Dragon Age II - Gen. Discussion and Info - Mark of the Assassin DLC 10/11 800 pts.

I really disliked Zev my first playthrough, but to mix things up put him in my party second playthrough and he ended up one of my fave characters. I just found him hysterical.

Also really enjoyed Morrigan, and thanks to mages being overpowered had her in my party both playthroughs.

I DESPISED Lilliana at all times, no matter what, and for the life of me cannot understand why Bioware insists on giving her so much attention to her. SHUT THE fuck UP YOU MUMBLY BITCH! Sorry, I just seriously despise the Orlaisian accent in general, and hers is one of the worst. Plus the character was just boring as fuck.

DA:O:A Anders = amusing self-defacing humorist. DA2 Anders = why can't I fucking kill you! I really don't know what happened there. Hell,
Justice was an interesting character in Awakening, Anders was funny, and they combined in DA2 to be an annoying piece of shit.
.

I'm still shocked that the character which was, imho, the absolute best in DA:O was DLC/purchased new content only. Shale was a great fighter, had a very interesting history, and was just damned fun to have around what with the dry sense of humor.

Sorry, I'll stop ranting on how much better the characters in DA:O and Awakening were than in 2 now :booty:


i do have to admit I really like and am OK with the changes to the qunari. Talking to Sten about the Qun was really interesting, but his design was boring (extra tall black man? Really? That's your fantasy race design?). Also he seemed to run out of convo text quickly (or I accidentally pissed him off both playthroughs). Maybe because he was optional?

Note to self:
don't come home from drinking and start ranting about how one of your favorite "series" this gen died after one game/expansion haha
 
I think we can all agree the Qunari redesign was for the best. They look absolutely bad ass now. For the record I'm on the fence about Morrigan in general. I neither love nor hate her she's just... there. A wild card. Kind of like Kaidan only I actually enjoyed her snarky quips.

It's the whole "LOL THE DARK RITUAL MATTERS ____
 
Hated Shale. HK-47 wannabe. Loved Sten. Wasn't huge on Leliana, but I used the shit out of her 'cause Zevran came poorly set up to deal with locks.

EDIT: And if there's anything that pisses me off about Morrigan, it's her whole "What? You're taking sidequests? I HATE YOU!" attitude. Isabella had it big, too. fuck y'all, I'm trying to get EXP and loot. Don't you know what game you're in?
 
Leliana is probably my favorite character in the series with Merril coming in a close second, the sexy voices probably have something to do with it.
 
Never cared for her accent. Guess French just doesn't do anything for me. I blame the Quebecois. Now, Merril's Welsh? That's just a lovely thing. One of the best parts of DA2, her voice.
 
Characters, eh? Well...

I thought Shale was solid addition to the game mainly due to her beef with pigeons, hatred of mages and the mystery behind her race/gender. Solid party member as well. Leliana is slightly overrated but I understand why people dig her so much. Pretty much the Liara of DA:O with 50% less of developer pandering plus she was an amazing party member overall. Apparently wears the same brand of plot armor as well. Alistair I just... I still don't understand the hype behind him personally. You either love to hate him or hate to love him for fear obsession will creep in. It's a weird balance. Either way I enjoyed his cameo in DA2 so... I suppose I like him well enough.

Oghren only grew on me after Awakenings where the humor and bromance were impossible to deny. Justice... was just there. The Elf Chick was completely intolerable while the Dwarven Girl was completely forgettable though I never found Dwarfs interesting in general. Awakenings Anders was of course absolutely amazing. Zev was too much for me and Sten was just scenery until the cookie stealing bit, his gratitude for finding his sword and the end game Portal quote improved my overall opinion of him.

DA2 wise... Isabella started off tolerable then worked her way up to annoying before finally graduating to justified hatred toward the end game. Had I never ran a playthrough where her loyalty was high enough prompt a return I wouldn't have felt differently. Now I sort of dig her again to a point. The redesign of her face and body is still a catastrophe for me. The only reason I enjoyed Merrill is because Eve Myles is adorable. If it weren't for her the overbearing naivety would have did me in. It wasn't endearing... just ridiculous. None the less sparking up a rivalry with her was the most entertaining route for me.

