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

[Rottweiler]

First, a clarification. This post is in no way a comment on Homosexuality. I would be asking this question if Anders had been female. However, it is an issue because this romance would be a big question depending on the sexuality of the gamer and how they chose their Hawke to be.

Did you find the Anders Romance...forced? Like there seemed almost no way to avoid a romance with Anders without taking drastic measures to avoid it?

I honestly had to reload at one point because just being nice to him was leading to a Romance like a freight train.

 

[Aris Khandr]

I told him I wasn't interested once, and he left me alone. Didn't seem that forced to me.

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

I didn't

Like... at all... I had a male character, did every side mission with Anders and used him in my party all the time and I never once got even close to a romance with him.

 

[StriderShinryu]

I didn't find it any more forced than any other romances in the game which, is to say, it wasn't forced at all from my vantage point. Almost done my second playthrough and I don't even really remember any particular push towards Anders at all (and I haven't chosen him as a partner either time).

 

[Irridium]

All Bioware romances feel forced.

Three conversations in and they all want to have sex with me. Granted DA2 is better in this regard, but it still has a ways to go.

So yeah, it was forced. But no more so than other relationships in that game.

 

[Virgilthepagan]

I'm with the other people, it doesn't seem that forced right now, though even if it was, wouldn't that be a little realistic? How many people on this forum or in real life have had an unrequited crush either for someone or by someone on them? It doesn't mean you have to answer back, but if Bioware was clever enough to put in a character who interprets signals incorrectly then hats off to them.

 

[Souplex]

All of them felt sort of forced. Yet they won't let me put the moves on Aveline...

 

[DirgeNovak]

He flirted with me once, I told him I wasn't interested and he left me alone. Then I went back to fucking Merrill and playing with Isabela's feelings. If anything, DA2 has the best romance system in any BioWare game.

 

[D Moness]

I found Anders less forced then Isabella she almost jumps you the second you meet her.
I romanced Anders the first playthrough because i found his character interesting in awakening (not after the climax of act 3 though).
More forced is Isabella(who i romanced the second playthrough) she is also the problem/glitch if you sleep with her for fun she will be named in the epilogue (whoever you decide to romance).

I think it is a step forward that almost all characters that you can romance are bisexual(as to the characters that are very obviously gay/bisexual)

 

[Canadish]

All of them felt sort of forced. Yet they won't let me put the moves on Aveline...

This.

But yeah, its not that it was "forced" really, rather I could not say "No" nicely.
Hawke was either all Game or Insulting. I would have liked to have been joking about it when I said no, but alas, there was only an Aggressive response. Damn limited options.
Origins didnt have that problem.

 

[EonEire]

Yes I did think it was a little too easy (sigh) to get into that situation with him. He seems very eager to let me get in his pants (Pants? Dress?).

Now he was my first choice for romance character anyway but, it felt a bit flat due to the fact he barely developed as a character and it was cue-porn-music-time, I like when the characters actually develop, Anders just seemed like they took their notes from The Witcher.

 

[FFHAuthor]

Then I went back to fucking Merrill and playing with Isabela's feelings.

I salute you sir!

 

[Wolfram23]

Well I'm only about 23 hours in, after deep roads... I've romanced Isabela and had to decline romance with both Anders and Fenris, even though with Fenris I never even use him in my party. Merril I might have a chance with if I used her more, but Aveline usually hates my choices. I guess she's too righteous or something.

But yeah it's a bit odd how Anders and Fenris are so quick to want sex.

 

[DustyDrB]

My lady Hawke started a romance with him that ended at the end after Anders...

Spoiler: does something

destroys the chantry with the Grand cleric in it in order to force a war, and in the process making me look like an ass for supporting the mages. But then after I went all-in with the mages, just about every single one went batshit insane and made me look like an ass anyway. Not happy about that. When Merril is the second most sane mage around (after Bethany), we've got problems.

But I actually had to push the romance. He kept going, "No! No! You don't want to do this with me! Because I'm not just me, I'm him and together we are we and what we are is crazy!"

I had to pick the "heart" option like 3 times over several conversations before he started to show interest.

 

[Bassman_2]

I said I didn't mind the compliments: "softie" eh...

But then the next option was just two hearts and a heartbreaker and I did not want rivalry points added. So I went with the least romantic in my opinion and kept my distance from heart comments.

 

[Weaver]

I feel that anders himself, being the only character with creatation, was pushed into being in your party.

 

[DustyDrB]

I feel that anders himself, being the only character with creatation, was pushed into being in your party.

You know you can respec everyone with a potion, right?

 

[Weaver]

I feel that anders himself, being the only character with creatation, was pushed into being in your party.

You know you can respec everyone with a potion, right?

He's the only one with the creation skill tree (unless Hawke is a mage).
All the respecing in the world doesn't change that.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I'm currently playing as a Male, Rouge Hawk, (using 'current' loosely as I'm playing Origins more than 2 so I have a save to import on my next playthrough), and I'm really trying to get a romance going with Marrill (I am 100% friends with her) and yet after 15 hours of gameplay, I haven't seen a single heart option on the dialog wheel when I talk to her. As for every other male character (except for Varric) I almost always get a flirty option. I would gladly go gay with Varric and some of the stuff I said to him did come out somewhat flirtatious but no real relationship options.

When I play as a female Hawk, I hope to be able to kick off that Marrill relationship more easily.