spoiler Spiritual Succesor to BG 2 maybe...BUT BG 2 had very little vanilla...

[SpellAndShield]

Yes, there are a few twists; we learn that the warden must sacrifice himself to slay the archdemon...but in general the narrative is known and we know how it will turn out.

 

Contrast that with BG2; you wake up in a dungeon and and someone is experimenting on you and you have no idea why and wherefore...you don't find out until much later in the game and you don't find out his motivations until much, much later and the story is personal and captivating. I would say that is not vanilla whereas DA is; darkspawn (orcs) seek to destroy the world, you the hero must stop them....don't get me wrong, I love DA but the story is pretty vanilla.

 

Anyone else agree that we need something more along the lines of BG2 to truly raise DA to awesomeness?

[danscott84]

Yes, there are a few twists; we learn that the warden must sacrifice himself to slay the archdemon...but in general the narrative is known and we know how it will turn out.

 

Contrast that with BG2; you wake up in a dungeon and and someone is experimenting on you and you have no idea why and wherefore...you don't find out until much later in the game and you don't find out his motivations until much, much later and the story is personal and captivating. I would say that is not vanilla whereas DA is; darkspawn (orcs) seek to destroy the world, you the hero must stop them....don't get me wrong, I love DA but the story is pretty vanilla.

 

Anyone else agree that we need something more along the lines of BG2 to truly raise DA to awesomeness?

 

I never played BG2, but a Bioware game I have played with a great story was KOTOR. You wake up in the middle of a battle, have to escape a planet before it's destroyed, fight the evil villians who have a new leader. You keep hearing about the old leader and how he died. And then, you find out from your lover, who is credited with killing said leader, that you are actually the bad guy everybody feared. And then you have to make a choice, save the populace from evil, or take over as supreme ruler. That twist was one of the best I have come across in a game. Some sort of real mind tease needs to be injected into the story of DA, I am hoping it involves Arlathan myself.

[SpellAndShield]

Yes, there are a few twists; we learn that the warden must sacrifice himself to slay the archdemon...but in general the narrative is known and we know how it will turn out.

 

Contrast that with BG2; you wake up in a dungeon and and someone is experimenting on you and you have no idea why and wherefore...you don't find out until much later in the game and you don't find out his motivations until much, much later and the story is personal and captivating. I would say that is not vanilla whereas DA is; darkspawn (orcs) seek to destroy the world, you the hero must stop them....don't get me wrong, I love DA but the story is pretty vanilla.

 

Anyone else agree that we need something more along the lines of BG2 to truly raise DA to awesomeness?

 

I never played BG2, but a Bioware game I have played with a great story was KOTOR. You wake up in the middle of a battle, have to escape a planet before it's destroyed, fight the evil villians who have a new leader. You keep hearing about the old leader and how he died. And then, you find out from your lover, who is credited with killing said leader, that you are actually the bad guy everybody feared. And then you have to make a choice, save the populace from evil, or take over as supreme ruler. That twist was one of the best I have come across in a game. Some sort of real mind tease needs to be injected into the story of DA, I am hoping it involves Arlathan myself.

 

Please for my sake...if you haven't played BG2/TOB of Bhaal...do so now...you will not regret it! I guess it was before your time but very much worth it...before I switche over to DA I was playing it again....

[danscott84]

When did come out? You may be right, KOTOR was the first rpg I played. Was always a fps player before that. I've heard a lot about it, but have neverr seen it.

[SpellAndShield]

When did come out? You may be right, KOTOR was the first rpg I played. Was always a fps player before that. I've heard a lot about it, but have neverr seen it.

 

 

'99. Assuming '84 was your birthdate I reckon it was before your time but take from this old foggie, it is worth playing...at least once...

[danscott84]

When did come out? You may be right, KOTOR was the first rpg I played. Was always a fps player before that. I've heard a lot about it, but have neverr seen it.

 

 

'99. Assuming '84 was your birthdate I reckon it was before your time but take from this old foggie, it is worth playing...at least once...

 

I think I am older than you. ;) But I played mostly fps shooters until about '04.

[SpellAndShield]

When did come out? You may be right, KOTOR was the first rpg I played. Was always a fps player before that. I've heard a lot about it, but have neverr seen it.

 

 

'99. Assuming '84 was your birthdate I reckon it was before your time but take from this old foggie, it is worth playing...at least once...

 

I think I am older than you. ;) But I played mostly fps shooters until about '04.

 

I am 33ish. How old are you?

[danscott84]

When did come out? You may be right, KOTOR was the first rpg I played. Was always a fps player before that. I've heard a lot about it, but have neverr seen it.

 

 

'99. Assuming '84 was your birthdate I reckon it was before your time but take from this old foggie, it is worth playing...at least once...

 

I think I am older than you. ;) But I played mostly fps shooters until about '04.

 

I am 33ish. How old are you?

 

 

39. I caught your age by looking at your profile. That 84 bit at the end of my name goes back to something that happened in college. I don't remember much of it, but my fraternity brothers took pictures. ;)

 

Oh, and to get back on topic, you are right about DAO, it does fit a genre very well. However, It's not one people like myself are familiar with, so for me it was a breathe of fresh air. I imagine if I were into the lore more than from a historian's standpoint it might be very vanilla.

[SpellAndShield]

When did come out? You may be right, KOTOR was the first rpg I played. Was always a fps player before that. I've heard a lot about it, but have neverr seen it.

 

 

'99. Assuming '84 was your birthdate I reckon it was before your time but take from this old foggie, it is worth playing...at least once...

 

I think I am older than you. ;) But I played mostly fps shooters until about '04.

 

I am 33ish. How old are you?

 

 

39. I caught your age by looking at your profile. That 84 bit at the end of my name goes back to something that happened in college. I don't remember much of it, but my fraternity brothers took pictures. ;)

 

Oh, and to get back on topic, you are right about DAO, it does fit a genre very well. However, It's not one people like myself are familiar with, so for me it was a breathe of fresh air. I imagine if I were into the lore more than from a historian's standpoint it might be very vanilla.

 

Don't get me wrong. I love DA. But the theme of 'orcs out to destroy the world' is about as unoriginal and vanilla as one can come up with...try BG2,, you won't be disappointed.

[brokenergy]

True DA is very vanilla but I think that things are going to change in DA2. It started with Awakening already, with intelligent darkspawn and it is going to end with something deeper in DA2. Just like the Kotor series (in my opinion Kotor 2 had a way better storyline than Kotor 1) although I wished Kotor 3 world be released instead of TOR.