best romance in a video game?

I can't think of many good examples but I got surprisingly invested in Gears' Dom and Maria.

@Oddy4000 said:

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 :(

Wow that's a good one. I totally remembered those endings too.

Ah,Lunar 2....

Dennis Dyack and himself.

Video game romances are teeeeeeeeeeeeerrible. All of them.

Ok I'm heavily exaggerating, but even in games I like for their story and character, romance just falls flat. Absolutely nothing pops into my head at the mention of good gaming romance.

Fuck it, Catherine. That's the best I can do. At least those relationships are kiiiind of realistic, though not really.

Also, if VNs count, I nominate Saya no Uta for most fucked up romance.

@Yummylee said:

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:

Team Chloe!

EDIT:

My vote goes to Raiden and Liu Kang.

Braid :)

I'm gonna get dogpiled for this one, but I do like the three-way dance between Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa, particularly when you factor in that Cloud's memories and feelings are heavily tainted by another person's. All right, proceed with the rotten tomatoes.

I'm also really fond of Nathan Drake's relationships with the two women in his life. Uncharted 2 was terrific in that regard, and his continued troubles with Elena in the third were a highlight of that game. Max and Mona in Max Payne 2 were all right, too.

And as a playboy, I enjoyed most of Ezio's shenanigans with the various women of his life. I liked the quiet, easy courting that came with age in Revelations. That was a nice touch.

I nominate Charlie/Yosuke

My exiled Dwarf Commoner and Zevran was very touching. Both physically and emotionally. Both myself and my Dwarf started out that game as straight men but by the end of it the Dwarf learned how to love a man and I had to question a few things about myself. Man I wish I didn't lose that save game.

@Willin said:

Charlie and Chie.

This.

Also, Alyx Vance & Gordon Freeman.

Quite a few people have mentioned the romances from Baldur's Gate 2 and I'd echo that, particularly the ones involving Jaheira and Viconia (I could never stomach Aerie long enough to keep her around). As long as we're mentioning Infinity Engine games, though, I'd also add the romance between The Nameless One and Annah in Planescape. You're both freaks; she's a bitch and you're a walking wound in the planes, so it's kind of touching when her walls break down.

Some people said Ico but I'd question whether that's a romance or more of a friendship between children. You're given a sense of a strong emotional bond between them but it didn't feel to me like either was supposed to be in love with the other.

@Sparky_Buzzsaw said:

I'm gonna get dogpiled for this one, but I do like the three-way dance between Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa, particularly when you factor in that Cloud's memories and feelings are heavily tainted by another person's. All right, proceed with the rotten tomatoes.

Actually I always though that was pretty good, certainly better than anything in FFX at least. There's a nice element of awkwardness to the idea of hooking back up with a childhood sweetheart just as a new face enters to form a love triangle. The way the game didn't over-egg the romance stopped it from being completely infantile, and the way you could blow them all off and try to be ho-bro-sexual with Barret was a nice touch.

If it had ever gone to the logical conclusion, I'd say Dom and Marcus. Alas they never uttered the words, but we all know they felt it in their hearts.

Just came back cause i thought of another one.

Lufia, the first one.

/fei-fong-wong/94-2677/ and /elhaym-van-houten/94-2679/

Enslaved - Odyssey to the West

Monkey and Trip's story and them getting closer was touching. Too bad this great game was missed by so many....

Mario and Princess Peach

Wei Shen and all of his girlfriends. The lack of any actual romance says a lot about Wei.

I don't even think movies or novels, even good ones, do an accurate job at conveying actual relationships, so I don't know why some of you guys are being so harsh on the vidya romances.

That said, some of the most endearing relationships (romance, bromance, or otherwise) I've seen are Monkey and Trip, Drake and Elena, and Guybrush and Elaine (over the course of five games).

If we're talking pretty hokey stuff that we ship the hell out of regardless, I quite enjoyed Haken and Kaguya in Endless Frontier, Jak and Keira (goddammit Daxter), and Eddie and Ophelia, who could have been a pretty great example if there were a bit more to it.

To the Moon. It seems to be my answer to most gaming questions.

Ok, since it seems unfulfilled, un-reciprocated, nontraditional, or even romances with inanimate objects are being brought up :

Shadow of the Colossus - Wander and Mono (although we don't actually see them interact at all, it's pretty much implied they had something special considering all the shit he went through and trouble he naively caused to spare her life)

Starcraft 1/2 - Jim Raynor and Kerrigan

Zelda: Twilight Princess - Link and Midna

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door - Paper Princess Peach and TEC

Hotel Dusk - Kyle Hyde and Rachel and/or Mila (or Bradley if that's your thing)

Portal - Ratman and Companion Cube

Personally, I found Peach and TEC to be simultaneously creepy and charming and, therefore, highly entertaining.

Max Payne and Mona Sax.

@WhiteForestParkRangr said:

Shadow of the Colossus - Wander and Mono (although we don't actually see them interact at all, it's pretty much implied they had something special considering all the shit he went through and trouble he naively caused to spare her life)

I always thought that Mono was Wander's sister.

I'd go with 999. The Junpei/Akane stuff brews for the whole game, then they turn it on it's head in the true ending.

@BoG: @MarkWahlberg I had successfully managed to forget about that until now. Truly, the Romeo/Juliet of our generation.

(also always makes me think of this)

I'm going to have to throw my lot in with Elena and Drake as well. It just seems genuine.

@D_Bones said:

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.

I'm a guy in rl, but I played as a chick and fell in love with Alistair.

To the moon, final fantasy 8, and the latest prince of Persia with Elica(sp?). Listened to a spoiler cast about it and that help make it one of my favorite games of this generation.