Will I like Dragon Age?

[hoots7]

Please give it to me, down & dirty; I love Oblivion.

The single player style game play, free roaming, open quest NPC interaction & just about everything else. So based on that will I like Dragon Age?

 

BTW I also absolutely love the Thief series of games (all 3) & I like Gothic3 pretty well also.

 

I'm assuming the graphics are better than Oblivion right?

[TGBlank]

Graphics are better than unmodded oblivion. Engine is much better.

 

As for whether you'll like it or not, i can't say. All that this game and Oblivion have in common is:

- Medieval setting + magic & misc.

- It haves quests.

- The main character is not voiced

- Ehm.. hmm... the name of the companies that made each start with the letter B.

 

 

 

Have you liked baldur's gate? baldur's gate 2? neverwinter nights 1 or 2?, kotor 1 or 2?, mass effect? (this one is the less similar).

[hoots7]

Graphics are better than unmodded oblivion. Engine is much better.

 

As for whether you'll like it or not, i can't say. All that this game and Oblivion have in common is:

- Medieval setting + magic & misc.

- It haves quests.

- The main character is not voiced

- Ehm.. hmm... the name of the companies that made each start with the letter B.

 

 

 

Have you liked baldur's gate? baldur's gate 2? neverwinter nights 1 or 2?, kotor 1 or 2?, mass effect? (this one is the less similar).

Thanks for the info,

The main character for Oblivion is not voiced so that's no big deal to me as long as the NPCs are.

I like the fighting of Oblivion instead of Gothic3 or a turn based system.

Never played the other games mentioned but have played other Jedi games but not KOTOR.

I like first person shooter / sneaker games also.

[TGBlank]

Note: the voice comment was me running out of similarities, seriously, they have almost nothing in common.

The best way for you would be to get your hands on a demo, or a demo of any of the games i listed (preferably not of mass effect, since the combat system is completely different).

 

Other than that, DAO focuses on a stronger main quest with a certain degree of branching, appealing companions with well-worked personalities and dialogue, and strategic combat. DAO is NOT about free roaming.

Compared to, say, oblivion, which is ABOUT free roaming and procrastinating, haves no companions, interesting dialogue or plot to speak of, and combat is about "action" more than strategy. Note, this is not game bashing, Oblivion does very well what it is about: exploration and free roaming; like any good sandbox game.

 

DAO combat is not turn based per se, but you are controlling up to 4 characters, able to switch between them as you please, and combat can and should be paused whenever you feel like it to switch characters, assess the situation and queue actions as needed.

[PhoenixAdamu]

If you ask me, I'd have to say that what Bioware did with Dragon Age: Origins is the combination of a Western RPG with RTS combat elements, Phoenix Wright-style decision-making, and a fantasy movie storyline that is well-blended into a unique gaming experience. What DA:O is about is not mindless combat at all; rather, the story drives game progress, with your decisions deciding outcomes both right at hand and down the road, while combat (on the PC version, anyway) is very similar to WoW, but with only 4 active party members maximum AND the ability to use the tactical pause feature to micromanage every aspect of battle, if you so choose. I have to admit, while the game isn't free-roaming, it doesn't really need to be to have your attention grasped right at the beginning. I've eased my computer into playing at medium graphics and texture settings, and it's a beauty to behold, even at that level.

 

So, if you like all the good stuff about all of that above, along with the ability to specialize a character into a certain combat role and being able to get excited and make things (via the Poison-Making, Trap-Making and Herbalism skills), Dragon Age is definitely a must-play. The PC version might be the cheaper of the three, but I'd say it outplays the console versions massively. The fact that you get the Stone Prisoner DLC for free via a code from Bioware included in the package brings the initial value of the game even higher, and the Warden's Keep DLC is also very worthy of the $7 price tag on it, for it has some very nice gear and features available to you. :)

[Knightdarling]

Thanks Hoots7 for asking that! I was looking at DAO as well.

 

I love Oblivion type games, strategy games and MMO's like WOW (before they ruined it), LOTRO, AION, etc. I was also wondering if DAO was anything like any of those.

 

I bought Fallout3 and found it was definately not for me! But my friend loves it. So, was wondering about DAO before I go and buy that one too (tired of buying games only to have them sit on the shelf because they are too structured and cookiecutter

 

(do this ... now kill that ... now go here oh! where are you going? no no! you must do as I say.. now follow me.. jeez! the nerve! to think this gamer thinks he is allowed to not follow exactly what the game tells them at all times!) How dull! Do game designers really think we want to be and enjoy being robots in a game? *sigh* :wallbash:

[hermy12]

You'll like it. You'll get more attached to the characters more, and there's a team of players instead of just milling about on your own. This opens up a wide range of possibilities for team builds. As for being a gopher and just taking orders like a dog on it's back, there's a few variant in choices but like all RPGs it ultimately leads to the same thing. Not as open worlded as Oblivion tbh.

 

As for replayability, you'll probably play it through 2 times for sure, maybe a third and a fourth but after that you won't. But there's DLCs coming. If you've got the money, go for it. I'd personally just buy a 1/4 of kush or something.

[VictoriaG]

The level of immersion in DA is awesome, if they combined this game's acting/story with Oblivion's open sandbox world you would have perfection. As it is you won't regret getting it.

[Mlai]

You may not like it because DAO is not an open-ended sandbox game. There is no free exploration on the overworld map - it's a map with preset destinations that you click on. Even the "random overworld encounters" are mostly scripted.

 

All the destinations appear from quests. If you haven't found the quest, you're not going to find that destination by random exploration.

 

Major landmarks are on the map from the beginning, but that's just doing major story arcs in the order you prefer. Not really free exploration.

 

Without mods, you can't tailor your companions any way you like. They start with their preferred classes and talents.

[Shamikka]

Do get it!! lol you'll love it!

 

I asked basically the same question. I was so stuck on Oblivion, I couldn't possibly see myself playing anything else. I purchased DA and WOW! It makes Oblivion seem so outdated for me. I didn't play Oblivion for a couple of months, I went to play it and update some of my companion mods.. and I was like.. ugh I can't do it. It seems so drab compared to Dragon Age. I even uninstalled Oblivion!

 

Although you can't 'free travel' really like you can in Oblivion.. the game is SOOOO worth it and it's more addictive than I ever thought possible. I've played through prolly 20 times now and each time I complete the game, I start with another new character right away lol

 

It's the best game in my opinion and I'm confident that you won't be disappointed. I just hope that there will be more mods made for DA, oblivion spoiled me there.. that's for sure.

 

All the best, and I can't wait to hear if you try it or not.. and see how long before you post back here that you're a DA addict like so many of us :banana:

 

~Shamikka~