Top 14 Video Game Couples
13 Feb, 2010

14. Mario & Peach – Mario Series
While the relationship of Link and Epona is arguably more substantial, one cannot omit Mario & Peach from this list. However, considering the shallow nature of their relationship and lingering suspicions about the fidelity of Peach (after all, where did Bowser’s kids come from?), the plumber and the princess just barely make it to our list.
We first saw the duo together in 1986 in Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Little did we know that Mario would be perpetually rescuing the damsel in distress for the next 24 years. There’s been no real development of their relationship since 1986 when Peach was simply known as Princess Toadstool, but we at Elder-Geek are somewhat bound by tradition to include them for the same reasons that we’d be forced to list Bowser as one of the Top Video Game Villains.
But now that we have that tired couple out of the way, let’s get onto the good’uns.
– — – — – — – — – –

13. Conker & Berri – Conker Series

You and me baby ain't nothing but mammals...
Talk about waking up from a raging hangover only to find out that your uber hot girlfriend, who is twice your size, was kidnapped by a mafia boss to be a stripper in a club—a far cry from the Conker and half-size Berri in Conker’s Pocket Tales. Conker & Berri originally started out as a cute and cuddly woodland critter version of Mario & Peach in Conker’s Pocket Tales (1999) for the Game Boy Color.
But a massive overhaul of its Nintendo 64 sequel, Conker’s Bad Fur Day (2001) would produce the mismatched couple of one drunken squirrel and one furry object of lust. Their relationship is close, crossing into ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ territory during a spoof of the lobby shootout from The Matrix, and there’s a hint of substance underneath Conker’s clumsy woo pitching and Berri’s valley girl attitude.
– — – — – — – — – –

12. Cole McGrath & Trish Dailey – inFamous

Though they're in a video game, their relationship feels real.
When people discuss video game couples, often times Cole MacGrath and Trish Dailey from inFamous don’t come to mind. But they should. Out of any video game characters before them, Cole and Trish show that relationships don’t “just happen” and then it’s happily ever after. They require real effort and sometimes things don’t work out the way we want to. They’re easily one of the most organic couples that has ever graced our screens.
Though we don’t know their exact history, we do know that as a couple, for the most part, they’re functional. We understand that Trish is upset with Cole for his past indiscretions. Gamers don’t know precisely what he’s done wrong in their relationship before the start of inFamous, we can all identify with him. It was probably something incredibly stupid and he’s doing what he can to rectify the situation.
Their story ends on a particularly sad note as gamers get a glimpse of “what could have been” through the mind of Kessler. With the time-traveling storyline of inFamous, it makes us wonder about their future potential. - Randy Yasenchak

11. Manny Calavera & Mercedes Colomar – Grim Fandango

Here's looking at you, corpse.
One wouldn’t expect Bogie and Bacall to be a pair that gamers would gravitate towards, but the folks at Lucasarts gave us just that, only dead, in the greatest adventure game ever made. The film noir dynamic of the classic Silver Screen duo spiced with a gloriously realized Dia de los Muertos design made the Land of the Dead more visceral than most living video game worlds at the time.
A down-on-his luck guy paying off his eternal debt in a not-as-cool-as-it-sounds Grim Reaper post, Manny Calavera is called into action to investigate the mysterious mistreatment of good souls in the afterlife, the simple purity of one Mercedes Colomar being his main motivation. As the two meet sporadically over Manny’s 4-year journey to the truth, Meche quickly shifts from innocent charity worker to smoldering dame.
Far from the ditzy damsel, Meche is arguably Manny’s equal in both cunning and charm, some of the vodka-smooth conversations between them yielding some of the most entertaining wit the medium has managed. Like the films that spawned Grim’s style, we aren’t always sure where Mercedes stands in the conflict; Manny’s belief in her innocence taking him from hapless Death to silver-tongued leading man as he works his way to the answer. It’s difficult to imbue polygonal skeletons with charisma, but Manny Calavera and Mercedes “Meche” Colomar are stunning examples of old school glamour that just wouldn’t die. - Gavin Greene
– — – — – — – — – –

10. James Sunderland & Mary Sunderland – Silent Hill 2

Don't you hate it when you get letters from your dead wife telling you to go to the creepiest place in America? Isn't that the WORST?
The thought of rescuing one’s beloved is as old a video game trope as the bleep or bloop, but Silent Hill 2 threw a wrench into the works by having their damsel in distress be three-years dead. The mysterious letter James received — post-mortem — from his wife is the ethereal MacGuffin to a messed up dimension of psychological fear and constant tension.
Literally everything James encounters in his journey through Silent Hill’s foggy streets is either directly related to, or indirectly caused by, his relationship with Mary. The most intimate thoughts about their relationships are twisted and demented to monstrous forms to haunt James as he is slowly brought to recall the real history of their marriage. Impossible to fully describe without massive spoilers, it’s needless to say that their relationship was anything but normal.
Depending on how you play, your idea of James’ role in the relationship will shift from horrid disgust to equally horrid pity. While James and Maria had the more obvious bouts of foreplay, there is no denying the phantom effect Mary had on every single moment we controlled James. Like it, or have no idea what it exactly is, there is no relationship like James and Mary in any other video game. - Gavin Greene
– — – — – — – — – –

