270 réponses à ce sujet

[Kidd]

I liked the DA2 companions better overall, though Morrigan and Alistair trumps them all =) Yes, even Varric and Merrill! ^^

[Medhia Nox]

My problem doesn't lie as much with the playable NPCs as it does with the solely interactive ones.

Aeducan/Harrowmont vs. the Viscount/Meredith/Orsino/Arishok: I think only the Arishok really holds any depth to him. While even he is notable only because of his failure to practice self-control - the other three are so deeply and irredeemably flawed that they hold zero interest to me.

The Couslands vs. The Hawkes: Zero competition here. The brief time spent in the Cousland Origin made me care more for that lineage than my irritating brother/sister and money grubbing mother ever did for my Hawke lineage.

Greagor/First Enchanter Irving vs. Orsino/Meredith: Greagor is so much better than Meredith - Irving SO much better than Orsino. It's a shame too - cause I felt that when you first meet Orsino, that the guy had potential. Meredith "would" have had potential if you met her at any moment where she wasn't possessed.

Loghain, Duncan, King Cailan, Isolde, Bann Teagun, Arl Eamon - I think they were all so much better than any NPCs in Kirkwall - all which were hardly memorable, which is sad since it's a city and you should meet them over and over and get to know them better.

Cullen and Flemeth moved over from Origins...

The only one that meant anything to me was the boy who you travel into the Fade for - and sadly, I can't remember his name.

[Ariella]

Medhia Nox wrote...

My problem doesn't lie as much with the playable NPCs as it does with the solely interactive ones.

Aeducan/Harrowmont vs. the Viscount/Meredith/Orsino/Arishok: I think only the Arishok really holds any depth to him. While even he is notable only because of his failure to practice self-control - the other three are so deeply and irredeemably flawed that they hold zero interest to me.

I wouldn't compare the Aeducan/Harrowmount issue in Orzammar with what's going on in Kirkwall at all, and honestly I think both the Viscount and the Arishok deserve more credit than you're giving them. And I'm surprised that you claim failure to practice self control as a part of his personality, especially considering he spent 3 years in Kirkwall without demanding a thing. As for the Viscount, reading how he came to power and then listening to what he has to say reveals a man who is in an unenviable position from the beginning.

Meredith and Orsino are somewhat stereotypical in the fact that they are two opposing forces so locked into their struggles they can't see beyond it to the consequences for all those around them.

The Couslands vs. The Hawkes: Zero competition here. The brief time spent in the Cousland Origin made me care more for that lineage than my irritating brother/sister and money grubbing mother ever did for my Hawke lineage.

Money grubbing mother? Never saw Leandra act like that, and even Gamlin has a wonderful redeeming quality found in Act 3, which in a lot of ways makes it so much more than the Couslands.

Greagor/First Enchanter Irving vs. Orsino/Meredith: Greagor is so much better than Meredith - Irving SO much better than Orsino. It's a shame too - cause I felt that when you first meet Orsino, that the guy had potential. Meredith "would" have had potential if you met her at any moment where she wasn't possessed.

How you can compare them as their situations are completely different. Greagor's position doesn't have power over an entire city to the point where he can appoint od deny who rules. And Irving doesn't have Orsino's issuesof being an elf and all.

Loghain, Duncan, King Cailan, Isolde, Bann Teagun, Arl Eamon - I think they were all so much better than any NPCs in Kirkwall - all which were hardly memorable, which is sad since it's a city and you should meet them over and over and get to know them better.

Cullen and Flemeth moved over from Origins...

The only one that meant anything to me was the boy who you travel into the Fade for - and sadly, I can't remember his name.

Feyriel. There's his mother Arianni, Hubert (who I wanted to smack). Idunna, Petrice and Varnell, Grand Cleric Elethea just to start.

[IsleySilverlord]

Dragon Age Origins had 3 wonderful irreplaceable characters for me : Morrigan, Alistair, Flemeth,

I just don't care about DA2 companions, they're too simple and boring.

