Dwagon Age

spokomptonjdub · Post by **spokomptonjdub** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 5:35 am

Been playing it the last few days, pretty solid so far. Definitely the best mainstream RPG effort in some time.

Basically if you wanted to see Baldur's Gate have a baby with KOTOR, then you'll dig it.

S4ur0n27 · Post by **S4ur0n27** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 7:41 pm

I just downloaded it

Frater Perdurabo · Post by **Frater Perdurabo** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 11:55 pm

My brother's been playing it since it was released. According to him, even though it's good overall, it's got some annoying bits to it. To me, it seemed very combat focused.

spokomptonjdub · Post by **spokomptonjdub** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 12:15 am

Frater Perdurabo wrote:My brother's been playing it since it was released. According to him, even though it's good overall, it's got some annoying bits to it. To me, it seemed very combat focused.

It feels pretty balanced to me so far (I'm about 15 hours in) between combat and dialogue, though some of the bigger fights can last a while.

If you listen to most of the complaints from the console kids around various forums its that the game doesn't have ENOUGH combat, but such is the vice of 13 year old XBAWKS-ers. Personally I don't even know why you would attempt to play this type of game on a console, but that's just the PC elitist in me talking.

I mostly appreciate the more mature nature of the game, particularly in today's tepid gaming climate. If you really boil it down it doesn't have as mature of content as the original fallouts or planescape, but there is lots of gore, sex, and even child killing. It also does a good job of allowing grey-area decisions, rather than every decision being "Will you save these adorable puppies? Or will you eat them and shit them out on the orphans?" bullshit that qualifies as moral choices in many games today (see: Fallout 3).

Frater Perdurabo · Post by **Frater Perdurabo** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 3:54 am

spokomptonjdub wrote:
Frater Perdurabo wrote:My brother's been playing it since it was released. According to him, even though it's good overall, it's got some annoying bits to it. To me, it seemed very combat focused.
It feels pretty balanced to me so far (I'm about 15 hours in) between combat and dialogue, though some of the bigger fights can last a while.

If you listen to most of the complaints from the console kids around various forums its that the game doesn't have ENOUGH combat, but such is the vice of 13 year old XBAWKS-ers. Personally I don't even know why you would attempt to play this type of game on a console, but that's just the PC elitist in me talking.

I mostly appreciate the more mature nature of the game, particularly in today's tepid gaming climate. If you really boil it down it doesn't have as mature of content as the original fallouts or planescape, but there is lots of gore, sex, and even child killing. It also does a good job of allowing grey-area decisions, rather than every decision being "Will you save these adorable puppies? Or will you eat them and shit them out on the orphans?" bullshit that qualifies as moral choices in many games today (see: Fallout 3).

I spoke to him again and he actually said that it wasn't all that combat orientated, but he blamed the pace of the game, saying that especially there was too much focus on character development, to the extent that is slows down gameplay.
I'm actually really waiting to give this a try.
What would you say are the negative aspects?

Psychoul · Post by **Psychoul** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 3:55 am

when i was 13 i was playing fallouting, tryign to finish the game without hurting anything. Even those rats at the beginning.

Anyways... DA:O is a great game. I am around 4 hours in, (i know i know) and its pretty intense. I have to say, the dialogue is bioware's fame IMO. Its not fallout, but it sure is grrrreat!.

ekkaman · Post by **ekkaman** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 4:38 am

so a good buy then??

S4ur0n27 · Post by **S4ur0n27** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 5:37 am

I fucking hate how modern 3D RPGs force you to design your fucking face all the time. How good was it when you just picked a portrait and couldn't turn the camera upside down to see in your character's nose or something?

The game looks okay so far, NWN with brighter dialogues, more story, and a nicer setting.

spokomptonjdub · Post by **spokomptonjdub** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 6:52 am

Frater Perdurabo wrote:
spokomptonjdub wrote:
Frater Perdurabo wrote:My brother's been playing it since it was released. According to him, even though it's good overall, it's got some annoying bits to it. To me, it seemed very combat focused.
It feels pretty balanced to me so far (I'm about 15 hours in) between combat and dialogue, though some of the bigger fights can last a while.

If you listen to most of the complaints from the console kids around various forums its that the game doesn't have ENOUGH combat, but such is the vice of 13 year old XBAWKS-ers. Personally I don't even know why you would attempt to play this type of game on a console, but that's just the PC elitist in me talking.

I mostly appreciate the more mature nature of the game, particularly in today's tepid gaming climate. If you really boil it down it doesn't have as mature of content as the original fallouts or planescape, but there is lots of gore, sex, and even child killing. It also does a good job of allowing grey-area decisions, rather than every decision being "Will you save these adorable puppies? Or will you eat them and shit them out on the orphans?" bullshit that qualifies as moral choices in many games today (see: Fallout 3).
I spoke to him again and he actually said that it wasn't all that combat orientated, but he blamed the pace of the game, saying that especially there was too much focus on character development, to the extent that is slows down gameplay.
I'm actually really waiting to give this a try.
What would you say are the negative aspects?

For negatives, I'd say that the setting isn't terribly original, though at least the elves aren't immortal angelic badasses like in every other modern fantasy with goddamned elves in it; in Dragon Age they are second-class poverty stricken tribalists.

There is also still some limits on freedom compared to the older RPGS... Locked chests and doors can only be picked, and some can only be opened with a key regardless.

Also some of the combat areas do drag on a little too long, but I suppose that's subjective; I guess I'm on the opposite side of your brother as far as pacing goes, I actually like the character development and story progression sequences to the point where I'm usually more than ready to be done with a dungeon by the time I reach the end.

