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[Fredescu]

Why is he even making a big deal out of a city hub?

The first game didn't have one. Denerim was pretty disappointing and felt much smaller than the fiction lets on. If it's actually as complex as the reviewer makes out, it could be pretty cool.

 

[Kinspiracy]

lol. Dude, the writer's entire paragraph is a waste of brain power. You could start up dozens upon dozens reviews the very same way. Why is he even making a big deal out of a city hub? Bringing New York makes it sound even more pretentious.

I'm questioning whether or not you know the meaning of 'pretentious'. He related his feelings after playing inside of Kirkwall for 40+ hours in DA2 to an experience he had in real life. I fail to see the problem with that. Or the pretentiousness.

 

[Roscoe]

Fuck the haters, midnight launch in a few.

Midnight launch.....WONDER OF WONDERS

Spoiler

I can't stop, sorry

 

[jackdoe]

Why isn't anyone discussing the requirements for the higher resolution textures? A 1GB DX11 card to experience slightly better textures - ha - you have to be kidding me!

Hell. StarCraft 2 "recommended" a 1GB card to play it with slightly better textures (blink or you'll miss them in cutscenes).

 

[piratepwnsninja]

I've been watching the stream and that was probably the worst side quest I have ever seen.

"Hey, let's go kill these outcasts for like 30 minutes so I can be in a bargaining position to sell my product."
"Okay king horn guy, we've killed the outcasts. Can we barter now?"
"No. Get out."
*QUEST COMPLETED*

Because its obvious that there were no decisions or dialog choices that would have led to a different outcome.

 

[Nirolak]

Nirolak, you seem to have had high spirits about this game. How optimistic are you?

I liked all of their recent games so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt until I play it.

However, I never expect masterpieces going into BioWare games, so my general expectations may be different than a lot of people.

Like for Dragon Age: Origins, they hyped it up as a Baldur's Gate 2 spiritual successor, but I expected something much more like what we got so I wasn't disappointed.

I also never thought they would do much with decisions from Mass Effect 1 for Mass Effect 2, so the first game having little impact didn't disappoint me.

I suspect my optimism has a lot less to do with me valuing different things in RPGs than the people complaining, but rather that I didn't expect these things to actually be in Dragon Age 2, so I'm comparing to a very different bar.

 

[MechaX]

Because its obvious that there were no decisions or dialog choices that would have led to a different outcome.

How and why was it obvious, again? I mean, even the original had choices in situations like these. Sure, some of them were chaotic-stupid, but you at least had the choice to either force the other party/fight the other party/etc.

 

[Trojita]

I just canceled my Signature Edition preorder.

I'll wait and see how the reviews are and then maybe get the ultimate edition.

 

[jackdoe]

I suspect my optimism has a lot less to do with me valuing different things in RPGs than the people complaining, but rather that I didn't expect these things to actually be in Dragon Age 2, so I'm comparing to a very different bar.

I'll probably be like you when I actually play the game. My expectations for this game have been lowered so much that I'll probably be pleasantly surprised by what we get (or at least okay with it).

 

[piratepwnsninja]

I just canceled my Signature Edition preorder.

I'll wait and see how the reviews are and then maybe get the ultimate edition.

Should have kept it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UF9E0O/?tag=neogaf0e-20

O_O

 

[Massa]

Tweets from Gamespot's Kevin VanOrd (he's reviewing Dragon Age 2 and is one of the best reviewers in the industry, imo).

The subject of simplification is on my mind. Developers often simplify in the name of "user friendliness." Have modern games gone too far?
To take it a step further, do you think devs underestimate our intelligence by assuming that depth and playability are mutually exclusive?"

There's a chance this has nothing to do with this game but I highly doubt it.

 

[Diatribe1974]

I liked all of their recent games so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt until I play it.

However, I never expect masterpieces going into BioWare games, so my general expectations may be different than a lot of people.

Like for Dragon Age: Origins, they hyped it up as a Baldur's Gate 2 spiritual successor, but I expected something much more like what we got so I wasn't disappointed.

