69 réponses à ce sujet

[akkaze]

I agree with people saying a well-written romance is part of a well-written story. Well ok, romance doesn't have to be part of every good story obviously, but it is part of human experience and some of the best/deepest writing comes from trying to nut out what makes "love" what it is.



I sound intolerably sappy don't I.



I don't know, I love the romances (yes and the friendships too) in bioware games. And yes they are fun to gossip about. I can't help myself what can I say.



More seriously - the scenes about the main character bonding (figuratively I mean this time) with teammates are part of what make games like Mass Effect more than an Unreal Tournament game, ie. the roleplaying part. I think they are very important to the story and the genre, and the Bioware ones are generally pretty well-written. Me like. Lots. Wheeeee.

[Willowhugger]

Romancing just adds a few brief minutes of dialogue--- it does not flesh out the character any further.

What game have you been playing? The Ashley romance is all about her being uncomfortable with the thought of romancing her superior officer, dealing with her jealousy of Liara, talking about how she wants to take it slow (with her sister's story about a near-rape experience being a bombshell dropped on you), and how she finally accepts her feelings for you. The Liara one is just as complex in its own way.

[Hathur]

EDIT: ech nevermind.. I'm propagating the issue now... lost focus from my initial post.

Point is... romance = 5% or less of game.... = massive portion of forum discussion = peculiar.

Modifié par Hathur, 18 janvier 2010 - 05:35 .

[MEUTRIERE]

Hathur wrote...

I've been playing Bioware RPGs since Baldur's Gate 1... and many other types of RPGs before and since that game.

...

But romances? Ugh.  It's just kinda creeps me out to see that this is something that so many people in forums obsess about in ME2... seriously.. read some of those posts... it's insane to the point of being sad.

You know what creeps me out?  That you sit in your house pretending to be someone else in a world that doesn't exist.  And then, when you aren't playing the game (or, even perhaps while playing!) you go on the computer and talk about your imaginary world.

[IccaRa]

JakePT wrote...

I have to say though, BioWare is just as guilty as everyone else. The whole reason Thane and the drell exist is to let players bone a male alien. How about developing a race and character so they fit in the universe and story instead of making a virtual sex doll, hm?

Nah. Don't get carried away. Thane's character foundation was already outlined, it was just a matter of tweaking aesthetics and implementing a design that could also translate to an entire species. It was a branching process with multiple factors pitching in -- we need this character, we need this archetype, but we need it to work for this too, and when we have a structure set we need to be able to pull something from it to give some visual cohesiveness when applied in a wider sense. Not quite like the asari, who were literally built from the ground up as a fanservice race and had to be explained away afterward. (Not that I dislike them for that -- I'm happy we're getting some strong, individual asari characters this time around. Expanding on potential is always good.)

Seriously though, some people like romances and some don't. Others just don't care for them. The thing is that BioWare gives us a choice and I think most players appreciate that.

Seeing as it's one of the few areas of the game that is still left dangling, people are going to talk about it. Best you can do is ignore it I suppose.

Modifié par IccaRa, 18 janvier 2010 - 05:45 .

[Hathur]

MEUTRIERE wrote...


You know what creeps me out?  That you sit in your house pretending to be someone else in a world that doesn't exist.  And then, when you aren't playing the game (or, even perhaps while playing!) you go on the computer and talk about your imaginary world.

And how is that any more creepy than people who obsess fanatically over romances in the game? It's just beviourally very odd for something that is often shallow and plays such an extremely small role in the game.

I'm not annoyed by romance being in game... I'm just befuddled at the obesession the people in these forums have about the romances.

Perhaps I'm just emotionally content in life whereas many are not and thus seek it in their games? Though frankly, a romance novel can achieve the same effect far better than romance in a game can.. just put yourself in the character's shoes in the book.

[IccaRa]

Hathur wrote...

EDIT: ech nevermind.. I'm propagating the issue now... lost focus from my initial post.

Point is... romance = 5% or less of game.... = massive portion of forum discussion = peculiar.

I think the tittilation factor is a big part of it. More people find it easier to emotionally invest in a romance than, say, a debate on the application of heatsinks. You get a lot of discussion on both sides but romance is something the average person can understand and has no doubt at one time experienced -- the innards of futuristic weaponry, not so much.

But hey, once the game comes out people will be arguing endlessly over whatever Rachni/Virmire/Council-related decisions ME2 tosses at us so I'm enjoying this lull while I can.

[Naltair]

Not long now really then the romance threads will relax with the game in the wilds.

[Dr_Maggot]

JakePT wrote...

The romances should be a natural extension of how your character develops their relationship with other characters, not a goal or a tick on the box, which is how people are treating them when they say "Why can't I have a relationship with an ME2 character without cheating on my ME1 love interest?". Why did you romance them in the first place if you didn't want your character to develop a proper relationship with them!? Because all you wanted to do is bed the blue alien chick, way to miss the point.

