19 réponses à ce sujet

[mmu1]

Some background: I got DAI for the PC, was just barely able to play through the beginning of the prologue (made it as far as the decision whether to storm ahead or go through the mountains), then got a refund because of too many technical issues (FPS drops, stutter) to be able to enjoy the game. What I saw in that time didn't exactly blow me away - hardly the most interesting start to an RPG, in my opinion anyway, but the prologue/tutorial sections of many good games have been pretty lousy.

 

Now, I have been considering getting a PS4 for a while now... probably will do so in the near future, actually... but I'm trying to decide whether I ought to pick up DAI then, and the critic reviews aren't really helping, to be honest.

 

I loved Baldur's Gate 2 and KotOR, and while I enjoyed DAO quite a bit overall, I had a bunch of issues with it, mainly:

 

1. I did not like the combat at all. Thought it was slow, plodding and tedious, with way too much filler, thought the various combat abilities on short-recharge timers were too MMO-like, hated the "Normal, Lieutenant, Elite" scaling of monsters that I thought had way too many HP to begin with and took way too long to kill, and ended up playing on Easy so I could get on with the story without too much effort.

 

2. Thought many of the areas in the game were a bit lifeless and didn't have much character, with only a few notable exceptions like the Dwarven city and parts of the quest in the mage tower.

 

3. Could have done with way less romance BS and more in-depth all around character development instead. I think the only Bioware game I didn't hate the romances in was ME2, because in ME I chose Ashley and deciding not to "cheat" despite having her missing / pissed off at me in ME2 was a lot more interesting then any of the awesome "saying the right thing in 3 conversations in a row = PG-13 sex" options.

 

So, if anyone actually read all of this - any opinions on whether I ought to bother with Inquisition?   

[lionsfan208]

I think DA 2 and DAI answer many of those complains that you listed about DAO.  I feel the combat is much faster, character growth and exploration is much more in depth and interesting, and the areas in this game seem to grow and change as I play and do things in them. 

 

I really am enjoying it but if its for you or not is hard to say. 

[FrontlinerDelta]

Well, I'm kind of like you I think. 

 

I liked Origins for the story and the characters. I did not care for the combat at all. I thought it was boring, lacked any kind of weight, slow, and I dreaded every time I entered combat. I dropped the game to easy so I didn't have to use tactical view constantly and to turn off friendly fire (which imo is stupid and annoying). So again, I agree with you.

 

Also agree that the areas were pretty lifeless. Ostagar was supposed to be the mustering of the King's army. Yet it was pretty damn empty. Denerim was empty and bland. 

So to respond overall; you should get Inquisition. Why? Because it fixes EVERY problem I have with Origins and doesn't over-correct like Dragon Age 2. 

 

Combat is visceral. Some people claim it's over-the-top but personally I like having my abilities feel impactful. Mighty Blow really feels like you are bringing a giant two handed weapon down on someone's head. Because of the way health works now, you no longer have a heal bot mage. Instead you have proactive defenses. You use abilities to generate guard as a warrior or dodge attacks as a rogue. It's very responsive. Enemies tend to die faster, though there are still "elites" in the sense they are stronger than the random fodder. 

 

Unlike what made Origins annoying, where every fight was designed to make your party wipe, this is more slow. You might win a fight but have taken so much damage you used 3 of your health potions limiting you for the next fight. Trust me, it sounds hard but it really makes fights more fun. You don't tend to wipe, instead you become more limited in how far you can adventure until you need to restock at a camp (for free, so don't worry about that). 

 

Secondly, the areas are brilliant. Probably the best combination of "open world" and "narrative" ever. Every region has a story, a story that you influence. You can see the results of your choices on the landscape and on the quests available. Creatures live in certain areas, predators attack herbivores, Dragons are massive impressive creatures that inspire fear. Every corner hides a new secret. 

Really, the game is excellent. As someone who has always preferred Mass Effect and only liked Origins for the story, this game is Bioware's best game (I have played since Kotor, no opinion on BG or NWN). It's huge, it has TONS of character, the environments are beautiful, combat is impactful and fun. 

for me it's a 9.999999/10 because there are some VERY minor issues I have with keybindings (Namely can't rebind mouse keys). 

[mmu1]

I think DA 2 and DAI answer many of those complains that you listed about DAO.  I feel the combat is much faster, character growth and exploration is much more in depth and interesting, and the areas in this game seem to grow and change as I play and do things in them. 

 

I really am enjoying it but if its for you or not is hard to say. 

