Preview IGN previews Dragon Age

[Shevek]

I didnt say I wanted a simple explanation but if thats all you can muster it will have to do. By comparison, didnt you find KoTOR's skill system infinately more pointless? Since 3E came out, Ive felt rather lukewarm over the implementation of skills in the system. Similarly, its class system was extremely limited and boring as well - considerably less interesting to me than Arcanum, that's for sure. To each his own, I guess.

 

[Volourn]

"Announce a sci-fi CRPG built on the concept of freeform planetary exploration with multiple story arcs, skills based/classless character system that's not d20, turn based tactical ship to ship combat as well as squad level turn based combat for both boarding and planetside combat, with an interstellar trade model - I'll have your love child."

I'll hold Saint to this. Mr. gaider, get crackin'. :D

 

[Thorndyke]

It's one thing to presume that Carsten Strahse's Silver Style's The Fall is going to suck, based on their previous efforts, but seriously folks, how can you doubt Bioware's ability to produce at least a good game

You kinda answered your own question. I don't have any faith in Bioware for the same reason I don't give a damn about Silver Style's creative stillborn The Fall: ALL of their previous titles completely failed to entertain me in the slightest.

I just don't have a reason to believe Dragon Age will be any different from such traumas like BG2 or NWN, especially not when they even admit DA will be stitched together from parts of these games.

I guess dumping on Bioware is all the rage these days.

For a good reason! :wink:

 

[Sol Invictus]

BG2 wasn't a trauma for me. I didn't much like the combat (as I've stated before) but the game certainly had identity, and most importantly I had fun with it. Can't say the same for NWN though. If there's one thing you can expect Bioware games to deliver it's those interesting characters which you can even quote.

Meatbags!

 

[Anonymous]

The quotes suck, though.

 

[taks]

Troika has some brilliant folks who have worked on some brilliant games.

then what the hell happened?
taks

 

[Thorndyke]

If there's one thing you can expect Bioware games to deliver it's those interesting characters which you can even quote.

Oh god, I hope you're kidding. Minsc and Imoen still haunt my dreams.

 

[worsie]

I think Bio has always made good games and interesting NPCs. At least better than any other RPG developer that I am aware of.

I enjoyed all their games that I have played, although I did not play every single one.

The fact that DA will have components from NWN, BG and KOTOR does not mean that is is "stitched together", but hopefully that they have taken the good parts from each game and create a new, better one.

Reading what Maximus says on nwvault.ign.com, gives me hope that that is exactly what they have done:

Different SP + MP campaigns
Full (upto 4 or 6) party fully controllable or AI controllable - your choice
Z-axis - levitations
toolset
different PC views - maybe even First Person as option
Detailed models and animation
NOT DnD (thank God)

What is not to like?

 

[Vault Dweller]

Sigh. I just hope you all know that Spazmo and Vault Dweller do NOT speak for all of the Codex staff.

Hahaha! Fool!!! We are the Codex, for we are the Unity! Bow to us! Muhahaha! :twisted:

Heck, both Saint and I enjoyed KOTOR, for what it's worth. It might have not been the best game ever, or even the best RPG....

It might have not even been an RPG

ever but I'll damn well say that it was a much more polish game than TOEE turned out to be.

No, it wasn't Polish, it was Canadian :wink:

I won't even bring Arcanum into this. It had a good story (according to some), but I wouldn't know that - I couldn't bear the combat or the horrible character system to play it for more than a day.

You missed out on one of the best RPGs out there. The combat was bad though.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Reading what Maximus says on nwvault.ign.com, gives me hope that that is exactly what they have done:

Different SP + MP campaigns
Full (upto 4 or 6) party fully controllable or AI controllable - your choice
Z-axis - levitations
toolset
different PC views - maybe even First Person as option
Detailed models and animation
NOT DnD (thank God)

What is not to like?

I don't see a single RPG feature on that list.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Reading what Maximus says on nwvault.ign.com, gives me hope that that is exactly what they have done:

Different SP + MP campaigns
Full (upto 4 or 6) party fully controllable or AI controllable - your choice
Z-axis - levitations
toolset
different PC views - maybe even First Person as option
Detailed models and animation
NOT DnD (thank God)

What is not to like?

I'm not a huge fan of party CRPGs because they tend to enforce a balanced party aspect, meaning you have to have the typical build to get through them. A few tanks, a healer, a spell flinger, and a trap tripper. So, other than good and evil, how much replay is there? Not much.

