Shocker.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Dragon Age II - Fenris Companion Quest
This is footage of me doing the Bitter Pill for Fenris in Dragon Age II. Spoilers ahead!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Thoughts on Dragon Age II
Dragon Age II has been out for roughly two weeks now, and I feel it's time for me to write down all my thoughts on the game before they become untimely. I'll state right now that I am still in Act 2 of the game since I ran into computer issues last week that have very likely accelerated my plans for a new gaming computer. No idea how long this will end up as I start to go in, but I hope you folks will enjoy.
Graphics
Are the graphics for Dragon Age II improved over Origins? Certainly, and they work well for the game. The big thing for the new graphics is that Bioware took the time to go back, and re-tool the art style of the game as well as actually give important people in the Dragon Age universe a unique look (i.e. Flemeth) that really pays off. I really appreciate the effort made in this department as Origins was a generic game as far as the art style goes.
This new art style works well, and has factored into your companion NPCs clothing choices, but I'll touch on that in a later section. Still I will note a lot of the re-used animations from the first game while NPCs talk during a cut scene. I would not call it a negative, but the way animations roll over and over again for cut scenes for games that do not have pre-rendered video has always stood out to me.
Combat
Combat in this game is generally the same on PC as it was in Origins, but the way the combat is accomplished has been tweaked. It's obviously a mainstream appeal issue, and I can not say I have an issue with it. There are a lot of filler animations added into combat to deal with movement, and give the battles a faster feel. Rogues leap around the battlefield performing amazing acrobatic twists, and rolls across the ground while warriors seem to slide into heavy blows. Mages have also been made to look more dramatic while firing off their generic staff projectiles.
The battles have also taken a more action game approach in more then just the animations since your characters never miss an attack be it basic, spell, or some triggered talent. I am not sure how I feel about that since it just came to mind as I was writing this. There are still numbers being crunched behind the scene though with armor and defense ratings versus attack ratings, and critical chances.
The flow of battles has also changed since Bioware has taken a wave approach to how enemies show up. Personally I am not a fan of this design choice. I like to be presented with a battle, pause the game, size up everything, and then execute a plan of attack. Instead I am caught off guard by having a new enemy dropped in from out of nowhere behind my party who proceeds to tear into my archer, and mage because someone else had my attention. I deal with it, but it throws off my strategy. Also, Bioware dropped the ever so helpful colored names from enemies that allow you to size up their toughness. Instead they just have different size health bars floating over the top of their head with what appears at quick glance to only possess 3 variations much to my chagrin.
Mechanics
Just like there were sweeping changes to the battle system other game mechanics received the same treatment. Crafting of potions, traps, and poisons has been removed as a player skill. Instead you are given recipes that you can access from your home base, and use to make new items assuming you have taken the time to gather the required resources during your travels around Kirkwall. It feels to me a little bit like the Mass Effect 2 upgrade system with resources, but of course this is not upgrading your party members items and the resources are not consumed after making an item.
Speaking of Mass Effect 2, the companion armor system has been borrowed from that game as well. Look at what your companions are wearing at the start of the game. That is all they will ever wear. They have taken away the ability to equip individual pieces of armor, and have given you one armor piece that has four upgrades you either purchase, or find on a quest. Despite doing that you're still able to equip accessories, and swap out weapons and shields (side note: unequipping weapons leaves you with a generic crappy version for your class).
It means less fussing with gearing up your characters, but at the same time you allows you to forget to seek out your companions upgrades. It also has the nasty side effect of making a good portion of loot picked up useless. If I pick up a pair of unique boots that require 21 dexterity and 21 cunning I'll never wear them with my warrior who has all his points dumped into strength and constitution. Also, some of your characters are locked in to only one weapon choice. Two of the rogues acquired basically only have an archery tree, but to equip a dagger you are required to have a point in the dual wield talent tree which they lack. Bioware was very specific in what they wanted to give you in this game, and seems they did not want much change.
Skill trees received a big re-working for all the classes. They are presented to you in a web format, and each individual tree is sprinkled with a few new abilities. You essentially have two trees that represent an archetype i.e. sword and shield warrior, or two-handed warrior. Then you are given two more trees that to me seem to augment the other tree and are clearly defined. The warrior has defender which pairs with sword and shield talents for tanking, and the vanguard which help add to a two-handed warriors damage output. The mage lacks this setup, and the rogue's skill trees are a bit more varied to allow for roguish things like stealth.
