Mage One wrote...
I bought it, played through it in about an hour, and found it shallow and short with overpowerd loot. I then proceeded to buy no other DA DLC, because I was never given any reason by either Bioware or reviews to believe the other DLC was different in these regards, which I found really sad as actually wanted to buy more DLC before finishing WK and I was already mentally prepared to enjoy them. For example, I really wanted to care about Witch Hunt. I was really very interested in that bit of the story, but every review of it agreees it's terrible, including those from places and people that liked Warden's Keep, and to me Warden's Keep was just disappointing.
Not every review, as mine was positive, I believe. And I doubt that mine was the only one. Perhaps it is best to use such absolutes when such actually exist.
So you can load up your postgame save to try to mitigate the lack of interaction coded into games you bought. Because of the this the developers didnt really drop the ball? No, that really doesn't work. If something requires user-end work-arounds to function as reasonably expected, it's not made properly. Also, I only ever returned to WK for Starfang. That was it. Why? Because they gave me no compelling reason to want to visit it again. There are merchants everywhere, and the only special thing about one of these is, again, Starfang. I suppose there's storage, but going back to WK all the time just to access storage got rather annoying, and there's mod to put it in your camp as per the original intended design. Still, I hardly use it.
I use the DLC throughout DAO, as well as the connected items, so I figure I already received my invested worth. But to be able to go into the DLC after the game as a way to prep for other missions is a bonus; sprinkles on the icing so to speak. And after the epilogue, the other merchant available known for his special discount is not nearly as helpful as Levi; check the merchant listings at the DAO Wiki for that info.
If you only use Starfang, that is your choice. Personally, I use Levi to upgrade nearly all my possibly enhanceable items.
Also, the story and events both led up to you claiming and setting up the keep as your base of operations, as was advertised. After this has been done, there is even dialogue referencing the fact that the keep has been restored. That actually makes it very easy to have a reason to return. Saying a future story will take place there isn't much of a defence. We're upset about the amount of conent we've already paid for, to which nothing is going to get added. We didn't pay for the idea of a story that may or may actually be written in the future and take place in the same setting (which, sidenote, in all likelyhood would not require a purchase or playthrough of WK at all) but which we won't play as part of this DLC. If you did, well, either you have a great deal of disposable income or very low expectations. We paid for, or at least I paid for, a short adventure that would result in getting a new base of operations I could actually do something with. Instead I got a handfull of short fights and an outside view of a castle. To each their own, I suppose.
Your choice not to visit more often. My parties stop by often to prep before long marches (ie; leave camp for WK, use spells, set battle modes, etc.).
Also, I disagree. If I had to choose one thing that was hurting the industry, it would be gamers that buy and love everything they're given, set low expectations, and allow companies to profit off of misleading advertising and shoddy work. It's customers willing to create a market that makes short, poorly thought out, overpriced products profitable. I may not have been playing RPGs since 75, but my memory goes back far enough and remembers well enough the times when add-ons like this were given away for free or actually fleshed out and bundled with a sequel or expansion and not sold alone as the entire expansion. If the D'Arnise Keep from Baldur's Gate II had been sold seperately for $7.00, gamers at the time would have considered it ridiculous, and you actually got more gameplay out of the D'Arnise Keep. Really, in the context of history, all this, and most other Dragon Age DLC, seems to be is part of the emerging trend in video games to monetize as much as possible, even seemingly incomplete content cut from the original release.
Final analysis:
Dragon Age Origins for the PC: $49.99 retail for a hundred or so hours of fun.
WK: $7 for an hour of ultimitely disappointing moderate fun.
Dragon Age DLC (Not counting SP, as at the prce above it would come free with your copy): $36.00 for 6-12 of kind of fun.
Really, there is something very wrong with that.
I hardly can use myself as canon for the majority, but I doubt if I have low standards based on several years of postings. I have enjoyed DAO a lot, and can recommend it to many mature gamers. I have also enjoyed the majority of the DLC, but have also posted some critiques in a way that I hope would be seen as constructive criticism. But you can toss me into your Fanboy bin if you wish; better than the open cask of whiners that have flooded these new forums.
As far as pricing, I leave that for market experts, and my own wallet. In '76, I know local theater tickets were $2.50 for evening shows, and $1 could purchase a box of popcorn, hot dog, and a small drink; none of which today can be purchased seperately for a buck. Todays ticket prices range $8 and up.
I find that todays DLC is almost equivilant to current theater ticket prices, but is a show that I can watch as often as I desire. Plus these seats come with nice items that can be used repeatedly; no extra trip to concessions (ie; Bioware store) unless you want even more.
You wish to play WK for a single sword, and I wish to use it for repeated hours of upgrades, trading, and storage. To quote, "To each their own, I suppose".
Modifié par Elhanan, 23 septembre 2010 - 12:39 .
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