My Top 10 Sexiest Video Game Babes

Yeah, I had to make one of these.

So how does one really grade the "sexiness" of something composed entirely of computer-generated graphics? Well I'm taking a few things into account here (much like I did with my Top 5 Gundam Girls list). Appearance-wise, its easy to detect the sex appeal of something based on design. It's like calling a painting beautiful; I look at their designs as a work of art. With that, I also have to consider their character; are they competent? Are their personalities appealing? Some characters will have a lot more of one than the other, so it will all be based on my judgment.

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10. Alicia
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Though Bullet Witch was a pretty lackluster game, they made up its gameplay with a sexy lead in the form of Alicia. Alicia is a witch with a magical weapon that can change form and conjure magic spells, allowing Alicia to kick all kinds of demon ass. Power is always sexy for some reason, and the fact that she works those extra costumes like a pro really puts the whole image together. I'm loving that hot secretary look, especially...

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9. The Girls of DOA
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In all honesty, the Dead or Alive series is known for one thing: girls with bouncing breasts. While the gameplay was good enough to call it a decent fighting game, Dead or Alive made a name for itself with its adorable, big breasted women. They even had a bounce feature, which made breasts bounce uncontrollably. I couldn't choose one girl because to me, they are all interchangeable in terms of looks and only differentiate with hair style and color. That's alright, they are also all equally hot.

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8. Chun-Li
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Chun-Li is THE original fighting game babe. She's a cutie, but packed inside those monstrous leg-missiles is a 50-hit combo of lightning fast kicks that is waiting to kill you. Say what you want about her muscle-laden legs; I found them quite sexy. It's not just her legs that are powerful; she's also got incredible will-power and plenty of guts for trying to take down the world's most powerful and psychotic man alive (M.Bison). She's an all-round strong woman, and sexy to boot.

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7. Samus
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Ah, Samus seems to be a favorite on lists like this. Its usually through a stupid bias, her being a classic video game girl and the whole "whoa she's a girl?!" thing that occured 20 somewhat years ago; so don't complain that she's not higher on the list. So of course, she gets the credit for being the tough-ass space warrior that she is, using her suit of mass destruction to take down space pirates and keep a dangerous race of parasite aliens under control. When she finally came out of the suit with her "zero-suit" on, we got a taste of her curves, which were much better than expected. Samus is definitely a classic when it comes to video game girls.

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6. Ada Wong
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Ada Wong is what you would call a femme fatale. Though she didn't seem like much in her Resident Evil 2 appearance, her appearance was upped several notches in Resident Evil 4. Working as an agent for Wesker, Ada randomly pops up here and there to help Leon. She's no stranger to the gun, and her fighting abilities make her as sexy as she is deadly. Though of course, her most eye-catching feature are her legs, sexing it up through the cut of her dress. She could probably make you do whatever she wanted you to do, though you'll probably end up with something stolen or just dead.

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5. Judith
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The pointy-eared babe of Tales of Vesperia, Judith is a member of the Kritya tribe. She's really overlooked when it comes to video game girls, though I guess the Tales games are a sort of niche series in the U.S. anyway. Her skimpy outfit is quite stylish, and her blue hair is really eye-catching. Her figure is also not exaggerated; its more of an average, much younger build. I think that's what I like about her design. She's also a formidable dragon rider, and has plenty of spunk. Judith is an all-round JRPG hottie.

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4. Alisa Bosconovitch
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Though she's a very recent addition to the Tekken roster, she immediately marked her place as the Tekken babe. I was drawn by her appearance, but I found her moves to fit my playing style and she became my regular in Tekken 6. She's a perfect combination of cute-as-a-button and sexy, with some great extra costumes showing off her curves. All that pink and her cutesy voice may seem a bit too much, but of course, she happens to be a killing machine. She's actually a battle android with the ability to fly with jet thrusters all over her body. She can also pull saws out of her arms and shoot her arms like missiles. Of course, the most interesting aspect of her robotic body is the ability to take her head off and have it explode like a bomb. All her limbs immediately zap back when they come off, so no worries there. She's the perfect eye-candy for Tekken, which was turning into a bit of a sausage-fest...

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3. Yuna
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A favorite of mine from Final Fantasy X, Yuna is a beauty in every aspect of the word. Her appearance in the original game was that of a very determined, innocent girl. There isn't much to comment on body-wise, but her face is beautifully rendered with a round face, a small button nose, and shining blue-green eyes. Her character had incredible will-power, willing to risk her life to save all of Spira as a summoner. Impeccable manners and a soft-spoken demeanor makes her a perfect wife. Even though her personality had a sudden change in X-2, she still remained the kind-hearted heroine of Spira.

