Dragon Age 3: Inquisition

[Carabas]

It looks very different. The last two game also look different from each other too. The last game has a cartoonish look to it, but that game didn't have realistic textures

There was a largeish stylistic change between DA Origins and DA 2. This however is in the same style as DA 2. Did you actually play DA 2 or just complain about it?

Although I should say the bad cartoony design in this game only seems to really be there for stuff like armor and weapons.

Just like last time you mean?

The hub elements also fit better into the game in before, you didn't have bright neon green health bars in Dragon Age 2.

Fine, they were bright red and yellow and blue last time.

The character portraits next to the life bars also looked like your characters in the game; in this game they don't, now they're a cartoony style that doesn't quite look like anything in the game, and looks nothing at all like your character.

What on earth are you talking about?

[simbob4000]

There was a largeish stylistic change between DA Origins and DA 2. This however is in the same style as DA 2. Did you actually play DA 2 or just complain about it?

I played Dragon Age 2, the whole terrible game. It doesn't look like this game at all. DA2 doesn't have anything that could be confused for realistic textures, and the design of costumes wasn't half as stupid.

Just like last time you mean?

Costume design wasn't as shit in 2 as in Inquisition, and the whole thing looked cartoonish.

Fine, they were bright red and yellow and blue last time.

Those colors aren't bright at all, and they fit into the overall aesthetic of the game. On the other hand, bright neon green as a hub element doesn't fit into the look of Inquisition of all, it's weirdly distracting.

What on earth are you talking about?

Look at the character portraits right next to the health in the picture you just posted, and then go look at what they look like in this game. In Dragon Age 2 the character portraits are in the same style as the characters in the game. In Inquisition they look nothing like the characters in the game, they look like something someone would post on their tumbler.


I can't believe I'm using Dragon Age 2 as a good example of anything.

[Carabas]

[various stuff]

I find all of that incredibly subjective.

Look at the character portraits right next to the health in the picture you just posted, and then go look at what they look like in this game. In Dragon Age 2 the character portraits are in the same style as the characters in the game. In Inquisition they look nothing like the characters in the game, they look like something someone would post on their tumbler.

Honestly, I'm not seeing it. They look completely recogniseable.

I can't believe I'm using Dragon Age 2 as a good example of anything.

Well, it was a fairly great game, let down by a rushed production and fans who were expecting an altogether different kind of story and were unable to adjust.

[simbob4000]

I find all of that incredibly subjective.

I don't know what you're talking about. But here's some non-subjective things:

- I did play all of DA2
- It is terrible
- The textures weren't realistic in DA2, that whole game has a stylized look to it
- The designs are worse in this new game. Just look at that character with the big stupid hat.

Two has dumb stuff as well, they've taken it further in his game, and it looks weirder with the more realistic textures.

Honestly, I'm not seeing it. They look completely recogniseable.

I didn't say they weren't. I said they're in a totally different art style than the actual characters in the game, (and the game itself) and that they look stupid together. The cartoon character portraits, the neon green life bars, and the look of the actual game itself all clash, it looks bad together.

Well, it was a fairly great game, let down by a rushed production and fans who were expecting an altogether different kind of story and were unable to adjust.

There's no reality in which Dragon Age 2 could even been considered good, calling it great is madness. That game being a different kind of story is not what's wrong it it...although that games story has lots of problems. But it trying to be small isn't bad.

[Michael P]

Well, it was a fairly great game, let down by a rushed production and fans who were expecting an altogether different kind of story and were unable to adjust.

I call it a good game that should have been a great game. If they'd given the developers enough time, it would have been.

[simbob4000]

I call it a good game that should have been a great game. If they'd given the developers enough time, it would have been.

What's good about it? The story is completely aimless. The combat is a terrible version of an action game, and combat encounter are mindless for pretty much 99% of the game (they're still bad the other 1%, but I've got to at least move around in those). The character interaction is completely mindless; I've seen people blame it on the dialogue wheel, but it wasn't this bad in the first two Mass Effect games. They've removed the ability to equip armor to your team. There's like one cave, and one house layout in the game. All the boss battles are horrible, you can really see how bad the combat gameplay is in those fights...I think the Dragon fight in the quarry might very well be the most boring boss fight I've ever played in a game. The game is one city and it's such boring place; they're reusing so many thing over and over again, and it's just so boring and lifeless looking that it's shocking when it starts to dawn on you that Kirkwell is the place the whole game will take place. Stuff like character creation and classes also weren't as good as the first game either.

I can't really think of one aspect of Dragon Age 2 that comes out as good, and these bad things didn't come together to make something better than the sum of it's parts. It's one of the laziest games from a big developer and publisher I've ever seen.

Oh yeah, there's also some bugs that make finishing quest impossible.

[Carabas]

What's good about it? The story is completely aimless.

I found it rather focused, actually. Especially on a second run when you know what the story is actually about.

The combat is a terrible version of an action game, and combat encounter are mindless for pretty much 99% of the game (they're still bad the other 1%, but I've got to at least move around in those).

Meh... I thougt it was fun.

The character interaction is completely mindless...

As opposed to the 'here, have a random present' from DA:O? I loved the character interaction. It's one of the best aspects of teh game.

They've removed the ability to equip armor to your team.

So my characters didn't end up all looking more or less exactly alike wearing the exact same type of high-end armour? Fantastic. It's a stylistic choice I highly approve of.

There's like one cave, and one house layout in the game.

A bit more than one, but fair enough. Didn't really bother me.

All the boss battles are horrible, you can really see how bad the combat gameplay is in those fights...

Well, I kinda feel like that about every video game boss fight ever anyway.

The game is one city and it's such boring place...

That's just you.

it's shocking when it starts to dawn on you that Kirkwell is the place the whole game will take place.

