Living Room Arcade Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 (edited) 80's video games were notorious for their male gender bias, were they not? (Nearly every video game 'back in the day' had a male lead character. Isn't that so?) Let's make a list of every Atari 2600 game we can think of with a FEMALE lead character, shall we? For this list, let the games nominated be anything - a commercial release, a homebrew, a hack, a prototype - anything as long as it's for Atari 2600. Here's what I have so far. Spoiler Elevators Amiss - You play as the Maid. Escape from the Castle - Choose the heroine named Cat. Ms. Galactopus Ms. Pac-Man Pitkat - Choose the pink girl character Strike Zone Bowling - Choose the female bowler character Tomb Raider: Mystery of the Scarlet Dragon (hack of Montezuma's Revenge by @KevinMos3 Link) You play of course as Laura Croft. NOTES Meeow - I think not. The main character is @ZeroPage Homebrew Mr. James, not the cat. Even still, the gender of the cat is unknown. "You control a cat..." says the game instruction manual PDF. Meeow 2 - No. The cat's name is Max. Strawberry Shortcake - I think not. Although Strawberry Shortcake (the girl) is in the game, you do not play as her. Edited April 17 by Living Room Arcade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Atari_Warlord Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 PlayAround games where you play as the woman: Beat' Em and Eat' Em Jungle Fever Lady in Wading Gigolo Bachelorette Party General Re-Treat Some others: Wabbit Dishaster Lady Bug Kangaroo Ghost Manor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xeex Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 Razor's Edge 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeddyBear89 Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 I immediately thought of 20th Century Fox's Alien with Ripley but it turns out the manual only refers to your player as a "human". Got Alien on the brain these days as I cannot wait for Alien Romulus to come out this summer...... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassGuitari Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 How about Tomarc The Barbarian? The title is somewhat misleading because even though her name isn't on the cartridge, Senta is functionally a co-lead character as the game requires you to switch back and forth between playing her and Tomarc. (You have to get Tomarc to Senta, but in the meantime you have to keep her alive.) Rampage? You can play Lizzie in that one. 2 hours ago, TeddyBear89 said: Got Alien on the brain these days as I cannot wait for Alien Romulus to come out this summer...... I really hope it doesn't suck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wongojack Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 I can't think of many. This thread may have a few: Female protagonist games - Page 3 - Classic Console Discussion - AtariAge Forums If you are including hacks, there is a Pitfall hack with a female character. Jill of the Jungle? I'll link it if I can find it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KaeruYojimbo Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 13 hours ago, Living Room Arcade said: Ms. Galactopus Ms. Galactopus is the antagonist, not sure if that counts as a lead character. In Halloween you control Laurie Strode. Ladybug? I can't remeber if it specifically says your ladybug is a lady ladybug. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wongojack Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 The Pitfall hack I was thinking of is called Jungle Jane, but I can't find a link to it. I did find this other hack though: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZippyOasys Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 In my game Lyra the Tenrec, the title character you play as is female. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ever2600 Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 More important... who cares? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pitfall Harry Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 How has everyone missed the obvious so far? Ms. Pac-Man! -Ben 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ever2600 Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 Pitfall Harry didn't unhide content in 1st post... ; ) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasperAK Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 (edited) I would have sworn that the Yar was a female, but I just checked the comic to make sure. Alas, it was not to be cherie. Adieu. And as for Alien from 20th Century Fox, that has to count because of the movies. 'Human' does not preclude female. The messed up thing though, is that with the VCS' graphics capabilities, we're talking about either adding one pixel or taking away one pixel from a sprite. Seriously, the problems of those two little pixels don't amount to a hill a of beans in this crazy world. Edited April 17 by JasperAK 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Living Room Arcade Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 13 hours ago, Atari_Warlord said: Wabbit Dishaster Lady Bug Kangaroo Ghost Manor Added! 13 hours ago, Atari_Warlord said: PlayAround games where you play as the woman: Beat' Em and Eat' Em Jungle Fever Lady in Wading Gigolo Bachelorette Party General Re-Treat This is going to be a "family friendly" list, okay? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Living Room Arcade Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 (edited) 9 hours ago, BassGuitari said: How about Tomarc The Barbarian? The title is somewhat misleading because even though her name isn't on the cartridge, Senta is functionally a co-lead character as the game requires you to switch back and forth between playing her and Tomarc. (You have to get Tomarc to Senta, but in the meantime you have to keep her alive.) Rampage? You can play Lizzie in that one. I really hope it doesn't suck. Tomarc the Barbarian - Senta. I agree that an argument can be made to categorize Senta as co-hero in that she also fights the bats while imprisoned in the cage. However, IMO she really is in a supporting role. She is waiting for Tomarc to rescue her. In the N64 version, Lizzie turns into a woman. Added: Lizzie to Female Antagonists and Senta to Female Supporting Roles. Edited April 18 by Living Room Arcade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Living Room Arcade Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 (edited) 9 hours ago, wongojack said: I can't think of many. This thread may have a few: Female protagonist games - Page 3 - Classic Console Discussion - AtariAge Forums If you are including hacks, there is a Pitfall hack with a female character. Jill of the Jungle? I'll link it if I can find it. This one? Lily's Woods Link 1 Link 2 ROM I think yes, definitely! Added: Lily's Woods (Pitfall hack, 2006, by Scott Dayton) - Lily to Female Protagonists. Edited April 18 by Living Room Arcade 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Living Room Arcade Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 9 hours ago, KaeruYojimbo said: Ms. Galactopus is the antagonist, not sure if that counts as a lead character. In Halloween you control Laurie Strode. Ladybug? I can't remeber if it specifically says your ladybug is a lady ladybug. I agree with all 3. I think we are to assume that Ladybug in the game is a lady ladybug! Added: Ms. Galactopus to Female Antagonists and Laurie Strode/Halloween and Ladybug to Female Protagonists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Living Room Arcade Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 (edited) 4 hours ago, JasperAK said: I would have sworn that the Yar was a female, but I just checked the comic to make sure. Alas, it was not to be cherie. Adieu. And as for Alien from 20th Century Fox, that has to count because of the movies. 'Human' does not preclude female. The messed up thing though, is that with the VCS' graphics capabilities, we're talking about either adding one pixel or taking away one pixel from a sprite. Seriously, the problems of those two little pixels don't amount to a hill a of beans in this crazy world. The manual says, "Each game of Alien lasts until you run out of humans." While your pixelated human could be Ripley, the female lead in the film, it also could be any other member of the crew who is still alive about the Nostromo. I say no. But what do you guys think? Update: Currently categorizing Alien as not having a female leading character. Edited April 18 by Living Room Arcade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Living Room Arcade Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 (edited) Wow! A lot of good responses to this topic. Okay, I separated our list into 3 lists. Female Protagonists, Female Antagonists and Female Supporting Roles. Here's what our 3 lists look like so far. What do you guys think? Spoiler FEMALE PROTAGONISTS Dishaster – You play as the girl who is spinning the dishes. Elevators Amiss - You play as the Maid. Escape from the Castle - Choose the heroine named Cat. Ghost Manor – Choose to play as a girl. You try to rescue your friend being held prisoner by Dracula in the castle. Halloween – You play as babysitter Laurie Strode, protecting the children from Michael Myer's knife! Kangaroo – You play as Mother Kangaroo, trying to rescue her precious baby. Lady Bug Lily's Woods (Pitfall hack, 2006, by Scott Dayton) – A game for kids! Kids play as Lily. Lily explores a world of cute animals in which nothing can hurt her. Ms. Pac-Man Pitkat - Choose the pink girl character Razor's Edge – You play as "Sarah Stone, a reporter and expert fighter who decides to rescue her sister Vanessa who was kidnapped by the evil David Scarblade's gang." Strike Zone Bowling - Choose the female bowler character Tomb Raider: Mystery of the Scarlet Dragon (hack of Montezuma's Revenge by @KevinMos3 Link) You play of course as Laura Croft. Wabbit – You play as Billie Sue, the farmer. FEMALE ANTAGONISTS Ms. Galactopus Rampage – Choose to play as Lizzie, who turns back into a woman when her power level drops to zero. FEMALE SUPPORTING ROLES Jungle Hunt – Lady P is your wife whom you are trying to rescue from the cannibals. Popeye – Popeye's girlfriend is waiting to be rescued, throws you hearts to encourage you. Save Mary – Mary is the person whom you are trying to rescue. Strawberry Shortcake Musical Matchups - Strawberry Shortcake, Blueberry Muffin and Lime Chiffon are three female characters that you can make by selecting the right clothes. Then they will come to life and dance for you! Tomarc the Barbarian – Senta fights off bats while waiting impatiently for Tomarc to rescue her. NOTES Alien – I think