I would speculate that for most people, the reasoning for the bolded question is - "Oh I guess I can't romance Garrus/Tali/Udina/The Thorian.... that's disappointing. Better give up on it and check out the other interesting characters out of curiosity."

To quote Family Guy: "I had such a crush on her. Until I met you Lois Liara. You're my silver medal."

If people knew (while playing ME1) that their LI would be available in ME2, I would wager that they would not have gone through with a different LI. Part of all of this problem is that it's less than TWO WEEKS until the game is out, and we still don't have confirmation on LIs.

Solution: If your LI is new to ME2 (or you even SUSPECT that they will be) and you don't want to cheat, don't complain - just do a new playthrough.

[marshalleck]

Hathur wrote...

I'm not annoyed by romance being in game... I'm just befuddled at the obesession the people in these forums have about the romances.

So it's basically that you can't believe other people have opinions and interests that differ from your own?

[MEUTRIERE]

Hathur wrote...

And how is that any more creepy than people who obsess fanatically over romances in the game? It's just beviourally very odd for something that is often shallow and plays such an extremely small role in the game.

I... was making a point.  Or, trying to.  [smilie]../../../images/forum/emoticons/sad.png[/smilie]  I don't think roleplaying is creepy at all, considering I do it as well.
Since love is such an important element of human life, it would only make sense that it would translate to games the same.  To many, the romance is one of the more important things that really makes this game stand out from the rest.  Thus, they talk.

Hathur wrote...

Perhaps I'm just emotionally content in life whereas many are not and thus seek it in their games?

That was a shot at us hopeless romantics... I know it. 

Hathur wrote...

Though frankly, a romance novel can achieve the same effect far better than romance in a game can.. just put yourself in the character's shoes in the book.

I disagree.  One can't make their own choices in a romance novel.  Mass Effect delivers that service with a visual attachment.

[izmirtheastarach]

JakePT wrote...

I also hate the term 'Romance options', it treats that aspect of the game as gameplay, as opposed to the story, which is where I strongly think they belong.

The romances should be a natural extension of how your character develops their relationship with other characters, not a goal or a tick on the box, which is how people are treating them when they say "Why can't I have a relationship with an ME2 character without cheating on my ME1 love interest?". Why did you romance them in the first place if you didn't want your character to develop a proper relationship with them!? Because all you wanted to do is bed the blue alien chick, way to miss the point.

All people want to know is who they have the OPTION of romancing. I don't think anyone disagrees with what you are saying here. That's why we use that tearm, instead of sex option. The romances in ME1 were tightly woven into the story, and I hope they are in ME2 as well.

Many people are preparing playthroughs with no romance, so they don't have to cheat. Myself, I have no problem with it, because it fits with the story. In both cases, the encounters take place on the way to what may well be a suidicde mission, and my PC is finding comfort in the arms of someone close to him.

[Naltair]

It's wish fulfillment.



Plain and simple and there is nothing wrong with it.



I think taking the boards as an honest cross section of the fans is a fallacy since most fans don;t come here and we represent a small subsection of the fanbase.

[Hathur]

marshalleck wrote...

Hathur wrote...

I'm not annoyed by romance being in game... I'm just befuddled at the obesession the people in these forums have about the romances.

So it's basically that you can't believe other people have opinions and interests that differ from your own?

And where did I say this? Show where I said or even insinuated "you should have my opinion or you're wrong!"

I was expressing my opinion on how I felt it was odd that so many people are obsessed about in-game romances.

So now sir I shall do what you just did to me...... "You're telling me I can't make a post expressing my opinion or observations on what I see in the forums?! How dare you!"

(See? I can insinuate and make stuff up too... just like you did)

[Darth Sithari]

Do I think it's perfectly legimate for people to wonder about these things? Yes.

Do I think romances in games enrich the story and atmosphere? Yes.

Do I care about the carryover to ME2 of the love interests from ME1? Yes.

Do I think there have been WAY too many ridiculous and annoying posts about it? Sweet JEBUS yes!

[MEUTRIERE]

Hathur wrote...

"You're telling me I can't make a post expressing my opinion or observations on what I see in the forums?! How dare you!"

Nope. 

[Naltair]

Darth Sithari wrote...

Do I think it's perfectly legimate for people to wonder about these things? Yes.

Do I think romances in games enrich the story and atmosphere? Yes.

Do I care about the carryover to ME2 of the love interests from ME1? Yes.

Do I think there have been WAY too many ridiculous and annoying posts about it? Sweet JEBUS yes!

I want to subscribe to your newsletter.

