This is the only true "romance game" I've played. Also Katherine is best Caherine.

I heard it was meant to be split into, like 9 episodes and they were then told they had to condense it down to 1 at the last minute, or something!

Super Mario Brothers, the original one. That guy went to every castle looking to get laid, but didn't get any until going into the deepest dungeon and battling that cock blocker Koopa. Didn't anyone else find it weird that koopa kept his girls locked in a dungeon? In a kids game? Creepy.

Rescuing the girl is kind of romantic so you could count Mario series, Shadow of the Colossus and Double Dragon!

Oh, what about George and Nico from the Broken Sword games? Its cool, it the later games that they're an established couple and one isn't rescuing the other - you don't get that much in games!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x416qZRWVno&t=36m50s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmcVhFE5Mis
some of the japanese romance games have crazy endings :P

Does Duke count? I'd say rescuing strippers is just as noble and romantic as rescuing princesses.

Armored Princess works the other way round. No kids though.

I find the romances things gimmicky as shit. If it could have a real impact on the story and something you'd have to maintain .... you know like a real choice with real consequences but which you'd had to actively stick to (like in real life in fact), I would find it an interesting feature.

Maybe that was already done right but I'm not aware of that (I know of all listed by OP but fahrenheit); all the examples I know just are a dialogue maze (and a cheezy one) leading to some form of intercourse just before the end of the game ....

btw. when thinking about that, I hate japanese romance games. All the girls pay attention to you all the time, and the real life is nothing like that :<

I'll better play some silent assassin :P

btw. does anyone know some visual novel where you really need to "fight" for your girl? When they don't stand in line to love you? you know, something more like real life? ;p And I'm not interested in hentai-like games, btw.

Try Shira Oka

There's an old PS2 game called Marriage where we actually a newlywed. That game is about juggling life between work, at home and stuff like that (safe, no "other stuff"). That game can actually ended with us got transferred out to other city leaving our new wife behind (aka bad ending).

Same with Skyrim. Most of those games have a variant of the Japanese romance sim mechanic, rather than an actual written romance. I don't really count them as true romance games either, though they can have affecting moments nonetheless.

I've not played them yet (though I have the first two), but it seems like the Runaway games might have a romantic aspect. Someone who has played them can confirm or deny that.

Oh, thanlks. It's not expensive, so I will definitely think of that.

I am really tired of games where all the chicks dream of dating you.

It's hard to top [url=http://hatoful.wikia.com/wiki/Hatoful_Boyfriend_Wiki]Boyfriend for pure madness.

In Shira Oka, -you- have to be the active one. Slowly they might warm up, but the girls don't immediately jump in your pants. It takes considerable effort from the player.

If I remember correctly there was a bit of romance in 7 Sins game, mostly sex though.