Let's see if I can remember all my concerns and disappointments.
-Paraphrased wheel. It's pretty inevitable with this system that at some point you're going to pick one answer and say another. It's an issue of extremes. You mean to say a simple negative response and instead start screaming a character out or vice versa.
-Voiced character. Unless things have changed radically, not only is this a likely cause for the shortening of the game, it will also allow less conversation choices and give a voice to a character which would otherwise be mine. Adding a voice is the difference between being Bioware's character and my own because, even though your responses are set and NPC responses are set, tone of voice can create an enormous difference in forming your own personality. A voiced character will allow for a more cinematic experience, this is true. But a non-voiced character allows for a more personal experience as you are not playing a character so much as you ARE the character.
-Style. Don't like it. I've never liked over-the-top. Should DA be strictly real? No. But I was under the impression Bioware wanted to go for a dark and gritty look to the series. While they might not have quite reached that with Origins, I like that style and would have liked to have seen it developed further. Instead this looks like something out of a comic book. A sometimes very campy comic book. Oh goody it's unique. Reminds me of people who go out and get Japanese tattoos they can't even read just to dodge conformity. I think a couple dev quotes sum the styles of the two games up well. For Origins I remember someone saying something along the lines of, "Alright, you managed to survive this battle. Now 400,000 more to go." It envoked a brutal desperation which it was obvious they were trying to impart onto the series. In DA2, "Think like a general, fight like a spartan." It screams over-the-top and trying to get people's attention which I think is exactly what I think they're trying to impart in this game. And just like the quote, I think they're trying too hard.
-Gameplay pace. Combat could have definitely been improved upon by allowing characters to set up moves easier. However, this new pace is as over-the-top as the style. Attack speed is breakneck and some of the abilities (such as the rogue's teleport or the fact that you can manually avoid attacks judging by a recent video where a kiting character ran away to successfully dodge an ogre charge, boulder and swipe) point to the game having something of a breakneck pace which I don't think will mix well with strategic combat.
-class differentiation. First off I always imagined classes should be differentiated by three very basic ideals to which everything branches out. Mages use magic. They are the only class able to do so and thus provide vital support in many unique ways. Warriors fight. They can take more hits and do more weapon damage than anything else. If another class gets unto a simple weapon battle with a warrior they will lose, 'nuff said. Rogues have utility. They bring tricks and tools to the table others simply cannot, from the ability to scout, lockpick, backstab or avoid direct battle to more diverse skills such as setting decoys or better poisons, bombs, traps and the like. So with that said it looks like I'm only getting part of what I want since gameplay seems so very focused on combat. Warriors will basically be tanks and multi enemy fighters, Rogues will be quick and single enemy fighters. There is definite differentiation, but not nearly in the way I'd prefer. More, class differentiation is partially based on weapon style. This does not work with three classes. It restricts any sort of combination of style and destroys many beloved builds. Severe disappointment here.
-Length. "About as long as ME2" isn't all that long. Especially for a game spanning 10 years. I'm not saying story should be added simply for the sake of length, but I somehow doubt the story will have all the nuances everyone would like. How much, I wonder, was left on the cutting block to bring the game within the VA budget?
-Companion armor. I always liked the idea of companions having personalized armor. Giving them a unique look is always a fun touch. I liked Morrigan having her personal moge robes and I liked mods which gave Leliana and Sten their own personalized armor. But having the same look from beginning to end of an epic which includes something of a rags to riches storyline and spans 10 years? I liked Morrigan, Leliana and Sten having their own personal armor, but I also liked them having other options. I liked upgrading to or from that armor to get better and have it come with a positive visual change. This new system is as boring as it is ridiculous.
Modifié par b09boy, 14 novembre 2010 - 01:29 .
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