Review time. Actually, this time it's going to be a revised review. When I originally reviewed DMC, I allowed my inner fan girl of the original series cloud my view of this reboot. With the release of the new DLC Vergil's Downfall, I decided to give the game another chance before jumping in to Vergil's story. I'm actually really glad I did.
So. Let's give this review another go. This first part is filled with spoilers. You have been warned.
You are the new and younger anti-heroish Dante. He doesn't give much of a rats ass about anything but drinking, sex and the occasional slaying of demons. Dante is being hunted by Mundus. A demon king who rules most of humanity and the world through debt.
Dante and Vergil (Although Vergil somehow remains off of Mundus's supernatural radar), are the product of a union between Mundus right hand demon man, Sparta and an Angel Eva, this makes the twin brothers both a bit angelic and a bit demonic. Mundus views Dante's Nephilim status as a "loose end" and a threat. He would be right on both counts.
Dante's trouble begins when he is sucked in to Limbo by a Hunter demon. Here we meet Kat. A psychic/witch who is able to astral project herself in to limbo in order to help Dante. After his lovely vacation in Limbo, Kat introduces him to "The Order", a hand full of freedom fighters wanting to take back the human race from Mundus.
Dante reluctantly agrees to help the cause. As Dante learns more of Mundus and his methods for controlling humanity, he finds himself caring about the cause. He also has a bit of a thing for Kat, which helps this need to help the humans.
I would cover more of the story here, but really every Devil May Cry game has the same story. Hack and slash through hoards of demons, all while saving the world from some super bad guy. I will admit, the story in Devil May Cry 3 is a little different from the others given who you have to fight at the end. But for all those fan boys and girls of the series bitching about the storyline here. Shut the fuck up. The story isn't great, but it's believable. Take the game for what it is people. It's a reboot with updated graphics. The lack of story doesn't make the game any less fun.
And need I remind fans of the shit bomb that was Devil may cry 2? Now there was a truly awful DMC game. Although Dante did get extremely better looking in this game. Still doesn't make it any less of a pile of shit though.
Alright. let's get to the likes of this game. This time around the list is a bit longer.
If you find easy, normal and hard modes far too easy. Well Ninja Theory has given you four extra challenging modes that will kick your ass. There is Son of Sparta mode. Dante must Die. Heaven and Hell. Hell and hell. Maybe I'm just not hardcore enough, but I don't even want to try anything past Son of Sparta mode. I'm afraid my tv and controller wouldn't survive my wrath anything beyond SoS. I do like all the difficulty choices we are given.
The combat is fluid, fast paced and fun. The different weapons you receive throughout the game adds to the replace value. Each weapon has it's own special talent. Each weapon allows you to go back through missions and collect items you may have missed or could not previously retrieve. Using skill points gives your weapons new attacks. If you are going for an SSS rating in each mission, these new attacks will help with pulling off fancy combos. Word to those of you who plan on playing this game. Focus skill points on Abilities, Rebellion, Aquila and Arbiter. Guns are pretty pointless in this game, but we'll get to that later.
This game does have replay value. In a second play through, Dante will retain all of the weapons and abilities previously collected. By a second play through you should know what you are doing, so not having to recollect all these damn things is a relief. Plus it makes fighting earlier enemies a bit easier. It's also easier to pull off combos earlier in the game (not that it's difficult to begin with).
Actual big boss battles are really fun and rather original. I find myself playing through boss battle missions more often than not. My personal favorites are the Bob Barbas and The Last Dance fights. Boss battles take some degree of planning and strategy. These battles totally make the game worth playing.
There is always some item to search for in this game. Keys, Lost souls and doors. You can always go back through missions to find everything you missed. As much as I loath gold doors, I do enjoy actually being able to unlock them. Plus, you don't have to play them right away. As long as you've opened the door, you can always go through the main menu and play it later. Since I'm kind of an achievement whore, I'll end up trying to get through all doors, as well as collect everything. This also takes some strategy as well. Not every Lost soul you come across is easy to access. So there is a lot of trial and error here, not to mention frustrating at times. Nevertheless, it's an easy way to get sidetracked from the original story line.
Some of the dialogue is okay. One particular conversation made me laugh like an idiot.
Dante: I'm a better fighter
Vergil: I'm smarter
Dante: I'm better looking
a short side conversation about the mission here.
Vergil: I have a bigger dick.
I don't know why that made me laugh so hard, but it did.
Dante starts out a foul mouthed douche, but I do like his growth as a character near the end. He ends up actually caring about the cause, and wants to save humanity. I dig growth in a character.
I really don't care one way or another about Dante's new look. I wasn't particularly attached to his old look, so this change doesn't bother me as much as it does other die hard fans. As a reboot I expected some changes. Going in knowing this is a younger Dante I assumed he might not look as he did when he's older. Yes, us DMC fans are used to white haired, red coat Dante. But I really could care less.
The things I didn't like haven't changed much.
While I don't really care that Ninja Theory changed Dante's look, I really didn't care for his lack of wit. Ninja Theory tries, they really do, but in the older games Dante's wit was cheesy. It brought on a giggle. Here it was lucky if it brought on a smirk.
As I said before, in the beginning Dante is a douche. This really doesn't take away from the game, but it does become a little annoying after a while.
Kat is as interesting as a rock. I'm not really sure what Dante's draw to her is. Maybe it's because of her adorable puppy dog eyes. Maybe it's her innocence. Or maybe he just really likes bland chicks. If the last reason were true, then we wouldn't have had Trish in the first game. She had a tude, knew how to throw a punch and had wit. Kat just draws Limbo circles and asks Dante if he's okay after a fight. Not really love interest material there if you ask me.
This game is rather short. But it is on par with the other DMC games. Which run anywhere from 7-9 hours long. Still. I wish we had more content here.
