Dragon Age 2 Incoming. - Part 1

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Is this a double post? I think it is.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Developers only have so much to work with on a console. There's a lot more hardware restrictions they have to deal with. If Dragon Age 2 had been a PC exlusive there would not be a need to re-use anything.

Practically every pc game re-uses assets. Crysis (the most technically superior game on the market) is basically a copy paste of leaves and bushes over and over. Almost every room in Portal is the same.
Shogun 2 (which I bought instead of Dragon Age 2) re-uses the same models thousands of times over. It's just much less noticeable or problematic. Mass Effect was developed for the console then ported to the pc and has is technically superior to Dragon Age which was developed for the pc and ported to consoles. The console influence is probably in the more action oriented, Shepard in medieval land, use a wheel, push a button and something awesome will happen, no more micro's. So I bought Shogun 2 instead, which is generally seen to be the superior game.

....And no one would have bought it.

The Witcher sold 2 million copies.
Diablo 3 will probably outsell any Bioware game 2-1, probably even more.

 

[Benstamania]

I can't wait for PC gaming to up and die.

Spoiler

I can play this game too!

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Ok.

 

[Drz]

Finished the game with my Rogue now, i used the No Compromise story which had a Dwarf Noble appoint Anora as Queen, Exile Alistair (so i saw him drunk again), Harrowmount rules Orzammar, Werewolves are "heroes", these we're the Awakening decisions

Spoiler

alongside Nathaniel Howe and Architecht being alive, but Amaranthine was burned to the ground.

Regarding a certain cameo that appears in Act 3:

Spoiler

Delilah Howe asks me to find her brother Nathaniel Howe who is in the Deep Roads part as Hawke went tho, the guy talks about the Wardens having Allies alongside with the Architecht being alive, he doesn't tell who the allies are but that things are complicated... Are Wardens starting to get Disciples in their ranks? After all one could easily just donate blood withouth noone having to die. This was very interesting and it could be a cool twist/addition to Grey Wardens.

Here's a funny comic regarding the ending:

Spoiler

Next up: Thoradin my Mage! Gonna use the "Martyr" story for this fella, where the Dalish elf was all kind and sacrifised herself for Ferelden.

 

[Speedball]

So stuff done in Awakenings does have an effect on DAII.
I'm going to complete DAO with my Human Mage soon, then start a new DAII game with a Mage Hawke.
Since the Human Mage Warden and the Hawke's are related, does that have any sort of affect on the story? I really hope it does. It appears that the Amell's are a VERY strong mage family.
And about Sandals Prophecy: Umm... Holy ****. When does he say that?

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Ya know the Hawke "Derp" picture may I ask where that's from? Because I remember that lurking around before the game came out and I never had that problem in game, nobody ever went derp on me. I have issues with DA2 but I never saw THAT which seems a little disingenuous to use if its a 'shop or a glitch something like from a beta build. I know its something you dug up since you've repeatedly said you didn't get the game so I'm wondering where it came from?

 

[Speedball]

Ya know the Hawke "Derp" picture may I ask where that's from? Because I remember that lurking around before the game came out and I never had that problem in game, nobody ever went derp on me. I have issues with DA2 but I never saw THAT which seems a little disingenuous to use if its a 'shop or a glitch something like from a beta build. I know its something you dug up since you've repeatedly said you didn't get the game so I'm wondering where it came from?

It might be a shop. I could mean even herpaderpers can beat RPGs now, with how easy they have become or how dumbed down they've become *cough*FinalFantasyXIIIBattleSystem*cough*.
I've had graphic glitchs caused by the scaling of the images on a SDTV. I don't have money to buy an HDTV, so I don't really have a choice right now on which TV I play it on.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

It might be a shop. I could mean even herpaderpers can beat RPGs now, with how easy they have become or how dumbed down they've become.

Ah I see. Still a little misleading in any case, as there are plenty of times where the dialogue trees come with more than the standard 3 options and branch off down into different paths, but the approach to dialogue trees when you're working with voice work has to be different than when you're just writing out lines of text so you can't have fifty options available at the start because it'll just sound like a guy rattling off a list of questions with no movement or tempo to the conversation.

