Support NeoGAF

[Patryn]

Yeah, I have no interest in the DLC for this game. I got as far as Act 3, and all my interest disappeared when I got sick of exploring the same damn dungeon every single time, and Merrill's quest glitched so I saw the final cutscene before I had done a single thing with her in the Act.

I'd rather not give them more money to support a product like Dragon Age 2.

And I definitely agree that DA2 has disappeared. It's funny, I see Felicia Day tweeting about her Web series tying into this game, and I just shake my head. Nobody cares anymore. That project is so DOA.

 

[VisanidethDM]

Dragon Age: Origins, with its generic epic fantasy tale, still felt far more mature as a story.

I can only facepalm at this. There isn't a single second in DA:O's story - and we're probably talking about less than a dozen events that take over a couple hours of gameplay - that isn't derivative or offensively dumb.

DA2 is a disaster, but it's a game that tries and fails. DA:O is the McDonalds of RPGs.

 

[Mister_Bubbles]

And I definitely agree that DA2 has disappeared. It's funny, I see Felicia Day tweeting about her Web series tying into this game, and I just shake my head. Nobody cares anymore. That project is so DOA.

Shit yeah, I'd forgotten about that. Embarrasing.

There isn't a single second in DA:O's story - and we're probably talking about less than a dozen events that take over a couple hours of gameplay - that isn't derivative or offensively dumb.

Landsmeet.

 

[Sir Garbageman]

In an ideal world we'd get an solid Awakenings length expansion that combines the best of DA:O and DA2. In reality we're going to get a 90 minute dungeon crawl that fixes none of the problems of DA2. Cant' wait.

 

[VisanidethDM]

And I definitely agree that DA2 has disappeared. It's funny, I see Felicia Day tweeting about her Web series tying into this game, and I just shake my head. Nobody cares anymore. That project is so DOA.

Well, can't know for sure in the casual crowd. I doubt most console users are discussing The Witcher 2 right now, and Bioware games have this detestable habit of lingering.

 

[Patryn]

Well, can't know for sure in the casual crowd. I doubt most console users are discussing The Witcher 2 right now, and Bioware games have this detestable habit of lingering.

Look at this thread, and compare to either the Mass Effect OT or the Mass Effect 2 OT or even the Dragon Age OT.

This one isn't exactly lingering in the same way.

 

[jackdoe]

This one isn't exactly lingering in the same way.

It's pretty much a couple of people bashing it or coming back after a long hiatus to bash (like me) with a couple of people defending it. This thread lingers like herpes.

 

[Nirolak]

I'm not sure GAF is a great pulse of the industry.

Stuff like FIFA threads (which shipped 12+ million copies) fall to the wayside right away while stuff like Valkyria Chronicles (notably less than 500,000 copies) stick around for months to years.

The forum mostly represents hardcore console gamers who started gaming in the late SNES/early PS1 era with a somewhat growing base of hardcore PC players.

 

[VisanidethDM]

Landsmeet.

Landsmeet is probably the moment that offends me the most.

You know the narrative structure and "roleplaying" dept of the game is amazing when

Spoiler

you get to a scene where you can decide to kill the most powerful man in the country just because (you're the Warden), spare him, kill your friend and only heir to the throne, marry the daughter of Loghain against their will, banish her against the will of the Landsmeet and contradicting all you did up to that, or force her and Alistar to marry

.
It's the perfect depiction of DA:O's absolute idiocy and lack of any dept whatsoever: the digital rendition of a little girl playing pretend with her puppets around a toy teaset.

Really, you can literally get to the Landsmeet by vowin allegiance to Anora among the nobles, then betray here and nobody will flinch.

It's absolutely disgusting.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I can only facepalm at this. There isn't a single second in DA:O's story - and we're probably talking about less than a dozen events that take over a couple hours of gameplay - that isn't derivative or offensively dumb.

DA2 is a disaster, but it's a game that tries and fails. DA:O is the McDonalds of RPGs.

Facepalm all you'd like.

I do agree that the premise for Dragon Age II sounded a lot more interesting on paper than that of Dragon Age: Origins. The whole "kill the dragon and save the land" story is cliche and tired as a premise for a game. Dragon Age II's premise was far more interesting. However, the actual stories in these games are fleshed out by what happens during the game, and in that respect, Dragon Age: Origins was far, far more interesting.

