Now Installing DA:O Awakening, way to go Target!

[Arcanoix]

Target released the game early. Call to make sure they have it. For those in the Northeast Ohio area, Howe Ave. Target has it. Bought mine about an hour ago.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Why would anyone want to play more Dragon Age?

 

[Overweight Manatee]

Start a torrent on piratebay faggot.

 

[Sceptic]

Why would anyone want to play more Dragon Age?

Didn't VD praise the hell out of it?

 

[Darth Roxor]

Why would anyone want to play more Dragon Age?

Didn't VD praise the hell out of it?

Yeah, and FO3 is good for what it is

I'd say the Gamebanshee review is the most spot-on.

 

[relootz]

I also bought the game. At a considerable discount. Piratebay really have some great deals lately

 

[DriacKin]

I still don't get how VD liked the game so much. It has far less C&C than his review would lead you to believe, far shittier dialogue, and the filler combat is just too plentiful and painful to make the few good combat encounters actually worth it.

 

[Lesifoere]

But it has philosophically deep dialogue, you see.

 

[KalosKagathos]

But it has philosophically deep dialogue, you see.

In the absence of light, shadows thrive.

 

[denizsi]

They should at least make the PC voiced like Shepard. With so much one-liner bullshit in dialogue, acted out lines would at least bring some corny entertainment to break the dullness.

Then again, there's the diabolically incongruous unity of VA and character animations in BW games. Strong laughter/scream/crying coupled with sticky robotic animation that makes the characters look like dolls with speakers. So next-gen.

Anyway, the following site supposedly gives Awakening free for eligible countries:
http://www.downloaddaoa.com

 

[Sceptic]

I still don't get how VD liked the game so much. It has far less C&C than his review would lead you to believe, far shittier dialogue, and the filler combat is just too plentiful and painful to make the few good combat encounters actually worth it.

He probably wanted to balance out some of the unwarranted criticisms the Codex was throwing at it, same as when he slammed Oblivion to balance out all the praise it was getting everywhere. Unfortunately it ended up being just that - a big "fuck you" to the Codex at the price of some gross inaccuracies in order to promote the game's "C&C" (he devoted a huge part of the review to the wonderful choices and consequences you get in Redcliffe Castle but conveniently forgot to mention that there is exactly ONE consequence no matter what you do). The game is full of things that look like they will have consequences then don't.

 

[denizsi]

There are some C&Cs that are a little more than just cosmetic fluff, but they are so trivial, so gimmicky, I can't imagine one giving a fuck either way, and they can be negated through other means.

 

[Sòren]

Stupid game, full of boring dungeons.

 

[The Ninth Circle]

I still don't get how VD liked the game so much. It has far less C&C than his review would lead you to believe, far shittier dialogue, and the filler combat is just too plentiful and painful to make the few good combat encounters actually worth it.

He probably wanted to balance out some of the unwarranted criticisms the Codex was throwing at it, same as when he slammed Oblivion to balance out all the praise it was getting everywhere. Unfortunately it ended up being just that - a big "fuck you" to the Codex at the price of some gross inaccuracies in order to promote the game's "C&C" (he devoted a huge part of the review to the wonderful choices and consequences you get in Redcliffe Castle but conveniently forgot to mention that there is exactly ONE consequence no matter what you do). The game is full of things that look like they will have consequences then don't.

Sometimes the perception of choices gives an air of enigma to an otherwise fairly linear quest. Granted, there are different ways to accomplish that portion of the game but with no real consequences for which you choose. I thought the elves vs. werewolves portion was well done given there are three different solutions. The major downside to the entire game is that all of your decisions basically determine which armies choose to fight with you in the ending battle. That's it.

 

[Mangoose]

Yeah that's the thing. Playing through the game, at first you start thinking there is a lot of choice due to the multiple Origins, and then as you play more you get some choices (Elves vs werewolves, Redcliffe) that seem to have consequence. It's not until past midway once you get into the Derp Roads that you realize your expectations are getting shot and are dead by the end of the game.

 

[Sceptic]

No, the major downside (aside from combat of course) is in two parts (related but not the same): a) too much "THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES" warnings that never lead to anything, and b) there is almost always a third option that leads to everyone lived happily ever after. Redcliffe is an excellent example of both: you get the choice to either sacrifice the mother or kill the child... or go to the Circle and everyone lives. There is no reason not to go to the Circle unless you're a huge dick (or unless you've already sided with the Templars, but again there's no reason to do this unless you're a huge dick...). Regardless, the outcome is exactly the same: you then have to go get the ashes and the Arl will help you. The boy and the wife are never mentioned again, the memory of their loss doesn't affect the Arl's performance, the fact you killed HIS CHILD even though you KNEW there were other options doesn't faze him and he still supports your plan... it's just plain laziness. The same happens again if you enter the fade to rescue the kid: you can either kill the succubus (desire demon lol) or make a deal with her (bad for the kid)... or force her to give you what you want AND leave the boy's mind alone. You can side with the werewolves or the elves... OR make both happy. And so on. For a game that was hyped to death as "mature" and with "no clear good choices" it's fucking full of painfully obvious optimal choices.