[Dragoonlordz]

The amusing thing is I found Orzammar political quests and plot was more enjoyable to me than Kirkwalls version, however it was far from perfect there was bit too much running from one side map to other then back and forth every 5 mins in same quests. But then again it never based the whole game around that part of it so wasn't expecting vast depth and although as far as political depth goes again it's not the deepest and intriging thing I have seen but it was more enjoyable to me.

The choices felt like made more of a difference and the setting felt more alive than Kirkwall (imho) but that goes back to how lifeless Kirkwall was borderline soul-less which goes back to the whole "living world" aspect that TW2, Skyrim etc are doing a million times better (not going to get too deep into that atm).

Dunno maybe was fact had wildlife for start such as Nugs or fact could talk to anyone not placeholder NPCs with nothing to say like DA2. But yeh I'm not embarressed to say I enjoyed it more than the political aspect in DA2. I know of friends in my list who prefer DA2 political scene and story but even friends can differ from opinion.

Modifié par Dragoonlordz, 10 août 2011 - 01:51 .

[Medhia Nox]

@Ariella - so, what you're saying is that my opinion is wrong? Feel free to disagree with my comparisons - they came to mind when I was thinking on the topic. Hmm - I humbly disagree.

None of those characters you mentioned for DA 2 stuck with me at all. After one playthrough I remembered Arl Eamon, Loghain, etc. - after one playthrough of DA 2, I was just happy to be finished.

Concerning the mother, all she does is whine about how she was a noble and her money and estate should have been here waiting for her. It's pathetic - I agree with Gamlen most of the time. She's a money grubbing wench who only wanted her savings once her husband was dead and a blight was bearing down on her.

@Dragoonlordz - a hundred times more enjoyable.

Modifié par Medhia Nox, 10 août 2011 - 01:49 .

[dreadpiratesnugglecakes]

Medhia Nox wrote...

@Ariella - so, what you're saying is that my opinion is wrong? Feel free to disagree with my comparisons - they came to mind when I was thinking on the topic. Hmm - I humbly disagree.

None of those characters you mentioned for DA 2 stuck with me at all. After one playthrough I remembered Arl Eamon, Loghain, etc. - after one playthrough of DA 2, I was just happy to be finished.

Concerning the mother, all she does is whine about how she was a noble and her money and estate should have been here waiting for her. It's pathetic - I agree with Gamlen most of the time. She's a money grubbing wench who only wanted her savings once her husband was dead and a blight was bearing down on her.

@Dragoonlordz - a hundred times more enjoyable.

I had the same reaction.  When I finished DAO, I couldn't wait to play again using a different origin.  After i finished DA2, I felt a palpable sense of relief that I wouldn't have to play it anymore.  Gah..that stupid end battle with the statues. 

I got the Legacy DLC...loyalty I guess, I don't know why.  I have no desire to play it.  Usually I miss the other characters in the game; I miss Morrigan..Leiliana..even Oghren.  I don't miss any of the DA2 characters; Merrill and her stupid mirror; Anders and his random acts of terrorism.  I'd rather set those two on fire than travel with them.  Even Varric and Aveline, who I didn't actively dislike, I don't miss them.  I really don't think I would care if DA3 becomes vaporware.

[maxernst]

I really liked Varric, Aveline (especially the quest for getting her together with Donnic, it rounded her out so well), and Isabela (even though she took off on my Hawke). The others...not so much. Anders and Fenris are like two sides of the same coin. They talk about the mage issue so much, and their dialogues with the other companions (particularly each other) are so antagonistic, I just find them unpleasant to have around. Bethany is dull. Carver is annoying. Merrill's combination of naivete and hubris is alarming, even if she is often funny. I liked all the DA:O characters a lot...maybe not big on Sten, but still like dhim more than most of the DA2 crowd.

[Ariella]

Medhia Nox wrote...

@Ariella - so, what you're saying is that my opinion is wrong? Feel free to disagree with my comparisons - they came to mind when I was thinking on the topic. Hmm - I humbly disagree.
.

I disagree with the which pairings you chose to compare, as in terms of the games, they aren't really equivenlent at all except on the very surface. Thus, I asked how you could compare them considering the vast differences, not only in circumstance but in how the characters service two very different main stories.

