Your Dragon Age II Review *NO SPOILERS PLEASE*
Débuté par
javierabegazo
, mars 08 2011 04:02
#1001
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 07:38
chuck_debord
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Awesome..... but too short. I'm so angry. Hammered through it in about 20 hrs. give or take. Need dlc's now!!
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#1002
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 08:11
kcifor
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I am currently in Thailand which means my Signature Edition is waiting in the hands of a friend in the States. But, I happened to luckily borrow a friend's copy to play and ease my mind for a bit. This means no preorder/bonus items for me this playthrough which is fine by me.
I will try and remain as unbiased as possible in this review. I am about 14-15 hours in so take that as you will.
Graphics
I am on the XBox 360 version of the game and I am liking the upgrade in graphics from Dragon Age: Origins. Of course there are some hiccups here and there with textures that aren't fully detailed but, overall, I am liking the textures and details on things that weren't as pronounced in Origins (also the 360 version). Armor especially looks better, especially on most of the armor, even the basic ones. I find graphics not that important while playing though so this section is short. All in all, it looks polished enough to keep me satisfied. It may not be ME2 graphically but I don't mind. I would give it a 7-8/10.
Combat
Now this is one of the important aspects for me. Story is important, sure, but since combat is what you spend about half (or more) of the game doing, I find it key to enjoying the game. For the record, I liked the tactical aspect of DA:O and, after playing the demo, had my doubts like everyone else regarding how this was going to play out.
I started Dragon Age 2 on the Normal difficulty and found that I could just control Hawke without having to switch often (I was a Mage) and still get by combat with no injuries. Whether this was thanks to good tactics which I set or a comment on the ease of the game I cannot truly say. But it wasn't the tactical experience I was looking for. No need to micromanage, no need to use many potions, no need to have a dedicated healer.
This changed, however, when I moved up to the Hard difficulty. I found myself having to play tactically, especially during some sidequests which involve hordes and hordes of enemies that actually started providing a challenge and could take out my Hawke with ease. I had to change constantly and use the play-pause technique of playing, making sure all my companions as well as my main character was doing proper Crowd Control, Damage and Healing in each fight. I had to resort to bottlenecking as well in some dungeons in order to optimize the amount of people attacking my squishies.
In conclusion, I find combat satisfying on the Hard difficulty and saw many similarities to Origins, albeit smoother animations when fighting. The lack of auto-attack so far made my thumb hurt at times but, now that I am a higher level and have many other abilities to turn too, I tend to attack less and less. So my verdict on this is a 6-7/10 on lower difficulties and 8/10 on higher ones.
Story
The second 'half' of the game I find important when playing a Dragon Age game. I can't comment fully without giving spoilers away, not to mention I seem to have a lot of story to still go through but there are both good and bad points about this aspect.
First the good. I like the fact that, instead of focusing on one big bad that is threatening to end the world, you are instead trying to make a name for yourself in Kirkwall. Its a deviation from the standard RPG story-line and I commend Gaider and the rest of the writers for crafting an original enough story that isn't as cliched as I thought it would be. Companions are interesting enough and developed with dialogue that had me cracking up at times and actually feeling for the characters instead of just being indifferent. The aspect of family? Well I found myself actually caring for my brother (despite how much of a ****** he could be at times) and Mother when I was going in the game thinking I wouldn't thanks to the Demo. So family? Good job on that too!
And, now, the bad. I have to admit, there isn't much drive behind the story as there was in Origins. Oh, it's there, but I find myself less motivated to actually do side-quests and even some of the main quests. I blame it mostly on the framed narrative. Although a good attempt at it, I found Varric skipping over the parts of the game I actually WANTED to play. At the risk of spoilers, let's just say he skipped a good part of Hawke's involvement in the beginning in regards to entering Kirkwall. Perhaps it was boring enough too but it gave me a sense of disattachment I suppose.
Overall, I would give the story 7/10. The good qualities were very well done and the bad parts stuck out obviously as a sore thumb. But still good enough for me to keep playing!
Tidbits
Here I'll just list things that irked me a little although didn't exactly detract from my gameplay experience. I guess you could call it, things to maybe improve on for DA3.
- No descriptions for generic items/variety in names of items. Too many times I found equipment that had the same name yet had different stats and no descriptions. For example one 'Belt' had a +mana & stamina regeneration rate while another 'Belt' had a +health. Although they had the same name, they had different stats and it became annoying to keep track of which was which in the end. Also there weren't any descriptions a'la Origins where even the most generic loot had something to describe it. Not a major point but still a disappointment at the very least.
- Companion Armor and Weapons. I know this point has been brought up again, and again, and again. The fact that you couldn't change their armor irked me a little but didn't detract from my enjoyment overall of the game. Same thing goes with changing their weapons. Although I understand the technical implications of asking for companions to be able to equip different things I find (especially the astronomical cost of making body-models for each one with different armors and weapons equipped) it was still slightly annoying. But like I said, not that big a deal with me. If I couldn't make Fenris a tank instead of Aveline, I couldn't. Oh well, no harm done.
Final Verdict
Anyways I would give the game a solid 7.5/10 to 8/10. Compared to Origins, it fixes some things and simplifies too much of others. But still an enjoyable game so far from Bioware and I am finding it fun enough to play through till the end! Now I just have to fly back and activate my Signature Edition for some nice goodies that will either help my gold-mining or even improve my characters! For those who read through this slight Wall of Text, hopefully it provides some insights you didn't know or reinforces some that you were aware of!
I will try and remain as unbiased as possible in this review. I am about 14-15 hours in so take that as you will.
Graphics
I am on the XBox 360 version of the game and I am liking the upgrade in graphics from Dragon Age: Origins. Of course there are some hiccups here and there with textures that aren't fully detailed but, overall, I am liking the textures and details on things that weren't as pronounced in Origins (also the 360 version). Armor especially looks better, especially on most of the armor, even the basic ones. I find graphics not that important while playing though so this section is short. All in all, it looks polished enough to keep me satisfied. It may not be ME2 graphically but I don't mind. I would give it a 7-8/10.