The origins themselves are the ur-example of this shit. The rest of the game plays EXACTLY the same regardless of which origin you pick. You get minor flavor dialog and that's it. No unique quests, no unique content, no unique anything. Even ME1's background had more tangilble effects on the mid-game than the origins, at least in ME1 you got a stupidly short sidequest based on your background. Rather than elaborate on this Bioware went backwards and made the origin completely irrelevant once you get to Ostagar.

 

[HanoverF]

Why would anyone want to pay to play more Dragon Age?

fify

 

[Volourn]

"There are some C&Cs that are a little more than just cosmetic fluff, but they are so trivial, so gimmicky, I can't imagine one giving a fuck either way, and they can be negated through other means.
_________________"

Bullshit.



"rest of the game plays EXACTLY the same regardless of which origin you pick. You get minor flavor dialog and that's it. "

How did you fuckin' manage to contradict yourself in back to back sentences. YOU FUCKED UP. YOU FUCKED UP. YOU FUCKED UP.

 

[Sceptic]

"rest of the game plays EXACTLY the same regardless of which origin you pick. You get minor flavor dialog and that's it. "

How did you fuckin' manage to contradict yourself in back to back sentences. YOU FUCKED UP. YOU FUCKED UP. YOU FUCKED UP.

FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS FFS

Also, moaran.

 

[sirfink]

Yeah that's the thing. Playing through the game, at first you start thinking there is a lot of choice due to the multiple Origins, and then as you play more you get some choices (Elves vs werewolves, Redcliffe) that seem to have consequence. It's not until past midway once you get into the Derp Roads that you realize your expectations are getting shot and are dead by the end of the game.

That, and most of the choices are typical corny Bioware moral bullshit that, maybe an 11-year-old would find deep and thought-provoking.

 

[denizsi]

If only what order you solved the 4X quests mattered and factored into the remaining ones. When I first heard about the SHTF in the Circle and Arl Eamon's sickness in Lothering, I so hoped, with all the empty praise and all, that which you did first would matter, as both sounded urgent enough.

"There are some C&Cs that are a little more than just cosmetic fluff, but they are so trivial, so gimmicky, I can't imagine one giving a fuck either way, and they can be negated through other means.
_________________"

Bullshit.

If there's anything more fluff than C&Cs in DAO, it's you, Volly hon.

 

[Marquess Cornwallis]

My main impression from DA:O (which I thought was an ok game) was bewilderment with how easily it could be improved without any substantial changes to the concept (the fact that I'm not overly partial to that concept is beside the point).

The way it is, DA suffers from "quantity over quality" (filler combat, MMO-style bulletin board quests, the blood gimmick) approach and the fact that many design decisions directly contradict each other (hours of unavoidable combat areas vs. potential replayability encouraged by different origins and multiple quest solutions, focus on party member ineraction vs. how easy it is to make everyone happy at all times, the unnecessary "blight" plot device suggesting urgency that works directly against how the main plot is built, etc.).

When it comes to VD's review, he's been consistent on this. There is a certain type of quest/plot design ("choices & consequences") he finds central to his idea of what makes an RPG enjoyable and he has stuck with it throughout his reviews as well as in his own game (from what he's shown of it so far).
I find this element nowhere near as important as he does and I personally rate most of the games he praised in this respect (Arcanum, Prelude to Darkness, The Witcher, Fallout 3, etc.) much lower than he does, but that doesn't mean I can't see his point.
(If anything, I was surprised he could still enjoy FO3 "for what it was" after identifying pretty much every reason which made the game horrible for me in his review.)

 

[Volourn]

Sceptic belongs in his tank.

You calim the game is EXACTLY the SAME then proceed to say you get flavour text. That ALONE means the game isn't exactly the same throughout. Fuckin' dumbass.

 

[Black]

I still don't get how VD liked the game so much. It has far less C&C than his review would lead you to believe, far shittier dialogue, and the filler combat is just too plentiful and painful to make the few good combat encounters actually worth it.

Best RPG since Arcanum. Believe it.

In the absence of light, shadows thrive.

This is still stupid as hell, there are no shadows if there is no light.

Volly, stop the truth, start the bullshit.

 

[MetalCraze]

BULLSHIT