9. Nathan Drake & Elena Fisher – Uncharted Series

Neither one is afraid of punching you square in the face.
Drake and Fisher make a hell of a pair.
They’re more than just your standard video game couple. They’re a dynamic duo as Fisher is more of a sidekick than the stereotypical female tied to the train tracks. Elena’s never afraid to pick up a pistol and help out with the fight.
Their relationship feels completely natural as their witty banter bounces off one another even when they’re both under heavy fire. Thanks to the vocal and physical deliveries of Emily Rose and Nolan North, they’re also two of the most believable video game characters of all time.
Even though they started Uncharted 2 apart from each other, their reunion was a moment of triumph for plenty of Uncharted fans. Thankfully, Naughty Dog has found success in their relationship and though nothing has been officially confirmed, it is a pretty sure bet that we’ll be seeing more of these two in the future. -Randy Yasenchak
– — – — – — – — – –

8. Khalid & Jaheira – Baldur’s Gate

She was a true neutral. He was neutral good. And yet they managed to make it work.
As your foster father Gorion told you, in the event of your separation from him, you must make your way to the Friendly Arm Inn, where you will meet Khalid & Jaheira, who had long been his friends. Upon doing so, you learn that there’s nothing like slaying kobolds & gibberlings with your significant other to bring you closer together.
Khalid & Jaheira seem to be a strange match. He is somewhat meek unless Jaheira or the welfare of innocents are at stake and she is a fiery and domineering sort. Individually, they’re two extremes, but together, they form a perfect whole. This just makes the death of Khalid in the prologue of Baldur’s Gate II that much more painful. His untimely murder at the hands of Jon Irenicus forever changes Jaheira and any player who knew him when he was alive.
In addition to being a moral compass for the party, Khalid was also an excellent fighter whose abilities were bolstered by Jaheira’s role as a druid and equally competent fighter. Their importance to one another became abundantly clear when one was forced to fight alone. And that is why I’m giving them the Number 8 spot.
Rest in Peace, Khalid.
– — – — – — – — – –

7. Gwendolyn & Oswald – Odin Sphere

Sadly, this love affair was missed by too many on the Playstation 2.
Formerly enemies, Gwendolyn first meets Oswald on the battlefield and is horrified at first to discover that she has been promised to him. But in her duties as a wife, she grows to care for Oswald and the two form a relationship that is beautiful in a “star-cross’d lovers” kind of way. Throw in a bit of the legend of Orpheus and you have a heartbreaking romance that will certainly be remembered as one of the many highlights of Odin Sphere.
The two will fight to the death for each other and there’s an odd sense of peace and tranquility in their relationship. And while propriety and duty play a large part, their words and actions show that they are truly in love. It’s not the most original approach to the whole ‘boy meets girl’ scenario, but it’s no less satisfying or enjoyable.
– — – — – — – — – –

6. Max Payne & Mona Sax – Max Payne Series

Oh Max and Mona.... we wish we could see more of you.
These two really are Bonnie & Clyde. Partners in crime, they’re the quintessential noir couple. Their relationship, while based largely on lust and power, is an interesting one. In the first game, there’s a faint attraction as there often is between the protagonist and femme fatale in noir film, but it’s in the second game when they truly come together. Max, believing Mona to have been shot to death in Nicole Horne’s building in the first game, is surprised to find her alive later on.
Danger, a common enemy, and pure animal magnetism push the two together, but it seems that Max is destined to lose those he cares for. His wife & child were murdered by junkies in the first game and Mona dies in his arms in the second. Unless you beat the game on the hardest difficulty, in which case Mona survives her gunshot wounds.
Considering the fact that Max seems to have gone past rock bottom in Max Payne 3, I think it’s safe to assume that the makers are considering the original ending of Max Payne 2 as canon and that Mona Sax is, in fact, dead. It seems that Max was made to suffer–it’s his lot in life.
– — – — – — – — – –

5. Locke Cole & Celes Chere – Final Fantasy VI

Fan favorites everywhere, Locke and Celes make it into our top five.
While their relationship never had time to blossom, there was a definite and tangible attraction between Locke & Celes. Before the World of Ruin and indeed before ever meeting Terra in Narshe, Locke once knew a girl named Rachel. Locke had spent his entire life blaming himself for her death until he was given the task to rescue a General of the Empire from captivity. That General turned out to be Celes.
Bearing a strong resemblance to Rachel, Locke was immediately attracted to her and their adventures together would only bring them closer. Players who delved deeper into the sidequests would see Locke find closure concerning Rachel’s death, which gave him the ability to be with Celes (and the Phoenix Magicite).
Terra Branford played the third in their love triangle early on in the game, but her affections soon fell on General Leo in a mixture of love and admiration. To FFVI fans, it’ll always be Locke & Celes.
– — – — – — – — – –

