In an interview with Joystiq, Laidlaw previously mentioned how Bioware tasked itself with improving three elements in Dragon Age 2: the story, the graphics and the combat.
In a 1-10 scale, how close did Bioware come in terms of improving these elements and what will you suggest that Bioware do to improve those three elements?
1-A massive step-back in terms of the original
5- Average- No change or difference made in terms of the original
10- Vast improvement in terms of the original.
With those scales, I personally thought
The Story - (4) I applaud Bioware's attempt to do something different but the story was just boring and felt more like a serious of side-quests stringed together. Fetch this and get money was the main plot of Act 1, Kick Qunari in the balls was Act 2, Act as bystander as your friend blows up stuff was Act 3. Seriously, the scenarios simply LACKED in choices and the consequences of your choices. Sure there were some bright spots here and there but the majority of the quests just had you slashing your way out through every encounter and the quests just felted irrelevant to the other quests. I suggest focusing more on how each quest link to the other, influencing the outcome of the quests taken. In the end, "it's choices and consequnces, stupid"
The Graphics (6) The game has gotten a lot of flak especially with games like The Witcher 2 and Skyrim coming out. Bioware promised it will oook visually hot and we got a medicore-looking game. Sure, it looks better than DA:O but that's like pulling a C+ to a B-. I preferred the more realsitic, gritty look of the original and felt that DA2's graphics were too cartoony.
Agree or Disagree?
The Combat - (7.5) - Unlike most of the complainers that the combat was ruined, I liked the faster pace of the game. However, this is easily countered by the introduction of waves. SERIOUSLY? What demented designer looked at Dragon Age, a game based on tactical positioning and squad coordination, and thought that the game needed a wave system where enemies fall out of the sky or appear out of thin air? Either cut that crap down or get rid of it entirely.
So that's just a few of my thoughts in comparing to Bioware's goals and I'm curious what the community thinks.
DA2'S Three Promised Improvements: Did Bioware fulfill her goals?
Débuté par
Savber100
, mai 10 2011 05:58
Retour en haut
#2
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 06:05
Rebecca Black likes DA2
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Story stunk. It felt small and literally nothing you did mattered in the end.
Graphics stunk. New elf models were horrible, low res things clashed with hi res things, even the staues are hiding their face out of embarrassment
Combat- I couldnt really see the combat through all the awesome button blood. What I did see though waqs a bunch of broken talents and enemies who spawn out of nowhere. People make a ig deal out of the ones that drop from the ceiling, I'm talking about the ones who spawn out of thin air. Awful. And no slow-mo finishing moves? WTF?
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Story stunk. It felt small and literally nothing you did mattered in the end.
Graphics stunk. New elf models were horrible, low res things clashed with hi res things, even the staues are hiding their face out of embarrassment
Combat- I couldnt really see the combat through all the awesome button blood. What I did see though waqs a bunch of broken talents and enemies who spawn out of nowhere. People make a ig deal out of the ones that drop from the ceiling, I'm talking about the ones who spawn out of thin air. Awful. And no slow-mo finishing moves? WTF?
#3
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 06:17
Wozearly
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Personally, I'd go with...
Story - (4). The actual storywriting and threading multiple connections together was very well done as a general rule. Some of the characterisation was good, a number of twists were unexpected and, generally, it was engaging to follow....however, the lack of impact your decisions made and your inability to impact several rather key points was a significant downside, as were the plethora of not-especially-inspiring side quests. Also, the sudden leaps in time where, say, you discovered random people greeting you as an old friend who you'd never met before...pretty immersion breaking. As was the general unchanging, and claustrophobic, nature of setting everything in a Kirkwall that never seemed to age.
As a whole, it felt like some great ideas that, sadly, got drowned amidst a flood of 'extras' and a rushed implementation.
Graphics - (3). Its definitely prettier, and higher definition, which is to be expected from a sequel...and there were a lot of very subtle nice touches. But...it wasn't jaw-droppingly awesome, and whilst the new colour wash appealed to some, for me it annihilated the drab grittyness of the original and, as the OP pointed out, created a cartoony impression. Particularly with the darkspawn.
