506 réponses à ce sujet

[Paranoidal nemesis]

I never liked rpgs, especially the cliche dark age setting. The only reason I bought origins was because of the monstrous critical acclaim it was receiving. After I bought it, it was the only game I ever played for one year straight. When New Vegas came out, I played it for about a week and went right back to origins. I can't count how many times I played though origins. I can honestly say its the single greatest game I have ever played through in my life.

In the time between Origins and DA2, Bioware did all sorts of foreshadowing in their Witch Hunt DLC, and the DA 2 trailer. It lead me, and others as well, to believe that the seeds planted in Origins would have powerful repercussions in the sequel. Instead what we got was a big **** you; no resolution of the events of the first game.

I felt really alienated as a fan (and still kinda do) after the second game came out. In interviews, Mike Laidlaw essentially says tough **** to all of us Origins fans, the series is moving on without us.

[DreamwareStudio]

I have yet to play DA 2. I purchased it for $8.00. I waited because of the reviews. I'm currently in the middle of DA:O Ultimate Edition (for that  I paid full price based on the reviews), and I have to say that it is...what's the word?

STELLAR.

In recent months I've had some downtime and have taken advantage of that by playing the Witcher Enhanced Edition, the Witcher 2 and DA:O. I plan on playing Skyrim and (trying to play) DA 2. In the past few years there has been a RPG revival, and we've seen some real gems (DA:O, the Witcher series, Skyrim). I am astounded by Bioware/EA and their attempt to get away from the RPG genre after the humungous success of DA:O.

I ask myself this: why on earth would anyone modify a franchise so much when the genre of RPG has made a successful return and you reaped a huge advantage of that? Games make sales based on a lot of things, but a company's success is owed in the largest part to consistency. Existing customers know what to expect and will not hesitate to spread the word when a new game comes out and whether it's good or not. That can kill sales (DA 2) or propel them to surprising heights (the Witcher, DA:O) and even monumental levels (Skyrim).

It was my understanding Bioware/EA made these changes in DA 2 to appeal to a wider audience. HUGE MISTAKE. If you want sales in the 3-7 million range, you have to work for that over a number of years and usually in a certain area (shooter, role playing, racing, etc.). See Bethesda and Skyrim for a RPG example. Did they improve upon the Elder Scrolls with each release? Yes. Did they listen to what their customers wanted? Yes. By the way, no where has a customer been listened to more than by CD Projekt. Did either CD Projekt or Bethesda go massively away from their successful formulas? No. It would have been sheer lunacy to do so, and that's how I view what Bioware/EA has done.

That is confirmed when I read Laidlaw's interviews, etc. Bioware/EA is breaking the first golden rule of any business, and that is THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT. They continue to ignore a hearty outcry from what was a large customer base and actually express surprise mingled with anger over people not getting how "great" DA 2 is.

This behavior of a company trying to tell a customer what they should like, too, has happened before. It's resulted in killed franchises and companies going out of business.

What I have seen just from company behavior alone leaves me flabbergasted. I hope regardless what I like or dislike about DA 2 that Bioware/EA listens with an open mind to the outcries of their customers, and makes sure that DA 3 revives the Dragon Age series. Judging by what I've seen in this forum and across the net, the DA series is in serious danger of dying.

Just my two cents, but I think a Dragon Age MMO would be a huge misstep. If I want to MMO, I'll go to World of Warcraft. All evidence (the successes of DA:O, the Witcher, the Witcher 2 and Skyrim) shows DA should either stick to single player or possibly CO-OP at most.

Modifié par google_calasade, 15 décembre 2011 - 07:14 .

[Gunderic]

Yes, and Mike Laidlaw doesn't know what he's doing.

And the difference between this and the next game will be that both players and critics will be a lot more... critical of the sequel from early on if the series doesn't revert to what Origins was intended to be.