I also never thought they would do much with decisions from Mass Effect 1 for Mass Effect 2, so the first game having little impact didn't disappoint me.

I suspect my optimism has a lot less to do with me valuing different things in RPGs than the people complaining, but rather that I didn't expect these things to actually be in Dragon Age 2, so I'm comparing to a very different bar.

Even if I ONLY get 1/2 the playtime as I did with DA:O, I'm still looking at at least 80 hours of playing DA2. Here's to hoping, eh?

 

[Fredescu]

Like for Dragon Age: Origins, they hyped it up as a Baldur's Gate 2 spiritual successor, but I expected something much more like what we got so I wasn't disappointed.

Did they though? Perhaps early in development, but I was fairly sure when the site resdesign etc all happened, they stopped bringing up Baldur's Gate. I got roughly what I was expecting out of DA:O too. I don't know why people went in seriously expecting BG3. Especially after "new shit".

 

[SerArthurDayne]

My Signature Edition still hasn't shipped yet. I seriously doubt it will get here tomorrow, especially since My UPS guy gets her at 11:30. I preordered in October. What the Hell Amazon?

 

[Trojita]

Should have kept it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UF9E0O/?tag=neogaf0e-20

O_O

No ones buying them for those prices.

My coworker tried to tell me today that his Amazon Exclusive Fall Out 3 Collectors Edition was worth $880 because that is how much it was selling for on Amazon Marketplace.

 

[jackdoe]

My Signature Edition still hasn't shipped yet. I seriously doubt it will get her tomorrow, especially since My UPS guy gets her at 11:30. I preordered in October. What the Hell Amazon?

You'll get it tomorrow. Amazon is excellent at making their release date deliveries (though I have to question why they always opt for overnight shipping rather than ship it earlier and go with 2-day).

 

[SerArthurDayne]

You'll get it tomorrow. Amazon is excellent at making their release date deliveries (though I have to question why they always opt for overnight shipping rather than ship it earlier and go with 2-day).

Not so sure. Took me Five days to get Final Fantasy XIII release day. I vaguely recall them screwing up another Release day game, too.

 

[Zeliard]

Did they though? Perhaps early in development, but I was fairly sure when the site resdesign etc all happened, they stopped bringing up Baldur's Gate. I got roughly what I was expecting out of DA:O too. I don't know why people went in seriously expecting BG3. Especially after "new shit".

They were pretty consistently marketing DA:O as the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate 2.

I liked all of their recent games so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt until I play it.

However, I never expect masterpieces going into BioWare games, so my general expectations may be different than a lot of people.

Like for Dragon Age: Origins, they hyped it up as a Baldur's Gate 2 spiritual successor, but I expected something much more like what we got so I wasn't disappointed.

I also never thought they would do much with decisions from Mass Effect 1 for Mass Effect 2, so the first game having little impact didn't disappoint me.

I suspect my optimism has a lot less to do with me valuing different things in RPGs than the people complaining, but rather that I didn't expect these things to actually be in Dragon Age 2, so I'm comparing to a very different bar.

I'm still getting Dragon Age 2 (I buy every Bioware game, for better or worse), since at least I sort of know what to expect. It's naturally true that lower expectations lead to a lower capacity for disappointment, so it remains to be seen how I enjoy it.

I loved Mass Effect 2 because it tried to veer away from the fairly paltry RPG offerings of the first one, and that made for much better gameplay and superior pacing. Essentially, I never really viewed Mass Effect as that significant in the RPG area. I'm much more annoyed with Dragon Age 2 doing so because DA:O, while pretty far from BG2, was still a solid enough CRPG. The key there being, of course, CRPG. DA2 is still a CRPG, but one that seems to have substituted "computer" for "console", as far as I can tell.

 

[Kusagari]

Not so sure. Took me Five days to get Final Fantasy XIII release day. I vaguely recall them screwing up another Release day game, too.

I got my FF13 on release date from them. The only release date screw up I've ever had from them was Other M which they gave me credit for.

