Our top 10 favourite women in mobile and handheld games

Have you played the new Tomb Raider, yet? You should - it's staggeringly brilliant. And it also got us thinking about the great female leads in video games.

It's fair to say that there's an abundance of scruffy-bearded, brown-haired macho men protagonists in games, and simply not enough women.

Fortunately, the mobile and handheld space has a good number of female leads to pick from. Here, we've compiled a list of our favourite chicks in Pocket Gamer-reviewed titles.

The comments section is your friend if you want to agree or disagree. Or tell us we're wrong and should go and get a proper career.

Samus Aran
From Metroid Fusion on Game Boy Advance

Samus is an obvious pick, of course, and a Nintendo steadfast who never fails to warm the cockles of our hearts.

Whether she's battling the Space Pirates, or taking on the scary-as-hell beast that is Ridley, there's always plenty to enjoy in a Metroid game.

Of course, there hasn't been a Metroid game on a Nintendo handheld since 2006. This needs rectifying. Now.

Aveline de Grandpré
From Assassin's Creed III: Liberation on PS Vita

Liberation is the first Assassin's Creed game to feature a woman in the lead role. Hopefully we can expect to see more of this sort of thing in future.

The move to handheld didn't sour the experience all that much either, with the same roof-jumping, pickpocketing and throat-silting action available throughout.

de Grandpré has her own special arsenal of weapons too, including a deadly blowpipe and a sugarcane machete.

Faith Connors
From Mirror's Edge on iOS

Faith isn't happy about how the government in her city has locked down the various forms of communication between residents.

That's why she chose to be a courier, passing information around by dashing over rooftops and dodging the police.

What we really need is more Faith, and we pray on a daily basis that developer DICE will resurrect the Mirror's Edge franchise.

Jill Valentine
From Resident Evil Revelations on Nintendo 3DS

Let's be honest, Jill Valentine is Resident Evil. She's been there from the very beginning, and every gamer knows exactly where that name comes from.

Both Jill's psyche and image have rapidly altered over the course of the last 15 or so years, and we've even seen her evil side come storming out at times.

In Revelations on 3DS, she's on a mission to find Resident Evil's other main protagonist Chris Redfield, and it all gets a little... wet.

The Alchemist
From Dungelot on iOS and Android

Dungelot comes with a variety of classes to pick from, and most of them are male. But the most difficult to unlock - the Alchemist - is both a woman, and absolutely kickass.

Not only does she have great poisoning abilities in this dungeon crawler, but she's also got her pet Robosaur to jump in and act as a human shield for her.

Essentially, you haven't properly played Dungelot until you've given the Alchemist a whirl.

Grace and Savannah
From Tokyo Crash Mobs on Nintendo 3DS

Grace and Savannah want to "make it big" in Japan. The problem is that obstacles keep getting in their way. Just the usual hurdles - scenesters, flower displays, ninjas, UFO abductions. That sort of thing.

Fortunately our two wacky heroines are really good at picking people up and lobbing them at other people, slowly but surely clearing a path to success.

Tokyo Crash Mobs is crazy enough as it is, but the short videos that its two female protagonists feature in throughout play really ramp up the silly to great heights.

Mi Sprocket
From Knytt Underground on Nintendo 3DS

Earth has been abandoned by humans following war on a massive scale, and now the planet is inhabited by various sprites and fairies, including the mysterious Mi Sprocket.

What makes Mi's quest so endearing is how quirky the little sprite is. You only get to read the other half of her conversations - her words aren't published - but you can tell from other character responses that she has a few screws loose.

This "silent but silly" aura surrounding the character gives Knytt Underground a real edge that we'd otherwise be missing.

Kat
From Gravity Rush on PS Vita

Gravity Rush's leading lady Kat is wonderfully bizarre and out-there, and her captivating nature sweeps throughout play.

Of course, Kat isn't her real name. She's lost her memory and has no idea who she is, why she has these twisted gravity powers, or what her purpose is.

It's safe to assume, however, that Kat was once a person of great power and influence - and perhaps we'll see more of that in a sequel.

Patricia Wagon
From Mighty Switch Force on Nintendo 3DS

Patricia is a "cybernetic officer" who spends her time bringing in escaped convicts - hence the play on words in her name. You know, paddy wagon! Geddit?

Apart from her trusty pistol, she also has the ability to flip blocks in and out of existence, so she can create platforms to stand on. You know, like you do.

She's not finished with her business either, as Mighty Switch Force 2 is on the way soon.

Nicole Collard
From Broken Sword: Director's Cut on iOS and Android

Oh Jorge! French photo journalist Nicole Collard - or Nico, as she likes to be known - has been there from the start of the Broken Sword saga to keep hero George Stobbart in check.

It's a rather good thing that George met her too, as there's no way he'd still be alive otherwise. Nico has her head screwed on straight, and has solved many a situation that left George scratching his head.

With the upcoming Broken Sword: The Serpent's Curse, we're hoping to see even more of Nico's backstory, and a much larger role for her alongside George.