Dragon Age 2 Cinematic Trailer Released!

I don't really mind it being made easier, it's the "action" part that upsets me. I don't much like running and jumping about in combat; I'm always for the "stand-in-front-of-monster-and-press-keys-to-bash-it" type

The fight with the Ogre (the one before Flemeth turns up) was incredibly tough...

Did we play the same demo? I only had a bit of difficulty on my rogue because it was my first time in that fight and I had to chug a pot and kill the adds while I waited for my tank to get some aggro. On my warrior it was just tank and spank (with a two-handed sword!), and my mage kited the ogre and two adds and slowly whittled them down (my tank died because our healer decided to die before the combat). If you know how the ogre works, you can organise a picknick around him.

As to the skills, I wasn't talking about the talent trees (which are improved on the original), but the fact that there is no longer a herbalism skill, no diplomacy skill, no combat discipline etc.

Anyways, the graphics look nice and I'm mildly interested in the story. Because BioWare still has some credit due to the Baldur's Gate series I've pre-ordered it for my XBox (I might have to buy another controller also once I break the A button by mashing it) but to me BioWare/EA is sliding further and further away from the acclaimed RPG developer they used to be. I fear this might not bode well for the up and coming SW:TOR.

Sando - Minstrel // Rissa - Burglar // Adelrisk - Guardian // Tember - Hunter

There is no try, there is only hobbits, hobbits everywhere!

The non-skill talents (coercion, lockpocking, tracking, combat discipline) are all still there, they just aren't based on a tree system. They are based on stats and the choices you make within the game or the class you choose - Herbalism and the craft talents are gone (afaik) but is that really a loss? In the original it was easier to buy Health/mana pots than make them and the crafting had nothing that couldn't be bought or found.

In am RPG the story and "immersion" is all I care about and Bioware have rarely failed on those aspects; making skills/talents more intuitive, rather than having a point spend system is, for me, a step forward in RPG terms - the character should develop based on his choices "IC", rather than my allocation of points (same way LS/DS worked in KOTOR)

Final judgement will have to be based on a good few hours with the full game though, in the meantime ME2 needs another run through (shadow broker DLC is good!)

Follow on Photobucket : http://s15.photobucket.com/home/Navidson/index

**** May Contain Spoilers ****



I've played through about 17 Hours worth of DA2 now and have been taking it fairly slowly (only just begun Act 2) but thought I'd share some thoughts.  Overall I think DA2 is a better game than DA:O - It is a more cinematic and immersive experience, the combat retains complexity but adds more user interaction, and it feels more like a true RPG, rather than the rather rail-roaded experience of DA:O. 

But there are some elements that are somewhat disappointing.  The lack of direction, or meaning, for Hawke in Act 1 is difficult to really immerse yourself in.  It's not rail-roaded, like DA:O (You're a Grey Warden, stop the Blight), but that also means that there isn't a clear reason for the objective (to take part in an expedition to the Deep Roads) and half the time I was wandering around simply waiting for some calamity to befall the City so I could be the hero.  That's not to say the experience of Act 1 is unenjoyable, there are some amazing moments and choices, and you meet most of your "Companions" in this section of the Game.   

Another issue is the control system - This may be because I played DA:O on PC, where you had the full array of skills available at the click of a mouse or the touch of a button, but on PS3 (and probably x360) the control system is limited and incredibly frustrating at times.  With only six "Quickslot" buttons, I constantly have to pause the action even during basic fights. 

When I first started I thought the difficulty was too easy (playing on Normal) and for much of Act 1 there is little challenge in the fights.  There's a Dragon that poses a problem and a few Assassins, but beyond those encounters there is little that really requires you to use tactics.  My opinion changed at the end of Act 1 and the start of Act 2.  The difficulty scales up nicely as you progress through the first Act, culminating in one of the most intense fights I've had in an RPG (The Ancient Rock Wraith took several "wipes" and felt like it was an instance boss of an MMO, rather than a bog-standard Tank and Spank RPG Boss).  From thereon, into Act 2, the difficulty level improved and I  found myself having to actually bother setting Tactics in the Character Panel, and manually interacting with all the members of the group.

The story itself is interesting, although not yet compelling.  I've been doing something for two years in Kirkwall (the first you don't get to play through) but for what reason I have yet to discover.  The glimpses of Varric speaking with the Seeker (of truth, not the Goodkind kind though) reveal that there is something huge in the future and I think I'm getting an inkling of what that is in Act 2 (the Qunari seem quite prominent - Tensions are high.  Strange Idols, a mysterious and ruthless Commander of the Templars....Bad things are coming). 

So first impressions key points : Good Story but lack of direction in early stages, combat is simplified but the complexity and difficulty scales as you progress.

Follow on Photobucket : http://s15.photobucket.com/home/Navidson/index

Dragon Age 2 for me: rather a disappointment, feels like it's a rushed game and contributes to the general decline of RPG, if it continues like this it's doubtful I'll buy the third installment.

I only hope that the EA influence doesn't eff up SW:TOR. I haven't seen their logo on the SW:TOR site so I don't know how they are involved (I hope not at all).

My hope now lies in Deus Ex (which isn't really a true RPG) and ?

Sando - Minstrel // Rissa - Burglar // Adelrisk - Guardian // Tember - Hunter

There is no try, there is only hobbits, hobbits everywhere!

I can say I was rather disappointed too. The game looked as though it was not completely worked through. Most of the caves/dungeons/etc are completely identical - they could have at least changed the layout a bit. And the ending was rather abrupt and unexpected - I kept hoping the last boss would turn out to be.. well, not last. It left a sense of something unfinished.
Also, this game showed me just how pathetic my computer is