4 replies to this topic

[FoolyFooly]

I just started the game a few hours ago. I'm going to try avoid re-hashing what's already been said.

First things first, I had an issue with the character customization... The hair style and distinctive red face paint across the nose is locked to the default preset for either male or female Hawke. Creating your own character barrs you from using either.

I had feared the worst with the quick-jump cutscenes and character dialogue, and when the actual game started playing out exactly as the demo I was really worried. But, fortunately, that quickly ended after the initial cutscenes and the beginning battle at Lothering. Once you enter Kirkwall it's much the same as DA Origins. The menu's still feel over-simplified, and your companions armor is locked meaning you can't change what they have on. I'm not sure if this annoys me or not since I personally hated having to micro-manage everything for them.

The best way to describe it is that the game has definitely become 'consolised'. I enjoy the fast-paced attitude of the combat, but the menus, character interaction, and customization feel stripped down and simplified.

One issue I have with all Bioware games that feature a voiced lead character, is that the dialogue descriptions never match up with what you're actaully saying. i.e picking the option that says "how's it going" turns into "I stab you in the face".


edit 1:

The initial claim of spanning across 10-yrs sounded impressive but so far it seems irrevelant. Shortly after the beginning a cutscene explains that a full year occurs "offscreen", but when it resumes you have different armor. (I'm being purposefully vague here to avoid any details)

Edited by FoolyFooly, 08 March 2011 - 03:46 AM.

[FoxyLady90]

Companions armor is locked (:
What about the aerial view ? I heard they changed it so you cant cover much more ground.

[sacredtrojanblade]

Hmm.. Just as I expected. Framed Narrative is supposed to be a mechanism to speed up timeline. Bioware uses this to show how Hawke's choices and decision affect the changes over the course of 10 years. I guess they don't really quite good with nostalgic effectiveness to convince some players that time elapse and changes occur beside just clothing. I wonder if the characters age accordingly.

[brokenergy]

I just started the game a few hours ago. I'm going to try avoid re-hashing what's already been said.

First things first, I had an issue with the character customization... The hair style and distinctive red face paint across the nose is locked to the default preset for either male or female Hawke. Creating your own character barrs you from using either.

They (the devs) already stated that you can't customise the first two presets. Those two are unique and are blocked.

I had feared the worst with the quick-jump cutscenes and character dialogue, and when the actual game started playing out exactly as the demo I was really worried. But, fortunately, that quickly ended after the initial cutscenes and the beginning battle at Lothering. Once you enter Kirkwall it's much the same as DA Origins. The menu's still feel over-simplified, and your companions armor is locked meaning you can't change what they have on. I'm not sure if this annoys me or not since I personally hated having to micro-manage everything for them.

People keep asking that BioWare make companions more life-like and the problem is that you have to completely removed the party-base system in order to do that and do major AI pathing re-work. Besides many people download armour mods like SA armour or hair to make companions more unique. Didn't anyone made Oghren wear the Legion of The Dead gear because he was a dwarf or let Morrigan wear her robes because she was Morrigan? And don't say no because many of you here are guity as charged.

The best way to describe it is that the game has definitely become 'consolised'. I enjoy the fast-paced attitude of the combat, but the menus, character interaction, and customization feel stripped down and simplified.

Yes it is simplified because it feels simplified. Everything from Origins is still there. The skill trees are improved, the characters actually feel more life-like than in previous games, the UI is more functional. In-fact I'm going on to say that what BioWare done with the approval system is the best thing they have done. But I have seen no evidence that it is consolised. What does consolised even mean? Is it more simple for you (not you OP, generally speaking)? Do you miss that excel spreadsheet character creator? Seriously I don't understand and I'm a old-school gamer myself.

One issue I have with all Bioware games that feature a voiced lead character, is that the dialogue descriptions never match up with what you're actaully saying. i.e picking the option that says "how's it going" turns into "I stab you in the face".

Could you use an in-game example instead of what you made up there? If it's the powerphrasing, I would tell you just go with the icons instead as the intent of your meaning but if it is Origins then I have to say that you didn't really know the writer's intent and the icons should fix that. Also if you are going to reply why they just put icons with full text then I suggest you play TW (not 2worlds) and you get the sense of why they don't reveal everything to you.

edit 1:

The initial claim of spanning across 10-yrs sounded impressive but so far it seems irrevelant. Shortly after the beginning a cutscene explains that a full year occurs "offscreen", but when it resumes you have different armor. (I'm being purposefully vague here to avoid any details)

They never stated that you would be playing all of ten years, they stated that you are traveling though a ten year period. Obviously there are some stuff going to be overlooked. And sacredtrojanblade... I couldn't be bothered. At least you like the game OP.

[FoolyFooly]

I mostly agree with Brokenergy, but i'm not gonna go through and pick things out to comment on.

I'm not sure if I dislike the things I mentioned because they're actaully bad, or if it's because they're just different from Origins. I still don't like the inventory system with the black background and everything, I liked the way the original opened up over your view. It looked better and more organised visually. I like the way attributes and specializations are handled here, however.

There seems to be a lot to do here and you have pretty much free-reign as to how you go about them. I like how quests are organized between things that advance Hawke's story, side-quests, 'rumors', and companion related things. You have a home at the beginning which functions like your player camp, only you can't talk to companions there and I kinda miss that. (edit: it seems like after certain points in the story you have the option of talking to them at camp. Not all that dissimilar from Origins really, where new dialogue with them would be unlocked after certain key events)

Other than that, I am enjoying it. I hated the mage class for player characters in Origins but it's fantastic here. I'm doing warrior first but on my second playthrough I am definitely playing mage hawke.

Now I just want to know when you get that awesome armor.

edit: One other thing I like. Sometimes in dialogue you have the option to defer to one of your companions for special actions like indimidating an NPC. There's one scene early on where you can use Aveline to threaten someone at knife point and that convinces him. It makes them feel a lot more involved in the story as opposed to tag-a-longs.


edit 2: I am enjoying the game a whole lot more now. It took a while to "get into the swing" though. It's different. a lot different. And people are going to have a problem with that. But different dosen't mean bad.

Edited by FoolyFooly, 08 March 2011 - 05:39 PM.