1502 réponses à ce sujet

[TEWR]

element eater wrote...

The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...

I feel this deserves to be separated, as I want to give my 2 coppers.


For me, I think the Mage, Archery, and Greatsword animations are perfect.

I think Dual Wielding is too stiff and lifeless when they're up close to an enemy. They're putting no impact into their movement.

S&S is a mixed thing for me.

the great sword animation on its own is ok, its when they are swinging it around a constantly at fast pace it seems silly. What they need to do is add few animations that are markably slower then others to serve as a way to give a more organic feel to to the combat rather then the robotic hyper fast combos they do in da2 without pausing the same is true for the S&S style imo.

the dual wields are in need of serious work though they are ridiculous there is no effort in the swing and the moverments are robotic.

Many pages back I said that the animations were fine as they are, but if you use up all of your stamina your attack speed should be reduced by 25% until you either drink a stamina potion or build up some more stamina like the warriors do when they hit an enemy.

[esper]

The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...

element eater wrote...

The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...

I feel this deserves to be separated, as I want to give my 2 coppers.


For me, I think the Mage, Archery, and Greatsword animations are perfect.

I think Dual Wielding is too stiff and lifeless when they're up close to an enemy. They're putting no impact into their movement.

S&S is a mixed thing for me.

the great sword animation on its own is ok, its when they are swinging it around a constantly at fast pace it seems silly. What they need to do is add few animations that are markably slower then others to serve as a way to give a more organic feel to to the combat rather then the robotic hyper fast combos they do in da2 without pausing the same is true for the S&S style imo.

the dual wields are in need of serious work though they are ridiculous there is no effort in the swing and the moverments are robotic.

Many pages back I said that the animations were fine as they are, but if you use up all of your stamina your attack speed should be reduced by 25% until you either drink a stamina potion or build up some more stamina like the warriors do when they hit an enemy.

^Like that idea.

[element eater]

Filament wrote...

Slower animation mixed with fast ones... that's tricky, because the mage animations do that, and it's very aggravating if you get caught on the slow fifth swing when you're trying to complete a time-sensitive cross class combo.

yah i appreciate that, goodnes knows it ended my mage run through a few times. I was thinking something not quite as lengthly as that but i do appreciate it could  be difficult to work in.

The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...
Many pages back I said that the animations were fine as they are, but if you use up all of your stamina your attack speed should be reduced by 25% until you either drink a stamina potion or build up some more stamina like the warriors do when they hit an enemy.

thats an interesting idea which could also add quite a fun little game mechanic.

I just realy believe it needs something to break up the pace of the attacks any thing that did this would be a plus for me 

Modifié par element eater, 08 août 2011 - 07:22 .

[Wozearly]

Wulfram wrote...

Addai67 wrote...

I imagine people use the term because they're making an association.  Not many of us are artists, who can put our fingers on and describe a response in technical terms.  For me, "cartoony" is an expression that covers art style, combat animations, and the exaggerated, melodramatic elements of the story.

Exaggerated and melodramatic is a reasonable description.  Cartoony is nonsense with regard to the art style and animations.

I think Addai has the right of it, to be honest. DA2 may not be cartoony compared to, say, a cartoon...but it is more cartoony than Origins. Particularly if you're referring to art style and combat style.

I'm not going to argue that the art and combat style were perfect in Origins, but there was a grittier, darker, more realistic look and feel to the game. If you dig up Bevethesda's excellent thread on armour differences, it describes the change from a relatively realistic and thought-out set in Origins to a much more stylised approach in DA2. 

The weapons followed a similar stylisation, which led to crazily outsized two-handed weapons that seemed to weigh next to nothing and could be swung in terrifying arcs that sent whole sets of repetitive drone enemies flying backwards or dropping dead. Rogues blew up bodies with a well-placed stab. Mages did trickshots with their staves, etc.

If you watch Japanese anime, its not too long before you come across a very similar outlandish, over the top style. That's not to say its inherantly bad, or can't be gritty, but its a distinct stylistic shift from the world described in DA:O.

