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[WanderingWind]

Of all the stuff that's wrong with DA2 this is probably the nit pickiest crap I've ever seen

I agree. I severely dislike DA2, but this is silly. Was it incredibly silly for every character to be bi-sexual? Yes. Is it worth getting worked up about? Probably not.

 

[KingJ2002]

1)Straight people: does including a gay romance option in a very obvious way (like it was done in DA2) bother you? Do you feel awkward or offended if a gay character in the game tries to hit on you?{/quote]

Yep. I personally don't find it amusing... just wierd.

 

[Patryn]

I haven't played DA2 but I definitely thinks it's awkward in RPG's if a guy is hitting on me since I'm supposed to play the role as the character I'm playing since I think it's awkward in real life too.
I also never play as a female for the same reason. I'm a guy, why would I want to play the role as a female?

I don't think there is anything wrong if these options exists though. But maybe there should be an option during the character creation where you could choose gay/hetero?

Mass Effect as MaleShep is just generic Space Marine.

Mass Effect as FemShep flips the cliche.

 

[Lord_Nergal]

Straight Male Gamer here, I'm fine with the expanded choices. It just seems odd that I seem to have the option to sex every guy I meet. Not that that's a bad thing, just something I've never experienced before.

 

[Ledsen]

I'm a straight male and I was very pleased when the elf guy tried to romance me in Origins. I didn't pursue it, but still.

 

[Data West]

Mass Effect as MaleShep is just generic Space Marine.

Mass Effect as FemShep flips the cliche.

Is everyone with a gun a generic space marine?

 

[firehawk12]

Honestly the most offensive thing romance wise in the game is how they approach the gay characters.

The Gay Characters in DA2 are basically stereotypes of what gay bashers typically spew about gays. Right after you meet anders he is basically ready to blow you. Right after you meet Fenris he is just about ready for some elf loving.

So the lesson DA2 teaches is Gay Men are down to fuck you at the drop of a dime. Meanwhile the actual self admitted whore in the game isn't that easy. None of the female characters are ready to drop the panties at the first meeting

I have no doubt that if you played a female character, they'd do the same thing. And that's because they're specific designed to pander to the female gamer, who is more "loud" when it comes to the romances in their games.

 

[ProtoCents]

It was kind of odd that there were an equal number of gay romances to hetero romances. And the fact that they were so easy to pull off just by pointing towards the heart on the dialogue wheel. But I think this is a problem because of Bioware's poor presentation and writing.

I didn't even consider Merill a romance option because she looked so bizarre. Therefore, playing a male Hawke with no interest in same-sex romances I was locked to just Isabella. Pretty poor job by Bioware. Not to mention that the DLC character increases this imbalance further.

 

[WanderingWind]

I have no doubt that if you played a female character, they'd do the same thing. And that's because they're specific designed to pander to the female gamer, who is more "loud" when it comes to the romances in their games.

They do. If you do anything nice to anybody they suddenly want to fuck you - regardless of sex.

 

[Patryn]

Is everyone with a gun a generic space marine?

If you're bald, carry a big gun with bulky armor, and you're a guy who is a marine in space, yes, you are.

 

[MaddenNFL64]

Why are these terrible romancing mechanics in these games in the first place?

For the players amusement, it's an option. Like I said, most of the time you're killing, or shooting shit, or trying to get from point A to point B, or trying to find something. So the little bit of downtime can be filled with some character development, and adding an option to romance just adds some flavor to it.

Even if it's truncated, and unbelievable, it's fine to me as an option. Plus, fanservice (though bioware sure got scared by the media after ME1).

 

[Xapati]

This post suddenly made me think of this. (Warning - cartoon bra)

This is brilliant.

 

[The Technomancer]

Is everyone with a gun a generic space marine?

I don't know why, but for some reason I found putting up with the fact that Shepard had the personality of a bowl of oatmeal an easier task as a woman.

 

[GhaleonQ]

I was just about to say that I'm totally up for the idea of adding concepts like marriage and monogamy (with penalties for breaking it) into games like this, but then I remembered that I'm the one that worked so hard to romance Liara only to run off and bone Garrus first chance I had.

THIS IS WHY WE NEED LAWS.

But, seriously, I'd be up for that, but you know marriage would be a buff that, if broken, gives you a double debuff. Something like Lovedelic, Radiata Stories, or Suikoden in which you have to care for your home would be fun, even if it was basic.

 

[WanderingWind]

I don't know why, but for some reason I found putting up with the fact that Shepard had the personality of a bowl of oatmeal an easier task as a woman.

Because the female voice actor actually adds nuance and emotion to her delivery giving Shepard - completely by accident - some extra personality.

 

[Data West]

If you're bald, carry a big gun with bulky armor, and you're a guy who is a marine in space, yes, you are.

