So Dragon Age 2 is really bad on the PC and consolized?

[skace]

I actually enjoyed the planet exploration in 1 much more than the planet scanning in 2. IMO a perfect system would be planet scanning AND planet exploration, which is what the lava mission in Mass Effect 2 is. The lava mission, as far as I know (sorry I don't know the name) is one of the few missions you get to use the hammerhead for in ME2. It has a large planet surface to explore as well as several "on foot" missions and is one of the few missions that actually makes you feel like you are traveling through space and exploring planets.

The Mass Effect combat is really hokey in my opinion, far more so than Kotor ever was. Paused gunplay is lame, controlling your partner AI is a waste of time (yep, both dead, good, they weren't helping anyways), and I really miss a real inventory. I enjoy sniping, but if Mass Effect was trying to entice the sniper in me, they should have gone full FPS and dropped all of the RPG elements.

Basically, when I look at Mass Effect, I wish Bioware would take a page from STALKER, which as a much better hybrid FPS w/ inventory system than ME does. Weapons feel more visceral, combat is more enjoyable and dangerous, and I have an inventory worth a damn.

 

[zinfamous]

btw, would you guys with experience in both, say that DA2 is more, or less disappointing than Civ5?

I know you can't compare the games directly, but in light of what came before in each series, and anticipation for these sequels, which is the greater "travesty?"

:hmm:

 

[CVSiN]

I actually enjoyed the planet exploration in 1 much more than the planet scanning in 2. IMO a perfect system would be planet scanning AND planet exploration, which is what the lava mission in Mass Effect 2 is. The lava mission, as far as I know (sorry I don't know the name) is one of the few missions you get to use the hammerhead for in ME2. It has a large planet surface to explore as well as several "on foot" missions and is one of the few missions that actually makes you feel like you are traveling through space and exploring planets.

The Mass Effect combat is really hokey in my opinion, far more so than Kotor ever was. Paused gunplay is lame, controlling your partner AI is a waste of time (yep, both dead, good, they weren't helping anyways), and I really miss a real inventory. I enjoy sniping, but if Mass Effect was trying to entice the sniper in me, they should have gone full FPS and dropped all of the RPG elements.

I don't use the "pause combat" function in any RPG I cannot stand it.
I play real time only. and I dont manually use my companions either.. the scripts work fine.

But I do agree that a combo of scanning and foot/hammerhead explore could have been perfect if done right.

 

[skace]

Bought Civ5 and haven't put more than 5 minutes into it yet. Sad.... I know. I keep meaning to give it a proper once through but it really isn't making it out of the backlog anytime quickly.

I will admit that Civ5 had, probably, more hype to live up to that DA2. Civ4 was an absolutely huge hit and a fantastically well done game. (and even more of a throwback than DA)

 

[Mem]

Another review is up on DA2 http://www.next-gen.biz/features/dragon-age-ii-review ,

The lack of visual imagination persists throughout the experience, an unforgivable fault for a fantasy title with such a broad canvas on which to paint. It’s hard to imagine what DAII’s concept artwork might’ve looked like, as there’s none of the architectural or natural grandeur that oozes from games such as Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow.

It’s a problem compounded by the amount of time you’ll spend in Kirkwall. Starting a new fantasy RPG only to spend most of your time in a beige, boxy castle town is like getting socks for Christmas. DAII’s codex is intricately detailed and nicely written, and it’s a shame to see the world-building of a talented team of writers sabotaged by tired art direction.

Lol.. I had to laugh at that part.

 

[zinfamous]

Bought Civ5 and haven't put more than 5 minutes into it yet. Sad.... I know. I keep meaning to give it a proper once through but it really isn't making it out of the backlog anytime quickly.

