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Fuck this game: I have never been so disappointed with a Bioware game in my life.
They can kiss my arse if they think I am buying this.
They can kiss my arse if they think I am buying this.
"Oh good they in fact didn't fix the biggest problem.
Recycled environments"
Yep. You figure, for the DLC, they would spend a good week trying to make something entirely new. I'll pass (even though I really liked DA2 and think the negativity is quite exaggerated).
Recycled environments"
Yep. You figure, for the DLC, they would spend a good week trying to make something entirely new. I'll pass (even though I really liked DA2 and think the negativity is quite exaggerated).
"Family Outing's requirement to have your brother or sister in the party might be a problem for some if you already finished it, depending on how you played Dragon Age II."
My guess is it's a side story that takes place before anything can happen to your siblings.
@Killias2
I liked Dragon Age II somewhat, but it's not Bioware quality. I expected more from them. To add insult to injury, putting out DLC with recycled environments is just...bad.
I would prefer they did something like Leliana's Story with Varric, possibly, or a continuation leading into Dragon Age III - with an actual story.
My guess is it's a side story that takes place before anything can happen to your siblings.
@Killias2
I liked Dragon Age II somewhat, but it's not Bioware quality. I expected more from them. To add insult to injury, putting out DLC with recycled environments is just...bad.
I would prefer they did something like Leliana's Story with Varric, possibly, or a continuation leading into Dragon Age III - with an actual story.
@ThrashingLimbsEd: Precisely. Fuck this fucking game and fuck Bioware's fucking ass. Shitty fucking ass, I'm mad.
Sounds like The Boss is pretty butthurt. It was a great game, enjoyable & had rich characters. The story was lacking compared to DA1, but nowhere near deserving of such immature vitriol. Grow up.
Absolutely loved DA2, and I can't wait for DLC. Heck, I might do a 4th play-through to get ready. Rogue was a blast, but I haven't played a 2-handed Warrior yet.
As for knowing that the DLC will use the same environments, I'm kind of confused. You guys have a link that says that will happen? Not that it would bother me all that much, as I play Dragon Age games for the combat, and not as a Dungeon Simulator.
I do hope DA3 shows the same kind of jump in quality as DA2 did over DA:O, though. Clean up a few issues, and it will be fantastic.
As for knowing that the DLC will use the same environments, I'm kind of confused. You guys have a link that says that will happen? Not that it would bother me all that much, as I play Dragon Age games for the combat, and not as a Dungeon Simulator.
I do hope DA3 shows the same kind of jump in quality as DA2 did over DA:O, though. Clean up a few issues, and it will be fantastic.
Gameplay wise, DA2 was superior to DA:O in almost every way, but the recycled environments definitely hurt the game. Hopefully DA3's development cycle will be longer.
@bickle Yeah because combat wasn't completely broken at any difficulty above normal.
Oh wait it was.
When enemies randomly spawn in front of your eyes and climb down ropes from the sky to attack you it's probably a sign that the game you're playing isn't very good.
Oh wait it was.
When enemies randomly spawn in front of your eyes and climb down ropes from the sky to attack you it's probably a sign that the game you're playing isn't very good.
@Yep, pretty butthurt alright. Couldn't enjoy it, really. Most of my ire stems from spending way too freaking long with consumer support to get my pre-order bonuses to work. Then I was greeted by a very underwhelming game with what I consider to be subpar gameplay(adds spawning and unstable AI no matter what you did with tactics rendering Nightmare almost unplayable at times), recycled environments, story that seemed to go nowhere most of the time, terrible, TERRIBLE last segment filled with deus ex machina and iffy DirectX11 performance on a high end card.
It was a lot of blows to a fan of a new franchise. It made me mad, I don't like it, I'll buy this freaking DLC because I'm a bitch and if it repeats the choices not really mattering scenario(which is honestly pretty expected and justifiable, since it's just a DLC pack) and repeated areas I'll complain about it. I paid premium price, was subjected to an unnecessary hassle and received a product that was way below my expectations. I'm entitled to not like it and I'm entitled to join the lines of people that also expected way more than they got, as well as I'm entitled to curse in order to vent my disappointment. I'm grown up and I'd like to grow over this installment. (un)Fortunately I'll buy every single DLC pack in hopes for the game to redeem itself, before my very own percption of it.
