Much like Hollywood, RPGs always seem to get straddled with a love story, so which love stories did you like, which ones did you hate, and do you think these types of subplots are important to the genre?
Love Stories
Much like Hollywood, RPGs always seem to get straddled with a love story, so which love stories did you like, which ones did you hate, and do you think these types of subplots are important to the genre?
True beauty exists in things that last only for a moment.
Current Mood: And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe. Maybe this year will be better than the last. I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself. To hold on to these moments as they pass...
I don't think they're exactly necessary. Though I do think they've come to be expected in most long-winded stories, no matter the medium. Just one more thing to help the audience get invested I suppose. Plus its only natural to develop strong bonds with people you're saving the world/universe with, and to get to know them way better than they probably ever wanted to before. I'm inclined to believe there would inevitably be romance between members of a real life world-saving team if it were made up of a bunch of single awesome people. I guess the only question really is, why not? I'm hard pressed to think of many RPGs that didn't have any romantic sub-plots. For some reason the only examples I can really come up with are either really old, or strategy RPGs. But there are a lot where you at least have the option to not pursue romantic interests. Which I don't think I'd have a problem with. But it would be jarring having a long in depth story without any romance. It's about as foreign as having an elderly person as a protagonist, and I'd want just as much to see where that sort of thing could go
My favorites are Cloud/Aerith/Tifa and Squall/Rinoa from the ones I've played enough. As much as I like X and Yuna I was never that much invested in the love sub-plot. Mass Effect is another one I thought had a lot of good romance options, though I think the payoff in the first game was the best.
Persona 4 with Naoto. If you go that route with her it is absolutely wonderful.
Vayne and Nikki from Mana Khemia also plays out well.
The vast majority of love plots in RPG's just kind of fall to 'meh' for me though.
I liked all of these, including X and the Yuna/Tidus relationship.Originally Posted by ToriJ
Yep. Naoto's story is awesome.
I'll add in Isaac/Jenna from Golden Sun: The Lost Age. It starts a tiny bit in the first game, but it's really in Book Two when it starts to get really awesome. It's nothing huge, just some adorable (and sometimes hilarious) little scenes.
Raven's relationship from Rune Factory 3. She's one of my favorite characters in the series, and I love the relationship she builds with you in this game as you take on her quests, and choosing her as the romance option I just feel works incredibly well (and her story after you're married is incredibly fun).
Marle and Crono from Chrono Trigger. Such a great relationship, and I love taking her to the resurrection scene.
My friend Delzethin is currently running a GoFundMe account to pay for some extended medical troubles he's had. He's had chronic issues and lifetime troubles that have really crippled his career opportunities, and he's trying to get enough funding to get back to a stable medical situation. If you like his content, please support his GoFundMe, or even just contribute to his Patreon.
He can really use a hand with this, and any support you can offer is appreciated.
I like the Tifa/Cloud thing (in the main game) and how they incorporated Aeris as well to make it an awkward triangle. The way they twisted that with the Zack-Cloud and Zack-Aeris stuff made it even better.
I like the Serah-Snow thing in XIII but I feel they screwed it up in the two sequels. I feel SE felt they had to water it down to ensure that people could feel there is a "thing" between Noel and Serah, and it ruined it all. In XIII, Snow would show his love for Serah at every opportunity. In the sequels, this wasn't as much the case and I didn't like it how it panned out.
Locke and his past lady was a nice romantic twist to his overall story.
Bow before the mighty Javoo!
Love stories play out pretty well in Persona 4, but I'll stick to just games that have mandatory love stories.
Lunar 2 - Hiro x Lucia, and Ronfar x Mauri.
Shadow Hearts - Yuri x Alice
FFIX - Zidane x Garnet
Grandia - Justin x Feena
Grandia 2 - Ryudo x Millenia/Elena
Odin Sphere - Oswald x Gwendolyn
Dragon Quest VIII - Hero x Medea
Xenogears - Fei x Elly
Chrono Trigger - Crono x Marle
Agreed, and I always pick her.Persona 4 with Naoto. If you go that route with her it is absolutely wonderful.
Last edited by Bright Shield; 04-08-2014 at 08:13 PM.
Allen and Shion people.
Allen is the hope of all of us who post on this forum.
Lately I can rarely stomach them, especially in jRPGs. People are just so absorbed in falling in love and that "spark" at the beginning, when in truth it's actually the most stupid and immature part of the relationship. It gets even worse coupled with the melodrama plaguing most JRPGs. It's only later on that relationships get really interesting, which is why Fran and Balthier are probably my favorite video game couple. You can just see how well they understand each other and how much they mean to each other and it's all so subtle and beautiful and I just can't
Yeah, couldn't stomach the Tidus/Yuna romance. Ew. I kinda got the same vibe from the Last Story's main breeding pair. It really prevented me from fully enjoying what was otherwise a good game
I really liked Rinoa/Squall, Steiner/Beatrix, Raine/Laguna. I also thought Tellah and Edward had a great relationship. Always teasing each other. Oh and Fang/Vanille. Not sure if that one counts but it should!