[puppy maclove]

Compared to the other RPG releases of 2011, it's marketing and DA:O it was a major disappointment. The game itself IMO, was average at best. (had huge potential,but poor implementation)

[Deception_2112]

Decent in the sense that they improved the animations a fair bit...Mage, Rogue and Warrior all feel distinctively different. Where it failed was restricting weapons/Armor, reducing the amount of classes (Compared to DAA and DAO), and the lack of customisation.

Lack of a toolset is another major qualm...I had yet another playthough with DAO this time as a custom Warlock class created by offkorn in the Nexus forums. I sincerely doubt DA2 would've had as much negativity if they had just released a toolset that allowed us to add whatever content we wanted.

Oh and the main game is just rehashed assets over and over again. One city, the occasional outside locations. The scale of DA2 felt far smaller than DAO and the character development even moreso

Modifié par Deception_2112, 15 décembre 2011 - 07:46 .

[Plaintiff]

I think DA2 is fantastic, frankly. I love the story, characters, art style and gameplay.

I love the story and characters of Origins as well, but frankly it's an ugly game. It was an early effort with new technology and it shows. And it's a real drudge to actually play, with long boring stretches. It took me five tries to even finish it. So many times I got up to the Landsmeet and then just gave up.

I've played DA2 at least half a dozen times, and that was before buying the DLC. I'm on my second complete playthrough of Origins, making a new canon save. I just finished it and moved onto Awakening and I want to stab myself in the face.

Modifié par Plaintiff, 15 décembre 2011 - 07:48 .

[DreamwareStudio]

Plaintiff wrote...

I think DA2 is fantastic, frankly. I love the story, characters, art style and gameplay.

I love the story and characters of Origins as well, but frankly it's an ugly game. It was an early effort with new technology and it shows. And it's a real drudge to actually play, with long boring stretches. It took me five tries to even finish it. So many times I got up to the Landsmeet and then just gave up.

I've played DA2 at least half a dozen times, and that was before buying the DLC. I'm on my second complete playthrough of Origins, making a new canon save. I just finished it and moved onto Awakening and I want to stab myself in the face.

Origins I don't think is ugly.  It is simply a little plain.  I don't find it is a drudge, either.  I quite enjoy the background politics (especially Orzammar where you get to decide who will be their next King).  All of that is made more enjoyable by actually reading the material provided by the game.  DA:O requires some thought because it is not hack and slash nor is it geared toward the action end of RPG.  Some of the battles can be fairly strategic, especially when you take traps into consideration.  What's more, your actions are something to consider because what you do does affect the game.

In DA:O thus far I haven't found one boring stretch.  Each major quest location is unique, has its own quirks and various enemies that fit the environment and each offers new challenges.  The stories behind them are good as well.  The little quests are often humorous, hard (Marjolainne, facing off against Flemeth) or a little shocking (seducing the elf girl in the Dalish camp was unexpected).

Seriously, besides the plain look, what's not to like?  TONS of thought went into DA:O.

Modifié par google_calasade, 15 décembre 2011 - 08:48 .

[Zanallen]

This thread has been necro'd like four times now...

[TEWR]

They're going for the Guinness World Record.

[Gibb_Shepard]

Plaintiff wrote...

I think DA2 is fantastic, frankly. I love the story, characters, art style and gameplay.

I love the story and characters of Origins as well, but frankly it's an ugly game. It was an early effort with new technology and it shows. And it's a real drudge to actually play, with long boring stretches. It took me five tries to even finish it. So many times I got up to the Landsmeet and then just gave up.

I've played DA2 at least half a dozen times, and that was before buying the DLC. I'm on my second complete playthrough of Origins, making a new canon save. I just finished it and moved onto Awakening and I want to stab myself in the face.

That is quite the unique opinion you have there.

Also, if i felt the need to stab myself in the face while playing a game, i would stop playing it. Video games are about enjoyment after all, and unless you are some kind of masochist, i'd advise you start up your 7th unique playthrough of DA2.

