855 réponses à ce sujet

[Al Foley]

I wonder what it says that part of the argument here is that you, nevermind your character, can't feel sympathy and shock over the fact that a bunch of innocent people were just senslessly slaughtered.  After all this is an RPG your feelings don't really enter into it, not all the time.  Mine don't.  The mere fact that thousands of people just died (or whatever) can be by itself an event to cause sympathy.  

 

ANd yet the game does not force you into that role, being an RPG you can react any way you want to to the news of the explosion at the Conclave.  

[Elhanan]

No I agree its terrible if you were supposed to be there with people you knew. If that's true - I didn't know that was an option.
 
I've only played Elf, where you are a complete outsider who doesn't know anyone, and the game never told me I was supposed to care about anyone who died, only about how it affected me. I assumed it was the same for a human, and you also wouldn't be expected to know anyone there. If the game tells you that you knew people there, that seems like a pretty big oversight.

And I do not see anything like this at a glance. Perhaps another look is needed:

http://dragonage.wik...s_(Inquisition)

[Nefla]

No I agree its terrible if you were supposed to be there with people you knew. If that's true - I didn't know that was an option.

 

I've only played Elf, where you are a complete outsider who doesn't know anyone, and the game never told me I was supposed to care about anyone who died, only about how it affected me. I assumed it was the same for a human, and you also wouldn't be expected to know anyone there. If the game tells you that you knew people there, that seems like a pretty big oversight.

If you're a circle mage, you're there with other mages for the talks, if you're a Qunari, you're there with your mercenary company, non-mage human is there with family members representing the chantry/templars and I think the dwarf might be alone and spying like the elf, I don't remember. Even if you don't know anyone, it would be a traumatic experience. You're there for peace talks and then everyone starts dying around you, getting blown up or turned to creepy burnt ash zombie statues. This was important and they just skipped it. I felt like they just wanted to get the intro out of the way and get to the combat asap. Everyone is mourning Divine Justinia and we don't know her at all. New players don't even know what a Divine is.

[correctamundo]

The backgrounds state that you are there with people you know (aside from the Dalish elf I think). The human rogue/warrior is even supposed to be there with family members. The difference is we never see them. Relying on the human instinct to care about the death of others doesn't work when those dead people aren't real and aren't shown. BioWare does nothing to make it real or make any of it hit home. It was like playing a game where the protagonist survived their ship being wrecked in a storm and was the only survivor. Instead of showing the storm, she ship breaking apart and going down, the crew members' fear and desperation, people dying, the game starts with the player sleeping in a shack on the beach and the fisherman there tells them "hey bro, you're the only survivor of a shipwreck, let's go look at the debris." Are you really arguing that this is good storytelling? That it's the best it could have possibly been?

 

When I watched the demo before the game came out it was the entire intro and I thought "this is really abrupt and amateurish" and it didn't hook me in the slightest but I assumed there was more to it. I was wrong.

 

Well in The Idiot we get introduced to Myshkin already on the train with next to no introduction. His background unravels as the story builds up. And boy do we get key characters in the first 20 minutes. In Nine princes in Amber we meet Corwin in the ER with next to no understandning of who he is, where he comes from and only vague feeling that someone is out to kill him. And he has to fight for his life shortly. I wouldn't presume to call neither Dostojevski nor Zelazny amateurs. There are numerous examples of protagonists likewise thrown into the heat of the action. It is one way of starting of a story. Not the only way. In Lotr we get a rather lengthy introduction that is interesting but I remember it was a slog to ge through as a kid.

 

I don't see how walking around in the temple before the blackout would help the story in any meaningful way since apart from Cory and Justinia none of thosde people will figure in the coming story. But that is my opinion ;-)

[Nefla]

I wonder what it says that part of the argument here is that you, nevermind your character, can't feel sympathy and shock over the fact that a bunch of innocent people were just senslessly slaughtered.  After all this is an RPG your feelings don't really enter into it, not all the time.  Mine don't.  The mere fact that thousands of people just died (or whatever) can be by itself an event to cause sympathy.  

