Dragon Age, what do you think about the story?

[mentalkitty789]

I am just curious to what other people think of the story. What was lacking, what was done well, and so on. Here are my thoughts.

One thing I don't like in general is how I just don't care about many of the characters. Guards woman, cool. Elf Blood Mage, adorable. Anders, I liked him because he went well with my mage revolutionary other than that not great and... ANDERS WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO THE CHURCH?! Hawke's brother, I wanted to kill you in the final battle. Isabelle, seemed like a whore so I never added her. Hawke's Sister, no idea she died at the start of the story for me. Emo Elf, is emo and joined me in the final fight so i have nothing against the wrist cutter. Rogue Dwarf, you knew he was awesome before playing the game. No comment on the prince because I'm not paying for the Archer. I also just didn't care for most of the romances. Whore,Crazy Elf, Mage, or Emo? I went with the elf because I liked crazy the most...and I'm not gay.

In the opening I would have like some time in Lothering, to see what else was going on in the town after the Warden passed through. I personally didn't like how it skipped to you already fleeing. Also how it immediately kills one of your family off! I was pissed off when the game stuck me with my pain in the ass brother. I would have liked to get to know my family a bit and choose who I could save from the Ogre.

Arrival in Kurkwall, I didn't really care about mercs or smugglers. So I chose the criminals, being an apostate already. No real comments.
Pre & During the expedition, I had no problems early on. I was just making money to get to the expedition. Although when I kept meeting people who were all like 'hey buddy!' I was annoyed because it is basically made me think 'Who are you stalker?!'.
After you get some status again I didn't have that many problems. I think each part of the story did well enough on its own. It is bloody annoying that you can't really pick a side. No matter what you did you were stuck in the middle.

The crazy murderer who chased down your mother was a bit of fun. It wasn't big like a war or something like that, but he was a necromancer! The worse necromancer I've ever seen but still. I love controlling the undead.
The Templar Mage crisis. It REALLY pissed me off at this point how you were forced in the middle. I was obviously on the side of the Mages.. I mean I WAS A MAGE! Seriously who the hell would think I worked for the Templar? Still at the end I hate that you HAVE to Kill the First Enchanter, and the Knight-Commander. Pretty much a majority of important people were killed off. It was kind of annoying to me.

Finally I think the game had a bit too much fighting. Odd complaint to some, but this is an rpg. My guy was meant to be the persuasive revolutionary mage. No matter what I said, no matter how obvious I was on their side I kept having to bloody fight people! I don't know if it is because they people making the game were lazy, or they couldn't fit in on the dialogue wheel. Still it pissed me off. Also when it came to the endings... They sucked. Really I would have loved it if they did the paragraphs again. I wanted to know generally what happened after everything I've done. Still the story always felt that not matter what choices you made it forced you along the set path. It was all there for a little fluff, nothing more. That really annoyed me.
I found the gameplay better because I was playing on the 360. The more action-like approach was pretty good.

Still what does everyone else think? I think the game is worthy of being a Bioware game, and is above the average rpg. Still it was lacking quite a bit, the idea of the story was good, they just failed to tell it right. At least in my opinion.

Edit: Also I did really like the game. This is just all my complaints about it really. The game still I had a lot of good, but if you don't talk about what is wrong you're not dealing with the problem are you?

 

[Hader]

I loved the story. What I loved most was how different things really can be between any two playthroughs. I think it branches more than Mass Effect ever allowed. I have two playthroughs now, and for both of them I imported the same Origins save, and nearly halfway through the second playthrough I have many differences in my story already.

As far as specifics go, I can't say much without spoiling it all, though at the same time, it's an obvious undertone of Templars vs Mages throughout the entire game. Interesting, I think. Though the ending was a bit unexpected in some ways.

 

[Zhukov]

Paragraphs. For the love of all things holy, paragraphs.

Yes, I know it's the internet, but unless you're 11 years old that's no excuse.

 

[mentalkitty789]

Paragraphs. For the love of all things holy, paragraphs.

Yes, I know it's the internet, but unless you're 11 years old that's no excuse.

There I made the spaces more noticeable, happy? I was just focusing on getting this down. If you intend to answer the question then answer it. If not...Why are you wasting your time with this comment?

