34 réponses à ce sujet

[SiIencE]

Spoilers!

I couldn't quite find what i was looking for so i'd like to hear/read others opinions.
This is currently my 7th or 8th PT. Earlier PT's were mostly mages Elf/Human and once Dalish Elf.
Possibly there are more threads like this but for some reason the search function is letting me down(no results?)
Also i read reviews and stuff, but i don't care much for those, i like to hear from players that actually appreciate the games.


After i imported most of my DAO saves into DA2 and after the 3rd PT i kinda got bored with DA2 left it on the shelf for a while and tried again a few(6-7?) months later.
At first i did every quest i knew off, played both MotA and Legacy but on my 2nd PT i only did Legacy and 3rd PT i didn't bother with any. I just felt bored with DA2 and decided to look at the BW forum. I read here somewhere that Human Noble is very cool to play, City Elf and Dwarf Commoner/Noble are my next PT's.

However when i play DAO i WANT to play Awakening and Witch Hunt. Why i don't know but i guess it's because they feel/look awesome. Even though i've finished DAO 7 or 8 times now and currently doing my 1st Female Human Noble PT it's 'different' where DA2 feels the same every time except for having Carter/Bethany(which aren't available after the 1st act...). And some small dialogue changes, everything is the same and starts to get boring (Caves BAH!). Every place you visit in DAO is a work of art, the music (Just had Leliana sing her song, that's just... beautiful) is a work of art, the graphics aren't actually that bad compared to DA2 sure they are outdated in some ways but still pretty ok, with some tweaking here and there it actually looks better in a way. (I used to play DA2 @ DX11 with texture pack but MotA kept crashing so DX9 all the way now).

Also the fact that no matter what you do, choose or hope to do nothing matters you always endup with the inevitable big bang and super lyrium charged Meredith which is rather annoying. Which in the end kinda makes the game feel cheaper then it already is compared to DAO, if Awakening or With Hunt were called DA2 it would've been better. Even denying help to your 'companions' either adds the quest to you log anyway or they 'do it themselves'. (I never understood WHY Bioware went this way but hey who am i).

Off course there's a goal in DAO but you can atleast choose how you get there and what you do to get there, your companions are more lively, fun and the romances actually DO something (Become king/queen/princess or go travel with Leliana and what not). I get the feeling my actions are actually worth something and i feel i achieved something awesome in the end. When DAO "ends" i'd sad it's "over" and i know DA2 is what comes next which basicly ruins everything. And at the moment when DA2 is over... well i don't think i'll see that happen anytime soon.

DA2 was fun but more in a action game sort of way but the replay value kinda sux, sure it had some fun moments and Varric is cool getting to see you old LI (either Alistair or Leliana or both ) Isabela is a very intresting LI (to me) and seeing Zevran again also made my day. Flemeth being there was good also (except it left me with more questions then answers). 
But i feel that's why i played DA2 just to see 'my old friends' again and hear about Shale butchering pigeons.

Sure Hawke kinda grows on you, Merril is well.. dumb? Aveline is ok, Sebastian imo is an idiot but in the end it's basicly Varric that's the coolest of them all. (sure there's Fenris but i aint a fan of him). Anders was cool in Awakening but he's (Canon is what it's called right even though you kill him he won't go away?) an Idiot in DA2, i even let him be taken away in Awakening just to see if he would be there... I found myself enjoying some of the DAO 'side characters' more the most characters in DA2 (Herren/Wade, Hermit guy, hell even the grand oak had more personality then most).

Well this is how far i got, am tired going to bed.
This is not a flame thing or whatever, i'd just like to hear/read what others have to say. 
I'm a little afraid what will happen with DA3, will it become another DA2 or will it actually be a worthy follow up for DAO. 

Thank you for reading this.

[grey_wind]

To simply answer your question, DA:O was in development for years, whereas DA2 simply got a little bit over one year.
I also read somewhere that what became DA2 was originally intended to be an expansion pack for DA:O that set up the story for the actual DA2 (which would explain a lot in regards to the way the plot is written), though I can't find the source.

[SiIencE]

I didn't know that but then it's even a bigger disappointment then it already was.The formula for DAO maybe somewhat out of date for todays standards but it's still regarded as 1 of the best RPG's by a lot of people. I wonder who decided this would be the 'better' way to go. In most cases a sequel is an improvement on the series not something like this. I lacks in almost every aspect that made DAO the awesome game it is.

I've played several others like Skyrim and Oblivion (Didn't like Oblivion really). Older games like Spellforce 1 and 2 + addons (RTS+RPG for those who don't know it) And some more.

