24 réponses à ce sujet

[jlocohustler]

I noticed, like most people, that DA2 has many japanese style features like hairstyles, smooth faces, samurai-like combat, names and some other minor features. The thing is, when you talk about Dragons in Dragon Age, you're not refering to the festive dragons you see on Chinese new year but another kind of dragons which are descendants of the dragons found in Viking tales. So, turning the Dragon Age series into a High Fantasy and Japanese manga-style Hybrid isn't a very good move IMO.

In DA:O, you've got the Couslands. The name says it all, Couslands, sounds like some kind of name you'd find in old legends or some kind of old Britain-like world. Here you've got Hawke which sounds more like someone from a modern or futuristic Japanese universe who traveled through time into the DA2 universe. Just like the idea behind the name Cloud in Final Fantasy-very futuristic.

In DA:O combat wasn't as animated as in DA2. For example, while casting magic you'd basically wave your hands in the air and when attacking with a melee weapon you'd just swing it in 2 or 3 different types of swings but displaying some kind of might and barbarism-think about Sten waving a greatsword. In DA2, when you target some enemy, you dash forward with some unknown force and strike your opponent and some sparks show up like you know that this has got to hurt. When using a staff, you swing it in different manners and the final blow results in a blow on the ground like Gandalf did in LOTR. All that sounds great but without trying to sound ungrateful, a little too flashy for a Dragon Age kinda game. If you can do that kinda stuff in DA, then you might as well introduce Karate because this is starting to sound way too much like Samurais fight.

Some of the characters in the game have white spiky hair and smooth bodies even the dwarf is well shaved with tidy hair. Now, I don't watch a lot of japanese anime but I once watched one called Deathnote I believe and the characters in that anime were skinny, smooth skined with spiky hair-some white. Now, what are these kind of people doing in this kind of situation?

The Darkspawn don't do justice to their name in DA2. They look too clean and they wear armor that look like they've been crafting by some fine smithman...from japan or china. For example, look at the Darkspawn bolter's helmet. Looks like the same cap Samurais wear.

DA2 is trying to create a new style it seems but it's failing to do that because people including myself already fell in love with DA:O and morphing DA:O into something nobody can describe can't possibly be welcomed too well. I think I might have really loved DA2 (because I do love it a little) if it was actually DA:O, that is, the first and only game in the series because I wouldn't be expecting a better DA:O from it like most of us are.

I like The Lord of The Rings and I can't imagine Aragorn with geled spiky white hair, clean shaven face and chest, performing insane acrobatics with his double-edged sword and knocking down uruk-hai with Taekwondo. Might suit an elf but you know, sometimes you just gotta respect the lore!

[Giga Drill BREAKER]

tbh DA2 was trying to be a jrpg.

It makes me laugh that Bioware give Square all that slack about bad jrpgs and then they turn around and make one.

[Dave of Canada]

Dragon Age is not High Fantasy.

[The Hierophant]

Dave of Canada wrote...

Dragon Age is not High Fantasy.

I wonder if  the series would be considered HF if Sandal's prophecy unfolds later in the series.<_<

[Ausstig]

Dave of Canada wrote...

Dragon Age is not High Fantasy.

Actually it is. Dragon Age: Origins is classic High Fantsay. DA2 is much of a Low Fantsay but due to the first game the entire series should be considered High Fantsay. 

[Dave of Canada]

That's assuming you're taking the Blight as the main aspect of the Origins plot, rather than Loghain and the civil war. The only thing the Blight really does is serve as a driving force, similar to ASOIAF's Others.

Modifié par Dave of Canada, 04 août 2012 - 02:22 .

[TEWR]

Funnily enough, some of the greatsword kill animations were the exact same speed as the DAII animations.

Really, the only problem I have with DAII's greatsword animations is when you use up all of your stamina and Fenris/Carver/Hawke says they're tired, their attack speed remains unchanged. I'd like to see it be reduced by 25% if you use up all of your stamina, to actually reflect on how they're tired.

Some of the characters in the game have white spiky hair and smooth bodies even the dwarf is well shaved with tidy hair.

DAO had white hair as an option for characters. Sten most notably, yet I don't see his hair color berated by people and called anime.

[Esbatty]

Varric ain't "well shaved" he's got a decade of permanent 5 o'clock Shadow. Unless you're talking about Sandal. But he's just a baby. A magical, darkspawn slaying, savant of a baby.

[TheBlackBaron]

Dave of Canada wrote...

That's assuming you're taking the Blight as the main aspect of the Origins plot, rather than Loghain and the civil war. The only thing the Blight really does is serve as a driving force, similar to ASOIAF's Others.

