Jill Valentine - Reception

Reception

Jill Valentine has been received very positively as the Resident Evil series' main female protagonist and remains one of its most recognisable characters. In 2002, Jill was described by Duluth News Tribune as the "best super heroine this side of Lara Croft". In 2003, GameSpy ranked her as the seventh top "babe in games", adding that "even those of us who weren't big fans of the games" will remember Jill. GameDaily ranked her as their tenth most favorite Capcom characters of all time and used her as an example for the archetype "smart and sexy heroine". In the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition of 2011, Jill was voted the 43rd most popular video game character of all time.

Jill has been often regarded as one of most attractive female characters in video games by various publications. As such, she was included on the lists of nine "sexiest babes of action games" by The Times of India and of gaming's finest brunettes by GameDaily. UGO included Jill on the lists of top 11 "videogame heroine hotties" in 2007 (at third place) and among top 50 "videogame hotties" in 2011, noting her to be a core character of the Resident Evil series and citing her high popularity. In 2008, News.com.au named her as the number one sexiest video game character of all time, noting her popularity with both male and female gamers for different reasons. That same year, she was also featured on the lists of top "video game game vixens" by Spike TV (ranked at number nine) and top "game babes" Virgin Media (ranked at number seven). In 2010, Videogamer.com included Jill on the list of top video game crushes, stating that "she sure as hell picked the lock to our heart." In the 2011 GameZone poll that asked "who would you rather?", Jill was pitted against Lara and won. To celebrate Valentine's Day 2011, Complex posted an article "Happy V-Day" with a gallery of her "hottest pics". That same year, K. Thor Jensen of UGO featured her on an all-media list of the 50 "imaginary women that really need to be brought to life by science somehow", also including her in their list of the 99 "hottest" fictional women of 2012. In 2012, Larry Hester of Complex ranked her as 43rd "hottest" woman in video games, adding that she "pulls it off with her badass army chick steez."

In 2005, Bonnie Ruberg of The Escapist called her "a classic example" of horror game female characters who fill the role of the heroine, as "she's tightly clothed, but not outrageously so, and she can shoot herself a mean zombie." In 2007, Jill was listed by Tom's Hardware among the 50 greatest female characters in video game history, describing her as "a true survivor and an elite fighting machine, not to mention a drop-dead gorgeous brunette." GameDaily listed Jill among the ten "babes who should meet your mom", where she was described as both noble and confident even as having a questionable fashion sense, as well as the "chicks who will kick your ass" (along with Ada, Claire and Sheva). According to GamesRadar's Brett Elston, Jill has "emerged as perhaps the most sensible design of the period, being both tough and sexy without shedding her clothes at the first sign of trouble." In 2009, Elston listed her among the 11 heroines that "embody the best of videogame girls", also confessing that Jill was his first game crush for "her normal name, normal build and normal demeanor, trapped in the most abnormal of situations." In the 2011 "battle of the beauties" feature, Complex pitted Jill against Claire Redfield in the category "zombie killer", choosing her over Claire. In 2012, Nathan Misa of MMGN ranked her as the fifth top "hottest and modest" female protagonists in gaming, adding, "a hot zombie-killing machine, Jill was destined to be every male fanboy's dream. Except she accomplished her attractiveness and appeal in a very different way to typical female protagonists at the time," as in the original game she was "portrayed realistically and appropriately" by being "dressed like an actual police officer," and "the choice of playing as her isn't mired in stereotypes, and she has several logical advantages and disadvantages to Chris, none of which were based on her gender." That same year, Adam Dodd of Cheat Code Central chose this "sultry S.T.A.R.S. member" among "many capable women in the Resident Evil series" for the list of top ten "badass" women of video games, commentting: "Jill is a fan favorite for a reason, as she's an intimidating mix of brains and beauty, and it certainly helps that she knows her way around a gun."

On the other hand, GamesRadar in 2008 placed her among the top 20 supposedly overlooked "game babes", stating that "her affinity for adolescent head gear gives her a Blossom vibe that the world has long since rejected for its lack of sex appeal," with Stephen Pierce calling her "like a big dirty solider but with slightly longer hair, no dick and a set of tits." GamesRadar also featured Jill from the 2002 remake game in the series about "powers that game characters forgot they had" for not being to able to shoot while moving in-game. Regarding her controversial Resident Evil 3 outfit, Jill was included among five worst-dressed video game characters for this "'slutty cop' Halloween costume" by 1UP.com in 2008, while GamesRadar in 2010 ridiculed it as "douche bag's girlfriend" but has also called it "simple yet iconic look" with "nothing wrong here" in another article which was making fun of the original PlayStation graphics by showing the differences between her character render and the in-game model. In 2009, IGN's Jesse Schedeen named her as one of the characters in all media "who deserve better" due to her treatment in the films and lack of appearances since Resident Evil 3 until a small role in Resident Evil 5, her roles being "stolen" by Alice and Sheva.