72 réponses à ce sujet

[Altima Darkspells]

I think the answer is somewhat, but just to the degree that Lovecraft--having no copyright--influences just about everything.



If DA had wanted some Lovecraft influence, they could have easily done it, art-wise. Heck, even storywise if they really wanted.



But no, the critters all resemble humanoids, and, while scary, they are not otherworldly. Even Broodmothers can be easily spotted with their pre-mutation features.



There wasn't much madness, either. I mean, there was some, but it was mostly from fear or being tainted. Not from seeing something so soul-crushingly wrong that your psyche shatters.



Lastly, I doubt we'll see much Lovecraftian creatures, well, ever, unless it's a game specifically designed towards it. Some of the creatures described in the Mythos sound, frankly, ridiculous and completely unsuited to a video game or cinema.

[Bryy_Miller]

Altima Darkspells wrote...

I think the answer is somewhat, but just to the degree that Lovecraft--having no copyright--influences just about everything.

Batman: Arkham Asylum.

[Wynne]

If there's anything Lovecraftian to DA, they're doing a fantastic job of keeping it a subtle homage and making sure it's still original. I love Lovecraft, I've read much of his work, and his influences sure are vast and far-reaching, but I just don't see anything but the vaguest, most coincidental connections to DA. Neither reminds me of the other at all unless I reach really hard. The Old Gods are just dragons, not maddening fathomless beings from beyond the stars. The Black City--it's mysterious, arcane, and very intriguing, but not scary. Lovecraft makes you shiver. The Fade is surreal, bizarre, and interesting, but it doesn't make my spine tingle, nor is it disturbing or horrific.

Then again, the Ocean House level of Bloodlines didn't really bother me. The only thing that actually scared the living hell out of me in a game within the last ten years was Thief 3's Shalebridge Cradle. That level would scare the crap out of a freaking vampire, seriously. Not for the faint of heart.

I could use some creepier moments in DA2. I'd enjoy that very much. But if they stick to the mysterious nature of the arcana like what we saw in the first game, I'll enjoy that too.

Modifié par Wynne, 18 juillet 2010 - 07:50 .

[Altima Darkspells]

Bryy_Miller wrote...

Altima Darkspells wrote...

I think the answer is somewhat, but just to the degree that Lovecraft--having no copyright--influences just about everything.

Batman: Arkham Asylum.

I'm sorry, I'm too busy reading my Necronomicon.  Did you know Bruce Cambell's in it?

[Chairon de Celeste]

Lovecraft's work is just one of many influences within BioWare's games
I really like the way Bioware integrates athmosperics hints to popular books, music,
movies, art et c. -and all without plagiating the sources,

Just like Beth did for the ES IV Shivering Isles xp:
Terry Pratchett's disk world novels
were only the main theme but a lot of british humorous fantasy content and other
sources went into that xp.

Modifié par Chairon de Celeste, 18 juillet 2010 - 07:57 .

[Altima Darkspells]

Chairon de Celeste wrote...

Just like Beth did for the ES IV Shivering Isles xp  Terry

Funnily enough, Bethesda was working on Call of Cthulhu: Beyond the Mountains of Madness.

And Bethesda and 2k games are pretty buddy-buddy...2kgames being responsible for Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth.

[JohnF1986]

Not really Lovecraftian. The Lovecraftian horror is not to be understood nor can it be reckoned with, the dangers of Thedas, the ground below it and in the Fade are considerably easier to dispel.

[Bryy_Miller]

Altima Darkspells wrote...

Bryy_Miller wrote...

Altima Darkspells wrote...

I think the answer is somewhat, but just to the degree that Lovecraft--having no copyright--influences just about everything.

Batman: Arkham Asylum.

I'm sorry, I'm too busy reading my Necronomicon.  Did you know Bruce Cambell's in it?

What's that? I couldn't hear you over me having some Alone Time with my copy of H.P. Lovecraft's Complete Works.

[JohnF1986]

Bryy_Miller wrote...
What's that? I couldn't hear you over me having some Alone Time with my copy of H.P. Lovecraft's Complete Works.

Say again? We can't auscultate over the thunderous wallop of your thesaurus' verso! ^^

[Bryy_Miller]

JohnF1986 wrote...