Smiley · Post by **Smiley** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 10:25 am

spokomptonjdub wrote: There is also still some limits on freedom compared to the older RPGS... Locked chests and doors can only be picked, and some can only be opened with a key regardless.

IT'S MAGICK!

Unless you're a skilled lockpicker of course, then it's "fair".

POOPERSCOOPER · Post by **POOPERSCOOPER** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 7:29 pm

S4ur0n27 wrote:I fucking hate how modern 3D RPGs force you to design your fucking face all the time. How good was it when you just picked a portrait and couldn't turn the camera upside down to see in your character's nose or something?

The game looks okay so far, NWN with brighter dialogues, more story, and a nicer setting.

I rarely change my face in the games maybe just a few hair types to make it look less gay.

Either way I got the game on Xbox because my PC isn't good enough anymore and I don't feel like upgrading it at this time. The game on console seems like its going to be cumbersome from just playing with it for a bit, the combat I'm probably going to have to get used to. I haven't been playing it since I got it because I want to finish up Dead Space before jumping into it.

Caleb · Post by **Caleb** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 5:03 pm

my only major complaint so far is that it seems like a pinhole view of older rpgs. Magic is very limited(at least it seems like it) with each tree topping out at 4 spells. Character development is decent, pacing is...alright. A good few hours into it(something like 10-15 i think) and wondering how long it is/where it will go. Definitely agree about the moral choices/content...very refreshing in a modern rpg. The only thing that bothers me is the wow kind of mindset(especially the first ogre fight) about having an enemy chase one character around the room while the others attack it. Never had to do that shit w/ turnbased...

spokomptonjdub · Post by **spokomptonjdub** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 7:25 am

Caleb wrote: The only thing that bothers me is the wow kind of mindset(especially the first ogre fight) about having an enemy chase one character around the room while the others attack it. Never had to do that shit w/ turnbased...

Yeah I should have mentioned that as a negative. Some of the boss fights feel like a WoW boss battle except you're controlling every character. While I like the combat system in dragon age more than most modern "rpgs" I think it would actually benefit from true turn based.

There has been a handful of times where one of my party scores the killing blow and proceeds to go through an awesome looking gory kill animation... Problem is there is a giant fight still going on and this party member is spending 5 seconds basically showboating. If the game were true turn based then it wouldn't be a problem and these animations could be a highlight of the combat, like bloody mess kills in fallout.

Post by **Manoil** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 5:00 pm

Where the fuck is Caz? He's gone apeshit over this game for a while now, if anyone was to be in this convo it should be him

cazsim83 · Post by **cazsim83** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 6:27 pm

I posted a review of DA:O - that's where I've been

spokomptonjdub · Post by **spokomptonjdub** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 11:55 pm

Just read an absolute ridiculous review from Eurogamer.

Not because they didn't like the game (even though they still score it an 8 after ripping it throughout the review) but because the reviewer holds Bethesda's RPGs, particularly Oblivion and Fallout 3, as the standard of the industry and feels dragon age falls short

Selected quote:

"Meaningful choices are lost in a near-infinite number of meaningless ones, consequences are only vaguely defined before the fact, and the cold machinations of the cast stir admiration for the game's clever, systematic plotting, but seldom emotion. Uninvolved, you make calls with your head and not your heart, and you never feel like you can escape the gravitational pull of the game's design the way you can in, for example, Bethesda's RPGs. "

Basically, he says there is REAL choice in Bethesda's games (with emotional pull no less), and Dragon Age's suck because you don't know the consequences of your actions beforehand...

SenisterDenister · Post by **SenisterDenister** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 12:06 am

I think they got that last part backwards about emotional pull. I'd feel a lot more crappy if something bad happened and I wasn't realizing what I was doing, oh wait, that's too realistic to be in a game.

Kashluk · Post by **Kashluk** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 7:18 am

spokomptonjdub wrote: and Dragon Age's suck because you don't know the consequences of your actions beforehand...

Hah! I believe this is the 'salt of the game'!

The best (only good one?) quest in Fallout 3 was the Tenpenny tower one where you could peacefully make way for ghouls in the tower. Then, later on, the plan would backfire on you as all human inhabitants would be sadistically murdered by the ghouls. Road to hell is paved with good intentions...

PiP · Post by **PiP** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 6:41 pm

Kashluk wrote: The best (only good one?) quest in Fallout 3 was the Tenpenny tower one where you could peacefully make way for ghouls in the tower. Then, later on, the plan would backfire on you as all human inhabitants would be sadistically murdered by the ghouls. Road to hell is paved with good intentions...

ekkaman · Post by **ekkaman** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 1:51 am

spokomptonjdub wrote:Just read an absolute ridiculous review from Eurogamer.

Not because they didn't like the game (even though they still score it an 8 after ripping it throughout the review) but because the reviewer holds Bethesda's RPGs, particularly Oblivion and Fallout 3, as the standard of the industry and feels dragon age falls short

Selected quote:

"Meaningful choices are lost in a near-infinite number of meaningless ones, consequences are only vaguely defined before the fact, and the cold machinations of the cast stir admiration for the game's clever, systematic plotting, but seldom emotion. Uninvolved, you make calls with your head and not your heart, and you never feel like you can escape the gravitational pull of the game's design the way you can in, for example, Bethesda's RPGs. "

Basically, he says there is REAL choice in Bethesda's games (with emotional pull no less), and Dragon Age's suck because you don't know the consequences of your actions beforehand...

every year they get dumber and dumber till only the xbox will be left