16 réponses à ce sujet

[Archdemon Cthulhu]

 I understand why people are upset about Dragon Age 2's ending.  I really do.  There's serious potential for brilliant stories starting from the conclusion, and it's easy to get caught it up in all the implications of it.  That said, calling it a cliffhanger or not a "true" ending is actually incorrect, and here's why.

In most fantasy RPG's, especially Bioware ones, a specific narrative archetype is followed.  The Hero/Quest archetype.  You travel, gather allies, and defeat a great evil before having things wrapped up in a nice conclusion which gives closure to most things.  DA2 does not do this.  There is no obvious evil in the game, and even in the end you are dealing with gray and gray morality, not black and white.  The story told is also mostly the personal one of Hawke, his family, and his friends and their time in Kirkwall, something that also usually isn't done in RPG's, but that doesn't mean it can't be done.  Bioware broke the archetype in DA2 and I think they di it the right way.  

Traditional quest narratives guarantee closure, but the real world and people's personal lives, which DA2 revolves around, do not do that.  Things are not wrapped up in closure usually, but there is one way things end in real life...crisis points where everything changes.  There are moments, both in people's own lives, and in the greater world, where something happens and nothing is the same.  Whether it be as small as moving away from home for the first time or as major as Pearl Harbor, these events change everything and the story of the world before them comes to an end because of them.

That's how DA2 ends, the beginning of a Civil War.  Mage vs. Templar, and nothing can ever be the same again.  This how "ends" are achieved, through complete and total change.  DA2 accomplishes that and quite honestly I don't see how they could wrap up such a major civl war in another "act" of the game, and even if they did it would feel rushed.  DA2 was about how the status quo of Thedas came to an end forever, and that's the natural ending point, when that status quo changes.

Now, that said, are they setting up for an obvious sequel?  Of course.  But I don't hold it against them, because I feel the ending is appropriate, a true ending, because the real world does not have closed endings, only open ones and I appreciate the way this story was told.  (even if I don't appreciate the copy/pasted dungeons used to do it).

Anyway, my two cents on why I don't think the DA2 ending is dissappointing in the least.

[Junri]

The ending concluded the mage vs templar conflict which starts the war and I have a feeling the game is going to continue in an expansion, they did hint that they are giving DA2 more support than DA:O. So the entire compilation of DA2 itself could lead into something pretty grand.

[Bishmon]

Archdemon Cthulhu wrote...

 That's how DA2 ends, the beginning of a Civil War.  Mage vs. Templar, and nothing can ever be the same again.  This how "ends" are achieved, through complete and total change.  DA2 accomplishes that and quite honestly I don't see how they could wrap up such a major civl war in another "act" of the game, and even if they did it would feel rushed.

I don't think they should have resolved the the growing templar/mage war in another act in DA2, but I do think they could have done something more than throwing Hawke and all of his companions to the wind with absolutely no explanation.

Imagine maybe five more hours of gameplay involving Hawke and Co. fleeing the city due to the increasing templar presence, maybe hunkering down in a cave somewhere and coming to the conclusion that they need to split up to avoid the Seekers, and then having heartfelt goodbyes before going their seperate ways. That would have provided some actual resolution while still setting up (perhaps even more effectively setting up) the coming templar/mage war.

Modifié par Bishmon, 14 mars 2011 - 08:40 .

[Arppis]

Maybe the next game continues the storyline from a diffirent perspective? I mean a new hero to really save the day. But I kind of pefered this "personal story" they got going on here, smaller stories are always better imo. I like to save the world too, but it has been done so many times. I like the fact that this wasn't about that, it was about Hawke's journey trough 10 years of his life and what happened to him.

[Nathan Redgrave]

Pretty much agree with the OP.

[MasterSamson88]

I don't really see why the ending is being called cliffhanger as well. I suppose it is...sort of? I mean you don't know where the war will go certainly, nor do you know what happens to Hawke, but that is a pretty definitive conclusion to this story to be continued later, whether with Hawke or someone else.

A cliffhanger is more of a "Oh no I don't know if he's dead!" kind of thing.

[Noviere]

*double post*

Modifié par Noviere, 14 mars 2011 - 09:23 .

[Noviere]

This is exactly how I feel about the ending. It was refreshing.

[Milkmoney360]

i loved the ending....at least it didn't say...morrigan ran off and you'll never see her again...


we definitely get to look forward to an expansion or an entire game...tough to say, idc if the next dlc takes 20 minues to beat or 20 hours, as long as i get the next piece of information. at any cost ;p

[Hekate]

Definitely agree with the OP. Couldn't of explained it any better even if I tried.

[Distilled]

I enjoyed the ending overall, but the whole "put on my sunglasses and walk off into the sunset" after starting a whole bunch of crap felt a little off; would of been nice to have a slightly more in-depth epilogue.

[Archdemon Cthulhu]

Bishmon wrote...

Archdemon Cthulhu wrote...

 That's how DA2 ends, the beginning of a Civil War.  Mage vs. Templar, and nothing can ever be the same again.  This how "ends" are achieved, through complete and total change.  DA2 accomplishes that and quite honestly I don't see how they could wrap up such a major civl war in another "act" of the game, and even if they did it would feel rushed.

I don't think they should have resolved the the growing templar/mage war in another act in DA2, but I do think they could have done something more than throwing Hawke and all of his companions to the wind with absolutely no explanation.

Imagine maybe five more hours of gameplay involving Hawke and Co. fleeing the city due to the increasing templar presence, maybe hunkering down in a cave somewhere and coming to the conclusion that they need to split up to avoid the Seekers, and then having heartfelt goodbyes before going their seperate ways. That would have provided some actual resolution while still setting up (perhaps even more effectively setting up) the coming templar/mage war.

I feel like all that needed to be said had been said before the final battle.  And to end without a proper boss battle would have been anti-climactic to say the least.  But I still understand where youre coming from.

[boraxalmighty]

There is no epilogue because the story isn't over. DA:O had an ending to everything because the wardens story is over and you will not see him again. In a way Hawke's is just beginning. This game was a prologue for the events taking place in Thedas in the present so whatever comes next is the consequence of your actions in this game.

[BlackLotus30]

It was actually refreshing way to do the boss battle trying to save one side and ending up having to fight both sides. Thought saying that both Hawke and the Grey Warden have disappeared seems to lead to something grand or else I don't think Flemeth would have involved herself to save them both... she the only thing both have in common. Thing are changing in Thedas ^____^

[AtreiyaN7]

That's basically what I usually say, so I agree with you.

[SamilTane]

Agree with the OP. I really love the ending - it closed off the story of DA2 very nicely, and reminded the player that it was really embedded in a world that is constantly in flux.

[Lethys1]

Archdemon Cthulhu wrote...
There is no obvious evil in the game, and even in the end you are dealing with gray and gray morality, not black and white.  The story told is also mostly the personal one of Hawke, his family, and his friends and their time in Kirkwall, something that also usually isn't done in RPG's, but that doesn't mean it can't be done.  Bioware broke the archetype in DA2 and I think they di it the right way.  

It's black and black morality, which is why I hate it.  Nothing is like that.  I hated both sides, I wanted my own side, but the game gave me no such option.

Modifié par Lethys1, 19 mars 2011 - 07:35 .