Dragon Age 2 Demo

[Manchubot]

I played the demo last night and several things really bugged me. I can understand the game being sped up from Origins, but is it just me or is it far too fast? Hawke seems to be on an IV filled with caffeine, sugar, and adrenaline to be able to swing that great sword faster then daggers could ever hoped to have done in Origins. Also when the hordes of darkspawn swarmed in they were flailing there arms so quickly and moving so fast I thought there was a fast forward button I accidentally hit. Also I wondered how is Hawke master of speed and agility able to just be 5 feet away from enemies then teleport right into the mass of them? Action rpgs can be done quite well such as Demon's Souls where weapons and equipment moved at understandable speeds pending on what you used, but everything felt all about flash in DA2, and I felt very little substance. After the demo I am currently debating if I want to take a leap of faith with them, or cancel my reserve.

What did others think about the demo?

 

[Johnnyallstar]

Yeah, I also thought it was very fast, and wasn't as effective in portraying a realistic weight of weapons like Origins.

 

[Cowabungaa]

I was actually very entertained by it, more so than I expected and more so than with Origins (which I am restarted now though, giving it a second chance). I gladly take fun over realistic weapon speeds or something, and DA:O's combat always did feel a bit sluggish to me, especially running to and from enemies.

I was also glad that, while it was faster and more action-oriented, it didn't feel any easier. That second battle with that ogre and his buddies was pretty tough if not handled correctly. I might get this if I find the time.

 

[Stormpigeon]

I played it as a rogue, so fast attacking made at least some sense. I quite enjoyed it. Made for a more fast-paced style of combat. Very different stylistically to origins though. It made it feel less like a direct "copy-everything-we-did-last-time" sequel and more it's own developed game. A little less RPG and a bit more brawler.
I think it could work, but it certainly was VERY different and will probably alienate some fans.

 

[GiantRaven]

Yeah, I also thought it was very fast, and wasn't as effective in portraying a realistic weight of weapons like Origins.

I don't think Dragon Age II needs to adhere completely to reality or standards set my the first game due to it's unreliable narrator perspective.

 

[Legion]

I like the new combat system, but it is a little too over the top I think. It won't stop me enjoying it though.

 

[BeeRye]

The thing I noticed about the demo was that I actually got to push buttons and use skills. This I enjoy. Surely you remember the torment of running out of stamina and having practically no combat regen, leaving you to auto attack for the rest of the fight. If you played anything except a mage you'd be out of stamina in no time, and let's face it, if you played on hard or nightmare you would never be controlling anything other than your mage except to position them and select their next skill during a pause.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

Yeah, I also thought it was very fast, and wasn't as effective in portraying a realistic weight of weapons like Origins.

I don't think Dragon Age II needs to adhere completely to reality or standards set my the first game due to it's unreliable narrator perspective.

That's a good point, but in the end, I assume the Champion will be brought back, and it's going to have to remain the same speed, because you can't throw that kind of curve ball to the players. I dunno, maybe its that I was so out of practice with Dragon Age that I was fumbling with the controls a bit, but it just didn't seem as fluid.

 

[pyrosaw]

I'll write back in six days when it's done pending.

 

[GiantRaven]

That's a good point, but in the end, I assume the Champion will be brought back, and it's going to have to remain the same speed, because you can't throw that kind of curve ball to the players.

Probably, it would be pretty cool if Bioware did throw that though. It would really drive home the disconnect between what would be story in the game and what is actually happening in the game.

 

[Fr]anc[is]

I like it. Maybe they overcompensated a tiny bit, but at least this time the running animations don't look like everyone has a 3 foot steel pipe up their asses. I like the ninja moves of the new rogue too.

 

[JordanXlord]

anc[is]I like it. Maybe they overcompensated a tiny bit, but at least this time the running animations don't look like everyone has a 3 foot steel pipe up their asses. I like the ninja moves of the new rogue too.

lol argeed


Dragon age 2...is actually

the greatest game i have ever played (even tho it is not out yet)

i loved dragon age origins and i can't wait to get my hands on the Actualy copy of Dragon age 2

 

[Ironic Pirate]

I hated it. Don't get me wrong, I love hack-and-slash games, and given the complete lack of good ones on the PS3, I'd accept anything. Or, should I say, almost anything. The combat felt somehow stiff AND light-weight simultaneously, with combat not even as meaty as Dynasty Warriors.

Ugh.

 

[JordanXlord]

The combat was significantly better and a lot more fun (I was playing on the 360).

The writing and voice-acting on the other hand were pretty poor. They were nowhere near the standards set by Origins and Mass Effect 2. Everyone simply sounded disinterested and the dialogue was clunky and unemotional, particularly between the templar and his wife. However, the scenes with the dwarf talking to the Chantry woman were significantly better written and acted, so hopefully the rest of the game will follow suit.

the voice acting poor?

were you also listing to music when playing?

but it is xbox 360 and maybe the voice acting quality in that version is not up to date like the PC version

because i loved the voice acting

(maybe i should try the Xbox360 Demo of it, to see if that is the case)

 

[JordanXlord]

I hated it. Don't get me wrong, I love hack-and-slash games, and given the complete lack of good ones on the PS3, I'd accept anything. Or, should I say, almost anything. The combat felt somehow stiff AND light-weight simultaneously, with combat not even as meaty as Dynasty Warriors.

Ugh.

...

how could you hate it?

Great Story (well even tho it was a demo)

Awesome Combat (Well it is ten times better than origin's combat system)

and Good voice acting

well it manners not that you hate the demo

The actually game might be more than better

 

[USSR]

I'll write back in six days when it's done pending.

The amount of lawl that gave me was unexpected.

OT-The new combat system made it feel.. not-dragon ageish.
After I played through each class, I ended up enjoying it.

It just didn't feel right after first, but it sunk in.
I will still enjoy Dragon Age 2.

 

[x-machina]

I thought the demo was god awful, They took out the tactical RPG aspects in favour of action. But, they didnt even do a good job on the action, there is no dynamic combos like Bayonetta and there is no tactical rpg combat like Baldurs Gate or the original Dragon Age.

They neutered the rpg aspects of their game without really improving anything. Not to mention the lame anime-style they are using.(the oversized fast weapons and flemeth's appearance) I was definitely not impressed.

 

[Terminal Blue]

Is everyone just ignoring that in the first game you could fire an arrow which would split into a theoretically infinate number of smaller arrows on impact and cause people to be stunned? I think that's when realism went out of the window.

because i loved the voice acting

You probably aren't hearing it, but to me the accents sounded really contrived. Origins had a range of accents most of which were soft enough to be believable everyday speech, Dragon Age 2 sounds like everyone was auditioning for a role in Pride and Prejudice.

Once I got over it and especially when they started to fill out the characters it wasn't too bad, but initially I found it slightly uncanny. Ladyhawke in particular sounds like she just got out of charm school.

I thought the demo was god awful, They took out the tactical RPG aspects in favour of action. But, the didnt even do a good job on the action, there is no dynamic combos like bayonetta and there is no tactical rpg combat like Baldurs gate or the original dragon age.

I'm not really seeing what they 'took out' to be honest, despite hearing this many times. Sure, there are fewer abilities but well over half of the abilities in Dragon Age could have been dropped off a bridge for all the help they were in gameplay.

It's also been confirmed that there will be combos, and that they won't just be for mages any more.

 

[Happy Sock Puppet]

I felt like I was more 'involved' in the fight than during Origins. There's more butt kicking, less doing nothing while waiting for cooldowns.

 

[Nixzilla]

alot of people complained on the first game that combat was to slow and this was there answer.
i like it but alot of people are now complaining its to fast