Romantic Entanglements--GTA Girlfriends

Well, I've run out of BioWare games to write about.  I've been thinking about Grand Theft Auto a lot lately, mostly in anticipation of the soon-to-be-released on PC fifth episode, but realized that it's also a game that offers you the opportunity to pursue romances for your character.  Then I got to thinking about who some of my favorite ladies from the GTA series.

Sure, you play as a criminal wrapped up in all the bank robberies, drive-by's and turf wars that are a staple of the GTA series, but criminals need love too.  Grand Theft Auto:  San Andreas introduced the option for players to go on dates and establish a relationship for CJ.  Dating in GTA in no easy feat and requires a sort of trial-and-error process to figure out what your lady-friend is into.  The first thing you have to figure out is how to dress-up your character.  Does your lady want you to dress casually or to show-off your fancy threads?  What type of ride is your lady into--a lowrider?  A shiny sports car?  A SUV?  What types of activities is your date into--going for a drive (which, for me, meant driving as fast as I could to find their personal threshold for speed and/or completely crazy driving), dancing at a nightclub, or eating at a restaurant?  As you figure things out and earn more relationship points your girlfriend will offer you "coffee" and invite you in.

Enjoys drive-by's and cheap burgers.

So who are my favorite GTA girlfriends?  In GTA:  San Andreas I always liked Denise Robinson.  She is almost a default girlfriend for your CJ, but she enjoyed all the same things that he did.  She doesn't freak out when you drive too fast (what's the point of not driving fast in GTA?), enjoys the occasional drive-by, and is content with rolling into Burger Shot and having a cheap burger.  What ideal dating situation doesn't involve a drive-by?  I'm joking, of course.  As you progress through the game there are five other ladies who CJ can date.  I never knew there were that many.

In GTA IV the dating situations gets much more complicated with the introduction of online dating.  You can find a girlfriend through those dating sites or date the ladies you meet through the main storyline.  The number of activities available for dating scenarios also complicates the dating formula.  You can opt to take your lady bowling, to play darts, to a bar, to a comedy or variety show or if your date is feeling particularly adventurous you can accompany her on a trip to your friendly local strip club.  In GTA IV, your clothing and vehicle choices are much more complex.  Some ladies prefer things like nice shoes or not wearing hats or sunglasses and others are very picky about the type of vehicle that Niko drives.

I have to admit that my dating choices in GTA IV have not been diverse at all and I have typically ended up dating Michelle, Kiki, and Kate.  I always found it interesting that there's no way for Niko to be invited in for "coffee" during the course of Kate's relationship sequence.  Maybe I pick Michelle and Kiki because they seem to be the most "normal" of the Niko's possible GTA girlfriends.  Interesting.