Poll: Which is your favourite Mass Effect romance?
- Thread starter putowtin
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Liara without a doubt.
She's the only one that felt like a true equal to Shepard. The others would follow him into hell and Garrus always has his back but Liara's the one standing next to him. At least that's how I saw things.
First game she was somewhat awkward, I fully agree. But even then she was much more central to the plot than any of the others. Once she became the Shadowbroker she was, in my opinion, a character as important and central as Shepard himself.
All the others feel like side quests. Liara's the main quest. To me anyway.
She's the only one that felt like a true equal to Shepard. The others would follow him into hell and Garrus always has his back but Liara's the one standing next to him. At least that's how I saw things.
First game she was somewhat awkward, I fully agree. But even then she was much more central to the plot than any of the others. Once she became the Shadowbroker she was, in my opinion, a character as important and central as Shepard himself.
All the others feel like side quests. Liara's the main quest. To me anyway.
The way each romance plays out it's clear that the main intended romance character is Liara. She gets the most 'screen time' when it comes to the romance sub plot you could say.
That being said, my favourite was Jack. I liked how complicated yet at the same time rather simple everything was in the relationship. Plus Jack's my favourite character anyway. A bit over the top here and there, but still my favourite.
That being said, my favourite was Jack. I liked how complicated yet at the same time rather simple everything was in the relationship. Plus Jack's my favourite character anyway. A bit over the top here and there, but still my favourite.
Funny thing is that I've played a LOT of characters through the Mass Effect trilogy, I'd say a good 90% of them romanced Liara, but I had a few that branched off just for the experience. As luck would have it, when I loaded up ME3 again to play the last DLC, I picked my engineer (I like the way that class works in ME3), completely forgetting that it was the one character that actually romanced Garrus. And one thing I can say...while he might have been a bit shy and bashful about the relationship in the normal game, apparently for Citadel it's Turian Mating Season because good lord he just NEVER lays off with inuendo after inuendo of "I'm gonna show you my mass relay and hope things don't progress at FTL speeds..." (not a real quote, but seriously, almost every line he says is about how much sex he and FemShep are going to be having soon).putowtin said:
That said, as I mentioned, the majority of my characters romanced Liara. It seems to me that Liara is the "canon" romance choice of the series, given the way things play out. You romance her in the first game because "Hey! Cute, sweet blue bisexual alien chick!" Yet even if you don't romance her in the first game, according to the back story of ME2, she is the ONLY crew member who went looking for your body when you died. If it weren't for her, you'd have ended up getting taken by the Shadow Broker and sold off the the Collectors. Clearly she cares very deeply for Shepard. Add to it the fact that, no matter if you romanced her or not, she's still got the most actual "cut-scene conversations" (as opposed to just walking up and initiating a few lines of automated dialogue) of any of the crew members. On top of THAT, many of those cut-scene conversations are rather romantic in nature (such as the Time Capsule scene and the final farewell where she takes you into her mind to show you her memories at the very end of the game).
So when you add all that up, it makes me pretty certain that Liara was meant to be Shepard's love interest. But beyond that, I love her sweet, gentle personality and voice mixed with the ruthless conviction to pull the trigger when it's necessary.
Torn between Kaidan, Thane, and Jack. Kaidan because he's a character who, though he may be whiny, genuinely thinks deeply about everything that happens on your mission, and always has some interesting point of view on things to give you. I like that about him. Or Jack because she's a complete fucking psycho but during the course of your relationship you actually get to find out why, and get her to open up to you a bit. Thane because his species' way of thinking is very unique and intriguing, and also just because it's so fucking tragic, jeez.
Garrus and Tali are off the table because I generally think of them as Shepard's best friends rather than someone he/she would find romantically interesting - and because the relationship they have with each other if you leave them alone is just adorable. Liara's general awkwardness is interesting but she's not a massively unique character, and pretty much becomes completely boring once she's 'matured' into the cold calculating figure she is from 2 onwards. Steve seems like a well-rounded character but I've never tried his romance so I can't judge.
I'm gonna go for Kaidan, if only out of nostalgia for the old days of ME1. And out of annoyance at Jack's appalling hairstyle in 3.
Garrus and Tali are off the table because I generally think of them as Shepard's best friends rather than someone he/she would find romantically interesting - and because the relationship they have with each other if you leave them alone is just adorable. Liara's general awkwardness is interesting but she's not a massively unique character, and pretty much becomes completely boring once she's 'matured' into the cold calculating figure she is from 2 onwards. Steve seems like a well-rounded character but I've never tried his romance so I can't judge.
