31 réponses à ce sujet

[Pharaxion]

I know that Dragon Age 2 has been out for quite a while now.
The reason I didn't post this earlier is because I didn't play many games for a while.

Anyway, the focus of this post will be the positivities and negativities of Dragon Age 2, comparing it to Dragon Age: Origins.

Usually when I hear of a new release from BioWare, I don't ask questions. The BioWare logo is enough for me. It works as a sort of quality-stamp. Ever since I played KOTOR 1, BioWare has always held a certain undisputed godly status in my mind.
The way that BioWare USED focus on the great stories, epic cutscenes, dialogues and sophisticated companions in all their games, is in my opinion, what laid the foundation of their great fan-support.
Playing DA2, what I first noticed was the ridiculous bloodspatter and gore upon killing an enemy. I started with playing a Rogue Archer, and its just wrong in my head that an enemy gets ripped limb from limb upon being shot in the chest. I liked the DA: Origins way much better.
I also think that its a huge mistake not to have the cozy party camp which we saw in DA: Origins. And I believe there should be a lot more dialogue and story options available for each of the companions.
The party gift system also changed a lot. Now its all automated once you discover a gift. In DA: Origins you were required to actually talk to your companions in order to figure out what kind of gift/special gift (i.e. Alistair's mother's mirror) they would like. Now you just find something, and next time you visit the companion in their base, they automatically recieve it. I liked the fact that you had to become involved in your companions and listen to their stories, and possibly do some sidequests in order to find their gifts.
There are positive features in DA2 however. I was very happy to discover that our hero now has a voice and that the combat-system seems more fluent and overall works a lot better than it did in DA: Origins.
Some of the companion characters also add a lot of positivity to the gaming experience. I am thinking of two in particular, but obviously I cannot mention them as it could possibly be considered a spoiler. However, another companion annoyed me quite a bit. There was too much focus on breasts and sex with the companion in question.

I feel like the game has been simplified a lot and made more "action-based" maybe to try and reach a wider playerbase. But I dislike this idea A LOT in fact. This is a new "trend" which I tend to see a lot in BioWare's recent releases. I really hope that BioWare will start to focus on what got them this far, and once again make epic RPG's and not actionbased massappealing moneymakers.

[batlin]

Yes. I would say a great deal of people on this (and every other) DA2 board feel extremely disappointed in the game.

[AkiKishi]

And I thought I had a backlog of unplayed games.

[Cyberarmy]

Welcome to the club.

[Amycus89]

The party gift system also changed a lot. Now its all automated once you discover a gift. In DA: Origins you were required to actually talk to your companions in order to figure out what kind of gift/special gift (i.e. Alistair's mother's mirror) they would like. Now you just find something, and next time you visit the companion in their base, they automatically recieve it. I liked the fact that you had to become involved in your companions and listen to their stories, and possibly do some sidequests in order to find their gifts.

A complaint I completely agree with, but that I quote here since I feel like it has been overlooked when discussing all the other problems with DA2. Hopefully the Devs didn't miss it among all the other numerous complaints on other things..

[Monica83]

Welcome to the club op

[Arthur Cousland]

Hey...Isabela's breasts gave her added protection from blows to the front, and they probably kept her from drowning when her ship was wrecked. (If only that was the case as melee rogue companions can feel like a liability in combat)

While I enjoyed DA2 overall, many things could have been better. I'm hoping for a rebound with DA3.

[FieryDove]

Pharaxion wrote...

I also think that its a huge mistake not to have the cozy party camp which we saw in DA: Origins. And I believe there should be a lot more dialogue and story options available for each of the companions.

If I remember correctly David said there was as much companion dialogue in DA2 as in DAO. It was just broken in half with rivialry/friendship. (Which I like but not at the cost of losing chat time with companions).

Much like the PC dialogue probably was as much in both games but in 2 we have three ways to say the same thing, diplo, snarky, meaniehead. So other options seem...rare. (I like neutral options even in games like ME that have meters) But that's just me...

A big positive in da2 for me was archers. I tend to love playing range characters and finally they are...fun.

[Maclimes]

FieryDove wrote...

Pharaxion wrote...

I also think that its a huge mistake not to have the cozy party camp which we saw in DA: Origins. And I believe there should be a lot more dialogue and story options available for each of the companions.

If I remember correctly David said there was as much companion dialogue in DA2 as in DAO. It was just broken in half with rivialry/friendship. (Which I like but not at the cost of losing chat time with companions).

