Chloe Frazer

Chloe Frazer
Uncharted character

First game Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009)
Created by Amy Hennig
Voiced by Claudia Black
Motion capture Claudia Black

Chloe Frazer is a fictional character in the Uncharted series introduced in the 2009 video game Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Frazer was designed to provide a darker counterpart to series' protagonist Nathan Drake and to highlight these facets of his personality. She is voiced by Claudia Black, who did the motion capture work for the character as well. Chloe is a strong character who aggressively looks out for her own interests.

In the game, she acts as part of team of thieves who are hired by a benefactor to help find the location of Marco Polo's lost fleet, and through that the location of the lost city of Shambhala and the Cintamani stone. When Drake is betrayed and imprisoned, she helps bribe his way out and infiltrates the organization of the war criminal Lazarevic, helping Drake stop his plot for immortality.

Reception to Frazer has been focused on her independence and sensuality. Other reviewers have called her a unique and fun character. Black compared the character to movie adventurer Indiana Jones. Character designer Justin Richmond stated that Frazer was one of his favorite characters to create.

Character design

Frazer was designed to play off of the personality of Nathan Drake, the main protagonist of the Uncharted series. Through interaction, she brings out particular facets of Drake's personality.[1] Amy Hennig, series writer, wanted Frazer to act as a foil to Drake, essentially acting as a darker version of the main character. She also contrasts to Elena Fisher, who acts as the "good girl" of Uncharted.[2]

Claudia Black voiced Frazer. For the series, motion capture actors acted as if performing in a movie. Motion capture was done on a soundstage, and the dialog recorded during this process was used in the game.[3] The chemistry and interactions between Black and Nolan North, voice actor for Drake, had a hand in determining Frazer's personality.[4] Black compared the process to a combination of stage, movie, and voice acting.[4]

Chloe is an impulsive and reckless adventurer.[5] She is witty, devious, and fun-seeking.[1] Frazer is also a very sexually forward character; when she and Drake have a love scene, she acts as the aggressor.[1] At first, she appears only to look out for her own interests, caring little for anything but her goal.[1]

Frazer was used heavily in promotion for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, to showcase the fact that new characters were central to the story. She was displayed so heavily that at first some thought that Fisher, the female protagonist of the first game, would not be in the second.[5]

Appearances

Near the beginning of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Frazer and business associate Harry Flynn convince Drake to help with a museum robbery. They have been hired by a wealthy benefactor to steal a piece of ancient Chinese pottery, which Kublai Khan had given to Marco Polo. Inside this ceramic lamp is a map and blue resin which reveal the location of Marco Polo's lost fleet. Unbeknownst to Flynn, Chloe and Drake had a previous relationship in the past, and resume their romance behind Flynn's back. Without Frazer's knowledge, Flynn betrays Drake, who ends up in a Turkish jail where he stays for three months.[6] Chloe eventually engineers Drake's release, along with his associate Victor Sullivan. Chloe then begins traveling with Flynn, and war criminal Zoran Lazarevic. She discovers that they are after the fabled city of Shambhala and the Cintamani stone, seeking immortality.[3] She acts as a double agent within Lazarevic's criminal organization, and seemingly betrays Drake to keep her "cover". She meets up with Drake in Nepal to assist in searching for the location of Shambhala before Flynn can find it. Later, Drake attempts to rescue her from a train controlled by Lazarevic, but she refuses to go with him, due to him bringing Elena and Jeff earlier. She appears later in the game in a monastery in the Himalayas, where she follows Drake and Lazarevic into the entrance of Shambhala, and assists in taking down Lazarevic's army, while Drake stops the leader himself. At the end of the game, seeing that Drake cares for Elena Fisher, she leaves the two in the mountains.

Chloe returns in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, working with Nate, Sully and new character Charlie Cutter to infiltrate the inner circle of Katherine Marlowe, who possesses the clues about the details of Sir Francis Drake's voyage to Arabia. They discover that the final clues lie in Crusader crypts in France and Syria, and Nate sends Chloe and Cutter to Syria to uncover it. During the search, Marlowe's men ambush them and a gunfight and chase ensues. Though they manage to escape alive, Cutter breaks his leg, and Chloe subsequently backs out of the adventure to get Cutter medical aid.

Reception

Most critics have received Chloe Frazer positively, focusing on her strength and sexuality; they often cite her as an exceptional example of an independent female video game character. Tom Cross of Gamasutra called Chloe a strong woman, and compared her to Elika from Prince of Persia.[1] He further called her a "first" in video games – a heterosexual female who badgers the male protagonist and displays competency and guile: "Chloe Frazer stands head and shoulders above all video game characters, but compared to most women in games, she is truly unique." He also characterizes her as one of "the most fun, interesting, inoffensive characters in video games."[1] Cross also cited her as a character who accurately reflects the nature of human sexual desire and frustration.[1] GamesRadar named Chloe "Miss 2009" of the "Sexiest New Characters of the Decade", calling her exotic and flirtatious.[7] Entertainment Weekly's Darren Franich listed her as one of "15 Kick-Ass Women in Videogames", describing her as "tough, funny, and prone to backstabbing."[8]

Claudia Black commented that Chloe was fun to portray, and is essentially "Indiana Jones with nice hair".[4] Uncharted 2: Among Thieves game designer Justin Richmond called Frazer his favorite character.[2] Black was nominated at the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards under the category "Best Voice" for her work as Chloe.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Cross, Tom (4 January 2010). "Analysis: The Sexual Politics Of Uncharted 2". Gamasutra. United Business Media. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  2. 1 2 Purchese, Robert (16 October 2009). "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Interview". Eurogamer. Eurogamer Network. pp. 1–3. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  3. 1 2 Casamassina, Matt (19 November 2009). "Editorial: How Uncharted 2 Can Fix Gaming". IGN. News Corporation. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 Gaudiosi, John (6 October 2009). "Uncharted 2 Interview with Claudia Black". GameDaily. AOL. Archived from the original on 9 October 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  5. 1 2 "First Look: 'Uncharted 2: Among Thieves'". G4. G4 Media. 3 February 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  6. ↑ Smith, Michael (4 December 2009). "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves PS3 review". Adrenaline Vault. NewWorld. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  7. ↑ "MISS 2009: Chloe Frazer". GamesRadar. Future plc. 30 December 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  8. ↑ Darren Franich (5 March 2013). "15 Kick-Ass Women in Videogames". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  9. ↑ Quillen, Dustin (18 November 2009). "Halo: Reach to Premiere at VGAs, Nominees Revealed". 1UP.com. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
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