Need Some Article Brainstorming Help (It's Up! Thanks all!)

[BulletMagnet]

Hey guys, as the title says I'm in need of a bit of help once more - this isn't nearly as big an undertaking as the compendiums I wrote up for racketboy (it's just for my dinky little blog), but I'm hoping to make it as comprehensive as I can, and would be grateful to anyone who can offer a bit of information. Obviously I'm not asking you to run out and research, but if you notice anything I've overlooked I'd appreciate you letting me know.

Anyway, the topic I'm writing about is Women in Shmups - specifically playable women in shmups. I'm trying to put together a list of as many female pilots and other playable characters as I can - below is what I've managed to think of/find out about on my own, but I know I'm missing some stuff. Any additions you can offer would be great. Some guidelines as to exactly what I'm looking for -

- The character must be at least "technically" playable in some way - while Progear's co-pilots would qualify, the princess from Xexex would not, nor would any "control tower"-type characters or NPC enemies (sorry, Ms. Badnasty).

- Licensed characters (a la Doronjo from the "Bokan" games) don't count - I'm looking for unique characters created specifically to appear in a shmup. Non-human females (a la Winbee) are fine.

- I'm also going to include a handful of "borderliner" women as well as doujin characters, so a few of those would be nice - I'm not going to need anywhere near as many as in the "main" list though, the latter is the one where I really want to fill in as many blanks as I can.

- If possible, I'd also like the specific characters' names, so if you know any that I don't have by all means mention them.

Looking for Verification

Existing Entries - Definitely still looking for new additions; older stuff (NES, PCE, JP-only computers, etc.) I need especial help with. Also, some names on the list are accompanied by a "?" - in most cases I'm not sure whether or not the character is female, though in others I'm trying to figure out if the character is unique or a "guest" from another series. Any assistance on that front would be a big help.

Alpha Mission - I can't find any evidence of human pilots offhand, but whenever I see a blue and pink ship pairing I've got to double check...

Argus - An old Jaleco shooter...I don't think anyone from there (if there are even human characters) appears in Game Tengoku, but I want to make sure I'm not overlooking anyone.

Burai Fighter - If this one was notable for having a female protagonist so early I'd probably know, but better safe than sorry.

Gemini Wing - Any two-player semi-cute-em-up deserves some additional screening, though so far no evidence has come to my attention...

G-Stream 2020 - Heck, does anyone know much of ANYthing about this one? I've only played it briefly...

Illvelo - All of Milestone's other games have included a female protagonist, but I have no idea what the deal is with this one...could someone in the know enlighten me?

Metalstorm - Same basic idea as Burai Fighter, just want to be extra-sure.

Nebulas Ray, Next Space, Pollux, Sand Scorpion, Sky Alert, Sky Soldiers, Strahl, Terra Force, World of Aero, Wyvern Wings, etc. - There are probably a few more obscure, mostly-generic shooters out there that I need more info on...

Doujins - I'm trying to exclude doujins based on anime or other properties, but since I'm not an expert in that area I might have missed one. Off the cuff, could someone tell me if any if the eXceed, Suguri, or TWilight games are anime-based or not?

Anything else I haven't made clear, feel free to ask. Anyway, here's the list I've compiled so far -