[Plaintiff]

google_calasade wrote...

Plaintiff wrote...

I think DA2 is fantastic, frankly. I love the story, characters, art style and gameplay.

I love the story and characters of Origins as well, but frankly it's an ugly game. It was an early effort with new technology and it shows. And it's a real drudge to actually play, with long boring stretches. It took me five tries to even finish it. So many times I got up to the Landsmeet and then just gave up.

I've played DA2 at least half a dozen times, and that was before buying the DLC. I'm on my second complete playthrough of Origins, making a new canon save. I just finished it and moved onto Awakening and I want to stab myself in the face.

Origins I don't think is ugly.  It is simply a little plain.  I don't find it is a drudge, either.  I quite enjoy the background politics (especially Orzammar where you get to decide who will be their next King).  All of that is made more enjoyable by actually reading the material provided by the game.  DA:O requires some thought because it is not hack and slash nor is it geared toward the action end of RPG.  Some of the battles can be fairly strategic, especially when you take traps into consideration.  What's more, your actions are something to consider because what you do does affect the game.

In DA:O thus far I haven't found one boring stretch.  Each major quest location is unique, has its own quirks and various enemies that fit the environment and each offers new challenges.  The stories behind them are good as well.  The little quests are often humorous, hard (Marjolainne, facing off against Flemeth) or a little shocking (seducing the elf girl in the Dalish camp was unexpected).

Seriously, besides the plain look, what's not to like?  TONS of thought went into DA:O.

I'm well aware of how much effort went into Origins. I said I enjoyed the story and characters. I press on in spite of the fact that it feels like work, because I find uncovering the world and the people to be so very rewarding.

I find the deep roads, the Fade, and Ostagar very dull to play through. Luckily, I'm able to minimize my time there because I'm fairly familiar with it. I find the combat slow and clumsy, the class distinction is lackluster, and skill progression is extremely limited.

Modifié par Plaintiff, 15 décembre 2011 - 09:42 .

[Plaintiff]

[inappropriate comment removed]

Modifié par Stanley Woo, 15 décembre 2011 - 05:39 .

[Mr Fixit]

Plaintiff wrote...

google_calasade wrote...

Plaintiff wrote...

I think DA2 is fantastic, frankly. I love the story, characters, art style and gameplay.

I love the story and characters of Origins as well, but frankly it's an ugly game. It was an early effort with new technology and it shows. And it's a real drudge to actually play, with long boring stretches. It took me five tries to even finish it. So many times I got up to the Landsmeet and then just gave up.

I've played DA2 at least half a dozen times, and that was before buying the DLC. I'm on my second complete playthrough of Origins, making a new canon save. I just finished it and moved onto Awakening and I want to stab myself in the face.

Origins I don't think is ugly.  It is simply a little plain.  I don't find it is a drudge, either.  I quite enjoy the background politics (especially Orzammar where you get to decide who will be their next King).  All of that is made more enjoyable by actually reading the material provided by the game.  DA:O requires some thought because it is not hack and slash nor is it geared toward the action end of RPG.  Some of the battles can be fairly strategic, especially when you take traps into consideration.  What's more, your actions are something to consider because what you do does affect the game.

In DA:O thus far I haven't found one boring stretch.  Each major quest location is unique, has its own quirks and various enemies that fit the environment and each offers new challenges.  The stories behind them are good as well.  The little quests are often humorous, hard (Marjolainne, facing off against Flemeth) or a little shocking (seducing the elf girl in the Dalish camp was unexpected).

Seriously, besides the plain look, what's not to like?  TONS of thought went into DA:O.

I find the deep roads, the Fade, and Ostagar very dull to play through. Luckily, I'm able to minimize my time there because I'm fairly familiar with it. I find the combat slow and clumsy, the class distinction is lackluster, and skill progression is extremely limited.

