2797 réponses à ce sujet

[Peer of the Empire]

Loved this game

Won't be using the bisexual romance features, and too many women characters in charge, but I understand that it is partly a matter of practicality as it is not feasible to recreate mothers, families, dates, sex, and I certainly won't go shopping, so girls need a place somewhere in the game world.

Modifié par Peer of the Empire, 01 avril 2011 - 02:38 .

[Cucco]

I want to start by saying I'm not a hater, I care about the games Bioware produces, and I come from the Baldur's Gate PC fanbase. I will mix in positives with the criticism:

***Story***
- As a matter of personal taste I enjoyed Act 2 much more than the former or latter. The Qunari issues were much more interesting than the Mage/Templar situation because it did not rely as intensely on a McGuffin that I really did not find interesting (the "evil" sword relic), I just became annoyed by the entire dichotomy. I especially came to loathe Anders who I thought would be much cooler prior to the game coming out thinking Justice would have a very noticeable role (Justice is one of my favourite Bioware characters)--he was barely there regardless of the somewhat contrived "terrorist" action.
- However, I found that most of the companions (especially Merrill and Fenris) were much more unique than the companions in Origins--except for Shale and Morrigan. My plea is that this attention to characterization goes further than companions and the Arishok, and into the rest of the NPCs. Most of the time I actually couldn't remember who I was talking to or about what in Act 2 or 3 with regards to quests in prior acts. I had to look online at the wiki to remember who these monotone two dimensional characters were (Samson, every mage besides Grace, etc.). It seems to me that the world of Thedas has so much to give, glimpsed from the codex entries, yet none of that depth is given to NPCs in the part of the world I'm playing in.
- This brings me to the most important thing I think DA2 is missing: the breadth of lore you find and experience in Baldur's Gate and Origins is missing. For instance, in DA2 the Dalish are set-up in this bland little campsite beside a mountain that spawns essentially the same bad guys in droves each time you are there. There is no expansive forest with speaking trees or haunted campsites or secret rituals like there was in Origins, and I can't accept the fact that consoles that support games like Oblivion or Origins can't handle equal if not larger worlds than Origins. My favourite part of DA2 was the content (not the items) of the Black Emporium. It was quirky, it was unrelated to the main plot, it felt like a secret, and that's what made Baldur's Gate so great and really propelled Origins. Which leads me to my next point.

***The World***
- Setting up shop in one city would be fine if that city were interesting. Going into DA2 I expected I may be wandering the cliffs above the mythical chained mouth of the harbour or climbing to the top of a city tower. It was only at the end that I even realized (during the cutscene) that the Gallows was apparently a large building across the water. As mentioned previously, a console or computer that can support Origins and Oblivion should be able to support the same size of a world or larger, and it seems a little suspect that DA2 not only doesn't, but also uses recycled areas and linear paths.
- Recycled areas: in Origins I was a little amazed that there really were almost no recycled areas whatsoever, and that was part of the reason I really enjoyed it, there was a sense of identity to each major area. Now I liken recycled areas, and in the case of DA2 it was the likes of which I have never actually experienced in a video game before (probably because I wouldn't buy one that had so many), to if in a movie, they recycled sets but kept the story going regardless. Imagine if the whole of Lord of the Rings took place in 4 locations, you could understand how continuity would go out the window along with its buddy immersion. Now add to that the fact you're sent to these areas somewhat arbitrarily and are attacked with the same combination of enemies, then you got yourself something bordering on a bad arcade game.
***Quests & Gear***
- No one left in the gaming world likes fetch quests - as quirky as those items are.
- No one likes junk.
- People like being rewarded with more than just coin and a single weapon. Going into the Fade in origins felt so satisfying as you leveled up your attributes which really set your character apart from his or her companions. The Warden's Keep DLC in which you gained specializations in blood magic (I guess I would call it magic even though I was a warrior) was even more satisfying. Things that set your character apart from his or her companions where you know he or she is the hub of your team was one of the coolest aspects of origins.
- People like specialized items, weapons and armor which you can use to heighten the uniqueness of companions and your character, there seemed to be a large gap between the amount of powerful great stuff in Origins and DA2 - I resorted to save editing to even purchase multiple cool gear.
- Bring back, in some form, customizable companion armor.
- Guilds would be cool.
***Tactical View***
- This one gets its own category.
- The reasons for taking this function out of the game have been cryptic at best (ceiling design?). The ramifications have been brutal, as I'm sure it has been mentioned. Walking into a low ceiling room is absurd, getting your bearings in a big fight is even worse. There also seems to be invisible walls when your almost looking horizontally, so when I would try to send Varric across the cavern (in one of the many times I was in the same battle area in the recycled environments) while I was walking down the stairs leading to the open area, it was essentially impossible (unless I tilted the screen juuuuusssttt right). Such problems are easily avoidable by having a tactical view and detachable camera, not to mention these functions add immensely to the combat. You know when you're facing one direction to focus one character on a specific enemy, and next thing you know Anders is dead in the hallway outside the room you're, or (in most cases) has just bolted from the room intentionally, things get unreasonably confusing. I'd like to quote that NPC who walked around the Hanged Man spouting things about combat becoming simpler, but I'd change a couple words: "Don't you notice how things like fighting have become much more annoying than ever before? How they have been needlessly zoomed in? Have you noticed how incredible ceilings are now?" No sir, no I have not. On this one I will also say the excuse that the engine, or the console, can't handle it is obscene--I would use Origins and Oblivion as examples.
***Voice Acting***
- I have no qualms with the companions or NPCs voice acting, or FemHawke.
- By the end of the game I became so annoyed with my character, the way he spoke, the dialogue he said, that it was like dragging along prop just to hear what the companions and NPCs would say. Now I realize this is a matter of taste, but I think it stems from the three tier conversation lines. I have no problem with this radial conversation thing, but I do take issue with the oversimplified-to-the-point-of-ludicrous hyper stylization of the nice guy, the bad guy, and the sarcastic guy. On top of that we have a voice that has very minimal character. I will never be able to hear a main character's voice and (like origins or other rpgs) think "that's my voice" and that's fine, but when I hear a caricature with a slightly British accent, saying overtly nice guy things or overtly sarcastic things, I get rubbed the wrong way. The Bioware I see in the companion characters is one which prides itself in ambiguity and characterization depth, so I have to wonder why my character is the one I left the game wishing I didn't have to use in following DLC. It is the same problem I have with Mass Effect, when a character (and I usually enjoy being the good guy) sounds like a righteous nobleman I find it very annoying. A holier than thou good guy is done better with Sebastian. Why can Hawke not have a voice like the heavy accented Irish Dalish, why must it be the lowest common denominator with a British tinge. I could ramble on about this but the point is, Origins with its text dialogue is great, and as Zero Punctuation says, losing a character with malleability and depth in place of a dull/annoying voiceover is not a step in the right direction.

