So, before i start what will probably be a lengthy tirade, i do have to admit that i did like DA:I and this surprises me. I was so anxious about the game that i had set myself up to hate it. That being said, there are a few things i picked up on that could be improved, things that shouldn't be in the next game and things that just annoyed the hell out of me.
Hairstyles - I don't understand why every RPG has such a rubbish choice of hairstyles! Is it really that difficult to get a hairstyle right? The Sims games manage it as do the Elder Scrolls games.... I understand there was an issue with this one and long hairstyles, but still, it's not like the short ones were great....
Fighting - I'll admit... whilst playing through this one i found myself missing the fighting style of DA:II, which i never thought i'd hear myself say. I'm not saying that Bioware should go back to that, but for something that was harped on about so much, the fighting was a little disappointing. Especially the mages. I also hate that i cannot tell people to wait, especially when fighting. I need my ranged people to stay ranged, what good is Varric shooting at the leg of a dragon when he's in stamping range?! They're ranged for a reason!
Eyebrows - I can't even..... really? Some of them looked like seaweed.... Also, can we have blonde hair and black eyebrows please? Not everyone with blonde hair has blonde eyebrows....
Appearance in general - Now this was something i was most miffed about. Don't get me wrong, the customising options are great... in theory... but i found no matter what options i chose, everyone i made looked the same and they weren't that great. All the effort seems to have gone into the companions and Inquisition and i felt that my Inquisitor looked little better than the poor townsfolk. For someone who is essentially the star of the show, she looked crap. Previous PC's looked far better, i hate to admit. I also would quite like feminine faces back please... if i wanted to look like a man, i'd play as one!
Friendship Building - Perhaps i long for the nostalgia of the Origins game when i hark at this. I loved that you had to BUILD a relationship with a character, even just a friendship. You had to work hard at it, agreeing with things you didn't always agree with, carefully picking your party on certain quests so as not to upset people with your choices, giving gifts and completing numerous personal quests, all to get that crucial friendship or romance. You could talk to your party in inappropriate moments (where better to embarrass Alistair than in a fight). I loved that you could go for endless kisses and endless naughty tent scenes. It felt REAL. This is severely lacking from Inquisition and something that was such a let down. No proper 'sex' scenes. No gift giving. No relationship building. I love the conversation wheel, but i don't understand why everything else had to be sacrificed in order to keep this. PLEASE, PLEASE work on this. Some of us like the fluff....
Animation - I still can't get the image of my Inquisitor after she had just kissed Cullen for the first time, leaning nonchalantly on the wall trying to hold her hands together and just getting the Thunderbirds hands...... fml....Some of the facial expressions, poses and gestures left me in stitches.... Cullen's eyes.. oh god
Choices - I heard it mentioned in the run up to the game that our choices would have an effect on the world of Thedas... as far as i can see, that didn't really happen. I didn't really encounter anyone who hated the Inquisition or made my life difficult, i didn't encounter anyone who hated me for a choice i made... in fact i didn't really see any consequences to any of my actions and i was sorely disappointed. I was hoping for something reminiscent of Fable, where every action made a difference to the game, perhaps i wished too much, but it seemed like a poor execution of something a lot of people were looking forward to.
Hawke - I don't understand why she came back. I don't really understand the point of her being there. I played the game through twice, playing through both of her fates, and none made a difference to the game. Varric even stopped pining after the initial conversation following her 'death'. Bioware chose the least popular main character and just made her look stupid. Was a waste of time, effort and money if you ask me.
Dual Wielding Warrior - Best class... just saying... bring it back
Corypheus - Why was he even the main villain? He was so crap and the final battle so easy, i didn't even realise it had finished. Was the final quest rushed due to the size of the game? Did i miss something?
Romance - This goes hand in hand with the friendship part above. It needs to be seriously worked on. I understand, the world is ending, there is no time for romance, blah blah blah. But, Dragon Age games have things a lot of RPG games don't have and that is its full and developed romance options. Believe it or not, this sells. A lot of people will buy the games just for this reason. It needs to be worked on and made far, far better, If in doubt Bioware, Origins is a good place to start...
Walking - Is it too much to ask for to have a woman character that walks like a woman? My Inquisitor walked like a ladette after a heavy night out in Essex! I'm sure just because she is a warrior, doesn't mean she has to throw away being a woman. My Inquisitor was noble... i'm sure they put a lot of effort into being a lady....
Specialisations - Well, in all honesty, they were all pretty rubbish and i was p****d i could only choose one and then i chose a rubbish one and couldn't un-choose it and everything was ruined. I thought we had a good thing Bioware, but first you take away my dual-wielding warriors... and now this... i feel like you've cheated on me!
Running - Why can't i run? Whose silly idea was that? I'm not jumping on my mount just to travel 10 steps down the road. Too much faff!
Healing - Why don't my characters heal automatically after a fight? Do you know how annoying it is to be out in this massive world that you've created, get caught by a troll or whatever, use all your healing potions and have to travel all the way back to the nearest camp to 'rest'? No, you don't! You were crazy to take this option away! Not to mention you took my healing mages away! Oh Anders, i'm sorry i killed you, please come back!
Characters - I find myself being nostalgic here again. The characters in this game just did not feel finished, which is a shame as they had the potential to be the most amazing characters in the series so far. Sera was barely noticed, Cullen was hardly commanding, Leliana has lost her spark and even Varric has been toned down. What happened to the beautifully full, developed characters of the first game? Even Dagna was rubbish and i was looking forward to seeing her again. My advice: Don't rush!
Varric - I still don't understand why he is not an available romance option, at least not a dwarf character anyway! I mean, if it's something to do with his story, then i've missed something, but can he at least not be considered?! There are no good LI's for dwarves, male or females! Actually, scrap that, there hasn't been a dwarf LI ever! Come on Bioware! You're slacking!
Overall, my disappointment in this game is poignant. Whilst i enjoyed it, i enjoyed it only as a standalone game. The characters felt underwhelming and unfinished, almost rushed. All of the effort seemed to have gone into the landscaping of the game, which i agree, was totally beautiful, but it seemed to come at a cost to everything else. The quests were a little repetitive, promises in the run up to the game were not fulfilled or poorly executed, romances were lacking, customisation was a let down and well, it's almost another DA: II. I mean, not quite, but almost....
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