So Dragon Age 3.... No Pressure?

[Blade_125]

I'm not sure EA is going to really try and make Bioware improve. It would't surprise me if EA is the problem. EA seems to buy companies that are successful, squeeze every possible dollar from them, then toss the dried out carcass aside and look for a new one.

I liked DA2, but I completely agree with a lot of the complaints about it. I was willing to give it a free pass so long as they learned from their mistakes, however these issues seem to keep coming up, and not just gameplay issues, but DRM and day 1 DLC that adds nothing, etc. Unfortunetly Bioware no longer gets any free passes from me. If the player reviews are outstanding by the majority when DA3 comes out I will get it, otherwise I will likely wait a year and get the game adn DLC for $30.

 

[Goofguy]

They need to go about this in a calm, collected approach. Go back to the drawing board and figure out what worked best for the previous DA games. Most importantly, work out a story that is compelling, interesting, immersive and fun. DA:O and DA2 were virtually unrelated in setting and style... how will Bioware bring both their stories together?

I'm aware that Bioware is well past this point and is full in to developing the game but frankly, the team needs to absolutely make sure it is creating a stellar product. Anything less and Bioware can be sure it has permanently alienated the majority of its fanbase.

 

[Nero18]

It's not EA that ruined Bioware. They've been going downhill long before EA.

Yea, DAO was a bit of an incline as far as modern RPGs go, but it was just a blip on the radar, so to speak.

I wouldnt say that, they did pretty good last gen and this generation started out pretty well for them. Sure Mass Effect (1) wasnt a hardcore RPG in the classical sense but it still was a great modern RPG with some deep elements. And of course DA:O.

 

[Fappy]

-Snip-

You know, EC was far from perfect but it actually managed to get me interested in ME once more. I am replaying my main Shep to test the waters with the whole brand new package so to speak.

 

[jprf]

Ignoring the ending, ME3 was a spectacularly good game; probably one of my favourites of all time. Bioware is still a great developer and I will be watching DA3 with interest.

 

[RJ 17]

-Snip-

You know, EC was far from perfect but it actually managed to get me interested in ME once more. I am replaying my main Shep to test the waters with the whole brand new package so to speak.

I was never one of the ones that openly raged at the original endings, I was just left severely disappointed.

Seriously, though, I 100% nailed the endings the EC endings.

Spoiler: This was taken from a topic I created on March 12, six days after the game was released, and long before the Extended Cut was even up for consideration. Here in lies a general description of the 3 remade endings.

Now, in regards to the complaint of "Oh my god these endings are all so depressing! No matter what Shepard essentially dooms civilization by destroying the relays!" Well let's just stop and think about each ending, shall we?

Paragon Ending: Enslave the Reapers. Many people think this is the Renegade ending because it was the Illusive Man's plan, but in truth it is the Paragon ending. For starters, like with everything in the ME universe, it's color-coordinated: Blue light on the ramp and a blue beam/shockwave released by the Citadel, and as we all know: blue = Paragon. But furthermore, think about what the outcome would be. Yes, the relays are destroyed, but the Reapers still exist. Now, though, they are controlled by Paragon Shepard's benevolent will. As such, it really isn't that far of a stretch to believe that Shepard will turn the Reapers from being the terrifying destroyers of the galaxy to being instrumental in its construction. Given that the Reapers were the ones that built the relays in the first place, they could just as easily do so again.

Renegade Ending: Destorying All Synthetics. Again, contrary to popular belief, this is the Renegade ending (red light, red beam/shockwave, etc). This offers the bleakest outlook for the future as Shepard wipes out an entire race (the Geth) and a close, personal friend (EDI) in order to assure the absolute destruction of the Reapers. With the Reapers destroyed, the secrets to building the relays will be lost. However, the Protheans managed to build the conduit, so it is possible that society could still rebuild the relays, it'll just take a much longer time.

They Lived Happily Ever After Ending: Synthesis. I'd imagine this is the "and the galaxy became a utopian ideal "world" filled with peace from then on out" ending. All life - synthetic and organic - now share the same DNA. I can only imagine that this would lead to advances in technology and the possibility to rebuild society, coexisting with the now pacified Reapers.

All wars require a period of reconstruction and rebuilding once they're over, Shepard grants the galaxy the hope for the future, the purpose to rebuild, and the comfort of peace.

And there you have it, my fellow Escapists. A complete, comprehensive break-down of the ending to ME 3 formulated by logical conclusions that can be drawn from what is actually seen and experienced during the ending to ME 3. Now I'll say here what I try to emphasize in all my postings on this subject: this is obviously all 100% speculation on my part, however to me the above answers just fit perfectly into any and all holes left by Bioware's writing which I fully agree wasn't fantastic due to leaving so very much open to interpritation.

Questions? Comments?

Here's the original topic:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.353986-I-Have-Obtained-ME-3-Ending-Enlightenment-A-MUST-READ-FOR-ANYONE-QUESTIONING-THE-ME-3-ENDINGS

That said, I was very satisfied with EC. Mostly because it's the endings as I saw them in the first place and thus it gave validation to my theories and defenses of a literal interpretation rather than the Indoctrination Theory, but also because it gave me all I had asked for: an frickin' epilogue.

The new Blue ending is my favorite.

More back to the point, though, while I do think that the DA team has MUCH to learn from ME 3 (both what to do and what not to do), I don't think that ME 3's controversy will put more pressure on DA 3. Compensating for the fan hatred for DA 2 will provide more than ennough incentive for them to do a better job.

 

[dreadedcandiru99]

I was never as much into Dragon Age as Mass Effect, personally. The first one was pretty good, and it kept me busy till ME2 came out. Then we got DA2 (pure mediocrity from top to bottom), The Old Republic (no story has ever been good enough to make me give a shit about an MMO, and in any case, I've pretty much moved on from Star Wars), and ME3 ('nuff said--although, frankly, I wasn't nearly as pissed at the ending as I was at the way they handled the reaction).