I would have marked it higher, though, if they hadn't taken the bizarre decision to reskin so many of the races and characters even to points where you could hear the lore creaking loudly. Unnecessary and actually a step back in most cases, with Flemeth being an arguable exception...although explaining her newfound youthfulness would have been better, rather than just going "Oh yeah, Flemeth, she looks like *this* now".
Oh...and then making almost all customisable armour and weapon looks restricted to Hawke only. Presumably for the additional DLC factor of paid-for companion weapons and armour, a la ME2. -2 points for that alone.
Combat (3) - I didn't enjoy the faster pace, because I didn't feel it added much apart from making battles 'feel' more hectic. Whilst I can accept the logic of increasing the speed compared to Origins, firing it up by over 50% was excessive. Overall the battles took the same amount of time, if not longer, because of the addition of wave after wave of enemies thrown in to fall to your group's awesome abilties of awesome. Every time you push a button.
Add to that the more restricted weapon selections, the fact that on everything except Nightmare you can merrily AoE one-shot (or combo two-in-one shot with a companion member) several enemies at once...for me, it just didn't fit. Even where it was tactically difficult, I didn't find it tactically enjoyable in the same way I did with Origins.
Story - (4). The actual storywriting and threading multiple connections together was very well done as a general rule. Some of the characterisation was good, a number of twists were unexpected and, generally, it was engaging to follow....however, the lack of impact your decisions made and your inability to impact several rather key points was a significant downside, as were the plethora of not-especially-inspiring side quests. Also, the sudden leaps in time where, say, you discovered random people greeting you as an old friend who you'd never met before...pretty immersion breaking. As was the general unchanging, and claustrophobic, nature of setting everything in a Kirkwall that never seemed to age.
As a whole, it felt like some great ideas that, sadly, got drowned amidst a flood of 'extras' and a rushed implementation.
Graphics - (3). Its definitely prettier, and higher definition, which is to be expected from a sequel...and there were a lot of very subtle nice touches. But...it wasn't jaw-droppingly awesome, and whilst the new colour wash appealed to some, for me it annihilated the drab grittyness of the original and, as the OP pointed out, created a cartoony impression. Particularly with the darkspawn.
I would have marked it higher, though, if they hadn't taken the bizarre decision to reskin so many of the races and characters even to points where you could hear the lore creaking loudly. Unnecessary and actually a step back in most cases, with Flemeth being an arguable exception...although explaining her newfound youthfulness would have been better, rather than just going "Oh yeah, Flemeth, she looks like *this* now".
Oh...and then making almost all customisable armour and weapon looks restricted to Hawke only. Presumably for the additional DLC factor of paid-for companion weapons and armour, a la ME2. -2 points for that alone.
Combat (3) - I didn't enjoy the faster pace, because I didn't feel it added much apart from making battles 'feel' more hectic. Whilst I can accept the logic of increasing the speed compared to Origins, firing it up by over 50% was excessive. Overall the battles took the same amount of time, if not longer, because of the addition of wave after wave of enemies thrown in to fall to your group's awesome abilties of awesome. Every time you push a button.
Add to that the more restricted weapon selections, the fact that on everything except Nightmare you can merrily AoE one-shot (or combo two-in-one shot with a companion member) several enemies at once...for me, it just didn't fit. Even where it was tactically difficult, I didn't find it tactically enjoyable in the same way I did with Origins.
#4
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 06:30
Forst1999
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Story: 7. I liked the personal scope, the political struggels in Kirkwall and the focus on the mage/templar conflict. While there were few big choices, i was able to define the personality of Hawke better than the one's of my Wardens'. The writing is great, the characters are great, i love it.
Graphics: 8. Definitly prettier. Some nice effects, better faces, a unique style. I love that they got rid of the overdone effects of substainable talents that annoyed me in DA:O.
