Mild DAII spoilers in post, not major ones.
But, think, its no different from DAO or any Bioware game. You cannot change the plot until the end. In BGII, you cannot change the plot, and has one ending, multiple endings in Throne of Bhaal. In Jade Empire, you cannot change the plot until the very end. In KOTOR, same thing. In both Mass Effects, consquences are only really promised in the third game. Very little choices change the plot. Hopefully in the third game, choices actually matter as we have to finally deal with the consquences.
DAII is no different from the average WRPG that is story driven. Planescape Torment had a set story and one ending despite anything you do...its always Blood War for the Nameless One. Deus Ex had a railroaded plot where choices mean little until the every end. Choice matter here in there, but not in the grand scope of things. DX: Invisble War while improved in choice and consquence, still had no plot change from choices until endgame. One ending in all main Ultima games (except for Black Gate which has two), with a set plot in all of them. Vampire TM Bloodlines...same, not until the end.
Its the games that have choices change the plot that stick out. The Witcher games is one example, with the second being even better than the first. Alpha Protocol while a busted game, was another. Fallout New Vegas is another, even better than the Black Isle ones at choices affecting things. A major JRPG example is Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, where the decision whether or not to aid a horrific false flag operation leads you down two distinct paths where enemies in one path can be allies in another. Add another decision in the Chaotic route that splits into two more paths, a horrific decision in the Lawful Path (in the original not PSP version) in whether or not to kill a character that has every right to oppose you (you get the most important spell in the game by killing her, but she is far from an evil character who is trying to avenge her brothers death you had a hand in). Add the fact that characters killed in battle for the most part stay dead and the death of one particular character changes the ending as well as the moments leading up before.
And how is DAO allow you to change the plot with your decisions? It doesn't. Except for what fodder you bring to the final battle or the Fallout style ending card of a result you are told not shown, outside one instance in the midgame, your choices don't really matter until the very end. Its just like any other Bioware game. The difference to DAII is that DAII's choices are more personal instead of grand, and they present the consquences to you ingame instead of an ending card after the game finishes. Characters live or die based your choices. Characters may show up to thank you, write you a letter, or open of exclusive quests based on your decisions. The choice and consquence of DAII is more in the side quests than in the main quest, until the very end, just like most WRPGs and Bioware games. DAO was no different except for the fact that you are forced to play most of the side stories. Take "Night Terrors" in Act II for instance in DAII. The consquences can either be, a tranquil Fenryial in the Gallows, a possesed Fenryial roaming around, or Fenryial writing a thank you letter from Tevinter. Instead of showing an ending card of what happens to him, you are shown what happens. The choice and consquences are more personal outcomes than epic society changing ones, which gives the illusion that choices don't matter at all.
What DAII could have had is have an opening choice in Act II and Act III alter the entire act. Imagine two different Act II's, one on the Chantry side and one on the Qunari side, and two different entire Act III's, Mages and Templar's respectively, but allow you to bunny hop after the climatic moment. Thats what DAII could have done. But its choice and consquence format is no different from any other Bioware game, with the only substantial choice of choices that affect the main plot being at the very end.
Criticizing the lack of choice and consquence in the main plot in DAII because it fails to match some RPG like The Witcher 2, that does have plot altering decisions, or to rise above the common Bioware stock is a valid criticism. But saying that DAII has less choice and consquence than most WRPGs is unknowledgable and hypocritical.
Bioware is far better with choices than with consquences..its always been like this. Hopefully Mass Effect 3 changes that.
Modifié par txgoldrush, 12 juillet 2011 - 03:05 .
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