If you like rushjobs and stepbacks on the series(subjective, granted) and think they justify a hefty price tag, that's awesome. I don't. And to make it clear, my response is not angry towards you, mate. EA got me pretty riled up before I even got to the game and when I finally got to it, it disappointed me in WAY too many levels, so though I may not be in the most impartial of places to judge the game's worth, I can tell it has a bit way too many flaws for what considers itself to be a premium game in a genre I love and seems to be not only in extinction, but on suicidal extinction.
It was a lot of blows to a fan of a new franchise. It made me mad, I don't like it, I'll buy this freaking DLC because I'm a bitch and if it repeats the choices not really mattering scenario(which is honestly pretty expected and justifiable, since it's just a DLC pack) and repeated areas I'll complain about it. I paid premium price, was subjected to an unnecessary hassle and received a product that was way below my expectations. I'm entitled to not like it and I'm entitled to join the lines of people that also expected way more than they got, as well as I'm entitled to curse in order to vent my disappointment. I'm grown up and I'd like to grow over this installment. (un)Fortunately I'll buy every single DLC pack in hopes for the game to redeem itself, before my very own percption of it.
If you like rushjobs and stepbacks on the series(subjective, granted) and think they justify a hefty price tag, that's awesome. I don't. And to make it clear, my response is not angry towards you, mate. EA got me pretty riled up before I even got to the game and when I finally got to it, it disappointed me in WAY too many levels, so though I may not be in the most impartial of places to judge the game's worth, I can tell it has a bit way too many flaws for what considers itself to be a premium game in a genre I love and seems to be not only in extinction, but on suicidal extinction.
I'm holding out hope that there will be at least a couple of new maps. I'll also be holding back money until someone else plays it and confirms it.
This game was such as shame. It could have been so much more, but clearly someone decided the best way to follow up an awesome, if flawed title, is to shit one out in a 12 month dev cycle. I never want to see that bland, static city of Kirkwall again, unless I get to burn it to the ground in canon.
Gonna preface this one with: Comic-con is great, and I love BioWare.
Okay, that said.. Why fucking wait till Comic-con? What good does that really do for anyone? No ones going to be that excited about this while their swimming in a sea of a thousand other vices. Theres just no point.
"Family Outing's requirement to have your brother or sister in the party might be a problem for some if you already finished it, depending on how you played Dragon Age II."
Yeah, I thought about this too as I read it.. But I also had a thought about stuff like this and how the game handled both its story, and where it dumps you after the credits.. (Seriously no big spoilier here) Since the game dumps you back at your house at the end, and you can't really leave it without new -outside of the game (meaning not the Prince stuff, which happens during)- DLC, they could make DLC happen ANYWHERE during the time periods between the games chapters. Theres quite a few years in between some of them that could be explained and fleshed out DLC, but could easily be waved away (IE. Not included in, or impacting) from the main story if the writing is right.
Only thing is, I don't know if THEY thought of this too.
Okay, that said.. Why fucking wait till Comic-con? What good does that really do for anyone? No ones going to be that excited about this while their swimming in a sea of a thousand other vices. Theres just no point.
"Family Outing's requirement to have your brother or sister in the party might be a problem for some if you already finished it, depending on how you played Dragon Age II."
Yeah, I thought about this too as I read it.. But I also had a thought about stuff like this and how the game handled both its story, and where it dumps you after the credits.. (Seriously no big spoilier here) Since the game dumps you back at your house at the end, and you can't really leave it without new -outside of the game (meaning not the Prince stuff, which happens during)- DLC, they could make DLC happen ANYWHERE during the time periods between the games chapters. Theres quite a few years in between some of them that could be explained and fleshed out DLC, but could easily be waved away (IE. Not included in, or impacting) from the main story if the writing is right.
Only thing is, I don't know if THEY thought of this too.
@Natural 20: precisely.
