Dragon Age Origins

[RPGmasterBoo]

lol at the quote in your sig, Boo.

 

I think you've hit gonzo on the nutso scale, though. I mean, while it might be bad for Gaider to do so, I can say it guilt free. "If it doesn't sound lik your kind of game, don't buy it." *shrug* I mean, more logically, you should at least wait for release and then see if any reliable sources give you good information so you can make an informed decision.

 

I will tell you that citing the Witcher as a mature game biased me against your assessment right away. The Witcher was a fun game, but it certainly had it's immature moments. I made the mistake of laughing and calling my wife over to see the sex cards at which point she castigated the game and gave me twenty solid minutes of cold shoulder just because I thought it was more funny than harmful. See, that's the sort of mature relationship we don't see in games. Where is Geralts wife complaining because he hasn't changed the lightbulb yet? I mean, do we really want 100% realism in games?

 

It's like swearing. I associate swearing either with goofing around with friends and talking smack, which is decidedly not 'mature.' ...Or I associate it with some truly ugly things. Hookers? I've actually known quite a few prostitutes. Probably over a score. I've gone to restaurants where the food was served by prostitutes. Some were really nice gals. However, I don't think any of them would describe their life in fairytale terms. At best, most of them thought of it as a necessary evil. I don't want to speculate on the worst, especially for those who were recently brought into the sex trade. It was not a pleasant scene. This is particularly true for those who were basically forced into the trade by family.

 

I know folks have hit the 'mature' sexual relationships in the Witcher pretty hard already and I don't want to pile on, but the meaningful definition of 'mature' revolves around the concept of well considered thoughts or opinions. I'm usually loathe to use dictionary definitions, but this one will work. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mature

 

I think realism in computer games is great, but I don't think games must sacrifice all to realism.

 

Oscar Wilde was a great man. :D

 

The way you people react to sex and nudity makes me think its a culture/mentality thing. All Slavic countries Poland & Serbia etc. included have a very relaxed attitude towards sex and nudity, and this is the first time I've seen anyone so riled up about it. Of the hundreds of pages in the Witcher discussion, on local forums no one ever mentioned the sex cards apart from the occasional joke on the issue. In fact no one said it detracted from their experience. It must be a mentality thing.

Also, on the same token - the fact that you get raped by a super mutant with a BDSM fetish, that you can have a pornstar career and get perks for sexual performance never made Fallout immature. Kama Sutra master indeed. Crude jokes and swearing abounded as well. The very inclusion of these things show that the developers were mature enough to not take everything seriously which is exactly what people are not doing in regards to the Witcher. If the Witcher's gameworld and characters are immature, then what's mature?

KOTOR and its cookie cutter bad guy, bent on taking over the woooorld? Jade Empire? The I'm not evil, I'm closed fist - now eat my closed fist, bang tharsh... Mass Effect? The we-talk-five-lines-lets-bang romance? The color coded morality responses?

The "fate of the galaxy/of fantasy medieval china/of the universe" is in your hands, for the 1000th time?

 

Anyway you saw the fun side of it until your wife showed up.

 

No we do not want 100% realism in games. Thats not the point at all. What we (I) do want hopefully is an approach that doesn't repeat the same stagnant experience that we're usually served, and if I get another ancient evil's back storyline I'll puke.

What I admired about the Witcher was that it dared to be different. The only thing that seems to be changing in Bioware games are the engines powering them, and the pushing for gay romances further and further with each game.

[Gorth]

The only thing that surprises me is that some of the hard-core fans haven't demanded proper turn-based romances.

Speed Dating perk: Reduces the number of AP's you need to spend. I am such a romantic

[Aristes]

All Slavic countries Poland & Serbia etc. included have a very relaxed attitude towards sex and nudity, and this is the first time I've seen anyone so riled up about it. Of the hundreds of pages in the Witcher discussion, on local forums no one ever mentioned the sex cards apart from the occasional joke on the issue. In fact no one said it detracted from their experience. It must be a mentality thing.

I'm not riled up you yutz! I'm not angry and I'll shoot the first man who says I am! hahahaha Sorry, couldn't help myself.

