Preview: What's New in Dragon Age II

[voetballeeuw]

I loved playing DA:O, but I had serious problems with the difficulty. I went to each location in the correct order, but certain places were still difficult. On one character I quickly passed through the Deep Roads, but on another I faced serious problems. So as long as this is addressed, I'll enjoy it even more.

Also angel wings with dialogue options? I can't feel like a bad ass warrior choosing dialogue options with angel wings.

Seriously though, chill out.

Sorry man.. but, no.

As long as I see this type of gameplay being lauded as the best thing since sliced bread, and having the audacity to call itself a 'real' RPG, then I'll be here raging away and trying to avoid the banhammer long enough to make my point... over and over again if I'm not being heard or understood the first time.

THEY ARE KILLING MY GAMES :<

Could you go and create your own thread, where other people can post their opinions about the lack of ingenuity in mainstream games? This thread is about DAII not about Bioware's story flaws.

 

[Seneschal]

or better yet Planescape: Torment,

Oh fuck, you're one of THEM, aren't you? That crazy *****-ass cult that's been coming out of the woodwork all this month to verbally rape me and anybody else that likes BioWare games, and then gush and gush about Planescape and all the other half-finished piles of Black and Gray morality bullshit from Black Isle and its demonic bastard children Troika and Obsidian. Well, no more! I've been letting you nightmarish creatures torment me for too long, but I shall not tolerate your presence! Therefore, I SAY TO THEE:

If you don't like the game, please kindly leave the thread and do not come back.

OT: Well, that relieves my fears a lot Susan. I've been having some big fears about the weird changes this game's making. If you've played it, can you confirm if the darkspawn are as stupidly cartoony as they look in the concept art?

Wow... I and people lke me are the 'raper's' but it's you who can't even stand to see a different point of view written on your screen?

Yeah.. guess how relevent your screaming abdab witisms are.

I'm not sure he was entirely serious. Planescape: Torment is widely regarded as one of the high points of videogame writing, the only problem being that the format is a bit... unfriendly. I didn't have a problem with the tons of text, but I also couldn't exactly binge-game it for 10 hours straight.

However, imagine Torment in the modern era, with 3D character models, facial animations, characters and camera moving around like in a cutscene, voice-acting, etc. - completely and utterly impractical and never going to happen. You cannot begrudge the industry for wanting to implement new technology, especially since the old one relied heavily on imagination and suspension of disbelief, something that isn't universal in today's wider audience.

 

[CJ1145]

Wow... I and people lke me are the 'raper's' but it's you who can't even stand to see a different point of view written on your screen and aren't even willing to post an arguement, eloquent or not, in favour of your point of view, but you want us all gone?.. I have the feeling we make you inadequate.

Yeah.. guess how relevent your screaming abdab witisms are.

Hm, before I respond I'd like to make a list.

*lke
*arguement
*relevent
*abdab
*witism

On to to the topic at hand, and first I'd like to very much state thank you, I was afraid that you might be an affable person with a sense of humor and I might end up tolerating you. Those fears are alleviated, as your sense of humor was clearly left at the door, if it was there to begin with. On, then, to further matters: if you dislike the game I have no trouble with letting you carry on with those opinions, what confuses me is the fact that you and so many others like you have recently decided as if through some Black Isle-based Hive Mind to force your opinions on others like a bunch of nerdy Inquisitors.

 

[Velocirapture07]

This pisses me off so damn much. No offense to Susan who was reviewing the game, but I refuse to believe some of the stuff that the bioware guy said. "Lots of people didn't like the silent protagonist"....UM WHAT? Dao was game of the year and a best seller. The game was "old schooly" but that's one of the reasons I think it was successful.

There was no need to rewrite the book with the next installment, just fix the problems from the first one going forward. I think Bioware really kicked the can this time. There is no reason why DA had to be another Mass Effect.

I LOVE mass effect. But not all games have to be the same! The only excuse I can see (which bioware will never admit) is the money reason. But even that doesn't seem to make sense considering the unanticipated success of DAo with all its flaws...

Long story short I'm not buying this game. No matter how much everyone tells me it's better and how great it is, there is no excuse for such a dramatic shift. Dragon age didn't need fully voiced player characters to tell a good story, no game does. The loss of choice and customization is just too much for me. Try again bioware...