 

ANd yet the game does not force you into that role, being an RPG you can react any way you want to to the news of the explosion at the Conclave.  

Because those "innocent people" don't exist. They don't even exist in game. If I have to headcanon everything, why am I even playing a game? Why not write my own book? If I have to read about everything in codex entries instead of it happening in the game, why am I playing this game and not reading a book which would have a vastly superior story? Why defend poor writing because you like headcanon?

[Al Foley]

Because those "innocent people" don't exist. They don't even exist in game. If I have to headcanon everything, why am I even playing a game? Why not write my own book? If I have to read about everything in codex entries instead of it happening in the game, why am I playing this game and not reading a book which would have a vastly superior story? Why defend poor writing because you like headcanon?

I'm not defending this because I like headcanon just there are many thousands of people who die each day and I do not know them, they might as well not exisist, and yet when they die I can feel sympathy.  And furthermore the Inquisitor, who shares the world with these people whether they know them or not, could also feel sympathy over the fact that a lot of people in their world no longer exisist.  Or they can have the entire opposite reaction because the game lets you.  In fact I believe one of the options there is to 'remain silent'

[Dean_the_Young]

Sadly the Dragon Age experience - from start to finish - is about how elvahn originally fell and their collective struggle to be restored. The entire concept of Thedas is merely the stage where this struggle is played out. Whether one chooses to play an elf or some other race merely determines whether the player is a means to the end, or an actual participant. By the end of Inqusition the player is left drained and exhausted. The true plot appears to be lost as the playing experience reaches what amounts to the lowest point since the series began. At this point it seems doubtful that the Dragon Age game designers can ever restore the hope of the elvahn. Players will progress towards less and less interest until the Dragon Age experience itself dwindles and dies with its elven story. Without hope for the elvahn there is no Dragon Age story.

 

I identified the failure, people-

 

The OP didn't understand the majority of the Dragon Age series.

 

 

[/15pagestoolate]

[Abyss108]

And I do not see anything like this at a glance. Perhaps another look is needed:

http://dragonage.wik...s_(Inquisition)

 

Hmm, all I can see is "distant" relatives for the human, and a few other spies for the Dwarf. So not anyone you knew personally. 

 

If you're a circle mage, you're there with other mages for the talks, if you're a Qunari, you're there with your mercenary company, non-mage human is there with family members representing the chantry/templars and I think the dwarf might be alone and spying like the elf, I don't remember. Even if you don't know anyone, it would be a traumatic experience. You're there for peace talks and then everyone starts dying around you, getting blown up or turned to creepy burnt ash zombie statues. This was important and they just skipped it. I felt like they just wanted to get the intro out of the way and get to the combat asap. Everyone is mourning Divine Justinia and we don't know her at all. New players don't even know what a Divine is.

 

The Qunari doesn't mention having a company with you. You do work for one, but it looks like it was just you who was on that particular job. A non-mage human only has distant relatives there - not ones they personally knew. A circle mage probably wouldn't know people there, because it was a meeting between the leaders, they only would have known the younger mages who didn't go.

 

And yes it would be a traumatic experience, but you are ignoring the fact that it is a major plot point that you don't remember the trauma. They are not going to show you everyone getting turned to ash zombies status and then say "we just showed you how traumatic this is - now pretend you don't remember it because your character doesn't!". 

[IanPolaris]

Honestly I'm not at all sold that 'not remembering' was a big plot point instead of an 'author's saving throw' to justify the lack of content that explain your presence at the conclave disaster as well as your player's lack of answers that the characters in game will logically have for you.  Answers you might have had with a DAO style background exposition story which IMHO was a major lost opportunity.

