3274 réponses à ce sujet

[Happypike23]

javierabegazo wrote...

Any comments on the upgrading system or Armor?

I did not want to buy this game until I tried it... So I played it for a bit on my friends pc.  I have to say, hands down this is the worst Bioware game, that I can recall, ever made.  Comming from me, that is saying something because there are three developers that I usually trust to make good products: Blizzard, Bethesda, and Bioware. 

Why am I so disappointed?  This game is not a sequel at all.  It is a totally different game that is flawed from the character creation screen and up.  The characters are nowhere near as interesting as they were in DA:O, the story is blah, the questing was boring almost immediately, the game felt extremely linear,  the interface has been dumbed down, and even the ability to equip your party members has been removed.  Basically, everything that was good, or even ok (as in not broken), with DA:O was either messed up or removed all-together for DA2.  Ultimately creating an extremely simplified interface/experience.  Oh, and that is NOT a good thing. 

Combat is also a total joke.  Combat on DA:O was totally fine.  When you have "something awesome" happening EVERY TIME you hit a button in combat that awesome thing becomes, well, boring.  Sure, in DA:O combat was at a much slower pace, but it was also a LOT harder; which is a GOOD thing.  Combat in DA:O required thought, planning, positioning, and the use of tactics.  Oh, and when your toon pulled off one of those awesome looking finishing moves, now that was awesome to watch.  A little splash of awesomeness thrown into a challening combat situation, in my book, is perfect! 

In DA:O I loved playing two specific classes, the Arcane Warrior and the Rogue/Assassin/Duelist.  So I made a Rogue for this go on DA2.  When I saw my Rogue in combat for the first time I almost laughed myself to death.  I mean really?  That stupid spinning leg kick thing looks like a figure skating move, especially when he does it 5 times in a row CHASING a dark spawn baddie across the battlefield.  That = stupidest thing I have ever seen.  Second funny/stupid thing was when I saw my rogue jump like 15 feet to close the distance on a baddie.  Yes, that was both funny and incredibly stupid.  Lastly, I just sat there and stared at the screen in utter confusion when I used that rogue charge ability and bowled over a group of baddies in combat.  Umm...  My toon is a rogue.  A ROGUE.  Jesus.  Again, stupid.  And don't get me started on that instant teleporting back-stab bs.  Ughh...  My point, taking the "realism" out of the game's combat and replacing it some sort of super-powered, ultra-macho, bravado-infused skull kicking fest kinda took the cool factor OUT of the combat.  If I wanted to see that crap I would play God of War. 

Bioware will sell a lot of copies of this game because of the name recognition associated with it.  But you know what?  Bad news travels faster then good news, and I for one am telling people who liked DA:O to NOT get this game.  No, I am not trying to be a ****** or anything, but I don't want a dumbed down, over-action-stuffed, hack-n'-slash, Mass Effect 2 in a fantasy setting game, as the sequel to one of the best, and most compelling fantasy RPGs in the past decade; heck, I'll even go as far as saying of all time!   

Final Verdict:  Save your money.  Either replay DA:O, and wait for a REAL RPG to come out (Witcher 2, or the next Elder Scrolls game).

[sassperella]

7 hours in
Love it love it love it.
For me everything so far has worked fine, no problems at all. Love the characters, love the look. Love the side quests so far most have more effort put into them than origins. I really don't know why it has been so slated.
I don't think I've played enough for the repetitive environments to get to me, I'll have to see about that one.
I've had to force myself to stop to take a break lol I just can't put it down.

I loved DA:O and love this one too. Yes it feels different, and I can see that this would put some people off and completely understand, but for me so far I"m really enjoying it. 

I have to add that I'm having a hard time picking a party, I want all the characters in my party I can't chose.

Modifié par sassperella, 10 mars 2011 - 07:36 .

[ragnaven]

I've moved past the meh crowd and into the, "how much do I need to pay Isabella to kill Hawke?" crowd. Honestly, gun to my head I give this game a 5 out of 10 and thats being generous.

Visually it is beautiful, in terms of the characters in the game. The maps and everything else just get repetative and you reach a point where you realize, that your looking at the same wall you have seen for the fourteenth time.

On another note you notice maybe some dislike from the people that worked on DA2 for the people that worked on DA:O. Elves move and look a bit like birds now, with necks that are to long for their bodies. And the Qunari don't seem to have eyes, which might be a metaphor for their belief in the qun. The whole horns thing was a big meh to me, the some Qunari have them some don't and they left out the don't. On the whole all the enemies look the same, there is no change between assasins and warriors of any species, only spell casters or named people stand out at all.

