45 réponses à ce sujet

[MyLifeInVinyl]

 I have played 25 hours and still haven't gotten the gold yet for the expedition. It's just the same thing over and over again. Kill some people, get 2 peices of gold. Maybe a slightly interesting quest. Repeat. I don't even know what the game is about. Is there even a plot? I get it. You run away from the blight  and attempt to make a name for yourself. There is pretty much no character interaction with your party members. I just want to know what's coming up. Because there is no way thing game could ever compete with the firs one so far. Does it get better? :/

[thats1evildude]

In Act 1, you're trying to raise money for an expedition that will bring your family out of the slums. In Act 2, you're called in to make peace with the qunari (and deal with some Chantry zealots trying to antagonize them). In Act 3, you resolve the ongoing conflict between the mages and templars.

Is there some over-arching goal you're supposed to be working towards? No. The story is just about the life of one man (or woman) and some interesting stuff they got involved in.

[MyLifeInVinyl]

That sucks. I guess no other video game will ever compare to Dragon Age Origins. ):

[Sir George Parr]

MyLifeInVinyl wrote...

That sucks. I guess no other video game will ever compare to Dragon Age Origins. ):

You say that like its a bad thing. Origins is a stand alone game. Its storyline is quite generic and nothing exceptional in that respect. If you want more of the same why not play ME3 as its core Storyline is fairly similar to Origins. DA2 is more interesting as its out to tell a different story, its a rags to riches story at its core. It just fails in the implementation and execution of its story.But many of its problems have their roots in that games short development cycle. 

Modifié par XM-417, 24 avril 2013 - 09:37 .

[AudioEpics]

I LOVE the fact that DA2 is not about one thing but a story consisting of several smaller ones. Different strokes, I guess. I like the DA:O approach too, but this is just so refreshing to me.

[Frostmourne86]

MyLifeInVinyl wrote...

That sucks. I guess no other video game will ever compare to Dragon Age Origins. ):

What was so amazing about Origins that you'd expect some other game to be just as good?  You would want to play through the same plot as Origins?  I liked playing Jade Empire, but the story followed the same format as KoTR, Mass Effect, and DA:O - and I get tired of playing games where you're the last of an order, tasked with battling something that wants to destroy reality/the universe/control the country/etc. Dragon Age II was different, and that's why I've completed two playthroughs with several others still in progress, while I'm stalled on the Fade section in Origins.

[Swordfishtrombone]

Well, you see, the story is that you go about and... do stuff... and get money and then... do some more stuff, and then some big stuff happens, and then you... do more stuff... and gain status... and do more stuff... and then some really big stuff happens again. The end.

You kinda see a story arch after the fact, but while you are playing, it does kinda feel like doing a series of sidequests. That was one of the criticisms that the game has received.

The best way to approach the game though is not to think of DA:O, and form your expectations based on it. Don't expect a traditional fantasy RPG story. If you can do that, then you may actually enjoy the game. It's not a great game, but I'd say it's a good game.

[LobselVith8]

MyLifeInVinyl wrote...

I have played 25 hours and still haven't gotten the gold yet for the expedition. It's just the same thing over and over again.

Prepare to get that same feeling for all three Acts.

MyLifeInVinyl wrote...

Kill some people, get 2 peices of gold.

You'd think a game about Hawke's alleged "rise to power" would involve more than seeing the main character hack and slash his way through the story.

MyLifeInVinyl wrote...

Maybe a slightly interesting quest. Repeat. I don't even know what the game is about. Is there even a plot?

Hawke likes to mimic furniture when he should react like a human being. That was the impression I received from the narrative.

MyLifeInVinyl wrote...

I get it. You run away from the blight  and attempt to make a name for yourself. There is pretty much no character interaction with your party members. I just want to know what's coming up. Because there is no way thing game could ever compete with the firs one so far. Does it get better? :/

In my humble opinion: no.

[cJohnOne]

I haven't played Baldur's Gate 2 but apparently you play most of the game gathering money. So that part isn't new. I rather enjoy the first chapter except for the first time through when I was more in a rush to see the end of the game and skipped some content and missed recruiting Isabela.