As for Leandra, I never heard her whine once about money. If she was what you say, why would she have married Malcohm at all rather than the Comte, and lived in a place like Loathering? That just doesn't fit with the whole "money grubbing idea. And remember, the fact that the news Gamlin lost everything the family had built, came on the heels of having to flee her own home and the death of one of her children. Then have that same sibling practically sell her remaining children into indentured servitude for a year, I'd be pissed too. It's not about the money half as much as it is about the heritage. And while I don't want to spoil things, there's a line Leandra says just after the first part of the sib character quest in act one about her parents that also contradicts the idea she's a money grubber.

[RaidenXS]

 Yes. I would say i was connected to Sebastian but my good nature always believes in redemption. So yea the ending was a dilemma for me. Friend or morals.

[kuurankuiskaus]

For the PC, it's hard to say which I liked better, the Warden or Hawke. I always thought that the mute Warden lacked personality (and had such a blank face too), but I liked her story way better than Hawke's. The sarcastic Hawke had a personality I liked, but her story didn't move me much. Once I thought that had Hawke been the protagonist of Origins, it would've been epicsauce (okay it might not have worked...).

As for the companions, nothing beats Alistair and Morrigan. I loved them. Their banter was brilliant and I never took them out of my party during my first playthrough. Alistair made me "aww" so many times - he actually reminds me of a Disney prince (squee Disney ) and is so far the best RPG romance experience I've had. Morrigan was awesome in her own, "reluctant-BFF" kind of way, hard on the outside, softy on the inside with a pinch of mystery.
I also liked Wynne and Leliana from the Origins cast - though I must admit that Leli rose higher on my liking list after her own DLC. I loved to see how Oghren "grew" as a character in Origins... but as someone stated already, his regression in Awakening ruined much of my liking for him. Shale was cool, her issues with pigeons and the squishy folks all around her, and I awww'd when she stopped calling Warden "it" for the first time.
Dog was okay too. I didn't use him that much but I still grew somewhat attached to him. Zev had a certain depth too, with all his Crow-stories and lost love. Sten was the only one I really didn't care much about, but it still made me smile when the companions bid Warden farewell before the Archdemon fight. I approve of him because he likes cookies. That's a redeeming quality.

DAA was somewhat disappointing regarding companions. I loved Anders even if he didn't manage to make me laugh like Alistair. Sigrun was okay, not bad but not very interesting either. Velanna started to grow on me towards the end but I can't say I liked her that much either. Nathaniel was like Sigrun, okay. I never started to like him that much. Justice I got last, he felt potentially interesting but in the end I didn't spend very much time with him.

In DA2, I liked Varric the most, but he's still way below Al & Morri. He was a nice guy, great to bring everywhere and he didn't babble about his issues all the time. It's hard to say who I like second-best from the rest. Isabela, Fenris and Aveline had their good moments but sometimes they bugged me in a way that no Origins companions ever did. Isabela and Fenris mainly with their repetitive 'I love sex/ I hate mages' topics, Aveline because she was dull at times. Then again, Isabela and Aveline made me grin when they got over their... little issues in the end, and Isabela had her "I came back for you" moment too. Aveline's little cupid -quests were awesome too. Fenris was my mage's LI and in the end he got convinced that not all mages are that bad - yay! I feel I'm always a bit biased when it comes to my chosen 'canon LI' --- I guess many that don't romance Fen won't find him that likable.
Merrill... I guess I saw her more as a "stupid-in-a-not-funny-way" character than a cute one.
I couldn't recognize Anders as the same character from Awakening (not because of his voice though) so I always shied away from him. Had he been introduced as a completely new character, however, I think I might've liked him just fine (well, as 'fine' as Ave, Izzy and Fen).
Sebastian gave such a dull impression during his personal quest that I never used him again. Perhaps I should if I ever manage a second playthrough.

Flemeth, Bodahn and Sandal are all awesome, I hope we'll keep seeing those folks in the future too.

