How do you feel about Heather?

[NarooN]

All of that. I also can't believe someone said she showed no fear when the very first portions of the Otherworld show her basically shitting her pants in disbelief at what she's seeing.

That post perfectly illustrates why the character design for Heather was just brilliant. There's very few video game female characters like that, even to this day, which is a shame.

[Purramid_Head]

I distinctly remember her being scared of headless mannequins and saying the nightmare had numbed her senses a little.

Yeah I think it was brilliant too. I think Silent Hill 3 made history with how Heather was protrayed. For once there was an assertive, strong female, who wasn't a sex object, and was treated for who she was; a human being.

[what]

Heather was very suitably scared in the beginning. Not so much later on, but why should she be? After so much of anything, you do start to adjust to it.

Whereas Harry and James expressed mild surprise upon their first monster encounters and nothing really even resembling fear. :/

[Augophthalmoses]

That and as Heather regained her memories of who she really was/is, she began to have less reasons to be scared since she had been through the same nightmare in the past.

[Wooden Plank]

Heather was very suitably scared in the beginning. Not so much later on, but why should she be? After so much of anything, you do start to adjust to it.

Whereas Harry and James expressed mild surprise upon their first monster encounters and nothing really even resembling fear. :/

Harry fell flat on his ass when he met the first real monster. I think that counts for being afraid of something.

[Purramid_Head]

Heather was very suitably scared in the beginning. Not so much later on, but why should she be? After so much of anything, you do start to adjust to it.

Whereas Harry and James expressed mild surprise upon their first monster encounters and nothing really even resembling fear. :/

Harry fell flat on his ass when he met the first real monster. I think that counts for being afraid of something.

I think he was more concerned about his daughter, which is why he showed little emotion.

[astro]

It's possible that the games are designed with the idea in mind that generally things like fear and disgust should be something the player is expected to experience naturally for themselves, and they don't need to do much more than implement surprise or shock to the reactions of their protagonists. For example, there's never any intention to mention how disgusting the toilet-fishing is in Silent Hill 2, and in Silent Hill 3 it's only shown to be disgusting with a sense of self-aware post-irony.

Haven't really thought about this in the scope of each game individually, just something that crossed my mind.

[NarooN]

Heather was very suitably scared in the beginning. Not so much later on, but why should she be? After so much of anything, you do start to adjust to it.

Whereas Harry and James expressed mild surprise upon their first monster encounters and nothing really even resembling fear. :/

Harry literally fell on his ass like one poster said earlier when he saw one of the first creatures. He's a grown man and he was only going through all of that to get his daughter back, which is why he didn't waste time cowering in fear all the time. And like his daughter many years later, he probably became numbed to the experience after a while anyway.

[Augophthalmoses]

Heather was very suitably scared in the beginning. Not so much later on, but why should she be? After so much of anything, you do start to adjust to it.

Whereas Harry and James expressed mild surprise upon their first monster encounters and nothing really even resembling fear. :/

Harry fell flat on his ass when he met the first real monster. I think that counts for being afraid of something.

I think he was more concerned about his daughter, which is why he showed little emotion.

It's more of case of the times back in the PSX/N64 era and technical limitations. Obviously the amount of facial expressions you could show in gameplay was limited back then and voice acting didn't exactly have the high bar of standard that it does now in the current industry.

[Doddledandy]

I enjoy playing Heather, sure. I like that she isn't a typical female protagonist with huge breasts and tight clothes. She's attractive, but she's not overdone; she's looks more like a real person rather than a fantasized version of a heroine. She displays a spunky attitude and though she is disturbed by the events that she experiences, she rises above it and fights her way through. She's strong, yet feminine, which is a good balance. I only wish more video games featured more females like Heather instead of painting them to be perfect goddesses with huge breasts.

