Preview Dragon Age: Library Wars

[DarkUnderlord]

Tags: Dragon Age

Those Europeans are at it again. <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=200259">This time EuroGamer has given a serve to Dragon Age</a>. Here are three paragraphs selected for maximum damage:
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<blockquote>In fact, Dragon Age: Origins is such a straight-down-the-line fantasy RPG - it finds BioWare in such a respectful and conservative mood - that despite filling a small cinema screen with insanely high-resolution images of massed eldritch combat, the demo barely raises an eyebrow. It is all exactly as you expected the first time you heard about it.
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Much is made of the fact the combat will be "scalable", but although the engine can throw vast numbers of characters around in the live cut-scenes - as evidenced by the Darkspawn charge that introduces the grand battle in the demo - we don't see much evidence of this in gameplay, with the most spectacular action happening tellingly off-camera.
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Visually, Origins is technically impressive and flows smoothly, if not rapidly, from story to combat to exploration to conversation, within an elegantly restrained interface. It rarely excites, though. Its looks are as coolly handsome and restrained and hedge-betting as the characters who never say anything with feeling, because they have to deliver three responses the same way. There's grace and detached splendour here, but not much imagination, or guts, or glory. Dragon Age: Origins looks and sounds like a war in a library.</blockquote>
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The gaming industry really need to start bribing these guys more and turn them into the soft, pudgy cock-suckers that are the Western media.
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Spotted @ <a href="http://www.rpgwatch.com">RPGWatch</a>

 

[dragonfk]

Excuse me but Western media? You mean western media. Europe is counted among Western culture.

 

[DarkUnderlord]

Excuse me but Western media? You mean western media.

Okay, I'm confused.

I had thought "non-European" but then that'd include the Asians and I'm not up with how cock-sucking their media is. If I say "American" then that doesn't include Australia and the UK which I know are both full of cocksuckers. This thread is now about what the appropriate term should be.

Europe is counted among Western culture.

... but obviously not western culture.

 

[Bluebottle]

I'd really like to believe that this is a critique of generic run of the mill high fantasy, but I feel this is wishful thinking. I'm certain that what they're really saying, underneath it all, is that there aren't enough massive penis-envy swords and retardedly spiked armours.

 

[The_Pope]

I think they're complaining that it isn't an FPS.

 

[Darth Roxor]

proper term: Europe-(minus)UK

 

[yes plz]

Another generic RPG from BioWare? I'm shocked.

 

[dragonfk]

This thread is now about what the appropriate term should be.

I agree it should be put into discussion. And following the rule of Occam's razor I propose the term: "cock-suckers" for Americans, Australians and Britons.

 

[pkt-zer0]

Dragon Age is not EXTREME enough, huh?

 

[Korgan]

Indeed. I want my 100+ mobs on screen nao!

 

[Warden]

And this:

"Warriors and mages? Check. Fire and ice schools of magic? Check. Ogre boss? Check. Charging, roaring army of fang-faced orc-a- likes? Check. Trios of conversational options, neatly split between obsequious, wary and rude? Check. Raven-ringed spires? Ponderous council-of-war cut-scenes? "Will you kill the prisoner or set him free?" Check, check, check. Dragons? Actually no, we didn't see one. What a gyp.

This, however, is a "realistic" dark-fantasy setting distinct from the high-fantasy of Baldur's Gate, so we wouldn't expect them to be swarming all over the shop. The game focuses on the war with the Darkspawn, that numberless mutant horde. We're introduced to the game as a human warrior who belongs to the Grey Wardens, a neutral order of wise men dedicated to the eradication of Darkspawn, which inspires equal amounts of reverence and mistrust in the more politically-minded characters that we meet. It's not clear if all players will join the Grey Wardens, however; play later switched to a female elven mage, and one cut-scene did show a council of mages opposing the Grey Wardens' advice."


Eurogamer loves bioWare at least as much as I do.

 

[Wyrmlord]

I had thought "non-European" but then that'd include the Asians and I'm not up with how cock-sucking their media is.

Well, see the Japanese reviews for Ocarina of Time or any Zelda game, and you have your answer.

 

[kris]

The review seemed pretty good and was neither that negative nor positive. They just explained that the setting wasn't really that different from others. That it would be very much like Baldurs gate... That was the meat of it.

 

[Lumpy]

Eurogamer is known for some dumb reviews in the past. MotB 7/10 because you might be a FPS player and not like RPGs, Oblivion 10/10 because it's really awesome, Gothic 8/10 because it's not Oblivion.

 

[easychord]

Eurogamer are a UK site and general attitude to Dice rolls and Kobolds games in the UK games press is not positive. The piece reads to me like something written by someone who is annoyed that he isn't writing about a cool game like Mass Effect 2. One of his main points was that the combat did have some action in it despite it being slow and boring.

Yeah, Eurogamer are not full of unquestioning positivity when it comes to fantasy CRPGs but expect them to be on the front lines of blindly praising certain first person action games that don't pander to dice rolling nerds.

