Why aren't people talking about this game: Dragon Age II

[Castout]

Please fill us in :D

[Arclight]

Couple of posts in the news thread. ;)

[Castout]

Ah missed it.

[Arclight]

Guess I'll put this here:
Dragon Age II & The Downloadable Prince (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/01/07/dragon-age-ii-the-downloadable-prince/)

[kiwi_2005]

I need to finish Dragon Age Origins first. I hate the DLC part of it, pay to DL. :zzz:

Of course I brought the game brand new the auction stated Free DLC with code - new character Shale, Dragon armor and the stone prisoner quest. Get the game and at the back of the case in small print is 'One time use code available with full retail purchase. Expires April 2010'. :shifty: So i gave the seller bad feedback rating. He could of mentioned in his auction that the code has expired.

Apart from that I like Dragon age Origins just find the limit in characters in your group and far to many cut scenes. Though gameplay is spot on.

[Rilder]

Dragon Age always looked too linear to be good. Most RPGs are linear after all and adding a 1 or 2 endings doesn't make it any less linear and I hate linear storyline games.

So no, not interested in the least.

[Ducimus]

Dragon Age always looked too linear to be good. Most RPGs are linear after all and adding a 1 or 2 endings doesn't make it any less linear and I hate linear storyline games.

So no, not interested in the least.

Dragon age, and Mass Effect series are like an interactive movie. They are great movies, epic stories, and they are very entertaining and highly engaging. They just don't have very good replay value. Which i think is dependent on how many times you can watch the same movie.

[Rilder]

Yeah I'll stick to non-storyline games, thank you. I prefer my character making his own story instead of being a slave to the games story. Linear games just aren't fun for me.

If I want to play a linear storyline game I'll find a Lets-play for it, saves money and/or time spent downloading. :hmmm:

[Takeda Shingen]

Please fill us in :D

Because I didn't like Dragon Age I. Therefore, I am not excited about Dragon Age II. I agree with both Rilder and Ducimus in that the BioWare games are too linear for my tastes. Give me a sandbox anyday.

[Highbury]

Have to agree, BioWare "RPG"'s offer little replay value or true ability to take your own path. The only thing you can really influence is the very beginning, a few lines of dialogue in the gameplay, and maybe a couple cutscenes at the end. Other then that is it the same story/journey no matter what you do.

I'll have a look at DAII and see if that has changed, but my wallet is still in my pocket for now.

[Castout]

I need to finish Dragon Age Origins first. I hate the DLC part of it, pay to DL. :zzz:

Of course I brought the game brand new the auction stated Free DLC with code - new character Shale, Dragon armor and the stone prisoner quest. Get the game and at the back of the case in small print is 'One time use code available with full retail purchase. Expires April 2010'. :shifty: So i gave the seller bad feedback rating. He could of mentioned in his auction that the code has expired.

Apart from that I like Dragon age Origins just find the limit in characters in your group and far to many cut scenes. Though gameplay is spot on.

The cut scenes are the best about Bioware RPG. It's like watching a movie and playing at the same time! I found their RPG irresistable.


Because I didn't like Dragon Age I. Therefore, I am not excited about Dragon Age II. I agree with both Rilder and Ducimus in that the BioWare games are too linear for my tastes. Give me a sandbox anyday.

But they are the best linear games mankind has ever created. But yeah if one is rather strained in budget for buying video games they could probably miss Bioware's titles but their games are dangerously addictive especially on the first try. I missed Mass Effect 2 and have been trying it for the past several days and my gosh it's very dangerously addicting.

[Task Force]

Well, cant speak for dragon age, as ive never played it. But I have to say Mass Effect is probably the best game I have ever played. Dont think ive ever gotten so much enjoyment out of a story game. (214 hrs from the first, and I still found more missions from my last playthough. 238 from the second, though I dont like 2 as much as 1.)

[Castout]

Well, cant speak for dragon age, as ive never played it. But I have to say Mass Effect is probably the best game I have ever played. Dont think ive ever gotten so much enjoyment out of a story game. (214 hrs from the first, and I still found more missions from my last playthough. 238 from the second, though I dont like 2 as much as 1.)


I've got the first Dragon Age but not the expansion(for value reason I didn't buy the expansion as I think the content is not as big as the original). My opinion is that Dragon Age is even more story driven perhaps due to the dungeon and dragon theme of it and a lot less bug ridden. It's a very good RPG and like usual Bioware doesn't dissapoint. I thought they were mad when they announced Dragon Age Origins. I mean it was a completely new franchise rather than making sequel to the proven KotoR or next Mass Effect. But it came through as another superb RPG from Bioware.

[Wolfehunter]

Dragon age, and Mass Effect series are like an interactive movie. They are great movies, epic stories, and they are very entertaining and highly engaging. They just don't have very good replay value. Which i think is dependent on how many times you can watch the same movie.this ^^^ its a good game but looses replay value very fast. But mods for DA is good keeps it going...

[Castout]

I thought I was the minority being very picky on buying PC games. I mostly buy games with what I consider an unlimited replay value as well and only when I think the game is of high quality worth keeping and playing.

I do make exceptions though which is Bioware titles. I find myself reinstalling the rpg from time to time. And enjoy each experience very much.

Buying Bioware RPGs is like buying DVD movies. Yes you get little replay value out of them but you still buy a select few movies that you consider worth collecting and when you do you watch that movie from time to time, each occasion is probably months in between or even a year, but they are worth watching on each occasion still.

[Rilder]

Of course not everybody buys movies either, I know I will never buy a copy of a movie. Instead I wait till it shows up on tv, or if I must see it, rent it.

[Castout]

Of course not everybody buys movies either, I know I will never buy a copy of a movie. Instead I wait till it shows up on tv, or if I must see it, rent it.

Ah I thought everybody would buy movies :DL.

[Arclight]

Dragon Age II Goes Gold, 55 Mins Of Footage (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/02/11/dragon-age-ii-goes-gold-55-mins-of-footage/)


That should give a good impression of the game. :)

[Arclight]

Demo is available: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/02/22/dragon-age-ii-demo-is-go/

[ReFaN]

Combat is pretty much a splatterfest now, Do not want.

[TteFAboB]

I loved the new splatterfest. DA 1 is far too MMO like and sluggish. :roll: :zzz:

Don't get me wrong. I'm an X-Com guy, I'm a Jagged Alliance 2 man, I'm a subsimmer, a space shuttle simmer and even a bus simmer, I'm your methodical, slow-paced, turn-based tactical man. Tactical. Not MMO.

Stupid of Bioware to divide the players like this though. I'd add a DA 1 mode in DA 2, just as I'd love to have a "Battletoads" mode patched into DA 1.

Shogun 2 was a so-so meh. All the new stuff is great, but I need great battles, not stuff, and I'm not sure battles will be great. We'll see. This, however, seems like a winner already to me. Pre-ordered. :yeah:

[Castout]

I actually prefer the old style combat. I have no objection with action style combat as long as it's not awkward like that. Not to say the old wasn't awkward but at least it was still making some sense then :DL

[Castout]

Umm on second thoughts I may not be buying this game. At least maybe not immediately after release.

Hearts of Iron 3 kind of won my heart in the end.

[kiwi_2005]

Is it just me or am I right that Dragon Age Origins gets bloody hard half way through. :damn: DA 2 is due out soon so im trying to finish DAO, I can't kill that dragon you meet as you cross the bridge far to powerful that my whole group gets owned in about 20 seconds. lol

[Castout]

Is it just me or am I right that Dragon Age Origins gets bloody hard half way through. :damn: DA 2 is due out soon so im trying to finish DAO, I can't kill that dragon you meet as you cross the bridge far to powerful that my whole group gets owned in about 20 seconds. lol

Yeah I switched to easy somewhere mid game or close after mid game :O:

Aww you haven't finished DAO??!

I'll be missing out DA 2 for a while I'll be upgrading my hardware for Shogun 2. Especially the two component(GPU and PSU) which I haven't changed from the last time I built a new PC. And I'm finally convinced that i7 is not stupid LOL. Used to joke that in a 4 core 8 thread processor(i7) you'll be using 2 thread for your own application, 4 for malware running in the background and 2 for hackers to use.