Writing this critique has left me with a bad taste in my mouth, just like DA2 did when I tried so hard to like it. I did every quest that wasn't bugged, got all companions to 100% friendship, completed all the side quests, yet in the end I finished feeling disturbed and a bit cheated. I usually despise the trollers and the haters on this messageboard, but at this point I have become apathetic. I realize developers don't get enough credit for how hard they work under strict deadlines, but I have never been faced with a sequel that didn't upgrade from the original, or that showed how quickly it was made. That's the Maker's honest truth, and I hope that mine and other people's critiques lead those at Bioware to realize that the usual silent moderate majority (of which I was always a part, being more of a messageboard observer than participant) do feel that DA2 was disappointing in some very important aspects. Change might be good, but usually that line refers to upgrading.

Edit: One more thing, the family aspect of the game was utterly wasted on the fact one sibling dies before you get to know them, and the other spends 75% of the game without you.  I thought this would be a great way to intensify some characterization and emotions, I had never even played a game with family members in it before.  Yet, besides the fact one sibling could be a grey warden (which is cool) I didn't even know the family.  The mother seemed to whine about not living in a mansion more than anything else, and once she got into a mansion she was silent.  It was an oppourtunity that was spoiled and I hope it gains some ground in whatever comes next.

Modifié par Cucco, 01 avril 2011 - 02:49 .

[Byth]

I'll add some new criticism to the mix:

Where are my races Bioware?! Don't get me wrong I love DA2, but it really couldn't have been that hard to justify a dwarf(he could be a surfacer dwarf) or an elf(maybe a city elf) being Hawke. Yeah, I know it would take some skillful writing to justify them but taking them out altogether?

[NKKKK]

Peer of the Empire wrote...

Loved this game

Won't be using the bisexual romance features, and too many women characters in charge, but I understand that it is partly a matter of practicality as it is not feasible to recreate mothers, families, dates, sex, and I certainly won't go shopping, so girls need a place somewhere in the game world.

IC WHAT I DID THAR

[Marionettetc]

I loved the game, was extremely energized by the faster paced combat system, but I've since put the game down and haven't played it in about a week now.

It was around the time I started to realize the maps were re-used. I'm not trolling Bioware, I've always played your games and have hundreds of hours logged into Origins. *For me*, *in my case* - the recycled maps have literally just about destroyed my gaming experience. I can suspend disbelief and ignore certain things with the best of them, but I get nauseated when I run into the same cave with a blocked door or the same warehouse (with the same docks and the same boxes in the same spots).

I have no issues with the skill trees. I'm a game/tech/min-maxer and I recognize the work you've put into the engine. The game was tight in origins (minus cone of cold, heal, group heal, arcane warrior etc) but you've managed to make leveling and skilling up even stronger.

I feel the characters were interesting enough, I would have liked more dialogue not attached to plot points though?

I like the faster pace.

I can understand the waves, and from a challenge stand point they are great. I feel you risk alienating "immersion" gamers though. It's also a good work around to reducing on screen enemies at any given point. I do feel it's a little ridiculous in some areas, and should have only been done when there was a story mechanic to them "showing up a little late".

Voiced Hawke (male and female) are fine. They have like-able characters and voices.

I loved the Antiquarian, seriously give more money to whoever wrote him. And put him in DAIII.

I'm not going to claim I was robbed, or anything like that but I do feel like I'm owed a background pack. Because of the recycled environments, I won't pre-order III.

Modifié par Marionettetc, 01 avril 2011 - 06:29 .

[topster88]

BioWare once said that merging with EA would not affect the quality of their games. Well it has, unquestionably. This game had the potential to be great. It has great writing, great voice acting, a great engine, and a great mythos.

That's why it's such a horrible shame that this game wound up only being decent. The levels are painfully overused and copy-pasted. The combat is less methodical and more hack-and-slash. We only have one city to explore. The story is disjointed. Hawke has 'Shepard syndrome" where he often wouldn't say anything similar to the dialogue choice you select. The moral choices are the focal point of the game, but aren't the least bit ambiguous. You are limited to what you can equip allies with so the majority of the equipment you get is useless for the class you selected. There are numerous bugs that should never have made it past playtesting.

