Game News The Making of Dragon Age II

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: BioWare; Dragon Age 2

<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quS5iqyBHWA&amp;feature=player_embedded#!" target="_blank">Watch this video</a> to learn more about BioWare's take on storytelling, framed narrative, tough choices, romances and other important RPG elements in <strong>Dragon Age II</strong>.</p>
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<p>Spotted at: <a href="http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/101058-the-making-of-dragon-age-ii-part-two.html">GB</a></p>

 

[waywardOne]

new class introduced: rogue storyteller.

 

[shihonage]

Durr, I just submitted this video by mistake.

Looks like they're getting better at making movies, and worse at making games.

Whenever you break into cinematic cutscene, you're just letting me know that I've been railroaded all along. Same goes for temporal jumps - great for a movie, terrible for a game in which a player attempts to generate a localized narrative.

 

[Obsidian Squid]

I want to scalp David Gaider and wear it on my belt.

 

[Twinkle]

Looks like they're getting better at making movies, and worse at making games.

Except that even a CG movie needs solid script, quality graphics and good animations. None to be found in DA2 promo material.

Same goes for temporal jumps

I'd bet it's just a cheap trick to justify content reuse in the eyes of fanboys.

 

[CrunchyHemorrhoids]

In theory, the "temporal jumps" could be a great way to show off the long-lasting consequences to your actions. In practice however Bio is only doing "temporal jumps" because they believe they can tell a better story that way- DA1 had a mediocre story for such a long game.

There will be nothing about the consequences in DA2 that couldn't be written without temporal jumps, furthermore the act of skipping years in the narrative, letting your character have a life of his own you're uninvolved with is further going to reinforce the notion that it's not really your character there, that's Commander Hawke, Hero of Dorkwall and you're just a spectator along for the ride.

 

[shihonage]

There will be nothing about the consequences in DA2 that couldn't be written without temporal jumps, furthermore the act of skipping years in the narrative, letting your character have a life of his own you're uninvolved with is further going to reinforce the notion that it's not really your character there, that's Commander Hawke, Hero of Dorkwall and you're just a spectator along for the ride.

Ding, that's exactly what I was trying to put into words. These fastforwards will serve as another instrument of player alienation. I feel alienated by most games today because of this constant intrusion of developer's heavy-handed "storytelling".

I mean, even Doom, a linear game, and not an RPG, allowed the player some localized narrative, some freedom of movement within the constraints of its levels. Today's Doom is Call of Duty, where the only direction is forward. If you're not moving forward, you're doing the wrong thing.

I bet in Dragon Age 2 the game will take away control and show you deliver a final blow to Mighty Villain, thus making it not really you, and also letting you know explicitly that you stepped on another trigger.

You're not making a difference in a dying world, fighting evil against all odds. You're merely doing what is inevitably expected of you. We got the cutscenes and the slow-mo ready, waiting to be sprung onto the screen! Go on now, prince - everyone's waiting!

The most horrible offender here was Assassin's Creed, which let you know all that in direct text. All this already happened, and you're just a rat in a lab that we'll make run through a series of motions. Do well, rat!

Talk about immersion killer.

 

[Pika-Cthulhu]

Looks like they're getting better at making movies, and worse at making games.

Whenever you break into cinematic cutscene, you're just letting me know that I've been railroaded all along. Same goes for temporal jumps - great for a movie, terrible for a game in which a player attempts to generate a localized narrative.

They need to add a button to the eksbawks, every time a cutscene appears, you press the button to deliver popcorn.

 

[Obsidian Squid]

Looks like they're getting better at making movies, and worse at making games.

Whenever you break into cinematic cutscene, you're just letting me know that I've been railroaded all along. Same goes for temporal jumps - great for a movie, terrible for a game in which a player attempts to generate a localized narrative.

They need to add a button to the eksbawks, every time a cutscene appears, you press the button to deliver popcorn.

Now that's an idea!

 

[circ]

Gaider's head looks so fucking weird.

CONSEQUENCES

HARD CHOICES

All I saw was the same shitty 3D engine as DAO with its lifeless and badly animated zombie characters.

Also, clearly free soda for everyone at game studios should be changed to free gym passes for everyone.

And in closing - "blubblub Bioware...always interested in evolution." - D. Gaider

REALLY GAIDER? I CAN'T SEE THE EVOLUTION. But I like whoever did Hawke's voice. IF ONLY THE FACE ACTUALLY CONVEYED SOME FUCKING EMOTION.