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

I'm questioning whether or not you know the meaning of 'pretentious'. He related his feelings after playing inside of Kirkwall for 40+ hours in DA2 to an experience he had in real life. I fail to see the problem with that. Or the pretentiousness.

It's pretty poor writing. Seventy-five extra words to say "by the end of the game, Kirkwall's sprawling streets and alleyways will feel as familiar as your own neighborhood." Same (self-evident) point, minus the mini-biography.

 

[jackdoe]

Not so sure. Took me Five days to get Final Fantasy XIII release day. I vaguely recall them screwing up another Release day game, too.

Hm. Then your FFXIII shipping was free then (since they didn't meet the release date delivery)? If that happened to me, I'd also try to get $10 promotional credit.

 

[SerArthurDayne]

I got my FF13 on release date from them. The only release date screw up I've ever had from them was Other M which they gave me credit for.

Yeah. I'm sure I'll get credit if it doesn't make it on time, but it is a pain in the ass.

Hm. Then your FFXIII shipping was free then (since they didn't meet the release date delivery)? If that happened to me, I'd also try to get $10 promotional credit.

Amazon Prime, so it is always free shipping. They have definitely slipped (or I have been unlucky lately). A couple of missed release date deliveries (and maybe one more), YS and Castlevania Special Editions both came smashed in bubble mailers. Still the best value, and I always get adequate replacements, but frustrating.

 

[vocab]

Whats the WONDERS OF WONDERS from? Is that a goofy line of Dialogue in the game, or a name of an Achievement?

 

[water_wendi]

Whats the WONDERS OF WONDERS from? Is that a goofy line of Dialogue in the game, or a name of an Achievement?

Level-up banter from Varric. Happened a ton when that other stream was doing the xp/money glitch.

 

[Zeliard]

It's pretty poor writing. Seventy-five extra words to say "by the end of the game, Kirkwall's sprawling streets and alleyways will feel as familiar as your own neighborhood." Same (self-evident) point, minus the mini-biography.

He's just giving a personal touch to it. I'm not exactly head-over-heels when it comes to DA2, but I think people are going a bit overboard in attacking that section of the review. Other reviews have remarked on the fact that nearly all (or all?) of DA2 takes place in the single city of Kirkwall, and that you ultimately become very intimate with it as a result, so it is a meaningful point relative to the game. Whether that feels like anything substantial to the individual player upon actually experiencing it is another matter.

 

[Zeal]

I'm questioning whether or not you know the meaning of 'pretentious'. He related his feelings after playing inside of Kirkwall for 40+ hours in DA2 to an experience he had in real life. I fail to see the problem with that. Or the pretentiousness.

because you have not played the game, nor have you seen Kirkwall. once you actually walk around in it, then you'll see what an embarrassingly stupid simpleton he comes off as. comparing something in say Assassin's Creed I-II or the like to a real life locale? perfectly justified. it contains many believable historical cities. it's obvious what the reviewer was trying to say, but he failed.

comparing Kirkwall to NY is like comparing a location in Minecraft to Yosemite National Park.

 

[reggieandTFE]

When will this be up on steam?

 

[Zeliard]

because you have not played the game, nor have you seen Kirkwall. once you actually walk around in it, then you'll see what an embarrassingly stupid simpleton he comes off as. comparing something in say Assassin's Creed I-II or the like to a real life locale? perfectly justified. it contains many believable historical cities. it's obvious what the reviewer was trying to say, but he failed.

comparing Kirkwall to NY is like comparing a location in Minecraft to Yosemite National Park.

He isn't comparing Kirkwall to NY. He's simply describing the experience of living in a place for an extended period of time and thus becoming intimately acquainted with it.

 

[Fredescu]

They were pretty consistently marketing DA:O as the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate 2.

I was under the impression that they began to de emphasise that once they did the blood dragon redesign, away from the more traditional feeling site. There are still references to it in the FAQ though, so I could be wrong.