[kiwi_2005]

Yeah I switched to easy somewhere mid game or close after mid game :O:

Aww you haven't finished DAO??!

I'll be missing out DA 2 for a while I'll be upgrading my hardware for Shogun 2. Especially the two component(GPU and PSU) which I haven't changed from the last time I built a new PC. And I'm finally convinced that i7 is not stupid LOL. Used to joke that in a 4 core 8 thread processor(i7) you'll be using 2 thread for your own application, 4 for malware running in the background and 2 for hackers to use.

Yep will be getting Shogun 2 looking forward to it.

Haven't finish DAO only had the new PC since christmas Im trying to get through
DAO,
Get rank up in BF Bad Company
Aion
Get rank up in Americas Army 3
Crysis & expansions.
Silent Hunter 5
and Mass Effect 2 - this game Ive nearly finished brilliant game imo excellent story that grabbed me from the start, looking forward to ME 3 in Nov 2011

[Castout]

Yep will be getting Shogun 2 looking forward to it.

Haven't finish DAO only had the new PC since christmas Im trying to get through
DAO,
Get rank up in BF Bad Company
Aion
Get rank up in Americas Army 3
Crysis & expansions.
Silent Hunter 5
and Mass Effect 2 - this game Ive nearly finished brilliant game imo excellent story that grabbed me from the start, looking forward to ME 3 in Nov 2011

I've tried Shogun 2 demo and imo it's a quality game like always from CA and it has the best graphics ever. The detail on the unit is astounding. It's bordering between RTS and RPG in battles unit model wise.

As for Mass Effect and Dragon Age, Bioware is the best RPG developer by far imo. Really quality game that they have.

[kiwi_2005]

I've tried Shogun 2 demo and imo it's a quality game like always from CA and it has the best graphics ever. The detail on the unit is astounding. It's bordering between RTS and RPG in battles unit model wise.

As for Mass Effect and Dragon Age, Bioware is the best RPG developer by far imo. Really quality game that they have.


How limited is the Shogun 2 demo, are there custom missions/maps to play? I might download it.:up:

[Castout]

How limited is the Shogun 2 demo, are there custom missions/maps to play? I might download it.:up:

There's the campaign tutorial which limits you to three playable battles.

Then there's the single historical battle playing as Mitsunari which will guarantee your defeat. It's impossible to win.

And that's about it.

Ninjas are cool and powerful when properly employed both battlefield type and campaign one. The campaign ninjas can develop their skill and have retainer. Even in campaign I'm hooked to developing my ninja. And I think generals can develop too and you can select the skills and retainers you would like them to have.

I'll keep the demo until my Shogun 2 copy arrives.

We must play together sometime Frank! I would love to try that co-op campaign game :DL

I've even thought a custom clan name I'd use for online battle. Can't wait to customize the banner and online general avatar. And like I said the unit model is pretty impressive when zoomed in close and personal. The fighting animations are great too. Battle AI seems to be improved too even on normal.

[kiwi_2005]

Co-op campaign would be cool!

ive watched a few youtube vids of Shogun 2 and it looks impressive. Will admit last total war game I played was Rome TW so am looking forward to Shogun 2. Will DL the demo this weekend and give it a try.

[the_tyrant]

Yep will be getting Shogun 2 looking forward to it.

Haven't finish DAO only had the new PC since christmas Im trying to get through
DAO,
Get rank up in BF Bad Company
Aion
Get rank up in Americas Army 3
Crysis & expansions.
Silent Hunter 5
and Mass Effect 2 - this game Ive nearly finished brilliant game imo excellent story that grabbed me from the start, looking forward to ME 3 in Nov 2011

don't forget Crysis 2!
I hear the graphics are so good that I can pass them off as pictures I took on vacation

[Castout]

Co-op campaign would be cool!




Indeed and they've improved upon it from Napoleon Total War so I read!

[kiwi_2005]

don't forget Crysis 2!
I hear the graphics are so good that I can pass them off as pictures I took on vacation
oh yea, just googled - March the 22nd due out hopefully

[Castout]

Anyone got this game yet how's the gameplay compared with the first?

I have a rather ill feeling seeing the click fest action. I guess that comes with age. I don;t mind that in Diablo 2 but in Dragon Age? It just seems a bit clumsy with the hyper fast movement and strikes. Makes it all too unreal and reduces the overall immersion. More typical of Chinese RPG.

Can get it rather cheap though and Bioware usually makes great RPG so I'm wondering your take after trying the game yourself.

[Ducimus]

You know, bioware games are GREAT interactive movies. But the replay value tends to be a bit on the lowside, and certainly not worth the 60 dollar price of admission. Seems like all new releases have increased price by 10 dollars.

Id wait for a GOTY edition.

[Castout]

You know, bioware games are GREAT interactive movies. But the replay value tends to be a bit on the lowside, and certainly not worth the 60 dollar price of admission. Seems like all new releases have increased price by 10 dollars.

Id wait for a GOTY edition.

it's about 40 here :DL but the sequel gained lower marks. Some players are angered even by the fact that it now more like an action adventure game than a full fledged PC RPG. A lot has been simplified to cater to console.

[Ducimus]

In other words, its mass effect 2 with swords?

[Castout]

In other words, its mass effect 2 with swords?

At least Mass effects gives you realistic animation. Dragon Age 2 fighting movements are so ridiculously fast.

It's now more like a typical Chinese or typical Japanese online RPG

[Ducimus]

Dragon Age 2 fighting movements are so ridiculously fast.

It's now more like a typical Chinese or typical Japanese online RPG

EWWWWWWWWWW.

Ok.. I'll never buy it now.

edit: Infact, i half expect to see school girl outfits in that game now.

[Dowly]

I'm liking it so far. :up:

edit: Infact, i half expect to see school girl outfits in that game now.

Well, there's quite a bit of cleavage. :haha:

[Arclight]

Installed the high-res textures? Action controls or normal? :06:

[Ducimus]

Well, there's quite a bit of cleavage. :haha:

Cleavage is good. I can live with cleavage.

Schoolgirl , sailor scouts, and anime outfits bad. Very bad. I cringe whenever i see them. Japan needs to come up with their next abomination and move on to something new already.

[Ducimus]

I see what you mean by animations.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84qMYQ50NhY

I'll defiantly wait the 2 or 3 years for the GOTY edition.

[Castout]

I'm liking it so far. :up:



Well, there's quite a bit of cleavage. :haha:

Oh please fill us in the details.

Or we will be force to do what you wouldn't want us to do to you!. We do want to remind you that we have a flag pole and a toothpick. I'd like to point out that the flag pole is very very blunt on its end.

Start talking!:nope:

http://www.liquidmatrix.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/interrogation.jpg



Btw I mean by typical Chinese and Japanese action RPG is by its fast fighting animations i.e fighting moves and nothing else.:DL

[TteFAboB]

Wow. I hadn't noticed the Japanese-style moves/animations in the demo.

It's an immersion breaker indeed; we give up all hope of having a half-decent fantasy to dive straight into nutty-land; or 5 YEAR OLD OMG AWLSUM!!!!!!!!!!-land. The game is already pushing it with all the impossible magic spells (i.e. rain of arrows), and now the party characters are also super-human. Great. What's next? Dragon Age 3: The Justice League v. Ferelden.

It'll be really odd to have these characters talking so serious, and a minute later go VROOOM, SWOOOSH, dashing and jumping all over the place, swinging their huge plastic swords at the speed of light. Insert Coin. Insert plausibility. Insert harmony between oh-so-serious storyline and ridiculously childish combat.

What an interesting turn of events. A short while ago I didn't put much faith in Shogun 2 and hoped for DA2; now I'm placing my bets on Shogun 2 and being disappointed by DA2.

This better be better than all of this. Steam doesn't serve refunds.