[Mr.E.Nygma]

It's been a LONG time since I've played 3 so sorry if I made any mistakes. D:

[Purramid_Head]

I enjoy playing Heather, sure. I like that she isn't a typical female protagonist with huge breasts and tight clothes. She's attractive, but she's not overdone; she's looks more like a real person rather than a fantasized version of a heroine. She displays a spunky attitude and though she is disturbed by the events that she experiences, she rises above it and fights her way through. She's strong, yet feminine, which is a good balance. I only wish more video games featured more females like Heather instead of painting them to be perfect goddesses with huge breasts.

Yes, it's refreshing to see a female in a game who is more like real females than a male fantasy. The male fantasy ideal is kind of childish I think.

[astro]

There are a lot of ridiculous juvenile female roles in games, but I've never felt there are so many that they're the norm instead of just bad personally, that's why I don't really care for Heather. Also, exhibiting the opposite of a bad trait doesn't necessarily make a good trait, not that Heather really has this issue, except with her jarring spunky lines.

[Purramid_Head]

I don't see Heather having many bad traits, except being reckless and not thinking things through all the time. Ala chasing after Claudia.

[NarooN]

Yeah, the only thing wrong with her personality is her impulsiveness, she kinda jumps at things too quickly without thinking sometimes. But that's yet another thing that makes her feel real.

[Andromeda]

Yeah, the only thing wrong with her personality is her impulsiveness, she kinda jumps at things too quickly without thinking sometimes. But that's yet another thing that makes her feel real.

That and she is a headstrong 17-year-old and often teenagers act before they think. She's mature in some ways and less in others.

I really related to Heather in a lot of ways. I was 18 when I played the game so our ages weren't far off and I connected with her strong relationship towards her father. Playing through the game just made it even more evident that she was a young adult trying to figure out who she was and I think a lot of young people have similar situations at that stage.

[Adam_WF]

I'm smitten with Heather. For me she's one of the most memorable video game characters I've ever played as, and my favorite SH protagonist. I love how emotional and moody she is, especially compared to Harry and James. She's very believable and identifiable.

[schlaufuchsMIKE]

Yes, it's refreshing to see a female in a game who is more like real females than a male fantasy. The male fantasy ideal is kind of childish I think.

Honestly, her realism makes her more attractive than idealized visions of women tend to be. She's still one of the best female video game characters, I think.

[devil hunter]

For once there was an assertive, strong female, who wasn't a sex object, and was treated for who she was; a human being.

I know this is off topic but I think this is what we got with Anne in Downpour too.

[gustavopi]

Heather doesn't fit the cookie cutter image of a female:

-She is not submissive
-She is not weak
-She believes herself to be more than a "mother" or in this case a "Mother of God"
-She is not defined, and refuses to be defined as someone who is just there to reproduce, which is how women were viewed and how marriage was formed for centuries in multiple cultures where women had little to no rights.
-She isn't a sex object and doesn't try to be
-She acts more like a normal female than more than half the video game female characters out there
-She takes charge of her own life
-She is autonomous (Self-reliant) and independent.
-She fights her fears to stop the horror (She has commented this in the game a few times that she is afraid, she doesn't say it outloud, however.)
-She places more value on herself than what the Order sees her "role" as
-She doesn't wait for help, she does it herself.
-She doesn't need a man to help her
-She doesn't view herself as inferior to a man and is not portrayed as inferior.

That's a lot of qualities! I don't think she is so perfect. She got a demon inside that give her special powers and push her ahead, is a typical case "the spell turn against the wizard". She is not an ordinary young girl not just because Harry Mason was a good dad but because her true self. Any 17 years old girl will surrender herself - that's real life.

When I start to play SH3, my first though was about some teenage hero from movies, but the Team has done a good work in this character. She is a young girl about to turn into adult person, sometimes act like a child but as the story goes on, she became adult enough to face difficult situations in an adult world. The question is if she will mature quickly enough to not fall into the bad ending. That's what I like about Heater!

In RE I like Ada, she is very female and sexy, and she knows that need Leon (for the job but also emotionally) but is not submissive. Women needs mans and vice versa, and it doesn't means a submissive relationship. A couple can be cooperative. Heater and Douglas also got a very interesting relationship, of another kind, course.