Dragon Age 2... WTF???

[AlternatePFG]

Loading a save kinda like in ME2 seems cool, cept that it's not your character you bring back, but your choices. I wonder how big of an impact they'll have, since some of them were pretty significant.

Also 360/PS3 versions will have different combat than the PC version, which makes sense.

 

[Nosense]

I really hope they aren't taking away character customization, otherwise there is little character attachment and world immersion. But that's not to say I don't have faith in Bioware's prowess for story and character immersion. Jade Empire only gave you 3 different character styles to chose from and it was still an epic game to play.

 

[Nimzabaat]

The people who liked Mass Effect and hated Mass Effect 2 were a very vocal minority. I loved both.

Dragon Age 2 will make changes, probably for the better, possibly for the worse.
Full voice acting makes for a far more immersive game.
I'd very much like some variety in the sequel. They already released the same game with newer plot, it was called Awakening. Changes are welcome in my book.

Well, that's the thing. Many fans of DA:O liked not having a voice because it was more immersive. Having my character speak for me is not immersive. All they would have to do is make the character emote in context to a scene, which they had to a limited extent in Origins.

And a return to the Warden wouldn't necessarily have the same plot. Just because he's a Warden doesn't mean he can only fight Darkspawn. In fact, the epilogues state he just up and leaves with no explanation, Darkspawn not withstanding.

Let's look at the facts: ME1 was much loved. ME2 was also much loved. However, ME2 had some major changes from ME1, and the fandom cried foul. ME3 is announced to return to those RPG elements left out of ME2. DA:O was a record-setting blockbuster. DA2 is changing everything that made DA:O different from the other RPGs. The fandom cries foul. What are the chances that DA3 will be a return to those RPG elements left out of DA2?

You, sir or madam, have given me hope. I was completely unaware that ME3 was going "back to it's roots" read "back to the points that made the first game great". That is awesome. It seems a strange departure to have that as a marketing strategy, but if it means the fans skip DA2 and we get a truly awesome DA3 to make up for it... well I guess i'm in. (Did I mention that DA2 feels an awful lot like Elder Scrolls Redguard?).

 

[StarCecil]

http://www.oxm.co.uk/article.php?id=18111

Redguard was a horrendous flop. I've never played it, but by its reputation it is the antithesis of everything a Bethesda game is. Although, the one good thing about it was that they never tried something similar ever again.

 

[Bullfrog1983]

Looks like a lot of people are "rolling" a troll around here.

The best thing about Dragon Age was character costumization , and they are taking it away=(

Exactly. If they do in fact take away the ability to have a different race/name for your character I'd be really disappointed.

 

[adrian_exec]

So let me guess this straight, in Dragon Age 2 BioWare will be giving us the option to import our old characters but NOT allow us to play them?!

Can I ask then whats the point of importing characters?

the second chapter will be an entirely new game set in a completely different part of the world

So they want to offer "an entirely new game", why not just drop the import character thing and save it for Dragon Age 3 or something? Since Dragon age 2 doesn't feel like a sequel but more like a totally new game. And who needs the story and the choices you made in a totally different game from the first one?!

 

[DustyDrB]

I felt like the story of the Grey Wardens was kind of finished anyway. If any character deserves more of a spotlight in the next game, it's Morrigan. For all the pissing and moaning about Bioware making this game too might like Mass Efffect, people sure seem to want the Dragon Age franchise to center around the player character in Origins the way Mass Effect centers around Shepard.

 

[Calum_M]

Threads like these make me disappointed to consider myself a part of a gamer community.

The game isn't out yet. They haven't released anywhere near enough information about to for you to draw any accurate conclusions. Why worry?

 

[AWDMANOUT]

I feel kinda pushed by Bioware. I mean c'mon guys, I haven't even beaten the first one yet...

Have you seen the newest Game Informer? They make it look pretty good.

