Top 5 Romance Options

Video game romances have become a common dilemma for the game community. Whether it’s choosing who would share Commander Shepard’s bed or deciding to have a fling in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, deciding a romantic interest has always been a difficult decision for me. These optional encounters have become very popular in community forums, debating who was better and which character provided the best story. I’ve played a lot of games that have offered this choice, and choosing best hasn’t been easy. But here are my top five romances video games today.

5. Brelyna Maryon

When I first met the Dark Elf in The College of Winterhold I immediately starting speaking to her constantly about her background and enjoyed her charming voice. As a diligent student at The College of Winterhold she is clumsy and somewhat impractically skilled at magic. This is especially evident during her personal quest where she uses the Dragonborn as a test subject in an experiment that yields questionable results. Despite this she maintains a friendly attitude towards everyone. She may have not been the most important person in Skyrim or the best partner to take on an adventure, but I never regretted choosing her as my character’s partner.

4. Ves

Although I hated cheating on Triss Merigold, I was smitten by Ves’s persona. When I first saw her in the dungeons, aiding Vernon Roche in Geralt’s imprisonment, I didn’t think much of the warrior. After the events of chapter one, however, I realized she was a strong, dedicated, and funny person to be around. Whether it was aiding Geralt during and after a night of drunken shenanigans or fighting him in the arena, Ves proved to be a fantastic character to interact with throughout The Witcher 2. And when asked to join her to drink some wine I couldn’t say no. Maybe Triss will understand when I explain the situation to her in The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt when she meets Ves.

3. Morrigan

Dragon Age: Origins is one of my favorite games of all time. The incredible character customization, elaborate choice system, and engaging gameplay had me replaying the game so much that I ran out of character slots. But despite this incredible level of freedom I always found myself drawn to Morrigan as a romantic interest. Her beauty and troubled past instantly compelled me to court her multiple times.

But why Morrigan and not Leliana, or even the desire demon? While Morrigan demonstrated throughout Dragon Age: Origins her desire for power superseded everything, her emotional attachment to the Gray Warden is just as strong. Morrigan attempts to act coy at times, but during specific situations she shows that she really cares about the Warden, even almost crying at the thought of his death. Morrigan may be a power hungry demonic witch, but her colorful story and interesting romantic dialogue definitely easily overshadowed the other options.

2. Isabela

From the first time you meet Isabela in Dragon Age: Origins she makes it clear that she is an experienced woman in the bedroom, but this doesn’t bother her. She is comfortable with her lifestyle, only willing to satisfy her current pleasure as soon as possible. So why would I choose the easy pirate to be Hawke’s ideal love interest when a cute demon worshipping elf was readily available? It’s because of her background.

Isabela values fun, freedom, and getting ahead more than anything else, but she hates getting involved in people’s business and rules in general. After some harmless flirting at Hawke’s mansion and a brief moment of passion Isabela reveals that she developed trust issues due to a traumatic moment in her childhood. Despite having her curiosity was “slated” Isabela walked away from Hawke’s room with a dubious look in her face. Breaking down this trust barrier was more entertaining than any of the other romance options available. She also doesn’t release an ancient demon from another dimension because she was too proud to admit that she was wrong.

1. Tali’Zorah vas Normandy

Tali is an incredible character that develops from a naive girl, unaware of the outside world, to a fully capable combat engineer. Although she tends to be stubborn or unwilling to attempt certain ideas, her innocent attitude, modest views, and willingness to help made her such a wonderful character to be around. I would travel to the engineer deck multiple times just to talk to her. Tali demonstrated a strength and tenaciously that I couldn’t see in the other characters in the Mass Effect franchise, or in other games. It’s a shame that her final romance scene was heavily neglected in favor of other characters.

Whether it was Tali or Morrigan I always felt myself drawn to these characters whenever I was given the chance to pursue a serious relationship. Fans have created polls, social network pages, and even websites showcasing their passion for these characters. And while my devotion doesn’t stress that far I do have my own set of favorite characters that I prefer to be with. When the next installment in each of these franchises are released I’m sure this list will change, but for now Tali’Zorah vas Normandy remains my number one favorite romance character of all time.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed 
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