In EA's wish to make Dragon Age more approachable, much of what made Origins great was taken away and replaced with shallow game mechanics. They rushed this game to capitalize on Origin's success, success that is thanks to people who very much enjoyed the traditional RPG elements that were removed in favor of a more casual flavor. Origins was not perfect, but this is a prime example of a company completely misreading why a game was successful in the first place and simply marketing it to the lowest common denominator in hopes that lightning would strike again.

Let the casual players have Mass Effect. Please bring Dragon Age back to the traditional side.

[Spankoman]

I loved this game, but it had to grow on me.

In DAO, you know the entire time what the endgame is. Kill the archdemon, save the world. In DA2 I had no idea what was going to happen, and I loved discovering it as I went. I also didn't mind the more limited environs; I felt like Kirkwall was my city, I knew every inch of it, I wandered through it day and night in each act just looking around. There are a lot of subtle touches and details that change that I don't think the devs are getting credit for. I enjoyed it. To me, this is a better game than DAO. A more mature plot with better-scripted characters.

But the re-used maps were not okay. I looked past it because I was enjoying the story, but still. Terrible. I also felt less of a connection to my companions than in DAO because, as mentioned, you talk to them about plot points only. Occasionally they'll utter something random as you're wandering, but it wasn't enough. I wanted to chat with them about nothing at all, learn their histories. I missed that campfire-type camaraderie.

[skyrend]

Game has many, many deficiencies, even from a pure design perspective.

One question:  Why did enchanting get changed to a permanent setting instead of the way it was used in Origins where runes were interchangable at any time?  I really don't see any advantage to this decision and makes me less likely to use a rune as it won't carry over to the next armor/weapon.

[co_cheese]

Before I get started here, let me just say that I enjoyed the game, but overall, I was really disappointed with Dragon Age 2.  I mean I preordered the signature edition and everything cause I was so pumped, but talk about a heart breaker.  The main reason being the lack of a real story and ending.  I get that Hawke’s not suppose to be the grand savior we’re used to seeing in these games, but for all the hoopla about him being ‘the champion’, I don’t really feel like I did much to earn the title.  Sure I did some things that I can't mention due to spoilers, but nothing truely epic.  I felt like I was more of a glorified ‘janitor of Kirkwall’.

And seriously, what was up with the ending?  I can’t tell if it’s suppose to be a cliff hanger that leads into dragon age 3, or if the developers were just like, “Welp, he killed *redacted*.  Roll credits!”  There’s no real closure to the story.  Hawke basically ends up being a guy who was there when things fell apart, then exited stage left.  Some champion I turn out to be.  It’s like if Mass Effect 1 would have ended right after Anderson punches out Udina and unlocks the Normandy for you.  If it’s a set up for dlc or da3, it should be a little less… convoluted.  Mass Effect had a set up for #2 and it still had a resolution.  Of course I know theres probably multiple endings.  I’m hoping my next play through yields better results, although at this point, I fail to see how it could.

Maps.  Reusing them wasn’t necessarily the killer for me.  It’s just that you’d think the city would change a little bit over the course of a decade.  The only change you see in Kirkwall is that statue in the docks (which you guys should market and sell as a paper weight.  I’d totally buy one).

Not sure how everyone else felt about the characters, but I thought that for the most part, they were uninteresting… except Varric.  Varric’s a cool dude.  And I hated my mages(why am I FORCED to take Anders with me??  Why can't Merril heal??), except for Bethany, which leads me to a (maybe unimportant) side note.  Dudes don’t like hanging out with their sisters if they’re going to be walking around with their boobs hanging out.  Am I right?!  Maybe you can address her act 1 robe in a patch or something?? <-- (mostly a joke, please don’t flame me)

The things I liked about the game:  faster combat, fully voiced character, framed narrative, and the graphics.  Talk about an overhaul that I don’t think has really gotten enough praise.  The world is beautiful and vibrant and looks
entirely different than Origins.  Sadly, I don’t think anyone plays a Bioware game because it has good graphics.  We play them for the awesome stories and the awesome characters.  I’ll still preorder whatever souped up edition of Dragon Age 3 you guys release, just pretty please give it a little bit o that Bioware tlc??

Sincerely heartbroken,
co_cheese

Modifié par co_cheese, 01 avril 2011 - 08:47 .

[Cybermortis]

Cucco wrote...
 Why can Hawke not have a voice like the heavy accented Irish Dalish, why must it be the lowest common denominator with a British tinge. I could ramble on about this but the point is, Origins with its text dialogue is great, and as Zero Punctuation says, losing a character with malleability and depth in place of a dull/annoying voiceover is not a step in the right direction.

The 'Irish' accents were painful at times, and very clearly most of them were not being done by Irish actors. Not that most Americans seem to be able to tell this.

Both the actors who voiced Hawke are British.

If you played DAO you may have noted that Bioware used British accents in a 'realistic' way for people of different social standing and background - at least for the humans. The 'upper-class' accent Hawke used was used in DAO for individuals of high social standing, such as the nobility, or those who presumably had good education - which would include Templars and of course the nobility. That Hawke has the same accent makes sense, given that he/she is technically a noble. It would have sounded strange to have a Hawke who spoke with a Lancashire/Yorkshire accent, and some British accents would have been incomprehensable to American players (if not other Britains as well).

