MANY MANY SPOILERS! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Apparently a whole theory has sprung up on the Internet to explain exactly why the Mass Effect 3 ending is illogical and irrational. Its called the "Indoctrination Theory" and for those who do not have time to watch both videos the basic thrust is this: Shepard, through long and varied contacts with Reaper technology, has been suffering from the effect of Indoctrination much like Saren was. Thus the ME3 ending where Shepard takes a breath at the very end of the video is the real one. The entire episode after the Harbinger's beam hit was all in Shepard's head. A battle of wills between our intrepid hero and the influence of the Reapers. This would also mean that I was right; the TRUE ending is coming in DLC....
Videos presenting the Theory and arguments for and against it are embedded below.
Showing posts with label Video Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Video Games. Show all posts
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Saturday, October 22, 2011
The Heart of the Swarm
The next installment of the Starcraft II franchise is apparently far along enough for Blizzard to post a trailer which does imply a 2012 release.
And now for something completely different:
http://winterson.com/2005/06/episode-iii-backstroke-of-west.html
Here is the link to the "Backstroke of the West" aka Star Wars episode III: Revenge of the Sith with the deliciously hilarious mistranslations that come from using machines rather than native English speakers to write out the subtitles.
Monday, September 12, 2011
A Story From the Past Returns...
Many, many moons ago these arcane items known as "gamebooks" were popular with the young. They were a means by which you could enjoy roleplaying on the go without the need for human intercession long before thinking box mechanisms became capable of doing the same. Now a resurgence of old stalwarts is arising. Fighting Fantasy has new editions out along with new books. Lone Wolf has revised "Flight From the Dark" to suck less compared to its more illustrious descendants and new books continue the saga of the "Grand Master" who has become Lone Wolf's go-fer now that he's a Supreme Master and way too old for this shit. More importantly multimedia projects are bringing these IP into the new millenium. Fighting Fantasy got quite a bum deal in that respect; Talisman of Death was released as a video game that is basically the original book digitized into a format intelligible to things that have wires.
Lone Wolf on the other hand....
PS: For those who cannot wait that long and want a fix now... http://www.projectaon.org/en/Main/Books
Lone Wolf on the other hand....
PS: For those who cannot wait that long and want a fix now... http://www.projectaon.org/en/Main/Books
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Dragon Age 2: A Review
Having completed Dragon Age II, time for a quick review. Overall its a very pretty game but I would have to say that its inferior to the original. Its certainly not a bad game, far from it, but you could see that the short development cycle really had the team scrambling. In a way Dragon Age Origins (DAO) was like a hand-crafted watch with every gear and screw lovingly tightened by a master while Dragon Age II (DA2) is a factory production model. Stylish, competent and attractive but standard issue lacks the craftsmanship that made the original great.
You could see it in all those recycled environments and the need to keep denying you re-entry into some dungeons since the dev team needed the entrances for another dungeon down the line, Some of the situations in the game felt rather contrived, quests like a certain rescue mission always have the same outcome regardless of what you did. Sure this was for an emotional gut punch to the player but it hardly gives you the idea that your actions actually matter, do they? That is also another factor in the game; in DAO you were the one in the driver's seat. From Ostagar to the Landsmeet, you could pretty much control whatever happened. The player's decisions always mattered but in DA2 it felt more like you were just being dragged along by the tide of history. The new conversation interface, which no longer displays any actual text of what your character is going to say, does not help in that regard.
Another criticism is that the game now employs cheap tactics, enemies spawn out of nowhere to attack you often surrounding your party in short order making crowd control abilities a must and tactical planning moot (tactical improvisation on the other hand...). You can really feel Bioware reaching for the mass market crowd by dumbing down some of the RPG elements. Now that you cannot even change your companion's armor, you find that about two-thirds of the armor you collect is pretty much vendor trash. Sure it cuts down on the organization needed to equip your party but it was at best a half-measure. I am already equipping up to two weapon slots and four accessory slots, I am pretty sure I can do the armor slots as well.
The story is decent but I felt that DAO's story was better with a sense of exploration in a whole new world that none of us have ever encountered before. Tightening the focus to just Kirkwall and its environs did make the narrative more focused as opposed to the wandering you had to put up with in DAO so I guess it evens out.
