DA:Inquisition - The Decent: Review @ IGN
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It is indeed a decent review. DA:Inquisition is 6.5 at best…
Fluffyhotep
Watchdog
There's always Youtube to check it out. Saved me from any temptation to get Jaws of Hakkon, and I reckon it'll do the same with 'The Descent'.
The DLC is 15 euros and, if we can believe the Kotaku review, takes about 5-6 hours to complete. The Kotaku review wasn't all that positive, but like IGN it also mentioned some positives. Given the fact the site tends to be fairly Bio-friendly I'm uncertain how representative the review is, but it still isn't a wholehearted recommendation.
The review: http://kotaku.com/dragon-age-inquisition-s-new-descent-dlc-is-an-uneven-1723918173
The DLC is 15 euros and, if we can believe the Kotaku review, takes about 5-6 hours to complete. The Kotaku review wasn't all that positive, but like IGN it also mentioned some positives. Given the fact the site tends to be fairly Bio-friendly I'm uncertain how representative the review is, but it still isn't a wholehearted recommendation.
The review: http://kotaku.com/dragon-age-inquisition-s-new-descent-dlc-is-an-uneven-1723918173
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aries100
SasqWatch
I've played the Dragon Age 3 or DA: Inquisition for 5-6 hours. And I must admit that at first didn't think that all the negative comments about this game were true. But after trying the game for about 5-6 hours (EA and Bioware had a promotional for this game where you could download this game before a certain date and then try it for 6 hours or so) I must admit that all of the negative comments about this game were correct.
As I see, from my point of view, Bioware (or EA or both) didn't make an rpg this time around. They made an action-adventure game with some rpg elements; the game felt more like an Uncharted game or Assasin's Creed game than or a Tombraider game than it did an rpg. Or even a Bioware game for that matter. It also felt somewhat like tactical game, as it has certain RTS elements in it. (the whole advancing the inflluence of the Inquisition e.g by ways of collecting power points).
As I finished character creation, I suddenly realised that Bioware has done away with the distribution of points for various stats for this main character. And when we, or followers level up, we can't even distribute the stat points for abilites like we used to. This is indeed a hall mark of an rpg…..leveling one's character so that it suits our wishes, not Biowares.
As for the introduction to the game, I felt like I was playing a badly written Oblivion or Skyrim game….You start out as prisoner of Cassandra's. And then suddenly, your job is to decide what to do next in the game. This doesn't feel meaningfull - at least in Oblivion, you actually had a reason to be in prison. And you actually met someone (Patrick Steward disguised as the Emperor) who gave you a reason for doing what you're supposed to do - in Oblivion that is. In this game, this DA:I, I feel from the start that I really, really don't care about what is happening to the world.
Then 1½ hour or so goes. And suddenly, my character are the leader of the Inquistion. Why? I really really don't know - and no amount of pretty scenery can make me - or my character - interested. In what's going in the story - or trick me into caring for the characters in this game. And while were talking about the characters, the dialogues are badly written, the story, plot and missions (or quests) are bland and un-interesting.
And while we're at it did I mention the horrible, horrible controls —- at least when you're playing on a computer. Not even Oblivion's controls were this bad…..or Skyrims from what I can tell. This will show in combat. As many of you have noted, the tactical camera (at least on pc) is useless or nearly useless. It doesn't work properly - which tells me that the tactical seem to be a decision that was made - and added - late - to the game. I usually just controlled my character in combat and let my followers take care of themselves. It worked very well. Did I mention how horrible the controls are? Yes I did….
You can jump and climb in this game…why you can this…is a mystery to me. This is partly what I mean by DA:I seems more like a Tombraider or an Uncharted game to than it does an rpg at all. It's like Bioware listened to all people all over the internet who demanded jumping, climbing and exploration in this game. And then designed the game by comittee -e.g they, Bioware, but everything in the game that people did ask for. And this means, as I see it, that the game lacks focus.
You need to explore and make camp at various sites in this game. But again, the camping system is somewhat broken. The camps are very crowded which means you do a lot of running around trying to find the people you're supposed to find. But the game sure looks pretty….did I mention the lack of focus…yes, I did.
I don't get the idea behind the war board…sorry, but I just don't. This game is supposed to be an rpg, not an RTS or an action-adventure game. I know I've only played about 5-6 hours, but based on these hours, I'd give DA:I a rating of 6.5/10, maybe 6.7 or 6.8 out of 10 - but no more. How this game got all the editor medals and 9.9 ratings, it did, I really don't know.
ETA:
I understand there's a lot crafting involved in this game e.g. you can buy or find schematics for new weapons and armors etc. I'm sure some players would like to craft things in games, I don't. I just like to gear up and go on a interesting story with exciting characters. As it seems now, DA: I feels more like an badly written and developed Elder Scrolls game than it does DA game or even a game from Bioware
As I see, from my point of view, Bioware (or EA or both) didn't make an rpg this time around. They made an action-adventure game with some rpg elements; the game felt more like an Uncharted game or Assasin's Creed game than or a Tombraider game than it did an rpg. Or even a Bioware game for that matter. It also felt somewhat like tactical game, as it has certain RTS elements in it. (the whole advancing the inflluence of the Inquisition e.g by ways of collecting power points).