Combat 8: More fun, comparable depth, much better balance. Waves can be annoying, but most times i like some unpredictability. Especially the boss fights are worth mentioning.
Graphics: 8. Definitly prettier. Some nice effects, better faces, a unique style. I love that they got rid of the overdone effects of substainable talents that annoyed me in DA:O.
Combat 8: More fun, comparable depth, much better balance. Waves can be annoying, but most times i like some unpredictability. Especially the boss fights are worth mentioning.
#5
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 06:37
Robtachi
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The problem is, even if we concede that they improved all three promised areas, these changes were at the brutal and bloody expense of just about every other RPG-like element that make these games immersive.
So I guess my answer is, yes, they did, but at the expense of making a great Bioware RPG.
So I guess my answer is, yes, they did, but at the expense of making a great Bioware RPG.
#6
Guest_Alistairlover94_*
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 06:44
Guest_Alistairlover94_*
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Savber100 wrote...
In an interview with Joystiq, Laidlaw previously mentioned how Bioware tasked itself with improving three elements in Dragon Age 2: the story, the graphics and the combat.
In a 1-10 scale, how close did Bioware come in terms of improving these elements and what will you suggest that Bioware do to improve those three elements?
1-A massive step-back in terms of the original
5- Average- No change or difference made in terms of the original
10- Vast improvement in terms of the original.
With those scales, I personally thought
The Story - (4) I applaud Bioware's attempt to do something different but the story was just boring and felt more like a serious of side-quests stringed together. Fetch this and get money was the main plot of Act 1, Kick Qunari in the balls was Act 2, Act as bystander as your friend blows up stuff was Act 3. Seriously, the scenarios simply LACKED in choices and the consequences of your choices. Sure there were some bright spots here and there but the majority of the quests just had you slashing your way out through every encounter and the quests just felted irrelevant to the other quests. I suggest focusing more on how each quest link to the other, influencing the outcome of the quests taken. In the end, "it's choices and consequnces, stupid"
The Graphics (6) The game has gotten a lot of flak especially with games like The Witcher 2 and Skyrim coming out. Bioware promised it will oook visually hot and we got a medicore-looking game. Sure, it looks better than DA:O but that's like pulling a C+ to a B-. I preferred the more realsitic, gritty look of the original and felt that DA2's graphics were too cartoony.
Agree or Disagree?
The Combat - (7.5) - Unlike most of the complainers that the combat was ruined, I liked the faster pace of the game. However, this is easily countered by the introduction of waves. SERIOUSLY? What demented designer looked at Dragon Age, a game based on tactical positioning and squad coordination, and thought that the game needed a wave system where enemies fall out of the sky or appear out of thin air? Either cut that crap down or get rid of it entirely.
So that's just a few of my thoughts in comparing to Bioware's goals and I'm curious what the community thinks.
I agree with your ratings on everything except for the combat. The combat is a 3 for me. Sure they made the combat move at a faster pace. But the enemies still attack in Origins' battle pace, which makes the game incredibly easy. And the waves. Waves are a trademark of shooters and hack-n-slashers. When I enter battle, I want my tactics to work, not be ruined by trash mobs materializing in mid-air right behind my mage.
And the explosions when a blade even glances the enemy. I can't see anything because of the blood covering up the screen. And the ridiculousness of every enemy exploding and turning into Lego. I also dislike the camera on PC. It. Is. Terrible! And the removal of trap-making makes the combat less strategic. In Origins, I would set up a trap, then my tank attract the aggro, the enemies then stumble into my trap while my mage utterly destroys them with AoE spells. I definitely missed that in this game.
#7
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 06:59
Texhnolyze101
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i don't care much for graphics and the combat in DA:RTP was boring IMO
#8
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 07:16
Cowboy_christo
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Story 3/10
There wasnt anything epic in this whole story. Framed narrative is, in whatever media, usually bad and really hard to pull off correctly and bioware tripped over their shoelace here. Most character were bland or so exaggerated that they became ridiculous(only redeeming character is Varric). The only reason im giving this a 3 is because of the mage qunari quest and Varric which gave me a glimpse of hope before the rest smacked me in the face.
