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Dragon Age II |OT| The Revenge of Shit Mountain

hamchan said:
I'm really enjoying the game though. I like the combat a lot and I like the mass effect dialogue system and how it let's me know what sort of tone I'm saying. It allows me to be a sarcastic asshole every single time instead of me trying to guess what sort of tone I'd say.

The copy and paste dungeons are such a shame and an obvious sign that things were rushed. It makes me think what we could have gotten if it wasn't, probably would have been a super amazing game.

Playing the same way. I like it when I answer a question even with no sarcasm involved and she still answers it that way.
 
stupei said:
For a studio of their size, it's amazing that they seemingly have like 4 people creating maps. I mean that's the only explanation, right?

I'm enjoying the game, though. I keep expecting to start to dislike it, just based on the sheer levels of hatred I'm seeing online, but hasn't happened yet.

Going to avoid any more mountain related missions for a while, though, in order to keep my good mood. Somehow the copy/paste there feels even more blatant.

Conspiracy time:

They took out the best maps and sidequests so they could sell them to you as DLC.
 

Almighty

Member
Well i was going to use the reaction to DA2 as a guide to decide if i should pick it up, but luckily for me my friend decided to get it so i have been playing it over the past few days .

So far I am not impressed I wouldn't say I hate it though just disappointed. I was hoping that my impression of the demo and the info about the game was wrong to be honest. I was pretty pessimistic about Mass Effect 2 before it came out and ended up really enjoying that game so it wouldn't be the first time I was wrong. DA2 though is well pretty much what i feared. The game might not be bad if just viewed on its own, but as a sequel to a game I really enjoyed it falls flat.
 

dimb

Bjergsen is the greatest midlane in the world
hamchan said:
I'm really enjoying the game though. I like the combat a lot and I like the mass effect dialogue system and how it let's me know what sort of tone I'm saying. It allows me to be a sarcastic asshole every single time instead of me trying to guess what sort of tone I'd say.
That's also the problem though. Instead of actually thinking about what to say DA2 pushes you to just select the same thing over and over again.

While the presentation is obviously here, the game is a huge step backwards from Origins in terms of how you approach conversations logically.
 

-tetsuo-

Unlimited Capacity
Nose Master said:
It's probably been mentioned, but after reading the comments in this thread: the statue on the right of the map of Night Kirkwall made me giggle.

Still blows my mind how much over exaggerated hate there is for this and how it's the exact opposite for a train wreck like Resonance of Fate. Never change, GAF.

Resonance of Fate is awesome
 

Mileena

Banned
Just beat it. 30 hours flat with almost all sidequests. Overall it was pretty good, much better than DA1 but just too damn short.
 

hateradio

The Most Dangerous Yes Man
Rahxephon91 said:
This dudebro shit needs to stop. People enjoy the game for whatever reasons they do, they don't deserve a stupid label. Want me to go around calling you loser or nerd because you enjoy more "hardcore" games?
Go for it. Hasn't stopped me from buying games I like.

dealwithit.gif
 

Abylim

Member
Did you change your avatar Rahx? I demand you change it back! <3
I'm not sucking anyones cock by enjoying this game. I dont think it's wrong to complain about the amount of negativity in the thread. It reeks of it.

I could understand some of the complaints, but most of them seem to be abit silly. You can change equipment, the graphics are better than the original, the combat is refreshing, and makes me feel like im more involved in that aspect.

I think we all get that some of you hate the game for these reasons, but at what point do we say enough is enough?

I dont mind opinions, ofcourse they will differ. but mostly it seems like it only differs on why this game is shit.
 

Abylim

Member
Oh my god, I just noticed that know. I always get abit of delight out of it....
That cant be Lady, can it? if not then who?
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
Genjikage said:
Oh my god, I just noticed that know. I always get abit of delight out of it....
That cant be Lady, can it? if not then who?
That's Lady.

