Top 20 sexiest women in PC games as told by a woman

You see these lists quite often on the interwebs.  I assure you this isn't just an excuse to view "teh hottness."  You might be thinking, "What makes this list any different?"  Honestly, this is still a list of beautiful digitally rendered women.  All I can offer you in the "what's the difference" category is that I'm a woman who thought this would be an interesting investigation.  Don't worry female readers; I'll be posting a male list in a timely fashion.

20. Liara T'Soni from Mass Effect
Asaris are pretty interesting.  The whole attuning with someone else's nervous system is fascinating.  As one of your romantic interests in Mass Effect, Liara is no exception.  She's sexy in an alien way and smart.  That's a great combination.  The only reason she's so low on the list is because she's an alien.  And she's not technically a "she," because I don't think the Asari don't have genders.  Note the absence of Ashley for the obvious nagging reasons.

19. Maria from Silent Hill 2
Manifestation or not, Maria is still creepy hot.  Silent Hill 2 is a game about a psychologically disturbed man looking for his wife.  Maria is undeniably sexy since that's kind of her purpose in the game.  But the more attached you become to her, the less attached you become to your wife, Mary.  She's sexy, but it's scary to see how people react to her.  It's also kind of neat to see which way you'll lean in the Maria vs. Mary ring.  I suppose Mary should be on the list too, but really you could combine them here.

18. Rinoa Heartilly from Final Fantasy VIII
Her relationship with Squall warranted an entire game, Final Fantasy VIII.  That's actually sexy if you think about it.  She's devoted and of course cute in that "not too gorgeous" way.  Riona isn't just another FF looker, at least not to me, because her sexy is about love.

You can see more images of Riona at giantbomb.com.

17. Claire Redfield from the Resident Evil series
Always looking for her brother, Chris, Claire is hot in a caring, girl-next-door kind of way.  She's passionate and determined and happens to kill zombies.  Zombie killing is always a plus in the sexy category.  There's really not a lot you can say about her except that she's pretty fearless.  That image is from Resident Evil: Degeneration, a CG movie that doesn't suck no matter what other people tell you.

16. Jade from Beyond Good and Evil
A reporter and a photographer, Jade is tough but gentle in Beyond Good and Evil.  Her sexiness comes from an urge to do the right thing and tell people about it.  She may look a bit tomboyish, but that's one of her strong suits in a genre dominated by scantily clad, voluptuous women.
 

15. Faith from Mirror's Edge
There's was a ruckus when an "improved" Faith hit the Internet, but as you can see, I've chosen the classic Faith for this list.  Mirror's Edge showcased a lifelike character that does a little parkour.  Okay, a lot of parkour, or free running, is in the game since it's pretty much the premise of the title.

Faith is a great example of someone that's not so pretty, but sexy in her own way.  Clearly, she's physically fit and that's sexy.  It's sexy for the amount of discipline someone has to have to be an athlete.  Of course, she's not real so this is all gibberish, really.

14. Random Grand Theft Auto women (hookers included!)
There's nothing like this stylized art that appears with Grand Theft Auto.  Most of us would easily recognize the lollipop girl, but the one to left isn't too shabby either.

GTA is known for a lot of things and that includes the various women in the game.  I say the hookers of GTA make the list because they offer an experience not found in many video games.  If anything their unique appearances throughout the GTA series earn them some place on the list for hilarity's sake.

To that end, I'm not leaving out the strippers in GTA.  They're welcome here, too.

13. Alyx Vance from Half-Life 2
Admittedly, Half-Life 2's Alyx Vance should probably be higher on the list.  Her sexy goes beyond her looks since her personality is the best in this list.  Alas, everyone's got to land somewhere and being that this is an opinionated list she lands toward the bottom for me.

Alyx's smarts are what make her sexy.  I don't think many would disagree.  Her attainable, normal woman looks make her extra attractive.  And although some may not see the beauty, I dare someone to play this game and not fall in love with Alyx.

12. Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider series
It's not like I really have a choice in the matter.  You must put this iconic lady in a list about sexy characters.

The picture to the left is from the latest installment of the Tomb Raider series.  Tomb Raider Underworld gave Lara a much more realistic appearance.  I'm not arguing that her proportions are accurate; however, I am arguing that the character looks much better.  That's to be expected, though, as she grows with the technology making her possible.

Lara is oftentimes proclaimed as a negative influence on the appearance of women in video games.  That's somewhat a hyperbole since her presence paved the way for many female video game protagonists.  Whether we can make a solid connection from Lara Croft to "new female lead" is moot.  Some would say Lara made it possible by just being created.

11. Chun-Li from the Street Fighter series
There's nothing like a woman with thighs that can kill.  Literally.  Street Fighter's Chun-Li has been seducing us with her powerful legs for years now.  And nothing's changed with the upcoming release of Street Fighter 4 on the PC.