I will admit that Civ5 had, probably, more hype to live up to that DA2. Civ4 was an absolutely huge hit and a fantastically well done game. (and even more of a throwback than DA)

Yeah, I've played it for about an hour (after buying it ~3 weeks ago for 20 bucks) and simply have not cared to pick it back up again. main reason--it appears that I have let some obnoxious city states dictate how I play by catering to them for seemingly no reason.

anyway, I'm just not interested in it. I think b/c of the history and, well, "prestige" of the franchise, Civ5 leaves far more room for disappointment. Especially when you consider that DAO has more mainstream appeal, and was already floating in the realm where it could suffer form this "consolization" thing. So basically, it shouldn't be surprising what happened.

The Civ Franchise is a storied PC-only style game. There have been console versions, but they are to the Civ franchise what Mystic Quest was to the Final Fantasy series (back when those were actually good, heh).
Civ is generally considered a pure PC game--untouchable. It still feels like a PC game to me, but I see the complaints about how it's been overly simplified--buying tiles, for example.
(I also can't find an automate function for my workers....wtf is that?)

 

[drebo]

Hey, Mystic Quest was a fun playthrough for a Saturday afternoon. Sure, it wasn't FF5, but it was fun, none-the-less.

 

[darkewaffle]

Obvious troll is obvious. 75% of your post didn't even apply to me. I never once knocked graphics, cds are obviously better than cassettes and Crysis 2 is not even going to be as good looking as Crysis 1.

It was never intended to be directed at you, which I think is evident in the verbage, rather I was making a bit of a blanket statement on the sentiment overwhelming this and just about every thread where someone cries 'consolization'.

The idea is that so many people present a very contrarian critique (Yourself on one hand decry skills as not being [as] meaningful in DA and yet simultaneously praise them as adding depth to DA and their removal as a significant loss in DA2) and still expect developers to both listen to them and pander to what is a smaller and quite zealous crowd.

CDs are better than cassettes, yet you appear absolutely obstinate to the possibility that cutscenes can add to a game, if for no reason other than they weren't in old games hold in such high regard. Cutscenes can be awesome presentations giving the storyteller a superior visual medium relative to the in-game engine. There's a lot of great ones out there.

I wasn't referencing Crysis 2, rather making the point that the RPG crowd typically seems to want such a dizzying array of characteristics to their games all without any sacrifices or costs, because if there are, well then it's just been neutered by consoles.

All in all it seems like so many modern games suffer so many of the same comparisons and critiques from the same group of people. Every new game isn't as good as the old games, old games did XYZ so much better, I remember when games were more LMNO, I remember when ABC company was good, etc. It's extremely tired and an extremely dead horse.

 

[Mem]

It was never intended to be directed at you, which I think is evident in the verbage, rather I was making a bit of a blanket statement on the sentiment overwhelming this and just about every thread where someone cries 'consolization'.

The idea is that so many people present a very contrarian critique (Yourself on one hand decry skills as not being [as] meaningful in DA and yet simultaneously praise them as adding depth to DA and their removal as a significant loss in DA2) and still expect developers to both listen to them and pander to what is a smaller and quite zealous crowd.

CDs are better than cassettes, yet you appear absolutely obstinate to the possibility that cutscenes can add to a game, if for no reason other than they weren't in old games hold in such high regard. Cutscenes can be awesome presentations giving the storyteller a superior visual medium relative to the in-game engine. There's a lot of great ones out there.

I wasn't referencing Crysis 2, rather making the point that the RPG crowd typically seems to want such a dizzying array of characteristics to their games all without any sacrifices or costs, because if there are, well then it's just been neutered by consoles.

All in all it seems like so many modern games suffer so many of the same comparisons and critiques from the same group of people. Every new game isn't as good as the old games, old games did XYZ so much better, I remember when games were more LMNO, I remember when ABC company was good, etc. It's extremely tired and an extremely dead horse.

I can give you my view point on this, I rather have a limited amount of cut scenes and have more in game content to play,cut scenes are ok if done in moderation,basically you buy a RPG to play rather then watch a whole lot of cut scenes ,you know its true,nobody is really arguing that they can help with storyline if done in moderation,example being more cut scenes you have then the more time you are watching rather then playing.