So, DA3? Meh. I might buy a used copy from Gamestop, if only to spite EA.

 

[nefrone]

I think a lot of people here should play some games that are actually bad. Might give you some perspective.
I personally loved DA:O and DA2. Both had their share of faults, but I think both were very enjoyable and way above average or mediocre.

Of course neither of them is as close to perfection as Baldur's Gate (2) or Planescape: Torment, but I've given up on Bioware or the game industry going back to being that awesome.

I'm confident that DA3 will be as good as the previous two. I hope that it will be better.

 

[Vanitas likes Bubbles]

I will keep my hopes up for this game. It's not like BioWare is intentionally making bad games. Sure, DA2 was probably a quick cash grab but how often do other game companies do that, the answer is: very often. Anyway, I have faith in BioWare. They will certainly have trouble trying to convince there fan base into buying the game but I don't care, as long as the game is good.

 

[tmande2nd]

Their writing just gets worse and worse as time marches on.

Every foe has space magic, or macguffin instead of MOTIVATION.
Loghain and Master Li, are far better done foes then the Reapers, or Meredith.

There is SO much talent you can see and DA2/Me3 had amazing moments, but Bioware keeps making errors.
I hope they do good, but I am more excited for Rome 2 right now.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

I've seen this brought up a few times around here before but never a discussion dedicated to it. So Dragon Age 3... I can't think of any other modern game that has had so much working against it (save Duke Nukem maybe). Not only do they need to salvage the unmitigated disaster that was Dragon Age 2, but they also need to deal with the fallout of ME3's ending fiasco. On top of that they need to attract new fans while doing their damnedest to reel in many of their old fans who've lost hope in the franchise (in some cases the developer themselves). That's a lot of pressure, and I can only imagine that EA is cracking down in an effort to salvage this IP.

You forgot to mention that any future Dragon Age title will have the usual EA trifecta of Day 1/On-disc DLC, online pass and securom...with quite likely an origin requirement thrown in to alienate and disenfranchise even more customers.

The DA:O engine is still a very good one. I don't see why they couldn't release a 25-35hr entirely new campaign for DA:O, I'd pay for that. If it had to be a new title, I'd like to get away from the "cinematic" ME/DA2 style of game and back to the pseudo real-time, party based BG2/DAO style. I can create my own hero, don't care if the PC is mute. Release the toolset with it, and two-three expansion packs of 15-20 hrs each over the course of 1-2 years. If EA did that, they'd get my money. I'm not interested in pathetic "weapon packs" that add nothing to the game. If they included co-op support like BG2, they'll be on to a winner.

 

[Paladin Anderson]

The Dragon Age franchise will be like the Fable games. Start with a really well made, memorable game and get increasingly worse as you make more games.

Or it could be like the Devil May Cry games. First one was great, second one bombed, third one was fantastic. It's Bioware for cryin out loud. I like DA2, not as much as DA1 and yes they bombed on the ME3 ending but that's no reason to count out a company with as much of a history for excellent games as they have.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I have yet to play Mass Effect 3 and, Dragon Age 2 completely ruined the franchise for me. Hell, Awakening, Darkspawn Chronicals and, Lilliana's Song seemed to have had more going for them individually than the whole of DA2 and those were all expansions. I keep forgetting the third installment is under production and I don't see myself picking it up at any point unless it's revealed to be a hack-n-slash proper instead of a closeted one like DA2.

 

[RatRace123]

Yeah, I'm really nervous about Dragon Age 3. DA2, while I didn't hate it, it was obviously rushed and the game suffered for it, Mass Effect 3 ended up being a disappointment.

I can say right away that I'm not preordering Dragon Age 3, and it'll have to be really damn impressive for me to be interested in it (or they could just let you play as more races than human again, and that'll do it.).

I'll probably wait to see what the overall reception, both by professional critics and fans end up being. I want this game to succeed, but I can't help but feel Bioware and EA will screw up another trilogy I like.

Please EA, please give Bioware the time they need to make Dragon Age 3. 'Cause if you rush the deadline, the game will just end being less than great, and if that happens, well I don't know what after that, but I'll be really disappointed.

 

[krugerrand123]

I think they will eventually come out with Dragon age three, I am sure if their marketing campaign is successful and if they learn from the past, it will be a big hit.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I'm gonna keep an eye on it. It's certainly not something I want to sink money into if it is as bad as Dragon Age 2. I liked me3 a lot ending aside but I thought DA2 was rushed and quite horrible.

Spoiler: I mean, the trees alone, oh god the trees. They look like a copy pasted Christmas tree drawn by a toddler. (This is on my rig with 2x gtx580 with SLI and the high res texture pack):

Come on Bioware you can do better.

 

[gim73]

The Dragon Age franchise will be like the Fable games. Start with a really well made, memorable game and get increasingly worse as you make more games.

Well made memorable game my ass! Fable was a game that promised so very much yet delivered so very little. It's a game that you can finish in under ten hours even if you are not trying. I remember that sunday years later, as the day I shouted at my Xbox, "That's it?"

Now Fable 2 was a decent progression forward. It was actually a good game.

Fable 3 took the things that worked with Fable 2, and dumbed it all down. It was still playable, but it definately wasn't as good as 2. It's like when you play Mass Effect 2, and realize that they stripped out all the cool RPG aspects that you loved from the original and turned it into a shooter with levels.

 

[doomspore98]

After the backlash from DA2 and ME3 I think Bioware will pull out all the stops for DA3. In my opinion it's sort of make or break for Bioware with this game. I hope its good.