I posted this elsewhere, but I think its best to make a proper thread about my thoughts on it.
The Romance in this game is truly amazing, and equally disappointing.
Judy Alvarez, as an example.
You're led on an almost 12 hour long journey, starting off where she doesn't like/nor trust you very much. Over time winning her over to your side and are able to to quests for her. All the while doing side missions with her and getting closer via dialogue options and a general closeness of time spent, and when you're not, getting excited for the random text/phone call that she might send. You comfort her, help her out with missions, get invited to her house/apartment. You save her seemingly best friend, there for her during the traumatic experiences of this mission and become quite close. All these decisions that impact whether or not she actually wants you to be in her life, and you see these decisions come to fruition by her slowly beginning to want to spend time with you in general.
After a while the Messages get more personal, the phone calls as well. You're actually in a sort of relationship with this in-game character you're getting to know slowly, and despite what anyone might think, spending 12 hours or so even with an in-game character, you do have a unique bond with them. I would add every other persons playthrough with this person is unique as well as they would have approached it with a completely different reasoning and feeling throughout the game.
At one point in a mission, V says something like - "I only tell people I care about my real name". This led me to believe this game has a lot of impactful moments if you were to get close to certain characters, and I thought this would be such an amazing way to learn about V, and Judy, through a side mission with one of the bigger characters. It gives what you're doing so much more meaningfulness that it actually made me postponed the endgame content.
Anyway, at a certain point you help Judy, and she obliges by opening herself up, and taking you out into probably one of the most amazingly romantic missions/scenes I have encountered in any game. You go underwater diving, after flirting quite amazingly (I'm still waiting for that MaxTax uniform btw) - and you visit Judy's old home, and you learn about her past and feelings.
She breaks down and you comfort her, ending up in a tasteful, not over done sex scene where two characters are enjoying each others company. If you're role playing this game, this was a sweet moment for you, as you have spent 12 hours or so with this person who has suddenly changed their whole dynamic with you, to get to this point. And she clearly tells you there's more to her story. You changed her life at this point. This is probably the most meaningful impact you have on any character in the game.
You go outside, and are posed with a question, What did this mean to you?
Well after 12 hours, this wasn't just a one night stand, if it was for anyone else, I would be amazed.
You explain you hope this is the start of something nice, and are suddenly in a relationship, with a few more dialogue options. The immersion, romance, excitement of a new message/phone call coming through suddenly, a thought of a date, the thought of maybe hearing V's REAL NAME to someone that she's in-love with, has all but disappeared because Judy is no longer part of the story in any shape or form, other than standing at the window repeating the same line of dialogue.
Where did all my effort, of time spent with someone, even an NPC, go? Why did it amount to only having a bio-link created or whatever it was, why not have her come to V's apartment, have dinner/date/drinks - You have drinks with every other character, for every other reason. What was the purpose of that, just a mere sex scene that you can have with any other sex worker. Where's the actual romance of two newly in-love people. There's a GIANT whole in a missed opportunity here and I HOPE CDPR see's this and offers an explanation or at least, update this to progress to a point where my time spent with Judy is more meaningful, not just a throw away sex scene that happened once, and is forgotten in the games memory.
I have never been this disappointed in a game after spending so long with one part of it, to have to end as if sex was the highlight of that endeavor. If I new that before hand, I wouldn't have bothered.
I am holding out for an update/dlc where this progresses. This was a great missed opportunity, and I expected a little better.
The Romance in this game is truly amazing, and equally disappointing.
Judy Alvarez, as an example.
You're led on an almost 12 hour long journey, starting off where she doesn't like/nor trust you very much. Over time winning her over to your side and are able to to quests for her. All the while doing side missions with her and getting closer via dialogue options and a general closeness of time spent, and when you're not, getting excited for the random text/phone call that she might send. You comfort her, help her out with missions, get invited to her house/apartment. You save her seemingly best friend, there for her during the traumatic experiences of this mission and become quite close. All these decisions that impact whether or not she actually wants you to be in her life, and you see these decisions come to fruition by her slowly beginning to want to spend time with you in general.
After a while the Messages get more personal, the phone calls as well. You're actually in a sort of relationship with this in-game character you're getting to know slowly, and despite what anyone might think, spending 12 hours or so even with an in-game character, you do have a unique bond with them. I would add every other persons playthrough with this person is unique as well as they would have approached it with a completely different reasoning and feeling throughout the game.
At one point in a mission, V says something like - "I only tell people I care about my real name". This led me to believe this game has a lot of impactful moments if you were to get close to certain characters, and I thought this would be such an amazing way to learn about V, and Judy, through a side mission with one of the bigger characters. It gives what you're doing so much more meaningfulness that it actually made me postponed the endgame content.
Anyway, at a certain point you help Judy, and she obliges by opening herself up, and taking you out into probably one of the most amazingly romantic missions/scenes I have encountered in any game. You go underwater diving, after flirting quite amazingly (I'm still waiting for that MaxTax uniform btw) - and you visit Judy's old home, and you learn about her past and feelings.
She breaks down and you comfort her, ending up in a tasteful, not over done sex scene where two characters are enjoying each others company. If you're role playing this game, this was a sweet moment for you, as you have spent 12 hours or so with this person who has suddenly changed their whole dynamic with you, to get to this point. And she clearly tells you there's more to her story. You changed her life at this point. This is probably the most meaningful impact you have on any character in the game.
You go outside, and are posed with a question, What did this mean to you?
Well after 12 hours, this wasn't just a one night stand, if it was for anyone else, I would be amazed.
You explain you hope this is the start of something nice, and are suddenly in a relationship, with a few more dialogue options. The immersion, romance, excitement of a new message/phone call coming through suddenly, a thought of a date, the thought of maybe hearing V's REAL NAME to someone that she's in-love with, has all but disappeared because Judy is no longer part of the story in any shape or form, other than standing at the window repeating the same line of dialogue.
Where did all my effort, of time spent with someone, even an NPC, go? Why did it amount to only having a bio-link created or whatever it was, why not have her come to V's apartment, have dinner/date/drinks - You have drinks with every other character, for every other reason. What was the purpose of that, just a mere sex scene that you can have with any other sex worker. Where's the actual romance of two newly in-love people. There's a GIANT whole in a missed opportunity here and I HOPE CDPR see's this and offers an explanation or at least, update this to progress to a point where my time spent with Judy is more meaningful, not just a throw away sex scene that happened once, and is forgotten in the games memory.
I have never been this disappointed in a game after spending so long with one part of it, to have to end as if sex was the highlight of that endeavor. If I new that before hand, I wouldn't have bothered.
I am holding out for an update/dlc where this progresses. This was a great missed opportunity, and I expected a little better.