Where DA2 really pales in comparison to its elder sibling however is in the characters. Morrigan blew hot and cold, Oghren was hilarious, Alister was our Knight in Snarky Armour, Sten was a born Straight Man, Leiliana and Zevran both tried to carve into our minds that rogues were bisexual and Shale was quirky enough a companion to justify the DLC price. Even Wynne really felt like a world-weary mentor trying to keep you from blowing your own head off.
Varric and his Carpet of Virility +5 is great fun. Merril can be either hilarious or annoying depending on your tolerance for Country Hick Humor. Isabella is trying her best to be a flirty seductress but comes across as a little blatant; she does however get some great lines. Aveline is the new Straight Woman. Everyone else... well... What can I say but what is up with all the emo dudes? Fenris looks like he belongs in a JRPG game, Anders whines constantly, Sebestian is on his revenge kick; I know that female gamers are an untapped market but two gay options for the guys? Really? There is enough emo in the guys' side to make the women in Kirkwall look like the well-balanced side of the gender equation. Collectively they just are not as fun and interesting as the DAO crew. Come to think of it, Dragon Age: Awakening did not have such a strong cast either but had the excuse of being an expansion pack.
That is not to say that DA2 does not improve on some things. Classes are far better balanced this time around, some would say that it went a little too far in that mages are nearly useless as crowd control in higher difficulties where friendly-fire is enabled. Some of the quests are quirky enough to be endearing such as arranging a series of dates for a certain someone. Too bad they did not let us view a wedding cutscene. They even held the wedding in my estate and I do not even get to see it happen? Bah humbug. There is less junk to filter through than in DAO, they even explicitly mark vendor trash as "junk". Its graphics are naturally superior although some character models of returning characters simply look off but maybe that's just me. I mourn the loss of an isometric top-down view to the depths of my soul though. Yet another concession to time since such a feature is usually disabled in console releases.
Overall, a game not without its faults, DA2 would have been viewed far better if it did not have to be compared to DAO. Like the Mass Effect series, Bioware tried to make it more casual friendly but not all of their ideas were implemented well. Still its worth the purchase and some serious consideration for your time.
Now for some spoilery comments. Do not read further since this spoils some events in the game unless you want to be spoilered on end-game content.
Gone?
Good.
Duelling the Arishok as a Mage, and presumably an archer, is a pain in the ass. Such a battle should have been epic. Instead it was a Benny Hill routine as I ran in circles for half an hour sniping him whenever I could. Sure we got to whack Logain in DAO but he was not so tough that he could kill a mage or rogue in about three hits or less. Plus it lacked that personal feel of vendetta, Logain caused my king to die, my mentor to die and got an entire army slaughtered for his own political gain. The Arishok was just being stubborn. Sure I was saving Isabella's life but again it was a matter of the Arishok not compromising on the ways of the Qun. Personally there was no bad blood between Hawke and the Arishok prior to the invasion and there was similarly little player investment in the victory. After being provoked so often, could you really blame the Arishok for deciding to burn everything to the ground? Well, actually yes I can but it was not like he did not sit on his ass for half a decade before losing his patience.
My biggest disappointment was that so little of what I did during DAO actually carried over to DA2. Some dialogue, some cameos, that's it. Its like someone at Bioware just threw up their hands and decided to toss the majority of our decisions in DAO away. Now both the Warden Commander and the Champion of Kirkwall are missing. Great, sequel hooks abound. However if only they had bothered to give us a satisfying ending to DA2 besides some of Varric's narration, that would have been great. Not even a "where are they now" or "what are your plans for the future" like we got in DAO.
You could see it in all those recycled environments and the need to keep denying you re-entry into some dungeons since the dev team needed the entrances for another dungeon down the line, Some of the situations in the game felt rather contrived, quests like a certain rescue mission always have the same outcome regardless of what you did. Sure this was for an emotional gut punch to the player but it hardly gives you the idea that your actions actually matter, do they? That is also another factor in the game; in DAO you were the one in the driver's seat. From Ostagar to the Landsmeet, you could pretty much control whatever happened. The player's decisions always mattered but in DA2 it felt more like you were just being dragged along by the tide of history. The new conversation interface, which no longer displays any actual text of what your character is going to say, does not help in that regard.
