RPGmasterBoo

I thought we were discussing game complexity, not who has bigger balls.

I tried Dead Wind Cavern with Knock Knock (unique axe, 66dmg per strike) and was ripped to shreds, mostly because I cant interrupt the deathclaw frontal strike.

Deathclaws and Cazadors, we'll see how that goes. Rebar clubs do 50dmg per hit, well over deathclaw armor. Although I might need Knock Knock or the Thermic Lance to do a proper job.

Well, I'm level 10 and playing melee on normal is incredibly easy. After I got the perk to knock down enemies nothing can touch me anymore - the nightkin in the REPCONN basement were a pushover with their own Rebar clubs. Melee is definitely imba.

Inception. Pseudo intellectual garbage. Its Matrix all over again, only with less style and more bs.

I don't even see the point of disputing that, is someone actually claiming the opposite

I fail to follow what the dispute is about that

He sucks at role playing games.

Is there a specific game that shares DA2's art style though? You said "pick any random" but I know you don't mean that (since I used The Witcher). I am actually unaware of one. I don't see DA2 significantly different from Oblivion type fantasy graphics apart from the strange color palette and a heavy anime influence. In fact I'd even go so far as to say that it heavily resembles the standard fantasy JRPG, perhaps even more so than it does the western type fantasy. Take it like this: All the games I listed use their art style to convey a particular mood. That's really what makes them "unique" - good integration with gameplay and storyline. Disciples II = dark, melancholic, disturbing Shadow of the Colossus = nostalgic, fairy tale, sad Witcher = grim, depressing, filthiness Torment = outlandish, alien, eccentric What does DA2 convey, just from looking at it. What did DAO try to convey? In my eyes, nothing. It was supposed to be "grim and dark", but really ended up being muddy to look at and out of sync with the storyline. There was no "mood" you could put your finger on.

double postage

Most is not a synonym for all. Frazetta did all sorts of stuff, but what he's best known for is his vision of swords and sorcery. Regardless, the point was not in his ideas but that his work is recognizable and well above the tons of average fantasy fare that followed. I was saying that that's what DA2 needs (and honestly, most other fantasy games), a unique art style. Of course, faced with the obvious and total mediocrity of DAO's art, they're promising something else this time around. (although to be honest, NWN and its expansions were completely mediocre in this regard as well). BGII would probably have been as well if it wasn't for the hand painted 2D graphics, or rather, if it was done with early 3d tech. * I'm not seeing it in the gameplay videos so far, because like most Bioware promises, there is no grounding in reality once you peel away the PR drivel. *Jade Empire was the sole exception. I hated the game but it was visually well designed. Other examples of good visual design: 1. Disciples II 2. Shadow of the Colossus 3. Planescape Torment 4. Final Fantasy X 5. Myth 2 (modest but convincing) 6. Witcher 7. Temple of Elemental Evil (completely generic, but pleasing on the eyes) 8. Gothic 2 (in its own rough way)

Wishful > thinking.

What is called streamlining is nothing but standardization of difficulty and gameplay (even thematic) elements to appeal to a wider audience. Military style shooters are a prime example. Since the "wider audience" has little experience with games, bringing a game to their level makes it seem retarded to someone to whom gaming is a lifestyle. So streamlining is dumbing down and that has nothing to do with elitism - its a financial strategy.

@Maria I was thinking of something plausible in a video game. As much as I like all sorts of fantasy art, the fact is that Torment was as far as a developer was going to go, and that was a freak occurrence in itself. @Thorton AP Any other random RPG you could pick. I'd even say that in the few ways DA differs, its even worse than the usual (drab color palette, overuse of certain colors) The only real difference I see that DA2 has from "Two Worlds" or "Oblivion" is in the colors, and a larger influence of anime. The Witcher would be a relatively recent game with a well done visual design. One that at least conveys a particular atmosphere. At the very least, that's what I'd like to see in DA2. DAO did not have that. DA2 doesn't look all that different.

I thought that was clear. The man had a particular, instantly recognizable vision. Ripping off his work in a bland, straightforward manner, by lesser able individuals to create today's generic fantasy does not make his work generic - but their interpretation of it. Homeworld is an example of a good interpretation of a famous SF illustrator. Relic took notes from Foss and at the same time put enough of their own artistry in it to craft a unique and recognizable game.

Nonsense, I played vanilla CoP and enjoyed every minute of it. When the atmosphere works, and it does most of the time - the game is unrivaled.

Except that its Frazetta who defined much of fantasy in general. Most of what came after were copycats. So much for your knowledge of fantasy illustrators Which is exactly why your post didn't make sense. Dragon Age 2 art is pretty obviously inspired by Frazetta's work too. I don't know where you see that. Most of Frazetta's work is Conan like low key fantasy. Definitely not the high fantasy anime influenced stuff of DA2. In the long run it might take some notes from Frazetta but it has no specific visual identity of its own, unlike his work which is instantly recognizable. The man might have invented a set of ideas that became generic but his work isn't.

Except that its Frazetta who defined much of fantasy in general. Most of the artist who came afterwards strived to copy his ideas. So much for your knowledge of fantasy illustrators.

We are in agreement. What I want to see on the other hand is a low level, unique IP, isometric, fantasy RPG.

It looks just as generic as the first one. With anime influences. How do they do it? How hard is it to look at some of the better fantasy illustrators from the 80ties and make something in the same vein.

The trouble with this game is that nothing significant happens until you come to New Vegas. And if you're thorough, there's a lot of playing until then. I didn't mind, but I can see some people being bored.

The footage doesnt tell us much. Really it could be any random shooter. Will someone remind me why these sort of preview videos are always played by retards with no initiative? You could finish Doom by the time this guy moves from one crate to the next. Also I love this nonsensical idea of covering behind everything considering that a regular .357 magnum round is likely to penetrate multiple walls. No one follows in the footsteps of CS it seems.

As much as I like watching Bolo hijack a discussion, there's still a topic in this topic. Or something like that The explanations are as follows. Obs does what it does because: 1. Its the only one to make story driven rpgs other than the few big names 2. It makes good money 3. Its less risky Kinda boring to always pick up where other people left off, but I suppose its a good explanation. We still don't have a real explanation on the bugs. How big is Obsidian?

Hurlshot, man of steel