Probably not even the worst thing about the game

I don't do PC games. Even though I have a machine that's technically capable of running PC games, rebooting is tedious and boring. I also haven't gotten swept up in the whole "Left Behind" phenomenon. So it's a given that I'm not going to play Left Behind: Eternal Forces.

Without getting too much into the premise of the game (convert or kill the heathens) I'd like to focus a relatively minor, though telling, detail of the game. The player's avatar is a male character. I prefer games that give the player a choice of genders at the beginning of the the game, but can respect that the narrative nature of some games dictate the gender of the protagonist. In Eternal Forces, the hero is able to recruit follower to join him in his quest. A follower can help fight, build fortifications, work as a medic, as an entertainer or recruit other followers to join the side of the righteous. That is, unless the follower is a woman. In that unfortunate case, the only roles available are in the medical and musician fields. So player who want to base a post-apocalyptic Y: The Last Man scenario will be unable to complete the game.

Luckily, judging by the review, not many other people will be playing this game either. GameSpot gave the game a 3.4 (out of ten) The IGN review mentions "mild traces of sexism" but PC Gamer tells it like it is: "This is the very definition of bigotry, or more specifically: misogyny."

Gender in videogaming has always reflected the flawed social structures of the American (and Japanese) developer's cultures. For every Samus Aran (a capable professional who happens to be female) there's a thousand Xtreme Beach Volleyball games.