Top 10 Lists: The Top 10 Relationships/Couples In Video Games *SPOILERS!*

As games have evolved from a niche market to a full-blown industry that makes more money than hollywood, so have the characters and stories. Who can ever forget the heart-wrenching battle with the Boss at the end of MGS3? Or Tidus and Yuna's dedication towards each other? Or Selan and Maxim's tear-jerking moment together to save their children? Like it or not, several video games have progressed to create characters and stories that rival some of the best hollywood or current literature has to offer. We've progressed a long way from Mario and Peach, or Pac-Man and Mrs. Pac-Man. This list is for the characters who's love or care for each other really drives the story, and the emotions associated with it like any good story does, home. *Warning! SPOILERS!*

Ah. Sometimes, things just get a bit out of hand. At least, it did for Clive when he woke up one morning in the Howling Voice Guild, learned that one of his friends was dead, the other missing, and that she had murdered him. Swearing revenge for his fallen friend Kelly, Cliave hunts for Elza. Though never finding anything but a grave in Suikoden I, Clive finally tracks her down in Suikoden II to avenge his fallen friend. It's then that he learns that Elza and Kelly were dueling for the title of Guildmaster, a position that was strongly favored by the elders in the guild towards Kelly, which is why they rigged the duel in Kelly's favor. So, he switched weapons with Elza and let her shoot him, rather dying than taking up a weapon against a friend. When Clive meets up with Elza and learns of this, he isn't sure what to think. Elza, however, does. They duel, much like Kelly and her did years ago, and this time, Elza does not fire. She dies in his arms. It's a bittersweet ending, but it shows companionship and standing for what you believe in. It's personally one of my favorite side-stories in the suikoden universe, which the game is full of. A heartfelt moment in the quiet village outside the enemy capital at the end of the game is just what is needed to begin some closure on everything.

At first glance, it doesn't seem to be too complex, even in the world of Xenogears where religious and philosophical allusions are commonplace and the story is so dense it needs several run-throughs to fully understand it. Elly, a soldier of the Solaris Empire, meets a man named Fei right after he slaughters his entire village in a Jungian moment. She's from Solaris, a country which considers land-dwellers like Fei somewhere above cattle but far from human, hence the nickname 'lambs.' But, as they make their way out of the forest, Elly starts to feel attached to him, and when meeting him later, helps him escape at risk to her own life. Suddenly, Elly's morals are warped. She's not sure who to trust anymore. And eventually, she turns a hand against her own comrades for the sake of Fei's cause. What makes Fei and Elly interesting was that it transcended generations, being as they were reincarnations of various past figures, yet still managed to fall for each other every single time. At the beginning of the story, it is Fei who is the strong one, choosing not to fight her and then rescuing her when she's been pushed to her limits. And then, it reserves, as Fei begins to realize who he is and what he has done, the care she has for him and what he's done for her makes Elly always there to help him back up. Doesn't break much new ground, but in the world of Xenogears, a love story of this caliber fits perfectly.

Shenmue on its broke a lot of barriers. It crafted a living world for you to wander around it. It utterly destroyed the precedents set by other games before its time in terms of realism and presentation of story. Shenmue tells the story of a man going to the furthest reaches of the world to search for the man who killed his father. By doing so, he must leave everyone in his hometown of Yokosuka behind. This includes Ine-san, his caretaker; Fuku-san, his good friend and sparring partner; and Nozomi, the sweet flower girl next door that never really got to confess how she really felt. While Ryo is oblivious to all her advances until the very end, they still share something special that is fully personified in the motorcycle ride back to Dobuita, where Nozomi rests her head on his back after being saved from a harbor gang. Nozomi and Ryo is a love that was lost in a greater cause, but still, Nozomi waits for Ryo's return from China with every breath.

Valkyrie Profile by itself is a pretty epic game. I mean, an RPG (loosely) based off the Norse mythos? Collecting dead heroes for the battle at Ragnarok? Gods, elves, and humans co-existing? Valkyrie Profile had multiple endings. However, the only one worth getting was the A, the best, ending. A large part of that is due to the relationship between Lenneth Valkyrie and Lucian. Lenneth was a god put to sleep, her soul belonging to girl named Platina during that time. Platina died when she was fourteen while escape with a boy named Lucian from her father, who was about to sell her to keep himself from starving. As she inhaled poisonous pollen, she died in Lucian's arms, thanking him for all he did. It was then Platina's soul was reborn as the goddess Valkyrie, her memories of her human life sealed away and existing only to serve Odin and Freya. However, Lucian remembers, and as Lenneth goes to recruit him as one of her Einherjar, he begins to break away at the seal that was put on her memories. It's a interesting concept, Lucian's a human, Valkyrie's a god. How could it exist? This very question is driven as the main conflict between the two, as Valkyrie struggles with her own self and past, breaking that cold demeanor she wears, adding an extra layer to her character that makes her so much more human, yet at the same time even more interesting. It is only when Lucian is killed that her memories finally awaken and she decides what is right and what is wrong. Here's hoping Silmeria can top this tale of kindness and care separated by death and creation.

