Dragon Age 2

[Pentegarn]

Just bought it, and I may actually play it soon as I get some time to sit and do so.

Until then though I thought I would make a thread for it

[Dr. Boogie]

I've heard it's fun, in spite of how cut-down it is compared to the original.

I thought the demo was okay.

[OxBlood]

I´m about 25hrs in and I think it´s a bit better than the original. Not despite but because they toned the whole thing down.
To me it´s no fun having to pause every 2 seconds to plan out my strategy, I want to bash Darkspawn and freeze them solid, I´m a hero not a general, for that there are other genres.

Sure, I still have to pause to issue commands but it feels less tedious this time around. Pause, heal, debuff unpause, continue killing stuff.
That and the cross-class-combos are a very nice thing that actually gives me a motivation to think about my party members. And I fucking hate Partys that need to be maintained normally.

I also like the local setting of the story. I always liked stories like the one from NWN that focusses on specific parts of a realm instead of doing the whole save-the-world-thing for the n´th time.
It´s just more down to earth. "We´re in Kirkwall and Kirkwall has problems. So, what can we do?" That´s fine by me.

Sure, it´s smaller and less grand than the original but the MC is more appealing, the combat feels WAY better and I like the fact that I don´t have to take care of my Party´s armor anymore (they upgrade they sets throughout the story and you can buy slots for them to put runes in).

Pretty good game so far, I´m enjoying it.

[Dr. Boogie]

To me it´s no fun having to pause every 2 seconds to plan out my strategy, I want to bash Darkspawn and freeze them solid, I´m a hero not a general, for that there are other genres.

But that's just it: it is that sort of genre. Originally, it was more of a regular RPG like Baldur's Gate as opposed to an Action RPG like Mass Effect. You equip and level your party as you see fit, then you coordinate their efforts in battle. Combat is a more even split between action and strategy.

What you see with the sequel is a more dramatic version of what happened with the ME series, i.e., a simplification of every aspect. I get that they're trying to appeal to a wider audience. I just don't think they need to cut things down so dramatically, like the inventory management system: If some players don't want to bother with it, just have a box they can check that auto-equips everyone with the best equipment as it's found. That way, players who like that sort of thing can mix and match as they normally would to best fit a given situation. They did it with the level ups, it doesn't seem like it would be any harder.

As for the scale of events, it seems like sequels are supposed to outdo the original. If a game has you saving the universe, but the sequel has you saving your local community center, it just seems silly.

In any case, none of this really matters all that much to me. Ever since Deus Ex 2, I've always been disappointed to see games scaled back in complexity to appeal to a broader audience. At times, it feels like all the different genres are approaching each other; like everything is just going to wind up as an action game with some vestigial portion of its original genre. If it's fun, I'll still play it. I just won't like it.:(

[Pentegarn]

Well we all knew that sort of thing would happen once video games went mainstream. While we aren't called geeks for playing them these days, what we get to play seems to lack imagination.

I bet a lot of gamers wished that vidjamagames were more mainstream without realizing what that would mean to the future of games. Now you have to really search for the game that fits how you play/feels like the old days.

[Dr. Boogie]

I know I definitely wanted them to be bigger when I was a kid, but I was thinking it would get bigger the way they got big in Japan, in that more money would be put towards new titles, and older ones would be easier to find. That is what happened, but it came along with a lot of what's wrong with the film industry: a push for mass appeal and the notion that aesthetics and gimmick technology trump gameplay.

[Pentegarn]

but it came along with a lot of what's wrong with the film industry: a push for mass appeal and the notion that aesthetics and gimmick technology trump gameplay.

Exactly

What's funny is you can't find really deep games like you could back when gaming was a geek only pursuit. When's the last time Wizardry had a genuine sequel? 8 came out quite awhile ago, heck it may have been over a decade. But there's no mass appeal to a game like that, and only the old school gamers would find appeal to that game.

[OxBlood]

Well, I agree that many games are too simple but my problem is not that WRPS aren´t deep enough, my problem is that there are almost no original and creative gameplay-ideas anymore, lovingly crafted games that ooze creativity or just well thought out ideas.


Minecraft is such a game to a certain extent, it doesn´t have enough features yet. Deus Ex is such a game or Planescape Torment.

But I admit, give me leveling and skills and I´ll play about any game...except for racing and sports games, those things bore me to death no matter how they twist them.

[Dimnos]

Man. I was expecting DA2 details not the sad truth about gaming. :tear

[Dr. Boogie]

I'm waiting for the price to come down, then I'll have comments about the actual game.

[Pentegarn]

Man. I was expecting DA2 details not the sad truth about gaming. :tear

So was I, but the convo kind of meandered elsewhere :P

[OxBlood]

Man. I was expecting DA2 details not the sad truth about gaming. :tear

Well, just ask me for details.

I´m around the 30 hour-mark and I think I´m in Act 3 now, don´t know how much lies ahead of me but I´m Level 15 now and my Mage is done concerning his skills. Full Primal with everything useful from the Spirit Healer-Tree. I´m basically a Lightning-throwing, Bastard-tanking, Boss-stunning powerhouse, it´s really nice. Especially since Petrify (stuns for 15sec and grants the stunned enemie 20% damage resistance) works on EVERYTHING. Even main Villains of the game can´t resist it, I can stun fucking Dragons with this shit.

[OxBlood]

And done. 34hours and Level 21 with most sidequests done. Not all but I guess around 80%.

