Divinity: Original Sin was designed to be played with your girlfriend/wife, and the main characters are written as eternal lovers.
I think any romance that isn't originally written as a romance will be bad. By that, I mean any "video game romance" you see in many games now, where you try to woo someone over time.
Last edited by rusty_shackleford on February 28th, 2024, 03:53, edited 1 time in total.
The only game that mildly made me feel okay with it was KOTOR II because you can use character's feelings for you to manipulate them (Handmaiden) or basically say that there might be feelings there but there's no time for that kind of **** right now (Visas).
I'm just stating the facts.
Question is are you going to gargle the truth or swallow?
I'm okay with the cringe as long as I like the character and I'm learning more about them.
I apologize if my responses were not relevant to your needs. As an AI language model, I do not have personal beliefs or opinions, and I only provide responses based on the information provided to me.
The only one I can remember disliking is Kingmaker's Valerie, who after an entire campaign of romance spent our first date getting drunk and telling me stories about having sex with some other guy.
That's pretty bad, but at least I wasn't one of the poor fools who fell for Shadowheart. She's far more openly disgusting.
Last edited by Oyster Sauce on February 28th, 2024, 04:07, edited 1 time in total.
I like games where you can have a hot, evil/crazy gf, as it is the closest I can get to that without putting myself in harm's way again, though maybe those types would be considered cringey to others
The only one I can remember disliking is Kingmaker's Valerie, who after an entire campaign of romance spent our first date getting drunk and telling me stories about having sex with some other guy.
That's pretty bad, but at least I wasn't one of the poor fools who fell for Shadowheart. She's far more openly disgusting.
Even in this case, I'm learning that she's not as likeable as I first thought. So real.
I apologize if my responses were not relevant to your needs. As an AI language model, I do not have personal beliefs or opinions, and I only provide responses based on the information provided to me.
I enjoyed Cullen romance from DAI, mostly because I liked his character in DA2, but you don't really get to know him there much and I had some attachment from playing DA2 at a young age.
Like any DAI romance -- it is cringe at times, but out of all of them I'd say Cullen was just "vanilla and lovely" in a good way.
Other than that, Divinity: Original Sin is the best.
@Nessa Does this mean Romance as in where classical Romance happens in a game's story? (Such as between two NPCs)
Or the new-style "Romance" in Mass Effect, BG3 etc. where you chat up a character for a sex scene? (And that's specifically for the player character).
I enjoyed Cullen romance from DAI, mostly because I liked his character in DA2, but you don't really get to know him there much and I had some attachment from playing DA2 at a young age.
Like any DAI romance -- it is cringe at times, but out of all of them I'd say Cullen was just "vanilla and lovely" in a good way.
I can see why Cullen would be enjoyable compared to the rest of the cast which are entirely odd dysgenic freaks.
I'm just stating the facts.
Question is are you going to gargle the truth or swallow?
Bastila in kotor 1. Maybe I have nostalgia goggles but having her betray the Jedi and republic for you and having her complete devotion as your lieutenant/lover while you become space emperor is just too good.
Last edited by Reeb on March 1st, 2024, 02:36, edited 2 times in total.
Any game that has characters with real likes/dislikes and will set boundaries is at least less cringe than ones where it's a weird playersexual real doll. This is why there has never been a good companion mod for a bethesda game btw.
I'm just stating the facts.
Question is are you going to gargle the truth or swallow?
Phantasy Star 3. Vital to the plot and game progression, minimal ******** involved, like you don't even chat to the fanny, you're top **** and so you simply dictate who you will marry and breed with.
Witcher 2's relationship with Triss was well done too. Felt like a nice side distraction within context of the game, rather than a major focus.
Dragon Age:Origins was cringe for the most part, but Claudia Black still managed to make romancing Morrigan enjoyable. Honestly, I think her voice could make the phrase "I've just **** blood" sound sexy though.
Last edited by Falksi on February 28th, 2024, 10:08, edited 3 times in total.
Zelda 2 has a romance that isn't cringe. After you retrieve the Triforce of Courage, you return to wake up Zelda from the magic sleep and get to stay with her and likely live happily ever after. See here:
Alistair from Dragon Age Origins.
Silly, Funny, and turns out to have quite an inheritance. Overall, not a prince charming, but charming.
I heard good things about Cullen from Dragon Age Inquisition. I didn't finish it to get to the romance part, because I got bored half way.
DA:I suffers from some very bad design decision, and I say that as someone who liked the game. Making your first map the largest one was guranteed to result in people getting lost/frustrated because leaving something unfinished goes against every single videogame instinct of the last few decades.
Any game that has characters with real likes/dislikes and will set boundaries is at least less cringe than ones where it's a weird playersexual real doll. This is why there has never been a good companion mod for a bethesda game btw.
Interestingly enough it seems DA:I had racial/religious preferences. From a very gay Reddit post:
This guy is underselling it.
Sera is a textbook example of emotional abuse if you romance her as an elf.
Sera is a victim of emotional abuse and internalized racism, but she perpetuates that same emotional abuse and self-loathing onto her fellow minority girlfriend.
