Dragon Age 2 and Bioware

[Soviet Heavy]

I'm annoyed by the dialogue wheel. But not for the main reason.

In Mass Effect, when you entered the dialogue wheel, your mouse was locked so that it could only move the radial in the middle of the wheel. This made choosing options extremely quick and fluid.

In Dragon Age 2, your mouse can go all over the screen when the wheel pops up, which begs the question why they didn't just leave the list option in. It makes conversations slower, since your mouse could be all over the place instead of locked where it would be most useful.

 

[SovietSecrets]

Why are people not liking this game? Did they pull a ME 2 on it and actually make it good? I disliked ME for most of the game, but loved 2. I hated DA:O and stopped playing after three hours. Perhaps I will like this game.

 

[adrian_exec]

Why are people not liking this game? Did they pull a ME 2 on it and actually make it good? I disliked ME for most of the game, but loved 2. I hated DA:O and stopped playing after three hours. Perhaps I will like this game.

That's most likely because you don't like traditional RPG games. Cause ME2 has been said to be more of a shooter and DA2 is mostly just a hack'n'slash game.

I'm not saying these games are BAD not at all, it's just they don't provide the same epic RPG experience as their original games.

 

[VanityGirl]

I like the game thus far.

It's a different style but I actually like the voice acting. It's nice not having my female sound like an uptight skank. She sounds somewhat dignified. The combat is different, but not terrible. The graphics looked much improved (at least on the console).
My biggest complaint is that the dog isn't a bigger character. He was my favorite because he was the topic of a lot of funny conversations. I don't really like summoning him now like I'm a ranger or something.

Why are people not liking this game? Did they pull a ME 2 on it and actually make it good? I disliked ME for most of the game, but loved 2. I hated DA:O and stopped playing after three hours. Perhaps I will like this game.

Kind of. They changed the combat to make it more user friendly (less micromanagement). The character has a voice and talked during conversations.

 

[SovietSecrets]

Why are people not liking this game? Did they pull a ME 2 on it and actually make it good? I disliked ME for most of the game, but loved 2. I hated DA:O and stopped playing after three hours. Perhaps I will like this game.

That's most likely because you don't like traditional RPG games. Cause ME2 has been said to be more of a shooter and DA2 is mostly a hack'n'slash game.

Agreed. I like more action to my games then story. I found ME 2 had the perfect balance of that for me. ME 1 was just way too much story heavy in the beginning till things started going down in the end. So is most of the hate coming to DA 2 because the story was dumbed down in favor of more combat like in ME? Don't really get that all. First game in the series(RPG wise at least) is supposed to set up the story and be more story heavy and then since the ball finally starts rolling after enough story and background has been given, more action is needed to cater to that hence more action in sequels. Last part isn't directed to you at all, just my musings.

 

[Gill Kaiser]

The console versions were meant to have the autoattack toggle, but, due to a manufacturing error, the feature was left out of the build that went to press. The feature's already made, so I'd imagine Bioware will release it in a patch very soon.

 

[Fr]anc[is]

There are many good and bad things that I can say about Dragon Age 2, but what I hate the most is how they managed to butcher one of my favorite characters from Origins, which of couse makes a comeback.

Spoiler

And namely Sandal, not only that he looks like a freaking zombie in Dragon Age 2, they even managed to destroy he's lovable line.

Check it out yourselves, it's horrendous now.

ps: have a little patience with the first video, it will load eventually or try to skip ahead a bit.

GAAAAHHHHHHHHH! They don't look right with the new animations.

 

[darthmason0719]

There are many good and bad things that I can say about Dragon Age 2, but what I hate the most is how they managed to butcher one of my favorite characters from Origins, which of couse makes a comeback.

Spoiler

And namely Sandal, not only that he looks like a freaking zombie in Dragon Age 2, they even managed to destroy he's lovable line.

Check it out yourselves, it's horrendous now.

ps: have a little patience with the first video, it will load eventually or try to skip ahead a bit.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOT SANDAL

 

[i64ever]

Some people decided it was an action game more than a year ago when the first blurbs came out. It isn't, not on the PC at least. I'm an old man with arthritis in both hands, and never would have bought it if that was the way the demo played. But PC had auto attack, I could pause it frequently, issue commands from a kind of pulled back angle, set tactics and win battles without smashing buttons. So I bought it. And its fun.

RPG gamers are a strange bunch. We all seem to have one perfect game in our heads and yell and scream when every new game that comes out isn't an exact clone of it. I don't think its possible to make an RPG without seeing all the hate on different forums. If you let that bother you you will never buy another game again. Skyrim and Witcher 2 will go through the exact same thing.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

The other reason I am annoyed is that Bioware had to go out and talk about Origins like it was a festering pile of shit to make Dragon Age 2 look better by comparison.

 

[octafish]

From the demo and elsewhere I won't be buying this now. Maybe when they have finished fapping about with DLC and after the inevitable expansion comes out I'll buy the complete package for $10 in a Steam Sale. I'm playing through Baldur's Gate Tutu now, DA:2 is shit by comparison hell DA:O is shit in comparison. No friendly fire from mages? I bet there are modders working on that now.

