This might be a copout, but I’m going to list a few different ones because I can’t pick just one.
My first instinct was Faith from Mirror’s Edge, but she doesn’t have enough of a personality. I appreciate her because she’s the perfect female protagonist. She’s not overtly sexual, she doesn’t wear skimpy outfits, she doesn’t have huge tits, she’s not fighting for the attention of a man and she doesn’t need a man to help her out in a pinch (except her operator, though he’s not physically helping her). She’s designed so well as a female character. DICE should be proud its team made her so unique in a world of DD, thong-wearing, midriff-showing, laughable women in games.
Most of the time when women are in games, it’s obvious that men designed them to be the kinds of women that men want them to be. In Mirror’s Edge, Faith doesn’t fall into that trap. I don’t know if a team of men, women or both designed her but kudos to them for balancing her so well.
Another candidate is Agent 47 from the Hitman series. He’s a clone so, technically, he’s not a real person, but he’s such a badass he can’t go unnoticed. He’s a man of a few words (voiced brilliantly by David Bateson, who 47 was originally modeled after) and he’s there to get the job done. Although slim, he handles himself well in any physical altercation and he he knows how to keep it clean, quiet and efficient.
My third choice is Alan Wake.
Naw! Just kidding. ^_^
I was tempted to list Shepard from the Mass Effect series but you mold him or her into your own specific character so he or she doesn’t always have a set personality. As much as I love that, I won’t award it.
I also like Heather Mason from Silent Hill 3 because she is thrust into the most morbid of situations and she just deals with it, sarcastic attitude intact.