I can't wait to see the Ninja Theory remake of her, but that's a topic for another thread. :p
 
Genjikage said:
I'm not sucking anyones cock by enjoying this game. I dont think it's wrong to complain about the amount of negativity in the thread. It reeks of it.
Neither do I think you are sucking anything. I just find comments like "haters going to hate" and "everyone's just whining" to be annoying. Am I above using those excuses? Not really, but whatever. It just strikes me as disregarding any sort of discussion merely because you don't want to see what the other person has to say. I mean you can have your opinion and I can have mine, but just because I dislike the game dosen't mean I'm trying to hate on it. Nor does it mean I don't want to read your positive comments about the game. Now yeah there probably is a lot of annoying negativity in this thread, I get that. ,but hey what can you do right? But I believe some(maybe a lot) of the negativity has some fair points and it seems just as bad to label it all "whinning" as it does to label those who like the game "dudebros" or something.

I could understand some of the complaints, but most of them seem to be abit silly. You can change equipment, the graphics are better than the original, the combat is refreshing, and makes me feel like im more involved in that aspect.
I think the game has some pros. I think complaint about the graphics are a bit wrong. Still, the really load complaints about the levels and stuff have some weight to them.

I think we all get that some of you hate the game for these reasons, but at what point do we say enough is enough?
I don't know man. I use to hate all the FFXIII hate. But I just realized this is NeoGaf.

And yeah the avatar is Lady from DMC3 and then DMC4.
 

Dina

Member
Rahxephon91 said:
This dudebro shit needs to stop. People enjoy the game for whatever reasons they do, they don't deserve a stupid label. Want me to go around calling you loser or nerd because you enjoy more "hardcore" games?

My games are better than your game. Consequently, if you play on the Wii you only care about waggle, if you play on your DS you don't care about graphics, stat. If you play on the PS3... well it still doesn't have any games, if you play on the 360 you only play with bald spacemarines and if you play on the PC you aren't playing at all because the drivererrors make it impossible to do so.
 
So far the only thing that's keeping me going is the voice acting, especially that of fem hawke.

Most of kirkwall just looks unfinished, especially indoors, like they started making the levels then just stopped halfway through and said good enough.

I don't really mind the idea behind the side quests , I do feel bad for the mother (making me care even for just one character is more than mass effect ever managed to do), but I guess I'll have to see how I feel about that when I spend some more time on the game.

Dragon age origins' pacing was all over the place, it had plenty of plotholes or things that you had to read the hundreds of pages of background info text for to put into context or make sense of (something final fantasy xiii got trashed for, yet didn't seem to bother bioware fans, I guess dragon age is held to a different standard).
The combat didn't do much for me either : apart from the energy pooling system and friendly fire (which I both liked a lot), the game just felt like playing a full party in any random mmo. The game did have variation in how you could build your char and combine spells, but since you chose a build and that was that you never got to see it (I'm not going to play the game twice just for that.)

At least origins did feel like it had loads of effort put into it, that kind of seems missing here.
Can't enter any of the houses, can barely talk to any npcs at all, there is no life in the city (a problem that the original had too, most towns felt like mmo towns, not a good thing).
Textures get repeated ad nauseum.

I just hope that the story somehow has better pacing than the original and that it's good enough to make me care.
I never managed to finish origins, put about 80 hours into it reading all the background crap , doing sidequests, the mage tower, redcliffe,denerim , dwarven city, deep roads and 2 dlcs and then I suddenly just had enough.
I realised that I had just been laboriously chugging along to get to the end, with the only thing keeping me going for the last 20 hours being trying to complete my companions's quests and working off check lists hoping that the story would pick up again.

The first already felt like a chore to play (the ease with which companions could abandon you or how you could just plain miss them alltogether didn't help, nor did inventory limitations).
But I didn't feel cheated because the world had enough variety and the voice acting was pretty good (morrigan as a high note).

Here's hoping that the combat doesn't get as laborious/tedious this time around (I doubt it with friendly fire not being there on hard...) and that the story can keep it's shit together.
 

Nose Master

Member
Rahxephon91 said:
Well it seems pretty dumb to compare RoF( a good game) to Dragon Age 2. It's a bit of a random game. But yeah it is strange that a small jrpg that probably did'nt even have half the budget of DA2 has about the same amount of crappy and repetitive level design as an rpg from a top tier developer.

