Review Review Extravaganza: Dragon Age: Awakening

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: BioWare; Dragon Age

New reviews of the awakened Dragon Age surfaced.
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<a href="http://pc-mmo.nowgamer.com/reviews/pc-mmo/9101/dragon-age-origins-awakening-expansion-pack">Nowgamer rates it 8.7/10.</a>
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<p style="margin-left:50px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-top-color:#ffffff;padding:5px;border-right-color:#bbbbbb;border-left-color:#ffffff;border-bottom-color:#bbbbbb;">Typically Bioware is forcing us to make judicious choices again, in the knowledge that we know Awakening will punish or reward us for them in future. The raised level cap and a couple of epic boss battles are the obvious new features of this expansion that everyone will look forward to, the great part about this expansion, as it gives the game a comforting open-world feel with a sense or real progression. Which is exactly what we look for in a good RPG.
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But can you alternate the appearance of your party members?
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<a href="http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?GID=690">EmpireOnline rates it 3/5.</a>
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<p style="margin-left:50px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-top-color:#ffffff;padding:5px;border-right-color:#bbbbbb;border-left-color:#ffffff;border-bottom-color:#bbbbbb;">But while there’s little actually wrong with Awakening, the game doggedly follows the structure of its predecessor, to the point where you’ll be convinced you’ve played through certain challenges before. And while the adventure’s moral framework and explosive new spells are fun, this is one of the few BioWare quests that doesn’t grab you by throat and weave you inextricably into the experience.
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What does that mean? Not immersive enough? I blame the lack of romances.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/97258-dragon-age-origins-awakening-reviews.html">Gamebanshee</A>

 

[Volourn]

"But while there’s little actually wrong with Awakening, the game doggedly follows the structure of its predecessor, to the point where you’ll be convinced you’ve played through certain challenges before."

Butthurt found. So, an expansion is 'more of the same' as the full game and it's somehow worse? LMFAO Let me guess, this tool rated DA 9+ when it came out. STFU

 

[entertainer]

"But while there’s little actually wrong with Awakening, the game doggedly follows the structure of its predecessor, to the point where you’ll be convinced you’ve played through certain challenges before."

Butthurt found. So, an expansion is 'more of the same' as the full game and it's somehow worse? LMFAO Let me guess, this tool rated DA 9+ when it came out. STFU

Bullshit.

 

[Sceptic]

No Volly's right. DAO is 10/10 and GotY and Game of the Decade, but DAOA is 3/5 and 8/10 for being THE SAME THING? Does not compute. If DAO was really game of the decade then more of the same would have been very welcome. If you're going to bash the expansion for being the same as the original game, then at least have the decency to point out the flaws that DAOA is recycling from DAO (after having criticized these flaws in the DAO review of course... which none of these fucktards did).

 

[Jaesun]

In before Vol... oh nevermind.

 

[Shannow]

No Volly's right. DAO is 10/10 and GotY and Game of the Decade, but DAOA is 3/5 and 8/10 for being THE SAME THING? Does not compute. If DAO was really game of the decade then more of the same would have been very welcome. If you're going to bash the expansion for being the same as the original game, then at least have the decency to point out the flaws that DAOA is recycling from DAO (after having criticized these flaws in the DAO review of course... which none of these fucktards did).

 

[Barghest]

Is it true that it only lasts 15 hours?

 

[Ausir]

Is it true that it only lasts 15 hours?

That's still more than all the FO3 DLC added together...

 

[Volourn]

I've played 10 hours, and I've only done the first major area. I'm figuring 20ish hours. Seems solid for an expansion.

 

[KalosKagathos]

Is it true that it only lasts 15 hours?

That's still more than all the FO3 DLC added together...

And twice as much as entire Fallout 1.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

Completed everything in 12 hours, non-rushed, normal difficulty, didn't skip dialogue.

 

[Volourn]

Don't believe you. You obviously skipped dialogue. Even if eveyrthuing wnet perfect I doubt it woulkd take 12 hours. Maybe 15 if lucky. I'm at 17ish hours now, and still going though about 2 hours of that cna be taken off for a lot of running around.

I played on 'hard' diiculty though thanks to all the uber loot, A is too easy. Probably its biggest weakness in comparison to Origins. My main character took hardly any damage at all even against bosses.

 

[Sceptic]

Out of curiosity what character were you using Volourn? I felt mages were the best in DAO, maybe not in terms of raw damage but in their ability to make fights much easier. Did you feel the same, and if so does this carry over into the expansion?

 

[Volourn]

In DAO, mages were definitely the most powerful when it comes to pure damage and controlling masses of enemies. However, my dwarf warrior was a tank when it came to taking punishment. My mage (or any mage) was pretty much dead the moment enemies other than normal wussy darkspawn targeted them in 3-5 hits.

In A, the offensive capaibiltiies of warriors is thrown. You get one ability that can do 200+ damage on anything within a large range. Not to mention that thanks to a combination of equipment, talents, and stats, my chaarcter can literally take 0 damage from normal enemies and only about 20-30 damage from so called powerhouses.

Problem with A, the combat was easy. While I've had npcs fall during battle, I've reloaded exactly once, and that wa smore being lazy than difficulty. Toop much ph@t lewt.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

Don't believe you. You obviously skipped dialogue. Even if eveyrthuing wnet perfect I doubt it woulkd take 12 hours. Maybe 15 if lucky. I'm at 17ish hours now, and still going though about 2 hours of that cna be taken off for a lot of running around.

I played on 'hard' diiculty though thanks to all the uber loot, A is too easy. Probably its biggest weakness in comparison to Origins. My main character took hardly any damage at all even against bosses.

You don't have to believe me, but what I said is true.

And I have a lot invested because I liked DA:O and Bioware in general. But Awakening took me 12h to complete.

I'm not that bothered, although I was expecting something around the 20h mark. You have to go to three places, and once you're done with the third one the ending kicks in. I had done all the quests in Amaranthine, and the keep was fully upgraded, so there wasn't anything left to do except for one thing: I wasn't allowed to give the Joining ritual to my one remaining party member who hadn't yet become a Grey Warden. Once you're done 'investigating' the attack on the keep, you are taken straight into the climax.

 

[Mortmal]

17 hours 15 min and 40 sec to complete it, and i mean really doing everything , not rushing, trying to trigger every companions subquests and dialogues.

All in all its a good expansion, not as good as MOTB was for nwn2 , but as good as something like zehir. it completes dragon age plot, stay coherent with it., overall a good story. Theres a few choices and consequences (i am not spoiling it unlike some of the bastards around , thanks very much guys..)and it gave me , at least, the illusion they matter. Ive not done other playthroughs yet to check.
So if you hate bioware games and dragon age you will hate it, if you loved it and want more of the same you have it .

Theres a few new monsters models but they don t seems to have much new abilities, the fight rarely requires any strategy bare a few boss mobs and even that wasnt really hard, in fact i can say theres absolutely no challenge at all for me. The new lines of specializations made my characters even more godly, ive never lost a single fight nor had to reload once, it was even rare to have any character unconscious at all.
I noticed the auto mode on characters is very well done and their tactics orders update themselves when they get new powers, sometimes it feel like the game was masturbating, you could just let your characters fight on auto they dont require any input at all.

Verdict, despites its flaws, buy it ,was worth my 30 euros.

 

[Volourn]

"All in all its a good expansion, not as good as MOTB was for nwn2 "

True dat.

", but as good as something like zehir. "

FUCKKKKKKKK YOUUUU!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Sceptic]

My mage (or any mage) was pretty much dead the moment enemies other than normal wussy darkspawn targeted them in 3-5 hits.

Yeah I noticed that too. My mage became a bit more viable when I turned him Arcane Warrior but Morrigan was a real glass cannon, even with the shapeshifting (which I never learned to use properly I think). My mages rarely got attacked after I got Shale though, almost all enemies just target her and she can take a heavy beating as well as dish out reasonable damage.

Not to mention that thanks to a combination of equipment, talents, and stats, my chaarcter can literally take 0 damage from normal enemies

That's pretty powerful. Can you give an idea of the equipment and talents you were using to get this?

On a related note, what do you think of rogues? You mentioned killing Zevran elsewhere so I guess you didn't use him, but what about Leliana and did you try a PC rogue?

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

a PC rogue is so incredibly overpowered...

 

[Clockwork Knight]

^More than a PC Mage?