This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
Solandra: Does the True Love Dating Sim count? In it, you play a strictly male character with a best friend who confesses his love for you at the beginning of the last day. You can choose to say you love him too, despite the fact that you only get one earlier option related to your interaction with him (whether or not you kind of like his comings on to you or not) and that you show very obvious interest in any girl you meet throughout the game. Plus, the ending with him is just a simple "We're really happy together" with none of the pictures you get if you choose a girl.
Seven Seals: So it's being gay as a Non-Standard Game Over, then? Sounds classy. :-P
Solandra: Pretty much, which is why I'm doubtful on whether it's really a Gay Option or more like a joke ending.
Mister Six: As the joke Non-Standard Game Over from Leisure Suit Larry has been added, you might as well throw this one in.
xwingace: I'm not sure Baldur's Gate II ever had a Gay Option in the original game, but I do know that there were widespread mods to allow it, or even polygamy (definitely not allowed in the unmodded game)
Seven Seals: BG 2 not only didn't have a gay option, there was only one option for female characters (Anomen) and he wasn't exactly popular. The "polygamy" options, on the other hand, were mostly added for convenience, so players could pursue all romances at once to see how they went, rather than having to play an entirely new game just for the romance (there was no interaction between your lovers, so no steamy threesomes).
BG 2 was very popular among modders, and quite a few new characters with full-blown romances were created, many of which did have a Gay Option.
xwingace: I know of Kelsey and Solaufein... What I seem to remember is that those 'for convenience' polygamy options by default opened the Gay Option. Alright, the Lesbian one, but that basically means the same to me. I don't think I ever played with a male main character, but I know I've had at least part of the Jaheira romance.
Seven Seals: I think Baldurdash had a "romance people regardless of other romances or sex" option, but I'm almost certain it also had these options separately for people who didn't want the Gay Option. I'm not so dedicated that I'm going to reinstall the game to see, though...
arromdee: The Azure Dreams reference is, as far as I can tell, an urban legend.
Janey L:I know one of the Evangelion dating games had Kaworu as an option for Shinji in amongst all the girls.
Fly: Does the Otacon ending to Metal Gear Solid count? It's not strictly romantic, but it is full of Ho Yay and an alternative to the woman.
Fly: Taking out
- Metal Gear Solid's infamous torture scene is a turning point in the game - if you give in, Meryl is dead when you find her at the end, and you get the final ending scene with Otacon (with a lot of the dialogue being the same, to the point of it appearing very romantic). Many fans prefer this ending, if only because Snake keeps his dignity and doesn't make any references to caribou.
- In Tony Hawks Underground 1, you can play as either a guy or a girl. If you choose to play as a girl, you still have to try and impress some girls with your skate skills in order to get them to come to a party.
because the MGS example was decided to be 'too straight' to qualify and cut from this page before The Great Crash, and the Tony Hawk's example isn't really a gay option - it's a symptom of Purely Aesthetic Gender.
C Banana: I'm questioning this line. We don't have a single example that fits this description so what's the point of this line?:
Sometimes, in other medias (such as Yaoi or Yuri-themed works in Japan), sometimes the inverse of this trope holds. For example, having an eligible bachelor amidst many girls in a Girls Love work. Due to lack of a separate trope by itself, bear with the redirect for now.
C Banana: I'm going to remove it in a few days unless someone can give an argument for leaving it. Putting Straight Option up for cutlisting would also follow.