Crazy.


This dudebro shit needs to stop. People enjoy the game for whatever reasons they do, they don't deserve a stupid label. Want me to go around calling you loser or nerd because you enjoy more "hardcore" games?


This also needs to stop. People are discussing the game. They are throwing out their opinions. It's not whining.

How about:

This sucking of Bioware's cock needs to stop?

There... isn't really level design in RoF. It's quite literally a hexagonal grid. The battle environments in that are better, but they're also about 1% of the size. RoF is to RPGs what VR missions is to MGS, and accepting it as a full product is encouraging that lazy shit. Insert tag quote here.

I wasn't saying the game is perfect, or even great. It just isn't as bad as everyone's making it out to be. I mean, a fucking 3.8 user rating on meta? Really?
 

hamchan

Member
Well that's because user ratings are even more of a joke than critic ratings.

Looks like the game is heading towards an 80 metacritic which is what I'd probably give the game too.
 

Data West

coaches in the WNBA
pseudocaesar said:
How does the story relate to the first game? Any recurring characters..anything follow on from DA:O?
There's a lot of mentions of the first game. Cameos, a lot of nods that help if you played the first but won't make someone feel estranged
 

Durante

Member
Nose Master said:
There... isn't really level design in RoF. It's quite literally a hexagonal grid. The battle environments in that are better, but they're also about 1% of the size.
RoF, however, is full of interesting new ideas. Some succeed, some don't. I don't think there's a single new idea in Dragon Age 2. On GAF the most vocal posters play a ton of games, so a game with new ideas and average execution will generally be better received than a game with elements that have been done before and average execution.

Also, in RoF, you can have tactical positioning and enemies don't shoot you right through obstructions :/
 

StarEye

The Amiga Brotherhood
And here I am, playing through the Baldur's Gate series using the BGT mod and widescreen mod, for the very first time. I think I can wait for a pricedrop. And by the time I finished those, The Witcher 2 will be out. And when that's done, I will make another jump through time and play through Arcanum and Planescape: Torment.

Oh, and I have NIER and Alpha Protocol waiting for me on the X360. And I still played through Demon's Souls once. Or Valkyria Chronicles. I guess I have plenty of time to wait for a pricedrop.
 
Durante said:
Also, in RoF, you can have tactical positioning and enemies don't shoot you right through obstructions :/
Line of sight is a pretty big deal, still have no idea how they botched that. I mean they had line of sight working in Origins, what the hell did they do to it?
2San said:
I don't read a lot of reviews, but isn't this a terrible review? It essentially says nothing. o_O
Yeah the best you can get from that review is that you spend way too much time in Kirkwall and its boring. The art direction in this game sucks. Every review complained about that, although you can try to read deeper into it if you feel like it.

Although I disagree with the notion that "you cant have an epic story set in a city".
 

Darklord

Banned
I'm starting the feel the hate towards this game is a getting over the top. Yeah, I hate the changes they made to this game and it's clearly rushed but is it THAT bad? People bust nuts over Mass Effect 1, on this forum it's probably liked more than ME2, and that had TEDIOUSLY repetitive side quests with the same small copy & paste areas, shit performance on 360, average combat and a horrendous inventory.

Was it rushed? Yes.
Is it up to Bioware quality? Probably not.
Is it as good as DA:O? No way.
Is it the worst creation in the gaming universe like people are saying? No, it's still alright and if it was made by an eastern European developer there would be people on here calling it the second coming of Christ.

I'm guessing Dragon Age 3 will happen. And I'm betting they are going to change it to a point between Origins and 2.
 

MechaX

Member
Darklord said:
I'm starting the feel the hate towards this game is a getting over the top. Yeah, I hate the changes they made to this game and it's clearly rushed but is it THAT bad? People bust nuts over Mass Effect 1, on this forum it's probably liked more than ME2, and that had TEDIOUSLY repetitive side quests with the same small copy & paste areas, shit performance on 360, average combat and a horrendous inventory.