I'm gonna go for Kaidan, if only out of nostalgia for the old days of ME1. And out of annoyance at Jack's appalling hairstyle in 3.
Those, along with Jacob, were always pretty much my least favourite romance options. The only way you could make something worse was if Vega was a romance option too. All just completely and utterly unlikeable, reprehensible characters. Also, Miranda is not even attractive. There, I said it. Pounce on me, Miranda fans.GZGoten said:
Liara has the best romance for me. It feels the most...natural I guess. Like an actual romance would go. Completely and utterly in love and tripping over herself at first. Then the honeymoon stage fade and she grows distant, starting to live her own life and Shepard is no longer the center of her thoughts. But then Shepard comes back and that old flame is rekindled--that scene with her in Lair of the Shadow Broker rings very true, where you grab her back and she gasps. Finally, you get the flirting and cautious hope that comes after years of on again, off again relationships that finally builds into a real, actual relationship.
And then Shepard dies and BioWare says, "Sorry, no blue children for you, losers!" Sorry about that. I'm still a bit bitter.
Other thoughts: Tali's good, I just wish Male Shepard's voice didn't sound like that. Tali sounds genuine, but Male Shepard never sounds like he's returning the feelings. Just that he's reading from a script, which kills it for me.
Kelly. BioWare, WHY DID YOU TAKE HER OUT OF THE GAME?! Red hair, super sweet, playful, and has a very naughty side. WHY?!
Jack: If only she wasn't so...angry. Yeah, I know that she calms down if you pursue her, but those first few steps. And again, Male Shepard's voice just...ugh. Female Shepard I wouldn't have a problem with, but Jack has apparently decided to go straight for the time being.
And then Shepard dies and BioWare says, "Sorry, no blue children for you, losers!" Sorry about that. I'm still a bit bitter.
Other thoughts: Tali's good, I just wish Male Shepard's voice didn't sound like that. Tali sounds genuine, but Male Shepard never sounds like he's returning the feelings. Just that he's reading from a script, which kills it for me.
Kelly. BioWare, WHY DID YOU TAKE HER OUT OF THE GAME?! Red hair, super sweet, playful, and has a very naughty side. WHY?!
Jack: If only she wasn't so...angry. Yeah, I know that she calms down if you pursue her, but those first few steps. And again, Male Shepard's voice just...ugh. Female Shepard I wouldn't have a problem with, but Jack has apparently decided to go straight for the time being.
1. Liara
2. Miranda
3. Jack
How did you manage to include Steve in the poll and forget Miranda? That ass wasn't memorable enough?
2. Miranda
3. Jack
How did you manage to include Steve in the poll and forget Miranda? That ass wasn't memorable enough?
Your poll seems broken. Miranda and Ashley are absent, yet for some insane reason Tali and Kaidan are there.
I especially don't understand Kaidan. I know they had intended for him to be a romance in the early development stages, but then they decided to have a scripted sequence where he gets nuked instead. A great improvment.
I personally would go with Ashley.
I especially don't understand Kaidan. I know they had intended for him to be a romance in the early development stages, but then they decided to have a scripted sequence where he gets nuked instead. A great improvment.
I personally would go with Ashley.
Well if they were continued from the 2nd, to the third I'd say Jack or Garrus.
Probably because they are both some badass mates and team mates.
Probably because they are both some badass mates and team mates.
Miranda and Liara tie in my book. Miranda would probably win if she had gotten more screen time in 3 (although Citadel DLC helps a bit). I don't understand the hate for Miranda, whereas Tali gets a free pass. Sure Miranda starts off as a bit of a *****, but a bit of character development later reveals that unlike the superiority complex a lot of people assume she has, she actually feels inferior to Shepard. I usually stay faithful to whatever character I'm romancing, but I've watched all the break up scenes on youtube. Miranda is the only one who seems crushed if Shepard leaves her, which shows what a difference he made to her life. What, a character with layers to their personality? Evidently gamers don't like this sort of thing because good old useless one dimensional Tali is everyone's favorite. I've already ranted about this in another thread, so I'll just quote that post here:
For FemShep, Garrus hands down. He and Shep start out as buddies and slowly get to know each other and get over both of their reservations about the others species. There's a huge amount of mutual respect between them. It's one of the few romances that isn't based on physical attraction, but friendship and emotional support. They obviously care a lot about each other and are just so ridiculously compatible. Garbear 4 lyfe, yo.
For DudeShep, I'm kind of torn. I prefer Liara with a FemShep for whatever reason and prefer an unromanced Jack (though her Citadel romance scenes were really great). I think Tali is my pick, mostly for the same reasons that Garrus is so great; she's Shep's friend before anything else. She obviously grows up a lot between the first and second games, and her kind of awkward crush on Shepard is just really endearing. By the third, she's grown into a confident young woman but still retains her nerdiness. I think she's just the perfect compliment to Shepard.