I'm still getting Dragon Age 2 (I buy every Bioware game, for better or worse), since at least I sort of know what to expect. It's naturally true that lower expectations lead to a lower capacity for disappointment, so it remains to be seen how I enjoy it.

I loved Mass Effect 2 because it tried to veer away from the fairly paltry RPG offerings of the first one, and that made for much better gameplay and superior pacing. But I'm much more annoyed with Dragon Age 2 doing so because DA:O, while pretty far from BG2, was still a solid enough CRPG. The key there being, of course, CRPG. DA2 is still a CRPG, but one that seems to have substituted "computer" for "console", as far as I can tell.

That describes me exactly.

 

[Kinspiracy]

because you have not played the game, nor have you seen Kirkwall. once you actually walk around in it, then you'll see what an embarrassingly stupid simpleton he comes off as. comparing something in say Assassin's Creed I-II or the like to a real life locale? perfectly justified. it contains many believable historical cities. it's obvious what the reviewer was trying to say, but he failed.

comparing Kirkwall to NY is like comparing a location in Minecraft to Yosemite National Park.

And it's pretentious how?

 

[GillianSeed79]

Fuck the haters, midnight launch in a few.

:lol Yeah, I'm such a BioWhore that I'm picking up my SE tonight. I honestly kind of feel dirty about it though after reading that Escapist review. In the end it's just a game and I think I'll enjoy it. Besides, the enthusiasm the clerk had when I paid off my preorder tonight was kind of endearing in a way. He was like “Alright, Aren't you excited man!" I just wanted to say something like you've never visited GAF have you. I digress. I'm going in with tempered expectations, so I may even be pleasantly surprised. Besides, I've never disliked a Bioware game.

 

[Zeal]

He isn't comparing Kirkwall to NY. He's simply describing the experience of living in a place for an extended period of time and thus becoming intimately acquainted with it.

i understand this, so let me elaborate on what i'm saying, then. you do not actually TRAVEL to any of the locations you're going to in DA:2. there is no explorable world map or transitional areas ala DA:O. moreover, it is extremely easy to get familiar with your surroundings when you simply pick the name of the location you want and fast travel there.

furthermore, all of the locations share the exact same geometry and layout. every single location is a cut and paste, albeit flipped and rotated rendition of a previous location. this is not hyperbole in any extent.

there's nothing to get used to here. i'm not trying to purposely badmouth the game for spite (and i know developers and Bioware are reading this thread), but as the poster below me states, there's huge fucking problems almost everywhere. i am just stating glaring examples based on a 40+ hour complete playthrough.

 

[ZephyrFate]

I think what bugs me most about the stream is that people seem to be under the assumption that when GAF hates a game, that means everyone else must love it. I find that to be true only half the time; genuinely, when we hate a game, we have a lot of fucking reasons to do so.

And this game seems to be riddled with issues that are immense and impossible to ignore.

 

[Rahxephon91]

I wonder if the gamestop I pre-orderd at is doing a midnight?

 

[Zeliard]

i understand this, so let me elaborate on what i'm saying, then. you do not actually TRAVEL to any of the locations you're going to in DA:2. there is no explorable world map or transitional areas ala DA:O. moreover, it is extremely easy to get familiar with your surroundings when you simply pick the name of the location you want a fast travel there.

furthermore, all of the locations share the exact same geometry and layout. every single location is a cut and paste, albeit flipped and rotated rendition of a previous location. this is not hyperbole in any extent.

there's nothing to get used to here.

That's interesting. So there's basically fast travel in the city itself? I imagine the city must be huge if most of the game takes place there, but if you can't travel seamlessly throughout it on foot that would be disappointing. I've barely looked at the streams so I don't know how that whole "the game takes place in Kirkwall" aspect really works. I imagine/hope you can at least venture to the outskirts of the city, if only for variety.

 

[GillianSeed79]

I wonder if the gamestop I pre-orderd at is doing a midnight?

You can just check their website.

 

[Nirolak]

They were pretty consistently marketing DA:O as the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate 2.