Story wise, the frame narrative puts me to far out of Hawkes life to care about him enough to enough his story. I wasn't invested in him by the start of act 1, and his weak goal of making money to get out of lowtown made no sense. Especially once I had over a hundred gold in my pouch. Total lack of any clearly defined goal in act 2 finished me off. I moved right over to not careing for Hawke at all when that happens.

Total lack of choice in healers will get to you early on, you get one party member that can heal and that is it. At this point I only am playing when I need a break from other things, and even then it is more to see what my party members are up to. Which is the games only real grace, the party member stories are amazing and you really want to see them through to the end.

All in all I'd prefer no voice and another game with my warden now, I actually gave a crap about him. Hawke to me is one of those side characters in a book that you find yourself skipping over when they get a chapter all to themselves.

P.S. there are points in combat where you know that  Varric is lieing, for me it was the moment two Revents, an arcane horror, a rage demon, and a golem jumped the party along with a score of undead. in DA:O that would have killed your party outright, Revents were tought, but four mid range boss like monsters, one spell caster, and a horde of undead was a bit much to swallow a bunch of normal people walking away from.

Modifié par ragnaven, 10 mars 2011 - 07:39 .

[tallthunder]

Greyleroux wrote...

Just ordered my copy today,should be delivered by tomorow.Can't wait !

Don't get your hopes up... Just warning you. I got into computer gaming BECAUSE of DA:O. DA2 so far feels better, combat-wise, but the story is somewhat fragmented. It is lacking the epic-ness DA:O had and therefore feels like a series of quests to be completed without a higher meaning...

I wish I bought a plasma screen t.v. for my xbox instead of sinking over a grand for a pc I bought for DA2... Thanks for the let-down Bioware

Thunder OUT

[jamesisthereason]

Using my Mordin Solus voice here....

*ahem*

I have done my part for peace (with people who don't like Dragon Age 2)...but...I...have also...done my share of killing (Darkspawn)...I will join the others....to play and enjoy Dragon Age 2...I will...Play for the Lost.

*ahem*


Yeah, I'm part of that minority that likes Dragon Age 2.

[jamesisthereason]

Oh, and a related note.

You guys who don't like DA2 should ask for a DA:O 2. Bioware did mention a "Dragon Age Universe". So maybe it's not just a Dragon Age series? Who knows, maybe you'll get the game you actually want? And everyone's happy? And Bioware still makes money?

[jamesisthereason]

ragnaven wrote...

On another note you notice maybe some dislike from the people that worked on DA2 for the people that worked on DA:O. Elves move and look a bit like birds now, with necks that are to long for their bodies. And the Qunari don't seem to have eyes, which might be a metaphor for their belief in the qun. The whole horns thing was a big meh to me, the some Qunari have them some don't and they left out the don't. On the whole all the enemies look the same, there is no change between assasins and warriors of any species, only spell casters or named people stand out at all.

Dunno, I actually like how the elves look different, not just tiny humans with pointy ears.  And I think that they gave Qunari horns so that their transformation into Ogres when they become tainted makes sense.  I mean, Sten isn't the only Qunari in the world (but he certainly is THEE best).

[Alexus_VG]

ragnaven wrote...

Story wise, the frame narrative puts me to far out of Hawkes life to care about him enough to enough his story. I wasn't invested in him by the start of act 1, and his weak goal of making money to get out of lowtown made no sense. Especially once I had over a hundred gold in my pouch. Total lack of any clearly defined goal in act 2 finished me off. I moved right over to not careing for Hawke at all when that happens.

All in all I'd prefer no voice and another game with my warden now, I actually gave a crap about him. Hawke to me is one of those side characters in a book that you find yourself skipping over when they get a chapter all to themselves.

Indeed. Out of the numerous complaints I have about the game I believe that this is the largest. It fails entirly in the way of imersion,which really is the only reason I play CRPGs. I could maybe get over the fact the it is so linear and that the protagonist is voiced(by god I hate that), but I could only manage that if I felt invested in the charcter and story, which just didn't happen. The goals of the protagonsist are weak, the way the story is told makes you feel as if it's a done deal and frankly makes you more interested in playing Varic as a protagonist than Hawk, and to boot after every major plot point there is a huge leap in time without giving you any saticfation of what you have already achieved. It leaves too much to the imagination in reguard to what you character was doing for 3 years here and there. This largly ruins the interaction with the companions as well because apparently altought all this time is pasing your relationship with them and their own development is stuck exactly where you left off.

