1012 réponses à ce sujet

[NexusSix]

esper wrote...

Ukki wrote...

rpgfan321 wrote...

But there is some promise in limited conversations with your companions because you don't ask all the questions at one sitting. I had this happen on my first playthrough of Origins when I would ask basically all the questions I could ask on one visit to camp. And did not have a threshold to talk because there were no new topics. I couldn't help it, but gorge on what my companions had to say!

By limiting what my companions had to say on one of the visits, the conversations felt like conversations and not a friendly interrogation. Too bad that feature also felt mechanical when it limited on the when - and not what - the conversation took place. 

I have to disagree on this. As far as I played the Origins it was not possible to discuss all the issues through with one sitting, simply because you could not be 100% friends/lovers with the companions right away. That caused the discussion options to unfold mostly due time. Of course there was a change that you could discuss more on the first half of the game but you stil could do it in later too. DA2 did not give you any conversation possibilities after the character related quests were done, in Origins you could do that. DA2 was too rigid and did not allow any possiblity for the player to decide when and what to discuss about. I didn´t play Awakenings again because of that and DA2 irritated the hell out of me when I saw how badly discussion was handled in it too.

if you picked the right option with the right characters and was quick with the gifts, you could dry yourself out too quickly in da:o as approval went up fast.
I wish for a mix of da:o/da/2 in this regard. The pc can ask certain question to the companion when he wants in their hub about the trivia that the companion shouldn't just give out unpromoted and the characters initiates the discussion about the topics importont to them on their own. Also no discussion outside of the hub.

For me I loved the DAO meeting and chatting around the campfire, be it love, revenge or loss. The setting for me added to the whole appeal.
True you could dry up the characters dialog or get blocked by approval, however this was your choice. IF you wanted to race approval or back story then you could do this at any point (gift allowing) in the game.
In DA2 your hand is forced. So when you think ok Ill go to xxx house to see if they want to talk, you get there for them to say "Not now Hawke, Im busy doing nothing"
Found the NPC's as a whole became more cardboard because of this.
I think a balance needs to be found, im not saying copy ME2 but they have managed to handle this perfectly.

For me an ideal world would be, the campfire (or similar ) setting with the Rival / Friendship option from DA2 and the gifts from DaO.
I want characters with substance and life ! 

Also, sorry to gripe again, but I do not want a 100% bisexual game. Im not against it ! My warden was female, played with Alistar, bedded Leliana and then married Alistair and had Leliana on as a piece of fluff !
But I would like the option of, "Smack Anders in the mouth " for flirting with my warrior who is going to blatently take advantage of the innocent elfling !!!

Another poster said something like " Im 35 not 12"  and I am inclined to agree with it, DaO was mature.
Seems you made DA2 for the xbox community rather than the PC community. I know for a bigger market it has to be aimed futher but I feel more PC gamers were let down by Xbox gamers !
Da2 fits the console perfectly, people say how the graphics is great.... as noted... on my top end PC they are shocking compared to ME2 !!

[frostajulie]

I want to preface this by saying DAO was way better, more immersive, more alive and ultimately has way more replayability. It is still my favorite game ever. But DA2 was not bad. Keep in mind I am not a gamer, cannot even be considered a casual gamer since I am so bad at playing a game I always cheat- (as a sidenote there should be a level called crybaby where I just don't ever die)

But Bioware games are unique enough that I am completely in love with them. I love the story, the sense of adventure, the thrill of a romance, the escapist fantasy that used to be a passive past time found in books and movies has become a thrilling interactive storytelling adventure!

The improvements

1. Character response to the PC personal tragedy. I loved Bethany. She was my favorite character after Varric (who I would pay for a DLC romance). I played my first playthru pretty much unspoiled and I had to put down my sister and if you remember in DAO no one gave a crap about the wardens personal drama on screen but Any of the characters you were friends with had something to say, your LI had something to say and then the other characters would comment on it throughout the game. It really pulls you into the story.

2. Graphics. Visually they were stunning, heads and tails above DAO the ogres were disgusting and frightening creatures that made me grin like a goofball as I killed them.

3. Cinematics. Any replayability for more comes from the power of the stopry and the cinematics in this game really carry it forward.

4. Battle. The biggest disconnect for me in DAO was getting used to the way you fought enemies. click thats it, no visceral connective reaction between my finger on a button and a sword smashing the skull of an enemy. Battle was way more fun in this game

5. The PC's place in the world and among the characters was much more real than in DAO probably because the NPC's rected to storyline events outside of PC initiated cutscenes and conversations.

6. Bethany and Carver are not interchangable, rather they are unique NPC's that react according to their character in VERY different ways I felt very protective over Bethany, by contrasrt my feelings were always hurt and I felt so sad by the gulf between Carver and Hawke. And no matter what I chose to say it was always the wrong thing. I loved that and then you would see Carvers face and it hurt him too, ooohh I loved the drama really it enriched the experience. I was very upset there was nbo cutscene with Carver if he was a templer after your mother died. Really it was a prime storytelling moment for him to rub it in a mage hawkes face about the dangers of bloodmages

The downside things I missed from DAO

I missed initiating conversations outside of peoples houses. Why don't the characters ever want to talk to me in a cutscene away from their homes?

The romances were far more immersive and fleshed out in DAO, probably because we had more than 2 or 3 romantic conversations with the LI mainly because we could talk to them outside of camp, this also served to enrich the characterization of the LI and make the romantic experience richer, not every conversation had to be about the romance either many were just learning about the character and reacting in character. After such a rich multilayered experience with the NPC's in DAO it is impossible to not compare them with the NPC's in every other game I play for the rest of my life.

The "Doing it" scene was better in DAO. I am not talking about the modded ones either the vanilla Tent time scenes were very romantic you got close ups of eye contact, facial expressions a hand on the shoulder etc. There was tenderness there that synced up the romantic aspect of the story and quite frankly made me replay DAO more timess than I can count just to have a romance with all the characters, I even played a male warden to romance Morrigan and I hate playing a male character.

I missed playing other races with different and unique origins that actually mean something to the overarching story. I tried to play MMORPG's. They generate very pretty avatars and yeah that matters Im a chick and I like pretty shiny things but ultimatly in those games I feel like just another brick in the wall. I loved how important Hawke was to the game but playing a human only character limits replayability since it also limits the storyline permutations. This is a huge draw in the allure of DAO if not the main draw.


I miss using the toolset to customize a characters look and equipment I had way more fun downloading and playing with modded content than I did in DA2. I miss Winter Forge and the Phoenix armory and I wish there was more clothing options.

All that being said I do prefer DAO especially for Zevran but DA2 was a good game. A worthy addition to my Bioware collection which includes ME ME2 KotOR DAO and now DA2. The game improved a lot in some areas but they need to make the characters richer and have more conversations cutscenes interactions and even character related quests. It also helps that I only paid $20 for it because even after loving it and playing it when comparing it to DAO DA2 was not worth $60 but DAO still is. Especially because of what DA2 did to the appearance of my poor Zevran and Allistair, even as king he looks wasted fat like Harrison Ford from that movie Seven days and nights.

[The Sapien]

First off, thanks for asking and for this opportunity to respond. Also, let me say that BioWare must be doing a lot of things right because you make my favorite games.

I'm really really really worried though about DA3 (and ME3 for the same reason), that things are becoming less about exploring and going on journeys to new places (really not happy about going back to Earth in ME3) and instead more about fighting a war. In DA;O, building up to a war wasn't so bad because the DA world was new. The Archdemon was really almost an archenemy, by a descent stretch of the term. It felt like going on an adventure.