I'm a fan of both systems, they let you do things that their counterpart cannot do. I think complaining about a voiced protagonist at this point reeks a little bit too much of:

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Ya know the Hawke "Derp" picture may I ask where that's from?

I stole it from some post I seen on the gametrailers forum.
Or was it the Bioware forum? One of those. Probably posted on both.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Thanks.

 

[GhostPoet]

Practically every pc game re-uses assets. Crysis (the most technically superior game on the market) is basically a copy paste of leaves and bushes over and over. Almost every room in Portal is the same.
Shogun 2 (which I bought instead of Dragon Age 2) re-uses the same models thousands of times over. It's just much less noticeable or problematic. Mass Effect was developed for the console then ported to the pc and has is technically superior to Dragon Age which was developed for the pc and ported to consoles. The console influence is probably in the more action oriented, Shepard in medieval land, use a wheel, push a button and something awesome will happen, no more micro's. So I bought Shogun 2 instead, which is generally seen to be the superior game.

The Witcher sold 2 million copies.
Diablo 3 will probably outsell any Bioware game 2-1, probably even more.

Copy and pasting bushes is a far cry from using the same dungeons over and over

 

[Slushy]

I loved the ending,

Spoiler

wasn't expecting Leliana to show up,

but the DA2 was overall a disappointment as it just felt like filler to me. It will be interesting to see where they go in Dragon Age 3.
I'm guessing either:

Spoiler

They wrote off The Grey Warden as he died killing Arch-Demon or ran off with Morrigan. Now Hawke will be taking over the frachise.

or

The Grey Warden will return and Hawke will be a party member.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Spoiler

Or BioWare will do just what they did between Origins and DA 2 again and make a whole new hero with his/her own story and only tangential connections to either Hawke or the Hero of Ferelden. Which suits me fine, quite frankly. We've already got the 3-game epic centered on one character with Mass Effect. I like that Dragon Age seems to be more about the world as a whole rather than one character.

 

[Speedball]

Spoiler

Or BioWare will do just what they did between Origins and DA 2 again and make a whole new hero with his/her own story and only tangential connections to either Hawke or the Hero of Ferelden. Which suits me fine, quite frankly. We've already got the 3-game epic centered on one character with Mass Effect. I like that Dragon Age seems to be more about the world as a whole rather than one character.

Spoiler

I agree with you. I'd like to see more of Thedas, maybe the next game could take place in Orlais or Rivain, or maybe even be more expansive and go all across the known world of Thedas. Or maybe even go across the ocean and have it be some kind of colonial story.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Spoiler

Didn't the Dwarf merchant say he was heading to Orlais? And I remember it being said that relations between Ferelden and Orlais were breaking down.

My guess is we'll be heading there. I just can't wait for all the French accents to assault our ears.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Spoiler

A new war between Ferelden and Orlais would be interesting. Those accents are gonna be like nails in my skull, though.

 

[Benstamania]

Spoiler

Ugh, I seriously hope not. Those... accents... Would drive me freaking nuts.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Spoiler

On the other hand, obviously French words spoken without an accent also piss me off. Case in point: Aveline talking about her father the "Chev-a-LEER." Shouldn't that be "Chev-AL-yay," you uncultured, mage-hating jerk?

 

[Drz]

Tevinter Imperium would be a much better choice for DA2 instead of DA3, I mean yeah they seem to build up both Orlais and Tevinter as potential candicate for the next game.

 

[iamlegend]

Spoiler

Or BioWare will do just what they did between Origins and DA 2 again and make a whole new hero with his/her own story and only tangential connections to either Hawke or the Hero of Ferelden. Which suits me fine, quite frankly. We've already got the 3-game epic centered on one character with Mass Effect. I like that Dragon Age seems to be more about the world as a whole rather than one character.

See...

Spoiler

While I'd agree that the Dragon Age saga is far more open than the Mass Effect story, its planted too many seeds not to eventually bring a number of veteran characters back into the fold. Granted, they never have to be the primary character(s) again, but they will have to return in order to close looming plot lines that the story has crafted.