I also don't like the idea of NPCs that are actually NPCs. I can deal with it in a dungeon crawler, where the whole point is tactical combat. However, if they're supposed to be NPCs with personas and such, why the hell can I order them to do things? Never a big fan of things like that.

And honestly, while I'm on the subject, BioWare's party stuff often annoys me to no end. I really detest when an "N"PC stops and tries to tell me some trivial bit of fluff to establish some bit of his/her background while I'm busy doing something important. You could be carrying the last piece of the Ultimate Sword of Righteous Mayhem to the Forge of Horfrig's Ultimate Glory, and one of your "N"PCs will stop to tell you that they're afraid of spiders or something similar. Who fucking cares?

Even when there is some relevence later on, it's the timing of the events that's always bothered me. I mean, I'm busting through some wicked evil here, and I'm getting interrupted often at fairly key moments of what I'm doing for this stuff. I have a moderate amount of suspence built up here, and some git in my party wants to tell me they don't like being alone because of something in their childhood or something similar. It makes me want to chop them up in to tiny pieces with my +43 Axe of Doom.

 

[Whipporowill]

I liked the BG games very much, but there were some elements in them I didn't care much for. Some over the top characters (such as Minsc, although he was a success since he inspired feeling in me as a player - Annoyance!) - and the lack of characters actually fulfilling their given orders in the RT combat. Still I prefer the graphics, the feel and the combat of the Inifinity engine games to NWN. It lacked that certain polish that made me look past BG's glaring flaws. KOTOR was superior to NWN as well, since it really made me WANT to play the game to see what happened next - playing with force powers was pretty cool, and hey... I wanted to be a jedi since I was 5 years old, no matter how crappy Lucas new take on the Star Wars universe may be. But calling KOTOR's combat tactical just made me laugh. The control scheme was pretty lousy as well, there weren't that many choices actually.

So hey, I got no beef with Bio. I enjoy their games, but I sure would hope for some more originality in some cases (Jade Empire seems a step in the right direction actually) and more rpg rules instead for the rpg light thing they seem to have going for them.

 

[Anonymous]

Oddly enough, i've disliked all their games, but still managed to like Minsc.

 

[Voss]

If there's one thing you can expect Bioware games to deliver it's those interesting characters which you can even quote.

Oh god, I hope you're kidding. Minsc and Imoen still haunt my dreams.

Well, if nothing else, you have to admit they're memorable NPCs.

 

[StraitLacedDeviant]

I liked the interaction between keldorn (Is that the old paladin guy) and valygar about honour and such. I think those two characters were two of the things I enjoyed the most about bg 2. I killed aerie, when no one was looking, that was lots of fun.

 

[Andhaira]

Al"though set against a traditional fantasy backdrop, BioWare is hoping to do something a little different with Dragon Age, and the world won't be inhabited by Dwarves, Elves and Halflings -- although it will be filled with Dwarf-like, Elf-like and Halfling-like races"

hey Volourn you cocksucker, is this proof enough for you?? There were never supposed to be elves in Dragon Age!

 

[zerotol]

Btw whos cock did he suck ? Questions Questions Questions!!

 

[Volourn]

"though set against a traditional fantasy backdrop, BioWare is hoping to do something a little different with Dragon Age, and the world won't be inhabited by Dwarves, Elves and Halflings -- although it will be filled with Dwarf-like, Elf-like and Halfling-like races"

hey Volourn you cocksucker, is this proof enough for you?? There were never supposed to be elves in Dragon Age!"

Nope. Because the DA elves aren't 100% like the elves we know. Nice try, though.

And, also, SPAM.

 

[zerotol]

Nope. Because the DA elves aren't 100% like the elves we know. Nice try, though.

Its like the black people,they are diffirent then white people so u sir are a racist. i call upon defjam to sort you out.

 

[Volourn]

That cumback doesn't even make sense.

 

[Azrael the cat]

My God. Volourn and Gaider have been together for 4 years now? I thought they were still in that '2 months and everything is so in love' phase!

 

[Serus]

If there's one thing you can expect Bioware games to deliver it's those interesting characters which you can even quote.

Oh god, I hope you're kidding. Minsc and Imoen still haunt my dreams.

Imoen, Jaheira, Aerie to name only a few were terrible. Some others had a few memorable quotes but calling Bioware characters "interesting" ? :shock: