Dragon Age II - Page 6

So I checked my e-mail this morning expecting the Shipped notice from amazon. Instead I find a "there's a problem with your card info" e-mail. Then I remember this past week just happened to be when my old oft-used debit card finally split along the magnetic strip, so I'd ordered a replacement one from the bank. Which showed up in the mail Friday. But I never updated my amazon account with the new card info. Which I just did, and now I'm maniacally refreshing my e-mail account and amazon orders page looking for the Shipped notice, and every hour that goes by that it doesn't update my heart sinks at the hour lost, and the potential plane and truck schedules its missing as they leave their respective depots and sorting stations, and I just know I'm not getting it tomorrow. Fuck!

...Aaaaaaand, looking at my account, it STILL says "Not Yet Shipped," even though I have Release-Day Delivery WHAT THE FUCK AMAZON

Relax guys. I have an Amazon Prime account, and believe me you'll get your shit. I've ordered stuff after 8pm, gotten it the next day without problem. Of course if MY pre-ordered copy of Dragon Age 2 isn't here by the end of tomorrow, I KILL YOU ALL.

Signature Editions are going for between $80 and $90 on ebay right now. Damn, maybe I should flip mine when I pick it up tomorrow.

All right, so...it's now "BEING PREPARED FOR SHIPMENT," but they'd better hustle that shit. Yeah, mine's for Xbox, but given that the PC version has DRM to prevent early playing anyway, would it have killed them to ship a little sooner?

 

Also, yeah -- every time Amazon and GameStop fill their Limited Edition order quotas, it becomes a total Scalper's Paradise. That always happens with limited editions, once they stop selling them. People post 'em for ridiculous amounts, because some folks are foolish enough to spend it.

For PC, you can get the digital download from Amazon for $47.99, and you can order the DLC that comes with the SE for $7. That brings your cost to $54.99, which is $5 cheaper than what you can get the game for brand-new, at most places. But I still like having the snazzy BioWare collector's box in my grubby hands at day's end, so it's worth it for that alone.

Ok, just checked again and mine's shipped. I have the day off tomorrow, but the last few things I got from UPS didn't arrive til after 7pm and I don't see that changing. The fuck am I going to do til then?

 

Use up some happy tissues in anticipation?
 

 

A novel idea, but I need an activity that will last the day. And I.... I don't have that kind of endurance.

I caved and pre-ordered last second because of Leto mentioning the cost at Amazon.  Sigh.  I'm so weak.

 

I played Rogue through the first Dragon Age, but I really want to have Isabella in my group this time so I guess I go another direction this time.  2 Rogues sucks.  Maybe I'll sword and board it since I get the preorder bonuses, but Mage was a lot more fun combat-wise in the demo.

Where are the reviews? I've only been able to find two. They both loved it, but is it usual for game reviews to come out day off?

There's probably an embargo for sometime in the morning- there usually is for big games like this. I wouldn't know, because I just found out yesterday that they're sending me a review copy today, which is super-handy for a lengthy game like this. So now I can rush through it (as much as one can rush through a game like this) or take my time and enjoy it and have an incredibly late review.

 

Course, the big boys have had code for weeks now.

The embargo is until 5 p.m. GMT, I believe.

How in the hell can a review be embargoed even after it's officially been released and in people's hands?

Alex, I say take your time and give it a good in depth review but to actually put up content you can do the first 2 hours thing (after the content of the demo that is). To give readers a first impression look.

Oh me of little faith. Out for Delivery. Now to get home from work before the UPS guy decides to leave a note instead of my package. Thankfully, he almost never hits my neighborhood before 6.

Now showing that it's already on my doorstep. They must've Super-Overnighted that bitch. Amazon, I never doubted you (unless you count those posts where I did).

 

Headed home very soon anyhow (for another, unrelated reason). Think I might "accidentally" be finding the time to slip this in while I'm there...for just a few minutes...

Something's up with DirectX 11, methinks.  I always get 15-20 fps, regardless of the amount of effects I turn on or off.  Cutting AA in half, for instance, isn't making any difference at all.

8.5 at IGN (all versions).

 

Since the review's by Kristine Steimer, who loves artifically score-gimping huge "AAA" titles, add another 0.5 or so to the total. A solid, even "9.0," looks like.

 

Interesting that virtually the entire game takes place within the one single city...some folks might hate it, but the idea that they're developing a storyline around a particular city's political and religious struggles sounds awesome.

Does Gay Wade the Armorer make another appearance?

If Darkspawn Chronicles is anything to go by then Wade probably died a little while after the events of Origins. 

Though I think Darkspawn is supposedly more alt-universe than anything. He showed up in Awakening at the Amaranthine Keep (set about a year after the main campaign) -- he's fierce like a Juggernaut.

 

No wonder he took 30 minutes to take my inseam for my Drakeskin Armor. And here I thought he was just being thorough...

There are even more giant spiders on screen at a time, and I swear to God they're faster.  Curse you, BioWare.

 

(Though they're more fun to go up against as a mage than as a warrior -- fry, you eight-legged freaks.)

 

EDIT:  Worse than giant spiders?  Crashes.  The game has crashed on me seven times by the three hour point.  I've got an i7 720 processor and Radeon 5870 graphics card.  Tried turning off V-Sync and Anti-Aliasing, which apparently solved said issues for some people in the demo, but no luck on my end.

Edited by The Dark Shape - 3/8/11 at 2:47pm

Installed, DLC downloaded, let's get this party started.

 

After finishing the Prologue (the same as it was in the demo), my family/party arrived in Kirkwall, and now I'm having to choose one of two directions to go in for the upcoming year (to work off my debt in order to enter the city) -- either for a combat-based mercenary company, or a stealth-based smuggler. Playing as Male Default Hawke (Warrior class), so I chose the merc group.

 

Right after the "exaggerated" version of the opening, you get the chance to import your DA:O game-saves, and I ended up getting to choose from between my main Origins campaign finale (my Level 20 Warden), Awakening (Level 31), Golems of Amgarrak (Level 34), and Witch Hunt (Level 35). Went with the Witch Hunt-save, since I'm assuming it's cumulative, in terms of story-events.

 

According to the BioWare devs over on the official boards, due to an error during mastering, the auto-attack feature for consoles was omitted during manufacture -- they're working on patching this right now. 

 

Maybe it's just me (playing as a Warrior), but the feel I got from both the demo and the full game is that BioWare has actually managed to streamline the gameplay in DA II, as opposed to the flat-out reductionism we usually see when this sort of thing is attempted (witness the ME2 leveling system).

 

Yes, you now have to push a button for each swing at the moment (unless you're on PC), but it seems to contribute to the experience, rather than detract from it. For me, the ability to fully control my character's attack-timing actually expands the tactical aspect, at least on a one-man basis. 

Just stumbled upon an insane glitch.  Have no clue what I did because I can't recreate it, but everytime I hit "A" I got 250 XP and a bunch of cash.  But like I said I can't recreate it.

 

It "feels" simplified, but I haven't wrapped my mind around how to explain that or what that means.

So anyone notice there's a dumb facebook game associated with this? Play long enough, and you'll eventually unlock 5 worthless trinkets in the actual Dragon Age 2! I got the first 2 without even trying much. You get more party members depending on how many facebook friends also play the game. So far I'm the only one I know playing this. If anyone's interested, here's the link: http://apps.facebook.com/dragonagelegends/?ref=bookmarks&count=0

Very disappointed thus far. 

 

I'm about 6 hours in and I am doing a lot of running around the city.  The enviroments all look the same.  The enemies are basically all the same.  I understand this is probably going to change a bit as I progress but my heart sunk a little when I read that most of the action takes place inside the city.  Why would Bioware do that?  It doesn't even sound good in theory.  One of the best things about DA1 was the variety of enviroments to explore.  Here I feel claustrophobic. 

 

The quests feel like nothing more than errands.  I really don't even know what my goal is here...make enough money so that I can join an expedition into the Deep Roads?  The quests in DA1 felt epic...Ostagar, Arl Eamon, Andraste's ashes, the Landsmeet, Paragon of her kind, etc.  In DA2 there is no urgency. 

 

I don't mind the new fighting system, the animations are smoother, but it does seem a tad simplistic.  There is more button mashing this time out, it feels like I'm playing Baldurs Gate. 

Dragon Age II is a smaller story.  It's not meant to be as epic as Origins.  There's no Blight or Archdemon.  But everyone who's played it seems to say things become very important to the universe by the end.

 

I'm having a lot of fun with it.  It's definitely a change of pace, but one based around character relationships.  And for people who've played through Awakening, there's a heckuva plot development that took me off guard five hours into the game --

 

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

Also, my Hawke is sort of hot.  Doesn't hurt.

 

 

 

Less than an hour in, and I met a certain other pair of DA:O characters in the city (everyone who's playing this knows exactly who I'm talking about). Complete with an epic, massive camera push-in right before the famous catchphrase.

 

Blood Dragon Armor was a surprise for me. Not as good as in the last game, since you can get it very early on, and equip it without too much of a requirement (I'm, like, Level 5 and +28 Constitution, and I'm already wearing it). But still happy to have it.