Much like the PC dialogue probably was as much in both games but in 2 we have three ways to say the same thing, diplo, snarky, meaniehead. So other options seem...rare. (I like neutral options even in games like ME that have meters) But that's just me...

A big positive in da2 for me was archers. I tend to love playing range characters and finally they are...fun.

I also feel like there was far more interaction between companions in DA2. In DA:O, you got the wandering party banter ... and that was about it.

In DA2, at the start of most conversations, you'd encounter you're companions interacting with each other. Varric and Anders cracking jokes, Isabela teaching Merril about card games, Aveline helping Fenris with his inquiries ... It was nice. It made them feel more real. It was like saying, "Hey, these guys have lives outside of just following YOU around all day, you selfish prat."

DA2 made a lot of mis-steps, but I think this aspect was definetly a step forward.

[FieryDove]

Maclimes wrote...


In DA2, at the start of most conversations, you'd encounter you're companions interacting with each other. Varric and Anders cracking jokes, Isabela teaching Merril about card games, Aveline helping Fenris with his inquiries ... It was nice. It made them feel more real. It was like saying, "Hey, these guys have lives outside of just following YOU around all day, you selfish prat."

DA2 made a lot of mis-steps, but I think this aspect was definetly a step forward.

Maybe in 3 they will go further. I know many people liked the above but also wanted to goof off with companions. I mean they play cards with my dog but not me.

[Swordfishtrombone]

I think that it's as close to a consensus opinion as possible among Bioware fans that DA2 is a much inferior game to DA:O. It was rushed on a much too tight schedule, and that shows.

It's not a bad game, but it just doesn't live up to the expectations you are left with after DA:O. I agree on the exploding enemies front - that just made the combat seem cartoonish and over the top.

I don't know how far you are into the game, but the main complaint I've seen, and one that everyone seems to agree on, is the re-use of maps, and the relatively small area on which all the events in the game play out. Caves, and various dungeons/sewers/houses/etc. recycle the same few "floor plans" again and again, and by the end of the game, you pretty much know them by heart.

That, of course, is completely due to the severe lack of development time, and thus the need to cut corners.

The second most oft-heard complaint is the storyline, which is rather vague and disjointed, lacking any main thread that the player could see while playing - only after the fact can you see that some events were leading up to some other events, making up a kind of a plot.

This, obviously, was a design choise, and it felt like an experiment that did not completely work, at least for most people.

There are positives though - like the party banter, especially with a few specific companions. Merrill is definitely a keeper, keep her in the party, and you'll not lack entertainment.

[wowpwnslol]

Bioware's last quality game was Dragon Age. Funny thing is, I thought they were returning to their rooots that made them so successful. Apparently, they decided to ruin a wonderful game and universe by catering to FPS console kids, all in the name of profit and appeasing the great arch demon also known as EA.

Am I disappointed? Obviously. Bioware occupied a niche for true RPG fans. The moment they sold out to EA is the moment their games started being about pure profit, not love of the genre.

[Sweet Dirge]

I had Dragon Age II preorder but when the game came out I couldn't make it past the second act before I stopped playing. I'm trying to replay the game now but so far the only saving grace for me in this game is Aveline. Dialog involving her is what keeps me playing. I had no emotional reaction for what happened to Hawke's mother until Aveline shared her experience. I feel like Aveline is my character's best friend at this point.

[Cimeas]

Sweet Dirge wrote...

I had Dragon Age II preorder but when the game came out I couldn't make it past the second act before I stopped playing. I'm trying to replay the game now but so far the only saving grace for me in this game is Aveline. Dialog involving her is what keeps me playing. I had no emotional reaction for what happened to Hawke's mother until Aveline shared her experience. I feel like Aveline is my character's best friend at this point.

Yeah, Aveline was fantastic. 

[Cimeas]

wowpwnslol wrote...

Bioware's last quality game was Dragon Age. Funny thing is, I thought they were returning to their rooots that made them so successful. Apparently, they decided to ruin a wonderful game and universe by catering to FPS console kids, all in the name of profit and appeasing the great arch demon also known as EA.

Am I disappointed? Obviously. Bioware occupied a niche for true RPG fans. The moment they sold out to EA is the moment their games started being about pure profit, not love of the genre.

Nah, I think after Mass Effect 2 is where it went wrong.   ME2 was quality, and it had time spent on it. 

[Kileyan]

Cimeas wrote...

Sweet Dirge wrote...