I'm still getting Dragon Age 2 (I buy every Bioware game, for better or worse), since at least I sort of know what to expect. It's naturally true that lower expectations lead to a lower capacity for disappointment, so it remains to be seen how I enjoy it.

I loved Mass Effect 2 because it tried to veer away from the fairly paltry RPG offerings of the first one, and that made for much better gameplay and superior pacing. Essentially, I never really viewed Mass Effect as that significant in the RPG area. I'm much more annoyed with Dragon Age 2 doing so because DA:O, while pretty far from BG2, was still a solid enough CRPG. The key there being, of course, CRPG. DA2 is still a CRPG, but one that seems to have substituted "computer" for "console", as far as I can tell.

Right, I can definitely understand where the disappointment is coming from, and I agree with all your points on Mass Effect.

The reason I'm still remaining cautiously optimistic though is because when I looked through everything in the demo, the only thing that really stuck out as questionable to me* was the comically easy difficulty, because it meant I wasn't required to use any strategy or tactics to actually play the game. Outside of that, it still had a robust inventory, lots of stats, lots of skills, a surprisingly deep gambit system, and lots of cross class combo abilities and tactical possibilities in general that seemed like they could be interesting if I wasn't killing enemies in one to two seconds.

However, given that Normal is supposed to be a mode for people who only play one character, and we couldn't see the two difficulty modes made for parties, I'm willing to wait and see how that pans out when I play the final game before assuming the worst. I mean, even that German PC gaming magazine that gave the game an 87 rated the combat 10/10, and given the score it didn't strike me as an exclusive review, so I'm maintaining some hope.

*outside of the writing

(I have to head out for a little while though so I apologize if I don't reply for a few hours.)

 

[Riposte]

And it's pretentious how?

It puts DAII's hub on some sort of pedestal by making it a big deal/over explaining it and dropping a New York story into it. He is making it seem the sheer execution of a hub sound more impressive than it really is. It is something that has been done probably a hundred times. The review blows. (EDIT: Also don't wildly accuse me of not knowing what a word means. Go look it up.)

 

[Rahxephon91]

You can just check their website.

I see that and it looks like I'll be waiting till tomorrow.

 

[TheUsual]

Looks like the high res texture patch is up on Bioware social

http://social.bioware.com/page/da2-patches

EDIT
If it's already been posted, I looked up to page 51 in the thread and saw nothing.

 

[Zeal]

That's interesting. So there's basically fast travel in the city itself? I imagine the city must be huge if most of the game takes place there, but if you can't travel seamlessly throughout it on foot that would be disappointing. I've barely looked at the streams so I don't know how that whole "the game takes place in Kirkwall" aspect really works. I imagine/hope you can at least venture to the outskirts of the city, if only for variety.

this is sadly correct, my friend. see, there's only the illusion of a large scale city here. each area is self contained without any transitional areas between them. once you get beyond the boundary of a certain area, you will be faced with an invisible wall asking if you wish to leave the area. you are then taken to your fast-travel map screen. you select another location of the city and you simply jump to it (followed by a very long loading screen).

this further disappoints, because every dungeon and house in the game--as pointed out by many posters here--is actually a cute and paste of prior locations.

 

[Crazypanda_85]

I know I've said this when this OT started but I'm personally excited for this game. Since I wasn't a huge fan of the gameplay in DA:O (and I am a fan of some strategic RPGs), based off the demo, I'm more than happy with the changes. I can understand how some are not happy with the changes if they were a fan of the of the first game but sometimes a developer has to keep the idea of a bigger audience in mind when selling a multi-million dollar budgeted product. Is it the best decision? May be not but you can't blame them for trying something different.


To those how connect difficulty with making a game good (not speaking about DA2 exclusively): Just because a game is simplified or made user friendly, doesn't make the game crap or not as good as other titles. I play games for enjoyment and sometimes enjoy challenge. I also enjoy games I can play on auto pilot or play without fear of dying over and over again. I never understood why people get so upset when a game isn't (or is) difficult and want to bash it. Opinions are like bums, everyone has one and because a game isn't your cup of tea doesn't mean you have to hate it. Cracking jokes about it, I can understand but having visceral hatred for it is beyond me.