[Mister Fain]

 


Ever since I played Knights of the Old Republic, Bioware has, and will continue to be, my favorite game company. In my opinion, no other company can or will ever compare to Bioware when it comes to Role-playing games. The reason I am such a fan is due to the detail and immersion I feel when playing a Bioware game. However, it saddens me to say that Dragon Age 2, was quite a different experience from what I'm used to, and I was quite disappointed with the overall outcome.


Generally, when I play a Bioware game for the first time, I play it until it's completed.. Then I play it ten more times because it's so amazing. With Dragon Age 2, I got halfway through the second act, and had to turn off my system, because it simply wasn't keeping me interested enough to continue on. With other Bioware games, My character has always had an overall goal to accomplish, that gets established usually right from the very start. So maybe the fact that DA2 is just the story of Hawke is part of the reason why I was so disconnected. Not saying Hawke is a boring character. He just lacks purpose, other then “to protect my family!” or “get rich!”


DA2 felt like I was playing Awakening all over again. I'm not saying Awakening was bad, but it was an expansion, and lacked certain features to make it a full-fledged game. The reason Awakening was successful was because Origins was so good, that players wanted to continue with the story of the hero of Ferelden. DA2 plays very much like Awakening, without that connection. In act one for example, there's so many mindless quests to complete and even worse, there's few to no dialog for those quests. I don't want to give away any spoilers so lets just say if I kill a man's insane son, I'm entitled to a little chat with his father afterwords, not a one sentence quest finisher of him telling me to watch my back... The companions in the game also remind me of awakening. I have to go out of my way to talk with them, and for the effort, get little to nothing for it.



It feels like I'm getting one conversation every year and to make matters worse, the conversations always fade out, so it's never even a full conversation.... Very disappointing, because it makes me not really care about the companions at all. In Dragon Age: Origins, I could spend hours, if I chose to, talking to companions about so many different things. In DA2, I can simply tell a joke, get mad, or tell them everything is going to be okay. Not to mention flirt with almost everyone(AND I HATE THE ELF WITH BLACK EYEBROWS AND WHITE HAIR, WHAT IS THIS AN ANIME? /end rage). It just doesn't seem like the Bioware to release a game with such little detail done to the characters. In addition, the Rival/Friendship bar wasn't anything special, and I much preferred the Origins companion bar. It's ironic, I was worried Hawke would have fewer dialog options, what with him being fully voiced, but I never expected it would be the companions that had so little to say. Not from a Bioware game.


This may sound stupid, but in all other Bioware games I've played, the companion characters were really important to my overall enjoyment of the game. When Canderous would tell me stories of the Mandalorian Wars once he'd warmed up to me, that was awesome. Mordin's strange humor still making me chuckle after the sixth play-through, that was awesome. Alistair's speech before the battle of Denerim; goosebumps everytime. To put it bluntly, Dragon Age 2 companions suck.



I played Origins and DA2 on the Xbox 360. Was going to get Origins on the PC also, but already had some of the DLC, so decided just to stick with the 360 version. The combat in DA:O wasn't the greatest, but all the decisions, customization, amazing story, and immensely detailed companions/NPCs made the game great. In fact, it's one of my favorite games(Along with Kotor, Mass Effect, and Mass Effect 2). Dragon Age 2, has better combat, but an un-engaging story, no customization(COMPANIONS CAN'T WEAR ARMOR, ONLY UPGRADES WTF? A GLITCH? NOT A GLITCH? LAME!) and sadly, no connection to the companions at all.


This is the first time I've ever posted anything about a game on any forums, or used to word “disappointed” so many times. Bioware, you guys are my favorite and will continue to be my favorite. Just please, don't forget why your games are loved so much.

[xsgenefuzz]

Just started playing, and I'm sorry to say it, but I am very disappointed. For many of the same/similar reasons I was disappointed with ME2. Like others have said, I feel like Bioware tried to fix what wasn't broken and broke it in doing so.

List of specific complaints:

PC UI -- Not as bad as ME2, not nearly, but still feels like the developers themselves have lost touch with what it's like to play a game with a keyboard/mouse setup instead of a console controller pad. At least I could remap the key bindings (camera bound to 'A' and 'D'???), unlike in ME2, but it was really annoying to have to keep the right mouse button pressed down in order to control the camera with the mouse. Also annoying to not have the "God's-viewpoint" tactical view for battle.