DA2 was so solid on characters and the story telling for each, especially for Merrill, that I still love playing it, even though I end up stuck in one place, dealing heavily in ugly politics. I don't enjoy replaying the final act, however, still love replaying the rest.

I know I'm dreaming but would love BioWare to somehow go back to being about adventurous journeys. I suspect this is why many of us have more of a special feeling for the first DA (and ME and even a bit for ME2). Any chance that DA3 will take place after sailing off the known map with Isabella? I'd love to discover elves on another continent who aren't Dalish or slaves, living in wondrous cities, or other colored dragons that aren't all bad to humans, or, I dunno, just not more of the same, and certainly not another war.

[AbsolutGrndZer0]

Well, I liked DA2 and to say what I liked about it most, well that would be a much longer post than I want to do here, however when I read why people hate it, I find myself agreeing with them somewhat.  First of all, one of the biggest problem people have is that it feels like it's on rails.  Sure, you have a choice of side with mages or side with templars at every juncture, but the major events still mostly play out the same order every time.  It's not like Dragon Age Origins where you could go to Orzammar, Redcliffe, Circle, Forest, or Redcliffe, Circle, Orzammar, Forest, or any combination...  Plus, you had more options in those areas how things went... like Orzammar you could do Bhelen/Branka or Harrowmont/Caridin or Harrowmont/Branka/NoGolems or whatever.  At Recliffe you could go to the circle and save connor, or have the demon leave... or you could KILL connor... or you could do blood magic and kill Isolde to save connor (then still have the demon leave instead of die)...  Whereas in DA2 the only choices are "Mages die... or templars die" at each choice.  About the only place there is really I fell siginifcant how many ways you can do something is when dealing with the Qunari... You can kill them all, duel the Arishok, or hand over Isabela and they leave peacefully.

Another major problem people tend to have, and I agree also, is the quest All That Remains (and the previous).  NO matter what you do, your mother dies.  In a lot of ways the questline seems very rushed because a lot of us feel that OUR Hawkes would continue investigating this alongside Trask despite what anyone else thinks.  Now, maybe you intend that we did and we just utterly failed alongside him, but... if so, you failed to tell us this.  So, it seems to us that in Act 1 it's "OH well, we didn't find the killer." then Act 2 "Oh, wow Gascard wasn't the killer after all.  Oh well." then Act 3 "OMG My mom is with the killer I must find her.... there he is but im too late." 

Then, the thing that annoys many of us most of all is the "Hand of God" stuff. By that I mean, no matter what happened with Anders in our Origins game, he joined the Wardens and met Justice and did everything alongside us and survived and was NOT a Blood Mage, even after the wonderful exchange in Awakening with him if you made him a blood mage, "But you are a blood mage!" and he says "Now, I am Yes And don't think the irony is lost on me!" .  No matter what happened in our Origins game, Leliana joined us and survived.  These things all had FLAGS in the save files (except the blood mage part), yet the flags are completely ignored not by bug, but by "Hand of God".

Oh and one more thing that annoys me... If Nathaniel died or was not recruited in our Awakening game (or if you import any of the prefab saves other than.. IIRC it's Martyr that has Nathaniel in it) , we cannot get Varric's final armor pieice.  If Zevran was killed in our Origins game, we cannot get Isabela's final armor piece.  A "important" thing like a character's armor peices should NOT be tied to a decision made in a previous game like that.

Again, overall I enjoyed Dragon Age 2, but these are the problems I still have with it, things I hope you will consider with future Dragon Age titles.

Modifié par AbsolutGrndZer0, 14 novembre 2011 - 08:50 .

[LinksOcarina]

 Change is coming to the world. Many fear change and will fight it with every fiber of their being. But sometimes change is what they need most. Sometimes change is what sets them free. -Morrigan.

When Dragon Age II was announced it was met with great rancor that I have not seen since Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was revealed to be cel-shaded. The scope has been reduced, the graphics have been stylized, the world is now totally different and the gameplay has become something unlike it was before. A metamorphosis occurred; change has finally come, and in many ways, it was worth the risk if you ask me.

Dragon Age II is a different beast all together than Origins, but at the same time it is a now more familiar world. The land of Thedas has finally been fleshed out more. The conflicts this time around, while smaller in their focus, are more personal for our player character Hawke, the eventual champion of the city of Kirkwall. Like Mass Effect, Hawke is a single character with a voice, and along with several party companions as the game spans a ten year period, told in a framed narrative. It is in this ten year timespan we see the tale of Hawke play out in its full glory.

I will be frank with you upfront. The storyline in Dragon Age II is the best written video game storyline I have ever had the privlege to experience. And this says a lot because I went through great games like Planescape Torment before. It is dark, tragic, emotional and sympathetic all without it being too pushy into forced territory to twist emotions. We have family issues, a crisis of faith, coming to terms with freedom and going over the edge of paranoia, all in one game. There is humor but it is downplayed and for the most part realistic rather than the random quirks and stereotypical fantasy jibes. Of course that doesn't mean the levity we do see is out of place or referential, but at the same it flows more naturally this way, referencing when it should be appropriate rather than winking at the audience every ten minutes.

The story within a story narrative works wonders here, and while it has been used as a device before in games, it has never been used like this to tell a sweeping narrative. From it a lot of items are framed, but again it also makes sense because of it as well. We also get some of the best 4th wall breaking I have ever seen, anyone who has played through the Varric personal quest knows what I am referring too... 

As I said at the top, world has been fleshed out through the story. The focus is now tighter, but a smaller scale game does not necessarily mean an inferior one. Outside of the bustling city of chains we hear rumors of rebellion and exalted marches on the Chantrys enemies, the lingering threat of the Qunari is ever presant, and the problems facing the young nation of Ferelden are, while no longer in our reach, are still being felt after the blight is destroyed offscreen. Thedas feels real here; refugees fleeing, the people plight in Kirkwall and the rest of the Free Marches from the subsequent influx of transplants, the issues of mages and templars, and the Qunari close to home make a powder keg that can affect even Orlais. In fact, it does...

The world of Kirkwall is varied in it’s own way, despite the familiarity that occurs as time passes. Akin to living in a city itself, people you meet become friends or acquantances over complete strangers. You have events and side quests that affect the city as time goes by, and sides that eventually need to be picked with the growing dissent and fracturing alliances within the walls. You see racism,  the suppression of belief and unchecked greed play out to their extremes, and  those who survive either succumb to what occurs or roll with the changes. And so much happens at once it is difficult to wade through it, but rewarding to see how the story plays out, even when it is not to your benefit. 

And what do I mean by “not to your benefit“ exactly? Well, in the first half hour you lose a party companion permanently in game. There is no way to revive them, no way to save them, no way to sacrifice someone else. They are gone, and it is all because of the choice of character class you play. Think about this for a moment. This is an unavoidable event that occurs, and for the average gamer it would likely upset them to no end. It also helps in setting the stage for drama and even more loss later, a clue to the fact that no one is really safe by your side. It takes a lot of ambition and trust in your audience to permanently kill a character off like that, and whats more is that with the eight possible companions in the game, almost all of them are still at risk  of the same fate if the story demands it so. Characters will leave, often permanently, if certain conditions are not met. Heck, out of the eight companions that are recruitable, I only have five of them left because of my choices in game through my first playthrough.

And you know what, I can accept it. The ten year span the game has allows this type of fluidity to occur. It enhances the storyline immensely instead of it being a stereotypical RPG fantasy epic. There are no loyal warriors that, despite your decisions, will stay with you if you are not careful. There is no unshakable evil to be killed or common cause to be rallied to. Hell, there is no way to even appease everyone in game, unless if you are savvy enough to figure out where everyone’s allegiance lies and try to manipulate events to do so. Even the actions of your comrades and your reaction to them can lead to a grisly end, one that in a narrative such as this makes sense and showcases brilliant storytelling that makes this the best written game thus far. But in game itself, with the gameplay to contend with.….not so much.