Combat
Now this is one of the important aspects for me. Story is important, sure, but since combat is what you spend about half (or more) of the game doing, I find it key to enjoying the game. For the record, I liked the tactical aspect of DA:O and, after playing the demo, had my doubts like everyone else regarding how this was going to play out.
I started Dragon Age 2 on the Normal difficulty and found that I could just control Hawke without having to switch often (I was a Mage) and still get by combat with no injuries. Whether this was thanks to good tactics which I set or a comment on the ease of the game I cannot truly say. But it wasn't the tactical experience I was looking for. No need to micromanage, no need to use many potions, no need to have a dedicated healer.
This changed, however, when I moved up to the Hard difficulty. I found myself having to play tactically, especially during some sidequests which involve hordes and hordes of enemies that actually started providing a challenge and could take out my Hawke with ease. I had to change constantly and use the play-pause technique of playing, making sure all my companions as well as my main character was doing proper Crowd Control, Damage and Healing in each fight. I had to resort to bottlenecking as well in some dungeons in order to optimize the amount of people attacking my squishies.
In conclusion, I find combat satisfying on the Hard difficulty and saw many similarities to Origins, albeit smoother animations when fighting. The lack of auto-attack so far made my thumb hurt at times but, now that I am a higher level and have many other abilities to turn too, I tend to attack less and less. So my verdict on this is a 6-7/10 on lower difficulties and 8/10 on higher ones.
Story
The second 'half' of the game I find important when playing a Dragon Age game. I can't comment fully without giving spoilers away, not to mention I seem to have a lot of story to still go through but there are both good and bad points about this aspect.
First the good. I like the fact that, instead of focusing on one big bad that is threatening to end the world, you are instead trying to make a name for yourself in Kirkwall. Its a deviation from the standard RPG story-line and I commend Gaider and the rest of the writers for crafting an original enough story that isn't as cliched as I thought it would be. Companions are interesting enough and developed with dialogue that had me cracking up at times and actually feeling for the characters instead of just being indifferent. The aspect of family? Well I found myself actually caring for my brother (despite how much of a ****** he could be at times) and Mother when I was going in the game thinking I wouldn't thanks to the Demo. So family? Good job on that too!
And, now, the bad. I have to admit, there isn't much drive behind the story as there was in Origins. Oh, it's there, but I find myself less motivated to actually do side-quests and even some of the main quests. I blame it mostly on the framed narrative. Although a good attempt at it, I found Varric skipping over the parts of the game I actually WANTED to play. At the risk of spoilers, let's just say he skipped a good part of Hawke's involvement in the beginning in regards to entering Kirkwall. Perhaps it was boring enough too but it gave me a sense of disattachment I suppose.
Overall, I would give the story 7/10. The good qualities were very well done and the bad parts stuck out obviously as a sore thumb. But still good enough for me to keep playing!
Tidbits
Here I'll just list things that irked me a little although didn't exactly detract from my gameplay experience. I guess you could call it, things to maybe improve on for DA3.
- No descriptions for generic items/variety in names of items. Too many times I found equipment that had the same name yet had different stats and no descriptions. For example one 'Belt' had a +mana & stamina regeneration rate while another 'Belt' had a +health. Although they had the same name, they had different stats and it became annoying to keep track of which was which in the end. Also there weren't any descriptions a'la Origins where even the most generic loot had something to describe it. Not a major point but still a disappointment at the very least.
- Companion Armor and Weapons. I know this point has been brought up again, and again, and again. The fact that you couldn't change their armor irked me a little but didn't detract from my enjoyment overall of the game. Same thing goes with changing their weapons. Although I understand the technical implications of asking for companions to be able to equip different things I find (especially the astronomical cost of making body-models for each one with different armors and weapons equipped) it was still slightly annoying. But like I said, not that big a deal with me. If I couldn't make Fenris a tank instead of Aveline, I couldn't. Oh well, no harm done.
Final Verdict
Anyways I would give the game a solid 7.5/10 to 8/10. Compared to Origins, it fixes some things and simplifies too much of others. But still an enjoyable game so far from Bioware and I am finding it fun enough to play through till the end! Now I just have to fly back and activate my Signature Edition for some nice goodies that will either help my gold-mining or even improve my characters! For those who read through this slight Wall of Text, hopefully it provides some insights you didn't know or reinforces some that you were aware of!
Modifié par kcifor, 10 mars 2011 - 08:26 .
#1003
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 08:13
randName
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I like the game, but the combat is so horribly flawed. They really should tried the tactics and AI mods over at the nexus; now your companions are horribly equiped at doing anything on their own. You can't told them to keep distance, you don't have waypoints - so want companion X to keep away then you have to switch to that character continously, or use the broken Hold function (there should have been a guard function, that makes them return to positon X, Hold just makes them avoid walking, but they'll happily warp around using abilites). In DA:O vanilla you could atleast easily switch to some shoddy ranged weapon you had to keep them from running to their death, now I have to pause, pause, pause and pause.
&I feel like I'm fighting a badly designed AI/tactics system, not the enemies on the field.
I wish I could use the AI mod from DA:O here, since I'm actually going to pause the game now and go back to DA:O since I can't stand this; that said its the main concern, since I prefer the abilites here, and even if I can't plate down Carver or Fenris, making Aveline my only tank - these are currently smaller concerns, save that I probably won't replay the game, and maybe not even finish it, until someone fixes the combat (and not by making it easier, that's not the issue).
So to end this poor review; I love what you have done with DA2 visually, and I like that I can give it to the Chantry; but I can't enjoy the game until someone fixes the issues of companion behaviour when in combat; and its not that I'm dying, its rather that I'm battling the wrong enemy.
&I feel like I'm fighting a badly designed AI/tactics system, not the enemies on the field.
I wish I could use the AI mod from DA:O here, since I'm actually going to pause the game now and go back to DA:O since I can't stand this; that said its the main concern, since I prefer the abilites here, and even if I can't plate down Carver or Fenris, making Aveline my only tank - these are currently smaller concerns, save that I probably won't replay the game, and maybe not even finish it, until someone fixes the combat (and not by making it easier, that's not the issue).
