Permalink | No CommentsIve been thinking a lot about Dragon Age: Inquisition lately. Maybe its because Ive been spending so much time playing The Witcher 3, or maybe its that the latest expansion, The Descent, just came out, but my mind keeps on wandering back to Thedas. I never finished Inquisition and there is still lots more for me to see. Im know theres many hours of gameplay left, but what Im really drawn to is the story and playing through the conversations with my friends and enemies. Actually playing through those adventures and battles come second in my mind, which is a bit disturbing when you think about it.
Inquisition stands out in my mind for many good reasons, but one of the biggest is that the whole idea of strategic combat is really a bill of goods. Yes, there are situations where you must be strategic, but they are the rarity. For the vast majority of fights, you dont need to do much more than hold auto-attack and let things take care of themselves. When you switch characters, its because its fun to play more than one class. Indeed, you can give yourself an advantage and set up some cool scenarios, but its not because you really need to. Its easy to roll your way through, save the occasional big fight keeping you on your toes.
The exceptions most often come in the form of paid DLC, like Jaws of Hakkon. Usually the numbers get a bump: more enemies, more health, a handful of new abilities. Still, DLC isnt a part of the main game everyone is expected to play and, frankly, doesnt help the situation when the core games carry such a consistent theme.
This has been a running theme with Bioware for half a decade. Looking back at Mass Effect 2, it was no different. Combat never presented much of a challenge outside of those sparse few boss fights. It was the same thing in Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 3. Action seemed to exist purely to get your blood pumping, not to really challenge you to play well. Battles were the beats between beats, the action condiment on a story sandwich. In fairness, it worked out well for Bioware.
These games are major successes because theyre accessible to new players. Theyre RPGs new players can come to and be drawn in by the story, gradually discovering mechanics as they go. That accessibility has allowed more people to experience these stories and then go online to rave about the choices they made. Battle sequences cause adrenaline to surge like a good, safe action movie, but theyre there to be experienced, not truly overcome. Beats between beats, the path to the next scene, the filler between Acts.
The thing is, its also a like catering to the least common denominator. There is an Easy difficulty setting, after all, so on Normal is it too much to ask that when a developer promises combat that makes you think, it actually does? What Bioware games have missed for years is what accessibility actually is: an easy introduction.
Accessible doesnt just mean easy. It means easy to learn, hard to master. It means, here, welcome in the door, now turn your brain on. Once players are in, the game build up and ask more of the player as they go. It should expect players to learn and get smarter in meaningful ways that cannot be ignored to see the story (at least on normal difficulty). To Biowares credit, their games do build, to a limited extent, but they always seem to stop short of pushing players out of their comfort zone. You can do an incredible amount with your fortress but very little makes a difference.
The thing is, as a teacher, I have to be thinking about these same exact challenges. We call it the Zone of Proximal Development. If I want a student to learn and grow, I need to give them a task just outside of their comfort zone so they have to reach for it and apply what they already know. Thats the zone. When they reach it, the task scales up.
I ask you, is Inquisition teaching you to play better or just play different? Accessibility has stalled Biowares games on a plateau of good enough gameplay for years and years. Its about time they dug their well a little deeper and challenged us all to play smarter. Just ask World of Warcraft how avoiding that part works out.
At least on normal difficulty, because normal shouldnt be the new easy.
Quick Hits
If you havent yet, picking up EA Access may be the cheapest way to play Dragon Age: Inquisition. The game just made the jump to the $4.99 a month service, so theres no reason to hold back if youve been waiting on a deal. While you wait on the download, our own Gareth Gazimoff Harmer had a chance to catch up with Biowares James Ohlen on storytelling. Check it out!
On August 26th, Larian Studios will be turning to Kickstarter to fund Divinity: Original Sin 2. We loved the original game for its rich story, tough challenge, and interactable environment. Larian says that the elementary systems were built with the first Original Sin, so they can start building the game immediately and trying out lots of new things. Give it you support!
Bethesdas case against Oculus will be moving ahead to trial. In case you missed it, back in May 2014, Bethesda claimed that John Carmack (former Bethesda employee) took their intellectual property with him when he was hired there. Oculus and Facebook attempted to have the trial dismissed but were unable to do so. Neither company is commenting, but we will have more on this as the story develops.
Since were talking Bethesda, youll be happy to hear that Fallout 4 doesnt end when you complete the main story. Theres no level cap, so you can keep playing and exploring even after the main thread is done.
Lastly, our loveable Irish friend, Jonathan Ardua Doyle had some hands-on time with Sword Coast Legends and loved what he played. Give his preview a read and let him know what you think!
Christopher Coke / Chris has been a fan of MMOs since the mid-1990s when he cut his teeth on MUDs. These days he scours the internet for the latest and greatest multiplayer gaming experiences.