And that is Dragon Age II’s biggest weakness. The story takes precedence over the gameplay. Normally this is not a problem. For the most part, the gameplay in Dragon Age II is adequate yet frantic, but lacking in many departments. Not the initial mechanics, which have been revamped. The new talent tree system is amazing, and lets customization be a primary concern for character building. You can specailize in one area of mix and match around five or six different talent trees, being a jack of all trades or a master of none. The gameplay is more action based, but the ability to be tactical still remains as in Origins, and the revamped  friendship and rivalry system is the most realistic way of dealing with the differing group dynamics in game. It makes the paragon/renegade system in Mass Effect look like a joke in comparison, allowing you to have rivals in your party who will fight for you even if they hate you.
 
But even these changes are mired by setbacks. The item inventory is still cluttered and your companions cannot equip any new armor, leaving a lot of the games armor useless to all but Hawke. The side quests are often unannounced and it is possible to miss them if you are not careful, missing out on possibly important story elements in game or just some sweet extras that may pop up from time to time. The map system is still too obtuse, although adding the mini map in the right hand corner does help a bit. The use of talents and items are also limited; turning into fetch quests to find the ingredients for potions, poisons and rune crafting, the only holdovers from the previous talent blocks.These minor things add up, compounded with the story elements that many gamers will hate if they don’t enter Dragon Age II with an open mind to how it should work, rather that what they expect will work.

Dragon Age II also changed with it’s artistic style. The races are more distinct and defined than before; sometimes to the extreme like the retcon of the Qunari in game. The art style is more fantastical, in the territory of Warcraft III almost, with more color and exaggerated features this time around for the enviornemts and the races, although hints of the original art style remain in placeovers such as armor designs, hairstyles, and  weaponry. Since this is a more personal story than a sweeping epic, the environments are less varied and will have a lot of back and forth to them to complete quests; although since you are in a major city, it does make sense to go to and from place to place in a familiar setting. Of course, backtracking through the 20 or so areas in-game does leave a bitter taste for some.

Graphical problems still occur though, at least on the 360 version. Hollowed NPC’s litter the streets leading to no collision detection, and sometimes in cut scenes the game jumps between two different aspect ratios, at least on a normal television without HD. Even the text is a bit tiny and difficult to read at times, which is pretty much inexcusable because people like me who have little money or interest in HD miss out on some neuanced details and descriptions. There is also a lot of canned animations in the game. It’s not a problem with something as big as this, but it is noticeable when you see the same twenty or so motions when characters are talking to one another. 

As for the sound, it enhances the game immensely. Inon Zur composed the soundtrack and pretty much hit it out of the park, creating his best work since Men of Valor in 2004. From sobering soliloquies to triumphant symphonies, the music ranges the gamut of emotions that the story demands, has an other-worldly edge to it’s familiar instrumentation and compliments the events of the game perfectly. The sound effects are well, despite some repetition and simplicity to them. Finally, the voice acting is fantastic, rivaling the work in Biowares other epic, Mass Effect 2 in both quality, quantity and weight. But at this point, Bioware pretty much gets a pass in that anyway, so very little has to be said. I would like to give special mention to both Gideon Emery and Brian Bloom for their portrayals of Fenris and Varric though; easily they stood out for me amongst Hawkes co-horts.

So change has finally come, but are you ready to accept it? Dragon Age II is as close to a legendary game one can really get. It changes how stories can play out in-game immensely, having a fluid narrative that is able to take itself seriously and it is not afraid to make tough decisions  that would rip apart the very fabric of the gameplay based on your own actions. It is not afraid to deem someone to death if you don't actively stop it, nor is it afraid to make you go through a horrible choice in the end that could become a building block to the whole Dragon Age world in future installments. The gameplay takes a backseat here, and that is a turnoff that may hold it back in terms of it’s pros and cons, but don’t let this hinderance stop you. This is a game that stands with recent works like Heavy Rain and Bioshock, it is a game that must exist for us to move forward, ushering in change in more ways than one.
 

Modifié par LinksOcarina, 21 novembre 2011 - 04:25 .

[Lex Talionis]

I value story above all else, putting character building and world building at the top of my list and game play much closer to the bottom. Many of my opinions are strongly stated, but I by no means imply that those of differing opinions are incorrect. :3

+ Fully realized main character: I -love- the fact that the Champion is not just another RPG stat sheet whose entire substance revolves around a handful of starter quests, some random numbers and a whole mess of written back story which is only ever brought up in passing conversation or the brief, odd quest after leaving the 'starter zone'. Hawke has a family and history of her own that gives her so much more depth and really brings the whole story to life while still allowing the player to shape her personality and actions. It's so wonderful to actually be a fan of the character you're playing rather than -just- a fan of the characters she's interacting with! While I would be sad if Hawke didn't return, I can honestly say I'm pleased with the notion that the Hero of Fereldan won't appear as a main character in future games. It would be impossible to consolidate all of the Human/Elven/Dwarven Wardens that could have been into a character as solid and engaging as Hawke.

+ Voice acted main character: In this same vein, I am definitely a fan of the voice acted protagonist. Having the main character just stand there staring mutely while a heated argument is raging all around her completely shatters the immersive aspect of an RPG. I feel this feature of the game goes hand in hand with having a fully realized main character as well. Hawke's rousing speech in the Mage Tower would not have been nearly so rousing if the player had simply been forced to choose a series of texts, and this is presumably why Alistair ended up rallying the troops at the end of DA:O rather than the Warden. On the subject of paraphrasing, though it sometimes turns out poorly, I actually prefer not to know -exactly- what Hawke is going to say. It allows for the same sort of "OMG, what did she just say?!" reactions you often have to other NPC's in the game.

+ Conversation wheel with icons: Now, having played ME and ME2 before picking up DA2, I was already on board with the dialogue wheel. Even so, DA2 took it a step further and solved one of the problems I had with the ME/ME2 wheel...  you couldn't always tell what kind of tone a conversation option was going to be delivered in. It is so much easier to build a character with the kind of personality you want using the helpfully colored icons to guide you. Conversation options that will query for more information or end a section of dialogue are also helpfully marked, eliminating the problem of accidentally picking something that will lock you out of the rest of the conversation. This style of wheel also brings home the seriousness of a situation in those rare times when your Hawke breaks character. Diplomatic Champion has suddenly become angry? You know she's pissed. Aggressive Hawke is cracking wise? Something must have shook her nerves.

+ Personality imprint: For my final note on the main character and conversations, the fact that the types of conversation choices you make when you're in a dialogue affects the way Hawke speaks when you're not is awesome. I can't help but smile every time my sarcastic/charming Hawke takes her own initiative in twisting someone elses words.

+ Friend/Rival System: Now it's not only just as much fun to argue with and chastise your companions as it is to befriend and agree with them, but it's also just as rewarding!  This was definitely a major step in the right direction, as it rewards interaction of any sort, only really punishing you if you completely ignore a companion... or in the unfortunate event that you have some conflicting and some parallel views (See Isabela below). Even then, however, it's still a far more interesting and accessible system than prior games have had.