Also, your companions all have a special tree unique to them. It's first ability is a passive earned depending on your friendship or rivalry level with them. Friendship talents impart a bonus to the companion, and your Hawke while rivalry is only for the companion. Digging into the tree gives the companions a bit more personality instead of them just being a generic rogue, or mage who went with elemental spells over primal. Once again I link this back with Mass Effect 2 and the abilities you unlocked through loyalty quests.
Specializations have been reduced from four to three in this game. The warrior keeps templar, reaver, and berserker, but champion talents have been re-assigned to the battlemaster talent tree. The rogue loses both bard, and ranger while gaining the shadow specialization (haven't seen it in action). Mages lose both shape shifter, and arcane warrior while gaining force mage (evidently a good nuker).
Story
Dragon Age II limits you to only playing as a human, and this allows Bioware to give a story that focuses centrally around your character. Origins is about the struggle against the Blight and the tried and true method of traveling to several places to recruit allies before facing the greater threat. While in the sequel I obviously have not made it to the end the game has simply been the story of Hawke, and his family's struggle to gain a foothold in a new city. I like the change as it delivers a more personal story. Also, the story does a lot to add on to the Chantry/Templars, and their tension with mages. The Qunari are also given a much more important role which helps build on the Dragon Age lore presented to the players.
Conclusion
I am really enjoying my time with Dragon Age II. The combat is fast, satisfying, and bloody. At the same time maybe they streamlined too much like taking away my isometric camera view for battles. I think the approach for streamlining works for the Mass Effect series since it was already trying to give you third person shooter mechanics blended with an RPG, but Dragon Age is a throwback that should not have to make apologies for what it is. Maybe this is a product of Bioware's size, EA's influence, or the simple need to reach more consumers during a time of econmoic hardship. Still, it's a great game that is moving forward with the times in gaming.
Graphics
Are the graphics for Dragon Age II improved over Origins? Certainly, and they work well for the game. The big thing for the new graphics is that Bioware took the time to go back, and re-tool the art style of the game as well as actually give important people in the Dragon Age universe a unique look (i.e. Flemeth) that really pays off. I really appreciate the effort made in this department as Origins was a generic game as far as the art style goes.
This new art style works well, and has factored into your companion NPCs clothing choices, but I'll touch on that in a later section. Still I will note a lot of the re-used animations from the first game while NPCs talk during a cut scene. I would not call it a negative, but the way animations roll over and over again for cut scenes for games that do not have pre-rendered video has always stood out to me.
Combat
Combat in this game is generally the same on PC as it was in Origins, but the way the combat is accomplished has been tweaked. It's obviously a mainstream appeal issue, and I can not say I have an issue with it. There are a lot of filler animations added into combat to deal with movement, and give the battles a faster feel. Rogues leap around the battlefield performing amazing acrobatic twists, and rolls across the ground while warriors seem to slide into heavy blows. Mages have also been made to look more dramatic while firing off their generic staff projectiles.
The battles have also taken a more action game approach in more then just the animations since your characters never miss an attack be it basic, spell, or some triggered talent. I am not sure how I feel about that since it just came to mind as I was writing this. There are still numbers being crunched behind the scene though with armor and defense ratings versus attack ratings, and critical chances.
The flow of battles has also changed since Bioware has taken a wave approach to how enemies show up. Personally I am not a fan of this design choice. I like to be presented with a battle, pause the game, size up everything, and then execute a plan of attack. Instead I am caught off guard by having a new enemy dropped in from out of nowhere behind my party who proceeds to tear into my archer, and mage because someone else had my attention. I deal with it, but it throws off my strategy. Also, Bioware dropped the ever so helpful colored names from enemies that allow you to size up their toughness. Instead they just have different size health bars floating over the top of their head with what appears at quick glance to only possess 3 variations much to my chagrin.
Mechanics
Just like there were sweeping changes to the battle system other game mechanics received the same treatment. Crafting of potions, traps, and poisons has been removed as a player skill. Instead you are given recipes that you can access from your home base, and use to make new items assuming you have taken the time to gather the required resources during your travels around Kirkwall. It feels to me a little bit like the Mass Effect 2 upgrade system with resources, but of course this is not upgrading your party members items and the resources are not consumed after making an item.