Fenris surprised the hell out of me at first until his hatred of everything Mage reached Anders levels of "Just... please shut the f*ck up already. We've got shit to do." Aveline was my undisputed favorite of the group. I loved everything about her so she's the first character I'm hoping to see in any capacity in DA3. The siblings were solid but the mother outclassed them both by a mile. Her death should have been a choice instead of canon because they were milking the tragedy angle for all its worth at that point. Varric had his moments... I just hated how the writers tried to force you into this everlasting friendship with him after each act. I wasn't feeling it so steered clear of him. Sebastian was just there.

As for Hawke... I hated both versions equally. Neither one of them did it for me.
 
Well fuck, if we're running through everyone, then...

Origins: Shale, as I said, felt like a pointless HK-47 retread, though she was a very versatile party member. Wynne was handy - sweet tittyfuck mages are overpowered in DAO - but a lot of her dialogue was painful. Thanks for taking forever to tell me something obvious. Morrigan was a second-rate Annah of the Shadows, but she was alright. I'm not sure I agree on the Leliana = Liara thing, though I can see a parallel or two. She was a permanent party fixture for my non-rogue runs, though. Alistair and Sten were probably my favourites. Disliked Zevran from the very start. Oghren had some decent lines, but he filled no niche (Sten already had the two-handed-warrior thing down) and just didn't do much for me.

Awakenings: Oghren improved himself a lot here through his dialogue with Sigrun and... fuck, what was the elf's name? Velanna? Something like that. Sigrun was good, but I didn't care for the elf. Justice and Nathaniel were alright. Anders was pretty bro, but I wasn't in love with him.

DA2: Isabella's hatred of me taking on sidequests was grating, and I hated her after her final sidequest. Oh, you wanted me to make a deal with the guy so you could get his boat? He's dead. Take the fucking boat, jackass. Fenris looked stupid and acted worse, though his voice was neat. I killed the shit out of him in the end, even though I didn't have to. Liked Merril - hey, I've got a weakness for the ingenue - and loved her voice, though I thought she was a worse companion than Anders who... I didn't hate. He had some really stupid god damn moments, but I didn't hate him. Killed him too, though. Aveline was fucking sweet-ass, though she completely and utterly shat on my first PC tank (and that was back before tanking was heavily buffed in a patch, too...). Varric was fine by me, though his name is a rather suspicious portmanteau of "Garrus" and "Vakarian". Sebastian didn't need to exist. The siblings were alright, but I didn't care for the mother. She mooched off her brother for an entire god damn year? Holy shit, lady. You lived in a giant house for a year - a house that you constantly complained was filthy yet never cleaned - without even paying for your own food? For a year? Jesus Christ.

Hawke was a useless bastard.

The only half-way decent NPC in DAII was Cullen. Almost Orsino, but you-know-what happened.

EDIT:
Oh, and Tallis? fuck her. Worst part of that DLC.
 
Best characters:

Morrigan
Shale
Nathaniel
Sigrun
Velanna
Aveline
Merrill
Varric
Cassandra

LOL at many of the comments in the last few posts. I don't especially care for the French accents either.
 
I just realized the only characters I liked in DA:2 were due to their voice actors. Merril's accent was just too freaking adorable, and Fenris = Balthier so that's a win in my book.

Didn't hardly ever use Aveline, but I did do all her side quests etc. and I found her fairly boring.
 
I reallllllllyyy don't understand why people like Cullen so much. Dude was pretty bland in general. Orsino going HAM later on however was marvelously unexpected, painfully moronic and undoubtedly awesome. All at once and oh god did you take the words out of my mouth regarding Isabella for that particular quest. I too wanted her to f*ck off immediately or
at least get control of her ovaries when she decided to stick around.
There should have been a Renegade prompt to drop kick her into the sea for that shit.

...Ugh. Now I kind of hate her again. Nice job Crotch.

As for Tallis... I wouldn't know anything about her, but that's probably because I'm not in enough nerd love with Felicia Day to warrant a purchase. Both her voice and likeness weren't exactly a priority for me... especially with BioWare trying to shove the fact she was involved down my throat Liara style.
 
It's been a while, so....DAII is awesome! One of the best RPG's ever! Suck it!

*ahem* Anyway, DA:O had a couple really strong characters, like Morrigan, and a bunch that were solid supporting characters, like Shale or Zevran. In the end, I'm not a fan of custom characters at all, but I loved my Warden in DA:O and was happy to have news about him when I saw
Alistair
in DAII. But, for my money, DAII had one of the strongest cast of memorable characters I've come across in a long time. Varric is one of my favorite wingmen of all time and Isabella is just a fine piece if heiny, so that duo made up my go-to travelling party. Varric is to DA what Garrus is to ME.

The DA world is full of great characters and with DAIII my money is on Cassandra being a lead one way or another. By that I mean, either she's going to be the main antagonist or the main protagonist. Oddly enough, besides Hawke and Varric, my favorite character in the DA univerise is Rhys from the book, Asunder. He was equal parts snarky, heroic, humble, straight-forward, yet complex. I really hope we see more of him in the future.
 
I liked Cullen because he was the only NPC that had a fucking brain.

The only one.

And I liked Liara in ME because I managed to avoid everything marketing related so I didn't get the whole OMG BLUE LESBIAN SEX SCENE thing.

EDIT:
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']...Ugh. Now I kind of hate her again. Nice job Crotch.[/QUOTE]
What can I say?

I have a gift.

As far as Tallis goes,
she started off bad with a "look how awesome she is" intro cutscene, but the real problem? She has this big pro-Qunari speech and calls everyone who disagrees with her a bigot and you're not allowed to just stop and say, "Hey. You guys sew mages' mouths' shut. What the fuck is wrong with you? You guys tried to massacre my city. Also, you sew peoples' mouths shut. Also,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZEmFT6VxSw

Also, you sew peoples' mouths shut."

She also kinda lore-fucks things, but... eh. What doesn't?
 
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[quote name='Ryuukishi']Dragon Age III: Inquisition officially announced!

http://dragonage.com/inquisition/

Unfortunately there's no screenshots or info apart from the logo and the fact that it will use a modified Frostbite 2 engine.[/QUOTE]

Yes, they didn't really say anything about the game. But, if you read the books and comics, you have a pretty good idea where this is going. I'm so freaking excited. I wonder if it'll be for this Gen or the next?
 
[quote name='chubbyninja1319']I wonder if it'll be for this Gen or the next?[/QUOTE]

Late 2013 supposedly so I'd guess it will make an appearance on current gen systems, maybe with some kind of enhanced port for PS4 and Xbox 420.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Late 2013 supposedly so I'd guess it will make an appearance on current gen systems, maybe with some kind of enhanced port for PS4 and Xbox 720.[/QUOTE]Look, built-in double-dip. Woo hoo! :roll:

I guess for everyone that hated the shift of DA: O to DA2 with its gameplay style won't like the continuation of it.

All I ask is that we stop recycling environments, please? :pray:
 
[quote name='shrike4242']Look, built-in double-dip. Woo hoo! :roll:

I guess for everyone that hated the shift of DA: O to DA2 with its gameplay style won't like the continuation of it.

All I ask is that we stop recycling environments, please? :pray:[/QUOTE]

Did people really hate the gameplay that much? I thought the gameplay was fine (better, even). It was just the loss of choice that affected the gameplay.

And the story and recycled environments are separate concerns of course. ;)
 
All that I ask for (aside from Morrigan's death or the appearance of my Warden's kid) is a storyline that doesn't suck complete ass and to not be hit on at random by party members. Nothing more, nothing less. The rest isn't worth mentioning as the little things I loved from DA:O is of no interest to them.