 

[cocoadog]

So basically you're saying that you despise the human race and you would much rather be an orc? That makes perfect sense curse you bioware and you're anti inter-species erotica stance!

 

[RatRace123]

I loved ME1 and I loved ME2, slightly less so, but I still loved it a whole lot.

But I am disappointed about the direction DA2 is taking. No playable elves? WTF!?

 

[Durxom]

Wait a sec...being a fan of JRPGs myself..didn't Bioware say a bit ago that JRPGs aren't "real RPGS" by their definition...and now they are making a game which is more like a JRPG?

A bit hypocritical aren't you, Bioware.

 

[Fidelias]

I'm going to put my two cents in here.
I'm also one of the gamers who loved BOTH Mass Effect 1 and 2. Others have already written down the reasons, just look at them.

Now, I didn't hate, or love, DAO. Sure, it had customization, and story, and all that. But really, I didn't think the story was THE BEST STORY OF ALL TIME. And story was the ONLY thing, I felt, that made it good.

First of all, the combat. I had a horrible time getting through the game. Now, I suck at video games. But the problem with the combat wasn't that it was difficult, it was unpredictable. You could face a dragon as tall a building a defeat it in two seconds, but then you get swarmed by four darkspawn and you get destroyed. It was just very annoying trying to find the right difficulty level.

The other thing I had problems with was the items. The inventory system was actually good, better than most rpg's. But I still kept getting loaded up with tons of items that would take me 15 minutes to sort through.

Also, I like having a fleshed-out character for my single-player games. The more choices you can make regarding your characters history and such provides issues with story elements. I think stuff like that should stick with the mmo's.
As Gralian said, I never really had any motivation to kill the darkspawn.

 

[Knight Templar]

...people sure seem to want the Dragon Age franchise to center around the player character in Origins the way Mass Effect centers around Shepard.

Thats not going to happen. They've said Thedas is going to be the thing that ties Dragon Age games together in the same way Shepard is the thing that ties Mass Effect games together (but they might stay with ME after shepards story is finished).

I don't really mind if the world is about more than you.

 

[StarCecil]

I felt like the story of the Grey Wardens was kind of finished anyway. If any character deserves more of a spotlight in the next game, it's Morrigan. For all the pissing and moaning about Bioware making this game too might like Mass Efffect, people sure seem to want the Dragon Age franchise to center around the player character in Origins the way Mass Effect centers around Shepard.

The issue is twofold:
1. They are changing things about the game that take it away from the style of DA:O, things that got a lot of praise and made it one their most successful titles.

2. The story of the Warden has no ending. I don't want it to revolve around the Warden (and note, the problem is they're making the GAMEPLAY like ME) and it shouldn't, but at least provide my Warden with an ending. I got the shaft on this one, because all signs pointed to a continuation of his story.

 

[Knight Templar]

2. The story of the Warden has no ending. I don't want it to revolve around the Warden (and note, the problem is they're making the GAMEPLAY like ME) and it shouldn't, but at least provide my Warden with an ending. I got the shaft on this one, because all signs pointed to a continuation of his story.

Why is the Wardens story without an ending? What makes you say that?

 

[StarCecil]

2. The story of the Warden has no ending. I don't want it to revolve around the Warden (and note, the problem is they're making the GAMEPLAY like ME) and it shouldn't, but at least provide my Warden with an ending. I got the shaft on this one, because all signs pointed to a continuation of his story.

Why is the Wardens story without an ending? What makes you say that?

Unless you die in Origins, import your Warden into Awakening, and side with the Architect, then there is no actual conclusion. And even if you do all that each Awakening epilogue will say something to effect of "He one day vanished but everyone agrees that his tale is not yet complete..."

My own epilogues went as thus:
"He chased after Morrigan but she proved impossible to find. If he ever saw her again, it wasn't for years. A woman matching her description was seen heading west over the Frostbacks, possibly with child."
"The Darkspawn retreated to the Deep Roads to continue looking for the Old Gods."
"He remained as commander at Vigil's Keep for a few years more until one day he left without a trace. No one knows where he went but they all agree that his tale is not yet complete..."