Equally, the rebalancing of power between Hawke and his enemies shifted the feeling of the game. Because of the appearance of the new, more awesome, abilities - standard enemies fell much faster as a result, meaning they were upped in frequency to compensate (contributing to the wave problem) and lieutenant+ enemies given significantly boosted hit bars.

Stylistically, the Warden and companions could expect to be mobbed in certain situations, usually by certain types of critter-enemies (e.g. deep stalkers) but in engagements with the darkspawn numbers and the relative threat of an individual enemy was generally a lot more more balanced in each battle. The Warden had an edge, but they felt like a hero rather than a superhero.

Hawke, meanwhile, felt like a walking god who carved up entire legions without breaking a sweat. If he'd been at Ostagar, Cailin would still be on the throne in Ferelden and Duncan would be bowing to him and saying "We are not worthy..."

This balance is more typically found in less serious genres - again, more often than not, amongst cartoons and anime.

Cartoony and Anime might not be the best descriptors. Excessive, over the top, immersion breaking, exaggerated, melodramatic...call it what you will, but the point stands that a number of people weren't fond of it.

Although Bevethesda lost his rag, I'm actually with him all the way on this one. Personally, I don't like having to suspend disbelief every time I enter combat. I just hope this has more to do with Varric's propensity to exaggerate than a definitive direction for the franchise.

Modifié par Wozearly, 08 août 2011 - 07:27 .

[Redcoat]

The art style...where to begin...

Well first of all, there's simply way too much beige, brown, and grey. I swear, every new building that goes up in my city is either grey or beige, so the last thing I want to see is more of it in a game! And the architecture of Kirkwall is so boxy and dull; as HFIC pointed out, any actually interesting architectural details arent' visible unless you stop and pan the camera up.

And the animations...oh dear lord the combat animations! Obviously a large number of people shall disagree with me on this, but I detested the cartoonish, absurd, over-the-top animation. It has this hyper-punctuated, on-off-on-off quality that makes it look the characters are just striking a series of poses in quick succession, rather than actually striking their opponent. Call the animation of DA:O slow and unrealistic if you will, but at least it was fluid! DA2's combat reminds me of the godawful "animation" you might see in a Japanese cartoon, which always looked more like a series of still frames than actual fluid motion to me. And don't even get me started on the flips, kicks, cartwheels, spins, and 20-feet leaps the characters rountinely make during battle. Or the mages twirling their staves like batons. What purpose does that serve other than to annoy me by making it impossible for me to make my character perform an action until the animation finishes? The whole combat experience was so absurd that at one point, I decided to fire up WinAmp and put on a more appropriate soundtrack, at which point I was unable to take the combat seriously.

The character design is another sore point. I know the whole "Fenris looks like something out of Final Fantasy" shtick has been done to death already, but honestly, when I see some skinny, white-haired pretty boy wielding a massive, two-handed sword, and who has a dark, troubled past, how can anyone not think of some mash-up Sephiroth, Cloud Strife, or Squall? Isabela is another character I could not take seriously; she doesn't look like a pirate, she looks like someone starring in a pirate-themed pornographic film.

KoP brought up a point about how the characters' faces looked "like potatoes." That's the general impression I got, although the phrase I might have used is "dough sprinkled with flour." There's just something...I can't think of the precise word...bloated, perhaps?... about the faces. That, and they often looked their faces are covered in layers upon layers of cheap cosmetics.

Now I am totally aware that one's reaction to the art style is completely subjective, so I know a great many people will disagree with me, but the overall impression DA2's visual style had on me was very much like one of those tricked-out Honda Civics with loud exhaust and subwoofers blaring gangsta rap driving by your house at 2 AM. It's just obnoxious.

Modifié par Redcoat, 08 août 2011 - 07:37 .

[AloraKast]

*applauds Wozearly for a superb, well written post...

while serching for an applause emoticon*

Modifié par AloraKast, 08 août 2011 - 07:39 .