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2. Mai Shiranui
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Mai Shiranui is sort of a pioneer of the big-breasted, scantily-clad video game babe, if that makes any sense to you. Originally appearing way back in the first Fatal Fury game, Mai caught the attention of every sexually-frustrated gamer in her consecutive appearances in the King of Fighters series. Her claim to fame was the free-form bouncing of her enormous chest-balloons, which they even incorporated into her regular fighting stance sprite. Without all the bounce, she might not have been on this list at all. Thanks to boobies, minimal clothing, and major kickassery, Mai is one of the classic hotties of video games.

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1. Tifa Lockheart
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And finally, my number one. Tifa Lockheart from Final Fantasy VII is the definition of sexy. Like a few of the other girls on this list, Tifa's greatest feature is her ample chest. Couple a slender waist with an equally impossible set of legs complimented by her "too-short-to-be-true" mini-skirt, and you've got a goddess-like figure. Of course, when Advent Children came out, we were also treated to an unbelievably beautiful face as well; something that just couldn't occur in real life. Her looks aside, she's also a fighter and capable of kicking ass in unarmed combat. She is always optimistic, keeping her crew's spirits up at all times. Cloud was an idiot to ignore her all those years; she's much better than Aerith in my opinion.

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Honorable Mentions 
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Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, Alyx Vance from Half-Life 2, Jill Valentine from Resident Evil, Trish from Devil May Cry, and Rachel from Ninja Gaiden.

There are a lot of reasons why I didn't put a lot of popular characters on my list. First of all, this list was basically a compilation of my personal tastes, and I tend to have a taste for the cute Asian type (mostly because I'm Asian). That is why characters like Lara Croft, Rayne, and Trish just don't appeal to me as much. In the case of Alyx Vance; she's only on people's lists because she was in Half-Life 2, she has no visual appeal and quite honestly, I think she looks like a man. There you go in case you were wondering where your favorites were.

Hello Lurkers

Well, I've been running this blog for about a year now, and I'm getting a steady rate of visitors and returning visitors (though I plan on seeing an increase of course). Thing is, people rarely leave comments. What I enjoy more than anything is getting feedback from people who read my posts, so I'm going to try a little something here.

Not a Zerg Lurker. Lurkers are people who silently read the content and don't contribute. 

For those of you who have read the posts on my blog and/or are returning visitors, tell me a little bit about yourselves! How did you end up on the blog, and peaks your interest? Is it Gundam, gunpla modeling, video games, etc? And are the top 5 lists a good format for the majority of my posts? Blah blah, you know what to do.

I read somewhere that only about 10 percent of lurkers actually seek to contribute anything, and only 1 percent of that 10 contributes regularly. I want that 10 percent to contribute a lot, so I'm gonna just try to rile you guys up a bit. Though I'm afraid no ones gonna contribute to this either...

Well, have it you lurkers.

January 1, 2010

I really hate these inane celebrations but...Happy New Year! It's 1am, an hour after the official start of the new millennial decade. Twenty ten sure sounds futuristic doesn't it? Can't wait til it gets to four digits, like twenty thirteen. Anyway, I'm about to recap my 2009 so bare with me for a minute or two.

A lot of significant things happened in my life in 2009; some bad and some good, but all worthwhile. Thinking back, this may have been one of my more event-filled years during my teenage life. I started my year right where I left off during the winter of 2008; in an alternative high school for kids they don't think belong in a "traditional school setting". Most of you aren't aware of this, but some pretty unlucky circumstances landed me in this horrible setting for a few months. Looking back, I'm amazed at how well I endured those cold winter months in that run-down catholic parish. Honestly though, it wasn't all that bad. The kids were troubled and unmotivated, but they certainly weren't out of control; in fact they were pretty friendly people. They were just teenagers after all.

The only thing keeping me down was my yearning to return to my original high school, where I had already spent my freshman, sophomore, and junior years at. Friends constantly asked when I would return, and I constantly questioned the board of education so I could find out if I could return any time soon.Surely enough, after several letters and numerous visits to a psychiatrist, who I was recommended to use for a recommendation letter, I received a faithful call from the Superintendent of my school system. I was finally headed back to my original school. This was in the middle of the school day, so I ended up telling everyone at the alternative school. To my surprise, everybody there congratulated me and said their farewells. That confirmed to me that they really were normal kids who really just deserved more attention.

To this day, I still resent the school systems for their careless handling of my case. More than anything else, I was morally disappointed at how weak the local school systems were against government powers. They were completely at the mercy of the 'Zero tolerance' policy, and I was their unlucky victim. I guess in the end, the board of education came to their senses and slipped me back through a government blind-spot. Someday, I'll redeem my dignity from the school system, and bring this ill-conceived alternative program some sensible reform. That is a goal I'm looking to see to in my life. I wonder...how those kids are doing...

All the effort I put into getting myself back to my original school had paid off, and I was going to finish off my senior year in my hometown. I want to take this time to thank my vice principal, Mr.E. It was him who spent a bunch of his time talking to the principal and the superintendent in order to get me back. Without his help, I may not have made it back. Thank you.

Anyway, I had some happy reunions with my school mates, went to prom, had my last night with the class of '09 at an arcade, and graduated. I turned 18 a little after that, and had an incredibly boring summer. I think most of my summer was spent just preparing my mind for college. I still remember how nervous I was about moving away from home and going to college. Looking back, I'm pretty surprised at how well I transitioned into college life. My first semester at college was great; workload was minimal at best and I made some incredible friends. I was never the type to hang around with a group of friends because throughout high school, I had a best friend whom I hung out with almost all of the time. College was a plethora of new experiences for me. Hopefully, this can continue for the years to come.

I don't do resolutions because I'm a lazy asshole, but I just hope I figure myself out this year. What I mean by that is, I want to find out what my true passions are. A lot of people have dreams and plans for their futures, but I still don't fully see my future. I think my passions are in little pieces, and 2010 is the year for me to put them together. During 2009, I found that my greatest academic ability was writing. Writing is how I spend my free time, and how I express my beliefs. I guess that is how I honed my abilities. That was just a recent realization, but since childhood I have had a thing for comedy. I spent much of my childhood drawing comics, and it became something I identified myself with. With a combination of both, I would probably enjoy getting into writing for television or animation. Just a thought though...

I'm probably boring you with my life story here, so I'll just end on this note: don't make resolutions if you aren't going to fulfill them. Assholes.

Gunpla Updates: MG Astray and GN-X

Sure haven't done any gunpla release updates in...a really long time. Like I said a few months ago: I don't really do gunpla news updates, I'll just post what peeks my interest. And we've got a few very interesting models coming soon...

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MG Gundam Astray Red Frame Ver.Kai

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Release date: February 2010 Price: 5250 yen

Yes, after a perfect grade release, the popular red frame is getting the master grade treatment. Sure, the no-grade was good, but this will definitely be the pinnacle of gunpla engineering. It's the ver.Kai too so it comes with a bunch of extra weapons, including that huge sword/gun/pincer thing and an EXTRA GERBERA STRAIGHT. That's the highlight right there. It looks worth getting even if you have the original model.

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MG GN-X

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Release date: January 2010 Price: 3780 yen

The GN-X was pretty kickass in Gundam 00, and this master grade version definitely looks impressive. For a grunt unit, it is definitely a step above the rest in terms of quality.

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MG Gundam Astray Blue Frame 2nd Revise
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This one is already out and in high demand. It has very high quality engineering and looks really impressive, and the only reason I'm mentioning this is because I'm thinking of buying it and reviewing it. We'll see...

C.Jin's All-Time Favorite Games: Part I

Here is the first in a series of posts I'm going to make about what I consider to be my all-time favorite games.

As you can obviously tell from this blog, I'm quite a gamer. Over the course of my life, I must have played over a thousand different games on several different platforms.

The games I've chosen for this list are very special to me; they did not just wow me with graphics and over-the-top action. Something about these games struck a chord that immediately made me want to cherish them for a long time. I find myself playing them over and over again, never getting bored even after multiple playthroughs. In no particular order, these are my favorite games of all time.

Note that this is only a small portion of my favorite games, hence the "Part I". Expect a Part II in the future.

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 Chrono Trigger

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There was a point in my gaming life where I was trying to play through every RPG that came out during the '90's. Out of that lot, Chrono Trigger stood out as one of the best. From its unique art direction (headed by Akira Toriyama), to its amazing story about time travel, Chrono Trigger was a masterpiece in every sense of the word.

   

The epic time traveling tale is centered around an alien meteorite called Lavos, which crashed into the Earth billions of years ago. As your party, possibly through controlled acts of fate, stumbles upon portals that send them through various periods in time, you learn that Lavos is destined to emerge from the Earth in 1999 and destroy the world, turning it into a post-apocalyptic wasteland. You and your party travel through various periods of time and meet dozens of new people, some with strange connections to Lavos. In the end, your ultimate goal is to prevent Lavos from destroying the world.