Hopefully the "Awesome Button" has gotten an upgrade from BW's League of Extraordinary PR. The greater the hype the greater my chances of scoring this for dirt cheap when some confused CoD kid CLs his copy.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']I guess for everyone that hated the shift of DA: O to DA2 with its gameplay style won't like the continuation of it.[/QUOTE]
Frankly I would love it if all the people who hated DA2 would just go away and stop talking about it. But this is the internet, the only thing more fun than playing a game you like is complaining about a game you don't like. :lol: I predict that everyone who was "never going to buy another BioWare game again" after DA2, then "never going to buy another BioWare game again" after ME3, will all be back for thirds.
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']All that I ask for (aside from Morrigan's death or the appearance of my Warden's kid) is a storyline that doesn't suck complete ass and to not be hit on at random by party members. Nothing more, nothing less. The rest isn't worth mentioning as the little things I loved from DA:O is of no interest to them.

Hopefully the "Awesome Button" has gotten an upgrade from BW's League of Extraordinary PR. The greater the hype the greater my chances of scoring this for dirt cheap when some confused CoD kid CLs his copy.[/QUOTE]

So you'll buy operation raccoon city at launch but not this :shame:
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']All that I ask for (aside from Morrigan's death or the appearance of my Warden's kid) is a storyline that doesn't suck complete ass and to not be hit on at random by party members. Nothing more, nothing less. The rest isn't worth mentioning as the little things I loved from DA:O is of no interest to them.[/QUOTE]
Well, that and not making combat a complete fucking chore.
 
[quote name='Anexanhume']So you'll buy operation raccoon city at launch but not this :shame:[/QUOTE]

:cry: THIS HURTS ME BRO :cry:

Obviously I have my reasons. I'm just going to forgo plastering a tirade no one wants to read here. I've moved on from ME but (for better or worse) still have unfinished business with DA. Now provided I can find a copy cheap enough I'll properly bring the DA chapter to a close.

If not, I'll just cut my losses early, Wiki the plot and keep it moving. Odds are I might end up doing myself a favor in the end.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']Put the money that would be going towards DA3 in to Project Eternity.[/QUOTE]

Heh. I think I'm going to dump in $35 but not sure when. I want them to reach all their content goals obviously.
 
Ah yes, Project Eternity.

Pros: It's Obsidian.
Cons: PC ONLY.

Not sure I can overcome the butthurt long enough to throw a $5 their way but I'll try to make it happen for you two.

...Eventually.
 
Well, "computer" only. They're, like, $100,000 off their Mac port, and a bit more than that off their Linux port. And it's not going to have high spec requirements or anything, so I don't really see why that should be a limiting factor unless you just really hate using computers.
[quote name='Anexanhume']Heh. I think I'm going to dump in $35 but not sure when. I want them to reach all their content goals obviously.[/QUOTE]
Don't think there's much worry there. I'm holding off right now because I've heard that they're adding higher-tier, digital-only rewards, and I want to see what those are first.

Project Eternity has ASSUMED CONTROL of this thread.
 
[quote name='MrPiggles']DAIII just got officially confirmed, so I went ahead and made the thread for it, right here: http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?p=9976469[/QUOTE]

A bioware title thread not started by Ryu or X. This is new :)
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']Ah yes, Project Eternity.

Pros: It's Obsidian.
Cons: PC ONLY.

Not sure I can overcome the butthurt long enough to throw a $5 their way but I'll try to make it happen for you two.

...Eventually.[/QUOTE]

Maybe after this we can get them to patch KOTORII with the real ending and content :D
 
[quote name='Anexanhume']A bioware title thread not started by Ryu or X. This is new :)
[/QUOTE]
MrPiggles beat me to it. :D But it's cool since I'm already doing the Borderlands 2 thread right now, which I didn't actually start but instead inherited from a former poster who shall not be named. ;)
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']MrPiggles beat me to it. :D But it's cool since I'm already doing the Borderlands 2 thread right now, which I didn't actually start but instead inherited from a former poster who shall not be named. ;)[/QUOTE]

I made it wiki-editable so if you want to add/change something, go right ahead. ;)
 
[quote name='Anexanhume']A bioware title thread not started by Ryu or X. This is new :)


Maybe after this we can get them to patch KOTORII with the real ending and content :D[/QUOTE]

There are mods out there for KOTORII that give you that since most of that data was in KOTORII's game files. Now, whether or not those are available with new Steam version of the game, I do not know.

