Dragon Age 2 announced

[Herr Mafflard]

I hope they don't make battles easier for the sake of accommodating action oriented players. I hope they force you to use tactical play in certain situations. That said, i think it looks great currently - I'm pleasantly suprised, Tho i hope that the UI is only placeholder for now - looks ghetto as fuck.

[Herr Mafflard]

That said, i like the fact that they've moved the character portraits near the bottom of the screen. Makes switching between  guys and using abilities seem more intuitive.

[Herr Mafflard]

some new info on which endgame builds get carried over into DA2 

Starting out the game, players are tasked to select from three builds to carry over from the first game if they don’t have a save to upload.

The three builds are as follows verbatim[DA Origins ending SPOLIERS]:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

“Hero of Ferelden” (Default )
Ended Fifth Blight by killing Archdemon and survived. Placed Alistair on the throne.
“The Martyr”
Young Dalish Elf who died to kill the Archdemon. She left the kingdom ruled by Alisair and Anora.
“No Compromise”
Dwarven noble took command of Grey Wardens. Exalted Alistair, sent Loghain to his death against Archdemon, and left Anora as Ferelden’s ruler.

[close]

http://pc.gamezone.com/previews/item/dragon_age_ii/




am excite

[Stoney Mason]

Cool. I was debating replaying since I no longer have my save but I probably won't now. UI also looks more better for some reason to me than in that other video.

[Herr Mafflard]

rogue skill tree


also high res (1920x1100) links of previous screens

spoiler (click to show/hide)

http://www.cdn.actiontrip.com/images/previews/dragonage21.jpg
http://www.cdn.actiontrip.com/images/previews/dragonage22.jpg
http://www.cdn.actiontrip.com/images/previews/dragonage23.jpg
http://www.cdn.actiontrip.com/images/previews/dragonage24.jpg

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[Herr Mafflard]

[youtube=560,345]9f-bDvQmaGc[/youtube]

badass Scottish dude

EA for not extending the Signature edition offer to Steam

so, if you want to get badass Scottish dude for free, you have to purchase DAII before Jan 11, which is available everywhere except on Steam.

 
 

[iconoclast]

Or just buy it 6 months later when an Ultimate Edition comes with $80 worth of DLC for free.

[Stoney Mason]

Or just pirate it for free on the first day and get it all for free with the DLC.

[demi]

DA2 is next week? Oh mayne.

edit: Nvm March...

[Herr Mafflard]

again, 'tis appropriate

[Herr Mafflard]

DA2 is next week? Oh mayne.

edit: Nvm March...

you only get Scottish dude for free if you pre-order DAII before Jan 11, otherwise you gotta pay extra

EA

[Stoney Mason]

again, 'tis appropriate

Pretty much although its never going back to the way it was. Nickel and diming you for first day DLC I guess is an effective way to make a few bucks but it often screws regular customers. While pirates get all of it for free. So in my mind you (devs) are kind of encouraging people to pirate your game by being really obnoxious about it. But its probably worth it for them on the money front.

They'll probably get some flack and offer the pre-order thing for steam anyway.

[archie4208]

Can't wait to get this and all the DLC for $20 during the 2012 Steam holiday sale. 

[Herr Mafflard]

again, 'tis appropriate

Pretty much although its never going back to the way it was. Nickel and diming you for first day DLC I guess is an effective way to make a few bucks but it often screws regular customers. While pirates get all of it for free. So in my mind you (devs) are kind of encouraging people to pirate your game by being really obnoxious about it. But its probably worth it for them on the money front.

They'll probably get some flack and offer the pre-order thing for steam anyway.

It's progressively getting worse as well. The Shale character was free with every new purchase of DA Origins. As was Zaeed in ME2. Now, there is a limited time offer where they force you to buy the game early from certain retailers.

I'll wait for Steam version anyway - even tho it means I'll be paying extra for the day1 dlc.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Can't wait to get this and all the DLC for $20 during the 2012 Steam holiday sale. 

this

DA1 and its DLC nightmare taught me never to early adopt

[Stoney Mason]

[youtube=560,345][/youtube]

[Don Flamenco]

just starting the landsmeet in DA:O...I think I'll hold off on the Ultimate Edition for DA2.  I doubt I'll play all the non-main quest DLC for a long while.  I love DA:O but I get burnt out on it easily.

This "get 1 dlc pack for free if you preorder" deal is a trap.  They're going to release another 6000 DLCs for this game.

