screw romances

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What is the big deal about romances? I mean, after the first time playing the game, romances are just boring converstions!
And don't come telling me that they introduce more intrigue into the plot! If you want a GOOD storyline and endless dialogue with incessant "talking" quests, go play Planescape: Torment, which I consider to have the best plot that I have ever played. Plancape has intrigue and all that other crap, but please, don't tell me that BG2 romances are "fun" or "intreresting", what a load of boring garbage! I'm not saying that BG1 and BG2 have bad plots (I've played a character from BG! to BG2 with expansions), what bugs me is that the best part of the game isn't the story, it's the playablility and the replayability! I wouldn't even mind the BG2 story if it didn't have the stupid romances, what a waste of time!

 

I like romances because they are fun and interesting.

Wait a second, that's not the answer you'd like.

To be honest, if you don't like the romantic plot, then just play the game for its other good qualities. Or go play another one. To me, romances are very intruiging. But maybe that's just me.

 

I tend to agree with you, though I'm sure we're in the minority - at least here at SP. I never thought the romances added that much to the story, though they are an interesting aspect that does add a bit of depth to the experience. My first time through, I unknowingly did the Aerie romance. I just thought she was high maintenance and talked too much! It wasn't until I read a strategy guide for BG2 that I realized there were 3 other romances. I ended up trying them all and to be honest, they didn't make or break my game at all. After about the 4th or 5th conversation (especially the first time with Aerie) I was just annoyed.

More than anything, it was the timing of the conversations that killed it for me. Right after a major battle where I had just finished the Copper Coronet pits and was off to "hurry" track down the slavers, Aerie inturrupts and wants to have a sitdown about how hard life is and cry on my shoulder. Come on! This isn't exactly a Hallmark moment, you twit! More often than not, the romance talks killed the rising action of the situations for me, and I ended up just skipping through them. The only romance I liked at all was Jahiera's, mainly because of all the extra quests that come along with her.

My two cents.

 

Depending on what NPC's you have in your party, you could perhaps avoid the romances just by choosing the right gender for your main character (usually female, unless you have Anomen).

But I agree with D.R. The romances add a bit of depth, but the timing usually sucks

 

Another thing to note that Senior Splunge reminded me of is that all romances can be ended without losing the NPC. Just tell them something to the effect of "I'm not interested" and it stops. So if you don't like them, no big deal. Thankfully, they aren't mandatory.

 

Or you could take a dwarf, halfling, half-orc, or gnome as your mc...

 

@ Death Rabbit:
The problem is that they’re pretty dense; you have to keep on telling them that over and over again.

And “Senior Splunge”? I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you meant that as a way of showing respect, but just in case…

@ Rallymama:
The NPC's must be desperate, because they don't seem to care about looks. Or they see beauty as more than skin deep

 

@Rallymama - Its only the dwarfs and the half-orcs that isn't allowed to have a romance. Gnomes can have it with Aerie and halflings with everyone. Just FYI.

[EDIT] Oops, you was just seconds before me dmc. Darn. [/EDIT]

 

@ Splunge

Senior, as in the spanish version of "Mr." Probably more correctly spelled "Senor Splunge," but I don't know the correct special character for the "n." Not senior citizen Splunge, or the Splunge in his final year of high school/college. See also: Miseur Splunge, Herr Splunge. Cool?

 

@dmc + Velve Zauviir:
Well, I’m not so sure about that. I am currently playing a game with a half-orc kensai, and I am in the middle of a romance with Viconia (at least, I’m getting what I assume to be the romance dialogues; this is the first time I’ve had a male PC with her). Can't recall what happened in my other parties, though. SoA, official patch and SP Fixpack is all I have installed.

@Death Rabbit:
I was wondering about whether you actually meant senor, but I took it as written. Here I go getting all excited over nothing again So, yep, cool.

 

To me romances are just a normal part of the game. Any game, especially an rpg. It's not the "romance" in it that really means so much to me though. The point is that the reason for why I usually vote for japanese rpg:s over western ones (even though it is a hard desicion) is because they not only have dialogue, but they have developing personalities.

The fundamental point in an rpg to me is that the people interact with the world, and with each other. There's no rpg in something where you go around hack'n'slashing things and your character developes no social relationships. Even if you talked a million lines of text, it doesn't make a difference if it feels like reading a boring encyclopaedia. Instead of romance, it could just as well be a developing deep friendship. Something where over time you get to know more and more about the company you're with, their good and bad sides. You make sacrifices for them, and vice versa. And in the end you actually feel like those characters mean something to you, and you to them. Now before you go off whining about a nolifer who doesn't understand the difference between a game and the real world, I'd have you know that I am very much aware of the difference. But some amount of realism (in my case, this specific type of realism) is always required to make entertainment more appealing.