The thought of Hawke saying 'The Darkspawn won't wait' in a broad Newcastle accent has me in stitches.

[Jenova65]

Cybermortis wrote...

Cucco wrote...
 Why can Hawke not have a voice like the heavy accented Irish Dalish, why must it be the lowest common denominator with a British tinge. I could ramble on about this but the point is, Origins with its text dialogue is great, and as Zero Punctuation says, losing a character with malleability and depth in place of a dull/annoying voiceover is not a step in the right direction.

The 'Irish' accents were painful at times, and very clearly most of them were not being done by Irish actors. Not that most Americans seem to be able to tell this.

Both the actors who voiced Hawke are British.

If you played DAO you may have noted that Bioware used British accents in a 'realistic' way for people of different social standing and background - at least for the humans. The 'upper-class' accent Hawke used was used in DAO for individuals of high social standing, such as the nobility, or those who presumably had good education - which would include Templars and of course the nobility. That Hawke has the same accent makes sense, given that he/she is technically a noble. It would have sounded strange to have a Hawke who spoke with a Lancashire/Yorkshire accent, and some British accents would have been incomprehensable to American players (if not other Britains as well).

The thought of Hawke saying 'The Darkspawn won't wait' in a broad Newcastle accent has me in stitches.

I'd like that.................... the Geordie accent makes me weak at the knees 

[elenilote]

Jenova65 wrote...

Cybermortis wrote...

Cucco wrote...
 Why can Hawke not have a voice like the heavy accented Irish Dalish, why must it be the lowest common denominator with a British tinge. I could ramble on about this but the point is, Origins with its text dialogue is great, and as Zero Punctuation says, losing a character with malleability and depth in place of a dull/annoying voiceover is not a step in the right direction.

The 'Irish' accents were painful at times, and very clearly most of them were not being done by Irish actors. Not that most Americans seem to be able to tell this.

Both the actors who voiced Hawke are British.

If you played DAO you may have noted that Bioware used British accents in a 'realistic' way for people of different social standing and background - at least for the humans. The 'upper-class' accent Hawke used was used in DAO for individuals of high social standing, such as the nobility, or those who presumably had good education - which would include Templars and of course the nobility. That Hawke has the same accent makes sense, given that he/she is technically a noble. It would have sounded strange to have a Hawke who spoke with a Lancashire/Yorkshire accent, and some British accents would have been incomprehensable to American players (if not other Britains as well).

The thought of Hawke saying 'The Darkspawn won't wait' in a broad Newcastle accent has me in stitches.

I'd like that.................... the Geordie accent makes me weak at the knees 

LOL it doesn't do for me but I am so laughing at the thought of Geordie!Hawke! maybe they should bring out a DLC with different voiceoptions, see how obscure you can get...

[FedericoV]

Constructive criticism about combat:

1) Level scaling: I still believe that level scaling it's an abomination. But it would not be very constructive to say "level scaling sucks" . So, assuming that it's a necessary evil, can you try to moderate it a little bit so each battle feels more unique? Most important: can you try to moderate scaling on the loot side? I mean, I defeat an High Dragon and the loot I make out of it it's worthless after a couple of level? Inferior to the generic loot dropped by enemy liutenants? A better solution would be to have unique loot that improves over time and that it's allways better than generic loot of high level mobs (at least, in a certain range of levels).

2) Level progression: after level 20 it became less interesting and less addictive. Since the game focuses so much on combat, it became a real problem in act. 3. A solution could be to have low level CCC (sinergy of 2 charachters) and high level CCC (sinergy of 3/4 charachers) to keep the leveling interesting and deep.

Modifié par FedericoV, 01 avril 2011 - 11:58 .

[BluGirl1968]

Remarks regarding the Fenris - friend-lover romance. Excellently done. No logical disconnects at all. I am now half in love with the character and I am glad the rivalry was done before I did this story arc.

Also, the story arc befriending everyone and taking no romantic interest is very very well done.

[Poubo]

as of 01/04/11, the original "edited" post, is exactly how i felt during the game, it's pointless me listing it all again, i enjoyed the game, but overall i found compared to Origins the following:

So my bad things:

all immersion for me was broken 7 hours in. through the reasons listed in the OP.
combat was so boring and tedious, it was like "do i have to fight...again?"
combat animations felt too "over exagerated"
the fact that tactics didnt matter at all until the boss fights, even then it was limited.
every mage turning in to a blood mage...really? that really pissed me the hell off, it made no sense lore wise AT ALL.
Darkspawn needs another mention... OH MY GOD YOU DESTROYED THEM, they looked terrible, i was thinking "oh i'm sure they look better on higher settings.... no wait they dont..."
Everything else in OP.

Good things:

the story was the only thing that kept me going through the game
character development was a lot better i thought for a couple of them, brilliant job with Anders and Varric.
Family involvement was a lot better than origins, i felt more for my family than i did in most origins playthroughs (except for noble dwarf).
Necromancy! YAY!

theres a few other points i'd like to throw in, however i could probably write a dissertation about it!

my overall conclusion of the game, its fun for a few hours, but quite frankly, not up to what i deem "Bioware" standards, 6/10. For reference, i gave origins a 9/10, because there was room for improvement, but my god not much!

oh and yes, I liked Mass Effect 1 and 2, but please Sci Fi works with that style of game, Fantasy generally doesnt, and while i enjoyed DA2, i would never have paid full price for it. it does not warrant the £35 price tag it commands, it felt more like an expansion.