 

[Fumbleumble]

I loved playing DA:O, but I had serious problems with the difficulty. I went to each location in the correct order, but certain places were still difficult. On one character I quickly passed through the Deep Roads, but on another I faced serious problems. So as long as this is addressed, I'll enjoy it even more.

Also angel wings with dialogue options? I can't feel like a bad ass warrior choosing dialogue options with angel wings.

Seriously though, chill out.

Sorry man.. but, no.

As long as I see this type of gameplay being lauded as the best thing since sliced bread, and having the audacity to call itself a 'real' RPG, then I'll be here raging away and trying to avoid the banhammer long enough to make my point... over and over again if I'm not being heard or understood the first time.

THEY ARE KILLING MY GAMES :<

Could you go and create your own thread, where other people can post their opinions about the lack of ingenuity in mainstream games? This thread is about DAII not about Bioware's story flaws.

No, but it IS about the adeqacies or inadequacies of this one.. and it all amounts to the same.

But again with the people who, rather than extole the virtues of their point of view, just want all opposing insights gone.

Anyway.. why not keep it all in one place rather than cluttering up the forum with more... I'm sure that behaviour certainly would draw mod wrath.

Surely you lovers of this kind of thing aren't so threatened by my lone voice in the wilderness? Maybe it's that you know full well your arguements are on rather shaky ground and don't want that ground tested to extensively, no?

 

[Hargrimm]

I really don't get this shift from DA. I mean, we already have mass effect, why do the same thing again? Wasn't DA supposed to be return to the golden age of RPGs?

snip

Spoken like a true BRO.
...........
...................__
............./´¯/'...'/´¯¯`·¸
........../'/.../..../......./¨¯\
........('(...´...´.... ¯~/'...')
.........\.................'...../
..........''...\.......... _.·´
............\..............(

 

[Fumbleumble]

or better yet Planescape: Torment,

Oh fuck, you're one of THEM, aren't you? That crazy *****-ass cult that's been coming out of the woodwork all this month to verbally rape me and anybody else that likes BioWare games, and then gush and gush about Planescape and all the other half-finished piles of Black and Gray morality bullshit from Black Isle and its demonic bastard children Troika and Obsidian. Well, no more! I've been letting you nightmarish creatures torment me for too long, but I shall not tolerate your presence! Therefore, I SAY TO THEE:

If you don't like the game, please kindly leave the thread and do not come back.

OT: Well, that relieves my fears a lot Susan. I've been having some big fears about the weird changes this game's making. If you've played it, can you confirm if the darkspawn are as stupidly cartoony as they look in the concept art?

Wow... I and people lke me are the 'raper's' but it's you who can't even stand to see a different point of view written on your screen?

Yeah.. guess how relevent your screaming abdab witisms are.

I'm not sure he was entirely serious. Planescape: Torment is widely regarded as one of the high points of videogame writing, the only problem being that the format is a bit... unfriendly. I didn't have a problem with the tons of text, but I also couldn't exactly binge-game it for 10 hours straight.

However, imagine Torment in the modern era, with 3D character models, facial animations, characters and camera moving around like in a cutscene, voice-acting, etc. - completely and utterly impractical and never going to happen. You cannot begrudge the industry for wanting to implement new technology, especially since the old one relied heavily on imagination and suspension of disbelief, something that isn't universal in today's wider audience.

Lol.. I've put far more than 10 hours straight into that game

And yeah, yet again you make a very salient point, however I'm not sure you can lay all the credit (or blame) at the door of the graphical design.. it would certainly be different in a 3D engine, that I can't agrue with, however I have a feeling that the satisfaction of depth, storyline and immersion would probably (?) be on a level par, if not the exactitudes of actual gameplay.

 

[Fumbleumble]

I really don't get this shift from DA. I mean, we already have mass effect, why do the same thing again? Wasn't DA supposed to be return to the golden age of RPGs?

snip

Spoken like a true BRO.
...........
...................__
............./´¯/'...'/´¯¯`·¸
........../'/.../..../......./¨¯\
........('(...´...´.... ¯~/'...')
.........\.................'...../
..........''...\.......... _.·´
............\..............(

Dude

Keep the faith.

 

[Susan Arendt]

I don't think it was very professional to crap all over DA1. It wasn't pretty but it wasn't butt ugly and I was plainly aware of my character's race. Also: I don't see why the character is referred to as 'silent' and being without personality. Your main character takes on whatever character and voice you, the player, give him or her. From a vocal sociopath, to a well mannered murderer to a silver-tongued angel of mercy. Saying the main character of DA is without personality is synonymous with saying you personally have no personality.

