I just can't stop playing Fallout 4 survival. I've been bopping around in Doom since I got it last Friday (man does that thing feel good to play) but Fallout 4/survival's been getting it's time back more and more the past couple of days.
FillerDmon said:Overwatch. I played the demo just to try it out, because free demo.
I was not expecting to be spending every second of free time I had during that demo period playing, nor expecting to be pre-ordering the game.
Glad you're liking it, as I proselytise the hell out of that game. Given just how short its rushed dev cycle was (something that can genuinely be blamed on EA), I think it's almost miraculous how it turned out (Best Rush-job Ever Made may be an odd accolade to win, but I think it's absolutely true); most rush-jobs sacrifice writing and narrative, but DAII absolutely nailed those aspects, and instead rolled with the - admittedly frustrating - copy/paste level and dungeon design to cut corners.MysticSlayer said:Dragon Age 2 was the latest game. I was actually thinking about skipping it and just playing Inquisition after finishing Origins during my recent attempt to get through all the Dragon Age games. I am really glad I decided to at least try it out.
The combat was the most satisfying I've seen in an RPG, especially for a mage. It's one of the only ones where I've actively sought out combat situations and wanted fights to continue. And the Ancient Rock Wraith boss easily is one of my all-time favorite bosses now.
Beyond that, the characters were some of my favorites from BioWare, even those in the love-to-hate category like Fenris and Petrice. And that really helped make the story one of my favorites, given how small-scale and character-focused it all was. It did one of the best jobs of really giving the sense that you're just following the intertwined stories of a bunch of people in unusual situations that stretches for many years, and it managed to keep the stakes high without relying on a save-the-world plot. Some very well-done references to Origins certainly helped as well.
Overall, I know the game is generally seen as a horrible, lazy effort by BioWare, and I could definitely see where the rushed nature of the game came in. But for how great the combat, story, and characters were, I could easily overlook that, and I would say that the game is among my Top 5 now.
There also seemed to be a lack of side quests. Athenril mentioned that she had smuggling jobs, but none of them appeared in her journal. I only ever saw one Chantry assignment and two assignments for the Mages. Yeah, maybe they never intended to expand those, but it looked like it.Darth Rosenberg said:most rush-jobs sacrifice writing and narrative, but DAII absolutely nailed those aspects, and instead rolled with the - admittedly frustrating - copy/paste level and dungeon design to cut corners.
Yeah, despite all the hints, that somehow still surprised me at the end. I guess I reasoned that the major tragedy was in the way legend and propaganda had rewritten Hawke's story, forcing her to go into hiding. Which, to an extent, that did happen, as Varric and Cassandra's conversations showed. But the realization that Hawke's actions help set in motion her own rise and downfall was a little surprising. Yeah, even if Anders and Meredith could be blamed for a lot of what happened, I do think Varric had a point in putting some of the blame on Hawke.Plus, without spoiling things, DAII's ostensibly The Tragedy Of Hawke...
So I'm guessing Inquisition embraces the "chosen one" narrative as much as the first ten minutes showed? Honestly, that was an instant turn-off to me. I was sort of hoping the narrative would eventually break from it, as the first two Dragon Age games really didn't utilize a chosen one narrative. Yeah, The Warden and Hawke were important people to their world, but there was nothing inherently special about them. To see that The Inquisitor was being treated as a chosen one was a little disappointing. (Not that that'll stop me from playing the game fully when I get access to a better computer.)Valiant and remarkable she may be, but Hawke's no bland destined saviour (something which immediately disappointed me with DA:I).
Do you mean that Hawke, if siding with her getting into Kirkwall, smuggled?MysticSlayer said:There also seemed to be a lack of side quests. Athenril mentioned that she had smuggling jobs, but none of them appeared in her journal.
Well, this is largely about interpretation as well.But the realization that Hawke's actions help set in motion her own rise and downfall was a little surprising. Yeah, even if Anders and Meredith could be blamed for a lot of what happened, I do think Varric had a point in putting some of the blame on Hawke.