Graphic 5/10
I dont really give a **** about the quality of graphic in a game but atleast they should have stuck with consistency instead of having butt**** ugly lowres character mixed with the rest. As for other graphic changes, the elf change wasnt necessary. Yes lets get away from "tolkien" elves and go for the Navi instead. There was 3 elf that didnt look retarded, orsino merril and fenris(well he did look retarded but not because of is elf face). Qunari change was also "okay", i felt it didnt need change but the result was okay, they looked badass and that's about it. Hoh and the usual "generic" cave, house, etc complaint.
Gameplay 1/10
Im sorry but if i wanted to play a hack n slash ill go play a good one. Dont really feel going into details and anyway this is mostly based on everyone's opinion. Some liked, some hated and some dont give a darn to be spoonfed horse****.
There wasnt anything epic in this whole story. Framed narrative is, in whatever media, usually bad and really hard to pull off correctly and bioware tripped over their shoelace here. Most character were bland or so exaggerated that they became ridiculous(only redeeming character is Varric). The only reason im giving this a 3 is because of the mage qunari quest and Varric which gave me a glimpse of hope before the rest smacked me in the face.
Graphic 5/10
I dont really give a **** about the quality of graphic in a game but atleast they should have stuck with consistency instead of having butt**** ugly lowres character mixed with the rest. As for other graphic changes, the elf change wasnt necessary. Yes lets get away from "tolkien" elves and go for the Navi instead. There was 3 elf that didnt look retarded, orsino merril and fenris(well he did look retarded but not because of is elf face). Qunari change was also "okay", i felt it didnt need change but the result was okay, they looked badass and that's about it. Hoh and the usual "generic" cave, house, etc complaint.
Gameplay 1/10
Im sorry but if i wanted to play a hack n slash ill go play a good one. Dont really feel going into details and anyway this is mostly based on everyone's opinion. Some liked, some hated and some dont give a darn to be spoonfed horse****.
Modifié par Cowboy_christo, 10 mai 2011 - 07:21 .
#9
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 07:23
Ryllen Laerth Kriel
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Story - 6. The story sounded like an interesting concept but was poorly executed. "Who is the hero of Kirkwall?" The story was more about everyone else, Hawke ended up being the least interesting person in the room every time, even if he/she was alone.
Graphics- 5. The graphical look was disappointing to me too. There was still clipping everywhere, weapons still floated on the backs of the characters and while some outfits did look nice, some looked terrible. I didn't like the look of most of the weapons, some just appeared to be ineffective scrap metal from a junk yard with a handle (Hayder's sword anyone?). It was as if someone was trying too hard to be original and just ended up with a parody of DA:O's look to me.
Gameplay - 5. This also took a turn for the worse I felt. DA:O was had it's share of trash mobs and some of the combat was repetative with some of the animations being slow (two handed weapons especially). But speeding up all combat to rediculous speeds, "balancing" this with more waves of trash mobs and then topping it all with highly rediculous ninja style moves made the combat experience very unenjoyabe to me.
Total Score - 5.5. While DA:O was not perfect, DA 2 managed to completely ignore improving the previous game's shortcomings while worsening several other aspects I felt weren't broken to begin with.
Graphics- 5. The graphical look was disappointing to me too. There was still clipping everywhere, weapons still floated on the backs of the characters and while some outfits did look nice, some looked terrible. I didn't like the look of most of the weapons, some just appeared to be ineffective scrap metal from a junk yard with a handle (Hayder's sword anyone?). It was as if someone was trying too hard to be original and just ended up with a parody of DA:O's look to me.
Gameplay - 5. This also took a turn for the worse I felt. DA:O was had it's share of trash mobs and some of the combat was repetative with some of the animations being slow (two handed weapons especially). But speeding up all combat to rediculous speeds, "balancing" this with more waves of trash mobs and then topping it all with highly rediculous ninja style moves made the combat experience very unenjoyabe to me.
