Preview Dragon Age - the future of role-playing!

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: BioWare; Dragon Age

<a href=http://www.computerandvideogames.com>CVG</a> has posted a very enthusiastic <a href=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=160943>preview</a> of Bioware's <a href=http://dragonage.bioware.com/>Dragon Age</a>, written by a 12-year old dumbass.
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<blockquote>You and I both know that BioWare are fundamentally one of the most important development houses in the known world ...
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They've shocked and awed us, but they've been modest about it. They've never climbed upon a metaphorical pub table, disrobed and bellowed: "My name is BioWare! And these are my giant, fantastic and gobsmacking role-play balls!", before placing them in a pint glass for public viewing.</blockquote>Actually...
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<blockquote> In the true spirit of Tolkien, BioWare have dispensed with setting their stage within existing canons, that of Star Wars or D&D's Forgotten Realms, and created their own mythos and IP from scratch. </blockquote>...by heavily borrowing from both Star Wars (ME) and DnD.
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<blockquote> Yes, Jade Empire was constructed in a similar fashion - but this runs far deeper, and the thoughts going into it are entirely more revolutionary than what's gone before. You start out by, as is tradition, selecting a certain race and a certain class - the latter giving the relatively broad canvasses of fighter, rogue and mage for you to build upon.</blockquote>Revolutionary indeed.
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<blockquote> One example of how interaction will work is Shale - a character similar to KOTOR's annihilistic droid HK47 - he's a 9ft dwarven War Golem who you can inscribe with runes as the game progresses to power him up. Whether he ends up as a happy, opinionated member of society or remains an unthinking tool of destruction is up to you. As indeed, ultimately, are kingships, the lives and deaths of countless people and the fate of entire races...</blockquote>... and nations that could be enslaved by necromancy!
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[Jasede]

I hate kids.

 

[Ivy Mike]

the thoughts going into it are entirely more revolutionary

HAHAHA! Jeez, it might be a good game, but REVOLUTIONARY? Come on, nothing BioWare ever did was revolutionary.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Did too! Admit it, you are just jealous because *your* thoughts are not revolutionary enough!

 

[obediah]

the thoughts going into it are entirely more revolutionary

HAHAHA! Jeez, it might be a good game, but REVOLUTIONARY? Come on, nothing BioWare ever did was revolutionary.

Don't get carried away. BG2 was revolutionary. Not in a now we have food, and everyone knows calculus sort of way, but it's success changed the RPG genre.

 

[Section8]

Fascinating. I truly wonder if he subscribes to these beliefs, or if he takes the mask off when he gets home. It's scary to think that someone out there might actually think Bioware are humble.

 

[Shannow]

I hate kids.

I second that.

 

[elander_]

"You start out by, as is tradition, selecting a certain race and a certain class - the latter giving the relatively broad canvasses of fighter, rogue and mage for you to build upon. "

I thought the canvas was the world. Why limiting this to character classes?

" In each race, however, there are two options - rather than sticking with multiple endings, BioWare are now plumping for multiple beginnings as well - so you can start as someone who begins at the top of the tree, perhaps as a noble of acclaimed worth, and another who has an edgier background - having to drag himself up from the gutter and into the history books. "

Not bad. Maybe 10 years from now Bioware will do something with multiple middles as well and advertise it as an amazing and innovative discovery.

" After a while though, the main plot will rampage into view. Then, you venture out into the main plot arc - complete with your very own nemesis to shake your fist at when the narrative demands."

And the crap begins. If this would be only 50% of the game then it wasn't so bad.

 

[sportforredneck]

Usual preview bullshit, but I still think they can manage to do something good with this game.

 

[Lumpy]

I hate kids.

Yeah, fucked up little brats.

 

[Higher Game]

"Revolutionary" should be reserved for games like STALKER, games that really take huge risks (and usually bomb, heh). If anything, Bioware are excessively conservative with games. These days, revolutionary RPGs are those that play like they're from 1997, designed with triple digit IQs in mind. At least it's still a PC game.

 

[Volourn]

"If anything, Bioware are excessively conservative with games."

Yeha. That must explain why they've completely chnaged how dialogue works in ME compared to eveyr other game they made.

And, why they went from their first game being an old fashion action adventure game to role-playing games.

Or the fact they have no problems throwing in 'unconventional' romances in JE.

R00fles!


http://forums.bioware.com/viewtopic.htm ... 6&forum=84


Lots of info there. More than than the so called preview to be sure.

 

[Vault Dweller]

"If anything, Bioware are excessively conservative with games."

Yeha. That must explain why they've completely chnaged how dialogue works in ME compared to eveyr other game they made.

The old system wasn't actiony enough. Turn-based dialogues are so, like, yesterday.

 

[sportforredneck]

Turn-based dialogues are so, like, yesterday.

As with sentences longer than 3 words.

 

[Texas Red]

Usual preview bullshit, but I still think they can manage to do something good with this game.

Seconded. None of this should be taken seriously. The game should be considered only when it is on the shelves.

Wonder what are the chances of this being an Xbox title and Biowhore pulling the throbbing, nearly blue dicks of their PC fans? 90%?