[Herr Mafflard]

IGN has a preview of the console version and a load of new screens.

http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/114/1143565p1.html

I've seen a lot of people voice concerns about the combat being "dumbed down" to be more like an action game. In truth, combat works largely the same – actions are mapped to the face buttons and by pulling on the right trigger or R2 you can switch to a different set of moves. There have been some modifications to the action wheel that you can pull up with the left trigger or L2, but for the most part it's similar too.


Yes, the command wheel still exists.

We haven't seen much of the PC version, but I was told that you will still be able to pause with the space bar and issue commands via the action bar. The biggest change is that the attack animations are sped up and much flashier than before, making battle scenes more visually interesting and visceral. So if you like instant gratification don't want to bother with babysitting your squad, that's an option. On the other hand, if you want to take a little more control over the situation you can do that as well. 

**

The more I play Dragon Age II the more I realize that this is still very much a Dragon Age game. Unlike the Mass Effect series, no major RPG features like loot or inventory have been pulled for the sequel and instead everything has been refined. I don't know about you, but for me, March 8 can't come soon enough.
(Image removed from quote.)
(Image removed from quote.)

It sounds as if the combat remains largely the same, but snappier and with more visual fidelity. Still, I'd like to hear this confirmed from someone who has played the PC version, tho.

[Great Rumbler]

Can't wait for Dragon Age 2: GOTY Edition!

[pilonv1]

There's a lot of brown

[Herr Mafflard]

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/02/07/dragon-age-ii-character-reveal-anders.aspx

new gameplay video. Looks way too fast for me, guess I'll be pausing incessantly.

Mage Hawke is using his staff as a fucking lightsaber   
 

spoiler (click to show/hide)

honestly, I'm still hyped for this game. Original DA was one of my fav games of the gen

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---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also, this might interest those who are planning to play this on consoles. Apparently some french site has scooped the 360 'cheev list.

some of these 'cheevs contain SPOILERS so BEWARE

http://www.succesfull.fr/index.php?option=com_succesfull&Itemid=6&l=en&JeuID=1152

[Stoney Mason]

[youtube=560,345][/youtube]

[Herr Mafflard]

Battles looks way more intense when you're whole party is going at it at the same time. Can't wait to set up each individual's tactic slots and watch all hell break loose.

 

[Himu]

waiting for goty edition

[Herr Mafflard]

http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-road-show-dragon-age-ii/17-3772/

Dragon Effect

[Stoney Mason]

[youtube=560,345][/youtube]

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Are mages the only class with a different origin story in DA:O? Last year I played the elf one as a warrior and it was awesome but I just played teh mage one and it was trash, but someone up there said the human one is fantistic but i'm a human mage so I dunno wtf.

How do you get all the different origin stories? is it:'

Dorf
Human
Elf
Mage

?

[Stoney Mason]

I love how this looks like a Mass Effect 2 MOD. The bitter people out there, omg.

I'm not a particular fan of the UI but I would think Dragon "fans" would have learned from trying to prejudge the first game and instead wait to judge the actual game.

[Eel O'Brian]

Dorf

[Human Snorenado]

I love how this looks like a Mass Effect 2 MOD. The bitter people out there, omg.

I'm not a particular fan of the UI but I would think Dragon "fans" would have learned from trying to prejudge the first game and instead wait to judge the actual game.

You do know we're on the internets, right?

Also, lol @ Dorf.

[Stoney Mason]

I don't know. Even on the internet I tend to not like saying dumb things that completely come back to show what an idiot I am time after time but hey that could just be me.

[Human Snorenado]

I don't know. Even on the internet I tend to not like saying dumb things that completely come back to show what an idiot I am time after time but hey that could just be me.

What are you, some kinda fancypants?

[cool breeze]

I checked out some of the videos and it looks fine, for me at least.  Even the level the PC versions zooms out to is around where I had it at in Origins.

If I do pass on it, it will probably be to avoid fantasy game fatigue.  I still have to play Two Worlds 2, and then there is The Witcher 2, and then there is Dungeon Siege 3, and then there is Elder Scrolls V, and probably others I can't think of right now (Dark Race might not count).  I still haven't played Awakening either and this seems to have some links with that.
 

[Stoney Mason]

I still haven't played Awakening either

Don't bother imo.

I think this one by comparison has a bit less hype behind it mainly because the first one took so long and it had all that Baldur's gate successor talk behind it.

Also this one seems like an unusually fast turnaround. The first one came out in Nov 2009. That's a pretty fast turnaround for the next one especially since they did Awakenings.

I really dug the first so hopefully this turns out well but we'll see I guess.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

The first one is a pretty ugly PC game especially the intro. 

[Stoney Mason]

The first one is a pretty ugly PC game especially the intro. 

So is this your new gimmick now?