Acrobat Mission (Nova)
Air Buster (Holly)
Airgrave (Reny, Vel)
Akkanvader (Mayumi, Pen-Pen, Nancy, Miyo-Chan, Bonny)
Aleste series (Ellinor/Terri, Thi)
Arrow Flash (Oval Sterner)
Batrider (Shorty, Maria, Birthday, Car-Pet)
Batsugun (Beltiana, Alteeno)
BioMetal (Cynthia Matthews)
Blast Wind (Forn)
Blazing Star (Leefa, Asayuki, Naomi)
Brave Blade (Rosita em Flamberge, Kana N)
Burning Angels
Chaos Field (Ifumi)
Cho Aniki (Benten)
Cotton series (Cotton, Silk, Appli)
Crisis Force
Daioh
Dangun Feveron (Stephanie)
Darius series (Tiat Young, Lutia Feen)
DeathSmiles (Casper, Windia, Rosa, Follette, Sakura)
DoDonPachi DOJ (Shotia, Leinyan, Exy, Piper)
DDP 2: Bee Storm
Dragon Blaze (Sonia)
Dragon Saber (Siria)
Earth Joker
Eco Fighters
Eight Forces (Polette Panple, Mary Dorland)
ESP Ra.de (Irori)
ESPGaluda series (Ageha(alt), Tateha, Chihiro, Asagi)
Gaiaseed? (Chronos)
Game Tengoku series (*Momoko, *Sakura, *Claris, *Miki/Misato)
Gate of Thunder (Esty)
Gekirindan (Anne, Shario, Mayoru)
Giga Wing series (Ruby, Isha, Limi, Romi, Chery)
Gleylancer (Lucia Cabrock)
Guardian Legend (Alyssa)
Gunbird series (Marion, Yuan-Nang, Tavia, *Morrigan)
Guwange (Kosame)
Harmful Park
Hellfire S
Hotdog Storm
Hyperduel (Lisa Rowland)
Ikaruga (Kagari)
Karous
Keio Flying Squadron (Rami-chan)
KoF Skystage (*Athena)
Kyuiin
Mahou Daisakusen series/Guest Appearances (Chitta, Nirvana, Laycle, Karte)
Magical Chase (Ripple)
The Monkey King (Mei Mei)
Muchi Muchi Pork (Ikuo, Momo, Rafute)
Mushihime-sama (Reko)
Mystic Riders (Zeal)
Nostradamus (Joanna)
Otomedius (Aoba Anoa, Eru Tron, Madoka, Diol Twee, Tita Nium, Esmerelda, Poini Coon)
P-47 Aces
Parodius series (Hikaru, Akane, Memim, Sue, Belial, Hanako, Samba, Ran(?), Multiple(?), *Rupa)
Philosoma (Nicolard Michau)
Pink Sweets (Meidi/Midi, Kasumi, Shasta, Lace)
Planet Joker
Plus Alpha (Selia, Rumy)
Progear (Chain, Nail, Rivet)
Psyvariar series (Sakura Diesell, Kei)
Pulstar (Kaoru)
Rabio Lepus
Radiant Silvergun (Reana)
Radirgy (Shizuru Kamigusa)
Raiden (Fairy)
Rapid Hero
Rayforce
R-Type Complete (Leza Steffanie)
Salamander MSX (Zowie Scott)
Sapphire (Sapphire White, Charatte Syphon, Helena Evangelin, Jasmin Willoung)
Sengeki Striker
Sengoku Ace series (Koyori, Jane, Junis, Katana, Mizuka)
Sen Jin: Guardian Storm
Shienryu
Shienryu Explosion (Pacel(?), Rosa, Viola, Lilia)
Skull Fang (Sparrow, Crane)
Shikigami no Shiro series (Sayo Yuuki, Fumiko O. Van Stein, Niigi GB, Mihee Kim, Nagino Ise, *Unknown, *Reika)
Sol Divide (Tyora)
Sol-Deace/Feace (Misao)
Sonic Wings series (Mao Mao, Cindy/Ellen, Chaika/Pooshika, Anjera)
Soukyugurentai (Kaoru, Rudy)
Spriggan
Stahlfeder (Kranichi)
Steam Hearts (Fallandia)
Storm Blade (Camel Yuki Anderson)
Strikers 1945 (Cindy Volton, Tina Prize, Alice Herring, Lean Beirer, Ai Mikami)
Sylphia
Thunder Force V (Cenes Crawford)
Toilet Kids
Triggerheart Exelica (Exelica, Crueltear, Faintear)
Trouble Shooter (Madison/Crystal)
Twinbee (Pastel/Winbee)
Twinkle Star Sprites series (Load Ran, Dark Ran, Sprites, Memory, Tinker/Linker, Macky/Pentel, YanYan, Really Till, Meirin, Time, Mikoto...)
Undeadline (Ruika)
Under Defeat( Wilhelmine Muller, Adele Friedrich)
Varia Metal (Atuja)
Vasara series (Magoichi, Sandayu)
Wurm (Moby)
Zanac Neo (Noa Cronbit)