I've noticed that many didn't like Fade and the Deep Roads, which is curious to me. I find the Fade pretty cool and interesting, quite different from standard fare one is accustomed to in such games. Deep Roads are a nice example of good old fashioned dungeon crawling, though I'll admit it is unnecessarily long.

[Fast Jimmy]

Plaintiff wrote...

No, when I'm feeling masochistic I log on to the Bioware forums to be spat on by blindly nostalgiac, PC-gaming elitist douchebags.

Not to be glib, but you must be in that mood often, since you do seem to reply to a lot of threads. Not trying to be antagonistic, just making an observation.

That being said, I can sympathize with your DAO fatigue... but mine didn't set in until my 8th playthrough. I had completely tapped it out before DA2 came out, so I can't say with certainty how I would feel if I felt like I had to go back into it, especially for something (i find) as making a canon character. I did it for ME1 and just don't have the stomach for it anymore. It truly does feel like work, regardless of how much fun the game is. The only other series I remember trying that for would be the Quest for Glory series (if anyone is familiar with that... I may be showing my age here, to be honest).

Regardless, that same level of fatigue hit me before I got done with my first DA2 playthrough. I felt like the plot was just wandering, with no real destination until the beginning of Act 3. Then all of those bright neon signs that read "Kirkwall is infested with crazy mages and the Templars are really doing NOTHING but poking them with hot sticks and getting them riled up" really made sense. I guess I just refused to see THAT as the main plot because it seemed so pedestrian compared to uncovering the Primeaval Thaig and dealing with a war with the Qunari. In fact, given the promo video, I was under the assumption that the war with the Qunari would be the MAIN focus of the game, not a stepping stone to the short Act 3 showdown.

[brightblueink]

Plaintiff wrote...

I think DA2 is fantastic, frankly. I love the story, characters, art style and gameplay.

I love the story and characters of Origins as well, but frankly it's an ugly game. It was an early effort with new technology and it shows. And it's a real drudge to actually play, with long boring stretches. It took me five tries to even finish it. So many times I got up to the Landsmeet and then just gave up.

I've played DA2 at least half a dozen times, and that was before buying the DLC. I'm on my second complete playthrough of Origins, making a new canon save. I just finished it and moved onto Awakening and I want to stab myself in the face.

I had a similar experience with Origins, although I blame it at least in part in playing the console port. From what I've seen of gameplay videos online, you can mostly accomplish what you want to on the PC with strategy and lots of pausing and ordering. Good luck trying to do that on a console, though, since they don't allow you to move a character without unpausing the gameplay, and all of your other characters are at the mercy of the AI while you do so. I had one difficult boss fight where Wynne kept running RIGHT UNDERFOOT of the giantic boss, and every time I switched to her to try to get her to stay out of the way of the boss so she could just heal the rest of the party my Wardern was getting slaughtered. I think I hit a point a bit before Orzammar where I gave up and turned the difficulty to easy just so I could get through the battles as quickly as I could and get through "the good parts." ...And there's a LOT of battling in that game, so. Ugh. At least DA2 (mostly) made the battle system control much better on the console--the only real complaint I have about it now is that it makes your whole party "hold" instead of letting you tell individual characters to wait. If they fixed that and brought back a bit of the strategy that was in the first game I think the console gameplay in terms of battles would be about right now.

But yeah, I played Origins for the story and characters and saw most of the rest of the gameplay was a chore I had to do to get to those parts. and then I accidentally used up most of my companion's conversations before I hit the elven forest so I went through loooong stretches before I got to those "good parts". And I didn't much care for Origin's art style, either, at least for the character models.

Not that I think that Origins is a horrible game, or that DA2 is a perfect game. They're about...on par in my experience, even if I ended up prefering DA2 overall. I might complain about the character design in Origins and prefer DA2, but the environments were way better in DA:O. They had long, dull dungeons but at least it wasn't the same cave 20 times or random waves of jumping hooligans in the streets. I don't want "a return to Origins" with the next game, but I WOULD like to see the good parts of BOTH games combined together with a much longer development cycle to give the series the attention it needs. I doubt it would satisfy everyone (would anything?) but I'd be happy.

