The Most Fabulous Games Ever

Gay and LGBT themes have existed in games for at least twenty or so years. So, to celebrate marriage equality winning in America, I thought I'd compile a Top 5 of the most fabulous (i.e. gay/trans friendly) games of all time!

No. 5:  Persona 2:  Innocent Sin - gives you the option of actually declaring your love for another guy, PLUS the other characters are super supportive!

No. 4:  Dragon Age:  Origins - includes various characters who can be romanced by the someone of the same gender, including my personal husbando, Alistair. <3 <3

No. 3:  Shin Megami Tensei:  Persona 4 - includes a guy who is at the very least bi-curious and also loves knitting and crafting, plus a girl who indulges in crossdressing. Oh, and a crossdressing competition. I present Marilyn Monroe (Drag Version Deluxe)!



No. 2:  Jade Empire - not only does this have two bi characters and one gay character, it also lets you have a ménage à trois with them, ooh la la!

No. 1:  Dys4ia - takes the top position because it is a deeply personal autobiographical interactive experience based on Anna Anthropy's struggles with transitioning to another gender. You owe it to yourself to play through this game, if only to develop a deeper sense of empathy with transgender people and the issues they face.

Burning My Dread

POTENTIAL SPOILERS FOR PERSONA 3 PORTABLE

Having just finished my second playthrough of Persona 3 Portable, I was prompted to think about my life - what I dread and what I hope for.

I dread many things: death, the afterlife, being alone forever, hurting and alienating the people I love, never reviving my dreams, never feeling any genuine joy or happiness ever again...

But I realised one thing: those fears are only as real as I make them. If I don't give them credence or believe in them, they cease to exist. Of course, the issues are there. But why should I live in fear?

I remember that one pivotal scene, amongst many others, in P3P, where Mitsuru Kirijo's father dies abruptly and without much buildup. The sheer emotion contained in that scene, especially coming from someone as seeming reserved and aloof as Mitsuru, is just overwhelming. I still cry when I think about it sometimes. But Mitsuru is a great example of how strong the will to live can be - to me, she's more than just a video game character, she is almost like a living, breathing person and if there was one cameo I would love to see in future Persona instalments, it would be her.

I only have one thing left to say: I will burn my dread.

PS:  You can buy Persona 3 Portable here.

Summer Sale on Now at GOG.com

GOG.com is holding a 2015 DRM-Free Summer Sale. The LucasArts bundle is especially good, as it contains seven classic adventure games. Click here for more details.

To The Moon - Quality Over Quantity

So many games these days are expected to deliver dozens or even hundreds of hours of gameplay. It's expected, sometimes even demanded by many gamers, a lot of whom profess themselves to be "hardcore gamers". There's nothing necessarily wrong with a lengthy experience, as long as its filled with worthwhile content and it's well paced.

However, there's also space for much shorter, and perhaps more poignant, games. Games that deliver a hefty emotional payload and multiple memorable moments. To The Moon is one of those games.

The gentle, twinkling opening theme eased me into the opening minutes, and soon I got to acquaint myself with the two protagonists, Dr Eva Rosalene and Dr Neil Watts. Their near-constant barbs and jabs at each other helped leaven the sometimes heavy emotional atmosphere of the story, even if they sometimes acted outlandishly. Ultimately, they stick with each other because of their shared determination to help an old man fulfil his wish of going to the moon (sort of). They remain loyal to each other because of their work relationship and their friendship, despite fighting along the way to their end goal.

As for the main story, it basically requires guiding the two protagonists backwards through the memories of the old man, Johnny, in order to find a way of fulfilling his dying wish. The things they find in those memories are extremely personal, sometimes disturbing, and often very moving. They end up seeing things they wish they hadn't, and having to make compromises they would rather not.

It's all worth it in the end, though. The final scene left a warm glow inside me, along with the enchanting twinkling of the piano and soaring vibrations of the violin. Many hard truths about the characters and about life were revealed in the game: being different is lonely, being ordinary can feel stifling and boring, sometimes sacrifices must be made for the sake of the ones you love, or for the sake of your passions. But some beautiful revelations were also offered: the importance of having family near you, appreciating the people who make you who and what you are, exercising compassion and empathy for all living beings, especially those who are different or are struggling inside.

To fail to be moved by anything the game showed me would have required a cold, barren heart. But move me it did, and left me with bittersweet feelings of melancholy, nostalgia, and hope.

You can buy To The Moon here.

How Broken Sword Started Me Off On A Lifetime Adventure

Please note that this post may contain some minor spoilers for the original version of Broken Sword:  Shadow of the Templars.

I remember seeing Broken Sword:  Shadow of the Templars bundled together with a host of other free games on discs, although I only had eyes for Broken Sword.  This was round about 1996, when my dad had just gotten a new PC.

I didn't know what to expect when I popped the disc into the PC's disc drive.  All I knew was that the imagery on the Broken Sword discs looked intriguing and full of exciting promise.  That promise was fulfilled.

The very first scene in which I took control of George Stobbart, the game's protagonist, is burned into my memory.  The lush backdrop of the city of Paris, with leaves blowing across the screen, and minor but wonderful details like post boxes, litter, and atmospheric sounds, together with some enchanting background music... All combined into an intoxicating mix that drove me forward to the conclusion of the game's plot.

The blend of humour and tension in the game's story is just right, and has not been matched by many other games, or even by any of the other Broken Sword games (not that they're not worth playing!). The game gives George and Nico (a French journalist who he meets fairly early on) more than enough space to breathe and play off each other, from exchanging gentle barbs, to helping each other through tense, explosive situations. I came to develop a genuine affection for both of them - for George's smart-ass, improvisational antics, and for Nico's sharp brain and sharper tongue. Even many of the side characters, such as Duane Henderson, are endearing in their own right, and have become recurring characters in the other Broken Sword titles.

The sweet satisfaction at the ending credits, made sweeter by the rousing music that accompanied it, still lingers. It makes me want to adventure onwards to other worthwhile tales, to meet memorable characters, and to explore new locations riddled with mystery and history.

Note:  One unfortunate caveat is that the original version may be difficult or impossible to find, at least through legal means.  GOG.com is one of the storefronts that sells the Director's Cut, which is obviously better than not having access to the game at all, although people who have played the original may feel that the Director's Cut has compromised too much on the visuals and some story elements. I would still recommend it, though, for anyone looking for an old-fashioned adventure game that feels like playing inside an interactive animated movie.  You can purchase the game at the GOG.com store page for Broken Sword: Director's Cut.