Graphic whore.

[archie4208]

The animation in DA2 looks so janky, especially compared to the prequel.  (The deathblow to a dragon in DA1 = )

I'm sure the game will be a tactical experience on nightmare (re: the only way to play the game), but it does look dumbed down from the original. 

[Herr Mafflard]

There's a lot more manoeuvrability this time around. For example, in DA:O, you could, in theory dodge out of the way of an ogre's charge attck but it was a lot of hassle because all you could do was try and walk out of the way. It was funny that a rogue had as much nimbleness as a mage in the game.

But in DAII, what class you choose actually affects the movement and speed of your character. Surely that's a good thing. If you are a rogue, you can actually roll out of the way of attacks. There will be more of a disparity between classes and playstyles, which is badass.

[Stoney Mason]

The animation in DA2 looks so janky, especially compared to the prequel.

I don't know what you mean. The original was quite janky animation wise outside of death blows.

This is the thing that sort of always strikes me as odd. The people forgot how buggy or janky combat was in the orignal game. Especially in the pathfinding sense.

We'll see which way the combat goes when it comes out but having more responsive combat and the character actually doing what I tell it to do when I click somewhere or get an ability going will be more than welcome.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

they never fixed that bug with DA:O on PC where the more you play the longer it takes to load? 

[archie4208]

The animation in DA2 looks so janky, especially compared to the prequel.

I don't know what you mean. The original was quite janky animation wise outside of death blows.

This is the thing that sort of always strikes me as odd. The people forgot how buggy or janky combat was in the orignal game. Especially in the pathfinding sense.

We'll see which way the combat goes when it comes out but having more responsive combat and the character actually doing what I tell it to do when I click somewhere or get an ability going will be more than welcome.

Dragon Age 1's combat animations had a fluidity with them, even though they were slow and drawn out.  The animation in DA2 looks mechanical and robotic. 

Also, I prefer my RPG combat to be a cornucopia of numbers and dice rolls, not a poor man's action game.  But to each his own.

[Herr Mafflard]

Hope that they retained the deeper combat for PC, but glad that its dragon effect for consoles

Most of what the previews are saying is that yes, combat in the pc version is still tactical and that you still have all various customizable options and whatnot. It really depends on the feel of the combat mechanics though, and if it's still comfortable playing a slow, pausing and tactical game when all the battles seem much faster paced and actioney compared to the original. I can't wait to try it out tho.

On consoles it does look like a more tactical, fantasy version of Mass Effect. Which is fine, as I suspect it would control and feel a lot better with a gamepad now.

[Stoney Mason]

The animation in DA2 looks so janky, especially compared to the prequel.

I don't know what you mean. The original was quite janky animation wise outside of death blows.

This is the thing that sort of always strikes me as odd. The people forgot how buggy or janky combat was in the orignal game. Especially in the pathfinding sense.

We'll see which way the combat goes when it comes out but having more responsive combat and the character actually doing what I tell it to do when I click somewhere or get an ability going will be more than welcome.

Dragon Age 1's combat animations had a fluidity with them, even though they were slow and drawn out.  The animation in DA2 looks mechanical and robotic. 

Also, I prefer my RPG combat to be a cornucopia of numbers and dice rolls, not a poor man's action game.  But to each his own.

I prefer my combat to be good and enjoyable. Whichever form that takes I'm fine with. If DA 2 combat is poor then its poor and I'll be the first to say so. But I also won't pretend that the first Dragon Age was the pinnacle and perfection of "tactical" combat. In fact after a certain point of leveling the combat was incredibly easy almost no matter what "tactics" you used. Awakenings outside of the very final boss fight of the game was incredibly easy from beginning to end. There are some times where I don't just like dice rolls to be the only decision factor like the example that was given in a preview.

BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk uses the following example: "In Dragon Age, if a golem threw a rock at you and the die-roll says he hits, that boulder hits you no matter what. You can run into a different room, but it can clip through walls to hit you. Now, you can actually retreat or even get behind something."

That legitimately sounds more interesting to me than being a slave to a dice roll. That's the point of a videogame. It can do more than just be pen and paper D&D.

As far as the animation stuff I was never impressed with the graphics or animation of the original Dragon Age. I said so from the first time I played. The game was good despite its graphics and animations so its a bit odd to suddenly get all antsy about an aspect of the game that was never especially great in the first place. The only difference from the casual views I've seen in the animation set is that they look sped up a bit. Maybe slower animation create a greater sense of fluidity for some which I could technically see but otherwise not that big a deal to me personally.

