As games evolve, so do game characters. They become deeper, more complex, and act more like real people. So to celebrate Valentines Day, the guys and girls at IGN have taken a look at their favorite games and the characters they fell in love with.

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Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and the three of us each has a hot date all lined up. But we also have a secret. On the most romantic day of the year, a part of each of our minds will probably be thinking about the virtual relationships we've been cultivating with our new favorite game characters. Creepy? Maybe. But we're pretty sure we're not alone.

There was a time when such an idea would have been unthinkable. We love games dearly, but there's traditionally been an emotional barrier between gamers and the avatars they occupy and interact with. As lovable (or desirable) as some of our favorite game characters are, most have always been fairly one-dimensional. That's changing.

To explore why, we pulled together some of our favorite recent games and picked our favorite character from each. In each section below, an editor gives his or her thoughts on what's special about the character they've fallen for and why. Of course, at the end of the day, we realize these are nothing more than videogame characters. They're not real, and our "relationships" with them are simply clever tricks of programming and design. But at least we don't have to buy them dinner.

Miss Razz via au.xbox360.ign.com »