Here, for example.

(Edit: Fire Mage version.)

My expectations are now lower. It's not that I'm opposed to sex or romance in these games. It's that I would prefer that they be trivial.

What it boils down to is I don't trust a developer to simulate intimacy in a way that makes sense to me. Putting the emphasis on it by making decisions pertaining to it an integral or even pivotal part of the experience doesn't sound good to me.

When Mike Laidlaw referred to the intimacy in the game, one of the writers practically threw up in his mouth. I would call that a bad sign.

Both romance and the physical act? No blurred screen? My first reaction was "not likely", but considering cinema, where sex scenes became en vogue even for 'high brow' movies, it does not seem that unlikely anymore. Am I a prude when I think that considering the age of people who obtain computer games, this might be a bit too much?

Agreed about the sex cards; sounded like an odd idea at first, but in retrospect, I kinda liked it. Never understood the criticism, though; you can easily see similarly explicit paintings in an art museum.

Considering past Bioware games, the romance in Dragon Age will most likely be optional.

Yup, that falls squarely in the "cringe-inducing" category.

What about the example Bioware provided, the one talked about in these articles? I'm assuming it was chosen as an example of what players can expect.

Guess it depends on the definition of optional. A min/max player would definitely run the romance just for the few magic points it gets a party member. Maybe having sex will give you a charisma bonus or whatever, but does that make it an integral or even pivotal part of the game? Debatable, in my opinion. (If the game is any good, there will be other, much more relevant things to do.)

You can choose to have a romance or not in any & all Bioware games, it is up to you. However, unlike other companies, Bioware have found the perfect way to attract female gamers by making romance options available in their games.

The pivotal part of the game, DA: Origins, is not to have sex; it is to save the world from this thing called the Blight. You can then choose to have a romantic interest that may or may not lead to you having sex in the game.

If someone buys the game thinking it is going to be a sex-simulator, they will be greatly disappointed; other games or sites for this sort of thing there are on this new fangled thing called the internet….

On a more general note, my hopes for this game, DA: Origins, actually went a little up when I watched this hands-on demo, especially since it featured some of the most intriguing dialogue, I have seen in a crpg for a very long time.

I have nothing against sex in a game. It's just that it tends to become rather… well dull to be honest. If the porn industry makes a better job of made-up sex the gaming industry seriously needs to improve… ;)

My point is that some things games do good and others not. To live out a fantasy of being an awesome magic-slinging mage is usually pretty well done. To have a relationship and have sex is usually worthlessly and inadequately done. I can't cast spells in real life, but I can have sex, so I prefer if they focus on the parts where real life can't beat them. Of course it would be very interesting if they managed to actually pull it of and create something interesting.

Its optional and besides according to the BioWare developers you will have needed to spend 30 hours building up the relationship to get to that point.

I like romance/sex options in the game. Its not a dealbreaker if the game doesn't have it but I always enjoyed games more who gives me this option.

I see your point, of course, but the very fact that Bioware is emphasizing it makes me think it's a significant part of the game, even if it's "optional." Unless I missed it, they didn't describe any potential benefits from choosing not to pursue any of the sexual or romantic angles. If there are none, then what kind of option is that, really?

Choosing never to experience certain parts of a game isn't that much different from choosing never to experience any of it at all. Buy it or not -- your option. Call me crazy, but I tend to lean toward buying games I want to experience.

Not that I'd call this a deal breaker, but it does lower my expectations for the game.

I liked the relationships in bg2..so I quess I will enjoy the romances in DA :)