Speaking of Mass Effect 2, the companion armor system has been borrowed from that game as well. Look at what your companions are wearing at the start of the game. That is all they will ever wear. They have taken away the ability to equip individual pieces of armor, and have given you one armor piece that has four upgrades you either purchase, or find on a quest. Despite doing that you're still able to equip accessories, and swap out weapons and shields (side note: unequipping weapons leaves you with a generic crappy version for your class).
It means less fussing with gearing up your characters, but at the same time you allows you to forget to seek out your companions upgrades. It also has the nasty side effect of making a good portion of loot picked up useless. If I pick up a pair of unique boots that require 21 dexterity and 21 cunning I'll never wear them with my warrior who has all his points dumped into strength and constitution. Also, some of your characters are locked in to only one weapon choice. Two of the rogues acquired basically only have an archery tree, but to equip a dagger you are required to have a point in the dual wield talent tree which they lack. Bioware was very specific in what they wanted to give you in this game, and seems they did not want much change.
Skill trees received a big re-working for all the classes. They are presented to you in a web format, and each individual tree is sprinkled with a few new abilities. You essentially have two trees that represent an archetype i.e. sword and shield warrior, or two-handed warrior. Then you are given two more trees that to me seem to augment the other tree and are clearly defined. The warrior has defender which pairs with sword and shield talents for tanking, and the vanguard which help add to a two-handed warriors damage output. The mage lacks this setup, and the rogue's skill trees are a bit more varied to allow for roguish things like stealth.
Also, your companions all have a special tree unique to them. It's first ability is a passive earned depending on your friendship or rivalry level with them. Friendship talents impart a bonus to the companion, and your Hawke while rivalry is only for the companion. Digging into the tree gives the companions a bit more personality instead of them just being a generic rogue, or mage who went with elemental spells over primal. Once again I link this back with Mass Effect 2 and the abilities you unlocked through loyalty quests.
Specializations have been reduced from four to three in this game. The warrior keeps templar, reaver, and berserker, but champion talents have been re-assigned to the battlemaster talent tree. The rogue loses both bard, and ranger while gaining the shadow specialization (haven't seen it in action). Mages lose both shape shifter, and arcane warrior while gaining force mage (evidently a good nuker).
Story
Dragon Age II limits you to only playing as a human, and this allows Bioware to give a story that focuses centrally around your character. Origins is about the struggle against the Blight and the tried and true method of traveling to several places to recruit allies before facing the greater threat. While in the sequel I obviously have not made it to the end the game has simply been the story of Hawke, and his family's struggle to gain a foothold in a new city. I like the change as it delivers a more personal story. Also, the story does a lot to add on to the Chantry/Templars, and their tension with mages. The Qunari are also given a much more important role which helps build on the Dragon Age lore presented to the players.
Conclusion
I am really enjoying my time with Dragon Age II. The combat is fast, satisfying, and bloody. At the same time maybe they streamlined too much like taking away my isometric camera view for battles. I think the approach for streamlining works for the Mass Effect series since it was already trying to give you third person shooter mechanics blended with an RPG, but Dragon Age is a throwback that should not have to make apologies for what it is. Maybe this is a product of Bioware's size, EA's influence, or the simple need to reach more consumers during a time of econmoic hardship. Still, it's a great game that is moving forward with the times in gaming.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Dragon Age II Gameplay Montage
Quick video of some Dragon Age II footage I captured on the PC. Difficulty set to hard. Still working on getting a big impressions write up done, but I had PC issues this whole week much to my chagrin. Enjoy folks!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Homefront Gameplay 3-16-11
A quick video of me playing Homefront on the PC. I'm still working out how to get my video to capture, while maintaining a nice resolution. Clip was rendered in Windows Movie Maker Live (need something better), and captured with FRAPS. Enjoy fellows.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Small Update
Hey folks, I'm still around. Currently I'm plowing through Dragon Age II (PC), and I am having a blast. Game has been engrossing me, and I love the feel of combat. I am even managing to get through the game on Hard so far. I will say one thing: Give me back my isometric camera view on PC! Expect a further detailed breakdown of my play later on.
Also, I went ahead and pre-ordered Homefront off of Steam so I could get a hold of a copy of Metro 2033. Hopefully I get a chance to dive deep into those two titles as well, and provide some impressions.
Also, I went ahead and pre-ordered Homefront off of Steam so I could get a hold of a copy of Metro 2033. Hopefully I get a chance to dive deep into those two titles as well, and provide some impressions.
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