Most gamers already knew they were in for a treat when the orange and red picture of Squall and Rinoa embracing was set as the logo for the next installment of the established Final Fantasy series. In one corner, we have Squall, a cold-blooded, uncaring, sardonic, utter loner who concentrates on himself. Into his life comes Rinoa, a bouncy, self-dependent girl who seems to know him all too well. And through their journeys, they grow fond of each other, experience a lot of close calls, and eventually, learn to break down their faults and become better people. Yes, like Fei and Elly, it's not much new ground to break. But, it's perfectly done. The ballroom scene at the beginning is regarded as one of the finest CG scenes in video game history, as you see Squall stumbling over his feet, obviously utterly dumbstruck by this girl who suddenly walked into his life. Faye Wong's 'Eyes on Me', the first vocal track for a Final Fantasy game, was perfectly contrasted against Squall and Rinoa's relationship. Even the allusions to Laguna and Raine's parental (implied) relationship were very-well done. It was the first Final Fantasy to center on romance as the one of the main plots, and while it wasn't as well loved as the other Final Fantasy plotlines, Squall and Rinoa's relationship was still unparalleled to anything else at the time

Kana Little Sister is one of the most moving and emotional games I have ever played. And all of that was due to the relationship shared between Taka Todo and Kana Todo. The story centers around the two siblings as they grow up, with the conflict being Kana's disease always looming, not knowing how much time she has left. But still, Taka relentless cares for his dying sister and supports her from a little girl to her late teen years, showing a kind of love that, while not romantic, is especially moving on it's own. To the dozen people who played the game, who could forget the tension in the air at Kana's first speech in the fifth grade; or the euphoria of the beach visit, that sense that no matter what happened, everything between them was going to be ok? It's that kind of amazing character development that brings out the romantic in us all.

You know how it is. You get sent to a hauntingly beautiful castle because you have horns on your head. As you manage to escape from your tomb and start to explore the castle, you come across a girl trapped in a cage hundreds of feet in the air. You bring her down, her entire countenance glowing in a white light in an angelic fashion, and take her hand. This was the beginning of the cult hit ICO. Though very little dialogue is spoken, the game is based upon your actions with Yorda and Ico, controlling the two and struggling as you fight to make your way out of the castle. Both of you. Yorda, being guided by Ico's hand almost all the time, the companionship and trials the two struggle through, it creates a wordless connection that can really only be felt by the player as he shapes their fate through the castle. It is felt When Ico offers his hand, shouting words of encouragement to Yorda, giving her enough motivation to jump across that chasm and into his outstretched hand. It is felt when Ico fights off the Shadow Enemies of the Queen with nothing but a wooden stick, keeping Yorda carefully at his side and going after her if she does get taken. And when it is finally put to the test, it is Yorda's turn to grab Ico's hand and try and save him from the moving bridge that is separating the two apart, switching the roles that the player has grown so attached to. At the end of the game, you feel it in your own heart as Ico goes back to the castle to rescue Yorda from her mother. All to be rewarded with a simple, yet pleasant action of sharing a watermelon on the beach as the waves gently froth back and worth. Ico and Yorda's relationship is like Kana and Taka's in which it plays an integral part to the emotional impact of the game, but this time it's done through actions and struggles, rather than words.

