We were sitting around shooting things on the office Xbox last week when someone wondered if ugly female characters ever make it into video games. They do, of course. Many of them have killed me. But even the hideous monsters tend to show eye-grabbing cleavage. Video games are nothing if not realistic.

Most female video game characters are slammin’. So why think about the ugs when we can ponder the hotties? There are so many more, and they’re so much more fun to look at. Mancave Daily’s team of experts put in hours of research to narrow down the list. Zippy even devised a 10-point rating scale. Eventually we got the list down to 5 finalists.

So without further delay, here are our 5 favorite video game girls, in no particular order:

Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider series

Lara Croft is an archeologist seeking ancient treasures in distant lands, while wearing skimpy clothing. Who knew archeology could be so interesting? She kills dangerous creatures, solves puzzles, collects artifacts… and looks sexy doing it. And she was played by Angelina Jolie in the movie version, basically guaranteeing her spot on this list.

Sophitia Alexandra from the Soul series

Sophitia Alexandra shows up in the Soul series of video games. This fantasy character’s concept and design revolve around her weaponry—a sword and shield. We don’t know exactly how her giant breasts fit into the equation. Maybe they’re meant to distract her adversaries. They sure distract us. Whatever the reason, we don’t mind watching her swing that sword.

Morrigan Aensland from the Darkstalkers series

Morrigan Aensland is a sexy succubus from the Darkstalkers fighting games, and appears in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. Of course, “succubus” is the only word that really matters here. This beautiful winged creature lives for battle. Her wings turn into spikes and blades when facing an enemy. We’re not sure what her breasts turn into. But we’ll continue to stare anxiously, in case something happens.

Samus Aran from the Metroid series

The excitement of playing dress up is that you eventually get to see what’s underneath. Samus Aran is one of the heroines from the Metroid video games. This ex-marine bounty hunter wasn’t initially shown to be female. Boy, were we surprised—and pleased—when the high-tech armor came off. She’s the strong, silent, heavily armed type. And that makes her even sexier.

Nariko from Heavenly Sword

Nariko is a fiery red-headed warrior, the main character in Heavenly Sword. There is some question in the game whether she is born on earth or sent from heaven. Judging by the picture, we’re going with goddess. She’s charged with protecting the sword noted in the title, while resisting its curse. You’ll have to play the game to find out what happens. With her onscreen, it won’t be time wasted.

Honorable Mentions:

The Cheerleader from Tecmo Bowl: Guys had fantasies even before video game graphics improved.

Prince Daphne from Dragon’s Lair: She was my first true video game love. And a guy never forgets his first.

For more about games, check out Mancave Daily’s Games section.