not. The manual says, ""Each game of Alien lasts until you run out of humans." While your pixellated human could be Ripley, the female lead in the film, it also could be any other member of the crew who is still alive about the Nostromo. I say no. Meeow - I think not. The main character is @ZeroPage Homebrew Mr. James, not the cat. Even still, the gender of the cat is unknown. "You control a cat..." says the game instruction manual PDF. Meeow 2 - No. The cat's name is Max. Sheep It Up – No. The sheep/main character is male. "Sheep It Up! is an arcade game where a sheep has to climb up by hanging himself to flying velcro straps." Edited April 18 by Living Room Arcade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Living Room Arcade Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 (edited) I think there are a lot more Female Supporting Roles such as Mario's girlfriend Pauline waiting to be rescued in Donkey Kong, etc. Edited April 18 by Living Room Arcade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xeex Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 Carrot Kingdom - "Join Jinny, an adorable Cat Girl Maid on her quest to defeat the evil Carrot King " 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Living Room Arcade Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 (edited) 1 hour ago, xeex said: Carrot Kingdom - "Join Jinny, an adorable Cat Girl Maid on her quest to defeat the evil Carrot King " Added! Spoiler FEMALE PROTAGONISTS Carrot Kingdom – You play as Jinny, an adorable Cat Girl Maid on her quest to defeat the evil Carrot King. Dishaster – You play as the girl who is spinning the dishes. Elevators Amiss - You play as the Maid. Escape from the Castle - Choose the heroine named Cat. Ghost Manor – Choose to play as a girl. You try to rescue your friend being held prisoner by Dracula in the castle. Halloween – You play as babysitter Laurie Strode, protecting the children from Michael Myer's knife! Kangaroo – You play as Mother Kangaroo, trying to rescue her precious baby. Lady Bug Lily's Woods (Pitfall hack, 2006, by Scott Dayton) – A game for kids! Kids play as Lily. Lily explores a world of cute animals in which nothing can hurt her. Ms. Pac-Man Pitkat - Choose the pink girl character Razor's Edge – You play as "Sarah Stone, a reporter and expert fighter who decides to rescue her sister Vanessa who was kidnapped by the evil David Scarblade's gang." Strike Zone Bowling - Choose the female bowler character Tomb Raider: Mystery of the Scarlet Dragon (hack of Montezuma's Revenge by @KevinMos3 Link) You play of course as Laura Croft. Wabbit – You play as Billie Sue, the farmer. FEMALE ANTAGONISTS Ms. Galactopus Rampage – Choose to play as Lizzie, who turns back into a woman when her power level drops to zero. FEMALE SUPPORTING ROLES Donkey Kong – Pauline – Mario's girlfriend who is patiently waiting to be rescued. Jungle Hunt – Lady P is your wife whom you are trying to rescue from the cannibals. Popeye – Popeye's girlfriend Olive Oyl is waiting to be rescued, throws you hearts to encourage you. Save Mary – Mary is the person whom you are trying to rescue. Strawberry Shortcake Musical Matchups - Strawberry Shortcake, Blueberry Muffin and Lime Chiffon are three female characters that you can make by selecting the right clothes. Then they will come to life and dance for you! Tomarc the Barbarian – Senta fights off bats while waiting impatiently for Tomarc to rescue her. NOTES Alien – I think not. The manual says, "Each game of Alien lasts until you run out of humans." While your pixelated human could be Ripley, the female lead in the film, I think it also could be any other member of the crew who is still alive aboard the Nostromo. I say no. Meeow - I think not. The main character is @ZeroPage Homebrew Mr. James, not the cat. Even still, the gender of the cat is unknown. "You control a cat..." says the game instruction manual PDF. Meeow 2 - No. The cat's name is Max. Sheep It Up – No. The sheep/main character is male. "Sheep It Up! is an arcade game where a sheep has to climb up by hanging himself to flying velcro straps." Edited April 18 by Living Room Arcade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Living Room Arcade Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 (edited) 8 hours ago, wongojack said: The Pitfall hack I was thinking of is called Jungle Jane, but I can't find a link to it. I did find this other hack though: Sorry, I must have missed this post the first time I went through. Added! Spoiler FEMALE PROTAGONISTS Carrot Kingdom – You play as Jinny, an adorable Cat Girl Maid on her quest to defeat the evil Carrot King. Dishaster – You play as the girl who is spinning the dishes. Elevators Amiss - You play as the Maid. Escape from the Castle - Choose to play as the heroine named Cat. Ghost Manor – Choose to play as a girl. You try to rescue your friend being held prisoner by Dracula in the castle. Halloween – You play as babysitter Laurie Strode, protecting the children from Michael Myer's knife! Kangaroo – You play as Mother Kangaroo, trying to rescue her precious baby. Lady Bug Laura Cron (Pitfall hack) – Exactly like Pitfall, but you play as Laura Cron. Lily's Woods (Pitfall hack, 2006, by Scott Dayton) – A game for kids! Kids play as Lily. Lily explores a world of cute animals in which nothing can hurt her. Ms. Pac-Man Pitkat - Choose the pink girl character