[Fraevar]

Wrote it on the blog, due to formatting issues.

http://tinyurl.com/3wk95pu

Modifié par Delerius_Jedi, 01 avril 2011 - 01:47 .

[Cybermortis]

Imagine that the end gave you three options, one being to stand up for the people in the city.

Rather than being forced to take one of two questionable sides, you could stand up to all the people who'd get caught in the middle - you know all the Kirkwallers who don't belong to these two fractions and who you haven't killed.

Being seen as the only major figure in the city willing to look out for the best interests of the city and people, rather than looking out for themselves, would make the title of 'Champion of Kirkwall' have far greater meaning and make the 'Rise to Power' claim fit the game - After all if you've made a stand for the 'little-man' the populace would be calling for you to be put in charge of the city.

This could have been tied into prior missions, with the ability to convince some of the named NPC's you've encountered to join you or at least stand aside and not follow questionable orders. You could also be helped by groups in the city you've helped out - for example if you've done 'good' quests for the elves they could come to your aid during the final boss battles, as might the Ferelden refugees or former apostates. None of this would have required a change to the final Boss Battles, or the overall ending where is it explained why Varric was being questioned. Nor would have limited DLC releases.

What is worrying about such ideas is that they are so clear and logical, yet it doesn't seem they were considered. Or if they were considered they were dropped either because of limited time or because someone was scared of giving us a choice after making it painfully clear that even if you turned down quests you were going to be given them anyway.

Modifié par Cybermortis, 01 avril 2011 - 02:19 .

[Kestral]

I love Dragon Age Origins, and all that went with it. The characters were great, the action was great, and the story was great. DA:2 is good, but to me has faults that turned me off.

Playing as rouge was boring. There is no “switching” weapons like in DA:O so every time I wanted to go from bow to daggers, I had to go into the inventory to do that. The rouge was faster, but also seemed like a “karate kid” with all the fancy moves. I liked that the rouge moved faster, but it could have been with more down to earth moves. I did not like the idea that I had to keep pushing the button to have my character attack. I liked it in DA:O where the character keep attacking without the constant button pushing, because lots of times the character would do moves on their own, which was great. There were also not enough moves for the archer, and they could have provided more moves for the rouge with daggers. They also could have made the rouge leveling like in DA:O where every other level you got to pick out 2 abilities instead of just one.

The sword and shield warrior in DA:2 is a wimp. There were only 3 good sword moves the character could do while the rest was all defense. In DA:O the warrior was 10 times better for the character had at least 6 moves, both with shield and sword.

The 2 handed warrior is a much improved character than DA:O and moves a lot faster and has better moves than in DA:O.

The mage is a big improvement over DA:O except for the “behind the back” move that is done and the spinning of the staff. Lots of times I had to wait for my character to get through spinning the staff before the character would start fighting again, just because I was not looking at an enemy. I liked the fact that the mage could use the staff to fight. The only other thing I did not like about the mage was that they could have made Walking Bomb more explosive like in DA:O. The game is definitely a mage character play-through.

There was not enough monies collected during battles, and it made it harder to get the “good” stuff that you had to buy. There was also not enough “plunder” to be had. For example, you kill a High Dragon plus about a dozen dragonlings at the beginning of Act III, and all you get is the Champion’s Armor, very little gold, mostly silver, and a whole lot of “trash items” that all you can do is sell for lowly amounts. I also did not like the idea that I could not outfit my compains the way that I liked, except for weapons, rings, amulets and belts.

The romance parts were not really romance at all. The best one was Merrill, for that showed more of a loving relationship. I missed the fact that in DA:O you could go up to your “partner” and kiss him and talk to him whenever you wanted. In DA:2 you can only talk to your “partner” when he/she is ready to talk to you. There is no relationship to speak of. You could not talk to any of your companions until they were ready to talk to you. How are you supposed to get to know them? I really did not like the fact that every male companion could be enticed into sleeping with your character even if your character was another male.

I wished that the runes were not destroyed and could be removed, for resources were limited in the making of them. I could not understand why every mage you fought turned into a demon, abomination, or was a blood mage.

I liked the ability trees and the way they were set up, but they could have had better specializations for some of the characters. The templar was good for the warrior, but needed another choice to pick from. Both the berserker and the reaver were really for 2 handed sword warriors, and only the templar could be used for both types although the Templar was better than in DA:O. The rouge should have had an archery specialization similar to Sebastian and Varric.

The worse part of the game was playing in the same old town, same old dungeons, and it got to be like each area was the same as the other. All in all, the game was good, though not as great as DA:O or even as good as Awakening. Too much of the same thing over and over. By the end of the game, all you was doing was playing quest after quest with no real idea of where you were going. At least at the end of DA:O and Awakening you had a sense of accomplishment and they gave you a write up of what happened to you and your characters. Nothing in DA:2 and by the end of the game I felt empty, like I did not accomplish anything but kill a lot of blood mages, demons, and abominations with nothing to show for it.

Oh yes.  I forgot to say that what plunder you did find was hard to see and hard to spot do the the "coloring" and it was alot better and easier to see in DA:O.  Also, the lettering was so small it was very hard to read, unlike DA:O and although the inventory was set up okay, it was also hard very hard to read.  Basically, the only good changes were the tree setups, the looks of the swords, daggers, staffs, etc., and faster combat.

