Reinveil wrote...
The problem I have with people defending DAII is that they tend not to offer any debate as to why anything is "better" than Origins (or other Bioware titles). Just that they are. Or if they do try to put up a defense, it's usually to the detriment of the game they're claiming isn't a disappointment.
You want me to make a list of exactly why DA2 is a better
role-playing game than Baldur's Gate 2?
I wouldn't say it's a better RPG than Origins though. Pretty even, there.
If it's a better
game as a whole ... then no, not better than Origins, but not far behind. I wouldn't even want to compare is as a game to BG2, since BG2 has so many issues, being an old game (graphics, interface, gameplay in general), and since many of those aspects have been improved in the ~decade since its release.
Anyway. A short comparison of the RPG aspects between DA2 and BG2:
Companions: DA2+: Fully voiced
DA2+: Unique appearances
DA2+: More personally engaging romances (very subjective, but the romances in BG2 never really interested me)
DA2+: More engaging companions as a whole. They have more humour, for one. (Also very subjective, I know)
DA2+: Companions level up with you. Makes it easier to experiment with different combinations during the same playthrough (without cheating)
classes/talents/skills/etcBG2+: Greater variety of classes, which I find "fun", although not necessary.
BG2+: Gave the sense that there were non-combat oriented spells in the world, which DA2 doesn't really do, except for Healing.
BG2-: Too many unnecessary skills, especially spells, that were completely useless. Wasted resources? Though they didn't detract from the gaming experience, not a big minus.
Story
BG2++: Great, unique story, that started small and grew really epic. Amazing.
DA2+: Good story that was very engaging on a personal level.
DA2++: You can choose freely, and no single path is defined as "the best", mostly.
BG2-: Being "good" mostly yielded much better rewards, e.g. killing the innocent girl instead of taking the dragon's deal didn't. Many evil choices also shortened the gameplay of quests. This wasn't always true, but often enough that it annoyed me a lot.
BG2-: The reputation system was awful if you wanted to be a "sneaky" kind of evil, that didn't murder in broad daylight.
Gameplay This point really is unfair to compare, imo. DA2 can draw on much more experience, and many things have been improved. And, it's not a vital part of the RPG experience (to me), not compared with the above points. But since DA2 suffers its most major drawback here, I'll do so anyway. I could make a much more thorough comparison, but I feel that's kind of pointless, so I'll just list what I think is most major. Even though DA2 has its severe drawback here, I'd say it wins, since most of the gameplay is, imo, very good. But you'd expect improvements after a decade, so that only feels natural ...
DA2--- (tripple minus): Recycled areas.
DA2-: Implementation of "waves" could've been much better.
DA2+: Tactics.
BG2+: Very varied environments.
BG2-: The "rest" system was horrendous and made things highly unrealistic. Honestly, how often do you spend like a week in the same small dungeons, just because you've got to sleep for 8 hours between battles? Boke immersion for me every time.
BG2-: Bad movement scripts/pathfinding/whatever you'd call it. Lousy AI.
BG2-: The interface was bothersome, especially with spells and talents, even more so if you were a cleric, since that removed the few quick slots you had.
BG2-: Too much inventory management. I always cheated used Shadowkeeper to get a bag of holding immediately.
So. Uhm. DA2 had much better companions. More banter. More in-depth characters. Unique appearances. Engaging romances. Better gameplay generally speaking.
What I think most sets DA2 apart, is the fact that you can be good/bad on equal terms. As in, in terms of gameplay you're not punished by less content by being "evil", or by getting less money from quests, or by being labeled as evil by all NPCs to the point of getting attacked and only being able to buy things at outrageous prices.
Which is why I defend DA2 from some criticism. Not all. I hated the recycled maps. But in terms of the RPG experience? Yeah, I liked it more than BG2. BG2 is still one of my favourites games ever, and I love it a lot. It's a good RPG, but the DA2 is better.
I will not, however, say whether or not DA2 is a better game. Too difficult for me. BG2 has way too much nostalgic value for me to be able to do that. In terms of pure feeling, BG2 is better. That's a lot of nostalgia, though, and hardly objective in any sense.
Modifié par Taura-Tierno, 24 mars 2011 - 06:19 .
Retour en haut
... anyway argument is standing
Another thing that could have been handled better but in the end it doesn't really bother me that much. I loved ME1 and it's one of my favorite games and the reuse of areas are much worse in that game. I can understand of this is a big problem for other players though.