@Amtalx and pokota: Agreed. Gameplay had VERY significant improvements. Only problem is they DIDN'T FREAKING PLAYTEST IT ON ANYTHING BUT NORMAL. I've been around RPGs for a while, but when you present the player with actually TOUGH scenarios, you can't just go around spewing shit out of nowhere and rendering all stretegies useless. Eventual contingency is formidable for RPGs, but whenever it renders initial strategy and tactical placement useless, the game jumps the shark in my book.
@Amtalx and pokota: Agreed. Gameplay had VERY significant improvements. Only problem is they DIDN'T FREAKING PLAYTEST IT ON ANYTHING BUT NORMAL. I've been around RPGs for a while, but when you present the player with actually TOUGH scenarios, you can't just go around spewing shit out of nowhere and rendering all stretegies useless. Eventual contingency is formidable for RPGs, but whenever it renders initial strategy and tactical placement useless, the game jumps the shark in my book.
@ Natural20
"When enemies randomly spawn in front of your eyes and climb down ropes from the sky to attack you it's probably a sign that the game you're playing isn't very good."
This happened in Normal as well, and it was annoying as fuck.
"When enemies randomly spawn in front of your eyes and climb down ropes from the sky to attack you it's probably a sign that the game you're playing isn't very good."
This happened in Normal as well, and it was annoying as fuck.
I didn't like the plot as much in DA2. It felt unfocused and half-arsed to me. Just my preference, though. I tried playing through the game a second time and everything felt the same. No context for most of my quests, same old same old. Everything sort of ran together. This is coming from someone who beat DA:O 5 times. Again, it's probably just my preference, but those are my 2 cents. :)
The mechanics were very much improved, but the waves of enemies was annoying. It invalidated a lot of strategy when mobs could spawn in the middle of your formation on a regular basis. They also didn't balance nightmare difficulty at all. nightmare wasn't hard because of increased specs--it was hard because they didn't consider friendly fire at all when balancing the game.
The mechanics were very much improved, but the waves of enemies was annoying. It invalidated a lot of strategy when mobs could spawn in the middle of your formation on a regular basis. They also didn't balance nightmare difficulty at all. nightmare wasn't hard because of increased specs--it was hard because they didn't consider friendly fire at all when balancing the game.
How does Xbox360Achievements.com keep finding out about this stuff!? Does anyone here possibly know?
Why the hell would I want DLC of a place I've already been in a game with so few places to go? What kind of bullshit is that? If my wife has a drawer full of black panties I'm not paying for another pair. I want pink ones goddammit. Give me something new to look at!
@timetheterrible Oh I'm aware, but when they did it on normal they weren't going to oneshot my healer which made it somewhat more bearable.
Good to see some darkspawn diversity brought back. But bad to see reused enviroment.
With some distance now from release, all I can think is god-damn DA:O and Awakenings were awesome, and DA2 was a quicker/cheaper followup than they deserved.
With some distance now from release, all I can think is god-damn DA:O and Awakenings were awesome, and DA2 was a quicker/cheaper followup than they deserved.
@Natural 20
... wha?
What on earth are you talking about? Playing anything BELOW Hard is a waste of time, as it's extremely easy. My only criticism with the difficulty is that DA2 should have come with a warning that anyone who'd played DA:O should start out on Hard. Personally, I didn't really love the game until I bumped up the difficulty.
I also vehemently disagree about the wave combat being a bad thing. I loved this aspect of DA2, and thought it was a huge improvement over DA:O. DA:O combat could get kind of boring because of the "set-up and pull" style. The strategy aspect was mostly to pull a few enemies, kill them, regain health/mana because you were out of combat, then repeat. Either that, for pre-cast from around a corner. DA2's wave combat made the game much more tactical and the combat much more fluid. You had to think about conservation of skills and mana, because it might be a long fight. I hope and pray that wave combat stays in for DA3.
... wha?
What on earth are you talking about? Playing anything BELOW Hard is a waste of time, as it's extremely easy. My only criticism with the difficulty is that DA2 should have come with a warning that anyone who'd played DA:O should start out on Hard. Personally, I didn't really love the game until I bumped up the difficulty.
