Game News Dragon Age 2 Announced

[Jason]

Tags: BioWare; Dragon Age 2

<p>The New Shit gets newer with <a href="http://dragonage.bioware.com/da2/" target="_blank"><strong>Dragon Age 2</strong></a>.</p>
<blockquote>Experience the epic sequel to the 2009 Game of the Year from the critically acclaimed makers of Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2. You are one of the few who escaped the destruction of your home. Now, forced to fight for survival in an ever-changing world, you must gather the deadliest of allies, amass fame and fortune, and seal your place in history. This is the story of how the world changed forever. The legend of your Rise to Power begins now.<br /><br />Key Features:
<ul>
<li>Embark upon an all-new adventure that takes place across an entire decade and shapes itself around every decision you make.</li>
<li>Determine your rise to power from a destitute refugee to the revered champion of the land.</li>
<li>Think like a general and fight like a Spartan with dynamic new combat mechanics that put you right in the heart of battle whether you are a mage, rogue, or warrior.</li>
<li>Go deeper into the world of Dragon Age with an entirely new cinematic experience that grabs hold of you from the beginning and never lets go.</li>
<li>Discover a whole realm rendered in stunning detail with updated graphics and a new visual style.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>Spotted at: <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/first-dragon-age-2-details-hit">Eurogamer</a></p>

 

[racofer]

First 30 minutes of gameplay : Prologue

A few cutscenes, screen fades to black...

...nine years later...

Rest of the game.

Anyway, I liked DA:O, looking forward this one.

 

[Silellak]

One piece of additional info:

While there are multiple races in the game, like elves, dwarves, etc, in Dragon Age 2 you play a human character.

From:
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/141/index/3052334/1

Poor Volly is going to be Dwarf-less. Will he even bother to play DA2 now!?

It does sound definitely like they're forcing a character on you, ME-style, and abandoning the Origins concept, which is a shame, because that was easily one of the best parts of DA.

Spoiler:
YOU PLAY AS MORRIGAN'S CHILD. Probably.

 

[Mangoose]

I was gonna comment on the grimdark stuff. But after thinking about DA:O, I realized the themes were pretty not-banal grimdark. The problem is the combat. Which can be improved, though the "mage, rogue, warrior" schitck is pretty dumb.

 

[Shannow]

Embark upon an all-new adventure that takes place across an entire decade and shapes itself around every decision you make.

Yay, more heavy handed "the Chosen One must choose" with "C&C" simply for the sake of C&C instead of making sense/being consistent.

Determine your rise to power from a destitute refugee to the revered champion of the land.

Yay, Baldur's Gate.

Think like a general and fight like a Spartan with dynamic new combat mechanics that put you right in the heart of battle whether you are a mage, rogue, or warrior.

Yay, finally first person phalanx-combat for every class.

Go deeper into the world of Dragon Age with an entirely new cinematic experience that grabs hold of you from the beginning and never lets go.

Yay, DA2 will resemble a nightmare more than any game before.

Discover a whole realm rendered in stunning detail with updated graphics and a new visual style.

Yay, finally the consoles will be able to show how good their graffix can really be. You only need to believe.

Disclaimer: I'll judge DA2 by its merits or lack thereof when I eventually play it, but since Bio decided to keep their ridiculous marketing hype, I feel obliged to make fun of it whenever I see it.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

that you can't play as a dwarf is an outrage

 

[racofer]

It will be modded in.

 

[Tails]

One piece of additional info:

While there are multiple races in the game, like elves, dwarves, etc, in Dragon Age 2 you play a human character.

From:
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/141/index/3052334/1

Poor Volly is going to be Dwarf-less. Will he even bother to play DA2 now!?

It does sound definitely like they're forcing a character on you, ME-style, and abandoning the Origins concept, which is a shame, because that was easily one of the best parts of DA.

Spoiler:
YOU PLAY AS MORRIGAN'S CHILD. Probably.

Worry not dear friend! Bioware fanboys come to the rescue:

I don't see it as an issue. Dragon Age Origins had that name because its focus was on Origins. It was it's 'new feature'.

You might notice this one is not called Dragon Age: Origins 2. Just Dragon Age. In fact, on the hotsite there is a 'Rise to Power' that seems to stick out of some sentences. Might as well be this game's 'surname', which ties in to what seems to be this game's 'new feature': building your own empire from scratch.

It's not a step backwards. It's a different story with a different gameplay to fit in.

I wonder if Volly will agree about this. Oh and like in Ass Effect, character will have always the same last name: Hawke.

And don't miss this:

I don't know why any of you are surprised. This has been the trend for BioWare for the last year. It's been announced several times that they want to stop giving players massive amounts of choices because then they simply cry for more and they're expensive to create.

But the games will still get 10/10, GOTY and called by professional journalist better then sequel. Hilarious. It's not the choices that are expensive to make, but bullshit graphics and silly voice acting.

 

[Der_Unbekannte]

This is....sad... really just sad.

I actually liked DA. When it was announced I was excited... But this.... Come on.
There is nothing even remotly interesting there. I hope it changes but come on.
Refering to spartans. Seriously? Phalanx fighting rogues and mages? Fuck off.

 

[racofer]

 

[Brother None]

It does sound definitely like they're forcing a character on you, ME-style

Yip, some dude named Hawke.

If there was one thing DA:O got flak for from the slobberpress, it was the voiceless protagonist. THIS ISN'T THE 20TH CENTURY PEOPLE. So out with a variety of choices in background and race, and in with the BRILLIANT Mass Effect last-name-is-the-dude-marginal-background-choices-at-best shit.

