txa1265
SasqWatch
- Joined
- October 18, 2006
- Messages
- 14,964
Thisn't specific to NWN2, since he came in too late to have a bearing on that, but he has some comments on it in CRPG's in a thread on the Obsidian forums:
I like romances in RPG, but more in the sense of 'relationship building' rather than '7 steps to bedding your elf'. So I like that Bastilla stands with you in KotOR, and that you can take Jaheira through the final battle of BG2: ToB and beyond.
I don't hate love in game stories; I just hate reducing love to shallow, masturbatory fantasy indulgence. Maybe that's all love is to some people, but I think that's a pretty narrow view. Ego-stroking is very popular in CRPGs, which is one reason I don't feel comfortable doing CRPG writing anymore.
I appreciate that people wanted more romance options in NWN2, but sometimes I think that people want there to be romance "victory" conditions for all companions. I think that can diminish some characters. For instance, if Shandra and Qara had their own romance plots, I think some people would still want Neeshka to be "romance-able", regardless of how Neeshka's author felt about the character's place in the story.
That bugs me. I don't like the idea that you can "win" everything or get everyone on your side. I'm also not fond of the idea that romance always has to resolve with a "fade out" to implied coitus, but that's another issue.
I'll re-state what I wrote before: I want romance to receive either less or more attention in games. Anything worth doing is worth doing well, especially when it's something with so much emotional potential. But I certainly don't want to go the route of harem anime, which is total fantasy indulgence and gross pandering.
I like romances in RPG, but more in the sense of 'relationship building' rather than '7 steps to bedding your elf'. So I like that Bastilla stands with you in KotOR, and that you can take Jaheira through the final battle of BG2: ToB and beyond.
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2006
- Messages
- 14,964