I had Dragon Age II preorder but when the game came out I couldn't make it past the second act before I stopped playing. I'm trying to replay the game now but so far the only saving grace for me in this game is Aveline. Dialog involving her is what keeps me playing. I had no emotional reaction for what happened to Hawke's mother until Aveline shared her experience. I feel like Aveline is my character's best friend at this point.

Yeah, Aveline was fantastic. 

Awesome, when I played the game at release, I found very few folks who like her or her quest lines. Aveline was the best part of DA2 other than Varric. It was refreshing to get involved with and care about a character in a way that wasn't a romance line with cheesy prize scene at the end.

Its too bad two of my favorite companions in Bioware games, had to come from a not so great game, I'll likely never see more of them:(

I'm an oddball, the 3 characters I'd like most to see again are likely never going to happen, Sigrun, Aveline and Varric(he is a maybe).

[aldien]

Kileyan wrote...

Cimeas wrote...

Sweet Dirge wrote...

I had Dragon Age II preorder but when the game came out I couldn't make it past the second act before I stopped playing. I'm trying to replay the game now but so far the only saving grace for me in this game is Aveline. Dialog involving her is what keeps me playing. I had no emotional reaction for what happened to Hawke's mother until Aveline shared her experience. I feel like Aveline is my character's best friend at this point.

Yeah, Aveline was fantastic. 

Awesome, when I played the game at release, I found very few folks who like her or her quest lines. Aveline was the best part of DA2 other than Varric. It was refreshing to get involved with and care about a character in a way that wasn't a romance line with cheesy prize scene at the end.

Its too bad two of my favorite companions in Bioware games, had to come from a not so great game, I'll likely never see more of them:(

I'm an oddball, the 3 characters I'd like most to see again are likely never going to happen, Sigrun, Aveline and Varric(he is a maybe).

I understand all too well. Absolutely love Aveline and Varric. I do think Varric will be back in some form in DA3. It would be a crying shame if he was not. Aveline, though, perhaps since it is most likely set in Orlais. Hopefully, we will bump into them

[MichaelStuart]

I am disappointed in Dragon Age 2?
Not really, because in the end I did enjoy playing the game.
Yes, I have complaints about it. The bad reuse of maps, the pointless level and attributes, the plot railroading, lack of exploration, and above all else, the computer controlled, luck based, point and click, out dated, every five minute, repetitive combat.

The characters are what saves it for me.
I don't know why, as I find most of them to be arrogant whiners, but I just enjoy hearing them argue.

[Kileyan]

MichaelStuart wrote...

I am disappointed in Dragon Age 2?
Not really, because in the end I did enjoy playing the game.
Yes, I have complaints about it. The bad reuse of maps, the pointless level and attributes, the plot railroading, lack of exploration, and above all else, the computer controlled, luck based, point and click, out dated, every five minute, repetitive combat.

The characters are what saves it for me.
I don't know why, as I find most of them to be arrogant whiners, but I just enjoy hearing them argue.

In many other rpgs, I've always found people a little crazy that want the ability to kill every other character that can join their party. In DA2, I finally was able to understand them. I cared very little about the Hawke warrior brother, Anders or that emo tat covered elf. I don't mind characters with some hard luck stories, but they were just so whiny they sucked the life and energy from me as a player, I can imagine my Hawke was so busy trying to invent an invisibility spell so he could avoid them, that he didn't give proper attention to what was happening in Kirkwall. My warrior Hawke wanted to change his address but no luck.

Some characters are so well done they are fun to hate, this time, I really did just hate them! Hey at least I remembered them, that a plus.

[wsandista]

Yes

[LobselVith8]

I was disappointed in Hawke being a partly pre-defined character, the bad paraphrasing and auto-lines, the companions being limited to certain weapons and mandatory armor, and the lack of significant choices in the narrative. I thought the companions were well-written, even if the limited interaction with them for specific companion quests felt more like a hindrance and a chore rather than establishing ties of friendship.

Overall, I wasn't happy with Dragon Age II.

[EpicBoot2daFace]

It wasn't all bad. DA2 did have some high points of it's own. But on the whole, it was largely a dissappointment for most people.

[SafetyShattered]

I thought it was a good game. But I agree I was definately dissappointed in a lot of the "improvements."

[CELL55]

It didn't get me all riled up, and there were some things that I liked, but overall I felt it was kinda bad. I've played worse, and played many better, but ultimately it didn't really resonate with me enough for me to hate it.

[Rxdiaz]

One of the most disappointing games I've ever played. If not the most disappointing.

Honestly I found no redeeming value in it at all.

Terrible game.