I loved the story. What I loved most was how different things really can be between any two playthroughs. I think it branches more than Mass Effect ever allowed. I have two playthroughs now, and for both of them I imported the same Origins save, and nearly halfway through the second playthrough I have many differences in my story already.

As far as specifics go, I can't say much without spoiling it all, though at the same time, it's an obvious undertone of Templars vs Mages throughout the entire game. Interesting, I think. Though the ending was a bit unexpected in some ways.

Even when things played out noticeably different. They just always seemed to have the same ending to me. You end up killing the leaders of both sides. At least that stood out to me with the grand finale. Still I've only played through once so far. I will admit it had great moments, like what Anders did to the Grand Mother or whatever her title was.

 

[GotMalkAvian]

I really like the story in DAII, perhaps even moreso than the story in DA:O. I think for me the smaller setting gives the story a much more personal feel; Hawke's rarely more than a few blocks from his (or her) family and you get to see the city change and react to Hawke's actions in a way that the larger map in DA:O never really allowed.

As for the characters, I think they're about on par with DA:O, maybe a bit better. I've got a few characters that I don't really care about, but I find the others really compelling. There's something horribly tragic about just how much Merrill alienates herself from her clan in the pursuit of Dalish history, and I can't remember his name, but the "emo elf," for me at least, provides a wonderful contrast to most of my party's (my Hawke, included) "mages are the best!" attitude.

I'll agree that there's way too much fighting after every confrontation; it really should be possible to talk your way out of at least a few fights. Hell, Fallout: New Vegas let you talk your way out of the final boss fights if your skill was maxed out, and Mass Effect let you talk the final boss into shooting himself in the head.

I'll also agree that Hawke seems stuck in the middle a lot of the time, and there don't seem to be too many opportunities to take a major stand one way or another. The first game was built around these sorts of conflicts (pretty much every major quest line ended with a "this side or that side" decision) even if the choices didn't really seem to make much difference in the end.

All in all, I'm enjoying DAII. It's a very different game from the first one, and I'm wondering if it would've been better received had BioWare simply released it as a new IP instead of a parallel to the events of Origins.

 

[Vaeren]

I loved the story! I especially loved how no matter what option or path I wanted to take I got shoehorned into slaughtering everything and everyone in my close vicinity, including their babies. (Hah! I killed your father 10 years ago, and now I kill joo!) I really loved that I was forced to give a shit about the mages one way or another for the first time in two games. I also loved that I could wander around the city launching nuclear firestorms and then go "Mages? What are those?" to almost every NPC in the game. The Knight-Commander being the sole exception.

Honestly, the game felt like it was on rails pretty much from the get-go, and the side-quests weren't enough for me to feel like I was doing anything but wasting time getting on with the main plot.

As for my party, I could have given a rats ass about any of them... High and mighty guardswoman was just there to keep the rabble away from me while I rained firey death from above like a vengeful god. The others were similarly engaged with dragging random things out of line of sight(conveniently out of firey death range as well) and getting raped by subsequent spawns. Honestly they spent more time on the floor than actually helping me, and while their little spats of bitching at one another were sorta amusing, the times where I could hear them were pretty few and far between. Pretty much relegated to times when I had to start at one end of the map and haul ass to the other. Which also meant they were interrupted more often than not and I was left with jokes without punchlines.


Edit: Stealth Edit

 

[Elamdri]

Paragraphs. For the love of all things holy, paragraphs.

Yes, I know it's the internet, but unless you're 11 years old that's no excuse.

There I made the spaces more noticeable, happy? I was just focusing on getting this down. If you intend to answer the question then answer it. If not...Why are you wasting your time with this comment?

Because proper formatting should always be encouraged.


Dragon Age 2's story was good, but it was a different type of story from Dragon Age: Origins. Origins had the faceless evil of the Darkspawn horde underscoring the human conflict in the game. That is absent from 2. I don't particularly mind it, but I can see where some are unhappy.

 

[mentalkitty789]

As for my party, I could have given a rats ass about any of them... High and mighty guardswoman was just there to keep the rabble away from me while I rained firey death from above like a vengeful god. The others were similarly engaged with dragging random things out of line of sight(conveniently out of firey death range as well) and getting raped by subsequent spawns. Honestly they spent more time on the floor than actually helping me, and while their little spats of bitching at one another were sorta amusing, the times where I could hear them were pretty few and far between. Pretty much relegated to times when I had to start at one end of the map and haul ass to the other. Which also meant they were interrupted more often than not and I was left with jokes without punchlines.


