dwinning wrote...
That wasn't an attack. My point was, you're on here saying that the game is "mediocre at best" because of a handful of nitpicks. I read your criticisms, and they're all pretty minor things, most of which (combat, loot, inconsistent voice acting, sparse city with homogeneous population) could be said about DAO or KOTOR or Mass Effect or ANY other great game. Those things aren't the point of the game. The game is great DESPITE all your nitpicks. Thus the game-supermodel analogy: it's fun and awesome in many, many ways, but here you are moaning that the handful of minor things you don't like ruined - RUINED! - the entire experience. The lack of utter perfection, which you apparently expect, does not render a game (or anything) mediocre.
Dwinning, you tried to draw the focus away from what was being discussed and focus in on my personality instead, which you tried to put in a negative light by falsely assuming I'm a negative person, and therefore implying that anything I say will have a naturally negative slant.
An ad hominem argument is precicely this, where someone tries to draw the focus away from the actual topic by focusing on the person arguing and casting doubt on what they say due to some personal characteristic.
My personality has nothing to do with the discussion at hand. If you had taken the time and trouble to read everything posted here, you will have seen that I have mentioned what I thought to be plus points in the game. DA2 isn't a terrible game. The experience wasn't RUINED for me, as you assume. I called it mediocre at best and that is what I think of it. I'm probably not going to waste any more time on it not because I HATE it and I'M SOOO UPSET!!!1!! There are plenty of other good games to occupy my time, some new, some old, and I've just decided that my time is better spent doing something else.
That said, I still think it's important to express what I feel concerning the game. Not so I can stir up a bunch of hate and negativity, but because I think that as a creative work, DA2 could be much better, and by saying what's on my mind, and generating discussion around it, there is the possibility that DA3 might be a better game because of it.
I know that NPC models are often homogenised. I know that a lot of other games have had poor voice acting. I know that there are other RPG's with sparesly populated, unrealistic cities. But just because it's easy to leave these things out, just because 'other developers do it', does not make it okay. How do you think norms are established? How do you think quality levels become acceptable? It all comes down to what we, as a game playing and purchasing community are prepared to accept. If nobody kicks up a fuss when something else is skimped on, then come the next set of games, that will be the standard. Re-cycled environments? If no one complains then the devs will do it again and again until it becomes the norm.
RPG's have so much creative potential, both in terms of the world we're shown and the story we follow. Through my criticism, I hope to let Bioware know that I DON'T think it's acceptable for them to skimp/overlook the things mentioned in my OP. So what if other games do it? I don't have to accept that? How is the quality of RPG's going to get any better if we just lie down and accept what's given to us, focussing only on the good things and trying our best to ignore the bad. I expect better from them. They can do much more as creatives and I'm not going to be shy or feel awkward about letting them know.
You may see what I posted about as 'nitpicks' I happen to see as important, immersive elements in the game, which DA2 failed at getting right. For me, story and immersion are the most important parts of a game. If these are lacking, I find myself seeing all the other things that are wrong because I'm not immersed and therefore not enjoying the game.
There have been many games that I would not desctibe as perfect, but something about them (either the game play, interesting puzzles/quests/dialogue, unique item/crafting systems, and most especially an original world and story) has kept me playing them for hours, day after day until completion. These games will be kept and played again, and after a couple of years, again.
I have gone back and played games such as Fable, The Witcher, DOT, Quest for Glory 1,2 &3, Pagan Ultima, Mass Effect 1 & 2, Baldurs Gate1 & 2, Grim Fandango, Planescape Torment to name a few. Some of these games are so old they have pitiful graphics and midi sound. I'm prepared to look past that because all of these games posses a good combination of these elements: they are challenging, original, have well crafted stories, interesting character progression, well written dialigue options, immersive and consistent worlds, alternative, off-beat humour.
I have said it before and I'll say it again, the Dragon Age world has a lot of potential. I think a fair bit of this potential was realised in DA1, but in DA2, they just lost it. if enough people speak up, offer criticism as well as suggestions, then at least WE are doing what we can to try help improve the quality of product we hope to recieve in the future.
Modifié par bobo_minky, 15 mars 2011 - 08:33 .
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