+ Companions: I found almost all of the companion characters in DA2 compelling, rooting for their triumphs or cursing their names when they betrayed me. Though for some it's hard, I rank them here from most favorite to least favorite with explanations.
  + Fenris: By far my favorite character. For me, the best moment of the entire game occurred when I let Hawke give him the option of what to do with Hadrianna in 'A Bitter Pill'. The voice acting and expressions were masterfully executed and my heart sank when I thought she was going to bargain her way out of a gruesome death. He gave his word and told Hadrianna he believed her with such careful deliberation... which only made it all the more shocking and thrilling when he ripped her heart out anyway. Despite everything else that's happened to him he also still has the capacity to jest when it's appropriate, giving the broody elf a realistic feel that such dark characters rarely have and setting the stage for quite a few of the funniest random banters in the game.
  + Varric: I like Dwarves alright, but I never thought I'd find one so very high in my list of favorite fantasy characters. Even with his short stature he manages a swagger that would put the greatest of pirates to shame, particularly notice-able in the scene when Hawke first encounters him and he's strolling up to toss her coin purse back. With the kind of ****sure attitude and sharp wit you'd expect of a rogue twice his size, you'd almost think his writers didn't know he was a Dwarf. This makes Varric a great example of Bioware's ability to create characters whose personalities totally break the stereotypical fantasy norm. Almost all of his conversations brought a smile, if not an outburst of laughter and his narration of the story was excellent.
  + Sebastian (The Exiled Prince DLC): While still a force of vengeance, Sebastian presents a calmer, more focused view of retribution than Fenris (understandably so, since he has suffered far less). I think a large part of this character's charm lies in the fact that he has such a gentle, helpful nature, but not to the point of naivety. Even his devotion to the Chantry plays out well, coming off as genuine faith rather than the creepy/crazy zealot vibe seen from Leliana in DA:O. I had initially intended to take the rivalry path with him, but after a short time playing with him I found that I couldn't actually bring my Hawke to be mean to him.
  + Isabela: This is one of those characters I love and love to hate all at once. I tend to play the chaotic good sort of Hawke who will do whatever she thinks is right regardless of the law or how the decision is put before her. This made Isabela particularly difficult to earn a true friendship or rivalry with, constantly bouncing back and forth between +Friendship and +Rivalry at every dialogue turn. As a result the piratess abandoned my Champion and did not return for my first several plays through. While you wouldn't think permanently losing a character you had no intention of ditching is a good thing, I did so enjoy Hawke's venom toward her whenever she was brought up. It added a unique flavor to the story, then on my last two plays through when I finally managed to get Isabela to return, it felt even cooler that she bemoaned what a good influence Hawke was on her.
  + Carver: The number of truly unique story paths that your Champion's sibling can take is simply excellent. It's still fun to watch Hawke's little brother go from a jealous, bitter man-child to a respectable member of the Gray Wardens, a just as bitter but considerably more dangerous Templar or even to just plain dead. No matter how you slice it there is story to be had, friendship, rivalry and loss in equal portions. I was so proud of him in Act I when, after arguing with Hawke, he called for her to wait and apologized, and all of the Act III scenes where their rivalry comes to a head or is set aside are moving.
  + Aveline: Stocky, independent, and stubborn, Aveline is an excellent portrayal of a strong female character and breaks the typical fantasy mold for 'warrior woman'. It's pretty rare to see such a headstrong lady who isn't a super model in a chain bikini and for that alone I give her great credit. Beyond that it's rather endearing to see how hard she works to make sure those closest to her make it through the day alive and her awkwardness over hooking up with Donnic in 'The Long Road' is a whole chain of fun.
  +/- Anders: On the high point, I have to say that Anders' inevitable betrayal is a very surprising twist that really just drives home the importance Bioware places on storyline, so props for that. However, coming from a merge of two of the best characters from DA:A, I feel this character had SO much more potential than was realized. Considering the fact that Anders makes no attempts to hide his disgust with the Chantry and oppression of the Mages, as well as the fact that both he and Justice were willing participants in their merge, I feel the final character would have been much better served if he were at peace with himself, totally unaware or perhaps even uncaring that what he now sought was not Justice, but Vengeance. With this idea in mind, Anders could still have been his cheerful, joking self outside of the topic of Mages vs. Chantry and taken a much more subtle, persuasive approach in pushing his agenda rather than seeming to endlessly rant about it. For scenes involving Justice, he could have been portrayed as a cold, calculating force, willing to go to any lengths to exact retribution rather than a completely unbalanced nut job (Dissent). This still would have allowed for some great dialogue options and character building as Anders was pressed to realize that Justice wasn't acting very Justice-y anymore. It also would have made him a much better counterpoint to Fenris, the anti-Mage propagandist of the group. Friendly, calculating, persuasive Mage vs. prickly, raging, demanding anti-Mage? Yes, please. In fact, with a bit of a darker slant and a focus on promoting the Mages' side rather than the Chantry's, I think Sebastian is as close as it gets to what Anders should have been.
  - Merrill: Ah, Merrill. It took me the longest time to figure out that she was actually more angered by being patronized than by any outright argument against her views. This was quite the interesting discovery and one I greatly admire in concept, as I don't recall any prior character ever getting mad at me for being nice to -them-. Beyond that the character just didn't hold much interest for me, which is, in my mind's eye, a much greater crime than being a character I hate. Characters I hate at least elicit some emotional response, but all I can say for Merrill is that her struggles to regain some fragment of ancient Elven history moved me not at all and even seemed rather impersonal when compared to the rest of the companions' issues. Only a brief mention of wanting to find Tamlen gives her quests any personal context, but even that fails to hold as she admits that it's been too long and that's no longer her goal.
  - Tallis (Mark of the Assassin): Tallis was yet another character who held no interest for me. I think this is chiefly because she only appears in the DLC, the storyline of which has no ties to Hawke, her companions or the main game at all beyond, 'You were the only person invited to the hunt that I could ask.' I also have not watched Dragon Age: Redemption as of the time of this writing. Perhaps if I had I would've taken more interest in the character, but on the merits of the DLC alone I feel the expenditure of credits to obtain it and Tallis was a complete waste.

+ Permanent Companion Armor: All I can say on this point is... THANK YOU! There is enough micro managing already with Attributes, Abilities and Tactics. Spread this out over nine or ten characters and it can take hours to get everything set up just so. It doesn't even make sense for Hawke to be dressing her companions when they ought to have tastes of their own. The only suggestion I could make would be to cut such inventory micro managing down even further. Seeing as how belts, rings and amulets have no affect what-so-ever on character appearance, dropping them all in favor of a more in depth rune system would be spectacular. Even weapons could be done away with if upgrades for them could be acquired in the same way as Armor, via completing companion quests or giving special gifts like the Blade of Mercy. Such a system would have actually made the Blade of Mercy a useful item to have rather than a one shot Friendship/Rivalry bonus. Then only the main character's armor would be an issue for the player to tackle, freeing up a lot more time to actually play the game.

+ Art: On to the art style! While I would not have thought so at first, DA2 was a major improvement over DA:O in this department. It took me some time to get used to it, but now that I have DA:O's Elves, Dwarves and Darkspawn just seem bland by comparison. I feel that this style gives the game a much more unique atmosphere and sincerely hope to see its continued use in future games.

+ Music: I've had my champion romance Fenris on every play through and the music in the background when ever they would talk was absolutely beautiful. Because I've never had my Hawke hook up with anyone else I don't even know if that's Fenris' theme or some special music that only plays for your romantic interest. Regardless, while many games have good music that sets the mood, such music has only ever registered for me on a subconscious level.  I can honestly say this is the first time a song from a video game has forced me to stop what I was doing and just listen.

