Dragon Age 2

[WorstUsernameEver]

Italian preview.

 

I'll translate some snippets later, sorry guys, but I'm tired right now.

I'd define the tone as 'cautiously positive' but I only skimmed through it.

 

EDIT: I'll translate their 'Hopes & Fears' box at the end at least.

 

Hopes

 

* The narrative technique seems to assure a more involving experience

* The new ability progression system was well thought-out

* Visually it's still very fascinating...

 

Fears

 

* ...even if from the technical point of view a lot of work still needs to be done

* The new combat system appears to need polish/to be refined

* The PC version will probably the most changed even when it didn't always need the changes

 

I've been a little liberal here and there but there shouldn't be any change to the meaning.

Edited November 12, 2010 by WorstUsernameEver

[Tale]

Also, one art style I like is the Ledroit one (used in Homm5) :

Dragon Age definitely needs hot dark elf chicks.

[Gorgon]

The engine is too old. It looked sortof crappy for DA1, when this thing finally comes out it's going to look 1980s-ish.

[WorstUsernameEver]

Article contains SPOILARZ.

Apparently Isabela asks Hawke to help her kill Hayder, underling of Castillon, some sort of shady individual who dealt with Isabela in the past and now wants to know the location of an ancient shipwreck.

They say that the multiple-choice dialogues and characters were at Bioware's usual high level (of course, I now expect a reply from Boo when he'll say that it means that the game's story and characters will suck). The rogue's ability are Backstab, Explosive Strike and Miasmic Flask. The rogue is pretty much how they expected an archetypal rogue to be, but they lament some problems with the camera and general confusion.

As I've said before, they praise the ability progression system, and give some examples: the 'Rush' ability can become 'Charge' OR 'Blitz', 'Miasmic Flask' becomes 'More Miasmic Flask' (great name btw ) and so on. Graphic-wise, there were some framerate problems, characters' details look to be about the same as DA:O but the city's design and detail looked much better than in its predecessor and the lighting engine is not at Mass Effect 2's level. They conclude that the demo was too short and that it's too early to judge it Bioware's design choices (which they define as 'bold') will pay off.

Edited November 12, 2010 by WorstUsernameEver

[entrerix]

these previews just do not look like the kind of ultra positive previews one usually sees for a soon to be released AAA title. usually they are all gushy gushy omg so coooool, not "we'll have to wait and see whether these bold changes pay off"

 

i'd rather they postpone the game another year or so and completely overhaul the game than release a crap title. then again, maybe its awesome and the demo is just way too short to tell.

[RPGmasterBoo]

Do I need to, or?

[HoonDing]

Do I need to, or?

[Tale]

Fearless!

[RPGmasterBoo]

Do I need to, or?

 

Cousin!

[Maria Caliban]

Gametrailers had an interview with David Silverman 'Director of Marketing'. Here. He's very....

 

He's very Director of Marketing.

 

Dragon Age definitely needs hot dark elf chicks.

 

I'm not sure how original it is (dark elves always seem to be sexy BDSM woman) but I agree the game could use more of it.

Edited November 13, 2010 by Maria Caliban

[Gromnir]

Dragon Age definitely needs hot dark elf chicks.

 

I'm not sure how original it is (dark elves always seem to be sexy BDSM woman) but I agree the game could use more of it.

 

am gonna go silly/stoopid and channel vol for a sec...

 

no.

 

*shrug*

 

too much o' da maturity were lame. a few half-arsed horror elements and some angsty sex. huzzah?

 

let the leather-clad harlots dance unbridled in the bioware basement, 'cause such stuff don't add nothing to a game or story unless it is implemented with a kind o' deftness that currently seems beyond bio's reach. also, such content requires equal maturity from an audience that clearly ain't the target o' biowarian games. the Average Gamer would not "get." wasted effort.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Tigranes]

I don't want to bash, I just want to jump in and ask:

 

Castillon? Really? :/

[Gromnir]

I don't want to bash, I just want to jump in and ask:

 

Castillon? Really? :/

 

regardless, is helpful that people post actual images representing what they sees as kewl and original... as 'posed to bland and generic. tastes in art is so individualized that w/o the benefit o' visual aids we has no notion what boo or tig may be referencing.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Tale]

http://kotaku.com/5692653/dont-worry-drago...-is-for-you-too

 

Why do so many seem to take voiced PCs being an improvement as a given? I like the tone of the rest of the article and it contributes somewhat to me being hopeful. But voiced PCs is not an inherent good. It serves a purpose. A different purpose than mute PCs.

[entrerix]

i agree tale. its not better, just different.

 

also: i am glad to read about the click once to initiate attacking on pc, having to mash click is poop (unless its diablo)

 

i am bummed about the no-overhead view, but if it truly leads to a better art design in skies and cielings etc then fine I can accept having a kotor or mass effect style camera.

 

if this game isn't significantly better than dragon age 1 though, im gonna be pretty annoyed that they bothered changing things I liked just to release a worse game to boot...

[Tigranes]

we has no notion what boo or tig may be referencing.

 

I just want to know if Castille is now obscure enough to be a good fantasy name by changing the suffix. Now I'm also wondering if Castillon is going to be Castille-like, or it was just random name-grafting. It strikes me as amateurish, like calling your desert lands "Arabicana", but maybe it's not so bad for less history-oriented people.

[Gromnir]

we has no notion what boo or tig may be referencing.

 

I just want to know if Castille is now obscure enough to be a good fantasy name by changing the suffix. Now I'm also wondering if Castillon is going to be Castille-like, or it was just random name-grafting. It strikes me as amateurish, like calling your desert lands "Arabicana", but maybe it's not so bad for less history-oriented people.

 

 

typically we see people is picking at nits in an attempt to find reasons to dislike bio. is more than enough genuine reasons to dislike bio, but it always seems as if some folks is working extra hard to find problems with bio that they maybe not see with some other game developers. 'course moments o' self-doubt arise and we begins to consider that maybe, just perhaps, bio really is the Root o' All Evil... then tig or some other regular posts and our universe is set right again.

 

some o' you folks is nuts.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Tigranes]

True enough, though I find it equally amusing that in response we seem to have grown a vigilante mindset where any negative comment in a bio thread is scanned to check for foaming at the mouth.

 

Anyway, the value of Castillon as a location depends on how it's done, not it's name - just thought it was a pretty bad name. Now I'mw aiting for the one voice actor who will invariably say Castiyon...

[Gromnir]

1) Gromnir understands the reference to castile, but what we didn't get were the specific notions o' art. reading in context is always helpful.

 

2) complain 'bout a name that sounds, possibly, vaguely like Castile is pretty much the definition o' nitpicking. congrats.

 

3) people (more than a few) complained 'bout the title o' Dragon Age as if such naming were exhibiting creative turpitude. tig comment is reminiscent o' such good times.

 

4) yeah, Gromnir is bio's white freaking knight... ride in to save their reputation anytime they gets criticized. *snort* tig gets more mileage with your castile observation.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Tigranes]

*shrug* different ways to look at it, fair enough if you see it as nitpicking. I don't have a problem with Dragon Age or even Thedas, though.

 

I didn't take your previous post as directed at me, but more general, and my response was general as well. Note I didn't say certain people, I'm more inclined to think most of us move in and out. But hey, if you're determined on seeing it as a black and white battle of the titans, well, Castillon certainly is a tiny thing to fight you over.

 

edit: can't find much info on what castillon will be like, so in the end it'll depend on that. If they get art style / etc from actual Castille, well, I'd think the name becomes even sillier, but I'd probably enjoy the locale.

[Azure79]

What? No top down view? That makes me sad.

 

They better make the ceilings super interesting.

[Nepenthe]

What? No top down view? That makes me sad.

Me too. Even though I found myself playing most of the game just pulled back, not top down, so I guess I shouldn't be as upset as I feel.

[Nepenthe]

typically we see people is picking at nits in an attempt to find reasons to dislike bio. is more than enough genuine reasons to dislike bio, but it always seems as if some folks is working extra hard to find problems with bio that they maybe not see with some other game developers. 'course moments o' self-doubt arise and we begins to consider that maybe, just perhaps, bio really is the Root o' All Evil... then tig or some other regular posts and our universe is set right again.

 

some o' you folks is nuts.

 

HA! Good Fun!

This is actually pretty much my issue/opinion, as well.

[Azure79]

I need to have complete control over where I place my fireball! Top down is optimal for this.

 

So Sad.

[Monte Carlo]

:: shrugs :: It's a console game, that's how they roll.