To me this game paled in comparison to the original but still a huge fan of the series and will definitely scoop up any dlc.
Bumpedy bump.
So I'm finally playing this now (got it as an early bday present), and after a gruelling campaign of playing Origins and the DLC (seriously, **** you Golems of Amgarrak), I managed to import a save in to DA2 that had all my decisions saved.
So far, I'm liking it, but I'm considering nabbing some DLC for it.
Are there any "must haves" DLC wise?
From what I've seen so far:
Pros:
-Fun combat mechanics. Magic abilities look impressive, and no matter what class you play, you feel like a badass, which imo is important.
-The characters actually have layers to them. I didn't expect to care about Aveline or Isabela or Merille (though I still can't listen to her without seeing the girl from Torchwood, dat welsh accent etc), and yet it's done so subtly and so well that even a facial expression makes you think twice.
-Melee combat as a mage. It might be simply executed and have almost no variety, but being able to whack someone in the head with a staff is great imo.
-The general plot, while not very epic imo, is well-enough written that it's entertaining.
-Varric. As good as any Dragon Age companion imo.
Now, the cons:
-Everything is streamlined as ****. There's only one type of health and mana potion. You only get to choose your PC's armor; your companions just get "upgrades". They can still equip any weapons/pendants/rings though.
-Repetitive environments. I have to go to the Wounded Coast again? Really? That's what, four times now? I've played MMOs. I'm a veteran of the "get all the side quests, then do them 3-4 at a time as they all happen in the same place" system. In this game, it doesn't work like that; it's kept separate to keep you going back.
-Can only play as a human. I get that for the purposes of the story that it's how it has to be, but they should have made the story accommodate such things imo.
But yeah, so far it's fun. I'm enjoying it. Also, Isabela's rack... Holy crap[/caveman moment].
Yeah, the repetitive environments is a major weakness of the game. If they were all varied, I think the game would get much less flak.
PR is right the characters are top notch. The story as well in my opinion. It's not epic as Origins but there is a lot of mystery and intrigue in the game that make a much different experience than Origins. But it's still good.
I like how the game is not epic. Why does every RPG need to be epic in scope? It works because the characters are well done and I really enjoyed the scope of the story. Having it take place over years is a very cool idea and could of opened a few interesting twists in the plot.
But it was executed incorrectly. To make a story feel worthwhile and that your decisions affect the world, the world needs to change. During the story, Kirkwell goes through a lot of shit but the world is exactly the same. That homeless elf is still in the same spot, the banners are exactly the same, the houses are all the same.
What they should of done is changed the environments to reflect what you have done. If you killed somebody during a story element, maybe have a few crosses where he fell. If a building burns down, have a different shack there. If you let somebody live and let somebody die, reflect that in the atmosphere. Big wasted potential in my opinion.
Overall, it's a good game, it's just not as good as Origins and it was a big let down because Bioware makes very good games. But I understood what they were doing and I'm happy they tried something different.
Agreed.
Just got to the deep roads. lol Sandal.
One thing that I'm still undecided about is the actual format of the combat. They've taken away almost all of the tactical elements of the original game (I rarely need to switch characters mid-battle), and at the same time, enemies come in waves, rather than being all on the field at the start.
I don't like the waves thing, but getting to just "be" my character and not have to always bring at least 1 tank, 1 mage and 1 rogue, that flexibility, is a nice thing to have.
Originally posted by Tzeentch._
I really, really wish they'd let you play as the other races. Even though the changes between races in Origins was marginal, it added a unique taste to the game. Plus, the human noble origin was the most boring of the bunch.
I don't agree that it was boring, but I suppose I would say that it was the least exotic of the bunch.
Originally posted by Smasandian
Yeah, there is a lot of issues with DA2. I forgot about the "wave" thingy. That was pretty dumb.Not playing as another race was kind of lame as well but I understand why they only let you play as a human.
Yeah, agreed. Say what you will about Origins, but I liked the idea that I'd come across a darkspawn force, and have to plan my tactics accordingly. I think that, while the DA2 system is simpler and more "lol he's on fire" in the sense of enjoyment, there's less fulfilment in it than there was in Origins, watching your finely set tactics come together and obliterate the enemy.
Originally posted by KingD19
One thing that really miffed me was that awesome trailer for the fight between Mage Hawke and the Arishok. And he does that cool demon arm spell at the end. And then that spell isn't even in the game.
He does something similar in a cutscene I think, but yeah, I haven't seen it actually usable in the game; it's not on any of the mage trees that I've seen so far.
Originally posted by -Pr-
He does something similar in a cutscene I think, but yeah, I haven't seen it actually usable in the game; it's not on any of the mage trees that I've seen so far.
Yeah. As Mage Hawke I think you use it the first time you fight Darkspawn. Against that Ogre. But I've gotten every Mage power. And it's none of them.
Yeah. I know someone modded Crushing Prison to try to add the effect, but that's all I've seen of it.
So I was wrong earlier; apparently you can stack quests for the same area and then do them all at the same time. Man, that saved me so much time (I started again after grabbing some Exiled Prince and Item Pack DLC).