Best/worst in-game love story

[Cheesebob]

This is a hard question since games tend to muck up love stories with unprecedented accuracy. For some reason, the love story in Indigo Prophecy sticks out in my mind. It's been awhile since I played it, but the story's setting, coupled with the events that play out and the possible endings just make everything seem happy and satisfying.

Braid's love story was cryptically interesting.

I think, by far, Shadow of the Colossus has one of the better love stories. In some regards, Ico as well.

Damn son you got all the ones I was going to choose...

But I liked the cinematic where

Spoiler

Dom meets his wife

that was very touching

 

[setsunafseiei]

Best would be The Prince of Persia and Farah.

Ha!! Brilliant I agree as for worst Final Fantasy XII, where is the love!? That or (randomly) Ling Xiahou and Jin Kazama.

 

[sneak_copter]

The Sweaty Man-Love between Dom and Marcus in GOW2.

That or Alyx Vance/Gordon Freeman in HL2.
Oh, Valve. Thanks for giving us an emotional moment with a character that never speaks.

 

[Crunchy English]

Worst - Male Cepter and Princess Faustina in Culdcept Saga. I realized only three other guys played this game, and everyone except me skipped all the cut scenes, but the writing in that game was just awful. The ideas were actually pretty cool, but every line of dialogue is just... painful.

I won't bother with spoilers, just to say that your character is a weeping wuss by the end.

Best - Mass Effect as very good, no one does romance quite like Bioware. The PoP Series is a grwat love story first and an excellent game second. Other than those? It is pretty slim pickings. Y'know, I'd like to see a more concentrated effort for romantic expressions in video games.

 

[SimuLord]

I've never seen an in-game romance I actually liked, so as a joke answer I'm going to say Maurrie Aurmine and Nelos Onmar from Morrowind.

For the worst? The relationship with Squall and Rinoa in Final Fantasy 8 was so bad, so utterly putrid that I can't even get worked up about it (to steal a line from Yahtzee).

 

[Cliff_m85]

Alyx Vance and Gordon Fisherman.

 

[JakePwnsAtLife]

Hmmm, I would say that the best would be that between the prince and Farah in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

The worst? This is a lot harder, as most of the time, someone of the other gender tends to throw her/himself at the feet of the protagonist for no apparent reason. The hero get's the girl, just because it's supposed to happen, no thank you.

Edit: sorry for the ninjaing

Ninja'd! Indeed, Farah and Prince from the original PoP were awesome. The worst... have to go with final fantasy dudes. I love those games, but the love just kinda is...convenience based only and well, it's "meh".

 

[The Madman]

I'm pretty fond of the Viconia romance in Baldur's Gate 2.

"He dropped to his knees to beg for mercy, which offered me height advantage as I smashed in his skull with a sledgehammer."

HOT! I likes a woman who can stand her own and be as ruthless as the rest!

 

[MrGFunk]

Silent Hill 2, my favourite story ever. The ONLY game to have made me cry!

I too was close to tears in the final corridoor.

This must be the best in-game love story.

I don't think anyone has mentioned ICO and Yorda yet. The see the whole game of ICO as a metaphor for love and marriage. Simply Brilliant.

 

[Undead Dragon King]

KotOR? Are we thinking of the same scene here?

The one where the chronically mute player character smooth talks his female jedi "friend" with a series of remarkably moldy old lines, without moving his lips or doing anything other than just standing there, staring and shifting his head... then either he or she goes "oh shut up and kiss me" (I believe she does if you don't), as if that one line would magically transform the scene into Casablanca or whatever movie they "borrowed" it from... and then, the big, climactic kiss scene:
Fade out.
Fade in.
"Oh, we shouldn't have done that..."

I really think most game designers could use a lesson or two in evoking emotion. Or at least budget for a few hug and kiss animations and the appropriate voice acting. I'd have enjoyed that a lot more than hearing most of the recorded exposition, really.

I feel a great disturbance in the Force. As if a person's imagination cried out in terror and was suddenly silenced. [/sarcasm]

Seriously though, if you can make the easy mental jump and imagine Revan acutally talking to Bastila, then you can see that their love story is one of the best ones ever written. Bastila herself may be great love interest (Jennifer Hale's best role IMO), but the love story itself is even better. In fact, I think that only Han and Leia's love story is a better one than Revan and Batila's in the Star Wars universe.

Bastila saved Darth Revan from both death and Dark Side out of pragmatism and expediency in order to find the Star Forge through him. But it became a genuine change of heart- for both Revan and Bastila- over the course of their hunt for the Star Maps. She allowed herself to be captured to buy Revan time to escape Malak's clutches, and paid the price for her love for him: her will was broken and she swore loyalty to the Sith and the Dark Side.

In a dark parody of their initial encounter, Revan fought Bastila one last time on the Star Forge- only he was the beacon of light confronting her darkness. Through Revan's love for Bastila, he gave her the strength to seek redemption and break free from Malak's inluence. And she finally faced her inner fears and declared her love for him. Through their combined efforts, Malak was slain and the Star Forge was destroyed.

Who will tell me that this is not one of the best heroic love stories ever written for a game?

 

[Durxom]

I've never seen an in-game romance I actually liked, so as a joke answer I'm going to say Maurrie Aurmine and Nelos Onmar from Morrowind.

For the worst? The relationship with Squall and Rinoa in Final Fantasy 8 was so bad, so utterly putrid that I can't even get worked up about it (to steal a line from Yahtzee).

Just like Spoony said(in his FF8 reviews), Squall and his relationship with Seifer's sloppy seconds =o