FANDOMWARZ!!11!!!!

I was playing Path of Radiance on hard mode, and it came time to recruit Naesala. I put Ike in his path to bait him, and then I would have Reyson sing for Janaff so he could go and talk to him. Ike, of course, had broken his only decent sword one chapter ago so he was holding a Steel Blade. Well, Mist was level 18, and Ike was stupid enough to die at Naesala's beak! That worthless idiot didn't even have the good sense to dodge! And I'd already been forced to reset the chapter twice thanks to the ballistae slaughtering Tanith and then Reyson, who I don't loathe.

By now I'd had enough of Ike of Crimea, so I shut the game off. Ike is completely useless and I resent Intelligent Systems for forcing you to use him so much.

It's not the loose continuity. It's not the series essentially rebooting itself three times. It's not even the use of a gratuitous clip show for the finale.

Rather, it's what passes for a lead character.

Cory Matthews is the most irritatingly selfish sitcom hero I've ever come across. He goes from a smart-mouthed, disrespectful little boy to a whiny, entitled man. He shows no regard for those around him, even his own family, he always has to have everything exactly the way he wants or he'll nag everyone to insanity, he's pushy, and his relationship with Topanga makes absolutely no sense! I could have understood him looking at her differently as puberty set in, but to have him go from constantly mocking her to never shutting up about how their love is so eternal and wonderful and how he just can't live without her. It's clear Topanga doesn't love him as strongly as he does her, and as time goes on she's only putting up with him. All three of their stupid breakup arcs were wall bangers, and his behavior was completely atrocious during them!

And worst of all is the way he treats his so-called best friend, Shawn. Shawn Hunter is a deeply troubled soul in need of real love and companionship, and Cory Matthews is the last person able to give him that. He's completely insensitive to Shawn's needs; he thinks he's the one to save the boy's wounded soul but in reality is so privileged and spoiled that he can't possible understand how Shawn is feeling most of the time. He bosses him, tries to run his life, and thinks any choice Shawn makes that doesn't match his perception of "good" is somehow going to ruin his life! Frankly, if I were Shawn I would have called it quits with this selfish creep long before the series even began!

I wish they hadn't unceremoniously written Stuart Minkus out of the series. He would have made a far more suitable match for Topanga than Cory.

Particularly the female characters. As if these heroines couldn't be any more useless, now they've forced them into stereotypically feminine costumes and in one case, a stereotypically feminine role.

Micaiah. Ugh, just looking at this outfit makes me want to wretch. At least in the original games she was properly dressed! Not only is she a Mary Sue, she's a scantilly-clad Mary Sue!

Elincia. Bland as her original character was, at least she dressed properly. But of course, all women have to show their legs so here we are.

Lyndis. As if her outfit couldn't look more ridiculous, and of course IS must play up the "savage plainswoman" aspect of her character.

Celica. I still have yet to play Gaiden, but I've seen the original art. IS apparently saw fit to make her show more skin because that's all a woman is, fanservice for the male players.

And last but not least?

This monstrosity. Oh, Eirika, why am I not surprised? She was worthless in the original game to the point of not being worth considered a main character, but at least she dressed fairly sensibly and cared about her country. Here? She's little more than a feminine stereotype in a frilly dress with her signature weapon taken away from her. At least in the original game the writers made some attempt to give her a shred of integrity, futile as it was. She was a useless fighter and a weepy delicate flower who made mistake after mistake, but wanting to protect her country was an aspect of her character. Her outfit was chosen for its light weight and mobility, because she had some interest in making herself useful.

This version of Eirika? All of that is gone. Instead, IS has taken away her integrity (what little their was) and given her a title based on her womanhood and future marriages. Her practical outfit is replaced with a frilly dress, because you'd never know she was a Beautiful Princess unless she wears a frilly dress. And even though she can supposedly use bows and lances, the art shows her with the ladylike staff.

In short, the new Eirika is a feminist's nightmare. IS and Japan in general don't seem to understand feminism and the rights of women to be more than eye candy. Girls who were sensibly dressed in their original incarnations now show their legs (or more, in the case of Mary Sue) because that's all video game females are good for. A woman who was a slap in the face to feminism to begin with is made even worse by taking away her identity and forcing her into the role of a beautiful prize.

I was considering buying this game, silly as it is I was drawn in by the character of Tiamo (who is much too good for Krom, by the way), but after bearing witness to the antifeminist eyesore that is Eirika, I'm not wasting my money. IS, you will be getting no more support from me until you learn a thing or two about feminism.