So to end this poor review; I love what you have done with DA2 visually, and I like that I can give it to the Chantry; but I can't enjoy the game until someone fixes the issues of companion behaviour when in combat; and its not that I'm dying, its rather that I'm battling the wrong enemy.
#1004
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 08:20
cryo99
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- 1 messages
what happened here with the spinoff Dragon Age: Kirkwall
a bioware touched story driven diablo.
it is so unbelievable what is going on here, everything what makes a good rpg is thrown away with this spinoff.
positive
+ Quests
negative
- combat like CAT3 hong kong instant action, unrealistic flying party members and splattered monsters with fire
- leveldesign is copy & paste recycled after another
- like a MMORPG, beside quest relevant things there is nothing to do, everything is like a OP room with combat
- every women has 90-60-90, sister, mother ... mono cultures
- every location is like a teleportinbg from one room to another, maybe the rest will filled with dlc's
- no softskills , attributes only comabt oriented, skills only combat oriented, ok it is an hack&slay action-rpg<_<
- animations like a puppet theater , in house mass effect do it better
- dialogues with mass effect wheel , feels like interactive movie , no more skill / attribute oriented answers
- time saving item design, everything have the same icon
- daytime to go feature, athmosphere killer
- kirkwall is like a ghost town, where are they ?
- playtime really short.
the whole game looks like a fast, cheap produced spinoff to fullfill contracts with EA without the heartblood of bioware.
this ist not an attack from me, or flaming or something else.
it is the truth, so please do this not again, i play bioware games since baldurs gate and dragon age:origin was not perfect at all but a good bioware typical game and now all the things you do right is thrown away... i can't understand why, and I am really shocked
so don't betrayal your fans and the people that play your games since a decade , it is ok when you want to find new fans in the casual sector, but not at cost of us.
sry from my english, iam not a native speaker.
a bioware touched story driven diablo.
it is so unbelievable what is going on here, everything what makes a good rpg is thrown away with this spinoff.
positive
+ Quests
negative
- combat like CAT3 hong kong instant action, unrealistic flying party members and splattered monsters with fire
- leveldesign is copy & paste recycled after another
- like a MMORPG, beside quest relevant things there is nothing to do, everything is like a OP room with combat
- every women has 90-60-90, sister, mother ... mono cultures
- every location is like a teleportinbg from one room to another, maybe the rest will filled with dlc's
- no softskills , attributes only comabt oriented, skills only combat oriented, ok it is an hack&slay action-rpg<_<
- animations like a puppet theater , in house mass effect do it better
- dialogues with mass effect wheel , feels like interactive movie , no more skill / attribute oriented answers
- time saving item design, everything have the same icon
- daytime to go feature, athmosphere killer
- kirkwall is like a ghost town, where are they ?
- playtime really short.
the whole game looks like a fast, cheap produced spinoff to fullfill contracts with EA without the heartblood of bioware.
this ist not an attack from me, or flaming or something else.
it is the truth, so please do this not again, i play bioware games since baldurs gate and dragon age:origin was not perfect at all but a good bioware typical game and now all the things you do right is thrown away... i can't understand why, and I am really shocked
so don't betrayal your fans and the people that play your games since a decade , it is ok when you want to find new fans in the casual sector, but not at cost of us.
sry from my english, iam not a native speaker.
Modifié par cryo99, 10 mars 2011 - 08:22 .
#1005
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 08:27
Dsentinel
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I have held off making a review until now, as I am about to finish the last "quest". Overall the game was very enjoyable, but ended before I could truly feel satisfied.
The Good:
-Overall graphics enhancement. I think Bioware has found a good place for the DA graphics, and hope to see improvements on it.
-Armor has gotten the much needed improvements. Better light armor and Robes, no more repeats of the same drab looking outfits.
-I think the combat is the biggest improvement, it was fast past with quick responses. On hard everything had to be managed, and timing was key. It didn't completely lose its tactical edge.
-Characters were well done, I consider this a good and a bad. I think the character development was very good, but needed more.
-Voiced Hawke was a nice change, I like hearing someone say the sarcastic comebacks I'm thinking.
-Cutscenes were excellent and added a lot of involvement into the story.
-Player Housing
The Bad:
-Way too short, I was even suprised by this. Finishing in about 20 hours, that is included close to every side quest. How any of the reviewers got 50 hours is beyond me.
-Party member armor upgrades. While a great Idea, I think there should be an added option to use armor of your choice or their personal armor (That is still upgradeable).
- The camera view although easy to get used to, lost a few points in my book. The top down view added a lot more depth to tactics and combat, definitely needs a comeback.
-Repetition of areas and being stuck within Kirkwall. I understand this was a key factor into the story. But this got boring, there wasn't much exploration to be had.
-Slow to start. My first playthough felt very slow to start. Many tedious starting quests before you actually get involved in the story.
Overall: DA2 had the potential to set the standards for next gen RPG's and fell short. Although an intriguing story and enjoyable game-play, it only left the player wanting. After DA:O, DA2 had big shoes to fill and in my opinion was close but needed more. For only 2 years of development, it is definitely an impressive addition to the DA universe. For combat and graphics I feel it is a good starting point for Bioware to build off of. I hope the next installment can fulfill my expectations.
The Good:
-Overall graphics enhancement. I think Bioware has found a good place for the DA graphics, and hope to see improvements on it.
-Armor has gotten the much needed improvements. Better light armor and Robes, no more repeats of the same drab looking outfits.
-I think the combat is the biggest improvement, it was fast past with quick responses. On hard everything had to be managed, and timing was key. It didn't completely lose its tactical edge.
-Characters were well done, I consider this a good and a bad. I think the character development was very good, but needed more.
-Voiced Hawke was a nice change, I like hearing someone say the sarcastic comebacks I'm thinking.
-Cutscenes were excellent and added a lot of involvement into the story.
-Player Housing
The Bad:
-Way too short, I was even suprised by this. Finishing in about 20 hours, that is included close to every side quest. How any of the reviewers got 50 hours is beyond me.
-Party member armor upgrades. While a great Idea, I think there should be an added option to use armor of your choice or their personal armor (That is still upgradeable).
