Review Vault Dweller Does Dragon Age II

[circ]

Really? You thought it was about the light side and dark side and duality of man? Mostly what I remember was that it was about being a one dimensional saint or an egocentric greedy guy.

 

[Vault Dweller]

You're mistaken. Maybe that's why one does need to play games like KOTOR 7 times in order to "get it", you know. It is undeniable that the game is literally pitted with scores of moral choices at nearly every turn, allowing the player to go where he wants, when he wants. KOTOR's events can be played in nearly any order, giving the player a tremendous sense of freedom that offers an unprecedented replay value.

 

[Drakron]

Someone should EMail VD as his account was hacked ...

 

[Crooked Bee]

VD shamelessly trolling the 'Dex. Gosh. I guess that means we're getting closer to ITZ AoD finally being released.

a tremendous sense of freedom that offers an unprecedented replay value

Yup, sounds like AoD all right.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Why? Just because I've enjoyed a truly great game? What could be more satisfying than sitting back and watching the combat play out when your tactics are pulled off successfully?

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

The C&C in Kotor is superior to other Bio games. The C7C is far reaching enough that actions in earlier acts (hell, in DA10 can affect later stuff including what chaarcters you keep, what quests are opened, etc., etc.

And, it's deeper than just werewolves vs elves.

 

[Jim Cojones]

VD shamelessly trolling the 'Dex. Gosh. I guess that means we're getting closer to ITZ AoD finally being released.

I thought he's been trolling the 'dex since he started claiming he's developing AoD. :D

 

[Elwro]

I just realised that KotOR's plot embodies the mystical concept of backward causation. That's quite an achievement!

 

[Xor]

The C&C in Kotor is superior to other Bio games. The C7C is far reaching enough that actions in earlier acts (hell, in DA10 can affect later stuff including what chaarcters you keep, what quests are opened, etc., etc.

And, it's deeper than just werewolves vs elves.

What.

 

[Commissar Draco]

Kotor 1 to Kotor 2 is like new Lucas Star Whores films to Empire Strikes Back. Pussy sissy light side vs Hurr durr I'm evol dark side. If you want answer to the question what is nature of man, conflict and galaxy you must play throu second part with restoration mod OC. There's no pure good or evil ending and the taste of victory is indeed sour. M:

Kotor 1 is only superior to DA0 and DA2.

 

[CappenVarra]

You're mistaken. Maybe that's why one does need to play games like KOTOR 7 times in order to "get it", you know. It is undeniable that the game is literally pitted with scores of moral choices at nearly every turn, allowing the player to go where he wants, when he wants. KOTOR's events can be played in nearly any order, giving the player a tremendous sense of freedom that offers an unprecedented replay value.

Exactly! Not to mention the absolute freedom & flexibility the game gives you in the intricate choices to be made regarding which companions to take along for that amazing ride. I mean, the game starts you off with one of the most interesting, non-whiny and non-annoying companions ever seen in a work of art (electronic or otherwise), and what does Bioware do? They give you the absolute freedom to choose to ditch him immediately, even if it robs you of the experience! Awesome!

 

[Data4]

My troll detector is on the fritz. I never played KOTOR1, so I don't know if I've deprived myself of a really good game or if my head's 'bout to asplode.

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

Ok, fine, technically, the game wasn't TB, but you've gotta admit that the way Bio blended TB with RT was pure genius. It's really hard to tell that it's not turn-based.

Who cares about technicalities anyway ?

 

[Gragt]

I want to replay KotOR again. I still have lots to do before I get to my 7th playthrough

 

[Black]

Someone should EMail VD as his account was hacked ...

Nah, he's just preparing us for AoD.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Was having a bit of fun quoting from KOTOR reviews. The ones about the pinnacle of TB greatness and the story being the best of the century are my favourite, although pretty much everything that people were writing about the game is fucking awesome. Pure poetry.

"This is where KOTOR shines. The turn based combat is like no other and is done in real time."


"So all in all KOTOR's gameplay is incredible, if you like rpg's at all, you will love KOTOR. But don't expect to be able to fire your rifle at will, because combat is TURN BASED. Some of the pictures and screen shots you see may mislead you into thinking that that the combat is fully interactive like Dark Cloud, or Sudeki, but it's actually turn based like Final Fantasy."

"KOTOR utilizes a D&D twenty-sided-die rule-set for its extravagant, turned based battles. It's a bit confining at first, but once you get accustomed to the nature of the battle system, it becomes intuitive, thus providing a strategic battle each and every time. The options allow you to make it more real-time and some of the later boss battles rival most straight-up action games on the market. "

"The battle system of KotOR is a mix of real time combat and turn based attacks."

"Judging from screenshots, the combat seems to be action-based, much like the Jedi Knight series. However, it's actually the turn-based Dungeons & Dragons based combat."

"When I first heard that the battle-system of KoToR would be turn-based I started to spontaneously throw up. I am absolutely no lover of this concept but in this game it luckily has been worked out very well."

"The combat isn't real-time, although it may appear to be..."

