Stolen Pixels #151: "!"

[Shamus Young]

Stolen Pixels #151: "!"

Someone at BioWare has clearly harnessed the power of the golden exclamation point for their own nefarious ends.

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[Rhayn]

I honestly hoped that guy would die when

Spoiler: Minor spoiler

the Shrieks attacked.

But no, there he still was. How very sad I was.

 

[Chipperz]

Meh, I had some extra cash, so I got it. It wasn't bad. It wasn't on par with the Fallout 3 stuff, but then again, not much is.

 

[ravensshade]

heh i had digital deluxe so i could just get on with the quest..

also i hadn't expected him to actually BE there if you didn't have it...

 

[Gunner 51]

Ha ha ha, thank you for doing a Stolen Pixels on that annoying guy. The Devs should realise that not everyone wants to be reminded to get DLC for their games. If I want DLC, I'll get it from the Marketplace like everyone else.

 

[Andronicus]

I haven't played Dragon Age Origins yet, but I know what it feels like to be conditioned to feel a surge of glee when a little symbol pops up, and I can imagine the hatred one must feel for these kinds of guys. Kill 'em all, I say.

 

[Triangulon]

Exactly. I quite enjoyed the quest, having bought it from the start. However, to have the bloke there trying to flog it to you if you didn't buy it is exceedingly cheeky. Probably adds to the 'OMG they totally cut content' argument over the DLC too.

 

[Irridium]

I'm so glad that I'm not the only one who hates that prick.

I doubt I'll ever buy it, since its main attraction, a storage chest, I already got through a mod as an NPC who holds your items.

 

[John Funk]

I've always wanted Hideo Kojima to work with either BioWare or Blizzard to make an RPG. We'd never know what the ! stood for.

 

[Gunner 51]

I've always wanted Hideo Kojima to work with either BioWare or Blizzard to make an RPG. We'd never know what the ! stood for.

If Hideo did do an RPG and a character had an exclamation mark over his head - what are the odds the next line of dialogue would be "Whose footprints are these?"

 

[lesterley]

I'm so glad I'm not the only person who has that momentary "Oh, hey - a quest!" reaction every time I go back to camp.

Then I have to compel myself to ignore him while I run around talking to the other NPCs or petting my dog.

*shakes fist at Bioware*
Leslee

 

[Parshooter]

Wow did not think that EA would corrupt Bioware like ever other EA brand.

 

[heyheysg]

Why is it that no one is complaining that Bioware released a DLC on day 1?

 

[Jared]

heh i had digital deluxe so i could just get on with the quest..

also i hadn't expected him to actually BE there if you didn't have it...

Same. I had no idea an NPC was there and that they did that. Quest came with my copy due to promotion, so...never missed out on much.

 

[ssgt splatter]

pfftt. funny.

 

[Dogstile]

I was hoping you would make a pokemon reference

 

[Tiamat666]

I can't be the only guy who hates him and his punctuated head.

You are not alone.

A related annoyance is the map location with the sole purpose of another DLC quest download.
I felt so cheated when I visited there.
Whatever happened to "suspension of disbelief"? It's like the game is going "nya, nya! There is something cool here but you can't have it unless you buy!" - on you.

 

[Slycne]

Strangely my first thoughts at finding this guy in my camp was that it was a rather clever in-game way of promoting that DLC. I never found him that annoying and I just ignored him after that initial time.

 

[pseudoidiot]

Yes, would've made far more sense to just have the guy appear in your camp after you purchased the DLC.

Would've been like finding the random merchant that has the control rod for Shale, except he had the "!" and wouldn't sell you the rod unless you went and got the DLC.

Yeah, I enjoyed the Warden's Keep content, but shoving it down the player's throat that way is just a bad move. If someone wants it, they'll buy it, no need to badger them about it.

 

[Sephiwind]

I don't know about the 360 or PC version of Dragon Age but on the PS3 version if you are in offline mode on the system the NPC doesn't show up. I didn't even realize the NPC existed until near the end of my first character since I am rarely logged into PSN. I would assume it would be the same on all 3 systems.