This is what I love about it. It's a smaller story chronicling one family in one city, and the fall of that city. Not everything needs to be a world-spanning mega-quest.

Stuff like character creation and classes also weren't as good as the first game either.

Well, you couldn't play an elf or dwarf, I suppose...
Classes were much improved though as far as I'm concerned. A lot more balanced. Two-handed swords were actually a viable choice.

It's one of the laziest games from a big developer and publisher I've ever seen.

Rushed isn't lazy.

[Michael P]

Yeah, I didn't have a problem with the story or the combat. The only issue I had with party management was that there wasn't a place like the camp where you could manage everybody at once, but the strongholds in Inquisition should cover that. Character interaction and relationships were definitely improved (although it still followed the pattern of "show interest and the other party will reciprocate guaranteed", but that may be down to a limitation of the medium itself). The ability trees and customization were definitely better. I didn't mind not having to carry around so much armor at all, although I would have appreciated the ability to customize it visually. The crafting overhaul was a godsend; I got so sick of having to haul around the ingredients.

The repetitive environments were the biggest problem for me, but that was entirely down to production time.

Right now, I have confidence that they're working to fix the stuff I didn't like for this game. The only thing I'd add is that I hope they work in follow-up for as much of the minor characters and side quests as possible. It would drive home the theme that, while you can't change the course of history, you can affect the lives of individuals in meaningful ways.

[Carabas]

The only real problem I have is that the ending of DA2 seemed a lot like set-up for the next game, which never happened. The whole mage civil war was dealt with in a novel and seems to be resolved in Inquisition. It's like there's a game missing between DA2 and DA:I.

[Michael P]

I haven't read that novel, but I've gotten the impression that the civil war will still be ongoing in Inquisition. If nothing else, the Templars will still be out for blood.

[Carabas]

I haven't read that novel, but I've gotten the impression that the civil war will still be ongoing in Inquisition. If nothing else, the Templars will still be out for blood.

I haven't read it either.It's on te to-do list.
The conflict is supposed to be largely over at the start of the game from what I get.
Very minor spoiler: spoilers:

The big cosmic Tear that kicks off the plot for Inquisition appears during a huge peace summit.

end of spoilers

[Vic Vega]

I call it a good game that should have been a great game. If they'd given the developers enough time, it would have been.

I'm 2/3rd thru DA2 and a 1/4 thru DA:Origins (I bought them in reverse order) and I honestly don't see what all the beefing is about.

I like the graphics and story better so far in DA2 than in Origins.

I don't miss not being able to play as a Dwarf or an Elf as it would have made no sense in the story that they were telling.

I also like that canon Hawke is a badass Mage. Mages tend to be dudes in robes. So
canon Hawke being a chainmail rocking asskicker is a refreshing change.

[simbob4000]

I found it rather focused, actually. Especially on a second run when you know what the story is actually about.

But it's not. The story just jumps around to different things, and there are bits that go nowhere. There's no real through line to it, no overarching themes, it's just a series of random vignettes.

Meh... I thougt it was fun.

Whether or no you though it was fun, it's still horrible. They ended up making some crappy half-assed action RPG that feels like a bottom tier action game with sloppy controls. Does the combat feel a little better than the last game? A bit. Is it good in anyway? No. Is it actually worse than the last game? Somewhat what. And DAO had pretty bad combat. The combat in this game makes DmC look like DMC3. Since fighting is such a huge part of DA2, the actual combat mechanics being terrible is kind of a problem

No thought need to go into what you're doing in a fight either. Almost every fight is so easy you would have to go out of your way to die.

As opposed to the 'here, have a random present' from DA:O? I loved the character interaction. It's one of the best aspects of teh game.

No, I mean the real character interaction in the game, more like you don't have to think much about anything your saying in DA2. And you've got pretty much three choose to pick from: Nice, Jerk, and Snark.

So my characters didn't end up all looking more or less exactly alike wearing the exact same type of high-end armour? Fantastic. It's a stylistic choice I highly approve of.

All I'm seeing is you saying each class should have a greater variety of armor...but because something like that would take time Bioware just dropped it.

And you know Dragon Age 2 is meant to be an RPG? Having different equipment that changes your characters base stats is part of the genre.

A bit more than one, but fair enough. Didn't really bother me.

Whether or not it bother you, it's still objectively bad when a game does something like: Taking the whole cave layout with the same textures, and copies it for another cave with the only change be a rock is blocking a path, or they bent a path left instead of right.

Well, I kinda feel like that about every video game boss fight ever anyway.

But they all aren't. And the boss fights in DA2 are some of the worst around.

That's just you.

I think it's everyone with eyes. I'm not saying it boring because it's a small city; it's boring because it's a small city where they've copied and pasted everything in the city. And it's not even meant to be a small city, Kirkwall is meant to be this gigantic city, but you wouldn't know it by playing the game. That Dwarven City in the first game was a more interesting place than Kirkwall, and that's just one place in that game.

This is what I love about it. It's a smaller story chronicling one family in one city, and the fall of that city. Not everything needs to be a world-spanning mega-quest.

I said it's shocking because no effort went into making Kirkwall feel like an interesting place. It doesn't feel like a place you'll be spending all you time.

And the game isn't really a smaller story. You're still the grant poobah over everything, the end is some big dumb blowout, your still fighting dragons and ancient demons...it's just all localized in and around the mega city of chains Kirkwall.

Rushed isn't lazy.

The game is very lazy. I don't see how anyone could even look at it and think otherwise. BioWare seemingly thought they could put out something that seemed like a finished game in the amount of time they made DA2...they could not.

[simbob4000]

[tsaimelemoni]

Actually really looking forward to the multiplayer aspect. I pooh-poohed it in ME3, til I tried it and loved it.