Dragon Age II

[firehawk12]

the dumbing down of RPG aspects, the Mass-Effect-2-iness of the whole thing

I've heard that argument before and I don't understand it. Dragon Age II, like Mass Effect 2, does not "dumb down RPG aspects". Quite the contrary. It focuses on genuine roleplaying-game elements, i.e. "playing a role", while downplaying all the unnecessary and outdated baggage that computer RPG have accumulated throughout the years (constant numbercrunching, insane inventory management, byzantine game rules). As a lifelong pen&paper gamer, I feel that those two games are much closer to an actual RPG than any old-fashioned computer dungeon crawl.

At that point you get into semantics of what role playing means. For some, it's customizing a character so that they have very specific stats and can perform a specific role. For some, it's the lore.

I suppose I wouldn't have a problem with BioWare focusing on pure gameplay (in both games) rather than the abstraction of stats and armor modifiers, but the stories in both essentially devolve into choosing between a binary. There's just no much nuance when it comes to the storytelling.

Of course, the real problem with DA2 as a game is that it simply recycles environments over and over again. It's hard to believe in a large open world when you go through the same caves every other quest or so.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

At that point you get into semantics of what role playing means. For some, it's customizing a character so that they have very specific stats and can perform a specific role. For some, it's the lore.

If I'm getting into semantics, we're talking about very simple semantics here: role playing is playing a role. That's it. A role playing game is a game where you play a role. If you'd rather manage your inventory, go play an inventory management game or something.

Of course, the real problem with DA2 as a game is that it simply recycles environments over and over again. It's hard to believe in a large open world when you go through the same caves every other quest or so.

I can see how that would be irritating for most people, but I have to confess that I, coming from a theater background, had no problem with recycled environments. If I can believe that a small stage is Agincourt, I can believe that a cave is like every other cave.

 

[Manticore]

At that point you get into semantics of what role playing means. For some, it's customizing a character so that they have very specific stats and can perform a specific role. For some, it's the lore.

If I'm getting into semantics, we're talking about very simple semantics here: role playing is playing a role. That's it. A role playing game is a game where you play a role. If you'd rather manage your inventory, go play an inventory management game or something.

Of course, the real problem with DA2 as a game is that it simply recycles environments over and over again. It's hard to believe in a large open world when you go through the same caves every other quest or so.

I can see how that would be irritating for most people, but I have to confess that I, coming from a theater background, had no problem with recycled environments. If I can believe that a small stage is Agincourt, I can believe that a cave is like every other cave.

And I'm more than willing to see similar-looking caves if the cave tilesets are absolutely gorgeous the way they are in DA2, than generically brown.

 

[firehawk12]

Worse still is when you'd go through the same map in the opposite direction. At least in ME1, the excuse was that the universe all used the same prefab buildings!

At that point you get into semantics of what role playing means. For some, it's customizing a character so that they have very specific stats and can perform a specific role. For some, it's the lore.

If I'm getting into semantics, we're talking about very simple semantics here: role playing is playing a role. That's it. A role playing game is a game where you play a role. If you'd rather manage your inventory, go play an inventory management game or something.

Well, I've slowly developed a penchant for JRPGs (with the exception of Fallout). I prefer strongly defined characters with the mechanics being what I'm trying to control rather than the other way around.

Having just finished Yakuza 4, I think the story in that game is a million times stronger, despite the fact that I had no control over what the characters said.

 

[Reverend]

Orlais seems to make the most sense, but as a runner up I'll say the Tavinter Imperium.

Maybe. Who knows, perhaps the next game will have you traipsing over all of Thedas.

For the record though, my theory that Orlais will be the next setting is based mostly on the fact that that's where that dwarven merchant bloke said he and enchantment boy are headed after Kirkwall.

Out of interest, judging by this map, it looks like a fair chunk of Orlais is made up of small lakes and marshlands. Repetative sidequesting ground if ever I saw it, but at least it'd make a change from the wounded coast!

Of course, the real problem with DA2 as a game is that it simply recycles environments over and over again. It's hard to believe in a large open world when you go through the same caves every other quest or so.

I can see how that would be irritating for most people, but I have to confess that I, coming from a theater background, had no problem with recycled environments. If I can believe that a small stage is Agincourt, I can believe that a cave is like every other cave.

