228 réponses à ce sujet

[HiroVoid]

Allan Schumacher wrote...

What do you mean by the background? Do you mean the scenery/level? Or soemthing else (like city NPCs and whatnot)

*Went to sleep right after previous post*

Eh.  In all honesty, it's kind of hard to remember since it's been a while since I've last played, so someone with a better memory can certainly correct me if I'm wrong, but it seemed lots of time that there was just a general lack of detail or objects in the background.  Basically, trying to compare it to something in DAO, you could have archers practicing to prepare for the fight, darkspawn piles being burned, and other things going on.  

This may intermingle with my complaint that many times Kirkwall just didn't really seem 'alive' even compared to games made a long time ago like 'Clock Town' in Majora's Mask on the N64.  I'm hoping that towns and cities in the future will be more dynamic, but even if they are not, it may not be that noticable if we're moving around since it was more noticable as we spent all our time in Kirkwall.

[argan1985]

Hi my name is Ryan wrote...

Not at all. Everything about DA2 was awful.

This man speaks the truth.

[Pseudo the Mustachioed]

HiroVoid wrote...

Allan Schumacher wrote...

What do you mean by the background? Do you mean the scenery/level? Or soemthing else (like city NPCs and whatnot)

*Went to sleep right after previous post*

Eh.  In all honesty, it's kind of hard to remember since it's been a while since I've last played, so someone with a better memory can certainly correct me if I'm wrong, but it seemed lots of time that there was just a general lack of detail or objects in the background.  Basically, trying to compare it to something in DAO, you could have archers practicing to prepare for the fight, darkspawn piles being burned, and other things going on.  

This may intermingle with my complaint that many times Kirkwall just didn't really seem 'alive' even compared to games made a long time ago like 'Clock Town' in Majora's Mask on the N64.  I'm hoping that towns and cities in the future will be more dynamic, but even if they are not, it may not be that noticable if we're moving around since it was more noticable as we spent all our time in Kirkwall.

Ah, yeah, ambient stuff. I would like to see more of this, too.

That kind of thing is some of the very last stuff to be added to the game, and its understandable that in the short dev cycle for DA2 they were unable to do much in the way of ambience.

I especially missed the random animals milling about.

[jsadalia]

All I'm hoping for is an epic story with many and varied environments, engaging characters and dialogue, good voice acting, combat with some tactical bent, a strong narrative drive, evil to smite, a complete lack of Anders and Fenris, and if there must be attempted instruction in moral ambiguity can we not lay it on quite so thick?

I honestly don't think DA2 offers much. It was a step beck in almost all things I personally want from a game, but everyone has different tastes.

[Wickwrackscar]

I hope they keep the dominant tonality system they introduced in DA2. That was a cool feature that added to replayability. Related to this: I hope they don't drop the middle dialogue option like they did with ME3.

[Twisted Path]

Much as I hated Dragon Age 2 I thought the game had a lot of great ideas that are good on paper and can work (and have worked,) in better games.

Making the protagonist some poor shlub who goes around doing odd jobs in a City of Adventure instead of some sort of chosen one on an epic quest is a fine idea. Giving the protagonist an actual family that they interact with instead of the usual orphan back-story was great. Tweaking the approval system so that there are benefits from being liked or hated by NPCs is a great idea (it worked really well in Alpha Protocol.) Even the framing narrative thing had some potential and would have worked better if we had seen some more swings between what really happened and the tall tale that Varric is supposedly telling.

I think just about all of the problems with Dragon Age 2 were in the execution. Lots of interesting ideas that fell completely flat. That along with the horrible ending of Mass Effect 3 kind of makes me wish Bioware would stick to their strengths and make another good, solid, safe game (IE remake Knights of the Old Republic for the fourth time,) but maybe with a longer development time than DA2 got they can actually pull something more unconventional off. We'll see.

[Dutchess]

The Teryn of Whatever wrote...

[*]If one can overlook its flaws, like its lack of polish, DA2 is an underrated classic in much the same way Obsidian's KOTOR II was. Almost everyone gripes about the small things, never taking into account the fact that the plot is interesting and ungeneric, the characters are very solidly conceived and feel like real people, the writing is really quite good, and that it dared to be pretty different from its predecessor. Like KOTOR II compared to KOTOR I, DA 2 when compared to DA:O features a darker, more complex story.

