Hey all,
This is a sort of a secret shame for me, but I'm sure I'm not alone in this, so why the hell not.
I really enjoy the corny romances that permeate most Bioware games. Whether that's Nathyrra in the Hordes of the Underdark expansion to Neverwinter or the various romance options in Mass Effect, I like them all.
I'm curious, however, if I've missed any good ones. The Bioware games I've played to date are
Neverwinter Nights original campaign
Shadows of Undrentide
Hordes of the Underdark
Mass Effect 1
Mass Effect 2
Dragon Age 1
Dragon Age 2
I'm told NWN2 has romances, but I haven't tried the game yet. I think Baldur's Gate 2 might be a little outdated for me to enjoy playing but if the romances are enjoyable I might try to battle through it.
Posts
Yeah...I'm that bad.
Rigorous Scholarship
....why do the hell do I know so much about this?
played them both.
It took up a slot in the inventory.
This where Jade Empire sort of shines. OK, yes, you do have to talk to people after each mission in every hub, but you can totally pick the 'be an asshole' prompts. All you have to do is convince your intended that your Closed Fist viewpoint is the right way to do things. This even carries over into the endgame where, if you start committing all kinds of atrocities, your beloved doesn't turn on you because they now agree with what you're doing. Which neatly mingles "romance" with character development.
Heck, in KOTOR I'm not even sure that being the asshole would stop you from getting laid. Jade Empire wasn't too bad though. ME1 was horrible for that though. The Bioware guys really need to allow for a 'just friends' conversation path.
ME2 still has Shepard trying to jump into Jacob's pants at the slightest provocation.
This pretty much sums up Mass Effect.
What? Really? I...really?
Never rolled with FemShep. ME2 did a horrible job with Tali though. They gave you a trusted teammate and good buddy from the first game, and when you treated her as such she gets all 'lets risk my life by gettin nekkid'. ME1 had Liara, where the conversation choices were 'sorry about your mom' and 'your mom was evil and it's genetic'.
A big peeve of mine is these JRPG heroes who act like douchebags while chicks throw their vaginas at them. Its why Zidane is my favorite JRPG protagonist. Stocke of Radiant Historia is another one.
I don't mind ME1 & 2's romance options, I actually think they suit Commander "who has time for romance/friendship, I'm just here to fuck" Shepard. But as a romantic, DA's options are more pleasant for me.
Also the friendships in DA:O seemed to me to evolve in a more natural way.
That was a really good gift you gave.
I still prefer it, since it leaves the pace in control of the player.
This. Morrigan will fall in love with you mere hours after meeting her.
Yeah, any character depth that might have come out of a romance is made impossible when you can jump right to the finish line like that. Felt extremely video gamey.
Merrill was also about the most normal person you could romance in DA2. Which is saying something considering her massive social issues and generally broken psyche.
Then again
I mean, I liked those characters, but they were all pretty broken people.
Although they did make "Nice shoes, lets fuck." a workable strategy. So that counts. For something.
That's The Witcher. Which I still need to finish.
In that game, a lady offered me ass if I went out to find a flower for her.
Jade Empire had pretty ok romances, but I always just feel worse for doing romances in video games and so I don't have a lot of experience.
From what I remember, it's fine. I played it years ago.
This makes me curious as to what the solution would be. Either the romance can't progress until X map location is reached and "completed" which feels false, or the pace is in the hands of the player, meaning you can 'win' the romance instantly which also feels false. Is there a third option?
Please be ironic, please be ironic