[Swordfishtrombone]

cJohnOne wrote...

I haven't played Baldur's Gate 2 but apparently you play most of the game gathering money. So that part isn't new. I rather enjoy the first chapter except for the first time through when I was more in a rush to see the end of the game and skipped some content and missed recruiting Isabela.

There is a part of the game where you do collect money to pay for passage to a certain place, but at what point you do that is largely up to you. The major difference though is that in BG2, at that point, you have an over-riding goal beyond just self-advancement: you have a mystery to solve, a villain to hunt down, and someone dear to you to save.

DA2 differs from pretty much all the Bioware games before it in that it doesn't have an over-riding goal that you are striving for.

[mk123]

I sort of get the feeling that DA2 is more about Kirkwall than anything else. Kirkwall and its descent into madness.

[Zeldrik1389]

David Gaider did say that DA 2 theme was "freedom" rather than "Heroism". That's why it's different than BioWare other games. In their previous games, there was always a big goal, either saving the world, or prevent a big evil scheme, or saving someone close to your character. And this goal was usually given to you pretty early in the game. For instance, DA:O main goal was to unite the land and stop the Blight, mixed with personal goals depends on your character background. It was given to you fairly early, within the first couple hours of the game.
DA 2, however, didn't have anything like that. The whole time, you just ... go with the flow, without any specific "big goals" to focus on. The whole game felt like a bunch of side quests got mixed together. It was pretty hollow, and somewhat boring. The whole game, which I took around 30 hours to finished everything, include dlcs, I felt like all I did was running around, doing errant for people.
Also, DA 2 felt alot more linear than DA:O. Things happened pretty much the same no matter what you do. DA:O main ending is fixed too, (Kill the Archdemon, end the Blight) but that's only the backbone. Everything else is upto you. You can see the consequences of your choice at the end (even though they are only shown in slides). In DA 2, it's always the same, fight 2 bosses, and disappear. Your choices didn't matter. No real explanation, no closure, nothing. Just slightly different cutscenes, some different lines from varric, and then ... over. It wouldn't feel that bad IF the game didn't come from BioWare. A lot of RPGs has set story too. However, BioWare is famous for making games with various endings that reflect players' choices and personalities. I guess that's why DA 2 seems so .... out of place, and didn't live up to expectation.

Modifié par Zeldrik1389, 28 avril 2013 - 12:00 .

[emeraldtrader]

Zeldrik1389 wrote...

David Gaider did say that DA 2 theme was "freedom" rather than "Heroism". That's why it's different than BioWare other games. In their previous games, there was always a big goal, either saving the world, or prevent a big evil scheme, or saving someone close to your character. And this goal was usually given to you pretty early in the game. For instance, DA:O main goal was to unite the land and stop the Blight, mixed with personal goals depends on your character background. It was given to you fairly early, within the first couple hours of the game.
DA 2, however, didn't have anything like that. The whole time, you just ... go with the flow, without any specific "big goals" to focus on. The whole game felt like a bunch of side quests got mixed together. It was pretty hollow, and somewhat boring. The whole game, which I took around 30 hours to finished everything, include dlcs, I felt like all I did was running around, doing errant for people.
Also, DA 2 felt alot more linear than DA:O. Things happened pretty much the same no matter what you do. DA:O main ending is fixed too, (Kill the Archdemon, end the Blight) but that's only the backbone. Everything else is upto you. You can see the consequences of your choice at the end (even though they are only shown in slides). In DA 2, it's always the same, fight 2 bosses, and disappear. Your choices didn't matter. No real explanation, no closure, nothing. Just slightly different cutscenes, some different lines from varric, and then ... over. It wouldn't feel that bad IF the game didn't come from BioWare. A lot of RPGs has set story too. However, BioWare is famous for making games with various endings that reflect players' choices and personalities. I guess that's why DA 2 seems so .... out of place, and didn't live up to expectation.

What he said...

[LobselVith8]

Zeldrik1389 wrote...

David Gaider did say that DA 2 theme was "freedom" rather than "Heroism". That's why it's different than BioWare other games.