One of my favorite things about this game is the ability to unlock twelve different endings. At a certain point in the game, you gain access to a portal that takes you straight to the day Lavos emerges from the Earth. This means you can try and beat the game at any point after that. When you defeat Lavos at very specific points in the game, time itself is affected and you are treated to a unique ending. I love this creative touch as it gives the game plenty of replay value. 

   

Some moments in the game were just unforgettable. I'm recalling the court trial scene in Guardia, Frog's flashback, and the adventure through the magical kingdom of Zeal. Zeal in particular was amazing; its artistic design and soundtrack really put the experience on a higher level. Starting out on snowy plains, then beaming up to fantastically constructed floating islands is somewhat of a surreal experience. 

Of course, there were other aspects of the game as well. The combat system was top-notch for an RPG of its time, and the ability to run around and engage in battles with monsters you can see in plain view was definitely a breath of fresh air compared to the random battles in Final Fantasy. The music still sends me through nostalgia trips every time; especially the amazing theme that plays in the intro sequence.

With all of these things in mind, it is no wonder why Chrono Trigger is hailed as one of the greatest games of all time, and why it is one of my all-time favorite games.

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 Shadow of the Colossus

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Shadow of the Colossus basically transcends typical video game artistry. It transcended the standard of "good gameplay" by being, in and of itself, a completely new experience rather than just a video game. It transcended the standard of "good graphics" by being an artistic masterpiece. To me, SOC was on a totally different plane of gaming.

The story and character backgrounds are left intentionally ambiguous to make the player's imagination run wild. All we know is that you are Wander, a warrior who has stepped into a forbidden land with the lifeless body of a young woman. Upon reaching a giant temple, Wander begins interacting with a disembodied voice, who tells him he must slay thirteen colossi spread throughout the lands if he wants to revive the girl. Without much hesitation, Wander gets on his horse and dashes off toward the first colossus.

When you enter the world of SOC, you'll find that there are no monsters to kill or even other people to interact with. You are completely alone...well not entirely. The only inhabitants in the land are Wander, his horse, and thirteen monstrous beings called Colossus. This gives the player a deep sense of isolation, which really adds to the overall experience of the game.  The landscape is beautifully rendered and endlessly expansive; even with nothing in the area and no music to accompany the scenery, you will most likely spend your time just being awed at the environment.

The game follows a very linear pattern. You begin at the temple, and are given a description of the colossus you are to slay. You then use a light reflected off of your sword to guide yourself toward the location of the colossus. Traveling across the expansive plains, deserts, swamps, mountainous regions, and lakes in the forbidden lands is an adventure in itself.

The greatest part of this experience comes from the battles with the Colossus. Every colossus is different, as they range from 200 foot humanoid giants, to 300 foot water serpants, to a regular sized bull-like colossus. Each one has one or more specific weak-points that you have to get to in order to plunge your sword into them and inflict damage. That is where the gameplay comes in; you have to read the movements of the colossi and sometimes use the environment to reach the weakpoints of these giants. Though, most of the battle involves you climbing the beasts themselves; climbing up pieces of armor and patches of fur is the key. The battles are incredibly epic and you really feel like a small insect trying to topple a giant.

The graphics are, like I mentioned earlier, beautifully rendered. Though, my favorite aspect of the game had to be its incredible orchestral soundtrack. The soundtrack itself is an award winning part of the game, and its accompaniment to the game makes the colossus battles that much more epic.

Shadow of the Colossus is an experience you really can't describe with words; it's just something you have to experience for yourself to realize its quality.

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 Final Fantasy VII

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Final Fantasy VII is widely regarded as one of the best games of all time, so it is almost universally regarded with acclaim. It is not as simple as that for me, however. I first played Final Fantasy VII before I even knew what Final Fantasy was; before I was aware of RPG's; before I was even that much of a gamer. Being the game that FFVII was and still is, this game took me by storm. I could not think of a better game to introduce me to a whole different level of gaming. It was one of the first games I ever really appreciated, and it still has a place in my gaming life.

   

Everybody knows about Final Fantasy VII so I won't go into too much detail about the game. This game, more so than any other game I've played in my life, is one that never, ever gets boring. Though I couldn't possibly bring up a number, I have probably played through and completed the full game at least 30 times. There is just something about this game, whether it's the story I've so come to cherish or the gameplay I've come to master; every play-through has me at a comfortable and nostalgic level each time.

