Dragon Age - Review @ GameBanshee

Originally Posted by MasterKromm
Though I could be wrong. I sort of liked Loghain as a villain, I grow tired of the stereotypical bad guys. They're always less of a threat than the man/woman who is fueled by misguided intentions and conviction(think Spanish inquisition, Crusades ect).

I don't agree, they're both dangerous since they're fueled by their convictions, but the misguided one can eventually realize he's wrong.

Originally Posted by Dasale
Well put, but not fully, one point is very badly done this is the mouth synchronization. But other stuff is quite well done, the song, the singing, the scenery, the companions reaction.

What ruined it for me is the fact that you can clearly hear instruments in the background, yet there's no one playing.. Also, the voice which is singing is obviously not Leliana's. Her movements and position I didn't like, maybe it would work if she was standing on a cliff watching the sunset (or something like that). When you're singing next to a fire in the woods, you should play acoustic hippy country folk whatever songs. It was a bit of a surreal moment, but it wasn't shown like that which spoiled it for me. So it's just not the mouth synchronization, I didn't even notice that.

..neverminding the fact that the Crusades were in large part a response to the Muslim conquest of a great deal of the Christian world at the time.

But yeah, Leilana breaking out in song at the campfire was quite an awkward event. I ended up taking my own defensive actions and shutting it down, 'twas too much for me.

Originally Posted by Dasale
Interesting, a hero that becomes a villain, my memory seems vanish a little and I can't remember novel series using the trick. I remember some with a secondary hero falling in corruption or something, but not up to make him the villain.

There's two points here, the first is the series point of view, it's a quite stupid writing to keep unexplained such a dramatic evolution.

The second point is that I don't mean that everything need to be explained and if fact the reverse is true for a good series. But for such a key element this require a lot of cautious and development. If it's something that will not be explained and will in the future then for such important element the story needs highlight it.

I believe there was a second Dragon Age novel issued, prior to the game's release. Perhaps that was also a prequel novel, and Loghain's transformation was explained in there? I only read The Stolen Throne (?) myself, so I can't say.

Definitely the animation is the most awkward moment of the game. Even worse than the sex scenes. I liked the song though.

Originally Posted by xSamhainx
But yeah, Leilana breaking out in song at the campfire was quite an awkward event. I ended up taking my own defensive actions and shutting it down, 'twas too much for me.

I laughed my ass off to be honest. It was far from the only moment when Dragon Age made me laugh out loud, really. Whenever it just…well…tried too hard, I couldn't help but laugh. It would've been a lot better toned down. No, not dropping the epic tone completely, just telling the epic story in a less overly bombastic way.

I still have yet to read the second Dragon Age book, "The Calling", so maybe something happens to Loghain there to make him aggro.

The Leilana campfire ballad was probably one of the biggest wtf moments Ive ever had in game, I literally facepalmed while hitting ESC. I think Anderson had a pretty funny post about it a while ago when we were talking about it -

Originally Posted by Anderson
lol, I kinda liked that, partly because it was unexpected, and partly just because I like the woman's voice. The singer, I mean, not Leliana. Leliana was clearly lip-synching.

I found it sort of soothing, or at least pleasant. I probably would've been embarrassed, had I been watching in front of others, but it was just me and my dog. Nice thing about dogs, you know — you can do just about anything around them, and you're never embarrassed.

As to what Loghain did towards the end of the first novel:

You're right, Maylander, I forgot about that. While reading the novel, I thought that particular action made complete sense (I kept asking myself why it hadn't been done earlier), but I can also see how it shows Loghain as someone who subordinates personal ties and love to country. He did the same thing in his other main relationship, though I perceived that as heroic. Two sides of the same coin, I guess.