 

[jackdoe]

this is sadly correct, my friend. see, there's only the appearance of a large scale city here. each area is self contained without any transitional areas between them. once you get beyond the boundary of a certain area, you will be faced with an invisible wall asking if you wish to leave the area. you are then taken to your fast-travel map screen. you select another location of the city and you simply jump to it (followed by a very long loading screen).

Wow. That... that is bullshit.

 

[Zeliard]

this is sadly correct, my friend. see, there's only the appearance of a large scale city here. each area is self contained without any transitional areas between them. once you get beyond the boundary of a certain area, you will be faced with an invisible wall asking if you wish to leave the area. you are then taken to your fast-travel map screen. you select another location of the city and you simply jump to it (followed by a very long loading screen).

Well, that is a bummer. But since I know about it now, it'll be less of a disappointment.

Right, I can definitely understand where the disappointment is coming from, and I agree with all your points on Mass Effect.

The reason I'm still remaining cautiously optimistic though is because when I looked through everything in the demo, the only thing that really stuck out as questionable to me* was the comically easy difficulty, because it meant I wasn't required to use any strategy or tactics to actually play the game. Outside of that, it still had a robust inventory, lots of stats, lots of skills, a surprisingly deep gambit system, and lots of cross class combo abilities and tactical possibilities in general that seemed like they could be interesting if I wasn't killing enemies in one to two seconds.

However, given that Normal is supposed to be a mode for people who only play one character, and we couldn't see the two difficulty modes made for parties, I'm willing to wait and see how that pans out when I play the final game before assuming the worst. I mean, even that German PC gaming magazine that gave the game an 87 rated the combat 10/10, and given the score it didn't strike me as an exclusive review, so I'm maintaining some hope.

*outside of the writing

Hehe @ that last part. :>

I'm trying to maintain hope as well. Given the level of my expectations at this stage, the game will probably pleasantly surprise me at various points. If the quality in some areas is surprisingly high I'll be the first to commend the game there.

When it comes to DA2, there's nothing more I'd actually like than for it to prove my suspicions and expectations wrong. DA:O surprised me in some ways I didn't necessarily expect (Alistair was a truly great character) and I hope DA2 follows in that stead. If I don't enjoy the combat in DA2, hopefully the characterizations will offer something, though the dialogue wheel does bug me. If the characters aren't up to scratch, then maybe the combat is deeper and more rewarding than initially appears. I'm hoping at least one aspect is memorably strong, basically.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

I think 'Shepard' is a better name than 'Hawke'.

 

[PedroLumpy]

I think 'Shitehawke' has a good ring to it

More on topic, I think that Escapist review might be a little tongue in cheek. It's just so far gone to be taken seriously.

 

[industrialfan225]

Tweets from Gamespot's Kevin VanOrd (he's reviewing Dragon Age 2 and is one of the best reviewers in the industry, imo).



There's a chance this has nothing to do with this game but I highly doubt it.

Kevin VanOrd is a mouth breather. I remember when he reviewed Stalker: Clear Sky he couldn't figure out there was a quick medkit or bandage hotkey. That and he posted pictures of his cock over at the gamespot forums, guy is a complete clown.

 

[ColonelColon]

this is sadly correct, my friend. see, there's only the illusion of a large scale city here. each area is self contained without any transitional areas between them. once you get beyond the boundary of a certain area, you will be faced with an invisible wall asking if you wish to leave the area. you are then taken to your fast-travel map screen. you select another location of the city and you simply jump to it (followed by a very long loading screen).

this further disappoints, because every dungeon and house in the game--as pointed out by many posters here--is actually a cute and paste of prior locations.

It will be interesting to see if any reviewers comment on this.

 

[Zeliard]

That and he posted pictures of his cock over at the gamespot forums, guy is a complete clown.

Wait, what?

 

[dekjo]

I'm hoping at least one aspect is memorably strong, basically.

The sex scenes.