I also vehemently disagree about the wave combat being a bad thing. I loved this aspect of DA2, and thought it was a huge improvement over DA:O. DA:O combat could get kind of boring because of the "set-up and pull" style. The strategy aspect was mostly to pull a few enemies, kill them, regain health/mana because you were out of combat, then repeat. Either that, for pre-cast from around a corner. DA2's wave combat made the game much more tactical and the combat much more fluid. You had to think about conservation of skills and mana, because it might be a long fight. I hope and pray that wave combat stays in for DA3.
I loved Dragon Age II, everything in that game was great for me, mind the recycled environments, but hey, at least the combat was fluid and fun.
It didn't look like the clunky piece of shit that Dragon Age: Origins and The Witcher looked like, and believe me, I've played The Witcher.
It's a fucking horrible game.
It didn't look like the clunky piece of shit that Dragon Age: Origins and The Witcher looked like, and believe me, I've played The Witcher.
It's a fucking horrible game.
@ThrashingLimbsEd
We don't know for sure yet that it's going to use recycled environments and even if they do maybe it'll at least be altered to look different like the Exiled Prince DLC
Regardless, I'll end up getting this because I'm a big fan of the series so far. And i even have a save from before I hit the deep roads initially so I'll be able to get a sibling to tag along.
We don't know for sure yet that it's going to use recycled environments and even if they do maybe it'll at least be altered to look different like the Exiled Prince DLC
Regardless, I'll end up getting this because I'm a big fan of the series so far. And i even have a save from before I hit the deep roads initially so I'll be able to get a sibling to tag along.
Awesome, I was looking for encouragement to fire up the game again, looks like I'm taking a break from New Vegas for a few weeks.
@pokota:
I have almost zero tolerance for enemies that spawn out of nowhere. If there is a particular enemy type that summons minions, that's fine, but otherwise a level should always be populated with AI before the player arrives. It actually gives the feeling that you are walking into an ongoing conflict, as opposed to the game going "Oh, the player is here. Spawn some shit." and every encounter being an ambush that's impossible to mitigate.
I have almost zero tolerance for enemies that spawn out of nowhere. If there is a particular enemy type that summons minions, that's fine, but otherwise a level should always be populated with AI before the player arrives. It actually gives the feeling that you are walking into an ongoing conflict, as opposed to the game going "Oh, the player is here. Spawn some shit." and every encounter being an ambush that's impossible to mitigate.
Whew, quite a bit o' hate going on. It's not [I]that[/] bad. Not BioWare quality for sure.
And how the heck can you determine that nothing was done to fix recycled environments? Did you see a "Explorer - visited all of the brand new environments cuz we fucked up" achievement?
Didn't think so.
Is this as good as DA:O? Hell no. Enemies that spawn from the sky and recycling environments sucks ass, sure. I'm in accordance. But pretending you're Nostra-fucking-damus, because of some achievements? No.
Also, this is relatively soon for DLC. This is probably not the one to fix all of the crap. How long did it take to get me my Liara in my party? A long time. I expect it will be another year until they really get at the issues.
And how the heck can you determine that nothing was done to fix recycled environments? Did you see a "Explorer - visited all of the brand new environments cuz we fucked up" achievement?
Didn't think so.
Is this as good as DA:O? Hell no. Enemies that spawn from the sky and recycling environments sucks ass, sure. I'm in accordance. But pretending you're Nostra-fucking-damus, because of some achievements? No.
Also, this is relatively soon for DLC. This is probably not the one to fix all of the crap. How long did it take to get me my Liara in my party? A long time. I expect it will be another year until they really get at the issues.
Back to the deep roads again? I sure hope it's not the same Deep Roads area we went to during Act 1 of DAII.
I am not going to buy this DLC when it first comes out - I will wait for reviews, and my decision to buy or not buy depends on this:
Is there ONE, at least ONE SINGLE ROOM of the DLC that is NOT an environment from DAII? If they can do THAT small little thing then I'll buy it. Just. one. different. room.
I am not going to buy this DLC when it first comes out - I will wait for reviews, and my decision to buy or not buy depends on this:
Is there ONE, at least ONE SINGLE ROOM of the DLC that is NOT an environment from DAII? If they can do THAT small little thing then I'll buy it. Just. one. different. room.
