Of the games I've played to this day, the ones that stick out the most are the ones from my middle school days (when my only responsibility was video games). One in particular was a household favorite; Soul Caliber II for the Nintendo Gamecube. Soul Caliber II was a 3-D fighting game, one of the first I had ever played (yeah, I know, but I never owned a PS1 or Tekken).
The game features a gender-varied cast of playable characters. While the cast of characters had a larger portion of male selections, there were several playable female characters. It wasn't uncommon for my brother, my father and I to choose these female characters over the males. Of the female characters available, one in particular, Ivy, was extremely powerful if you practiced her moves enough. She also had some of the most complicated special moves to perform.
While we may have hidden under that explanation, ("My what a challenging character to play!") we really, truthfully chose the female characters because they're hot. I even asked my father why he chose one particular character so often and his answer was as follows: "Cus she was smokin' hot!"
 |
| Ivy from Soul Caliber 2 |
Ivy, pictured on the right, was probably the most scantly clad of all the female characters in the game, and also my father's favorite character. I don't mean to paint him as a total perv, he was spoon fed what other horny kids (if you aren't familiar, this game was rated T for Teens 13+) have been given with similar titles (Dead Or Alive much?).
Another nifty feature of this game allowed players to individually analyze player stats and examine the character's appearance. However, every time you would move the female characters around, their breasts would jiggle. Even the artwork section showed nipples protruding from underneath their costumes. Something tells me this isn't a vital feature of the game. Plus, I'm forced to now question the developers' depictions of females in these games.
 |
| Taki from Soul Caliber 2 |
I'll admit that I was on the other side of the fence when I was 12, but to view a game that depicts women in such a way today is just sad. If you can look past the sexy clothes and bouncy boobs, there are real characters with real depth to be appreciated. If a player can master the character Ivy, anyone should be impressed, as it is a challenging feat. The content of the actual character is what should be measured in a game, not her cup size.
images:
http://www.fightersgeneration.com/characters2/ivy-sc2fix2.jpg
http://gameswalls.com/wallpapers/s/soul-calibur-2/soul-calibur-2-taki-1.jpg