[Il Divo]

Mr Fixit wrote...

I've noticed that many didn't like Fade and the Deep Roads, which is curious to me. I find the Fade pretty cool and interesting, quite different from standard fare one is accustomed to in such games. Deep Roads are a nice example of good old fashioned dungeon crawling, though I'll admit it is unnecessarily long.

It's really a result of gamer fatigue. When you consider that Bioware games are usually a combination of that dialogue/combat/story progression, the trick is finding the right balance between the three.

With the Circle, we reach the Mage Tower, learn that we must stop Uldred. We're forced to climb through three levels of the Circle Tower, killing Templars + Blood Mages, then are placed in another full-fledged dungeon within the Fade, before returning to clear out the rest of the Tower. The sequence wasn't necessarily bad, it just really came at the worst possible time and seems to lack any sense of pacing to it. 

But hey, Bioware could always take it a step further. Instead of a dungeon within a dungeon, we could have a dungeon within a dungeon within a dungeon. Blows your mind, doesn't it?  

[eroeru]

@Plaintiff

Did you play on console?

[Mr Fixit]

Il Divo wrote...

Mr Fixit wrote...

I've noticed that many didn't like Fade and the Deep Roads, which is curious to me. I find the Fade pretty cool and interesting, quite different from standard fare one is accustomed to in such games. Deep Roads are a nice example of good old fashioned dungeon crawling, though I'll admit it is unnecessarily long.

With the Circle, we reach the Mage Tower, learn that we must stop Uldred. We're forced to climb through three levels of the Circle Tower, killing Templars + Blood Mages, then are placed in another full-fledged dungeon within the Fade, before returning to clear out the rest of the Tower. The sequence wasn't necessarily bad, it just really came at the worst possible time and seems to lack any sense of pacing to it. 

When you put it that way, yeah, I can see your point. It does amount to a HUGE dungeon with little to no character interaction or various sidequests. Still, I was OK with it, but maybe that's because I don't really play that many games anymore and I need more for fatigue to settle in.

[yesikareyes]

Strange enough, I used to be part of the other half of the fans who loved DA 2 to death. I think this was because I only played video games using my 360. I never liked the Dragon Age series, but DA2 succeeded in getting new fans (like me). Origins was something I did not enjoy on the console but playing it on my Mac recently... now I understand why Origins was loved by many. I believe like what most people have said in the forums, DA2 was good as a stand -alone game but as a sequel it did not live up to Origin's standards.




On another note, With all these strong opinions we have in the forums, I wonder how folks in Bioware are taking this all in. I mean how could they NOT value the opinions of their fans? I bet there are a number of people there who used to be young and opinionated fans who were active in the forums. I'm currently looking for internship openings for video game publishers or developers. If Bioware accepts my resume, I'm curious to have an idea of how they get things done. I know how it feels to be a devoted fan of something and then be given the honor of being a part of it's development. I am a developing writer and sometimes It's hard to get the work done because of all the criticisms you hear from others and yourself. So, heres to wishing I breakthrough EA and Bioware's corporate doors!

[furryrage59]

Mr Fixit wrote...

Plaintiff wrote...

google_calasade wrote...

Plaintiff wrote...

I think DA2 is fantastic, frankly. I love the story, characters, art style and gameplay.

I love the story and characters of Origins as well, but frankly it's an ugly game. It was an early effort with new technology and it shows. And it's a real drudge to actually play, with long boring stretches. It took me five tries to even finish it. So many times I got up to the Landsmeet and then just gave up.

I've played DA2 at least half a dozen times, and that was before buying the DLC. I'm on my second complete playthrough of Origins, making a new canon save. I just finished it and moved onto Awakening and I want to stab myself in the face.