 

[skace]

Holy trollshit, batman. I'm not even sure I should justify a response to that.

"CDs are better than cassettes, yet you appear absolutely obstinate to the possibility that cutscenes can add to a game"

That quote belongs in a sig. CDs are better than cassettes, your argument is invalid. It's like the chewbacca defense. I love it.

There has been plenty of great sequels. God of War 3, Civ4, Kings Quest 5, Starcraft 2, Diablo 2, Warcraft 3, Ultima 7, Final Fantasy 3e, Shining Force 2, Gothic 2, Space Quest 2, Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Metroid Prime, Baldur's Gate 2, GT4, F-Zero GX.

God, I can do this all day, there are tons of good sequels. There are also TONS of BAD sequels. It is not a bad thing to call a spade a spade. It isn't a dead horse.... not until Bioware admits to making serious mistakes in the DA2 development cycle, complaining after that point would be considered beating a dead horse.

My comments regarding skills were not conflicting but seem to have confused you. It is as simple as this: skills in bg > skills in da > skills in da2.

And while cutscenes can add things to a game, they also TAKE AWAY from a game. The development cycle is a giant compromise. Budgetary concerns, time concerns, employee concerns. One person posited the possibility that armor was streamlined for the sake of cutscenes, which would be another example of cutscenes taking away something. A cut scene should never be that high on the priority list in a video game.

I'm getting trolled so hard, this is awesome. I'd stop responding if it weren't for the fact that I'm enjoying this. I like how your entire argument seems to hinge on the fact that a game company can never do any wrong, they can't produce a lemon, once a triple-A series has begun, it will always be a triple-A series. Any complaining is seen as sour-grapes from veteran supporters, even while the real reviews start to trickle in with a different picture than pc gamer originally painted. Oh PC Gamer, I can't believe I actually used to PAY to get your opinion on games.

 

[CVSiN]

I can give you my view point on this, I rather have a limited amount of cut scenes and have more in game content to play,cut scenes are ok if done in moderation,basically you buy a RPG to play rather then watch a whole lot of cut scenes ,you know its true,nobody is really arguing that they can help with storyline if done in moderation,example being more cut scenes you have then the more time you are watching rather then playing.

Um you are still playing.. and making conversation decisions for the character..that is one of the gimmicks that set Bioware apart from other RPGs.
Now so far in DA2 I am very upset that there is no faction system at work for being good or being bad or being a dick vs a peacenik goodie goodie..
i rather like having "dark side vs light side" choices as in KOTOR and ME.

 

[Mem]

Um you are still playing.. and making conversation decisions for the character..that is one of the gimmicks that set Bioware apart from other RPGs.
Now so far in DA2 I am very upset that there is no faction system at work for being good or being bad or being a dick vs a peacenik goodie goodie..
i rather like having "dark side vs light side" choices as in KOTOR and ME.

If you mean playing by watching yeah,I rather have more in game content then more of the budget on cut scenes,anyway each to their own since I've made my point pretty clear.

 

[Gheris]

So far the worst thing I am seeing is the "defense" from Bioware. You don't get defensive unless you know something is wrong. Bioware should just let the game speak for itself. Let the naysayers do their thing. In the end public opinion will decide the how good DA2 is. To me personally I'm finding it to be a letdown especially as I advance the storyline. However others may love it, just the nature of things.

We can only hope that this royally urks the heads of Bioware into putting their foot down on EA and saying "See! From now on we release when we are ready!" Though I doubt that will happen.

 

[darkewaffle]

snips

It's got nothing to do with the chewbacca defense, can you not even see the relationship between the the cutscene being the CD to text's cassette? It's a comparison of old technology to new technology. Text is 'old' and video is 'new' in relation. Cassettes were 'old' and CDs were 'new'. And in spite of the inherent advantages and substantial possibilities of "CDs" you are so quick to dismiss them because you're content with the "cassettes". It's an analogy, not a south park reference.