 

Heh... Knew I forgot something. I thought DA2 was a... pretty mediocre game, and that's being kind. (though I liked the fact the combat was faster)

[lionsfan208]

Heh... Knew I forgot something. I thought DA2 was a... pretty mediocre game, and that's being kind. (though I liked the fact the combat was faster)

I feel that this one stitches together the best aspects of both of the games and then adds in its own good aspects.  So the faster better game play of 2 with the bigger less repetitive world of 1 but then some other nice aspects.  Less of a strict path and more open world than either game give you a better open world feel.  But that said it really sounds like you dislike the series in general so might be a waste.

[lionsfan208]

Unlike what made Origins annoying, where every fight was designed to make your party wipe, this is more slow. You might win a fight but have taken so much damage you used 3 of your health potions limiting you for the next fight. Trust me, it sounds hard but it really makes fights more fun. You don't tend to wipe, instead you become more limited in how far you can adventure until you need to restock at a camp (for free, so don't worry about that). 

 

 

Thats a good point too.  It gives the fights a bit of the Dark Souls feel.  Not that crazy but some of that, can I make it farther, feel.  They really did a solid job with the whole pots and healing stuff.

[mmu1]

I feel that this one stitches together the best aspects of both of the games and then adds in its own good aspects.  So the faster better game play of 2 with the bigger less repetitive world of 1 but then some other nice aspects.  Less of a strict path and more open world than either game give you a better open world feel.  But that said it really sounds like you dislike the series in general so might be a waste.

 

I liked DAO, didn't love it. I think DA2 was a better than average computer game, but a gigantic disappointment when stacked up against games like BG2, KotOR or ME2. Wouldn't say that means I dislike the series.

[lionsfan208]

I liked DAO, didn't love it. I think DA2 was a better than average computer game, but a gigantic disappointment when stacked up against games like BG2, KotOR or ME2. Wouldn't say that means I dislike the series.

 

Then I think you will like this.  Its a solid game with lots of reasons to enjoy the story.  Cool world, well fleshed out companions and a solid combat system.

[Min]

I also didn't much care for DA:O. At least, not enough for me to want to try DA2. Well, that and how I kept hearing that DA2 was very mediocre. Though I may end up going back to try it now that DA:I is out and amazing. There are some bug issues that a lot of people are experiencing, I'm one of them, but for me disabling the Origin Client fixed about 90% of them. And personally I feel the story in DA:I is much better, more epic in scale, characters are very interesting, graphics are absolutely BEAUTIFUL, the game world is HUGE and varied (unlike DA2), and the quests are really fun. For me, this game gets a 9.5/10. One of my favorite games by Bioware, if not my favorite now. And I'm a massive mass effect fan!

[AshesEleven]

From what I've read of your problems, you will absolutely love this game. Not sure about romances but so far I've tried flirting and companions actually disapprove, presumably because they just met me and don't appreciate it yet, which I thought was so cool.

This game had so much character, so much going on for it. I can't even imagine which critics you've heard, there are some minor flaws but that's all they are, minor.

[StingingVelvet]

This is a completely different game, for better or worse. Most of your "problems" with the original are "fixed" by this game, if you look at it that way.

Personally I prefer the original, but it depends on what you want out of an RPG. For your taste I would guess Inquisition will be a lot better. Note though the quest design is pretty terrible in this game, most of your time will be spent exploring.

[AshesEleven]

This is a completely different game, for better or worse. Most of your "problems" with the original are "fixed" by this game, if you look at it that way.
Personally I prefer the original, but it depends on what you want out of an RPG. For your taste I would guess Inquisition will be a lot better. Note though the quest design is pretty terrible in this game, most of your time will be spent exploring.

I actually love the side quests, been having a blast exploring the Hinterlands and doing them.

[StingingVelvet]

I actually love the side quests, been having a blast exploring the Hinterlands and doing them.

 

It's subjective of course. 10 million people play WoW for a decade now. For me personally getting 10 pieces of ram meat or killing endless spawns without context isn't good RPG questing. I like Fallout style stuff with faction play, context, multiple outcomes, etc. The Hinterlands is just one log collect-a-thon to me.

[AshesEleven]

It's subjective of course. 10 million people play WoW for a decade now. For me personally getting 10 pieces of ram meat or killing endless spawns without context isn't good RPG questing. I like Fallout style stuff with faction play, context, multiple outcomes, etc. The Hinterlands is just one log collect-a-thon to me.

There have been some deeper quests, though. Like I proved my power to this crazy cult and told them my will was for them to help refugees! And then I actually saw a few out in the wilds, helping. Or recruiting different agents to my cause, with a variety of means to do so!