Edit: Stealth Edit

I can agree for the most part I didn't care about anyone. I would have liked the guardswoman but I couldn't romance her so...fuck you Bioware? The little conversations while walking around are not as good true. I did see one or two I liked. At end game the Elf Blood Mage wants to know 'how this story will end' I found it kinda cute. Also when Anders and the Dwarf talk torture fantasies.
I didn't really care for Anders as a character. I only liked him when you play as a radical revolutionary mage. Seriously when he made church go boom I liked him for a moment. I also liked Merril the elf blood mage. I think when it comes to her and Anders though the fact they are mages makes me biased in their favor. Mages are my favorite class in almost any fantasy mage.

Because proper formatting should always be encouraged.


Dragon Age 2's story was good, but it was a different type of story from Dragon Age: Origins. Origins had the faceless evil of the Darkspawn horde underscoring the human conflict in the game. That is absent from 2. I don't particularly mind it, but I can see where some are unhappy.

Yes it should.

Also I didn't mind the Darkspawn being gone that much. They weren't the focus of this story and that was perfectly fine, at least to me it was. I enjoyed the game overall... The ridiculous amount of apostates and blood mages and abominations made me shake my head a bit though.

 

[Vaeren]

Yes it should.

Also I didn't mind the Darkspawn being gone that much. They weren't the focus of this story and that was perfectly fine, at least to me it was. I enjoyed the game overall... The ridiculous amount of apostates and blood mages and abominations made me shake my head a bit though.

Yes, why is it EVERY SINGLE MAGE IN THE GAME GOES FUCKING BONKERS? Except the main character of course, because they can never be anything but a level-headed tosser.

Edit: figured out how to quote. Yay me.

 

[Coldie]

There's no story to speak of. The game is just a series of set pieces with little to no connection between them. There are three (largely unrelated) "main plot" stories, one per act, but the majority of the game is random filler side quests. There are no branches in the story, no consequences for your actions, and no decisions more significant than "accept/decline quest" or "accept/remove companion". The entire game's story can (and will) be summarized by showing the Chantry incident in the beginning of the next game.

Sure, some of the set pieces are entertaining, dialogue interesting, party members fun, but the "game" side of the game boils down to series of:
1. Unavoidable combat encounters (that might look avoidable, but you're railroaded into combat anyway).
2. Fetch quests (likely to involve a lot of killing).
And without a unifying story it's just a solo MMORPG grind.

 

[Hader]

There's no story to speak of. The game is just a series of set pieces with little to no connection between them.

No connection? Do I need to summarize and subsequently spoil the enter plotline right here to show how wrong that is?

The connection is not blatant yes, but why the hell should it be? The game takes place over a decade. Things need to build up and do so in a way that doesn't throw the ending in your face from the very start. While to me, it seemed somewhat obvious what road this all was taking, it won't to others, and there's a fair share of plot twists in there as well.

Things are all connected in DA2. I thought that was bloody obvious.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well I am yet to find the story, sofar it was all some sort of sitcom material, lots of personal drama, pedestrian stories and meaningless people to meet but none of that holds any sort of weight.

People do say the real story begins 20 hours in, I'm just not sure if I'll be willing to put it with this flatness for that long.

 

[Vaeren]

There's no story to speak of. The game is just a series of set pieces with little to no connection between them.

No connection? Do I need to summarize and subsequently spoil the enter plotline right here to show how wrong that is?

The connection is not blatant yes, but why the hell should it be? The game takes place over a decade. Things need to build up and do so in a way that doesn't throw the ending in your face from the very start. While to me, it seemed somewhat obvious what road this all was taking, it won't to others, and there's a fair share of plot twists in there as well.

Things are all connected in DA2. I thought that was bloody obvious.

I tend to agree there is a thread of connection between most of the elements of the game, however spouting "It takes place over a decade." doesn't hold alot of weight to me. Pretty much all that says is there was alot of fat that could have been trimmed out of the story and my life could have gotten on alot sooner. It's like a game review saying "this game has alot of polish!" and nothing else. What the fuck is that? Game developer self-reverential masturbation?