Borderliners
Bangai-O series (Mami, Ruri)
Baraduke series (Kissy/Toby Masuyo, Takky? Hommy?)
Bounty Arms (unreleased) (Rei Misazaki, Chris Prenacaluto)
Burning Force (Hiromi Tengenji)
Cannon Spike (Simone(?), *Cammy, *BB Hood)
Contra series (Sheena, Lucia, Tasha)
Dark Adventure (Labryna)
Elevator Action series (Edie, Sarah)
Final Zone II (Momoco Ring, Hanna Franks)
Finger Flashing (Poi)
Fixeight (Agatha, Lucy Pamela)
Fortified Zone (Mizuki Makimura)
Gunner's Heaven (Ruka Hetfield)
Gunstar Super Heroes (Red)
Ikari Warriors series (*Leona)
Kiki Kaikai/Pocky + Rocky (Pocky, Becky, Little Ninja, Sayuki(?), Koyuki(?))
Mamoru-kun is Cursed! (Mayuno, Beniko, Fululu)
Metal Slug series (Eri, Fio, Nadia)
Mystic Warriors (Yuri)
Ninja Commando (Rayar)
Panzer Dragoon Orta (Orta, *Azel)
Prikura Daisakusen (Kurara, Kirara)
Senko no Ronde (Changpo, Lili, Sakurako, Ernula, Ursure, Shinobu, Ranatus, Mieze, Katie, Dixie, Philomena, Anechka)
Shock Troopers series (Milky, Marie Bee, Big Mama, Angel, Lulu)
Sin and Punishment series (Airan Jo, Kachi)
Twinkle Tale (Saria)
Wild Guns (Annie)
Zombies Ate My Neighbors! (Julie)

Doujins
Angeraze series
Bike Banditz (Hikaru, Qilla)
Gundeadligne (Eryth Millfall, Elixirel Chrome Matrix Proxy, Nagi Takama)
Hitogata Happa
Touhou series (Reimu, Marisa, etc.)
Trouble Witches (Pril, Aqua, Yuuki, Sies)
x.x gameroom series

Of course, I'll make sure to credit you guys in the blog entry once it's up. Thanks again to all who are willing to lend a hand, it's always much appreciated.

[Enhasa]

If you're including doujin, you're gonna get absolutely swamped. It's hard to even find a male pilot.

So are you looking for parentheses where they're not filled in? If Senko no Ronde is allowed (it was included in voting): Changpo, Lili, Sakurako, Ernula. Oh btw, since you have Psyvariar 2, you should also include the first game, that's an easy spot. Soukyugurentai has two female pilots. I might come up with more later. I'd mostly come up with borderliners though, and I guess that's not your main focus.

This is just my opinion, please don't apply it to yourself, but if I was doing a list like this, I would definitely only include games where you must select a female pilot. Tiat feels cheap when she's the 2p to Proco's 1p, same with Radiant Silvergun or whatever. Also little girlfests like Touhou or even Mushihimesama, DeathSmiles, Triggerheart, Harmful Park, Cotton, etc feel cheap to me, I dunno why. I guess it feels exploitative instead of empowering when you see them flying around instead of in a ship. Or maybe it's the little girl ensemble thing because Pink Sweets does too I guess, but Twinkle Tale doesn't. This is probably very irrational, I know.

So for me, some of the classic examples would be like Guardian Legend (I know, she turns into a ship), Rayforce, and Pulstar. Those last two especially are the ones that came instantly to mind.

[BulletMagnet]

If you're including doujin, you're gonna get absolutely swamped. It's hard to even find a male pilot.

Heh, yeah, I figured that much, though if I could mention at least a handful of the "major" ones that would do it.

So are you looking for parentheses where they're not filled in? If Senko no Ronde is allowed (it was included in voting): Changpo, Lili, Sakurako, Ernula.

Does that cover both the first and second games? Either way, you have my eternal gratitude for not including the trap character.

Oh btw, since you have Psyvariar 2, you should also include the first game, that's an easy spot.

Is the pilot for the first game female? I thought it was one of the multitudinous "here's a ship, and we don't care who pilots it" shmups - do you know of an image or something which documents that?

Soukyugurentai has two female pilots.

