EntropicAngel wrote...
And I'd love to hear these arguments, since most of the ones that I've heard have to do with DA:O.
I can't believe this is necessary for you, because it's al been said before, but here goes.
Two of the most obvious and that are often mentioned are the recycled environments and the wave combat. These also seem to be the two that Bioware feels are safe to acknowledge and are being mentioned nearly every time when a dev comes out to make it clear that they are aware of the game's problems and that they listen to criticism.
However, for me these things are not what made the game such a disappointment. It really was the story. And that was not because I had to be the hero who saves the day and the world like in DAO. It was not because my rigid fan brain could not handle a story of a smaller scope or because I'm to stupid to get a more "personal" story. It's because a lot was not believable. There's no main antagonist, which could have been interesting, but in DA2 the result was simply that you had to deal with a lot of minor antagonists who all appeared to be crazy. It's like the game was some kind of asylum challenge. Bartrand, Tarohne, Quentin, Orsino, Meredith, Anders, random crazy elf in Blackpowder Courtesy, Grace, Evelina, Huon. Even the Arishok has a bout of crazy homesickness in which he decides to kill everybody to move the plot forward (I doubt cutting off people's heads is a demand of the Qun, since it won't get him his book and dead people are not converted and also useless for the Qunari) All these people play a role in a primary quest and all turn out to be less than sane. A crazy antagonist can be interesting, but when the entire cast goes nuts it becomes too much. Some have had more time and it can be debated that they have a valid "reason" to turn out the way they are (like Anders, or Arishok). But most are just crazy so they don't have to elaborate on reasons and stuff and you simply get to kill them quickly (after commenting on how they're barking mad). It gets old really quickly, is not convincing and comes acros as a quick and easy way of writing in another opponent without much further thought.
Then there's the way the three-year gaps are handled. The time-jumps appear to be only there to say that time has passed, but there's practically nothing that visibly changes and everything waits for Hawke to leave his/her house to progress again. The gaps could have been one year and it wouldn't have made it a difference. I think it might have been even better to have shorter gap, because it would have made story progression feel less disjointed. It also would have made more sense with regards to the companions and their personal quests/romances (especially Fenris).
That barely anything visibly changes is also part that makes Kirkwall so unconvincing as the big city it's supposed to be. The only change I've noticed is that in Act 3 the Qunari compound is closed off and there's a big statue of a dude in heavy armor carrying a flaming sword and his foot on the head of the Arishok, independent of whether your Hawke was male or female, warrior, mage or rogue, gave the tome to the Arishok and let him leave or dueled him. Kirkwall is supposed to be overrun with refugees when you first arrive, yet the Gallows where all the refugees are forced to stay is almost empty. Every part of the city in every act is far too empty to give the feeling of major port city with lots of refugees.
Lack of choices and even greater lack of consequences is another glaring issue. You're railroaded into everything. I have played lineair games and can enjoy them, but in an RPG I think it's a different matter, especially if it tries to give the illusion that it is offering choices. It ends up contributing to the unconvincing feeling of the story. If you've chosen to support the mages in everything and spoke out against Meredith in public, you're still confronted with Thrask & co. who are convinced you're on Meredith's side (yes, you had to hunt bloodmages for her, but if they know so well what she's capable of, it should at the very least occur to them that Hawke has been blackmailed) and abducted the person closest to you. You've killed templars to let Grace escape, yet in act 3 she suddenly hates you and decides to kill the hostage and Hawke for no real reason. Except or more crazy. You're on the side of the mages and defend them till the end, yet Osino thinks it's a great time to turn into a harvester and start killing his allies.
The DLC, which was claimed to improve upon issues of the main game, did little to correct this. "Give me the list, Tallis." Tallis: "No! Here's a gem!" Hawke:
Graphics and game aesthetics are quite often brushed aside as not important, but I think it can really contribute to the immersion of the game, and DA2 had several instances of ugliness that really pulled me out of the game. The main characters have obviously had the most work and looked decent enough (except for the female hands). But more minor characters had makeup that didn't suit a medieval look at all and looked more like the women used wall paint to paint their lips (Tarohne, Orana, madame Luisine (yes, she's a hooker. Still no excuse for that)).
Some environments also had had more work than others, but the same low-res wall texture (I think it was supposed to be...wood) is used in Gamlen's house, Merrill's house, entire Darktown and the sewers (which looked more like an attic or something).
I think these are the most important reasons, although for me the story is the most essential and was therefore enough to ruin the experience for me.
Cameron Lee wrote...
We don’t have the same kinds of business pressures that DA2 had, but we do have a self-imposed pressure to give you guys & gals something you’ll love, and that’s a pressure the people on the team can get behind.
There’s a saying in the industry that “you’re only as good as your last game”, I prefer to believe that “you’re only as good as your next game” and I think this is something our players deserve.
I appreciate this and truly hope Bioware will live up to its word and turn things around with the next game. It would definitely do a lot for my trust and confidence in the company.
Modifié par renjility, 08 mai 2013 - 05:57 .
Ce sujet est fermé
Guest_EntropicAngel_*
Retour en haut