It's cool that it's not your thing, but it isn't just collect ram meat, let's be real.

[StingingVelvet]

There have been some deeper quests, though. Like I proved my power to this crazy cult and told them my will was for them to help refugees! And then I actually saw a few out in the wilds, helping. Or recruiting different agents to my cause, with a variety of means to do so!

It's cool that it's not your thing, but it isn't just collect ram meat, let's be real.

 

The vast majority of it is, in my experience. I've heard it gets better though so we shall see. I have only really done the Hinterlands and the Oasis. The Oasis had no quests in it at all really, which was weird.

[Munktor]

It's subjective of course. 10 million people play WoW for a decade now. For me personally getting 10 pieces of ram meat or killing endless spawns without context isn't good RPG questing. I like Fallout style stuff with faction play, context, multiple outcomes, etc. The Hinterlands is just one log collect-a-thon to me.

 

Not saying I disagree with you, but Fallout, in my opinion, is one of the heavier X Y Z questing games.  Find this, find that, go here, do this, do that.

 

End of the day, I enjoy how the questing in this game is tying into the overall goal of growing the inquisition's strength.  Without using spoilers, it begins to amount to more as well the quests become a bit more involved.

 

What you're really taking issue with is the presentation of such.  When you boil it all down, every single video-game RPG (and table-top for that matter) becomes "Heroes go here / Do something / Return home for loots"

 

How do developers (and DM's for that matter) keep it interesting?  Character development, dialogue, intrigue, mystery.  You have to wrap the bland in a flavorful way.  Because when you strip down the veneer, every quest is the same.

 

Hell, Lord of the Rings amounts to walking across the countryside to throw a ring in a volcano lol.  That's the quest.  Everything that happened in between, people's motivations, characters interactions, that's what makes a good story.

[staindgrey]

In a word: yes. This is a very different beast compared to DA:O. The only constants are the approaches to dialogue and character development, both of which are more in-depth and satisfying than the Mass Effect series. The combat system has been overhauled to feel more modern and exciting. The character interactions are plentiful and well-written. The world is MASSIVE and beautiful, with far less brown mud and low-res textured walls.

 

As someone who only appreciated DA:O for its characters, lore and specific parts of the plot, DA:I has won me over entirely. I can barely find anything I don't like about the game.

[StingingVelvet]

Not saying I disagree with you, but Fallout, in my opinion, is one of the heavier X Y Z questing games.  Find this, find that, go here, do this, do that.

 

End of the day, I enjoy how the questing in this game is tying into the overall goal of growing the inquisition's strength.  Without using spoilers, it begins to amount to more as well the quests become a bit more involved.

 

What you're really taking issue with is the presentation of such.  When you boil it all down, every single video-game RPG (and table-top for that matter) becomes "Heroes go here / Do something / Return home for loots"

 

How do developers (and DM's for that matter) keep it interesting?  Character development, dialogue, intrigue, mystery.  You have to wrap the bland in a flavorful way.  Because when you strip down the veneer, every quest is the same.

 

Hell, Lord of the Rings amounts to walking across the countryside to throw a ring in a volcano lol.  That's the quest.  Everything that happened in between, people's motivations, characters interactions, that's what makes a good story.

 

Yeah but that's exactly what I am saying DA:I is not doing.

 

Fallout New Vegas had a ton of great flavor dialog, every quest impacted a faction in some way and you could do them different ways to appeal to different factions. Also they were spiced up with fun ideas like finding a sexbot or dealing with a crazy mutant who thinks he/she's a movie star. You're right that at the end of the day every RPG quest is a fetch quest to some degree, but the best RPGs hide that behind great story, choices and scenarios.

 

For me DA:I (so far) isn't doing that. It's utterly failing at that. It feels like WoW quests, I am just finding notes that say to go kill a thing, or collecting 10 of something, or whatever. When I say the quest design is bad this is what I am directly referencing.

[Munktor]

You make a good point, I can't really disagree.

 

Hopefully it's not just rose-tinted glasses syndrome for me, but I am actually enjoying talking to the NPC's, hearing their little stories and doing a fetch quest here and there between combats.

[AshesEleven]

The vast majority of it is, in my experience. I've heard it gets better though so we shall see. I have only really done the Hinterlands and the Oasis. The Oasis had no quests in it at all really, which was weird.

I've heard the Oasis was for people who have collected lots of shards? Like a bonus area appears?

Most people say it gets better after the Hinterlands, so move on and see what the rest of the game has to offer