Origins I don't think is ugly.  It is simply a little plain.  I don't find it is a drudge, either.  I quite enjoy the background politics (especially Orzammar where you get to decide who will be their next King).  All of that is made more enjoyable by actually reading the material provided by the game.  DA:O requires some thought because it is not hack and slash nor is it geared toward the action end of RPG.  Some of the battles can be fairly strategic, especially when you take traps into consideration.  What's more, your actions are something to consider because what you do does affect the game.

In DA:O thus far I haven't found one boring stretch.  Each major quest location is unique, has its own quirks and various enemies that fit the environment and each offers new challenges.  The stories behind them are good as well.  The little quests are often humorous, hard (Marjolainne, facing off against Flemeth) or a little shocking (seducing the elf girl in the Dalish camp was unexpected).

Seriously, besides the plain look, what's not to like?  TONS of thought went into DA:O.

I find the deep roads, the Fade, and Ostagar very dull to play through. Luckily, I'm able to minimize my time there because I'm fairly familiar with it. I find the combat slow and clumsy, the class distinction is lackluster, and skill progression is extremely limited.

I've noticed that many didn't like Fade and the Deep Roads, which is curious to me. I find the Fade pretty cool and interesting, quite different from standard fare one is accustomed to in such games. Deep Roads are a nice example of good old fashioned dungeon crawling, though I'll admit it is unnecessarily long.

I've always found that really odd as well.

12 playthroughs and Ostagar is one of my favourite times. The fade is quite unique and i enjoy messing around with the shape shifting and i love the deep roads, dungeon crawls are a lot of fun and i love the feeling of slowly running low on supplies, injuries piling up and hobbling onwards (unless uber prepared). My first time making it to the end of the deep roads my group was hilariously wounded and low on gear. finishing off the last fight in the area with one guy left standing felt awesome.

Very puzzling tbh.

[DreamwareStudio]

furryrage59 wrote...

Mr Fixit wrote...

Plaintiff wrote...

google_calasade wrote...

Plaintiff wrote...

I think DA2 is fantastic, frankly. I love the story, characters, art style and gameplay.

I love the story and characters of Origins as well, but frankly it's an ugly game. It was an early effort with new technology and it shows. And it's a real drudge to actually play, with long boring stretches. It took me five tries to even finish it. So many times I got up to the Landsmeet and then just gave up.

I've played DA2 at least half a dozen times, and that was before buying the DLC. I'm on my second complete playthrough of Origins, making a new canon save. I just finished it and moved onto Awakening and I want to stab myself in the face.

Origins I don't think is ugly.  It is simply a little plain.  I don't find it is a drudge, either.  I quite enjoy the background politics (especially Orzammar where you get to decide who will be their next King).  All of that is made more enjoyable by actually reading the material provided by the game.  DA:O requires some thought because it is not hack and slash nor is it geared toward the action end of RPG.  Some of the battles can be fairly strategic, especially when you take traps into consideration.  What's more, your actions are something to consider because what you do does affect the game.

In DA:O thus far I haven't found one boring stretch.  Each major quest location is unique, has its own quirks and various enemies that fit the environment and each offers new challenges.  The stories behind them are good as well.  The little quests are often humorous, hard (Marjolainne, facing off against Flemeth) or a little shocking (seducing the elf girl in the Dalish camp was unexpected).

Seriously, besides the plain look, what's not to like?  TONS of thought went into DA:O.

I find the deep roads, the Fade, and Ostagar very dull to play through. Luckily, I'm able to minimize my time there because I'm fairly familiar with it. I find the combat slow and clumsy, the class distinction is lackluster, and skill progression is extremely limited.

I've noticed that many didn't like Fade and the Deep Roads, which is curious to me. I find the Fade pretty cool and interesting, quite different from standard fare one is accustomed to in such games. Deep Roads are a nice example of good old fashioned dungeon crawling, though I'll admit it is unnecessarily long.

I've always found that really odd as well.