[CCIP]

It is indeed a sad day when Bioware, about the last of the old Western RPG developers, starts emulating Final Fantasy :down:

[Castout]

It's an immersion breaker indeed; we give up all hope of having a half-decent fantasy to dive straight into nutty-land; or 5 YEAR OLD OMG AWLSUM!!!!!!!!!!-land. The game is already pushing it with all the impossible magic spells (i.e. rain of arrows), and now the party characters are also super-human. Great. What's next? Dragon Age 3: The Justice League v. Ferelden.

It'll be really odd to have these characters talking so serious, and a minute later go VROOOM, SWOOOSH, dashing and jumping all over the place, swinging their huge plastic swords at the speed of light. Insert Coin. Insert plausibility. Insert harmony between oh-so-serious storyline and ridiculously childish combat.

What an interesting turn of events. A short while ago I didn't put much faith in Shogun 2 and hoped for DA2; now I'm placing my bets on Shogun 2 and being disappointed by DA2.

This better be better than all of this. Steam doesn't serve refunds.


Wow. I hadn't noticed the Japanese-style moves/animations in the demo.


You just described it above :O:. Quite descriptive especially the jumping all around swinging their blades at lightning speed SWOOSH, VROOM. They do move like at least 5 times faster than the fastest man. It's a plane, it's a bird. No it's HAWKE! It's even worse than that . . .it's Dragon Age 2. [sorry for the negative vibes, if you don't like it just consider I envy you]

Yay I'm happy I decided not to preorder Dragon Age 2. Well I thought I could get it cheaper and way faster than having to preorder but it looks like I'm not going to buy it for now.

[Dowly]

Oh please fill us in the details.

Ask. :DL

[seaniam81]

Ask. :DL
Is the game still fun to play?
And did you enjoy the story?

[Dowly]

Is the game still fun to play?

To me, yes. There's changes, but in the end it's very much like DAO gameplay
wise. I've heard the combat is different depending wether you have it on PC
or console. I have it on PC, combat, althought sped-up, is almost identical to
DAO. Also, companions are much better in DA2 IMHO, from the naive young
Dalish Elf, Merrill to the former pirate captain and rather straight talker, Isabel,
I like them a lot.

And did you enjoy the story?Haven't finished it yet, so can't say. Almost all of the game is played in the city
of Kirkwall, can't really say if that's a bad thing or a good thing yet. Lots of
choices to be made in both main quests and in side quests.

[mookiemookie]

It'll be really odd to have these characters talking so serious, and a minute later go VROOOM, SWOOOSH, dashing and jumping all over the place, swinging their huge plastic swords at the speed of light. Insert Coin. Insert plausibility. Insert harmony between oh-so-serious storyline and ridiculously childish combat.

THAT'S what it is. I played around with it for about an hour or so last night. Something irked me and didn't seem quite right, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Now that I think about it, you're right - it's the over exaggerated, swishswishswish kind of movement in combat. I guess they were going for a comic book feel, but it's kind of corny. I thought the combat animations in DA:O were just fine. Not sure why they felt like they had to monkey about with it.

The voice acting seems done well enough from what I've heard. Kind of meh on there only being 3 dialogue choices for each interaction you have. Each option is plainly marked as goody, neutral or bad guy. I prefer a little more ambiguity and less clear cut, black and white choices.

My first impressions...

[Dowly]

Kind of meh on there only being 3 dialogue choices for each interaction you have. Each option is plainly marked as goody, neutral or bad guy. I prefer a little more ambiguity and less clear cut, black and white choices.

Actually, there's 17 different dialogue options and depending who you talk to, even aggressive choice can be more help than a diplomatic approach. :03:

EDIT: Of course not 17 when talking to one person, tho. :O:

From the wiki:

Though it may not be apparent at first, Hawke (http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Hawke) can exhibit one of three personalities based on the dialogue choices that you favor.


Diplomatic/Helpful: Light blue or green highlight
Humorous/Charming: Purple highlight
Aggressive/Direct: Red highlight

The first dialogue choice you make sets Hawke's personality. If your first pick is a Diplomatic option, for example, Hawke's voice will adopt the Diplomatic tone in the next dialogue line that follows. As you keep choosing similar options at the dialogue wheel, they "stack". If you were to decide to change your personality later on, it would take more than twice the amount of (either Humorous or Aggressive) dialogue lines to active that version of Hawke's voice. The idea behind this system is to ensure a consistency in Hawke's delivery throughout each Act. After a certain number of specific dialogue choices, Hawke's personality is effectively crystallized.


At the start of each Act, Hawke retains his or her established personality, but the "stack" of the previous personality choices is reduced. This gives you a window of opportunity to change your dominant tone.

[Castout]

Ask. :DL


Fill us in on the cleavage....:O:




I mean only your general impression the positive and the bad and your judgment on the game whether the game is worth the money and time.

[Dowly]

Mkay, so far (not finished it yet):

Likes:


Combat (More or less the same as DAO's. Target nearest key is awesome for a rogue)
Companions (DA2 companions are really their own characters with own stories and lives in the city)
Story (So far, I like it. But I see this is going to split the players. The story is about you, your companions and the politics of Kirkwall. Lots of choices to be made. Also, tons of companion quests.)
Qunari visual upgrade (Thank god! Now they look like the bad arses they claim to be!)


Dislikes:


Quickbar (Only 1-0 keys can be assigned, could use a second quickbar. Points for having a quick health/stamina/mana potion key, tho)
Lack of Darkspawn (There are some, but it's rare that you have to fight them. Also, they have been visually "upgraded", the grunts look like the androids from AvP2010)
Location (While I like the story, I'm not too amused of Kirkwall. Well, the city looks nice and interesting the way you see it in the beginning of the game, but I feel they could've done more with it visually.)


That's all I can think of now (just woke up and need coffee :O:).

EDIT: Oh, can't say anything about the character import from DAO and how the decisions made in it affects DA2 as I didn't have my old save games from
DAO. (Would be nice to have somekind of import feature straight from Bioware, all the story decisions are after all saved there...)

EDIT2: Uh.. the ending kinda sucked.. :doh: I know it's supposed to be an cliffhanger, but damn, somekind of closure would be nice.

[mookiemookie]

So apparently EA is quashing any type of criticism of the game on their forums. What's worse is that they're banning users for making critical posts, and this has the effect of locking them out of a game they've paid for. That post is here: http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/141/index/6459941/

That has got to be illegal somehow.

http://i.imgur.com/xkhUI.png

[Arclight]

... and this has the effect of temporarily locking them out of a game they've paid for.
Fixed that for you.

But yeah, it's rather outrageous that a forum ban results in locking you out of a game.

Aparently EA said a while ago that forum and game accounts would be separate. Guess that has changed. :hmmm:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/03/11/ea-forum-bans-can-lock-you-out-of-games/

[Dowly]

Jeez, what's with devs/publishers buttraping their customers recently. :doh:


Aparently EA said a while ago that forum and game accounts would be separate. Guess that has changed. :hmmm:

DLCs are tied to the bioware account AFAIK.

[mookiemookie]

This is why official forums are crap. And another reason I'm thankful to have a place like Subsim.

[kiwi_2005]

I finished Dragon Age Origins last night just so I can move on to DAII but after reading a few reviews with BS scores of 90+ and whats really got up my nose is no armor sets?!? DAO I spent hours getting the Dragonbone plate set best part of the game for me. DAII left out armor sets? Did I read it right surely not. I wouldn't touch DA2 with a 30foot pole if so.

One review said DAII is the best RPG ever to come out by Bioware :har:.
Dummed down for console players, game revolves around one city, no armor sets. Story must be out of this world huh, fighting style is faster, Strat camera gone and characters are more easy to get laid now - maybe the reviewer gave it a score of 93 cause of that:haha:

Did Bioware fail on this one?

BTW, In DAO near the end you find out what happens to the Grey Warden when killing the Archdemon I chose to give Morrigan a child so I will live but I will never see the child. :wah: I was wondering if the expansion carries on with the story of I and Morrigan as at the final end after I defeated the archdemon (crazy fight) one of the chat options was 'I will search for morrigan'.