People typically like ME1 because it is more than the sum of its parts. People typically put ME1 over ME2 because of its focus more on RPG elements, better main-story planets and set-pieces, a more interesting main plot, and a better end-game. The same people do NOT like ME1 for its copy-paste side-quests, bloated inventory, or its subpar console performance. However, the former factors outweigh the latter for most people that have that opinion.

And when considering that DAII has seemingly the same copy-paste dungeon issue that ME1 fans didn't really appreciate too much in addition to ME2's issue of not really having a great main plot, it's not hard to see the difference here.
 

Darklord

Banned
Lostconfused said:

Two_Worlds_II.jpg
 
Darklord said:
I'm starting the feel the hate towards this game is a getting over the top. Yeah, I hate the changes they made to this game and it's clearly rushed but is it THAT bad?.

Its not that bad.

Its just an 82% game from top to bottom.

Best to enjoy games that are unfinished / incomplete / unpolished like any other. Six months later, with all the DLC, for half the price.
 

MMaRsu

Member
Mr_Zombie said:
ng7c79.jpg


Not to mention, I don't remember any so-called profesional journalists prising any of those games as "RPG of the decade" or giving them perfect scores.

LOL I doubt anybody gave Two Worlds 1 a perfect score. On consoles at least, didn't play it on PC. How is the second one on consoles btw?
 

luxarific

Nork unification denier
_tetsuo_ said:
Resonance of Fate is awesome

Eh, I think it was overrated. Combat got extremely old, extremely fast. One character goes left, another goes right, triangle "resonance" action. Rinse, repeat.
 

X-Frame

Member
Has anyone els been rolling with a Femme Fatele group?

I'm using FemHawke, Aveline, Merrill, and Isabela. The party banter is awesome.

Merrill: "So you're a pirate, do you wear an eye patch?"
Isabela: "No."
Merrill: "Do you have a peg leg?"
Isabela: "Uhh, no .."
.. on and on ..
 
I'll figure I'll go ahead and post some long winded rambling impressions so bear with me. I'm 12 - 14 hours in, still in Act I with a good chunk of the sidequests completed. Playing on PC, on hard difficulty.

PROS

- Hard is actually challenging. For example I played through DA:O on hard and I'd say 90% of all major encounters I beat without too much trouble on the first try. Right now in DA2 it's about 50% on the first try.
- It's hit or miss for some but I enjoy the new art direction.
- So far I find the cast of NPCs a lot more enjoyable than DA:O. For example in DA:O I basically ignored Zevran, Oghren, Wynne and the Dog outside of camp, while in DA2 the only ones who I'm not particularly impressed with so far are Anders and Carver, and that might change. To the point where I'll just throw a random party together and run around Kirkwall to hear some of their banter, Isabella and Verric with anyone is really fun imo. I also like they fact they each have their own homes in Kirkwall.
- Combat is traditional cRPG / MMO style to the core with your standard roles, so you can safely ignore all the "action RPG derp derp!" comments if you're playing on a difficulty above normal, just sped up much faster than your average RPG.
- Even though they've borrowed the ME wheel, glad to see it doesn't always result in the silly dichotomy of blue = paragon red = renegade. Two recent quests I completed illustrate this.
The Magistrate's Orders where you had to decide whether to kill the maybe possessed son kidnapping elven children was a tough call for me. Aveline's comment of, "Some people are just broken" really struck a cord. Similarly with the quest Sheparding Wolves when you escorted the imprisoned qunari mage and had to decide whether to return him to his clan didn't necessarily present a clear cut paragon / renegade choice.
- I enjoy giant dungeon crawls as much as the next guy, but I'm digging DA2's tons of bite sized side quests design as well.
- So far I'm liking the more personalized main quest line.

