67 réponses à ce sujet

[Illegitimus]

More than AU, it's a video game where the player takes on the role of a darkspawn and instead of an ally, Alistair is the 'antagonist'.  I repeat what I posted earlier: imagine the uproar that creating an "unwinnable" game would have caused in the fanbase.

 

DSC was garbage, you can't hold that up to any standard of what would have happened.  Since Alistair would be the protagonist, not some boss NPC you're supposed to kill, if he (the player) were the main character, the player would have to have a viable chance to beat the game.

 

If Alistair was supposed to be the protagonist...he'd be a different person with a different personality.  

[sylvanaerie]

If Alistair was supposed to be the protagonist...he'd be a different person with a different personality.  

It couldn't be too different.  There would have to be a set narrative (like in Witcher or the FF series) with a set personality.  I'm thinking he would be more like his original concepts (an older, more capable leader/warrior) than the young "I don't want to lead" man we got instead.

I wouldn't have minded Steve Valentine's voice over acting for my protagonist though.

[Salaya]

look at series like Witcher. You can't roll a random character, and it's a male protagonist. Certainly doesn't seem to deter anyone and is the much better series as a whole.

 

Well, it certainly deterred me of playing the Witcher 3. I tried the first two and the set character was one of my major concerns. But I undertsand why so many people think it's better. It happens the same with Origins - DA2 dilemma; some people prefer the set character, some prefer the blank-slate.

 

In my case, it's a matter of expectations, I guess. Origins is one of my favorite games, and the blank-sate character was one of the crucial elements that made me enjoy the game so much. If Alistair would have been the protagonist I seriously doubt I would have seen the game the same way (and I suspect not for the better).

 

Personally, I would say that public/critics wise The Witcher is best considered as a game series, but Dragon Age: Origins is best considered as a single game.

[The_Mac23]

Origins is a top 3 game of all time for me. Not dissing it at all. I would still easily say it's the best Dragon Age game by a long shot. I just have my preferences and like a character who is named by others (Shepard, Geralt) instead of being nameless by NPC's (Warden, Inquisitor).

People like Alistair, Loghain, and Duncan have their back stories, and the fun of playing one of them would simply be the RPG element we all love. We decide how they react, who they help, etc. Mass Effect did this beautifully, and is why it is my favorite game and series of all time.

[sylvanaerie]

Origins is a top 3 game of all time for me. Not dissing it at all. I would still easily say it's the best Dragon Age game by a long shot. I just have my preferences and like a character who is named by others (Shepard, Geralt) instead of being nameless by NPC's (Warden, Inquisitor).

People like Alistair, Loghain, and Duncan have their back stories, and the fun of playing one of them would simply be the RPG element we all love. We decide how they react, who they help, etc. Mass Effect did this beautifully, and is why it is my favorite game and series of all time.

 

Some players don't like that though.  One of the reasons some people dislike Hawke and the Inquisitor is they are more realized characters than the HoF who is literally a blank slate, to the point they don't even speak.  We don't see the face, to gauge responses to dialogue, situations (usually, the blank mannikin stare in nearly every scene where you do see the face was downright creepy).  With the HoF, players got to completely build their character up in their heads with the information they gleaned in the Origin making it personal.

 

This isn't the same experience with a character like Alistair or Geralt since they have a set story arc and limits player options.  

Mass Effect has a solitary hero (Shepard) who I think of more like Hawke, not Alistair or Geralt.  He/she must be human, beyond that, it's wide open what the player decides to do.  It's a very different experience than being forced to play Alistair or Geralt who have predetermined gender,  predetermined appearance, predetermined personality and predetermined backstory.

 

I liked playing Hawke (I never got the hang of ME's shoot em up playstyle) because there was some predetermined to her.  She was human, had a family, a history.  But beyond that, it just set the stage for me to make her whatever I wanted to.  Male, female, kind, funny, angry, the sky was the limit after the character parameters were set.  I'd probably enjoy Shepard because that's the kind of character I like to play.  Alistair I wouldn't enjoy as much because he's male, has a specific personality, a specific place in the story.  While I have played male characters in all three games and enjoyed their stories, they were my boys, not Bioware's.  And I vastly prefer a female protagonist because a lot of games just foist male protagonists on the player which gets old after 20 years of RPGing.