Also, not directed at you Anex, but how is PC Only a con? There are plenty of PC Only games that have been hugely successful.

As for this, I hope we get some details and teasers pretty soon, but I doubt it. My biggest gripe with DA2 was how unbalanced and convuluted the story flowed. A story needs to flow, not constantly change antagonists to the point you're like "who's next." Also, needs more Leliana. :bouncy:
 
[quote name='GhostShark']There are mods out there for KOTORII that give you that since most of that data was in KOTORII's game files. Now, whether or not those are available with new Steam version of the game, I do not know.

Also, not directed at you Anex, but how is PC Only a con? There are plenty of PC Only games that have been hugely successful.

As for this, I hope we get some details and teasers pretty soon, but I doubt it. My biggest gripe with DA2 was how unbalanced and convuluted the story flowed. A story needs to flow, not constantly change antagonists to the point you're like "who's next." Also, needs more Leliana. :bouncy:[/QUOTE]

I know, but it's still not what Obsidian would have intended.

Also, it's only a con if you have a publisher/publisher's budget to answer to
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Frankly I would love it if all the people who hated DA2 would just go away and stop talking about it. But this is the internet, the only thing more fun than playing a game you like is complaining about a game you don't like. :lol: I predict that everyone who was "never going to buy another BioWare game again" after DA2, then "never going to buy another BioWare game again" after ME3, will all be back for thirds.[/QUOTE]

This. 100 times over. Ryuu, you beat me to it. Haters gonna hate, but it's funny how they find their way to the forums of games that they hate or that wronged them so thoroughly.

Like I said, DA2 is an under-appreciated gem of this generation and it's a great experiment that took the genre that relies on epic scale and made a tightly woven and thoroughly enjoyable character piece that set in motion the rest of the franchise. People don't seem to understand the series need something to trigger the future of the series now that the darkspawn had been beaten back.

Well, R.I.P. DA2 forum. It's sad that you ended this way
35va1u.jpg

Over to the DAIII Forum!!
 
[quote name='Anexanhume']Maybe after this we can get them to patch KOTORII with the real ending and content :D[/QUOTE]

I'm seriously convinced that I'm the only person who enjoyed KOTOR II a little more than the original. The storyline was stupid, of course, but since I've never been a serious SW fan I couldn't care less. The game play was worth it. Everyone wanted a piece of my Jedi's Kitkat and the ending could have set up a half decent sequel.

Plus... DAT KELLY HU. My ears can't get enough of her voice.

But seriously... what was the real ending?

[quote name='GhostShark']Also, not directed at you Anex, but how is PC Only a con?
[/QUOTE]

Because I can't play it?

I'm far too stubborn and lazy to upgrade my PC. Consoles own me.
 
[quote name='Anexanhume']Did people really hate the gameplay that much? I thought the gameplay was fine (better, even). It was just the loss of choice that affected the gameplay.

And the story and recycled environments are separate concerns of course. ;)[/QUOTE]It didn't bother me one bit, though there was plenty of people bitching about it.

For me, the story could certainly have been better, though that can always be a complaint. The recycled environments were ridiculous.

[quote name='Ryuukishi']Frankly I would love it if all the people who hated DA2 would just go away and stop talking about it. But this is the internet, the only thing more fun than playing a game you like is complaining about a game you don't like. :lol: I predict that everyone who was "never going to buy another BioWare game again" after DA2, then "never going to buy another BioWare game again" after ME3, will all be back for thirds.[/QUOTE]Or fourths. ;)
 
[quote name='Anexanhume']Did people really hate the gameplay that much? I thought the gameplay was fine (better, even).[/QUOTE]
I missed that question, but... yeah. It was pretty... really bad...
 
[quote name='chubbyninja1319']This. 100 times over. Ryuu, you beat me to it. Haters gonna hate, but it's funny how they find their way to the forums of games that they hate or that wronged them so thoroughly. [/QUOTE]

I hear ya. How about a general agreement that everyone who wants to continue to talk about how DA2 sucked, angered them, and was overall so bad that it adversely impacted their quality of life can continue to hang out here while the rest of us who are looking forward to DA3 can discuss it and share news over on the other thread.
 