 

[Hader]

I tend to agree there is a thread of connection between most of the elements of the game, however spouting "It takes place over a decade." doesn't hold alot of weight to me. Pretty much all that says is there was alot of fat that could have been trimmed out of the story and my life could have gotten on alot sooner. It's like a game review saying "this game has alot of polish!" and nothing else. What the fuck is that? Game developer self-reverential masturbation?

It's supposed to build up to the main plot factor, not all of it is supposed to be directly related to it.

I see where you are coming from but I just think it is a weak excuse, for lack of a better word. In all RPGs, people always scrutinize this 'fat' on the side (i.e., sidequests) as being good and immersive or just a pain in the ass. I think the sidequests are all done well here, and the main plot points early game are just fine as they are. They are essential to the story, to an extent. Would we all like if, in Origins, they took out all of the Origins stories where you meet Duncan, and just throw you into your first mission at Ostagar? I think we would all hate that. But that is basically the same thing as the beginning main plot in 2, its building up your character's origins and how they got to where they made a difference in the world. DA2 may draw that out more, but that's not necessarily bad.

 

[tzimize]

I've done every quest so far and I am a bit into "part 2" I guess (after going into the deep roads and you get back your mansion).

I'm pretty bored with the game, and I actually have to motivate myself to finish it. Quests are mostly dull, companions are mostly uninteresting and the environment is OLD. I am NOT pleased, and it is probably just gonna get worse.

 

[SFMB]

DA2 was an ok hack'n'slash with rpg-elements, but there really wasn't a main storyline, just a series of situations spanning series of years. DA:O was a railroad and this was, too. What I really hated was the end game, the mage/templar-thingy. I wanted to off the Templarbitch right from the beginning, but the game just kept railroading me to other, irrelevant tasks. Guess Dragon Age's concept is not to give the player the moral choice, but to allow him to facilitate the choices how he wants to be the good guy... Hope Biowares next "big thing" will better than this one.

 

[Vaeren]

I see where you are coming from but I just think it is a weak excuse, for lack of a better word. In all RPGs, people always scrutinize this 'fat' on the side (i.e., sidequests) as being good and immersive or just a pain in the ass. I think the sidequests are all done well here, and the main plot points early game are just fine as they are. They are essential to the story, to an extent. Would we all like if, in Origins, they took out all of the Origins stories where you meet Duncan, and just throw you into your first mission at Ostagar? I think we would all hate that. But that is basically the same thing as the beginning main plot in 2, its building up your character's origins and how they got to where they made a difference in the world. DA2 may draw that out more, but that's not necessarily bad.

And yet, if you were to zing through the main plot without hitting the side quests you are forced to go on unless you cheat with money, you wouldn't know 10 years had passed until they beat you over the head with it during the cutscenes. Overall, I found the story pretty pedestrian and not very engaging for a RPG storyline. I was reminded of the recent FFXIIIIIFGGIGIGSDDFFFG, all flash and no pan to hold it all together.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I actually sided with the templars as a mage!!! becuase well...every freaking mage I met had demon issues apart from me :< I was starting to feel a bit insecure don't the demons like me?

The game fails becuase it does not let me have LI with Varric who is clearly the only normal person in Kirkwall. Every desicion I made. I got companion hate except for Varric...<3 I had images of him and my character rolling thier eyes at each other every time the looney companions got upset about me saving someones life.

Also wth at Aveline's 'chin of tank' I just wanted to get her into the character editor all game.

 

[darth.pixie]

It was ...alright, barely. The one in DA:O was more polished yet more cliche and it involved more sides since it took place in different locations.

This one was so focused on mages and templars that with my PC being a mage, I felt like a hypocrite. I went around killing mages and talking to templars and hey ..."why can you fling lightning bolts in the main street? That must be some talent" and left me alone. A few commented on my mageyness but everyone should have considering I wroth mayhem wherever I went.

It wasn't even my story..it was the story of Kirkwall, more like it. And you didn't miss anything with Sebastian..he's very knight like, preachy and bland and he looks like this

Spoiler

The dog...the dog was fun. I wish he'd been in the original game like he should have been.

In retrospect, I should have just bombed Kirkwall with a large firestorm and left. It would have had the same effect.