Bioware *clearly* hates women and wants them to suffer

[Prof. Monkeypox]

I tried romancing Garrus in my first ME2 playthrough, but his romance scene was just so awkward.

That's actually why I liked Garrus' romance option. It showed a different side of him. He tries so hard to be aloof and professional, it only makes sense that when he has to act vulnerable he wouldn't know what to do. He tries to come off as a swaggering pimp, but he's really just an awkward, but lovable guy.

BTW I'm a Heterosexual male, so my opinion may not count much for people with other tastes.

 

[Shoqiyqa]

Reminder: Bioware is mostly composed of nerdy guys who don't have a clue what females actually desire from a romance. God how I love them all!

Nerds, females or romances?

The fact I got a warning for posting spoilers for this:

Pretty much everyone in a Bioware game has a tragic backstory so saying that one character does doesn't really reveal too much.

Yeah, but her? Being in love with the werewolf was bad enough, and then when she shot him and everyone was applauding her for saving that guy and none of them knew she'd been aiming for the butler because of what he did to her back when she was four was terrible, and then her puppy getting run over really hurt and then that scene with her watching the train coming almost killed me. I couldn't breathe for tears there. Poor kid. She deserved better. I wasn't safe to be left alone near a Buick for a month!

... ought to be proof that Bioware hates women, as I said at the time [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/9.270243.10387075].

 

[ShakenBake]

You left out Carth from Knights of the Old Republic. Holy SHIT, you could go through a ton of crackers with his whine.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Ashley (Mass Effect equivilant of Fred Phelps)

People keep blowing Ashley's xenophobia out of proportion. Remember the cause of human xenophobia is because the Tureins fucked up humans for touching a mass relay when we didn't even know what it was. It left a reasonably bad first impression. It basically equates people hating America for policing the world, mostly incidental then actively against them. Besides Grunt is more racist and no one complains about him.

Also, she's racist towards aliens - beings that don't exist in any way, shape or form outside the story's universe.

Who cares if she's xenophobic!

OT. The romances in Bioware games have always been rather shallow fan pandering, but yes, the female fans really do get the short end of the stick in this regard.

 

[Aisaku]

That's why I always play as a lesbian in Bioware games. I just wish Miranda had been into women. But seriously, none of the male romance options were appealing. I tried romancing Garrus in my first ME2 playthrough, but his romance scene was just so awkward. And attempting to romance Alistair is part of what made me hate him so much. I can find at least a little appeal in all of the female companions, but the males are intolerable.

Agreed with this, and most of the thread.

I think what most people* playing a Female BioWare romance find jarring is that some of the men are very forthcoming, playing the usual game of cat and mouse:On KOTOR and Mass Effect there's a lot of power play involved, Carth is forward to the point of being cocky, and Kaiden while meeker, he has that bit of insistence that gets annoying. Jacob gets the cake because in his romantic dialogue it's Shepard who actually sounds like she's throwing herself at him.

Of course that doesn't happen with Miranda and male Shepard, at least not verbally. Blame double standards and all.

*By most people I mean, of course most male players.

 

[Speakercone]

Reminder: Bioware is mostly composed of nerdy guys who don't have a clue what females actually desire from a romance. God how I love them all!

well, let me set them straight, as a female. listen up, nerdy guy game developers everywhere:

GIRLS LIKE NERDS. actually, girls LOVE nerds.

make the male romance options nerds just like you, normal guys with lives and stories and interesting things to say, and the romance-option complaints will be gone. i guarantee it.

As a man and a nerd, I'm feeling quite flattered and encouraged by this. Thanks!
While playing femshep in ME2, I was somewhat disappointed that I didn't have a romance option with Mordin. That could have been great. A science nerd from a species for which love is a foreign concept attempting a relationship for a purpose other than procreation. That could have been very interesting indeed.

My version of Shepard is wholly committed to Liara but was tempted by Jacob only due to physical attraction. My Shep isn't a lesbian, she's just only attracted to interesting, slightly vulnerable people.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

No one wants a threesome with two dudes, c'mon...

Speaking as a straight male who has had one, people do, and they are pretty damn awesome.

OT - I can kinda see where you're coming from OP, but there is a difference between Bioware hating women, and Bioware not being as good as writing relationships for women.

Oh and Anomen Delyrn? Fuck that guy. Seriously.

I was trying to find a clever way to include the word relationshep. But I couldn't think of one.

What the what? That's not my quote.

Although I don't want to have a threesome with two dudes at once. Seriously guys, stop calling me.

 

[Blunderboy]

No one wants a threesome with two dudes, c'mon...

Speaking as a straight male who has had one, people do, and they are pretty damn awesome.

OT - I can kinda see where you're coming from OP, but there is a difference between Bioware hating women, and Bioware not being as good as writing relationships for women.

Oh and Anomen Delyrn? Fuck that guy. Seriously.

I was trying to find a clever way to include the word relationshep. But I couldn't think of one.

What the what? That's not my quote.