 

For example with my first inquisitor, I made him a Dalish Mage.  OK, I'm TOLD he was there as a spy.  If so, why did he have access to the Divine's personal quarters?  Did he meet the Divine and under what circumstances?  Given a spy that is easily marked as an outsider (Valasin) I doubt that he normally would want or be welcome in the very inner sanctum of the Divine's residence.  In my head canon I imagine that he was caught and and the Divine was so intrigued that she held him close under comfortable confinement for questioning for another take on the mage-templar issue....from a mage but a mage on the outside looking in.  Good head canon I think, but experiencing it FOR REAL (even if BW had a different situation in mind) would have been far more satisfying and helped introduce the game in a much better and cleaner fashion I think.

[Al Foley]

Honestly I'm not at all sold that 'not remembering' was a big plot point instead of an 'author's saving throw' to justify the lack of content that explain your presence at the conclave disaster as well as your player's lack of answers that the characters in game will logically have for you.  Answers you might have had with a DAO style background exposition story which IMHO was a major lost opportunity.

 

For example with my first inquisitor, I made him a Dalish Mage.  OK, I'm TOLD he was there as a spy.  If so, why did he have access to the Divine's personal quarters?  Did he meet the Divine and under what circumstances?  Given a spy that is easily marked as an outsider (Valasin) I doubt that he normally would want or be welcome in the very inner sanctum of the Divine's residence.  In my head canon I imagine that he was caught and and the Divine was so intrigued that she held him close under comfortable confinement for questioning for another take on the mage-templar issue....from a mage but a mage on the outside looking in.  Good head canon I think, but experiencing it FOR REAL (even if BW had a different situation in mind) would have been far more satisfying and helped introduce the game in a much better and cleaner fashion I think.

We had access to the Divine's personal quarters?

[IanPolaris]

We had access to the Divine's personal quarters?

 

I assume so or if not her personal quarters at least her very exclusive private office.  [Most midaeval kings and popes (and to my knowledge even modern ones) have a public ceremonial throne room for public occassions, and a private office./throne room where the real work is done.]  Why do I say that?  Because no one knew any details at all about what went on in that room. 

 

We now know that there was a meeting between the Divine and several senior members of the Grey Wardens, and that somehow the Divine was captured and restrained which meant that her honor/body guard was 'dealt' with....all without word getting out faster than wildfire.

 

Is this possible under the circumstances?  Yes, but IMHO based on what I've seen and know as a player ONLY if it happened swiftly and in the Divine's inner sanctum [at which point the explosion may have quite literally cauterized the scene before any knews of the event could get out]. 

 

So are we explicitly told our PC (somehow) had access to the Divine's personal quarters and/or inner office?  No, but I think it's almost sure that he/she did based on what we do know.

[Wahed89]

Dragon Age: Inquisition is a fantastic game. I would call it a 9 out of 10 when at its best, but the negatives can take it down to a 7 at worst. But in no way can a game with so much replay-ability and such an involved storyline ever be "average" or below.

[Al Foley]

I assume so or if not her personal quarters at least her very exclusive private office.  [Most midaeval kings and popes (and to my knowledge even modern ones) have a public ceremonial throne room for public occassions, and a private office./throne room where the real work is done.]  Why do I say that?  Because no one knew any details at all about what went on in that room. 

 

We now know that there was a meeting between the Divine and several senior members of the Grey Wardens, and that somehow the Divine was captured and restrained which meant that her honor/body guard was 'dealt' with....all without word getting out faster than wildfire.

 

Is this possible under the circumstances?  Yes, but IMHO based on what I've seen and know as a player ONLY if it happened swiftly and in the Divine's inner sanctum [at which point the explosion may have quite literally cauterized the scene before any knews of the event could get out]. 

 

So are we explicitly told our PC (somehow) had access to the Divine's personal quarters and/or inner office?  No, but I think it's almost sure that he/she did based on what we do know.

I got the feeling every time I watched it that it was some out of the way dungeon.  

[Elhanan]

I assume so or if not her personal quarters at least her very exclusive private office.  [Most midaeval kings and popes (and to my knowledge even modern ones) have a public ceremonial throne room for public occassions, and a private office./throne room where the real work is done.]  Why do I say that?  Because no one knew any details at all about what went on in that room. 
 