Author: Christopher Coke
Created: August 14, 2015
there was supposed to a cross over DLC which game spot show case when they made the dragon age armor for shepard. which I did post back in the day it was when ME2 was around it was a video with that Chris waters guy. some how that DLC never showed up. I guess it was dropped and never explained why it was dropped
Permalink | 4 CommentsFortunately, the games latest DLC is here to rectify that mistake. The Descent takes players down into the legendary Deep Roads, where darkspawn -- and treasure -- abounds.
Fans of the Dragon Age series will likely have already ventured into the Deep Roads in the first game, Dragon Age: Origins, but the setting was a little anti-climactic these. Due to technical and time considerations, the mythical underground kingdom of the dwarf empire showed up in Origins as little more than a series of tunnels filled with enemies.
The Descent, on the other hand, treats its setting majestically, and in fact the zone design is probably the best part of the DLC. Its gorgeous, frankly. These new Deep Roads are huge subterranean caves dotted with giant statues and crumbling stone roads from when the dwarves still ruled. Some places are lit only from cracks in the ceiling, while others are literally pitch black. Its hard in that setting to not think about how the Inquisitor and friends are very much alone on their quest, and very far away from civilization.
Fortunately you wont have to travel between the surface and the Deep Roads very often while playing through The Descent. Within the first hour or so the DLC does an excellent job of giving you everything you might need just inside the entrance. Aside from the usual camp amenities there are crafting and modification stations for weapons and armor, and a vendor that sells huge quantities of crafting materials.
If you need to gear up your party in anticipation of the new content, the vendor sells up to 100 each of Tier 4 materials for a reasonable price, and the game is pretty generous with loot drops. This is useful because not only may some of your geared characters from the original campaign be unavailable to fight looking at you, Cassandra but the fights in The Descent are not messing around.
On at least two occasions youll be asked to handle waves of darkspawn and other, even worse, enemies. You cant clear objectives and continue with the game until a certain number of creatures have been killed, which leads to some epic battles. Even if you blew through the final battle in the original Inquisition with ease youll quite likely have trouble here. Be prepared to run backwards to potion-refilling caches during fights, and keep an eye on hostiles on your mini-map.
One interesting feature in The Descent is the addition of a mini War Table to the main camp. Players can use the War Table to open up special bonus areas in either The Deep Roads or The Uncharted Abyss. There are roughly 7 missions on each side. The vast majority are instant, but one takes 40 minutes, which seems a little strange in a short-ish DLC. Its probably not an essential mission, but the wait is a little irritating.
Speaking of those special bonus areas, fans of the collection elements of Inquisition will find plenty to love in The Descent. There are dwarven mugs strewn around the caves to collect for additional bits of lore, sort of like the mosaic pieces in Inquisition. Explorers will encounter a number of rune-warded gates tucked away in bonus areas or down half-hidden corridors. To open these gates, the player must collect a various number of Ancient Gears which are themselves hidden away all over the environment.
Opening the gates often starts up fights with powerful monsters, but also rewards players with the best loot and often more ancient gears to open up the next gate. For the most part theyre not mandatory, and finding gears might be annoying for goal-oriented players, but for those who were going to explore every nook and cranny anyway theyre a nice bonus.
Without giving away any of the plot, fans of the lore will likely be pleased with The Descent as well. Youll be travelling with two new (non-party) friends, dwarves Shaper Valta and Lieutenant Renn, and following all of their conversation options will teach players a lot about dwarven society, both modern and ancient. And what exactly IS that strange inhuman breathing noise that keeps shaking the walls of the Deep Roads, anyway?
What you wont get from The Descent, unfortunately, is a lot of new companion interaction. Even the usually chatty Varric is fairly quiet on this trip and a lot of the comradery and banter that happened between your party members in Inquisition is both missing and sadly missed. Also, theres very little dwarf-specific dialogue if your Inquisitor happens to be a dwarf. Theres no reason to expect there would be, but it seems like a lost opportunity for customization.
Overall, if you enjoyed Dragon Age: Inquisition for the lore and dramatic scenery then The Descent should be right up your alley. Collectors and explorers will be happy, and players wishing for more difficult combat situations will be thrilled, but if you wanted more witty banter and character development from your favorite companions then you may want to sit this one out.
Jessica Cook / Jessica "Liore" Cook is a longtime MMO blogger, fan, aficionado, and community goodwill ambassador. She hosts the MMO podcast Game On, and writes the weekly column: Tales from the Neighborhood. You can read more at www.lioreblog.com.