The actual events that transpired, the locations you visited, the characters you interacted with were all more interesting in the first game. There were all sorts of more 'mature' elements in DA:O, that were handled with varying success, such as slavery, racism, classism, subjugation, religious fanaticism, etc. The world of Ferelden felt much more dark and gritty than that of Kirkwall, where almost everyone (especially the villains) felt like caricatures out of a comic book.

 

[popsicle_sundays]

Picked this up new for $30 and I'm pretty surprised thus far. Played the game 5 hours straight last night, having a great time with my 2h warrior (just unlocked reaver) but I do have a question; aside from the DLC (which only came with pre-orders right and not new copies?) is there any other way to reset my talents / atts? Thx

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Picked this up new for $30 and I'm pretty surprised thus far. Played the game 5 hours straight last night, having a great time with my 2h warrior (just unlocked reaver) but I do have a question; aside from the DLC (which only came with pre-orders right and not new copies?) is there any other way to reset my talents / atts? Thx

PC?

 

[Brandon F]

Picked this up new for $30 and I'm pretty surprised thus far. Played the game 5 hours straight last night, having a great time with my 2h warrior (just unlocked reaver) but I do have a question; aside from the DLC (which only came with pre-orders right and not new copies?) is there any other way to reset my talents / atts? Thx

There is a potion you can buy in certain shops(Black Emporium for sure) that resets talents. I think it's called "Maker's Breath".

 

[popsicle_sundays]

PC?

No, PS3.

There is a potion you can buy in certain shops(Black Emporium for sure) that resets talents. I think it's called "Maker's Breath".

Right, but is that DLC I have to purchase? or is that something that's included in the game?

 

[Lostconfused]

Right, but is that DLC I have to purchase? or is that something that's included in the game?

Pretty sure the black emporium should be included in all new copies of the game.

 

[Brandon F]

No, PS3.



Right, but is that DLC I have to purchase? or is that something that's included in the game?

Unsure, it came with a code in my new copy. Assume it's in every new copy. I think just the Exiled Prince DLC is what you get with the Sig. Edition that requires purchase otherwise, but again unsure. (I had Sig. Edition) Did you buy the game used?

I do believe I recall seeing Maker's Breath available elsewhere in the game too, but can't recall where(or if I'm full of shit). But at one point I do recall thinking 'oh I can also get this potion here...' Might want to look up the potion in a wiki to see. Just google it.

In any case, both Black Emporium and Exiled Prince are worth it. I really liked Sebastian in my party, and his little sidequest jaunts were worth a few bucks. If you are desperate for a talent respec, and don't have the code for the Black Emporium, it is likely worth a few bucks as well.

 

[popsicle_sundays]

Perfect thanks guys! I definitely got a DLC code with my copy, it has to be that...awesome!

 

[Basileus777]

It looks like the 1.03 patch is making a ton of balance changes. I'd be tempted to trying them out if I didn't have so many other things to play right now.

 

[X-Frame]

It looks like the 1.03 patch is making a ton of balance changes. I'd be tempted to trying them out if I didn't have so many other things to play right now.

Holy hell, that's a lot of stuff.

I purposely saved my Mage playthrough until they patched the game more. So looks like I'll be playing again once I finish inFAMOUS about 4 times.

 

[JerkShep]

I'm playing DAII with a mage right now and oh my god this is becoming so tedious and boring. I quite liked Act I actually, it was good as an introduction and the recycled area didn't feel so bad at first. Then came Act II, and the limit of having just Kirkwall to explore (more or less) became evident to me.

The wave system/spawn is ridicolous in some areas. A new cave opened up in Sundermount and I think I had to kill something like fifty enemies in a row for a fight to end. Playing on hard, don't know if it makes a difference.

The companions are decent though, there's a lot of banter and they seem to be more..I don't know...lively... than the ones in Origins (some of them were boring as fuck, I'm looking at you Wynne). Too bad the dialogues are fewer and they tend to talk about the same things over and over, they are really one-dimensional. Can I have a conversation when Anders doesn't talk about mages, freedom and shit? Please.

 

[Patryn]

From the patch notes:

In many fights, enemies now move less quickly at the start of combat. This slower initial pace makes tactical positioning more useful and important.

Interesting change. Not that it matters, the later waves still pop up in the middle of your party, completely undermining any tactical positioning.

 

[lastplayed]

Well, after 3 months of interrupted play time, I finally finished my "proper" playthrough. I rushed through it the first week it came out and wasn't a great fan, but I gave it a second chance and I've kinda warmed up to it. I treated the narrative similar to ME2, a collection of short stories loosely tied together by a growing threat in the background. I still prefer DA:O, but my femHawke has quite grown on me.

