Dragon Age: Inquisition - Preview @ EDGE

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EDGE has posted a new preview of Dragon Age: Inquisition, and saying Bioware is returning to it's origins.

Fantasy worlds can often feel like static, sterile (if gaudily themed) arenas for numbers-based contact, so this physicality is intriguing, and should dovetail effectively with the tactical view, which gives players time to properly scrutinise the battlefield.

At one point a battle is swiftly ended when the player orders a party member to send a jolt of icy magic into the foundations of the rickety structure some archers are perched on.

It’s a return to the potential of the first game, then, with the tech to realise it, a strong theme of leadership, and a commitment to showing the consequences of choices. With the battle done, and the Inquisition keep saved, we head wearily back to the village of Crestwood, only to find nothing but corpses and scorched earth when we get there.
More information.
 
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I'm still waiting to hear more about what type of skill system they're going to adopt. The skill system in DA:O was bland and uninspiring; the token approach in DA2 was even worse.
 
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After the fiasco that was DA 2, I defy anyone to get excited about this product. Nothing, and I mean nothing is going to have more impact than when people actually get to play the thing, in fact I think reporting on it is likely to tick off people more than intrigue them.
 
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This preview is full of weird statements. Just to give a couple of examples:
1- "Inquisition might be a sequel, but not to the game you’d expect." - Did Edge writer seriously think that, after the pummeling DA2 got, we were EXPECTING to be treated more of the same shit in DA3?
2- "The budget-constricted, single-character-focused misfire that was Dragon Age 2 has been forgotten, it seems…" - Maybe Bioware wishes and prays that DA2 has been forgotten. But we remember. Oh how we do remember!
 
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I'm still waiting to hear more about what type of skill system they're going to adopt. The skill system in DA:O was bland and uninspiring; the token approach in DA2 was even worse.

This is absolutely true, to say the least. People, including the folks here at The Watch, seem to love Origins, but I found character development to be quite weak. And the design of encounters was weaker still. If I saw any more Blight spring from the ground, I was going to scream. Put those two things together, and I found Origins to be average at best...and disappointing.
 
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I'm still waiting to hear more about what type of skill system they're going to adopt. The skill system in DA:O was bland and uninspiring; the token approach in DA2 was even worse.

This is absolutely true, to say the least. People, including the folks here at The Watch, seem to love Origins, but I found character development to be quite weak. And the design of encounters was weaker still. If I saw any more Blight spring from the ground, I was going to scream. Put those two things together, and I found Origins to be average at best…and disappointing.

Edit: And I didn't bother buying DA2. Playing the demo told me all i needed to know.

Edit Redux: Sorry about the double post. Not quite sure how that happened. Stupid phone. :p
 
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Well, for me, the NPCs/Companions is what made Origins good, not the character development or combat encounters. Pretty weak, but that's what I got out of it.
 
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After the fiasco that was DA 2, I defy anyone to get excited about this product.

And why do you think everybody has your opinion? That's weird. It's clear some points get rushed and the story last part get a bit on my nerves (but I think it was on purpose). But there's many design elements I found quite improved. And lost the above view wasn't a problem for me, I could spam pause when I need and switch characters and turn camera during pause to have an excellent overview and analyze of the situation.

I'm not excited by any release it's an attitude that develop with age, you know per experience that to expect something is leading nowhere but to negative effects. It pushes your reaction from the point of view of your expectation not from what is really the game.

But I'm certainly a lot more curious about this release than by most. And clearly the Bioware destruction that happened during 1/2 years is increasing more my curiosity, dead man or resurrection? What happen this time? :)
 
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I just grabbed DA 2 a week or so ago when it was on sale for $4. Because of all the negativity about it, like Dart said on another forum today, I've gone in with super low expectations and have been rather surprised. Though the second dungeon looking exactly like the first already annoyed me. And I agree, I wasn't impressed with DA:O character progression but I dislike DA 2 even more, too simple and doesn't feel inspired.
 
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Edit: And I didn't bother buying DA2. Playing the demo told me all i needed to know.
Ha ha, it's not a demo it's the beginning of the game and like many games the design tend to embed in the beginning both the introduction to the game and story and the tutorial. It's an awful design approach but it's also why it's seriously weird to judge the game on a demo. I don't think they'll make a demo anymore until long and that would be better if they don't design the demo as a demo not just the very beginning of the game.
 
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i just fucking enjoyed DA1 and DA2 for what they were. sure DA2 felt hollow in comparision. as long as DA3 isnt as slapshod of an ending like the witcher 2 i'll be happy.
 
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Ha ha, it's not a demo it's the beginning of the game and like many games the design tend to embed in the beginning both the introduction to the game and story and the tutorial.

I don't want to debate semantics with you, but when a piece of a game is released before launch, the gaming public at large generally calls it a demo. But I understand your point. You're saying the beginning tutorial is not indicative of the game as a whole. Perhaps that's true in some ways, perhaps many. What I saw in the so-called demo that turned me off was the nature of the combat mechanics, which I imagine was indicative of the rest of the game, i.e. the speed of combat and less of a focus on tactics, not to mention I knew I would never be able to get over my rogue flipping over the heads of enemies and warping across the screen. I immediately knew I had no interest in an "awesome button."
 
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And why do you think everybody has your opinion? That's weird. It's clear some points get rushed and the story last part get a bit on my nerves (but I think it was on purpose). But there's many design elements I found quite improved.

Weird? Let's see….. regurgitated dungeons and locations, dead city of Kirkwall, lack of choices, combat tactics shot to hell. What's not to like? People are weird…
 
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DA2 was a decent enough game with some enjoyable elements and improvements. If it was solely a console twitch game it would probably be considered decent. As a PC CRPG though, it clearly didn't live up to its potential. Still, I enjoyed it enough to replay it a few times.
 
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Name some of those "enjoyable elements and improvements" RJ. And yes, I suppose DA2 would have been an OK game (just OK mind you) if it was a standalone. But as a sequel it was a failure.
 
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Name some of those "enjoyable elements and improvements" RJ. And yes, I suppose DA2 would have been an OK game (just OK mind you) if it was a standalone. But as a sequel it was a failure.

Your enjoyable elements != my enjoyable elements.

'Nuff said.
 
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The Official DA twitter has a survey for Dragon Age Series veteran (it's about party based and pause & play): http://svy.mk/1bI0R0P

Going by discussion here, some people here might want to fill it...
 
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Thanks for that post, Azarhal - appreciate it. :) That's an excellent mechanism for personalised feedback on the games.
 
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Ha ha, it's not a demo it's the beginning of the game and like many games the design tend to embed in the beginning both the introduction to the game and story and the tutorial. It's an awful design approach but it's also why it's seriously weird to judge the game on a demo. I don't think they'll make a demo anymore until long and that would be better if they don't design the demo as a demo not just the very beginning of the game.

Divinity 1 had an similar problem.

I don't want to debate semantics with you, but when a piece of a game is released before launch, the gaming public at large generally calls it a demo.

The beginning actually WAS the demo. Or vice versa.

I mean, the beginning of the main game was the sole content of the demo. The demo contained nothing but the beginning of the game.

At least regarding the first part of the demo.

There was an mater, mid-story part in the demo I played, too.
 
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