"Sweet Jesus," you say, "another one of these threads? Really?!"
Well... yeah. Another one. And it's a wordy one too. Sorry.
Thing is, I'm actually not arguing one way or the other here. Because I for one simple cannot make up my mind either way .
On the one hand I appreciate what they're trying to do. They're trying to include romance and relationships within their games in a mature manner. That's a good thing. Plus, they're doing it based on choice, rather then just shoving it down our throats whether we like it or not. Also, it's worth mentioning that there's quite a range in there, adorable blood mages, boyish knights, psychotic fugitives, spiritual assassins... you name it. Sure makes a nice change from the usual white-male-action-lead-meets-non-threatening-white-girl (eg. the Uncharted games).
However, note that I said "trying". Because, as much as I appreciate the attempt, they're just not there yet.
Because, on the other hand, while the characters involved are awesome, the romances are just plain badly written. Sure, they include the occasional good line or cute moment, but at the end of the day they invariably consist of the following:
1) Chat.
2) Chat again.
3) Flirt.
4) Declare attraction.
5) Wait.
6) Sex.
7) Nothing.
That is not a good romance arc. A good romance consists of two or more interesting characters of debatable compatibility with a healthy dose of drama and misunderstanding thrown in, not a few lead-up conversations followed by a quick one-off boinking.
(The one exception to this, at least in my opinion, was Liara in Lair of the Shadow Broker. I thought that managed to give a good impression of two people who were very comfortable in one another's presence. But even then, I would be kidding myself if I said it was genuinely good.)
Part of the problem is the player-created protagonists. Since Shepard, The Champion or the Grey Warden don't have a set character or personality, the writers are forced to create romances that fit damn near anything, which inevitably leads to them being a bit bland and by-the-numbers. Also, they're a bit too concerned with being simple wish fulfilment and/or ego-stroking at the cost of actually being, y'know... good.
Furthermore, the romance arcs are almost completely divorced (hurr hurr) from the main plot. They're just something you do in between killing mooks and saving the universe. Granted, there was Morrigan in Dragon Age, but she's an exception to the rule.
Then again, on the other other hand (the gripping hand if you will), any complaints I might have can be overridden be the fact that it's all entirely optional. "Hey, if you think the romances are poorly written then just leave them be. Shepard isn't going to die from a dry spell."
Although, on the other other, other hand...
Actually, screw it. I'm not going there. This is too long already.
So... tell me what you think. Because, personally, I have no bloody idea.
Well... yeah. Another one. And it's a wordy one too. Sorry.
Thing is, I'm actually not arguing one way or the other here. Because I for one simple cannot make up my mind either way .
On the one hand I appreciate what they're trying to do. They're trying to include romance and relationships within their games in a mature manner. That's a good thing. Plus, they're doing it based on choice, rather then just shoving it down our throats whether we like it or not. Also, it's worth mentioning that there's quite a range in there, adorable blood mages, boyish knights, psychotic fugitives, spiritual assassins... you name it. Sure makes a nice change from the usual white-male-action-lead-meets-non-threatening-white-girl (eg. the Uncharted games).
However, note that I said "trying". Because, as much as I appreciate the attempt, they're just not there yet.
Because, on the other hand, while the characters involved are awesome, the romances are just plain badly written. Sure, they include the occasional good line or cute moment, but at the end of the day they invariably consist of the following:
1) Chat.
2) Chat again.
3) Flirt.
4) Declare attraction.
5) Wait.
6) Sex.
7) Nothing.
That is not a good romance arc. A good romance consists of two or more interesting characters of debatable compatibility with a healthy dose of drama and misunderstanding thrown in, not a few lead-up conversations followed by a quick one-off boinking.
(The one exception to this, at least in my opinion, was Liara in Lair of the Shadow Broker. I thought that managed to give a good impression of two people who were very comfortable in one another's presence. But even then, I would be kidding myself if I said it was genuinely good.)
Part of the problem is the player-created protagonists. Since Shepard, The Champion or the Grey Warden don't have a set character or personality, the writers are forced to create romances that fit damn near anything, which inevitably leads to them being a bit bland and by-the-numbers. Also, they're a bit too concerned with being simple wish fulfilment and/or ego-stroking at the cost of actually being, y'know... good.
Furthermore, the romance arcs are almost completely divorced (hurr hurr) from the main plot. They're just something you do in between killing mooks and saving the universe. Granted, there was Morrigan in Dragon Age, but she's an exception to the rule.
Then again, on the other other hand (the gripping hand if you will), any complaints I might have can be overridden be the fact that it's all entirely optional. "Hey, if you think the romances are poorly written then just leave them be. Shepard isn't going to die from a dry spell."
Although, on the other other, other hand...
Actually, screw it. I'm not going there. This is too long already.
So... tell me what you think. Because, personally, I have no bloody idea.
That being said, I got a little confused when most of the other team-mate characters also tried to get into my pants o_o
