It’s a little bit freaky and a whole lot geeky, but what the heck. I’m coming out of the closet on this one.
I have a crush on a computer game character.
Her name is Grace Nakimura, and she’s the heroine of Jane Jensen’s Gabriel Knight series from Sierra.
Grace has everything I could ask for. She’s beautiful, brainy, and just a little bitchy. When I say she a good-looking female game character I hope you don’t get the wrong impression. I mean that she looks like a nice, attractive, and sanely dressed adult woman. She’s no nymphet, and she doesn’t have the skimpy costumes or watermelon-sized breasts of so many other game women. She’s Japanese-American, but not a stereotypical delicate lotus blossom or porcelain doll. While Grace is usually happy to leave the physical end of the paranormal investigation and demon hunting trade to her parter, when cornered she’ll hit hard and below the belt. But what impresses me most is her mind. She is probably the brightest and best-educated woman in the history of “interactive fiction”; I certainly can’t think of any others who are Ivy League grad students.
Oh Grace, how I adore you! I won’t even hold her soft spot for a certain rakish Cajun against her, not just because he is pretty cute but because she’s proven that she’s not the type to lose her head along with her heart. She’s an independent woman who knows what she wants, and neither love nor lust will make her stupid and soppy.
Well, that’s my little tribute to my digital dream woman. Now that I’ve got the ball rolling, I hope some of the rest of you game geeks out there will post your own stories of pixelated looooove.
There was Rydia from Final Fantasy 4, Lena from Final Fantasy 5, Celes from Final Fantasy 6, and Terra from Final Fantasy 6. All four of 'em lovely ladies, and pixelated babes.
I’ve never had anything for any of the FF women who were actually drawn realistically. Two possibilities spring to mind:[ol][li] The realistic drawings leave less to the imagination and detract from the malleability of the character.[/li] I was 13 when I played FF6, and 19 when I played FF7. It’s amazing what those six years can do.[/ol]Personally, I’m leaning towards theory two, although it doesn’t explain Lena’s presence on that list.
Although not a crush per se, I’ve always been ticked that I can’t get my adopted daughter in Princess Maker to marry me without using a cheat. I take her on vacations, shower her with gifts, and keep her away from the prince, but will she marry me? No! The ungrateful brat! Ah well, she’s not really my type anyway. Who wants an 89 pound woman with eyes the size of manhole covers?
Now Cube the butler, on the other hand, seems like a real catch to me. He’s cute, he’s got bat wings, he’s good around the house! I’d much prefer him to that do-nothing prince with his Sergeant Pepper jacket and Prince Valiant haircut.
I, too, had the hots for Terra and Celes after playing FF6. About Terra, I once said, out loud, “I’ll show you how to love, baby, if you know what I mean.”
I was obsessed with Chun-Li back in the street fighter days. She was the only character I used. Actually, she started the trend of me only using women characters in fighting games.
If you rent Street Fighter II V (the anime) she’s really really cute in that. She even says “Ya Tai!” or however you spell it.
And of course, there’s always Tifa. I feel like I’m the only person that prefers her over Aeris or Yuffie. Heck, I was glad after Aeris was “removed from the competition”. Ok not really, I cried.
