TA Top Five: Unrequited Relationships By Marc Hollinshead, 16 Feb 2014 FollowtopicsCommunity NewsArticleMarc Hollinshead Valentine's Day has just recently passed us. The time in which couples, both young and old, are supposed to express their love for each other through candlelit dinners, chocolates, flowers, and other overly soppy methods. Did you spend your day doing that, or were you like me, singing "All By Myself" and watching pathetic romance movies? Either way, love was certainly in the air for some people, and much money was most likely spent on pointless gifts for some lucky guys and gals.In the games we play, romance blossoms for characters as well, sometimes in the most unexpected places. Whether it's human, alien, elf, machine, you name it. Even Juliet Starling in Lollipop Chainsaw Achievements managed to be romantic with a decapitated head! However, there are also an abundance of characters out there who we were itching to see some smooching between, but alas, it never happened. In this week's Top Five, we will be taking a look at gaming duos who desperately needed to get together, but somehow didn't due to unforeseen circumstances or the developers just being purely evil. Honorable MentionsDesmond Miles and Lucy Stillman - Assassin's Creed seriesWhen Desmond was held at Abstergo Industries in the original Assassin's Creed Achievements, Lucy was the only friend he really had. He was able to confide in her, and she let him open up. In the next couple of games that relationship grew and grew. There was a connection there, and there was seemingly nothing stopping them from getting hitched, but anyone who has played the first three titles in the series will know it was never meant to be.Batman and Catwoman - Batman: Arkham City AchievementsYou know that saying, "opposites attract"? That certainly comes to mind with these two. Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne may both be on different sides of the law, but who said love should have boundaries? Batman always saw good in Catwoman, and if persuaded hard enough, I'm sure she'd give him a chance. Either that, or Batman could just as easily unleash the real Dark Knight and revel in chaos alongside her. Go on, Bruce, just sneak through that catflap...Starkiller and Juno Eclipse - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed AchievementsThis is an interesting one. As we can see in the picture, there's a bit of tonsil tennis occurring, but all is not as it seems. Galen Marek and Juno Eclipse are a perfect example of "almost, but not quite." Throughout both of the games in the series, this couple endure a rather rocky road. Love is there, we know that much. Sadly, though, this pair are never able to find peace together due to constant battles and near-death escapes. This particular kiss is beautiful, but don't get your hopes up. Top Five5. Damon Baird and Samantha Byrne - Gears of War 3 AchievementsIn the original Gears of War trilogy, Baird is seen as the comedic technician of the group. He gets a few laughs, but under that not-so-serious exterior, lies a very intelligent mind. When Sam comes along in the third title, she was very close to bringing out the softy in Baird. They always wanted to make sure each other were ok, and it was obvious that they cared for each other. Sam could crack a good joke if the time was right, and there's no denying that she was tough. Who wouldn't want to swoop her up? Instead of pretending to say he's always loved her when almost falling to his death on a collapsing bridge, he should have locked lips with the Australian lass and confirmed what we were all thinking! 4. Commander Shepard and Kasumi Goto - Mass Effect 2 AchievementsWhen on board the Normandy in Mass Effect 2, Shepard is able to talk to his/her crew and develop relationships further. Many romances can form from these conversations, but Kasumi is unfortunately not one of them. As a downloadable character, Kasumi has less to say, but by no means is she a boring woman. She's charming, funny, and very skillful in what she does. If BioWare allowed Shepard to romance her, I'm positive that we'd be seeing many Kasumi-filled love stories. As we get to know her more, though, we realise that she is still hung up on her former love, so would Shepard have had a chance anyway? She also had a strange attraction towards Jacob, but how could he compete with the saviour of the galaxy? Many of us, and even Shepard himself, are dying to see the whole face that hides under that hood of yours, Kasumi...3. Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance - Half Life 2Mr. Freeman is very much the Chell of Half Life. He may not talk, but he has to go through a lot of sticky situations to stay alive. His female companion, Alyx, on the other hand, can talk. She acts as his voice box numerous times in their adventures and whether he likes it or not, Gordon is stuck with her for practically the whole of Episode 2. Seeing as he doesn't like to speak up, he must have had plenty of time to think. Their relationship grows a lot as they progress in their quest, but it never goes that extra mile. If Gordon decided to actually say something for once, instead of just hugging her, would he finally pluck up the courage to ask her out? Half Life 2: Episode 2 ended on one heck of a cliffhanger, so maybe if we see an Episode 3 in the future, Gordon and Alyx will doing more than hugging?2. Master Chief and Cortana - Halo series The Halo series has lasted many years, and so we have been able to see a human and AI relationship slowly form into something a lot more than when it first started. Master Chief and Cortana are a couple who will never be able to share an intimate moment, but they are a prime example that man and machine can be more than master and slave. Even though Cortana isn't a fully breathing person, she is the closest that an AI can get to being one. From the very first game all the way to Halo 4 Achievements, their will they/won't they relationship climaxed into something that was so much more. Due to the ending of the last game, all we can do is lie in hope that a miracle will happen and that we will see the spartan lock arms with the woman in blue. 1. Monkey and Trip - Enslaved: Odyssey to the West AchievementsSpeaking of master and slave, that finally brings us to our number one entry. When Enslaved was released in October of 2010, it was overshadowed by bigger and more popular titles but was praised for its character development. Monkey and Trip are two very interesting characters indeed. When the game begins, events lead to Trip strapping a headband onto Monkey so that he basically becomes her pet and has no choice but to do what she asks. As the post-apocalyptic adventure progresses, so does their relationship. There is an emotional connection between Monkey and Trip, and it is clear that Monkey genuinely cares for Trip's well-being, and that's not just because of the headband. Trip goes through some mind-scarring experiences, and Monkey wants to see her safe. A hand on the shoulder, a cry for help, and a very touching cutscene show that their relationship could easily have led to something more. The way in which the game ended cries out for a sequel, but sadly one doesn't seem to be in the works. Monkey and Trip have so much more potential, but unfortunately we will never know where they will go next.I hope that's not managed to make you feel too soppy or heartbroken. Love can break through even the toughest of hearts, but sadly that isn't the case here. You've seen our picks, so what couple were you longing to see be intimate together? Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to continue my "All By Myself" solo and watch the rest of that movie.The TA Team will be bringing you The TA Top Five every Sunday until we run out of coolness to debate and discuss. If you have an idea for a Top Five you'd like us to do, be sure to let us know in the comments!Community NewsXbox 360 Written by Marc HollinsheadTo summarize Marc in two words, it would be "Christian Gamer." You will usually find him getting stuck into story heavy action-adventure games, RPG's and the odd quirky title when he isn't raving about Dark Souls and Mass Effect. Outside the world of gaming, Marc attends and helps out in his church on a regular basis and has a not-so thrilling job in a supermarket.