Sequels aren't what I was getting at, but they are especially subject to it because they the first title to live up to. By all means call a spade a spade, but on the same note, there's been a hell of a lot of FUD going on in this thread by who have openly stated they haven't played it yet. Hell I myself haven't put enough time into it yet to get what I would consider a good feel for game. We've got our fair share of calling something unknown a spade.

Not confused. Simply that if something isn't that meaningful I think it follows that it's loss isn't that meaningful either, yet when these 'take it or leave it' skills from DA do not appear in DA2, we're hearing a whole lot about it, but I would wager it's much more of a complaint in principal than in practice.

Of course they take away things from the game. So does every other element of the game. For every one person that intently reads the codex, there's easily many more that enjoy the cutscenes however. It's a matter of the 'greater good' if nothing else.

Of course game companies can do wrong. I was so disappointed in NWN2 personally. But I also didn't make that decision days after release and before even playing the game; and even then I understood what happened. NWN2 catered to the roleplayers, it played slowly and the toolset simply couldn't give the same experience NWN1 had. But it wasn't a bad game, it was just a game that was designed differently. Such is DA2 I think.

 

[Mem]

I have just ordered PC version of Gothic 4 Arcania for £14 free delivery(about $22) so'll have both DA2 and G4 to play,I paid £25 for DA2 SE version (about $40).


Getting back to DA2 its clear from their forums that there's a lot of mixed feelings about DA2 ,more so then there was with DAO.

Anyway be interesting to see what happens to DA3 ,will they change things again or will it be better?...good or bad times ahead.

 

[Mem]

Beta patch 1.01 Released.

What platforms is this for?
• PC only. This patch does not address issues impacting Mac, Xbox360 or PS3.

Where’s the actual patch file?
• The beta patch can be manually downloaded HERE

What are the patch notes?
GENERAL
Fixed save game issues on single core machines

Fixed game asking for non-existent drives

Fixed release control issues where some players were unable to unlock correctly

Fixed a Steam-specific issue related to VO not playing after switching languages**

What does BETA mean?
BETA means:
Users apply this patch at their own risk. In general, we recommend you only download and apply it if you are affected by the specific issues listed in the patch notes.

**Steam does not support BETA patches. Steam users will have to wait for the final non-BETA patch before they can take advantage of these fixes. We're working on it but, unfortunately, this will not occur in time for the weekend.

http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/300/index/6482838

 

[NYHoustonman]

I like how your entire argument seems to hinge on the fact that a game company can never do any wrong, they can't produce a lemon, once a triple-A series has begun, it will always be a triple-A series.

I guess it depends on your definition of 'lemon.' You have some very particular tastes and that's okay, but even with all of the criticism DA2 by-and-large has not been a 'lemon.' I'm genuinely enjoying the game, although (of course) I wish it were more like Origins, but then ME2 was one of the most enjoyable games I've played (for me).

 

[paperfist]

The Civ Franchise is a storied PC-only style game. There have been console versions, but they are to the Civ franchise what Mystic Quest was to the Final Fantasy series (back when those were actually good, heh).
Civ is generally considered a pure PC game--untouchable. It still feels like a PC game to me, but I see the complaints about how it's been overly simplified--buying tiles, for example.
(I also can't find an automate function for my workers....wtf is that?)

To automate, select worker. Click on their bottom menu icon which is a right facing arrow and it will open a sub menu. You can automate from there.

Civ V is a PC game to this point. Though there is this little tidbit from the Lua:

"PLEASE NOTE! This version of the file is for PC and 360 ONLY. The PS3 has
a different copy of this file somewhere else. The PS3 MUST be at 48000 HZ or else
badness happens. Please keep them in-sync."



But for me it's console like because it uses big 3D arrows to point out where your unit can attack. There's no way to map out any keys. The game tells you whether you'll win a fight or not. No complex transports, every unit is a transport! And there's a bit more.

 

[Majic 7]

According to Ars the game is also saddled with SecuRom.http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/...-hated-securom-despite-previous-ea-claims.ars Whoops, already posted.