Modifié par Kestral, 01 avril 2011 - 06:23 .

[Dezolis]

K, i've got 2.  Please post these, they're important & easily forgotten as there are work-arounds.

1. I love loot in these games.  Please let me pick up loot before you trigger the cutscene & move me away from the area. :x  Hate having to race to the corpses before the cutscene triggers and I lose my loots!  Especially when it could mean life or death if it's the 1 extra health potion i need for the upcoming battle on nightmare.

2. Game corruptions.  Happens all the time.  Autosaves & my obsessive-compulsive saves have helped with this but I've gotten several corrupted game saves within one playthrough.  I think it may be doing this when you save and then continue to run around when the saving icon is still present on the screen.  If that's the case, make me stay still or something. 

Thanks guys!  Awesome-ish game!

Still like DA1 better... BUT there are some great things about this game!  Battles much more exciting!

[Steppenwolf]

I don't know if anyone from Bioware even could comment on this, let alone if they would, but is the intention to return to the Origins style since II is obviously not as well received as Origins? Most of the criticism of II is of the changes that were made. There are also obviously criticisms of area re-use and respawning enemies and the like, but mostly of the deliberate changes to the way the game plays and unfolds. I haven't seen anyone complain about anything being too similar to Origins or having not been changed enough. The experiment obviously failed. The framed narrative only hindered the story. The voiced protagonist interfered with role playing. The combat was frantic and mindless. The restricted story makes replayability difficult/unappealing. And the dialogue wheel simplifies conversations to a laughable degree.
There are several things II improved upon, such as the talent trees over chains. But most of the changes have not been lauded. So is Bioware really getting the message?

[Alex Kershaw]

BasilKarlo wrote...

I don't know if anyone from Bioware even could comment on this, let alone if they would, but is the intention to return to the Origins style since II is obviously not as well received as Origins? Most of the criticism of II is of the changes that were made. There are also obviously criticisms of area re-use and respawning enemies and the like, but mostly of the deliberate changes to the way the game plays and unfolds. I haven't seen anyone complain about anything being too similar to Origins or having not been changed enough. The experiment obviously failed. The framed narrative only hindered the story. The voiced protagonist interfered with role playing. The combat was frantic and mindless. The restricted story makes replayability difficult/unappealing. And the dialogue wheel simplifies conversations to a laughable degree.
There are several things II improved upon, such as the talent trees over chains. But most of the changes have not been lauded. So is Bioware really getting the message?

Laidlaw has said in interviews that DA2 is the future of the franchise.

[kaimanaMM]

I quite like DA2.  I'm on my 4th playthrough right now and still enjoying the game quite a bit.  

- Combat.  Generally, I like the faster paced combat.  I could never bring myself to play a 2h warrior beyond Lothering in DA:O.  Mages in DA:O, while powerful, felt like they lacked oopmh and pizzazz.  My absolute favorite character in DA2 is my (wait for it) 2h warrior, followed by my mages.  I like that they feel powerful and respond quickly.  On the other hand, I think rogues are a little over the top.  While it's neat to watch the flips and kicks and knives slicing up everything in sight, it's almost gets a bit too unbelieveable.  I haven't played an archer or sword and board warrior in DA:O or in DA2, so I can't say much about that style of play.  Overall, I like the moves / special attacks / cross-class combos.

- Characters.  I'm in the group that liked the characters / Hawke / NPCs reacting to various decisions / situations more than I liked characters giving me an hour long dissertation about this that and the other.  I immensley enjoy that every character has a tie-in to the story through their personal quests and that is how you get to know them through the years.  I both like and dislike that characters have their own home bases.  On one hand, I think it's pretty neat and helps give the illusion that my companions have lives outside of traveling with Hawke.  Yet, on the other, it makes them feel just a bit remote.  I think it's a nice touch that some move in with Hawke and some don't. I would have loved loved loved more casual interactions.  A night of Diamondback at the Hanged Man.  Everyone having a meal at the fancy Hawke estate.  I would have died a happy person if we could have our LI / best friend come over every now and then just to check in / visit.  I like that our companions always seem to have something to say when most decisions come along.  I want to know what they think of my choices, good or ill.  I like tossing different personalities together in my traveling party and seeing who fights with who and who ends up working through their differences.  The characters in DA2, for me, were a high point.

- Story.  Along with characters goes story and I quite like DA2's.  I think the framed narrative was an interesting way to present the events of the game.  I was honestly really worried at first, visions of random N7 missions of dropping in - flipping a switch - catching a shuttle out, kept running through my head.  But I admit I was more than pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Varric's retelling and involvement.  I do feel at times that the story gets a little too bogged down with fetch quests and in particular, Act 1 is not my favorite. But I feel that the story does keep a decent pace and never fails to deliver some powerful moments / questions along the way, which is something the DA writing team should feel proud of.  


- Hawke.  Hawke gets his/her own mention because I think it was a great choice to go with a centeral character and a voiced protagonist.  Hawke can be noble or mean.  Funny or charming.  And hearing Hawke deliver his/her lines helps so much with letting us define / refine who Hawke is / who we want Hawke to be / how Hawke changes through the story.  There are any number of times when Hawke's made me laugh out loud, or Hawke's made me proud, or that Hawke has helped me put those rotten mages in their place!  Hawke has a personality, he/she is a three dimensional being that we shape through our dialogue choices and actions in the game. Unlike my Wardens, which I do love in their own right, I feel connected more to my various incarnations of Hawke and I think it's largely in part for the simple fact that Hawke has a voice and will use it.