[TEWR]

I think the topic of companion armors was brought up many pages back, and I have to admit that there are certain things that didn't quite mesh well for the Origins characters.

Like Sten. It's hard for me to accept putting him in anything that isn't massive armor. It just doesn't look right on him.

That said, I still enjoy the customization. There should be a fine balance. I say give us 4 companion specific armors (one where we first meet them, the rest in companion quests), but allow us to still place them in anything we want. Their fourth armor could serve as their best armor in terms of stats, and function as their unique look if they make future cameos.

[bEVEsthda]

[quote]The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...




[quote]What I don't like is Tidus-Fenris[/quote]

elaborate please.





[quote]his grandmother (Flemeth)[/quote]

I happen to approve of her new look, as not only is she a powerful shapeshifting mage, but she was described as being able to seduce men easily by both Morrigan and Leliana. So it fits with what we know of her.
[/quote]
It would be somewhat likely that you would like it. Fenris and Flemeth were intentionally styled to appeal to teenagers (by a "scientific" approach) and you're a teenager. Nothing much I can say about it.


[quote][quote]
comic-cartoon-stereotype ****tification of Isabela[/quote]
As opposed to Origins Isabela where she has sex with the Warden and Alistair (if female), the Warden and Leliana, or the Warden, Zevran, and Leliana.

She was always a very promiscuous person.

Now, is her "armor" what I would expect her to wear? No, not really. But that's a different issue.
[/quote]

Why is it a different issue? It's not. Yes, Isabela was always a promiscuous person. Obviously she didn't grow up with a heavy baggage of "morals" that resemble certain real life times and cultures. But she was a different person. It would be below her dignity to dress that way. She doesn't need to dress "sexy". She's not a prostitute looking for work. She doesn't need to advertise. She would take sex for pleasure if she can, with those she want. Only then. And she wouldn't abandon herself. DA:O Isabela is always in control, always aloof, always playing for herself

[quote][quote]semiautomatic crossbow with all kinds of other fantastic effects[/quote]
http://en.wikipedia....eating_crossbow

[/quote]

That is a magazine crossbow, which also happens to be so very weak that it can be drawn with a lever. A very crappy weapon. As you should know well if you have any clue about physics or engineering.
While Varric's is still semiautomatic, even full automatic in bursts, with striking energy that throws enemies physically backwards. A weapon purely from the world of cartoon fantasy.
[quote][quote]
single swordsweeps that hits every foe in the coartyard, even far away, but no friend,[/quote] 
So they made friendly fire nonexistent on the lower playthroughs. Big deal. That's hardly something major to hate the game for. Should they put it back? Yes. And swordsweeps don't hit far away enemies. From what I remember, they only hit the enemy you're targeting and the ones next to that enemy.
[/quote]

Friendly fire doesn't have anything to do with this. It works as an area effect, yes, but swords don't have friendly fire.
And that was just an example. The entire combat gameplay is moved to a symbolic level that doesn't have any pretense of realism. Just as always, it's just gameplay mechanics with animation on top. But it has moved away from representing the world. What remains is just "lets play a level of Mario and see if we advance".

In my opinion the only thing that has a right to do a fantastic effect is magic. That's why we have magic. What need is there for magic in DA2? There would be none if it wasn't for the fact that mages are the by far most powerful archers (ranged fighters) . In other regards everything is the same for all. Everybody has melee, ranged and area effects. defensive and offensive.
That doesn't make the gameplay broken. Absolutely not. But it does take it out from context of a "realistic" rpg world.

[quote][quote]

gameplay that only emphasize something meant to be "fun combat action",[/quote]

As if Origins was tactical. Trust me, while DA2 is not tactical, Origins wasn't either, and I'd like to see them take some of my ideas regarding combat and implement them to make the game tactical. [/quote]
My point was more that combat is almost the only gameplay that remains in the game. And there's a lot of it, as a heavy emphasis. And both DA:O and DA2 was tactical for that matter. Different. And in some ways DA2 was better. But not the animations, fantastic effects, or the setup of battle problems.