We now know that there was a meeting between the Divine and several senior members of the Grey Wardens, and that somehow the Divine was captured and restrained which meant that her honor/body guard was 'dealt' with....all without word getting out faster than wildfire.
 
Is this possible under the circumstances?  Yes, but IMHO based on what I've seen and know as a player ONLY if it happened swiftly and in the Divine's inner sanctum [at which point the explosion may have quite literally cauterized the scene before any knews of the event could get out]. 
 
So are we explicitly told our PC (somehow) had access to the Divine's personal quarters and/or inner office?  No, but I think it's almost sure that he/she did based on what we do know.

One should not assume. This is the info given of a Dalish Mage:

If the Inquisitor is a mage: [Player name] manifested a talent for magic as a child. The clan's leader, Keeper Deshanna Istimaethoriel Lavellan, taught [him/her] how to control and hone [his/her] new powers. [Player name] grew into a capable mage, far away from the eyes of the templars and mage Circles. When tension between the two factions erupted into warfare, spilling into the countryside, Clan Lavellan was forced to pick up and move. [Player name]'s Keeper sent [him/her] to spy on the Conclave at Haven, as the outcome might determine the fate of [his/her] own clan.

All the dignitaries were at the Temple of Sacred Ashes; the ruins discovered and renovated in DAO. The details concerning the quarters, specific attendees, etc are not needed any more than one reads about such places and gatherings extant in RL.

Head canon is fine, but should not obscure what is given.

[SoulRebel_1979]

such an involved storyline 

 

[vbibbi]

What is it with you about these GOTY Awards? Everytime someone displays criticism towards DAI you throw out the, "Well it was the recipient of 130+ GOTY Awards...." as if that is supposed to serve as some type of shield against criticism. By your logic, DAI must be a perfect game WITH NO FLAWS because it was awarded 130+ GOTY awards. By your logic, anyone who shows any dislike/criticism towards DAI does not know what they are talking about because uh....130+ GOTY awards. By your logic, Bioware should not listen to the negative feedback regarding DAI when crafting DA4 because um well.....130+ GOTY awards.

 

Look, we get it, you are big on headcannon in RPGs and if it were up to you, we would have no voiced protagonist, there would be no set background for the protagonist, there will be ZERO cutscenes and so on. We get it, DAI is a great example of the type of storytelling/RPG experience that you expect in an RPG and it is understandable that you will defend DAI to the very end because of that. We get it and there is nothing wrong with that. However, what gets old is when things get thick and people start to pile on DAI, you use the 130+ GOTY Awards and somethings "Most Successful Bioware launch ever" claims as some sort of defense that since DAI got 130+ GOTY awards, any criticism against the storytelling techniques is invalid which is an illogical argument. I can understand if someone said, "DAI isn't a popular game" or "Nobody liked DAI", then in those instances it would make sense to use the GOTY awards as proof that DAI is a well received game and so on. But that isn't the argument that Nefla and others are making. They aren't denying the fact that DAI was a popular game and a critical as well as financial success, hell, even I would admit that even though it pains me. No, what Nefla and others are saying is that despite the success of DAI both financially and critically, there were still some flaws that many owners of DAI have noticed and hope to be addressed in DA4 and one of those concerns is that DAI was heavy on the "tell but not show" style of storytelling. I do not care if DAI won 300+ GOTY Awards and was Electronic Art's highest selling game of all time, that does not make the game perfect nor does it shield the game from criticism. 

 

Finally, if you think that Bioware is just going to copy and paste DAI's approach when crafting DA4 just cause DAI was a success, then again, you really are clueless. What makes Bioware a great developer is that they aren't static. They will take BOTH positive AND negative feedback from their past work while creating their current work. When DA4 is being developed, assuming we get a DA4, they will look at the things that MOST/MANY people liked about DAI and try to recreate that experience again in DA4. However on the flip side, they will look at the things that MOST/MANY people disliked about DAI and either try to polish it better or just eliminate it all together with the latter being what they usually do. Bioware is not going to get big headed, sit back and put their feet on the table and say, "Guys, DAI won 130+ GOTY Awards so we do not need to honor any of the feedback recieved from DAI (As well as MEA possibly) while developing DA4 because it was a financial and critical success. So team, everything we did with DAI, we are just going to copy and paste that over to DA4 and make DA4 basically DAI with better graphics." Lol, do you honestly think Bioware will take that approach?