I had typed a reaction to this hours ago, but internet crapped out when I wanted to post it and then I had to leave, so it's delayed, but I type it again:
Apart from the character companions (which I adored, just like DAO's. To me, they were DA2's saving grace), many characters were NOT solidly written. Most antagonists and thus the entire plot, hinged on everybody going insane. Let's make a list of insane people we encounter in primary quests, shall we?
- Tarohne the blood mage, who wanted to infiltrate the templars with possessed recruits. Cool plan, not sure why she would be crazy, but her way of talking clearly suggested it. Reason: blood magic makes you go cuckoo.
- Bartrand. Reason: mysterious lyrium idol. As soon as he touches it. Hawke touched it, Varric touched it, but they are immune to insanity inducing magic. Apparently. Very mediocre reason at best, imo, but it's a reason. Sort of.
- Crazy elf in Blackpowder Courtesy. Reason: uhhh... just because.
- Quentin. Supposedly already unstable, lost it when his wife died. And blood magic makes you go cuckoo. I find the idea behind him having merit, though, with the sadness it suggests, so I'm not too hung-up about this one.
- Arishok: this one is more debatable. Clearly he was not Quentin- or Bartrand- insane, but his reason for declaring war on Kirkwall seemed to be tied into "losing it". His frustration was understandable, so he's forgiven.
- Huon, blood mage we have to hunt down. Kills his wife. Reason: blood magic makes you go cuckoo.
- Other blood mage, forgot her name. Reason: same as Huon, and Tarohne's, and Quentin's....
- Grace: even if you helped her escape the templars, she suddenly HATES you in act III and wants to kill you and the hostage. Reason: uhhhh.....
- Anders: has merged with Justice. Best reason of them all.
- Orsino: made very little sense when Hawke had sided with the mages. You were winning an easy battle against some regular templars, then he goes all blood mage insane. Reason: uhh... stress.... I think that was what it was supposed to be.... And blood mages are all cuckoo. Obviously.
- Meredith: again the evil lyrium thing. Again no better reason than that. She could have served as a better morally grey choice without the obligated insanity act.

So.... that are a lot of characters. And that's NOT good writing. I get that DAII wanted to avoid having a big bad that has to be defeated by the hero, but making an antagonist insane does not make him/her more morally grey. If that is the best Bioware can do to replace the "evil because evil", than I'd rather they stick with the big bad. There was no overarching plot that tied the three acts together, and the story suffered from it. It did not lead to a dark and complex story. It leads to a lot of quests that feel like side quests at first glance, and a  bunch of fruitcakes thrown into them to make it "grey".
Sure, crazy can be interesting. I think Quentin has that, when you think a little bit more about his motivations to realize how sad they actually are. The Arishok was handled well too.  Anders... not very fond of him, but his arc had been developed well enough. but the rest... no. 

[Scarlet Rabbi]

Some ideas from DA2 need to die. Whether you like DA2 or not, this is still the case.

The biggest one for me is, surprisingly, not an in-game one. The re-use of enviorments and enemies falling from the sky have obviously gone to video game hell, where they well belong, but I hope that we don't get another horrible, slighty condscending 'awesome-button' type marketing campaign.

I feel strongly this was one of the worst things about DA2, and pre-realease you couldn't watch an interview or video diary with anyone involved with DA2 without them telling you, multiple times, that pressing a button would make "something awesome" happen.

I hope that, and things like that, never return, as it made me feel like EA/Bioware thought I was a nine year old kid, who they were trying to sell a power ranger action figure to.

"PRESS THE BUTTON AND SOMETHING AWESOME WILL HAPPEN!!! SOMETHING AWESOME HASTA HAPPEN!!!"

I hope the marketing is improved for Inquisition, so that I don't feel mildly insulted after watching an ad.

[ScarMK]

^^^^

This is exactly how I felt with Hawke and companions doing thousands of damage at once, while the enemies only did 10-200.

[Twisted Path]

As hilariously stupid as "the awesome button" was I don't think they'll ever be able to top the Dragon Age: Origins trailer that was inexplicably set to a Marylin Manson song.

[Melca36]

Fetch and Delivery quests are innovative?



Enemies coming out of the ceiling innovative?






Granted there were some great characters in DA2, the developers have said they are going to take what worked in DA2 but you better face the reality that DA3 is NOT GOING TO BE DA:2.5

[addiction21]

Scarlet Rabbi wrote...

I feel strongly this was one of the worst things about DA2, and pre-realease you couldn't watch an interview or video diary with anyone involved with DA2 without them telling you, multiple times, that pressing a button would make "something awesome" happen.

ant to link some of these? I remember that one time but where are the rest?

[Veex]

I agree with a few of these points. Particularly the portion regarding BioWare breaking their traditional formula. It was nice to not have our PC being a member of a prestigious order out to save the entire world/galaxy.

