Dragon Age 2

[Volourn]

"...and you're the only one baiting."

 

Posting about how much better another game is in a game's thread is very much the defintion of 'baiting'. I just got hooked by the obvious bait.

[Lorfean]

Someone who attended Eastern Europe's Igromir Game Expo has paid a visit to YouTube in order to upload five-and-a-half minutes of footage of Dragon Age II being played on the Xbox 360. Despite the fact that it's not very close-up, this is the first "true" gameplay footage I've seen:

 

Dragon Age II Gameplay Video

So not impressed.

 

I'm very happy that GoG.com is around to provide some proper, classic CRPG's. I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot more money on their website in the coming years than I will on new titles.

Edited November 7, 2010 by Lorfean

[RPGmasterBoo]

And then someone says its not Tomb Raider.

[sorophx]

Dragon Age II Gameplay Video

looks awful not even remotely resembling The Witcher. like a bad attempt at a button masher, Darksiders comes to mind

[RPGmasterBoo]

Dragon Age II Gameplay Video

looks awful not even remotely resembling The Witcher. like a bad attempt at a button masher, Darksiders comes to mind

 

Its obvious what it looks like. Its a third person console action game, with RPG elements. In fact, it looks just like Final Fantasy XII.

 

Since Bioware sucks at action programming, the game is already outclassed by decade old dedicated action games in the field of animation and combat flow. In fact, without the storyline (which is bound to be praised) the game's combat segment, looks exactly as it is - mediocre - just like Jade Empire.

[Volourn]

" In fact, without the storyline (which is bound to be praised) the game's combat segment, looks exactly as it is - mediocre - just like Jade Empire. "

 

Lie. JE's action combat was sueprior to most full fledge action games. And, better than certain BIO RPGs.

 

P.S. That DA2 combat resembles BG combat anyways. If youw ere to view BG combat in real time, that's basically what you'd see except it be slow as hell. R00fles!

Edited November 7, 2010 by Volourn

[sorophx]

In fact, it looks just like Final Fantasy XII.

only FFXII actually had a very good combat system

 

Volo, you're exaggerating. BG combat was completely different, because you weren't fighting, you were commanding units. comparing DA2 to BG is like comparing, I dunno, Castlevania to Starcraft2

Edited November 7, 2010 by sorophx

[RPGmasterBoo]

@ Vol. Which just goes to show you know jack squat about action games.

Edited November 7, 2010 by RPGmasterBoo

[Volourn]

"@ Vol. Which just goes to show you know jack squat about action games."

 

I've been playing action games for decades. I play theme nough to know what I like and what i dislike. I coudln't give a crap if you think toherwise. Afterall, you are the one who thinks a hamster is the best npc ever. LMAO

 

 

"Volo, you're exaggerating. BG combat was completely different, because you weren't fighting, you were commanding units. comparing DA2 to BG is like comparing, I dunno, Castlevania to Starcraft2"

 

Nah. Not really. In DA2, you control up to 4 'units' as well. Youw ere definitely fighting in BG2. What BG2 did you play? I fought, and killed thousands of enemies. And, outside of the obvious graphical differences, the game play looked the same. There are differences, of course.

 

I'm not saying DA2 has better combat (afterall, BG2 is one of my top 3 games ever); but to pretend they'

re not alike is silly. What evidence? Go watch a video of a BG2 preview video form before it was released.

Edited November 7, 2010 by Volourn

[sorophx]

I don't see your point since in BG you point and click and control up to 6 chars simultaneously, and that's it. in DA2 you have to control one character at a time, you have to move around manually, deliver each hit manually, and when you're at it, the rest of the team is controlled by AI. it's like Boo said, almost like in FFXII, only that game had layers upon layers of complexity in combat.

Edited November 7, 2010 by sorophx

[Majek]

That gameplay video just proved ot me i have exactly null expectations for this. Maybe i'll think about it a few months after release.

[Tale]

Dragon Age II Gameplay Video

looks awful not even remotely resembling The Witcher. like a bad attempt at a button masher, Darksiders comes to mind

Darksiders was a good game.