But having boobs makes it ungeneric? Because a female can fit all those descriptions.

And being bald is kind of instrumental to the marine thing.

 

[Deleted member 13876]

Oh come on, "how dare a game not try to pander to audience X!" This is pretty ridiculous. User research is fine and all but a company should never fully let the market dictate every single aspect of their games.

 

[Fredrik]

Mass Effect as MaleShep is just generic Space Marine.

Mass Effect as FemShep flips the cliche.

I loved Mass Effect, both ones, and had no problem what so ever with it being "generic space marine", my character was black though which made him a bit less generic perhaps.

I tried start the game as a female but it never felt like I was the character, I never felt the immersion, the role playing part, and changed back to a male character instead.

 

[Ushojax]

I really hate the way people obsess over romances in Bioware games. Romances to me should just be some extra thing that helps develop the characters in the game. However, the fans seem to think that the romance part is the focal point of the game. The fact that fans get angry if there is no sex scene, is kind of scary to me.

The majority of people who get so invested in the paper-thin 'romances' in these games are people who have never actually had a relationship in real life. It's quite sad really, knowing when you play through Mass Effect that there is some sad bastard who goes to sleep dreaming of Liara.

 

[TheFightingFish]

The problem is that 95% of all gameplay in western games is killing monsters/shooting foreigners. There's no room for even the most basic storytelling techniques found in a shitty romantic comedy film.

The world needs a Bioware X Call of Duty crossover game. In between levels of jingoistic killing your character can give gifts of trinkets that they find in mission levels to increase romance points with Vanessa the flirty mission dispatcher back at base. But will this involvement lead to a love triangle showdown between Vanessa and Dirk, your strong but silent Sergeant who thought that he was picking up some signals from you when you tenderly helped to bandage his wounds in the Battle of Kukistan?

Seriously, this would crack me up. Every genre should get bizzare shoehorned in romantic options and the world would be a much funnier place.

 

[MaddenNFL64]

But having boobs makes it ungeneric? Because a female can fit all those descriptions.

And being bald is kind of instrumental to the marine thing.

A marine with tits :O. It's a shock to the system.

I like maleshep. His renegade delivery is top notch funny in ME2.

 

[Azih]

And let's face it, in video game time, it's like a few days between when you meet a party member and fuck them. These aren't anything resembling real relationships.

Looking at it that way Baldur's Gate 2 was the only game to have a realistic take on this. That game had an internal timer for 'romance' progression that was incredibly long. Weeks of in game time could go by before the next 'heart to heart' conversation popped up.

 

[Data West]

The world needs a Bioware X Call of Duty crossover game. In between levels of jingoistic killing your character can give gifts of trinkets that they find in mission levels to increase romance points with Vanessa the flirty mission dispatcher back at base. But will this involvement lead to a love triangle showdown between Vanessa and Dirk, your strong but silent Sargent who thought that he was picking up some signals from you when you tenderly helped to bandage his wounds in the Battle of Kukistan?

Seriously, this would crack me up. Every genre should get bizzare shoehorned in romantic options and the world would be a much funnier place.

Only if the Sergeant is voiced by Zap Brannigan

"I thought we were... special friends"

A marine with tits :O. It's a shock to the system.

I like maleshep. His renegade delivery is top notch funny in ME2.

And manshep punching the reporter is a thousand times funnier than femshep doing it

 

[TheSeks]

The world needs a Bioware X Call of Duty crossover game. In between levels of jingoistic killing your character can give gifts of trinkets that they find in mission levels to increase romance points with Vanessa the flirty mission dispatcher back at base. But will this involvement lead to a love triangle showdown between Vanessa and Dirk, your strong but silent Sargent who thought that he was picking up some signals from you when you tenderly helped to bandage his wounds in the Battle of Kukistan?

Seriously, this would crack me up. Every genre should get bizzare shoehorned in romantic options and the world would be a much funnier place.

... Oh my god. DO IT BIOWARE AND ACTIVISION.

(Wait, Bioware is EA, this will never happen )

Only if the Sergeant is voiced by Zap Brannigan

"I thought we were... special friends"

YESSSSSSS.

 

[bloodforge]

The world needs a Bioware X Call of Duty crossover game. In between levels of jingoistic killing your character can give gifts of trinkets that they find in mission levels to increase romance points with Vanessa the flirty mission dispatcher back at base. But will this involvement lead to a love triangle showdown between Vanessa and Dirk, your strong but silent Sargent who thought that he was picking up some signals from you when you tenderly helped to bandage his wounds in the Battle of Kukistan?

Seriously, this would crack me up. Every genre should get bizzare shoehorned in romantic options and the world would be a much funnier place.

I would totally buy that.