[izmirtheastarach]

Using the word obsessed is a little uncalled for, still. You are aware that most of us have lives, right? Just because we spend some of our day talking to other fans about a particular aspect of the game does not merit the word obsession.

[marshalleck]

Hathur wrote...

marshalleck wrote...

Hathur wrote...

I'm not annoyed by romance being in game... I'm just befuddled at the obesession the people in these forums have about the romances.

So it's basically that you can't believe other people have opinions and interests that differ from your own?

And where did I say this? Show where I said or even insinuated "you should have my opinion or you're wrong!"

I was expressing my opinion on how I felt it was odd that so many people are obsessed about in-game romances.

So now sir I shall do what you just did to me...... "You're telling me I can't make a post expressing my opinion or observations on what I see in the forums?! How dare you!"

(See? I can insinuate and make stuff up too... just like you did)

That's not at all what I said. The answer to this thread begins and ends with "because people have different interests."

That's really all there is to it. Some people are interested in romances. There's nothing else to discuss that hasn't been discussed at length--so people fall back on what interests them, and which is still inconclusive.

[CraigxGibson]

Hathur wrote...


Yet when you look at these forums (and the old ME2 forum).... nearly 1/2 or more of discussion are about romances in game.

I think this could be that thing called irony.

[DJStarstryker]

Personally, I don't care one way or the other if romances are there. Then again, I "grew up" on JRPGs (as far as RPGs go anyway) and in those games there's either no romance or there isn't - either way, it's not something you get to choose. It's something you're forced into.

I'll take advantage of the option to pursue a romance if it's there, but if it's not, it doesn't matter to me.

[MarginalBeast]

Hathur wrote...

MEUTRIERE wrote...


You know what creeps me out?  That you sit in your house pretending to be someone else in a world that doesn't exist.  And then, when you aren't playing the game (or, even perhaps while playing!) you go on the computer and talk about your imaginary world.

And how is that any more creepy than people who obsess fanatically over romances in the game? It's just beviourally very odd for something that is often shallow and plays such an extremely small role in the game.

I'm not annoyed by romance being in game... I'm just befuddled at the obesession the people in these forums have about the romances.

Perhaps I'm just emotionally content in life whereas many are not and thus seek it in their games? Though frankly, a romance novel can achieve the same effect far better than romance in a game can.. just put yourself in the character's shoes in the book.

Way to make assumptions. Many people here are happily married or with a significant other and yet the romance options (YES I CALLED THEM ROMANCE OPTIONS SUE ME) are still important to them. Romancing characters in RPGs may be ultimately trivial, but it's fun. At least for many of us it is. If you don't find that much enjoyment in it, then fine. Good for you. We're still going to talk about it as much as we want.

I disagree about romance novels. If you're reading a book and the romance between two characters is unenjoyable, there isn't anything you can do about it. In an RPG, you have multiple choices of who you think your character fits best with. That's another thing--in a romance novel, you're reading about a character, but not your character. There's obviously a big difference. It's hard to simply put yourself in the protagonist's shoes if the two of you have nothing in common.

I'm really not sure what you want. You said that romances don't bother you, so do you just want us to justify our "obsession" with them to you? Why should we bother? Not much will change.

Also, who says that friendships are more valuable with your party members than romances? Maybe to YOU they are, but the same can't be said for everyone, so don't act like we're strange because we enjoy character relationships differently than you do. Alistair is my favorite character in DA:O and part of that is because romancing him was very heart-warming and added a lot to my experience of the game.

I'm sorry you find us odd. Frankly you'll just have to deal with it.

[Mummolus]

I'm just befuddled at the obesession the people in these forums have about the romances.

Everybody wants to be Captain Kirk.

[Gilsa]

Hey, I want my token Steve Trevor with a big dumb grin on his face WHEN I EMERGE VICTORIOUS. (***Crowd goes wild!***) I only took Kaidan along on the final battle for this reason alone.



Besides it's nice to have someone in your corner, who cares about your PC specifically rather than the annoying council buzzing in asking for progress updates, omghurryup. I am now one of those people who want to know who the romances are ahead of time because if a relationship is going to be like the "Titanic" (beautiful story, but disastrous ending), I would like to steer clear of THAT iceberg.

[deimosmasque]

I run a lot of table top roleplaying games (actually I'm neglecting the White Wolf forums because ME2 is coming out soon) and I've always found that romances add to the immersion experience. And I think that's why so many people focus on it.

It's not just they want to be Captain Kirk (though that is part of it) but when your character can form romantic relationships it makes you feel like you are part of the world you are in.

Granted it works just as well with friendships (Garrus) or even when you can help NPCs out with their own baggage and goals (Wrex and Tali) but romances just feel different for some reason.



It doesn't add alot to the game content but it can add allot to immersion for some people.

Now if only SUZE was bi so my femShepard could woo her. She's a bit too much for my other Shepard.