“Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix - ‘These Two Ladies Put the Ass in Assassin’”
EGM, February 2001 (#139)
There were two big recurring themes in video games at the turn of the millennium: Resident Evil-style-survival-horror, and Lara-Croft-style-bombshell-heroines. Eidos took notice late in the game and introduced the anime-inspired ‘Fear Effect’ series, a cheesy horror action-adventure that adopted RE’s then-trademark fixed-camera, and close-quarters combat. The series stars the beautiful Triad assassin, Hana Tsu-Vachel, and its prequel, advertised here, introduced us to Rain Qin–her partner and love interest for the game. Many ‘90s kids may remember how much Eidos exploited this relationship for the game’s steamy magazine ads, (this one of three) all of which wore its sex appeal on its sleeve and used the two’s bisexuality as a selling point. (In the previous game, Hana had a male partner-lover.) While there are plenty of risque jokes and scenes, (some of which are so random that I jokingly call this game ‘Lesbian Spies in Trouble’.) the game wasn't some thinly veiled sexploitation, though that appears to be its legacy: a shame, since the game still retains an impressive cel-shaded art style and I think deserves a respectable franchise reboot.