I did like some of the dialogue, but as a whole the script could have used some work. Or at least work with the voice actors to at least make them sound as if there weren't actually reading from the script in front of them. No one sounds very natural in this game. Plus, some of the dialogue is just corny. I dig corny, but some of these lines just had me rolling my eyes.
The trophy glitches are rather annoying. As an achievement whore, it's rather annoying.
While I do love my Vergil in all of his awesome badness, I really don't understand why he's decided to go all power starved here. His reason for being big and bad in DMC 3 made sense. He craved power because he wasn't able to save his mother from dying. In this game he's just a douche who wants to rule his human "subjects" for the hell of it. Humans are beneath his kind and shouldn't be trusted to rule themselves. This was just really bad reasoning from any way I look at the situation. He wants to take down Mundus because he feels that Mundus rules the humans too harshly, but Vergil turns around and wants to do the exact same thing? WTF? I could understand wanting to be stronger to protect family more than wanting to rule the world with a iron fist.
This isn't a bad game, but it could have used some tweaks before being released to the masses. I wouldn't suggest spending the 60 dollars it is now. Wait till it comes down to at least 30 dollars. Better yet, rent it to be sure it's for you. Those of you who have heard of the DMC series. but have never bothered to play any of the other games, this is a good starting point for you. Die hard fans already are very vocal about this game. Change=bad. This die hard fan disagrees with the masses.
I give this game a 7/10. It's a good game, but I suggest renting it first before buying. But of course, I say this about almost every game.
Now on to Vergil's Downfall.
If you played DMC3 before even playing this game, you knew where Vergil was heading. In DMC he just hides his need for power behind a noble cause. As the game progresses you start to see the real man behind his facade.
Vergil's Downfall takes place right after the end event of DMC. Vergil is in Limbo and walking a fine line between sanity and insanity. Over the course of 8 missions, Vergil's descends in to a power driven madness of which there is no return.
I really can't say anything negative about this DLC. I highly recommend doing some training with Vergil after new abilities are discovered. Or even before you start in on the first mission.
Playing as Vergil is completely different from Dante. These two have completely different fighting styles. Where Dante has a variety of weapons, Vergil only has his Katana and Sword Illusion. The Katina is able to take on both demonic and angelic forms. Sword illusion is similar to Dante's guns, They'll help you break up an enemies attacks, but doesn't do much in the way of damage.
I am a fan of Vergil. Always have been and always will be. I always dig the bad guy and am curious as to how he or she became the way they did. Vergil's need for more power and his growing hatred for his brother are what drive this story. It's compelling and it made me want more Vergil based DLC.
I also like the fact that this DLC sets up nicely for DMC 2. Hopefully Ninja Theory is hard at work on that one, but I sadly have my doubts. Which makes me kind of sad. I really want to see how this whole brotherly drama plays out. Does it play out like it did in DMC 3? Or will Ninja Theory take it in a whole new direction? Damn. I really want the next chapter in this series already. Or another mission based DLC.
There is also the Bloody Palace DLC. It's fairly straight forward. Lots of enemies and don't die. It's fun and eats up a lot of time.
If anyone out there is interested in playing this series, I would start actually start out with this game. Then if you want to get in to the classic DMC, play Devil may cry 3 first. It's hard, but it would be within the event timeline here. Then Devil may cry. I suggest completely skipping over Devil may cry 2. It's utter shit and adds nothing to the series. You can play it if your a completest, but it would only be a waste of time. . Last but not least, Devil may cry 4.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Dragon Age 2 review
Before writing this review for Dragon age 2. I went searched through some more well known gaming review sites. If only to see what score they gave the game. Most of these sites gave DA2 a fairly high score. This could mean one of three things:
1. My expectations for this sequel were WAY to high.
2.These gaming sites are in EA's grubby little pockets
3. They were given a completely different game than us lowly consumers.
If it turns out it was the last of the options, I'm going to be pissed. Why did they get a fantastic game, while the rest of us who aren't paid to play games all day get the shit that we did?
Obviously this isn't going to be a shining review. And it breaks my heart, because I LOVED Dragon age: Origins. The fact that this is the follow up game to something so epic is just....sad.
*Sigh*
Here we go.
Dragon Age 2 is a story with in a story that spans a decade. The story is told by one of your companions, Varric.
Things starts off with Hawke and his/her family, attempting to escape from Lothering and the invading darkspawn. After a string of events and with the help of a familiar face, you and your family will be on a ship heading for Kirkwall.
Act 1 - Hawke and his/her family has been in Kirkwall for a year. You have spent this time making a name for yourself to little avail. In order to reach the heights of notoriety you desire, Hawke will need to earn some money in order to join a....ugh...Deep Roads expedition. This task will be easy with the companions you will acquire along the way. Once you have made enough money, the Deep Roads and the riches it holds is yours for the taking.
Act 2- A few years after Hawke's Deep Roads expedition, he/she has finally found a place in high society. Kirkwall now faces a new threat. The Qunari are in a state of unrest. They are searching for something and cannot leave until they find it. With all of the Chantry zelots in Kirkwall, religious tension is quickly building. Hawke needs to keep the peace, but when that fails, he/she is forced to take on his/her greatest challenge yet. The Qunari themselves.
Act 3- Years after the Qunari uprising, Hawke has been named the Champion of Kirkwall and faces a new set of threats. Tension is rising between the Mages and Templars of Kirkwall. The city looks to Hawke and his/her companions to keep the peace between the two groups. When both sides are bullheaded keeping things civil is easier said than done. Try as Hawke might, war between these two can not be avoided. If you can't beat them, join them. But which side is right and which is just out for power?
Since there are so few great things about this game, lets get that list out of the way.
It's short. Thank the Maker for small favors.
