Happy Valentine's Day!  If you forgot to buy your boyfriend/girlfriend/partner a Valentine's Day gift, don't fret!  There are plenty of great games in your collection right now (or in GameStop's bargain bin) that will show your loved one just how much they mean to you on this special day. 

Some of these games are a bit long so you won't be able to finish all of them on Valentine's Day.

WARNING: Minor spoilers will be briefly discussed for some of the games on this list



Lost Odyssey


One of the best JRPGs in recent years is the often overlooked Lost Odyssey. JRPG fans know it well and love it, but the mainstream audience didn't flock to it the same way they would to a Final Fantasy title.  The story is typical enough for a JRPG.  Armies from several feuding countries are at war and the protagonist you control jumps into the battle and destroys whomever he wants at will.  Once the dust settles, he is sent to investigate.

Fairly early on in the game, there is a rather sudden and surprising revelation that I won't spoil here, but it has to do with family and I don't mind telling you that it choked me up a bit.  It's sad and happy at the same time and it's a change of pace for the type of character you think you have been controlling.  You won't finish this one in a day, but love is a central theme in Lost Odyssey and you won't regret the time you put into it.

Red Dead Redemption


What would a man do for his family?  The real question is "what WOULDN'T he do?"  I'll admit, it's a bid of a stretch to sell this as a love story, but it really is a story about a man's love for his family.  John Marston is compelled (no spoilers)  by Federal Agents to track down the leader of the gang he used to run with back in his dishonest days.  He reluctantly accepts and finds the job a whole lot more than what he bargained for.

You can't talk about what makes Red Dead Redemption  so special without spoiling the story.  Those who have played it will understand this:  John did everything in his power to get back to his family and John's family did everything in their power to make things right for John.  Beneath the surface of a game that looks like a bloody revenge story, lies a truly touching story about what family would do for each other.

Kingdom Hearts


The beginning of Kingdom Hearts 1 on Destiny Islands is a slow burn, but it sets up the friendship and love between three of the pivotal characters of the series.  Sora, Riku, and Kairi are best friends, but there are..complications.  Sora loves Kairi, that much is obvious from the outset.  Circumstances separate them before either of them are able to explore those feelings and the rest of the game is spent trying to reunite the 3 friends.

The story of these three friends and their feelings for each other is complex.  Sora doesn't know for sure if Kairi loved him, he just has to believe.  Sora thinks that Riku MAY be in love with Kairi and wonders if he is involved with the evil forces in the game as a means to retaliate against Sora.  Kairi's feelings are largely a mystery that isn't unraveled until future iBioshockhe kind of love and friendship explored in Kingdom Hearts is the kind that can make your heart ache and I love it.

Bioshock Infinite


Man, is it getting hard to justify the theme of love and family in these games without spoiling the story...You play as Booker, a man who owes a debt to...someone.  "Bring back the girl, wipe away the debt."  That's all you know.  You end up in a city built in the clouds and quickly discover that things aren't on the up and up (little altitude joke).  You meet a young woman who ends up helping you on your journey to wipe away your debt.  I shouldn't say any more.

From the moment that the last bit of story resolution was completely presented to me at the end of Bioshock Infinite, I was absolutely floored.  I have never had a game's story affect me as much as Bioshock Infinite's did, and that's saying a lot.  The ending of Bioshock Infinite is not a happy one, but it's one that makes perfect sense, it just makes your heart sick that it had to end this way.  Or does it?

To The Moon


This one you CAN play in one sitting (one very long sitting).  It's less of a game and more of a story experience.  You control a couple of characters and search for clues, but the events are all pre-scripted, you are just doing things to move the story along.

You play as a couple of scientists who work for a kind of "Eternal Sunshine" company who can go into your memories and grant you one last wish before you die, in a memory at least.  Johnny is dying and his last wish is to go to the moon.  He can't quite remember why he wants to go to the moon, though, so you will have to search his memories to find out why.  It is a very heartwarming and touching love story (if a very slow burn).

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