That, and fan demand will warrant the eventual return of our two leading heroes at some point or another.

That said, I could live with another new hero. In the end it's the supporting cast that carries these titles (and Bioware has proven time and again that there's no one in the business better at creating such astounding supporting characters).

 

[iamlegend]

Tevinter Imperium would be a much better choice for DA2 instead of DA3, I mean yeah they seem to build up both Orlais and Tevinter as potential candicate for the next game.

Spoiler

Tevinter would be an interesting flip flop, since the last two games have dealt a lot with Mages being oppressed. Take us to a world where they're actually the power hungry monsters that the Chantry fears and it'd be something entirely new and fresh.

 

[Drz]

Spoiler

Tevinter would be an interesting flip flop, since the last two games have dealt a lot with Mages being oppressed. Take us to a world where they're actually the power hungry monsters that the Chantry fears and it'd be something entirely new and fresh.

Spoiler

And if they want to continue Hawke's story, thats 1 place to go for example if Hawke would be a Mage supporter. I also wonder will they dare to bring Anders back thru Justice, i mean could the spirit just take the dead corpse as a host?! Still i do hope Varric returns as a love interest and Cassandra becomes a party member. Also we gotta remember that the Tome of Koslun may be gone for alot of players, those who weren't friends with Isabela lose it along with killing the Arishok who is one of the 3 leaders of the Qun, which to me was probably done so they could make DAO's Sten into the next Arishok/General of the whole Qunari army. Qunari are constantly fightning the Tevinter, but by DA3 you'd imagen a global war starting by them especially with the Tome of Koslun being at the hands of Tevinter if Isabela gives it to Castillion who is suppose to give it to Tevinter.

But yeah it's also curious how drunk Alistair in Act 2 gets talked by Teagan to man up and get back in action, it might seem whatever the choices Alistair might make his comeback as a more competent person as the next war between Ferelden and Orlais is brewing up. My main has Loghain as the Warden even lol and he's in Orlais!

 

[Speedball]

Spoiler

And if they want to continue Hawke's story, thats 1 place to go for example if Hawke would be a Mage supporter. I also wonder will they dare to bring Anders back thru Justice, i mean could the spirit just take the dead corpse as a host?! Still i do hope Varric returns as a love interest and Cassandra becomes a party member. Also we gotta remember that the Tome of Koslun may be gone for alot of players, those who weren't friends with Isabela lose it along with killing the Arishok who is one of the 3 leaders of the Qun, which to me was probably done so they could make DAO's Sten into the next Arishok/General of the whole Qunari army. Qunari are constantly fightning the Tevinter, but by DA3 you'd imagen a global war starting by them especially with the Tome of Koslun being at the hands of Tevinter if Isabela gives it to Castillion who is suppose to give it to Tevinter.

But yeah it's also curious how drunk Alistair in Act 2 gets talked by Teagan to man up and get back in action, it might seem whatever the choices Alistair might make his comeback as a more competent person as the next war between Ferelden and Orlais is brewing up. My main has Loghain as the Warden even lol and he's in Orlais!

Spoiler

Alistair wasn't drunk in my game, but he was Warden-Commander. I would love to see the Tevinter Imperium in the next game. I hope the capital looks like Rome, because isn't that what Tevinter is modelled after?
Orlais = France
Ferelden= England
Free Marches = The Former Holy Roman Empire
Tevinter Imperium = Roman Empire
The Anderfels = Germany

 

[Wolfwood]

I haven't finished the game yet, but quite honestly this is miles above Dragon Age: Origins and I really liked that game. I had my doubts about the changes, but once I got my hands on the demo I fell in love with the game and rushed out to buy it.

Also, I don't think there's a character I can complain about. Which is unique for a Bioware game, usually there's one character I avoid like the plague. I genuinely like all of the characters that are presented here. Except for Isabella, that ****e.

Spoiler

I just got through the part where she runs off with the Qunari artifact and screws me over.

She was alright before that though.