The combat is fluid, smooth and fast paced. Which is a welcomed change from the traditional sluggish RPG combat style of DA:O. The combat here is reminiscent of a hack and slash. It's a change some weren't exactly happy with, but since I love hack and slash games almost as much as RPG's, it made the game almost bearable. Almost.
The new skill tree set up is a very nice change. Now you are able to pick and choose which skills you wish to learn and even upgrade them. I wish the first game would have had this feature. It would have made leveling up fun and exciting. It took me some time to figure out which skill I wanted to learn first since you have so many tree choices. With the help of mods, you can actually have them all. No matter which class you choose in the beginning of the game. Thank you mod community!
While the companion banter isn't as funny in this installment, Varric's sarcasm and his need to constantly give those around him nicknames induces fits of giggling. He is also one of two companions who appreciate sarcastic conversation opinions. Isabella being the other. Isabella does have some good one liners, but Varric's are better.
I highly suggest you play this game choosing sarcastic conversation options when offered. It makes the game a little more bearable, and leads too some pretty interesting conversation results.
The rival/friendship approval rating system is interesting. You can have a rival romance/friendship, (In my opinion this is the far more interesting route), or you can say all the right things and have a friendship relationship.
There are a few faces from DA:0 that show up. It's always nice to see old friends again. No matter how badly the art team screwed them up.
I can't stress the importance of mods for the pc version. Mods make this game worth a couple of play throughs. A huge thank you to all of you who have worked so hard to make fantastic mods. Because of all of you, this game has some massive replay value. That isn't even something Bioware could do for this game. Keep up the good work!
On to the bad.
The story. It didn't flow very well. At least not for my liking. I just didn't understand what one main storyline had to do with the next. One act I'm as poor as a hobo. The next I'm rich as could be and people are still asking me to do shit work for them. The next I'm the champion who is still doing other people's bidding.
If they had stuck us with one "big picture" storyline, that would have made more sense. You do get a feel for the emanate mage/templar implosion early on. But this is due to side quests. Not to mention Anders constant pissing and whining about how oppressed mages. Believe me, you get to hear that. A LOT. Finding a way to stop the tension from building between the mages and templars would have been far more interesting than the jumbled storyline we got.
Kirkwall. Enjoy your stay, because you will never leave. Yes. You do get to visit the lovely mountains once in a while, but it's never too far away from good old Kirkwall. Traveling from town to town could have made this game far less tedious. I'm sure there are plenty of towns surrounding Kirkwall needed Hawkes help. Hell. A trip to the Free Marches would have been nice. Alas, it was not meant to be. As it is, every single dungeon and enemy A.I is reused. If you choose to play this game, get ready to see the same dungeon at least three times throughout the whole game. Not to mention realizing you've already fought this bunch of fucking mercenaries already. They story was hard to swallow. But reused EVERYTHING made it a chore to play through.
Hawke. I had a hard time feeling any kind of emotional connection with Hawke. Unlike the Warden you built from the ground up in DA:O, Hawke's back round story has already been pre-determined for you. There are no other races here. You are stuck playing a human. The two things you get to decide for your Hawke is a fighting class and sex. The only way to get away from Hawkes cardboard box personality, is choosing sarcastic answers in your conversation wheel.
If I were able to build my Hawke from the ground up. Decide what his/her back round is. What his/her home situation was. Then I would have been able to connect. The Hawke presented is a step back from character customization. There are a lot of DA fans who took issue with this lacking feature. I completely understand why fan boys and girls were so pissed off about it.
Companions. Now for the biggest tragedy of all. Aside from Verric, I could have cared less what happened to any of my companions. Hell. Once in a while I was tempted to run my sword through an eyeball or two.
Anders is the one character that bugged be more than anyone. The way he is portrayed in this game COMPLETELY goes against the epilogue in DA:A. Say good bye to witty Anders. Say hello to a mage who is whinny, broody, self righteous and he ditched his duty as a Grey Warden. The last point is what makes the DA:A epilogue pointless. He's always wanting to help a mage, but really he just wants to help himself. It's down right pitiful.
The other companions were just boring and whinny. I really wasn't interested in helping any of them out. However, for the sake of exp gain, I did it anyways.
The artwork wasn't the best in DA:O, but somehow the artwork in this game was worse. I don't know how Bioware's art team managed to pull that one off. Thanks guys and girls at Bioware for making Elves look ridiculous. Oh and how the messed up Alistair and Zevran. Now, I am painfully aware of aging effects. But no one looks THAT bad in their late 20s and early 30's.
The end. It was a massive let down. We really don't know what happened to anyone. The epilogue was very half assed.
*****Spoiler Alert****
It is mentioned at the end that both hawke and the Warden (your character from DA:O) are missing. It was eluded that they must be found in order to piece together unaccounted events.
Not too long after this game came out, Bioware said that both Hawke and the Warden's stories are done. So come DA3 we will never hear from either one of them again. We wont get that missing link, or any closure to our Warden's story. Which is really what I care about.
The Romance. I really didn't care to romance anyone in this game. It all comes back to the whole not connecting thing. Had Varric been a romance option character, I would have jumped at that opportunity. Sadly, he wasn't. Your choices are a broody elf. Whinny mage. Confused Dalish elf. Religious dude. Last but not least, the pirate whore. Actually Isabella is the lesser of evils here, which is sad cause she's the whore.
****End of Spoiler****
This whole ending made me want to throw my computer against a wall. Oddly enough, the only other game's ending that pissed me off more was Mass Effect 3. With the ending of DA2 the Mass Effect 3 ending really should have shocked me.
Now on to the DLC.
The Exiled Price. This was a launch day DLC that gave you a new companion to add to the mix. It was pointless, and should have already been in the game. I didn't ask for a yet another card board companion. Yet Bioware thought I just really needed one. Thankfully, this came with my pre-order. I just feel sorry for those who paid the 8.99 to buy this worthless content.