I guess that, for all focus on the hero sacrificing themselves for the greater good, few games really embrace a true tragedy, and most that are tragic were either depressing games to begin with or relied on a "crime does not pay" narrative. A grounded (i.e. not overbearingly depressing) narrative that shows its hero subtly embrace the true evil of the narrative is rare, and I felt Dragon Age 2 pulled it off fantastically.
Eh, that might be up to some interpretation as well, frankly. ;-)So I'm guessing Inquisition embraces the "chosen one" narrative as much as the first ten minutes showed? Honestly, that was an instant turn-off to me. I was sort of hoping the narrative would eventually break from it, as the first two Dragon Age games really didn't utilize a chosen one narrative. Yeah, The Warden and Hawke were important people to their world, but there was nothing inherently special about them. To see that The Inquisitor was being treated as a chosen one was a little disappointing. (Not that that'll stop me from playing the game fully when I get access to a better computer.)
Agreed, it's all about how it's done. I adore Morrowind, and that literally states in the dream intro before gameplay that "You... have been chosen". However, Morrowind goes on to deconstruct what a Chosen One might be, in a land where each faction is twisting history and prophesy to suit their ends.And that's not to say I hate chosen one narratives. Zelda has been pulling it off well for years, but it also fits the Zelda universe. Nothing about Dragon Age or its universe really seems to fit with a chosen one story. Heck, even Andraste, who comes the absolute closest to that, still doesn't fit it very well.
No, I'm talking about in Act 1. Athenril gives you a job at the docks. Once completing it, she mentioned that her journal had some extra jobs that you could do for more money, but none ever showed up.Darth Rosenberg said:Do you mean that Hawke, if siding with her getting into Kirkwall, smuggled?MysticSlayer said:There also seemed to be a lack of side quests. Athenril mentioned that she had smuggling jobs, but none of them appeared in her journal.
I agree.Well, this is largely about interpretation as well.
Some could see Hawke as rather pathetically impotent. Others could see her as a hero, championing X. I personally see a character who had good intentions, but was not enough to change or save the world.
Kirkwall is a pivot point in history for grudges going backDragonages. History marches on, and in the midst of it, individuals of all stripes fight for their cause; Hawke is potently capable, and charismatic, but Kirkwall and the mage/Templar wackiness is much greater than she or her group.
Did Hawke exacerbate the situation? Perhaps, but it's impossible to tell. Kirkwall was on the brink well before Hawke fled the Blight, and so in the end I think she did all she could. At least my smart-mouthed 'puckish rogue' (to borrow a line from Saints Row) Hawke did.
Well, I'll see how things go then. What I saw, there were some interesting aspects surrounding the Inquisition itself and how it may play out, and some of the mystery drew me in. I just hated the way they started out presenting the protagonist.However, treading carefully around spoilers; once you've seen the entire story play out from DA:I's first moments to Trespasser's final scenes, it's perhaps misleading to see DA:I as just the narrative of a Because Reasons Chosen One. Arguably, whilst I do think the Inquisitor is the dullest PC BioWare have ever crafted (performed/acted mostly wonderfully, btw, certainly on the female side of the choices), the narrative by the end isn't one of a snowflake and their pantomime adversary, it's a story of an organisation framed by some of the biggest lore reveals in the series.
Well, he sort of directed DS3, for about a year, together with two other directors. Demon's Souls, the first Dark Souls and Bloodborne are the ones he directed on his own, coincidentally the best of the series.Ezekiel said:I love how everybody went on and on about Dark Souls II not being good because Miyazaki was not the director, but then he directs Dark Souls III and the story is blander, the levels seem kind of samey (cathedrals mostly), the world feels just as disconnected compared to the first game, there is more borrowed from the previous games, including armors, enemies and characters (Andre of Astora has no reason to be alive. You can kill him and take his hammer in the first game.), the dodge is downgraded and it isn't as balanced and versatile with its character building. I hope FromSoftware lets the director of Dark Souls II make another game. A different point of view from another director is what the series needed. Dark Souls III seems more content staying the same.