[JustKnown2bDan]

Origins is indeed epic! haven't actually played 2 myself but i do intend to get it soon enough.

Just dont understand why we didn't get the Mass Effect formula, take your saves onto the next game for your uniqe experience.

I know this post is way old now but just saw it the now so..

[JustKnown2bDan]

Unique* 

[termokanden]

Well they did finish the darkspawn plot. That's what grey wardens do - kill darkspawn. That's pretty much their entire purpose in life, and they'll die doing just that.

To be honest, while I loved all my wardens, I don't want to see the darkspawn get revived again and again for sequels. Dragon Age 2: The Archdemon Returns.

Modifié par termokanden, 08 juin 2012 - 08:40 .

[BouncyFrag]

I could go on and on about my favorite/epic moments of the game (the final boss battle and ending, Caridin, the crowning of the new Dwarf King, Sten bribing that guy with cookies and yelling incomprehensible battle cries in combat, etc). The common thread with all of these is that the music was top notch and memorable. A small thing here , but a link to some of the best battle music I've heard in a game. Clip here from Awakenings:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUusiRBqtco

Bioware: please include this with DA3!! Cheers!


Edit: added some more of my faves.

Selecting the king of Orzamar:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoszZXYDbyY

Finding King Calin in the Return to Ostagar dlc:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv0Hf0e6I3s

Modifié par BouncyFrag, 18 juin 2012 - 06:38 .

[Ascher006]

Personally, I think it has a lot more to do with the way the story was done than anything else. See, in DAO we had this nation-spanning plot where we had to defeat a horde of unholy monsters led by a corrupted dragon-god, while also having to stop a Civil War from happening in Ferelden, whereas in DA2 we only served as a piece, and some would even say bystander, in an event which would start a continent-wide war. Problem is, the continent part isn't seen in the game, since we can only explore Kirkwall and its vicinity. In the matter of "who's more important", it wouldn't be absurd to say that the Warden can very much surpass Hawke, since he a) defeated a Blight with only a handful of companions and Became the Warden Commander (and depending on your choices the prince-consort of Ferelden), a position highly regarded by many in Thedas as one of the most important roles someone can have, since the Grey Wardens are the only ones who can truly ever defeat the Darkspawn onslaught. Hawke, on the other hand, has his merits, but besides being the Champion of Kirkwall doesn't really have an important position overall.

[Ausstig]

It is because DA:O is the classic heros journey, like the Original Star Wars Trilogy. You start out and hit rock bottom very quickly, then you get given the task, save the kingdom. And that is what you do, every main quest is related to getting armies to SAVE THE WORLD.

DA2 is not, sure you start off low and act one is focused on getting money for the expedition, there are two other stories in the game it only needed one or two. maybe if the Qunari where the big bad with the mage-templar conflict taking the place of Logan then it would work. But it needed to be focused, DA2 was not.

[frostajulie]

classic heros journeys are innately satisfying on a RPG level.

But to answer your question, it is because of the depth of story and character interaction the way the relationships can grow in a direction of your choosing based on ho you the PC interact with the characters, the world and the situations you find yourself in. You were not a bystander eavesdropping on NPCs, you were not an observer in this world you were an integral part of this world and integral to shaping it to your characters motivations and desires.

And regardless of your ending it was a masterwork of how to satisfy the gamer who wants to win the game.

[Janni-in-VA]

There are things I like about DA2, but the story isn't one of them. Plus, it's obvious the game was rushed out the door, and Bioware didn't do it any favors by releasing it so quickly. I found myself pretty meh over all the companions with the exception of Merrill and Varric, both of whom I think are hysterical in their own ways. The only person I was remotely interested in romancing was Isabella, which is saying something since same-sex romances really aren't my cup of tea. I didn't mind that the story was not a classic heroic epic, but I did mind that my decisions had so little effect on the outcome. I mean, a double boss battle no matter which way you go? Please!

I've completed 12 playthroughs of DAO and have at least 8 more in the works which I have every intention of completing. I'll play DA2 until I get all the achievements and then probably uninstall it. I can use that HD space for something more interesting. Hmmmm...maybe I'll reinstall Oblivion....

[jillabender]

Modifié par jillabender, 17 juin 2012 - 09:47 .

[jillabender]

Modifié par jillabender, 17 juin 2012 - 09:47 .

[jillabender]

I completely agree – DA2 was lacking in so many of the qualities that made Origins a masterpiece. I had fun playing DA2, don't get me wrong, but compared to Origins, it's disappointing in many ways.

