Dragon Age II

[Skywalker]

So, we're just a couple of weeks away from release day. Anyone planning on getting it?

The demo just came out today, but I spaced and forgot to download it while I was at work. It's about 2 GB, so now I have to sit here and wait forever for it to download.

Should be worth it, though.

 

[jeskawest]

I just noticed that the download for the demo was available . . . I have apparently been totally out of the loop on this one. I had no idea the release date was so close! The first Dragon Age was the first game I've actually finished in a really long time, so I'm pretty excited about the second one. I'll let you know what I think of the demo after checking it out . . .

 

[Reverend]

Just finished the demo about an hour ago. First impressions are pretty good, though I should temper that by saying it's a very limited demo. All of the character customisation options are locked out, as is the inventory system.

Still, though it takes a minute or two to adjust, the new combat system is a considerable improvement over DAO's and reminds me of the difference between ME1 & 2 in how everything was streamlined and improved. It's still basically the same system though, just that the abilities are far more useful, the animation is a lot snappier and the action feels a lot more intense and immediate. There's still that odd RPG-ish thing where you can have 3 enemies standing around you waving swords around without much of a feeling that you're actually making contact, but you can't have everything.

I love the ME style dialogue wheel and the inclusion of a voiced protagonist. The silent warden in DAO always bothered me a little so having the ME style interactive cutscenes was a huge improvement for me. I've noticed some complaints about not being able to select specific dialogue but honestly, seeing what Shepard (and now Hawke) comes out with after you pick a general tone and direction is half the fun. Even better now there's a little icon that tells you if what you're highlighting is going to be aggressive, joking, peaceful minded or hardened (I think that's what the diamond means!) I don't know about anyone else but I got a nasty shock a few times in ME2 when what I thought was a friendly chat between my FemShep and Jacob suddenly became much more flirty than I'd expected, so I hope this is a feature that finds it's way into ME3 in some form!

One thing that did feel odd is that they've shifted the overall style of the game a little away from the "realistic" (if a little stiff) feel of DAO into something a little more stylised. The darkspawn look quite different and have this odd almost exaggerated ape-like gait that I'm not too crazy about. I don't think it's a spoiler to mention that a certain witch of the wilds puts in an appearance early on and speaking of her appearance, she looks almost nothing like she did in DAO...which is a little odd considering the opening of the game takes place right after Lothering fell to the blight. Mind you, she is a shapeshifter so it matters not. More to the point she looks much better and more in line with her reputation in this new guise.

Bottom line, it looks very good and I'm glad I pre-ordered it already.

[EDIT] Oh, and this is the first Bioware game where I might actually stick with the default female appearance!

 

[donners22]

Eh, I'm going to wait for the Ultimate Edition in a year or so.

I enjoyed the first one, and I do love party-based RPGs, but I'm sick to death of DLC and have far too many games to play as it is.


I do hope they've sorted out the combat this time. The AI of both party and enemies was simply awful, particularly when they forgot to keep attacking...

 

[ATimson]

I do hope they've sorted out the combat this time. The AI of both party and enemies was simply awful, particularly when they forgot to keep attacking...

Hmm. Well, I'd argue it's worse now, since the PC won't autoattack anymore...

 

[Bishop76]

I really wasn't a fan of the first one - I didn't think it was terrible, just really lacking a lot in pacing and some of the story was a bit rough. It was a bit too long, too. I was ready for it to be done about 20 hours before it was.

That said, I think I'll give it a try. Bioware is nothing if not cognizant of their own errors and while I thought Mass Effect was a great game, they made it considerably better in ME2. I'm hoping for the same effect with DA2.

 

[Arrqh]

I do hope they've sorted out the combat this time. The AI of both party and enemies was simply awful, particularly when they forgot to keep attacking...

Hmm. Well, I'd argue it's worse now, since the PC won't autoattack anymore...

In the shipping version of DA2 on consoles autoattack can be turned on in the options and in the PC version it is always on.

 

[Skywalker]

I rather enjoyed the demo. The combat system is definitely better than DAO's, I think, much faster and more exciting. It's so nice to have a voiced character again, too; the Warden being silent was painful after we got Shepard in Mass Effect. I've played through it was a Warrior, think I'll go through it again as a Rogue now before trying Mage.

 

[ATimson]

In the shipping version of DA2 on consoles autoattack can be turned on in the options and in the PC version it is always on.

Well, then they should've put that in the demo, instead of making everybody think that the game is now an arcade buttonsmasher.

 

[Skywalker]

Holy crap, playing as a rogue is freaking awesome.

 

[Arrqh]

In the shipping version of DA2 on consoles autoattack can be turned on in the options and in the PC version it is always on.

Well, then they should've put that in the demo, instead of making everybody think that the game is now an arcade buttonsmasher.

I agree it should have been in the demo (and it is in the PC demo), but I don't think the line between "arcade buttonsmasher" and RPG is that thin. All the skills, tactics, ability to switch and manage party members etc are still there.

 

[SPCTRE]

Thanks for your first impressions, Reverend. I'm glad I canceled my preorder.

