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DancingShade posted:Is it uncool to say DA:I was actually a generally good game? (albiet with too many gather the random resources time wasters) DA:I felt like the first Mass Effect in a lot of ways, in that it was cool but had a lot of rough edges that needed rounding off. The NPCs were, for the most part, one of the high points. peer posted:On the other hand, Sera is by far the worst character in any Bioware game. Yes, worse than Merrill Every Bioware RPG has at least one total dub of an NPCs. Ever game gotta have its Jacob.
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Nov 8, 2016 10:48
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hobbesmaster posted:Jacob was just under used. Sera was actively terrible, but at least you could have zero interaction with her. I like that Sera is the only NPC with a dialogue option to kick her out at literally any point in the game. It's a nice tacit admission from the developers.
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Nov 8, 2016 11:04
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Milky Moor posted:Jacob was just bland. Sera was really bad. Well, duds come in different flavors. I get what they were going with for Sera by choosing to make her a unlikable gobshite with few if any redeeming qualities, but with a background made her personality feel like an organic result of what she'd been through. But they went so far overboard that I could never really more than pity her. Definitely a nadir for their character design.
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Nov 8, 2016 11:30
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Pattonesque posted:ME3, I dunno, it's kind of weirdly-paced. there is a lot of theoretical urgency undercut by your ability to tool around the galaxy. like you can straight up leave the Tuchanka and Rannoch systems during their respective arcs and come back ME3 is a good example of why ticking clocks are a bad idea in big RPGs. Either you make the timer real and it pisses people off because they feel like they're under constant pressure, or you fake it and totally monkey-wrench your narrative tension. Fallout 1 is maybe the only game I can think of that managed to thread the needle with the gimmick.
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Nov 9, 2016 20:44
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exquisite tea posted:If your brain had already been destroyed through years of MMOs, as mine was when Inquisition was released, then the collectathon aspects probably didn't bother you as much. In fact, it probably felt deeply satisfying to X out all those glowing orange pyramids on the world map. And there were thousands. Or any Ubisoft game made in the last seven years or so. I don't get why game devs keep packing more and more collectible bullshit into their games. I'm not sure I've ever spoken to someone who actually enjoys collections. It's always a refrain of "I don't enjoy it, but my completionist ODC won't let me ignore all that poo poo on my mini-map!"
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Nov 13, 2016 10:05
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Milky Moor posted:Yeah. There are a whole lot of places in ME3 where the earlier games would have a choice, even just a fake dialogue choice, but ME3 just has Shepard say a thing. There's a few awkward points where it feels like conversations were cut down, too, and fairly late in the development process. I'm sure part of this was cut development time, but I also think a fair chunk of it was simply consequence-bloat from the earlier two games. They were so committed to having your choices matter that nearly every single scene has a massive number permutations based on all the things your might or might not have done up to that point. Trying to arrange what must have been a titanic tangle of dialogue and scripting trees into something that would look even remotely consistent to the player across all of Shepard's potential realities was probably a design nightmare. Edit: Like, in the first game it's easy enough to have three different dialogues that lead to slightly varied outcomes because you're starting from a blank slate. But in ME 3 you might already have [omething like six different versions of a scene queued up before it even starts based on actions taken earlier in the series. Hell, you might even be talking with one of a few different people depending on who's alive or dead. Trying to take those already branching paths and layer on exponentially more variables sounds pretty drat daunting. Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 14:09 on Nov 13, 2016 |
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Nov 13, 2016 14:00
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Geostomp posted:That's probably why they're saying that any future games will have all new protagonists are Androme like the Dragon Age games. It's got to be so much less hassle than taking one person through all games. I don't blame them, and I wonder if they fully grasped what they were getting themselves into when they started on Mass Effect. I mean, ending aside it is kind of incredible that ME 3 holds together at all under the creaking weight of all the obligations is has to honor. Take Padok Wiks, a neat character with his own quirks, whom a ton of people never encountered. But he still had to be there, ready and waiting in the wings for anyone who doesn't have Modrin on deck. That holds true for drat near every character and scene in the game, and while it doesn't require a ton of extra assets, the dialogue still needs to be written and recorded, and someone still has to go in and set up all those scenes and make sure they fit together without exploding.