Another criticism is that the game now employs cheap tactics, enemies spawn out of nowhere to attack you often surrounding your party in short order making crowd control abilities a must and tactical planning moot (tactical improvisation on the other hand...). You can really feel Bioware reaching for the mass market crowd by dumbing down some of the RPG elements. Now that you cannot even change your companion's armor, you find that about two-thirds of the armor you collect is pretty much vendor trash. Sure it cuts down on the organization needed to equip your party but it was at best a half-measure. I am already equipping up to two weapon slots and four accessory slots, I am pretty sure I can do the armor slots as well.
The story is decent but I felt that DAO's story was better with a sense of exploration in a whole new world that none of us have ever encountered before. Tightening the focus to just Kirkwall and its environs did make the narrative more focused as opposed to the wandering you had to put up with in DAO so I guess it evens out.
Where DA2 really pales in comparison to its elder sibling however is in the characters. Morrigan blew hot and cold, Oghren was hilarious, Alister was our Knight in Snarky Armour, Sten was a born Straight Man, Leiliana and Zevran both tried to carve into our minds that rogues were bisexual and Shale was quirky enough a companion to justify the DLC price. Even Wynne really felt like a world-weary mentor trying to keep you from blowing your own head off.
Varric and his Carpet of Virility +5 is great fun. Merril can be either hilarious or annoying depending on your tolerance for Country Hick Humor. Isabella is trying her best to be a flirty seductress but comes across as a little blatant; she does however get some great lines. Aveline is the new Straight Woman. Everyone else... well... What can I say but what is up with all the emo dudes? Fenris looks like he belongs in a JRPG game, Anders whines constantly, Sebestian is on his revenge kick; I know that female gamers are an untapped market but two gay options for the guys? Really? There is enough emo in the guys' side to make the women in Kirkwall look like the well-balanced side of the gender equation. Collectively they just are not as fun and interesting as the DAO crew. Come to think of it, Dragon Age: Awakening did not have such a strong cast either but had the excuse of being an expansion pack.
That is not to say that DA2 does not improve on some things. Classes are far better balanced this time around, some would say that it went a little too far in that mages are nearly useless as crowd control in higher difficulties where friendly-fire is enabled. Some of the quests are quirky enough to be endearing such as arranging a series of dates for a certain someone. Too bad they did not let us view a wedding cutscene. They even held the wedding in my estate and I do not even get to see it happen? Bah humbug. There is less junk to filter through than in DAO, they even explicitly mark vendor trash as "junk". Its graphics are naturally superior although some character models of returning characters simply look off but maybe that's just me. I mourn the loss of an isometric top-down view to the depths of my soul though. Yet another concession to time since such a feature is usually disabled in console releases.
Overall, a game not without its faults, DA2 would have been viewed far better if it did not have to be compared to DAO. Like the Mass Effect series, Bioware tried to make it more casual friendly but not all of their ideas were implemented well. Still its worth the purchase and some serious consideration for your time.
Now for some spoilery comments. Do not read further since this spoils some events in the game unless you want to be spoilered on end-game content.
Gone?
Good.
Duelling the Arishok as a Mage, and presumably an archer, is a pain in the ass. Such a battle should have been epic. Instead it was a Benny Hill routine as I ran in circles for half an hour sniping him whenever I could. Sure we got to whack Logain in DAO but he was not so tough that he could kill a mage or rogue in about three hits or less. Plus it lacked that personal feel of vendetta, Logain caused my king to die, my mentor to die and got an entire army slaughtered for his own political gain. The Arishok was just being stubborn. Sure I was saving Isabella's life but again it was a matter of the Arishok not compromising on the ways of the Qun. Personally there was no bad blood between Hawke and the Arishok prior to the invasion and there was similarly little player investment in the victory. After being provoked so often, could you really blame the Arishok for deciding to burn everything to the ground? Well, actually yes I can but it was not like he did not sit on his ass for half a decade before losing his patience.