The Black Emporium. This DLC was actually kind of nice to have. There are no missions here, but instead you get a rare items store. His shit is expensive, but everything here is easy enough to save up for. Plus you get to modify your character if you should choose to do so.
Legacy. This was actually a really fun mission DLC. We finally get to learn more about Hawke's father. Which was actually pretty interesting.
Hawke is being hunted down by a dwarven cartel. They want to use Hawkes blood in order to bring forth a old Tevinter Magister. I have to admit, I really enjoyed this mission. There were back stories and the Magister himself had an interesting story to tell.
Mark of the Assassin. Why the hell this DLC received so much hype is beyond me. Hawke is approached by elven rogue Tallis. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to help her steal an object from an Orleasan noble.
This DLC could have been so good. Sadly, the stealth (which you WILL need here), is poorly done at best. But, it does have several hours of game play. So if you're an Felecia Day fan, then by all means download it. I'm a fan and not even I could get in to this one.
It breaks my heart to give a Dragon Age game this kind of score.
4/10
There are good things about this game. Sadly the bad far outweigh the good.
As I said before, download mods for this game. It makes it more enjoyable.
1. My expectations for this sequel were WAY to high.
2.These gaming sites are in EA's grubby little pockets
3. They were given a completely different game than us lowly consumers.
If it turns out it was the last of the options, I'm going to be pissed. Why did they get a fantastic game, while the rest of us who aren't paid to play games all day get the shit that we did?
Obviously this isn't going to be a shining review. And it breaks my heart, because I LOVED Dragon age: Origins. The fact that this is the follow up game to something so epic is just....sad.
*Sigh*
Here we go.
Dragon Age 2 is a story with in a story that spans a decade. The story is told by one of your companions, Varric.
Things starts off with Hawke and his/her family, attempting to escape from Lothering and the invading darkspawn. After a string of events and with the help of a familiar face, you and your family will be on a ship heading for Kirkwall.
Act 1 - Hawke and his/her family has been in Kirkwall for a year. You have spent this time making a name for yourself to little avail. In order to reach the heights of notoriety you desire, Hawke will need to earn some money in order to join a....ugh...Deep Roads expedition. This task will be easy with the companions you will acquire along the way. Once you have made enough money, the Deep Roads and the riches it holds is yours for the taking.
Act 2- A few years after Hawke's Deep Roads expedition, he/she has finally found a place in high society. Kirkwall now faces a new threat. The Qunari are in a state of unrest. They are searching for something and cannot leave until they find it. With all of the Chantry zelots in Kirkwall, religious tension is quickly building. Hawke needs to keep the peace, but when that fails, he/she is forced to take on his/her greatest challenge yet. The Qunari themselves.
Act 3- Years after the Qunari uprising, Hawke has been named the Champion of Kirkwall and faces a new set of threats. Tension is rising between the Mages and Templars of Kirkwall. The city looks to Hawke and his/her companions to keep the peace between the two groups. When both sides are bullheaded keeping things civil is easier said than done. Try as Hawke might, war between these two can not be avoided. If you can't beat them, join them. But which side is right and which is just out for power?
Since there are so few great things about this game, lets get that list out of the way.
It's short. Thank the Maker for small favors.
The combat is fluid, smooth and fast paced. Which is a welcomed change from the traditional sluggish RPG combat style of DA:O. The combat here is reminiscent of a hack and slash. It's a change some weren't exactly happy with, but since I love hack and slash games almost as much as RPG's, it made the game almost bearable. Almost.
The new skill tree set up is a very nice change. Now you are able to pick and choose which skills you wish to learn and even upgrade them. I wish the first game would have had this feature. It would have made leveling up fun and exciting. It took me some time to figure out which skill I wanted to learn first since you have so many tree choices. With the help of mods, you can actually have them all. No matter which class you choose in the beginning of the game. Thank you mod community!
While the companion banter isn't as funny in this installment, Varric's sarcasm and his need to constantly give those around him nicknames induces fits of giggling. He is also one of two companions who appreciate sarcastic conversation opinions. Isabella being the other. Isabella does have some good one liners, but Varric's are better.
I highly suggest you play this game choosing sarcastic conversation options when offered. It makes the game a little more bearable, and leads too some pretty interesting conversation results.
The rival/friendship approval rating system is interesting. You can have a rival romance/friendship, (In my opinion this is the far more interesting route), or you can say all the right things and have a friendship relationship.
There are a few faces from DA:0 that show up. It's always nice to see old friends again. No matter how badly the art team screwed them up.
I can't stress the importance of mods for the pc version. Mods make this game worth a couple of play throughs. A huge thank you to all of you who have worked so hard to make fantastic mods. Because of all of you, this game has some massive replay value. That isn't even something Bioware could do for this game. Keep up the good work!
On to the bad.
The story. It didn't flow very well. At least not for my liking. I just didn't understand what one main storyline had to do with the next. One act I'm as poor as a hobo. The next I'm rich as could be and people are still asking me to do shit work for them. The next I'm the champion who is still doing other people's bidding.
If they had stuck us with one "big picture" storyline, that would have made more sense. You do get a feel for the emanate mage/templar implosion early on. But this is due to side quests. Not to mention Anders constant pissing and whining about how oppressed mages. Believe me, you get to hear that. A LOT. Finding a way to stop the tension from building between the mages and templars would have been far more interesting than the jumbled storyline we got.
Kirkwall. Enjoy your stay, because you will never leave. Yes. You do get to visit the lovely mountains once in a while, but it's never too far away from good old Kirkwall. Traveling from town to town could have made this game far less tedious. I'm sure there are plenty of towns surrounding Kirkwall needed Hawkes help. Hell. A trip to the Free Marches would have been nice. Alas, it was not meant to be. As it is, every single dungeon and enemy A.I is reused. If you choose to play this game, get ready to see the same dungeon at least three times throughout the whole game. Not to mention realizing you've already fought this bunch of fucking mercenaries already. They story was hard to swallow. But reused EVERYTHING made it a chore to play through.
