What do YOU think? Gaming’s best couples

Before getting into the article this week, I want to mention a few quick things to everyone:

Firstly, thanks to all of you for your wonderful responses to last week’s WDYT article. With such a quantity and quality of them I’ll definitely go over the general consensus at the end of this article.

Next, I just want to let you know that I’ll for sure be doing more video features in the future. I can tell you guys definitely enjoyed not having to read so much, so hopefully I can do even longer videos in the future, with more original content!

Lastly, I apologize for not being able to do a video feature this week. I came into the weekend ill-prepared, and didn’t allot enough time to put one together. Next week, though, I plan on having another for you guys! Anyway, on with the good stuff…

Well, it’s Valentine’s Day, and while many people spend the day with their significant other, I get to sit here writing more articles for NE. Thanks a lot, Valay.

I’m kidding, of course, but with all the hearts and pinks and chocolates floating around, I couldn’t help but think about video games, and more specifically, the couples in the games that I play are the cutest, funniest, coolest, and all around best representation of what it’s like to be a pair of people in love. So, for you this week I have yet another list, this time discussing my all-time favorite couples in video games.

Mario and Peach

If you’re going to make a list with the top couples in gaming, it’d almost be a crime not to include Mario and Peach. Sure, the couple is probably the most clichéd duo in the entire gaming industry, but that’s part of what makes them so great. Since 1983, middle-class plumber Mario has taken to the Mushroom Kingdom, battled hundreds (or thousands) or Koopas and Goombas, fought a giant lizard, and traversed difficult obstacles all in the name of rescuing his damsel in distress.

What’s more is that no matter how many times he rescues her, he needs not money nor courtship nor fame; he’s a true gentleman, and does it purely out of the goodness of his own heart and his love for the princess. If only poor Luigi was so lucky…

Travis Touchdown and Silvia Christel

If any of you have talked to me, you know I’m a huge fan of the No More Heroes series and the character of Travis Touchdown in general. In turn, then, the couple of Travis and Sylvia is one of the funniest pairs in my recent gaming memory. With each encounter comes a whole slew of sexual innuendo and rejections that leave the player laughing and Travis disheartened. On top of that, they really aren’t all that romantic of a couple. Travis’ entire motivation for fighting all the way through the ranks of the first game (and arguably the second game) is sex and pure physical attraction. Even more, the couple is constantly shooting insults back and forth, and at one point Travis even states out loud that Sylvia’s personality “kinda sucks” and he “likes her better when she’s horny.” Still, there’s a sort of ironic chemistry between the two that I find very entertaining, and for those that have played the second game, you know that there may just be a little more to the couple than sex and perversion.

Little Mac and Doc Louis

I never said that the couples had to be romantic, did I? No, possibly the greatest representation of chemistry in a gaming duo is the relationship between boxer Little Mac and his coach Doc Louis. A comedy duo like Sylvia and Travis (though admittedly less romantic) Louis and Mac are the classic teacher-student team. Amidst the chocolate-ridden conversations and bike-stealing cut scenes lies a deeper meaning to the relationship, offering a commentary on how people should be treated in— Who am I kidding, there’s nothing more to this relationship than good old fashioned fun, and I certainly can’t argue against having a little more of that in relationships.

Alison and Gary

I also never said that the gaming couples actually had to be in the games. Nintendo week’s couplet of Alison and Gary is possibly my favorite hosting-team in all of television or online video. They’re silly, complete Nintendo-fans, and legitimately have chemistry that drives the show alongside the genuinely helpful information that the 10-minute spot gives. While it’s not certain that they’re romantically involved in any way shape or form, it’s a definite that they bring a certain charm to Nintendo Week that can only ever be found in cheesy re-runs of Saturday morning sitcoms and late 70s children’s shows. Is this a good thing? I really don’t know, but I certainly enjoy what they bring to the show, and hope that they’re never replaced.

Tatl and Tael

In the vein of trying to keep things a little less than cliché, the last choice on this list is the duet of fairies from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Again not a romantic couple and in fact brother and sister, the story of Tatl and Tael is one of separation and reuniting through a friend that can really tug on the heartstrings. Possibly the most interesting part of their story is that it’s really a sub-plot to Majora’s Mask and not in any way affecting the fate of Clock Town, yet that doesn’t make it any less endearing. Of course, music speaks much better than words in this case, so have a listen to the song “Tatl and Tael” from Majora’s Mask to really get a feel for what it’s all about.

So the question this week is pretty simple; What are your favorite couples in gaming? I stuck purely to Nintendo-related duos, but feel free to deviate if you think it’d be necessary!

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Like I said at the beginning of the article, I’d like to thank everyone for their brilliant responses to last week’s video feature, and I really encourage everyone that reads this to go check it out and give their opinions as well. For now, here’s some of the responses from last week’s WDYT article to get you all started:

Gordon:
Great timing for this article, as I just finished Majora’s Mask a few days ago. I definitely have to agree with you on the top three as being great dungeons. I feel like a Wind Waker dungeon should have made the list though…

Zous:
Definitely the snow temple from TP. Not necessarily for the design of the rooms as much as for the feel of it. I mean, a yeti’s mansion? I’ll never forget it.

Also, the Spirit Temple from OoT, just because it was more of what I wish the Temple of Time would’ve been in TP. Visiting it in multiple time periods. Extend that idea to traveling from time to time within the temple itself to solve puzzles would be awesome.

That being said, the three you listed are definitely the pinnacle of temple design itself.

Dorkmaster Flek
Pretty much any dungeon from Majora’s Mask. I don’t know why anyone would consider that a low point in the Zelda series. It was a little odd at first glance, sure, with the time-based game design. It also only had a measly 4 dungeons, but damn if those four dungeons weren’t some of the best dungeons ever in a Zelda game!

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Again, thanks for your responses and I hope to see you all next week!

~Austin