[Dowly]

DA2 differs from DAO, yes. Is it a bad game? I would say no, it just tells the story differently.

In DAO, you are pretty much saving the whole world, DA2 tells the story of an refugee and his/her way up in life. It's different, but I liked the story portion more in DA2 than in DAO. Mostly because of the companions, they feel very close to you, like friends and not just to you but to each other. As the story progresses you'll find that companions who didn't like each other have started to tolerate or even like each other, it's really a nice to see them evolve not only towards you but towards other companions.

Combat is faster, but it's also less prone to path finding issue that DAO has, some won't like it, I do, it works. In adventure games, combat has never been the highlight to me, but the story.

As for "dumbed down for consoles", well, you'll be the judge of that. I say it's streamlined and again, it works. Mind you, the combat in console versions and PC version differs, so be sure to read an PC review.

All in all, I enjoyed it, a lot, more than DAO. But that doesn't mean I am right to say it's a "Best RPG EVAH!!", just means that I liked it. DAO, for me, was too long, not the story, but how it all was done. The main quests were too long given the task you were set to do, there was also somekind of catch that made it longer, ALWAYS.

Oh and I'm also not saying DAO was a bad game. :O:

[mookiemookie]

BTW, In DAO near the end you find out what happens to the Grey Warden when killing the Archdemon I chose to give Morrigan a child so I will live but I will never see the child. :wah: I was wondering if the expansion carries on with the story of I and Morrigan as at the final end after I defeated the archdemon (crazy fight) one of the chat options was 'I will search for morrigan'.

The "Witch Hunt" DLC continues the story of Morrigan.

[kiwi_2005]

The "Witch Hunt" DLC continues the story of Morrigan.

:up: ah the witch hunt thought it might be that. DLC though is this just another name for expansion as whats the point in paying for dlc unless its an expansion. If not then DLC should be free.


I wish Diablo 3 would hurry up.:nope:

Oh on another note if not already said here I read last night that there is an high resolution pack for PC players of DAO II. Ups the graphics download is 1gig. Still deciding whether to get DAO2.

[Weiss Pinguin]

Well my brother got it today, guess we'll see how it goes. And I was just getting into the Half Life series...

[Dowly]

DA2 Lead dev Mike Laidlaw answers to the reception of DA2:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-03-10-biowares-mike-laidlaw-a-defence-of-dragon-age-ii-interview

[Arclight]

So apparently EA is quashing any type of criticism of the game on their forums. What's worse is that they're banning users for making critical posts, and this has the effect of locking them out of a game they've paid for. That post is here: http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/141/index/6459941/

That has got to be illegal somehow.

Follow-up to that:
“Unfortunately, there was an error in the system that accidentally suspended your entire EA account. Immediately upon learning of the glitch, we have restored the entire account and apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused while accessing other areas of the EA service.”
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/03/11/ea-retracts-game-ban-for-forum-violation/

[Feuer Frei!]

Hmm, after much deliberation i'm giving this game a go.

Also, if anyone is interested, i'm linking to a GFF 4.0 editor and a simple DA:O savegame editor, along with the source code. Requires no additional files. It's similar to a toolset editor, to manipulate .gff files.
You can tinker with a lot of things here, incl. savegame files.

http://www.mediafire.com/?ahe86ghgd5ah3c6

[Castout]

I wish Diablo 3 would hurry up.:nope:


Agree but still no paladin :shifty: :O:

[Feuer Frei!]

Agree but still no paladin :shifty: :O:

And there won't be. Conf'd by blue already.

[Castout]

And there won't be. Conf'd by blue already.


I know :damn:. Tupid Blizzard

[Dowly]

Woot! The Yogscast's Let's Play DA2 Part 1 :rock::rock:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g59DShNtkqI

[Feuer Frei!]

Simon and Lewis FTW! I watched their WOW vids, most enjoyable.
BTW, there's already a lot of modding going on with character models.
Hopefully mods will start being released shortly to change the character models.

[mookiemookie]

Ok, a bit of nerd rage griping here.

Last night I had an irksome moment. (Trying to remain spoiler free as possible here) During a high tension moment, a "will they or won't they?" moment, one of your companions actually utters the line: "I like big boats and I cannot lie."

So a game that's ostensibly this dark fantasy epic, a game that goes to great lengths to bring the player into a world with its own geography, culture, religion, politics, factions, etc....breaks all of that "immersion" for the sake of a cheap joke.

Little hidden or subtle pop culture references are fine. They're like a wink and a smile. This stupid line was like a bash over the head with a frying pan.
:nope:

[Dowly]

Uh... what? :doh: Don't think it was mean't to be a reference to anything. :hmmm:

[mookiemookie]

Uh... what? :doh: Don't think it was mean't to be a reference to anything. :hmmm:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ImZTwYwCug

[Dowly]

This video contains content from Sony Music Entertainment, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds :-?

EDIT: Nvm, got it.

[kiwi_2005]

Hey are there Armor sets you can grind, the review I read states there isn't the only armor is the one your character starts with. But reading on another forum they say that's wrong their is armor sets just not like DAO but they are there. If there is armor sets to grind I will get this game.

[mookiemookie]

Hey are there Armor sets you can grind, the review I read states there isn't the only armor is the one your character starts with. But reading on another forum they say that's wrong their is armor sets just not like DAO but they are there. If there is armor sets to grind I will get this game.

Yes, there are armors and armor sets for Hawke. He's the only one you can outfit though. Your companions have set pieces of armor that you can find upgrades for.

[Feuer Frei!]

Last night I had an irksome moment. (Trying to remain spoiler free as possible here) During a high tension moment, a "will they or won't they?" moment, one of your companions actually utters the line: "I like big boats and I cannot lie."

Great! I'm about ten or so minutes into this game.
Looking forward to this great immersion-killer! Not.
They certainly didn't lie about the combat system being quick. Too quick for my liking, and then the slo-mo on occasions when you kill something, zooming in on that.
Can't help but think of Batman AA when that happens.

[Ducimus]

Can't help but think of Batman AA when that happens.

http://playstationlifestyle.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/batman-pow.jpg

[Feuer Frei!]

Ok this is frustrating,
anyone else have a problem with enabling cutscene after killing Ogre on the way to Kirkwall?
I can't progress, dam it.
I killed the Ogre and the Dark Spawn, and the 2-handed swordsman got killed, which was a cut scene.
But that's where it stops.
Looks like others are having a similar problem:
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/300/index/6442642/3

http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/300/index/6408439/8

:damn::damn:


Edit: Ok now i've progressed, i'm in Kirkwall.
Re-loaded game.
Cool cutscene before, with Flemeth, who is by far my favourite character!!! She rocks!

[Arclight]

Little bit too negative perhaps, but there you go: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/03/14/wit-the-opening-hours-of-dragon-age-ii/

Hopefully there'll be some more complete reviews soon.
* which Kotaku aparently offers. Seems balanced enough, and seems to touch on all the issues and strong points people who actually played it are going on about: http://kotaku.com/#!5781447/dragon-age-ii-trades-epic-adventure-for-gritty-action

[Feuer Frei!]

Anyone started modding files in DA 2 yet here?
I'm currently modding weapon stats, adding enchantments, removing class restrictions and soforth.
Having a bit of fun, seeing what i can do.

[Weiss Pinguin]

Well I've played some so far, made it to Kirkwall and to [/SPOILER]the Black Emporium[/SPOILER], been okay so far but I haven't really tried to get into I guess, at least for now. What exactly did they change in the combat system from DAO? :hmmm:

My only gripe so far is that (at least on the Xbox) the text is so freaking small :damn: I thought it was just the projector (kinda old, lower resolution), but even on a regular TV I can barely read any text on screen. I almost got a migraine trying to keep up with the dialogue last night. That alone is almost a game killer for me :nope:

[mookiemookie]

So much is so unclear this time out. The tutorial as part of the codex seems completely abandoned, instead loading up tips that disappear of their own accord before you’re finished reading them, normally on the third or fourth time whatever it’s relating to has happened. So at no point has the game told me about the day/night options for the maps. I can choose to visit areas of the game in either timezone, with some quests only available in one or the other. But the game didn’t feel the need to tell me that.