Although I don't want to have a threesome with two dudes at once. Seriously guys, stop calling me.

Yeah sorry, I fixed it now. It's been a long day at work. I deleted the wrong part.

 

[spartan231490]

Just because that is your opinion on the characters, doesn't make it true. I personally hate garrus with a bloody flameing great-sword, that doesn't make him a bad character.

 

[herbortamus]

Why does everyone hate Carth?
I had a great time romancing him. Also, Sky from Jade Empire. I thought they were both great characters and wish that there were more of them now.

In the ME and DA games, Anders is the only one I really cared for. I had wanted to romance him in DA Origins, but that wasn't an option. Luckily there was in DA2 - I liked him even though he was now very different.

 

[Neotericity]

This was funny and well written,, good for a laugh!

 

[88chaz88]

Why aren't you writing for the Escapist? This is the best article on here I've seen in months.

 

[Divine Miss Bee]

While playing femshep in ME2, I was somewhat disappointed that I didn't have a romance option with Mordin. That could have been great. A science nerd from a species for which love is a foreign concept attempting a relationship for a purpose other than procreation. That could have been very interesting indeed.

and this is why girls love nerds.

 

[Jodah]

Female smartass Hawke + Merrill = win.

 

[scorptatious]

Ashley (Mass Effect equivilant of Fred Phelps)

People keep blowing Ashley's xenophobia out of proportion. Remember the cause of human xenophobia is because the Tureins fucked up humans for touching a mass relay when we didn't even know what it was. It left a reasonably bad first impression. It basically equates people hating America for policing the world, mostly incidental then actively against them. Besides Grunt is more racist and no one complains about him.

Not to mention Ashley's grandfather was looked down upon for surrendering to the Turians in the First Contact War. Which made her superiors discriminate against her and her family. So it's understandable why she would be somewhat bitter towards aliens. She does changer her views though depending on what you say to her.

OT: I'm sorry, but Fem-Sheps are able to romance Garrus. GARRUS. I think that's more than plenty for them. It is for me anyway and I'm a guy.

 

[orangeban]

Ahemity ahem, just pointing out that gay males have it tough too. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

And I'd go for Garrus any day.

 

[urahara75]

I think the problem isn't that Bioware hates women, just that the men who write the characters at Bioware has no idea what women are actually looking for in terms of romantic/sexual relations and probably did their background research with those granny-erotica paperbacks that are a dime a dozen. Apparently they have an understanding of what men like, as they have managed to give us a plethora of diverse male romance options (from Ashley who is straight forward and speaks her mind via Morrigan who's a ***** to Tali/Merrill who's shy, inexperienced and naive).
I suppose that I just think it might be a good idea to let women do the romance options for women, perhaps that way they'd get it right.

I think you hit the issue(s) on the head, in addition to the possibility that even Bioware writers may not know how to make successfully integrate both non-romantic/romantic character aspects.

 

[JamesStone]

Yeah becuase

1.disabled people can't have relationships? and 2. It's okay to risk killing Tali? /sarcasm.

riiight....

Tali just ends up sick. Joker would end up a bag shattered femurs (and pelvis, ribs, arms...).

Yes but if you want to go straight by lore she has no immune system and as far as I remember but I might be wrong in this a fair portion of the Migrant Fleet was wiped out one time by a cold. It doesn't make sense from a purely lore stand point that she is an option so easily.

Joker got upgraded in ME2. Not gameplay upgrades, but bone upgrades from Cerberus. I think that if you can hold an assault rifle and escape a bunch of collectors you can hold your bones together for a kick shagging.

 

[quantum mechanic]

I didn't think Alistair was that bad, but I completely agree about the rest of the male leads being boring or annoying. I didn't actually like any of the potential love interests (male or female) in ME1.

One of the main problems I had with many of the Bioware male romantic options was their huge loads of angst.Particular offenders are Kaidan "my biotics are too powerful for my own good" Alenko, Carth "won't shut up about his freaking family" Onasi from KotOR, and Thane "family destroyed by career" Krios. Yes. We get it. You're sad. Shut up already. I realize they all have reasons to be sad, and traumatic events can be a strong part of character development, but why can't we romance someone happy and fun and looking for a healthy relationship?

 

[Thespian]

Garrus is a lovable, dangerous badass with a vulnerable core.

I love Garrus. As a CHARACTER. But LOOK AT HIM.

I like to think I'm a pretty open minded dude, but this cross-species romance thing is a bridge too far. What's next for ME3? Elcor sex?

"Tentatively Aroused. Shepard, please remove your trousers."

No, I say, no!

Really? So you can't even find Tali attractive? You know, this isn't totally out there. You are forgetting the psychological theory "Exotic is Erotic."

Personally, I find Garrus attractive to the degree that I can find any pixelated thing attractive. Thane even more so. Lizardy abs, hell yes.

... That could just be me, but I don't think so.

Anyway, I thought we were talking about them as characters. I didn't think the point of the thread was that girls don't get enough eye candy in games. Because Jacob totally makes up for that anyway.