OC Liara and Shepard and my new found love of romance in video games

loobkoob, 10 months ago

For all the criticisms I have of it, I think The Outer Worlds might have my favourite romance of any video game. And it's not even a romance that features your character! Your companion, Parvati, has a series of "loyalty" missions that essentially involve you setting up a date for her with a woman she has a crush on. And then the date going well. And then it progressing into a relationship. It's such a lovely series of quests.

It works really well because it's not about the player character (and, by extension, the player self-inserting themselves). It means it doesn't need to make you feel a personal connection to the characters. It doesn't need to let you express exactly how you're feeling. You don't get those little "oh, I wouldn't have picked that option if I knew my character would say it like that" moments. Instead, you get to see two characters who are quite literally made for each other interact, so it all feels really natural.

But you still get to be involved. It was you who set them up. It was you who gave Parvati that advice that worked, and who helped her get ready, and who gave her the confidence to go for it. You're not just a bystander; you genuinely feel involved in the whole thing. It avoids a lot of the issues other games have with romance where they're trying too hard to cater to the player, or where the romance feels fairly one-dimensional, while still keeping the player engaged and invested in it working out.

hoodatninja, 10 months ago

Man I love that. I got a similar sensation watching Garrus and Tali come together but it wasn’t nearly as fleshed out or the result of my involvement. More the result of my not romancing either lol

Skray, 10 months ago

Outer Worlds is currently in the July Humble Choice if anyone wants to pay $12 for it and some other games.

Potatomache, 10 months ago

I like romance in video games when they're well done. Mass Effect had some hit or misses but I like the potential it showed in this aspect. I wish they treated all the potential love interest with the same care and attention they did Liara though (I went for Thane and his romance path in ME3 was... meh). I think OG Bioware did a pretty decent job with romance. Dragon Age: Origins was also fantastic in this regard.

I have yet to scratch that romance itch with other games. I've tried it with Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Pathfinder: Kingmaker. They don't quite land as deeply. I'm hoping the newest Baldur's Gate will have an interesting romance aspect.

hoodatninja, 10 months ago

There is no doubt, at least to me, that Shepard/Liara is the most fleshed out. ME3 liara really has some incredible dialogue that hits hard if you’re together. I haven’t played enough times to “romance everyone,” but I did 3 runs on 360 back in the day and 1 on LE so I’ve seen a few and none came close.

Potatomache, 10 months ago

Agreed. I think the closest one would be Garrus actually, but even then, there was a gap.

One thing I will say about DA:O that I think they did better than ME, was how some romantic interests would take initiative towards the player, which I found surprising and caught me off guard. It helped build the illusion that the characters were their own person, and thus the relationship between player character and them was more genuine.

hoodatninja, 10 months ago

I sadly have only play DA:I and I can’t decide if I should go back and play the others. That’s a really good sell right there though

Potatomache, 10 months ago

The combat's a little clunkier and needs a more tactical approach (especially on higher difficulties), but once you get used to it, it can get pretty addictive. It's the only game in the series where you can get to the nitty gritty details of the AI on the companions: where you can specify which health percentage they should heal at, which enemy to prioritize, or when they should do x if y happens.

Story-wise, the game is solid. You can really tell that they took great care in mapping out all the different choices you can make, and how those meaningfully branch out into different story lines. The companions are beautifully written and have reactions that ring true to their characterization.

Personally, I thought DA:I was a big game that felt empty. It had the combat polish and the beautiful vistas, but not the depth of story and character that I hoped for.

So if you can tolerate the clumsy gameplay, and a slow start, I definitely recommend DA:O.

hoodatninja, 10 months ago

Thanks!