Graphics -- Have to agree with some of the other posts that, IMO, the graphics for DA2 are actually *worse* than the the graphics for DAO. This opinion has nothing to do with the quality of the graphics in terms of rendering or anything, because they were great from that standpoint. It's more a complaint about their design. They are too cartoon-like. The elves and dwarves don't feel real anymore, more like caricatures of elves and dwarves, and the darkspawn aren't even the least bit scary or vile. But perhaps my biggest problem with the new graphics is that the DA2 races and creatures (especially the elves and darkspawn) look sooooo different from DAO, it doesn't even feel like the same universe.

Combat -- First, I have a minor issue with the pause feature in DA2. In DAO, the action was paused only for as long as your kept the space bar pressed down. Now, you press it once to pause, then press it again to resume. Hard to say why this annoys me, exactly, but pausing this way feels more like a "STOP!!!", more like a kind of suspended animation than just a momentary pause in the action. It seems like I'm one of the few who don't like the "faster-paced" combat, in ME2 as well as this game. It doesn't feel "faster-paced" to me, just dumbed down so that planning and thoughtfully executed tactics are less important than just bashing away at an enemy indiscriminately with everything you have. I don't play games like this because I want to kill as many enemies as possible as quickly as possible. That's what games like <Left 4 Dead> are for, and the people who want to play games like that have multiple options to choose from. But when ME2 and DA2 both play like they were designed to appeal to gamers who just want to blow sh** up and decapitate enemies by the dozens, it makes me sad. In DAO (and Awakenings), when you built your character up to the point where you were finally able to kill a darkspawn in only 2 or 3 hits, it felt like a huge accomplishment. And the first time you killed one with a single blow or one spell, man, you felt like a bada**! In DA2, you're killing darkspawn like that at level 1. What's the point? And the decapitations in DA2 are just corny. Every other darkspawn you kill gets cut in half, heads and limbs go flying off in all directions... give me a break. Final blows (including much more realistic decapitations) in DAO were so cool precisely because they were relatively rare. In DA2, it's just much too much.

Armor -- Hate not being able to outfit my crew. Had this complaint regarding ME2 as well. Just seems like another area where Bioware took the necessity for thought and discerning judgment out of the game. "Who wants to waste time deciding which armor to put on which character? I just want to kill something!"

Ability tree -- Again, from the standpoint of an old-school gamer (or just an old gamer, let's be honest), this feels dumbed down. But my complaint is maybe more about presentation than the actual design of the skill tree itself. The overly visual aspect seems designed for players who don't want to be bothered with having to read descriptions of the abilities, who don't want to be bothered with text, and that troubles me for reasons that go far beyond my frustrations with this particular game. Plus, navigating through the ability trees when leveling up feels like it was designed for a console. Having to click a particular tree to open it in order to even see the descriptions of the abilities and then having to click the "Back" button to see all of them.... It may be console-friendly, but it's supremely annoying on the PC. Why can't I just see a list of all the abilities at once?

Dialogue -- It's well-scripted and well-acted, as I've come to expect from Bioware, but it just isn't that interesting. I don't really care about any of the characters I've encountered so far. In DAO, the characters were so engaging that talking with them and getting to know them was engrossing as the epic quests and battles. When replaying DAO, I *still* take the time to talk to my companions at camp, because it's so entertaining. In DA2, so far, not so much. I hope this changes as I continue playing. On another note, I find the little "helpful" icons associated with different responses really annoying, as yet another example of Bioware removing the need to players to think about a situation and make their own judgment about how have their character respond. I mean, okay, sure, they can still decide between the "good" answer, the "wisea**" answer, or the "combative" answer, but they no longer have to read the text and make their own judgment about which is which.

Now that I've firmly established that I'm a grumpy old fart who is rigidly committed to PC gaming and refuses to adapt to the fact that PC gamers are a dying breed and the future is in consoles (I just don't get the same experience of immersion from console gaming, sorry), that I'm nostalgic for the days of old-fashioned RPGs, and that I'm insane for being worried about video games not just being a cause of but actually catering to declining literacy rates, I think I've said all I need to say.

[Zeuserich]

Done everything in DA: O and addons, got perfect save for DA 2, bought signature edition and got disappointed.

I am part of that majority calling the game "sloppy console port" and recommending "saving the money".

Its dumbed down, its not as deep and its made for consoles. I didn't like UI, i didn't like cut-downs on companions inventory and itemization, i didn't appreciate new "fast-paced" combat system, with its tonnes of meat coming from thin air and i don't like the story so far.