That's odd for him to say when I had more freedom with my Warden than I did with Hawke. From the plot railroading you mentioned to being incapable of saying you didn't believe in the Maker or supporting blood magic. It was mainly a story about having relatively no freedom at all.

[Zeldrik1389]

LobselVith8 wrote...

Zeldrik1389 wrote...

David Gaider did say that DA 2 theme was "freedom" rather than "Heroism". That's why it's different than BioWare other games.

That's odd for him to say when I had more freedom with my Warden than I did with Hawke. From the plot railroading you mentioned to being incapable of saying you didn't believe in the Maker or supporting blood magic. It was mainly a story about having relatively no freedom at all.

You misunderstood. "Freedom" that DG said wasn't the "You have plenty of choices that matter." It's the theme of the story, not the gameplay. When he said "freedom", he didn't mean it as "everybody is free". He meant it as "Freedom is the ultimate goal that people in kirkwall (especially mages) strive for". As I said in my post, the stories in BioWare previous games invole player become a hero of some sort, saving the day. In other words, the theme of the stories is "Heroism." DA 2 story isn't like that. It's not about an individual (player) and his / her heroic journey, it's about people (Mages) struggle, fight for their freedom. The player character now isn't the main focus of the story, but rather just a person that got mixed up in this fight.

Modifié par Zeldrik1389, 29 avril 2013 - 02:08 .

[Gustave Flowbert]

I'm a fan of DAII, admittedly, so take this with as much salt as is your taste but I think that DAII got across a sense of helplessness in the face of reality that I like in many stories.

It cut out a lot of the customization of Origins and believe me when I say that no one loves playing a DA dwarf as much as I do but I think that can serve a purpose. It could have all been due to development, I don't know, but the game felt to me like a character struggling to survive while being drawn into a city that was exploding. Your choices don't immediately change the fate of the entire universe but I think it's sort of like (sorry, just saw Iron Man 3 so I'm totally stealing a visual) changing the shape of the shadow you leave behind on the wall.

Within the confines of the events leading to the ((no spoilers: the end of the game and the events leading to DAI)), you live your life, have your loves, and make your choices. All fantasy is linear so I don't always understand that criticism.

DAO let's you choose your origin, which I love, and you can have a variety of scintillating personalities but you still do the Brecilian Forest, Denerim, Orzammar, and the Circle Tower before you go to the Landsmeet. I love DAO (it got me interested in gaming again, actually) but I loved DAII on its own merits as well.

Those merits didn't include the character customization I liked from DAO but it did add many layers by voicing the character and adding some great elements in the rivalry/friendship bars (I love the option to be at odds with other characters in the story without having to boot them out of the story!).

So, to me, DAII was about the city of Kirkwall and the people who changed it forever and how it changed their lives.

[Heidenreich]

What was said above. DA:O was about becoming a Hero. DA2 was about a guy (or girl) who was just trying to keep his/her family safe, live life, and sort of gets swept up along the way, good or ill. It's about the overarching story of Kirkwall, how it's slowly self imploding, from the viewpoint of a storytelling dwarf who made his best friend the center of the story.

[ecipp]

The plot is a mess, the quests are all jumbled. I personally think that the only good things about it are the graphics are good, the fact that your chacter actually speaks, the fight style and the new and improved (so to speak) romance sernarios.

my name means eternal love and that is my path in life *peace out ****es* 3-)

[freche]

Swordfishtrombone wrote...

Well, you see, the story is that you go about and... do stuff... and get money and then... do some more stuff, and then some big stuff happens, and then you... do more stuff... and gain status... and do more stuff... and then some really big stuff happens again. The end.

So your point is that DA2 is about as generic as almost every other RPG ever made?

[Swordfishtrombone]

freche wrote...

Swordfishtrombone wrote...

Well, you see, the story is that you go about and... do stuff... and get money and then... do some more stuff, and then some big stuff happens, and then you... do more stuff... and gain status... and do more stuff... and then some really big stuff happens again. The end.

So your point is that DA2 is about as generic as almost every other RPG ever made?

