Dragon Age: Origins: Awakening delivers pretty much what it promised, even more Dragon Age. Yes it costs about half as much as the original Dragon Age but is about a third as long. This is a tad disappointing since traditionally Bioware's expansion packs are actually better than the original games. Case in point Throne of Bhaal (Baldur's Gate 2) and Hordes of the Underdark (Neverwinter Nights) are huge, sprawling campaigns in their own right and rival the length if not the breadth of their parent games. Placed within this context it is simply disappointing by Bioware's own high standards, its about as much content as say, Knights of the Nine for Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for example or a pair of Fallout 3 DLC.
That said, is the expansion any good? I think that yes, its worth the money to buy it if you're a fan of Dragon Age. The new abilities bring even more strategic depth to the game and some of them are real fun. The Manual of Focus allows you to respec any of your characters which can lead to some severe metagaming abuse. However it also allows you to access the new skills and talents a lot more easily since no one told you in Dragon Age: Origins that you would need 62 Magic for a given talent.
The storyline in Awakenings is standard Bioware fare and the characters are just as fun. Admittedly the story in Awakenings feels that much more personal than Origins simply because you are the one in a position of authority. As the Warden-Commander of Feralden you have to make hard choices and some of them will either come to bite you in the ass or make you smile during the epilogue. The problem with Origins was that you often felt swept away by the tides of history, events much bigger than yourself shaped the narrative. In Awakenings its your city being threatened, your people being massacred; regardless of your Origins story you are now in charge of this fiefdom so its ultimately your responsibility to protect everyone.
I am not so sure that changing most of the cast was the best idea. Awakenings is too short for the same level of depth to develop like for the crew of Origins and the decisions you made in Origins have only a minimal impact on the storyline of Awakenings. I thought it would have been wiser to save this cast for Dragon Age II and reuse more old faces. Sure Morrigan might have disappeared but there was no pressing need for anyone else to be missing aside from maybe Alistair and Shale. Mhari could have filled Alistair's spot, Jowan Morrigan's and add a new character to fill in for Shale who was a DLC character anway. Without any romances and such a short time together I felt I barely knew some of my companions in Awakenings and that is a disappointment in a Bioware game. Also its BS that Dogmeat did not accompany me to Vigil's Keep, especially since you get another chance to recruit him during Return to Ostagar.
The game also seems to set up for Dragon Age II: The Darkspawn Strike Back with a monumental choice prior to the finale. I really don't know how they will make this decision stick in Dragon Age II since it could literally change the course of history. Perhaps DA2 will feature a new Grey Warden trained in Vigil's Keep as a successor to the Origins character.
Bioware if somehow by the Grace of God you're listening: make the character Morrigan's son. Or whatever, tie it in to the Origins story. An Apostate Mage Origin is the child of Morrigan and the Warden, a Human Noble the child of Alistair/Anora and the Warden, an elven Rogue could be Zevran's child with the Warden so on and so forth. It can bring back now older familiar faces as parents, teachers or guides. Wynne's last apprentice (Circle Mage), Shale's new squishy body (Dwarven Noble), so many choices and that's what's Dragon Age about.
Aside from its length and the fact that many of my old favourites have gone their seperate ways, there's not much to criticise about Awakenings that does not also apply to Origins. The camera still screws up in multi-layered environments like a city where climbing a flight of stairs can have the camera wind up in a wall. Enemies still fireball you off-screen where you can't target them. Combat can become ridiculously easy with a pair of well-stated, well-kitted mages. Wade, fantasy's most fabulous blacksmith, still makes the unique armors.
Its best points? It buffs up Rogues and Warriors with new talents, the new specializations are fun, add a lot of flavor to the game and allow for more customization. Ser Pounce-a-lot's unique item power is something to behold. Anders, Nathaniel and Oghren make a great comedy trio. Justice should really have said "its just a flesh wound!" at least once. New armor sets are kickass and there's even a cloth armor set for a mage although the robe item is a random drop. Admittedly by the endgame I was holding on to items that were simply clutter in my inventory because I was never going to sell Maric's armor and Duncan's sword even if new items had outclassed them. I was hoping for an upgrade system like in Throne of Bhaal where I could upgrade these old pieces of equipment with miscellaneous monster bits I collected along the way. The epilogue really makes you feel that your decisions mattered in the lives of the people in your Arling. I wonder what would happen if you were a human noble? Then you'd be a Teyrn if not King yourself.... got to replay as a human noble next.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
When The Cold Wind Blows...
As I am typing this, Tropical Cyclone Ului is making landfall on the coast of Central Queensland, about 700 km north of Brisbane. Here's a link to the radar image.
In case you are wondering, a cyclone is what is otherwise known as typhoons or hurricanes in other parts of the world.
I wonder if it's going to move south?
In case you are wondering, a cyclone is what is otherwise known as typhoons or hurricanes in other parts of the world.
I wonder if it's going to move south?
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
10 tips to conquer SE Asia Highest Peak
This is a summary of what I learnt or experienced when climbing mount Kinabalu.
