Persephone wrote...
Do you REALLY expect the devs to bash their own game? And if they did say "Well, this/that really didn't turn out well but we'll try harder the next time!" it would also be twisted into something it is not. Bioware has aknowledged that a part of the (vocal) fanbase wasn't happy and that they're listening/working with feedback. Good enough for me. I just hope than none of the things I loved about DAII will be tossed aside. Yeah, that's me, I'm selfish like that.
I definitely agree. There are elements of DA2 that definitely need more work, such as map variation, but there are also things that are a considerable step up from Origins: The combat system and the voiced character are the most deciding features for me. They are not numerous, but they dominate more or less the two only things you do in an action RPG: fight and talk. In Origins, combat was clunky and slow, and dialogue was a frustratingly one-sided affair to experience. This has improved greatly in DA2, which is one of the reasons why I prefer to play it over Origins, even though certain more marginal features work better in the first game.
That said, there are also things from Origins that I miss. Most of the points I have have already been covered by others, such as the recycled maps, but in all my self-importance I believe that I have some "innovation" to add (see, I used the forbidden word, troll me down!):
The mood icon in the dialogue wheel is helpful, but it kind of simplifies conversation in the wrong way: you are left with very few options (some of which turn out to be dramatically different in speech than in paraphrase). It would be nice if you didn't have to use a corny catchphrase every time you wanted to flirt with Isabela, if you could accept or refuse quests with varying degrees of enthusiasm, or if a series of the right words at the right time could turn out similar to the Persuade/Intimidate feature in Origins. I really liked how you had to think about a certain dialogue option, because there was a chance that it could go either way, and that there was a risk of being caught lying.
The fixed dialogues are also a real pain in the trousers! I enjoyed the easter eggs hidden in the different conversations with companions in DA:O, that you had to invest time getting to know them before they would confide in you or offer you a companion quest. The way it works at the moment, you have to pick every single word carefully, because chances are that your next conversation with that person is half a chapter down the road. To add insult to injury, they even tell you in the tips displaying on the loading screen to "check by your companions' home bases frequently to have longer conversations than you can have in the field". My back pocket, you can! All you get is a home base specific non-dialogue one-liner.
Another thing, which also bugged me a bit about Origins, is the feeling of a mandatory linear path. In Origins it was understandable, as you had an obligatory Archdemon to defeat, but when your quest is to "rise to power, by any means necessary", you should be given a bit more room to rummage. It's not much fun that you cannot advance without having completed certain main plot quests. I can think os hours of replay value to be had if the choice was between action and inaction as well as between different types of actions. Reject a main plot quest, and see how the events unfold on their own. Because the game plot spans such a vast period of time, there is ample opportunity for these kinds of decisions to come back and haunt you at a later point. Perhaps it is just my experiment to see how many templar/mage conflicts I can keep my rogue out of that makes me feel this way, but I think it would make it much more worth our while to revisit the game, especially because it would also allow us to better manage the time it takes to complete a playthrough.
The final thing, which is more cosmetic than anything else, is that I miss the lighting from Origins. I like the artwork in DA2 (especially the Chantry has received a nice overhaul), and I think the UI works just fine, but it just doesn't have the same feel to it as e.g. the deep roads sequences from Origins, or the lighting on the characters' faces when they sit around the campfire. The way light and shadow interact works a lot better in the first game, while DA2 just feels too bland. The only place I can think of where it works are the frame scenes with Cassandra and Varric, and that's really a shame.
I know the odds of my fanboy-rant reaching the ears of BioWare is about the same as all the other poor sods in this place, but my hope is that the more voices saying the same thing, the greater the chance that they'll listen.
Collective P.S.: If your Hawke is dull, try making some more exciting choices
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:D:D
I hate the game, but you deserve to not be made to feel like a dolt, at least by the game's developer and publisher.
:P:P
