Poll: Dragon Age 2: the Romance Issue. Did the designers seem to 'push' Anders at the Player?

[CATB320]

not really
but then again I was just like OMGANDERSROMANCEI'VEBEENWAITINGFORTHISSINCEAWAKENING

The romance itself was a little forceful, though. There was this huge skip from flirting to "I WOULD DROWN US IN BLOOD TO KEEP YOU SAFE," and "I WANT YOU WITH ME UNTIL THE DAY WE DIE." It was a little weird.

 

[Eumersian]

I felt like maybe they tried to characterize Anders as "attracted" to you if you were nice to him. But I didn't feel like they forced anything upon me.

What really weirded me out was?

Spoiler: WARNING. KIND OF OFF TOPIC:

When you get that book about the Elven freedom fighter or whoever it was for Fenris, he tells you that he can't read. One of the conversation options is to teach him to read. Strangely, this is a romance option, as there is a heart in the middle of the display when you look at it. Strange for two reasons.

1. Typically, I noticed the "heart options" in the lower left or the circle than on the right side, unless it was somebody you had previously "acted upon".

2. Why the hell is teaching somebody to read "romantic"? I suppose it could be, but I would have picked it if it weren't a "heart option". I would gladly teach a friend to read if they wanted to learn, and would have had no romantic intentions, unless it was a sexy lady, of course.

I know that was totally off topic, but just had to get it out.

Close quality alone time with someone special, teaching them something. Kind of like falling for that hot gym teacher I guess. I get where you're coming from though. It doesn't seem THAT romantic of an offer.

Yeah, I know what you mean. But I was a male Hawke mage who was already pretty much set on Isabela anyway?

 

[mireko]

Maybe it is me. I might have overreacted. I'm a nice guy. This demeanor also got me in trouble in Persona 4.

Spoiler

I had no intention of having a romantic relationship with Rise. But when she started crying, I couldn't not hug her and comfort her. Same thing with Yumi. I wanted to be loyal to Naoto, but I couldn't be a douche to the others. I just pretended that I wasn't in a relationship with them. Being a nice guy when rping in games can be hard. Escially when devs don't give you enough options.

Nah, I would have felt bad too if my character did what you're describing. I don't think I've ever played through a BioWare game as anything but a paragon of humanity (with the occasional murder, naturally), which is why some of the tougher choices in this game were so interesting to me.

Anyway, my point is that I'm perfectly okay rejecting Anders, but if the male Hawke rejection makes it seem kind of homophobic then it's a lot more dicey. I don't think I'd be comfortable crossing that line either.



Also regarding Persona 4:

Spoiler

I did almost the exact same thing. I managed to force myself to reject Yumi because I was already in a relationship with Chie, but when Rise started crying I was unable to just stand there. It's like in Mass Effect 2 when Tali finds her dead father on the Alarei. How could I possibly not console her?

It's an impressive feat for the writers, even if there should've been a way to console without marrying. We can always hope they'll do it for Persona 5, I guess.

 

[mireko]

I felt like maybe they tried to characterize Anders as "attracted" to you if you were nice to him. But I didn't feel like they forced anything upon me.

What really weirded me out was?

Spoiler: WARNING. KIND OF OFF TOPIC:

When you get that book about the Elven freedom fighter or whoever it was for Fenris, he tells you that he can't read. One of the conversation options is to teach him to read. Strangely, this is a romance option, as there is a heart in the middle of the display when you look at it. Strange for two reasons.

1. Typically, I noticed the "heart options" in the lower left or the circle than on the right side, unless it was somebody you had previously "acted upon".

2. Why the hell is teaching somebody to read "romantic"? I suppose it could be, but I would have picked it if it weren't a "heart option". I would gladly teach a friend to read if they wanted to learn, and would have had no romantic intentions, unless it was a sexy lady, of course.

I know that was totally off topic, but just had to get it out.

Male Hawke teaches Fenris to read:

Spoiler

Reading Rainbow.

 

[Eumersian]

I felt like maybe they tried to characterize Anders as "attracted" to you if you were nice to him. But I didn't feel like they forced anything upon me.

What really weirded me out was?

Spoiler: WARNING. KIND OF OFF TOPIC:

When you get that book about the Elven freedom fighter or whoever it was for Fenris, he tells you that he can't read. One of the conversation options is to teach him to read. Strangely, this is a romance option, as there is a heart in the middle of the display when you look at it. Strange for two reasons.

