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Preview Dragon Age II Previews

VentilatorOfDoom

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Tags: BioWare; Dragon Age 2

<p><strong>Dragon Age II</strong>, a game that according to Lead Designer Mike Laidlaw is being designed with the needs of physically or mentally disabled gamers in mind, receives the <a href="http://g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/64227/dragon-age-ii/articles/72782/Dragon-Age-2-Preview/" target="_blank">preview treatment</a> at G4TV.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The action, while still offering players the option to micro-manage their strategy, was considerably more fluid and action-oriented than in the previous game, requiring less pause-and-play for those who simply want to map their abilities and mash a few buttons.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>The most impressive effect we saw during the battle was a rain of fire that plummeted from the sky down onto our flaming opponents. Playing as a Rogue proved to be a faster, more strategic experience than our last encounter with the game in which we played a sword-wielding knight. In this go-around, we dodged and slashed our way through the encounter with a pair of duel blades, peppering in a series of ranged attacks and commanding our team to engage with their crossbows, magic and broadswords.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Mike certainly deserves recognition for his benevolent efforts to enable even the one-handed to happily button-mash through the game while at the same time making sure that those intimidated by numbas n shit will have a proper guidance as well, two-star armorz is betta than one-star armorz, nom sayin'?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Additionally we have a <a href="http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/dragon_age_ii/preview-2797.html" target="_blank">hands-on preview</a> over at Videogamer.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In essence, BioWare has attempted to repeat what it pulled off with Mass Effect 2. Commander Shepherd's first outing was a sci-fi RPG with lots of shooting; his second was more or less a third-person shooter with lots of RPG mechanics bolted on; and now BioWare is aiming for a similar transition with Dragon Age II. Though Dragon Age: Origins was very much a hardcore Western RPG, this sequel feels like it's taken a step closer towards the door marked "Hack and Slash".</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The pace of combat appears a lot quicker, for starters, and while Origins seemed to place a lot of emphasis on carefully queuing up a chain of attacks - zooming the view out to get an overview of the battle on the PC version - here the natural tendency is to get up in the enemy's face. The third-person camera loiters just behind your avatar's back, <em>willing</em> you to run up and give the nearest enemy a kicking. And so you do - hammering on one face button to dish out basic melee swipes, and then using the other three to use class abilities. The latter operate on a cooldown basis, and their colour-coded indicators are one of the few intrusions on an otherwise clutter-free HUD.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>How much of a "hardcore western RPG" Dragon Age was is certainly up to debate, however, Dragon Age 2 will fix most problems the original had by enabling you to hammer your button in the most hardcore way imaginable.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>After the last foe has been cut to the ground, there's a chance to catch up with Isabella for a quick chat. I'm happy to report that Dragon Age 2 retains the first game's habit of soaking its cast in buckets of gore, allowing for some amusingly odd-looking post-fight chats. Isabella's face and heaving cleavage are covered in blood, but she doesn't seem to mind: her purring words of thanks suggest that she's more than happy with the day's outcome, and before long she's dropping not-so-subtle hints about letting Hawke delve into her furry dungeon. For all Dragon Age 2's revisions, it seems that some things never change.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Delve into her furry dungeon. GOTY material, best RPG since Mass Effect 2.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Spotted at: <a href="http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/100415-dragon-age-ii-preview.html">Gamebanshee</a> and <a href="http://www.rpgwatch.com/#16149" target="_blank">RPPGWatch</a></p>
 

MetalCraze

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In essence, BioWare has attempted to repeat what it pulled off with Mass Effect 2

And ME2 is a terrible piece of shit. So DA2 is now run 50 meters - cutscene - run 50m - box - 4 enemies appear out of nowhere - cutscene - run 50 m - cutscene - 20 m - cutscene - cutscene - 20 m - box - 3 enemies - cutscene ... ... ...?
 

Roguey

Codex Staff
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Messages
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"So DA2 is now run 50 meters - cutscene - run 50m - box - 4 enemies appear out of nowhere - cutscene - run 50 m - cutscene - 20 m - cutscene - cutscene - 20 m - box - 3 enemies - cutscene ... ... ...?"

Sounds exactly like the first one. R00fles!
 

janjetina

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Mar 28, 2008
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Zagreb, Croatia
Torment: Tides of Numenera
Instead of addressing and correcting the flaws of Dragon Age, which was their best-selling game, they decide to turn it into even worse popamole than Arse Effect. I thought that docs, Gaider and co. like making money first and making RPGs second. Obviously something else takes precedence, as evidenced by changing the formula that was their biggest moneymaker and turning it from RPG into action adventure.
Decline of Bioware continues, they might be hitting rock bottom with Dragon Age 2. In short, it will be shit.
 