- Repetitive Environments: While I have read many complaints about the environment, I don't think it was the artistic style of the world that was the problem, but the fact that many caves/houses/areas were reused excessively. 'Exploration' is not the term for the tedious task of covering the same ground six times (day and night of all three acts) to find all of the hidden goodies there-in. Then the same environment is used for many, many distinct zones throughout all three acts (cave after cave after cave, all the same) making the already tedious job of seeking out loot absolutely mind-numbing, as there is no relief in sight even when you leave Kirkwall.

Modifié par Lex Talionis, 11 décembre 2011 - 07:46 .

[curlzncrush]

Best game I've played all year. However, I didn't realize this until just a few days ago during my 3rd playthrough.

Why? Because now I understand what Bioware's intentions were. They were even stated in a 'making of' video.

Includes:
-More personal story
-Less is more (in terms of crafting, looting, etc)
-Covers less space and more time (about how Kirkwall evolves over time).
-Combat (didn't realize just how gritty it was until I scored my first intentional cross-class combo. Wow).

Plus, I'd play any game just to see another Leliana cameo.

[gaurdian9sunshine]

 What I missed most about the transition between Origins and two were you were able to talk to your companions more frequently. I loved the character interaction in origins. What I love about both games is you get the sense that your actions matter in the long run. You get to choose Orzamar's king, you get to decide the fate of the circle, you get to choose to preserve the Anvil or destroy it. All your actions have consequences in the game. In origins, you have a strong sense of duty. You have a long term goal in mind, but in two, you really don't have that. You are running for you life away from Lothering. Sure, you have a family, and your dad was a mage, and your sister as well. But the story in DA:2 lacks focus. 
I loved the combat system in 2, and I loved the graphics. I really enjoyed the character creation in two, and what you choose determined what your siblings and mother looked like and even Gemlen a little bit. One of the things that annoyed me the most is the gap between acts, you don't get to do anything, or even the year after you came to Kirkwall. I wanted to see what sumggling would be like, and the mercenary company. 

[Jones7602]

After I have finished a complete 2nd playthrough including Legacy and MotA I'd like to add a few thoughts, I hope the guys at Bioware read this and consider it for DA3  What might be interesting is, that I still have to finish The Witcher 2 and Skyrim, cause playing DA2 again is more appealing to me. That is mostly because I love managing a party and those games mentioned have a few faults I would Bioware not like to copy:

- To much shooter, to less RPG (both)
- To colorful, can't really see whats attacking me (TW2)
- No story present (Skyrim, after 10 hours playing I'm still not sure why I should run around and kill dragons)

Back to DA2. With both DLCs the game has the right length and complexity, I can't get rid of the feeling, that both should have been part of Act 3 with a better integration into the main story. If you play Legacy with Carter in your party, you get a pretty moving cut scene at the end, however, when Carter returns for the final fight of the vanilla game, that understanding between the brothers is lost.

Both DLCs do something right that I like Bioware to build upon: Each major quest takes us to a new and unique environment and all available side quests are related either to the main story, or to the environment. That gives a nice feeling of complexity without getting lost in to many not related quests. Also both DLCs enrich either the lore, or the world, especially with MotA you get the feeling, that your presence forced the events in a certain direction (still no choice, but without Hawke, Orlais and the Qunary might be in a different position in DA3).

Also both DLC have much better implementation of the combat system. All encounters are shaped pretty well, I especially liked fighting all these Qunary up the road to get to their leader. Reinforcements are done in a nice way now, no more parachuting ninjas from the sky and the boss battles are quite entertaining and have a unique feeling to them (while the battle against Meredith really is just another mob battle...). the additions to the bestiary are also very welcome, I liked fighting the ghasts. Gimme more of these!

The last thing from the DLCs I absolutely like to see continued is the non fighting stuff like puzzles, the party of Duke Prosper, Hawke trying to get the key to the castle, sneaking around in the stealth mode and so on.

What I really liked in general is the personal feeling of DA2. That was much better than saving the world again from some ancient evil, reawakened dragons, crazy necromancer, just name it. I loved Hawke as a protagonist and the way I could play him a sarcastic do good mage reminding me of Obi Wan from another franchise ;-) I prefer a flashed out character with good voice acting any day over a silent, but more customizable protagonist like the Warden. However, the same story would at least have been possible with an elf Hawke and a dwarf Hawke. I can see that this would have made the game much more complex, but it would have been possible. So some more choice for DA3 would be appriciated and would do amazing things for the replay value. Right now I don't want do a third playthrough cause I can't bring myself to play a rogue or warrior just to get Bethany. That would feel wrong cause the game seems to be made for a mage.

For a future DA3 I'd like Bioware to improve a few things. First of all give us a more open world please. Seeing a beautiful landscape without the freedom to explore it is frustrating. I don't want a huge open world like Skyrim, but I like to wander freely in a defined area. So please don't to a jogging simulator, but cater to the explorer in us and reward exploring with some amazing side quests. And please, if we find something, like an old ruin, either start a quest, or let us know that this place is not quest related at all. I hate the feeling of missing some part of the story by discovering something not ment to be discovered at this point. Also please make this world more interactive and reactive. By this I mean NPCs following a certain routine (going to work in the day, to tavern at night...) and reacting to things I do, like casting spells in front of templer beeing a bad idea. Getting involved in fight might have repercussions later, being able to inquire who buys white lilies and so on. Using PhysX would also be really appriciated e.g. using force blast to kick enemies over a cliff or turning some pebbles in deadly missles.

My next wish is to better connect the games. For DA2 it would have been amazing to start in Lothering, perhaps meeting the Warden and Leliana and fighting out of the town during the dark spawn attack. Not doing this was the biggest wasted opportunity I ever saw in game! For DA3 that could mean starting the story with someone present during the final days, seeing the confrontation between Hawke, Orsino and Meredith and making the first quest the escape from Kirkwall.

I'd also like Bioware to expand the character system, I feel very limited in DA2. First of all, please bring back origins and use these to explain, why the charcter is present and why he uses a certain fighting style. For DA3 it could be an Orlesian Bard send to Kirkwall to spy on the champion, or a Kirkwall Guardsman helping mages, or a Kirkwall Forcemage, or... That would meen you get your first specialisation at the start of the game and it defines who you are, how you were educated and so on. Secondly please open up the weapon and armor system, limiting a certain class to a certain weapon type is ridiculous. Simply make every weapon and fighting style a skill everybody is able to learn and hand out class related specializations. A rogue wants to be the best archer in the world, make him a ranger and a warrior in comparison perhaps a Ferelden Heavy Crossbowman... A mage wants to fight in the heat of the battle, make him a battle mage using a special type of sword. Just make sure that each choice has a consequence and you can't learn everything and you can be good only at very few things. That would lead to more unique characters.

What I liked about DA2 is the unique look of the characters, but I hated that all these great armors you can find were wasted. For DA3 I suggest a rather simple solution. Hand out more unique appearances we can choose from and remove armor from the loot almost completely. First of all, I don't want to wear something I got from killed darkspawn. Thats... disgusting. Second, after I'm finished with my enemies I don't think their armor is in any condition to use and it can't have been great in the first place, cause otherwise I would'nt have been able to kill them. Third I have never ever seen an enemy wearing a huge backpack with shiny new armor just for me to loot, also kinda senseless. So feel free to remove most armor from the loot, instead, let me find a few of these things in shops, treasure chests, storages, museums... whatever and let one of my companions or my character react to it, like "hey, that plate armor looks like it was made for me". By the way, adventuring in full plate is kinda ridculous to, so might want to think about a system of light armor for most of the time and some real heavy one for more stationary battles like the final batte in DA:O where everybody knows we're going to war and might put on some heavy gear. And please, no more robes! Give my mage something nice to wear that does not promote apostate on the run!

