Dragon Age III / The Witcher 3 trailers. Impressions?

[Nixl]

I can see how people think TW2 is just grimdark with boobs, but I think there is so more to the game.  The politics of the factions, the impact of the choices, and the characters brought the game up for me personally.

Edited June 11, 2013 by Nixl

[Malcador]

Hmmm, both will be cinematic games with actiony combat, probably open-world, and a focus on story and choices. I don't know if there will be much difference besides the setting and the amount of **** shown. I will have to wait and see, but I'm going to give the edge to PE, which will bend them both over the table and plow them hard.

Will be funny if PE falls short, heh.

 

Should probably get around to playing DA2, or at least read spoilers so I've some idea what's going in 3.

[Humanoid]

The Witcher 2 was my game of the year, almost in spite of the combat. That's probably exaggerating a bit, but I'm indifferent about it at best. On easy difficulty it didn't annoy me, and that's a pass for an RPG as far as I'm concerned.

 

Then again I'm on record as holding up Ultima 7 combat as what I'd like my ideal CRPG to have.

 

 

It can be a difficult dilemma to face when combat is in character, but when I as a player can't be bothered engaging in it. A recent example is Expeditions: Conquistador. I've recently started a new game as a confrontational bastard who doesn't compromise or forgive. But when playing the game, I have the option of going into an extended battle, or clicking the dialogue option that skips it and lets me continue doing other stuff. It's really hard to resist hitting that latter option.

 

And just to veer further off-topic, it's partly the reason why I can't definitively say that PE is the game I'm most looking forward to. The IE had some great games made with it, but the mechanics of engagements within the engine were nothing but tiresome to me.

[BruceVC]

 

I think the TW2 was a huge improvement in almost every way. 

 

I will say, however, playing it the first time I felt that it was overhyped. 

 

Mmh, ditto. Lots of witcher fanboys seem of the type who think that boobs and grimdark make the games all mature... when it's kind of the opposite. It's still teen, just 17 instead of 13.

 

 

You mean boobs and grimdark don't make an RPG mature!!! Surly you jest???? Okay yes you would also have to have full frontal male nudity, but then are we good to use the word "mature"?

 

[Lysen]

I didn't like both of them. I've played Skyrim and I don't really want to play it again (all right, I know that Witcher 3 won't be a Skyrim clone, but still, this trailer looked exactly like Skyrim). And DA trailer... I don't even want to talk about it, it was so generic and just ugly.

[Keyrock]

At least the love scenes in The Witcher 2 were far less awkward than Dragon Age 2, or any love scene is a BioWare game for that matter. Also, the love scenes with Triss serve a purpose as the love triangle between Geralt Triss and Yennefer is an important part of the trilogy's storyline.  The other potential love scenes are superfluous, though.

[BruceVC]

I didn't like both of them. I've played Skyrim and I don't really want to play it again (all right, I know that Witcher 3 won't be a Skyrim clone, but still, this trailer looked exactly like Skyrim). And DA trailer... I don't even want to talk about it, it was so generic and just ugly.

 

Interesting, would you consider yourself in the camp of "excited and positive about the status of recently released and upcoming RPG" ?

[TrashMan]

You guys do realise that the DA3 trailer was entirely IN-ENGINE?

That was NOT a blur pre-render.

 

Of course, not that snazzy new graphics will save DA3 if the story/mechnics end up sucking.

[Nepenthe]

You guys do realise that the DA3 trailer was entirely IN-ENGINE?

That was NOT a blur pre-render.

 

Of course, not that snazzy new graphics will save DA3 if the story/mechnics end up sucking.

 

I've only watched a tiny version of it without audio at work, but it didn't look like anyone else realised that, either.

 

 

I can see how people think TW2 is just grimdark with boobs, but I think there is so more to the game.  The politics of the factions, the impact of the choices, and the characters brought the game up for me personally.

 

I'll give you the impact of choices, but I CBA to play it a second time so I didn't really get to reap the rewards of that. I'm probably going to play it again soonish, but I've forgotten enough of it that it wouldn't really matter... Any game that tries to make C&C it's main selling point HAS to be very replayable and memorable for it to matter at all...

 

I've only played twitcher 2 so the politics and finesses were mostly lost to me and the characters... yeah, refer to what I said earlier.

Edited June 11, 2013 by Nepenthe

[Nixl]

I understand Nepenthe.  When I first played the Witcher, I too did not really reap the rewards of the choices nor did I really love the gameplay/story after the first act. 

 

As I said before, playing it a for second time, however, really changed my view.  I cannot give any big reason why, but viewing the whole package that TW2 offered, I appreciated it. 

 

I am not saying your view will change after a second playthrough, because simply put, people have different tastes.  I think do think CD Project derserves a pat on the back considering the growth from TW1 to TW2. 