Having a body like that may not be sexy to all, but it earns a place on this list and many others.  Her iron pantyhose will rule the fighter genre for years to come.

10. Ada Wong from the Resident Evil series
The picture to the left is how many know Ada Wong.  I like this version just as much as the next person, and for listing purposes I'm using this photo.  But when I really like Ada is in her mini-sequence in Resident Evil 4 called "Assignment Ada."

The classic red dress is nice, but there's nothing like seeing Ada go up against the plagas in her tactical gear.  To each their own I suppose.

I guess any Ada is probably a good Ada.  Her ability to fight in that dress is shows off in the side story "Separate Ways."  Not only do you get a good look at Ada during the story you also get about five hours of extra gameplay on the PC, Wii, and PS2. 

9. The women of Jade Empire
As three of the seven models available to players when starting their journey playing Jade Empire, these women are exceptionally sexy.

Radiant Jen Li, Scholar Ling, and Wu the Lotus Blossom all have their strong qualities.  Each is a unique fighter with awesome abilities.  What's true of all of them is their quiet strength and beauty.

You can find the wallpapers to the left at Bioware's official site.

8. Laia Martinez from Phantasy Star Universe
As a beast woman, you'd think Laia wouldn't make the list.  Surprisingly, she does.  It's as much of a shock to me as it is to others.  As I was talking with my fiancee about who should be on the list, he reminded me how much I loved Laia while playing PSU. 

It's true.  I pulled her partner card out more than anyone else's when I played PSU.  There's nothing like an NPC with that much attitude helping you fight all kinds of weird creatures on multiple planets. 

7.  Ladies' cards from the Witcher
The Witcher is an awesome RPG.  It only got better with the release of the Enhanced Edition.  What's made the game amazing is a lot of aspects like combat and an engrossing story.  But there's nothing like doing deeds to be able to do the deed with a bunch of "interesting" women.

These women range from supernatural beings to good ol' prostitutes, from nurses to courtesans.  Some of the cards may be a little creepy but maybe that's what makes them sexy.  There's probably a card for everyone and the collection aspect to obtaining the cards is pretty addictive.  It's enough to land the ladies mid-way through the list.

View all the cards at the Witcher wiki, both censored and uncensored.

6. Zoey from Left 4 Dead
A lover of horror movies that knows her way around a rifle, of course Zoey is on this list.  Her quiet good looks and honest-to-goodness ability to shoot zombies in the face are her best assets.

Left 4 Dead is about teamwork and it tells a story without actually telling it.  Zoey's 1/4 a part of what unfolds in this FPS.  Her sometimes nervous voice shows her vulnerable side while her kill count proves she's pretty awesome.

She's sexy any way you look at it.  Check out more images of Left 4 Dead at the official site.

5. Jill Valentine from the Resident Evil series
As a member of S.T.A.R.S. and an outstanding picker of locks, Jill Valentine makes the list because she's tough.  She's not so overtly sexy but rather a strong sexy.  She's higher on the list than her fellow female Resident Evil characters because of her most recent performance.  Without saying too much that's when I liked her the most.

4. Tifa Lockhart from the Final Fantasy series
In the huge realm of Final Fantasy, Tifa is the only woman from the series that I think deserves a position this high.  This is purely based on personal opinion, but no one can deny her martial arts abilities.  Her relationship with Cloud is one of sexual tension in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

Check out more fanart, screenshots, and other images of Tifa at giantbomb.com.

3. The French maid from the Sims or Kaylynn Langerak
The Sim series lets you create pretty much anyone you want.  One of the bonuses to the neighborhood is the maid you can hire.  In the Sims 2 there was a Plesantview local named Kaylynn Langerak that had a sorted relationship with a man with three other girlfriends.

Not a session of The Sims go by that I don't try to marry the maid.  Hence the number on the list.

The image comes from this website (it's about cloning sims).
2. Carla Valenti from Indigo Prophecy
As a detective, Carla Valenti drove the intriguing, story-driven plot of Indigo Prophecy.  Nothing sexier than a woman solving crimes especially one as, well, weird as the one in Indigo Prophecy.  In fact, she's one of the characters on this list most often found without her clothes on.  I'm not saying naked makes you sexy but it probably helps.

1. Your character from many create-a-characters
Lets make no assumptions here.  Making the girl you want is usually better than the ones that are already there.  Sometimes they lack personality, but that's only because you haven't given them one yet.  Everything in a created character is what you make of it and that's pretty sexy.  They may not be for everyone but the ladies you can create in The Sims 3 can be beautiful and have extremely unique personalities. 

Other games' character creation can also lead to amazing beauty.  Saints Row 2 allows for a pretty in depth character creation as well as several MMOs like City of Heroes/Villains and Perfect World International.

Check out the slideshow for 1-10 and 11-20 before you go! 

This article was originally published by Pamela Blalock at Examiner.com.  If you like it, please subscribe and add me on Twitter or Facebook.