[sorophx]

I agree, very good. I enjoyed playing it. that's why I can't understand what was behind the decision of DA2 going action. Bio is obviously way behind other 3rd-person action games with their rendition.

[Oner]

Mhm, another kiting simulator. Hurray for ARR PEE GEES.

[Nepenthe]

It looks like the console versions of DAO. Can we wait for some PC footage before we light the stake? For once? Didn't think so...

[sorophx]

the console version was that bad? wow, I didn't realize there was such a big difference in combat...

[meomao]

the console version was that bad? wow, I didn't realize there was such a big difference in combat...

 

Yep, it was "so bad".

 

Consolle does not have iso view and the camera was fixed to 3rd person view. And you can't select moves while the game was paused so it allready played like an action RPG since every movement has to be done in real time using the analog stick. I've played DA:O on the PC but that's what I read about the consolle version.

 

PS: Autoattack are still present in the game. Only, for the person who likes to play in real time and do not controll other charachters in the party (and there are a lot of them) you can decide to avoid using autoattack and press a button for each swing of the sword/staff.

Edited November 7, 2010 by meomao

[meomao]

Its obvious what it looks like. Its a third person console action game, with RPG elements. In fact, it looks just like Final Fantasy XII.

 

Since Bioware sucks at action programming, the game is already outclassed by decade old dedicated action games in the field of animation and combat flow. In fact, without the storyline (which is bound to be praised) the game's combat segment, looks exactly as it is - mediocre - just like Jade Empire.

 

I don't know, maybe you're right. The game is clearly more action oriented than DA:O and the combat animations are flashy and over the top.

 

Still, the game is stat based and not twitch based, in the PC you'll still play point and click with some kind of tactical view, so I do not understand the reference to Final Fantasy and for me that's uncorrect from any point of view.

 

PS: About TW... I liked the game but the combat was really ****ty and more action oriented than DA:O since it was not based on stats but on skills combo and timing. TW2 is even going to have more action elements with real time events (or whatever they call them). So, I really do not get why DA2 get all the hate and TW2 get all the praise... maybe only because one game is made by Bioware.

Edited November 7, 2010 by meomao

[Thorton_AP]

maybe only because one game is made by Bioware

 

This. Boo has actually come out and stated so explicitly. He holds BioWare to a higher standard than other game companies because of their history with the Baldur's Gate games.

[sorophx]

it was not based on stats but on skills combo and timing.

that's what made it so good. because in TW you don't have a party to control. Bioware is fiddling with stuff they can't handle

[Thorton_AP]

Isn't the DA2 very similar to DAO just faster paced without an autoattack?

[meomao]

maybe only because one game is made by Bioware

 

This. Boo has actually come out and stated so explicitly. He holds BioWare to a higher standard than other game companies because of their history with the Baldur's Gate games.

 

Well, I understand... BG games are my favourite games too. I would buy an IE game with updated graphics any day of the year (I mean a true IE game, not DA:O).

 

But Bioware has changed a lot from that times. There has been a lot of action games between BG 2 and DA 2. And while I can understand a loss of interest toward a company and its games, I do not get the grudge.

 

I'm here because I really like Obsidian games too (except Alpha Protocol). But the criticism toward Bioware is so sistematic here that feels odd on codex level.

[RPGmasterBoo]

Its obvious what it looks like. Its a third person console action game, with RPG elements. In fact, it looks just like Final Fantasy XII.

 

Since Bioware sucks at action programming, the game is already outclassed by decade old dedicated action games in the field of animation and combat flow. In fact, without the storyline (which is bound to be praised) the game's combat segment, looks exactly as it is - mediocre - just like Jade Empire.

 

I don't know, maybe you're right. The game is clearly more action oriented than DA:O and the combat animations are flashy and over the top.

 

Still, the game is stat based and not twitch based, in the PC you'll still play point and click with some kind of tactical view, so I do not understand the reference to Final Fantasy and for me that's uncorrect from any point of view.