- The camera view although easy to get used to, lost a few points in my book. The top down view added a lot more depth to tactics and combat, definitely needs a comeback.
-Repetition of areas and being stuck within Kirkwall. I understand this was a key factor into the story. But this got boring, there wasn't much exploration to be had.
-Slow to start. My first playthough felt very slow to start. Many tedious starting quests before you actually get involved in the story.
Overall: DA2 had the potential to set the standards for next gen RPG's and fell short. Although an intriguing story and enjoyable game-play, it only left the player wanting. After DA:O, DA2 had big shoes to fill and in my opinion was close but needed more. For only 2 years of development, it is definitely an impressive addition to the DA universe. For combat and graphics I feel it is a good starting point for Bioware to build off of. I hope the next installment can fulfill my expectations.
Modifié par Dsentinel, 10 mars 2011 - 08:30 .
#1006
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 08:30
acerider67
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I really hate to say it, but I am very disappointed in DA:2. I was hoping it would be longer, and that it would be similar to Mass Effect 2 in that once you beat the game, you can play on, or beat it again with your same character. Right when my character got strong, the game ended, and it was over. Now I am starting a new character and am very upset that all the work I did on my last save is useless. Also, the story is very hard to follow, and most of the time, I didn't even know what I was supposed to be doing! To top it all off, the map was very small. Almost the whole game was played in Kirkwall, and there was almost no change of scenery throughout the game. Overall, I am very disappointed, and I think that Bioware could have done better. I would give it a 6 out of 10.
#1007
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 08:44
joshy_boy
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- 28 messages
Let me first begin by saying that Dragon Age Origins is one of my all time favorite games. I've sunk over 400 hours in many play through's across all three platforms. I've been a Bioware fan since the min-late 90's ever since I played Shattered Steel. Baulder's Gate and BGII, KotOR and ME are all amazing experiences. So when I say that Dragon Age II broke my little Bioware RPG loving heart, I want you to understand my full meaning.
I can only guess at the pressure a publisher like EA puts on Devs. EA's hammer of sh*t has really taken it's toll on Bioware, that much is obvious. To go through the creative process to create a whole world, a story and characters like the world of Dragon Age took years. But apparently it only takes a fraction of that time to tear it all down. Everything that made DA:O a great RPG experience has been striped away in favor of appeasing the console crowd. The gamer that likes everything fast pace and flashy. Everything from story and characters, character development, side quests, combat, skill system and complexity are all gone. Replaced with lazy design, uninspired drab characters, a story that isn't engaging and so much call of duty HUD blood its hilarious.
If Dragon Age II was simply an off shoot of the franchise made specifically for the console crowd, maybe named Dragon Age: Hawk's Story or something than this travesty could have been avoided. But to lobotomize Dragon Age this badly is a slap to the face of Biowares oldest PC fan base. I suffered through just over twelve hours of DA2 before I uninstalled it. I couldn't take any more of it. As an action JRPG without the DA name, I'd give it a 6.5/10. It's not a bad game. But it's a terrible Dragon Age game and a terrible Bioware game. I blame EA for this, not Bioware.
You guys seriously dropped the ball on this one. The truly sad part is you'll most likely make a financial killing riding on the coat tales of a game that actually deserved it's praise. Damn you EA.
I can only guess at the pressure a publisher like EA puts on Devs. EA's hammer of sh*t has really taken it's toll on Bioware, that much is obvious. To go through the creative process to create a whole world, a story and characters like the world of Dragon Age took years. But apparently it only takes a fraction of that time to tear it all down. Everything that made DA:O a great RPG experience has been striped away in favor of appeasing the console crowd. The gamer that likes everything fast pace and flashy. Everything from story and characters, character development, side quests, combat, skill system and complexity are all gone. Replaced with lazy design, uninspired drab characters, a story that isn't engaging and so much call of duty HUD blood its hilarious.
If Dragon Age II was simply an off shoot of the franchise made specifically for the console crowd, maybe named Dragon Age: Hawk's Story or something than this travesty could have been avoided. But to lobotomize Dragon Age this badly is a slap to the face of Biowares oldest PC fan base. I suffered through just over twelve hours of DA2 before I uninstalled it. I couldn't take any more of it. As an action JRPG without the DA name, I'd give it a 6.5/10. It's not a bad game. But it's a terrible Dragon Age game and a terrible Bioware game. I blame EA for this, not Bioware.
You guys seriously dropped the ball on this one. The truly sad part is you'll most likely make a financial killing riding on the coat tales of a game that actually deserved it's praise. Damn you EA.
#1008
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 08:44
Purple People Eater
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- 1 382 messages
Im actually enjoying it alot more at the 20hr mark, than I was in the first 10. The story telling and character development is every bit as good as every other Bioware game. I love how Kirkwall evolves as the game progresses, and I cant get enough of the combat. I had almost 20 hours on the game before the deep roads expedition, so I dont know how some people are griping that its too short. They must not be doing everything, and I dont see what the point of just hammering through the main quest is. Games like this are not meant to be played that way.
Anyways, im really digging it. I like all the characters, I like the personal feeling to the story, and although I thought it would get old just being mainly in Kirwall, it actually hasnt bothered me at all. Its especially awesome to see the changes to the place after time. I think most of the people who have severe gripes with this game are just giving up on it too soon. This is a much deeper, and well made game than I initially thought it would be.
Anyways, im really digging it. I like all the characters, I like the personal feeling to the story, and although I thought it would get old just being mainly in Kirwall, it actually hasnt bothered me at all. Its especially awesome to see the changes to the place after time. I think most of the people who have severe gripes with this game are just giving up on it too soon. This is a much deeper, and well made game than I initially thought it would be.
#1009
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 08:47
ironcreed2
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I absolutely love it thus far. It is just a much more personal experience for me than Origins was. I feel like I am going through a struggle with my family and am on my way to becoming someone, as well as becoming a part of Kirkwall. When viewed from this perspective, the fact that it is in one city just works and it makes for a uniquely personal role playing game.
As far as Hawke goes, I feel more connected to him than I ever did as a Warden. He has a voice, a personality and expresses emotion instead of standing there mute, while everyone else speaks and conveys feelings. It is just a much more immersive experience overall for me. Only around nine hours in, but I love it more with every hour I play it.