 

Again, we all get it by now, you are big on head cannon and DAI is the Bioware game that required the most headcannon in a long time. You would have to go all the way back to the BG or NWN days to find a similar experience to DAI as starting with KOTOR, things got very cinematic and "set characters" that sort of blocked head cannon. So yeah, we understand that you do not want Bioware to heed our concerns because you would hope that DA4 is very similar to DAI in that regard so you will fight this argument as long as the argument exist. That is fine, but please do no act like just because DAI got many accolades that somehow that protects DAI from criticism, means that there is absolutely nothing that could be improved on or could have been done better, or that somehow Bioware will actively ignore any feedback.

 

 

This so much. We want to provide feedback on what worked in our opinions and what didn't. And personally, I'm not saying "DAO was a better game, go back to that!" as there are things in DAI I enjoyed and I don't want DAO2. It was fairly formulaic plotting and gameplay, and while the storytelling was good and the characters memorable, it wasn't groundbreaking. It was fairly typical high fantasy plot. But I still enjoyed the game and like how it was presented. I played DAI thinking the show not tell style would continue and was upset when that wasn't the case. I don't think it's unfair to expect the basic storytelling form to continue in a series, from a company whose games I play for the story and characters, not to create an extensive headcanon. That's why I don't appreciate that Bioware took inspiration from Skyrim and other games; I don't want to play those games, I want to play a Bioware game!

 

Because those "innocent people" don't exist. They don't even exist in game. If I have to headcanon everything, why am I even playing a game? Why not write my own book? If I have to read about everything in codex entries instead of it happening in the game, why am I playing this game and not reading a book which would have a vastly superior story? Why defend poor writing because you like headcanon?

Well, honestly seeing those charred bodies at the temple didn't make me feel sympathy, they looked like burnt mummies rather than people who had been alive less than a week ago. I don't know how they remained upright and their eyes glowing, it didn't seem realistic. If anything, I would compare it to if I went to Pompeii and saw the mummified bodies there rather than seeing individuals lying in the street. The first would be detached because it almost doesn't seem like they were real people at one point, the other would be horror at seeing so many people dead in the street.

 

It doesn't help that before we even get to the temple, we're looting nameless bodies for money on the mountain path. The people serve as resources rather than as individuals.

 

In Ostagar, we barely interact with Cailan and have no connection to him. Yet, in Return to Ostagar, it was emotionally moving for me to see his body strung up disrespectfully, and flashbacks to the doomed battle. The only time I remember feeling that level of emotional attachment in DAI was when Morrigan confronted Flemeth and offered herself up to save Kieran. Part of that was the excellent voice acting and cinematic shots showing the expressions, but also because I already had familiarity of these characters from the past two games. If I were a new player to the setting, this scene wouldn't have had nearly as much impact.

 

I got the feeling every time I watched it that it was some out of the way dungeon.  

How did Wardens who had no reason to be at the Conclave and something looking like Corypheus manage to sneak the Divine to a secret location, surrounded by mages and templars who are on the alert due to the tensions at the conference? There's a lot of unanswered questions from the Conclave that we get to conveniently skip due to the beginning of the game.

[Elhanan]

This so much. We want to provide feedback on what worked in our opinions and what didn't. And personally, I'm not saying "DAO was a better game, go back to that!" as there are things in DAI I enjoyed and I don't want DAO2. It was fairly formulaic plotting and gameplay, and while the storytelling was good and the characters memorable, it wasn't groundbreaking. It was fairly typical high fantasy plot. But I still enjoyed the game and like how it was presented. I played DAI thinking the show not tell style would continue and was upset when that wasn't the case. I don't think it's unfair to expect the basic storytelling form to continue in a series, from a company whose games I play for the story and characters, not to create an extensive headcanon. That's why I don't appreciate that Bioware took inspiration from Skyrim and other games; I don't want to play those games, I want to play a Bioware game!
 
