133 réponses à ce sujet

[Beeno4Life]

Yes. Yes they are.

[Gabey5]

yes

[Oldbones2]

A LI/romance character adds depth and create greater immersion. For instance; when I played KoTOR and I romanced Bastilla

Spoilers Spoilers Spoilers Spoilers Spoilers Very, very old spoilers.



Then Malak abducted her, I felt like I had to get her back. Most of the time when I play a game the only emotions I feel are frustration, satisfaction and occasionally laughter. Bioware lets you run a whole range of emotions like happiness, panic and sadness.

In short it creates a better, more enjoyable experience to have LI's in a game.

[Subject One]

Not sure about this one. I like ME characters. A lot. And is fun to flirt with some of them. But there are non-romance characters that are really memorable, like Wrex or Mordin. So I think sex/ romance its only a good bonus extra for the strong cast of characters.

[red dragon of baldur's]

Question: Anyone finished the Baldur's Gate romances? For people who say that the BioWare romances are 2-3 conversations should take a look at those. They require patience, just like a real romantic relationship and have some interesting character developments over the course of the game.

I strongly recommend downloading the two games, along with the Throne of Bhaal expansion, off of Good Old Games.com for people who want a lengthy romance to satisfy themselves, although BG 1 has no romances.

(And for people who say it is all about the sex, one of the BG2 romances ends with no sex, but instead a romantic snuggle together)

Modifié par red dragon of baldur's, 01 mars 2012 - 01:58 .

[dheer]

Depends on the game and character. In Mass Effect, yes.

[DifferentD17]

Of course, it's one of the only reasons to play it more than twice.

[Cmdr Pwn]

AndrewRogue wrote...

Yes, because honestly, without people I care about, the universe doesn't mean that much.

Yeah it's the most important thing to me in the games, I wish the developers would put more time into it.

[Dasher1010]

I like having a crew of people I can interact with and all have their own stories to tell.

[KainrycKarr]

 Yes. Characters and inter-personal relationships are critical to a good story for me, or it just becomes one of another billion shoot-em-up save the earth the invaders game.

Safe to say after reading the ending spoilers, this is now nothing more than another fancy space invaders to me.

[Zeenof]

In general? No, the romances aren't important to me. They are, however, important to the story I've spent years building up for my Shep. It adds to the story, and to the atmosphere of the games as a whole.

I've always felt that, in books, movies, games, having something as simple as a romance with someone adds to the reality of the setting. It's off putting to think that after EVERYTHING Shep and co. have been through together, that there wouldn't be some kind of romantic feelings floating around. Do the romances have to be there to make it good? No. But it adds to what's already there. Beyond that, I don't mean "romances" as in, "concludes with sex", kind of romance. There just needs to be some affection going around to make everyone seem more alive.

I've always felt like a hero, savior, a protagonist, what-have you, that just "is" going to save the universe just because the universe is important, feels fake-ish. I like characters having an emotional attachment to something larger than themselves, but actually tangible. Face it, it's difficult to imagine the sheer scope of the universe.

What Mordin says in his final dialogue pretty much sums it up for a character that I like most. He mentions contacting his "favorite nephew" so the fight feels more real to him, with proper perspective.

Edit: Grammar.

Modifié par Zeenof, 01 mars 2012 - 02:30 .

[Chromie]

No. Bioware with each new game they show just how much the romance takes priority over the story. It's ****ing stupid. In Dragon Age Origins some of the romances were tied to the story which was awesome. Alistair could become King and you his Queen or vice-versa with Anora. Morrigan could have an Old God baby.

Mass Effect 1 it was fine but in ME2 the story was bad imo and most of the new characters besides Legion weren't anywhere near as good as the ME1 crew. DA2 was just terrible all around.

[razgriz21]

Why not?

It's icing on the cake.

[NICKjnp]

They are important to me. I rather enjoyed Ashley's spiritual side in the first game and look forward to seeing it again in the third.

[Neria Rose]

Yes, the romances contribute to replay value for me.

[f1ndmenow]

Biowares love formula
ME+<3= good
ME2+<3=good improvement
ME3+<3= harsh and rather pointless in the end.....

[jbajcar]

I find love stories weaved into a grander story add a lot of depth and really improve the storytelling.

[MrAtomica]

Yep.

Any emotional attachment I create to a game that I play comes directly from the characters. The more I am driven to care about and develop my experience around said characters, the more involved I become. Mass Effect is easily one of my favorite series' for the very reason that it hosts some great characters.

This is why I am upset about the endings. I understand that many people do not feel, nor play this series, in the same way that I do. I respect that. I only wish that the wishes of both sides could have been respected in at least a token way. As things stand, there is little impetus to play this game more than once, purely to finish out my Shepard's story.

I often notice people who casually dismiss the character lovers as being nothing more than creepy or foolish. This kind of attitude, funnily enough, is also foolish. Bioware is Bioware because of the style of game's they create, a style which has a large focus on relationships between characters. This is more prominent in some releases than others, but the foundation is there.

Just my two cents. Don't spend it all at once, now.

[DJStarstryker]

someguy1231 wrote...