- Graphics.  Here's where things get a bit sloppy, unfortunately.  There are any number of armor / weapons that have clipping problems (femHawke's at-home attire being a major one).  Any number of recycled NPCs and maps.  (Which I'm sure you guys are seriously tired of hearing about.)  The only people who seem to have decent hair are Fenris, Isabela and sometimes Hawke (depending on the cut / style).  But even at that, hair sits like a wooden cap on anyone or to cut corners NPCs are hooded.  I understand concerns like performance issues and whatnot, but there were times Kirkwall didn't feel like a bustling city full of interesting people.  It felt like a cardboard cutout populated with the same paperdoll around every corner.  Sure, there were standouts - Tomwise, Lady Elegant, Vincento  (all minor NPCs who we interact with) but most groups milling about the streets and coners are either the same elf trio or the same low-res duo with the hairhood thing that got lost in translation.

- Music.  Lastly, I think a special nod needs to be given to the music.  Alot of people don't realize just how important a role music plays in movies / television / games.  I think DA2 did a great job with making the music feel familiar within the DA setting, but also different in that  we were no longer in Ferelden.  Certainly there are recycled tracks from DA:O, but they work.  The Orzzamar theme playing when we first meet Varric.  The Lake Calenhad music when we're out on the Wounded Coast.  In this instance, to use the old with the new was the right choice.

[PinkShoes]

I think the things you did right, the AI, the game play, the graphics, how your party members seem like real people with their own personalities and things to do, the nod to DAO , the codex's page that pops up i read so much more now. How characters interact more with its surroundings like when Fenris throws the bottle or Isabella has a drink, the Hanged Man is seriously a great pub, the banter is amazing you can really see their relationships develop over time like how Avrlin and Isabella start hating each other then become friends and oh my god the music is so damn amazing. That you did great. Well done.

The problem is the bad things over look the good. The character interactions..god no..please bring back how it was in DAO seriously. I feel like these characters were so well developed and you had 10 years with them but you couldn't speak with them when you wanted? Seriously that was terrible in fact that probably ruined the game for me. At one point im running around wondering who my love interest is! I still don't know! I wanted a long conversation with them. Like in DAO you could see Stens point and understand him better but with Fenris at times i was just like oh f*ck off Fenris and he was my favorite LI. I want to know more i want to see more i just want more character interaction so if anything i beg you to change it back to the way it was. I wanted to love these characters, i wanted to be like "oh thats so like..." but really i cant say i know much about them apart from Fenris seems to dislike fish and Isabella tells lame jokes that i do find funny. I also really liked the new crafting system.

The way the enemies just appeared was weird..i had killed everyone and i was like thats god fight and then more appear! Out of no where and im like WTF? it was...weird..at least make them come out from a cave or something it just seems silly.

The reused areas didn't bother me MUCH until i saw something and i was like oh hell no Bioware. Bertrand and Fenris' mansions are EXACTLY the same. They even have the same amount of dead bodies in it and why HASN'T Fenris cleaned up the dead bodies isn't that creepy? And in like what 6 years they haven't rotted away? C'mon that was just sloppy.

The story was...it wasn't an epic. At the end of DAO i felt like i had been dragged threw hell and back, i felt like i had accomplished something and i felt like a badass in DA2 i don't know..something just felt missing. Also, the whole game felt like an introduction to DA3.

Switching weapons would have actually been useful here, in DAO using a bow was really useless i felt but in DA2 it had some impact and was a lot more useful.

In DAO i could over look its faults because it was so good, its my favorite game. In DA2 its fault i just cant over look. I like the game, don't get me wrong. But i just don't love it.

If i had to score it i would score it a 6. a good solid score for a good solid game. But its not an amazing epic adventure. Maybe the DLC will add to the adventure and make it better. I hope it does.

Thank you for reading.

Modifié par PinkShoes, 01 avril 2011 - 06:19 .

[loudent3]

I would have liked to have the game actually chage based on the decisions I made. For example You know who's little "thing" at the end (actually the entire ending is probably an example). We should have been able to prevent that, or at least manage to get what's her name to safety.

Another thing I didn't chare for is no  failure/success on the player. It's ok to have unforseen consequences EDIT: removed spoilers. only example I can give is how certain people died

By far, my favorite part of DA:2 was the companion quests. I don't know if they were that great or if it just seemed so compared to the lackluster story I was supposedly playing through but I would love to see more companion quests in the next DA:2

I would love NOT to see the time jump forward. A couple of weeks , perhaps a couple of months is OK but three years where supposedly so much happens. It just further distanced me from any sort of emotional involvement either way. If you are going to do a several year time jump then you need to make some changes to the areas. Corpses hanging around for 6 years in Fenris' house is silly.

Area reuse: I'm ok with reusing areas with the following caveats: 1) when reusing an area and you wall off parts of it to make it seem different at least adjust the minimap to remove the walled off areas so we don't recognize it immedietely. 2) if you are gonig to have randomly generated areas with semi-random quests/events, then it's ok to reuse some areas.

I would like to see a larger world next time

I like the dugneon size in DA:2. I've never been fond of long dungeon crawls and I really appreciated not having them in da:2.