As for the other NPCs, I liked Origins' better too. Irving, Arl Eamon, Lady of the Forest, Duncan, Shianni, Herren & Wade, even Anora. And Cailan, as little time we spent with him, made such an impression on me that I felt sad when the ogre came and did the squishing.
After I finished DA2, I had to also notice that I couldn't recall the names of many NPCs (I often had a wtf-moment in the later Acts too when someone from before popped up and acted like they knew Hawke, whereas I had no memory of them...). The Arishok was cool, almost amusing times too, I'll give him that. Elthina, Orsino and Meredith caused only a 'bleh'-reaction at best. Orsino and Meredith caused annoyance by "popping up from nowhere" in the later game and demanding Hawke to pick a side just because she happened to stumble upon championhood. Elthina was a source of further frustration since she couldn't really give any advice and she was permitted to remain neutral - while she could've potentially been the peacemaker between the two sides.

To me, it felt like the Origins companions were more like a bunch of personalities that had their different points of interests that popped up every now and then, whereas the DA2 cast were (mostly, Varric not included) a bunch of people whose interests dominated their personalities (is that a funny thing to say? I can't think of a better way to put it though). Uhm, anyway, in the end I prefer Origins cast. I hope we'll get a group of awesome people to company us in DA3.

Edited typos >x)

Modifié par kuurankuiskaus, 10 août 2011 - 08:35 .

[ApostleinTriumph]

About Flemeth, I never really understood her place in DA2. Why.did she give us the amulet? Why don't we see her again for the rest of the game? What was the point of delivering that amulet? I finished DA2 twice but I never understood these.

[k177sh0t]

Morrigan>Alistair>DA2 chars

Kudos to Morrigan's voice actor and Alistair's + an outstanding script.

Modifié par k177sh0t, 11 août 2011 - 09:47 .

[Zanallen]

ApostleinTriumph wrote...

About Flemeth, I never really understood her place in DA2. Why.did she give us the amulet? Why don't we see her again for the rest of the game? What was the point of delivering that amulet? I finished DA2 twice but I never understood these.

She was basically just a way for Hawke to get to Kirkwall and a way for Bioware to ensure that Flemeth is alive no matter what you import. Otherwise people would complain about how they killed her in Origins and blah, blah, blah.

[LPPrince]

Definitely more attached to DAO characters than DA2 characters.

Hell, even Aveline, who's with you from nearly the beginning, didn't draw as much care from me as some of my least used characters in DAO, like Zevran.

[Jiggasaurus]

No, not really. In the grand scheme, it might of seemed better after completing the first play-through of DA2, yet in hindsight I’ve not managed to get through the game a second time.

Even if, hypothetically, Dragon Age Origins was to have awful graphics, woeful ability trees, or other aspects of gameplay/visuals, the characterisation and voice acting of the cast & great soundtrack was an immersive gem that would see me going back for more, same I imagine for most fans of the game.

Personally, as far as Dragon Age 2 goes, I liked Aveline as a character, you meet her early in the game and generally she has scope to her persona, can be involved in the heavily serious elements of the game and be a part of the humorous romance arc. She never really comes across as a square peg in a round hole to appease the ‘ADD casual gamer’.

I wouldn’t be sad to see the majority of cast from DA2 abandoned & DAO’s companions return, for future instalments i.e. Dragon Age 3 or expansions, so long as BioWare can gain the time, funds & willpower to effectively recover the series.

[ScotGaymer]

I agree with most of the people in this thread that the Companion characters and NPCs in Origins on the whole were better written and developed than in DA2; But this is because the Dev Team had like practically no time to dedicate to anything so we dont know how much was written but cut out because of lack of time. And frankly I reckon that in spite of that they did a decent job.

I mean, personally I enjoyed the story and characters right up to the ending of the game. The ending is what ruined it for me. It was like the game pointed at me and laughed singsonging "Haw Haw! Your choices meant nothing!" like Nelson from the Simpsons.
The ending rendered what could have been and should have been an important choice (one of the few choices Hawke actually gets to make him/herself proactively) and made it mean absolutely nothing.
Okay so Meredith was possessed that explains her insanity but Orsino? He spends the whole game railing against blood magic and all mages being tarred wi the same brush and then inexplicably goes nuts for no real reason and suddenly becomes a master of blood magic and transforms into a harvester like abomination.
It reduces the interaction between Orsino and Meredith into pointlessness.