These things would make the game more mature and I'd like to suggest a few other things regarding this. First of all, please tone done combat animations. I like the pacing, but backflips in full armor, rushing at lightspeed over the battlefield... no way. Animations and skills should be realistic in the context of a mature fantasy world. What I mean by this is, that the backstab of a rogue does not make an enemy explode, but if it is a critical / fatal hit, it could show the rogue slitting the throat of enemy, or beheading him from behind. That would also imply making certain skills and especially some spells more deadly. Lets face it, if I set an enemy on fire, I don't expect him to continue fighting, of if a mighty blow connects, I expect my enemy to be cut in half, not to beat me to death. Quality over quantity, so instead of spamming talents and spells let me do fewer things which really have an impact on the battle. Let's say my mage (trained to go at single opponents) could either one shot the commander, making the overall battle easier, or one shot enemy mage, greatly reducing the risk to my party. That would be a tactical decision, not deciding to spam out all AOEs I have...

Finally please give us more and better character interaction. That was done very good already in DA:O, so you just need to step back and combine this with the amazing party banter from the DLCs. I especially like the romances, so please bring them back the way the were.

That's all folks

[Malanu]

I have liked the way I get to influence some of the game content by my actions in the game. It could use a bit more involvement of reputation. SO if you play a "Good Guy" the merchants could reply with, "I t's an honor to meet you welcome to my store" Or if you play the heel, it could go, *Gulp* "What can I sell you? Please don't hurt me."
 I wanted Elves and Dwarves as PCs again and would have loved to have been a Qunari outcast!

Other than that... Be more liberal with the coin in the game! A dragon hoard should make a character insanely rich (Like hundreds of Soverign)

Other than the nit picking I love the game!!

[Malanu]

Oh yeah. I didn't like that the support characters armor was locked! I like to upgrade all the characters stuff. It was just lazy on the devs part.

[yesikareyes]

 Okay, I just saw this now and I am glad that I finally have the right avenue to express my opinions regarding the game. People here might know me as the OP of the thread... "Is Dragon Age 2 that bad?" and in my introductory post I mentioned how I loved Dragon Age 2 and saw it as a huge improvement from Origins. I could not understand why people thought Origins was better. Before I give my comments, I'd like to give my brief history with the Dragon Age series so people reading this would understand my claims here.

I played Dragon Age Origins with my Xbox 360 at the behest of my friends who have tried it on the PC. Early on, during the "Tower of Ishal" quest I realized that this game was not for me. I thought the inventory, abilities and dialogue were clunky given the limited buttons with the console's controller. It was hard for me to navigate and I wanted combat to be fast paced, smooth and easy to control. Instead I had all those uneseccary pauses just so I could rifle through all these things! Consequently, I never got past the Tower of Ishal and nor played the game again on my console.

Years later, I gave Dragon Age another chance when I tried the demo for Dragon Age 2. I was impressed by how almost all the qualms I had with Origins such as how it was easy to navigate though abilities and dialogue with the wheel and how fast I could slice through enemies with just a click of a button. I bought the game's collector's edition as soon as it came out and finished it with much delight. I loved the game and I was happy enough to use the default "imports" because it seemed that the decisions in Origins did not matter much anyway (I realized that this was not a good thing after all later on!). If Bioware intended to attract casual gamers instead of hardcore RPG fans, then I believe that they definitely succeeded. 

HOWEVER, months later I went to college and had to leave my console behind so I elected to play games on my MAC. I bought Dragon Age 2 first and while playing, I thought I would give Origins another chance... but this time on a computer. Andraste's blood! I realized that I was such a troll when I posted the thread I mentioned above. How could I have judged Origins earlier when I never experienced it fully? The thought, "Ah now, I know why a lot of people were upset with the second game" immediately dawned on me. My previous qualms turned out to be not the fault of the game itself but the platform I previously played it with (360). In short, I loved Origins to death and I started to see Dragon Age 2's faults which numerous people have brought to light. I played DA2 only three times yet when I played Origins on the MAC I finished it 7 times plus all the DLCs with each playthrough in one month. A strong feat I dare say! I managed to do that while managing a 3.7 GPA during finals. 

COMMENTS (must read above to understand)

[Story and Characters]
I felt that the story of Dragon Age 2 was rushed and I was surprised that I finished the game so quickly. Before playing Origins, I liked Bethany, Varric, Aveline and Sebastian the most. However, after playing origins... sadly, Bethany and Varric were the only ones I found compelling out of most of the companions in the end. I was willing to not recruit the rest or gladly let them die when the option is available. The only character plot I felt strongly about was Bethany's. It reminded me of the pain I felt when I watched Alistair or my Warden do the ultimate sacrifice or when I saw Leliana's epilogue about her crying before she "died". If crying upon reading text on the epilogue (Origins) is not credible evidence enough on how much I was attached to these characters then I don't know what else to say. I don't know exactly what would be a better storyline but I do know that it could be better.

I've read that people mention that the game should be called "Chronicles of Kirkwall" or the like because of the limited setting. I admit I found travelling around Ferelden to save a whole nation and possibly the whole world from a blight to be a more exciting storyline because there was a lot on the line. HOWEVER,  as a fan I understand that this is because DA2 is meant as a set up to DA3's potentially epic storyline but that still does not excuse how it was executed. 

[Gameplay]
When playing it in the computer, I hardly noticed the change in gameplay from both games. The power tree was cool for me and I think the interface and gameplay were a good improvement. With the 360, as I said before it was far cry leap from the gameplay of Origins in the console. 

[Design]
The areas were overused but it is a  good thing Bioware addressed those issues in the DLCs. I liked the character designs better in Origins and I must admit it was painful to see Alistair so horrendous looking in the second game. 

[Import]
I was disappointed to see most of my decisions and actions in Origins play an insignificant role in the second game. Again, I understand that this is Hawke's story and all the consequences might sprout in third game's "epic storyline" as a culminating event for both games. What disappointed me the most was the lack of acknowledgement to The Warden, considering his huge role in the first game. In one playthrough, I made Cousland king-consort and not one of them showed up. Wouldn't a cameo of their warden as King (if they chose to do so) delight any fan? I know I would. It's sad to see the Warden, other companions and his choices reduced to fleeting dialogue lines.

[Romance]
I felt romances were underdeveloped and it didn't really have the proper avenue to progress. I wanted moments of bitterness, pain and sweetness just like my encounter with Morrigan in witch hunt, dialogue with Leliana or like the time Leliana dumped me cause I chose the Queen. That was sad.

[Main Character]
In Mass Effect, I always adored Commander Shepard's voice but with Hawke's... I don't feel the same way. I usually favor games where they feature your own character plus a voice. However, I felt that Hawke's voice fell a little short and that it was hard for me to picture Hawke the way I wanted him to be because of the voice that was laid out for him from the very start. In playing Origins, even if i was exposed to games with voiced characters somehow I was satisfied with those long yet rich dialogue lines and the ocassional phrases my Warden would blurt out. I particulary like the "wise" and"cocky" voice and I think it would be better as Hawke's main voice.

Also, when Hawke's mother died I felt sad but not the same calibre as seeing my Human Noble leave his parents to their death and that was only less than one hour into the game. I guess I could not sympathize with Hawke's character. 

Overall:
As what others have said, Dragon Age 2 would be great as a stand alone game but it's not. It has Dragon Age: Origins as it's predecessor and it pales in comparison sad to say. As much as I want the Origin formula back, I've read that I will be disappointed. However if they can find a way to satisfy Origin and DA2 fans alike just how ME sucessfully transitioned to ME2 gameplay and story wise then great!

