Every once in a while it seems that the whole world is enjoying a masterpiece of a game. It gets great reviews; it gets great sales; it gets great praise from everyone. But when you sit down to play it; it just doesn't gel. Something's off about it, and you just can't say what; but it doesn't push your buttons the same way it does for everyone else. See if you can figure out why.
For me, it was Dragon Age. Part of it might be that I never played Baldur's Gate, but it just didn't work for me. I think it's because of a number of issues.
First off, on the surface, it plays like World of Warcraft. Now, I've had people tell me that it gets insanely strategic at higher difficulties, but it just feels a lot like WoW normally.
Second, it's all new and fancy, so my old desktop couldn't run it. After installing it on my not-at-all gaming laptop, it would boot, but I had to turn all the graphics sliders to 'minimum' to get a decent framerate, so it also now looked like WoW as well. I already play WoW. If I want something that looks and plays like WoW, then I'll just boot up WoW.
You can't blame me for not trying, though. I also picked it up on Xbox360, thinking that maybe the streamlined console presentation would help me get into it. No such luck. The graphics are...unimpressive. I was constantly reminded of Mass Effect during the conversations. Having played KotORs 1 and 2, and then playing Mass Effect, going back to the silent protagonist was not fun. And while Mass Effect's facial animation and graphics are not photo-realistic, they are good enough that I buy into the universe and don't think about it. Sitting through Dragon Age's conversations just made me long for the fluid conversation system of Mass Effect.
Calling it a 'Dark Fantasy' was no lie, whatever Croshaw may have to say. The open monologue of the game tells you how men destroyed heaven. Elves used to be the old forest dwellers, but then humans enslaved them, and they now cling to any vestige of Elven culture they can find. The nature of magic and magi is chilling. The process for becoming a Jedi Kni-err...Grey Warden is shrouded in secrecy for a reason. The main plot revolves around a betrayal. It's all just a little too depressing for my taste.
Certain bits of it are amazingly fun. The first part of the Mage origin story? Superb. But this is a game I gave many chances to, and it still hasn't clicked with me.
So, why don't you 'get' that one game (whatever it may be)?
For me, it was Dragon Age. Part of it might be that I never played Baldur's Gate, but it just didn't work for me. I think it's because of a number of issues.
First off, on the surface, it plays like World of Warcraft. Now, I've had people tell me that it gets insanely strategic at higher difficulties, but it just feels a lot like WoW normally.
Second, it's all new and fancy, so my old desktop couldn't run it. After installing it on my not-at-all gaming laptop, it would boot, but I had to turn all the graphics sliders to 'minimum' to get a decent framerate, so it also now looked like WoW as well. I already play WoW. If I want something that looks and plays like WoW, then I'll just boot up WoW.
You can't blame me for not trying, though. I also picked it up on Xbox360, thinking that maybe the streamlined console presentation would help me get into it. No such luck. The graphics are...unimpressive. I was constantly reminded of Mass Effect during the conversations. Having played KotORs 1 and 2, and then playing Mass Effect, going back to the silent protagonist was not fun. And while Mass Effect's facial animation and graphics are not photo-realistic, they are good enough that I buy into the universe and don't think about it. Sitting through Dragon Age's conversations just made me long for the fluid conversation system of Mass Effect.
Calling it a 'Dark Fantasy' was no lie, whatever Croshaw may have to say. The open monologue of the game tells you how men destroyed heaven. Elves used to be the old forest dwellers, but then humans enslaved them, and they now cling to any vestige of Elven culture they can find. The nature of magic and magi is chilling. The process for becoming a Jedi Kni-err...Grey Warden is shrouded in secrecy for a reason. The main plot revolves around a betrayal. It's all just a little too depressing for my taste.
Certain bits of it are amazingly fun. The first part of the Mage origin story? Superb. But this is a game I gave many chances to, and it still hasn't clicked with me.
So, why don't you 'get' that one game (whatever it may be)?