I loved the Arishok as a character, and had wished that DA2 hadnt gone off on the Mages Vs Templars tangent and instead the Arishok had been the main Antagonist and end boss. Fighting him would have been ten times more Epic and satisfying than the out of the blue *ENDBOSSHERE* fights with NutterMasterBloodMageOrsino and PossessedAcrobatTemplarMeredith.

EDIT:
Even if they hadnt made the Arishok the end boss and kept the Mages Vs Templars story line I think changing whoever was possesed by the Idol dependant on who you "chose" to side with as up to that point both parties were coming off as frightened yet reasonable.
The choice to side with Meredith would give the Idol (Staff made of Idol) to Orsino and cause him to rapidly go nuts and become the end boss; and siding with Orsino would give the idol to Meredith (Sword made of Idol) and have her be the end boss.
If you didnt side with either of them then it could randomly assign the idol to either one.
Would have made more sense IMO, so you didnt have one of them acting outside of their established characters.
ENDEDIT

For the Companions the only companion I didnt care for was Bethany and Carver. Carver was a whiner who annoyed me the whole time we had him, and they made Bethany sound and act like your typical damsel in distress type maiden which is all kinds of disturbing considering she is your sister.
Mother and Uncle Gamlen I grew to like later on; and I really felt sad for Mother Hawke dying. But I did feel they could have done more to develop her and Uncle Gamlen a bit better.

Fenris was a bit Emo but if you take the time to get to know him he gets better. Aveline is like yer best mate, even if you dont want her around she is there. Varric is funny as hell. I loved the Pirate Wench with a heart of Gold, Isabela. And even Sebastian was a decent fellow (not as deep as Leliana though).

I confess I was a bit "meh" about Merill. I found her distinctly boring. I get that the writers were going for "naive" with her but I think they missed and just hit "painfully stupid" instead.

My favourite was Anders though. I get peoples gripes wi him - his character being sooo very different from Awakening. I would have liked it if glimpses of his old self still shone through now and again. But on the whole I thought he was well written. His romance was really sweet yet messed up; you really felt like he was totally in love with Hawke and was complete wracked with guilt about what he felt he had to do.

The Viscount you dont really spend enough time with before his head is cut off to really get to know him (pretty much in only one Act) which is unfortunate.

Like most things alas it goes back to lack of dev time.

Modifié par FitScotGaymer, 12 août 2011 - 10:50 .

[culletron1]

The Dog from DA:O had a more interesting personality than most of the DA2 crowd...

[culletron1]

ApostleinTriumph wrote...

About Flemeth, I never really understood her place in DA2. Why.did she give us the amulet? Why don't we see her again for the rest of the game? What was the point of delivering that amulet? I finished DA2 twice but I never understood these.

I think the point of the game was the templars had a fight with the mages... It seemed nothing else really mattered. I think they could have skipped DA2 and just had a line in the next game's codex that said

"After the fifth blight relations between templars and mages became strained culminating in a rebellion in Kirkwall"

It certainly would have saved me 50 hours of mediocre gameplay.

[RPGamer13]

Isabella - she's everything I wanted in Leliana. And way hotter than Morrigan and has the exact opposite view of sex.


No one can replace Oghren. He was just too funny. And while they continue the hilarity with conversations between Isabella and Merrill and Aveline and any combination in between. And Bethany in the mix too. But that's a different kind of humor, and I'm not talking about Oghren's dirty jokes either.

If you haven't played Dragon Age II with Aveline, Bethany or Merrill, and Isabella in the party at all times, you don't know what you're missing.

[nitefyre410]

RPGamer13 wrote...

Isabella - she's everything I wanted in Leliana. And way hotter than Morrigan and has the exact opposite view of sex.


No one can replace Oghren. He was just too funny. And while they continue the hilarity with conversations between Isabella and Merrill and Aveline and any combination in between. And Bethany in the mix too. But that's a different kind of humor, and I'm not talking about Oghren's dirty jokes either.

If you haven't played Dragon Age II with Aveline, Bethany or Merrill, and Isabella in the party at all times, you don't know what you're missing.

 

Oh I have and I agree laugh a minute.