12 playthroughs and Ostagar is one of my favourite times. The fade is quite unique and i enjoy messing around with the shape shifting and i love the deep roads, dungeon crawls are a lot of fun and i love the feeling of slowly running low on supplies, injuries piling up and hobbling onwards (unless uber prepared). My first time making it to the end of the deep roads my group was hilariously wounded and low on gear. finishing off the last fight in the area with one guy left standing felt awesome.

Very puzzling tbh.

Yes, it is.  I'm finding the longer the challenge, the greater the reward.  Jarvia was a ****.  I went into that with very little health poutices, no injury kits and almost ran out of lyrium potions.  Am now onto the Deep Roads, and cannot wait (course I stocked up a bit)!

[Abispa]

yesikareyes wrote...

On another note, With all these strong opinions we have in the forums, I wonder how folks in Bioware are taking this all in. I mean how could they NOT value the opinions of their fans? I bet there are a number of people there who used to be young and opinionated fans who were active in the forums. I'm currently looking for internship openings for video game publishers or developers. If Bioware accepts my resume, I'm curious to have an idea of how they get things done. I know how it feels to be a devoted fan of something and then be given the honor of being a part of it's development. I am a developing writer and sometimes It's hard to get the work done because of all the criticisms you hear from others and yourself. So, heres to wishing I breakthrough EA and Bioware's corporate doors!

I am guessing they look at the BSN to find out WHY fans feel the way they do, but that their spyware built into the games actually tells them whether or not we're playing. Even the console versions of the game allows EA to monitor how much we play, how often, and what options we pick. If you read the forums, you'd think the female versions of Shepard and Hawke are more popular than they are and that LIs are crucial, but Bioware has posted that most players take the default male and ignore most of the romances.

If their monitors report that most people no longer play DA2 and no one buys their DLCs, THAT will capture their attention more than warring posts about how DA2 is AWESOME! or DA2 SUCKS!

[eroeru]

google_calasade wrote...

I have yet to play DA 2. I purchased it for $8.00. I waited because of the reviews. I'm currently in the middle of DA:O Ultimate Edition (for that  I paid full price based on the reviews), and I have to say that it is...what's the word?

STELLAR.

In recent months I've had some downtime and have taken advantage of that by playing the Witcher Enhanced Edition, the Witcher 2 and DA:O. I plan on playing Skyrim and (trying to play) DA 2. In the past few years there has been a RPG revival, and we've seen some real gems (DA:O, the Witcher series, Skyrim). I am astounded by Bioware/EA and their attempt to get away from the RPG genre after thehumungous success of DA:O.

I ask myself this: why on earth would anyone modify a franchise so much when the genre of RPG has made a successful return and you reaped a huge advantage of that? Games make sales based on a lot of things, but a company's success is owed in the largest part to consistency. Existing customers know what to expect and will not hesitate to spread the word when a new game comes out and whether it's good or not. That can kill sales (DA 2) or propel them to surprising heights (the Witcher, DA:O) and even monumental levels (Skyrim).

It was my understanding Bioware/EA made these changes in DA 2 to appeal to a wider audience. HUGE MISTAKE. If you want sales in the 3-7 million range, you have to work for that over a number of years and usually in a certain area (shooter, role playing, racing, etc.). See Bethesda and Skyrim for a RPG example. Did they improve upon the Elder Scrolls with each release? Yes. Did they listen to what their customers wanted? Yes. By the way, no where has a customer been listened to more than by CD Projekt. Did either CD Projekt or Bethesda go massively away from their successful formulas? No. It would have been sheer lunacy to do so, and that's how I view what Bioware/EA has done.

That is confirmed when I read Laidlaw's interviews, etc. Bioware/EA is breaking the first golden rule of any business, and that is THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT. They continue to ignore a hearty outcry from what was a large customer base and actually express surprise mingled with anger over people not getting how "great" DA 2 is.