Lots of choices even early on. Hopefully, they'll leave an impact.

Combat isn't bad at all, but I will definitely enable auto-attack, if and when it's added.

Skill-trees are cool. More diversity at the cost of slightly more linearity.

DLC items aren't technically DLC, aside from The Black Emporium and "The Exiled Prince." They just unlock in your game if you've done whatever (preordered, completed the demo, whatever). So yay. No HDD space required.

If you don't have an import, you get to choose between three preset game-universe backstory choices, and they're pretty nice. Got everything covered, mostly.

Varric is a beast.

Sebastian is a beast.

 

If you're a Warrior, and are using Hayder's Razor, plus the "Scythe" and "Mighty Blow" two-handed talents, you turn into a Massive Whirlwind of Death-Rape™.

Bad news:

Dialogue with companions is limited. All of Kirkwall is your "camp," and you go to different locations to talk to different people (Your sibling = home, Varric = The Hanged Man Pub).

 

There seem to be fewer chests to unlock so far than Origins had, and I've rarely switched to Varric for that. He also doesn't warn me when there's a trap nearby, like Leliana did.

The new friend/foe system encourages you to play one way or another. Good, evil, sarcastic, whatever. Choose one path and stick with it, I guess.

Within the first hour, Dragon Age II has already caught up and surpassed Origins in the timeline. And a bunch of people acknowledge that they knew of Loghain's betrayal. Would've saved some walking if they'd spoken up, hmmm...??

 

There's so much to see and do in the city alone that I'm having a hard time trying to leave, as I keep getting distracted by one new sidequest after another.

 

Whoever it was who said that the environments "all look the same" is probably playing a different game than I am -- the differences between the Highcity (the Viscount's Palace and the Blooming Rose) and the Docks and Lowtown (carved stone architecture and plywood shacks) are gigantic. The resolution and color upgrades alone from DA:O are worth checking the game out for.

 

Also, tried to go on the "Exalted March of the Dales" at the brothel, but couldn't afford it.

Well I simply don't see myself getting to this for a few weeks yet, what with the remainder of Origins, and all the other DLC to get through - but my signature edition was purchased online this morning the moment it became available at 3am (all sold out by midday today) so it should arrive by the end of the week.

 

Now I have to try and stay away from this thread.

You will fail.

 

Just realized Amazon sent me a bonus DLC code for the Fadeshear Sword and Lion of Orlais Shield.

 

Entered.

Im surprised anybody would find the questing here interesting much less exciting. 

I'm enjoying the hell out of the questing. I suppose if one were committed, there would be complaints to make. And if I truly have seen most of the game environments already, that could get tedious down the line. But playing this for as huge a chunk of time as I did tonight feltlike reconnecting with an old friend. Some stuff has changed for the better, but the great stuff is every bit as fun as I remember it. I got that familiar feeling where I'm actually pretty concerned with how much of my time is about to get sacrificed to this narrative, but at least it will be glorious. I cut down on games a lot recently, so getting wrapped up I'n one again is going to be a total blast.

It occurs to me, what with the super DAO fans having some serious issues with this, that what I liked about the original is very different from other people. It was all about the character interactions for me, and DA2 seems to have no problem with those. I think I like this fight system a whole lot more too-I've always been more of an action rpg-er.

So far, Merril is the stand out character for me, and likely my romantic conquest in this first playthrough.

Also, I'm finding it kind of refreshing that this isn't going to be your typical save the world from evil plotline. I have no idea where it's going, and that's a new one for me.

Seriously.  DA2 is essentially the Orzammar political subplot/werewolves vs. elves bits maxed out to be an entire game.  It's all about the character moments.

Just realized by reading the reviews, in horror, that you can't even change your companions' equipment.

Seriously, WTF?

 

This is really a step too far.

Only one true RPG per decade, it would seem...

I hate to say it, but I'm definitely skipping this one.

 

 

You can change their equipment, but not their armor.  It's such a bizarre design choice I don't even know what to make of it.  Why in the world are all the different types of armor dropping when my mage can't equip the majority of it?

 

The DLC weapons are WAAAAAAAAAAY overpowered.  Good lord, the staff you get for free has my mage just raping everything.  I feel like I shouldn't use them, but I can't make myself not use them now that I have them.

 

The world doesn't feel as alive as DA:O did, at least not so far.  Lots of people standing around but very few you can actually talk to (or even click on for some sound effect).  Lots of repeated conversation loops.  So far what little information fed over from Origins is just a nod and a wink.  I'm curious if any of my choices will have any true impact.