Modifié par bEVEsthda, 08 août 2011 - 07:48 .

[Jamie_edmo]

Redcoat: Agreed, the fast-paced combat and art-style (subjective i know) annoyed me and I didnt feel as though DA2 was Dragon Age any more it was too far removed from Origins for me to enjoy it as much as I enjoyed DA:O

Modifié par Jamie_edmo, 08 août 2011 - 07:42 .

[craigdolphin]

Wozearly and Redcoat...great posts and my opinion matches pretty closely with both of you. I didn't like the change in style subjectively, and I felt it undercut the dark and gritty theme from Origins. Some of the combat animations really put me off: especially the cartwheeling-in-place, and exploding bags-of-blood mobs (however frequent or infrequent these should be is immaterial: the animation just trivializes the adversary IMO).

And having skeletor hurlocks that move like chimpanzees/bonobos sealed the deal.

[Spell Singer]

As a fan of anime, DA2 combat is pretty much Anime. This is more than obvious in the last battle where the boss performs moves I'd expect to see in a Ranma 1/2 episode. The combat animations are simply absurd. There is some technical reason you can't show objects in proper perspective (or else they look funny) but the regular longswords are the size of a typical two handed sword, the two handed swords and axes are aburdly oversized, and the daggers are the size of short swords. The staves are larger than the character using them and mostly are foolish looking when not outright painful to behold. This is further exagerrated when the sword looks nothing like a weapon that could be wielded...the hawke key for example but so too any number of special weapons you acquire.

It is all a matter of taste but I prefer armour to first and formost to look like armour and weapons to look like real weapons. I have spent hours in weapon collections and museums looking at them I can assure you good well made swords and armour are pleasing to the eye and not made up with ungainly unnecessary hooks protrusions, mismatched parts etc.

But it is a matter of taste, and I'm obviously a fuddy duddy rather than a cool person.

[LPPrince]

I just PM'd a few of our awesome developers to see if they'll return to the thread and continue asking our questions(going all the way back to page 40).

Hope for the best folks, I've seen a lot of good posts in the last 7 or so pages that I feel could use some light shined on them by the folks who make the games, so lets hope for the best, eh?

[Persephone]

The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...

I think the topic of companion armors was brought up many pages back, and I have to admit that there are certain things that didn't quite mesh well for the Origins characters.

Like Sten. It's hard for me to accept putting him in anything that isn't massive armor. It just doesn't look right on him.

That said, I still enjoy the customization. There should be a fine balance. I say give us 4 companion specific armors (one where we first meet them, the rest in companion quests), but allow us to still place them in anything we want. Their fourth armor could serve as their best armor in terms of stats, and function as their unique look if they make future cameos.

I posted a similar idea in the Companion Armor thread a while back, yep, totally on board with this.

P.S. It seems that people will never agree re: the artstyle. I simply hope this will not turn into yet another "Let's bash DAII some more!" thread. It's already heading there....fast.

[LPPrince]

I don't necessarily think DA2 is getting bashed in this thread.

Lets face it. The reception to DA2 from the players and not the reviewers from publications and websites has been less than positive.

DA2's reception has been a mixed bag. A lot of us here are here because we played Origins, and from what I've gathered, many people who played Origins were unhappy with DA2's changes.

That doesn't mean people didn't like DA2- You can find plenty here. But expect to see a lot of "DA2 did this and that wrong" on the forums.

Its not bashing. Its just criticism and healthy discussion about what we felt were wrong with the 2nd step into a new franchise.

For example, I think they shouldn't of changed so much in the SECOND game of a new franchise.

Do this kind of thing 4 or 5 games in. Not right out of the starting gate.

[Jamie_edmo]

Persephone wrote...

P.S. It seems that people will never agree re: the artstyle. I simply hope this will not turn into yet another "Let's bash DAII some more!" thread. It's already heading there....fast.

