Dragon Age 2

[entrerix]

NWN2 is the best game Obsidian has released to date in my opinion, while everything else hasn't been bad, its not been all that great either... New Vegas, AP, so on... Nothing worth spaztarding out about.

 

FO:NV. This game proved that you could square the circle of having a grown-up, hybrid plot / sandbox type CRPG that was popular and profitable.

 

 

 

 

 

thiiiiiiiiis

 

 

i hope that FNV is the future of first person rpgs, and not a lucky one off that won't be followed up on for ten years (deus ex...)

[Morgoth]

Deus Ex never was an RPG to begin with.

[entrerix]

thats not really what i meant. I was more referring to the fact that I thought Deus Ex would usher in a new generation of gaming style, with lots of choice and consequence and open ended levels, and instead the opposite happened in most cases.

[Nightshape]

Narrative and story are merely parts of the machine. In a game you have much more than the story narrative, the interactive experience itself should be fun, and rewarding. Core gameplay is king, else we're just talking interactive movies.

 

As much as I enjoy story mechanics in games like DA 2, and NV... It's not the only thing I'm focused upon.

 

NWN2 may not have the best story, but I do believe it is the best package.

[Volourn]

"So at no point has the game told me about the day/night options for the maps. I can choose to visit areas of the game in either timezone, with some quests only available in one or the other. But the game didn

[Monte Carlo]

Narrative and story are merely parts of the machine. In a game you have much more than the story narrative, the interactive experience itself should be fun, and rewarding. Core gameplay is king, else we're just talking interactive movies.

 

As much as I enjoy story mechanics in games like DA 2, and NV... It's not the only thing I'm focused upon.

 

With the greatest respect Nightshape, you're missing the point.

[Purkake]

Related:

 

 

Also, why does no one ever mention Mask of the Betrayer?

[Monte Carlo]

NWN2 is the best game Obsidian has released to date in my opinion, while everything else hasn't been bad, its not been all that great either... New Vegas, AP, so on... Nothing worth spaztarding out about.

 

FO:NV. This game proved that you could square the circle of having a grown-up, hybrid plot / sandbox type CRPG that was popular and profitable.

 

 

thiiiiiiiiis

 

i hope that FNV is the future of first person rpgs

 

Agreed. Ironically, if Skyrim is "FO:NV with swords" then I'll be reasonably happy!

[Monte Carlo]

Also, why does no one ever mention Mask of the Betrayer?

 

I said NWN2 + XPs.

 

I know it's unfashionable but i like both the XPs and think it's great that the same game could have two utterly different XPs like NWN2 did. MotB is fab.

[Volourn]

MOTB is awesome.

 

SOZ is SOZZY.

 

I think Obs moved on from NWN2 but were forced to put a quick cash grab b/c that's the only explaination for the quality of the two being sodifferent. SOZ is one of the crappiest gaming experiences ever.

[Nightshape]

Narrative and story are merely parts of the machine. In a game you have much more than the story narrative, the interactive experience itself should be fun, and rewarding. Core gameplay is king, else we're just talking interactive movies.

 

As much as I enjoy story mechanics in games like DA 2, and NV... It's not the only thing I'm focused upon.

 

With the greatest respect Nightshape, you're missing the point.

 

I probably am...

[Deadly_Nightshade]

SOZ is one of the crappiest gaming experiences ever.

 

Meh, I had fun running through the game with a friend or three.

[Jaesun]

SOZ is one of the crappiest gaming experiences ever.

 

Meh, I had fun running through the game with a friend or three.

 

Indeed, as did I. Me an my party of 4 Bards kicked some major butt in it. Good times.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

SOZ is one of the crappiest gaming experiences ever.

 

Meh, I had fun running through the game with a friend or three.

 

Indeed, as did I. Me an my party of 4 Bards kicked some major butt in it. Good times.

 

Did you name yourself Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot?

[Niten_Ryu]

Haha

 

New low in guerilla marketing!

 

Bioware / EA send their own peons to raise metacritic scores and then fail to cover their tracks. I love it

via Neogaf

Edited March 15, 2011 by Niten_Ryu

[Purkake]

GAF really needs to get a job

[Niten_Ryu]

GAF really needs to get a job

 

Probably original source was reddit or perhaps /v or /b tards - Neogaf don't usually dig this deep

[Malcador]

That's some good snooping. And one really, really, bad shill.

[Tigranes]

Yeah, anyone complaining about internet whiners abusing metacritic user scores needs to keep in mind that there will be just as many DA2 fans inflating user scores with duplicate reviews.... plus the Bio/EA bots apparently? (Source? Just neogaf?)

[Volourn]

*shrug*

 

This is why user reviews can't be trusted. It should be pointed out that other sites' user reveiws are much higher as well. I saw one site where the average user review had the game at 8.6.

 

Either way it don't matter.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

(Source? Just neogaf?)

 

This site was able to recreate what was on Neogaf.

[greylord]

Okay, finished the game. Said a little about it when I started with my initial thoughts...now after playing it completely...I'll say my opinion...and IT'S NOT POSITIVE.

 

Spoilers will be in this, so don't read if you don't want. I did just about every side quest that I could find, took me a total of 31 hours and 23 minutes.

 

Yes, I skipped through conversations. I had text on and I can read faster then they can speak. I think it could be passed in 15 hours if you ONLY DID the main quests...which means that you would miss at least 60% of the game (probably more like 90%), maybe faster. I'd probably call BS on someone who said they did everything in 15 hours. I skipped through (reading fast as I said) and wimped out and went to normal on many of the boss fights since they were hard as heck, especially near the end.

 

My overall opinion of the game (I've been playing bioware games since BG, didn't play the sonic RPG though) is that it's the worst BW game I have ever played.

 

I thought ME2 was the BEST BW game I ever played. I was hoping that many of the good things they did with ME2 would translate into DA2...I was wrong.

 

First, Inventory is STILL A CHORE. After act 2 you get so much stuff to sort through, and SO MUCH JUNK, you literally are running to the vendors after every mission...and seeing that there are probably near a hundred missions...that's a LOT OF WASTED FREAKING TIME. Those who like inventory micromanagement should eat their hearts out. Those of us that get sick of it after a while...it's still there.

 

However, you never deal with your companion's armor. It makes sense. The reason is that this game was apparantly made on the short shift, so in order to have less models with armor to work with, they simply made them have less armor variations. Makes sense, it's also sort of bugs you when you do your armor. I repeatedly was trying to change their armor during the first act only to remember I couldn't.

 

The graphics aren't so bad, though they make the Dalish look more like aliens or anime elfs...I like the old Dalish. They looked better.

 

As far as the story line, I went strongly with protecting the mages. I was a Rogue, and hence Bethany was a mage, who ended up in the Circle of the Magi. Like HELL I was going to desert her...

 

In fact, this is bad writing on the storyline. Most sensibly, a sibling is going to be protecting and supporting their other family members...so if your sister is a mage...and people want to kill all the mages...only an idiot would say..."Support me in killing and oppressing mages." Who was the idiot who wrote this storyline?

 

However, if that was the only glaring detractor that bugged on me, that wouldn't be so bad. The writing is literally juvenile. Blatant sexual puns every other line? I mean, come on!? It was so bad I was sick of it by the second act (and there are three acts).

 

The characters are transparant, it's obvious what you need to to in order to win them over...which isn't so bad...except they are so stereotyped in so many ways it really made me disgusted at points. So you have emo boy who hates all mages...Wow, guess I'll just take him on missions where I'll smack mages around. You have Gayboy who really hates templars and fights for Mage freedoms...so he tries to force an issue where you have to choose the mages or the templars and make the world see Mages being oppressed...not that big a mystery. HMMM...he's sneaking around this place and wanting to do things around a certain personage...it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what he's up to.

 

The point where it really sunk in that this was a juvenile game written for 12 year olds came when I did what I'll call...the Middle school romance. Yes, there is a part of the game where you are acting like a Middle Schooler and taking messages back and forth to try to find out if so and so likes your companion or not...and all the rest of that stuff you thought you were done with in Middle School.

 

Some of the "gotcha" moments were rather absurd as well.

Things like Go investigate whether these mages and Templars are working together...so you show up but even though I sneak in...it doesn't let me and hence everyone attacks on sight...even though I was invisible...yeah...great idea...no way out but to fight.

 

 

And then I go to

their super secret meeting location...where theoretically only the people in the know are going to be, so they should hopefully think that MAYBE you are in with them. Instead...no...they can't accept it, want to murder everyone, and of course no matter how diplomatic you are, there's going to be a fight.

 

 

So you defend the Mages...and you're winning...so what does the head mage do (MAJOR SPOILER)

 

 

He goes beserk into being a blood mage abomination...WTH...what type of logic is that?

 

 

 

I cannot express my disappointment with this game. Everything that you hoped they learned in refining ME2...is totally lost on this game...perhaps to the point of almost making it an abomination of a disappointment. It COULD have been so much better.

 

In addition, some have already commented on the reuse of areas...I was so sick of the standard warehouse by the end of this game. It seems that buildings in this city have two basic layouts...and you get to see them several dozen times. Actually, I was sick of the city itself. They reuse it three times in a row.

 

There is no variability.

 

When starting the second act, I almost put down the game (I actually started up DA:Awakenings in the thoughts to go back and play something to rinse the dirty taste out of my mouth), but thought I should actually try to finish what I started.

 

It has so many things wrong with it...in comparison to ME2, to DA:O or DA:A, and especially compared to earlier BW games. Heck, even the OC of NWN was better in my opinion...and I thought that wasn't that great of a job.

 

I won't even get into the freezes I had (like on the final battle, I beat the game...and it freezes right in the middle of the last cutscene...I got the trophy...but not the last scene. I had to replay the battle AGAIN to get it.

 

I'm irked on so many levels.

 

Now be aware...that even though it's the worst BW game I've ever played, that STILL means it's about heads and tails above just about any other RPG out there. The only series that's come close to comparison would be the Witcher series as far as RPGs are concerned.

 

However, this is NO old style BW game. It re-uses scenery, city, everything time and time again to the point of utter boredom, it has unequal difficulty (especially near the end...you'll face a fight that's easier the anything for the big boss fight, and then suddenly the next quest you're fighting a High Dragon which is kicking the snot out of you repeatedly).

 

With all the reloads, I probably have over 40 hours in the game.

 

I know people have been saying they've been seeing those playing the game actually like it and those who didn't are the one's criticizing...Put me down as someone who has played it and is FULL OF CRITICISM of this game.

 

As I said, I absolutely LOVED ME2. It had good writing for starters, was concise, to the point...with everything focused on a good goal...and variability. I am HOPING that is retained for ME3. The worst part is the writing in DA2. Hopefully they have GOOD writing for DA3 instead of this juvenile junk I had to put up with. Literally...a Middle school romance plot...I still can't believe they had that in there! Who wrote this thing! Some 40 year old who lives in his mom's basement and never went out with a girl in his life!

 

I hope ME3 has better writing...and they DON'T use the same thought patterns they used for DA2 in ME3.

 

Just so you know how the path goes with the entire> thing...

 

With NWN meaning the campaigns...NOT the actual game (which was brilliant with user made content)....

 

ME2>BG2>KOTOR>KOTOR2>BG>IWD>PST>ME>DA:O>IWD2>JE>NWN2>NWN>DA2

 

Just my opinion.

 

Spoilers off.

 

PS: PLEASE...OH PLEASE...DON'T LET THEM SCREW UP ME3 LIKE THEY SCREWED DA2!!!!

Edited March 15, 2011 by Gorth
Added a few spoiler tags for good measure

[entrerix]

good write up, I've been the person saying mostly that the complainers have not been playing the game, so i appreciate seeing someone with criticism who actually made it all the way through.

 

Of course, I have several problems with the game, but oddly, none of them are the same as yours... no wonder this game is getting bad reviews.

[Ice9]

Just because this Chris Hoban fellow works for Bioware doesn't mean he had anything to do with the game whatsoever or was operating under the company's malicious will. It is entirely possible that he simply played the game and liked it. I presume that Bioware makes games that people at Bioware like to play.

[Slowtrain]

WHenever a game is released, I'm reasonably sure that there are people with ties to the game in some way, coworkers, significant others, friends, milkmen, whatever, who are posting postive reviews. TO single out Bioware is frankly a bit absurd.

 

That's the way it goes on the internet: the ballot boxes are always stuffed.