1. Bring lots of water. You never know who might need it (fellow climbers).
2. Bring spare food, you never know who might need it (fellow climbers).
3. Talk less, breath more. For the air near the summit is so thin, I walked about 30 paces and I am breathing hard...
4. Bring you tongkat (trekking pole). Always. Regardless of what your guide would say.
5. Eat an apple or chew gum to reduce the impact of Altitude Motion Sickness (AMS). Supposedly the chewing action helps.
6. Ensure your temples (side of your head) are warm and covered during the ascend. This helps to prevent AMS as well.
7. Do not stop too long or it will break your momentum and make you lazy to carry on.
8. Dress light when on the move. The constant movement will keep you warm. Change into something warmer when you reached the rest house at the middle.
9. Themal wear really keeps you warm. It is available in 2 materials, cotton (ard S$40) and wool (S$100). Wool is thinner and keeps you warmer (hence the price diff).
10. Persevere and you will reach the goal despite it being a tough climb.
1. Bring lots of water. You never know who might need it (fellow climbers).
2. Bring spare food, you never know who might need it (fellow climbers).
3. Talk less, breath more. For the air near the summit is so thin, I walked about 30 paces and I am breathing hard...
4. Bring you tongkat (trekking pole). Always. Regardless of what your guide would say.
5. Eat an apple or chew gum to reduce the impact of Altitude Motion Sickness (AMS). Supposedly the chewing action helps.
6. Ensure your temples (side of your head) are warm and covered during the ascend. This helps to prevent AMS as well.
7. Do not stop too long or it will break your momentum and make you lazy to carry on.
8. Dress light when on the move. The constant movement will keep you warm. Change into something warmer when you reached the rest house at the middle.
9. Themal wear really keeps you warm. It is available in 2 materials, cotton (ard S$40) and wool (S$100). Wool is thinner and keeps you warmer (hence the price diff).
10. Persevere and you will reach the goal despite it being a tough climb.
Epic Climb!
Just came back from Kinabaru. It is a great and exhausting experience. Had a wonderful time there overall. A recommended trip for those with a love for nature and the will to persevere to the top.
A few photos of the trip
A few photos of the trip
From Rose Cabin hostel, a sleep over before the climb:
The trail. Whole 8.6 km of it.
The last 700 m of the climb to the peak (Low's peak) but so many have already given up.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
What Happens When Playboy Tries to Make Documentaries
I would imagine that they of all people would have the experience necessary for this subject matter.
The Picket Line And The Guy That Chased All The Snakes Out Of Ireland
I have some new photos for you guys.
This is a protest that took place this week at the entrance to my campus. A bunch of public employees were not happy with the Queensland State Government about something.
This is a Saint Patrick's celebration that took place today, also on campus.
Another shot of the festivities.
In case you are wondering, Saint Patrick was the guy that, according to legend, banished all snakes from Ireland. Yes, there are no snakes native to Ireland, but the Irish would probably argue that they have something worse, the English.
This is a protest that took place this week at the entrance to my campus. A bunch of public employees were not happy with the Queensland State Government about something.
This is a Saint Patrick's celebration that took place today, also on campus.
Another shot of the festivities.
In case you are wondering, Saint Patrick was the guy that, according to legend, banished all snakes from Ireland. Yes, there are no snakes native to Ireland, but the Irish would probably argue that they have something worse, the English.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
New Tech on the Horizon
Last week I attended the Atomic Power to the PC Tour on campus. It is a mini exhibition organized by Atomic magazine and various manufacturers in the PC industry for the purpose of showing off their new products. Here's some stuff I found interesting.
Gigabyte will be launching motherboards with USB 3.0 support. Speeds of up to 5Gbps are possible, if their powerpoint slides are to be believed. Still, even half that would be impressive. They also promise 3 times the power of USB 2.0, that means just one USB plug would suffice to power your device.
Gigabyte USB 3.0 website
Samsung's contribution is not that new, since it was announced in the US last year but it still is pretty interesting. Samsung, in partnership with Nvidia, have produced 22-inch 3D LCD monitor. 3D goggles will come bundled with a compatible Nvidia graphics card. According to the Samsung marketing guy, "once you go 3D, you won't go back(to 2D)".
Samsung Press Release
The high point of this event was the free pizza. Never one to turn down free food, I gorged myself silly. Google is coming to our campus next week and they also have free pizza. No prizes for guessing whether I'll attend.
Gigabyte will be launching motherboards with USB 3.0 support. Speeds of up to 5Gbps are possible, if their powerpoint slides are to be believed. Still, even half that would be impressive. They also promise 3 times the power of USB 2.0, that means just one USB plug would suffice to power your device.
Gigabyte USB 3.0 website
Samsung's contribution is not that new, since it was announced in the US last year but it still is pretty interesting. Samsung, in partnership with Nvidia, have produced 22-inch 3D LCD monitor. 3D goggles will come bundled with a compatible Nvidia graphics card. According to the Samsung marketing guy, "once you go 3D, you won't go back(to 2D)".
Samsung Press Release
The high point of this event was the free pizza. Never one to turn down free food, I gorged myself silly. Google is coming to our campus next week and they also have free pizza. No prizes for guessing whether I'll attend.
Monday, March 8, 2010
The Pacific
From the same people that brought you Band of Brothers, this is the trailer for The Pacific, a new HBO miniseries about the Pacific land campaign in World War 2. In this series the focus is on the US Marine Corps instead of the US Army.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Starcraft II Unit Quotes
Continuing a fine Blizzard tradition. The voice of the Thor in particular cracked me up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)