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.

New GTA V Release Date for PC. To Pre-Order or not to Pre-Order?

PC gamers have been waiting patiently (or not so patiently) for the release of the next episode in the Grand Theft Auto series.  The PC release was originally scheduled for January 27th but was bumped back.  The new official release date is now March 24th.  Mark your calendars!

Free copy with Steam Pre-Order

I'm a big pre-orderer even though I know that it's generally not recommended.  If you pre-order GTA:  V on Steam before February 1st you get $1,000,000 in game cash with the promise of an additional $300,000 (I don't understand why they're separating them) as well as a free copy of Grand Theft Auto:  San Andreas.  I thoroughly enjoyed San Andreas but it has been years since I've played it.  I would recommend playing it to anyone who hasn't.  The setting is great, fake Los Angeles in the early 1990's with all it's gang warfare.  This game featured some unique ideas that have since been dropped--your character had to work out or else they'd get fat and you could send him to the tattoo parlor to get inked with some cool....or completely uncool tattoos.

I think I'll hold off on pre-ordering.  It's been ages since it originally came out on consoles and the PC release is obviously not a huge priority.  I wouldn't be surprised if the release date is pushed back yet again.  Maybe I'll even wait till the summer sale and hope it ends up as one of the great deals.