Insert generic "DA:O better than DA2, would be excited for this if they confirmed a return to DA:O style, at least we have Project Eternity to look forward to" comment here...
 
[quote name='simosaurus']I hear ya. How about a general agreement that everyone who wants to continue to talk about how DA2 sucked, angered them, and was overall so bad that it adversely impacted their quality of life can continue to hang out here while the rest of us who are looking forward to DA3 can discuss it and share news over on the other thread.[/QUOTE]

I'm not even talking about here. :) The people here are cool dudes with interesting well-formed opinions, even if I don't always agree.

What gets to me is how EVERY SINGLE ARTICLE on a BioWare game on Joystiq or Destructoid or whatever gets flooded with 500 comments about how "Dargon Age 2 r teh suck mang!!!1" Broken record style, with nothing to add and nothing interesting to say.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']I'm not even talking about here. :) The people here are cool dudes with interesting well-formed opinions, even if I don't always agree.[/QUOTE]

This is why CAG is my "home" board so to speak. The average poster here is rational enough to differentiate between run of the mill critiquing and nonsensical vitriol spewing.

We can agree to disagree without taking personal offense like a bunch of weirdos.

Well... most of the time anyway.

My stance on the game hasn't changed much from when it was initially announced. Good game was good, but not what I wanted. A lot of minor changes combined to form enough of a problem that I couldn't justify multiple playthroughs. I adapted (as I always do) but wasn't having much fun doing so. I can see why people hated the wave based combat, but oddly enough it didn't bother me until I mistakenly ran a Nightmare playthrough. I will never make that mistake again.

Oh, and I still feel the core combat from DA:O to DA2 hadn't changed THAT much. Not enough for me to notice anyway.

What gets to me is how EVERY SINGLE ARTICLE on a BioWare game on Joystiq or Destructoid or whatever gets flooded with 500 comments about how "Dargon Age 2 r teh suck mang!!!1" Broken record style, with nothing to add and nothing interesting to say.
Click to expand...
^This however... us "haters" are not to be associated with ever. We speak on behalf of ourselves not the rest of the internet. No Butthurt Bandwagons were used during posting of this message and it irks me when people overreact here because of the status quo of other boards/websites. It's remarkably stupid to generalize that quickly.
 
The fan pack is showing up for me too. But, Sir Isaac's armor is not. That's the one thing I wanted in particular. Is it showing up for anybody else who didn't already have it?
 
[quote name='MSUHitman']The Fan Reward pack shows up for me.[/QUOTE]
Sorry, that was unclear, I meant it's the only one that you get that is not listed on the page that lists all the promo DLC.
 
I am honestly having a blast so far.

I've just finished far cry 3 and picked up DA2 for $10 on BB. My first playthrough is on nightmare and it was frustrating at first, but with the right skillset, companions and tactics, nightmare is manageable... so far. I did die a lot, but not as much now.

I have no complaints about this game... I had a lot with Far Cry 3 haha, but this game is as addictive as DA:O to me.

I read about how the dungeons are reused. I did encounter that once (since I'm still early in the game, can't progress as fast on nightmare). But I don't think that's going to bother me, considering how often I died on nightmare, ill get used to the repetitiveness.
 
okkk so ive just hit tge first major boss and im thinking of reducing the difficulty

im so unprepared for this fight.

i didnt bring any healers as well (didnt really use anders much).

my party consist of varric (locked), fenris, dw rogue and merrill

i have merrill speced in the primal tree, so all attacks are electricity based, and the damn boss and its minions are immuned to electricty! ughhh

im not dishing out any damage at all. since i was unprepared for the fight, i have to micromanage everyone every goddamn second. it is so annoying. it took me 20 mins just to bring the boss's health to 50%.
 
How would you rate Dragon Age 2 in comparison to DA:Origins? If I LOVED Origins, will I LOVE DA2? I just finished Origins and am about to start Awakening as I've cleared most the DLC. Excited to start DA2, and I'm thinking about playing it immediately after Awakening (as opposed to playing a different game in between)
 
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