Dragon Age

[Maria Caliban]

I really didn't want this thread to turn into an argument. Let's just agree that BioWare has chosen a specific type of RPG to make, and that not everyone will enjoy it.

 

Anyways, here's a new article by Kutaku (who are these guys? I'm seeing them everywhere suddenly), on whether Dragon Age is high or low fantasy.

Edited April 2, 2009 by Maria Caliban

[Magister Lajciak]

I have to say that I really like what BioWare is doing with Dragon Age. I like traditional fantasy with some subtle new twists to it and that is precisely what Dragon Age promises to offer. I love the graphics and the style in general. I am really looking forward to the game - in fact, for me it's the most anticipated game at the moment. Barring some sort of DRM fiasco or unforseen circumstances, I am will surely buy this game.

[Slowtrain]

I hope its good. I could really use a crpg. High fantasy or low fantasy, romances or not; I don't much care.

 

S

[Jaesun]

Ya know.... I want to be really excited about Dragon Age, but after playing Mass Effect... I kinda stopped getting excited about Bioware games.

 

I know this is Bioware's "Flag Ship" title, so I'm sure they are determined to make this the best title possible. I'm just going to stay on the fence for this title.

 

I am SO SO SO sick of Fantasy RPG's.... But that's what sells. ugh.

[Slowtrain]

I am SO SO SO sick of Fantasy RPG's.... But that's what sells. ugh.

 

 

There really aren't that many of them though.

 

Outside of Bethesda's ES games and the curent run of NWN2 + xpacks there isn't much in the way of fantasy crpgs.

 

The only other names that spirng to mind are The Witcher and Gothic 3 and those are both pretty niche.

 

edit: I am talking western crpga here; obviously if one includes jrpgs then the number of fantasy rpgs is greater.

Edited April 2, 2009 by CrashGirl

[Zoma]

I'm not sure if games like the Witcher made a 2 million mark in sales can be considered under a niche category though.

[Arkan]

Haven't been following Dragon Age like, at all. Why the subtitle Origins?

[Hell Kitty]

I'm not sure if games like the Witcher made a 2 million mark in sales can be considered under a niche category though.

 

I agree with this. Surely stuff like The Witcher and the Gothics belong up there with the Elder Scrolls and the Neverwinter Nights.

 

Stuff like Drakensang is what would be niche, if that's even the right word.

 

Anyway, I'm kinda with Jaesun, I'm not terribly fussed when it comes to medieval fantasy RPGs, which is what most western RPGs tend to be.

[Llyranor]

The only way I'll give DA a try is if the tactical combat system turns out to be spectacular. From the creators of NWN and KOTOR and JE and ME!

[Monte Carlo]

Haven't been following Dragon Age like, at all. Why the subtitle Origins?

 

Dave Gaider's spellchecker headed south; it was meant to be called Dragon Age: Origami, it's a trading game with folding cards. Unfortunately, it's now called Origins and it's a multi-gazillion dollar computer game with soppy romances and fakespeare dialogue. Greg and Ray are miffed, trading card games are the way forward in a harsh economic climate and now they're lumbered.

[Volourn]

If you are sick of fantasy games don't buy them. If you keep buying them, they'll keep making them.

[SteveThaiBinh]

I'm all for character interaction and stuff, but I don't see how that neccessarily means romances.

 

Doeesn't necessarily mean the game wil be not worth playing. The Witcher has that stupid and completely unneccessary nudie card thing happening and was still a decent game.

 

Just doesn't get me excited, atm. So far not really a mindset that I feel any real connection to.

Perhaps romances are particularly suited to RPGs, in the sense that they have to be optional because they alienate as many people as they attract, and that fits well with the 'non-linearity' that RPG writers aspire to.

 

I've had my moments when I've thought "Give it a rest with the fantasy settings already and give us something new!". That won't stop me enjoying Dragon Age, though. Once you're into the story and the world, it usually works.

[Volourn]

Romances usually fit RPGs because they often include choices, and consequences.

[SteveThaiBinh]

I think so. I don't play shooters so I don't know if they have romances, but I play point and click adventures which certainly pride themselves on good characters and storytelling and you might think would be fertile ground for romances. They aren't, though, perhaps because it would turn some people off if it weren't optional and adventures aren't big on choices with consequences - it's just not a standard feature of the genre.

 

So have Bioware officially said anything about romances? I'm afraid I also haven't really been keeping up the last few months.

[Magister Lajciak]

If you are sick of fantasy games don't buy them. If you keep buying them, they'll keep making them.

 

I intend to keep on buying them, so I definitely hope that they keep on making them! I love fantasy! I have no interest in RPG games set in contemporary settings.

[Whipporwill]

I think so. I don't play shooters so I don't know if they have romances, but I play point and click adventures which certainly pride themselves on good characters and storytelling and you might think would be fertile ground for romances. They aren't, though, perhaps because it would turn some people off if it weren't optional and adventures aren't big on choices with consequences - it's just not a standard feature of the genre.

 

I'm not sure I know what you're talking about. Romances have been part of adventure games since King's Quest 2.

[Tigranes]

And FPS games try to insert romantic elements in them as well. It's not really a question of RPGs, it's a question of the 'epic / cinematic' style of games lot of devs have been developing over the last 10 years. Because people who make these games keep looking at Hollywood films as inspiration, and because of their particular idea of 'cinematic', they feel the need to put in romances or romantic implications of the sort we know and (may) love.

 

RPGs are just slightly better suited for it because they are usually less linear; i.e. dating sims in reality are just adventures and/or RPGs.

