Jump to content

Dragon Age II


Recommended Posts

I got DA:O Ultimate Edition just there :D

 

Still pisses me off I have to have the DVD in the drive though. I mean I typed in a code to activate the damn thing and its all installed on my PC :/

 

Actually if you don't mind linking your serial to your EA account via EA Download manager you can pretty much have it digitally without you ever putting the CD in. It works pretty much for most currently released EA games. You will need EA Download Manager installed and be willing to download whatever filesize the game is (usually between 2-8GB) and make sure that the drive you install isn't something like FAT32 as it won't initiate then :). It does render your retail copy pretty useless and you'd have to uninstall before proceeding with this.

 

Games that currently don't work registering with EADM are the first Mass Effect (2 is fine). I think Spore too, the incompatibility is mostly to do with serial keys being of a different string length and older system.. Most older games work and they're planning on bringing support for most games via that service. Wish they'd just steam it already but they do want to pimp their service (which isn't even required after the game installs). Handy if you want to keep your disc drives free.

 

 

 

As for today's Demo it's going to be slow going on the network. Not to mention for those interested Shogun 2's Demo is up on steam as well today.

 

I LOVE YOU. I can still use the code again for the EA DM??? This is so great!

 

Yeah I'd registered Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age on bioware's social thing (and with EA's site too I believe) before and then just entered the product key again in EADM back in December and it worked fine. Apparently EA's trying to help out in case you do lose your discs but have the keys. I just wish all their games are supported because it's quite handy (since they're still being douchebags about steamworks).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had to use several health potions during the ogre fight, if that's what you're talking about, but it didn't actually kill me, or really even threaten to once I'd cleared out all the little guys.

 

Also the ogre isn't the end.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had to use several health potions during the ogre fight, if that's what you're talking about, but it didn't actually kill me, or really even threaten to once I'd cleared out all the little guys.

 

Also the ogre isn't the end.

Yeah, Ogre gave me a hard time but it was easy once I started killing the small ones first.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, the combat is not as bad as I expected; it's a little too over the top, but I could live with it. I also don't like the new art direction, but again, I could live with it. What really kills it for me is that they completely nerfed the companion inventory system and made the "morality" system so much more obvious, combined with the fact that so much of the other stuff is "I don't like it, but I could live with it."

 

Basically, they crapped up (whether mildly in the case of combat, or severely in the case of inventory) everything I liked about DA:O, without adding anything in to make up for it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I tried the demo and I honestly don't see what it is everyone is complaining about. It feels quite similar to DA:O to me, at least where combat is concerned. The only thing I miss is the overhead camera angle.

Frankly I don't know why anyone ever expected it to be drastically different from the first one.

 

It's a sequel and one that is coming pretty quickly considering how much content these games have so it's not like they could've written a whole new engine or anything.

 

The only thing that still bugs me slightly is the change in art style. When Flemeth showed up in the demo, I had difficulties believing it was the same woman I met in DAO. But that really has no bearing on whether it'll be a good game or not.

 

I also miss the tactical overhead camera, but I hardly ever used it, so in my opinion it's no great loss.

I'm willing to lose that if it means prettier indoor environments.

 

 

Yeah, auto-attack makes it SO MUCH better on PC. Too bad it won't let me use my 360 pad with it though. :(

Why would you use a gamepad on the PC version, though? For a game like this, wouldn't a keyboard and mouse feel infinitely more natural?

 

I mean, in my opinion this is a game better enjoyed on the PC so I get why you would go for that version, but if you'd rather use a gamepad than a keyboard, then you probably should stick with the console version. At least that way the interface will have been designed around the gamepad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The demo was a lot better than I thought it would be.

 

Unfortunately, the conversation options seemed to do crap-all as they didn't really have much holding in the demo other than eliciting responses.