 

Anyhow, maybe it's a language thing. I thought the cards were funny. Like MC, I did have my character accidently sleep with someone. After that, I basically only slept with that red haired waif looking doctor chic. Heh, monogamous cartoon sex for the win!

 

The hang-up might be a language barrier thing. Mature is a classification, and in that regard a mature rating opens up content that is only available to adults. Mature, however, also refers to a sort of "grown up" attitude. It describes a frame of mind which treats issues in a serious and thought provoking manner. So the content of the Witcher is mature, and some of the topics have mature overtones, but the mental and emotional outlook depicted in the sec scenes isn't mature, even if the content is rated as such. English, like all other languages I've seen, has words that pull multiple duties and 'mature' is one of them.

 

I don't think that most folks would disagree with you that the sex cards were meant to be humorous and weren't 'mature' in the sense that they treated the topic in a sober sort of stuffed shirt manner. A lot of even seemed to think they were funny. I'm not joking, I guffawed the first time I saw one. I simply wasn't expecing a sexual intercourse minigame. They were certainly 'mature' in that most folks wouldn't want their children exposed to the content. At least most Americans. I guess maybe we're uptight and whatnot, but I don't see the point in exposing small children to sex in a video game. *shrug*

 

...But it wil take more than this to rile me up, pilgrim!

[RPGmasterBoo]

...But it wil take more than this to rile me up, pilgrim!

 

We'll just have to push for more explicit content

 

Dragon Age will have big titted demons (yaay), only if we could get the tassles off

Edited August 6, 2009 by RPGmasterBoo

[Meshugger]

The Witcher did it right.

 

They created Geralt, a mans man who kills about everything, sleeps with everything else and isn't afraid of anything. The women want him and the men strives to be like him.

 

Geralt from the book is not a man'ho. They just made him one in the game so it would be popular.

 

Why do you project femine-morals on our beloved Geralt? Women might consider those acts as whorish, trampish or undignified. But for a man, you are considered as a winner all the way through! When women start to high-five each other for every lay that they have had, then we will see a true sexual revolution.

 

Ehum...

 

*spoilers!!*

 

 

 

 

 

 

Come on now, women weren't that objectified in The Witcher. Take Triss for example: when my Geralt wanted to have future with her, she just dumped my Geralt since he had satisfied her agenda: Political influence. My Geralt was just a tool for her ambitions. Now, isn't that objectification and abuse of ones feelings?

[Volourn]

"The way you people react to sex and nudity makes me think its a culture/mentality thing."

 

Don't be ignorant. I have no problem with sex, and nudity. In fact, I love them. The problem, hwoever, is that TW is not a mature game. It's also not unique, special, different, or original. It's just another crappy overrated game.

[Slowtrain]

The problem, hwoever, is that TW is not a mature game. It's also not unique, special, different, or original. It's just another crappy overrated game.

 

 

ANd yet you love Bioware games. The mind boggles.

[RPGmasterBoo]

The problem, hwoever, is that TW is not a mature game. It's also not unique, special, different, or original. It's just another crappy overrated game.

 

You know repeating that like a mantra might brainwash somebody into believing it the end.

 

Nevewinter Nights on the other hand, was incredibly mature, filled with meaningful character interactions, a branching plot where every choice mattered, originality beyond compare, clever tactical combat, challenging and infinitely replayable.

 

Except it was not.

 

In fact you pretty much described it yourself.

Edited August 6, 2009 by RPGmasterBoo

[Jaesun]

The problem, hwoever, is that TW is not a mature game. It's also not unique, special, different, or original. It's just another crappy overrated game.

 

But.... Dragon Age IS mature, unique, special, different and original?

 

Just curious.

[Meshugger]

The problem, hwoever, is that TW is not a mature game. It's also not unique, special, different, or original. It's just another crappy overrated game.

 

I simply disagree.

[HoonDing]

AT least there IS a male/male romance option (If I read that correctly) in DA...

Ah, but whom? I bet it's some hippie Elf instead of that qunari that's built like a mountain.

[Morgoth]

Can I also hook on Morrigan when I play a small fat dwarf?

[RPGmasterBoo]

Can I also hook on Morrigan when I play a small fat dwarf?

