Dragon Age 2 - 10 Things You Should Know

Zloth said:
1. Combat is actiony: hardly. You still hit space and issue commands, as we saw in the demo. I just got done with Divinity 2 a few weeks back. THAT was an action RPG!

2. More specialized classes: that's pretty much how I used the classes last time anyway, so no biggy there.

3. Inventory: keeping all characters well equipped all the time (I worried that the game would force them on me at various times and I didn't want them showing up to the battle half naked) was quite a pain but I did like handling the equipment for the characters I used the most. I'm neutral on this one.

4. No more skills: good riddance. Those things felt very tacked on in Origins.

5. All in one city, all on one island, all on one continent, all in one galaxy, all in one castle… it doesn't matter. What I need is visual variety. If they have it all in one city but have the city change over 10 years and maybe hit different seasons, I'll be happy.

6. No more 4-areas-in-any-order: Hmmm. BioWare never seemed to quite get this right. The first area you go to would always be very difficult but the last area or two would be too easy. I did like the concept, though. Not knowing what they replaced it with, I'll stay neutral.

7. Ally relations: If I treat an NPC bad, that NPC should leave! Maybe even outright attack me! (And then I kill them and sell their stuff - ahem.) This doesn't sound so good. I must admit, though, that the thought of being able to pick on the likes of Alistar without having to worry about him killing me in my sleep does have some appeal. Neutral, leaning toward bad.

8. Conversation: A definite neutral. Mass Effect's system worked just fine for me and the many games that gave you the full text of what you say worked fine for me. Wake me up when I get to type in/voice my own responses and the game is smart enough to interpret them.

9. Retcon! Never a good thing, but not new for BioWare.

10. Shorter: hard to say. DA:O's hours were full of very good quests and stories, IMHO. If they can fill the new game with even better content, I may be happier with the shorter game. Given that they are charging $10 more for this game, I'm leaning toward bad, though.

Not mentioned - better graphics!!
Click to expand...

you didn't say anything about interactive movies.

you're trying to make out that biowear is still making rpgs, not interactive movies, are you saying that biowear hasn't changed..?

damn, i was gunna buy DA:2 but this sounds complicated. thanks, you made me not to purchase the game now.
 
Joined
Feb 22, 2011
Messages
315
Location
Virgin Islands
Have you played an interactive movie before, SAGO? Something lthe old Dragon's Lair game? I have. This ain't it.
 
Joined
Aug 3, 2008
Messages
8,253
Location
Kansas City
Zloth said:
Have you played an interactive movie before, SAGO? Something lthe old Dragon's Lair game? I have. This ain't it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, this is better (for all its faults).

Let's be serious here, guys. Despite the fact that EA has raped the soul out of this franchise, it'll still be light years beyond 90% of the games we played in our youth (I'm not talking solely RPGs). Will it rival Fallout 1 or Baldur's Gate? Probably not, but even that estimation isn't written in stone.

We're angry because it won't be what it could have been. Yes, it will be a lot worse than it should/could have been. .. but let us not kid ourselves, it'll probably still be worth a play. Hell, it might even be great (though I'm not overly hopeful). Granted, part of this optimism comes from the sorry state of the RPG market in the last few years but that's an unavoidable reality one must face when making these kinds of estimations.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jul 30, 2010
Messages
30
If Bioware wanted to make an ARPG , they should have taken notes from Demon Souls. Some of the screen shots of the characters faces , It looks like even THEY dont want to be in the game !
 
Joined
Oct 8, 2010
Messages
576
rich ruffo said:
If Bioware wanted to make an ARPG , they should have taken notes from Demon Souls. Some of the screen shots of the characters faces , It looks like even THEY dont want to be in the game !
Click to expand...

Is this getting old yet?? I mean seriously what the hell does that even mean?
 
Joined
Apr 17, 2007
Messages
5,749
If all that stuff is out, then what's in ? What is there to do in the game? Sounds like to me we will walk down the streets and back allies, kill foes that jump out, watch cut scene, rinse and repeat.
 
I remember playing Mass Effect and thinking "When do i get to play and when do i get to NOT to talk to people". I was feeling that game was a long dialouge.

With DA2 it seems like they really made it. They made a diaoluge game with some space smashing bits in between. :)

On the other hand i felt Mass Effect 2 was alot more fun then 1. Perhaps i will feel the same with DA2. I jumped on the wagon and bought it yesterday.