@amtalx
I disagree with you completely. Reinforcements arriving makes no less sense than traditional gameplay where you can pull enemies around the corner and their friends somehow ignore the sounds of death and metal crashing. This cannot be a question of logic, because both DA:O and DA2 would fail completely in that regard.
The problem with DA:O was that it was either too easy or too hard, depending on if you pulled your enemies to you, or if you crashed on into a huge gathering. DA2 tried to mitigate that, so that individual encounters weren't as easy as pulling four or five baddies at a time, where just adding ten extra enemies already gathered would be impossible. I liked the wave combat a LOT.
I disagree with you completely. Reinforcements arriving makes no less sense than traditional gameplay where you can pull enemies around the corner and their friends somehow ignore the sounds of death and metal crashing. This cannot be a question of logic, because both DA:O and DA2 would fail completely in that regard.
The problem with DA:O was that it was either too easy or too hard, depending on if you pulled your enemies to you, or if you crashed on into a huge gathering. DA2 tried to mitigate that, so that individual encounters weren't as easy as pulling four or five baddies at a time, where just adding ten extra enemies already gathered would be impossible. I liked the wave combat a LOT.
@pokota
Wave combat is fine.
But when the game RANDOMLY spawns them in front of you, it takes away from the immersion. Let me give you a number of ways any enemy COULD have spawned into combat in a wave based manner:
*Rogues smokebombing in
*Warriors thrashing through wooden doors - making the situation feel dire
*Spirits ripping through a warp
*Sorcerors teleporting in with magic haze
NONE of that happened. Bioware lazily programmed in translucent effects that just had enemies come in time after time in a repetitive manner, right in front of your face. It was...awful.
Wave combat is fine.
But when the game RANDOMLY spawns them in front of you, it takes away from the immersion. Let me give you a number of ways any enemy COULD have spawned into combat in a wave based manner:
*Rogues smokebombing in
*Warriors thrashing through wooden doors - making the situation feel dire
*Spirits ripping through a warp
*Sorcerors teleporting in with magic haze
NONE of that happened. Bioware lazily programmed in translucent effects that just had enemies come in time after time in a repetitive manner, right in front of your face. It was...awful.
@Icehearted
Just saw your comment.
That's because KOTOR 2 is not a Bioware game.
It's an Obsidian game.
Just saw your comment.
That's because KOTOR 2 is not a Bioware game.
It's an Obsidian game.
I held off on a second playthrough to wait for more DLC, so this is awesome for me. I enjoyed DA2 just as much as the first game.
@Magnalon
We just have different priorities, I suppose. The things you listed make no real difference to me. During combat, I'm not worrying about where he came from, but rather how I'm going to deal with him. Maybe it's just a gap my imagination fills in automatically. In all honesty, I've always had a MUCH harder time with the idea that you could pull half the enemies in a room without the other half bothering to see why all their friends just grabbed their weapons and started running.
It's just a dynamic I like, that I don't engage every couple of enemies with full health and mana. If the exclusion of the things you listed really make it that hard for you to enjoy the game, then I'm sorry, maybe BioWare will work on it. As for me, I'm more concerned with the combat than I am with the details of where my enemies came from.
We just have different priorities, I suppose. The things you listed make no real difference to me. During combat, I'm not worrying about where he came from, but rather how I'm going to deal with him. Maybe it's just a gap my imagination fills in automatically. In all honesty, I've always had a MUCH harder time with the idea that you could pull half the enemies in a room without the other half bothering to see why all their friends just grabbed their weapons and started running.
It's just a dynamic I like, that I don't engage every couple of enemies with full health and mana. If the exclusion of the things you listed really make it that hard for you to enjoy the game, then I'm sorry, maybe BioWare will work on it. As for me, I'm more concerned with the combat than I am with the details of where my enemies came from.
@Pokota
Here's the thing: Bioware already does it.
In Mass Effect 1 and 2, you have wave based combat occasionally, and they handle it brilliantly - just have guys shuttled in on a shuttle, or dropship, then delivered in an immersive fashion.
