Top Ten Most “Romantic” Video Games March 11, 2013

Now that it’s March, that means that the month of love is over. For some people, that will be a huge relief, either emotionally or financially, for others the time will pass as if nothing changed for them. I never understood the whole media sensationalism about love until I experienced it for myself. Love is a very interesting thing in that it is very difficult to define or describe. Think about it for yourselves, can you define love without just using the word? Personally, I happen to like when something takes a basic concept and turns it completely on its head. Over the years, I’ve played some great games that have taken the romantic subplot common in many books and films and presented it a way that only video games can, and in turn have created some of the most romantic stories I’ve seen in any medium, and were quite entertaining to boot.

What follows is a list that I’ve been working on of the top ten “Romantic” Video Games. I say “Romantic” in quotations because I wanted to choose games that were not about straight up romance or marriage simulators. If I did that, this would be a very boring list. No, by “Romantic” I mean games that by all accounts would not be considered romantic at all, but have a special kind of love story that makes the game all the better.

10. Duke Nukem Forever – I know what you’re thinking, why is this game on the list? Duke Nukem is a womanizing egotist. He’s not in any relationships we’re aware of, and most of the girls that surround him barely have any clothes on. Duke Nukem has retired from his job of constantly saving the world and now runs his own casino on the heart of the Las Vegas strip. Then, the aliens return with the intention to get revenge on the champion who defeated them twelve years earlier, and they will kidnap all the women on the planet attractive enough to be host to their offspring unless Duke Nukem can stop them. The reason why this game has made my list is because when you think about it, the entire plotline of this game revolves around Duke Nukem saving his chicks (the Holsom Twins), and when he fails to save them, he loses it and seeks revenge against the aliens who killed them to ensure the safety of all of our planet’s babes!

9. Brütal Legend – In a world where heavy metal is a weapon, a roadie falls in love with a groupie. Transported to a world beyond time, everything veteran roadie Eddie Riggs knew about road touring can be used as a weapon of war, and he has the power to use it to free an oppressed people from a tyrant. What I liked the most about Brütal Legend was the story. It is more than just about one man overthrowing oppression, that’s been used a lot in video games. At its core, Brütal Legend is a love story. In the very beginning of the game, the hero Eddie meets Ophelia, a warrior who looked a lot like a modern-day rock angel. He’s immediately taken back by her skills and beauty, and she’s impressed by him as well. Halfway through the game, they’re both deceived by the villain and they break up. Later on, we believe she comes back as a villain, changed by what she believed to be his betrayal of their love, and he has to stop what he believes she’s become at any cost.

8. Lollipop Chainsaw – Zombies have invaded San Romero high school. The only person who can save the school is the school’s head cheerleader Juliet Starling, who just so happens to also be part of a family of zombie hunters. While it may have started off as any other simple zombie infestation day, the day took a turn for the worse when Juliet’s boyfriend Nick got bitten trying to protect her. Sadly, he was just about to give her a birthday present and tell her that he loved her. In her grief she did what every teenage girl would do. She cut off his head with her chainsaw and cast a magic incantation so his he would remain alive and unzombified, but now he was just a head. Fixing his head to her skirt, he became the ultimate zombie fighting accessory, and together they fought to end the zombie outbreak and save San Romero High.

7-4: The Metal Gear Solid Series – Yep, all four of them are on this list, and I just couldn’t place any order on them, so you’ll just have to think of the whole series as a group. You may not have noticed it, but practically every one of the four Metal Gear Solid games have some kind of love story in them and each one is unique. The first Metal Gear Solid was a straight up love story during an action game, where a battle hardened veteran falls for a rookie with the strongest spirit he’s ever seen, and in the middle of the game the player makes a decision that determines if she lives or dies. In the second game, we have a new main character and a new perspective on love as he has been in a relationship with someone for a while, and he must set aside his emotions to complete his mission while making sure he doesn’t lose the one he cares for. In the third game, we fall for a femme fatale who helps us through the game, and while she betrays him at the very end of it, you can tell she’s not doing it willingly. Finally in the fourth game, two background characters get the chance for happiness in one of the most romantic scenes I’ve ever seen during an all out firefight. It’s a great series that personally set the bar for me on what made for a good love story in any medium, and I can’t wait to see what else is to come down the road.

3. Catherine – The game follows Vincent Brooks, an everyman in a steady relationship with a girl who wants to take it to the next step, but he doesn’t know if he’s ready to settle down and get married. At the same time he’s met this very attractive woman who is practically everything he’s ever wanted, and who feels exactly the same about relationships that he does. Oh and did I mention that every night he’s being cursed by nightmares where he is constantly climbing endless blocks, running from all the concerns of his life involving the girl who wants to settle down with him, his future child, and immoral demons?

While the game is by all intents a puzzle game, its story is based on the ultimate question we all may face some day, will we settle down or stay independent? The best part is that you decide for yourself how Vincent feels about relationships, and if you make it to the end of the game, you’ll see how your decisions affect the outcome of his life. Its the ultimate puzzle game and life simulation, and whether you’re a romantic at heart or someone who just can’t settle down, your ending could show you everything you want for yourself.

2. Splatterhouse – On the night he planned to ask his girlfriend to marry him, a frail nerd named Rick is attacked by monsters and left for dead. To save his girlfriend, he must put on a cursed mask which promises to save his life and grant him extraordinary powers. But can he save her in time before the coming eclipse? To me, Splatterhouse tried to bring out a lot of the basest of guy fantasies, but at its core, the game was a love story. The Happy Video Game Nerd described the game’s entire plotline in one simple sentence. “Dude, save yo girl!” When the love of his life is in mortal danger, the main character instantly went from a frail, skinny nerd to a superhuman behemoth when he put on the Terror Mask. Rick made that decision at the risk of his own life and possibly his soul just because he loved his girlfriend and would brave all the horrors of Dr. West’s mansion wanted to save her.

1. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne – A hard-boiled New York detective with a colored past is investigating a high profile murder suspect he has encountered in the past. During his investigation a hit has been put out on both of them and they need to trust each other and work together in order to survive what is coming. The problem is, the more time they spend together, the harder it is for them to resist each other. Will they be able to find out who is coming after them, and will he be able to save her? This is without a doubt one of the best love stories ever told in a video game. In fact, it says it right on the box the game is, “A Film Noir Love Story”. I don’t think a love story has ever been better told in the framework of still images than this game. The best part is, her survival is left ambiguous in the game’s cannon. If you prefer a happy ending to your game don’t worry, there is a way you can get a happy ending in the game, just play it on the highest difficulty.