If it was just scenery, I'd be inclined to agree. However, when a fairly significant aspect of the game is supposed to be exploration, having identical layouts in just about every side-quest makes things extremely boring. What's worse is that you can see areas on your mini-map that are blocked off, which in my case at least led to some confusion thinking I'd missed something. I can understand a little bit of recycling and in a large game it's to be expected. But in DA2 it was far too frequent and blatant to be excusable, especially in what's supposed to be a triple-A title.

It gets especially bad when you do several side quests in a row prior to getting back into the main story and you'll often find yourself running through the same map, often two or three times in a row!

 

[Bishop76]

I also thought the character who showed up at the end of DA2 looking for the Champion and the Hero was a bit of a roundabout hint where the game may be going next.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

I also thought the character who showed up at the end of DA2 looking for the Champion and the Hero was a bit of a roundabout hint where the game may be going next.

You take that element, you add the two big conflicts brewing in DA2 that erupt into global-scale wars, and you add a very special child born in very peculiar circumstances in DA:O and you get DA3. At least, that's how I see things.

 

[Reverend]

^Thing is though, it's entierly possible for said child to not even be conceived at all. Short of picking a single canon story, I wonder how they'd get around that eventuality. This importing saves between sequel thing could really bite a developer in the arse.

 

[Skywalker]

Considering the writing team consciously ignored some variables (i.e. the possibility of Anders not surviving Awakening) to fit their story, I wouldn't put it past them to ignore the possibility of the OGB not being conceived if they decided that's the story they wanted to tell.

And to be honest, it's such a potentially huge development that I can't imagine why they wouldn't want to do something with it in the future. You don't just plant a seed like that and then never do anything with it.

 

[Bishop76]

Hehe - plant a seed

 

[MNM]

Short of picking a single canon story,

It felt like they already did in some parts. I know when I was having a conversation with Alastair regarding Morrigans proposal before teh final battle, he kept mentioning how he was now going to be king etc.. despite the fact that I installed someone else to rule and he was certainly going to be nowhere near the throne.

 

[Reverend]

^I think that was just the dialogue assignment in Origns being a little buggy, but yes, as Bishop pointed out, just by having Anders appear in DA2 as a former Grey Warden the dev team appears to have chosen to ignore at least some potential story options from Awakenings.

Actually, has anyone put this to the test yet? That is to say has anyone tried importing an Awakenings save where Anders wasn't recruited and handed over to the Templars? I know in one of my imports I'd killed Zevran after he ambushed me so his quest didn't show up in Act 3. Likewise, that save didn't have Alister as king and so he showed up with that bunch of Wardens at the end of act 2 instead of in act 3 as the king.

 

[6079SmithW]

This game looks really interesting to me and I might get it. I normally don't like fantasy but I'm in an rpg mood lately and this looks pretty good. I see that they incorporated a lot of rpg elements from Mass Effect 2 and everyone who hates this game hates ME2 for the same reasons so that's a sign that I'll probably enjoy it.

 

[clint g]

If you havent played it yet, I would recommend getting the first one prior to getting the second one.

 

[clint g]

Just so yall know, BioWare is offering Mass Effect 2 for free to purchasers of Dragon Age

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6307225.html?tag=latestheadlines;title;1

They sent me an email about it as well. I already own it so I may just give the digital copy to my friend and let him dl it.

 

[Skywalker]

Yeah, I got the e-mail, too. I have ME2 for the Xbox, but my current PC wouldn't be able to handle ME2.

 

[6079SmithW]

Hey, about that slowing down bug, what if you don't use that person in the party or don't become friends with them (rivals?). Would that work? I don't want to buy a broken game.

 

[Manticore]

Hey, about that slowing down bug, what if you don't use that person in the party or don't become friends with them (rivals?). Would that work? I don't want to buy a broken game.

My rogue was Varrec, and I never encountered it.

 

[Reverend]

Hey, about that slowing down bug, what if you don't use that person in the party or don't become friends with them (rivals?). Would that work? I don't want to buy a broken game.

From what I gather, so long as you avoid 'friendship' with Isabella or Sebastian you should be fine. There's also a potion in the Black Emporium that allows you to reassign your attributes and abilities that makes the bug more likely to occur, so avoid that too. Mind you it might not matter in a few weeks. Assuming I understood what I read on the official forum correctly, the 1.02 patch is done for all platforms and is currently being certified by Sony & Microsoft. No telling when it'll be released exactly, but it shouldn't take too long.

 

[Jono]

The DLC Legacy came out last week.