1. Typically, I noticed the "heart options" in the lower left or the circle than on the right side, unless it was somebody you had previously "acted upon".

2. Why the hell is teaching somebody to read "romantic"? I suppose it could be, but I would have picked it if it weren't a "heart option". I would gladly teach a friend to read if they wanted to learn, and would have had no romantic intentions, unless it was a sexy lady, of course.

I know that was totally off topic, but just had to get it out.

Male Hawke teaches Fenris to read:

Spoiler

Reading Rainbow.

You sir, are quite clever indeed. I approve of this observation.

 

[Timzilla]

I also noticed that a paragon Shepard in Mass Effect 2 sort of seems drawn to Tali.

 

[Souplex]

I also noticed that a paragon Shepard in Mass Effect 2 sort of seems drawn to Tali.

Which is odd considering Tali is portrayed as something of a little sister figure, making putting the moves on her feel sort of renegade.

 

[D Moness]

Seriously Isabela, you get mad at me because, instead of sending the poor elf slave girl off on her own where see will either be recaptured or killed, I tell her to come work for me and PAY her for doing it? And you disapprove of this action? You *****.

At least Fenris didn't get mad after i told him i would pay her so she was not a slave but she worked for me. Sometimes you get friend/rival points for the weirdest things. I mean take Anders except a quest that is about mages and he get friendly , make the mages join the circle etc and he gets rival points .. i mean wait until you see how i end the quest to give rival or friendship points(for that reason it was a ***** to get anders as a rival.(my third playthrough not even out of act 1 and now Fenris is almost max rival ... if i had know that earlier).



Trying to romance Merrill again (now by keeping her in my party the whole time) should have left her behind when i retrieved that elven kidnapper.

I did like anders character up until near the end of act 3 ... frikking bastard

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

He does seem to act like he is 'in love' with you if you are nice to him without the romance options. Here's a wierd spoiler:

Spoiler

He was continually showing up chatting to Varric and at the end of my game tried to give Varric a pillow Ander's mum made him. Varric was like 'eerrrr no thanks.' I lolled

 

[teknoarcanist]

In terms of gameplay, sure, I suppose it's pretty progressive and forward-thinking to have so many bisexual characters.

In terms of character-writing, though, it's pretty lazy. A person's sexuality runs deeper to the core of their personality than a binary will-sleep-with/won't-sleep-with switch. It'd be a bit like if the game randomly made some of your party members black. Yeah, kudos to you for having a character who is black. Unfortunately, that doesn't really equal a Black Character.

This is also the same reason Fem- [Shep/Hawke/Apprentice/AnyBiowareProtaganistEver] doesn't really equate to a Female Character -- let alone that elusive and much-sought-after title of Strong Female Character.

Hell, once you've rendered sexuality, race, and gender arbitrary, what does a human being, much less a fictional character, even have left?

Ideology?

Level of wittiness?

...regional accent?

 

[Judgement101]

I still hate how they make your sister the most attractive character.

OT: Not really, I told him to just leave me alone.

 

[CleverCover]

You're supposed to avoid the hearts if you don't want to romance someone....

 

[Hader]

No, I just told him no and that was that. Nets a bit of disapproval but hey, whatever. This is just how the character was written. After all the shit he went through in Awakening, give the guy a break!

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I'm pretty sure I got some dissaproval throughout from a few of them but still got all my party to max friendship and then they stick there once you have done that so you can do what the hell you like.

It seems pretty wierd to me what they get upset over. How dare you save that childs life! etc I feel like Varric is the only one who isn't a raving loony underneath. :<

 

[Jaded Scribe]

No more so than Alistair in Origins. BioWare (at least for DA, haven't had the opportunity to play the other games) seems to pick a "canon" romance. The other options are there and perfectly valid, but there seems to be one that BioWare goes with as the official romance, to be referenced in future xpacs/games (if you don't import saves).

A romance is easy enough to avoid (don't do the <3 icon chat messages). His attitude towards you, even if you don't flirt with him make perfect sense

Spoiler

given that if you romance him in Act II, whether a friend or rival, he'll admit that he's been dreaming of you since you met him.

 

[Jaded Scribe]

OMGANDERSROMANCEI'VEBEENWAITINGFORTHISSINCEAWAKENING

Same ^_^

 

[mattttherman3]

The only one that didn't hit on me was Merril, had to work for that one. But Anders yes, mainly because of Act 3.