As I finished character creation, I suddenly realised that Bioware has done away with the distribution of points for various stats for this main character. And when we, or followers level up, we can't even distribute the stat points for abilites like we used to. This is indeed a hall mark of an rpg…..leveling one's character so that it suits our wishes, not Biowares.
As for the introduction to the game, I felt like I was playing a badly written Oblivion or Skyrim game….You start out as prisoner of Cassandra's. And then suddenly, your job is to decide what to do next in the game. This doesn't feel meaningfull - at least in Oblivion, you actually had a reason to be in prison. And you actually met someone (Patrick Steward disguised as the Emperor) who gave you a reason for doing what you're supposed to do - in Oblivion that is. In this game, this DA:I, I feel from the start that I really, really don't care about what is happening to the world.
Then 1½ hour or so goes. And suddenly, my character are the leader of the Inquistion. Why? I really really don't know - and no amount of pretty scenery can make me - or my character - interested. In what's going in the story - or trick me into caring for the characters in this game. And while were talking about the characters, the dialogues are badly written, the story, plot and missions (or quests) are bland and un-interesting.
And while we're at it did I mention the horrible, horrible controls —- at least when you're playing on a computer. Not even Oblivion's controls were this bad…..or Skyrims from what I can tell. This will show in combat. As many of you have noted, the tactical camera (at least on pc) is useless or nearly useless. It doesn't work properly - which tells me that the tactical seem to be a decision that was made - and added - late - to the game. I usually just controlled my character in combat and let my followers take care of themselves. It worked very well. Did I mention how horrible the controls are? Yes I did….
You can jump and climb in this game…why you can this…is a mystery to me. This is partly what I mean by DA:I seems more like a Tombraider or an Uncharted game to than it does an rpg at all. It's like Bioware listened to all people all over the internet who demanded jumping, climbing and exploration in this game. And then designed the game by comittee -e.g they, Bioware, but everything in the game that people did ask for. And this means, as I see it, that the game lacks focus.
You need to explore and make camp at various sites in this game. But again, the camping system is somewhat broken. The camps are very crowded which means you do a lot of running around trying to find the people you're supposed to find. But the game sure looks pretty….did I mention the lack of focus…yes, I did.
I don't get the idea behind the war board…sorry, but I just don't. This game is supposed to be an rpg, not an RTS or an action-adventure game. I know I've only played about 5-6 hours, but based on these hours, I'd give DA:I a rating of 6.5/10, maybe 6.7 or 6.8 out of 10 - but no more. How this game got all the editor medals and 9.9 ratings, it did, I really don't know.
ETA:
I understand there's a lot crafting involved in this game e.g. you can buy or find schematics for new weapons and armors etc. I'm sure some players would like to craft things in games, I don't. I just like to gear up and go on a interesting story with exciting characters. As it seems now, DA: I feels more like an badly written and developed Elder Scrolls game than it does DA game or even a game from Bioware
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lostforever
SasqWatch
I have to say that I don't like crafting in games like DAI or even Witcher 3. It feels like busy work...
lackblogger
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Yes, I third that emotion. Crafting, as in collecting 'errrbs, metals, compnents, even in otherwise enjoyable games, leaves me cold. I especially detest crafting where your inventory is jam packed with 'garbage' you think might be useful at some point, but the key ingredient is so rare you don't find it until near end-game anyway - so why not just drop the nice item complete at end-game?
The versions I quite like are the ones where games have blacksmiths who offer you a variety of bespoke items, and the player just has to contribute one or two found items/craftables and the Blacksmith does the rest. The primary hold-up to the player being just a very high cost, but the items are genuinely interesting and unlootable anywhere else.
Icewind Dale 2 has this latter form, where you gave a guy Yeti Pelts or Beetle shells and they did the rest. Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark did the latter form where you gradually funded an amazing weapon with add-ons. Serpents in the Staglands also did this latter version where you give Pelts to a guy to make armour, again, at great monetary cost.
People talk about a need for money sinks in RPGs and then give us useless affectations, such as inserts from building games and the like, but the ultimate RPG money sink would just be someone who enhanced a Ring with a new affectation every x amount of gold, just little things, like Immunity from X-type poison for 50k, then Immunity from paralysis at 150k etc.
But, yeah, collect 20 Thistles, 12 Rat's asses, a pole of Mithral and a partridge in a pear tree is too tedious for my tastes and belongs in a different game IMO.
The versions I quite like are the ones where games have blacksmiths who offer you a variety of bespoke items, and the player just has to contribute one or two found items/craftables and the Blacksmith does the rest. The primary hold-up to the player being just a very high cost, but the items are genuinely interesting and unlootable anywhere else.
Icewind Dale 2 has this latter form, where you gave a guy Yeti Pelts or Beetle shells and they did the rest. Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark did the latter form where you gradually funded an amazing weapon with add-ons. Serpents in the Staglands also did this latter version where you give Pelts to a guy to make armour, again, at great monetary cost.
