Morality Games

What sort of role in development are you pursuing? Writer? Concept artist? Designer? These are generally more difficult to achieve than say, programmer.

It goes without saying that describing a Bioware game as a dating sim is hyperbole, although DAII did get overtaken somewhat by the romances. In Mass Effect, the opposite occurred. The romances were nowhere near as central as the tone of the relationship suggested they should be. I must have played some crazy East European version of ME then. In ME2 and ME3, you had 5-10 unique dialogues per character and had one specific shot in one specific conversation to get on a romance track (whereas the DAII conversations were populated with Flirt options). The romances only rarely blended into the central narrative, but the heavy tone and stylized treatment of each romance suggested they had a meaningful role in Shepard's journey. DAII was a more extreme version of ME2 in that the 'central narrative' was substantially reduced in favor of giving each companion their personalized arc. The romance permeated these to a much stronger degree than in ME2, which is what imparts the sense that romance overtook DAII. It would be more accurate to say, "Companions overtook DAII, and then romance overtook companions."

However, there are romance arcs in the Witcher series (even putting aside the generic sexual conquests). Witcher is a love story, but Geralt is a loner. The same can't be said of Fallout or the Elder Scrolls, but those games should be appreciated on their own merits.

It goes without saying that describing a Bioware game as a dating sim is hyperbole, although DAII did get overtaken somewhat by the romances. In Mass Effect, the opposite occurred. The romances were nowhere near as central as the tone of the relationship suggested they should be.

Problem is that the two Black Isle/Obsidian games with famously deep characterizations had romance, although the form and style differed from Bioware's. The reason being because romance can add another layer of depth to a relationship. What games? Probably MotB and PS:T. They're Avellone "romances" though. So they're really tragedies that aren't offensive. They were written to pretty much punish those looking for virtual love/sex because our good Lord and savior Avellone famously hates the romances we all loathe. No, I meant Kotor 2. MotB isn't tragic if you play it correctly. Its also the only good straightforward romance in an Obsidian game.

Problem is that the two Black Isle/Obsidian games with famously deep characterizations had romance, although the form and style differed from Bioware's. The reason being because romance can add another layer of depth to a relationship. What games? Planescape: Torment and Knights of the Old Republic II. Form: Some relationships naturally possessed overtones of romance (in Kotor 2, this varied according to the PC's gender) which could be coaxed out by the player through kind or insightful actions. Style: All of the relationships carried through the main themes of the game, which 'generally' isn't the case with Bioware games.

Problem is that the two Black Isle/Obsidian games with famously deep characterizations had romance, although the form and style differed from Bioware's. The reason being because romance can add another layer of depth to a relationship.