Throughout Women's Month, we'll be counting down the top five female protagonists and antagonists in video games. This isn't going to be your usual babe list though, because we're not going to be counting down based on looks. What we're looking for has more to do with how cool the character is, what she can do and, most important, her franchise power. Of course, any kind of countdown list like this will be biased in some way or another, so if you feel that our top five isn't good enough, let us know. In fact, send us your top five so we can see just what you think. Here's today's pick.

Jill as she appears in the GameCube remake

#5 – Jill Valentine

First Appearance: Resident Evil (Playstation)

Other playable appearances:

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (multiple platforms)
Resident Evil (GameCube remake)
Resident Evil: Deadly Silence (Nintendo DS)
Marvel vs. Capcom 2

Movies: Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Jill originally started out as a member of the Alpha Team of the Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) in Resident Evil. Her quick reflexes and knowledge of ballistics gave her a particular advantage when in the field, plus she could easily pick her way through a lock or two. She was the only female member of S.T.A.R.S., and one of very few lead female characters in the Resident Evil franchise in all, but she had no trouble proving her mettle.

In Resident Evil, the Alpha Team is sent to Raccoon City to find the missing Bravo Team and continue their unfinished investigation into the reports of murders and cannibalism plaguing the citizens of the city. After finding the Bravo Team's downed helicopter, the Alpha Team is suddenly attacked by a pack of vicious dogs. Forced to flee to a nearby mansion, Jill and the remaining members of the Alpha Team become stranded, having no choice but to barricade themselves in. Trapped, they split up in search of ways out of the mansion and for any clues that will help them explain the murders. At that point in the game, the players have an option of which Alpha Team member they would like to use, either Jill or Chris Redfield. The gameplay differs depending on the choice made, however the story stays essentially the same.

Jill as she appears in Resident Evil 3

The mansion was hardly abandoned. Jill and the rest of the survivors would find themselves face to face with some of the most gruesome zombies imaginable, fighting for their lives. Along the way, they found secrets, hidden documents and data, scattered throughout the halls of the mansion, detailing strange experiments that had taken place on the property under the supervision of the scientists of the Umbrella Corporation, including the creation of the T-Virus, a biological agent that mutates organisms into bio-organic weapons (B.O.W.). The team find their way to the Umbrella Corporation's secret underground laboratory, where they find the remaining evidence and the Tyrant T-002 – a giant monster created through prolonged exposure to the T-Virus. After nearly being killed by the Tyrant, the remaining members of the team (this can change depending on the game was played) were rescued by a helicopter and the story was over.

Jill would later appear as the sole protagonist in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, which takes place one month after the story of Resident Evil. The game follows her attempt to

Sienna Guillory as Jill for Resident Evil: Apocalypse

escape from the now zombie-infested Raccoon City. She is no longer a member of S.T.A.R.S., but that is meaningless to the Umbrella Corporation, which sends its newest B.O.W. to hunt down and eliminate the remaining members from the Alpha Team, due to their knowledge of the mansion incident. She would eventually escape from Raccoon City, just before its destruction – The President of the United States ordered a nuclear missile to be dropped on the city.

Jill Valentine has also had some small success on the silver screen, appearing in the second Resident Evil movie, Resident Evil: Apocalypse. She may also be appearing in the third Resident Evil movie, Resident Evil: Extinction, which is set to premier later this year.

We'll be rounding out the rest of the top 5 female protagonists and antagonists in video games throughout the rest of Women's Month, so stay tuned.