Total Score - 5.5. While DA:O was not perfect, DA 2 managed to completely ignore improving the previous game's shortcomings while worsening several other aspects I felt weren't broken to begin with.
Modifié par Ryllen Laerth Kriel, 10 mai 2011 - 07:48 .
#10
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 07:30
Chuvvy
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Story 5: It's an interesting idea, framed narrative. I don't think bioware delivered. Just like Ryllen.
Graphics 4: They're still sub par. They're just more colorfully sub par.
Gameplay 6.5: I miss the old style. But I like the animations of this one (Mage ones anyway) Cross class combos are cool. And I like the pacing. If they combined the two it'd be awesome.
Note 5 is average.
Graphics 4: They're still sub par. They're just more colorfully sub par.
Gameplay 6.5: I miss the old style. But I like the animations of this one (Mage ones anyway) Cross class combos are cool. And I like the pacing. If they combined the two it'd be awesome.
Note 5 is average.
#11
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 07:32
Haexpane
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(3) Story -
solid voice acting over a laboriously pointless script. The story is basically the first 2 seasons of the sitcom "One Day at a Time" with dragons.
(5) Graphics -
Nice b00bs. Nice special effects I guess, hard to see with the exploding corpses
(5) Gameplay -
Decent ideas ON PAPER, but they forgot that when you try to make a game action oriented, you need action controls. It's just a KIDDIE RTS the way it plays now.
solid voice acting over a laboriously pointless script. The story is basically the first 2 seasons of the sitcom "One Day at a Time" with dragons.
(5) Graphics -
Nice b00bs. Nice special effects I guess, hard to see with the exploding corpses
(5) Gameplay -
Decent ideas ON PAPER, but they forgot that when you try to make a game action oriented, you need action controls. It's just a KIDDIE RTS the way it plays now.
#13
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 07:47
Ryllen Laerth Kriel
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Whoops. 
Modifié par Ryllen Laerth Kriel, 10 mai 2011 - 07:48 .
#15
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 07:55
Gamejudge
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Why the hell not...
Story- 3.
I didn't care for what little there was. I didn't enjoy having little agency in the events that were unfurling. The world itself wasn't even recognizable from DA:O.
Graphics: 1.
Hurlocks. I rest my case.
Combat: 7.
No waves. There should never have been waves. I was fine with them "speeding up" the combat. The lack of tactical camera hurt and the blood everywhere is annoying. But I did appreciate them actually speeding up the mechanics of combat. Everything else about the implementation lacked greatly. Also, no rogue teleportation. That is all.
Story- 3.
I didn't care for what little there was. I didn't enjoy having little agency in the events that were unfurling. The world itself wasn't even recognizable from DA:O.
Graphics: 1.
Hurlocks. I rest my case.
Combat: 7.
No waves. There should never have been waves. I was fine with them "speeding up" the combat. The lack of tactical camera hurt and the blood everywhere is annoying. But I did appreciate them actually speeding up the mechanics of combat. Everything else about the implementation lacked greatly. Also, no rogue teleportation. That is all.
#16
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 07:55
Deviana
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Story - 7
I liked it overall. It wasn't as grand as fighting the Blight in DA:O, but it felt very life-like and real. Perhaps this is why some found it boring. The truth is - a lot of people live their whole lives in 1-2 cities, most don't venture too far from it (due to work, school, family etc) and sometimes, someone would get mixed up in the events that are way over their head. This is pretty much Hawke's story. Not as fascinating and epic as saving the world, but still well told.
Graphics - 8
Without getting into the whole debate over texutres and consistency with DA world - they are pretty. That's about it.
Combat - 7
Dynamic and fun. Only gripe I have are the endless waves of enemies. That just feels off.