Well, honestly seeing those charred bodies at the temple didn't make me feel sympathy, they looked like burnt mummies rather than people who had been alive less than a week ago. I don't know how they remained upright and their eyes glowing, it didn't seem realistic. If anything, I would compare it to if I went to Pompeii and saw the mummified bodies there rather than seeing individuals lying in the street. The first would be detached because it almost doesn't seem like they were real people at one point, the other would be horror at seeing so many people dead in the street.
 
It doesn't help that before we even get to the temple, we're looting nameless bodies for money on the mountain path. The people serve as resources rather than as individuals.
 
In Ostagar, we barely interact with Cailan and have no connection to him. Yet, in Return to Ostagar, it was emotionally moving for me to see his body strung up disrespectfully, and flashbacks to the doomed battle. The only time I remember feeling that level of emotional attachment in DAI was when Morrigan confronted Flemeth and offered herself up to save Kieran. Part of that was the excellent voice acting and cinematic shots showing the expressions, but also because I already had familiarity of these characters from the past two games. If I were a new player to the setting, this scene wouldn't have had nearly as much impact.
 
How did Wardens who had no reason to be at the Conclave and something looking like Corypheus manage to sneak the Divine to a secret location, surrounded by mages and templars who are on the alert due to the tensions at the conference? There's a lot of unanswered questions from the Conclave that we get to conveniently skip due to the beginning of the game.

Big difference between constructive crit and opinionated judgments on writing, design, content, etc. One may say as you have that content was preferred in another setting such as RtO, but others continue to use terms such as poor, bad, etc. These 130+ GOTY Awards seem to stand in defense against such charges. And DAI is a Bioware game; much more story driven than Skyrim, though I enjoy both titles.

Also a difference between not linking with the images presented, and stating as some have done that they do not exist. And the ref to Pompeii appears to be spot on, as both settings were of those that perished rather quickly. As for looting, the Player is not forced to take anything as I recall; Player's choice.

Do not know if those Wardens at the Temple were already possessed or not; demons can move faster and more effectively than their mortal vessels. And the scene with Morrigan, Flemeth, and grandson may have impact on those seeing them for the first time; cannot speak for them. However, it was the first time I saw Kieran, and also enjoyed his part a great deal.

[Phoe77]

Because those "innocent people" don't exist. They don't even exist in game. If I have to headcanon everything, why am I even playing a game? Why not write my own book? If I have to read about everything in codex entries instead of it happening in the game, why am I playing this game and not reading a book which would have a vastly superior story? Why defend poor writing because you like headcanon?

 

I don't see how not being introduced to characters before they're all unceremoniously annihilated somehow negates the tragedy of the event for either the character or the player.  The people at the Conclave exist for the characters in the game as surely as any person from our world that we've never met exist for us.

 

In Star Wars, we don't see anyone who dies when Alderaan is blown up.  Is it headcanon to acknowledge the tragedy of that event, either from a general standpoint or personally for Leia?  

[Majestic Jazz]

Big difference between constructive crit and opinionated judgments on writing, design, content, etc. One may say as you have that content was preferred in another setting such as RtO, but others continue to use terms such as poor, bad, etc. These 130+ GOTY Awards seem to stand in defense against such charges. And DAI is a Bioware game; much more story driven than Skyrim, though I enjoy both titles.

Also a difference between not linking with the images presented, and stating as some have done that they do not exist. And the ref to Pompeii appears to be spot on, as both settings were of those that perished rather quickly. As for looting, the Player is not forced to take anything as I recall; Player's choice.

Do not know if those Wardens at the Temple were already possessed or not; demons can move faster and more effectively than their mortal vessels. And the scene with Morrigan, Flemeth, and grandson may have impact on those seeing them for the first time; cannot speak for them. However, it was the first time I saw Kieran, and also enjoyed his part a great deal.

