Good. I gotta say, I find romance options incredibly distracting and pointless in games. BG3 was awful about this. Covered in shit, tadpole in the head, just got finished slaughtering a bunch of people and all my companions are just like "But I'm horny, please fuck me!". You almost can't avoid it. You basically have to be an asshole to all of them because platonic companionship apparently just doesn't exist.
There is no need for it. It does not help nor drive the story. No game was ever improved by adding softcore porn. If you want that, may I introduce you to the internet where you can have any flavor of porn you want.
I disagree on pretty much every point, but I personally don't see the problem you're having with the game. If you don't like the nudity, that is optional (as in, there is an option for it.) If you're complaining about the romance, that's like an entire genre of stories. Heck, softcore porn is also a genre of stories that is exceptionally popular. So, why would removing it for you make up for the loss of potential customers that were gained from it being there, especially since you bought it with it there anyway? Idk, seems like you disproved your own point.
The problem is that BG3 makes it too easy. A lot of them companions like you a lot just by taking a basic interest in them and being a decent person. I think ironically it doesn't help that all of them can be interested in you and at the same time.
Let's assume you happen to be a golden god and having a camp full of people into you isn't weird, in what world do they not attempt to sort it out between them in some form.
Romance should absolutely exist, but it doesn't need to be included in every story, and it's currently included in far too many stories (another example: The Witcher games, what does it add?).
I generally think the writing is better either when the story focuses on romance, or when it avoids it entirely. As the author of my favorite book said (I don't speak french, but I think this is the right passage):
Il semble que la perfection soit atteinte non quand il n'y a plus rien à ajouter, mais quand il n'y a plus rien à retrancher.
In anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away, when a body has been stripped down to its nakedness.
I agree with you about BG3, but not about games in general. I think romance stories are valid narratives and can add to the experience if executed well.
The presence of sex also depends on the scope and intent of the game. Ultimately, love and sex are integral parts of the human experience. And some settings - like Cyberpunk - would be strictly weird and implausible without stuff like oversexualised ads and street hookers.
Honestly I'd say Fallout 4 did a good job with their companions and relationships. It's not super deep, mind you, but the more you travel with a certain character and do things they like, they'll start to have feelings for you, and almost all will take it in stride if you politely decline.
Thank you! It seems like every developer or TV producer is shoehorning awkward sex scenes and romance into every piece of media being produced. It's like the people in charge don't realize porn exists, and think their viewers desperately need to be able to jerk off to whatever media they're consuming at any given time. It's pathetic. A creator should be able to create something without it turning into porn.
Panned mainly by folks who expected “Fallout in Space” in terms of open-world and modding, but it was smaller in scope and great in writing and tone. Would recommend watching Tim Cain’s YT channel for the vids about it. The main valid criticism was that it was too easy, but I really enjoyed it.