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Nov 13, 2016 14:22
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Levantine posted:Yeah, i realize it's unfair to compare much of anything to ME2 but drat, way to kill the buzz, Bioware. ME2 is easily one of the best games of its generation and like you said, about as perfectly paced as a game can be. Intentional or not, ME 2 really hit on a goldmine of an idea with its core conceit. By making it primarily about recruiting and developing your team, Bioware got to go hog wild on a bunch of cool set pieces and play into heavily into the NPC focus they put on most of their games. They really ought to do stories that let them push the supporting cast to the forefront since that's where a lot of their writing and design effort gets spent, and it's also what their fans tend to react most favorably to.
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Nov 13, 2016 15:31
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Endings are not one of Bioware's strengths. Even their best final chapters tend to be uneven in terms of story and design. ME 2 is probably the best they've done in that regard, though you could maybe make a case for BG 1 or 2.
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Nov 13, 2016 18:23
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wyoak posted:Kai Leng was a hilarious misstep Boy, was he ever. 
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Nov 14, 2016 17:44
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Moola posted:you revisionist history "dragon age 2 wasnt that bad" freaks disgust me to my gay core Hey now, I've liked DA 2 since its release. You can impugn my taste, but at least I'm consistent! Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 19:13 on Nov 21, 2016 |
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Nov 21, 2016 19:10
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Alain Post posted:Everything in DA2 feels wrong. Just playing it gives you the distinct impression that something went badly off during development. A ton of stuff, from what I've read. Not least of which is that they apparently only had something like 18 months to actually development the game.
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Nov 21, 2016 19:12
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Alain Post posted:it's the return of my favorite Bethesda argument, "you can't say the game is bad because you played it a lot" And it's long-time companion, "you can't say that game is bad because you haven't played enough of it." Master these two pieces of rhetorical fecal matter and you can comfortably smug your way through any argument about video games. Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 19:29 on Nov 21, 2016 |
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Nov 21, 2016 19:20
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Rinkles posted:The Ebon Hawk was basically as big as a hub needs to be. The Normandy roll-call wasted too much time. Much as I enjoyed the Normandy II, I kinda agree. Especially with the elevators, a whip-round with all your NPCs took way too long.
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Nov 22, 2016 04:57
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I replayed the Mass Effects and DA:I not too long ago, and Skyhold actually takes less time to go round if you're used to the layout. The Normandies are both quite the slog. Loading zones in player hubs, especially if they divvy up your NPCs, be a baaaad idea.
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Nov 22, 2016 18:18
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Alain Post posted:The main questlines in DA:I aren't actually that bad to be fair, but christ you can tell that the game was either planned as a MMO or that they were just lazy. It was originally going to be a Co-Op multiplayer game, if you can believe it! I think it's fair to say that it had a somewhat fraught development. Not to the level of DA 2, but Bioware seems to have trouble deciding what exactly they want to be doing with the DA licence from game to game.
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Nov 22, 2016 18:47
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I recognize that Witcher 3 is objectively a good game, but I've never been able to get more than a few hours into it because of how little I like being Geralt.
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Nov 22, 2016 19:09
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COOKIEMONSTER posted:DAI is the first bioware game I've tried that I couldn't finish, due to the sheer weight of boring. Terrible interfaces, lifeless quests everywhere, giant spaces content-less spaces filled with random encounters that don't warrant the time they take. At least with DA2 I could just turn the gameplay to easy mode and finish the game in like 16 hours. DAI is basically the reason why I'm super wary about Andromeda. I think Bioware just needs to get it through their skulls that they are flat out no good with open world games. ME 2 is their high point, and it's entirely about being a tight, guided experience.
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Nov 22, 2016 19:10
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Android Blues posted:I really liked the open world stuff. Some of it is throwaway (get bent, Hidden Oasis), but other stuff like the Hissing Wastes is downright triumphant. Like, I would have bought an (appropriately priced!) game by itself that was just the Hissing Wastes stuff. And even the areas that aren't all that interesting quest-wise are still usually extremely immersive just to wander around in. Hidden Oasis' central quest sucks, but it still feels captivating to move around this multi-level desert grotto and explore the ruins past the bridge. Agree to disagree. The Hissing Wastes is a slog that I've dreaded every time I played the game. Have you played Witcher 3? It sounds like it'd be right up your ally. Like, I enjoy DA:I, but the stuff like this that you're talking about is stuff that Witch did way, way better.