Shoot, I thought I'd included that one, as I even scribbled their names down someplace - thanks for the catch.

I might come up with more later. I'd mostly come up with borderliners though, and I guess that's not your main focus.

Feel free to toss in whatever you have - I probably won't use every borderliner mentioned, but the more I have to choose from the better a set I'll have once I've narrowed it down.

This is just my opinion, please don't apply it to yourself, but if I was doing a list like this, I would definitely only include games where you must select a female pilot. Tiat feels cheap when she's the 2p to Proco's 1p, same with Radiant Silvergun or whatever. Also little girlfests like Touhou or even Mushihimesama, DeathSmiles, Triggerheart, Harmful Park, Cotton, etc feel cheap to me, I dunno why. I guess it feels exploitative instead of empowering when you see them flying around instead of in a ship.

I definitely agree to a large extent, and that's actually something that'll be mentioned in the article - the writeup is intended to be a response of sorts to another blogger's complaints about FPS games in particular not even bothering to include ANY sort of playable female avatar. Of course, to paint a clear picture of the shmup genre's treatment of (playable) women over the years I'll have to include both "empowering" examples and "not so empowering" ones (going beyond that point would be even uglier, as I'd have to cover Divine Sealing and the like). Observations like yours, though, will definitely not go uncited.

Thanks much for the help so far.

[Observer]

Let's start the doujin storm then:

Hellsinker (Fossil Maiden, Minogame and technically, Kagura is a female behind the revived techno-armor of doom but this is a though one considering it's pretty much a ship with a fuckton of firing modes)
Diadra Empty (Nyarla Unholy)
Seihou series (the Shrine Maiden whose name I can never remember and VIVIT)
Samidare (Biological Unit C22 and C23, the two girls with glasses)
Refrain ~Prims Memories~ (Miria and Tee)
Suguri Series (Suguri, duh)
Morning Star Girls (also known as Ake-bure, a generic big-boobed shrine maiden or whatever she is and little loli maid, so many stereotypes cramped in two characters...)
Arcanum Echo (three schoolgirls from a magic school... can't figure out their names atm)
Many of Arteseneit shooters (more especifically, the recent Hatsune Miku shooter)
Magical Lyrical (or whatever) Girl Nanoha (Nanoha and Co.)
eXceed Series (LOLIS EVERYWHERE, sorry can't remember their names, way too many)
TWINS series (Twilight INSanity, Twilight RefrAIN and the upcoming Alternative Sphere, too many loli twins to name, and one of the characters is apparently a guy so they went ahead of Cave and DS)
ReZetia shooters (Zillion BeatZ, PladZma, PriZhm)

We men are obsolete by now.

[Sandlegs]

you have listed everything i can think of, but perhaps we could get a linky-poo to your site?

[BulletMagnet]

It's just a dinky little c-blog on Destructoid, but here's the link if you want to look around (I think I put it someplace in my profile as well).

[Enhasa]

I have the Pulstar intro song stuck in my head just because of this thread.

Does that cover both the first and second games? Either way, you have my eternal gratitude for not including the trap character.

First game only. I haven't played the second game. But I went to the website just for you. Playable characters: Ursure, Changpo, Shinobu, Ranatus. Helpers (count them since you're counting Progear): Mieze, Katie, Sakurako, Dixie, Philomena, Lili, Anechka.

Is the pilot for the first game female? I thought it was one of the multitudinous "here's a ship, and we don't care who pilots it" shmups - do you know of an image or something which documents that?

Yep, it even gives her name: 1 2 3 4

Feel free to toss in whatever you have - I probably won't use every borderliner mentioned, but the more I have to choose from the better a set I'll have once I've narrowed it down.

Just looking at your current list and building from that: Shock Troopers series, Contra: HC might as well be Contra series because there's Lucia as well, Gunstar Super Heroes, Heavenly Guardian (although this game is better forgotten!), and since you're including Sin and Punishment, you can include Panzer Dragoon Orta and Rez.

Observer's got most of the popular ones, but I'll add a couple doujins I guess. First with Gundeadligne and Hitogata Happa, you might as well lump them into every Platine Dispositif game just like you have the x.x games, because every character is female. Well my only real additions are: Vacant Ark, Meglilo, Lunaria, Uwabami Breakers. Lethal Application is a borderliner. Also Es if that counts.