Yep, although artstyle is a valid point for disccusion it shouldn't become a Let's bash DA2 thread


Edit: "LBPrince: For example, I think they shouldn't of changed so much in the SECOND game of a new franchise.

Do this kind of thing 4 or 5 games in. Not right out of the starting gate."

I agree totally with this 

Modifié par Jamie_edmo, 08 août 2011 - 08:05 .

[Persephone]

craigdolphin wrote...

Wozearly and Redcoat...great posts and my opinion matches pretty closely with both of you. I didn't like the change in style subjectively, and I felt it undercut the dark and gritty theme from Origins. 

Out of honest curiosity: What dark and gritty theme is that? The story? Nothing dark there, it's as cliché as they come. The companions? Interesting guys and gals but hardly dark or gritty. Not even Loghain, if you do recruit him, fits those words. The world? Even with the Blight around DAO seemed colorful, downright nonchalant in its prettiness.

Dark and gritty....The Witcher 1 (II much less so, given how sparkly the graphics are) was dark and gritty. Bioware games are loads of things but dark and gritty they are not. Not even BG (Which had exploding bodies ad nauseam as well) was dark and gritty.

Modifié par Persephone, 08 août 2011 - 08:00 .

[Persephone]

LPPrince wrote...

For example, I think they shouldn't of changed so much in the SECOND game of a new franchise.

Do this kind of thing 4 or 5 games in. Not right out of the starting gate.

This is an interesting point. As I've seen both go terribly wrong. I mentioned this before but take the Might and Magic series. With M&MVI they gave us a brilliant new engine, story, combat system etc.

VII: More of that and a good vs. an evil path. GREAT.

VIII: More of that and nothing. The grumbling gets louder. The critics tear it apart as backwards and dusty.

IX: More of that and both the fans and critics tear it apart.

X: Radical changes. Franchise dies completely.

[cursedsei]

nitefyre410 wrote...

element eater wrote...

The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...

I feel this deserves to be separated, as I want to give my 2 coppers.


For me, I think the Mage, Archery, and Greatsword animations are perfect.

I think Dual Wielding is too stiff and lifeless when they're up close to an enemy. They're putting no impact into their movement.

S&S is a mixed thing for me.

the great sword animation on its own is ok, its when they are swinging it around a constantly at fast pace it seems silly. What they need to do is add few animations that are markably slower then others to serve as a way to give a more organic feel to to the combat rather then the robotic hyper fast combos they do in da2 without pausing the same is true for the S&S style imo.

the dual wields are in need of serious work though they are ridiculous there is no effort in the swing and the moverments are robotic.

 


Hmm may be ground  the animations  for each weapon style in actually combat style may help some. Somthing that Avatar the last Airbender did. - each nation had its own style of combat  that was ground and based off a actually style of martial art.

As long as we avoid "The Last Airbender" and assume that some styles require a whole choreographed lady gaga dance between 5 people just to flick a pebble at someone's head...
Though... it would be rather interesting for mages to have to do that just to cast heal... Why, you'd have to start the cast at the beginning of the fight with him at full health, just to get it off in time!

I do agree though, and that was part of what bugs me. Sure Origins had some hella slow combat, but it didn't feel particularly out of the norm for someone in massive plate armor to be moving a little slow with his greatsword or hammer.
But in 2, its absurd that FemHawke, wearing her heavy plate, is jumping around everywhere without pause swinging her greatsword about as if every swing was her first. And before we get into gender here, it would be just as absurd with male hawke. FemHawke just doesn't have the Campbell chin Aveline possesses to make it a little more possible.

Hell! Mass Effect 2 and resident ninja girl Kasumi (think I spelled that right...) has a similar kind of "backstab" skill to the rogue in DA2, but its much more realistic. Why? She doesn't just appear suddenly, no, she fades out of view and you can watch her vaguely visible form sneak right behind them for the killing blow. 
If there was an aimation of the rogue throwing down the smoke in front of the enemy, then as he was busy choking and waving at it to clear his vision, you could see the rogue run out from the cloud, slipped behind them, and THEN stabbed their back. It would be a lot better than this Nightcrawler crap the person responsible for the animation clearly drew upon. 
And that goes double for the Miasma your rogue carelessly tosses into the air to kick, as if the force of her foot striking the vial wasn't enough to break, but hitting a pillow with said force was.