Modifié par yesikareyes, 04 janvier 2012 - 09:19 .

[Yokokorama]

There are indeed some spoilers here, so if you haven't played the Dragon Age games, continue at your own risk.  This is copy and pasted from my post in another forum.  It was easier to do that than retype it all.

________________________

I. Introduction

I just beat Dragon Age: Origins, and boy am I glad that I played Dragon Age II  before playing this game. The prequel felt like a sequel to the game that is supposed to be the sequel, but failed miserably. Don't get me wrong; Dragon Age II  was a good, maybe even great, game. Afterall, its the game that compelled me to play Origins  in the first place. However, when compared to the first game, it has so many shortcomings and almost intentional downgrades. I was shocked that a game like Dragon Age II  was supposed to succeed the gem that was Dragon Age: Origins.

II. Environment and Setting - Familiarity Breeds Contempt

I'll jump right into my gripes; the game overall felt extremely, if not ridiculously, dumbed down. I cannot emphasize my frustration from the almost criminal cut-and-paste environments throughout the entire game. I didn't mind it much on the first playthrough since I was new to the franchise and was still very interested in this new world I was exploring. Even the second playthrough wasn't too painful until about halfway, but after playing Dragon Age: Origins, I cannot imagine going back to that. 

This aspect of the game totally kills immersion. There are basically four general environments you will encounter in the entire game; a cave, a coast, a house basement, and an underground orange tunnel (like the Deep Roads). Even if you think you're going to a different coast, even if you think you're going to a different cave, they will all look exactly the same; the only difference is the enemies you will find inside. Whether you're going to Cave 'A' or Cave 'B', you will indeed find that same freakin' rock positioned under that same damned stalagmite approximately 13.78 feet away from the entrance.  Every single time.

 III.  Voiced PC - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 

I'll admit it, a voiced main character is definitely a plus. It was hard for me to immediately get used to the silent protagonist in Dragon Age: Origins after having played Dragon Age II and the Mass Effect series, but after about an hour or two, it became totally natural, growing on me very quickly. Hearing your character talking is a good thing in general; however, I do not see it as a good thing if it comes at the cost of no different races to play [i.e. elves and dwarves], as well as stupid, and sometimes misleading, dialogue choices. You could think you picked a certain statement yet it comes out totally different when your character actually speaks it out.

Since I'm discussing dialogue, I might as well rant a bit more about it. The dialogue wheel is nice, and pretty familiar considering I've played the Mass Effect  series, but not when it dumbs down character interactions so much. Its basically 'select paragon choice' or 'select sarcastic choice' or 'select renegade choice' throughout the entire game. You never really think or even care about what you're actually going to say beyond 'good choice' and 'evil choice.' You basically just click the choice for the character you want to build. You want a 'nice' character? No problem.  Just blindly click the green choice and don't bother reading it because you'll get 'good-person' points regardless. I feel that highlighting whats good and bad in green and red respectively makes you less inclined to read and think about the impact of your decisions. It might be just me, though.

IV. The "Story" 

Lastly; the plot, or if you even want to call it a "plot." Seriously. If I were to ask anyone who played Dragon Age II  about the general plot of the story, what could they possibly say? That they helped some old lady who can turn into a dragon? That companions join you for no apparent reason? That they're some random guy doing odd jobs in a city to earn gold? That they stopped a Qunari uprising that had absolutely no build up until the very last moment? That they dealt with the 'Mage vs. Templar' problem that wasn't anything more than background story until the final act? 

If that didn't make it clear enough, heres the point; the entire game felt like a series of side quests with no real meaning or purpose to them. I really enjoyed the combat and all, but I never really felt like I was actually doing anything. Its also even more perplexing that companions actually join you despite the fact you have no real goal in sight [their reasons aren't that compelling, and neither are their back stories barring a few]. The lack of any real goal, apart from the "get money and rise to the top," was extremely underwhelming. This is Dragon Age, not freakin' GTA; I want an epic story with that Tolkien touch to it, not an alleged 'personal' story about a guy who wants to earn money for his family and that didn't really end up being that 'personal' at all.

Compare the above to Dragon Age: Origins. You begin by learning who your character is. The game doesn't start with a bunch of evil goblins standing in front of you [like DA II did]; instead, you actually learn about your character's origins, who they are, and where they came from. You are then enlisted to a legendary group determined to put a stop to the mass uprising of evil creatures. Unfortunately, your first battle is an utter failure due to a betrayal. However, there is still hope; you must travel to numerous diverse lands (where the caves and dungeons actually look different) and show old letters of allegiance to the leaders of the different races. This is all, of course, while meeting new interesting people who realize the threat and want to help you battle it. Eventually, after helping each race with their various issues, you finally manage to create an army large enough to rival the enemy's and charge to the capital for one final, epic showdown.

TL;DR :  Dragon Age II  had a plot that simply paled in comparison to Dragon Age: Origin's  in almost every single way.  As I said, it didn't even feel like a plot; most of the game felt like a gigantic side quest with relevant quests being lamely thrown in at the very end of each section of the game.

V. Conclusion

The above are my major gripes. Theres obviously other stuff that irk me, like less interesting companions, the inability to dress your companions in the armor of your choice, and the overall linearity of the game [i.e. the lack of a world map, constricted travel areas, your choices not having any real effect]. Overall, I really hope Dragon Age III will learn from the mistakes of its predecessor and go back to its roots that made Dragon Age: Origins such a master piece. Dragon Age II didn't at all feel like a true sequel; it felt more like a half-baked expansion. They should consider renaming it Dragon Age: Kirkwall Chronicles and label it a spin-off, because that is exactly what it felt like when compared to its predecessor.

Modifié par Yokokorama, 08 janvier 2012 - 08:20 .

[yesikareyes]

@Yokokorama

Great review and well said!

[Yokokorama]

 Thanks for the kind words, mate.  

All we can do now is hope BioWare takes note of the criticisms that have been bombarding Dragon Age II.  I realize that they seemed to be working on a pretty tight time frame for this game (completing the entire game in about a year), but I'd rather wait an extra year or two for a quality game than an obviously rushed and unpolished one.  

[conorrory]

Overall Verdict: Dissapointing

Plot: The problem with the plot is that it was hard to tell if there was one or not, And While I can see the merits behind experimenting with a framed narative, the execution was directionless and meandering. On the plus varric was a well written and enjoyable character to have around.

The standard in writing appeared to take a noticeable dip compared with previous bioware games, this appeared to be as a result to gain a larger audience the overall consistency of the writing was sacraficed.
Romance should add to the story, not detract from it. The relationships with characters like Bethany felt far more natural than the romance sub-plots.
There were some good ideas in the narrative, but again poor execution let them down.

Environment: One of the nice things about DAO was the different environments you encountered as you went on your journey, it felt like an adventure, The sheer level of copy pasted environments in DA2 completely destroyed the immersion for me personally.
It felt rushed, as if you made some nice environments then went, hmm we have to finish this shortly, ctrl - c, ctrl - v on the double level designers.

Combat system had some good features but did it have to be so striped compared with the previous entry or was this again a time saving measure?

Companions: Overall less interesting despite the likes of Varric. The original cast were a colourful lot, where as the new cast feel a lot more stereotyped and less interesting. I suppose bethany was fine aswell, but we need chacters like sten and Morrigan, there stand in's, fenris and merill didnt do it for me.

Take this and the points listed by Yokokorama above and thats pretty much my view of the game.

Something I was looking forward to but ultimately dissapointed by bad project decisions all round.
There were merits to be had from dragon age 2 but not for the compromises that were made to "get call of duty's audience".

