Personally I have mixed feelings about this announcement. By comparison I am more indifferent to the possibility for gay romance in Dragon Age but if other people liked them then I shouldn't complain. After all, how one takes upon the romance sub-plot is up to the player and if they do things differently to others then that's their way of playing the game in question and more power to them.
However, in the case of ME3, I can see some problems:
1) This is coming in with the third game - indeed rather late in the saga. Thus it seems absurd for a character to suddenly decide they are gay/bisexual. I have friends who are gay/bisexual and I can tell you that how they are isn't based on a decision - it's based on genetics. No one can change who they are and to have a ME character suddenly decide to change their preference of sexual partner just seems both weird and awkward.
Indeed, it was bizarre for Dragon Age to have Anders start off as straight (Awakening) to suddenly decide he likes dicks as well (DA2). And for a series such as Mass Effect, whose strengths lie in immersion, writing and being epic, this may seem something of an backward step.
2) Suddenly the group dynamic is changed: Suddenly, Shepard is now beating off people with a stick. This has already proven a problem: Why, in my last play-through of ME2, I wanted my Shepard to turn down any romantic advances - as I wanted him to remain loyal to Ash from the first game - but this was a challenge indeed. Similarly in Dragon Age Origins, there is too much opportunity for the characters to hit on my character. By way of example, I thought Zevran from DAO hitting on anything with legs was kinda exasperating at times - and apparently I'm not alone: I heard that some gay gamers actually took offense with Zevran stating his seeming obsession with sex totally misrepresenting as to what gays are like as people.
Thus to have nearly everyone hit on Shepard in ME3 is both unrealistic and kinda silly. So Shepard able to have anyone and everyone fawning at his/her feet? Pull the other one.
3) Honestly, I think Bioware are pushing their luck: Remember when they tried to romance sub-plot for the first time? In Baldur's Gate 2? That was innovative at the time and, as such, kinda cool: It happened over the course of many conversations that could happen during and in-between questing. Like any romantic relationship, it was something that happened over a long period of time and showed, through the limits of text and voice-acting, a growing attraction Aerie/Jahiera/Viconia have for the player. In contrast, it's far more easier to get in relationship in Mass Effect - no doubt inspired by the limitations of the dialogue wheel. Thus it is too easy to have acts of friendliness being taken as romantic advances - as if it was one or the other. Which, as a series taking pride in giving the player as many options and methods to do stuff seems kinda strange.
4) Most importantly of all, I see all this attention given to the romance in Mass Effect and to be honest, I call bullshit. For fuck's sake people: It is a sub-plot! It's not something you HAVE to do and it is entirely OPTIONAL! Seriously, why would people care about their romantic partner when THERE IS A MAIN PLOT INVOLVING SAVING THE UNIVERSE?!??!?!!?!?!
*pauses to get breath back*
Personally I enjoy Mass Effect for the epic nature, writing, immersion, exploring the vast universe before me and shooting dudes - the romance sub-plot is there as an added bonus. All of which is what the game sets out to do and achieves in spades.
Seriously, if people are so enamored of the romantic sub-plot it makes me wonder why Bioware don't go the whole hog and just make a dating sim!
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