This behavior of a company trying to tell a customer what they should like, too, has happened before. It's resulted in killed franchises and companies going out of business.

What I have seen just from company behavior alone leaves me flabbergasted. I hope regardless what I like or dislike about DA 2 that Bioware/EA listens with an open mind to the outcries of their customers, and makes sure that DA 3 revives the Dragon Age series. Judging by what I've seen in this forum and across the net, the DA series is in serious danger of dying. Just my two cents, but I think a Dragon Age MMO would be a huge misstep. If I want
to MMO, I'll go to World of Warcraft. All evidence (the successes of DA:O, the Witcher, the Witcher 2 and Skyrim) shows DA should either stick to single player or possibly CO-OP at most.

YES! I agree in its entirety.

Plaintiff wrote...

I think DA2 is fantastic, frankly. I love the story, characters, art style and gameplay.

I love the story and characters of Origins as well, but frankly it's an ugly game. It was an early effort with new technology and it shows. And it's a real drudge to actually play, with long boring stretches. It took me five tries to even finish it. So many times I got up to the Landsmeet and then just gave up.

I've played DA2 at least half a dozen times, and that was before buying the DLC. I'm on my second complete playthrough of Origins, making a new canon save. I just finished it and moved onto Awakening and I want to stab myself in the face.

NO! You're not being frank, you're dissing the game.

xD

These two posts show the different nature of the "two worlds". I sure am one who doesn't believe these two opinions can be brought together. You're taking on a task that Jesus himself couldn't have achieved, Bioware. Or at least it seems so, if you're to be taken for your word. Good luck anyhow...

Modifié par eroeru, 16 décembre 2011 - 12:47 .

[Aaleel]

To some people it is, to some it isn't.

I personally could not even make it through the game twice because it failed me on the most basic level, it wasn't fun or engaging. It was to stale, static and stagnant. The game supposedly took place over ten years (7 you actually play through) but nothing changed. Not the city, not the Dalish camp, not the handful of quest areas. Never saw rain, snow, dusk or dawn it was always high noon or midnight in the city.

Given the fact that they only had to worry about one city and made the premise of the game that it took place over such a long period of time, I found this failure to change the surroundings outrageous and ridiculous.

So if the game is going to be this stagnant and static, and you take away all sense of discovery and exploration the story has to be outstanding to make up for it, and it just wasn't, not even close.

So for me, yes it was that bad. For others maybe not,

Modifié par Aaleel, 16 décembre 2011 - 01:00 .

[DreamwareStudio]

Abispa wrote...

yesikareyes wrote...

On another note, With all these strong opinions we have in the forums, I wonder how folks in Bioware are taking this all in. I mean how could they NOT value the opinions of their fans? I bet there are a number of people there who used to be young and opinionated fans who were active in the forums. I'm currently looking for internship openings for video game publishers or developers. If Bioware accepts my resume, I'm curious to have an idea of how they get things done. I know how it feels to be a devoted fan of something and then be given the honor of being a part of it's development. I am a developing writer and sometimes It's hard to get the work done because of all the criticisms you hear from others and yourself. So, heres to wishing I breakthrough EA and Bioware's corporate doors!

I am guessing they look at the BSN to find out WHY fans feel the way they do, but that their spyware built into the games actually tells them whether or not we're playing. Even the console versions of the game allows EA to monitor how much we play, how often, and what options we pick. If you read the forums, you'd think the female versions of Shepard and Hawke are more popular than they are and that LIs are crucial, but Bioware has posted that most players take the default male and ignore most of the romances.

If their monitors report that most people no longer play DA2 and no one buys their DLCs, THAT will capture their attention more than warring posts about how DA2 is AWESOME! or DA2 SUCKS!

You would think the disappointing sales of DA 2 would be enough to tell them of their error, but that has seemed to have little to no impact.  It seems Bioware/EA is hellbent on having the Dragon Age series a certain way despite sales or the feedback they get from social networks and gameplay.