As far as Hawke goes, I feel more connected to him than I ever did as a Warden. He has a voice, a personality and expresses emotion instead of standing there mute, while everyone else speaks and conveys feelings. It is just a much more immersive experience overall for me. Only around nine hours in, but I love it more with every hour I play it.
#1010
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 08:51
mr.chicken
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- 28 messages
cryo99 wrote...
what happened here with the spinoff Dragon Age: Kirkwall
a bioware touched story driven diablo.
it is so unbelievable what is going on here, everything what makes a good rpg is thrown away with this spinoff.
positive
+ Quests
negative
- combat like CAT3 hong kong instant action, unrealistic flying party members and splattered monsters with fire
- leveldesign is copy & paste recycled after another
- like a MMORPG, beside quest relevant things there is nothing to do, everything is like a OP room with combat
- every women has 90-60-90, sister, mother ... mono cultures
- every location is like a teleportinbg from one room to another, maybe the rest will filled with dlc's
- no softskills , attributes only comabt oriented, skills only combat oriented, ok it is an hack&slay action-rpg<_<
- animations like a puppet theater , in house mass effect do it better
- dialogues with mass effect wheel , feels like interactive movie , no more skill / attribute oriented answers
- time saving item design, everything have the same icon
- daytime to go feature, athmosphere killer
- kirkwall is like a ghost town, where are they ?
- playtime really short.
the whole game looks like a fast, cheap produced spinoff to fullfill contracts with EA without the heartblood of bioware.
this ist not an attack from me, or flaming or something else.
it is the truth, so please do this not again, i play bioware games since baldurs gate and dragon age:origin was not perfect at all but a good bioware typical game and now all the things you do right is thrown away... i can't understand why, and I am really shocked
so don't betrayal your fans and the people that play your games since a decade , it is ok when you want to find new fans in the casual sector, but not at cost of us.
sry from my english, iam not a native speaker.
I must also echo these sentiments. This seemed like a rushed title that had little to no heart, but tried to make up for it with glitz and glamour. Which is exactly what I thought Bioware DIDN'T do.
Sad day for me.
#1011
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 08:53
CHawk15
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I've only been able to play for about 5 hrs and I think there a significant amount of things in this game that are familiar and some components that will take a bit of getting used to. I will say that the major complaint I've heard that I can see is that there isn't really anything to drive the story forward, almost like it's a collection of side quests put together with no clear definition of who the primary opposition is. Is it the qunari ? Is it the Templars / mages ? If the definition doesn't become more clear later, than that will be a strike against it. I'm also not sure about some of the new art direction yet, (Hurlocks, Elves). Otherwise, I like what I see so far.
As far as simplifying the combat and item making to make it more console / casual gamer friendly, welcome to the reality of video gaming business today. Now that EA owns Bioware, anyone that knows anything about the gaming industry can't really be surprised by this. EA is notorious for making video games that appeal to the "more casual" gaming audience because quite frankly, there are alot more of them than there are of the "hardcore" gamers. It's a business that is trying to make $$$ and in today's economy, can you really risk developing a game that caters to a "niche" audience. The answer lies in the design choices made for ME 2 and DA 2. EA needs to see a return on the investment before they'll be willing to risk letting Bioware make the game that people on this forum want to see.
As far as simplifying the combat and item making to make it more console / casual gamer friendly, welcome to the reality of video gaming business today. Now that EA owns Bioware, anyone that knows anything about the gaming industry can't really be surprised by this. EA is notorious for making video games that appeal to the "more casual" gaming audience because quite frankly, there are alot more of them than there are of the "hardcore" gamers. It's a business that is trying to make $$$ and in today's economy, can you really risk developing a game that caters to a "niche" audience. The answer lies in the design choices made for ME 2 and DA 2. EA needs to see a return on the investment before they'll be willing to risk letting Bioware make the game that people on this forum want to see.
#1012
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 08:55
Krogan Face
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I played DAO firts of all. I then tried to learn all I could before DA2 was released. All I saw and read lead me to avoid this game.
I have only one regret about not playing DA2. That is you wont get to read a cogent and properly critical review. Still its good to see there are some good reviews here.
"The combat is better" ROFL it looks like a freakin Koei game for #%ck sake!
If the game wasent titled DA 2 ( emphasis on 2 ) then ok, I get it its just some game that BW had to rush in due to contracts or whatever buisness bs. But to imply this is a sequal !? This game being labeled DA 2 is purley titular. This is no sequal. I can tell that much without even playing it.
I passed on DA2.
I have only one regret about not playing DA2. That is you wont get to read a cogent and properly critical review. Still its good to see there are some good reviews here.
"The combat is better" ROFL it looks like a freakin Koei game for #%ck sake!
If the game wasent titled DA 2 ( emphasis on 2 ) then ok, I get it its just some game that BW had to rush in due to contracts or whatever buisness bs. But to imply this is a sequal !? This game being labeled DA 2 is purley titular. This is no sequal. I can tell that much without even playing it.
I passed on DA2.
Modifié par Krogan Face, 10 mars 2011 - 08:57 .
#1013
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 08:57
Ozzyfan223
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- 392 messages
I haven't beaten the game yet, but I'm a good portion in to it, and I have to say all of this hate is uncalled for. Is it perfect? No. ME2 was, but thats besides the point.
I think people need to take a step back and look at the game carefully, and understand that, while it may not be the best Bioware game, it's still a great game. Bioware has some crazy fans, who will love them when they do what they want and despise them when they change something that they didn't want changed. It's a vicious cycle for a Bioware developer.
*Release First Game* >> Majority say *so is so* should be improved >> Improve as suggested while attempting to keep it fresh >> *release Second Game* >> HATE RAGE HATE RAGE *WHY DID THEY CHANGE THAT* >> Bang head on desk
Bioware still gives us the best games money could buy, and I don't hesitate to purchase a game by Bioware, and I don't in the case of DA2. I'll give a full review when I beat it.