 

Potions are on a shared cooldown?  Or am I missing something?  Again, that just doesn't even make sense to me.
 

 

Nine hours in.  It's not at all what I would have expected Dragon Age II to be after beating the first, but I'm having a great time playing it.  There's all this wonderful setup that's obviously going to come back in the progressing years of the game's story (Kira Hawke likes the Chantry less than my Ashes-defiling city elf did).  And the nods to Origins (Flemeth... oh, Flemeth, I know we're not done with you yet by a long shot) are grin-worthy.

 

The recycled dungeons are quite annoying, but that's my only major complaint.  Being confined to one city isn't the burden I thought it'd be.

 

I think reaction would be better if it was still called Dragon Age: Exodus instead of Dragon Age II.

This is due in the mail today, so of course my XBOX bricks last night.

     Quote:

 

"Role-playing." One of the most misunderstood terms of the 21st Century.

 

So you are this guy, and you are pretending to live in his world, and you do things through him to and with the various people in his world. You can befriend or make enemies with nearly anyone. It just so happens that many games where you take the role of someone else use numbers to give a sense of progression. These skills usually signify attributes or skills.

Proper, actual "role-playing," however, is interacting in a world through the actions of someone else. What truly "makes" a game an RPG? Numbers and/or equipment? Numbers are an in-menu representation of my character's limitations. They show what he can and cannot do. An actual RPG has very, very little to do with that. The kind-hearted swordsman could care less if his One-Handed skill is 1 or 100. He doesn't know, and he doesn't care. All he wants to do is help the next person he comes across however he can.

The thief who takes from the rich and gives to the poor doesn't have any numbers somewhere that show he can give poor people money. No, that's their choice. That's what an RPG is. A game where you can create your own role, and play it out.

And right now, by all of those criteria, Dragon Age II is as "true" an RPG as you're likely to find at the moment.

My expectations being sky high is clouding my judgement a bit, I admit, but I can't get over how neutered this game feels.  I'm about 9 hours in and my biggest problem is the questing.  Most of the quests consist of running to an arrow on a map (usually in one part of the city).  Once you arrive at the arrow you dispatch a group of nameless, generic bad guys and then run to a different part of the city to tell somebody about it.  The end.  Sometimes a quest will take you to multiple parts of the city, but then again its just running to another arrow and slaughtering more generic baddies.  All of this wouldn't be a problem if it was interesting in any way but it's really not.  I like the nods to DA1 as much as the next guy, but take those out completely and this game could have been called "City Quest" or something equally as generic.

 

Go back to DA1 and the Mage Tower.  You had the Sloth Demon, getting trapped in the Fade, the desire demon who ensnared the templars, the hidden quests, the rogue mages.  It took time and it was challenging.  Whether or not you rescued the First Enchanter had a real impact on the story not to mention other quests.  I remember on my second playthru I rescued the First Enchanter (after letting him die in the first playthru) and I felt like I had accomplished something.  I've gotten none of that thus far with DA2. 

 

I'm not saying this is a bad game, it just seems like a step back from the first one.

 

What a RPG should be about, is OPTIONS. 

Let's see, in DA2 apparently I can't choose my race, I can't choose the equipment of my companions, strategic options are reduced, and every dialogue gives 3 inane, possible replies (kind of the "possible replies" that the Terminator got in the first movie, remember that?)

Doesn't really look like a legitimate RPG, to me. 

If no company can claim to do it better "at the moment", well this simply means that RPGs are dead.

It's like DA1 was scripted by William Goldman and DA2 was scripted by Akiva Goldsman. 

 

 

You can change some of your companions' armor(s)/outfits, but only if you find/receive the specific items to do it.

 

As for the piles of useless armor if you're a mage?  Money in the bank, or at least I'm presuming there are still shops in the game?

Well, so far I've killed Darkspawn of varying types, Rogues and Thugs and Mercenaries, Undead, Shades, Giant Spiders, Dragonlings, a small Adult Dragon and a Mature Dragon. And I'm only level 7.

 

Mix up your questing, folks. Don't just stay in town, hit the Bone Pit and the Wounded Coast and other places. There's plenty of good stuff here.

That's part of the problem.  Usually the enemy is only "skeleton archer" or "mercenary" or "giant spider".  Its like they didnt bother to create mini-bosses or bother to give them unique names.

I, for one, would love to see "Charles the giant spider" or "Francis: Skeleton Archer".

Point missed, but hey you made a funny!

 

In Dragon Age: Origins the most you ever got was Mercenary Captain or Purple Spider.