The story in particular is an incredible one that can never be forgotten. With moments like the raid on Shinra HQ, Cloud's flashback, Weapon's attack on Junon, Aeris's death, and the final battle against Safer Sephiroth, it is no wonder FFVII has had such a lasting impact on the gaming world. It set the standard for RPG's so high that no game has since been without something the gaming community now considers cliche.

There's not much else for me to tell you, except, I think I'm up for another play-through of Final Fantasy VII.

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Okami

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Okami is the poster child of a category called "best games nobody played". Due to its lackluster marketing campaign, not enough people bought this game. Gaming sites seem to rave about this situation every other day, but still not enough people realize just how great of a game Okami is. Due to it being released near the end of the Playstation 2's lifespan, I had been without a good PS2 game for a long time. Then, Okami came and exceeded my expectations tenfold.

Okami's greatest quality is its original gameplay, which is unlike anything in gaming history. You are Amaterasu, a Goddess who has taken the shape of a white wolf from legend. When Japan is covered in darkness due to the monster Orochi, Amaterasu is given the task of cleansing the land with the power of the Celestial Brush, which is the unique gameplay feature of Okami.

When holding onto the shoulder button, a canvas covers the screen and you are given control of a calligraphy brush. As you progress through the game, you learn abilities that give your brush different functions. For example, drawing a line through an enemy or an obstacle will cut it in half. Drawing a circle with a line coming from it creates a bomb, and drawing a swirl creates a gust of wind. Abilities like this are creatively employed throughout the game, where you are required to use them to advance through the story. They will even serve you in battle. The Celestial brush is a lot of fun to handle, and definitely the best part about Okami.

   

Equally impressive is its presentation, which is cel-shaded glory at its best. The art style is very reminiscent of traditional Japanese sumi-e, which are the ink-illustrations you typically see in history books. While it has a light-hearted, animated feel to it, Okami manages to push aesthetics to its limits and become a magnificent and beautifully rendered game.

What I really admired about this game was its touching story, the memorable characters, and the length that resulted from all this. Just when you think the adventure has come to an end, a whole new adventure begins, giving you 40+ hours of gameplay in one playthrough. From the smart-mouthed Issun, to the goofy yet heroic warrior Susano, you really come to admire these characters by the time Okami's touching ending comes around.

If you missed this game, all I've got to say is...shame on you. Gamers always whine about originality, but they're the ones not buying enough of games like Okami. If you really consider yourself a gamer, you'll go out and try this game now.

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Final Fantasy VI

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Here's the game I named the best Final Fantasy in the series. I'd rather not repeat myself, so I'm just going to carry over some of the important bits from my other article.

Final Fantasy VI is the best Final Fantasy in the series and definitely one of the greatest RPG's of its generation. No game has ever come close to its level of creativity and depth, even beyond the 16-bit era. I think what really puts this at the top for me is its incredible ensemble of characters, which is arguably the best cast of characters in the entire series. FFVI is unique in that it has no designated main character; each character is given a significant amount of backstory and each has their moment to shine. You really grew to like these characters, and given their unique innate abilities, the party combinations were endless.

Though, just as note-worthy are the villains, who absolutely ooze personality. Side character Ultros is especially great, with his ill-timed jokes and showing up at inappropriate moments. Never has a Final Fantasy been as lively and likeable as this. Though, the main villain obviously takes the spotlight here. Kefka, who looks and acts like a clown, is as insane as he appears. Reminiscent of the Joker, Kefka enjoys the sight of innocent people suffering and much prefers to laugh and hop around childishly than to take anything he does seriously. Kefka's unorthodox nature definitely puts him up there as one of, if not the best villain in the series.

The plot itself is an incredible piece of story-telling, and memorable scenes like the opera house scene, the phantom train sequence, and the final battle are truly unforgettable. Its RPG gameplay mechanics are deep, enjoyable, and highly addictive. You'll get hours and hours of optional content, especially near the end-game. It's amazing how much they fit onto one little cartridge. With colorful graphics and an incredible soundtrack to round things off, it's no mystery why I consider Final Fantasy VI to be the greatest Final Fantasy of all time.

I remember starting this game with little to no expectations. I was still relatively new to the series, after all. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. FFVI opened a new world for me. It turned me towards the world of SNES era RPG's and influenced me to try all of the games that came before it. Since then, I've come to love the genre, and for that, I'm thankful.