Hawke. I had a hard time feeling any kind of emotional connection with Hawke. Unlike the Warden you built from the ground up in DA:O, Hawke's back round story has already been pre-determined for you. There are no other races here. You are stuck playing a human. The two things you get to decide for your Hawke is a fighting class and sex. The only way to get away from Hawkes cardboard box personality, is choosing sarcastic answers in your conversation wheel.
If I were able to build my Hawke from the ground up. Decide what his/her back round is. What his/her home situation was. Then I would have been able to connect. The Hawke presented is a step back from character customization. There are a lot of DA fans who took issue with this lacking feature. I completely understand why fan boys and girls were so pissed off about it.
Companions. Now for the biggest tragedy of all. Aside from Verric, I could have cared less what happened to any of my companions. Hell. Once in a while I was tempted to run my sword through an eyeball or two.
Anders is the one character that bugged be more than anyone. The way he is portrayed in this game COMPLETELY goes against the epilogue in DA:A. Say good bye to witty Anders. Say hello to a mage who is whinny, broody, self righteous and he ditched his duty as a Grey Warden. The last point is what makes the DA:A epilogue pointless. He's always wanting to help a mage, but really he just wants to help himself. It's down right pitiful.
The other companions were just boring and whinny. I really wasn't interested in helping any of them out. However, for the sake of exp gain, I did it anyways.
The artwork wasn't the best in DA:O, but somehow the artwork in this game was worse. I don't know how Bioware's art team managed to pull that one off. Thanks guys and girls at Bioware for making Elves look ridiculous. Oh and how the messed up Alistair and Zevran. Now, I am painfully aware of aging effects. But no one looks THAT bad in their late 20s and early 30's.
The end. It was a massive let down. We really don't know what happened to anyone. The epilogue was very half assed.
*****Spoiler Alert****
It is mentioned at the end that both hawke and the Warden (your character from DA:O) are missing. It was eluded that they must be found in order to piece together unaccounted events.
Not too long after this game came out, Bioware said that both Hawke and the Warden's stories are done. So come DA3 we will never hear from either one of them again. We wont get that missing link, or any closure to our Warden's story. Which is really what I care about.
The Romance. I really didn't care to romance anyone in this game. It all comes back to the whole not connecting thing. Had Varric been a romance option character, I would have jumped at that opportunity. Sadly, he wasn't. Your choices are a broody elf. Whinny mage. Confused Dalish elf. Religious dude. Last but not least, the pirate whore. Actually Isabella is the lesser of evils here, which is sad cause she's the whore.
****End of Spoiler****
This whole ending made me want to throw my computer against a wall. Oddly enough, the only other game's ending that pissed me off more was Mass Effect 3. With the ending of DA2 the Mass Effect 3 ending really should have shocked me.
Now on to the DLC.
The Exiled Price. This was a launch day DLC that gave you a new companion to add to the mix. It was pointless, and should have already been in the game. I didn't ask for a yet another card board companion. Yet Bioware thought I just really needed one. Thankfully, this came with my pre-order. I just feel sorry for those who paid the 8.99 to buy this worthless content.
The Black Emporium. This DLC was actually kind of nice to have. There are no missions here, but instead you get a rare items store. His shit is expensive, but everything here is easy enough to save up for. Plus you get to modify your character if you should choose to do so.
Legacy. This was actually a really fun mission DLC. We finally get to learn more about Hawke's father. Which was actually pretty interesting.
Hawke is being hunted down by a dwarven cartel. They want to use Hawkes blood in order to bring forth a old Tevinter Magister. I have to admit, I really enjoyed this mission. There were back stories and the Magister himself had an interesting story to tell.
Mark of the Assassin. Why the hell this DLC received so much hype is beyond me. Hawke is approached by elven rogue Tallis. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to help her steal an object from an Orleasan noble.
This DLC could have been so good. Sadly, the stealth (which you WILL need here), is poorly done at best. But, it does have several hours of game play. So if you're an Felecia Day fan, then by all means download it. I'm a fan and not even I could get in to this one.
It breaks my heart to give a Dragon Age game this kind of score.
4/10
There are good things about this game. Sadly the bad far outweigh the good.
As I said before, download mods for this game. It makes it more enjoyable.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Dragon Age: Origins review
I am completely aware of how behind the times I am with this review. But, I think Dragon Age: Origins deserves some review love. What the hell. I might as well cover Dragon Age 2 while I'm at it.
I wont bother hiding the fact that DA:O is one of my favorite games of all time. However, I will try this review fair and balanced. No matter how hard it may be.
The game begins like so many RGP games do.
Welcome to Ferelden folks. It's country on the brink of war. Monsters call the Darkspawn are making life difficult for all. You know, Killing and shit like that. And, of course, different factions trying to put a stop to invading monsters.
Meet the Grey Wardens. This group of warriors are only the best of the best. The Grey Wardens soul purpose is to defeat the Darkspawn and the Darkspawn leader, the Archdemon. Throughout the game you will learn what makes the Grey Wardens so different from other warriors, Which is actually fairly interesting.
The first Grey Warden that we meet is Ferelden's Warden Commander, Duncan. Due to a dwindling Grey Warden population in Ferelden, Duncan has taken it upon himself to recruit talented and intelligent warriors. Since the Grey Warden's only recruit the best of the best, you can only imagine how daunting this task must be. Yet the impending war waits for no man.
After a brief opening cut scene, you will be able to create the character of your choosing.