The Panzer Dragoon series as a whole had one of the most intricate and imaginative worlds in a long time. A barren world sprinkled with relics from the past, all viewed on the back of a powerful dragon as it flies through the skies. Edge is a young man who's life suddenly takes a turn for the worse as he's betrayed during a mining expedition, attacked by his superiors and a man named Crayman, and left for dead, only to be saved by the ancient relic of the dragon. From there, he goes out to seek revenge on the man who killed his friends. During his search, he finds a girl named Azel, who looks human, but something about her just isn't right. She has her own dragon, and when the two fight, it's some of the most climatic battles in the game. During one battle, they are separated from their dragons and fall into a tower filled with dangerous enemies at every turn. Edge helps Azel from a pile of rubble, and they call a truce. As the two rivals transverse through the maze, they converse about their ideals in a civil manner, and slowly, Edge begins to understand her. Crayman isn't a villain, but rather an anti-hero. And when he dies, Edge joins Azel's cause to fulfill Crayman's ideals of a world not controlled by the past. Like several others on the list, not only do Edge and Azel overcome opposing ideals, but basic humanity. Azel is a drone in a human body, a relic from a past that has one set purpose in mind, much like the dragon. As they go to fulfill Azel's purpose of destroying the tower, their feelings develop into one final message from Azel to Edge as he and the dragon fly into Celestia, a dimension from which Edge can never return. "I love you." What makes their relationship so appealing is the doomed aspect of it. Though they spend the latter half of the game together, there is very little affection showed, but it's there, underlying every word they say to each other. The difference between Edge's humanity and the fact that Azel was created as a machine throws a interesting twist in things. And the ending, where Azel fruitlessly wanders the world garbed in a cloak in search for the man she loves, provides a very bitter, but very lasting impression upon the player. Here's to Edge and Azel. May they find peace together in some lifetime.

"In my restless dreams, I see that town. Silent Hill. You promised you'd take me there again someday. But... You never did. Well, I'm alone there now. In our special place. Waiting for you..." A mysterious letter from his dead wife sparks James' visit to the infamous Silent Hill, where sins are brought to knowledge and dark secrets of the soul damn their bearer. Silent Hill 2 is regarded as the best in the series because its subtle attention to detail and small, creepy steps in the story. In this case, it's a broken man who's lost his wife. But, through careful development, we learn it was not the case. His sexual tension towards his wife is manifested in a seductive dancer who looks just like his wife if she was a hooker. The various enemies give clues as to what exactly happened to his wife; a murder, a suicide, a painful death by disease? What we view James as, a heroic protagonist, the 'good guy', slowly dwindles down as Silent Hill breaks him down through visions and sounds. Through his relationship with Mary, we learn James as a character. How sexually-repressed he is. How angry he was for having to take care of Mary for those three years while she was bed-ridden and insane while the disease tore away at her body. James keeps telling himself he's the sane one. He's the one who's right. But, he realizes that he loved Mary, but couldn't stand to see what she became after the disease. So, in one of the most well-done plot twists in game history, he kills her. With love, no remorse. And he spends the rest of his life wallowing over that sin. What transpired between Mary and James after the disease hit is so shocking and interesting that it pulls the plot of Silent Hill 2 along, while masking it in details and designs to disturb and freak you out.

Ah, the reason why I made this list in the first place. And where to start? Alice, the sweet daughter of a priest who was murdered in France. She's on a Trans-Siberian Railroad train when suddenly a well-dressed man named Roger Bacon attacks, brutally slaughtering the guards protecting her with some sort of demon power. As she's about to be killed, a man dressed in a tan trench coat with the same demon powers saves her life. From there, they travel together to find out the mysteries of Alice's father and what he was working on, sending them into a story set in the early 20th century dealing with magic, demons, and a hidden world. Yuri, a wise-cracking sardonic loner is slowly swayed by Alice's girlish and bubbly charms. But, he doesn't realize it until he loses everything as Alice sacrifices herself to save Yuri's soul in exchange for her own. As Yuri wanders the world again, he goes on another adventure in the second game, but it's still clear that he's torn by the loss of Alice. Even though he acts utterly tough, when he hears that Alice could be revived, his heart leaps. And in the most emotional scene in the game, Yuri manages to speak with Alice for a second, before her body deteriorates away. "Yuri... I love you..." "I... Love you too..." Eventually, Yuri can't stand it, and after the world is saved again, drifts from the rest of the party and decides to make a choice. He goes back in time to the day he met Alice, the happiest day of his life. Where he goes from there... we already know. What makes Alice and Yuri number 1 is how well-developed the two are. Like Aeris and Nei before it, you don't expect her to die, especially considering there's an ending where she lives (which was not regarded as canon in the second game.) Yuri's sarcastic streak is always a hoot, and watching him argue with Alice creates some of the most memorable dialogue in the game. Shadow Hearts as a whole doesn't contain anything but a somewhat fresh plot and some odd and crazy points, but in my opinion, Alice and Yuri are the most heart-wrenching couple in video game history.

I've always been a big writer, and video games are were I get most of my inspiration. Games are evolving closer and closer into an art form and who knows?, maybe one day they'll be regarded as art. But all I know is that games can be very emotional and can create some very interesting characters and relationships. Sure, we have our twitch shooters and beat-em-ups, which are fine, but some games do have the power to invoke emotions the same way movies and books do. And these relationships and couples listed are living proof of that. It's just so satisfying that we progressed past Mario and Pauline.

List by Lee1 (08/08/2006)