I think people need to take a step back and look at the game carefully, and understand that, while it may not be the best Bioware game, it's still a great game. Bioware has some crazy fans, who will love them when they do what they want and despise them when they change something that they didn't want changed. It's a vicious cycle for a Bioware developer.
*Release First Game* >> Majority say *so is so* should be improved >> Improve as suggested while attempting to keep it fresh >> *release Second Game* >> HATE RAGE HATE RAGE *WHY DID THEY CHANGE THAT* >> Bang head on desk
Bioware still gives us the best games money could buy, and I don't hesitate to purchase a game by Bioware, and I don't in the case of DA2. I'll give a full review when I beat it.
#1014
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 08:58
A Turkey Frog
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Ok I've been playing for about 20 hours and I'm just in my second year in Kirkwall. I don't know how anyone could possibly beat this game so quickly doing all the sidequests and not skipping conversations. With that said heres my review so far.
Good
-Vastly improved party members. Everyone is interesting and their are no throw-away characters. My personal favs are Merrill, Aveline, Varric, Carver, and Anders.
-Combat is more satisfying and fast-paced, while being tactical at the same time. People are lying if they say they don't need tactics to win, maybe on normal you could manage, but on hard or nightmare you will get destroyed.
-Graphics are a step-up from Origins, nothing mind-blowing but they add to the experience more than detracting from it.
-Love the talking protagonist and dialog wheel. Just as many choices as Origins but in a more interesting direction.
Bad
-Difficulty spikes from normal to hard are fine. Jumping from hard to nightmare is a large gap, almost twice as difficult. I seriously don't know why I'm playing on nightmare and I only reccomend it for the elite rpg players or crazy people. It could be toned down a little to coincide with the steady progression of other difficulties.
-Almost to many sidequests at the beginning. Their are seriously around 25. They are fun but they detract to much from the main stories continuation.
So far I would give it a 8.75-9.
Good
-Vastly improved party members. Everyone is interesting and their are no throw-away characters. My personal favs are Merrill, Aveline, Varric, Carver, and Anders.
-Combat is more satisfying and fast-paced, while being tactical at the same time. People are lying if they say they don't need tactics to win, maybe on normal you could manage, but on hard or nightmare you will get destroyed.
-Graphics are a step-up from Origins, nothing mind-blowing but they add to the experience more than detracting from it.
-Love the talking protagonist and dialog wheel. Just as many choices as Origins but in a more interesting direction.
Bad
-Difficulty spikes from normal to hard are fine. Jumping from hard to nightmare is a large gap, almost twice as difficult. I seriously don't know why I'm playing on nightmare and I only reccomend it for the elite rpg players or crazy people. It could be toned down a little to coincide with the steady progression of other difficulties.
-Almost to many sidequests at the beginning. Their are seriously around 25. They are fun but they detract to much from the main stories continuation.
So far I would give it a 8.75-9.
#1015
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 09:00
LuxLucis
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- Members
- 12 messages
Hey all,
Read the reviews and from my first impressions it sounds like in general the true role players are very very very disappointed in DA2. As they say, It's a really dumb down simplified rpg game turned into a hack and slash game to cater for console N00B crowd.
I love DA: Origins because of its true winning role playing formula and it sounds like that is not brought over in DA2. From playing the disappointing demo and getting a total hack and slash feel and reading the general unhappy reviews, I have decided not to continue following DA. I am going to end my experience with DA Origins and leave it at that. Sounds like Bioware made many wrong decisions in the supposedly DA2 sequel.
BIOWARE forum moderators, please make sure you compile all the great information people are sharing from these forums and forward them to the game developers and let them know they are doing this all wrong!
We want the role playing back in the Dragon Age franchise!
THANKS!!!
Read the reviews and from my first impressions it sounds like in general the true role players are very very very disappointed in DA2. As they say, It's a really dumb down simplified rpg game turned into a hack and slash game to cater for console N00B crowd.
I love DA: Origins because of its true winning role playing formula and it sounds like that is not brought over in DA2. From playing the disappointing demo and getting a total hack and slash feel and reading the general unhappy reviews, I have decided not to continue following DA. I am going to end my experience with DA Origins and leave it at that. Sounds like Bioware made many wrong decisions in the supposedly DA2 sequel.
BIOWARE forum moderators, please make sure you compile all the great information people are sharing from these forums and forward them to the game developers and let them know they are doing this all wrong!
We want the role playing back in the Dragon Age franchise!
THANKS!!!
#1016
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 09:01
Frisco Blitz
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- 1 messages
A complete waste of my money. I'm sorry,but I feel ripped off. Nothing like DA:O. My points in particular:
1.) first impression is right away negative... only 6 character choices and no design choices. I do not feel like I am roleplaying.
2.) second immediate impression: why are all these menus so dark and hard to read.
3.) third immediiate impression: gamma slider says '1' but it's really only 50% and won't go any brighter... hard to see
4.) skill trees are hard to work with. You have to open one to see what it contains... choices you can't make at present are so dark you can barely make them out. Leave one tree to enter another and you forget what the first one was about.... so it's back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. back and forth. Annoying.
5.) moving cursor to edge of screen does not rotate camera
6.) labels for enemies in combat are shimmering dark red on black and unreadable. Have to put my nose up to the screen to make them out.... can't tell a mage from a fighter. Camera will not pan over combat area, just dart to the character you've chosen. Can't get a POV by say clicking on an enemy.
7.) Might as well be watching a movie during combat. There are no choices that need to be made except maybe have a character take a potion if his hit points are low. That's it period. Boring! Boring! Boring! This renders skill tree irrelevant. It doesn't matter what skills or spells you chose.
8.) No reason to play any further to find out what else might be wrong.
9.) Rating:Zero
1.) first impression is right away negative... only 6 character choices and no design choices. I do not feel like I am roleplaying.
2.) second immediate impression: why are all these menus so dark and hard to read.
3.) third immediiate impression: gamma slider says '1' but it's really only 50% and won't go any brighter... hard to see
4.) skill trees are hard to work with. You have to open one to see what it contains... choices you can't make at present are so dark you can barely make them out. Leave one tree to enter another and you forget what the first one was about.... so it's back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. back and forth. Annoying.
