Dragon Age 3: Inquisition

[Xero Kaiser]

The combat is cool, but as an RPG, DAI feels kinda flat. 12 hours in and I've had pretty much no opportunities for any RP/decision making and the character building is nonexistent. The game really feels like a single player MMO more than anything.

And the PC controls for this are screwed up beyond belief. Tactical cam is so ass backwards with a keyboard and mouse that I wonder if anyone at Bioware actually tried using before they rolled it out. Not that it matters as it's basically useless anyway.

[Endless_Legend]

Come on, they said every single Fable. That's a way better target. Fable 3, Jesus, a fantasy RPG all about real estate.

Fable 3 wasn't about real-estate. Did you even play the game? Every single one of those was excellent, and universally acclaimed. Their only flaw was they couldn't live up to the impossible hyperbole that Molyneaux voice about them during development.

I also mentioned every single Black Isle and isometric bioware game, but I guess you don't count those as good CRPGs either. Tell me, since you're oh-so-refined, what is a good computer RPG? Fallout 1 and 2? Pool of Radiance? Wasteland? The Magic Candle? Ultima I? Played all of those.

Tell me all about what you think good CRPGs are. Really, I'm dying to hear. I'd be willing to be money that I've played every single one of them, too.

[Endless_Legend]

And the PC controls for this are screwed up beyond belief. Tactical cam is so ass backwards with a keyboard and mouse that I wonder if anyone at Bioware actually tried using before they rolled it out.

I heard about this beforehand, thankfully, and so resolved to never even trying to use the PC controls, just going to controller it the whole way.

As for the roleplaying, I've only had a chance to play for about 2 hours so far, so I guess I can't say yet. I've felt like the story has been pretty interesting. There hasn't been *much* character building, no, but I've also always felt that the roleplaying and character building you do in video games is basically illusory anyways. Or rather, it's all up to you to do in your own head, all that any game can really do is facilitate immersion and make you feel like you're part of the world.

Actual roleplaying doesn't happen in front of a computer screen, it happens around a table with other human beings, or if you're into LARPing, it happens there. (I suppose it can happen in multiplayer RPGs, if everyone agrees to roleplay the characters while playing the video game. But then you've just created a virtual tabletop.)

I will agree that the game's atmosphere could be stronger, though. It's beautiful looking, but the world doesn't feel quite as *alive* as I'd like it to.

[Xero Kaiser]

There hasn't been *much* character building, no, but I've also always felt that the roleplaying and character building you do in video games is basically illusory anyways. Or rather, it's all up to you to do in your own head, all that any game can really do is facilitate immersion and make you feel like you're part of the world.

Even by video game RPG standards this is pretty light. You can't do anything interesting with your builds. Just pick a preset character and off you go. Maybe playing Divinity: Original Sin just has me hungry for more old-school CRPGs. I knew DAI was going to be simplified, but part of me was hoping they'd lean back towards the original Dragon Age. But I don't think the Bioware that was capable of that exists anymore.

And, holy crap, I didn't know people actually liked Fable.

[Endless_Legend]

Target doesn't return games when they've been opened, right?

Unfortunately, no. Once it's opened, it's replacement only, no refunds. I bet you can probably get 35 or 40 bucks back for it in trade at a Game Xchange, though, since it's only been out for a day or two.

[Endless_Legend]

Even by video game RPG standards this is pretty light. You can't do anything interesting with your builds. Just pick a preset character and off you go.

You know that there are tons of sliders in the face/appearance customization options, right? You don't have to pick a preset appearance.

You couldn't really do anything interesting with a starting character in D&D 1st edition, either. Just pick Warrior, Thief, or Magic user, and some paltry starting gear and randomly rolled stats. And yet those are some of the best RP experiences I've ever had. The burden of that is always on the player.

DAI could use more customization options, though.

[Hiromi]

Yeah the character creator is fairly extensive, not sure how you missed it.

Played a good chunk over the last few days and it's still relatively early in the game, took a while and an nvidia driver update to get it running at a respectable level, but it's making my 560 ti feel a bit dated. One thing that does irk me is a bug that causes npcs to refer to male characters as female sometimes, apparently bioware's working on it so I'll likely hold off on starting a new character for a minute.

[simbob4000]

Guys, cut the snark.

I'm definitely so regretful for buying the 360 version instead of just waiting for Xbox One. The beards and stubble look like blotches of color on the character's face. The cutscenes are all sorts of choppy. I'll be walking along and something will appear on the ground right next to me. I honestly didn't even finish the first "quest." I'll probably sell my copy and use that money for an Xbox One version. Target doesn't return games when they've been opened, right?

You might be able to take it back even if it's something they don't do.

[Nyssane]

You know that there are tons of sliders in the face/appearance customization options, right? You don't have to pick a preset appearance.

You couldn't really do anything interesting with a starting character in D&D 1st edition, either. Just pick Warrior, Thief, or Magic user, and some paltry starting gear and randomly rolled stats. And yet those are some of the best RP experiences I've ever had. The burden of that is always on the player.

DAI could use more customization options, though.

The hair is the biggest beef I had with it. The females and males seem to share all the hairs, which is really sad. DA2 had some pretty great hairstyles, IMO.

[Xero Kaiser]

Yeah the character creator is fairly extensive, not sure how you missed it.

I'm not talking about the character creator, I didn't say anything about how my character looks 0_o (although, the hair options suck). I'm talking stat/skill wise. You can't do anything creative with your class. You pick one, they give you a handful of spells/talents and that's about it. No multi-classing, no personality traits, etc. Maybe just coming off of Divinity: Original Sin spoiled me but you don't have many options when it comes to that.

[Hiromi]

I get you, you said preset and my mind jumped to the premade characters

Anyway I see shades of the Dragonage 2 system where your three main conversation choices defined your character to the point that the normal conversation and companion reactions to you began to reflect it, though it is hurting from not having Hawke's VAs who were outstanding.

[Arvandor]

Maybe I should have tried it earlier, but I'm thoroughly confused by this dragon age keep website tapestry thing. You can only edit partial historical events?

[Endless_Legend]

Maybe I should have tried it earlier, but I'm thoroughly confused by this dragon age keep website tapestry thing. You can only edit partial historical events?

It's basically a visual database for managing all the events and choices for the first two games.

So that way, if you played the first two games, but no longer own the system or have the save-file for them, you don't have to go back and replay them. You can just go in to Dragon Age Keep and click the changes you want instead. Also, if you want to try the third game with multiple different iterations, you can just make a few changes.

Functionally, it's a time-saving app, pretty nice of them to include it.

[Arvandor]

But how do I get it to sync with my PS4?

[simbob4000]

Just saw this, the combat looks even worse than I was thinking.



Also seems to take a while before you're actually doing anything.