[undamned]

Darius series (Tiat Young, Lutia Feen)

OT:

if you take the Darius characters' names, Proco & Tiat, put them together (procotiat), and spell it backwards, look what you get: "TaitoCorp"

another blogger's complaints about FPS games in particular not even bothering to include ANY sort of playable female avatar.

At least one of the Unreal Tournament games did. Tell your pal he's just not hardcore enough.
-ud

[BulletMagnet]

I have the Pulstar intro song stuck in my head just because of this thread.

Heh, sorry 'bout that.

First game only. I haven't played the second game. But I went to the website just for you. Playable characters: Ursure, Changpo, Shinobu, Ranatus. Helpers (count them since you're counting Progear): Mieze, Katie, Sakurako, Dixie, Philomena, Lili, Anechka.

Excellent, looks like that entry is complete.

Yep, it even gives her name: 1 2 3 4

Groovy, added.

Just looking at your current list and building from that: Shock Troopers series,

Good, will add that one.

Contra: HC might as well be Contra series because there's Lucia as well

I'm not much of a Contra connoisseur, which game is Lucia from?

Gunstar Super Heroes

Right, the red character is a female, isn't she...added.

Heavenly Guardian (although this game is better forgotten!)

I'm considering including that one under the "Kiki Kaikai" label, as it originated there...definitely agree with your latter point, though.

and since you're including Sin and Punishment, you can include Panzer Dragoon Orta and Rez.

Orta seems like a good addition, though are you technically a female in Rez? AFAIK the plot was just "you're a hacker", and never went much beyond that...

First with Gundeadligne and Hitogata Happa, you might as well lump them into every Platine Dispositif game just like you have the x.x games, because every character is female.

Combining all of Platine's stuff is probably a good idea, but if memory serves there are at least one or two male dolls in Hitogata Happa...

if you take the Darius characters' names, Proco & Tiat, put them together (procotiat), and spell it backwards, look what you get: "TaitoCorp"

Heh, yeah, I was definitely going to put that bit of trivia in there someplace.

At least one of the Unreal Tournament games did. Tell your pal he's just not hardcore enough.

"She", actually. Anyways, her argument is that most (not all) such games don't bother, and to the best of my knowledge such complaints are well-founded - this article is just sort of a look at a similar (and older) "blow stuff up" genre that at least gives female players an onscreen counterpart a fair amount of the time, even if it's not always a particularly dignified one, as mentioned above.

Thanks much for the help so far.

[Ex-Cyber]

Ninja Commando is probably borderline (it's more of a "top down run and gun" than a "vertical shmup"), but it has a female PC named Rayar (per ADK's transliteration).

Contra: HC might as well be Contra series because there's Lucia as well

I'm not much of a Contra connoisseur, which game is Lucia from?

Contra: Shattered Soldier / Shin Contra

[BulletMagnet]

Thank you, both added.

[Enhasa]

Yeah, there are some female FPS characters, even though I don't play nearly the number of FPS I used to, even I can name some: Portal, Left 4 Dead, No One Lives Forever, Perfect Dark, TimeSplitters, Metroid Prime. I bet there's more but these are some really blatant and popular ones. I guess the situation is different on console than PC, she's probably focusing on id in particular. Also if you expand more generally to first-person perspective, there's a lot more. But most of the shooters with women are third-person, I wonder why?


Lucia is also in Neo Contra. Also, I'd (thankfully) forgotten about Legacy of War and The Contra Adventure, which have Tasha.

About Rez, it's pretty much accepted by everyone that the player character is female, she looks female, and if you know anything about Mizuguchi (Space Channel 5, 99 Nights, the music videos for his band)... well, I can't find any "proof" right now, but it's more than a safe bet.

Good catch on Fixeight btw, I missed that one when thinking of arcade top-down shooters.

Hmm, that does remind me of some more arcade games though. Elevator Action Returns and The Outfoxies. Oh yeah, and Psychic Force and Virtual On, but those probably don't count even as borderliners I guess.

[mirkvid]

You can play as Morigan from Darkstalkers in Gunbird 2 also.