I liked it overall. It wasn't as grand as fighting the Blight in DA:O, but it felt very life-like and real. Perhaps this is why some found it boring. The truth is - a lot of people live their whole lives in 1-2 cities, most don't venture too far from it (due to work, school, family etc) and sometimes, someone would get mixed up in the events that are way over their head. This is pretty much Hawke's story. Not as fascinating and epic as saving the world, but still well told.
Graphics - 8
Without getting into the whole debate over texutres and consistency with DA world - they are pretty. That's about it.
Combat - 7
Dynamic and fun. Only gripe I have are the endless waves of enemies. That just feels off.
#17
Guest_simfamUP_*
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 07:59
Guest_simfamUP_*
Guest_simfamUP_*
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Story 7:
They could have done alot more with it, but over-all I liked it alot.
Graphics ???
Sorry but I do not care for such things.
Combat 10
Yes, it was much better... well aside from the ninja mobs.
They could have done alot more with it, but over-all I liked it alot.
Graphics ???
Sorry but I do not care for such things.
Combat 10
Yes, it was much better... well aside from the ninja mobs.
#18
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 08:10
The Dubious
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Story- 6.5
I like the story/stories in general or the idea revolving around it and all, just not the way it was handled/written. It all just seemed to sparse, like I'm not sure what the rising Qunari conflict had to do with the Templar vs. Mage conflict- they both seemed like interesting tidbits, but both were but preludes.
Graphic- 7
Reminded me revamped version of Oblivion's graphics- mostly concerning NPC's. It wasn't all bad, just nothing spectacular either.
Combat- 6
I appreciated the smoother and quick execution of attacks, speed was alright- I prefer DA:2's combat style when play Mage class character rather than Origins. The random waves of NPC's falling from the sky was irritating and weird.
I like the story/stories in general or the idea revolving around it and all, just not the way it was handled/written. It all just seemed to sparse, like I'm not sure what the rising Qunari conflict had to do with the Templar vs. Mage conflict- they both seemed like interesting tidbits, but both were but preludes.
Graphic- 7
Reminded me revamped version of Oblivion's graphics- mostly concerning NPC's. It wasn't all bad, just nothing spectacular either.
Combat- 6
I appreciated the smoother and quick execution of attacks, speed was alright- I prefer DA:2's combat style when play Mage class character rather than Origins. The random waves of NPC's falling from the sky was irritating and weird.
#19
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 08:19
Haexpane
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What's interesting is everyone is saying "Aside from the respawning"... odd since respawning was 95% of the combat content. "Aside from respawning" would have left just the boss fights. Which were "whack the meat bag" style.
Bioware has gone on record stating that the Respawn waves ARE HERE TO STAY or in Corporate Bullet point speak "Moving Forward"
We keep acting like it's a major flaw that Bioware is going to remove and redesign...
We are HOPELESS OPTIMISTS!
Bioware has gone on record stating that the Respawn waves ARE HERE TO STAY or in Corporate Bullet point speak "Moving Forward"
We keep acting like it's a major flaw that Bioware is going to remove and redesign...
We are HOPELESS OPTIMISTS!
#20
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 08:35
Savber100
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Haexpane wrote...
What's interesting is everyone is saying "Aside from the respawning"... odd since respawning was 95% of the combat content. "Aside from respawning" would have left just the boss fights. Which were "whack the meat bag" style.
Bioware has gone on record stating that the Respawn waves ARE HERE TO STAY or in Corporate Bullet point speak "Moving Forward"
We keep acting like it's a major flaw that Bioware is going to remove and redesign...
We are HOPELESS OPTIMISTS!
You can't blame some of us in hoping that Bioware will realize her mistakes and strive to change. I've been playing Bioware games for too long to believe that they'll dump their core fans even with EA's encroaching hands covering Bioware.
But you're right.... I hate how Bioware and the DA crew seems to be in the belief that DA2 was 'step in the right direction' and only needed more improvements to make it better.