BSN has always had a disproportionate focus on romance. It seems whenever a new character is revealed, many posters here are only concerned about whether their Shepard will be able to f*** them. Personally, I find it all very sad and pathetic, especially because the "romances" in Bioware games have never been portrayed well. It basically all comes down to this:

1) Meet new character
2) Make some forced, flirtatious lines
3) Get cheesy, laughably bad "love scene"

That isn't "romance". It's more like a one-night stand with some stranger you meet in a bar or club. Frankly, it's starting to make me embarrassed to be an ME fan. I've heard several gamers derisively call ME "Space Waifu Simulator 3". While they're obviously incorrect, I can understand how they would have that impression. Plus, romances don't seem very appropriate for ME3, considering there's a galaxy-wide Reaper invasion underway.

If EA really wanted to monetize ME3, they should've removed romances from the core game and offered it as a DLC pack, instead of this whole nonsense with the Prothean. Then we'll see how many of the romance-obsessed fans are willing to put their money where their mouth is. Wait, that didn't come out right...

I've seen people joke about how Bioware needs to make a dating game and sometimes that feels true. In actual dating sims, you get to know the character, in a romantic situation, a lot better. You can take them on dates, give them gifts, and so on. It's closer to dating someone in real life. The romances in the ME series, or any Bioware series for that matter, are like what you said: nowhere close to how things really happen.

Anyway, for my opinion on this matter, they could completely remove the romances and it would not affect my enjoyment of the game. I'm a person who loves roleplaying too. I just feel like they happen too fast and it feels too fake. I go ahead and make my Shepard have LIs, because I am curious what happens. But it's a similar curiosity I feel every time I get the option to punch al-Jilani or when an ME2 interrupt pops up or some other conversation option that says something good pops up. I am not particularly attached to it.

[SnowHeart1]

 If you care about the characters, the people you're fighting with, if you find that to be an engrossing part of the story, then yes, you care.

If you don't care about the characters and prefer to focus on the "Save the Galaxy", myrmidon attitude, then no, I guess it wouldn't matter that much.

[Elegana]

To extend my previous post:
Compared to the other games that had romances, Mass Effect had some pretty good ones (and bad ones). In Mass Effect 1, bonding with Ash/Kai/Liara actually FELT real. You would talk to them after every main mission and the party can banter. The squad went through a lot during that game. I'm not surprised that with time in close quarters can cause relationships. Even our own military can show that. 
Mass Effect 2, however, wasn't what I really call "romantic". The only romance where it felt real was with Tali (and Liara with the Shadow Broker DLC) because Shepard and her knew each other beforehand. Garrus felt like a one-night stand, Thane was more like a pity-**** because of his dead wife, Jacob just wanted the "Prize", Miranda wanted some sex (seriously, look at her emails with the Shadow Broker DLC!) and Jack was an emotional wreck. Kelly? Typical Secretary. Oh, and if you romanced Ash or Kai, you end up with them battering you, them sending an apology letter, and Shepard looks at the photo on his/her desk, recalling the night before Ilos. I understand the Horizon thing; I would be upset too (but happy in the end). 

I just hope ME3 delivers in the romance department for everyone. Course, I feel bad for a few people with their choice of LIs...

My point is, having romance in the game is nice. It makes things a bit more realistic. 

[Aulis Vaara]

I would say yes, romances are rather important because it adds immersion.

What I did find a bit lacking though, was how we had to go about the romances. The dialogues all were very parallel and a bit unrealistic. The romances in DA:O were a bit better in this regard, because each one worked a little differently and thus represented the characters better. Less formula, more personality.

That said, many of the Mass Effect romances are more about finding comfort with whoever you have at hand because you need it, rather than because you've gotten to know them and have fallen in love. This doesn't go for them all though, and even for those where it does go, there is still room for improvement. For instance, I'd love to have a romance where barely a word is said, but the two characters just find comfort with each other. A touch on the shoulder here, a hug there, and suddenly they find themselves in bed together to work off the stress of their impossible quest.

The ability to play a more quiet protagonist by itself might even be very interesting. And I don't mean a mute protagonist, but rather one that doesn't say much.

[iSignIn]

Matter-of-factly: No.

Modifié par iSignIn, 01 mars 2012 - 03:43 .

[Balmung31]

Zeenof wrote...

What Mordin says in his final dialogue pretty much sums it up for a character that I like most. He mentions contacting his "favorite nephew" so the fight feels more real to him, with proper perspective.

I've been thinking about that moment as well.  Simply saving the galaxy for faceless people you'll never meet is incredibly unsatisfying.  It can be a reason, sure, but without something more than that it becomes more a robotic response of "It's what HAS to be done", rather than a heart-felt personal one. 

I believe one reason for the divide about romances is, quite simply, each person's individual experiences in life.  For example, someone who has a decent family or people they are close with and trust in real life may not really care so much about romances in games, since they have something in real life to go to.  Others, however, may not.  In fact they may have some pretty tragic experiences in their life, and don't have anyone to tell about it or help them sort it out. 

So for them they invest a lot more in games like Mass Effect, because they see something they truly would like to have in their own lives.  Yes, it's fantasy, fiction, whatever.  But it's a damn good one, and a lot better than their personal lives might be. 

Just my 2 cents.

[tankarmarx]

Yes. I think it's great whether it's because of the romance or not when a character is able to open up and reveal another side provided it isn't overly cheesy.

If it feels like you just pressed the "ROMANCE ON" button and suddenly their character changes, then no, romances mean nothing to me in video games.

But when it actually expands on and develops a character, yes I care very much.

I can get pretty attached to some of the characters in games, especially Mass Effect, so when some games just kind of dead end a character when their arch of the story is over I get really disappointed. I'm glad that so far the ME series has given most of the characters a chance to evolve whether they were romance interests or not.