What Dave said. I'm not sure I'd call it Low Fantasy, not with the elements that are present in it, but it's definitely not a High Fantasy. 

Regardless, the salient point that aspects of DA2's design philosophy felt out of place from what was established in DA:O and the other supplmental material is one I'd agree with. I mean, it was specifically described in development as "Hot Rod Samurai". And while making the combat more fluid was a wise choice (and I do like the more involed casting motions with staves), the absurd leaping animations and exploding bodies and the parachuting enemies ripped any sense of versimilitude or tactics out of it. Some of the raw numbers crunching also lends to that, wherein damage and health numbers are ridiculously inflated to keep up with what's going on on-screen - I believe Sylvius has touched on this before, one of the few times I agree with him. 

They can be forgiven for branching out from Ferelden's dirty Anglo-Saxon England throwback, and in fact you'd expect them too to keep things fresh. I actually quited liked Kirkwall's austere, prison walls-and-the-power-of-Tevinter architecture. But, well...Fenris is a bad Final Fantasy reject. There's no way around that, imo. 

[Ghost Lightning]

*reads title*

LOLNO.

Play Dragon's Dogma and stop being racist.

[Xilizhra]

Dave of Canada wrote...

That's assuming you're taking the Blight as the main aspect of the Origins plot, rather than Loghain and the civil war. The only thing the Blight really does is serve as a driving force, similar to ASOIAF's Others.

To be honest, I'd find that easier to buy if the civil war wasn't mostly crammed into the fifth main arc. There are a few signs of it elsewhere, but they're relatively minor and as soon as Loghain capitulates, the entire thing just stops and the Blight is all that matters. The Blight doesn't possess a whole lot of narrative power, but it is the main aspect in the end, with the civil war being a B-plot at best.

[Dave of Canada]

Xilizhra wrote...

To be honest, I'd find that easier to buy if the civil war wasn't mostly crammed into the fifth main arc.

Excluding the Landsmeet...

• Circle of Magi is in disarray because Uldred tried to coup for Loghain.
• Redcliffe was caused by Jowan who poisoned Eamon under Loghain's orders.
• Loghain's men have presence at Orzammar's gates trying to recruit the dwarves.
• Most side-quests are about the civil war.

The only two plots unrelated to Loghain are the Ashes and the Dalish, Loghain was the main figure which has his fingers in everything while the Blight took second-fiddle and was simply the driving force of the plot and the character's actions.

[TEWR]

I kinda felt that the presence of Loghain's men at Orzammar's gates was a bit underwhelming. Certainly, they couldn't get in there -- though how Ambassador Gainsley could've prior to them getting a king is a bit odd -- but I dunno, I kinda wish there was more.

Dave of Canada wrote...

Most side-quests are about the civil war.

Actually, the entire civil war didn't really get much screen-time. You would hear about it, but you never really got to take part in it aside from that one quest where you kill 6 of Loghain's men in a very small area.

Very unsatisfying.

[Realmzmaster]

The problem with both DAO and DA2 is that the high point of both games is not the endings. The high point of DAO is Loghain and the civil war. The high point of DA2 is the Arishok and the attempted takeover.

Where the does the poster get the idea that the name Hawke is modern. The name Hawke is old British. In fact several warships of the Royal Navy starting in 1591 were named Hawke. Hawke is an archaic spelling of the actual bird (Hawk). Some of the warships are named after Edward Hawke the Royal Navy's first Admiral back about 300 years ago. There is nothing futuristic about the name.

Also several characters in DAO have white hair starting with Sten. Neither Varric nor Anders have smooth faces.

The helmets and armor the hurlock bolters use are also of medieval design. The bolters were modeled on the Hussite crossbowmen (middle 1400's Czechoslovak), not Japanese. Also most of the armor styles used in Japan and China were used in the Anglo-Saxon medieval armies.

[Vexille]

I found the combat styles very similar to a lot of JRPGs... I think "Over the top" would be pretty accurate.

The rogue just annoyed me, all the hopping around looked more "Silly" than "cool" to me.

[Wulfram]

Dave of Canada wrote...

That's assuming you're taking the Blight as the main aspect of the Origins plot, rather than Loghain and the civil war. The only thing the Blight really does is serve as a driving force, similar to ASOIAF's Others.

Big civil war is a classic high fantasy plot, so I'm not sure what your point is.

High fantasy is dealing with the fate of nations and/or the world

Low fantasy is smaller scale stuff.  Saving the girl from the evil cult and taking their treasure.

[Realmzmaster]

Wulfram wrote...

Dave of Canada wrote...

That's assuming you're taking the Blight as the main aspect of the Origins plot, rather than Loghain and the civil war. The only thing the Blight really does is serve as a driving force, similar to ASOIAF's Others.