This isn't a step in the right path, this isn't even a step in the wrong path, it's a mistep off a freaking cliff! So it's infuriating and amusing to see Laidlaw talk about how proud he is of DA2's 'improvements' and how most of his comments point that this was the 'right mixture' of awesome and tactics. *sigh* Just check your own forum and realize that you've alienated a great deal of people that enjoys RPG. Well at least you got some COD players to come over to your fanbase! (Or did you?)
But enough of such pessimism
Most of you have stated what you don't like about DA2' improvements but how would you take it from there? Were there any improvements made in DA2 that you will keep?
#21
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 09:48
Haexpane
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Savber100 wrote...
Were there any improvements made in DA2 that you will keep?
Yes, the boobs. Unfortunately I am not kidding, that's what I would keep from DA2, the booby tech.
#22
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 09:52
alex90c
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Story (7) - It was a step forward from the typical "gather allies and then fight a great evil" story, which I appreciated. It felt good playing in Kirkwall knowing that it wasn't a race against time or the Darkspawn will kill us all. Despite this, what brings it down is both the story device Bioware used and the sheer amount of untapped potential of the story.
In regards to the story device, it was that because people tended to side with the mages in Origins, it was decided that mages should be all made out to be absolutely insane, with the occasional child molester in the Templars to 'balance' things out. I agree with the intent, and it worked on me at the end, but I just felt it was executed badly. Why should I support the mages' side of things when every single one of them goes crazy? Why can't any of them be logical, rational beings? Anders's line in act 1 when he says he wishes mages for once would just resist demons, or Hawke's act 3 line saying he wishes he could just go one week without meeting an insane mage sum up my sentiments perfectly.
The story potential issue is also another big thing. They could have gone deeper in to the whole structure of the templars and mages by actually making the gallows accessible (how is it that when Aveline points out she's rarely ever let in the Gallows in act 3 it just happens to be then that the player is allowed to go in?) and perhaps learning more of the circle fraternities and the templar stance on each of the issues plaguing the Circle at the Gallows during this time in Kirkwall. Another easy example would be at the beginning of act 3 where depending on who you support you get opportunities to help Templars root out blood mages in their sanctuary or to offer protection for nobles growing resentful of Meredith. Why couldn't that have lead on to more? But of course, the problem is that Hawke doesn't act, he reacts. You're rich, a noble and have an estate. Why can't you do anything? It's such a kick in the teeth when you can talk to Varric about perhaps starting a business or getting a title, and with Fenris when he asks whether you've ever wanted to return to Ferelden. Why put that in when it leads to nothing? I don't expect to go back to Ferelden in a game set in Kirkwall, but Hawke could have at least made something of himself through his own accord so as opposed to everybody's skivvy.
Graphics (6) - better than origins yes, but not much so. Don't really have an opinion on the colour palette, but it generally felt washed out and the Deep Roads weren't as epic as they were in DA:O. Crossing the partly damaged bridge and then reaching the enormous gates of Bownammar, flanked by rock hard stone with the occasional pebbles, cracks and crevices made for a harsh, austere environment but it worked. The enormous caverns with their twists and turns, and the sheer height of them with the occasional cracks of light to reveal large cobwebs strung across from one rock face to the ground made the Deep Roads truly noteworthy. DA2 lacks this sense of epicness, and it didn't make me feel the same way at all.
Combat (4) - Nothing wrong with making it faster paced, but it was just plain poorly balanced. In Origins, the player and the enemies were always on an equal footing. Maybe they had more men, but they had exactly the same skill set as you. Now it's simply a case of the player gets an entirely different set of animations and spells while the AI are given originesque animations, with elites having a maximum of four talents depending on their actual purpose. It was also quite cheap to counter massive player damage output with simply large HP mobs which would get hacked to pieces anyway. The amount of times I simply turned on cleave and assail, then used scythe to cut through a whole load of critters is just beyond counting and plain repetitive. Maybe it's a psychological thing and I just prefer things to be fair, but the over-the-top animations, two different skill sets and absurd HP and damage levels made for a poorly balanced game which just made me nostalgic for Origins.
