LOVE, SEX, ROMANCE – Valentine’s Day in the Cyber World

It’s St. Valentines Day so lets talk about love, sex, relationships and romance in some of our favorite Video Games. There is plenty to talk about with games like ‘Mass Effect’ and ‘Catherine’ that have very prominent sexual themes. Sometimes the relationships are less obvious as we engage in the violence, the fighting, missions and annihilation first. In recent years, I’ve noticed interactive romance becoming much more common and quite realistic as the story elements improve. Here are 8 games with truly romantic stories of every kind. Let me tell you how they made my list.

 

The Prince and Farah

From: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003), Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones (2005); Forgotten Sands HD (2010)

How Lovers First Met: His father captured and ransacked her father’s kingdom, kidnapping her as a prize.

Why they’re on our list: Drawn together by adversity when the Sands of Time, Farah and the Prince rapidly developed a strong bond that would change them both. Brash, arrogant, selfish, and compelled by his misguided desire for “honor and glory”, the Prince is an extraordinarily unlikely hero. Farah, on the other hand, is one of the most self-assured women the medium has ever seen. She doesn’t care much for the Prince at first, and you can hardly blame her. He also initially viewed her with distrust; the Prince eventually came to rely on Farah’s levelheaded help, as well as her skill with a bow. The Prince and Farah got a happy ending years later in The Two Thrones when they were reunited. The two were able to rekindle their romance and end the Sands of Time Trilogy on a high note, with a charming fairy tale.

 

Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher

From: Uncharted Series (2007-present)

How Lovers First Met: As a journalist she decided to cover his treasure hunt.

Why they’re on our list: There’s a real chemistry between Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher from the first scene of the first game to the last scene of the third game. Their affection for each other grows over time. At the end of their journey they are one of gaming’s most realistic, sympathetic couples ever created in a video game. It’s in the writing and you will have to check out the trilogy to see what I mean.

 

Master Chief and Cortana

From: Halo Series (2001-present)

How Lovers First Met: She chose him as her carrier to aid in the Battle of Reach.

Why they’re on our list: Trust and loyalty are fundamental elements of any good relationship, and these two are balls-deep in trust and loyalty. No matter what, Master Chief and his holographic artificial-intelligence girlfriend do, they both stick to each other. Master Chief and Cortana always find time to flirt, whether they’re actively bombing or on other duties. “Yah baby!” It’s so exciting to see love spreading throughout the galaxy. That also legitimizes our next selection. While Cortana and the chief never have any real romanticism as a genetically enhanced warrior and an artificial intelligence (AI) they come pretty close.

 

Commander Shepard and Liara T’Soni

From: Mass Effect (2001-present)

How Lovers First Met: Shepard realized we’re all blue on the inside.

Why they’re on our list: Trust an alien love scene! Yes, this romance makes the list because of the painstakingly long time it takes to achieve this match up. Furthermore, it’s the only relationship that clearly culminates in sex with a sensual cut scene (both for the female and male version of the main character). Alien sex is always a plus. Kirk did it first but inter species relationships definitely belong to mass effect.

 

Tidus and Yuna

From: Final Fantasy X (2001)

How Lovers First Met: Tidus gets thrown a thousand years into the future. After his home City of Zanarkand is destroyed by Sin (the giant whale/natural disaster), Tidus drifts to the tropical island of Besaid, where he meets Wakka, the captain of the local blitzball team. Wakka introduces Tidus to Yuna, a young summoner planning a pilgrimage to defeat Sin.

Why they’re on our list: The main Final Fantasy series always tries to shoehorn in a romantic subplot, usually with mixed results. Final Fantasy X pulls heavy on the heartstrings as Yuna and Tidus deal with the seemingly inevitable extinction of their people. Yuna is a strong women who has set out to save the world and Tidus is a brat who just wants to joke around, but as circumstances change they fall for each other and deal with their problems together.

We feel that once the curtain falls on Final Fantasy X, Tidus and Yuna have grown in very measurable ways and have a connection that’s more than rescuer/rescued, and strong enough to stand even the staunchest scrutiny.

They follow through for the greater good, and then an entire game (Final Fantasy X-2) is devoted to Yuna’s heartbroken search for her lost love.

Final Fantasies suggest romantic involvement between characters, but it’s Tidus and Yuna that express these feelings in a believable manner.

 

Dom and Maria Santiago

From: Gears of War series (2006-present)

How Lovers First Met: They were 11 years old!

Why they’re on our list: This married couple is in “Gears of War 2″ and have one of the saddest stories on this list. A childhood romance goes horribly wrong between Dom and Maria. They have a child and are married at the young age of 16. When the couple was starting out on their new life, Locusts kill both of their children on Emergence Day and Maria’s goes into a deep depression. Maria goes missing. Dom’s only motivation throughout the entire campaign is rescuing his wife from the Locust, but what he eventually finds her isn’t what he was expecting. She was beaten to the point she no longer recognizes Dom or any of the G.E.A.Rs.

A sad and memorable moment in the game is when they shared one final, heart braking embrace before Dom terminates her live with a single bullet. Tragic? Sure, but sometimes it’s the saddest love stories that leave the most lasting impressions.

 

Link and Zelda

From: The Legend of Zelda

How Lovers First Met: Who the hell knows, the timeline is so convoluted.

Why they’re on our list: Link and Zelda are the classic videogame couple even if they only have kissed (implied) once over the last 23 years, their adventures together are remarkable (a few titles: Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker and Spirit Tracks) where they always demonstrate affection toward one another. Just look at the expression he has when she is faced with a jerk like ganondorf. That must be love. The Legend of Zelda is one of the best video game romances of all time.

 

Mario and Princess Peach

From: Super Mario Bros. Series (1985-present)

How Lovers First Met: He saved her from a giant lizard-turtle.

Why they’re on our list: Mario and the Princess have a relationship that has been going strong since 1985. Why are they the definitive video game couple? Well, because Mario and Peach have the most iconic romance. Mario games put you into the hero role to go save the women you love from bad-asses. Whenever they engage in the sporting life, whether golfing, karting, or ‘base balling’ the two are almost always on the same side. Let’s face it, in the real world Mario and the Princess would be “couple of the century” since they’ve been able to cope with dozens of kidnappings, we’ve got to say that these two have kept their cool over the years. Without a doubt, Mario and Princess Peach deserve a round of applause. Still waiting for the scene following peaches rescue…The one where Mario fixes her plumbing.

 

‘The Relationship – Sex, Love & Intrigue’

Best couple is one thing but on St valentine’s day it is not only about the couple it’s about the relationship, romance and sex. What did 2011 offered us? Take Catherine for example, the year’s most interesting and directly sexual game with a unique story that intertwines Game & Play. Catherine is a game with a love triangle that explores infidelity, passion and the nature of temptation. All this steamy action in a puzzle game! Big worlds like Skyrim and Dragon Age 2 let players find a partner and get married and should be applauded for allowing same sex relationships.

Uncharted 3 doesn’t skip on the love interest. Drake and Elena work out their broken marriage. Assassins’s Creed is all heaving passion in traditional gender roles. In Arkham City Batman plays it straight while Cat women lays it on thick. Witcher 2 is one of the best games of the year and also one of the most sex packed. The apocalypse was with Duke Nukem Forever with it’s acknowledgment to all of the popular entertainment for men: violence, fast food, beer with everything and regular pit stops for sex, sex, sex. Nevertheless once it comes to genuine romance there is only one relationship to top them “Mario and Princess Peach”.

Christophe Chanel