Said it once and say it again: I am throughly enjoying the new combat mechanics. They are a very good step in the right direction and actually I like the new mob spawning system. In a combat, you never really know if the enemy has an ace up their sleeve; they can call for reinforcements nearby; the ruckus of the battle can attract their companions... etc. There are plenty of RPG scenarios that can actually back up this system. Plus, it adds an extra layer of strategy: conserving a minimum of strength to deal with a fight longer than you expected. I am thinking of a certain fight against a certain flying reptillian in a certain pit where you can find bones. It dragged on for half an hour or more, but when it ended with my rogue stabbing away said beast's head and emerging victorious, it was incredibly satisfying. And my party couldn't have survived without a decent plan to cope with multiple waves of ever more powerful enemies. This is, obvioulsy, an extreme, but it has paralels in many battles along the game. The idea that the game is not "tactical" anymore is absurd. Just because you no longer have time to get your archer to a hilltop? In an actual battle, I doubt an enemy party would just stand around while your archer gladly pranced into a striking position without sending someone running him down. I enjoy the challenge of having waves of enemies coming left and right, unexpectedly, making me pause and change plans on the fly. Too often in DA:O the battles ended quickly with a very strong initial plan, because you knew beforehand that the enemies before you were all there is. After a while, they ceased being challenging. That is not happening so far with DA II, and I've just started "act 3".
So yeah, I have no problems with the new combat system. I welcome it as I welcomed the much needed revamp of mass effect 1's broken combat in mass effect 2.
Still there are little things that annoy me in DAII, but I don't find them to be so horrid to a point that I hate the game and I have to demand my money back. I would like a button to swap weapon layouts on-the-fly like in DA:O. It's essential, and could be done in a future patch (why not?). Granted, I don't find the new companions as engaging as some of the companions in DA:O. I miss Sten, most of all. Still, I find the way the companions interact with one another during exploration mode and in their own back stories to be much more detailed and believable than in DA:O. They have their own plans, they drag you to them and make you do hard choices. When did you have to make a hard choice about one of your companions' plots in DA:O? Maybe two or three times, close to the end. In DA II, these potential risk situations seem to happen quite more often. I also like that fact that they got rid of the gift system. It was all like "yeah I will kill your dog but it's fine because I'll give you a shiny necklace afterwards and you'll be my BFF". Ugh.
Sadly, the issue of the re-usage of scenarios is quite annoying. Reminds me of the generic warehouse in ME1. It wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have to spend so much time going on missions inside said generic warehouse/cave/hovel but you do happen to get a fudgeload of sidequests that take place in said environments. It passes an idea of relaxation that we weren't used to from Bioware. Another rushed thing seems to be the total absence of animations during trap disarming... although not a major point, it feels lacking.
This being said, in spite of the minor annoyances, I reckon DA II to be a great game. It's exciting, it's envolving and it sucks you in. If DA:O was a 9/10, this one is, at least, an 8.5. In this day and age, I would give Bioware a month or two to churn out a couple of patches to address minor balance issues and other requests in the forums so we can experience an even better game. Maybe.
Now, seriously, if you don't like it, don't play it, get your money back, whatever. But if you have to criticise, try to do it in a constructive way. The devs are most certainly reading the forums and getting feedback on points to improve. Chill out and enjoy the game
Retour en haut
