Please note that this page is only here for archiving purposes. The original article originally resided at TomsGames.Com, and was written by Rob Wright on February 20th, 2007. I do not claim any rights on this page. Save for some additional images and scripted additions, no modifications on the original text has been made.
Mona Sax is the femme fatale love interest of Max Payne in the popular action game series. She's a deadly assassin who also happens to be the twin sister of mobster wife Lisa Punchinello. Mona takes a liking to Payne, but also finds herself at odds with the vengeful, tortured hero. After she's apparently killed in Max Payne, she makes a return in the sequel as a playable character. A stone-cold killer who's incredibly tempting but not entirely trustworthy, Mona Sax is the perfect female accomplice to Max Payne.
Pros: She's as proficient a killer as any female game character, and she knows how to take a bullet or two and keep on going.
Cons: She's highly deceptive and murderous fugitive.
Should be Played By: Charlize Theron, who can do wonders with dark hair and dark characters.
There have been memorable villains in video game history, but none quite like SHODAN (Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network), the malicious artificial intelligence running the space station Citadel in the sci-fi horror title System Shock and its popular sequel. SHODAN goes insane after a certain hacker (the player) removes the program's ethical constraints. You don't see much of her, but she's everywhere, mocking you with her chilling, distorted voice. In System Shock 2, she really gets inside your head - so to speak.
Pros: Brilliant and powerful, SHODAN is a perfect, immortal machine
Cons: She's clearly insane and the deadliest A.I. villain since HAL-9000 in "2001: A Space Odyssey."
Should be Played By: the original voice of SHODAN, Terri Barous, who's also the former keyboardist and vocalist of the Boston rock band Tribe.
Another A.I. character, but this time a benevolent force, Cortana is a SMART program constructed from the flash-cloned brain of Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, who created the super soldier Spartan-II project. She becomes an indispensable ally and close confidant of the Master Chief during Halo and Halo 2, and throughout the games she evolves into a more powerful and human-like being. Although she has no physical form, she's as fearless and dedicated as any Spartan soldier.
Pros: She can control battleships and infiltrate pretty much any security system with the blink of an eye.
Cons: She's entirely virtual and only has a life span of about seven years, plus she may be in the early stages of rampancy.
Should be Played By: Jennifer Love Hewitt, who's got a sweet voice and would look fantastic as a purple-coloured hologram.