While I liked the companions in DA2, especially Fenris and Merrill, I felt that they weren't used to their full potential. They're all interesting characters in their own right, but they don't feel as fleshed-out and three-dimensional as the companions in Origins. I think my problem is that Hawke's interactions with his or her companions don't feel quite as immersive and believable as the conversations that the Warden can have in Origins. In Origins, the conversations the player can have with the companion NPCs are more open-ended, and feel exactly like the kinds of conversations that adventuring companions in that situation would have. By contrast, I find that many of the conversations in DA2 feel a bit forced, and not nearly as convincing.

Maybe it's just me, but the dialogue in DA2 in general left me feeling as though the writers were trying too hard to make every moment funny, sexy or dramatic. That's not to say that there weren't memorable moments in DA2; my problem was that it lacked the subtle, quiet moments and conversations that Origins had – the moments that gave dimension to the characters and atmosphere to the game world, and that provided space for the dramatic moments to have an impact.

I also agree with what's been said about the player's choices and their effect on the story. Here, too, I found DA2 lacking. Yes, there are many opportunities for the player to make choices in DA2, but they don't feel as meaningful as the choices the player makes in Origins – even when I played through DA2 making a different set of choices throughout, the story still felt the same.

I think part of the problem is that, because the designers crammed so many enemies into every battle in DA2, Hawke has a ridiculously high body count by the end of the game, which makes it hard to feel as though your character is fighting to protect people, or for a larger purpose. This problem is especially glaring when compared to moments like the Battle of Redcliffe Village in Origins, where I actually found myself reloading in order to save as many of the villagers as possible.

Probably my biggest problem with the story in DA2 was that I found the way the Mage/Templar conflict was written to be heavy-handed, to say the least. Portraying characters with opposing belief systems that each have merit doesn't automatically make a story complex and involving, and in my opinion, it doesn't here. I enjoyed some of the side-quests involving the mage/templar conflict, especially "Night Terrors," but I found myself frustrated by the fact that the game seemed intent on beating me over the head again and again with how dangerous and deadly the mages were, and how horribly oppressed they were by the templars, to the point that the whole situation started to feel cartoonish. I appreciate that the writers tried to portray characters on both sides of the conflict as having legitimate grievances and understandable motives, but the way that they did it felt contrived – to me, anyway.

In Origins, the destruction of the Circle Tower at the hands of the abominations let loose by Uldred, and of Recliffe by the demon that possessed Connor, actually felt catastrophic. In DA2, shades and abominations are a dime a dozen, nearly every other mage you meet is barking mad, and it becomes hard to take any of them seriously as a threat. And while the plight of the mages locked in the gallows or hunted as apostates had the potential to be emotionally involving, in the end, that aspect of the story felt a bit flat for me, because the dialogue that Hawke gets from the mages he or she comes across just doesn't feel as true to life as most of the encounters in Origins. Personally, I felt that the codex entry found in Redcliffe Castle, written by a mage who asked to become tranquil out of desperation once he realized that he simply didn't have the skill or aptitude to control his abilities as a mage, packed more of an emotional punch than any of the stories that we hear from mages in DA2.

All that being said, I give the writers a lot of credit for achieving what they did with DA2, given the time constraints that they had to work with. The fact that they've been given more development time for DA3 gives me hope that we'll see more of the things that made Origins great.

Edit: I apologize for accidentally posting this three times – I deleted the text from my comments above, since there doesn't seem to be a way to delete a post.

Modifié par jillabender, 23 juin 2012 - 05:25 .

[Ajna]

I found myself saying to my sister today..."If Origins were a person, I'd marry it..." Too far? Perhaps, that's the extent to which my love for this game goes!

It all comes down to the characters and story imo, character interaction is so painfully lacking in DA2, after a stint there I have to fire up Origins just so I can hang out with my guys in camp, it feels so empty, but then, any RPG I've played in recent years feels empty in comparison to Origins. I know it's all been said before and Bioware are aware of the lack of character interaction and aim to improve that in the future, there really is little to connect to in DA2 I find. As an expansion for Origins it would have been much better and easier to swallow...I do enjoy DA2 eventually but Origins has a special place in my heart as my favourite fantasy RPG of all time.

I'm also a Cousland for life, favourite Origin storyline, I'll always choose to be Queen...

Modifié par Ajna, 17 juin 2012 - 10:19 .

[Bratt1204]

Because DA:O is an EPIC game; DA2 was a distraction at best : /

[Bratt1204]

Ajna wrote...

I found myself saying to my sister today..."If Origins were a person, I'd marry it..." Too far? Perhaps, that's the extent to which my love for this game goes!

