if it was implemented well then I wouldnt mind it, but probably not.

I think were all kidding ourselves by thinking that this could be "implemented well" into a game where the NPCs have no facial expressions.

There were a couple places where I honestly felt some sort of expansion would have felt natural, actually. Specifically a sort of evil, narcissistic "relationship" with Clover, a few more options could have fleshed her out a bit.

I honestly felt that a natural extension of the narrative could have accommodated it, but it'd end up having to force you to choose between a few natural options to avoid it being a hackneyed, poorly-done bit of garbage like the Fable system. They'd probably just have to implement it as it seemed to work, rather than developing characters specifically for it, though.

no :nope:

Forget romances, how about some actual relationships? I'm tired of being the "go to guy" Why can't anyone be a friend? *sigh*

It could be done. In Fallout 2 you could even get married..

There's a hole in the disc, giggity. Albeit, kinda uncomfortably small :huh:

the video game romance situation never has the effect on me that it's intended to.

i personally like the vague romantic tension rather than all-out 'dating' within the game.

for example, the romantic tension between the player and bittercup. that's all it needs to be for me...

What do you think dogmeats in the game for

I wouldn't mind having a romance option, but what I'd really like to see is more friendly interactions with NPCs and companions.

I was REALLY disappointed that one couldn't date Moira. I still have a thing for her. Hell, I even had a dream about her

As a means of forming an emotional attachment to the characters in the game, I would say a romantic angle can be a useful tool in that regard. If I'm playing an RPG (where generally I'm trying to either save or doom the world,) actually caring about the fate of the people I run into adds a greater weight to my decisions. If I'm playing a "good" character, then if I actually have some emotional investment in the fate of some of the people I come across, it adds some impetus to my Quest. (If there's someone I care about, at all, then I'm not just saving the world because that's the goal of the game, but because I actually want to help these people out.) If I'm playing an "evil" character, then it serves the same purpose and makes those choices all the more telling.

It makes it more personal, which is a priority in any form of storytelling. A good story is always primarily about the characters, and their emotional reactions to the events of the story. Romance is not the only means to this end, but it is a means to achieve this.

This is all a matter of opinion, of course - but in Fallout 3 I didn't often "care" about any of the characters I met along my adventures. Many of the NPCs exist only as "color" - to deliver a couple lines of exposition as a thumbnail sketch of an interesting character, and then move on. ("Hi, I'm the crazy religious guy. Did I mention I worship a bomb?" Or, "I have a mysterious past, and a surrogate daughter that I've decided to protect, mysteriously.")

That's not to say that there aren't many interesting and intriguing characters in Fallout 3, I feel there are. That I come across across characters I want to learn more about shows to me that they were successful at least in that part. A romantic interest, or the potential of one, would have served as another tool with which to further flesh out these character beyond one-time interactions.

Not to mention, the emotional attachment you gain by a well-written courtship. I collect many different followers through my playtime in this game. They die, and then I find another one; often without a backwards glance. How much more drama would the firefights and near-death conflicts posess if that follower was not only someone with whom I had an involved history with, but was also my Wife?

The love angle shows signs of becoming something of a cliche in videogames. It's also one of the easier hooks to allow the player to form a bond with a character in the game. But it's still a potentially useful tool if done right.

Key phrase there is "done right".

Trouble is, there are too many different playstyles possible, with "karma" just being one aspect. There is also the problem the folks tend to have different definitions of "romance". And then there are those that just want six.

While yes, it could add a great deal to the game, I don't really see anything happening with it any time soon. And that is not even considering what the ESRB would think about it......

It seemed to work for Knights of the Old Republic, people still seem to get a kick out of Bastila and Carth.

Haven't played that one..... was that a game that let you have some self-determination? Or was it a railroad, do this mission, do the next mission, etc.?

Not really no...

Its hard enough to relate to characters as it is.

It was a Bioware RPG. You know you have a dialogue tree, but the outcome is usually the same? You could do the planets in any order, but it was fairly linear since it was more story-based, and not sandbox.

Other than the ESRB, what's the problem with that? After all, the slow-mo VATS is simply gore porm. It's blatantly there just for show. Even "just six" can be done tastefully. It is treated tastefully in parts of the entirety of the film industry, and Mass Effect treated it fairly well. Not perfectly, but it made sense to me.

I'm not saying that it's a requirement. But I would like to play devil's advocate and ask, "Why is that bad?"

If I ever feel like being able to do it, I will add a love interest to my Amata mod.

Yeah, Biioware and Bethesda RPGs have different niches in the same overall interest of mine: RPGs that allow choice. Bioware limits complete freedom for a more cinematic sense, where every choice can matter in a larger sense. And I'm fine with that. A more streamlined, film-like narrative that allows you to still intervene and be who you want to be is pretty great.

Bethesda gives me a sandbox world to participate in. Bioware lets me participate in a story. JRPGs tell me a story, and let me move the characters around and choose attacks every once and awhile.

Mainly because having six in the game would INSTANTLY earn it an AO rating by the ESRB, so, PC would be the only platform it could be released on, cutting out a large part of the gaming market. (Sony and Microsoft have unequivocally stated that they will NOT allow AO games on their consoles). I haven't played Mass Effect, so, I have no idea just how graphic it got, but, as it only got a mature rating, couldn't have been too bad, and look at the hue and cry that generated...... (which quickly blew over....)

Violence is ok. six is Taboo. So, killing is fine, but procreation is not? I will grant, that just seems... well.... odd.... to me, but, there ya have it.

Ah, this topic again

No.

Nice.

I think it's a good idea but there aren't enough random non-hostile characters. In Fable 2 you marry random people from the street. In Fallout 3 nearly all the non-hostile characters have names and most of them are needed in the places they live. It's a good idea but there would have to be more ordinary people about like the megaton settlers and they'd have to have a name and not just 'Megaton settler' or 'Under World settler'
If i could marry anyone on the game though it would be the Antagonizer. or tenpenny (gold digger)

Mass Effect had the kind of six you'd expect in an R film, I think. It was a fairly short scene. Bare CG alien butt and a side-view of alien chest for at most a second or two each.

And I did specifically say "aside from the ESRB", after all.

Missed that..... obviously. :lmao:

In all reality, I think that the ESRB is one of the primary reasons...... sure, there is a certain group that would get all up in arms about it being included, and that would most certainly cause some litigation, which is probably the next most important reason.

Wasn't Mass Effect produced in Europe though? They seem to have a much more enlightened attitude than the american public when it concerns this particular topic...... (yes, I am an american.)