5.) moving cursor to edge of screen does not rotate camera
6.) labels for enemies in combat are shimmering dark red on black and unreadable. Have to put my nose up to the screen to make them out.... can't tell a mage from a fighter. Camera will not pan over combat area, just dart to the character you've chosen. Can't get a POV by say clicking on an enemy.
7.) Might as well be watching a movie during combat. There are no choices that need to be made except maybe have a character take a potion if his hit points are low. That's it period. Boring! Boring! Boring! This renders skill tree irrelevant. It doesn't matter what skills or spells you chose.
8.) No reason to play any further to find out what else might be wrong.
9.) Rating:Zero
#1017
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 09:04
cjzeddy
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- 86 messages
I've played 7-8 hours so far and I am absolutely loving it!
I felt Dragon Age Origins was the most emotionally engaging game I had ever played, but Dragon Age 2 is even more engaging - I think in large part due to you having a family with you. For me it gets to be a very personal experience with the inclusion of your family. The voiceover, the dialouge, the music...it all adds to the incredible emotion I felt for my mother and my sister - I really want to help my mother and move us out of that ****-hole of a home.
Speaking of voiceover, the voice of Lady Hawke (Jo Wyatt I believe?) is fantastic, she does an excellent job of delievering her dialouge!
The combat is faster and more fun, and looks better too, and you still have all the tactical aspects of DAO - setting up tactics, pausing and switching between your characters etc.
I went with Hard difficulty right from the start, since I felt I had a good understanding of how the game works since I played Origins. I had some concerns about the fights not being very challenging, but I was pleased to see that Hard difficulty is proving to be a solid challenge for me. I am looking forward to trying out Nightmare as well once I've played through the game 2 or 3 times and really understand how to build an effective party.
So all in all I am loving it so far and I expect I will continue to enjoy the game even more as the "plot thickens".
I felt Dragon Age Origins was the most emotionally engaging game I had ever played, but Dragon Age 2 is even more engaging - I think in large part due to you having a family with you. For me it gets to be a very personal experience with the inclusion of your family. The voiceover, the dialouge, the music...it all adds to the incredible emotion I felt for my mother and my sister - I really want to help my mother and move us out of that ****-hole of a home.
Speaking of voiceover, the voice of Lady Hawke (Jo Wyatt I believe?) is fantastic, she does an excellent job of delievering her dialouge!
The combat is faster and more fun, and looks better too, and you still have all the tactical aspects of DAO - setting up tactics, pausing and switching between your characters etc.
I went with Hard difficulty right from the start, since I felt I had a good understanding of how the game works since I played Origins. I had some concerns about the fights not being very challenging, but I was pleased to see that Hard difficulty is proving to be a solid challenge for me. I am looking forward to trying out Nightmare as well once I've played through the game 2 or 3 times and really understand how to build an effective party.
So all in all I am loving it so far and I expect I will continue to enjoy the game even more as the "plot thickens".
#1018
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 09:10
Huntress
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- Members
- 2 464 messages
Ozzyfan223 wrote...
I haven't beaten the game yet, but I'm a good portion in to it, and I have to say all of this hate is uncalled for. Is it perfect? No. ME2 was, but thats besides the point.
I think people need to take a step back and look at the game carefully, and understand that, while it may not be the best Bioware game, it's still a great game. Bioware has some crazy fans, who will love them when they do what they want and despise them when they change something that they didn't want changed. It's a vicious cycle for a Bioware developer.
*Release First Game* >> Majority say *so is so* should be improved >> Improve as suggested while attempting to keep it fresh >> *release Second Game* >> HATE RAGE HATE RAGE *WHY DID THEY CHANGE THAT* >> Bang head on desk
Bioware still gives us the best games money could buy, and I don't hesitate to purchase a game by Bioware, and I don't in the case of DA2. I'll give a full review when I beat it.
You should tell US/ME why, you think the game is great?.. I do not have a copy am waiting for the other players to finish and read about what they think of it.
#1019
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 09:11
Bad Gamer 83
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- 41 messages
chuck_debord wrote...
Awesome..... but too short. I'm so angry. Hammered through it in about 20 hrs. give or take. Need dlc's now!!
Huh, and most people complain when DLC's come out...
#1020
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 09:14
Jaulen
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- Members
- 2 272 messages
cjzeddy wrote...
I've played 7-8 hours so far and I am absolutely loving it!
I felt Dragon Age Origins was the most emotionally engaging game I had ever played, but Dragon Age 2 is even more engaging - I think in large part due to you having a family with you. For me it gets to be a very personal experience with the inclusion of your family. The voiceover, the dialouge, the music...it all adds to the incredible emotion I felt for my mother and my sister - I really want to help my mother and move us out of that ****-hole of a home.
Speaking of voiceover, the voice of Lady Hawke (Jo Wyatt I believe?) is fantastic, she does an excellent job of delievering her dialouge!
The combat is faster and more fun, and looks better too, and you still have all the tactical aspects of DAO - setting up tactics, pausing and switching between your characters etc.
I went with Hard difficulty right from the start, since I felt I had a good understanding of how the game works since I played Origins. I had some concerns about the fights not being very challenging, but I was pleased to see that Hard difficulty is proving to be a solid challenge for me. I am looking forward to trying out Nightmare as well once I've played through the game 2 or 3 times and really understand how to build an effective party.
So all in all I am loving it so far and I expect I will continue to enjoy the game even more as the "plot thickens".
Can you please tell me how, 7 hours into the game you are feeling emotionally connected? Because I was like, "Man, wish the ogre had gotten my whole family....."
Now if we had actually had the emotional hook developed through the horror of trying to escpae Lothering at the beginning, I think I would have been more invested in them, but *bam,* all of a sudden thrown into combat with three people tagging along? I felt worse about Wesley than my sib.
