I've previously stated my thoughts on the romantic sidequests that seem to be a staple of Bioware RPGs so what I do I think of Dragon Age's effort? Well, I don't find it a very convincing one. If anything, I found it kinda short and my opinion on the outcome (the cinematic of the two characters getting it on) hasn't really changed from being a) rather pointless, b) lame pretensions to maturity and c) pandering to the many virgins who no doubt make up the gaming demographic. This is disappointing becuase I've played many Bioware RPGs and the romantic sidequests that proliferate in them and I know Bioware can do better.
Personally, I feel Bioware's romantic subquests worked best the first time around: In Baldur's Gate 2. They worked in the terms of length and complexity, showing a depth in the character being seduced and presenting a lot of conversations that gradually built up the romance with each step - just like in real life. But becuase gamers these days tend to have attention spans of caffeine-addled hummingbirds, nothing has come close to replicating the success of these quests. They have been instead cut down and placed more emphasis on the sex. Ironically, the only gaming romance I can think that could match Baldur's Gate 2 was Final Fantasy X - ironic considering a) it's a JRPG, b) It's not a game made by Bioware and c) it's game which offers less choices to the player.
Still I'm not willing to say that Bioware has entirely forgotten how to make a great romantic subquest. As mentioned in this blog, I've beaten Mass Effect 2 twice. Both times I was using a different Shepard, which presented an opportunity to do two completely different romances. Thus my first Shepard (male) made the effort to hit on Miranda whilst the second Shepard (female) worked to get into Thane's pants.
Ironically, I found the latter romance to be the far more compelling one. With the first romance, I felt the acting was bland - Now I wish no offense to Mark Meer but whilst his voice sounds great for an action hero type, trying to be a Rudolph Valentino just plain doesn't work. And the outcome of the romance is seeing the act of intercourse - even if some parts are left unseen. Although Miranda wearing a bra just looks more weird than enticing.....
Conversely, in the Thane romance, it's completely different. Firstly, nothing is shown - and is all the better for it. It is all conveyed through the words uttered and the actors playing them. Indeed, there is no denying the emotion involved with Thane, however accepting of his eventual fate, is now afraid of the idea of losing a loved one. Indeed, the line 'Stay alive with me' may sound corny on paper but here it is conveyed to a point where it becomes kinda touching.
Okay granted it didn't take many conversations to get to that point but this indeed offers an outcome that places subtly over flesh and puts forth an inevitably tragic angle to it. This makes this romance, in my mind, much more satisfying.
So to summarize, romancing Miranda yielded something from a bad porno whilst romancing Thane resulted in something much more successful in triggering an emotional response. Hmmm, perhaps the female Shepard did indeed get the better deal....
Ultimately though, winning over Leliana is just one of four romances offered in Dragon Age Origins. Maybe the others could offer something different? Guess it may be worth a look....
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