After choosing your race, sex, class and back round, you will be able to customize your character. While not as deep as some customization, it is fairly extensive. This is where the pc version of this game comes out on top. Thanks to the amount of appearance mods, the customization options are nearly endless. Want a character with neon green hair? There is a mod for that.
The beginning of your story depends on what race and backround you choose. After you learn about your character's beginning, the game itself essentially plays out the same. However, depending on what race you pick, the people of the world will react to your character differently. Elves are seen as slaves. Humans are seen as superior. Dwarfs for the most part are dirt people. Mages are somewhat feared. Who you choose will also effect the ending as well. Which gives the game replay value.
Once your character has been recruited in to the Grey Wardens, things quickly go downhill from there. After a failed battle, you and a fellow companion are the last two Grey Wardens in Ferelden. It's up to you to gather an army in order to take down the Archdemon, and stop the blight on Ferelden before it actually begins. To make matters worse, an important army general has placed a bounty on your head. I will let you play the game in order to find out why this man has it out for your group. But I will say our little general is slightly bat shit crazy. When it rains, it pours.
While the story isn't exactly super original, it is enough to keep most true RPG fans interested. You are able to form bonds and even romance your companions. Which adds a layer of depth to the story. I can't speak for all people who have played this game, but I really did care about my companions. I found myself wanting to make most of them happy. This is something you can do through conversations and gift giving. Certain conversation paths lead to "Hardening" a particular character. Or you can leave your wimpy character as is.
There is A LOT of story here. With side quests and all, I finished the game in 75 hours or so. So if you are all about a bit of bang for your buck, this is the game for you. I'm sure with all the DLC for the game it turns out to be a 80 or 90 hour game. So there is a lot of content here to get through.
I've played this game on all the consoles and the pc. In my personal opinion, this is a pc game. Not just because of all the mods that are out there. But it handles like a pc game no matter which system you play it on. Controls for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are a bit confusing at first. With a little time, it becomes easier to figure out where everything is and how it works. The pc version is slightly less complicated. I for inventory. M for map. So on and so forth. All versions have a quick bar. The quick bar is going to save your ass, so keep it fully stocked with abilities and potions.
The game play itself is a throw back to Baldur's Gate. Which isn't a bad thing since I love BG. Which means if you are someone who like a fast and furious battles, sad to say that this game is not for you. This game requires strategy and most of all patience. Planning out a fight plan is the key to success. Unless you have an overpowered weapon mod, then fuck strategy. Hack away.
Relationships with your companions is important. I cannot stress enough how important this is. There are several companions who will turn on you if you don't butter them up. You don't aways have you please everyone, but it's a good idea to try.
Romance is kind of hit or miss. There are some I simply romanced because it would give me one more achievement. Then there are the characters I enjoyed wooing. I will let you discover who you prefer to warm your lonely sleeping bags at night. There is something here for everyone. There are two characters in this game who are bisexual and two who aren't. I'll let you play and figure out who.
There are sex scenes. Which are deeply unsatisfying. Who has sex with clothes on? The cut scenes are just strange and not very fun to watch. Not saying I want porno quality scenes here, but one spends a lot of time wooing a fellow companion. I'd like a little more than dry humping in a tent.
The Fade and the Deep Roads. I have no met a single person who enjoys playing through these levels. In fact, there is a mod out to skip the Fade. Believe me, it's downloaded and well worth it. I understand why both of these levels are in the game. They are just take way too fucking long to get through.
You are sent to The Fade by a Demon because....well I assume it's just to waste time and annoy the player. When inside the Fade there are five levels to get through. There are two objectives here: Pick up a new form in each level. And find your lost companions. All of this leads up to a pointless fade boss battle. If you have the right equipment, this boss is easy. Aside from earning exp and attribute points, I really don't see the point of this level. It's too fucking long!
The Deep roads actually is an important part of the story. However, it takes HOURS to get through. It's easy to get lost, frustrating as hell and just all around not much fun.
If it weren't to build an army against the darkspawn, I would have said fuck help from the dwarves and mages. Since that isn't an option we'll all just have to suffer through it.
The end is satisfying. There are several different endings to choose from. All of your decisions throughout the game lead up to the end decision. I wont go in to detail, but it is epic.
Let's talk about Dragon Age: Awakening and DLC for a moment. WHAT THE FUCK BIOWARE??! DA:A is a "full length" expansion for the original game. This game AT MOST, has 10-15 hours of game play. If you took your time, maybe you could get 15 and a half hours. The point is, the fucking thing is short. At the time it was also a full priced game. 50 dollars for this? 60 dollars for the console versions. Why this wasn't just released as a DLC is beyond me, but it is what it is.
DA:A gives us a new setting, new party members and new objectives. You have one of two options. Bringing over your Warden from DA:O, or playing as an Orleasan Warden. To be honest I've never played as the Orleasan Warden, since it seemed rather pointless. You don't know anything about this new Warden, nor do you get the time to learn of any back round. Might as well transfer your own Warden and build up those levels.
The new companions fell short for me. Each and every one of them felt like a counterpart to a character from DA:O. Don't get me wrong. I did enjoy the dialogue with the witty, cat loving Anders. But even he felt like a certain Grey Warden love interest from DA:O. Given the expansion's shortness, you are given very little time to know your companions. There is the gift giving option, but honestly I don't see the point. Conversations are short, don't give you much information, and seem tacked on.
It annoyed me that NONE of my special armor or weapons from DA:O carried over. Showing up in my underwear, or bra and panties was a bit of a surprise. Not a good kind of surprise.
The ending. Well. The End of DA:A just kinda.....ends. It's unsatisfying to say the least. We learn a little of what has happened to the companions and our Warden commander through epilogue stills, but there could have been so much more. It could have been epic. Instead, Bioware phones in a half assed ending that leaves one confused. At least I was a little confused.