 

[ATimson]

I agree it should have been in the demo (and it is in the PC demo), but I don't think the line between "arcade buttonsmasher" and RPG is that thin. All the skills, tactics, ability to switch and manage party members etc are still there.

They're there, but I was too busy hitting the A button to be able to manage what they're doing; so the skills and tactics were there, but they were the ones running the battle, not me.

 

[Reverend]

Holy crap, playing as a rogue is freaking awesome.

Yeah, it's like playing as Nightcrawler with knives and stun grenades! Luckily I'd always intended to play as a rogue since my play-style in such games tends to favour the brains and agility over heavy weapons and brawn type characters. Plus lock-picking is always good to have.

I think today I'll try what it's like to play as an archer rogue.

Thanks for your first impressions, Reverend. I'm glad I canceled my preorder.

Not that I'm arguing but just out of curiosity; what turned you off?

 

[SPCTRE]

Thanks for your first impressions, Reverend. I'm glad I canceled my preorder.

Not that I'm arguing but just out of curiosity; what turned you off?

I despise the changes to the art-style, they make the game look and feel a lot more like your typical bland, run-of-the-mill fantasy world and create a significant visual disconnect between DA:O and DAII - just look at what they did to the Elves.

The same goes for abandoning the silent, oldschool-RPG type protagonist and dialogue choices - I love Mass Effect, but I've come to appreciate the differences between the franchises.

I'm also pretty invested in my character(s) from the original, so not being able to go forward with them is definitely a turn-off for me.

 

[Arrqh]

I despise the changes to the art-style, they make the game look and feel a lot more like your typical bland, run-of-the-mill fantasy world and create a significant visual disconnect between DA:O and DAII - just look at what they did to the Elves.

I can understand not liking the new art direction... everyone has their own personal tastes... but DAO is one of the blandest, generic looking fantasy games I've ever seen. Like it or not, DA2 definitely has more of its own visual identity.

 

[John Clark]

I'm also pretty invested in my character(s) from the original, so not being able to go forward with them is definitely a turn-off for me.

I get what you mean there though I also have to admit that some of my characters (Especially the primary one) would be busy elsewhere.

Going off the demo, it does feel more flashy than the first (and playing as a close-in rogue, you seem to be really lethal). I haven't looked at the tactics yet.

One thing off DA2 that I want in ME3 though is the mood indicator for your conversations. A couple of the conversations in ME2 didn't go quite the way I thought when I picked the option.

 

[Reverend]

I despise the changes to the art-style, they make the game look and feel a lot more like your typical bland, run-of-the-mill fantasy world and create a significant visual disconnect between DA:O and DAII - just look at what they did to the Elves.

The same goes for abandoning the silent, oldschool-RPG type protagonist and dialogue choices - I love Mass Effect, but I've come to appreciate the differences between the franchises.

I'm also pretty invested in my character(s) from the original, so not being able to go forward with them is definitely a turn-off for me.

Yeah I've seen some shots of how they redesigned the elves and I agree it's a little off putting at first. Having said that I like that they've made more of a distinction between the races. In DAO they just looked like slightly shorter humans with slightly pointy ears, at least now they actually look more like a separate species.

As for the overall art style...yeah I see your point but after playing the demo it honestly didn't "feel" quite as different than I thought it would. Still, like I said the change in the darkspawn does feel a bit off.

I'm not so bothered about not being able to continue with my existing character the way I can with my Shepard(s) because, to be honest, as far as I'm concerned that character's story is more or less over and besides, I'm interested to see how they propose to tell a story over such a long period and from the perspective of a third party at that.

As for the voice...I never liked the idea of a silent protagonist in RPGs. I understand the arguments about making the player infest themselves but I never felt that way while playing. In deed, quite the contrary, for me never hearing one whole side of a conversation always seemed to take me out of the experience. Honestly I suspect the real reason it isn't done very often is the sheer cost and effort involved in recording all that dialogue and getting all the shifts in tone right. All of which is doubled when you allow for a character that can be either gender.

One thing off DA2 that I want in ME3 though is the mood indicator for your conversations. A couple of the conversations in ME2 didn't go quite the way I thought when I picked the option.

Definitely. Indeed there were several similar instances in DAO too. Hell, talking to Morrigan was always a bloody minefield of disapproval waiting to happen.

 

[Skywalker]

The only thing I don't like about DA2's new art style is the darkspawn. I think they look terrible now. But everything else, I like. DAO pretty much screamed 'generic fantasy' and while DA2 is still obviously a fantasy world, its visual identity is much more distinct.

I don't mind a new story with a new character because, as far as I'm concerned, the story of the Warden is done. He/she has already defeated a Blight and restored order to Ferelden, there really isn't much else you can do that could top that. Besides, I always got the sense that DA was more about the world and people of Thedas and how they evolved throughout the century-long Dragon Age, whereas ME was a more personal story about one specific character.

 

[donners22]

I'm not all that keen on having the player character voiced. I really disliked that in ME, though admittedly I played the male Shepard, and everyone else seems to have played the female.

I just prefer to hear the words in my head, or even speak them aloud (ah, the joys of living alone) rather than hear them spoken for me in a tone and manner which I didn't imagine.