More than that, I pursued the Romance with Morrigan, and at the end when she gives her offer of the Ritual, even if she's in love with the Warden, she refuses to tell him what her plans are with the child, where she's going or even why it is she wants to do the ritual (though she will state that saving your life makes her want to do it more).

The only ending an Orlesian Warden can get is that he returns to Orlais where there are rumors of another Blight and he is never seen again.

Otherwise, there are several loose plot threads and the heavy implication that he's off to do something else. That's not an ending. "He stayed at Vigil's Keep for decades until his Calling and went to the Deep Roads" is an ending.

If you aren't going to give the Warden a proper ending, then why would you later state that you won't revisit his story?

 

[Knight Templar]

snip

You want your Warden to die or otherwise be unable to produce future stories? The story does end, it just doesn't tie off every possible loose end. Baldur's Gate ended, and it didn't need to kill your character to finish.
The Blight ends, and it was the focus of the plot.

EDIT: Do you Think Star Wars ends? Do you think Fallout ends?

 

[StarCecil]

Neither Star Wars or Fallout end, but their characters have decidedly conclusive tales. Or their tales just don't end; I think Luke Skywalker's still kicking around in the expanded universe.

My Warden had personal problems to take care of, and headed out to do so. Whether or not he does, if he dies along the way, if he fails, all that is left up in the open. In fact, it's left ambiguous whether or not the Blight is over, with the Orlesian Warden leaving his command to go to Orlais and never be seen again despite rumors of another Blight.

Even a character that marries the king/queen get the "He left and never returned, adventure is not yet complete..." ending. There's no clear conclusion one way or another. At least at the end of Fallout it's clear that he's solved all his problems and has just to live the rest of his life (And it's revealed in Fallout 2 that he/she established a village and had kids).

Sure the universe persists, but the Warden is the only character without an actual ending (though I suppose Morrigan, too, to a degree). Solve it with DLC, a flier, something. Don't just leave it up in the air, with heavy sequel implications and then say "Oh, well, his story isn't the focus".

Jesus, the only way to get closure - the only way - is to die fighting the Archdemon, come back to life to play Awakening, and side with the friggin' guy responsible for the Blight. Even then, you'll get the "He took off..." ending.

 

[shadow skill]

First off ME2 was a gigantic waste with respect to the plot. It could have been about trying to recover Shepard's body and racing the collectors/Shadow Broker to the prize, instead we got a joke of a plot with a lame deus ex machina to allow them to change the cast and still have Shepard be "in control." The council had to still be completely fucking useless just for Shepard to own more etc.,the plot was largely trash when it comes right down to it. Thank god the game is still mostly fun to play though.

DA:O had worse combat than either ME or ME2 and both those games had trash combat systems. The thing about DA:O is that it had all of the problems I see routinely with PC RPGs with real-time combat systems. Where as ME and ME2 were and are quite terrible at being third-person shooters. DA:O was par for the course in that its melee combat system was not only clunky, but animated rather poorly. Micromanaging everyone was also a pain in the ass not because the menus were not good (Unlike Mass Effect when the menus were trash.) but because there was just too much loot and not enough space, and trying to make sure everyone did what you needed them to during a fight and keeping track of everything was just an exercise in information overload.

As much as I hated going into the Fade because it was a maze, the combat was actually better there because I was alone and did not have to deal with three other people. I'm all for revamping the terrible combat in DA:O but after experiencing what Bioware calls streamlining in ME2 I'm not going to hold my breath for something that actually turns out markedly better than the last game.

I am of the opinion that if you are going to use real-time combat systems then the combat itself should be what determines victory rather than stats etc that invite ten trillion menu screens. If I need to stop the action because I feel like I'm going to lose my mind then there is little point to having a real-time system.