The reason why i bought DA2? I bought and started to play Dragon Age: Origins ultimate to my PS3 last week. And when i did the DA2 demo started to make sense. And, i am now replaying Origins as it was the console game (On my pc cause the stuttering on my PS3 drove me mad(der)!) and... well, i liked it. Origins is an action game when played as a console game and the changes in DA2 (as in the demo) makes sense.

I have no clue how i will enjoy this. My biggest fear is the story arc. I HATE story arcs like that. They seldom add anything to a movie and i doubt it will feel like it belongs in a game. But i hope i will be proved wrong.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
420
Location
Sweden
Lol, did I left RPGWatch during too long times and too often to not quote the evolution? I don't remember this forum was more or less the codex, ie so full of hate, and with members enjoying mimic a sort of hyena pack. Or is it just somehow linked to Bioware?

Well for me DA2 with all weakness could not match DAO overall, but I bet DA2 will beat easily anything Bioware design since a decade apart DAO. I wonder why such Bioware obsession or perhaps it's hate?
 
Joined
Oct 14, 2007
Messages
3,258
Dasale said:
Lol, did I left RPGWatch during too long times and too often to not quote the evolution? I don't remember this forum was more or less the codex, ie so full of hate, and with members enjoying mimic a sort of hyena pack. Or is it just somehow linked to Bioware?
Click to expand...

I have no idea, but I like it. Most of the DA2 / Bioware threads are just hilarious to read. I'm really looking forward to DA3 and ME3 if only to see people fuming with anger about what could have possibly in some alternate realty have happened. It's the same with Bethesda, really. Just a lot of fun to watch. :p

PS: I really would like to see the reaction if Baldurs Gate 3 would be announced and look like DA2. I personally think this forum would explode. *runs away* :p
 
Joined
Oct 24, 2006
Messages
465
Location
Saarbruecken
First biowaregame in ages that I do not buy in the day it's launched. It seems they cut out a lot of what made me like DA.

I sense pleasure for figuring things out. I am drawn to complexity like ants to honey and it's this rewarding feeling that makes me drawn to the games I play. I barely watch movies anymore simply because they block me out, I can only sit back and watch and I get tired rather quickly doing so.

So I enjoy puzzles, I enjoy strategical challenges and making tough decisions. Overcoming a problem by using my brain gives me a great rewarding pleasure. I am also a creative person. I enjoy to create, to build. I enjoy building a unique character and feel that it's my character and there are no other players on the planet like it.

They cut down on the strategy, inventory and skills, directly cutting down what I enjoy.

Finally I hate that they removed dialogue.
 
Joined
Oct 26, 2006
Messages
6,027
Roi Danton said:
PS: I really would like to see the reaction if Baldurs Gate 3 would be announced and look like DA2. I personally think this forum would explode. *runs away* :p
Click to expand...

The expression "Baldur's Gate 3" shouldn't even exist. Baldur's Gate 2 Throne of Bhaal had a complete and incredibly satisfying ending. The mere idea of Baldur's Gate 3 is like painting over Mona Lisa. It's tasteless.
 
Joined
Oct 26, 2006
Messages
6,027
City based adventures are cool.

They're not what I look for when seeking out a game I play for a long time, but for a shorter game or module they bring back some very old school type memories.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
1,877
I like urban adventures because they tend to have a higher density of character interactions and dialogues and a focus on inter-factional and character plots.

Wilderness adventures, in contrast, tend to be about you killing green-skinned goblinoids in the forest, then green-blue goblinoids in the snowy areas, etc etc on your way to the Fortress of Doom/Plane of Super Evilness.

I suppose there is a lot to be concerned about in that list but this is, for me, the most important aspect :

6. Not The Usual BioWare Story

BioWare’s plots generally follow a predictable arc. Players go through an introductory sequence, and then the world opens up to four larger areas with their own quests and storylines. When those areas are complete, the tale converges for the thrilling finale. I won’t spoil anything about specific events in Dragon Age II, but I will say that the narrative does not follow this structure at all.
Click to expand...

Bioware make story-centric RPGs, Their core is that narrative. But lately I've been finding that core stale, predictable. Everyone is talking about DA1 as if it was amazing, for me it was the least interesting of all the Bioware RPGs to date. I got halfway before putting it aside, not because of any quirk of the RPG mechanics but because I was utterly disinterested in the story.

The fact that this one is focused on what your character does to affect the course of history and not stopping Generic Undead Demon Guys and that the story arc doesn't follow the usual predictable progression (we're told) is hopeful, in my eyes.
 