Not to say DA:A is all bad. Some of the missions are fun. Also some of the dialogue between the npc's is really kind of funny. I also love the idea of talking darkspawn.
But as a whole it's an expansion pack that falls vastly short of good. Passable and worth a play through. If only to level yourself up for the DLC to follow.
On to the DLC.
The Stone Prisoner gave us a new mission, along with a new companion. It's worth getting just for Shale alone. Some of the items looted along the way is pretty nifty too.
Return to Ostagar gave us a chance to get our revenge on the darkspawn. While this isn't the best dlc on the list, it was pretty fun. The loot was well worth playing through this. The kings armor and Duncan's weapons were nice to have in the old inventory box.
Leliana's Story was not wonderful, but it was nice to get a back round story on at least one companion. Even though she was the least interesting of the characters. This also adds a weapon to your game inventory. It's hardly worth the time spent.
Darkspawn Chronicles. While some hate this dlc, personally I really liked playing as the darkspawn. I was finally able to kill some of the most annoying characters in the game! I found it thrilling and therapeutic. If you take it for the filler dlc that it is, you can have some fun.
Witch Hunt. This was, by far, the most disappointing dlc of the bunch. We were promised an answers. Sadly, we got none with this sub par episode. We find ourselves in the Deep Roads. Again. This was already enough to keep me from downloading this dlc. Sadly, it came with the ultimate edition of the game. So I gave it a whirl. We need to find Morrigan because she has an important book. There are two rather boring new companions. The dlc raises more questions than it answers. Thus leaving fans utterly disappointed.
The Golems of Amgarrak. Again with this Deep Roads bullshit. However, this was a very challenging dlc. Again we are searching for something. A new companion is on the hunt for something or another. Since I found myself back in the Deep Roads, I really didn't give a rats ass what he was looking for. The puzzles were challenging, as was the end boss. I appreciated the challenge. The story itself was utter shit. Pass.
Armor dlc, Festerday pranks/gifts were let downs. The blood armor was cool looking, but did little else. The pranks/gifts are to help get your party approval up or down. Either way they were utterly stupid and pointless.
It's worth getting the ultimate edition. If you can find it. Just know the expansion is short, and the dlc is hit or miss.
I give the game itself a 9/10
The extra content gets a 5/10
If I were to add my review of DA2, it would indeed be far too long. So next up. My review of the unfortunate Dragon Age 2.
I wont bother hiding the fact that DA:O is one of my favorite games of all time. However, I will try this review fair and balanced. No matter how hard it may be.
The game begins like so many RGP games do.
Welcome to Ferelden folks. It's country on the brink of war. Monsters call the Darkspawn are making life difficult for all. You know, Killing and shit like that. And, of course, different factions trying to put a stop to invading monsters.
Meet the Grey Wardens. This group of warriors are only the best of the best. The Grey Wardens soul purpose is to defeat the Darkspawn and the Darkspawn leader, the Archdemon. Throughout the game you will learn what makes the Grey Wardens so different from other warriors, Which is actually fairly interesting.
The first Grey Warden that we meet is Ferelden's Warden Commander, Duncan. Due to a dwindling Grey Warden population in Ferelden, Duncan has taken it upon himself to recruit talented and intelligent warriors. Since the Grey Warden's only recruit the best of the best, you can only imagine how daunting this task must be. Yet the impending war waits for no man.
After a brief opening cut scene, you will be able to create the character of your choosing.
After choosing your race, sex, class and back round, you will be able to customize your character. While not as deep as some customization, it is fairly extensive. This is where the pc version of this game comes out on top. Thanks to the amount of appearance mods, the customization options are nearly endless. Want a character with neon green hair? There is a mod for that.
The beginning of your story depends on what race and backround you choose. After you learn about your character's beginning, the game itself essentially plays out the same. However, depending on what race you pick, the people of the world will react to your character differently. Elves are seen as slaves. Humans are seen as superior. Dwarfs for the most part are dirt people. Mages are somewhat feared. Who you choose will also effect the ending as well. Which gives the game replay value.
Once your character has been recruited in to the Grey Wardens, things quickly go downhill from there. After a failed battle, you and a fellow companion are the last two Grey Wardens in Ferelden. It's up to you to gather an army in order to take down the Archdemon, and stop the blight on Ferelden before it actually begins. To make matters worse, an important army general has placed a bounty on your head. I will let you play the game in order to find out why this man has it out for your group. But I will say our little general is slightly bat shit crazy. When it rains, it pours.
While the story isn't exactly super original, it is enough to keep most true RPG fans interested. You are able to form bonds and even romance your companions. Which adds a layer of depth to the story. I can't speak for all people who have played this game, but I really did care about my companions. I found myself wanting to make most of them happy. This is something you can do through conversations and gift giving. Certain conversation paths lead to "Hardening" a particular character. Or you can leave your wimpy character as is.
There is A LOT of story here. With side quests and all, I finished the game in 75 hours or so. So if you are all about a bit of bang for your buck, this is the game for you. I'm sure with all the DLC for the game it turns out to be a 80 or 90 hour game. So there is a lot of content here to get through.
I've played this game on all the consoles and the pc. In my personal opinion, this is a pc game. Not just because of all the mods that are out there. But it handles like a pc game no matter which system you play it on. Controls for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are a bit confusing at first. With a little time, it becomes easier to figure out where everything is and how it works. The pc version is slightly less complicated. I for inventory. M for map. So on and so forth. All versions have a quick bar. The quick bar is going to save your ass, so keep it fully stocked with abilities and potions.
The game play itself is a throw back to Baldur's Gate. Which isn't a bad thing since I love BG. Which means if you are someone who like a fast and furious battles, sad to say that this game is not for you. This game requires strategy and most of all patience. Planning out a fight plan is the key to success. Unless you have an overpowered weapon mod, then fuck strategy. Hack away.