No, my point was that unlike what is usual for RPGs, and certainly Bioware RPGs, DA2 has no over-arching, grand goal beyond personal survival and advancement. In DA:O, you knew, from very early on in the game what your grand goal was - that you were to stop the blight. In ME1 you were to catch Saren and unravel the mystery of his purpose; a purpose that was threatening the galaxy. In ME2, you were to answer the threat of the collectors, and unravel their connection to the reapers. In ME3, you had to save the galaxy from the reapers. In the baldur's gate series you had a grand destiny to unravel, and great villains to hunt down.

What the point is that in DA2, no such grand purpose is present. As such, with very few exeptions, those quests identified in the journal as mainline quest can, when playing, be identified as mainline quests only with reference to the journal. By playing you would not know them from a side quest.

As I said, I DO like the game, but this aimlessness is, I would say, one of the major reasons why the game got ther negative reception it did. And I do have to say that I prefer a story in an RPG that is more clear-set goal driven.

[ecipp]

In a way the story's goal is kind of there but the fact still remains Bioware tried to make it soo much better than the 1st that they made big flaws. It is a shame it ended up so jumbled. They could habe made it so much better in so many ways. In my personal opinion they tried too hard and payed too little attention to the things that made the 1st 1 so good.

don't know if you guys and girls would agree?

my name means eternal love and that is the hippy way

[Froswald]

ecipp wrote...

The plot is a mess, the quests are all jumbled. I personally think that the only good things about it are the graphics are good, the fact that your chacter actually speaks, the fight style and the new and improved (so to speak) romance sernarios.

my name means eternal love and that is my path in life *peace out ****es* 3-)

Am I the only one who noticed a distinct decrease in graphics quality? Take character models, even with maxed DX11 level settings, they were nearly as blurry as the terrible collision-less mooks standing around Kirkwall. Weapon models imported from Origins looked so out of place due to the textures, and the hair for example just seemed so artifical to me. Really it boils down to textures, they were overall, awful compared to Origins. (Perhaps that's why Origins made my laptop a furnace while DA2 simply made it a heating pad)


Ontopic: DA2's story implementation and story itself had great potential. I could see it as a great standalone game if given another year or two in development, worthy of the series it came from (and perhaps even approaching one of the universe's inspirations, too). In practice, either they didn't give a hoot or more likely, not enough time to put their ideas to practice. And, for many like me (who may be a minority now, not sure), it really doesn't compare to Origins, which while more typical to use a poor choice in word, was much more solid. I'm hoping they learned their lessons from DA2 and apply it to DA3. If not, well I can always just use Darkspawn Chronicles as my canon ending

Modifié par Froswald, 24 mai 2013 - 07:56 .

[t003]

MyLifeInVinyl wrote...

 I have played 25 hours and still haven't gotten the gold yet for the expedition. It's just the same thing over and over again. Kill some people, get 2 peices of gold. Maybe a slightly interesting quest. Repeat. I don't even know what the game is about. Is there even a plot? I get it. You run away from the blight  and attempt to make a name for yourself. There is pretty much no character interaction with your party members. I just want to know what's coming up. Because there is no way thing game could ever compete with the firs one so far. Does it get better? :/

The game in its entirety is a poorly written post-EA BioWare's personal social justice blog.

[stevemill]

I've been playing DA2 for about 20 hours now.  I am finding it a refreshing change of pace from DA1 and other super-epic plots.  The cut scenes and the voice acting combine to really put me in that city and Hawke's life.  I love having to make judgement calls that have consequences.  Not had any trouble getting the gold together in this time and now I'm just spinning out the first act doing side quests.

DA2 was cheap and the fact it is reasonably short and focused is a bonus as my playing time is limited.

I'm not doing anything special to get gold - I just make sure I sell off anything I don't need. It all mounts up.

[MageTarot]

Getting the gold to fund the expedition is fairly easy if you hold off on spending it on things you can buy later. What I usually do is only buy upgrades to my companions' armor and hold off on everything else until I reach the amount needed to fund the expedition. Once that number is reached, I leave it alone. Anything I earn beyond that is free to spend or save as i see fit. While some items offered are very expensive, I've noticed that weapons, rings and pendants picked up during DLC's like Legacy and Mark of the Assassin make good substitutes.

Hope this helps!