For DudeShep, I'm kind of torn. I prefer Liara with a FemShep for whatever reason and prefer an unromanced Jack (though her Citadel romance scenes were really great). I think Tali is my pick, mostly for the same reasons that Garrus is so great; she's Shep's friend before anything else. She obviously grows up a lot between the first and second games, and her kind of awkward crush on Shepard is just really endearing. By the third, she's grown into a confident young woman but still retains her nerdiness. I think she's just the perfect compliment to Shepard.
Tali wins it for me. She's just too cute. Plus her relationship with Shepard feels like it evolves the most naturally.
Sort of Tali but I really dislike that they have sex. Aliens having sex with each other absolutely breaks my suspension of disbelief. Its hard enough to accept them looking so humanoid never mind them sharing slot A and rod B.
If it were the humans, I actually like Miranda the most because it reflects well on her character, you can learn more about her through a relationship than through talking, which isn't quite true of Tali or Garrus (and Liara is dull as and as much as I like Thane, I didn't buy the relationship. Kaiden is a plank. Ashley is unbearable in 2 out of 3 games and only tolerable in the first. Jacob is a plank. Jack is good, but with the way she's been in so many people out for themselves in a relationship I'd prefer Shepard to keep it at friends so she can have a healthy unpossessive relationship with someone for the first time ever) The only other option is Chambers, but you can't really have a proper relationship with her.
With Miranda you can see her insecurity and even her sex scene shows off her desire to conquer people and be the best. The relationship felt most like something other than Twue Wuv which works better because the time frame fits and the circumstance fits. Shepard fills an obvious need for Miranda and I think that Miranda could offer something to a Paragon or a Renegade Shepard, she's the edge to the paragon, the person who gets things done and she's the calculating factor in renegade.
If it were the humans, I actually like Miranda the most because it reflects well on her character, you can learn more about her through a relationship than through talking, which isn't quite true of Tali or Garrus (and Liara is dull as and as much as I like Thane, I didn't buy the relationship. Kaiden is a plank. Ashley is unbearable in 2 out of 3 games and only tolerable in the first. Jacob is a plank. Jack is good, but with the way she's been in so many people out for themselves in a relationship I'd prefer Shepard to keep it at friends so she can have a healthy unpossessive relationship with someone for the first time ever) The only other option is Chambers, but you can't really have a proper relationship with her.
With Miranda you can see her insecurity and even her sex scene shows off her desire to conquer people and be the best. The relationship felt most like something other than Twue Wuv which works better because the time frame fits and the circumstance fits. Shepard fills an obvious need for Miranda and I think that Miranda could offer something to a Paragon or a Renegade Shepard, she's the edge to the paragon, the person who gets things done and she's the calculating factor in renegade.
Traynor Traynor Traynor Traynor Traynor a billion times over. In the first two games I played them several times to see all the romances, as well as alternate paths, but then I got 3 and Traynor opened her mouth. Played that game several times now, but I can't bring myself to romance anyone else.
Apart from her obvious hilariousness (seriously the best jokes in the entire game are from her romance path), I think the reason I liked Samantha so much is that I felt like her story arc kind of fit well in the whole structure of the game itself, mirroring it. Shepard had to leave Earth to save it, promising to come back, and at the end, Shepard must leave Traynor to save her, promising to come back.
After her though, in order from best to worst: Garrus/Thane, Liara, Jack, Kelly, Miranda, Tali, Samara Ash/Kaiden, Steve, Jacob, Morinth, Allers. Actually just boot Allers from that list it doesn't count and is not good.
Apart from her obvious hilariousness (seriously the best jokes in the entire game are from her romance path), I think the reason I liked Samantha so much is that I felt like her story arc kind of fit well in the whole structure of the game itself, mirroring it. Shepard had to leave Earth to save it, promising to come back, and at the end, Shepard must leave Traynor to save her, promising to come back.
After her though, in order from best to worst: Garrus/Thane, Liara, Jack, Kelly, Miranda, Tali, Samara Ash/Kaiden, Steve, Jacob, Morinth, Allers. Actually just boot Allers from that list it doesn't count and is not good.
In canon gameplay, Liara (for whom I voted).putowtin said:
She's in all three games (with Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC) and the arc feels consistent.
Also, she's bi, so she can get with my lesbian FemShep.
Overall though? Tali. The fact that they didn't let her be bi is a fricken crime.