IN-deed! So much is left to the player to figure out on their own with no explanation. If anyone can point me to an explanation of all the little icons next to the enemies names and what they mean, let me know. I have determined that a crossed swords icon means that they're my character's current target, but I have no idea what any of the other ones mean, or why theres a little circular dotted line around it sometimes.

BLECH! Crap interface.

More weird are the objects you discover in various areas that trigger a side quest. Sort of. You find a book, or a bit of cloth, and the game maybe tells you it belongs to someone. Somewhere else you see someone with a quest marker over their head, click on them, and it tells you you’ve completed a quest. Maybe I’m some sort of psychic who can discern the owner of any object. This bugs the ever loving sheet out of me, too. It's stupid and pointless.

This game isn't horrible, but it's a huge step back from DA:O.

[TteFAboB]

PC Gamer said this was the best RPG of the decade! LOL! :rotfl2:

What trolls!

I'd be selling this for $20 right now if it weren't for the tied-to-Bioware/EA account bull****...

TL;DR at the bottom.

It's an OK game in its own right for the first 8 hours you put into it, because you still believe the show is about to start at any moment, expecting the many things that will happen in this bustling and conflicted huge city. From then on, you realize there's no show, there's nothing else to see and it's just about recycling the same map 30 times over.

DA2 is an educational game about saving the environment: why waste resources creating when you can recycle? Spare mother nature by working less - as the builders of this game sure did!

Importing a DA:O save is pointless and irrelevant, aside for a few lines of text (text, not even dialogue) and one or two unimportant flash cameos.

Kirkwall is empty, hollow, there's nothing to do and nothing going on. Amazing. It's a complete ghost city. Nobility? Gangs? Merchant's Guild? All illusions. You don't deal with any of them. A long time will pass, but not a single speck of dust will change its place in Kirkwall: the immovable city. By the end game the city will be in the exact same state that it was in the beginning, no matter what goes through. An NPC that was in one place in day one will be in that same place forever, as will every rock, pole and barrel!

I was wondering when my character would wake up to discover all along he was just dreaming in the Fade of this impossibly fake ghost city. Never has a rise-to-the-top story been so boring and uneventful.

The daily routine of any country mail man is far more interesting and eventful than the story of Hawke in Kirk-boring-wall. When grass grows it has to strive through more quests, dilemmas and dealings with its grass society than Hawke will ever do in this game, that is, watching grass grow is more exciting.

The problem isn't that this isn't about saving the world, but that there's nothing to do, nothing happens, Kirkwall is a lie, the city of missed opportunity. If Hawke was charged with delivering pizzas that would be more fun than nothing or going through the same dungeon for the 50th time, even though delivering pizzas has nothing to do with saving the world either. This is about resolving a drawn-out conflict you learn about in day one, after being distracted by 500 boring, repetitive and irrelevant side-quests and doing nothing else.

The game fooled quite a few times. When you first arrive, it tricks you into an alternative, making you believe the rest of the game will go that way, splitting roads all the way up. Nope. Then it offered me a business opportunity. Wow! That'll be fun! A business in Kirkwall! But... nothing happens! The business is a lie! Then you may be able to ascend in your social status. Wow, that'll open up a bunch of doors, close others, change how I'm viewed and such, but nope. All is just the same. All is always the same. Nothing ever changes. Welcome to Kirkwall, the city where all is stone, ever immovable, ever standing, ever dull, ever boring.

TL;DR: 3/10 is my review. Should've been no more than an Origins DLC.

/rant over.

[Dowly]

Yogscast part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7E4wW-7G7U

[kiwi_2005]

PC Gamer said this was the best RPG of the decade! LOL! :rotfl2:

What trolls!

I'd be selling this for $20 right now if it weren't for the tied-to-Bioware/EA account bull****...

TL;DR at the bottom.

It's an OK game in its own right for the first 8 hours you put into it, because you still believe the show is about to start at any moment, expecting the many things that will happen in this bustling and conflicted huge city. From then on, you realize there's no show, there's nothing else to see and it's just about recycling the same map 30 times over.

DA2 is an educational game about saving the environment: why waste resources creating when you can recycle? Spare mother nature by working less - as the builders of this game sure did!

Importing a DA:O save is pointless and irrelevant, aside for a few lines of text (text, not even dialogue) and one or two unimportant flash cameos.

Kirkwall is empty, hollow, there's nothing to do and nothing going on. Amazing. It's a complete ghost city. Nobility? Gangs? Merchant's Guild? All illusions. You don't deal with any of them. A long time will pass, but not a single speck of dust will change its place in Kirkwall: the immovable city. By the end game the city will be in the exact same state that it was in the beginning, no matter what goes through. An NPC that was in one place in day one will be in that same place forever, as will every rock, pole and barrel!

I was wondering when my character would wake up to discover all along he was just dreaming in the Fade of this impossibly fake ghost city. Never has a rise-to-the-top story been so boring and uneventful.

The daily routine of any country mail man is far more interesting and eventful than the story of Hawke in Kirk-boring-wall. When grass grows it has to strive through more quests, dilemmas and dealings with its grass society than Hawke will ever do in this game, that is, watching grass grow is more exciting.

The problem isn't that this isn't about saving the world, but that there's nothing to do, nothing happens, Kirkwall is a lie, the city of missed opportunity. If Hawke was charged with delivering pizzas that would be more fun than nothing or going through the same dungeon for the 50th time, even though delivering pizzas has nothing to do with saving the world either. This is about resolving a drawn-out conflict you learn about in day one, after being distracted by 500 boring, repetitive and irrelevant side-quests and doing nothing else.

The game fooled quite a few times. When you first arrive, it tricks you into an alternative, making you believe the rest of the game will go that way, splitting roads all the way up. Nope. Then it offered me a business opportunity. Wow! That'll be fun! A business in Kirkwall! But... nothing happens! The business is a lie! Then you may be able to ascend in your social status. Wow, that'll open up a bunch of doors, close others, change how I'm viewed and such, but nope. All is just the same. All is always the same. Nothing ever changes. Welcome to Kirkwall, the city where all is stone, ever immovable, ever standing, ever dull, ever boring.

TL;DR: 3/10 is my review. Should've been no more than an Origins DLC.

/rant over.

You should write reviews for some gaming mag or site :DL Good review sealed it for me man, I'll wait for the bargain bin.

[mookiemookie]

PC Gamer said this was the best RPG of the decade! LOL! :rotfl2:

What trolls!

I'd be selling this for $20 right now if it weren't for the tied-to-Bioware/EA account bull****...

TL;DR at the bottom.

It's an OK game in its own right for the first 8 hours you put into it, because you still believe the show is about to start at any moment, expecting the many things that will happen in this bustling and conflicted huge city. From then on, you realize there's no show, there's nothing else to see and it's just about recycling the same map 30 times over.

DA2 is an educational game about saving the environment: why waste resources creating when you can recycle? Spare mother nature by working less - as the builders of this game sure did!

Importing a DA:O save is pointless and irrelevant, aside for a few lines of text (text, not even dialogue) and one or two unimportant flash cameos.

Kirkwall is empty, hollow, there's nothing to do and nothing going on. Amazing. It's a complete ghost city. Nobility? Gangs? Merchant's Guild? All illusions. You don't deal with any of them. A long time will pass, but not a single speck of dust will change its place in Kirkwall: the immovable city. By the end game the city will be in the exact same state that it was in the beginning, no matter what goes through. An NPC that was in one place in day one will be in that same place forever, as will every rock, pole and barrel!

I was wondering when my character would wake up to discover all along he was just dreaming in the Fade of this impossibly fake ghost city. Never has a rise-to-the-top story been so boring and uneventful.

The daily routine of any country mail man is far more interesting and eventful than the story of Hawke in Kirk-boring-wall. When grass grows it has to strive through more quests, dilemmas and dealings with its grass society than Hawke will ever do in this game, that is, watching grass grow is more exciting.