 

edit: Also, Iorveth path or go home. 

Edited June 11, 2013 by Nixl

[Monte Carlo]

How dare Bio try to appropriate the 'action RPG' title for their new game?

 

ARPGs are a noble undertaking. The cinematic, emo, prose-laden PoS that DA3 is likely to be won't be an ARPG. ERPSC* perhaps.

 

 

*Emo-Role Plaeying Screen Saver.

[Tale]

You guys do realise that the DA3 trailer was entirely IN-ENGINE?

That was NOT a blur pre-render.

 

Of course, not that snazzy new graphics will save DA3 if the story/mechnics end up sucking.

It's not a BLUR pre-render, but that doesn't mean anything. In-engine doesn't mean real time.

 

Though it's a fair idea that's their intended art direction. BLUR always did bizarre revisions. No telling how close they'll get to that graphical quality, however.

[PrimeJunta]

Needs more hyperbole.

[Cultist]

After ugly elves Dragon Age, at last, have gypsy transsexuals

[Monte Carlo]

 

 

Jack Tretton raised the biggest cheer of E3 so far when he announced: "The PlayStation 4 won't impose any new restrictions on you. The PS4 supports used games – we believe in the model that people embrace today with the PS3. In addition, it doesn't need to be connected: if you enjoy playing single-player games offline, the PS4 won't require you to check in online."

At the end of the press conference, Andrew House added a final barb: "Concepts like true consumer ownership and consumer trust are central to everything we do."

 

From today's Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/jun/11/sony-playstation-4-ps4-gamers

[Keyrock]

After ugly elves Dragon Age, at last, have gypsy transsexuals

With BioWare's Revolutionary Proprietary UglyTech® Rendering Technology, We're Now Able To Produce A Staggering 75% More Ugly Characters.

 

 

* UglyTech is a trademark of BioWare, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts.  All right reserved.

Edited June 11, 2013 by Keyrock

[Monte Carlo]

If Morrigan was some sort of compelling character, rather than a dull two-dimensional biyatch, then I might understand why she might feature in more games.

 

And before someone posts 'Haters Gonna Hate' I actually liked the gay elf assassin dude and Sten in DA:O.

[Tale]

I liked Morrigan, I think she was just saddled with the responsibility of reinforcing the choices that lacked any real reason to take them. Someone's got to say "good job" when you punch an orphan and she was the only one around to do it. Outside of her unfortunate duties in the scheme of choice reinforcement, she was an interesting and complex character. There's probably something to be said about not having petty options because they require petty reinforcements, but that's for another time.

 

I also like the redesign. Which gives me hope that my bitterness hasn't totally overtaken me.

[babaganoosh13]

 

Did they add facial moles to Morrigan?  Why does BioWare seem to like to do that?  My male Shepard in ME3 had a massive mole on the side of his neck that wasn't there in ME1 and 2, and his back was covered in so many of them that I hope Dr. Chakwas screened him for skin cancer.

Bioware is shamelessly pandering to the mole-covered demographic.

 

Didn't anyone tell you? Fred Savage is the new Creative Director for BioWare.

 

Edited June 11, 2013 by babaganoosh13

[Keyrock]

I personally found Flemeth a lot more interesting a character than Morrigan, despite the fact that Flemeth's appearences were quite brief.  I do kind of wonder if Morrigan's been Flemeth'd.

[babaganoosh13]

..Or if that dragon is the OGB...

[Keyrock]

OGB, how can I explain it
I'll take you frame by frame it
To have y'all jumpin', shall we singin' it
O is for Old, G is for God, scratch your temple
The last B...well...that's not that simple
 

[Cultist]

Of all this, the funniest thing is that Bioware sticks to retconning their chars again and again. Anders, Leliana, Morrigan, I bet there will be more. So far I expect DA:I to be exactly like Mass Effect 3 - a chest of lies, unfulfilled promises and retardation. Heh, it will be ironic if we will see most choices discarded, as happened in ME3.

But 2014 will be a time of a lot of Kickstarter releases a Witcher3, so another generic action herpderping slasher like DA:I would face hard times.

[babaganoosh13]

OGB, how can I explain it

I'll take you frame by frame it

To have y'all jumpin', shall we singin' it

O is for Old, G is for God, scratch your temple

The last B...well...that's not that simple

 

Who knows what happens on the other side of the mirror. Heck, it gave her a mole.

[Nepenthe]

If Morrigan was some sort of compelling character, rather than a dull two-dimensional biyatch, then I might understand why she might feature in more games.

 

And before someone posts 'Haters Gonna Hate' I actually liked the gay elf assassin dude and Sten in DA:O.

I actually agree with you re Morrigan, never found the character particularly exciting. Of course, at this stage there are few elements in DAO that do excite me, so...