 

The combat is more enjoyable for me this time around, though it is quite irritating to use a multitude of skill flourishes only to spend the next 30 seconds hacking away at the enemy for tiny, tiny chunks of their health, rinse, repeat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Frankly I don't know why anyone ever expected it to be drastically different from the first one.

I imagine it has something to do with the fact that Bioware has been making a big deal about how drastically different, more "action oriented" and "streamlined", the gameplay is. Could be wrong though.

 

Yeah, auto-attack makes it SO MUCH better on PC. Too bad it won't let me use my 360 pad with it though. :(

Why would you use a gamepad on the PC version, though? For a game like this, wouldn't a keyboard and mouse feel infinitely more natural?

 

I mean, in my opinion this is a game better enjoyed on the PC so I get why you would go for that version, but if you'd rather use a gamepad than a keyboard, then you probably should stick with the console version. At least that way the interface will have been designed around the gamepad.

Console versions don't support auto attack, which is a deal-breaker. It means combat is A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-X-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A etc. It's just ridiculously tedious to sit there and hit one button over and over and over.

 

Also, many multiplatform releases auto-detect you using a 360 pad and automatically adopt the 360-type interface to account for that.

 

However, after making my initial post I found the "auto attack nearest enemy" button, which is the main feature I wanted out of the gamepad control style, so I'm good now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unfortunately, the conversation options seemed to do crap-all as they didn't really have much holding in the demo other than eliciting responses.

 

They do affect the relationships between the different characters. It can be hard to see at times, but it's there.

 

I've completed the demo as both a Warrior and Rogue so far, haven't finished it with Mage yet. I'm VERY pleased with Rogue combat in DA2 - melee rogues were horribly boring in DA:O, as your combat consisted of trying to get behind enemies to do backstabs over and over. And even then, their damage paled in comparison to bow rogues. It's a lot more fun and engaging this time around.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I loved the demo. The animation is tons better this time around and i actually like the art style.

flemeth does look too much like a comic book villainess though, but its no big deal. Reminds me of mom from futurama actually. Haha.

 

The fighting is tons more fun and as a rogue, a lot more intersting to watch.

i know im a heathen for saying this, but it plays like i wanted the first one to play.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a lot more engaging now, and I personally love how minimalistic the UI is.

 

I dislike the UI. Upgrading skills is more fiddly than it needs to be and the whole look of it just looks like they were trying to map an App or something. High Fantasy games should have a high fantasy aesthetic. Same as you load up a sci-fi RPG you don't expect wood carving UI n swirly magical particle effects stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think im the console gamer pc gamers specifically hate.

 

My bad, bros.

 

We don't hate you! :unsure:

 

Seriously though. I can understand why people might prefer the changes over the original. We all have different tastes after all. It's just that we expected Dragon Age to be a series for the old Bioware/CRPG fans but they've changed it to cater to console gamers. I just wish they didn't have to disappoint PC gamers just to make console gamers happy, ya know?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[Flemeth] Reminds me of mom from futurama actually. Haha.

That was EXACTLY what I thought.

 

Dragon Age: Origins was great, sure, but the combat was atrocious.

The combat style was my favorite thing about DA:O (thought I liked basically everything about it), so I was pleasantly surprised by how little the combat changed after all the "action oriented" hype. I don't like the new animations though. While they're higher fidelity, they're too fast and over the top.

 

Seriously though. I can understand why people might prefer the changes over the original. We all have different tastes after all. It's just that we expected Dragon Age to be a series for the old Bioware/CRPG fans but they've changed it to cater to console gamers. I just wish they didn't have to disappoint PC gamers just to make console gamers happy, ya know?

This kind of generalization about "console gamers" irks me. Until recently I was primarily a console game (I've recently relapsed back into PC), and I very much preferred everything about DA:O over what they've done in DA2.

 

Based on the demo, I would pay probably around $30 for DA2. If DA:O had been like this then I probably would have liked it okay, but I wouldn't have loved it like I did, and as is DA2 is just a big step backward in every way that matters (to me).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...