People talk about a need for money sinks in RPGs and then give us useless affectations, such as inserts from building games and the like, but the ultimate RPG money sink would just be someone who enhanced a Ring with a new affectation every x amount of gold, just little things, like Immunity from X-type poison for 50k, then Immunity from paralysis at 150k etc.
But, yeah, collect 20 Thistles, 12 Rat's asses, a pole of Mithral and a partridge in a pear tree is too tedious for my tastes and belongs in a different game IMO.
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Take that back!! It isn't aimless!! Collecting my perfectly rolled Set items is my aim! It is a pointless aim, but it is an aim! (BTW, Diablo 3 is insanely fun now; I did a WW Barb recently and spin-to-win never gets old. Huge respect to Blizzard for turning D3 from 1.0-trash to 2.2/2.3-sweetness.)
Anyway, BioWare has always released bad DLC for Dragon Age (and Mass Effect). They are obsessed with taking cut content and throwing in some meager "extra story" when it is really half-hearted trash. Let's see here:
DAO: Warden's Keep
DAO: Return to Ostagar
DAO: The Golems of Amgarrak
DAO: Witch Hunt
DAO: The other DLCs were decent I guess...
DA2: The Exiled Prince (the very definition of removing content and selling it back to you)
DA2: Legacy (actually included critical backstory that should have been in the main game, but the DLC itself was boring apart from the lore)
DA2: Mark of the Assassin (more of a weird pet project than proper DLC)
So really, DAI's DLC should also be boring, short, tedious, and over-priced. It is the grand Dragon Age tradition!
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lackblogger
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What annoyed me about DA:O DLC was that it was integral to the main campaign. I played and enjoyed DA:O, but every time I see people talking about it on-line they go on about how good/bad XYZ character from XYZ DLC was in effecting their game. I never had access to those parts of the game. In this respect, the DLCs are more 'insulting' because they are not superfluous, but integral to the main plot. But each DLC does not represent something 'worth' paying for, if that makes sense.
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I think it may be in part exactly because your rating is based on whether it is strictly a "true" RPG or not; whatever that really means. Other reviewers aren't tied to that constraint—they can base it in a wider context. Maybe we need a scale of rpg-ness?
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There is a huge difference between crafting in these two games.
In DA:I you grind to craft and you craft to grind more. Per idiotic design, getting schematics is random and you may as well end the game without getting some although you explored everything. Per another design crime, crafting happens from horrible consoley inventory system.
In The Witcher 3 you dismantle loot for ingredients and you craft specific gear from there. It's not possible that this game will disallow you to find/buy all possible schematics - explore enough and you'll have them all so you can choose what to construct. Inventory system and crafting is not as horrible as in DA:I, could be better though (read: they should have seen how D:OS did it).
They all played only the main questline to the end of Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts quest. They didn't play sidecontent at all.
For example, long after Kotaku made their review, they returned with articles "Leave Hinterlands" and after that one there was an article "Dragon Age 3 has a filler problem".
The game IMO deserved 8/10. While it was showered with GOTY awards, there was at least one RPG out there that deserved it more. But as I always say, as long as GOTY goes to RPG, any RPG, even a bad one, I won't object.
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CelticFrost
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Still waiting for this game to go on sale for under a dollar.
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Mosaic
Sentinel
"Leave Hinterlands" is good advice. And the game DID have a filler problem. It's easy to get bored trying to filter out the where the "good" quests are, plus the tons of XP means you level out of zones so it's not like doing the content is netting you any real benefit. There's a 9/10 game buried under all the 6/10 rubble. But if you know that going in you can have some fun.
BoboTheMighty
SasqWatch
Yes, but a game with recommendation that you don't do majority of the content is like someone telling me…There is a cookie on the table. Don't eat it!
After drudging through the tedious filler content of the first run, I lose any interest for the second one…damn shame, with a very real, "physical" war, demons dropping from the sky, continued conflict between mages and templars, remnants of Darkspawn and all the lore..how on earth this game ended up LACKING in good, quality content?
Those previews we saw, certainly indicated it.
After drudging through the tedious filler content of the first run, I lose any interest for the second one…damn shame, with a very real, "physical" war, demons dropping from the sky, continued conflict between mages and templars, remnants of Darkspawn and all the lore..how on earth this game ended up LACKING in good, quality content?
Those previews we saw, certainly indicated it.
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Falchor
Sentinel
I've still not played a game that did a better job of DLC in an open-world game as Fallout New Vegas. It was not required to enjoy the story but served to add to and flesh-out pieces of the story that were spoken of in conversations or mentioned in books. Old World Blues, in particular, was a fantastic addition to an equally fantastic game.
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I won't bother even then, because I'd have to download the Origin platform.
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I liked crafting in Amalur. And that wasn't mandatory, as you could finish the game without even using the option.
As for Descent, you know that something is fishy when even the mainstream sites don't rate it too high.
As for Descent, you know that something is fishy when even the mainstream sites don't rate it too high.
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