And here's a collection of 740 screenshots for my effort.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/s_lockton/sets/72157626108207269/with/5847766725/

 

[vehn]

Best buy has it for $15 atm

 

[BlackDove]

Not even worth that.

Maybe $5.

Debatable.

 

[painey]

just picked it up today new for 360 for $16. Before I start is there anything I should do to get extra items.. I heard if you played a facebook game or signed up for a newsletter or something you got some stuff?

 

[macfoshizzle]

ok i just got to act 3 and i thought by now there would be some kind of twist in the story line but it's just one mindless quest after the other. for those of you finished the game, should i go on? does it get better? or should i just read a quick wiki and end it?

 

[Owzers]

ok i just got to act 3 and i thought by now there would be some kind of twist in the story line but it's just one mindless quest after the other. for those of you finished the game, should i go on? does it get better? or should i just read a quick wiki and end it?

keep playing, the ending to act 3 is horrible and everyone should experience it.

 

[Gvaz]

keep playing, the ending to act 3 is horrible and everyone should experience it.

At least it's not long. It's like 3 hours or something stupid unless you look at a wall for a couple hours.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

ok i just got to act 3 and i thought by now there would be some kind of twist in the story line but it's just one mindless quest after the other. for those of you finished the game, should i go on? does it get better? or should i just read a quick wiki and end it?

It gets worse. Much, much worse.

Finish it, though. Ignore all of the side quest bullshit and just plough through chapter 3 and experience the ridiculous bullshit that happens at the end of the game. You can then join the rest of us in shaking our heads and wondering if we should completely write off future Bioware games.

 

[BlackDove]

ok i just got to act 3 and i thought by now there would be some kind of twist in the story line but it's just one mindless quest after the other. for those of you finished the game, should i go on? does it get better? or should i just read a quick wiki and end it?

Aren't you enjoying the TWEEEEST?

If you want to spare yourself the misery, you should quit, but since you've trudged on for so long, finish it at the very least and experience the true nature of DLC endings.

 

[MushroomSamba]

So I'm just starting out on this game. I know it's gotten a fairly rough reception here on GAF, but I figured I'd see for myself. I'm borrowing this game for a week and was wondering if you guys have any random advice you want to share? (well, you know, aside from "stop playing it").

I'm playing as a mage on normal, and I'm still fairly early in the game. I'm currently busy kicking out a bunch of slavers from my soon-to-be new estate. So far, I'm digging the characters, even that tit of a brother. The story doesn't seem to be going anywhere at the moment, just a bunch of random side quests.

As for the combat, eh I'm not really feeling it. Never played the first DA and don't play RPGs much in general. I sorta don't want to figure out all these skill trees and whatnot, so you guys got any advice on what a good build would be to get through this game rather handily? Like I said, I only have a week and I'd rather not spend a whole ton of time on it either.

 

[kinoki]

So I'm just starting out on this game. I know it's gotten a fairly rough reception here on GAF, but I figured I'd see for myself. I'm borrowing this game for a week and was wondering if you guys have any random advice you want to share? (well, you know, aside from "stop playing it").

I'm playing as a mage on normal, and I'm still fairly early in the game. I'm currently busy kicking out a bunch of slavers from my soon-to-be new estate. So far, I'm digging the characters, even that tit of a brother. The story doesn't seem to be going anywhere at the moment, just a bunch of random side quests.

As for the combat, eh I'm not really feeling it. Never played the first DA and don't play RPGs much in general. I sorta don't want to figure out all these skill trees and whatnot, so you guys got any advice on what a good build would be to get through this game rather handily? Like I said, I only have a week and I'd rather not spend a whole ton of time on it either.

Stop playing when you feel you're just completing an OCD's checklist.

 

[CabbageRed]

As for the combat, eh I'm not really feeling it. Never played the first DA and don't play RPGs much in general. I sorta don't want to figure out all these skill trees and whatnot, so you guys got any advice on what a good build would be to get through this game rather handily? Like I said, I only have a week and I'd rather not spend a whole ton of time on it either.

If you're not to deep in, you may want to restart as a rogue. I tried both mage and sword/shield and with firmly in the "not really feeling it camp" until I started doing the back stab moves.

The story doesn't seem to be going anywhere at the moment, just a bunch of random side quests.

The side stories will get larger but there is no real single arc that rises above those stories.

 

[Gvaz]

I sorta don't want to figure out all these skill trees and whatnot

In my opinion this is the only redeeming thing about this game is figuring this out and implementing it.