[Melca36]

I rated Dragon Age 2 a 7/10 when I played it. I rated it a 7.5 once I played the DLC.

It still let me down because it was hyped to be something that it wasn't.


I remember reading articles on how Kirkwall was supposed to be "full of life"

Is this Screenshot full of life?




Kirkwall was bland...lifeless and just plain boring.

I actually wish there had been more to do at the Wounded Coast and Sundermount. Those areas were quite pretty

[Pseudo the Mustachioed]

Melca36 wrote...

the reality that DA3 is NOT GOING TO BE DA:2.5

Oh, are you a Bioware employee?

[Maria Caliban]

addiction21 wrote...


ant to link some of these? I remember that one time but where are the rest?

Every interview David Silverman did included that phrase.

[overburning]

I'm with you, despite its flaws, DA2 has some of my favourite character moments in it.

[LPPrince]

I'm afraid the game might include TOO MANY of the "new ideas" from DA2.

I'd much rather they return to what made DAO so amazing in my eyes, though DA2 did have its few saving graces.

So if those few things could be retained and improved, by all means I support it.

I just hope they don't try "DA2" again.

[Menagra]

I too am afraid that the art in the dissensus sense as described by Ranciere will be forever lost by bioware. DA2 might have been the first game in Bioware's history that truly could have been included in the idea of art even though ME2 is often given that recognition (insert eyeroll). It remains to be seen if Bioware only desires good reviews or if Bioware desires to actually make great games. Their reaction to the ME3 ending fiasco suggests the previous, but I hope that is only the reaction of one development team.

As a person from USA --- where political lines are so tight between 2 parties that more filibusters have been done in 4 years than the previous decade...the conflict between mages and templars (with all it's intricacies) made DA2 appear to be incredibly relevant. Even the overblown Walking Dead is just a shadow to DA2's potential. I pre-ordered the game and it gave me chills to play through -- while at the same time witnessing the political landscape of my country. Obviously there is some reflection between Christianity and DA2, but instead of harshly criticizing or supporting a particular religion --- DA2 merely investigates the role that a similar religious entity plays - allowing a variety of viewpoints to be expressed and explored along the way; Truly an interactive experience unique to the gaming medium. Extremely accessibly by a wide audience and incredibly powerful, and this is only 1 aspect of Dragon Age. Game of Thrones can't even come close to the potential of Dragon Age because game of thrones tries to be contemporary while sticking to fantasy standards established in the 1930s (it's just not possible). The Witcher is of course a manifestation of the conservative ideals that are perpetuated throughout games. Yet the gaming community is changing, despite the reluctance of game creators to change with it.

I recently played through DA2 again before my countries presidential election with Romney and Obama...and the game again succeeded in giving me chills. I couldn't help but feel the blight was representational of an economic recession and the aftermath of the blight was a close reflection of the aftermath of the great recession. The sophistication of DA2 was of course lost on game critics who herald titles like Batman to be great commentators on contemporary society. While it's true the idolization of the vigilante plays an important part on the American viewpoint. The limited story within Arkym City does not even touch on ideas that are relevant to our times, but are just repeats of the 1960s. It's a downright mockery to the gaming medium how out of touch many critics are. To be honest there is a reason they are game critics and not movie, novel or art critics. The fact that a recent critique described the Mass Effect Omega DLC as "so vast I had not time to explore it all" when it only takes 3-4 hours to explore every aspect of omega .... I think is revealing to how shallow the reviews actually are. This is another issue entirely.

I worry that the "perfect" scores of ME3 and the over reaction to DA2 will warp Bioware into an entity that only wishes to satisfy the broken standards of contemporary game critics. If they do they are doomed to become irrelevant. The movie industry is falling, and the game industry is in danger of falling with it. I hope bioware realizes this and sticks with their integrity rather than seeking to satisfy the standards created by captains of sinking vessels.

[addiction21]

Maria Caliban wrote...

addiction21 wrote...


ant to link some of these? I remember that one time but where are the rest?

Every interview David Silverman did included that phrase.

So it wasn't "everyone involved with DA2 in every interview or video diary pre-release?"

P.S.
So its clear I am not fond of BIoWares and by extension EA's marketing. It generally insulting and childish.

Modifié par addiction21, 02 décembre 2012 - 11:53 .

[Allan Schumacher]

Enemies coming out of the ceiling innovative?

LOL. When I saw that screenshot my first reaction was "well does that happen in other games?" XD

(Facetiously of course )

[Maria Caliban]

addiction21 wrote...

So it wasn't "everyone involved with DA2 in every interview or video diary pre-release?"

No, it wasn't in every interview or video.