Will Dragon Age 2 be a worthwhile improvement?

[TrevorGruen]

I played the original dragon age when it was new and didnt especially like it. The story did not really interest me and the mechanics didnt really groove well with me. I wanted to know, will the second be enough of an improvement or will it be essentially a expansion pack?

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

It appears to be as much an improvement as ME2 was over ME1 (though I would argue ME1 was still the better overall game, go figure). My only real complaints with the first game were the terrible RPG itemization and clunky combat, and I know for sure that the combat system is being improved.

 

[darth.pixie]

After seeing a couple of images of the companions and reading a vague idea of the plot, I think it will be worse. ME1 was better than 2 in my opinion as well and DA seemed worse than ME (plot wise at least). Following that logic, I don't see anything worthy of excitement in DA2.

I think the companions were the main attraction in Origins and now they'll be the same as in ME2 (which is a huge downgrade considering the few dialogue lines they had)

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

It hasn't come out yet. We have yet to know.

I'd say ask when the game comes out, so you don't get shots in the dark.

 

[Smooth Operator]

It will probably be very much "streamlined" for the casual gaming market.
So the masses will love it, and my RPG loving side will die just a little more as the world is pushing RPGs out of existence.

 

[DonSolo]

Fingers crossed.

 

[LaughingAtlas]

From what I gather, you're basically to play a medieval fantasy version of Shepard, so don't expect to roleplay much, I guess. I think it, like Mass effect, is less an RPG and more "pick this pre-characterized guy's choices for him." (Infamous? Fable?) DR1 seemed more diverse in player choices, I think.

 

[KuwaSanjuro]

I think the console version has taken great influence from Mass Effect 2 which in my opinion is nothing bad, so I think it will be more user-friendly for console gamers. Can't wait for it.

 

[Nimcha]

I think it will be. They said it will be a little shorter which is fine by me, as long as I never have to do anything as retarded as the Deep Roads ever again. Fighting hordes of lesser enemies through miles of corridor is not a good way to lengthen a game.

 

[aether-x3]

I think it will be. They said it will be a little shorter which is fine by me, as long as I never have to do anything as retarded as the Deep Roads ever again. Fighting hordes of lesser enemies through miles of corridor is not a good way to lengthen a game.

Well, you will be disappointed since the Deep Roads are back in DA2 >__>


OT: I hope it is an improvement, Looks good from what i've seen though.

 

[PeterDawson]

It's an improvement, easily. Faster combat, bigger skill trees, different narrative style, better art...

 

[DeadlyYellow]

I didn't care for the first one either. The story was just too bland for me to care and I didn't much take to the combat system.

But on the plus side it allowed me to realize just how much I preferred single character games to parties.

 

[Nimcha]

I think it will be. They said it will be a little shorter which is fine by me, as long as I never have to do anything as retarded as the Deep Roads ever again. Fighting hordes of lesser enemies through miles of corridor is not a good way to lengthen a game.

Well, you will be disappointed since the Deep Roads are back in DA2 >__>


OT: I hope it is an improvement, Looks good from what i've seen though.

Aw, crap.

Oh well, let's just hope they've learned from it and made it interesting.

 

[darth.pixie]

It's an improvement, easily. Faster combat, bigger skill trees, different narrative style, better art...

Bigger skill trees? Not from what I've seen (I've been stalking the game development) ...better art yes and combat though I think the plot will be lacking.

It might be another "Gather the 3 parts of the scepter / 7 underpants of doom / 5 armies of friendship" thing which I hate...

 

[Aiden_the-Joker1]

I hope it will be better but I really don't think it will. They have taken the major attraction from 1 and replaced it with a human because there aren't enough games where you play a human. The dialogue tree is gone and replaced with a wheel so I don't know what I am saying. They have taken the mass effect route of making all of your choices good or bad instead of morally grey like in origins. Which annoys me because you will pick your decisions depending on whether you're playing as a saint or a puppy strangler whereas in origins you felt differently on a situation depending on your various characters back stories and felt motivated to carry out certain actions because the game didn't define them for you, you did that. They also removed my characters and replaced them with a horrible accent.

 

[WanderingFool]

I hope it will be better but I really don't think it will. They have taken the major attraction from 1 and replaced it with a human because there aren't enough games where you play a human. The dialogue tree is gone and replaced with a wheel so I don't know what I am saying. They have taken the mass effect route of making all of your choices good or bad instead of morally grey like in origins. Which annoys me because you will pick your decisions depending on whether you're playing as a saint or a puppy strangler whereas in origins you felt differently on a situation depending on your various characters back stories and felt motivated to carry out certain actions because the game didn't define them for you, you did that. They also removed my characters and replaced them with a horrible accent.

This is what bothrs me the most, the dialogue. I hate it when moral choices are so easily classified like in ME, Fable3. I found I hate most Morality systems in games because they are so black and white, and forces you to be either a pansy ass saint or a baby-strangling dick.

 

[Hader]

I don't know whether improvement is the correct word to use, but I do feel optimistic about it still. Not extremely optimistic, but enough to want to play it thoroughly. I have accepted that it will be quite different than DA:O in many ways, and while I am not usually one for such drastic changes, I think DA2 might not screw it up too bad.

 

[MisterShine]

They have taken the mass effect route of making all of your choices good or bad instead of morally grey like in origins. Which annoys me because you will pick your decisions depending on whether you're playing as a saint or a puppy strangler whereas in origins you felt differently on a situation depending on your various characters back stories and felt motivated to carry out certain actions because the game didn't define them for you, you did that.

I'd like to point out here, Mass Effect doesn't have a 'good v. bad' moral choice system, and neither does Dragon Age 2. I understand frustrations about the dialog wheel and not knowing exactly what you're saying, but that doesn't mean things are going to be black and white in DA 2, and I'm not sure where you got that impression from.

edit:

Forgot to add my own thoughts on DA2.

The thing that really sparks my interest is the direction the story is taking. A more personal, character and location driven plot, as opposed to the Save-The-World bit? Yes please! Not that I dislike that aging horse, its provided a lot of great times for me over the years, but Planescape: Torment did the personal story amazingly well ten years ago and not many have tried to follow the path Torment laid out for us.

 

[mireko]

The darkspawn are basically gone (or at least irrelevant to the main story), so the plot is automatically better than Origins by default.

Now if they could just get an exorcist to remove every last trace of Tolkien's boring ghost from the setting, it could be a fantastic game.

[small]I like Lord of the Rings, but it's a very bad influence on this kind of RPG. I kind of wish BioWare would go back to Forgotten Realms.[/small]

[small]Edit: or Jade Empire[/small]

 

[OmegaAlucard777]

Aslong as I do not have to go into the Fade by myself like I did in DA:O then I am happy. God damn I hated the Circle of Magi quest for that sole reason...