Outside of Final Fantasy, I really liked Hix and Tengaar from Suikoden. Flik and Odessa didn't last long but there was obviously some love there. Anju and Kafei from Majora's Mask.
Relationships I hated? I can't really think of any right off the bat.
71.jpg
True beauty exists in things that last only for a moment.
Current Mood: And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe. Maybe this year will be better than the last. I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself. To hold on to these moments as they pass...
vp.jpg
Platina: "It's so beautiful! Do you think this might be... Heaven?"
Lucian: "It's bad luck to say such things!"
Platina: "Tee hee. I'm sorry."
Lucian: "These flowers... they're... Platina! We've got to get out of here! These flowers, all of them, they're... Weeping Lilies!"
Platina: "Weeping... Lilies?"
Lucian: "That's right! If we stay here, their poison will kill us! ...Platina?"
Platina: "If I were to fall asleep here, would I be able to just... slip away?"
Lucian: "Wh...What..."
Platina: "I can't stand it any longer! No matter how hard I've tried... Mother and Father have never treated me with kindness! If you care about me so much, Lucian. Do you think... Do you think we might be reborn? That we might be reborn... together?"
Lucian: ....
Platina: "I'm so glad to have known you, Lucian. But I have too many awful memories. I just want to forget. Forget...it...all..." [Platina collapses.]
Lucian: "No! Wake up! I won't have it! You want me to forget!? Would you forget me too, Platina---? Platina? PLATINA!"
>> The black orb glitters ominously... but nothing happens..
Have there been any truly decent rpgs where the love story was the focus of the entire game?
Jack: How do you know?
Will: It's more of a feeling really.
Jack: Well, that's not scientific. Feeling isn't knowing. Feeling is believing. If you believe it, you can't know because there's no knowing what you believe. Then again, no one should believe what they know either. Once you know anything that anything becomes unbelievable if only by virtue of the fact you now... know it. You know?
Will: No.
If Demolition Man were remade today
Huxley: What's wrong? You broke contact.
Spartan: Contact? I didn't even touch you.
Huxley: Don't you want to make love?
Spartan: Is that what you call this? Why don't we just do it the old-fashioned way?
Huxley: NO!
Spartan: Whoa! Okay, calm down.
Huxley: Don't tell me to calm down!
Spartan: What's gotten into you? 'Cause it sure as hell wasn't me.
Huxley: Physical relations in the way of intercourse are no longer acceptable John Spartan.
Spartan: What? Why the hell not?
Huxley: It's the law, John. And for your information, the very idea that you suggested it makes me feel personally violated.
Spartan: Wait a minute... violated? Huxley what the hell are you accusing me of here?
Huxley: You need to leave, John.
Spartan: But Huxley.
Huxley: Get out!
Moments later Spartan is arrested for "violating" Huxley.
By the way, that's called satire. Get over it.
Conception?
Maybe FFX, if that counts.
My friend Delzethin is currently running a GoFundMe account to pay for some extended medical troubles he's had. He's had chronic issues and lifetime troubles that have really crippled his career opportunities, and he's trying to get enough funding to get back to a stable medical situation. If you like his content, please support his GoFundMe, or even just contribute to his Patreon.
He can really use a hand with this, and any support you can offer is appreciated.
I bet there are no decent love-story rpgs that aren't dating sims. I think there should be an rpg set to the tone of Romeo and Juliet.
Jack: How do you know?
Will: It's more of a feeling really.
Jack: Well, that's not scientific. Feeling isn't knowing. Feeling is believing. If you believe it, you can't know because there's no knowing what you believe. Then again, no one should believe what they know either. Once you know anything that anything becomes unbelievable if only by virtue of the fact you now... know it. You know?
Will: No.
If Demolition Man were remade today
Huxley: What's wrong? You broke contact.
Spartan: Contact? I didn't even touch you.
Huxley: Don't you want to make love?
Spartan: Is that what you call this? Why don't we just do it the old-fashioned way?
Huxley: NO!
Spartan: Whoa! Okay, calm down.
Huxley: Don't tell me to calm down!
Spartan: What's gotten into you? 'Cause it sure as hell wasn't me.
Huxley: Physical relations in the way of intercourse are no longer acceptable John Spartan.
Spartan: What? Why the hell not?
Huxley: It's the law, John. And for your information, the very idea that you suggested it makes me feel personally violated.
Spartan: Wait a minute... violated? Huxley what the hell are you accusing me of here?
Huxley: You need to leave, John.
Spartan: But Huxley.
Huxley: Get out!
Moments later Spartan is arrested for "violating" Huxley.
By the way, that's called satire. Get over it.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
