Dragon Age 3 - Take It and Leave It

Couchpotato

Part-Time News-bot
Joined
October 1, 2010
Messages
36,073
Location
Spudlandia
Video Game Writers has a new opinion piece on Dragon Age 3. The writer explains in his view what Bioware should keep, and take out of the next installment.
The Dragon Age series has had two wildly different entries to date. They both have their strengths and weaknesses (I’m looking at you, Dragon Age II), but they’re still both enjoyable RPGs. Whether or not you hate being Hawke or you’re still pining after Alistair, there’s something in these games for everyone. With the third entry, Dragon Age III: Inquisition, on the horizon, it’s time to take a take a look at some of the things that BioWare should carry over, as well as those that should probably be left in the past.
Dragon Age III hasn’t received a release date yet, but we’ll likely see it early into the lives of the new consoles coming out this holiday season. BioWare is the Pixar of RPGs, and they need to recover from their Cars 2. Fingers crossed that Dragon Age III delivers when it finally hits.
More information.
 
Joined
Oct 1, 2010
Messages
36,073
Location
Spudlandia
That dude want minor quests that are optional and just there to give content to those who want it gone? I don't think he likes playing RPGs.

I'm also surprised by all the attention Dragon Age Inquisition is getting, even before it get revealed.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Oct 13, 2007
Messages
7,313
The list goes on and on. The characters in both Dragon Age games are amazing, multi-layered, and meaningful. Listening to the members of your party banter with one another is not only humorous, but provides insight into how the characters think and act as clever, bite-sized, moments of character development. For the most part, players will genuinely care about the fates of the people who join them on their journey throughout the course of both titles.

Has he ever read something else? Save you think that sitcoms are the apex of character writings, quite hard to see Dragon Age characters as amazing, multi layered and meaningful.
 
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
6,265
I felt the author did a pretty good job of summing up my feelings for the games, though he left off a few issues in the negative column, particularly from the second game.

Has he ever read something else? Save you think that sitcoms are the apex of character writings, quite hard to see Dragon Age characters as amazing, multi layered and meaningful.

As far as video games go, I think the characters in the Dragon Age games are quite well done. I enjoyed playing them a lot, especially the characters from the first game. That's one area that Bioware has consistently done well with IMHO, regardless of other flaws they might have.
 
Joined
Mar 7, 2012
Messages
190
Perhaps I've just become overly jaded because of the DAII debacle, but I don't really understand all the love for DA: origins. The joinable NPCs were fleshed out but practically everything else about the game was incredibly cliche and uninspired. I played through once but, immediately upon exiting the origin story of my second playthrough, gave up on playing through again out of sheer boredom.

I don't mean to incite the ravenous Bioware horde (if there is any of it still around these days), but I just think a forthcoming game should aspire to be more than the sum of DA 1 & 2; even with such a joining, there is plenty of room for improvement.
 
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
5,973
Location
Florida, USA
Perhaps I've just become overly jaded because of the DAII debacle, but I don't really understand all the love for DA: origins. The joinable NPCs were fleshed out but practically everything else about the game was incredibly cliche and uninspired. I played through once but, immediately upon exiting the origin story of my second playthrough, gave up on playing through again out of sheer boredom.

I don't mean to incite the ravenous Bioware horde (if there is any of it still around these days), but I just think a forthcoming game should aspire to be more than the sum of DA 1 & 2; even with such a joining, there is plenty of room for improvement.

I kind of agree with you. I played through DA:O twice. The first time I loved it to pieces. The second time I started to see some things that were less appealing, like the fact that the combat was kinda clunky, the graphics were bland and that the Deep Roads part of the game was really boring.

That's one of the reasons I was a little skeptical when, after DA2, people kept saying that it should go back and be exactly like Origins. That game had a lot of things I liked, but there was definitely room for improvement. Hopefully the next game will take what was best about the first two games and add some new stuff.
 
Joined
Mar 7, 2012
Messages
190
Perhaps I've just become overly jaded because of the DAII debacle, but I don't really understand all the love for DA: origins.

I think that love for DA:O grew exponentially after DAII was released. So (IMO) it was a comparison between the game and its successor which made DA:O shine more brightly.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jan 10, 2008
Messages
4,721
and that the Deep Roads part of the game was really boring.

I'm terribly sorry to snip out one sentence from your post, but I keep hearing this argument a lot and I feel always somewhat puzzled because deep roads was one of my favourite parts of DAO. I loved everything that had something to do with Orzzamar and dwarves. Dwarven noble orgins story was the best orgins imo and I loved stone prisoner DLC as it exapanded deep roads and told me more about dwarves :)

I don't intend to start some angry debate about this subject since I've realized that majority of DAO players disliked deep roads.

I however liked deep roads because it was basicly one big dungeon crawl. I loved how things got darker, disturbing and more sinister as I desceded deeper and deeper into dark spawn territory.

Then there is this lost dwarven culture aspect which got my heart pumping. Kind of reminded me of Moria from Lotr. And I thought the idea of wardens going into deep roads to die in battle before the taint forces them to succumb, was quite cool.

Deep roads had some nice secrets too.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
2,468
I'm terribly sorry to snip out one sentence from your post, but I keep hearing this argument a lot and I feel always somewhat puzzled because deep roads was one of my favourite parts of DAO. I loved everything that had something to do with Orzzamar and dwarves. Dwarven noble orgins story was the best orgins imo and I loved stone prisoner DLC as it exapanded deep roads and told me more about dwarves :)

I don't intend to start some angry debate about this subject since I've realized that majority of DAO players disliked deep roads.

I however liked deep roads because it was basicly one big dungeon crawl. I loved how things got darker, disturbing and more sinister as I desceded deeper and deeper into dark spawn territory.

Then there is this lost dwarven culture aspect which got my heart bumbing. Kind of reminded me of Moria from Lotr. And I thought the idea of wardens going into deep roads to die in battle before the taint forces them to succumb, was quite cool.

Deep roads had some nice secrets too.


Same here!
 
Joined
Dec 17, 2009
Messages
205
I'm sure the authors of DA III have taken the feedback from the prior games into account. It'll be interesting to see what changes they've implemented. We may even be pleasantly surprised.
 
Joined
Mar 22, 2012
Messages
5,520
Location
Seattle
But we were supposed to be pleasantly surprised by DAII so "fool me once..."
 
Joined
Jan 10, 2008
Messages
4,721
I however liked deep roads because it was basicly one big dungeon crawl. I loved how things got darker, disturbing and more sinister as I desceded deeper and deeper into dark spawn territory.

I enjoyed the Deep Roads for the most part, but I can understand why some people didn't like it. It did get somewhat repetitive with the same 2-3 enemy types being encountered again and again.

The area of DA:O that I truly hated though was The Fade. That was the worst section of the game BY FAR imo.
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,017
Location
Florida, US
I liked DA1 and never played DA2, because of some reviews here.

A DA1-like game with a more tactical combat system would be fun.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
19,710
Location
Germany
Back
Top Bottom