Warning: Minor character (no plot) spoiler info for the following games:
Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 2, Jade Empire, Dragon Age Origins, Dragon Age 2.
At Pax Last weekend I was sitting at a table with a few of my favorite gaming friends which were a mix of people I've known in real life for 15+ years and people I've met only a few times in real life but have known for awhile online. The conversation turned to online gaming friends. I'm a huge proponent of online gamer friends actually being more solid than some of my real life relationships because the behavior and the way you treat someone when you are anonymous says a lot more about you than when you are burdened by face to face and social network consequences. This conversation got me to thinking about how I explore some of my character's motives and romances, a topic that bioware specializes in. And when I started to really think through it I was suprised at what I walked away with figuring out. Let's run down the line, shall we?
Jade Empire was really my first foray into bioware's formula of games and frankly I had no idea that you could romance anyone. I was a little shocked at what people would say to me. My inclination was to ignore it - clearly a sign of my late bloomer status and my ongoing obliviousness of romantic interest. I felt a little let down after the game was over that I didn't have a "tent" visit before the big battle. I guess lack of any encouragement, even before you might all die, makes for no love.
My options as I progressed became a little more telling. Liara T'Soni was definitely the most interesting of characters on the Normandy. Not only was she an Asari but she was blue. And I love blue. In addition she was a scientist, had deep emotional wells of insight and loved to self analyze and do psychological digging on Shepard. She wasn't amazingly sexy, she had a face that was very androgynous (especially when compared to other Asari in the game) but to me no one else really held a candle to what Liara could provide: mysterious, exotic, intelligent....there was really no other choice.
My medivil times were a bit more strenuous in the ways of love. While I was attracted to multiple characters, I really felt they all talked a lot - too much. I didn't listen to what they were saying, I gave them gifts that they sort of hated, and I generally did just about everything wrong you could possibly do to woo a person. This really set me back as I started to wonder...is it me? Why doesn't anyone like me?? Even the easy bisexual elf wasn't that into me. Really, what was it? Does magic give off some stench? It didn't help that I really thought Alistair was a cry baby warrior until I learned that he was in line for the throne (check AJ headcase moment there). Yeah, that turned me around right quick. However by the time I learned that it was too late. Just when I thought I was getting somewhere I brought him to a bar with me, got a little bit drunk and ended up having a threesome with the elf and Isabella. Whoops! That really did happen by the way. It was horrible. One minute I'm flirting with the duelist, the next minute we are going to the room (no cancel out there) and then Alistair is commenting on my rather open libido. Oh well. The end for Alistair and me was surprisingly nice, even though I did force him to father a demon baby. But I also saved his life so tit for tat in my opinion.
Over across the ocean in Kirkwall my options were about 100% better. The characters were more fleshed out and my character actually spoke to them (instead of being a dumb mute in DA: Origins) which provided a much richer relationship bonding experience. I really wavered between Fenris and Sebastian. I gravitated toward Sebastian as an exiled prince but he was also really into his vow of celibacy and that was rather a turn off. Fenris was exciting and difficult from the start. Tattooed with Lyrium which always caused him pain, a former elven slave with a dark past, and the fact that he and I never saw eye to eye (his hatred of mages borders on extreme fanatic) which led to us arguing all the time...well this was clearly the only choice for me. So here is what happened: things were going along at a pace akin to a meltdown and then all of sudden he has feelings for me. Then we sleep together and he just leaves..leaves! Doesn't want to talk about it...for THREE years! Then his mage master shows up and we confront him and I will admit, I felt spurned, so I just told the master to just "take him." That didn't really go over too well with Fenris. On a mechanical game side it did achieve me 30 rivalry points with Fenris thereby getting me 25 achievement points for locking in a "Rivalry" companion. And btw, what I have read on DA2's "rival romances" - it seems to be the way to go. I'm still not done with this game so I'll provide an update on how it all ends for the two of us another time.
And this of course leads to what I think my most endearing of all romances would have to be - albeit still with many faults: Thane. The assassin who can relive any experience at will...who is dying. Who has lost his wife, and his son hates him. No baggage there! He has limited time (no committment really at all) but has a lot of solitary need. He has pet names for Shepard ('Siha'), and he is incredibly sweet and kind. But he is also self depreciating and one wrong word to him and he will walk away from the relationship likkity split. This of course is only possible as Liara has become so emotionally tied up in her own vengeance that she barely has time to spend with you, so what is a girl to do? Upon finding out about Thane, Liara says some very nasty things including, "I'm not the one chasing the ghost of a dying man's wife!" I mean, seriously harsh. More on this triangle when ME3 comes out.
What a roadmap! Bioware, providing gaming experiences and therapy all at once.