My biggest disappointment was that so little of what I did during DAO actually carried over to DA2. Some dialogue, some cameos, that's it. Its like someone at Bioware just threw up their hands and decided to toss the majority of our decisions in DAO away. Now both the Warden Commander and the Champion of Kirkwall are missing. Great, sequel hooks abound. However if only they had bothered to give us a satisfying ending to DA2 besides some of Varric's narration, that would have been great. Not even a "where are they now" or "what are your plans for the future" like we got in DAO.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Tesla-Beaton prototype
It a Tesla Rocket Launcher wannabe! An unbelieveable WMD!
I feel like gundam suddenly. Big gun of mass destruction!
Anyone found this weapon in New Vegas!
I feel like gundam suddenly. Big gun of mass destruction!
Anyone found this weapon in New Vegas!
Monday, December 13, 2010
2011: Year of the RPG?
2011 is shaping up to be a bumper year for RPG fans. Not only is Dragon Age II and Mass Effect 3 being released, Bethesda has announced Elder Scrolls V for 11th November and the Witcher 2 is also slated to be released on March 8th. If you harken more for JRPGs well.... Disgaea 4 and FF Versus XII are both in development but only Disgaea 4 has been confirmed for a 2011 release date. Atlus' Catherine and Level 5' Ni no Kuni might be out in Japan by then but its unknown if an international version of the game will ever be released. This is also true of Tales of Graces F. Patience is a virtue in this regard; Yakuza 4 did take an entire year to be ported overseas after all. The best JRPGs of 2011 (or projected to be released in 2011) seem to be on handhelds like Valkyria Chronicles 3 (and I curse the day someone at Sega decided to bring VC to the PSP) and FF Agito XIII. Overall it would seem that a CRPG fan will have a much better year than the JRPG fan.
And now for something completely different:
An early cinematic for the ending of Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm has supposedly been leaked. Bogus or legit, no one who could confirm this is talking.
http://kotaku.com/5709838/ending-leaked-for-starcraft-iis-next-chapter
And now for something completely different:
An early cinematic for the ending of Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm has supposedly been leaked. Bogus or legit, no one who could confirm this is talking.
http://kotaku.com/5709838/ending-leaked-for-starcraft-iis-next-chapter
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Fallout: New Vegas is Really a J-Horror Game In Disguise
Some SOB left me for dead and when I woke up, that *thing* was sitting right in front of me. Here I thought I was buying into a CRPG but I was wrong. Sweet Jesus above, my mission must be to rid the Wasteland of the unnatural abominations that infest it! Starting with Uzumaki neck over there....
Wait... I was here for days now... does that mean I have become one of THEM?!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Play Beyond
An advertisement is ostensibly created with the singular goal of promoting a product, service or business. Its entire purpose is to increase revenue for someone and yet, strange things emerge from advertising firms that make you wonder when they came into the grip of the Devil.
For example this advertisement for the Sony PS3:
There are some unfortunate conclusions that one can draw from watching this ad:
1) The forces of hell itself are so pleased with the PS3 that they must manifest themselves into a generic Chucky simulacrum to express their delight.
2) The PS3 will cause all of the human-like objects in your house to be possessed by evil spirits. Come to think of it there is such a superstition in Japan where this ad comes from which is why dolls have rituals to placate them before they are destroyed. Extra bonus points for using something especially terrifying to your target audience.
3) This is your afterlife after you mortgaged your soul to pay for that PS3 with its notoriously high launch price. You. In an empty room. Trapped in that doll. With a non-functional PS3. FOREVER.
4) The PS3 will drive you stark, raving, gibbering bonkers. First childlike joy. Then sensory overload. Followed by despair when it consumes your life which is eventually supplanted by ennui as the stimulation of the PS3 makes you uncaring that you have lost your job, friends and family. Finally as the enormity of your folly hits you and drives you past those shimmering horizons of desolation, a regression to infantile behaviour.
For example this advertisement for the Sony PS3:
There are some unfortunate conclusions that one can draw from watching this ad:
1) The forces of hell itself are so pleased with the PS3 that they must manifest themselves into a generic Chucky simulacrum to express their delight.
2) The PS3 will cause all of the human-like objects in your house to be possessed by evil spirits. Come to think of it there is such a superstition in Japan where this ad comes from which is why dolls have rituals to placate them before they are destroyed. Extra bonus points for using something especially terrifying to your target audience.