[GenericPlayer2]

I absolutely loved DAO and I have to say, DA2 was a big disappointment for me. Hopefully the points I touch on haven't been mentioned (or mentioned in detail) yet. But the brief version is that DA2 feels like a hack'n'slash thriller as opposed to an RPG like DAO was.

What I liked:
1- Graphics was much better.
2- Artwork was better for characters like Flemeth.
3- Archery was improved and archers do melee damage when enemy is close.

What I didn't like:
1- Artwork for the armors, particularly fascination with the crumb-catcher that kept popping up in multiple designs!

2- Not being able to equip follower clothing/armor

3- Copy & Paste dungeons

4- Combat and AoE! I loved DAO on Nightmare but never got to enjoy it on DA2 because AoE damage was computed in a way dependent on enemy HP and left most of my companions struggling to stay alive

5- Spells like Sleep which in DAO recognized friend/foe did not in DA2

6- Even a warrior swinging a two handed weapon, not using any talents, still did friendly AoE damage. It was so bad that I did most quests solo.

7- No tactical view

8- Poor story and Poor lore

9- Puzzles! One of the things I loved about DAO was the "Lost in Dreams" quest, the various riddles and stuff that made you actually read the codex. Given that the "Fade" was the top complaint for many DAO players, and that 'skip the fade' is one of the more popular DAO mods out there, I can see why puzzles have suffered in DA2. Gone are the Sloth demon riddles, the joy of figuring out how to navigate the fade in different forms, trying to reason with a crazy mage, learning from an arcane spirit...and so on.

10- Junk is just Junk! In DAO those lesser runes, unwanted gems or left over crafting recipe's served to boost your allies.

11- Specializations are just there for you to spend your points on. There are no plot triggers or requirements to unlock them!

12- Loss of material tiers for armor and weapons was just disappointing.

13- Enemy resistances on nightmare difficulty. Suddenly creatures can be completely immune to the type of damage I am dishing out. While a mage can cast a different class of spell, warriors are not carrying around a weapon for each eventuality.

14- Fight animations were silly most of the time.

15- Paratrooper enemies (self explanatory)

16- The only cool companion was Bethany and she was my sister. And you only really get to enjoy her for one act.

After DAO I bought DA2 without question. That will likely not be the case for DA3. A great DA3 game for me is one that uses DAO gameplay with DA2 (or better) graphics. And with much better artwork.

Modifié par GenericPlayer2, 23 janvier 2012 - 03:54 .

[computasaysnoo]

Loved: 
- The new Battles. The graphic change was great and fighting is much more interactive
- Much more color. 
- Lots of steamy scenes when they finally arrive.
- Character had a lot of potential- Loved the mage/templar storyline
- Scenes of Kirkwall reminded me of a Castle outside Munich which I once visited. 
- Loved the Flemeth re-do, and I'm glad she retained her hispy acidy voice.
- The enemies. Some were very gritty and I really liked it
- Loved how Hawke spoke back, really gave him character

My contructive criticism: 
- I loved the characters, but I never felt like they "did it" for me. This is because of the dictated dialogue scenes!
I really hope that future games are like Origins, where you can speak to characters by your own initiative, not by activating dialogue via an event or gift
- Please distribute gifts more liberally. DA2 whittled gifts to almost extinction. 
- More character based! DA2 didn't focus as much on characters nor make companions important to the plot. Remember how important Alistair was? Morrigan too could alter the ending depending on wether the Warden agrees to her plan for a child. 
- Characters were sometimes shallow. I did love them at times, but right after a romance they said: "I love you." That would be fine for a suppressed character who had never been loved before but Merril and Anders both say it right after they bed you and it's just not realistic. Zevran was able to joke around, yet his inability to say "I love you," made him all the more interesting. Morrigan was too caught up in her own agenda and Alistair was too shy to ever say it. 
- Characters often joined the team without much explanation to why. Fenris joined after Hawke helps him, yet doesn't explain why. Zevran stays because he owes you; Morrigan because of her own plans; Sten because you saved his life; The Mabari imprinted; Shale because it has no memory of anywhere. The characters in DA2 never seemed to stay on the team for the sake of it. Maybe an explanation to why they're staying would be sufficient. 
- Repetitive locations. The same map was used for different places. 
- Alistar and Zevran's remakes. Nice to see the old voice actors, but seriously, Zevran didn't even look like Zevran and Alistair's hair was completely different colored. 
- Too much death of secondary characters. Seamus, The Viscount, Grace, Carver/Bethany, etc. These are characters that could continue on in future games. I like death in games but come on, the legacy is crumbling. I'd rathar see a shock death of an important character than a bunch of pointless deaths of secondary characters who could becomes future heroes/companions. 
- Choices were a bit linear. They never made or broke the character. I felt like the same result was for everything and Hawke could only be neutral, funny or angry. Nothing else. What if I wanted a melancholic Hawke? 

Can't wait for DA3! 

Modifié par computasaysnoo, 27 janvier 2012 - 12:01 .

[Skydive84]

Perhaps i would have enjoyed this game alot more, had i not played Dragon Age:Origins.
DAO was a juggernaut when it comes to story, immersive gameplay, companion interaction, beautiful graphics, you name it. It had everything i could possibly want from a game.
It is by far my favourite game ever, and thus it is what i compare DA:2 against.
Following is a list of things that, actually made me wish i hadn´t played DA:2.

DAO: First and foremost, meeting a group of Darkspawn in the Deep Roads was actually scary.
DA2: What the... they now look like cartoons? The change of their apperance was the biggest flaw, ever.

DAO:The resting place of Andraste, Orzammar, Brecillian forest, Ostagar. The environment was stunning! And the possibility to travel the world is how it should be.
DA2: One big castle and a beach just doesn´t cut it.

DAO:The story of my Warden gathering an army and defeating an Archdemon, thats the stuff!
DA2: Just politics...

DAO: As my warrior swings his 2-handed sword, he must use all his strength to bring the weapon down on his enemies. The battles seemed more "realistic", if you know what i mean.
DA2: Hack & slash the cartoons into thousands of pieces? Really didn´t like that part...

DAO: The romance was awsome!
DA2: I romanced Isabella, but i felt like whatever, actually.

Finally:
DAO: Morrigan
DA2: .....


It must be said, that i enjoyed Legacy far more then DA2. Bringing the story to the origins of the darkspawn is imo a step in the right direction.

I am still playing DAO sometimes, and Mass Effect, and Kotor, and The Old Republic.
You guys make the best games out there, even though this customer did not enjoy this specific
product that is being discussed.

[Malanu]

Is it wrong that every time I see the title of this thread I think Dragon Age is going to review us instead of vice versa?

[jackofalltrades456]

Modifié par jackofalltrades456, 23 juin 2012 - 03:57 .

[Fast Jimmy]

Malanu wrote...

Is it wrong that every time I see the title of this thread I think Dragon Age is going to review us instead of vice versa?

PREPARE TO BE JUDGED!



I'm still impressed with the amount posts this thread still gets. And how many of the reviews are genuine and well-thought.

Modifié par Fast Jimmy, 03 mars 2012 - 12:36 .

[DarkAmaranth1966]

Things I love that keep me playing the game:
Good Character Creator
Good combat system
Good Graphics
Voiced player character.

Things I can deal with but are not so good:
Limited locations
limited dialog choices
Player Character too locked into one personality type - makes them seem shallow.

Things I wish (or in some cases did mod) would change:
Fixed companion armor
Limited opportunities to socialize with NPCs - makes it too hack and slash and not enough RPG.