[FubarCFSnafu]

That is my point, it just seems the whole story and quests were just fedex packages. I mean the ideas I had are not great, but they would still work into the story and make it more complete.

In addition, the whole marketing bs says your adeventure spans over 10 years. Huh? You complete an act and they move it forwards 3 years and you journal gets a 5 sentence paragraph about how your companions are. Really? Wow, spending $65.00 (59.99 + tax) and this is what I get. I admit it, I bought it because of DA:O and DA:A, now I am not even sure I would want to buy any DLCs or expansion packs because of this.

As a matter of fact, here are some expanded upon quests that tie your character to the story and Kirkwall:
I though the main plot idea was a good idea. However, the story seemd to be a bit hollow and full of holes which left your story and your companions a bit hollow. This is especially true after supposedly knowing them for 10 years.

Hawke's Family:
I am not sure what our history was or of my background. We are running from Ferelden (Lothering) but I am not sureif I was a farmer, merchant, etc. It may be possible that I missed this, but it is hard to pin down. This could have been done so much better then what we received. You do get some bits and drabs through some conversation though.

1. Finding out the business that the Hawkes used to do. This could have been tied to the Bone Pit whose owner isHubert. A sub-plot could be getting it back either civilly (buyng it out or partnering) or underhanded (killing himor forcing hm to sell.

2. Going into the basement of the Hawke Estate: This was a good start but there was not much else to be found, it would have been nice to find other things of the past other than a portrait. The slavers used it, then there could have been secret rooms built into it for the use of slaves, etc. This would allow further explorations or other quests to find out the family history since apparently they live in Kirkwall.


3. Leandra. As you are aware of what happens to her, there is not much to go on with your character's mother. This could have been explored alot more and opened new insight in regards to your family. After you come back, she is now in the Hawke estate, saying a few things, but not much else. How about a quest to find a a possible husband for your mom. Your companions could have even helped, by keeping any eye out for one during their travels and they could talk to you about in a conversation cut scene. Picture each of the personalities involved, Aveline, Fenris, Merill, it could ahve provided foe some humorous moments. Afterwards, a wedding could take place where it would allow thecompanions to talk to one another during the reception and have the character dance or flirt during this time. Again, it allows immersion and story telling. The plot could still be followed and allow what happens to her in the end, but it would have been even more of an impact because you could now connect with her.

The Bone Pit:
This could ahve been a good jumping off point to provide some solid quests and reasoning behind it. Clearing the area of bandits, establishing a supply route, clearing out the monsters. And guess what, you now have a meaningful reason to go there on quests because you now have a motive to do so. You can also receive income from it once this has been done. You could receive several letters from Hubert with money in it.
This could also be taken a step further, you get it from Hubert, you now have a say on the merchant's guild because this mine supplies Kirkwall (with what, I ahve no idea what they are mining though). Now oyu ahve a further stake in Kirkwall and some quests or interaction can be done in regards to this, you can hire the Ferelden's this was touched upon, but nothing else was really done with it, instead it was left flat and empty. I mean, you could have a mining town grow around it where you ahve to protect it from bandits/darkspawn in another act or year.

Character Growth:
There isn't any other than by saying you are a noble with an estate or champion after Act II. How about the character eanring his nobility and be knighted in a ceremony after doing important work, such as the following:

1. Mage: Creating a new magic item that helps the city somehow, you ahve to do quests and move up the ranks next to the First Enchanter and the city recognizes this. Or you help try yo keep the peace by rooting out Blood Mages and abominations, finding lost texts of magic in the undercity when it was part of Tevinter. Create a new office in the Circle called First Artificer or something. Once completed you could have Merill or Anders could assist you or be your second in command. Afterwards You are part of a cermeony where you are recognized for your efforts. Again, allows for more party interaction. After a few years the office becomes larger and more people work there. this would pit you against Meredith and the Templars.

2. Warrior: You do work for the guards and Aveline or purchase yourself a comission in the Guards (this was done in Medieval times) and you use your party to do this. Such sub-plots could be the clearing of bandits of supply routes to Kirkwall. Creating a fort to protect the cleared area, howrever, this would involve speaking to the Dalish, finding a suitable site, creating a supply route, exploring/mapping the area, fend it off from attack. You can rise through the ranks and be knighted in a ceremony attended by your friends. Fenris and Aveline could take over the command of the new fort. After a few years, it becomes bigger and better. Again, allows for more party interaction. This could pit you agianst the Seneschal.

3. Rogue: You can find out a note in your basement which leads to a slaver guild within the city, you can fight totake it over or destroy it, if you take it over, you can get added income from it, but now you have to contend with your companions who are against slavery. This would allow for interesting dialog or once it is destroyed you then have to ake out other rival gangs and become the spymater of Kirkwall. Isabella and Varric could take this over.

Companions:
There are some that are done well, but again, you are suppsoed to be friends for seven years and not much is actually known about them.

1. Aveline was done well enough, but it was not really tied to anything, by making her a part of you character growth, it could be taken to a new level.

2. Merill: Other than the mirror and some dialog not much else is found, you can romance her but if this si someone you cared about, how about embarking on another quest to find out more about her such as finding out about her family.

As you can see much could have been added to tie everything together but unformatuntely this was not done. These were just some ideas I ahd in my head for about an hour and decided to write them down. I am not saying this is the best but if I could ahve come up with these ideas, surely DA2 could ahve had something similar. In addition, it would allow a better flow of meaningful quests that make sense to do instead of the current ones