Dragon Age 2 - David Gaider Reminiscences

I always seem to be one of the few people who appreciated and enjoyed the DA2. Many of the complaints about it seemed a bit silly to me. I do think it could have been better, but what game doesn't have room for improvement? Some day I'd like to see an enhanced addition that fixes all the blemishes. But that will probably never happen.

I also thought it had promise, and a sequel would have been rather nice. Maybe some day that might happen, in this age of re-imaginings and such. Jade Empire I mean, not the subject of this thread!

JFarrell71 said:

I agree with that. It was pretty simple mechanically, from what I remember.

I didn't like how short it was, or how limted the companion interaction was, but I enjoyed the setting and enjoyed the game overall. It's still rare to get RPGs that aren't either fantasy or post-apoc and it was a breath of fresh air in that regard. I wish we had gotten a sequel.

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Sorry, but I've heard this a few times and I get whiplash every time. Jade Empire is a fantasy game.

As for the streamlining part, it's arguably Bioware's first step away from more traditional "crunchy" RPGs into ARPGs (some might say action games with RPG elements) with companions that are vestigial in terms of mechanics.

Gwydden said:

Sorry, but I've heard this a few times and I get whiplash every time. Jade Empire is a fantasy game.

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If you can't distinguish what Jade Empire is from the endless D&D based or Tolkein clones, I can't help you.

JFarrell71 said:

If you can't distinguish what Jade Empire is from the endless D&D based or Tolkein clones, I can't help you.

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I intentionally avoid that sort of stuff when I read fantasy, which is why I find using the word "fantasy" to refer to such a narrow part of the genre befuddling. Words mean things. There's no sense in which Jade Empire isn't fantasy. That's a rather pedantic semantic issue, I'll grant, although one I'm sensitive to.

I agree the setting is what made Jade Empire stand out. Although I don't find it a particularly compelling East Asian setting, I suppose that speaks more to the dearth of diversity in CRPGs.

Wost sequel ever made... Dragon age 2 is a perfect illustration of what happens if you have a chain of wrong design choices and to top it off short production. What were they thinking... Kinda funny how one can mutilate a great game like DA'O that got so close to BG 2.

joxer said:

I don't.
Who is he anyway? If he didn't work for Bioware at the time, noone would know he exists.

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Gaider was the lead writer of the franchise, and even wrote the three first Dragon Age novels. He knows more about Dragon Age than anyone. Literally.