3) This is your afterlife after you mortgaged your soul to pay for that PS3 with its notoriously high launch price. You. In an empty room. Trapped in that doll. With a non-functional PS3. FOREVER.
4) The PS3 will drive you stark, raving, gibbering bonkers. First childlike joy. Then sensory overload. Followed by despair when it consumes your life which is eventually supplanted by ennui as the stimulation of the PS3 makes you uncaring that you have lost your job, friends and family. Finally as the enormity of your folly hits you and drives you past those shimmering horizons of desolation, a regression to infantile behaviour.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Pokemon: Apokelypse
What happens if they wanted to make a grim and gritty reboot of Pokemon? Already Hollywood's track record is rather dim with poor adaptations of both Japanese animation and video games such as Dragonball, Speed Racer and DOA. Well with any luck the Hollywood Pokemon will look a lot like this:
Friday, August 27, 2010
What Would Happen If.... And Now For Somethings Completely Different
It did occur to national security personnel in light of the 9/11 attacks that terrorists might attack nuclear power plants by crashing aircraft into them much like they did on that tragic day. So they ran a couple of tests even though the engineers at the plants assured them that they over-designed the heck of the plants since well, there is always the off chance that they explode...
And now for something completely different...
By now, the Dragon Age 2 trailer has made its way around the internet. It has next to nothing to do with the Warden we played in Dragon Age Origins and the companions we got so attached to. However a lot of plot threads were left unresolved presumably for a sequel. Well since the sequel will not be able to tie everything together and more money is always good, Bioware is releasing some DLC meant to finish the story started in Origins.
http://www.1up.com/news/bioware-announces-dramatic-conclusion-dragon
Plus a video I promised to post some time ago. Its from a musical about muppets being naughty so beware strong language!
And now for something completely different...
By now, the Dragon Age 2 trailer has made its way around the internet. It has next to nothing to do with the Warden we played in Dragon Age Origins and the companions we got so attached to. However a lot of plot threads were left unresolved presumably for a sequel. Well since the sequel will not be able to tie everything together and more money is always good, Bioware is releasing some DLC meant to finish the story started in Origins.
http://www.1up.com/news/bioware-announces-dramatic-conclusion-dragon
Plus a video I promised to post some time ago. Its from a musical about muppets being naughty so beware strong language!
Friday, July 9, 2010
A Return to Thedas
The Dragon Age II site has gone live! Trailer on the 17th of August.
http://dragonage.bioware.com/da2/
http://dragonage.bioware.com/da2/
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Some Games of E3
E3 (the Electronic Entertainment Exposition), the largest showcase of video game technology is in full swing and so far there has been good news and bad news.
The bad news? Project Natal/Kinect looks to be positively underwhelming since one of its launch titles is Kinect Sports. Now where have I heard that one before? If I wanted a Wii, I would have bought one and making the X360 a more expensive Wii would not have influenced my purchasing decisions. Considering its rumored 149USD price point, you might as well get the Nintendo Wii for another $50 and enjoy some Mario brothers on top of wacky motion controls.
Speaking of X360, the new model of the X360 was also unveiled. You'd think by now Microsoft would have fixed the hardware issues and not leave themselves open to class action suits. However the new X360 will mutilate discs inside if the machine is moved during gameplay and they avoid lawsuits with a small sticker on their disc tray. BRILLIANT!
The good news?
The Nintendo 3DS has some serious specs and outstrips the PSP in every way. Marvel vs Capcom 3 will feature Deadpool and Dante. New Assassin's Creed game. The Force Unleashed 2 and the Witcher 2 will satisfy fans of cutting people up with swords.
Some trailers:
Warhammer 40K: Space Marine is still alive and going strong. Hopefully it will be God of War in the 40K universe, with guns. And hopefully if it is, the awesomeness does not create a singularity out of which steps the Doom marine and Duke Nukem exchanging wisecracks.
http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/29958
Star Wars the Old Republic is also on show and how is it that the trailers for an MMO can surpass the movies in sheer entertainment value? Apparently in the Star Wars universe, things like "tactics" and "survival instincts" are not the purview of soldiers since when things really go to pot, a Jedi (or dozen) will show up to save your ass.
http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/29850
Finally Fallout New Vegas has been dated in this trailer. 19th October 2010 is when we'll get our hands on it. Obsidian's track record is rather spotty at this moment with Alpha Protocol being their latest release but they're at their best when they are not the ones building the engine. Here's hoping that it lives up to the very name these people once established.
http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/29840
The bad news? Project Natal/Kinect looks to be positively underwhelming since one of its launch titles is Kinect Sports. Now where have I heard that one before? If I wanted a Wii, I would have bought one and making the X360 a more expensive Wii would not have influenced my purchasing decisions. Considering its rumored 149USD price point, you might as well get the Nintendo Wii for another $50 and enjoy some Mario brothers on top of wacky motion controls.