[charlie chong]

is jb 5th from esperade a girl?? i've never been able to tell for certain but whatever the genders meant to be i've definitely always thought of her as female.

[Danbo]

is jb 5th from esperade a girl?? i've never been able to tell for certain but whatever the genders meant to be i've definitely always thought of her as female.

nah, jb-5th's a guy because i distinctly remember reading it on the cave web page or something and being surprised

[BulletMagnet]

But most of the shooters with women are third-person, I wonder why?

DAT ASS

Lucia is also in Neo Contra. Also, I'd (thankfully) forgotten about Legacy of War and The Contra Adventure, which have Tasha.

Will unthankfully add.

About Rez, it's pretty much accepted by everyone that the player character is female, she looks female, and if you know anything about Mizuguchi (Space Channel 5, 99 Nights, the music videos for his band)... well, I can't find any "proof" right now, but it's more than a safe bet.

Eh, I might include a footnote on that one, but in the absence of anything "concete" I'm a bit hesitant.

Hmm, that does remind me of some more arcade games though. Elevator Action Returns and The Outfoxies. Oh yeah, and Psychic Force and Virtual On, but those probably don't count even as borderliners I guess.

Not sure quite how far I'll go when it comes to the borderliners, but as I said before, list 'em all, I'd rather have too many than too few.

You can play as Morigan from Darkstalkers in Gunbird 2 also.

Yeah, you know what, I was thinking about this and I'm gonna do it anyways...I'm going to include "guest" characters from non-shmups up there, and mark them with asterisks. So if there are any more of those you can think of, toss 'em in too.

is jb 5th from esperade a girl?? i've never been able to tell for certain but whatever the genders meant to be i've definitely always thought of her as female.

I frequently see JB described as "androgynous", though I think he's technically male - it's been awhile since I played Ra.de, but I recall JB's voice sounding male, at least to my ears.

Thanks again for the help, everyone.

[Mortificator]

GP had some translated character profiles for Esprade on his site that might clarify things, but it looks like they're down for now.

Anyway, the MSX version of Salamander replaces the Lord British ship with Thrasher and its female pilot Zowie Scott.

The cutscenes in R-Type Complete CD show your R-9 as having a two-person crew, with a woman named Leza Steffany as the co-pilot or gunner or Force operator or something.

I was going to say Apidya, but I'm not sure. I thought your character was supposed to be a honey bee worker, and those are all female, but the intro shows you as some guy named Ikuro. I don't know if he used some creepy gender-bending magic to transform into a female insect, or some slightly less creepy magic to turn into a drag queen bee.

[BulletMagnet]

I was going to say Apidya, but I'm not sure. I thought your character was supposed to be a honey bee worker, and those are all female, but the intro shows you as some guy named Ikuro. I don't know if he used some creepy gender-bending magic to transform into a female insect, or some slightly less creepy magic to turn into a drag queen bee.

Heh, that's getting into really dodgy territory, hopefully that one won't be too unforgivable an omission. I did add both of the others you mentioned, thanks a bunch for those.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Here are some doujins i know of with chicks in:

7 Servant's Blade
A Diary of Little Aviator (Red Barrel)
Acceleration of Suguri / Suguri
Air Rade + Summer
Angel Destroyer
Angeraze 2 and rebirth
Banshiryuu and the other Seihou game
Blessed CompoEd
Blue Dream
Clannada
Concealed the Conclusion
DieFeen
Dynamite Car Plane
Exceed series
Feather Raid
GundeadliGne
Gundemonium
Hell Sinker
Hitoga Happa
Isin-Densin Zero
Lillian Fantasy
Lyrical Nanoha 1 & 2
Magical Broom Extreme
Magical Cannon Girl
Meglilo The Wichborg
Melon Squash
Minimonica ES
Mousou Bousou no kyourenshi
Parity Shot Integral
QP Shooting
Radio Zonde
RagShoot
RAYGING BLUE
Resurrection of Heaven's Liquor
Royal Edoma Engine
Rozen Diadem
Starleaf YO
Super Jyagabata 2
Super Sweets Scramble
TAS
The Road to Al-De-Baran (Kapra W)
Tiyoruga - Kokoro
Tobi D+Vine
Tobi Marisa
Tobitouka
Tobitsuki Hime
Tokukou Shojo
TooHeat2
Touhou Huhik
Trouble Witches
Tsundere Wars
Tsunoda love & TL Evolution
TWilight INSanity
TWilight refrAIN
TwinSeeds DX
Vacant Ark
Visionary Wings
Witch in Wonderland
plus any games that are featured in the C76 thread