[Herr Mafflard]

archived version of the developer walkthrough from yesterday

http://www.livestream.com/electronicarts/video?clipId=pla_e1af7357-aff9-4758-b744-c98a28fb5806&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb

[Herr Mafflard]

PC Gamer UK review: 94/100

The best RPG combat ever. Not gaming's best story, but maybe it's best storytelling. Darker, sexier, better

Dragon age 2 does it right, It's still an RPG epic, it still takes upwards of 50 hours to finish, it's still got a deep complex combat system and it's still got a well-defined supporting cast

- He praises the frame narrative and mentions this is part of the reason the game hangs together so well.

- Praises the Hawke Character (played as a male), says he comes across as awesome most of the time.

- Mentions the wheel, only very occasionally did he feel neutered by his choice, on the whole he praises it.

- He has a lot of praise for the game and the serious moral choices you  have to make and how having the 10 year arc means your actions might have some very real consequences down the line, this adds to the burden of the choices you make, decisions might come back to bite you on the ass. Mentions wronged people might not even target you but your family etc

- Felt a little let down at first by lack of escape from the city but in the end found benefits to knowing the city backwards, allowed him to get a complete grasp on the games "complicated political system"

- Most impressive attempt he has seen at making player choices in a game mean something.

- Romantic options unconstrained, you meet a party member chances are you can "bone" them. his words not mine. Your siblings being the obvious exceptions.

- Incidental conversations are splendid, ruder, funnier and just plain better than Origins.

- Most of the companions are excellent, Bethany being the only dud as she lacks in personality

- Combat is rapid and satisfying but more intricate than Origins.

- Party members abilities a lot of fun, found himself rotating his party a lot.

- Basically says the game is not what you expect, didn't expect it to be as much of a traditional sequel as it is but by having Bioware lock down the context (the world and the politics) they were free to fill their creation with more character and vitality than any title in recent memory.

http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/141/index/6006344/1

sounding a bit hyperbolic with the "best rpg combat ever" line, but at least we know it didn't turn out a mess like some were fearing.

[Stoney Mason]

But GAF and some people in this thread told me it was the worst game ever and they completely made it suck!


Just like some people were sure the first one sucked before they even played it!!



okay I'll stop. Psychic gamers always just annoy me.

Hopefully I enjoy the game since I enjoyed the original.

[Herr Mafflard]

oh god that GAF thread, and all those haters. So adamant that the game was turned to shit because of a few more animations and sped up combat. You couldn't reason with them.

Funny thing was, they'd always point you to the gameplay vids (played on normal difficulty) and say, "If you can't see that its turned casual, you're blind!". As if DA:O was some deep tactical experience on normal mode.

[Great Rumbler]

If it's really that good, it may be hard to wait for on the Ultimate Edition after all...

[pilonv1]

The best RPG combat ever.

Not buying this.

[demi]

Just like I said, they basically fixed the game. Expect ME2 quality with this bad boy. But with an actual semblance of loot and numbers. Can't wait.

[Stoney Mason]

The best RPG combat ever.

Not buying this.

I don't buy anything in reviews but honestly that's not the bar.

The bar is the first game.

[Yeti]

ok, now I'm hyped. I guess I'll have to buy Awakenings and slog through that now. I assume things from the first game and a half carry over to this one?

[demi]

If you play the demo next week, Yeti, you get goodies that transfer to the full game.

[Stoney Mason]

ok, now I'm hyped. I guess I'll have to buy Awakenings and slog through that now. I assume things from the first game and a half carry over to this one?

The "world state" will carry over. Like some of the choices you made in the first game will be reflected in this one although they really aren't selling it as a big feature so its probably no big deal.

[TEEEPO]

game looks so tight.

gaf and gamers in general have terrible opinions.

[tiesto]

The snore-worthy stereotypical setting and artwork really turn me off from this series.

[Phoenix Dark]

Should I play the first one before this? Sounds right up my alley

[Himu]

Should I play the first one before this? Sounds right up my alley

It's one of the best rpgs in the past few years, if not THE best 3d single player wrpg ever. So yes.

[Stoney Mason]

Should I play the first one before this? Sounds right up my alley

If you have time sure why not.

[archie4208]

[youtube=560,345]NRQzl5u5oeQ&[/youtube]
[youtube=560,345]6BlDtbXW3o4&[/youtube]

It's Dragon Effect all right.  Also I think I can properly articulate why I hate the animation.  It is too fast and jumping in the air to swing a sword looks like something out of an anime.  The first game had slower animations and looked, for lack of a better term, more 'realistic'.

As long as it is hard as hell on nightmare difficulty, I'll grab the complete edition for $20 during next year's Steam Christmas sale.