BEST GIRL
Editor’s Note: There are no previous winners listed since this was not a category we voted on last year.
This year, oprainfall has shelved the Hottest Girl and Guy categories, and instead are going with Best Girl and Best Boy. Not for any sinister reasons, but simply cause mere attraction is such a one dimensional lens to view anyone through. Whereas being the Best Girl means a mixture of many different features, resulting in the top of the class. A Best Girl is one that is not just attractive, but powerful, smart, capable and fierce. Cause here at oprainfall, we do like badass women in games. This was actually a huge list of nominees, but we painfully cut it down to only 3 from two different games. I’ll list them alphabetically to avoid any sort of bias.
Marnie (Pokémon Sword and Shield)
NA Release Date: November 15th, 2019
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
Review
I didn’t expect to find Marnie so captivating. On paper, she’s just a spicy emo girl without much to recommend her. Sure, her family has a history of being pokémon trainers, and her crazy brother Piers is a hell of a punk rocking weirdo. But then I got to experience the story of Pokémon Sword and Shield, and saw how integral to it all Marnie was, as well as her motivated spirit and fierce determination to win. I just couldn’t help but start rooting for this Dark trainer. It definitely didn’t hurt that her trademark partner is one of my favorite new critters, the schizophrenic hamster Morpeko! The question is, were Marnie’s spunky charms enough to beat the competition for Best Girl?
Nessa (Pokémon Sword and Shield)
NA Release Date: November 15th, 2019
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
Review
Whereas I wasn’t sure how I would like Marnie in Pokémon Sword and Shield, I knew I’d appreciate Nessa. For one thing, she’s instantly easy on the eyes, with that beach tanned bod and awesome hair. She’s also no damsel in distress, and has complete confidence in her ability to thrash you with her stable of Water pokémon. She’s frankly a bit of a tsundere, and might be more hard edged than Marnie, but that just makes her more enjoyable as a character. The question is, was this beach babe able to easily cinch her reign as the Best Girl?
Reisalin Stout (Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout)
NA Release Date: October 29th, 2019
Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
Review
Reisalin Stout, AKA Ryza is the only nominee I had no past experience with. But even then, I quickly learned how beloved this new heroine from the latest Atelier game has become. Sure, she has obvious THICC charms, but that’s not all there is to her. She’s also a giant tomboy, and despite being somewhat ordinary, that doesn’t hold her back from going on a grand adventure and helping those she cares about. Honestly, when it comes to the category of Best Girl, I would think that Ryza has a tremendous chance of winning.
And the big winner is…
Marnie!
Ryza may have taken the gold for Best Heroine, but she faced stiff competition from Pokémon Sword and Shield. Turns out, cute little fierce emo girls have stolen our hearts here at oprainfall. And I totally get it. While Nessa and Ryza may be the most outwardly physically attractive, there’s something totally endearing about Marnie. And as a fan of underdogs, I fully support her big win.