I was savoring DA:O with its addons for 2 years, now i bought DA 2 and i don't really want to continue playing, just after several hours and still on chapter 1.

[xDxRxAxKxAxNx]

PLUSES: Combat is Righteous~! ;
Leveling up is top drawer
Conversation wheel is as good as I had hoped for
Quests and the Map locations are just marvelous ...
No other RPG I have ever played dared to try this method and I love it
INNOVATION at its best~!

MINUSES: Absolutely No ROGUE Bonus Items
No quick switch method between Melee to Ranged weapons
I remember reading a section of the Official Guide...telling us to stick to one or the other...Melee OR Ranged...Thats Preposterous~! Evidently, whomever came up with this type of gameplay does NOT have a clue as to how some of us play a Rogue...in fact, I bet most of us who play Rogue will start with the Ranged weapons while the enemy is at a distance and start thinning them down while our Tank and Mages are hammering them ..then we switch to Melee to finish off the survivors. Of course, sometimes when we have a small group or one boss and a few minions...I will go Stealth mode...sneak up behind him and start backstabbing him ..then haul freight to a distance and hammer him with the ranged attacks...then back to Melee for the kill.
We all know these tactics...How come Bioware doesnt?? Plain and simple...BIOWARE needs to Fix This~
IMHO~~~!!!

[Xaltar81]

xsgenefuzz wrote...
being worried about video games not just being a cause of but actually catering to declining literacy rates, I think I've said all I need to say.

Couldn't have said it better myself, DA2 has taken away almost all of the narative value that DA:O titilated us with. That there seem to be so many people approving of this only makes me worry about the kind of future my daughter will have to look forward to. I think I am going to start stockpiling books now incase they cease to exist in the next few years.

[Oslegend]

Great game

Pros: 

• Fluid story telling
• good combat system
• improved graphics
• dog
• hawke has a voice
• interesting characters

Cons:

• Weak story
• Mediocre character development
• cannot talk to companions outside of quests
• buggy
• short compared to origins
• game slows down in the middle
• difficulty is inconsistant
• combat can feel awkward at times
• too much time spent in kirkland
• does not use all of its potential
• conversation wheel ...NO.
• you do not become as attached to the characters, not as much emmersion 

Great game, combat mechanics are refreshing but the story bottlenecks the game. Still one of my favourite rpgs

Modifié par Oslegend, 10 mars 2011 - 08:35 .

[The Shadow Broker]

the game is actually not bad, but very dissapointing.
some problems like not being able to customize companions, they do not have much to talk to you outside missions, and sometimes the main story is confussing this time (comparing with DA:O, were you knew who was the enemy from the very beggining.) feels like the game is a combination of secondary missions with no main plot.

The real prblem with this game is that is VERY boring after some hours, repeating locations and similar missions time and time again. And some characters are meh this time.

actually the witcher 2 look like the most promising fantasyRPG(+action). Hopefully bioware guys will learn , surpass it and bring something amazing like past games

[Shaleene]

Ive run through the same cave a hundred times. the same house a hundred times. I havent even finished and I HATE HATE HATE that city.. and the fact I can't talk to my party members when I want to sucks.. Worst thing about awakening, and they put it in DA2. I think I'm disappointed.

[Glory71]

 Ok. So I am about 14 hours into the game playing as a rogue Hawke and so far here is my impression...

1. DA2 is a good game BY ITSELF. But for some reason, I think Dragon Age Origins should have been the sequel to this game, simply because the first game was better. It was more vibrant. More alive right from the beginning. Don't get me wrong. DA2 is good except that I can't seem to connect it with DA Origins. Mike Laidlaw is nowhere near the caliber of Casey Hudson when it comes to putting out game sequels. The move from ME1 to ME2 was done so well.

2. The exploding animation of DA2 is cartoony.

3. 14 hours into the game and I feel bored already. Unlike like the "Origins" where I'm pushing and pushing hoping to find what will happen next. With DA2 I feel like I just wanted to finish a quest just to level up. There is a "bland' taste to DA2.

I think DA2 is an attempt to attract more audience by catering to non-rpg players AND at the same time counting on the fans of the first game. I think they succefully ended up alienating some of the latter.

[xsgenefuzz]

Glory71 wrote...

2. The exploding animation of DA2 is cartoony.

Yep.

3. 14 hours into the game and I feel bored already. Unlike like the "Origins" where I'm pushing and pushing hoping to find what will happen next. With DA2 I feel like I just wanted to finish a quest just to level up. There is a "bland' taste to DA2.