 

PS: About TW... I liked the game but the combat was really ****ty and more action oriented than DA:O since it was not based on stats but on skills combo and timing. TW2 is even going to have more action elements with real time events (or whatever they call them). So, I really do not get why DA2 get all the hate and TW2 get all the praise... maybe only because one game is made by Bioware.

 

I though TW combat was fun (intense and well animated). But that wasn't the real strength of the game, or why I liked it so much.

 

DAO's combat system was fine as well. The problem was with the rest of the game, specifically with its main plot and characters.

 

I'm not praising TW2 yet, I'm waiting to see what happens. For me TW2 has no gameplay standards to achieve, it was always a third person action thing.

 

D2 gets hate because its moving away from a gameplay style that worked, that I liked and that Bioware did well to a gameplay that will be at best average, that I don't like and that Bioware will have trouble pulling off well. Its going the way of Mass Effect without any reasonable justification considering how well the original game sold, which is the most frustrating part of all.

 

The point is this: just at the moment old school PC RPGs prove that they are still viable, Bioware chooses to piss on that and introduce console oriented changes as if there weren't enough action RPGs done by them in the last decade.

Even if a tactical view stays, coupled with an autoattack - DA's combat, dialog, blank slate protagonist etc. weren't so broken that they had to take an axe to them.

Edited November 7, 2010 by RPGmasterBoo

[meomao]

it was not based on stats but on skills combo and timing.

that's what made it so good. because in TW you don't have a party to control. Bioware is fiddling with stuff they can't handle

 

They are very different system and everyone have different tastes off course.

 

For me the combat was the weakest part of TW. A game that otherwise I liked very much. I find it dull, repetitive and not engaging. Moreover, with the amount of respawn and mandatory combat it becomes trival and painfull and really ampered my enjoyement of the game.

 

DA:O's combat was somewhat painfull too for me. I enjoyed the game overall, but not for its combat that was mediocre at best (IMHO). I could explain in detail why I believe so, but I would probably bore you to death with my design ideals :D. Long way short: pause and play system can work only if the action are synchronized, thanks to a turn base system running underneath. If the system is not synchronized, it became an ugly and not rewarding mess that it's worse than Titan Quest :D.

 

So, I understand the direction they have taken with DA 2, trying to have a gameplay that while being faithfull to the original, is more fluid, more actiony and that relies a little less on the pause feature. I played the demo on the consolle and even if it's not my ideal kind of RPG, I must admit that it was fun. More fun than DA:O.

Edited November 7, 2010 by meomao

[meomao]

D2 gets hate because its moving away from a gameplay style that worked, that I liked and that Bioware did well to a gameplay that will be at best average, that I don't like and that Bioware will have trouble pulling off well. Its going the way of Mass Effect without any reasonable justification considering how well the original game sold, which is the most frustrating part of all.

 

The point is this: just at the moment old school PC RPGs prove that they are still viable, Bioware chooses to piss on that and introduce console oriented changes as if there weren't enough action RPGs done by them in the last decade.

Even if a tactical view stays, coupled with an autoattack - DA's combat, dialog, blank slate protagonist etc. weren't so broken that they had to take an axe to them.

 

Well, I get your point and I really sympathize with some of your concerns. But you should realize that all we have seen now is consolle gameplay. And the consolle really needed some kind of rework because it received a lot of criticism (just my experience, I know that Volo thinks that is bull****). I hope that with autoattack, point and click gameplay and somekind of tactical view, the game will feel more true to the original (even if more paced and more action oriented).

 

Blank slate protagonist: a part from the race option (wich is big off course), the protagonist is not different from BG. The nameless one was more defined than what Hawke ever be for example. Dialogue: honestly, in a game where everyone is voiced, I prefer voice over for the protagonist too. The dialogue wheel is not bad in itself, a lot depends how the writer uses it. But still, I understand why you prefer full dialogue options and thinks that they are better for an RPG. Unfortunately, that's not the way Bioware wants to go.