That's the kind of thing I expect from Bioware. When you couple the translucent wave intros with the constant re-using of environments/assets, you have an issue of pure laziness and rushed development (which they admitted to).
Here's the thing: Bioware already does it.
In Mass Effect 1 and 2, you have wave based combat occasionally, and they handle it brilliantly - just have guys shuttled in on a shuttle, or dropship, then delivered in an immersive fashion.
That's the kind of thing I expect from Bioware. When you couple the translucent wave intros with the constant re-using of environments/assets, you have an issue of pure laziness and rushed development (which they admitted to).
I bought every stupid dlc for Dragon Age 1, yup even Darkspawn Chronicles, but no way I am buying this one. Recycled environments even in dlc, are you kidding me? The whole point of dlc is to give you somethig new and fresh and sometimes really crazy to play with. Just look at great Alan Wake dlc or BioWare's own Mass Effect 2.
@Magnalon: Going to have to go with Pokota on that front. I myself never really wonder where enemies are coming from.
When guys come in from a drop ship in Mass Effect 2, my mind wasn't on their entrance, it was already on shooting and killing them. It's the same thing with Dragon Age II; maybe it deals with the fact that I remember turning a corner and there are 8 or 9 guys and I'm like "OH FUCK SUMMON DOG SUMMON DOG OH FUCK WHERE THE HELL IS MY ROCK ARMOR GODDAMNIT SANDERS STOP TALKING".
What I'm trying to say is, I never noticed the re-spawning enemies, because by the time I was done with one wave, half of my team was dealing with another wave on another front. I rarely ever see enemies spawn unless it's those spirit things. And I chalk up the spirit spawning to actually being a spirit.
That's one of the perks of being a spirit you know; Stay invisible until someone steps on your blue swayed shoes, and then fuck a bitch up Wu Tang style.
When guys come in from a drop ship in Mass Effect 2, my mind wasn't on their entrance, it was already on shooting and killing them. It's the same thing with Dragon Age II; maybe it deals with the fact that I remember turning a corner and there are 8 or 9 guys and I'm like "OH FUCK SUMMON DOG SUMMON DOG OH FUCK WHERE THE HELL IS MY ROCK ARMOR GODDAMNIT SANDERS STOP TALKING".
What I'm trying to say is, I never noticed the re-spawning enemies, because by the time I was done with one wave, half of my team was dealing with another wave on another front. I rarely ever see enemies spawn unless it's those spirit things. And I chalk up the spirit spawning to actually being a spirit.
That's one of the perks of being a spirit you know; Stay invisible until someone steps on your blue swayed shoes, and then fuck a bitch up Wu Tang style.
@Magnalon
That's cool and all, but I don't think what you're talking about is anywhere near the problem that reused maps were. To me, that was much more bothersome. Not that it was a deal-breaker, as I didn't find it to be that annoying, but it definitely showed a lack of attention in that area.
As for DA2 being rushed, I've said for awhile now that the game's release date was set WAY too far in advance. It was publicized in the Awakenings box, for god's sake. I hope they learned something from that. At least we know that BioWare had job listings awhile back for HD game artists.
That's cool and all, but I don't think what you're talking about is anywhere near the problem that reused maps were. To me, that was much more bothersome. Not that it was a deal-breaker, as I didn't find it to be that annoying, but it definitely showed a lack of attention in that area.
As for DA2 being rushed, I've said for awhile now that the game's release date was set WAY too far in advance. It was publicized in the Awakenings box, for god's sake. I hope they learned something from that. At least we know that BioWare had job listings awhile back for HD game artists.
DA2 was way too much of a disappointment for me. Not as much as FF13, but close. Unless they massively overhaul the combat, bring back non-combat skills, and make the story worth a shit, I won't be playing it.
@pokota
Wrong, the Awakenings announcement was that facebook shit game.
@pokota
Wrong, the Awakenings announcement was that facebook shit game.
Barring the randomly manifest enemies, the combat and skill-tree systems seemed head and shoulders above Origins. Unfortunately, the story and locales are a different matter entirely .