Even Furher Bradley (Wrath, not Pride) in Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, was more believable than the DA2 Rogue! And he killed a freakin tank with nothing but a sword and grenade! And that is because he shows clear limitations in his abilities, no matter how crazy they are.

[nitefyre410]

Persephone wrote...

craigdolphin wrote...

Wozearly and Redcoat...great posts and my opinion matches pretty closely with both of you. I didn't like the change in style subjectively, and I felt it undercut the dark and gritty theme from Origins. 

Out of honest curiosity: What dark and gritty theme is that? The story? Nothing dark there, it's as cliché as they come. The companions? Interesting guys and gals but hardly dark or gritty. Not even Loghain, if you do recruit him, fits those words. The world? Even with the Blight around DAO seemed colorful, downright nonchalant in its prettiness.

Dark and gritty....The Witcher 1 (II much less so, given how sparkly the graphics are) was dark and gritty. Bioware games are loads of things but dark and gritty they are not. Not even BG (Which had exploding bodies ad nauseam as well) was dark and gritty.

^   Yeah you took the workds out of my mouth

[Fallstar]

Persephone wrote...

craigdolphin wrote...

Wozearly and Redcoat...great posts and my opinion matches pretty closely with both of you. I didn't like the change in style subjectively, and I felt it undercut the dark and gritty theme from Origins. 

Out of honest curiosity: What dark and gritty theme is that? The story? Nothing dark there, it's as cliché as they come. The companions? Interesting guys and gals but hardly dark or gritty. Not even Loghain, if you do recruit him, fits those words. The world? Even with the Blight around DAO seemed colorful, downright nonchalant in its prettiness.

Dark and gritty....The Witcher 1 (II much less so, given how sparkly the graphics are) was dark and gritty. Bioware games are loads of things but dark and gritty they are not. Not even BG (Which had exploding bodies ad nauseam as well) was dark and gritty.

The deep roads is pretty dark, especially that but where the dwarven girl is chanting that rhyme...thats just plain creepy. The rhyme where Branka's lover is force fed the dead, tainted bodies of her friends. 

Modifié par DuskWarden, 08 août 2011 - 08:06 .

[Jamie_edmo]

I wouldnt say DA:O is the darkest RPG out there but it is darker than DA2.

@DuskWarden: Ye that scene is creepy, probably the creepiest scene in both games

[element eater]

The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...
That said, I still enjoy the customization. There should be a fine balance. I say give us 4 companion specific armors (one where we first meet them, the rest in companion quests), but allow us to still place them in anything we want. Their fourth armor could serve as their best armor in terms of stats, and function as their unique look if they make future cameos.

i completely agree i think this is the best solution to the problem

[nitefyre410]

cursedsei wrote...

nitefyre410 wrote...

element eater wrote...

The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...

I feel this deserves to be separated, as I want to give my 2 coppers.


For me, I think the Mage, Archery, and Greatsword animations are perfect.

I think Dual Wielding is too stiff and lifeless when they're up close to an enemy. They're putting no impact into their movement.

S&S is a mixed thing for me.

the great sword animation on its own is ok, its when they are swinging it around a constantly at fast pace it seems silly. What they need to do is add few animations that are markably slower then others to serve as a way to give a more organic feel to to the combat rather then the robotic hyper fast combos they do in da2 without pausing the same is true for the S&S style imo.

the dual wields are in need of serious work though they are ridiculous there is no effort in the swing and the moverments are robotic.

 


Hmm may be ground  the animations  for each weapon style in actually combat style may help some. Somthing that Avatar the last Airbender did. - each nation had its own style of combat  that was ground and based off a actually style of martial art.

