Romance options

[Fynn]

So how do you feel in general ł about romance options in games? Do you enjoy the choice or prefer it when games have a predetermined romance that is more ingrained in the story? Or do you prefer no romance at all?

[Pumpkin]

I love games with dating sims. Love them. The Agarest Wars are a good example. Okay story, bad gameplay (for me), but great characters and ROMANCE OPTIONS. I love the games for it. I don't know why, apparently I like to play matchmaker.

Let's see some games with romance options that I like:
Hakuouki
Princess Debut
Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games
The Sims?
Tomodachi Life, kind of
Agarest War series
Fire Emblem: Awakening
Dragon Quest V

I wish more RPG's had romance options. It's a pretty sure way to get me interested in a game

[Psychotic]

I've always been a big proponent of choice in games, but I don't think romance options have ever been implemented well. There's less of that "KISS ALREADY DAMNIT.... omg yes they kissed " when you're the one controlling it. Like, there's a love score and you just need to talk to someone X times to make them love you and it's like "kill six wolves, level up. talk to cute but shy girl in my party six times, get romance achievement."

[Freya]

I need to play more of what Pumpkin is playing.

I love a romance option but it has to be organic. I love having a choice too. Romance happens in life. It'll happen in a game too. And more so if you're on a grand adventure where you may die, people may be more inclined to have one last hoorah before they're gone. That happens. It helps immersion.

I prefer the Bioware games because of this. I also love some Visual Novels who have it too.

[Pumpkin]

The Agarest War games do it pretty well, although it's not perfect. Some relationship points come from "pick who you want to help out" which will obviously improve the relationship with that girl, but a lot of it comes from dialogue choices either while talking to them (meaning saying the wrong thing could lower the points) or, my favourite part, things that have nothing to do with them. Things like "pick which strategy to adopt" will affect your relationship with the ladies. Like one might like it more if you make a more aggressive choice (like charge the enemy front lines) and some may like it better if you take a more conservative approach (like avoid battle if you can).

Because of that it makes it much less obvious who you're going to end up with if you're not using a guide and I like to see who I end up being more compatible with just based on the choices I would actually make if I were in that situation. It's still not a perfect system, but I do like it.

[Spuuky]

My characters are all abstinent even when romance options exist. So it doesn't much matter to me, unless I have no choice but to pursue one.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I'm a sucker for romances, but I don't think they are often done particularly well. Visual Novels are nice in that the good ones generally will give you options unless it's just a generally straight forward story, and those options often all have some good care and attention to them to keep the quality up. I don't have much experience with them so I could be wrong though.

When you get into things like Final Fantasy or Mass Effect territory, I think I prefer not having choices. I feel like there's not as much quality control with the stories of different romance options in things like Mass Effect, while I think something like Final Fantasy usually has a more cohesive, natural progression. Like I said in the other thread, I'd like to see more risks taken with regards to writing the romance aspects in game stories though.

I'm like barely awake right now, so I kind of doubt this post made any sense. ZzZzZz

[Karifean]

Really depends on the game. Some games I feel could've actually suffered from having romance options instead of one true romance, like say FF VIII, IX or X. Other games however are perfectly fine without an 'official' couple.

Generally what matters to me is how fleshed out the romance is rather than whether or not it's the "one true romance" of the game in question. My favorite romances are the ones that don't just end when the couple finally gets to be together, but rather keep going even after that. That's when I'm usually the most invested in a romance, and it's frustrating how many of them just give you a "The End" screen right there.

Ironically, my two favorite romances are both from the same VN, and of course mutually exclusive since they involve the same guy. It's a perfect example of how a game can have more than just one truly fleshed out romance and still not feel awkward.

[LunarWeaver]

I'm always hoping for that unintentionally hilarious sex scene at the end, so sure.

[Pike]

I don't think I play many games with romance options in them.

Doesn't stop me from crushing on all the cute elf boys, though

[Leigh]

The sim element was the only reason I played Persona 3 & 4. Haha.

[escobert]

I'd rather be able to choose my romantic options in a game than be forced down one road.

[Fox]

One of my favourite romance scenes is the date from Final Fantasy VII. Even though that wasn't a 'romance option' per se it was a romantic scene with one of a number of characters. Who you got wasn't pre-determined, and it wasn't signposted. It all depended on a number of subtle actions throughout the game. To have any choice in the matter you had to have foreknowledge, whereas in something like Mass Effect you always have a YES/NO option to pick.

I'd like more games to pursue the FFVII approach, where you have romance 'options' influenced by our actions, but no overt romance 'choices'. I also wish more games would let your romance options not reciprocate your affections. Like if I play a Renegade in Mass Effect and then try to come on to Liara, she should say "I'm sorry Shepard, I don't date women who kick people out of windows".

[Endless]

Hakuouki
Princess Debut
Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games
The Sims?
Tomodachi Life, kind of
Agarest War series
Fire Emblem: Awakening
Dragon Quest V

No Dragon age in that list? Dissapoint is me.

Long live the queen also has romance options, and it's not always obvious who you'll end up with, and like it happens to princesses, it's not always a happy ending.

[Ayen]

I always liked the romance options in BioWare okay, although Mass Effect 3 felt like a step backwards. Mind you, I'm not all that sure about the ones in 2.

I also always liked how you can get a girl pregnant by kissing in the Sims.