Razor's Edge – You play as "Sarah Stone, a reporter and expert fighter who decides to rescue her sister Vanessa who was kidnapped by the evil David Scarblade's gang." Strike Zone Bowling - Choose the female bowler character Tomb Raider: Mystery of the Scarlet Dragon (hack of Montezuma's Revenge by @KevinMos3 Link) You play of course as Laura Croft. Wabbit – You play as Billie Sue, the farmer. FEMALE ANTAGONISTS Ms. Galactopus Rampage – Choose to play as Lizzie, who turns back into a woman when her power level drops to zero. FEMALE SUPPORTING ROLES Donkey Kong – Pauline – Mario's girlfriend who is patiently waiting to be rescued. Jungle Hunt – Lady P is your wife whom you are trying to rescue from the cannibals. Popeye – Popeye's girlfriend Olive Oyl is waiting to be rescued, throws you hearts to encourage you. Save Mary – Mary is the person whom you are trying to rescue. Strawberry Shortcake Musical Matchups - Strawberry Shortcake, Blueberry Muffin and Lime Chiffon are three female characters that you can make by selecting the right clothes. Then they will come to life and dance for you! Tomarc the Barbarian – Senta fights off bats while waiting impatiently for Tomarc to rescue her. NOTES Alien – I think not. The manual says, ""Each game of Alien lasts until you run out of humans." While your pixelated human could be Ripley, the female lead in the film, I think it also could be any other member of the crew who is still alive aboard the Nostromo. I say no. Meeow - I think not. The main character is @ZeroPage Homebrew Mr. James, not the cat. Even still, the gender of the cat is unknown. "You control a cat..." says the game instruction manual PDF. Meeow 2 - No. The cat's name is Max. Sheep It Up – No. The sheep/main character is male. "Sheep It Up! is an arcade game where a sheep has to climb up by hanging himself to flying velcro straps." Edited April 18 by Living Room Arcade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Living Room Arcade Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 (edited) 8 hours ago, ZippyOasys said: In my game Lyra the Tenrec, the title character you play as is female. Sorry, I must have missed your post the first time I went through. Added! Spoiler FEMALE PROTAGONISTS Carrot Kingdom – You play as Jinny, an adorable Cat Girl Maid on her quest to defeat the evil Carrot King. Dishaster – You play as the girl who is spinning the dishes. Elevators Amiss - You play as the Maid. Escape from the Castle - Choose to play as the heroine named Cat. Ghost Manor – Choose to play as a girl. You try to rescue your friend being held prisoner by Dracula in the castle. Halloween – You play as babysitter Laurie Strode, protecting the children from Michael Myer's knife! Kangaroo – You play as Mother Kangaroo, trying to rescue her precious baby. Lady Bug Laura Cron (Pitfall hack) – Exactly like Pitfall, but you play as Laura Cron. Lily's Woods (Pitfall hack, 2006, by Scott Dayton) – A game for kids! Kids play as Lily. Lily explores a world of cute animals in which nothing can hurt her. Lyra the Tenrec – You play as Lyra, who must retrieve the Ruby Wafers and thwart the Eyebots' plots. Ms. Pac-Man Pitkat - Choose the pink girl character Razor's Edge – You play as "Sarah Stone, a reporter and expert fighter who decides to rescue her sister Vanessa who was kidnapped by the evil David Scarblade's gang." Strike Zone Bowling - Choose the female bowler character Tomb Raider: Mystery of the Scarlet Dragon (hack of Montezuma's Revenge by @KevinMos3 Link) You play of course as Laura Croft. Wabbit – You play as Billie Sue, the farmer. FEMALE ANTAGONISTS Ms. Galactopus Rampage – Choose to play as Lizzie, who turns back into a woman when her power level drops to zero. FEMALE SUPPORTING ROLES Donkey Kong – Pauline – Mario's girlfriend who is patiently waiting to be rescued. Jungle Hunt – Lady P is your wife whom you are trying to rescue from the cannibals. Popeye – Popeye's girlfriend Olive Oyl is waiting to be rescued, throws you hearts to encourage you. Save Mary – Mary is the person whom you are trying to rescue. Strawberry Shortcake Musical Matchups - Strawberry Shortcake, Blueberry Muffin and Lime Chiffon are three female characters that you can make by selecting the right clothes. Then they will come to life and dance for you! Tomarc the Barbarian – Senta fights off bats while waiting impatiently for Tomarc to rescue her. NOTES Alien – I think not. The manual says, ""Each game of Alien lasts until you run out of humans." While your pixelated human could be Ripley, the female lead in the film, I think it also could be any other member of the crew who is still alive aboard the Nostromo. I say no. Meeow - I think not. The main character is @ZeroPage Homebrew Mr. James, not the cat. Even still, the gender of the cat is unknown. "You control a cat..." says the game instruction manual PDF. Meeow 2 - No. The cat's name is Max. Sheep It Up – No. The sheep/main character is male. "Sheep It Up! is an arcade game where a sheep has to climb up by hanging himself to flying velcro straps." Edited April 18 by Living Room Arcade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSW3ET Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 Lilly Adventure https://gamesdb.launchbox-app.com/games/images/16977-lilly-adventure 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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