Game News Desslock – Decline of Gaming and Dragon Age II

[Volourn]

"forced even on magicproof dwarfa people."

Dwarves aren't magicproof moran. You obviously didn't fukkin' play the game.

 

[Twinkle]

fade trip, forced even on magicproof dwarfa people

Dwarf people? Ha! How about golems?

 

[sea]

Thoughts on Dragon Age: it was a good game with a lot of flaws, mostly filler combat, a crap story with mostly boring/fanservice characters, and while it tried to pull off some reasonable choice and consequence, it didn't go far enough. Also suffered from a rather rigid class system, which pretty much forced MMO archetypes in everything but mages. It was a solid attempt and I can see why some dislike it, but I've never really got those who think it's terrible, and I think the developers at least deserve some credit for trying to release basically a mass market-oriented tactical CRPG in 2009.

Btw.: Is it worth upping the difficulty in DA:O to hard? If it's just more hitpoints on enemies I'll pass.
Also what's about those tactics slots? Somehow my party members don't seem to care a lot about them...

Playing on nightmare honestly makes it a lot more fun. Rather than turning enemies into huge HP tanks, it seems like they use their abilities a lot better and generally put out more damage. Cheese tactics don't work too well and you have to have a wider variety of approaches to be successful, for example using glyphs to hold off choke points, luring enemies into traps, etc. You can still probably get through with an uber-perfect party, but there is a definite incline in the strategy required and the sense of accomplishment. Still doesn't change the shit story and whatnot, but there's good parts along with the combat (Orzammar, the Broken Circle and Redcliffe questline interactions, etc.).

 

[sser]

Nightmare is the only way to play it IMO.

 

[Hysael]

Playing on nightmare honestly makes it a lot more fun. Rather than turning enemies into huge HP tanks, it seems like they use their abilities a lot better and generally put out more damage.

Totally agree with that. It's the only difficulty where there's challenge for experienced cRPG gamers and still the encounters are well balanced overall.
In contrary of DA2 where the nightmare difficulty is just plain stupid, totally imbalanced and very frustrating.
One of the many differences that makes DA:O a very good game and DA2 a failed one imo.

 

[Gord]

Maybe I'll try harder difficulty then. Certainly does seem to make some abilities useful.

So far (I'm still not far in, Circle of Mages to get help for the boy in Redcliffe) I'd say it's definitely not as bad as some comments would make you think, but it's got its flaws (character system feels a bit half-assed, a tad too many mob fights between some good ones).

Story and NPCs are (Bioware-)cliché, yes, but I've almost given up on hoping for more than a couple of gems that do it differently, esp. in the mainstream. But to be honest, I can live with that.
Also some remarks from Alistair and Morrigan are quite funny at times.

I'll see how the game keeps itself over time. Even if I end up disliking it in the end, I don't care much at the price I paid for it.

 

[Commissar Draco]

fade trip, forced even on magicproof dwarfa people

Dwarf people? Ha! How about golems?

Do Golems dream? Anyway forcing entire party of badasses including powerfull mages, davrfes and yes golem etc... full of adrenaline who slughtered tons of abomination, rogue mages and demons five minutes earlier into fade geydar ex machina only becouse of scripted trigger is not only moronic it's cheap. Blakmail me to hop in by throwing in kittens first, entice me by promising me untold riches or 72 virgins or just give me damn failed willpower test. As I'm asking to much in RPG? M:

 

[sea]

Story and NPCs are (Bioware-)cliché, yes, but I've almost given up on hoping for more than a couple of gems that do it differently, esp. in the mainstream. But to be honest, I can live with that.
Also some remarks from Alistair and Morrigan are quite funny at times.

There are some good characters. I think Sten is one of the better characters I've seen in an RPG in a long time and doesn't really have a forced, overwrought kind of character arc, Shale is fun if a little shallow and maybe even predictable, and Morrigan ends up being... really weird and unexpectedly PMSy if you follower her romance path. Ogrhen also gets some points for being mostly hilarious. The "secret companion" also would have been really cool if you didn't get him so late in the game. Too may pretty-boy whiners and Obvious Love Interests, but the few unique ones do actually stand out for the right reasons.

 

[Volourn]

" Ogrhen also gets some points for being mostly hilarious. "

Moran.

 

[The Ninth Circle]

Desslock is part of the decline of gaming.

/thread