#1021
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 09:16
floyd ryan
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- Members
- 1 messages
cryo99 wrote...
what happened here with the spinoff Dragon Age: Kirkwall
a bioware touched story driven diablo.
it is so unbelievable what is going on here, everything what makes a good rpg is thrown away with this spinoff.
positive
+ Quests
negative
- combat like CAT3 hong kong instant action, unrealistic flying party members and splattered monsters with fire
- leveldesign is copy & paste recycled after another
- like a MMORPG, beside quest relevant things there is nothing to do, everything is like a OP room with combat
- every women has 90-60-90, sister, mother ... mono cultures
- every location is like a teleportinbg from one room to another, maybe the rest will filled with dlc's
- no softskills , attributes only comabt oriented, skills only combat oriented, ok it is an hack&slay action-rpg<_<
- animations like a puppet theater , in house mass effect do it better
- dialogues with mass effect wheel , feels like interactive movie , no more skill / attribute oriented answers
- time saving item design, everything have the same icon
- daytime to go feature, athmosphere killer
- kirkwall is like a ghost town, where are they ?
- playtime really short.
the whole game looks like a fast, cheap produced spinoff to fullfill contracts with EA without the heartblood of bioware.
this ist not an attack from me, or flaming or something else.
it is the truth, so please do this not again, i play bioware games since baldurs gate and dragon age:origin was not perfect at all but a good bioware typical game and now all the things you do right is thrown away... i can't understand why, and I am really shocked
so don't betrayal your fans and the people that play your games since a decade , it is ok when you want to find new fans in the casual sector, but not at cost of us.
sry from my english, iam not a native speaker.
i second that completely! It's a good summary. I never thought to be this much disappointed by BioWare. That's really sad.
Let me ask you, i this the end of classical BioWare RPG's?
Will there never be somethig like DA:O again?
#1022
Guest_Jamaicob_*
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 09:16
Guest_Jamaicob_*
Guest_Jamaicob_*
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I have played less than an hour but it already more captivating than DA:O. Unless it ****s up half way through, I cant see why people dislike it
#1023
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 09:17
storkag
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- 7 messages
Ok here comes mine:
I really liked DAO a lot, it wasn´t BG but still ok for todays standards. But this game is really not any good. I like the graphical changes and the changes in design but damn is the combat boring.
Seriously the only tactical thing about the combat is that sometimes you have to run away from the enemies with your weaker characters. Other than that its only spamming of combat skills.
I kind of like the open story without any real big bad guy and kirkwall is kind of nice but the extremely boring combat got me to put the game down after around 18 hours of gameplay and i´m not geting back into it.
The witcher 2 and skyrim here I come! =))
I really liked DAO a lot, it wasn´t BG but still ok for todays standards. But this game is really not any good. I like the graphical changes and the changes in design but damn is the combat boring.
Seriously the only tactical thing about the combat is that sometimes you have to run away from the enemies with your weaker characters. Other than that its only spamming of combat skills.
I kind of like the open story without any real big bad guy and kirkwall is kind of nice but the extremely boring combat got me to put the game down after around 18 hours of gameplay and i´m not geting back into it.
The witcher 2 and skyrim here I come! =))
#1024
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 09:18
mr.chicken
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- Members
- 28 messages
joshy_boy wrote...
Let me first begin by saying that Dragon Age Origins is one of my all time favorite games. I've sunk over 400 hours in many play through's across all three platforms. I've been a Bioware fan since the min-late 90's ever since I played Shattered Steel. Baulder's Gate and BGII, KotOR and ME are all amazing experiences. So when I say that Dragon Age II broke my little Bioware RPG loving heart, I want you to understand my full meaning.
I can only guess at the pressure a publisher like EA puts on Devs. EA's hammer of sh*t has really taken it's toll on Bioware, that much is obvious. To go through the creative process to create a whole world, a story and characters like the world of Dragon Age took years. But apparently it only takes a fraction of that time to tear it all down. Everything that made DA:O a great RPG experience has been striped away in favor of appeasing the console crowd. The gamer that likes everything fast pace and flashy. Everything from story and characters, character development, side quests, combat, skill system and complexity are all gone. Replaced with lazy design, uninspired drab characters, a story that isn't engaging and so much call of duty HUD blood its hilarious.
If Dragon Age II was simply an off shoot of the franchise made specifically for the console crowd, maybe named Dragon Age: Hawk's Story or something than this travesty could have been avoided. But to lobotomize Dragon Age this badly is a slap to the face of Biowares oldest PC fan base. I suffered through just over twelve hours of DA2 before I uninstalled it. I couldn't take any more of it. As an action JRPG without the DA name, I'd give it a 6.5/10. It's not a bad game. But it's a terrible Dragon Age game and a terrible Bioware game. I blame EA for this, not Bioware.
You guys seriously dropped the ball on this one. The truly sad part is you'll most likely make a financial killing riding on the coat tales of a game that actually deserved it's praise. Damn you EA.
I had to quote this as well because this was more eloquently put than I could have managed. Perfectly said.
#1025
Posté 10 mars 2011 - 09:22
qcpo
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- Members
- 1 messages
I am extremely disapointed,to me it is just another good exemple of a rushed game with lots of hype and no actual content,this game is boring.I see no upgrades from DA:O, in fact the whole game is a total downgrade, poor crafting system, dumbed down combat,no exploration,much of the items have the same skin/name even if they dont share the same stats, compagnons equippement can't be fully customized and they lack of personality compared to their DA:o counterparts, storyline and dialogs are boring,I praticaly never skipped a dialog in origins and in this one i keep skiping everything mostly because storyline isnt entertaining at all,as for the graphics,I played DA:O on pc and now im playing this one on xbox360,so I can't say if it has improved,but what i can say is that i've seen much better graphics on other platform RPGs.
This game remembers me of the old LOTR games of EA, all you got to do is just spam your attacks at hordes of weak ass enemy and thats it.. no chalenge,no strategy,no epicness, no fun.
And btw, I wont buy your DLC guys,and no one should,this tactic of delivering half a game and sell the rest at high price in DLC to rip off ppl is ****ing LAME.
This game remembers me of the old LOTR games of EA, all you got to do is just spam your attacks at hordes of weak ass enemy and thats it.. no chalenge,no strategy,no epicness, no fun.
And btw, I wont buy your DLC guys,and no one should,this tactic of delivering half a game and sell the rest at high price in DLC to rip off ppl is ****ing LAME.
Modifié par qcpo, 10 mars 2011 - 09:25 .