Yep.

I think DA2 is an attempt to attract more audience by catering to non-rpg players AND at the same time counting on the fans of the first game. I think they succefully ended up alienating some of the latter.

And yep.  Unfortunately, I feel the same way about ME2.  If Bioware makes the same sort of "improvements" in The Witcher 2, I'm just going to write off RPG gaming as dead.

[Ellestor]

I'm barely 10% into the game, I sense (I'm trying to tie up everything possible in Kirkwall before the Deep Roads expedition), so I can hardly review it, but so far, my ‘Holy ****, thank you, BioWare!’ moments have been due to:

• Everything Varric says at the Dalish camp.
• Everything Merrill says in the Blooming Rose.
• Any banter involving Varric or Merrill.
• The Handed Man bartender's reference to Shale.
• The way Sandal delivers his first ‘Enchantment?’ to Bodhan.
• Anso's first ‘line.’
• The Talkative Man.
• Tomwise is Mordin, right? I'm pretty sure he's played by Michael Beattie. If not, the voice is uncanny.
• Aveline speaking to or of Carver, basically ever. ‘Oh. Bit of a ******, your brother.’
• Fondling Andraste.

And I suppose my criticisms so far would be:

• I thought the opening moments of the game were weaker than those of Origins in that they're much less personal, contrary to the claims that DA2's story is a more personal one than Origins'. Despite how well I thought Bethany/Carver and Wesley's deaths were composed, visually and musically, it was just too early to give a damn about them. Or about Lothering, for that matter.
• Similarly, I think that the individual character introductions are weaker than in Origins because they occur so rapidly and, in many cases so far, quite casually. There's a lot of ‘Thanks for the help, and oh yeah, I'm coming with you, how's it going, wanna mack?’ and a lot less circumstantial necessity, if that makes sense.
• I'd hoped for more facial animation. The faces are very distractingly robotic, in my opinion. You'd think that this would be at least as important here as in the Mass Effect series, but it definitely doesn't come through. When the faces do animate, they're great animations (see #5 above), but they happen so seldom that it's easy to forget this.

Why is it impossible to do two lists in a post without each subsequent list further indenting the text? Argh.

xsgenefuzz wrote...

And yep.  Unfortunately, I feel the same way about ME2.  If Bioware makes the same sort of "improvements" in The Witcher 2, I'm just going to write off RPG gaming as dead.

The Witcher is not a BioWare series, just so you know. It is developed by CD Projekt RED.

Modifié par Ellestor, 10 mars 2011 - 09:13 .

[Moon M0nkey]

Likes :

Definatley faster - im not getting that weird Move around garbage that youd get from Dragon age orgins
Animations witch are nice and there smooth and what have you
Intresting characters

dislikes:
Armour upgrading system - yay lets spend out time scouring the earth for upgrades? (instead of just giving them armour thats badass and be done with it)

no more main camp were you meet ALL party members (now you have to go to there each individual houses)
witch means you have to go through a 30 second load time OH boy

and for those of you saying its not a button masher If your pressing the A button more then 5 times in three seconds then yes its a button masher Try beating this game pressing the a button only once for Every battle Not very likely

GAME FEELS LIKE ONE BIG FETCH QUEST
go here, kill him, run back, talk, go kill somthing else, come back YAY YOUR DONE REPEAT untill end of game

Story was VERY VERY VERY lacking compared to orgins felt like it was written by a 10 year old. why do i say 10 year old cause this sounds like somthing i would day dream in class when i was 10. and a weak bioware story makes me FEAR for the future of our industry, either EAs is putting there thumb down and your letting them or you just wanted to money grab from us either way im not very happy (the game is ok shure onlly cause im a great fan of the orginal and want to see this story continue but if this is whats happening to dragon age i think i might just pass on buying dragon age 3) It felt it was missing that Raw Kick assery Story and characters and twists and turns that dragon age orgins had Hell even awakening was better then this,

So overall LACKING very lacking for older fans of the series but to new fans Shure just jump right in (cause you have no idea what there butchering)

So my review summed up in one word would be "Meh"

Also they removed the arcane warrior Tsk tsk tsk bioware

[HALO_Project]

I have not beaten it yet, haven't gotten anywhere near it yet. But I do like some things about it and I hate some things about it. The biggest thing is that the game feels very rushed. Another year in developement and it would have been epic and I would have waited. I know we all say "I can't wait omg when is it gonna be released?!?" but really, when it comes down to it we will wait. We will preorder and then sit on it for a year or two if that's what it takes. Especially if the sequel is as epic as Dragon Age: Origins. (Look how long the crowd waited for The Elder Scrolls V and you bet your bum people are going to buy up that title when it hits the shelves.) But I also understand that wait isn't a concept that sits well with EA. Now to my reviews up to now.

 It feels like Mass Dragon Effect. The images inside the wheel are helpful (though someone should really look up the difference between "Charming" and "Sarcastic" as they are not interchangable words). The tone setting and personality of Hawke is nice, as is not being urged to choose from the same spot on the wheel each and every time to build up paragon/renegade points. Sometimes I feel that while my female Hawke is diplomatic the situation calls for some wit or some aggression. I can do that without missing out on some alignment points and it feels natural. But it still feels more like a movie than an immersive experience and I prefer the silent main character, but this is doable. It is discouraging though. It does feel a bit like they are dumbing down RPG's these days. "Let's give them as much info with as little reading as possible." I was almost surprised that you didn't have some narrator reading you the major codexes like in Mass Effect. And besides it just feels more like Hawke is Varric's character and not mine, no real immersion.

 And speaking of immersion. This game is designed to distance you from character immersion as much as possible based simply on the form of presentation of the story. (I'm trying to be vague because this is no spoilers and there are some who haven't played the demo out there.) If/when the expansion comes about it would be nice to be able to do it in real time (assuming it ends in a way that is appropriate for such a thing, as I said I've no where near beaten it yet).

 The tactical camera is gone. I want it back.

 I love/hate the way you enter merchant stores. On the one hand I get it. Makes sense. Why enter a dialogue with a shopkeeper just to say "I'd like this ring"? On the other hand, it's different and so at first I was all "I'd like to see your merchandise." and they were all "Of course, right this way." and I was popped out of the dialogue and she just stood there and I was like wtf. After a second though it was cool. Once I get used to it I'll chalk that up to pretty cool.

 Why did you replace elves with aliens? They are the ugliest, freakiest looking things I've ever seen. And horrifyingly thin. The darkspawn are more attractive than some of them, no joke. Several times in Fereldan my city elf woman heard it said that elves were easy on the eyes, they were beautiful as a people. Certainly there could be unattractive elves but as a whole compared to humans they were smaller, lithe, pointy-eared beautiful creatures (beautiful even as a male). In Dragon Age II they are just creatures, wierdly thin with eerie eyes and horrible noses. When I first saw them I thought, "yikes what the hell is that thing?" then when I realized it was an elf and after the utter horror (elves were my favorite race seconded by humans) had passed I bitterly thought "Suddenly I'm elated that Hawke has to be human". Uhg.

 I like the combat system. No more single target, phantom blade swinging through all enemies to hit one guy. All the classes are nicely done. I miss dual wielding as a warrior but I can get over it. Though it does lack the tactical challenge that Origins had. When you defeated, say the High Dragon, for instance, there was some degree of satisfaction. Especially if you managed it without a single party member falling in battle. Now winning is expected, you don't require as much planning. And with the way things are set up Nightmare mode sounds more like Chaos Mode to me.

 I like the skill trees. More flexibility. Good setup. Very nice.

 I like Rivalry in place of Hostility. Companions can disagree but maintain respect for you and the story still unfolds but in a very different way. Very nice.

 Enemies explode into bloody meaty chunks all the time. Juivenile and annoying and utterly devoid of realism. On a crit or with a fireball maybe but every time I use Scythe or Mighty Blow? Come on. And jumping 15 feet into battle? Right. Devoid of realism. And if the enemy is descimated in a spectacular manner every single time one is killed it fails to be spectacular, as it is replaced with being the norm.

 Character animations are mostly better. Thank you for including the old favorite hairstyles and then adding new ones as well. I dearly appreciate that. I also love that hair has a slight bump map and the way your family is generated is a nice touch as well. Pitty they aren't more influenced by your character though. My ice blue eyed pale blonde character must have taken her hair and eye colors from her father, tis all I'm saying. lol Overall I really liked that.

 I think the two-handed weapons are swung too fast for a weapon of that size but eh, it is a balance thing I think so I'll let it go.

