best romance in a video game?

yo what do you think is the best romantic subplot in a video game? The first thing that comes to mind is Binary Domain's subplot between Faye and Dan, because it felt real in a way a lot of others don't.

I can't think of any game with an actually good and honest romantic subplot, but I think Jade Empire handled romance the best of any RPG I've played, with things culminating in a blockbuster fashion without getting creepy.

However, Schell and the Companion Cube will forever be gaming's best romance.

Ilo Milo

I rather enjoyed the romance between the warden and Leliana in Dragon Age: Origins

i also enjoyed Tali romance in ME2-3.

Sara and Garland. Garland...that guy, he sees what he wants and just takes it. He doesn't always drink beer...

I really oughta play Binary Domain again, just so I can remind myself of the specifics of how incredibly stupid its story gets nearing the end. Something to do with how certain character motivations were contradictory or something. And also how certain characters were utterly pointless in the grand scheme, like Rachel, Shinto (?) and that cop guy.

Anywhoo here's my pick:

I rather enjoyed the romance between the warden and Leliana in Dragon Age: Origins

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

especially when I sacrificed myself to end the blight and she was weeping at my memorial. very touching. although the awkward sex scene is not to be overlooked. Creepy

i also enjoyed Tali romance in ME2-3.

@The_Laughing_Man said:

Great name for a band.....dot com.

@Yummylee: which character?

@Video_Game_King: that made me lol. god damn who designed the undies in that game? they look like soiled diapers.

some people might be too young. but baldurs gate 2, hands down. Jaheira and Viconia's romance plots are some of the most touching in gaming that I can think of.

@Yummylee: I'm playing through Binary Domain right now. I just got into the robot company's HQ. Super looking forward to watching it all fall apart!

As for romances, I can generally do without them. I liked John and Abigail Marston in RDR, but that was because they already had an established romantic history so the game didn't feel the need to flaunt it. The vast majority of games with romance--especially Binary Domain--veer hard into the same cloying, overbearing territory occupied by blockbuster action films.

Makes me wonder what's harder--to portray characters falling in love or characters being in love.

@Animasta: Was Faye the one who

@Yummylee said:

@Animasta: Was Faye the one who

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

turns out to be a child born from robot/human procreation? And the one who basically decides to try kill everyone but then works alongside you at the end? As I said it's been a long while, and I think I've even talked about this with you in the past. But as of now there's a lot I can't remember besides how moronic the story gets nearing the end. I always wanted to make a thread discussing the end but went against that idea because... laziness, most likely.

yes but that's only because they were going to have to kill her eventually (because hybrids are bad); and she works alongside them at the end because she wanted to save Dan after he saved her previously.

Razor Callahan and the BMW M3

Lee and Clementine. Er, wait... no... oh god...

Lydia and I shared a love that will never be reproduced. Mario and the princess came close.

To the Moon had a hell of a romance, and Tales of Monkey Island really caught me off guard with a surprisingly engaging love triangle thing.

@rentfn said:

Lydia and I shared a love that will never be reproduced. Mario and the princess came close.

i am SWORN to CARRY your BURDENS...

For me the most romantic videogame relationship is Juno eclipse and starkiller from the force unleased. (Spoiler) The way the banter and flirt for the whole game up until the last level when starkiller finally decides to do what's right, kisses her, and falls to the planets surface to face his inevitable death is a modern day romeo and Juliet to me. I even refuse to play the second game because it ruins the romance of the first.

I'm not sure I've ever really felt that a romance in a game has ever been good. They've only really been passable. But I might be the wrong person to ask because I'm not really the sentimental type.

Lunar 2: Eternal Blue for the Sega CD. Hiro and Lucia. Their growing relationship was the touchstone of the entire plot, and while the game's "ending" separates the lovers to different planets, the player can play a hidden epilogue where Hiro gathers the party again and undergoes a new adventure to be reunited with her. He abandons everyone on the planet to live alone with the woman he loves. Working Designs handled the port, which is why the quality of the characters really translated and resonated. God damn, I miss Working Designs porting games :(

Barret and Cloud

Max Payne 2 was pretty good, in a cliche femme-fatale-in-detective-story kind of way. And Lone Survivor had some interesting romantic elements to it.
For a shitty example, Deus Ex: Human Revolution. They set up this past relationship between Adam and Megan, and finding out what happened to Megan is like his single motivation throughout the game, but the matter is given a completely terrible resolution that just raises more questions that go unanswered. That game's plot resolved in like the least satisfying way possible.