It explains why RPGs aren't your thing. Also explains why I hate any game listed as RPG that doesn't have similar things to trees/loot/etc

 

[Massa]

Best buy has it for $15 atm

Damn, it's still $45+ on eBay. I can't wait to import this game.

 

[MushroomSamba]

I'm starting to get fed up with this game.

Spoiler

Carver just died for no apparent reason. I'm not against character death or anything, but it was so out of the blue and unemotional. It's just a bit disappointing to see a character I've been using throughout the game just get tossed out like that with all the buildup wasted.

I just finished the Deep Roads expedition. Can anyone give me an idea of how much longer this game is? I'm like a dozen hours into it and it hardly feels like anything has happened at all.

 

[Mister_Bubbles]

I just finished the Deep Roads expedition. Can anyone give me an idea of how much longer this game is? I'm like a dozen hours into it and it hardly feels like anything has happened at all.

You just finished Act 1 of a total 3.

 

[MushroomSamba]

You just finished Act 1 of a total 3.

Craaaap. Are the rest of the Acts as long as the first? Please don't say longer.

 

[Basileus777]

Craaaap. Are the rest of the Acts as long as the first? Please don't say longer.

The 1st act is the longest.

 

[Gvaz]

First act is the longest but not by much. Act 2 is about 80% of act 1, and act 3 is like 20% of act 1.

Also the death before that one was awful too.

 

[Havok]

Craaaap. Are the rest of the Acts as long as the first? Please don't say longer.

It only gets worse from here. Act 2 isn't horrible, but Act 3 is a detestable experience. If you're not enjoying yourself now (right after arguably the best part of the game), you might as well do yourself a favor and give it up now.

 

[Gvaz]

Yeah, this was not a very good game, especially coming off of DA:O. Certain things were improved but nothing else, in fact making mistakes they made right the first time.

 

[MushroomSamba]

Okay, I gotta admit,

Spoiler

the mother's death was sick and twisted and all kinds of awesome. Much better than Carver's "oh btw, I'm dying".

 

[Nirolak]

I saw this and laughed a lot. Thought I should share.

 

[Onion_Relish]

I dont get it, if you are already the weapon, do you not own it? or is your body some sort of transient possession that you really have no true ownership over until you actually take control of your destiny, thus finally becoming "possessed' by your desire to never stop and to never surrender?

...wait a minute, where was I? lol dragon age fps. Yep, there we go.

Everytime i see this game in the bargain bin, i think that it might be worth giving a shot. Then i remember the demo. Dear god, that demo...

 

[ShockingAlberto]

I dont get it, if you are already the weapon, do you not own it? or is your body some sort of transient possession that you really have no true ownership over until you actually take control of your destiny, thus finally becoming "possessed' by your desire to never stop and to never surrender?

...wait a minute, where was I? lol dragon age fps. Yep, there we go.

Everytime i see this game in the bargain bin, i think that it might be worth giving a shot. Then i remember the demo. Dear god, that demo...

The demo is the best part of the game!

 

[Lostconfused]

Am I the only one that's bothered by the total absence of any kind of heat sink on that CPU.

Edit: Wait nvm there isn't even one there in the first place. They just stuck some video cards into a bare motherboard. Advertising is fun.

 

[Gvaz]

What the fuck graphic card were they using where they were only getting 25fps on dragon age 2 with those specs (i7 2600!)

I maxed that game out on my 4890 with a fucking x3 720 @ 3.2 on 1920x1200 and got 45-60fps.

edit: a 560? I don't believe that.

 

[Basileus777]

What the fuck graphic card were they using where they were only getting 25fps on dragon age 2 with those specs (i7 2600!)

I maxed that game out on my 4890 with a fucking x3 720 @ 3.2 on 1920x1200 and got 45-60fps.

edit: a 560? I don't believe that.

I believe it's because of some directx 11 issue that nvidia cards have with the game. I certainly get better performance than that with my gtx 285.

 

[RedSwirl]

Dragon Age 2 is alright for me, but I can definitely see why WRPG fans despise it, especially on PC.

I can understand the disappointment over the dumbed-down graphics, combat, and UI in favor of the consoles. Even on top of that the variety of environments is also pretty bad. Thing is, those are none of the things that made me keep playing Origins.

So far (I’m towards the beginning of Act 2) I’m actually interested enough in the characters and story alone to keep playing. The premise - just the main character trying to make his way through life and a city's politics, and protect his family, is more interesting than "save the land from monsters".