 Also did you realize that my sister (real life that is ) pointed out to me that of all the nice (some very nice) promotional content that was released for the game there are no weapons for a dual-wielding rogue. The only class that didn't get one. Two staves, a sword, two shields, two greatswords, a bow. No dual weapons. Maybe in the future eh? lol

So far it is a pretty good game. I'm having fun with it (the day/night thing is also a nice touch). It doesn't hold a candle to Dragon Age: Origins but if you let it be its own game, and distance it from the shadow of its predecesor (hard to do as it is Dragon Age 2 but eh) then it is fun, the story seems interesting enough. I think that if EA had backed off and let them have one more year it would have been EPIC instead of just good and the game could have pushed this into a massive franchise. After this I wouldn't be surprised if it looses a bit of its steam. But I'm still playing so I guess I could change my mind. It could happen. I doubt it, the elf-mutants alone is a glaring mistake to me, but hey stranger things have happened right?

Modifié par HALO_Project, 10 mars 2011 - 10:16 .

[LoneStalker]

I played the game for about 2 hours so this is just my first impressions I want to mention.

From the start, all the installation, registration etc. went smoothly, including HD texture pack. Not a single problem.

Texture pack greatly enhances graphics, even my Radeon HD 5770 handled it quite well on 1680*1050, 2xAA, AF off Very High settings with newest ATI hotfix (Catalsyt 11.4). Environment textures are absolutely better which were really poor in the demo.

There are still some issues in the animations though. Running animations of enemies look a bit weird. As if they are not charging, instead there's 2x faster walking animations. Maybe it's just me but it looks like fps drops usually.

Combat is fluid and fun. I have to admit that my primary concern for DA2 was needless as I once paused and wondered how it feels same as Origins. But, the way warriors hover towards enemies is an unpleasant sight. Why they can't simply accelerate while running and clash with enemies in a powerful impact? (Possibly, with a staggering animation)

However, there are some constraints. No tactical camera combined with no character selecting in AOE targeting makes it painful for mages. It's more distinct when I try to target enemies on higher ground. Detachable camera is more than a luxury in these situations. If not applicable, at least let players zoom out farther.

Overall it's a great experience for now and will keep me preoccupied for a while...

[flaming]

Ellestor wrote...

[...]

xsgenefuzz wrote...

And yep.  Unfortunately, I feel the same way about ME2.  If Bioware makes the same sort of "improvements" in The Witcher 2, I'm just going to write off RPG gaming as dead.

The Witcher is not a BioWare series, just so you know. It is developed by CD Projekt RED.

something i'm actually glad for right now.

[ZzrowGraff]

Xaltar81 wrote...

It seems clear to me that EA is going to be patting themselves on the back after reading the last few pages of comments. DA2 has almost completely alienated the audience that DA:O was targeted at, sadly it seems there are not as many of us as one would hope and has picked up a new audience. Bioware used to be the go to company for deep characters, intricate plots, surprising twists and near novel like story. Sadly, people today have become impatient, they want more obvious stories, clear cut characters that are easy to understand and stories that you might expect from a movie rather than a good book. What DA2 felt like to me was a movie based on a book that was DA:O. It leaves out most, if not all the atmospherics, forces you down a path wether you like it or not. Sure my choices had some weight in some reguards but only within the limited margins of the extremely linear plot. Just like a movie based on a book there will be people who hate it and people who like it. There is no middle ground really. DA:O was like a good book, only it seems that the author is dead now and hollywood has baught out the movie rights.

My CRPG days sadly seem to be over, just as well I guess, I won't need to spend upwards of $1000 this year on PC upgrades. EA have baught Bioware, Bioware is dead and exists only in name as EA's tool to rape the unsuspecting fans of the once great studio for thier money. EA are not stupid, they know how to make money. If it is making you feel ill to see people posting how much they love the very elements that made DA2 a comercialized piece of garbage then you can clearly see who EA have targeted here. We, the RPG fans and book readers will have to move on and find another way to get our RPG kicks. Hollywood has take over the show and all we have to look forward to now are crap movies that rely on special effects to wow you.

Unfortunately, I agree with you. Bioware simplified DA2 so less intelligent people can play it, expanding their customer base. Unfortunately, they will probably lose fewer customers like me who wanted a serious moddable PC RPG than they gain. I'm enjoying it well enough I suppose, but I would not have paid $64 for it had I known about the pathetically limited armor and clothing options (how could they make such a stunning mistake in a RPG? the mind boggles), and l won't be buying any DA2 DLC. I'll also be wary of Bioware games in the future (try before buy). Modders may save DA2 if a toolset patch is released. If not, I still greatly enjoy DAO and will give Fallout Vegas a try.

[Clocksucker]

Meredith is the last boss