 

[Zaik]

I hated DA:O but i'd have bought this one based off the demo, if I didn't know they were going to churn out 400 DLCs for it and then later release a complete version for the same price i'd pay now for just the plain game.

 

[Krantos]

Here ( http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.269478-Why-Dragon-Age-II-Should-Have-Been-a-New-IP ) is a topic I just started with my views. Basically, it shouldn't have been called Dragon Age II. A new IP would have been a better decision.

 

[Super Toast]

As a console player, one of the few things I dislike is how we don't get the auto-attack toggle. I hit attack A LOT as a rogue. A LOT.

And the stupid achievement for not having anyone fall in battle for a year in Kirkwall. Damnit. I'll probably have to leave Hard soon if I want to get that.

I also especially dislike the way your family's appearance is dynamic, depending on your Hawke's appearance. I made 10 Ser Hawkes before I could get my mother and sister to not have hideous hairstyles.

Seriously? Shit, I hope my red-hair/green eyed Hawke complete with righteous beard doesn't make his family look like a bunch of circus freaks...

OT: I liked the demo, so I'm part of the silent majority.

 

[znix]

I'm a big fan of the old bioware games and RPGs in general, but DA2 is alright by me. DA2 is to DA:O what ME2 is to ME. They've simplified a lot of things that tend to get tedious, putting more focus on story and combat.

I find the combat to be tactical (I play on hard and PC). It's fast paced, yes, but you can still pause the game and give orders and if you enable "hold position" instead of "free move" then your party will do exactly as you say. In fact, the new stagger/brittle/confusion effects add an extra tactical element to hard battles. By using your team efficiently and complementing each others powers, it's possible to do some serious damage.

If consoles cannot enable auto attack and you have to mash buttons, then that sucks and you have my sympathy. It's straight forward on the PC though.

There are some things I really dislike, but that I accept. It's not an oblivion/morrowind/skyrim clone. You can't enter most doors. Crates are randomly spread out with loot for the grabbing. There is no way to become a better merchant, so your crap always sells for peanuts. Stupid little things like that. But it's ok, because I'm still having fun with the game and the story.
Some of the quests are retarded too. Like you randomly find an item and suddenly it's a side quest. You return it to its owner, or someone interested in it, and you get some xp and a bit of coin. Pointless filler stuff, but harmless.

The thing I disliked the MOST so far is that the game skipped ahead and apparently you've been doing stuff without actually doing it. Like a whole year is ripped from you as you're in service to one group or another. You'll encounter people talking to you, as if you know them, even though you -the player- didn't do anything. I find it irritating the game deprives you of these sequences. It could have been a boat load of fun actually engaging in all these quests that just happened automatically.
Oh and for some reason you didn't get experience for any of it. How lame is that?

I find the reuse of environments and set pieces in poor taste. Bioware is bigger than that. There is no reason they couldn't have all places be totally unique. The guys who made Nehrim managed to craft every single dungeon, cave, house, city and castle to be unique - and they did it in their spare time. Yes, some elements are reused, but not in an overtly obvious way. In DA2, it's painfully obvious at times. I'd wager that Nehrim is much larger than Dragon Age too, which just puts DA2 to shame. So far it was most obvious on Sundermount and the dungeons/caves there.

BUT, even with those negatives, the game still rocks
I'm having a lot of fun with it.
If I had only read the haters, I would probably have skipped on it, but I'm actually enjoying it. I started DA:O and played for a while but had to stop due to other commitments. If I finish DA2 I'll probably go back and play DA:O from start to finish this time, although it honestly might be hard going back to the slower more tedious combat.

One final note on combat, I absolutely love that you can avoid things by just running. Kudos! It makes it possible for a nimble player to get through really bad odds, even when all hope seems lost. Kiting also works beautifully and is a good way of dispatching a few enemies at a time.

 

[pezwitch]

There are many good and bad things that I can say about Dragon Age 2, but what I hate the most is how they managed to butcher one of my favorite characters from Origins, which of couse makes a comeback.

Spoiler

And namely Sandal, not only that he looks like a freaking zombie in Dragon Age 2, they even managed to destroy he's lovable line.

Check it out yourselves, it's horrendous now.

ps: have a little patience with the first video, it will load eventually or try to skip ahead a bit.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOT SANDAL

I died a little inside when I watched those.

Sandal was one of my all-time favorite characters in a video game.

 

[Saelune]

One thing I reeeeally hate...is the stereotype. I am a console gamer. I like controllers and the set up of consoles, but at heart I am more akin to a PC player. So it offends me to be viewed as a meat head who just wants simplicity and action just because I dont like a big keyboard as my controller. Bad enough PC elitists looking down on me, but the devs too, thats just crap.

 

[Jandau]

It's the same game and a bunch of people are nitpicking and overreacting while neglecting the tons of improvements done to the game. People are whiny bitches and DA2 proves it. It's a good game, in many ways better than the first one. The combat is better, the talent system is better, the crafting is better, etc. etc. etc.

As for the forums, go to the forums of ANY major game on the release day/week and you'll see whining crying and moaning. Heck, the sheer level of bile and vitriol that was spewed on the Bioware forums when Origins was released was enough to make me cringe.

Haters be hatin'. Don't mind them.

P.S. In case it's relevant, I'm a PC gamer and I'm playing DA2 on my PC.