What works:
- I am completely at a loss as to why people are complaining about the combat. In my experience, everything about it has either been improved or left the same. Tactics are still wonderful and the AI seems to follow it with much greater effectiveness. Also, while this may just be an aesthetic thing, I do appreciate that the combat animations are significantly faster than DAO's "lumbering" pace. It might not be the most realistic, but I can sacrifice some realism if it means the game is more enjoyable.
- While none of the characters are as instantly endearing as Alistair or Morrigan, I'm very much starting to like Varric, Isabela, Anders and Merrill. The party banter is just as brilliant as it was in DAO, and the conversations between the characters and Hawke are generally well-written. Choosing the "wiseass" option with Varric always brings a smile to my face.
- Having Hawke be a voiced protagonist was a very risky decision, but I think it's paying off. While DA:O might have technically had more dialogue choices, most of them led to exactly the same outcome. Here, there's just enough freedom for me to feel mostly unrestricted and feel like Hawke is the character I want him/her to be. Also, great choices for the voice actors. Both of my Hawke's (male and female) feel like they have some great personality and this is a personal step up from the silent protagonist of DA:O
- The game might not be a looker like Mass Effect 2 was, but it's generally nice to look at. The high res texture patch makes a big difference for characters, and the environmental geometry is pleasant enough. Caves are gorgeous (SSAO makes a big difference here), and most of the game simply oozes atmosphere. Also of note are the improved character animations, which does wonders for making the companions feel more alive.
- Thank you so very very much for having distinctly different movement animations for male and female Hawke.
What doesn't work:
- I know this is being repeated ad nausem by just about everyone on the planet, but the recycling of environments simply isn't working all that well. What I liked about DAO was that every single place I went to felt new, even the random encounters. If an area was "recycled," it was because I was travelling back to that location intentionally. Here, it just feels uninspired and it takes away from the immersion. It's not a game-breaker, but it is a little aggravating.
- The combat could use a little tweaking, specifically when it comes to healing. "Heal" takes an obnoxiously long time to cooldown between uses and the same goes for the poulstices/lyrium potions. I know the cooldowns are probably there to balance out some of the challenge, but I shouldn't have my entire party be slaughtered just because of an arbitrary "Oh, I guess I can't drink another poulstice yet."
- The elven alienage feels unrealistically tiny, especially for a massive place like Kirkwall.
Overall, I'm enjoying the game quite a bit. It's not a masterpiece, but I certainly don't feel it's deserving of even a third of the staggering amount of hate being directed at it. If I come up with any other criticisms I'll be sure to update the OP, assuming that this thread isn't on page 20 come two days from now.
Modifié par JeanLuc761, 12 mars 2011 - 02:57 .
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