The 5 worst Final Fantasy couples

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Lonely after Valentine's Day? At least you've got it better than these romantic trainwrecks

Final Fantasy might have given us some of the most memorable romances in videogame history - asyou can see in yesterday's Top 10 Square Enix Couples feature - but not all of them have been memorable for the right reasons. Whetherintentional or simply misguided, the series has always been host to some of the most awkward pairings imaginable.

Now that the dust has settled from another Valentine's Day and the annual bitterness has set in,it's time toshove aside the lovey-dovey pretense and cackle like vultures at the ones who never had a chance in hell.

5. Cloud Strife and Barret Wallace
Final Fantasy VII | 1997 | PSone, PC

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Final Fantasy VII is fondly remembered by its fans as a love story - specifically, a love story between spiky-haired mercenary Cloud and dowdy flower girl Aerith. But as many of you probably already know, it doesn't have to be that way.

The pivotal moment in the game's romance subplot comes while the party is staying overnight at the Golden Saucer amusement park. Most players will see the following sequence unfold as a date between Cloud and Aerith, but if you play your cards a little differently, Cloud will ignore Aerith in favor of busty martial artist Tifa. And if you play your cards wrong, he'll end up going on a date with his hulking, gun-armed best friend, Barret. Hilarity, awkwardsilences and deep regret ensue. You can see it for yourself in the following video:

Mikel Reparaz
Mikel Reparaz
After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.