DalekFlay

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Laidlaw continues to insist on their forums that all these previews have the wrong idea and that the game is just like the first, only things happen quicker.

It's getting harder and harder to take that with a straight face, obviously.
 

Xor

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Jan 21, 2008
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Codex 2014 PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Divinity: Original Sin Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Divinity: Original Sin 2
I'm convinced this is EA's doing. Bioware actually tried to make RPGs before being bought out, even if they basically kept making the same game over and over.
 

Volourn

Pretty Princess
Pretty Princess Glory to Ukraine
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Messages
24,924
"Dragon Age: Press the A button."

Only need 1 button to beat FO or BG. *shrug*


"which was their best-selling game"

ME2 would argue with you. The games are pretty much neck and neck.
 

CraigCWB

Educated
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Apr 17, 2010
Messages
193
Volourn said:
"Dragon Age: Press the A button."

Only need 1 button to beat FO or BG. *shrug*

Where "FO" = Fallout, and "BG" = Baldur's Gate?

That's funny, because my recollection of them is that they were mouse-click games, not button-mash games. Did fallout even have hotkeys?
 

Xor

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Codex 2014 PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Divinity: Original Sin Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Divinity: Original Sin 2
In BG I used the space bar all the time to pause/unpause.

Fallout has several hotkeys but they aren't at all necessary because all interactions can be done through the interface with the mouse.
 

CraigCWB

Educated
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Messages
193
Xor said:
I'm convinced this is EA's doing. Bioware actually tried to make RPGs before being bought out, even if they basically kept making the same game over and over.

I'm going with ego and pride. They want to be famous. They want eleventy billion people to know who they are and what they've done, and they've convinced themselves that doing whatever they have to do to appeal to people who would have been just too damn stupid to have been able to muddle through their previous titles is a "moral" decision, rather than a sell-out of their creative and artistic principals. Add to that all the new hires who didn't even necessarily have any creative and artistic principals to begin with. What do you expect when even their own employees say it's too hard and too confusing, as several have done in interviews? You don't think they say the same thing around the office?
 

Volourn

Pretty Princess
Pretty Princess Glory to Ukraine
Joined
Mar 10, 2003
Messages
24,924
"That's funny, because my recollection of them is that they were mouse-click games, not button-mash games. Did fallout even have hotkeys?"

Mouse clicking is pretty much the same as button smashing. *shrug*
 

CraigCWB

Educated
Joined
Apr 17, 2010
Messages
193
Volourn said:
"That's funny, because my recollection of them is that they were mouse-click games, not button-mash games. Did fallout even have hotkeys?"

Mouse clicking is pretty much the same as button smashing. *shrug*

Oh. So, the combat in all games that have ever been made is pretty much the same. Good to know.
 

Chaud

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Jan 30, 2010
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CraigCWB said:
Oh. So, the combat in all games that have ever been made is pretty much the same. Good to know.

Are you seriously arguing with Volourn? :thumbsup:


And in topic, btw:
and while Origins seemed to place a lot of emphasis on carefully queuing up a chain of attacks (...) here the natural tendency is to get up in the enemy's face.

Carefully what? Oh, good to know - so it's even worse now. Nice.
 

PrettyDeadman

Guest
Volourn said:
"That's funny, because my recollection of them is that they were mouse-click games, not button-mash games. Did fallout even have hotkeys?"

Mouse clicking is pretty much the same as button smashing. *shrug*

I am sorry, Volourn, but in, say, BG2, you use your mouse to click literally hundreds of different buttons. Every spell has its personal button. Also, it is a thoughtfull clicking not just any senseless buttonmashing. So its not exactly the same. Actually its very different. It is a game experience of completely different level.
I mean, i may not be good at english, but even i do understand this simple truth..
 

PrettyDeadman

Guest
Jaesun said:
You are arguing with Volourn FFS. Talking to a brick will would be easier.
Two bricks talking makes a conversation. If that makes any sense.
I mean thats how we make jokes around here i dont know if a foreigner would find this funny.

Also I've read the urban dictionary article on volourn, so I am educated about the issue.
 

PrettyDeadman

Guest
I mean, I really have to agree that there is some serious decline going around here for the last couple of years.
 

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