[Jaesun]

If you are sick of fantasy games don't buy them. If you keep buying them, they'll keep making them.

 

The LAST Fantasy RPG I have purchased was NWN2 and all expansions.

 

I have not purchased or bought:

 

The Witcher (Not interested in b00bie Cards... Now if it had HAWT GUYS....)

Drakonsang... or whatever it is called. bleh

Gothic 3.... Seriously. PB WTH?

 

That's all I can think of that has been released since NWN2 + Expansions. I don't plan on buying anything fantasy wize.

 

Alpha Protocol looks............................. interesting. And there is no FRACKING Elves, Dragons etc.... <3 <3

 

I REALLY WANT MY FRACKING ALIENS RPG!!!!!!! *SHAKES FIST AT SEGA*

[Deadly_Nightshade]

The Witcher (Not interested in b00bie Cards...)

 

It offers a hell of alot more than "b00bie Cards."

[Tigranes]

Wrong. According to Volo, every single person in the board has bought every fantasy game released, as well as every Bioware game.

 

Also, it must be said that DA still looks a lot more delicious than Drakensang or the like.

[Hurlshort]

I think so. I don't play shooters so I don't know if they have romances, but I play point and click adventures which certainly pride themselves on good characters and storytelling and you might think would be fertile ground for romances. They aren't, though, perhaps because it would turn some people off if it weren't optional and adventures aren't big on choices with consequences - it's just not a standard feature of the genre.

 

I'm not sure I know what you're talking about. Romances have been part of adventure games since King's Quest 2.

 

Hmm, I will say that romances in adventure games are usually handled more delicately. They are there, but for some reason they have always felt less jarring. Perhaps because they simply exist in the storyline, it isn't something you are trying to awkwardly influence. I can't think of any adventure game where you have a choice in pursuing the romance. It's just a natural part of the story that is being told.

[deganawida]

I really didn't want this thread to turn into an argument. Let's just agree that BioWare has chosen a specific type of RPG to make, and that not everyone will enjoy it.

 

Anyways, here's a new article by Kutaku (who are these guys? I'm seeing them everywhere suddenly), on whether Dragon Age is high or low fantasy.

 

I pretty much agree with Kotaku on this one. Bioware seems to have no understanding of the various sub-genres of fantasy. Their tale, focusing as it does on the Darkspawn and their origin of daring to enter what had been forbidden to man by the Maker, is firmly in the high-fantasy camp. Calling it "dark heroic fantasy" because people die, there's no flat-out proof of a deity, and there's blood everywhere is just plain wrong.

[aries101]

Romances (and love scenes) have become the hallmark of Bioware games; no Bio games would be complete without them. To me, this is just another way of expanding character interaction. And you don't have to them, if you don't want to; it really is as easy as this, I find.

 

As for if the game, DA:O is high or low fantasy, I don't know. And frankly, I don't really care. I want a game with a good story, great characters, great character interaction and a decent plot. And DA:O seems to be the bill, so far. And the Origins subtitle is because you choose from 1 of 6 different backgrounds that have some (if not heavy) impact on the game later on as you play through the game.

 

And I like fantasy games, I also like sci fi games --- and would be hoping for Bioware to make a game, an rpg, set in the Victorian Era og in the Wild Wild West.

[~Di]

If you are sick of fantasy games don't buy them. If you keep buying them, they'll keep making them.

 

The LAST Fantasy RPG I have purchased was NWN2 and all expansions.

 

I have not purchased or bought:

 

The Witcher (Not interested in b00bie Cards... Now if it had HAWT GUYS....)

Drakonsang... or whatever it is called. bleh

Gothic 3.... Seriously. PB WTH?

 

That's all I can think of that has been released since NWN2 + Expansions. I don't plan on buying anything fantasy wize.

 

Alpha Protocol looks............................. interesting. And there is no FRACKING Elves, Dragons etc.... <3 <3

 

I REALLY WANT MY FRACKING ALIENS RPG!!!!!!! *SHAKES FIST AT SEGA*

 

 

I felt the same way about The Witcher... I mean, infantile booby cards? gag me... BUT people I trusted (thanks, Crash Girl!) told me you could totally ignore the card thing (almost totally...) and it was otherwise a darn good game. So I tried it, and damn. It really held my interest, was a great deal of fun... and the character you play is just so cool (and handsome!) that I couldn't help being drawn into it.

 

If you can find it for a decent price, I'd really recommend you give it a try. It's one of the few games I've played more than 4 times, that's how much fun I have with it! Just think about it, okay?

Edited April 4, 2009 by ~Di

[Whipporwill]

I really didn't want this thread to turn into an argument. Let's just agree that BioWare has chosen a specific type of RPG to make, and that not everyone will enjoy it.

 

Anyways, here's a new article by Kutaku (who are these guys? I'm seeing them everywhere suddenly), on whether Dragon Age is high or low fantasy.

 

I pretty much agree with Kotaku on this one. Bioware seems to have no understanding of the various sub-genres of fantasy. Their tale, focusing as it does on the Darkspawn and their origin of daring to enter what had been forbidden to man by the Maker, is firmly in the high-fantasy camp. Calling it "dark heroic fantasy" because people die, there's no flat-out proof of a deity, and there's blood everywhere is just plain wrong.

 

Lots of people being wrong on the Kotaku thread, too.

 

High and low fantasy are simply different traditions. High fantasy draws on earlier literary works based ultimately on the medieval romance, while low fantasy draws rather more directly on the pulp adventure story. Since pulp adventures are themselves derived from the medieval romance, it's a pretty blurry distinction.