4. The Prince & Farah – Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
One of the highlights of a game that approached perfection was the chemistry between The Prince & Farah. Though they resented each other at first, being two of the only three humans left in the kingdom forced them to make nice.
The Prince was arrogant, pompous, and immature, but it only took a woman’s touch to improve his character by leaps and bounds. As they ventured through what was left of the kingdom, their relationship grew, culminating in a tender moment when they both thought death was imminent.
To many, a good relationship is one that makes you a better person. If that’s the case, then this couple is deserving of being this high on the list. It was their relationship that made the Prince realize that his selfish ambitions were his downfall. And while the ending isn’t a exactly a happy one with the Prince and Farah locked in an embrace, it was the perfect way to finish the game.
(Forgive the vagueness of that segment but I honestly don’t want to spoil anything. The game shouldn’t take you more than 8 hours to beat and it’s available cheap almost everywhere on all last-gen systems. If you haven’t played it, do so.)
– — – — – — – — – –

3. Ico & Yorda – Ico
Maybe it’s the fanboy love for Team Ico and my firm belief that Fumito Ueda can do no wrong, but the relationship of Ico & Yorda, no matter how superficial it might have seemed, was genuinely touching.
A relationship of few words, the bond between the two protagonists was little more than a holding of hands. Forced together by the dangers around them, players felt responsible for the wellbeing of Yorda. By the end of the game, the two had ceased to be individual characters and were instead one.
Care to challenge the excellence of the game? Need further proof of the strength of their relationship? Their relationship was so good that most probably didn’t even notice that it was one gigantic escort mission. Now that’s good.
– — – — – — – — – –

2. Guybrush Threepwood & Elaine Marley – Monkey Island Series
When one of the greatest and most well written characters in video games finds a better half, you know that it’ll be a couple of note. The two first met on Mêlée Island when young Guybrush was only just embarking on his quest to become a mighty pirate. Elaine was the Governor of the entire Tri-Island Area and it wasn’t long before Guybrush and the ghost pirate LeChuck were locked in a battle for her affection.
This back & forth between Guybrush & LeChuck continues even today in the recent Tales of Monkey Island, but Guybrush would emerge the victor by the end of the first game and their love sets sail.
In the second game, their relationship has struck a reef as Guybrush searches for the fabled treasure of Big Whoop. Elaine spends most of the game in her mansion on Booty Island but she eventually has to rescue Guybrush as a result of his foolishness.
Part 3 of the Pirate Saga sees the two finally getting married and Part 4 has Elaine giving up her gubernatorial duties to spend the rest of her life as Guybrush’s pirate queen. I won’t reveal anything about them in the newer games seeing as they only just came out.
Their relationship is defined by the writing, much like the entire games which they occupy. With witty one-liners interspersed with lovey-dovey cooing, the dynamic between the two is a delight. Elaine is undoubtedly the dominant force in the relationship, but she’s kind enough to let Guybrush be the man when he needs to be. Most of the time, however, Elaine turns him into even more of a bumbling idiot than usual. But there’s something about his clumsy charm that intrigues her and indeed all players of the series.
So I’d like to raise my mug of grog to the second greatest couple in all of video games.
– — – — – — – — – –

1. Pacman & Ms. Pacman – Pacman Series
A lot of people overlook the Pacmans when, combined with Pacman Jr, they’re the de facto First Family of video games. They met early on in their respective careers, with Ms. Pacman being released a in 1981, a year after the original. And they’ve been together ever since.
Their successful relationship they had brought about a Hanna Barbera cartoon — the first video game-based television show — that ran from 1982 to 1984 which featured their entire pac-family including their pac-dog and pac-cat as they struggled back and forth with the ghosts.
The series sported dozens of ports and newer titles branched out from the classic arcade gameplay. And while the newer games will never have the lasting appeal of the originals, the characters remain the same.
And thus our Valentine’s Day list comes to a close. If you don’t have anyone special with whom to enjoy this day, you can always be a third wheel to one of these 14 best couples in video games.

(Note: Only one couple per franchise.)
About the author
Related Posts
-
10 Best DS Games You Forgot to Play
-
Top 20 Well Made Trailers for Disappointing Games (10-1)
-
Top 20 Well Made Trailers for Disappointing Games (20-11)
-
A Call For Support
-
Super Metroid Soundtrack Remastered Trailer
-
Uwe Boll's "Auschwitz"
-
The Making of the FFVI Dream Oath Opera Video
-
FFVI: The Dream Oath Opera
-
Distant Worlds II Concert Review
-
The Insane Console History Video 2.0