Article By: Jessica Cook
Created On: August 27, 2015
Permalink | 4 Comment(The video has reappeared here but we'll have it posted when it officially is released later today)Decide the fate of the Inquisition in this exciting final of a player ! In the epilogue of the story it has been two years and the inquisition is needed again . Gather your team . Stop the Qunari threat. Defend your legacy ... Dragon Age: Inquisition - Trespasser will be available on September 8, 2015 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One! Access EA members will have a 10 % discount.http://images.mmorpg.com/images/newsImages/352015/Trespasser.jpg
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Permalink | 13 Comments(Ed. Note: There are no spoilers about Trespasser in this review.)
Trespasser isnt about a huge expansive location to explore. Its not about scoring awesome loot or shards or mosaic tiles or astariums...well, you get the idea. Dragon Age: Inquisition Trespasser is designed to give players a sense of closure from a story perspective and to give the team one last epic romp through Thedas, complete with pithy commentary, moving personalized dialog and a chance to say goodbye to these wonderfully flawed companions Inquisitors have spent literally hundreds of hours with over the course of the game.
Trespasser also gives lore lovers some nifty nuggets of information about the game world with many questions finally answered. Lastly, this final DLC gives hope for the future of the series in its final credits.
The story takes place after the events of the main campaign. Once started, there is no going back since the timeline moves two years into the future. Set at the Winter Palace in Orlais, the Inquisition is brought to the diplomatic table to decide its future when the Qunari make a sudden and deadly appearance. Once again, it falls to the Inquisitor to strap on the armor to find out the motivation behind the dangerous plot set in motion through the attack. Luckily, all of her companions happen to be there for one reason or another -- no spoilers as to their motivations -- and we once again take off to save the world from a threat that could bring Southern Thedas to its knees.
The locations in Trespasser are unique, sending players deep underground into lyrium mines or into a magically shattered vault of knowledge and even into the heart of the invading Qunari force. Along the way, lore is revealed in buckets -- Who is FenHarel? What is the nature of the Fade? What is the purpose of the Veil? Who are the Old Gods? For players who love story and lore, Trespasser is a gold mine of information that ties up some of the series most enduring questions, though simultaneously raising new ones.
While the locations through which players travel are varied and interesting, certainly preventing anyone from becoming too bored, the DLC feels quite linear compared to the original game. In Trespassers case, however, it is not a bad thing. Though combat locations funnel the action to a given end point, enough lore is revealed along the way and enough interesting conversation takes place amongst party members to keep things satisfying, if slightly less interesting for the open world explorer types.
Combat is worthy of note here from the standpoint that much of Trespasser takes place in more confined locations than before and that require more strategy and placement of party members to be effective. And thats important too -- these Qunari hit like trucks if players are not prepared, and they drag along some assassins that blink from view only to reappear behind characters with a shiv to the spine that can nearly, or in some cases literally, one-shot the unwary. Luckily, the Inquisitor is given an interesting new skill with a pair of upgrades that bring a whole new strategy to combat -- strategy that comes with a price. Well just leave it at that.
The best part of Trespasser, however, isnt the combat. Its not the loot. Trespasser excels in giving players the chance to interact with their companions in a very deeply satisfying way that far outpaces the original campaign or the two previous DLCs. We find out what each has been up to for the last two years. We see them in situations outside of combat and the dire urgency of saving the world (at least at first). The dialog with each one is rich, funny, moving, heart-wrenching and is so well-written that there were times when tears streaked down my face for more than a few reasons. Not only does the group bond with the Inquisitor in meaningful ways, but they reveal how they have grown to fondly care for one another along the way. Trespassers writing in all of this is some of the finest ever -- a huge feat given the number of outstanding RPGs Bioware has produced over the years.
The negative, if such a thing can be said, in all of this is that players will have to put out real world cash to bring their Inquisitors story to an end, though the expense is worthwhile. Perhaps somewhere in time, Bioware and EA will release an all in one edition that will include the game and all three DLC. (Editor's Note: UPDATE: A Game of the Year Edition was announced today!)
It is clear that developers learned lessons from the upheaval following the conclusion of the Mass Effect series. Dragon Age: Inquisition Trespasser leaves no question that the game is over and that the series will be moving in new directions without the Inquisitor as the main protagonist when it continues. Of course, there is always the chance of a cameo in future games, but the Inquisitors time at the center of Thedas has drawn to a close and in a most satisfying way.
There is much more that could be said about Trespasser but to do so would reveal spoilers best left unknown for those who have yet to experience it. Do yourself a favor. Play Trespasser. You wont be sorry.
Suzie Ford / Suzie is the Associate Editor and News Manager at MMORPG.com. An avid gamer, Suzie lives in the desert Southwestern US with her own personal minion.
Article By: Suzie Ford
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It's made from the wooden splinters from the doors of the Keeps. Anyone else have this?