The problem isn't that this isn't about saving the world, but that there's nothing to do, nothing happens, Kirkwall is a lie, the city of missed opportunity. If Hawke was charged with delivering pizzas that would be more fun than nothing or going through the same dungeon for the 50th time, even though delivering pizzas has nothing to do with saving the world either. This is about resolving a drawn-out conflict you learn about in day one, after being distracted by 500 boring, repetitive and irrelevant side-quests and doing nothing else.

The game fooled quite a few times. When you first arrive, it tricks you into an alternative, making you believe the rest of the game will go that way, splitting roads all the way up. Nope. Then it offered me a business opportunity. Wow! That'll be fun! A business in Kirkwall! But... nothing happens! The business is a lie! Then you may be able to ascend in your social status. Wow, that'll open up a bunch of doors, close others, change how I'm viewed and such, but nope. All is just the same. All is always the same. Nothing ever changes. Welcome to Kirkwall, the city where all is stone, ever immovable, ever standing, ever dull, ever boring.

TL;DR: 3/10 is my review. Should've been no more than an Origins DLC.

/rant over.

Unfortunately, you've hit the nail on the head. The flashy new graphics are only window dressing on a shoddy quest line that's like a linear roller coaster ride - plenty of ups and down, but the scripted track will never change, no matter what illusion of "choice" they throw in your face. They've really screwed the pooch on this one.

[CaptainHaplo]

DA2 is a good game for what it is supposed to be - a story.

If you were expecting a branching campaign or a freeform world, I'd have to ask why? DA was not an open world. Sure there was freedom of movements (and there is in DA2) - but the story itself was linear. The gripe about the world seeming "smaller" is fair - but that is because the story your being told is smaller in scale as well. The strength of this game is the interaction, the story and the character relationships maturing. If you want to judge the game on its weaknesses, you can, but your doing yourself (and anyone who reads your views) a disservice - because this game is not supposed to be a sandbox, opened ended campaign.

Its good for what it is - bad for what it is not. Still, if you expected it to be what it is not, then I don't know what to say, because few who know Bioware would expect them to change the game drastically from its successful formula - why move from strength when you can produce a quality product. And DA2 is quality - if you go into it with the thought of what it is.

As for the "I like big boats" line - the situation was entirely appropriate for the statement. Context is everything. Its not like a person was yelling this in combat - it was specific to a circumstance. In no way was the line an immersion killer for most..... To leave out the context is trying to get others to fault something without sufficent knowledge.

[Dowly]

Or as one finnish review started: DA2's gotten a lot of bashing. Am I surpised? No, this is the internet, where every sequel which isn't exactly the same as it's predecessor is automatically labeled as sh*t.

:O:

[mookiemookie]

DA2 is a good game for what it is supposed to be - a story.

If you were expecting a branching campaign or a freeform world, I'd have to ask why? DA was not an open world. Sure there was freedom of movements (and there is in DA2) - but the story itself was linear. The gripe about the world seeming "smaller" is fair - but that is because the story your being told is smaller in scale as well. The strength of this game is the interaction, the story and the character relationships maturing. If you want to judge the game on its weaknesses, you can, but your doing yourself (and anyone who reads your views) a disservice - because this game is not supposed to be a sandbox, opened ended campaign.

Its good for what it is - bad for what it is not. Still, if you expected it to be what it is not, then I don't know what to say, because few who know Bioware would expect them to change the game drastically from its successful formula - why move from strength when you can produce a quality product. And DA2 is quality - if you go into it with the thought of what it is.

As for the "I like big boats" line - the situation was entirely appropriate for the statement. Context is everything. Its not like a person was yelling this in combat - it was specific to a circumstance. In no way was the line an immersion killer for most..... To leave out the context is trying to get others to fault something without sufficent knowledge.

RPG's are based around choice - you choose the storyline. You choose what happens to your character. You choose what happens to the world around you.

Let's compare Bioware RPG's - Mass Effect vs DA2 - (spoiler alert) Mass Effect - you can kill Wrex. You can kill the Council. Both of these actions have a pretty good effect on the story's outcome. Not the overall direction, but enough to make you feel like you took a divergent path. In DA2, the only influence you have is the dialogue someone reacts to you with. You still get the same quests, the same storyline, regardless of your choices. That's the illusion of choice. It stinks.

Context is everything. Its not like a person was yelling this in combat - it was specific to a circumstance. In no way was the line an immersion killer for most..... To leave out the context is trying to get others to fault something without sufficent knowledge.

Explain what context that Sir Mix A Lot is relevant to Thedas in. Was he a member of the Circle? The Chantry? Was he a Grey Warden? The Tevinter Imperium? Was an early 90's rap novelty song the basis of an Orleasian bard tune?

[Ducimus]

PC Gamer said this was the best RPG of the decade! LOL!

It's been my hunch that many big name review sites are somehow strong armed into giving positive reviews. If you want a good review on a big ticket game, you don't go to sites like PC gamer or Gamespot. Maybe back in the day, but in modern times, perhaps not so much.


RPG's are based around choice - you choose the storyline. You choose what happens to your character. You choose what happens to the world around you.

Let's compare Bioware RPG's - Mass Effect vs DA2 - (spoiler alert) Mass Effect - you can kill Wrex. You can kill the Council. Both of these actions have a pretty good effect on the story's outcome. Not the overall direction, but enough to make you feel like you took a divergent path. In DA2, the only influence you have is the dialogue someone reacts to you with. You still get the same quests, the same storyline, regardless of your choices. That's the illusion of choice. It stinks.

That is so rotten, as to be unbelievable. If Bioware decided to go the Mass effect route, i would at least expect to see mass effect styled alternate outcomes based on your decisions in key areas of the game. Alternate text doesn't cut. This bit makes that 60 dollar ticket price for this interactive movie, an object of glaring contempt.

[mookiemookie]

It's been my hunch that many big name review sites are somehow strong armed into giving positive reviews. If you want a good review on a big ticket game, you don't go to sites like PC gamer or Gamespot. Maybe back in the day, but in modern times, perhaps not so much.



That is so rotten, as to be unbelievable. If Bioware decided to go the Mass effect route, i would at least expect to see mass effect styled alternate outcomes based on your decisions in key areas of the game. Alternate text doesn't cut. This bit makes that 60 dollar ticket price for this interactive movie, an object of glaring contempt.

I'm sorry, my friend. This game is the hated "RPG on rails." :nope: So much of this game is based around meaningless side quests that it doesn't matter. For instance, in one quest, I killed a Templar instead of letting him take an apostate mage prisoner. The only repercussion I've faced is that I had a random encounter pop up where a paltry amount of Templars tried to kill me. After dispatching them, I can still wander through the Chantry and Templar central without anyone saying s**to me. Any of the "real" choices that effect the "main" quest are pretty much made for you. Your only input is what kind of smartass remark you make when accepting them.

[Feuer Frei!]

So much of this game is based around meaningless side quests that it doesn't matter. Any of the "real" choices that effect the "main" quest are pretty much made for you. Your only input is what kind of smartass remark you make when accepting them.
So much so that i've uninstalled the game.
For now anyway.
Pretty disappointing really.

[Castout]

Get Shogun 2 Total War and join our clan then?! :D

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/kaminojishin

We're doing very well in the clan competition at least for now.

Recruitment page

http://forums.totalwar.com/showthread.php/10097-Kami-no-jishin-clan

[ReFaN]

So much so that i've uninstalled the game.
For now anyway.
Pretty disappointing really.

Amen to that!

Give us back *Real* RPGs!

[Weiss Pinguin]

Hopefully Bioware doesn't go the same route with ME3 :o

[Feuer Frei!]

Yea they butchered DA 2 imo, cross fingers.

[seaniam81]

It sounds more and more like EA has gotten their evil claws into Bioware. :wah:

[mookiemookie]

I remember this quest. This is pretty much exactly how it goes down and these are indeed almost verbatim quotes:

http://l3.cdn.cad-comic.com/comics/cad-20110316-3d66f.png

These are the kind of things that drag this game down.