Two things: First, I chose DA:O as my favorite game of the year last year, so clearly I enjoyed it a great deal. Also, the "crapping all over it", as you put it, were comments echoed by the developers themselves, if not actual quotes from them.

Secondly, I never said the character didn't have a personality, so I'm not sure where you're getting that. The silence also wasn't something I personally took issue with, though I did always find it rather awkward when something big and dramatic was happening, and you were just sort of standing there.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

Don't care..

Everyone trots out the same tired old BS about Bioware's 'excellent' writing....

Well I say you're all just sheep bleating away and that you wouldn't know HONESTLY good writing if it bit you on the arse.

I mostly agree with you, but the whole "sheep" thing has to stop. For one thing, sheep are actually fairly intelligent. For another, it doesn't make you look smart, it makes you seem irritating. Seriously, it's extremely annoying.

PLAYS BETTER?

Susan confirmed for a console peon.

Tell me, are you proud of that comment? I'd like to know. Someone has the utter gall to prefer playing videogames in a different format than you?!?!. They're obviously less intelligent than you, because everyone knows video-game choice is a primary indication of intelligence. Mensa is even considering replacing it's IQ tests with a simple Console or PC quiz.


Never mind the fact that she's played the game, and you haven't. For all you know, it does play better.

 

[Buchichu]

Fumbleumble, quit trying to start shit - what's your definition or "original" anyway? Pretty much every story, every game, every movie, every book - it's all been done before in some way. It's how you take that typical story and make it your own. DA:O accomplished this by doing what they always do, creating an environment and amazing characters that grab and hold your attention and make you WANT to engage further. I'm sorry to tell you, but the FACT is, DA:O did very, very, very well and the praise is not unjustified just because YOU happen to disagree. YOU are in the minority, friend, and that's the only point I HAVE to make in response to your post.

We're all entitled to our opinions. S oyou're not a fan of Bioware writing, here's a newsflash: no one is forcing you to buy it. Go play Uncharted 2 or something. At least you get to listen to Alistair's sexy, sexy voice. God damn, that trumps anything negative you have to say anyway ^________^

 

[Hosker]

As long as I see this type of gameplay being lauded as the best thing since sliced bread, and having the audacity to call itself a 'real' RPG, then I'll be here raging away and trying to avoid the banhammer long enough to make my point... over and over again if I'm not being heard or understood the first time.

So opinions that are different to yours?

Wow... I and people lke me are the 'raper's' but it's you who can't even stand to see a different point of view written on your screen

I sounds like you're the one who can't stand to see different points of view, or you wouldn't be trolling the thread saying how you hate how everyone likes it so much. If you don't like the damn games don't play them. It's not affecting you in any way.

 

[Fumbleumble]

Fumbleumble, quit trying to start shit - what's your definition or "original" anyway? Pretty much every story, every game, every movie, every book - it's all been done before in some way. It's how you take that typical story and make it your own. DA:O accomplished this by doing what they always do, creating an environment and amazing characters that grab and hold your attention and make you WANT to engage further. I'm sorry to tell you, but the FACT is, DA:O did very, very, very well and the praise is not unjustified just because YOU happen to disagree. YOU are in the minority, friend, and that's the only point I HAVE to make in response to your post.

We're all entitled to our opinions. S oyou're not a fan of Bioware writing, here's a newsflash: no one is forcing you to buy it. Go play Uncharted 2 or something. At least you get to listen to Alistair's sexy, sexy voice. God damn, that trumps anything negative you have to say anyway ^________^

Yeah.. you lost me a starting shit.

I'm allowed an opinion, even as strong a one as I have. If you're all allowed to jump up and down and squee til your hearts content, then I'm allowed to be the ciggerette butt of dissension in your beer

All the personal hatred here seems to be coming from, what YOU would consider to be the voices of reason.

 

[Fumbleumble]

As long as I see this type of gameplay being lauded as the best thing since sliced bread, and having the audacity to call itself a 'real' RPG, then I'll be here raging away and trying to avoid the banhammer long enough to make my point... over and over again if I'm not being heard or understood the first time.

So opinions that are different to yours?

Wow... I and people lke me are the 'raper's' but it's you who can't even stand to see a different point of view written on your screen

I sounds like you're the one who can't stand to see different points of view, or you wouldn't be trolling the thread saying how you hate how everyone likes it so much. If you don't like the damn games don't play them. It's not affecting you in any way.