As long as we avoid "The Last Airbender" and assume that some styles require a whole choreographed lady gaga dance between 5 people just to flick a pebble at someone's head...
Though... it would be rather interesting for mages to have to do that just to cast heal... Why, you'd have to start the cast at the beginning of the fight with him at full health, just to get it off in time!

I do agree though, and that was part of what bugs me. Sure Origins had some hella slow combat, but it didn't feel particularly out of the norm for someone in massive plate armor to be moving a little slow with his greatsword or hammer.
But in 2, its absurd that FemHawke, wearing her heavy plate, is jumping around everywhere without pause swinging her greatsword about as if every swing was her first. And before we get into gender here, it would be just as absurd with male hawke. FemHawke just doesn't have the Campbell chin Aveline possesses to make it a little more possible.

Hell! Mass Effect 2 and resident ninja girl Kasumi (think I spelled that right...) has a similar kind of "backstab" skill to the rogue in DA2, but its much more realistic. Why? She doesn't just appear suddenly, no, she fades out of view and you can watch her vaguely visible form sneak right behind them for the killing blow. 
If there was an aimation of the rogue throwing down the smoke in front of the enemy, then as he was busy choking and waving at it to clear his vision, you could see the rogue run out from the cloud, slipped behind them, and THEN stabbed their back. It would be a lot better than this Nightcrawler crap the person responsible for the animation clearly drew upon. 
And that goes double for the Miasma your rogue carelessly tosses into the air to kick, as if the force of her foot striking the vial wasn't enough to break, but hitting a pillow with said force was.

Even Furher Bradley (Wrath, not Pride) in Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, was more believable than the DA2 Rogue! And he killed a freakin tank with nothing but a sword and grenade! And that is because he shows clear limitations in his abilities, no matter how crazy they are.

Hey it was point of refence and first thing  that came to mind i remember reading up on the series and how the creators based each of the  Fighting style in a real life fighting style.  You can see the Shaolin Long fist in the how the firebenders fight.   but things about along the lines basing  them in actually medevil  sword styles... say this ..  

http://en.wikipedia....anship#Medieval 

And yes you spelled  Kasumi right  

[cursedsei]

I think by darker and grittier, they meant that it was much more low-fantasy. While dragons and magic existed, it wasn't something you carelessly tossed about with no fear of repercussion or waved a hand at without worry. The mages in your group were either sanctioned by the tower, or had connections that made them rather... dangerous to try and apprehend. The few dragons you fought were named, special monsters that obviously struck fear in people.

[Persephone]

DuskWarden wrote...

Persephone wrote...

craigdolphin wrote...

Wozearly and Redcoat...great posts and my opinion matches pretty closely with both of you. I didn't like the change in style subjectively, and I felt it undercut the dark and gritty theme from Origins. 

Out of honest curiosity: What dark and gritty theme is that? The story? Nothing dark there, it's as cliché as they come. The companions? Interesting guys and gals but hardly dark or gritty. Not even Loghain, if you do recruit him, fits those words. The world? Even with the Blight around DAO seemed colorful, downright nonchalant in its prettiness.

Dark and gritty....The Witcher 1 (II much less so, given how sparkly the graphics are) was dark and gritty. Bioware games are loads of things but dark and gritty they are not. Not even BG (Which had exploding bodies ad nauseam as well) was dark and gritty.

The deep roads is pretty dark, especially that but where the dwarven girl is chanting that rhyme...thats just plain creepy. The rhyme where Branka's lover is force fed the dead, tainted bodies of her friends. 

I hate the Deep Roads in DAO. The DR are the reason why I have several Wardens in limbo....they will never reach the Landsmeet. Yes, that rhyme was creepy. It's a great moment, yes. A great moment during a bloated, dragging on questline I hate. So the effect is still minimal. (On me, mind you) I 'll go as far as saying that having to decide whether to abolish child labor or not in Fable III is much darker than 90% of DAO. (And I adore DAO)