Mass Effect 2 beat DA:O into the dust. DA:O was an inherited project even before EA took over, and an anachronism. Time to bring in the Good Shit from Mass Effect's genius to improve the shit out of this game.

Choices cost too much. RTwP is too tactical. Epic storytelling and wild zany high-fallutin action sells. How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world! That has such people in it!

PS: Fallout 3's plot spanned 19 years hey-hoooooooooo!

 

[Kthan75]

I think it's too early to judge anything, let's wait at least for the epic trailer.

Having the adventure take place over a long period of time leaves room for some potentially great C&C, but let's not forget this is Bioware, it's not exactly their strength.

Then this phrase: an entirely new cinematic experience
made me cringe. Pretty sure they'll introduce the "streamlined" dialog system from Mass Effect 2, to make it more new shittier.

 

[bhlaab]

Gonna be dumbed down for consoles

 

[Lesifoere]

Mass Effect 2 beat DA:O into the dust. DA:O was an inherited project even before EA took over, and an anachronism. Time to bring in the Good Shit from Mass Effect's genius to improve the shit out of this game.

ME2 was a much, much, much better game than DA, however. DA's brand of "old-school" can shove itself where the sun doesn't shine. If old-school means--and we know it doesn't--plowing through identical trash mobs, trudging through long boring dungeons and some truly limp writing, then I doubt anyone wants anymore of it. Even the Codex. Yes, even ME2's writing was better than DA's, you know.

 

[Azarkon]

You guys are hurting David Gaider's feelings

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

The Origins concept from DA was actually pretty cool. I liked it. Like ToEE opening vignettes except much better. A lot of exclusive gameplay, a shame they seem to abandon this idea.

 

[Lesifoere]

You guys are hurting David Gaider's feelings

ME2's writing was phenomenally better than that of the first and, now that you mention it, Gaider wasn't involved.

Maybe he'll be kept away from DA2 too, in which case it can only be for the good.

 

[SuicideBunny]

hey, if it has femshep renegade equivalent, it might actually be fun to play, unlike the first game.

Mass Effect 2 beat DA:O into the dust. DA:O was an inherited project even before EA took over, and an anachronism. Time to bring in the Good Shit from Mass Effect's genius to improve the shit out of this game.

ME2 was a much, much, much better game than DA, however. DA's brand of "old-school" can shove itself where the sun doesn't shine. If old-school means--and we know it doesn't--plowing through identical trash mobs, trudging through long boring dungeons and some truly limp writing, then I doubt anyone wants anymore of it. Even the Codex. Yes, even ME2's writing was better than DA's, you know.

amen.

 

[Mastermind]

Yay, more heavy handed "the Chosen One must choose" with "C&C" simply for the sake of C&C instead of making sense/being consistent.

Sounds like the average codexer's wet dream.

 

[Shannow]

Yay, more heavy handed "the Chosen One must choose" with "C&C" simply for the sake of C&C instead of making sense/being consistent.

Sounds like the average codexer's wet dream.

Well, this might illustrate my point.

 

[Elhoim]

Yay, more heavy handed "the Chosen One must choose" with "C&C" simply for the sake of C&C instead of making sense/being consistent.

Sounds like the average codexer's wet dream.

Well, this might illustrate my point.

You got me

 

[Mastermind]

Any word on whether you can finally fuck children in this game? Or is Bioware still stuck in the sexually repressed dark ages of the 90s.

 

[Azarkon]

You guys are hurting David Gaider's feelings

ME2's writing was phenomenally better than that of the first and, now that you mention it, Gaider wasn't involved.

Maybe he'll be kept away from DA2 too, in which case it can only be for the good.

Can't blame it all on Gaider, though. He only did some of the writing for the characters, though he was responsible for the damn "novelizations."

Bioware seems to have two distinct teams nowadays. The DA team, headed by the old school BG/NWN/KOTOR guys, and the ME team, headed by a lot of the newer hires. The newer hires appear to be a doing a better job, writing-wise.

 

[Some Moron On Welfare]

It does sound definitely like they're forcing a character on you, ME-style

Yip, some dude named Hawke.

If there was one thing DA:O got flak for from the slobberpress, it was the voiceless protagonist. THIS ISN'T THE 20TH CENTURY PEOPLE. So out with a variety of choices in background and race, and in with the BRILLIANT Mass Effect last-name-is-the-dude-marginal-background-choices-at-best shit.

Mass Effect 2 beat DA:O into the dust. DA:O was an inherited project even before EA took over, and an anachronism. Time to bring in the Good Shit from Mass Effect's genius to improve the shit out of this game.

Choices cost too much. RTwP is too tactical. Epic storytelling and wild zany high-fallutin action sells. How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world! That has such people in it!

PS: Fallout 3's plot spanned 19 years hey-hoooooooooo!

THIS MAKES ME SO FUCKING ANGRY!!! GRRRR!!!

All those dumbfucks on the BW forums constantly complaining that there's no voice acting for the PC like in "awsum" Mass Effect. GRRRR!!!!

The same with the combat. DA:O was a piss easy game if you bothered to learn the system (that is, read the descriptions of attributes/talents). And yet there were TONS of people complaining that the game was TOO HARD even on the Easy difficulty (not to mention that the console versions had far less enemies)! GEEZ!!!

 

[Sceptic]

Yay, more heavy handed "the Chosen One must choose" with "C&C" simply for the sake of C&C instead of making sense/being consistent.

Sounds like the average codexer's wet dream.

Well, this might illustrate my point.

Got DAMN it. I fell for it. I learned long, long ago not to click any links without checking where they go, but I just saw it was something on the 'dex itself and it looked like a link to another thread. Fuck you Shannow.