Not really Lovecraftian. The Lovecraftian horror is not to be understood nor can it be reckoned with

This is why modern authors have typically failed when writing Lovecraft (which really has become a subgenre to itself). They feel that they have to follow too closely to the rules.

Read Fall of Cthulhu, an excellent comic series by Michael Alan Nelson.

[DespiertaLosNinos]

Wynne wrote...
Neither reminds me of the other at all unless I reach really hard. The Old Gods are just dragons, not maddening fathomless beings from beyond the stars. The Black City--it's mysterious, arcane, and very intriguing, but not scary. Lovecraft makes you shiver. The Fade is surreal, bizarre, and interesting, but it doesn't make my spine tingle, nor is it disturbing or horrific.

This is pretty inline with my own opinion.  I would have to really strain a Lovecraft to Dragon Age through-line for it to be coherent.  There is no victory in Lovecraft, only a loss of self or life.  He may not have invented psychological horror but he still stands as it's brightest jewel.....DA didn't ever step foot into that terrain.

[Chairon de Celeste]

Altima Darkspells wrote...

Funnily enough, Bethesda was working on Call of Cthulhu: Beyond the Mountains of Madness.

And Bethesda and 2k games are pretty buddy-buddy...2kgames being responsible for Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth.

True enough.

And if I had an xbox here Iand it ewas already august 'd play
'Cthulhu saves the world' right now
Feature by GI not long ago and I will not spoil all the fun here.

Modifié par Chairon de Celeste, 18 juillet 2010 - 08:28 .

[thesuperdarkone]

 Haven had cultists and I enjoyed the slight lovecraftian feels, but those cultists were just crazy and will never trump these cultists:

[Zombievarning]

(First of all, both Dragon Age and Mass Effect spoilers in this reply)



Personally, I do not really think that Lovecraft had anything other than perhaps a very subtle influence on Dragon Age. There are to be honest far more Lovecraft elements in Mass Effect, although thematically closer to Derleth's works of fighting cosmic entities et al, rather than Lovecrafts cosmic meaningless and insignificance of the human race. Although I do suppose that depends on how they actually handle the ending.

Haven could of course be seen as something of a Shadow over Innsmouth, although to be fair it seems like a fairly usual "isolated insane cult" rather than something straight out of Lovecrafts story (how much he influenced the tropes of that particular dramatic setup is another discussion). In my opinion then the ideas behind Broodmothers and such seems more Lovecraftian regarding his man-thing hybrids of different kinds along with a plentyful helping of body horror, but this again is probably through amalgamation of Lovecraft into how some aspects of modern horror functions rather than straight homages (although I would not put it past the writers to have stealth or open tributes to such an influential author)

The Fade and Black City however do have some definite feelings of being influenced by the Dreamlands and Unknown Kadath.

All in all though, I think that it is too much of an understandable and well-defined evil in Dragon Age to be truly Lovecraftian, opposed to his apathetic unknowable eldritch horrors (again, I think there is probably more of this in the Reapers in Mass Effect, and the Dead Reaper mission in ME2 has heaps of this "dead but dreaming" anyone?)

Also:

filaminstrel wrote...

_Dejanus wrote...

I keep expecting the Maker to actually be a Lovecraftian, tentacled, apathetic monstrosity. Maybe that's just me.

And Andraste is still his lover?

So... Dragon Age 2: The Dunwich Horror, then?

[Captain Jazz]

I read lots of books... I don't read much Lovecraft however, so I have no reason to comment in this thread except to express my indignation at the implication that being a gamer is equal to not being a reader. *grr face*

Indignation expressed.

[Bryy_Miller]

In fact, geeks are avid readers.

[Blacklash93]

Super Bump



A few points:



- Dragon Cults are basically brainwashed Cthulu/Old One cults. Maybe this says something about Dragons.



- Old Gods are the Old Ones (sleeping gods under the earth), although nowhere near as impressive or terrifing.



- The Old Ones were said to "tear the veil asunder" when they awaken.



- Fen'Harel could be some sort of Nyaralathotep figure. A messanger and trickster.



- The Elven Gods could be the Elder Ones... Although I like to pretend they don't exist in the mythos, as they try to ground the the story into good and evil and antagonize the Old Ones, which is exactly what Lovecraft didn't want.