Yes.. I do argue against points of view that aren't my own.. what's your point. At least I'm not telling you all to leave.... and now I'm even being called a troll, dispite my arguements being of far more relevence to an actual discussion than most of the 'reasonable bunch'.....

It's my experience that things only start to go this badly when one side feels it's own end.. and I'm not the one getting 'bad'

 

[paragon1]

''Even on the Xbox 360''... - Oh lord, take cover, the trolls! they are coming!

Yeah, I read that and went, "Um, probably not the best phrase."

On Topic: They are fixing the two things that bothered me. The visuals (how many times did my character's head twitch when he was trying to look somewhere, or her hand go through her forehead instead of just rubbing her brow?) and the dialogue. I was a bit miffed when I got to choose a voice, and then my character never actually TALKED!
I'm more intrigued by the story however. How is there another Blight so soon? What happened with the events in Awakening? Where are the Wardens? So many questions...really looking forward to this.

EDIT: Good Lord, there's a lot of hate in this thread. Calm down people.

I'm not sure, but I think at least part of Dragon Age 2 takes place concurrently with the events of Origins. I seem to recall the game website saying that Hawke starts out as a Lothering refugee.

 

[Seneschal]

or better yet Planescape: Torment,

Oh fuck, you're one of THEM, aren't you? That crazy *****-ass cult that's been coming out of the woodwork all this month to verbally rape me and anybody else that likes BioWare games, and then gush and gush about Planescape and all the other half-finished piles of Black and Gray morality bullshit from Black Isle and its demonic bastard children Troika and Obsidian. Well, no more! I've been letting you nightmarish creatures torment me for too long, but I shall not tolerate your presence! Therefore, I SAY TO THEE:

If you don't like the game, please kindly leave the thread and do not come back.

OT: Well, that relieves my fears a lot Susan. I've been having some big fears about the weird changes this game's making. If you've played it, can you confirm if the darkspawn are as stupidly cartoony as they look in the concept art?

Wow... I and people lke me are the 'raper's' but it's you who can't even stand to see a different point of view written on your screen?

Yeah.. guess how relevent your screaming abdab witisms are.

I'm not sure he was entirely serious. Planescape: Torment is widely regarded as one of the high points of videogame writing, the only problem being that the format is a bit... unfriendly. I didn't have a problem with the tons of text, but I also couldn't exactly binge-game it for 10 hours straight.

However, imagine Torment in the modern era, with 3D character models, facial animations, characters and camera moving around like in a cutscene, voice-acting, etc. - completely and utterly impractical and never going to happen. You cannot begrudge the industry for wanting to implement new technology, especially since the old one relied heavily on imagination and suspension of disbelief, something that isn't universal in today's wider audience.

Lol.. I've put far more than 10 hours straight into that game

And yeah, yet again you make a very salient point, however I'm not sure you can lay all the credit (or blame) at the door of the graphical design.. it would certainly be different in a 3D engine, that I can't agrue with, however I have a feeling that the satisfaction of depth, storyline and immersion would probably (?) be on a level par, if not the exactitudes of actual gameplay.

Oh, I've long since stopped looking for my meaningful life-changing stories in RPGs. The genre is too complacent and willing to wallow in parodies and rehashes of itself to bring anything truly original. Incidentally, more minimalist games like Ico, Silent Hill 2 and The Void (and the odd Black Isle title) are the closest I've seen games get to awe-inspiring levels of storytelling.

But RPGs are familiar, secure and easy to get into for a much bigger audience. Turning to BioWare now for an enlightening experience is like going to see Avatar, The Dark Knight or LotR and then getting offended that it wasn't on par with Ingmar Bergman films. That there's a touch of heart and character to them is an unexpected bonus under the circumstances where they're basically the videogame equivalent of "blockbuster".

And yeah, if we're going into semantics, "RPG" isn't what it literally means. They're still narrative art, I just feel that current BioWare titles are straying a bit too much on the JRPG side of things with how they handle storytelling. And that's alright, no WRPG has ever had me as emotionally invested as those sappy innocent emotionally-manipulative JRPG soap-operas. BioWare is turning a little too adult, mechanical and gameplay-based for its own good, in my opinion.