run n guns and other

Return to jabberwock
sispri gaunlet
mega masrisa
rozenkruete (ive got the spelling wrong but its a girlly mega man)
touhou seicross
master burner (touhou afterburner)
Gunners Heart

some of these have probably already been list but im too lazy to sot thru it.

[BulletMagnet]

Okay, looking to wrap this up and get cracking on the article itself - added a list of specific stuff I'm looking to figure out to the original post. Thanks a bunch for the assistance thus far.

[Antoine]

How about men in shmups? Or children, old people, minorities, etc. in shmups? Or dogs, cats, wolves, etc? The opportunities are endless! You could spend the rest of your life doing this! -- and no one would actually care!

Or here's another idea: play the hell out of a single game and sit down and analyze it.

Which of these articles do you think would be more useful to people? Which do you think would be read more over the long run and appreciated?

But hey, if you are enjoying yourself more this way never mind what I am saying.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

it there was to be a list to be made, women in shmups would always get my vote especially if BulletMagnet includes a pic or two to keep us intrested

[Enhasa]

Nice troll, and I agree with your point, but you're kidding yourself with

Which do you think would be read more over the long run and appreciated?

People like us like to read in-depth game analysis, but most people online have no need. Even people like us would have no need unless we cared about the game in particular. BulletMagnet already has a history of writing very popular laundry-list sorts of articles like this and this. Usefulness is one thing, but you can't argue with level of appreciation.

[Dale]

Another freeware game with a woman is La Souer De Barrage.

[brokenhalo]

I can't remember her name but there was the female pilot from un squadron/ area 88....

[nZero]

I can't remember her name but there was the female pilot from un squadron/ area 88....

Those are all guys

[Doctor Fugue]

Edit: Nevermind...

[Antoine]

Nice troll

Dear moderators, I need your help. I have just been insulted for posting my honest opinion in a polite and respectful manner. Am I allowed to insult back the person who insulted me by telling him to go fuck himself, or is one of you nice people going to step in and deal with this person before I do?

[Super Laydock]

Am I allowed to insult back the person who insulted me by telling him to go fuck himself.

As far as I am concerned you are, but this was hardly an insult but just an observation.
Sure you had a point, but it was really unnecessary to mention this in this thread as BM was just asking for some help and not making a point or something and asking for your opinion.

[BulletMagnet]

I was going to let your original comment pass without incident, but I'm afraid that you and I have very different definitions of "a respectful manner" - if you don't like the concept at work here I've got no problem with that, but the "respectful" way to respond to this would have been to ignore this thread and the article, once it's up, as neither are clearly worth your valuable internet time. Instead, however, you decided to visit with the specific purpose in mind of telling me that "nobody would actually care" about what I'm writing - all the while ignorant, as others have pointed out, of the more "important" work I've posted previously (as a small addendum, here's a third rundown, as well as an individual review I wrote a little ways back; I plan to write more of both). And as the icing on the cake, you have the gall to ask one of the mods (which includes me) whether you have permission to curse out someone else, when you know full well that you'd already done it, and that the post was deleted by one of my fellow mods - apparently that wasn't a clear enough signal for you as to the type of behavior we refuse to tolerate around here.

Perhaps this is direct enough - if you have nothing to contribute to this thread (or any other) except your royal disapproval and profanity-riddled bile at those who disagree with you with a fraction of the intensity as you disagree with others, stop posting in it immediately, or I will personally recommend you to the admins for banning. You have nowhere near the amount of "legitimate" posts to excuse behavior like this, and even if you did you'd still be getting the same warning from me. After this post I do not want to see my thread derailed and clogged up any further; if you choose to keep it up your posts, and likely your account, will be deleted.

That is my honest and respectful opinion.