In BG2 romances are the only thing that manage to do this even distantly, and that's why I think them paramount to the game. I don't remember when I last played BG2 without at least trying to romance someone in the process. Actually, I don't think I've ever done that since I found out about the romances. Granted, some of them get boring, some repetitive, and some just annoying (yes, including the romance mods). But they're still something to watch and wait for, as the basic relationships between the common NPC's advance nowhere in the entire game. Minsc is just the same in the end of ToB as he was in the beginning of BG1, and the case is no different with the other NPC's either.

 

I think the romances are interesting. If you don't like them - ignore them.

I suppose they are there to help fill out your characters a bit and add a little something inbetween the quests.

It's all to the player I suppose. You may think they are stupid, but I don't see how they ruin the game.

As to timing - I usually find that the dialogues appear when we are usually taking a wander through the woods after a few quests or perhaps along the road. Never have I had Jaheira pipe up "I've been thinking about Khalid" as we slice our way through orcs, though I think she once questioned her alliance with the harpers while staring up at Firkraags snarling face.

 

The romances did not do too much for me either other than provide me many opportunities to post sexually explicit jokes on this board.

Let's review these four...

Anomen...never tried, probably never will. I just can't get into playing a female character. I especially couldn't get into playing a female character with a boyfriend.

Viconia...I have never "finished" with her. Evil parties bore me and she is just sooooo unrealistic. There are special clubs to meet women like her and they are filled with women who have an evil "character" they play rather than be their scared and insecure selves. But enough about dominatrixes.

Jaheira...well...I guess it could be a realistic romance if you are attracted to castrators. She is very masculine. The whole choose me over your friends thing is a bit forced as well.

Aerie...well...sadly enough I would say this one is probably most realistic...if you were dating a thirteen year old. Do you think I'm fat? I don't like my hair. Do you think I'm pretty? She is two stumps away from a plaid skirt and a Justin Timberlake backpack.

Two stumps instead of two steps...I am the wittiest man alive.

 

Lotsa nice whine I see, keep it up!

 

Romances are just like all the other NPC interaction. It helps to make BG a role playing game instead of just a *hack'n'slash like diablo. Even though this was also done by many other things, the romances and NPC interaction helped.

*note the technical terminology used

 

@Foradasthar
When you refer to Japanese rpg's, you're speaking about FF7-10 right? Well, I've played a few (FF/,FF9) and I do believe you're right about there being a more involving social aspect to the game, but contrary to BG2, the games are much more limiting in terms of non-story play. Besides, Planescape: Torment puts FF into a corner crouching with its tail between its legs in terms of storyline (I do suggest that everyone who enjoys a good story PLAY this game).

@Virne
This just happens to be a forum, which means, people should express their opinions, which means, if I want to, I can gripe and whine about BG2. At least I do express a coherent opinion about the game, while your opinion is that we shouldn't have opinions. We're here to discuss interesting topics about the game, if people feel like whining, then let them.

 

Oh? In what point of my post you got such an impression, or are you just guessing what my opinion is and then throwing it out like a truth?

Really, I don't have anything against opinions. I replied merely to point out what the motives behind the complaints were, so don't burn your pants for nothing.

And yes; I disagree with most of the previous comments -except for the bad timing thing. Sometimes it's just ludicrous when they decide to start that "small, private chat." But hey; one can't have everything.

 

@Th1wl

Yes well FF's VIII - * are crap, IMO. Older games such as Chrono Trigger, Tales of Phantasia, Seiken Densetsu's and FF IV - VII are more like it (just to make sure no-one takes me for a newbie FF fan ). Obviously they are extremely linear, but in the linearity they lose no more than most PC games do in the social side and general immersiveness. PC rpg's have replay value, but console rpg's feel like an epic movie on the few times you can play them. Now if you combined both, that would be something. BG2 is the best combination of both PC and console type rpg, but like I said, it's only because of the romances. BG1 was extremely boring. And the mere casual NPC discussions that were added to BG2 would not have been enough, especially after playing it through a few times.

 

Actually I have played the old rpg's... from super nintendo and sega. Chrono Trigger is an excellent game, and even though I found Tales of Phantasia repititious, you're right about them (FF5-7) being more immersive. But, BG2 isn't as good as those titles, in terms of story! I guess the romances just don't do it for me.