 

Cos everyone knows what they say about dwarves.

[Purkake]

Can I also hook on Morrigan when I play a small fat dwarf?

 

Cos everyone knows what they say about dwarves.

 

That they are always grumpy? That they like beer? That they're women are hairy?

[Oner]

Can I also hook on Morrigan when I play a small fat dwarf?

 

Cos everyone knows what they say about dwarves.

 

That they are always grumpy? That they like beer? That they're women are hairy?

Dunno how it's said properly in english, but 'small men walk with big sticks'.

[Volourn]

"You know repeating that like a mantra might brainwash somebody into believing it the end."

 

I'm not the only person repeating themselves in this thread.

[RPGmasterBoo]

Dunno how it's said properly in english, but 'small men walk with big sticks'.

 

So Morrigan will have no cause to complain.

[Istima Loke]

I really don't get why people consider the Witcher mature. The story of the game made no sense at all

if the grandmaster wanted to save the world from the big snow day why did he started the attacks between the humans and non-humans, especially since he knew (being Alvin) that Geralt would most probably stop him?

. Characters were most of the time a joke. Half were mentioned in books you needed to read in order to form any sort of connection to the cardboard cutout that they were in the game and the rest were random enemies that had trouble making any sense at all. I mean, I've never seen so many people eagerly wanting to lie in order to put themselves in bad situations (including dying - some sort of fantasy setting where everyone is a masochist?). Look at the big bad guy in the end (I explained before why his motives are idiotic) or that mage of "great power" that had the big and dramatic role of "being a pawn" (really fleshed out stuff). But put in the list of the bad guy's motives something that has to do with saving people (no matter how nonsensical it may be) and everyone is going to love the shades of gray. Or the armies that attack randomly (or probably to protect our precious bodily fluids); I'm certain that's how it works in a mature setting. There are no orders or anything. Just random fights. But then there's lot of Deaths from both sides and the shades of gray emerge again.

 

The best one though is when people say about the lack of good-evil choices and racism. There are no good and evil choices because it only gives the player unnecessarily excessive evil choices. And the racism: When I was, like, 7 years old I thought racism was bad. I don't consider myself mature at that age. So how can the Witcher be mature? Because that's all the game tells you about racism. That it's bad. No reasons why they're fighting, no nothing. And gameplay-wise the game is the most boring game in the history of forever. Honestly, I don't get people. Give them some pseudo-serious stuff and they'll forgive everything. At least when I'm playing a Bioware game I can have some fun.

 

/rant

[Maria Caliban]

I think a discussion about maturity in video games will usually lead to failure.

 

I

[RPGmasterBoo]

That's the trouble when excessively playing Bioware games. People develop this condition where, an RPG must look like a BiowareTM product, with a save the world TM plot, in which there is a fuzzy romance TM, likeable replicas of past characters TM, identical plot progressionTM, same but ever devolving gameplay TM and needless drama TM.

 

That said Baldurs Gate II is still one of the best games ever made.

[Purkake]

I think a discussion about maturity in video games will usually lead to failure.

 

I

[RPGmasterBoo]

I think a discussion about maturity in video games will usually lead to failure.

 

I

[Slowtrain]

I really don't get why people consider the Witcher mature.

 

 

I think its mostly relative. Much like when a video game has a "good" story that means "good for a video game" but substandard fare pretty much any place else.

 

Let's face it: story and narrative content have not been a focus of game developers for a long time now.

[Aristes]

And when folks have tried to put the story first, they've been ridiculed for being uppity.

[Slowtrain]

And when folks have tried to put the story first, they've been ridiculed for being uppity.

 

 

Well, I can understand why a developer would focus on graphics and presentation first and then gameplay mechanics second and story and narrative a way distant third. The probably feel that the best way to make money is to focus on those that will most help sell the game. ANd really what makes a game specifically a game and not a novel is the gameplay mechanics. SO it makes sense that there is focus there.

 

 

But, for me personally, I've really begun craving some actuall rich narrative content over the last few years, even at the expense of graphics and even gameplay. Obviously though I alone don't buy enough games for developers to cater to my desires.