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Nov 22, 2016 19:12
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Arcsquad12 posted:Why exactly do you dislike about geralt if I may ask? It's nothing super egregious. I've just had my fill of taciturn übermenschen, so playing one in a 80+ hour RPG isnot my bag. Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 19:39 on Nov 22, 2016 |
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Nov 22, 2016 19:28
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Trast posted:Just curious about you Dragon Age 2 is good people. How much did you pay for the game? I can see paying five dollars for it making it much easier to accept what a terrible game it is compared to paying release day sixty dollars or more. Release day on Steam, so full price. And now you've reminded me that EA pulled DA 2 from Steam because of their silly spat with Valve over who gets a cut of the DLC monies. Of all the hills to die on, they picked DA 2 DLC. LoL.
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Nov 22, 2016 22:43
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Reclaimer posted:I hope DA4 lets you play the previous three protagonists instead of an all new one but the first two get shoved into a plot closet at the end of the last one. Hawke and the Inquisitor might show up in latter games, but they won't be playable. As for the Warden, I'd put money on them never actually appearing in-game. Trying to update a silent protagonist into something people would be even remotely happy with would be a nightmare. I remember the poo poo-fit people pitched when they learned they wouldn't be able to customize Hawke.
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Nov 22, 2016 22:52
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SubponticatePoster posted:But you can You can, but during development they were cagey about whether or not you'd be able to because they weren't sure they'd have time to add the feature. Folks was not pleased. Point being, fans get rapid about having their former PCs perfectly match their personal specs and trying to do that with the Warden at this point would be super hard. KoB posted:EA didnt pull it, Valve did for going against their new DLC rules. DA2 complete edition is available on Steam. Eh? No it isn't. Unless I've gone blind. DA:O is there, but DA 2 never came back to Steam.
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Nov 23, 2016 00:41
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E: beaten
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Nov 24, 2016 18:52
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Zzulu posted:I want a harem. Why are they limiting me to porking one space alien? Why can't I pork all the crew on my ship. Why can't they all be my waifus Saints Row 4 already covered this.
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Nov 25, 2016 18:23
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Reclaimer posted:Being a Spectre has lots of perks, immunity to harassment suits being among those. Yeah, if James Bond has taught us anything, it's that a license to kill is also an implicit license to be a skeevy bastard.
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Nov 25, 2016 18:29
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BexGu posted:What was the most amount of people that can die and still win again in ME2? I remember a youtube where some one figured it out and the last "Hold the Line" speech was to like one person. You can always win, but I think you need at least two people alive when you get back to the Normandy to prevent Shepard's death. Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 17:22 on Nov 26, 2016 |
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Nov 26, 2016 17:20
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Reclaimer posted:I'm sure in the centuries since the genophage was unleashed a female krogan or two got tired of Space Sharia and dipped out on a passing freighter. Not to mention prior to that, they lived on many worlds that weren't Tuchanka. Yeah, it's not much of a stretch. It's well established within the setting that krogan do whatever the gently caress they want, and good luck to anyone looking to stop them.
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Dec 4, 2016 13:22
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marshmallow creep posted:I had a cat. When we adopted her, she had very short fur (no bald spots or anything, just short) and terrible fleas. We found out that the fleas made her so anemic she couldn't even grow fur properly. We used to joke that the anemia left her brain damaged because even after her treatment, she was just so stupid. This is amazing! Doubly so because it's even kinda plausible. Your body can replenish the volume of your blood much faster than it can your red blood cell count. That's why you have to wait so long between blood donations; it takes a couple of months for your RBCs to recover fully. So a Bloodmage could totally go anemic if they weren't super careful about how much of their own supply they used over an extended span of time. I love that the explanation for Merrill's stupid could literally be cerebral hypoxia. Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 11:42 on Dec 12, 2016 |
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Dec 12, 2016 11:40
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No, she's pretty drat stupid. She doesn't lack for intellect, but she has the common sense of a mayfly.
