"Dragon Age II" or "Seil Won't Stop Badgering On About Dragon Age!"

[Melfice]

Well, the mashing "x" thing really equates to pulling the trigger for your gun in Mass Effect.
So, every tap of the action button is the same as a swing with your sword.

In that regard, it's totally like Mass Effect.

[Marc v4.0]

and Legend of Zelda, God of War, Oblivion, Morrowind, Darksiders, Banjo-Kazooie, Metroid, Saint's Row, I think the point is clear

we only think "Mass Effect" because we are already thinking "Bioware"

[Seil]

But... it doesn't play anything like Mass Effect?

Could be mistaken, but the menu system for the DA2 demo is pretty much the same for ME2 demo.

major graphical downgrade? What ARE you smoking, son?

edit: I mean, I -guess- you could mean on PC, but console is like a whole different gen almost.

So when you play DA:O, look at the characters. You know you could kinda see someone like that in real life. Alistair, Morrigan, Lelianna - whoever. With DA2, it's kinda like I'm watching a saturday morning cartoon. The first game had some pretty neat moments, some gory bits when you went into Orzammar - this just seems like they cut the corners off to make it safe for kids.

Seil is seil in a seil thread on a seil. WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE EXPECTING?!?!

Rogue is fucking awesome, mage is stupid strong, havent given warrior a try. Definitely gonna be a day 1 buy for me.

First off, fuck that reputation. Just because I'm Seil doesn't mean that my opinion isn't as valid as anyone elses.

I found the game to be frustrating, something that didn't measure up to the first one in any way, shape or form.

Uh... Seil, perhaps you didn't notice, but fucking everyone was white-as-hell in Origins. Honestly speaking, DA2 was in need of a bit of a retcon in that regard.

Beyond that, I think it hilarious that you're complaining about a lot of the changes that I absolutely loved. I liked Dragon Age, but overall it was very EEEHHHHHHHHHH. Pretty much the primary redeeming trait it had was the amazing character writing, and I hear the PC version had better gameplay (though the gameplay was decent in a "like FFXII but not as good" sort of way), but the pacing was atrocious and the overarching plot was generic and boring as hell but for a handful of standout moments. Pretty much every change they made was nice, because they were admitting that the first DA had more problems

I went in expecting Silent Hill 2 and came out playing Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.

Let me state it a little more clearly:

Cons:

- Cooldown times seem very lengthly, especially considering they're putting a limit on how many health potions you can use at a time

- Combat is worse - there's little to do but spam the attack button. Why I can't just press it once, like in the original, I don't know. I have trouble targeting specific enemies - I guess by the later leves you're supposed to be this unstoppable badass taking on cannon fodder enemies all at once, but at the lower levels - the higher ones, too, I'll bet - it really pays to be able to target a specific enemy. Like you used to be able to do.

- The menu system - this is a petty gripe, but what was wrong with the menu system in DA:O? Sure there were a few times where if it was a little tedious, but everything was laid out - you knew what you were doing. With the new system, the skill tree system in particular, it's just really cluttered. DA:O have a basic setup, you chose this skill to get to that one - DA2 says "screw that crap. We've got trees with branches, and each leaf you pick opens up a different leaf at random."

- Aesthetics. Bright orange effing hair. In the original DA:O, you probably knew a guy who looked like Alistair. They were believable, like they could exist in real life. Which was great for the roleplaying aspect. They still look like people, but they've become less believable, maybe due to the colourful cartoon style armour, or the bright orange hair.

And it's not that I'm racist. I love all people equally. But if you've established a character as white, brown, black, this appearance, that appearance: stick with it. I agree that Flemeth looks cool, but she's not supposed to look like that. She didn't before - what costume change happened after the Wardens left the wilds but before Lothering was destroyed?

- Dialogue Wheel - it's not that bad, and it's nice to have a voice actor, a good one. That being said, there's so little choice compared to DA:O - again with the role playing perspective, if you wanted to say something, you had several lines to choose from, some ranging from lawful-good, others to chaotic-evil. It was neat, and was more immersive. Having the word "Thanks." when Flemeth helps you is kind of a step backward, as you don't know what you're going to say - non-descript symbols not withstanding. Sure it's nice and quick, but it doesn't pull you in.