Look at you! Still stuck on that 130+ GOTY awards.....

Again, no matter how well the game did, there are many things Bioware can improve on with DA4. For some reason you have a hard time grasping that. You have this belief that cause of 130 awards, there is nothing that Bioware can possibly do with DA4 to make it a better game. Well it doesnt matter because we all know that Bioware will listen to our feedback whether you like it or not. And whether you like it or not, DA4 will not be a carbon copy of DAI. Our feedback will be addressed and DA4 may turn out to be something you do not fancy.

No amount of GOTY awards will stop Bioware from listening to feedback. That is why I like Bioware.

[Morroian]

Dragon Age: Inquisition is a fantastic game. I would call it a 9 out of 10 when at its best, but the negatives can take it down to a 7 at worst. But in no way can a game with so much replay-ability and such an involved storyline ever be "average" or below.

 

Hmm, I struggle to have more than 1 play through as compared with 5-6 play throughs on DAO and DA2. The only think that got me to pick up the game again was the big revelations in Trespasser.

[Feral'Hen]

I don't want to play those games, I want to play a Bioware game!

This is not Bioware... the true Bioware disappeared a decade ago: it merged with Pandemic Studios in 2005-2006, and then EA bought the partnership in 2007 and merged it with Mythic Entertainment in 2010. This division of Electronic Arts has nothing to do with the creators of Baldur's Gate. Hell, even the co-founders are long gone! EA kept the branding (Bioware) because it had the respect and love of all the rpg fans = $$$.

 

That, in my humble opinion, is the problem. The original Bioware would never have done a sandbox (DA: Inquisition) or an interactive movie (ME3).

[AlanC9]

,
In Ostagar, we barely interact with Cailan and have no connection to him. Yet, in Return to Ostagar, it was emotionally moving for me to see his body strung up disrespectfully, and flashbacks to the doomed battle. The only time I remember feeling that level of emotional attachment in DAI was when Morrigan confronted Flemeth and offered herself up to save Kieran. Part of that was the excellent voice acting and cinematic shots showing the expressions, but also because I already had familiarity of these characters from the past two games. If I were a new player to the setting, this scene wouldn't have had nearly as much impact.

This doesn't do a very good job of explaining why RtO worked for you while DAI in general did not. I got from the earlier bit about Pompeii that the art direction in that scene didn't work for you. Was that a general problem?

[AlanC9]

That, in my humble opinion, is the problem. The original Bioware would never have done a sandbox (DA: Inquisition) or an interactive movie (ME3).

Meh. I've been following Bio as long as anybody, and interactive movies is exactly where they've been going all these years.

Open-world was a bit of a surprise, but Bio's always been willing to follow market trends. It wasn't EA who talked Bio into making a console action game.

[Addictress]

I honestly have no idea why DAI got all those GOTY awards. Again, I'm really sorry for being so harsh and mean to a development team that I am sure put a lot of effort into it.  But the game was so, so broken and uninteresting. I felt like the GOTY awards were kind of..... arbitrarily granted based on the mere marketing and amount of money invested in production. The scale of the production, and not really the quality.  If anything, it was a reward for the hard work, but not the critical quality of the game.

[Abyss108]

I honestly have no idea why DAI got all those GOTY awards. Again, I'm really sorry for being so harsh and mean to a development team that I am sure put a lot of effort into it.  But the game was so, so broken and uninteresting. I felt like the GOTY awards were kind of..... arbitrarily granted based on the mere marketing and amount of money invested in production. The scale of the production, and not really the quality.  If anything, it was a reward for the hard work, but not the critical quality of the game.

 

I'm the exact opposite as you! I feel this is the best game Bioware has ever made.

 

I've been replaying Origins recently and its hard for me to go back to. It's slow, ugly, does nothing to involve me in the central conflict, and I really hate some of the writing. Inquisition is just such an improvement in every way for me.