Big civil war is a classic high fantasy plot, so I'm not sure what your point is.

High fantasy is dealing with the fate of nations and/or the world

Low fantasy is smaller scale stuff.  Saving the girl from the evil cult and taking their treasure.

No the difference between high and low fantasy is the setting. Low fantasy is set in the primary or real world with the inclusion of magical elements.

High fantasy is set in an entirely fictional or secondary world. DA2 is sword and sorcery which is the other sub-genre along with high fantasy in the fantasy genre. The difference is that high fantasy focuses on world endangering events whereas sword and sorcery focuses on more personal battles still set in a completely fictional world.

Example of low fantasy in literature would be Indian in a Cupbopard. An example in video games would be Darklands or Shadow Hearts. An example of low fantasy in p n p systems would be Seventh Sea.

[Vox Draco]

I fail to see much japanese influence in DA2, but then I stay a mile away from JRPGs anyway, as their settings and characters and style never intrigued me...so I can hardly compare. Default-Male-Hawkes hair whatsoever always had a very "emo"-touch for me that I consider kind of ridiculous...I am happy we can still customize Hawkes appearance!

As far as the style and combat goes...I don't like it that much, but playing devil's advocate here you might justify this with one simple thing:

DAO we follow the actual "real" events

DA2 we follow the story of Hawke as told by Varric, who clearly is a friend of over-the-top action, as seen in the (quite hilarious) scene where he storms his brother's hideout and kills everyone on his own.

At least that'S how I see it. All the flashy battle and fighting we see is some kind of visualization of Varrics "colourful" storytelling you could say. In that regard Bioware even did it "right", staying true to their concept even in those details?

Just my thoughts at least, I personally hope they abandon that "flashy" comabt in DA3 again

[Wulfram]

Realmzmaster wrote...

No the difference between high and low fantasy is the setting. Low fantasy is set in the primary or real world with the inclusion of magical elements.

High fantasy is set in an entirely fictional or secondary world. DA2 is sword and sorcery which is the other sub-genre along with high fantasy in the fantasy genre. The difference is that high fantasy focuses on world endangering events whereas sword and sorcery focuses on more personal battles still set in a completely fictional world.

Example of low fantasy in literature would be Indian in a Cupbopard. An example in video games would be Darklands or Shadow Hearts. An example of low fantasy in p n p systems would be Seventh Sea.

I think that definition is fairly flawed.  Though wikipedia agrees with you.

For me, High Fantasy = Lord of the Rings, Low Fantasy = Conan.

But by either definition, DA is clearly high fantasy.

[Chipaway111]

Vox Draco wrote...

I fail to see much japanese influence in DA2, but then I stay a mile away from JRPGs anyway, as their settings and characters and style never intrigued me...so I can hardly compare. Default-Male-Hawkes hair whatsoever always had a very "emo"-touch for me that I consider kind of ridiculous...I am happy we can still customize Hawkes appearance!

As far as the style and combat goes...I don't like it that much, but playing devil's advocate here you might justify this with one simple thing:

DAO we follow the actual "real" events

DA2 we follow the story of Hawke as told by Varric, who clearly is a friend of over-the-top action, as seen in the (quite hilarious) scene where he storms his brother's hideout and kills everyone on his own.

At least that'S how I see it. All the flashy battle and fighting we see is some kind of visualization of Varrics "colourful" storytelling you could say. In that regard Bioware even did it "right", staying true to their concept even in those details?

Just my thoughts at least, I personally hope they abandon that "flashy" comabt in DA3 again

Pretty much all this for me.

Also, just wanted to add you offered me a new perspective on why Dragon Age 2's combat was so annoyingly flashy, thanks! 

[Realmzmaster]

Wulfram wrote...

Realmzmaster wrote...

No the difference between high and low fantasy is the setting. Low fantasy is set in the primary or real world with the inclusion of magical elements.

High fantasy is set in an entirely fictional or secondary world. DA2 is sword and sorcery which is the other sub-genre along with high fantasy in the fantasy genre. The difference is that high fantasy focuses on world endangering events whereas sword and sorcery focuses on more personal battles still set in a completely fictional world.

Example of low fantasy in literature would be Indian in a Cupbopard. An example in video games would be Darklands or Shadow Hearts. An example of low fantasy in p n p systems would be Seventh Sea.

I think that definition is fairly flawed.  Though wikipedia agrees with you.

For me, High Fantasy = Lord of the Rings, Low Fantasy = Conan.

But by either definition, DA is clearly high fantasy.

Conan would be sword and sorcery.

Another reference to look at:

tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LowFantasy 

[wsandista]

This thread makes me what to drink heavily.