[Arclight]

That last panel is hilarious. :har:

[Krauter]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7E4wW-7G7U&NR=1

Yogscast Part 2

[Dowly]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7E4wW-7G7U&NR=1

Yogscast Part 2

#86 (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=1620234&postcount=86) :03:

And it's part 3 now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQCtl9lRGTU

[Krauter]

:damn:

Beat me to it :stare:

[Weiss Pinguin]

I remember this quest. This is pretty much exactly how it goes down and these are indeed almost verbatim quotes:

http://l3.cdn.cad-comic.com/comics/cad-20110316-3d66f.png

These are the kind of things that drag this game down.
Yep. Hilarious, though :rotfl2:

ALSO, I found this comic on CAD:
http://mc.cdn.cad-comic.com/comics/cad-20110304-24ccc.png

[Weiss Pinguin]

Well, after playing through a lot more of the game I'm starting to get into it. I have to agree with RockPaperShotgun's review (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/03/14/wit-the-opening-hours-of-dragon-age-ii/) of the opening of the game, I felt really disconnected, and exactly like I was playing a Mumorporger: just going from A to B to get monies and xp's. I've warmed up to it though, the story is pretty good, just wish I could somehow turn down the resolution so I could actually read.

[mookiemookie]

I played through to the end and the story did pick up a bit. It took way too long to do so, and side quests still made up too high of a percentage of gameplay for my taste. The overarching storyline is intriguing - why didn't they flesh it out more? They could have done a lot more with the conflict between the two factions instead of chunking in a bunch of filler "go here and kill X and grab Y" type quests.

The game just felt very very rushed. Too many shortcuts - repeated caves/dungeons, music recycled from DA:O. I doubt this one is going to have the replay value that DA:O did.

[Dowly]

Interesting to see how Dragon Age 3 will play out. Mass Effect follows the same character with the 2 games, but in DA there's now 2 parties to mix in DA3. :hmmm:

[Gerald]

Interesting to see how Dragon Age 3 will play out. Mass Effect follows the same character with the 2 games, but in DA there's now 2 parties to mix in DA3. :hmmm: What do you think the differences will lie somewhere, better graphics?

[Weiss Pinguin]

I played through to the end and the story did pick up a bit. It took way too long to do so, and side quests still made up too high of a percentage of gameplay for my taste. The overarching storyline is intriguing - why didn't they flesh it out more? They could have done a lot more with the conflict between the two factions instead of chunking in a bunch of filler "go here and kill X and grab Y" type quests.

The game just felt very very rushed. Too many shortcuts - repeated caves/dungeons, music recycled from DA:O. I doubt this one is going to have the replay value that DA:O did.
This. Like I said, a lot of times I felt like I was playing an MMO; there's so many side quests it's easy to get overloaded and bogged down and feel disconnected from the main story. Same thing with the recycled environments, that's something I would expect when I played Star Wars Galaxies, not in a BioWare product, and especially not to this extent :nope:

[Arclight]

It would please you gentleman to know it is indeed rushed to market, to capitalize on the name. (is that how you say it? They wanted mo money while people still remembered it fondly).

If you didn't know that already that is: sure I posted something somewhere that said as much.

[Wolfehunter]

I'm sure glad I didn't waist my money on this crap.. hahaa.. man it look so bad... Too much on visual and sounds. Not enough on quality story and freeplay.

I saw my buddy playing it. I was disappointed with the game but I already prepared myself for they're fail. Its becoming to common these days, my expectation from the big names is well nothing... Its almost null feeling from them.. :hmmm:

I don't spend cash on crap and that's total crap. There going in the wrong direction.

But your right its for mo money... no joke on that logic. I wonder when the gamers will wake up?.. Or are they all zombies? :06:

[Weiss Pinguin]

I'm sure glad I didn't waist my money on this crap.. hahaa.. man it look so bad... Too much on visual and sounds. Not enough on quality story and freeplay.
IMO the story is actually pretty decent, just gets dragged down by so many other aspects of the game.

[Weiss Pinguin]

Well, I finally made it to the end. Actually, it seems quite a bit shorter than DAO... One week of playing and I'm already done, whereas I haven't even finished Origins after what I'm pretty sure is at least two weeks' worth of playing that. :hmmm: Don't think I'll be playing this one again for a long while, hopefully BioWare gets it back together for number 3.

[Wolfehunter]

IMO the story is actually pretty decent, just gets dragged down by so many other aspects of the game.I'm not looking for decent. I'm looking for great. For myself if something doesn't appeal to me I don't waist time on it nor money. If they want my money, they need to put something worthy of my attention. Most PC games suck today. I was able to have fun and enjoy DAO. DAO had valuable replay value. With the expansions was worth spending on because it added more value. I don't blame the DEVs on this. There trying to make magic happen. I blame who they're working for. All they care about is how much suckers are going to make there wallets fuller.

DA2 is a fail. They've made it cheap, quick and simple. They're going to charge you guys for the DLC's to complete they're unfinished game.

Don't get me wrong DAO isn't perfect. But its best out there for now. Including the mods. :yeah:

[Weiss Pinguin]

Okay, sorry, I use 'decent' a lot when referring to stuff that I think is actually pretty good :haha: IMO it's two or three steps above what a lot of other games out there have. Next to DAO or Mass Effect I'd say it stands up pretty well, maybe a couple spots where it trips up a little, but I think if you put that story in a game that was better machined it would be a winner. A little on the short side though. :hmmm: Also a lot of the side quests have interesting stories too, I just think the way some of them were handled and implemented let them down. The 'lost and found' item quests though are just goofy.

[mookiemookie]

http://i.imgur.com/aVAbe.jpg

Basics of Dragon Age 2 level design: ctrl+c ctrl+v ctrl+c ctrl+v ctrl+c ctrl+v ctrl+c ctrl+v ctrl+c ctrl+v ctrl+c ctrl+v ctrl+c ctrl+v ctrl+c ctrl+v ctrl+c ctrl+v ctrl+c ctrl+v ctrl+c ctrl+v ctrl+c ctrl+v ctrl+c ctrl+v ctrl+c ctrl+v ctrl+c ctrl+v

[Arclight]

Add some sex, et voila! One finished product.

[Weiss Pinguin]

Yahtzee chomps down on Dragon Age: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/2978-Dragon-Age-II

[mookiemookie]

Yahtzee chomps down on Dragon Age: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/2978-Dragon-Age-II

Yahtzee nailed it, too. Absolutely nailed it. :yep:

[Weiss Pinguin]

RockPaperShotgun on What Went Wrong in Dragon Age Kirkwall (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/03/31/analysis-dragon-age-ii/#more-55711)

Seems to sync up with Yahtzee's opinions, and I agree as well for the most part.

[onelifecrisis]

RockPaperShotgun on What Went Wrong in Dragon Age Kirkwall (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/03/31/analysis-dragon-age-ii/#more-55711)

Seems to sync up with Yahtzee's opinions, and I agree as well for the most part.

That's cemented my decision; I'm definitely not buying this game ever.

[Weiss Pinguin]

That's cemented my decision; I'm definitely not buying this game ever.
Having played it, I would only rent it for a week, and for not more than $10 :yep: maybe a little more if it came with some really good DLCs

[mookiemookie]

That's cemented my decision; I'm definitely not buying this game ever.

I think that's a bit harsh. The game isn't BAD per se. It's just not up to the standards one would expect from the DA series and Bioware.

Wait for a Steam sale around Christmas or something, and you'll pick it up for a song. It'll probably be worth it then.

[onelifecrisis]

Well I did play the demo on my home PC, and I really didn't much care for the controls. The game seemed torn between being an action RPG and a tactical RPG, with a control scheme that somehow managed to get the worst of both worlds, at least on the PC. IMO the mouse should have controlled the camera, that would have been much more intuitive.