In regards to the story device, it was that because people tended to side with the mages in Origins, it was decided that mages should be all made out to be absolutely insane, with the occasional child molester in the Templars to 'balance' things out. I agree with the intent, and it worked on me at the end, but I just felt it was executed badly. Why should I support the mages' side of things when every single one of them goes crazy? Why can't any of them be logical, rational beings? Anders's line in act 1 when he says he wishes mages for once would just resist demons, or Hawke's act 3 line saying he wishes he could just go one week without meeting an insane mage sum up my sentiments perfectly.
The story potential issue is also another big thing. They could have gone deeper in to the whole structure of the templars and mages by actually making the gallows accessible (how is it that when Aveline points out she's rarely ever let in the Gallows in act 3 it just happens to be then that the player is allowed to go in?) and perhaps learning more of the circle fraternities and the templar stance on each of the issues plaguing the Circle at the Gallows during this time in Kirkwall. Another easy example would be at the beginning of act 3 where depending on who you support you get opportunities to help Templars root out blood mages in their sanctuary or to offer protection for nobles growing resentful of Meredith. Why couldn't that have lead on to more? But of course, the problem is that Hawke doesn't act, he reacts. You're rich, a noble and have an estate. Why can't you do anything? It's such a kick in the teeth when you can talk to Varric about perhaps starting a business or getting a title, and with Fenris when he asks whether you've ever wanted to return to Ferelden. Why put that in when it leads to nothing? I don't expect to go back to Ferelden in a game set in Kirkwall, but Hawke could have at least made something of himself through his own accord so as opposed to everybody's skivvy.
Graphics (6) - better than origins yes, but not much so. Don't really have an opinion on the colour palette, but it generally felt washed out and the Deep Roads weren't as epic as they were in DA:O. Crossing the partly damaged bridge and then reaching the enormous gates of Bownammar, flanked by rock hard stone with the occasional pebbles, cracks and crevices made for a harsh, austere environment but it worked. The enormous caverns with their twists and turns, and the sheer height of them with the occasional cracks of light to reveal large cobwebs strung across from one rock face to the ground made the Deep Roads truly noteworthy. DA2 lacks this sense of epicness, and it didn't make me feel the same way at all.
Combat (4) - Nothing wrong with making it faster paced, but it was just plain poorly balanced. In Origins, the player and the enemies were always on an equal footing. Maybe they had more men, but they had exactly the same skill set as you. Now it's simply a case of the player gets an entirely different set of animations and spells while the AI are given originesque animations, with elites having a maximum of four talents depending on their actual purpose. It was also quite cheap to counter massive player damage output with simply large HP mobs which would get hacked to pieces anyway. The amount of times I simply turned on cleave and assail, then used scythe to cut through a whole load of critters is just beyond counting and plain repetitive. Maybe it's a psychological thing and I just prefer things to be fair, but the over-the-top animations, two different skill sets and absurd HP and damage levels made for a poorly balanced game which just made me nostalgic for Origins.
#23
Guest_Puddi III_*
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 09:58
Guest_Puddi III_*
Guest_Puddi III_*
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Your scale is a bit unusual, I'm not sure if everyone's going to look at it as a relative-to-Origins scale or if they're just going to do the usual 1-10 "how good was it" scale.
Anyway, relative to Origins--
Story: 5
Graphics: 7.5
Combat: 7.5
Anyway, relative to Origins--
Story: 5
Graphics: 7.5
Combat: 7.5
#24
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 10:03
mesmerizedish
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Story: 6 (much better in concept, but the execution could have been improved)
Graphics: 7
Combat: 9
Graphics: 7
Combat: 9
#25
Posté 10 mai 2011 - 10:05
Killer3000ad
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Story-1
Graphics-4 (The elf redesigns were the ultimate lowpoint)
Combat-7
Graphics-4 (The elf redesigns were the ultimate lowpoint)
Combat-7
Modifié par Killer3000ad, 10 mai 2011 - 10:06 .
