Greyah said:
But that wasn't the worst part. She practically invites you to have sex with her no less than five minutes after meeting her.
Bioware, what the *bleep* is this? Seriously.
Le sigh.
Is it really that difficult to view a demo as a cross section? That nice little 45 minute jaunt into the DA2 world is supposed to give you a taste of what the game has to offer. Up until that point you were fleeing the darkspawn, any missions you had were directly related to the main plot. Isabella brought in side quests, and branching progression options. (Find relic/Forget CrimeBosswhosenameIforgetrightnow) It also introduces the character to the rivalry system, as Isabella and Aveline obviously do not get on, hinting at a potential necessity of choosing between them (Bioware did mention you wouldn't be able to be mates with everybody...). And, obviously, brings in the LI factor too.
The narrative in this manner is much more efficient and assimilatable than if they just threw feature after feature at you with bigloud graphical labels. You learn more by subtext.
RedEyesBlackGamer said:
You know, having her as a romance is a bad idea. Most people had sex with her in Origins. You meet her in DA2 before your DA1 character has sex with her. I find it hard to have a romance with someone when I know that later she will have a rockin' foursome with a guy much more awesome than Hawke.
Who's to say when this is? We don't know how they got to Kirkwall, or how long it took them to get there, or how long they spent before getting to Isabella. Remember, this game takes place over 10 years, apparently. DA:O was what, 4 months? Add another 1-2 for Awakening, GoA and Witch hunt? So 6 months at the outside. Barely a footnote against a much more epic tale. Point is
we don't know yet!
I was thinking about the change of models too.
Flemeth is obvious. When you first meet her in DA:O, she is posing as a crazy old witch. Skilled, but seemingly harmless. Then as you speak to Morrigan, her reveal is set up gradually, building to the climax if you choose to fight her. In DA2, there is no need for such a harmless guise. Flemeth is revealed to the Hawkes in the full mantle of her power, the ageless Asha'belannar. The guise of the crone is cast aside, for there is no need for it.
The Darkspawn I'm not sure about. My initial guess is a retcon relating to something to do with the architect's work. You'll notice that the Disciples also appeared more human than their grunt cousins in DA:A. If the Architect's storyline is going to be advanced any further in DA2, this might help with relatability.
Whatever the reason turns out to be, I like the new darkspawn. The old ones were just monsters, but the obvious human lineage of the hurlocks and qunari of the ogres in DA2 suggested the possibility of greater depth to them in this installment.