@Red: I thought the romances in Jade Empire were TERRIBLE. Especially Dawnstar.

Anyway, I'll second Drake and Elena. A lot of romances in games are just bleh, but I actually enjoyed them. The very end of UC2 is too good.

To the Moon. Easily.

@YI_Orange: I dunno, I haven't played through Jade Empire for a few years, so maybe the actual dialogue was awful, but I remember its timing fitting pretty well, and it didn't have a creepy awkward sex scene or an "implied kiss".

But I did forget about Uncharted, so that is my answer.

Valkyrie Profile. The relationship between Lenneth and Lucian is what makes that game for me.

Gonna have to agree with To the Moon.

Though Garrus and Tali was pretty good too...

For a completely serious answer this time around (though Nate & Sully do make for quite the enchanting bromance), Jackie and Jenny from both The Darkness games was rather touching.

In Baldur's Gate 2's I found the romance side stories with Aerie and Viconia very compelling. The conversations are long and complex, the decisions are hard at times, the characters have deep back stories that play into the romance and NO AWKWARD SEX SCENES. (Dragon Age reference) Though it's only text, those romances were well played out and believable. The main character cheats death to be with them, fights gods and other powerful beings and then has to choose: Love or *Spoiler removed because everyone should play Baldur's gate 2 and already know the answer or go play it and find out*

(I dont't know how to do the spoiler hider thing...)

Lumines.

@Yummylee said:

For a completely serious answer this time around (though Nate & Sully do make for quite the enchanting bromance), Jackie and Jenny from both The Darkness games was rather touching.

I lost my shit a few times during The Darkness II.

Against all odds, I also want to bring up Deadly Premonition? I can't tell if that romance was actually well developed, or if I was just really bummed about the tragic fates of the characters involved.

Ico, entire game is about the romance between the boy and girl and it worked pretty damn well.

Bro-mance? Having just (literally) beat Binary Domain, Big Bo and Dan are pretty fantastic together. I'll also throw in Journey, playing the entire campaign with someone is awesome and unlike anything I've ever played with another person whom I've never met.

Psychonauts. Raz & Lili. NO CONTEST.

@Napalm said:

@Yummylee said:

For a completely serious answer this time around (though Nate & Sully do make for quite the enchanting bromance), Jackie and Jenny from both The Darkness games was rather touching.

I lost my shit a few times during The Darkness II.

Jackie and Jenny are the only reason i want to play a Darkness 3, so I'll go with them.

I really liked running around the ancient catacombs with Lucy in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood... then I fuckin' stabbed her.

Squall and Rinoa. People love to hate on it, but I love this story and these characters.

The Prince & Elika develops from romance at its best to romance at its absolute worst. I was very, very impressed by that game.

I legitimately liked the romance sub-plot in Uncharted 2, one of the few compelling ones out there.

The Prince & Elika develops from romance at its best to romance at its absolute worst. I was very, very impressed by that game.

Zidane and Garnet.

Anyone who says otherwise is a liar.

Unless they say "To the Moon" then they're also correct.

Shinji and FeMC in Persona 3 Portable

And To The Moon, of course. Gorgeous.

@BisonHero said:

@Jimbo

The Prince & Elika develops from romance at its best to romance at its absolute worst. I was very, very impressed by that game.

I keep hearing people reference that one. Really that good? I remember liking the Prince and Farah in Sands of Time, and her memory (or lack thereof) of their time together made for an interesting framing device for the whole story.

Best videogame romance, accept no substitutes.

Nier and Kaine, I'd say. I also liked Viconia and Jaheria in BG2.

@BisonHero said:

For a shitty example, Deus Ex: Human Revolution. They set up this past relationship between Adam and Megan, and finding out what happened to Megan is like his single motivation throughout the game, but the matter is given a completely terrible resolution that just raises more questions that go unanswered. That game's plot resolved in like the least satisfying way possible.

I don't know. To me it all made sense, considering that the big reveal was that Megan didn't actually love Jensen, only needed his DNA and turned out to be a major B who arranged most of the plot just to jump ship. It's not really a love story, it's just a motivator.

@Jimbo said:

The Prince & Elika develops from romance at its best to romance at its absolute worst. I was very, very impressed by that game.

Yep. Prince of Persia was the first game I thought of when I saw this thread.

I will nominate To the moon, Max Payne/Mona Sax and Brad Shoemaker/Starcarft