 

[MaddenNFL64]

The world needs a Bioware X Call of Duty crossover game. In between levels of jingoistic killing your character can give gifts of trinkets that they find in mission levels to increase romance points with Vanessa the flirty mission dispatcher back at base. But will this involvement lead to a love triangle showdown between Vanessa and Dirk, your strong but silent Sargent who thought that he was picking up some signals from you when you tenderly helped to bandage his wounds in the Battle of Kukistan?

Seriously, this would crack me up. Every genre should get bizzare shoehorned in romantic options and the world would be a much funnier place.

lmao!

 

[The Technomancer]

I tried start the game as a female but it never felt like I was the character, I never felt the immersion, the role playing part, and changed back to a male character instead.

Yeah, Mass Effect had a whole host of other problems that kept me from being immersed.

On topic though, this whole thing is utterly hilariously depressing. Everything from the fact that this guy took the time to write all that out, to how unrealistic and over-sexualized the characters in DA2 are.

 

[ultron87]

The majority of people who get so invested in the paper-thin 'romances' in these games are people who have never actually had a relationship in real life. It's quite sad really, knowing when you play through Mass Effect that there is some sad bastard who goes to sleep dreaming of Liara.

That's really an unfair generalization.

There's plenty of people who get really really into the shipping (ie caring about character x getting with character y) aspects of fandom when it comes to any kind of fiction.

Some people may not notice or may not care, but elements like that are an important aspect for grabbing a certain portion of the audience.

 

[Zeal]

Straight male.

everyone in the game is a complete slut, so the question becomes invalid.

 

[elohel]

Straight male.

Doesn't bother me a bit. If you've ever had a dude hit on you, trust me, it's a compliment.

d'aaawwww

makes me so happy to know that some straight men can respect a gay man's compliment lol

 

[Dilemma]

I don't really understand the problem; I played a female character and I could romance Anders just fine?

 

[firehawk12]

Looking at it that way Baldur's Gate 2 was the only game to have a realistic take on this. That game had an internal timer for 'romance' progression that was incredibly long. Weeks of in game time could go by before the next 'heart to heart' conversation popped up.

Yeah, I remember that. Too bad BioWare doesn't.

The world needs a Bioware X Call of Duty crossover game. In between levels of jingoistic killing your character can give gifts of trinkets that they find in mission levels to increase romance points with Vanessa the flirty mission dispatcher back at base. But will this involvement lead to a love triangle showdown between Vanessa and Dirk, your strong but silent Sergeant who thought that he was picking up some signals from you when you tenderly helped to bandage his wounds in the Battle of Kukistan?

Seriously, this would crack me up. Every genre should get bizzare shoehorned in romantic options and the world would be a much funnier place.

Respawn and BioWare presents...

Yeah, I'd buy that. :lol

 

[tomegatherion77]

I am straight, and Im not really offended by the inclusion of a possible gay romance in the game, you get to make the choice right. Its a smart move to leave the choice to the player, since they cover a wide range of demographics. Besides if you are getting pissed at a fictional character hitting on your fictional character you probably have bigger problems to deal with.

I have made peace with the fact that times are changing, and these things are becoming more mainstream, and the fact is its a lot easier to take it all with a grain of salt, then flip out about it, and have it ruin my gaming experience.

When I play an rpg, I like to put myself into the game, create a character similar to me irl, and its hard for me to relate to a lot these kind stories lines. So its bit strange, but not offensive. I think most "straight male" gamers would probably just ignore or avoid those parts of the story, since they don't really make sense to us.

If a homosexual storyline was forced upon my custom made protagonist then, yeah it would be a bit of a problem, because then I would not really be able to relate to story at all, and I couldn't really "role play" it either since I have no knowledge or experience with the subject. It would just be weird to me.

This is why I always play male melee oriented characters. I feel like I really get into the games better that way.

 

[TheSeks]

If a homosexual storyline was forced upon my custom made protagonist then, yeah it would be a bit of a problem, because then I would not really be able to relate to story at all, and I couldn't really "role play" it either since I have no knowledge or experience with the subject. It would just be weird to me.

Not an attack on you, but let's open a dialog on this:

So it's totally okay for straight romance options to be forced on gay gamers, but not the other way around?

Like in Mass Effect, Male Shepard has no gay romance options (like oh say... WREX), but can get it on with a space redneck (Ashley), or a blue alien (Liara). Those of us that are gay and play male Shepard because... well... we're MALE, are SOL. How do you think we feel about that?

 

[dionysus]

I find a romance that is central to the plot to be the only way I can care about it. Otherwise it is just a pointless minigame to me that adds nothing to the game.

I just prefer how KOTOR handled it. Because you could only romance 1 character (I think?), that allowed your romance on that character to have large plot implications later in the game. For a romance to affect the plot, you necessarily have to limit the options on the player unless you want to bust your budget on a ton of branching path plots.

