a better idea to bring it along with you, sacrificing an open item slot. Even by the end of the game, when I had countless ammo and some of the strongest weapons in the game, I never felt too powerful, as I had to leave some ammo in storage so I could have room to find more items.

When it comes to enemies, Resident Evil 7 is a mixed bag. The Bakers, the crazed, canibalistic, possibly inhuman Louisiana family that capture and continue to hunt you, are great. Each chapter of the game (until a certain point) is dominated by a certain member of the family, each with their own unique (and scary) abilities. When they try to find you by scouting an area, it would be wise not to try to attack them, as the worst you can do is temporarily knock them down, which means you would be wasting your bullets. Each crazed member of the family is bursting with personality, but the standout for me was son Lucas, an inventor type who you never directly confront, but uses various contraptions to torture you.

The other set of enemies are the Molded, who are decidedly less interesting than the Bakers. These are essentially 7's answer to the original games' zombies. They're literally just walking hunks of mold, that you can either run away from, or try to put down (headshots are the quickest way, but those still take three or four shots). The Molded aren't nearly as scary as the zombies of Resident Evil games of old. Most of the time you can tell when some are near, as you can not only hear them in the distance, but the room will be covered in a black mold as well. There were a few moments that I was caught off-guard, but for most of the time, the Molded were just simply a nuisance.

Which leads me to my next negative, the boss fights. Well, to be clear, most of the boss fights. With the exception of one, maybe two bosses in the game, they were just very underwhelming. Most of them simply involved unloading as much ammo as you can until the boss drops. Sometimes these fights involving traversing a wide area, but mostly the boss fights were just unexciting. This is especially apparent in the last boss, which was literally you shooting anything you have at the boss. This is made even easier considering that it is, well, the final boss, meaning that you don't have to worry about conserving ammo for later.

The whole last act is pretty much a mess, with the game going off the rails, and not in a good way. For some reason, the developers decided to save all story information for the final third of the game, and dump it all on you at once, instead of layering it throughout the game. Which is a shame, because it has some fascinating details, including why the Baker family act the way they do. But since it all hits you within a relatively short period of time, you never truly have time to take all of this information in.

All in all, I do have to say that Resident Evil 7 had me hooked. I kept thinking about the game during my time playing it, and I just wanted to get back into that world and keep progressing. The small, insular world that Capcom created is great, as the Dulvey plantation is as much of a character as the Baker's themselves. You get the real sense of humanity that has been lost, as among all the destruction that fills the Baker's home, you see things like family portraits and science trophies, giving these characters depth and allowing you to learn that these were once normal people. Not since the Spencer Mansion has a Resident Evil setting have so much personality. The puzzles, were pretty clever and kept me scratching my head until I figured out a solution, and not once did I feel comfortable while exploring the property. The lack of load screen definitely doesn't help, as you are not given any chance to collect yourself. Better start learning to close doors yourself, because safe rooms can only be so much help when you've got a killer family right outside.


Resident Evil 7 isn't perfect, but it's a damn fine return to form for the series. Hopefully future titles in the series (which are definitely teased here) will be similar to what 7 has done. Uninspiring boss battles and a third act that drops the ball are two notable missteps for this game, but 7 has so much else going for it. A great setting, villains that make you laugh and terrify you at the same time, and a similarity to great adventure games help make Resident Evil 7 one of the series' top entries.

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What did you think of Resident Evil 7? Let me know by leaving a comment, or follow me on Twitter @aidansimonds. https://twitter.com/aidansimonds