"It's especially genius the way Bioware have blended the turn based combat with real time!"

"The game is a RPG similar to the likes of Morrowind, in that you direct your character from a third person perspective, but with a striking difference, the combat is turn based. All the combat is based on Dungeons and Dragons style rules, familiar with Bioware's other RPG titles, which have things like saving throws, attacks, and other factors all done using multisided dice and figures.

Now before you run away screaming, thinking this sounds really dull, boring, and extremely nerdish, please stop and listen: it actually works extremely well. For starters, despite technically being turn based, actions are played out in real time and all the dice rolling and character stats for combat are worked out in the background away from your eyes."

"The combat itself is turn-based, yet done so fluidly that it feels like real-time"

"When you're exploring, everything is real-time but once you jump into combat KOTOR shifts to turn-based action. While turned-based combat may seem weird considering all the Star Wars action games that have been released, it works."

"It's all turn-based and all the results are determined by the roll of unseen dice combined with modifiers based on your stats, skills, and any items or equipment you have equipped. The combat will actually play itself out if you leave it alone but by fine-tuning the combat you can be a devastating force of nature."

"Battling in the game adds a new kind of genre to the overly developing RPG style and will hopefully be seen in later games. "

"So much is streamlined that the game, essentially turn-based, has a real-time feel that draws you into the combat, without making you feel like you've given up one ounce of control."

That's only from the first 4 pages of the reviews in the Codex archive. Good times.

PS. The game is shit, but comparing to DA2 it's a fucking masterpiece of epic proportions.

 

[Reptilian Shapeshifter]

Hopefully they can remain consistent in their decline and produce an even bigger piece of shit next time. I'd hate to see the streak broken.

 

[kris]

Kotor 1 to Kotor 2 is like new Lucas Star Whores films to Empire Strikes Back. Pussy sissy light side vs Hurr durr I'm evol dark side. If you want answer to the question what is nature of man, conflict and galaxy you must play throu second part with restoration mod OC. There's no pure good or evil ending and the taste of victory is indeed sour. M:

Not true. Star wars was good vs evil from the start, that is what George Lucas set out to do. And the first KOTOR is more true to the original movies than the second. That doesn't make it a better game, but that is clearly what I think. And I watched the original movies an ungodly amount of times.

 

[serch]

I just realised that KotOR's plot embodies the mystical concept of backward causation. That's quite an achievement!

Is that like that Terry Pratchett's wine with which you get the hangovers the day before you drink it?

 

[Commissar Draco]

Orly? IRC Han Solo was a scoundrel smuggler who shot people in their back in oryginal the fact that Lucas reedited the old movies to make them more apealing to 5 years old audience is of no consequence.I'm not SW fan since this movie with teddy bears massacring "elite" stormtroopers and didn't played any SW game except KOTORs and Jedi Academy . The KotorII is better game becouse it's not much SW game. Still Biowhore six years ago was less whoring to casual gamers so KOTOR1 is far better than their current offerings. Now since it's all said VD can go back to AoD I hope.

 

[Elwro]

I just realised that KotOR's plot embodies the mystical concept of backward causation. That's quite an achievement!

Is that like that Terry Pratchett's wine with which you get the hangovers the day before you drink it?

Yup. This seems to sum up KotOR's plot nicely!

 

[kris]

Orly? IRC Han Solo was a scoundrel smuggler who shot people in their back in oryginal the fact that Lucas reedited the old movies to make them more apealing to 5 years old audience is of no consequence.I'm not SW fan since this movie with teddy bears massacring "elite" stormtroopers and didn't played any SW game except KOTORs and Jedi Academy . The KotorII is better game becouse it's not much SW game. Still Biowhore six years ago was less whoring to casual gamers so KOTOR1 is far better than their current offerings. Now since it's all said VD can go back to AoD I hope.

Han solo was just one character, the classic bad guy with a golden heart.

The ewoks was kind of stupid, but always taken out of proportion. In the movie you don't see a single scene of a Ewok killing a stormtrooper. Just possibly knocking some out, but not even that would be clear. Calling it a "massacre" without a single confirmed killed is a bit to much.

 

[waywardOne]

The ewoks was kind of stupid, but always taken out of proportion. In the movie you don't see a single scene of a Ewok killing a stormtrooper. Just possibly knocking some out, but not even that would be clear. Calling it a "massacre" without a single confirmed killed is a bit to much.

was it ever confirmed that the original idea was that the empire had enslaved wookies but someone's pussy barked loudly and said make them ewoks: moar cute, less butthurt?

 

[waywardOne]

The ewoks was kind of stupid, but always taken out of proportion. In the movie you don't see a single scene of a Ewok killing a stormtrooper. Just possibly knocking some out, but not even that would be clear. Calling it a "massacre" without a single confirmed killed is a bit to much.

was it ever confirmed that the original idea was that the empire had enslaved wookies (and was why Chewbacca freaked out when Luke tried to put the cuffs on him) but someone's pussy barked loudly and said make them ewoks: moar cute, less butthurt?

 

[GarfunkeL]

Those console reviews give me a headache.