 

[Fumbleumble]

or better yet Planescape: Torment,

Oh fuck, you're one of THEM, aren't you? That crazy *****-ass cult that's been coming out of the woodwork all this month to verbally rape me and anybody else that likes BioWare games, and then gush and gush about Planescape and all the other half-finished piles of Black and Gray morality bullshit from Black Isle and its demonic bastard children Troika and Obsidian. Well, no more! I've been letting you nightmarish creatures torment me for too long, but I shall not tolerate your presence! Therefore, I SAY TO THEE:

If you don't like the game, please kindly leave the thread and do not come back.

OT: Well, that relieves my fears a lot Susan. I've been having some big fears about the weird changes this game's making. If you've played it, can you confirm if the darkspawn are as stupidly cartoony as they look in the concept art?

Wow... I and people lke me are the 'raper's' but it's you who can't even stand to see a different point of view written on your screen?

Yeah.. guess how relevent your screaming abdab witisms are.

I'm not sure he was entirely serious. Planescape: Torment is widely regarded as one of the high points of videogame writing, the only problem being that the format is a bit... unfriendly. I didn't have a problem with the tons of text, but I also couldn't exactly binge-game it for 10 hours straight.

However, imagine Torment in the modern era, with 3D character models, facial animations, characters and camera moving around like in a cutscene, voice-acting, etc. - completely and utterly impractical and never going to happen. You cannot begrudge the industry for wanting to implement new technology, especially since the old one relied heavily on imagination and suspension of disbelief, something that isn't universal in today's wider audience.

Lol.. I've put far more than 10 hours straight into that game

And yeah, yet again you make a very salient point, however I'm not sure you can lay all the credit (or blame) at the door of the graphical design.. it would certainly be different in a 3D engine, that I can't agrue with, however I have a feeling that the satisfaction of depth, storyline and immersion would probably (?) be on a level par, if not the exactitudes of actual gameplay.

Oh, I've long since stopped looking for my meaningful life-changing stories in RPGs. The genre is too complacent and willing to wallow in parodies and rehashes of itself to bring anything truly original. Incidentally, more minimalist games like Ico, Silent Hill 2 and The Void (and the odd Black Isle title) are the closest I've seen games get to awe-inspiring levels of storytelling.

But RPGs are familiar, secure and easy to get into for a much bigger audience. Turning to BioWare now for an enlightening experience is like going to see Avatar, The Dark Knight or LotR and then getting offended that it wasn't on par with Ingmar Bergman films. That there's a touch of heart and character to them is an unexpected bonus under the circumstances where they're basically the videogame equivalent of "blockbuster".

And yeah, if we're going into semantics, "RPG" isn't what it literally means. They're still narrative art, I just feel that current BioWare titles are straying a bit too much on the JRPG side of things with how they handle storytelling. And that's alright, no WRPG has ever had me as emotionally invested as those sappy innocent emotionally-manipulative JRPG soap-operas. BioWare is turning a little too adult, mechanical and gameplay-based for its own good, in my opinion.

I think that basis of my chagrin is the fact that Bioware was EXACTLY the place I would once go for a satisfying gameplay experience.. and to see what they are reduced to now :/... well...and the fact the as Bio were known as THE RPG maker, they've dragged that title along with them in to their change of direction... So now everyone thinks they are playing RPG's and when I ask for one I get pointed to games like this.... I'm a sad puppy.

(edited)

 

[hazabaza1]

Holy shit, this has quickly turned into a big PC vs Consoles and Modern vs Older RPGs, hasn't it?
Anyway, I'm looking forward to this quite a bit. And by big a mean huge amount. Being the Bioware fanboy that I am, this is certainly something top look forward to.

 

[Fumbleumble]

Holy shit, this has quickly turned into a big PC vs Consoles and Modern vs Older RPGs, hasn't it?
Anyway, I'm looking forward to this quite a bit. And by big a mean huge amount. Being the Bioware fanboy that I am, this is certainly something top look forward to.

Nah.. it's just me shouting at the wind

 

[Giest4life]

No shit it's hard. I'm stuck in one of the quests with a a rouge, a mage, and two warriors. The Warriors have shitty DPS, can't tank, while my rouge is the warrior except even shittier than the warriors. And my mage, well, has only powerful aoe spells and everything else sucks. Also, I'm out of health poitions, and made the classical mistake of overriding my save at the start of the quest. So yeah, no shit, the game is hard.

MORE OT: I'm glad they did the tweaks, the visuals din't really bother me that often--only the facial animations did. But I don't like someone else speaking for me, and the combat and inventory screen definitely need a revamp.