My Summary (pros/cons)!

[Esteris]

I realize that few people care, but I just gotta share. And rant a little.

 

If someone will be so nice and read through these, maybe you could recommend me some other game to play that I have a chance of liking? I CRAVE RPGs suddenly :D

 

Mind you, I've heard that DA:O was a successor to Baldur's Gate, so that's what I'll be comparing it too!

 

 

 

PROS:

 

1. Quests.

Majority of the spoken quests (those not from bags/boards) got me hooked. I actually WANTED to do them and see what comes off them. I wanted to make those people happy.

 

2. Characters.

I liked them. I think they could've had more interactions, but in general I really enjoyed having them around.

 

3. Setting.

Aside of it being fantasy (which is my gross preference, I hate space-based games), the world was interesting and had a big potential. While I'm not a lore-geek and I didn't read all those codex entries and stuff, what I learned from quests and my companions talking was interesting.

 

4. The ending.

I really liked that

a) I could get a fully happy ending (! I don't play games and work hard to save every damn kitten on a tree to cry afterwards, that's what movies are for)

b) it even mentioned the smaller quests I completed before! And the choices I made. Very neat.

 

5. Combat.

Tactics. I loved that I had to use tactics to win some encounters. I like to think while playing the game.

 

6. Visuals and audio.

Music, voice acting, sounds and the art, I liked them all. Very pleasant to look at/hear.

 

7. Level of realism.

Most of the time everything was pretty believable. Not too sweet, not too bitter, just enough to make me care and not feel like the game was cut down to meet PEGI 12+.

 

8. My character.

 

a) I loved the origins. Great idea. I had to start the game again after completing them (and a tiny bit of Warden's keep) for a reason and I didn't mind at all because I chose a different origin and enjoyed it once again. I loved that I could go back to the alienage and meet the guys I already knew. Or argue my case as an elf later. Etc.

 

b) I liked choosing my face. And race. I heard in DA2 you don't get to choose a race and have to play a boring human. Not amused.

 

9. Cameras.

The two kinds of cameras were a great choice! At first I wondered what for the zoomed out one was, but then I sooo understood it :) Very nice.

 

10. Animations in dialogues.

 

11. DIalogues.

I liked how I had different ways to respond and it evoked reactions. I liked that sometimes I didn't know what to say and results surprised me :)

 

12. Romances.

I liked that there were options to pick from. Pretty sweet, but I'd say they were also a little bit insufficient. Just not enough talk, not enough development. Again, I'll direct your eyes to Baldur's Gate 2, although they too, made some mistakes, of course (too soon ended after PC slept with their chosen one), they still just felt fuller.

 

 

CONS:

(some are just small irking things, but well they IRKED me)

 

1. Character development.

There was something highly unrewarding about it. I didn't look forward leveling up, not at all. If it happened, it happened. I didn't have a sense of purpose in it. Hard quests I'd be waiting to complete at higher level. Some attribute-caps that I'd like to achieve (though it was 30, then 36, then I understood it doesn't have any and any sense of completion threw out of the window for me). It just seemed all the same, if I had 30 or 35, whatever.

 

2. Inventory.

I didn't like it. At all. I couldn't even put the items in respective characters' inventories to maintain some kind of order. I couldn't position them as I'd like. Not to mention I couldn't organize the items, play inventory tetris or anything. They stripped me off something I love in games ;< And they took every last bit of it away.

 

3. Loot and items.

 

a) after really tough fights often all I got was an herb and some generic gear that I could sell for 15 silver. Highly unrewarding.

 

b) Absolutely no choice in items. Really, there was just 1 item for weapon or chest at any given level, no interesting rings, hats, necklaces. Generally it was very poor. I don't mean throw enchanted gear everywhere around if that's not the convention, but if the quest is long or the fight is hard, and the gear IS in the game, for fathers' sake, give me some. I had no incentive to do those board quests because I knew I'd just get 2 gold. Flemeth's treasure anyone? Idk, I found nothing there in the hut but an armor for Morrigan.

 

c) Visuals. I really hoped I'd find some cool items to make my drab-looking characters into something awesome. Slowly but surely. Meanwhile no. They looked pretty much the same level of crap (or same level of awesome in Morrigan's case) throughout the game.

 

4. Level of realism.

Yes, a pro and a con at the same time. While many a time I was positively surprised at it, I can't forget that ambassador quest... Just no. I go in prince's palace, open ambassador's door, he doesn't talk to me, ask me, nothing, just attacks and after he and his 10 bodyguards are dead, nothing happens. No questions, no notice. Logic levels 0.

 

5. Music.

Primary irk and the least important con: I absolutely hated that even if I chose a simple interaction such as HUG, suddenly the music changed and angels sang songs about eternal beauty and holiness. No, just no. It irked me during romance bed scenes as well, but with hug it was a huge overkill. Small, silly issue, and yet I didn't use these interactions to avoid this. Hug is a hug, embrace and that's it. No need for glory lol.

6. World size.

People tend to praise DAO for a huge world. Where? Where was it huge? There was hardly any bigger location (that was not 1 clearing) that was not directly connected to the main plot. May I remind you the Cities in Skyrim/Oblivion? Great city of Athkatla? Followed by - completely unrelated to the plot! - Tradesmeet, Windspear Hills, D'Arnise Keep, Druidic Grove and not to mention areas from BG1?

 

7. Rushing me.

It's a direct consequence of 6. I felt the game had a fast pace. I don't say it's bad - it's not - I say *I* didn't like it. I like to immerse myself in the game. In Skyrim, until my disc had to be formatted (go figure, just when I got it!), I did some main plot, then I went to do some thieves guild, then I played a mage a little, then went on to discover altars, then I bought a house, then then then. In BG2 (cause 1 was even more loose there) I got to Gaelan, then I frolicked around the city looking for various cool quests. I explored sewers, found hidden liches, got my ass kicked, did some useful quest then proceeded to explore and rob houses. All the while knowing I had a clear and important purpose, but also having a ton of fun, just... living in that world.

 

8. Companion gifts.

Oh, I hated the idea. I mean, not the PERSONALIZED gifts, those were awesome. I mean those buy-and-give ones that played a voice line and bumped the approval. It felt so fake.

 

9. Crafting.

Needless. I didn't feel the need to craft anything. It wasn't rewarding (couldn't earn money on it really). I couldn't make herb expeditions to gather the ingredients (because of 6). Just felt kinda meh. I ended the game with 20 or so slots inventory taken by the ingredients and nothing fun to do with them.

 

 

<ahhh, I feel so much better now :D>

 

So, do you know of a game that would make me happy now? :D:D <doubtful ;< I feel like https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRPqnrHDwOpsJRGmWKs8vbAnA5QOAxP3WxOUugYB_S6dBl9Gnph this meme guy after looking at ma post :D >

Edited January 1, 2013 by Esteris