[Xetykins]

 Alistair I wouldn't enjoy as much because he's male,

And gorgeous and we'd be weeping if we can't drag him for some tent times.

No, seriously, Alibear is fine where he is.

[The_Mac23]

I understand the Hawke argument for sure, and I really enjoyed playing Dragon Age 2... Minus the reused dungeons and over and over again. Legacy should have been included in my opinion.

[Rhidor]

Oh come on, really?

[straykat]

He's not HoF material.. He has that unconfident, defensive humor thing like Xander from Buffy. In an ensemble, he's a side character. If it wasn't so party based, sure. He could fumble around on his own. Like King's Quest.

[Dyne-]

Your own protagonist is a generic person who selects a predetermined sentence. As a male Cousland, you are simply a "pup" who has never seen battle. I'm supposed to believe you kill an Archdemon within a year?? And stop Loghain? Please...
The only origin that made any sense to me was the dwarf noble. Lord Aeducan was awesome. But a dwarf leading a group is just... I don't know, odd? Just wish they had done more with him vs Behlen. Make it more personal.

You might need to replay the human noble origin. If you talk to the right people in each origin story you'll learn a bit about who the HoF is. Essentially they're made out to be a prodigy in each story, and the human noble is no exception.

The Cousland is the best combatant in Highever. Ser Gilmore mentions how he/she has more than twice the talent of anyone he's ever seen. Dairren talks about losing in a tournament to them. Fergus and Duncan both know of the Cousland's martial prowess, ect.

Long story short, all origin stories talk about how much of a badass the PC is. Just wanted to throw that out there !

[FKA_Servo]

People like Alistair, Loghain, and Duncan have their back stories, and the fun of playing one of them would simply be the RPG element we all love. We decide how they react, who they help, etc. Mass Effect did this beautifully, and is why it is my favorite game and series of all time.

 

I think you'll find there's some contention, here. Being locked out in deciding who they are from the get-go sucks a whole lot of that out. And ME doesn't lock you into playing as John Shepard. If it did, barf.

 

Also (and OT), does anyone like the original grimdarky Alistair concept? God, kill me. If they'd run with that, he'd be a boring putz.

[Xetykins]

Also (and OT), does anyone like the original grimdarky Alistair concept? God, kill me. If they'd run with that, he'd be a boring putz.

He'll be blackwall

[Mike3207]

I didn't even want him as a companion, much less as the main character. Of course, i felt that way about most of the companions, excluding Dog.

[straykat]

I think we're supposed to be the Loghain or Rowan to his Maric. Being Maric is a bit too straightforward.

 

The (somewhat) brilliance of the story is that you yourself are setup to be pinned against Loghain.

[FKA_Servo]

He'll be blackwall

 

Blackwall is awesome, though.

[Xetykins]

Blackwall is awesome, though.

Amen to that.

[Salaya]

Yes, Blackwall is awesome. In some ways, it seems to me like a metaphor of Inquistion itself: a game that promised to be like Origins but actually it has nothing to do with it.

[Lady Honor]

Your own protagonist is a generic person who selects a predetermined sentence. As a male Cousland, you are simply a "pup" who has never seen battle. I'm supposed to believe you kill an Archdemon within a year?? And stop Loghain? Please...

The only origin that made any sense to me was the dwarf noble. Lord Aeducan was awesome. But a dwarf leading a group is just... I don't know, odd? Just wish they had done more with him vs Behlen. Make it more personal.

I completely disagree with your assessment of the Cousland pc.  Although he or she may or may not have seen actual battle prior to Howel's betrayal, it is implied throughout the entire background origin that he or she has a very well-known reputation for his skill with a blade.  Almost everyone you speak with during the origin comments on that reputation and even Duncan admits the youngest Cousland was his preferred recuit.  And by the time the time the background origin is complete, not only has the Cousland pc seen battle, but has also proven that he or she is quite capable.