It all comes down to the characters and story imo, character interaction is so painfully lacking in DA2, after a stint there I have to fire up Origins just so I can hang out with my guys in camp, it feels so empty, but then, any RPG I've played in recent years feels empty in comparison to Origins. I know it's all been said before and Bioware are aware of the lack of character interaction and aim to improve that in the future, there really is little to connect to in DA2 I find. As an expansion for Origins it would have been much better and easier to swallow...I do enjoy DA2 eventually but Origins has a special place in my heart as my favourite fantasy RPG of all time.

I'm also a Cousland for life, favourite Origin storyline, I'll always choose to be Queen...

This!

[wsandista]

I think "meh" is bit kind to DA2. "utter failure" is more appropriate.

[Issala]

Dragon Age: Origins is still epic, even with outdated graphics and stretchy bloating lips of doom, because it didn't try as hard as Dragon Age 2 to be "cool." It was a classic fantasy roleplaying game where you played dress-up with your companions and sat down around the campfire with them and grilled them about their pasts -- and then you got up and saved the world from an ancient evil. It wasn't ashamed of itself and its overused plotline. It knew what it was doing and what it was trying to be. That's why it's awesome.
And don't forget race choice.

[Guns]

Nice graphic style even if they are a little outdated
Cool, "realistic", tactical combat instead of omg press x naruto ninja action
Extremely customizable main character
No crappy forced voiced main character
No dialogue tree
No crappy retconning
It being it's own game instead of being Dragon Effect

[jillabender]

Faerunner wrote…

DA:O is a great game because it strove to be a great game. A spiritual successor to a much beloved but dying genre, it paid homage to its predessesors while still adding something special of its own. An epic Tolkien-esque fantasy game that knew which tropes to play straight and which ones to subvert, invert, play with, or parody. Everything about it was top-notch and far reaching.

DA2 is just a medicre knock-off of everything that happened to be popular at the time it was made. The Mass Effect franchise was doing well? They made DA2 into Mass Effect with swords. They saw that so-called "Action RPG's" with barely any RPG elements in them like Fallout, Portal, and Call of Duty were selling like hotcakes? They significantly toned up the mindless action and downplayed the RP elements to appeal to the CoD crowd (and FAILED).

The devs cherry-picked what they THOUGHT people liked about certain games and just copy-pasted them onto their game without taking the time to think about WHY people liked certain features, and whether it would even work in their own franchise.

This isn't even getting into the time and budget restraints, the unnecessary changes (elves and darkspawn look HORRIBLE!), the significantly less role-play freedom (in a freaking RPG franchise!), the blatant and willful disregard for everything that made the first game popular, etc. DA:O tried to be a great game in its own right. DA2 just tried to badly mimic what others games were doing.

With complete respect, I'm puzzled by your referring to Portal as an Action RPG. I can't see how Portal could be described as an RPG in any way – it's a story-driven physics puzzle game, within a first-person shooter format. It's one of my personal favourite games, but it doesn't have "barely any" RPG elements – it has no character customization or RPG elements of any kind, nor was it intended to.

Modifié par jillabender, 19 décembre 2013 - 01:23 .

[Caiden012]

I just finished a huge play through of DA:O and its DLC. It was so awesome. I left the game for a long time and to come back to it now reminded me of why its one of my top games. I am planning on bringing all my saves over to DA3 when it is released. So I imported my DA:O save with awakening and witch hunt finished and I am currently in a play through of DA2. Honestly its painful. DA2 is not a bad game on its own, but when compared to Origins its really lacking. Every time I do a quest I find my self thinking "Man this would have been better if it was more like Origins."

I miss picking my character race and putting a human in an awkward position because I am an elf. I miss going to camp and having interesting dialogue with my companions. (Seriously the whole "They want to talk to you now" thing is really annoying. It was so much better when I could just run up to Morrigan and see if I had anything new to talk to her about or just make out with her). I miss more tactical combat. During Origins I spent hours checking my companions skills, making sure that my healer wouldnt be using up too much mana at once. I would die during a battle and then spend a few minutes after I reloaded my save coming up with a new strategy. When I die in DA2 I find myself just charging right back in without caring. There are less abilities in DA2 and the ones you get just seem like "OMG LOOK HOW CRAZY THAT SKILL IS!!" I dont care about flashy talents. I want a good amount of talents so that I can organize my hotkeys in a way that helps me in battle. So far in DA2 I have just been rapidly pressing 1,2, and 3 when I can and it works most of the time. In the final boss of awakening I died multiple times and didnt win until a came up with a rotation of skills that worked best.

I could go on and on. I like DA2, but at the same time I am just so disappointed over the fact that it could have been so much more. I truly hope DA3 doesnt turn out the same.

Modifié par Caiden012, 26 juin 2012 - 05:44 .