Speaking of X360, the new model of the X360 was also unveiled. You'd think by now Microsoft would have fixed the hardware issues and not leave themselves open to class action suits. However the new X360 will mutilate discs inside if the machine is moved during gameplay and they avoid lawsuits with a small sticker on their disc tray. BRILLIANT!
The good news?
The Nintendo 3DS has some serious specs and outstrips the PSP in every way. Marvel vs Capcom 3 will feature Deadpool and Dante. New Assassin's Creed game. The Force Unleashed 2 and the Witcher 2 will satisfy fans of cutting people up with swords.
Some trailers:
Warhammer 40K: Space Marine is still alive and going strong. Hopefully it will be God of War in the 40K universe, with guns. And hopefully if it is, the awesomeness does not create a singularity out of which steps the Doom marine and Duke Nukem exchanging wisecracks.
http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/29958
Star Wars the Old Republic is also on show and how is it that the trailers for an MMO can surpass the movies in sheer entertainment value? Apparently in the Star Wars universe, things like "tactics" and "survival instincts" are not the purview of soldiers since when things really go to pot, a Jedi (or dozen) will show up to save your ass.
http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/29850
Finally Fallout New Vegas has been dated in this trailer. 19th October 2010 is when we'll get our hands on it. Obsidian's track record is rather spotty at this moment with Alpha Protocol being their latest release but they're at their best when they are not the ones building the engine. Here's hoping that it lives up to the very name these people once established.
http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/29840
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Law Abiding Engineer
I know I promised to post more photos, but I found this on Youtube and couldn't resist.Never piss off an Engineer. ;)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Marvel vs Capcom 3
Once upon a time when we were younger and fishing for dunkleosteus was the epitome of extreme sports, there existed a magical place called "the arcade". Much fun there was to be had there for the young lad or lass but of late arcades are like a fading starlet who is ready for her close-up. One of the key games that ate tokens back in the day was Marvel vs Capcom 2 which was a geeky fanboy's dream where you could settle once and for all if Ryu could punch out the Hulk. Now after more than a decade, a true sequel to this classic is being released.
So far only a few characters have been revealed but besides the given roster odds are that characters iconic of each company such as Spiderman and Chun Li will be additions to the full game. It would seem that since Chun Li was a no-brainer Capcom decided that the fanservice in this trailer would be filled by Morrigan. She plays this role admirably since to date Morrigan has been in more crossover games that she has been in games from her parent series Vampire Hunter.
Given Capcom's deep library additions since the days of Marvel vs Capcom 2, one can hope that more interesting characters like Dante from Devil May Cry or Arthur from Ghosts and Goblins might appear but this may be a faint dream. From the trailer, this seems to be a dead serious sequel with little of the quirky humor that characterised MvC2.
So far only a few characters have been revealed but besides the given roster odds are that characters iconic of each company such as Spiderman and Chun Li will be additions to the full game. It would seem that since Chun Li was a no-brainer Capcom decided that the fanservice in this trailer would be filled by Morrigan. She plays this role admirably since to date Morrigan has been in more crossover games that she has been in games from her parent series Vampire Hunter.
Given Capcom's deep library additions since the days of Marvel vs Capcom 2, one can hope that more interesting characters like Dante from Devil May Cry or Arthur from Ghosts and Goblins might appear but this may be a faint dream. From the trailer, this seems to be a dead serious sequel with little of the quirky humor that characterised MvC2.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Colon Cancer: Dragon Age: Origins: Awakening: A Review
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
A Few Words From An Old Friend.
Sorry for pushing down your post, Mechamorph, but this couldn't wait!
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