Joined
Dec 6, 2007
Messages
195
JemyM said:
First biowaregame in ages that I do not buy in the day it's launched. It seems they cut out a lot of what made me like DA.
Click to expand...

For me it's kind of the opposite. I found DA: Origins to be cliche, plodding and awkward. The whole "shuffling into position" thing Bioware devs have complained about on their forum rings very true to me... Origins was all about plodding penguins shuffling into battle for me. Despite the great tactical combat at the core and the pretty good overall story I will always remember DA: Origins being cumbersome more than fun.

For me DA2 retained that tactical core while also pumping up everything else to be more fun. The combat is fast and furious and no longer plodding. The visuals and design are unique and vibrant, rather than being muddy and looking the same as every other fantasy game of the past 20 years. Other than friendly-fire being only for hard mode I don't see the game as being less strategic or dumber, I had to use a lot of tactics to beat the second ogre in the demo.

With any change you are going to gain some fans and lose some fans... sorry you were lost, but I personally think they made good decisions overall (with some stinkers like reigning in the camera and removing companion customization).
 
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
1,830
JemyM said:
The expression "Baldur's Gate 3" shouldn't even exist. Baldur's Gate 2 Throne of Bhaal had a complete and incredibly satisfying ending. The mere idea of Baldur's Gate 3 is like painting over Mona Lisa. It's tasteless.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I never understood why you often see so many people wanting a "Baldur's Gate III". Baldur's Gate was a trilogy comprising of Baldur's Gate, Shadow of Amn and Throne of Bhaal with a clear beginning, middle and ending.

A Baldur's Gate 3 would make no sense and in essence would most likely just be... an unrelated RPG with Baldur's Gate somewhere in its setting, like the cancelled "BGIII: The Black Hound" that was being worked on at Interplay ten years ago. So this would very much be pointless - arguably any Forgotten Realms game following a similar design philosophy could be considered a form of spiritual sequel.

(I wish Baldur's Gate II would just have been called "Shadows of Amn" like Bioware wanted to, this is always felt a silly title since the city of Baldur's Gate wasn't even in it :p)

Regarding DAII well... I'm somewhat torn on the issue. I enjoyed DAO but it was generic as heck and had some very boring and long winded part (the Deeproads comes to mind). I also really enjoyed the demo of DAII - sure it looks they Mass Effectised it, but heck, I love Mass Effect so who am I to complain ?

The plot and setting is actually what interest me the most about DAII - because it feels like it could actually be original for a Bioware game rather that following the usual same formula.

-Sergorn
 
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
207
Hmm... I find the whole "ragtag hero from small village who saves the world" thing a lot more cliche than DA:O was.
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,342
Location
Florida, US
rich ruffo said:
If Bioware wanted to make an ARPG , they should have taken notes from Demon Souls. Some of the screen shots of the characters faces , It looks like even THEY dont want to be in the game !
Click to expand...

Totally agree with this.
 
Joined
Sep 26, 2007
Messages
138
JDR13 said:
Hmm… I find the whole "ragtag hero from small village who saves the world" thing a lot more cliche than DA:O was.
Click to expand...

Not sure who you were replying to but my complaints about DA:O being generic and cliche are mostly about the art design, environments and realistic look. Standard medievil fantasy is alright for a baseline but every game that insists on using that setting should try and stand out in some way, since I have been playing similar games for 20 years now. That's why I am happy to see stuff like the vibrant shaded look of DA2 or the bright and colorful pirate look of Risen 2.

What I really want is more truly unique RPG settings like Deus Ex, Fallout or Arcanum.
 
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
1,830
DoctorNarrative said:
Not sure who you were replying to but my complaints about DA:O being generic and cliche are mostly about the art design, environments and realistic look. Standard medievil fantasy is alright for a baseline but every game that insists on using that setting should try and stand out in some way, since I have been playing similar games for 20 years now. That's why I am happy to see stuff like the vibrant shaded look of DA2 or the bright and colorful pirate look of Risen 2.

What I really want is more truly unique RPG settings like Deus Ex, Fallout or Arcanum.
Click to expand...

I don't find the art design or environments much different in DA2. From what I saw in the demo, they pretty much follow along with what was present in DA:O. The major difference was the characters themselves, which they decided to exaggerate for whatever reason, and the way the graphics are being rendered, which almost reminds me of cel-shading.

I feel the same way about wanting to see more unique environments, but DA2 doesn't do it for me.
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,342
Location
Florida, US
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom