Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia

I love this game... Cut the 13+ crap.. I played this when I was 8... (Im 11)

Speaking not just as a massive Castlevania fan, but an avid gamer in general, this is a shining example of how women can be portrayed in video games without ridiculous oversexualization. Our main character, Shanoa, is strong and resilient. She faces a number of emotional conflicts in this game as well as violent ones. Gameplay is top-notch. There are plenty of things to find and many quests to complete. The game is bloody but not excessively so, but Shanoa's death really is bloody. (That's something you get used to with Castlevania deaths after Symphony of the Night.) More blood than gore. There is no sexual content to speak of except that one of the villagers has some cleavage. To absorb glyphs (the game's means of attacking) Shanoa pulls up her long hair and the glyph on her back starts glowing. Since Shanoa's outfit is low in the back it may come across as too much skin for some, but it is in a completely practical, not sexual, context. As well as being an epic vampire tale, it is a bittersweet game about the choices between life and death, conformity or independence. This game actually helped me through a tough time in my life because Shanoa served as such an inspiration for me, and I actually really identified with her. I was 16 when I played it in 2009 - the first Castlevania I ever owned, even though I had played and followed the series since 2000 - and going through a number of issues of a personal nature; though it may seem a little dorky that I found comfort in a video game, it really did make me feel a lot better about the situation I was in. (To each his own.) Even as a huge Castlevania fan I rank this one alongside the impeccable Symphony of the Night. Highly recommended.