 

[sourceninja]

According to Ars the game is also saddled with SecuRom.http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/...-hated-securom-despite-previous-ea-claims.ars Whoops, already posted.

And had I known that up front I would have never bought it....

 

[NoSoup4You]

DA2 was never intended as a true successor to DAO, once you get over that fact you'll find it's an awesome game and one very much worthy of your time and energy. It draws on some of the best features of DAO while cutting out the fluff. Yes, you lose depth to the gameply in the process, that was inevitable. But DA2 isn't a downgrade at all, the combat is more visceral and dynamic, the overall feel remains instantly familiar to fans of the original, and after 16 hours of gameplay I can say it's definitely not DAO 2 and yet it is still very much a Dragon Age game.

To the hardcore RPG gamers... at this point in time it looks like your only recourse is the MMO scene. I've never played an MMO except for a free trial of Dungeons & Dragons Online - I thought it was intriguing but quickly grew bored from the snail pace you level up at. Not my thing at all. DA2, however, I'm totally enjoying thus far.

 

[Mem]

DA2 was never intended as a true successor to DAO, once you get over that fact you'll find it's an awesome game and one very much worthy of your time and energy. It draws on some of the best features of DAO while cutting out the fluff. Yes, you lose depth to the gameply in the process, that was inevitable. But DA2 isn't a downgrade at all, the combat is more visceral and dynamic, the overall feel remains instantly familiar to fans of the original, and after 16 hours of gameplay I can say it's definitely not DAO 2 and yet it is still very much a Dragon Age game.

To the hardcore RPG gamers... at this point in time it looks like your only recourse is the MMO scene. I've never played an MMO except for a free trial of Dungeons & Dragons Online - I thought it was intriguing but quickly grew bored from the snail pace you level up at. Not my thing at all. DA2, however, I'm totally enjoying thus far.

Hehe well there's a lot of people actually spending more time in the forums then playing DA2,http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/141/index/6499058 ,I won't even bother posting any of the many negative threads about DA2 and to be honest some of them speak the truth .

I 've slowed right down on gameplay,I've been hearing about lot of bugs etc...
Anyway DA2 is not classic so far and the fact that even I'm spending more time in the forums must say something lol (DA2 forums have at the least been very entertaining).

LOL, nope I was just thinking the same thing. I've never been to these forums before, I only started to frequent these boards after DAII hit. Just to try and figure out WTH!!! went wrong with DAII. And to see if I there was something wrong with me. Glad to see I'm not the only one who feels let down and betrayed.

I know how he feels.

 

[CottonRabbit]

Just beat the game. It seems like Bioware really mailed it in on this one. The environments are repeatedly reused in all the acts. The story is unoriginal especially in the context of Origins, and we don't learn many new things about the world of Thedas. And most frustrating of all, the ending sucks. I'll just leave it at that. Also, it's quite buggy. Several of my quest lines didn't seem to behave properly towards the end. I had several characters remarking on things I never did.

Nevertheless, even as Bioware's weakest effort, I have to say that it was still an enjoyable experience. Their RPG formula works.

 

[zinfamous]

Also, it's quite buggy. Several of my quest lines didn't seem to behave properly towards the end. I had several characters remarking on things I never did.

.

That's like at the end of The Goonies, Data talking about how, "The octopus was very scary!"

 

[Mem]

Just beat the game. It seems like Bioware really mailed it in on this one. The environments are repeatedly reused in all the acts. The story is unoriginal especially in the context of Origins, and we don't learn many new things about the world of Thedas. And most frustrating of all, the ending sucks. I'll just leave it at that. Also, it's quite buggy. Several of my quest lines didn't seem to behave properly towards the end. I had several characters remarking on things I never did.

Nevertheless, even as Bioware's weakest effort, I have to say that it was still an enjoyable experience. Their RPG formula works.

How long did it take you to finish the game and did you do most of the quests(those that were not buggy)?