 

[Bah]

If reviewers are giving negative reviews, this actually gives me positive hope for the game.

 

[Volourn]

As mentioned, wasn't really negative. It absically states that BIO is making a BIO game. R00fles! perish the thought.

BIO claimed that DA was inspired by their olde rgames like BG2, NWN, and KOTOR 9and, people have run with the BG2 thang) so this basically confirms (at leats in this writer's opinion) that BIO is accomplishing their stated goal.

LMAO

 

[Gromnir]

am always loving s'posed reviews that is all gut-level w/o any kinda substantiation. distilled version: oh sure, the interface is great and everything moves smooth; the game engine appears to be technically sound. however, da got no soul. is that 'bout it? why? lack o' imagination? well, that is real specific.

am intrigued by da, but we thinks it is gonna fall far short of expectations. is not as if Gromnir is defending da or bioware... far from it. nevertheless, these kinda meaningless first impression things is beyond banal.

1) how is it a bad thing that da is as advertised?

from day 1 bio has been saying that da were spiritual successor to bg. so, big surprise when it turns out that da is gonna be a game that embraces most o' the basic fantasy crpg conventions? gosh, Gromnir is shocked.

having followed the da boards infrequently, it is obvious that bio is not trying to make wholesale changes to the fantasy crpg genre. sure, they is doing their bit to incrimentaly distance self from D&D and to fix some of the pervasive blunders they (the biowarians) seem to feel is embraced by most fantasy crpgs, but bio ain't being secretive 'bout fact that they want this game to have broad appeal... so some kinda radical paradyme shift from bio's da development were 'bout as likely as codexians admitting that troika never did make a quality game.

furthermore, if game footage had been vast different than advertised, then the sniveling euro-trash would no doubt be moaning and complaining 'bout biowarian failure to live up to espoused promises.

2) da, like most recent bioware games, is gonna be story driven.

where da will succeed or fail with public will be, in large part, dependent on story aspects. kotor rules system and character customization and combat were, at best, forgettable. the distinctions 'tween kotor classes were minor, and combat were pretty damned mindless and repetitive. kotor were a huge success. the rulez system and combat in kotor were engaging enough to keeps a player... playing. kotor combats looked and sounded like star wars combats, but there really weren't much going on beyond surface level button mashing made almost inconsequential by often meaningless character development choices. kotor rules and combats were good 'nuff. game aspects were mostly window dressing for story.

is there anyway for reviewer watching snippets to tell if da storytelling is fantabulous? probably not. Gromnir is suspicious of biowarian storytelling approach for da. "dark... but not too dark." when biowarians announced that da would be "dark" there were actually Many posters at their boards who were disappointed. there were much arguing 'tween fans 'bout defining "dark," especial as it related to da. biowarians step in eventual with not so helpful "dark, but not too dark" crap.

am also dubious 'bout the character origins approach bio is using. seems wasteful and self-defeating. 'stead o' being stuck with Revan's story, you is gonna get 6 variations? bah. is wrong direction. same problems and criticisms will remain... just multiplied by 6. nevertheless, success or failure o' this approach cannot be determined from some self-important, pasty-faced euro chain smoker watching a few minutes o' game footage.

*shrug*

hearing that the technical aspects o' da is looking crisp and competent is good news... the other unsupported gut level observations is wasteful of Gromnir's time.

HA! Good Fun!



oh, and the "war in a library" bit is just plain terrible.

 

[Warden]

Gromnir, start being shorter. Nobody is going to read a long review of a review.. especially with that third person orc thing.

 

[Volourn]

Shut up, Dumbfuck. Your Princess did.

 

[Warden]

Shut up, Dumbfuck. Your Princess did.

I know.. I would too if I lived in a shithole surrounded by crap and if I was too fat to exit the door.

 

[Volourn]

I must live in a cubicle if my skinny ass cna't fit through it. And, let me tell you, I wash myself and my clothes at least once a year. SO TAKE THAT, FUCKER!

 

[Letum Fol]

Eurogamer is known for some dumb reviews in the past. MotB 7/10 because you might be a FPS player and not like RPGs, Oblivion 10/10 because it's really awesome, Gothic 8/10 because it's not Oblivion.

Seen their Planescape: Torment review yet? Misses it by a light year and then some. Oh and not an RPG but their Mafia review is even worse.

 

[aries202]

I don't why Eurogamer are saying that it looks a war in a library : Sorry for the icon, but I'm really very stunned and amazed at that comment. To me, Bioware is making a game that harkens back to 1998-1999 that gets the BG1+BG2 feel right.

We know the story will be awesome; there might even be competing factions in this game, the combat seems to be like or similar the old BG1+BG2 games.

I sort of like the review, though, since is gave some new info not known before. Bioware is making a Bioware game and at least that shouldn't come as a surpise for any of us, at least professional game reviewers...

 

[Xi]

I think this game has some potential actually! Not holding my breath, but without any preconceived notion of how it should be, or any hype induced mania going on in my mind, I might have to purchase this one and be pleasantly surprised. We'll see...