When we were doing the planning for this issue, I discovered that not only would this be the 10th anniversary of our Leading Ladies cover story, but it would also be the 10th anniversary of my first contribution to Nintendo Force! (I wrote about the PAX East Pokémon League, which is still going strong, in the Community section.) In the past decade, I’ve covered the Pokémon World Championships, traveled to conventions to demo all sorts of interesting titles, guested on all sorts of fun podcasts and met a whole bunch of fans, both at events and online. I also got out of my comfort zone and dealt with my mental health a lot more — acts that take a lot of courage, which is a quality that any leading lady has in spades!
A lot has happened in both the world and the world of gaming since then — we’ve witnessed the fall of the Wii U and the meteoric rise of the Nintendo Switch, we’ve seen amazing new IPs and the sad endings to development studios and gaming publications, and we’ve experienced earth-shattering, once-in-a-lifetime events that have had ripple effects on not only the industry, but our daily lives. It also feels like every time a little progress is made, it gets dragged back down by the loudest voices with the deepest pockets and shallowest souls. It’s times like these when courage is needed — the courage to be our authentic selves, to stand up to bullies, to do what’s right and to live our lives to the fullest.
Our main leading lady of this issue is Princess Zelda, who is finally getting to be the star of her own adventure! (We do not talk about the CD-i games — unless you’re Nadia Oxford, and you’re on a retrospective panel.) It’s been a long time coming, and we’re taking a look back at her many incarnations over the decades, as both damsel in distress and mighty warrior royalty. We’ve also got a brand-new look at gameplay for Metroid Prime 4, for those who prefer their leading ladies to use technology instead of magic.
We’ve also revisited our Leading Ladies list by looking at some new characters who have either made their debut in the past decade or stepped back into the spotlight in a big way — just look at Mayor Pauline! They come from all walks of life, but the one thing they all have in common is courage.
Finally, we’re following up with Skullgirls artist Mariel Cartwright to talk about how her world has changed over the last 10 years, as she’s now Creative Lead for WayForward’s upcoming remake of the 16-bit horror classic Clock Tower.
Before I sound too much like the Cowardly Lion in MGM’s The Wizard of Oz, I’ll close off with a challenge to all you readers: Show your courage! Do one thing today that scares you!