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Dec 12, 2016 13:52
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marktheando posted:What did Morrigan do that was unwise? The demon baby thing seemed to work out pretty well. Blind ambition at the expense of anything like good sense? Oh hey, I think I'll get knocked up with a god-baby, surely that'll never come back to bite me in the rear end! Oh hey, let me drink from this magical pool that contains the memories and wills of powerful ancient beings, surely that'll never come back to bite m in the rear end! Like, she's a little better off in DA: I, but still not great when it comes to weighing the possible consequences of her actions. Doctor Spaceman posted:He gets taken by Flemeth, although given what happens to her it's really hard to say what happens to Kieran in the end. He doesn't always get taken. That can play out a few different ways depending on what's happened up to the point. Skippy McPants fucked around with this message at 14:51 on Dec 12, 2016 |
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Dec 12, 2016 14:49
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hobbesmaster posted:Then you have to make the strong moral choice of "keep a literal terrorist in your party or suffer through DA2 combat without a healer" I was playing a Spirit Healer Mage, so that choice was easy peasy! And normally I try not to kill anyone I don't have to in RPGs, but dangit Anders, you really didn't leave me with a lot of options here!
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Dec 12, 2016 15:07
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A Buff Gay Dude posted:Quarians have a cloaca I thought that was salarians?
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Dec 13, 2016 01:35
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exquisite tea posted:Witcher Sense is hardly a new innovation, people have been ripping off "see glowing stuff" vision since at least Arkham Asylum and Assassin's Creed 2. Yeah, "Detective Vision" was around long before Witcher 3.
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Jan 6, 2017 20:42
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Cythereal posted:Honestly, it gets better: they can kick you out and continue by themselves. Which is a bit weird, seeing as how they're cousins.
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Jan 6, 2017 23:49
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Cythereal posted:They don't know they're cousins at that point in the story. Don't they? It's been a while, but I thought the romance plots resolved after you find out that Master Li is Dawnstar's dad. Either way, awkward.
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Jan 7, 2017 00:00
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It got a bit tedious after a while, but that's combat in most RPGs. I remember Jade Empire pretty fondly. Any setting that isn't just Medieval fantasy world #728 gets a plus from me, and the plot twist was actually pretty clever.
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Jan 7, 2017 00:28
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Har. I do wonder, though. I know Jade Empire borrowed pretty much all of its tropes and plot beats from pulp Kung Fu films, and was whole "gifted pupil purposely trained with a secret vulnerability" thing lifted from one of them?
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Jan 7, 2017 00:36
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Combat Pretzel posted:Been looking up some footage on Youtube about the game, since it's being mentioned more frequently again all over the place. Obviously it doesn't divulge much about the story, but the combat kind of looks like a chaotic mess. Didn't really do much for me. Also, why are there plenty of humans, Krogans and poo poo already somewhat established in the Andromeda galaxy? Wasn't the shtick that nuSherpard was there first? Re Combat: The game is built on the same engine as Dragon Age: Inquisition, so even odds the combat will be a total cluster gently caress. Cross your fingers! Re Races: Stuff got fubar, and some folks arrived at the wrong time, got lost, etc., whatever justification we can come up with to skip having to develop a bunch of established native species cause that poo poo is expensive.
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Jan 7, 2017 01:09
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Combat Pretzel posted:I think what bugs me is that jumpy poo poo. Before, it was kinda optional hidden behind the biotic stuff, the cover and pewpew worked fine on its own. But Andromeda seems to have plenty of large enemies sprinting at you and wants you to make use of the jetpack to bounce around and away. At least that's the impression of the few snippers I've seen. Keep in mind, a lot of that is them juicing it to the max for trailer purposes. If you go back and look at the combat in earlier ME trailers, you'll see bunch of Vanguards charging around all over the place because that looks zippy and frenetic in quick cuts. I'd be shocked if the actual game didn't also have the more methodical sniper and biotic playstyles. Those just don't get any screen time, cause they're not xtreme enough.
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Jan 7, 2017 01:19
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