 

[Volourn]

"The game should be considered only when it is on the shelves."

Yeha, that must expalin all the bahsing you've done on ME and DA depsite them not being released yet.

R00fles!

 

[Texas Red]

"The game should be considered only when it is on the shelves."

Yeha, that must expalin all the bahsing you've done on ME and DA depsite them not being released yet.

R00fles!

Considered seriously. I dont consider purchasing them unless they are available with plenty of opinions around the forums. Based on the whole "zomg next gen goty" PR shit in every lie-filled interview I can only laugh and bash. I cant take them seriously with these blatant hyping attempts.

 

[Volourn]

How do you know they're 'lie filled'? R00fles!

Bottom line is that you are full of shit. You claim it's ok to bash and attack pre release; but not to praise. You truly are retarded.

HAHAHAHAHA!!

 

[Kingston]

Volourn, just for the record, you're also quite retarded. What with calling Mass Effect the best rpg ever.

A Pretty Princess vs. Dumbfuck...
Who will win?

 

[Texas Red]

How do you know they're 'lie filled'? R00fles!

Bottom line is that you are full of shit. You claim it's ok to bash and attack pre release; but not to praise. You truly are retarded.

HAHAHAHAHA!!

Yeah OK. Its your choise to be an idiot and believe IGNspySpot and the blowjob bribed relationships they have with Bioware and the gang.

 

[DarkUnderlord]

How do you know they're 'lie filled'?

This is the Codex. Repeat after me: The Hive Mind is always right.

 

[Dgaider]

I don't have a problem with people waiting to hear opinions about DA before picking it up. I'm pretty confident that the buzz will be good amongst the RPG crowd. At any rate, previews like this don't really say much other than that the reviewer was really excited. Not that there's a lot else to say about DA at the moment, I guess, and there likely won't be until ME is released.

As for Bioware being "revolutionary", that's just PR-speak. I'm not sure why PR people do that -- it seems pretty universal, too, like if you don't litter descriptions with over-the-top adjectives people are going to get the impression that it's dull just by comparison. Thus it becomes like background noise, sort of a reflexive thing that most of them don't even think about anymore.

Or such is my theory.

And I don't think Bioware is revolutionary. I don't mean that in a bad way, precisely. I wouldn't mind us taking more risks, but I can see why we don't. Bioware is hardly a small developer trying to prove itself and with nothing to lose. So long as we don't stop trying to innovate in smaller ways it should be possible to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary. And that's not so terrible.

 

[Crazy Tuvok]

Not liking Bio for the games they have done and expecting that future games will be similiar and therefore not to your liking is fine. Being sceptical about promises of what a game will deliver especially so far out from dropping is also reasonable - shit there is not a game company in the universe who doesn't have to feature drop somewhere between inception and release.

But Volourn does have point that it often sounds like some are trying to have it both ways to Bio-bash at all costs - bashing games before they come out and then simultaneously castigating people who praise games before they come out. Frankly neither is very sensible. Troika was the only company from whom I would buy a game without a review or second thought. Currently AoD is the only game for which this applies.

 

[Admiral Rimjob POOBUM]

I don't have a problem with people waiting to hear opinions about DA before picking it up. I'm pretty confident that the buzz will be good amongst the RPG crowd. At any rate, previews like this don't really say much other than that the reviewer was really excited. Not that there's a lot else to say about DA at the moment, I guess, and there likely won't be until ME is released.

As for Bioware being "revolutionary", that's just PR-speak. I'm not sure why PR people do that -- it seems pretty universal, too, like if you don't litter descriptions with over-the-top adjectives people are going to get the impression that it's dull just by comparison. Thus it becomes like background noise, sort of a reflexive thing that most of them don't even think about anymore.

Or such is my theory.

And I don't think Bioware is revolutionary. I don't mean that in a bad way, precisely. I wouldn't mind us taking more risks, but I can see why we don't. Bioware is hardly a small developer trying to prove itself and with nothing to lose. So long as we don't stop trying to innovate in smaller ways it should be possible to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary. And that's not so terrible.

How are we meant to insult you when you persist in being reasonable? Stop it.

 

[obediah]

As for Bioware being "revolutionary", that's just PR-speak. I'm not sure why PR people do that -- it seems pretty universal, too, like if you don't litter descriptions with over-the-top adjectives people are going to get the impression that it's dull just by comparison. Thus it becomes like background noise, sort of a reflexive thing that most of them don't even think about anymore.

This reminds me of the nasty world of super computer press releases. In the rational old days, you spent several million, installed your new beast, benchmarked it and wrote up a PR. But then some ass hole got the bright idea to do a PR when they bought the machine, that way they could "estimate" performance numbers and compare a future machine to current ones to inflate their rank. It's escalated to the point where press releases are for machines years away from being finished.

Since my brain is running on tangents today, one of the coolest calculations I ever saw was one to decide how to buy a super computer based on how much computation you expect from it. Because of falling prices and increasing speed the answer was/is often to take your money and invest if for a period of time, then buy cheaper/faster hardware and finish faster than buying right away.