Video Games have never really been known for telling a quality love story. Often romance is just plot devices to move the story forward and give our protagonist a goal but, sometimes they are extremely authentic and memorable.

Video games have provided some excellent love stories, some heart-warming, others heart-breaking. With it being Valentine’s Day today we ranked our top 5 video game couples:

5. Dominic Santiago and Maria Santiago (Gears of War)

You would be right to question why the Gears of War series gets a spot on here. However, underneath all the chainsawing and head exploding gameplay lies a real emotional story surrounding the characters in Delta Squad.

In Dom and Maria’s case, it is one of pure tragedy. One that William Shakespeare would go “Oh damn” if he saw it himself.

Dominic lost both his children on Emergence Day and after their deaths, his wife Maria, unfortunately, fell into a deep depression. Nothing seemed to help her feel better in which one day, she went out for a walk and never came back.

Throughout Gears of War 2, you can see Dom is heartbroken, he’s shattered, he is entirely fighting this war to hopefully find his wife again. You see him numerous times looking at a photo in his wallet of both him and his wife longing to see here again.

In a moment of joy, they eventually reunite, but the celebrations are short-lived.

He finds her to have been tortured so badly, partly lobotomised and, in such a lifeless state that she doesn’t even recognise her husband. What unfolds is so upsetting that watching it for the first time: 9-year-old me genuinely started crying and even now and if I was to ever play it again, I don’t think the result would be much different.

Dom ends up having to put her out of her misery, but not before he tells her that he loves her and as the camera switches to the game’s protagonist – Marcus Fenix – you hear a gunshot noise and then silence.

Utterly heartbreaking.

4. Naked Snake/Big Boss and EVA (Metal Gear Solid)

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is rightfully regarded as one of the greatest game’s ever made, due largely to the fact it has one of gaming’s most well-written romances.

Coupling a special forces soldier who has a hard time connecting with individuals on a romantic and personal level with a double agent who will do anything she has to, to get the mission done breeds both hilarious and emotional scenes rarely felt in gaming.

It isn’t perfect, however, as with many Hideo Kojima games, the relationship does fall into some clichés and the questionable oversexualised depiction of EVA.

Regardless of this, all of this occurs over the course of a militaristic political spy thriller the dynamic of seeing an extremely introverted soldier slowly learn to trust and love someone; whilst EVA battles to choose between her love for Snake and her patriotism and mission.

The relationship is ultimately a representation of soldiers of war being bound by their duty.

As Otacon once asked Solid Snake: “Do you think love can bloom, even on a battlefield?”

Well to answer that, yes, it can.

3. Master Chief and Cortana (Halo)

Yet another tragedy.

Originally just an AI companion Cortana was given to Master Chief to help him on his missions and to stop her from falling into the Covenant’s hands.

We have seen this couple grow together, fight entire armies together but most importantly, form a strange but inseparable bond between man and machine that always toes the line of romance.

However, the sadness comes in the ending of Halo 4 when we had to abandon Cortana so that Master Chief could escape the Didact ship. This is the pinnacle of their relationship as not only do you get an intimate scene between the two, but you do get to see both really show their love for each other.

Master Chief as a character was always designed to reflect the player in each and every moment of the game. In this case, he’s even more silent than normal (and he’s usually very silent) which accurately reflect how the player feels. Empty and lonely, all Chief and the player has ever relied on in the Halo universe is Cortana as a companion and now, she’s gone. It just feels weird.

2. Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher (Uncharted)

What do you get when you combine a witty, sarcasm quipping, arrogant treasure hunter and an ambitious television journalist who is on the hunt for the biggest story of her career? A match made in heaven that’s what!

From the offset, this wouldn’t seem to be the case. But, as the series progresses the two can’t seem to avoid each other. With enough sexual tension to make a cavalier poet gasp in pure astonishment, these two finally share a kiss several adventures after their first outing together.

What’s great about the relationship is both of their inability to commit to an official one. But, as the final game ends Drake makes a promise to Elena that he will, finally, make good on his promise to give her a good story, which is real character development if we do say so ourselves.

1. Geralt of Rivia and Yennefer of Vengerberg (The Witcher)

If you’ve played The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and you chose to romance Yennefer over Triss Merigold then you will know how special the relationship these two share is.

For the first two games within the Witcher, Yen is not in them, only mentioned.

All this changed when the third game in the series came out. Throughout the story they bicker like an old married couple, they crack jokes and, come to really enjoy each other’s company more than you would expect if you just saw how they are to one another at the start of the game.

It’s also a mature relationship where they’re bond is tied to the narrative of the game so much so that you will find yourself on missions with her so many times further strengthening this deep relationship and not making it feel something tacked on as an afterthought by the developers.

All in all, CD Projekt Red created a unique story for these two characters that will go on for generations as one of the best love stories in video game history. A relationship directly tied to the events of the story, side quests for players to optionally explore this bond between the two and, so many great scenes between them that you will swear you are watching a mature fantasy version of the Notebook.

By Joe Smalley

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