@WesternGamer
No, I think he's right - I'm pretty sure the insert in Awakening was confirmed as DA2 - not DA Legends.
http://www.wouldyoukindly.com/bioware-teases-announcement-tomorrow-dragon-age-2-confirmed-by-ea/
No, I think he's right - I'm pretty sure the insert in Awakening was confirmed as DA2 - not DA Legends.
http://www.wouldyoukindly.com/bioware-teases-announcement-tomorrow-dragon-age-2-confirmed-by-ea/
Oh wow, people still do not get what DAII's story is about...wow
Its leagues BETTER than Origins ever was.
The story does know where it is going, however sometimes the destination is just not given to you. Many stories are like this. The story is far more complex and thought provoking then Origins ever was. Its just that you have to pay attention to everything or you may miss a detail. It requires much more brains. Even the frame narrative has a point. At first Cassandra is blaming Hawke for causing the war, but in the end, learns that while his/her involvement helped spark the war, he or she wasn't responsible for it. THATS THE POINT OF DA2. Much better than the orc killathon that is DAO. DA2 is about how a society falls, due to extremism, greed, and madness. In fact DA2 is very consistant in applying that theme to its quests, unlike the scattershot and random Origins. Not to mention the characters are far better than the one dimensional KOTOR clones of Origins...except for the multidimensional Leliana. DA2's characters had far more dimensions and complexity, as well as having a chance to develop them in two different manners.
As for gameplay...patch 1.3 greatly improves it. And the gibbing is far less as well.
Its leagues BETTER than Origins ever was.
The story does know where it is going, however sometimes the destination is just not given to you. Many stories are like this. The story is far more complex and thought provoking then Origins ever was. Its just that you have to pay attention to everything or you may miss a detail. It requires much more brains. Even the frame narrative has a point. At first Cassandra is blaming Hawke for causing the war, but in the end, learns that while his/her involvement helped spark the war, he or she wasn't responsible for it. THATS THE POINT OF DA2. Much better than the orc killathon that is DAO. DA2 is about how a society falls, due to extremism, greed, and madness. In fact DA2 is very consistant in applying that theme to its quests, unlike the scattershot and random Origins. Not to mention the characters are far better than the one dimensional KOTOR clones of Origins...except for the multidimensional Leliana. DA2's characters had far more dimensions and complexity, as well as having a chance to develop them in two different manners.
As for gameplay...patch 1.3 greatly improves it. And the gibbing is far less as well.
@texasgoldrush, I see where you are coming from, but I prefer the story of Origins.
Anyone who kills Leliana is an asshole. FACT.
Anyone who kills Leliana is an asshole. FACT.
Non-combat skills in Origins were terribly poorly implemented - they were point sinks that added nothing to the fun and very little to the strategy of the game. They were also part of why Rogue was the least popular class among players - you had to sink a pile of your very valuable skill and talent points into things that didn't help when the chips were down.
DA2 was superior in every way, mechanically, to DA1. The story was more thematically interesting but less epic, which likely hurt it in the eyes of most fans (and, I'll admit, in spite of being fascinated with both the Qunari and Mage arcs, I prefer the epicness of the DA1 story) and the recycled environments were essentially unforgivable, but DA2's mechanics were great.
Also? Better pacing. I mean, pacing's still not great, but there's no segment of DA2 anywhere near as bad as the Deep Roads in DA1.
DA2 was superior in every way, mechanically, to DA1. The story was more thematically interesting but less epic, which likely hurt it in the eyes of most fans (and, I'll admit, in spite of being fascinated with both the Qunari and Mage arcs, I prefer the epicness of the DA1 story) and the recycled environments were essentially unforgivable, but DA2's mechanics were great.
Also? Better pacing. I mean, pacing's still not great, but there's no segment of DA2 anywhere near as bad as the Deep Roads in DA1.
They figured out some of the things they did poorly in da1 and implemented them in da2 but really should have spent some 6 months more just on environments and making the waves spawn in more believable way along with different city art for each segment indicating time passing and even differences wrought by player choices. Refinement that would have made the game stand up to its expectations.
Basically they released a mediocre offering as a triple A game. Which is why i am now a previous fanboi of bioware.
Basically they released a mediocre offering as a triple A game. Which is why i am now a previous fanboi of bioware.
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