A Great Big List of Games from E3 with Playable Female Characters

All aboard the hype train!

By Becky ChambersJun 14th, 2014, 1:00 pm

Mirror's Edge 2 Genre: Action-adventure, first-person platformer
Platform: PC, Mac, Xbox One, PS4
Release window: Q2 2016
Sam says: Free-runner (and all-around bad-ass) Faith returns in the next Mirror’s Edge game, where you’ll be able to experience more parkour in first-person. Criterion said they’re making Faith for a “new generation,” so we’ll see what that means.
Rise of the Tomb Raider Genre: Action-adventure
Platform: Xbox One confirmed, multi-platform release pretty much a given
Release window: Q4 2015
Becky says: And God bless us, every one. I could not be more excited. I loved the reboot, I loved last week’s trailer, and I love that Rhianna Pratchett is going to be writing again. I can’t wait to go on another adventure with Lara.
Destiny Genre: Action RPG, FPS
Platform: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Release date: September 9, 2014
Sam says: A game that looks like a perfect fusion of Borderlands, Mass Effect, and Halo, we've known for a while that Destiny allows you to customize your race, class, and armor. Brand-new footage of the character creation screens at E3 confirms that you can also definitely make your player character female, so – get in my console immediately.
Evolve Genre: FPS
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Release date: October 21, 2014
Becky says: Left 4 Dead devs Turtle Rock Studios are behind this 4v1 shooter, which is very good news. Taking a page from L4D’s versus mode, four players are tasked with hunting down a massive player-controlled monster. Of the four hunter classes, the Trapper and the Medic include female options. Honestly, though, I’m calling monster.
inFAMOUS Second Son - First Light DLC Genre: Action-adventure
Platform: PS4
Release window: August 2014
Sam says: This DLC expands on the backstory of the best character from the original InFAMOUS: Second Son – Fetch, a conduit with neon-manipulating powers. Important note: you don’t need the original game in order to play First Light!
Alien: Isolation Genre: Survival horror, stealth
Platform: PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Release date: October 7, 2014
Becky says: Better known as “the one where you play as Ellen Ripley’s daughter.” Survival horror and I don’t mix well, but I’m making an exception for this one, because Ellen Ripley’s daughter.
Dragon Age: Inquisition Genre: Action RPG
Platform: PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Release date: October 7, 2014
Sam says: I don’t think I can properly express my excitement for BioWare’s newest installment in the Dragon Age series. Your female Inquisitor can be any race (including Qunari, pictured) and will be voiced by Alix Wilton Regan (Sam Traynor to you Mass Effect fans).
Splatoon Genre: Third-person shooter
Platform: Wii U
Release window: Q1 2015
Sam says: Leave it to Nintendo to come up with the world’s most original multiplayer online arena shooter ever. You and your friends control a team of super-cute human-squid hybrids and compete to ink as much of the space as possible, and it's apparently incredibly fun.
Tom Clancy's The Division Genre: Action RPG, third-person shooter
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Release window: 2015
Sam says: So Ubisoft actually got something right with their third-person shooter survival RPG: in both story-mode and multiplayer, you can customize your gender, face, and clothing. This probably didn’t kill any animators in the process.
Valiant Hearts Genre: Puzzle adventure
Platform: PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Release date: June 25, 2014
Becky says: This game looks hauntingly lovely. Based on letters written during World War I, Valiant Hearts follows the stories of four different characters, including Anna, a Belgian nurse. I’m very much looking forward to playing this.
Project Spark Genre: Game maker
Platform: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Release window: Q3 2014
Becky says: Would you like to make your own game? Excellent. Project Spark is here to let you do just that. Build a world, fill it with baddies, let other people play in it. Oh, and yes -- your player character is totally customizable.
Bayonetta 2 Genre: Hack 'n slash
Platform: Wii U
Release window: October 2014
Sam says: Love her or hate her, Bayonetta is returning to your consoles. The Wii U sequel will also come with the original Bayonetta – in which you can dress her up as Peach and Samus. That’s pretty cool, I guess.
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris Genre: Action platformer
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Release window: "Coming soon"
Becky says: Who’da thunk we’d be getting a Guardian of Light sequel? Not me, but you’ll hear no complaints here. Temple of Osiris bumps its co-op count up to four, offering players the choice of Lara, an explorer named Carter Bell, and the Egyptian deities Horus and Isis (!).
Hyrule Warriors Genre: Hack 'n slash, action
Platform: Wii U
Release date: September 26, 2014
Sam says: This is basically Dynasty Warriors but with Zelda settings and characters – which is amazing. It’s the first time ever you can play as ladies like Zelda, Impa, and Midna – and the game has local co-op, so you can a friend can kick butt together.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Genre: FPS
Platform: PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U
Release date: November 4, 2014