[Kim]

They gave the Qunari horns. Changing Flemeth's hair or making a character with a fairly small role in the first game a woman of color seems more than okay when DA2 is pretty much looking at DA:O and saying, "Christ our game was bland as fuck."

[Marc v4.0]

Originally Posted by Seil

So when you play DA:O, look at the characters. You know you could kinda see someone like that in real life. Alistair, Morrigan, Lelianna - whoever. With DA2, it's kinda like I'm watching a saturday morning cartoon. The first game had some pretty neat moments, some gory bits when you went into Orzammar - this just seems like they cut the corners off to make it safe for kids.

DA characters looked like shit on the console, with blur and bloom used to conceal jagged edges and dodgy facial animations.

The first game had some pretty neat moments, some gory bits when you went into Orzammar - this just seems like they cut the corners off to make it safe for kids.

I erupted an Ogre into a shower of blood and fire! While my warriors cut darkspawn literally in half with gushes of blood like so many fountains WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING!?

edit: The art style being different is pretty much as Nonsie said, with a further justification from the fact that we are playing a story someone is telling which means it is...colored a little bit by their mind, even in the non-crazy parts.

[Krylo]

Originally Posted by Grimpond

Seil is seil in a seil thread on a seil. WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE EXPECTING?!?!

Originally Posted by Seil

First off, fuck that reputation. Just because I'm Seil doesn't mean that my opinion isn't as valid as anyone elses.

Yeeaaaahhhhh, this isn't Seil being Seil.

Seil being Seil is a specific kind of silly, not raging at something that doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. I really need to finish updating my PS3 and check the demo to see if Seil's got a point here or not, BUT even if it is completely excellent on the consoles as well, this still isn't the kind of thing that one just attributes to Seil's innate Seilness.

Edit: ALSO I think he's complaining about the ART DIRECTION more than the GRAPHICS. He's just using the wrong words.

That said:

Originally Posted by NonCon

They gave the Qunari horns. Changing Flemeth's hair or making a character with a fairly small role in the first game a woman of color seems more than okay when DA2 is pretty much looking at DA:O and saying, "Christ our game was bland as fuck."

Gaider/the lore team has explained the horns and Flemeth's appearance.

In the first: Some Qunari are born hornless. Hornless Qunari are used as scouts and 'diplomats' (in so much as Qunari have them) because hornless Qunari are less terrifying to other peoples.

In the second: Flemeth is a godling, she can look like what she wants. She wanted to look like a crazy old woman to the Warden, and she wanted to look like a powerful warrior mage to the Champion.

Isabella isn't explained, BUT I really really really prefer her new look, and she was only around for like five seconds in the original, so fuck it.

Edit: THAT SAID, fuck the new darkspawn.

[Seil]

DA characters looked like shit on the console, with blur and bloom used to conceal jagged edges and dodgy facial animations.

And there were other graphical bugs and glitches in the game. It still feels more real than Thundercats 2.

I erupted an Ogre into a shower of blood and fire! While my warriors cut darkspawn literally in half with gushes of blood like so many fountains WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING!?

I don't mean explosions and blood - kids can get that in cartoons these days. I'm talking about the darker bits of Origins.

[Marc v4.0]

So...because their wasn't a big nasty naked squik monster in the Demo, a monster which you have to play a good while before you even get to in the relevant game, it is dumbed down for kids to be safe?

Fuck no. That check will not cash.


edit: I concede that art direction is something that is up to the individual to like or dislike and yeah, not really crazy about the new Ogre cause it looks a little...slow, but the Hurfdurfs really freak me out.

[Seil]

I didn't mean that exactly. It was an an example that the first game was darker than what the second game appears to be. The second game is more colourful, more "action packed!" than the original - sacrificing a serious nature and a fun game into Golden Axe: Beast Rider. Or Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel.

It isn't out yet, so none of us know the whole story, but going from what the demo has shown us - which is what we're all doing here - the game looks like a dumbed down, cartoon version of the original Dragon Age.

[Kim]

A guy got infected with Darkspawn blood and you have to either kill him yourself or make his wife kill him.

~so cartoony~