I liked it. Way less boring gameplay than the first. Sadly the storytelling isn´t as strong this time. Not as bad as the transition from Mass Effect 1 to 2 but still not very satisfying.

7.5/10 I´d say. They earn a lot of points for fixing the Rogue and Warrior in terms of fun. I really hated them in Origins, they couldn´t do shit.

[Dr. Boogie]

They earn a lot of points for fixing the Rogue and Warrior in terms of fun. I really hated them in Origins, they couldn´t do shit.

Tell me about it. I'd have finished Origins by now if it weren't for having to break every couple of hours when a sudden difficulty spike puts me off of the whole thing.

[OxBlood]

True but their whole feel pissed me off in the original, I dunno, they felt like they had 2 active skills and 5million passives that increased...something by 2% and Bioware expected you to be happy with that...I was especially bored by my dalish archer. Took him to the werewolves first and...stopped halfway through because it was so fucking bland fighting with the guy...


Now, in DA2, being a bowguy seems to be fun, haven´t tried it yet. Being a twohanded warrior sure is though, mowing through the enemies, being able to double my damage output every 10 seconds, berserkin the shit out of dragons...that´s pretty cool.

[Zomboid]

I...like it, but I definitely agree, or can at least sympathize, with the main complaints. It's a bit too standard action game, and I was hoping for more of the RPG style of the original.

Meh. Still enjoyable, but it's different. Personally, I prefer the ME series anyway.

[Dimnos]

Warriors weren't bad in the first one. Two handed types anyway. I ran around as a berserker dwarf looking to fight anything with my axe and had a blast. He was more fun than my mage. Rogues did suck though.

In 2 I took Oxs word and played the rogue. I built him more like a fighter, decking out two weapon fighting, duelist, and a few other points in assassin: he kicked lots of ass.

[Zomboid]

Yeah, I don't get the complaints about warriors in the first game. It was a bit harder during my first game before I knew where to put my points, but when I played as a berzerker dwarf with two swords later on, I had to crank the difficulty up to nightmare just to have something of a challenge, but even that didn't last long.

I think some people just kinda suck.

[Dimnos]

Templar Alister with two swords kicked ass too.

[Nick]

I just played through Origins finally. I just have to beat Awakening and Witch Hunt and I'm completely finished with it. I just want you all to know that I can't stand Dragon Age: Origins. If Dragon Age 2 is completely different from it then I welcome the change.

[Chojin]

mass effect 2's scaling-back really disappointed me :<

[OxBlood]

mass effect 2's scaling-back really disappointed me :<

I agree. ME2 is strange. It´s an awesome game no doubt and way better than the first in certain ways but the story´s really lacking in terms of sheer scope. Hope they´ll get it right with ME3 this year.

Concerning DA2, I continued with my warrior and gave poor Feynriel to the sloth demon in exchange for one skillpoint. It was the right decision I think :lol

[Dimnos]

All in all, I really liked it but was let down by the end. I hate the illusion of choice. I think I like the first one better.

[Dr. Boogie]

Just finished it myself. The combination of Assassinate and Twin Fangs meant most regular fights were over in a few seconds.

That Fenris guy, all he does is hate. Even when you give him a gift, he still keeps hating. I'm convinced the only way to get on his good side would be to enact some kind of mage holocaust, where all the mages are killed except for a handful of men and women who are then used to conceive more mage children so they can be killed as soon as they exit the womb. And even then, I'm betting that only gets you 10 points with the guy. I guess that's why I wasn't that put off when he forgot which side his toast was buttered on.

Ending was kind of weak, especially the big reveal just before the final boss fight:

Hey, remember that evil idol you found? Well it turns out it's a sword now, and it's behind all the tension between mages and templars. I know you were thinking it was just the differing opinions on how best to govern magic that led to the conflict, but nope. An artifact did it.

And no, we don't have any explanation for the moment of reluctance Meredith showed toward cracking down on mages just prior to the chantry going boom. Maybe it was just the idol's blindspot.

[Dimnos]

I hated how you had to fight both the first enchanter and the knight-commander no matter what side you supported. All your support doesnt matter. Nothing changes.

Another thing that pissed me off... After I beat it, I loaded to just before I helped Anders by distracting the grand cleric. This time I told him to fuck off. The chantry still blows up and they both act like had helped him.

The only real change you can make to the game is with your sibling and whether or not you kill Anders at the end. :\

[Sam]

Just finished it myself. The combination of Assassinate and Twin Fangs meant most regular fights were over in a few seconds.

That Fenris guy, all he does is hate. Even when you give him a gift, he still keeps hating. I'm convinced the only way to get on his good side would be to enact some kind of mage holocaust, where all the mages are killed except for a handful of men and women who are then used to conceive more mage children so they can be killed as soon as they exit the womb. And even then, I'm betting that only gets you 10 points with the guy. I guess that's why I wasn't that put off when he forgot which side his toast was buttered on.

Ending was kind of weak, especially the big reveal just before the final boss fight:

Hey, remember that evil idol you found? Well it turns out it's a sword now, and it's behind all the tension between mages and templars. I know you were thinking it was just the differing opinions on how best to govern magic that led to the conflict, but nope. An artifact did it.

And no, we don't have any explanation for the moment of reluctance Meredith showed toward cracking down on mages just prior to the chantry going boom. Maybe it was just the idol's blindspot.

If you get gay at him he doesn't hate so much.