CONS
- As mentioned many times before, the dungeon design is lazy as hell. It's ridiculous that two quests that are supposed to take place in two totally different areas take place on the same map, just with different doors and passageways open and closed. No excuses for that.
- It's weak how little you can customize your companions. I'm 12 hours in and have yet to find a new armor set for anyone outside of Hawke, that's lame.
- I wish there was another standard option outside of angel, snarky jerk and I hate you! A more neutral option would've been appreciated.
- I'm not sure it's a 100% con but the way waves appear mid battle can be annoying after you specifically position your more squishy characters where you want them and next thing you know an enemy drops from the ceiling right on top of them. I've gotten used to it, but it can be a cause of undue frustration.
- It's stupid that you can't cancel knockback animations early and they can in essence be looped indefinitely. I hate watching a mage or rogue stumble backwards for 10 seconds from repeated hits while their health drains to zero while I try to move them away from danger or chug a potion.

tl; dr the game isn't perfect by any means and it does have some glaring flaws, but I'm enjoying the hell out of it and I would recommend it to any RPG or Bioware fan.
 

Lime

Member
I was thinking if DA2 even does anything new. There's simply no creativity and no innovation when it comes to the many aspects of it. Just try to name one new thing that is brought to the table; One thing that hasn't been done by other games before (and better). I cannot find one.
 
Dina said:
My games are better than your game. Consequently, if you play on the Wii you only care about waggle, if you play on your DS you don't care about graphics, stat. If you play on the PS3... well it still doesn't have any games, if you play on the 360 you only play with bald spacemarines and if you play on the PC you aren't playing at all because the drivererrors make it impossible to do so.

PSP wins something for once? :eek:

2San said:
I don't read a lot of reviews, but isn't this a terrible review? It essentially says nothing. o_O

Oh, then in that case it should be scrapped along with the Escapist review.
 

gdt

Member
Dave1988 said:
Quick question: can I do anything with the items in the "Junk" tab or are they only good for selling?

Selling.

I don't know why all that shit is there dammit. It just fills up my inventory for no reason.

Why not just put the money it's worth in there?
 

Darklord

Banned
Lime said:
I was thinking if DA2 even does anything new. There's simply no creativity and no innovation when it comes to the many aspects of it. Just try to name one new thing that is brought to the table; One thing that hasn't been done by other games before (and better). I cannot find one.

DA:O brought nothing new to the table either. Some scenes were ripped directly out of LotR and the world was fantasy 101.
 
Is there anyway to update any of your companion's armor in ACT I? I've done the majority of the sidequests and checked all the shops and haven't found anything.
 

REV 09

Member
ThoseDeafMutes said:
Conspiracy time:

They took out the best maps and sidequests so they could sell them to you as DLC.
I just hope the dlc redeems the game somewhat. I think the core mechanics are a big step above origins. The reuse of levels is starting to annoy me though. Hopefully the dlc has some new and intersting scenarios and locations.
 

Kifimbo

Member
Is this new/real ?

EA sneaks SecuROM DRM onto Dragon Age II disc
Electronic Arts has landed itself in hot water with PC gamers after failing to disclose the digital rights management snuck onto Dragon Age II. The disc-based version of the game contains notorious SecuROM DRM -- a controversial bit of software that invites itself onto your PC and is regarded by gamers as glorified malware.

The worst part is that Electronic Arts does not inform gamers about the DRM anywhere -- there's no warning on the game's packaging or website, and it's suspiciously absent from the EULA. Consumer rights advocate "Reclaim Your Game" has been emailing subscribers to warn them of EA's shenanigans, which violates a court order demanding it disclose all instances of SecuROM in its games.

Add in the general hatred PC gamers have had for the sequel, and the possibility of one gamer being banned from BioWare's forums and subsequently unable to boot up his copy of the game, and you've got a bad PR recipe.

Our review of Dragon Age II is still coming. In the meantime ... what the Hell, EA?

http://www.destructoid.com/ea-sneaks-securom-drm-onto-dragon-age-ii-disc-196185.phtml?
 

hamchan

Member
gdt5016 said:
Selling.

I don't know why all that shit is there dammit. It just fills up my inventory for no reason.

Why not just put the money it's worth in there?

Yep. All that junk is just so pointless. A waste of time for everybody involved.
 

Salaadin

Member
gdt5016 said:
Selling.

I don't know why all that shit is there dammit. It just fills up my inventory for no reason.

Why not just put the money it's worth in there?

Lol, its times like that when I really think that Torchlight got it right. Send your damn dog/cat back to town to sell shit for you.
 
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