Relationships with your companions is important. I cannot stress enough how important this is. There are several companions who will turn on you if you don't butter them up. You don't aways have you please everyone, but it's a good idea to try.
Romance is kind of hit or miss. There are some I simply romanced because it would give me one more achievement. Then there are the characters I enjoyed wooing. I will let you discover who you prefer to warm your lonely sleeping bags at night. There is something here for everyone. There are two characters in this game who are bisexual and two who aren't. I'll let you play and figure out who.
There are sex scenes. Which are deeply unsatisfying. Who has sex with clothes on? The cut scenes are just strange and not very fun to watch. Not saying I want porno quality scenes here, but one spends a lot of time wooing a fellow companion. I'd like a little more than dry humping in a tent.
The Fade and the Deep Roads. I have no met a single person who enjoys playing through these levels. In fact, there is a mod out to skip the Fade. Believe me, it's downloaded and well worth it. I understand why both of these levels are in the game. They are just take way too fucking long to get through.
You are sent to The Fade by a Demon because....well I assume it's just to waste time and annoy the player. When inside the Fade there are five levels to get through. There are two objectives here: Pick up a new form in each level. And find your lost companions. All of this leads up to a pointless fade boss battle. If you have the right equipment, this boss is easy. Aside from earning exp and attribute points, I really don't see the point of this level. It's too fucking long!
The Deep roads actually is an important part of the story. However, it takes HOURS to get through. It's easy to get lost, frustrating as hell and just all around not much fun.
If it weren't to build an army against the darkspawn, I would have said fuck help from the dwarves and mages. Since that isn't an option we'll all just have to suffer through it.
The end is satisfying. There are several different endings to choose from. All of your decisions throughout the game lead up to the end decision. I wont go in to detail, but it is epic.
Let's talk about Dragon Age: Awakening and DLC for a moment. WHAT THE FUCK BIOWARE??! DA:A is a "full length" expansion for the original game. This game AT MOST, has 10-15 hours of game play. If you took your time, maybe you could get 15 and a half hours. The point is, the fucking thing is short. At the time it was also a full priced game. 50 dollars for this? 60 dollars for the console versions. Why this wasn't just released as a DLC is beyond me, but it is what it is.
DA:A gives us a new setting, new party members and new objectives. You have one of two options. Bringing over your Warden from DA:O, or playing as an Orleasan Warden. To be honest I've never played as the Orleasan Warden, since it seemed rather pointless. You don't know anything about this new Warden, nor do you get the time to learn of any back round. Might as well transfer your own Warden and build up those levels.
The new companions fell short for me. Each and every one of them felt like a counterpart to a character from DA:O. Don't get me wrong. I did enjoy the dialogue with the witty, cat loving Anders. But even he felt like a certain Grey Warden love interest from DA:O. Given the expansion's shortness, you are given very little time to know your companions. There is the gift giving option, but honestly I don't see the point. Conversations are short, don't give you much information, and seem tacked on.
It annoyed me that NONE of my special armor or weapons from DA:O carried over. Showing up in my underwear, or bra and panties was a bit of a surprise. Not a good kind of surprise.
The ending. Well. The End of DA:A just kinda.....ends. It's unsatisfying to say the least. We learn a little of what has happened to the companions and our Warden commander through epilogue stills, but there could have been so much more. It could have been epic. Instead, Bioware phones in a half assed ending that leaves one confused. At least I was a little confused.
Not to say DA:A is all bad. Some of the missions are fun. Also some of the dialogue between the npc's is really kind of funny. I also love the idea of talking darkspawn.
But as a whole it's an expansion pack that falls vastly short of good. Passable and worth a play through. If only to level yourself up for the DLC to follow.
On to the DLC.
The Stone Prisoner gave us a new mission, along with a new companion. It's worth getting just for Shale alone. Some of the items looted along the way is pretty nifty too.
Return to Ostagar gave us a chance to get our revenge on the darkspawn. While this isn't the best dlc on the list, it was pretty fun. The loot was well worth playing through this. The kings armor and Duncan's weapons were nice to have in the old inventory box.
Leliana's Story was not wonderful, but it was nice to get a back round story on at least one companion. Even though she was the least interesting of the characters. This also adds a weapon to your game inventory. It's hardly worth the time spent.
Darkspawn Chronicles. While some hate this dlc, personally I really liked playing as the darkspawn. I was finally able to kill some of the most annoying characters in the game! I found it thrilling and therapeutic. If you take it for the filler dlc that it is, you can have some fun.
Witch Hunt. This was, by far, the most disappointing dlc of the bunch. We were promised an answers. Sadly, we got none with this sub par episode. We find ourselves in the Deep Roads. Again. This was already enough to keep me from downloading this dlc. Sadly, it came with the ultimate edition of the game. So I gave it a whirl. We need to find Morrigan because she has an important book. There are two rather boring new companions. The dlc raises more questions than it answers. Thus leaving fans utterly disappointed.
The Golems of Amgarrak. Again with this Deep Roads bullshit. However, this was a very challenging dlc. Again we are searching for something. A new companion is on the hunt for something or another. Since I found myself back in the Deep Roads, I really didn't give a rats ass what he was looking for. The puzzles were challenging, as was the end boss. I appreciated the challenge. The story itself was utter shit. Pass.
Armor dlc, Festerday pranks/gifts were let downs. The blood armor was cool looking, but did little else. The pranks/gifts are to help get your party approval up or down. Either way they were utterly stupid and pointless.
It's worth getting the ultimate edition. If you can find it. Just know the expansion is short, and the dlc is hit or miss.
I give the game itself a 9/10
The extra content gets a 5/10
If I were to add my review of DA2, it would indeed be far too long. So next up. My review of the unfortunate Dragon Age 2.
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