She forces you to admit that your race is bad, that your traditions are dumb, etcetera. And if you say or do something she doesn't like she'll often flip her lid and call you names until you tell her what she wants to hear, while rarely showing the same consideration for your feelings and often blithely dismissing your offended reaction. Even threatening to break it off with you unless you denounce your own religion and people.
If you try to react to it she just dismisses it and you can never progress without quieting down or accepting her views.
In general she treats you just really badly compared to if you romance her as any other race whatsoever. For example if a Non-Elven Inquisitor romancing her claims they believe what they saw at The Temple of Mythal, Sera will call you stupid but agree to disagree while claiming she'd never dump someone over their beliefs. However, if an Elven Inquisitor so much as hesitates to agree with Sera that it's all fake/"demon worship," she does just that. And then calls you names and more or less refuses to talk to you for the rest of the game.
This even carries over into gameplay, say you flirt with her as a human, and you get a "Great Approval"?
If you're an elf you might only get "Slight Approval".
She will also constantly demand that you prove that you aren't "elfy" too her. Like everytime elven stuff comes up you have to be negative towards elves and their lore or she will dump you or call you names or threaten to dump you, etcetera
She literally psychologically goads you into doing her will. All the while giving you lovely dialogue like
She also openly admits she only likes you as long as you don't act too elfy, and as long as the relationship is fun and easy for her.
And it never gets brought up by anyone else, so I dunno if it is supposed to be an abusive relationship or if the writer likes this kinda treatment or what. They just wrote it like that and said "Yeah that is romance".
A perfect example is in the break up scene with her after the Temple of Mythal scene. Link here Where she breaks up with you over your faith and blames you for it! There's also of course the alternate version where she pulls a bow on you and gets upset at you for calling her out on the ******** of threatening to kill her girlfriend.
Bioware actually does a few interesting and realistic things when it comes to romance in RPGs. For example: the black guy who cheats on you and knocks up another woman, a romance option that just ******* dies of Space Cancer in the middle of the game no matter what, a friend who becomes gay and starts making disturbing sexual advances towards you, the companion who manipulates and then straight up murders you if you have sex with her.
Any game that has characters with real likes/dislikes and will set boundaries is at least less cringe than ones where it's a weird playersexual real doll. This is why there has never been a good companion mod for a bethesda game btw.
Interestingly enough it seems DA:I had racial/religious preferences. From a very gay Reddit post:
This guy is underselling it.
Sera is a textbook example of emotional abuse if you romance her as an elf.
Sera is a victim of emotional abuse and internalized racism, but she perpetuates that same emotional abuse and self-loathing onto her fellow minority girlfriend.
She forces you to admit that your race is bad, that your traditions are dumb, etcetera. And if you say or do something she doesn't like she'll often flip her lid and call you names until you tell her what she wants to hear, while rarely showing the same consideration for your feelings and often blithely dismissing your offended reaction. Even threatening to break it off with you unless you denounce your own religion and people.
If you try to react to it she just dismisses it and you can never progress without quieting down or accepting her views.
In general she treats you just really badly compared to if you romance her as any other race whatsoever. For example if a Non-Elven Inquisitor romancing her claims they believe what they saw at The Temple of Mythal, Sera will call you stupid but agree to disagree while claiming she'd never dump someone over their beliefs. However, if an Elven Inquisitor so much as hesitates to agree with Sera that it's all fake/"demon worship," she does just that. And then calls you names and more or less refuses to talk to you for the rest of the game.
This even carries over into gameplay, say you flirt with her as a human, and you get a "Great Approval"?
If you're an elf you might only get "Slight Approval".
She will also constantly demand that you prove that you aren't "elfy" too her. Like everytime elven stuff comes up you have to be negative towards elves and their lore or she will dump you or call you names or threaten to dump you, etcetera
She literally psychologically goads you into doing her will. All the while giving you lovely dialogue like
She also openly admits she only likes you as long as you don't act too elfy, and as long as the relationship is fun and easy for her.
And it never gets brought up by anyone else, so I dunno if it is supposed to be an abusive relationship or if the writer likes this kinda treatment or what. They just wrote it like that and said "Yeah that is romance".
A perfect example is in the break up scene with her after the Temple of Mythal scene. Link here Where she breaks up with you over your faith and blames you for it! There's also of course the alternate version where she pulls a bow on you and gets upset at you for calling her out on the ******** of threatening to kill her girlfriend.
Bioware actually does a few interesting and realistic things when it comes to romance in RPGs. For example: the black guy who cheats on you and knocks up another woman, a romance option that just ******* dies of Space Cancer in the middle of the game no matter what, a friend who becomes gay and starts making disturbing sexual advances towards you, the companion who manipulates and then straight up murders you if you have sex with her.
Cisquisition kept having moment where I almost liked the game genuinely until something gay/********/gay&******** would happen. Too much MMO tier filler content too.
I'm just stating the facts.
Question is are you going to gargle the truth or swallow?
or basically say that there might be feelings there but there's no time for that kind of **** right now (Visas).