Becky says: Say what you will about Call of Duty, but you’ve got to give them props for including female soldiers in their multiplayer. Word is there will be a major female character in the single-player campaign as well, but I have yet to find anything that definitively says whether she’s playable or not (if you have, do let me know).
Fantasy Life Genre: RPG
Platform: 3DS
Release date: October 24, 2014
Becky says: It’s an adorable RPG with Animal Crossing-style house decorating and a soundtrack by Final Fantasy legend Nobuo Uematsu. Need you know more?
Sunset Overdrive Genre: Action, third-person shooter
Platform: Xbox One
Release date: October 28, 2014
Sam says: This third-person open-world skate-venture looks super-fun and it’s inclusive! You can customize your character’s gender and body type (and all clothes and accessories work on both genders), and both versions of the character are fully voiced.
Xenoblade Chronicles X Genre: Action RPG
Platform: Wii U
Release window: 2015
Sam says: This open-world JRPG is, like other Xeno games, big on exploration and customization. You get to choose your character’s gender, shape, height, skin color, voice, and tattoos.
Dawngate Genre: MOBA
Platform: PC
Release window: Unknown; open beta available now
Becky says: Everybody wants a slice of the MOBA pie, and EA is no exception. Dawngate has plenty of female characters to choose from, though in keeping with its predecessors, their armor ranges from the badass to the...well-ventilated. What can I say? It’s a MOBA.
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U Genre: Fighting
Platform: 3DS, Wii U
Release date: October 3, 2014
Sam says: So far in the new iteration of Smash you can play as Samus, Zero Suit Samus, Wii Fit Trainer, Female Villager, Peach, Zelda, Sheik, Rosalina, Palutena, and even as your own Mii. Oh, and Zero Suit Samus won the first-ever Super Smash Bros Wii U Invitational. So she’s that good.
Fable Legends Genre: Co-op RPG
Platform: Xbox One
Release window: Beta opens fall 2014
Becky says: Fable Legends has an interesting schtick -- you have four player-controlled heroes, who do the usual questing-and-fighting stuff, and one player-controlled villain, who sounds like...well, like a dungeon master. The villain controls the heroes’ quest, including things like monster spawns and trap triggers. Legends has revealed two female player characters thus far: shield-bearing Inga, and an ice mage named Winter.
Bloodborne (maybe) Genre: Action RPG
Platform: PS4
Release window: 2015
Sam says: This new game from the creator of Dark Souls finds you in the midst of an illness that turns humans to beasts in the Victorian era. The team has said you can “customize your character,” so I’m just hoping for the best and assuming ladies are part of said customization.
Murasaki Baby Genre: Puzzle platformer
Platform: PS Vita
Release window: 2014
Becky says: Yeesh, this looks spooky. If creepy-cute is your style, you’ll definitely want to check out this Edward Gorey-esque sidescroller. Did I mention that the main character’s head is upside down?
Freedom Wars Genre: Action RPG
Platform: PS Vita
Release window: 2014
Sam says: This action-RPG lets you choose between a male or female main character, forced to battle giant monsters called “Abductors” as punishment for being alive in a horrible, dystopic future. It’s also got both online and offline cooperative and competitive multiplayer!
LittleBigPlanet 3 (most likely) Genre: Puzzle platformer
Platform: PS3, PS4
Release window: November 2014
Becky says: Both prior LBP games have let you gender your Sackperson however you fancy, so there’s no reason things will be any different here. Three new sack buddies are along for the ride here as well -- Swoop, OddSack, and Toggle.
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire Genre: RPG
Platform: 3DS
Release date: November 21, 2014
Sam says: These enhanced remakes of third-gen Pokémon games Ruby and Sapphire feature the same choice of trainers as the original games: Brendan, and the super-adorable May.
Mass Effect 4 (we would be floored if not) Genre: Action RPG, third-person shooter, probably
Platform: Multi, probably
Release window: Eventually
Becky says: We have no idea if there will be female Turians in Mass Effect 4, but god, we hope so. There’s almost nothing to know about this game yet, other than that BioWare’s working on it. But even though Commander Shepard’s story is done, there’s no way you won’t be able to play a female character in this one. Come on, it’s Mass Effect.
Mortal Kombat X Genre: Fighting
Platform: PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Release window: 2015
Sam says: The new Mortal Kombat will let you get your fatality on with all kinds of lady characters, include Cassie Cage (daughter of Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade), winged newcomer D’Vorah, and a little girl named Ferra who rides around on a Brute named Torr.
Dead Island 2 (probably) Genre: Action RPG, survival horror
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Release window: Q1/Q1 2015
Sam says: While we know just about nothing about the new Dead Island game, both zombie-romps Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide allowed you to choose between two female and two-to-three male characters. I can’t imagine Dead Island 2 would take that choice away from us.
Woolfe Genre: Hack 'n slash, puzzle platformer
Platform: PC
Release window: 2014
Becky says: Little Red Riding Hood is pissed. This indie steampunk game takes her story far beyond the incident at her grandmother’s house.