 

[ultron87]

So it's totally okay for straight romance options to be forced on gay gamers, but not the other way around?

Like in Mass Effect, Male Shepard has no gay romance options (like oh say... WREX), but can get it on with a space redneck (Ashley), or a blue alien (Liara). Those of us that are gay and play male Shepard because... well... we're MALE, are SOL. How do you think we feel about that?

You aren't forced to have a romance though.

If there was a game that let you make a character and control their actions throughout the game that then forced you into a romance I'd feel like it was wrong no matter what the circumstances.

 

[HK-47]

EVERYONE IS BI!

Heaven forbid people feel left out of a fucking Bioware romance...

 

[DarkKyo]

Get over it. If you have some problem with homosexuality that affects you that much, don't buy the game.

 

[TheSeks]

You aren't forced to have a romance though.

If there was a game that let you make a character and control their actions throughout the game that then forced you into a romance I'd feel weird no matter what the circumstances.

Yes, but the point is: Bioware excludes options for some demographics (see gays) for... six-seven games, suddenly includes them and there's an uproar?

So it's totally okay to have straight romance options and exclude gay gamers, but not the other way around?

Heaven forbid people feel left out of a fucking Bioware romance...

Just to be honest, I wanted to screw you(HK) in KotOR. So goddamn pleasing to have a party member that wanted to destroy everyone except me in the world.

Spoiler

I'm kidding.

 

[The Technomancer]

EVERYONE IS BI!

Heaven forbid people feel left out of a fucking Bioware romance...

Seriously though, I feel that out of all the ways they could have handled romance with different sexualities that was the least realistic and most insulting.

 

[theDeeDubs]

A simple straight gay bi open checklist at creation screen would solve a lot of this.

Also, I find it equally sad to instantly label someone who disagrees with a certain lifestyle as ignorant or homophobic.

 

[WanderingWind]

Yes, but the point is: Bioware excludes options for some demographics (see gays) for... six-seven games, suddenly includes them and there's an uproar?

So it's totally okay to have straight romance options and exclude gay gamers, but not the other way around?

But the poster you quoted did say that. So, who are you speaking to, I guess would be my question.

 

[Patryn]

Not an attack on you, but let's open a dialog on this:

So it's totally okay for straight romance options to be forced on gay gamers, but not the other way around?

Like in Mass Effect, Male Shepard has no gay romance options (like oh say... WREX), but can get it on with a space redneck (Ashley), or a blue alien (Liara). Those of us that are gay and play male Shepard because... well... we're MALE, are SOL. How do you think we feel about that?

How would that even work?

And I don't get this whole debate, but that's because I've never envisioned Shepard as "myself." It's part of why I've never had a problem playing as FemShep despite the fact that I'm a straight guy.

I always see her as a separate character, I just happen to control her responses.

 

[WanderingWind]

How would that even work?

And I don't get this whole debate, but that's because I've never envisioned Shepard as "myself." It's part of why I've never had a problem playing as FemShep despite the fact taht I'm a straight guy.

I always see her as a separate character, I just happen to control her responses.

...I am a pretty, pretty space Marine.

 

[TheSeks]

But the poster you quoted did say that. So, who are you speaking to, I guess would be my question.

He's "roleplaying as himself," so straight options cater to him.

Excluding gay romance options for people that "roleplay as themselves" (IE: me) is totally okay, then?

What I'm trying to say is: Straight/heteronormative romance options in numerous games is totally okay, but not giving gay options isn't?

Because from a "I'm roleplaying myself in this game" experience, I have no interest in Liara or Ashley. Why should I have to go down that route to pursue romance options for an achievement/bonus (forgetting if the achievement in ME1 gives a bonus), when I have no flipping interest in either?

How would that even work?

Who cares!? Wrex was the only Bioware party member since HK-47 worth a damn. I want to bone him for that reason alone.

 

[jackdoe]

Yeah... the fact that romances are bisexual doesn't bother me. The fact that ALL the romances are poorly written, awkwardly animated, and awkward to watch are what bother me. Shepard and Liara, awkward as hell. Hawke and Merril or Isabella or Anders, awkard as hell. Warden and Leiliana or Morrigan or Alistair awkward as hell.

 

[krzy123]

ugh, we're posting stuff from other forums now.

cmon.

 

[dionysus]

Romancing HK-47, the dialogue would be hilarious.

 

[WanderingWind]

He's "roleplaying as himself," so straight options cater to him.

Excluding gay romance options for people that "roleplay as themselves" (IE: me) is totally okay, then?

How does that follow? He in no way, shape or form implied your question.

 

[HK-47]

Seriously though, I feel that out of all the ways they could have handled romance with different sexualities that was the least realistic and most insulting.

Bioware fanbase is forever alone. They are desperate.

I love if there was a really popular character that pretended to like the PC but rejects you right at the end. So satisfying.