The demo lasted 10 minutes on my PC. That's how long it took for me to get bored with the samey combat and frustrated by the split-personality controls. If the game had a great story then I might have suffered those two problems, but it sounds like the story is dreadful and doesn't have an ending. Oh well, there are plenty more good-looking RPGs in 2011 to look forward to (ME3, Skyrim, Deus Ex... and maybe Diablo III).

[HunterICX]

Well I did play the demo on my home PC, and I really didn't much care for the controls. The game seemed torn between being an action RPG and a tactical RPG, with a control scheme that somehow managed to get the worst of both worlds, at least on the PC. IMO the mouse should have controlled the camera, that would have been much more intuitive

Console port at its worst.
hate when they don't adjust the controls for the PC.

HunterICX

[mookiemookie]

Free digital download copy of Mass Effect 2 for Dragon Age 2 owners:

http://dragonage.bioware.com/me2offer

[HunterICX]

must admit that's a nice gesture :yep:

HunterICX

[Arclight]

It is... but I kinda get the impression that therefore DA2 isn't doing too well. :hmmm:

[Weiss Pinguin]

It is... but I kinda get the impression that therefore DA2 isn't doing too well. :hmmm:
At first I was half-expecting to see something like 'Hey sorry about Dragon age 2, here's a free copy of Mass Effect to make up for it.' :lol:

[mookiemookie]

I think you all are right. It's probably meant to have people think "I know that a lot of people have trashed this game, but if I'm getting 2 for the price of 1, I'll roll the dice and buy it."

Pretty clever marketing.

[Castout]

At first I was half-expecting to see something like 'Hey sorry about Dragon age 2, here's a free copy of Mass Effect to make up for it.' :lol:

Hmm if only automobile industry would do that.

Sorry for the Toyota, here's a Lexus to make up for it :O:

[Weiss Pinguin]

I think you all are right. It's probably meant to have people think "I know that a lot of people have trashed this game, but if I'm getting 2 for the price of 1, I'll roll the dice and buy it."

Pretty clever marketing.
Yep. To be fair, DA2 isn't a terrible game, but compared to ME2 it's a step backwards :yep:

[Ducimus]

If I didn't already own ME2 i might have taken up that offer. No.... i think i'll wait for two things. A GOTY edition, and for it to go on sale for 50-75% off on steam.

[Arclight]

Aparently the whole point of the offer is to celebrate the fact they sold 1 million copies in 2 weeks. Not so bad. :hmmm:

[onelifecrisis]

Aparently the whole point of the offer is to celebrate the fact they sold 1 million copies in 2 weeks. Not so bad. :hmmm:

Well, the game was hyped and marketed a lot.

Also, when you hit things they go splat.

Also...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ego7M-Tr-dE/TZCe5eLkqQI/AAAAAAAAFPw/R5kK1_-_l7U/s1600/isabela%252B2.png

[HunterICX]

:o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkmVwW9gys0

HunterICX

[Arclight]

What a ripoff. :O:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzO-xdtHknc&feature=related
Well, the game was hyped and marketed a lot.

Also, when you hit things they go splat.
Kinda curious how the PC sales are compared to 360&PS3.

[onelifecrisis]

Kinda curious how the PC sales are compared to 360&PS3.

Well, I found these (from gamrreview.vgchartz.com):

XBOX 360

Week 1 - 392,508
Week 2 - 128,897
Week 3 - 61,735

PS3

Week 1 - 163,410
Week 2 - 61,210
Week 3 - 35,455

If they're accurate, and if the total sales for week 1 + week 2 was exactly 1 million, then the PC version sold 250,000 copies in the first 2 weeks.

[Arclight]

Yeah, that sounds about right. Figured the PC version would be doing worse than the console version... but then again that applies to any cross-platform release nowadays. :doh:

[Ducimus]

Well, the game was hyped and marketed a lot.

Also, when you hit things they go splat.

Also...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ego7M-Tr-dE/TZCe5eLkqQI/AAAAAAAAFPw/R5kK1_-_l7U/s1600/isabela%252B2.png


Sex sells. :haha:

[Dowly]

BTW, that's Isabela, the pirate captain you meet in Dragon Age Origins in The Pearl. ;)

[kiwi_2005]

I finally got round to finishing Dragon Age Origins! Well I restarted over and played it how it should be played not real time but tactical, issuing commands to my group, leveling them up not auto level, using that space bar after every command & repeat much more slower gameplay but more satisfying than just running in there with auto pilot. Playing this way I was able to up it from normal to Hard. Enjoyed the game immensely with this playstyle. Played as a Mage this time round with the Arcane warrior build. Yeah ok Mage is Overpowered. :)

Got the expansion to play and ended up getting the DLC - all of them!, played through Witchhunt so far. Though what a failed ending that was :x

Dragon Age Origins is one of the best rpgs Ive played in a long time will probably stay on my hdd for a few years. The replay value is there.

[Castout]

I'm replaying Origins as well while staying away from DA2. Thinking to get Awakening if it's still available from local retailer but I don't know . . . . that Hobby Master 1:72 T-55 looks tempting too.

[kiwi_2005]

I'm replaying Origins as well while staying away from DA2. Thinking to get Awakening if it's still available from local retailer but I don't know . . . . that Hobby Master 1:72 T-55 looks tempting too.

I picked up the expansion on an auction site here infact I get all my games from Trademe Auction site cause there are plenty of wholesale traders. When Shogun 2 came out here it costs $98.95 in stores the day it was out, on the same day on TradeMe I brought it brand new for $54. :) Pays to shop around.

I'm sure there still would be new copies of DA Awakenings in stores and at bargain prices.

[Castout]

I'm sure there still would be new copies of DA Awakenings in stores and at bargain prices.

:DL..Sure if I buy it online somewhere but there's no such thing as price discount for local retailer here though it's not that expensive only a little less than 30 bucks for Awakening.

But I'm saving up money so I don't think I want to spend anything not really important. Well maybe an item but not two :DL.

If Awakening is as good as Origins there's little doubt I'm going to get it but from what i read it's not, though still better than DA2. It's a matter of desirability. I'm a very hard man to be impressed but if some things get my interest I'd chase after them.

[kiwi_2005]

:DL..Sure if I buy it online somewhere but there's no such thing as price discount for local retailer here though it's not that expensive only a little less than 30 bucks for Awakening.

But I'm saving up money so I don't think I want to spend anything not really important. Well maybe an item but not two :DL.

If Awakening is as good as Origins there's little doubt I'm going to get it but from what i read it's not, though still better than DA2. It's a matter of desirability. I'm a very hard man to be impressed but if some things get my interest I'd chase after them.

Yeah DA Awakening had mix reviews it hasn't reinvent the game and probably wasn't worth the price when it first came out. Where it wins for me with dragon age is how bioware craft out the story - the writing, voice acting is a winner. Then we got the gameplay which is spot on imho. Am not that far into the Awakening at the moment but enjoying it.

Before I got Awakening I watched this review and still I brought it. :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZXLYra5_M

[Castout]

I don't think I will be buying any game soon.

Just found the biggest Su-27 diecast at what I think is a fair price for its size and relatively good quality.

I will be getting that instead. So much for saving money :damn:

I'm not going to buy it soon though who knows in couple days I'll lose interest though unlikely as the Flanker is my most favorite twin engine plane.

[mookiemookie]

We were clearly disappointed with some of the response from the fanbase, because we want them to be as excited about it as we are," EA Games Label boss Frank Gibeau told Eurogamer.

"We're very proud of the game. We tried to innovate and do some different things with the combat system and some of the way we told story. For some fans it worked well. In fact, we brought a lot of new fans into the Dragon Age franchise.

"But to be honest, we lost some fans as well. They were not pleased with some of the innovations and things we'd done. We understand that and we're listening."

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-06-14-ea-we-lost-some-fans-with-dragon-age-2

I'm willing to bet this lip service, but we'll see.

[Wolfehunter]

Why I'm worried about Mass Effect 3.. The way there always altering the game to claim some vast improvement is bogus for me. What they're really doing is finding ways to make games cheaper with all the bling bling. Some where something has to suffer in the game. :nope: