Inquisition

I've just read this interview about the next Dragon Age game and my interest has waned even more:

How Dragon Age: Inquisition carries the story onto next gen.

Quote :

Going back to Dragon Age 2, the Metacritic score remains pretty strong but the fans seemed to react in a broadly negative way. How did that impact Inquisition?

MD: When you look at the narrative that's formed around Dragon Age 2  in hindsight, I think you see that the biggest mistake was that it tried a lot of new things. It had a different story, told in a new way, on a smaller scale and different passage of time. We wanted to get more identifiable silhouettes so we didn't have the ability to change the armour on your followers. Basically we had this laundry list of new things we wanted to try. The real negativity came from that, not that it was bad but that it was different and expectations were not met. They expected an apple pie and we gave them hamburger.

ML:There were also some objectively bad things.

MD: Yeah, at the end of the day the game was smaller than it should have been. Maybe 25% of the areas were missing that it should have had. There are weaknesses in the game. When we try new things in Dragon Age: Inquisition, it's more focussed. When we made it about exploration that was one big new thing. It's not twenty small-to-medium new things. The thread's a little bit easier to see.

Dragon Age Origins was a three course meal, not an apple pie and you can't give a hamburger to someone who is used to banquets and hope that they're going to be satisfied that's where they went wrong IMO.

I did have a quick look at Dragon Age 2. The lack of options is jarring to say the least especially when you're a player who enjoyed playing non humans in the first game. That and the skewed action mechanics and don't get me started on the voiced protagonist.

There is one thing that I found interesting in DA2 and that was the framing device which is common enough in literature but not usually part of the storytelling experience when it comes to games. Unfortunately I don't have the patience nor the time to trudge through the game for that reason alone (especially considering that I have plenty of games that I'd rather play instead).

Sequels should expand on previous titles and not take away features and reading this interview I have very little faith that Inquisition is going to be anything like Origins.

Add the fact that it is going to be an Origin title and that it will most likely suffer from a bad case of day one DLC and special limited editions madness I can only say that there are more interesting titles out there either indie games that may have been overlooked by most (like Game of Thrones which is far from perfect but has some greatness thanks to its setting and atmosphere), games that breathe a new life to the genre (Divinity Original Sin may feature some questionable puns it has interesting mechanics for an isometric title) and of course other big sequels (like the third Witcher which no matter what will always be a more sensible financial choice because they don't go for that DLC nonsense -the only real problem is the poor performance).

I agree with you that DA 2 had some big problems. But I rather liked it myself simply because they integrated the choices really well. I really had the impression that I was playing MY story, rather than running through someone else's story. Not many (if any) game has ever impressed me that much.

But like you, I don't hold much hope that Inquisition will be the super epic game it's billed to be. If anything, it will probably end up being an OK game (like most of DA 2 was). Still, I will give it a try, a while after it comes out and it will undoubtedly keep me busy for a few weeks. I m probably going to put it on my Christmas present list, like I did for DA 2.

I'm excited about the opportunity to play as a qunari, as they are my favorite part of the DA universe, but it feels like it's coming a game too late. I will certainly give this game a try, but the game is going to have to be damn good to redeem the Bioware brand in my eyes.

Here is a link to a thingy that ties up the story so far: https://dragonagekeep.com/en_US/

What I've seen of DAI looks a bit more interesting as it seems they've ditched most of what made DA2 so lame (limiting playable races was such a bad move).

I've played a little of the game and I'm really not impressed so far. It's better than 2 (which isn't saying much) but definitely a bit weird compared to DAO (you can't even build up your character stat wise, you only pick skills which makes coming up with builds rather pointless).

Just like Skyrim the UI was made for consoles and that's really obvious. I'm playing with a controller (there is native support) and the combat feels swift but so far it's lacking some tactical elements. Combat is not based on the player's skill like Bound by Flame or Dark Souls so it's true to RPG roots but the top down view isn't as easy to use as the old Infinity Engine games. All in all it feels a bit one dimensional and I truly hope things pick up once I unlock more skills (after all playing a level one character in DAO wasn't incredibly thrilling tactics wise either).

Non humans are back and Qunaris are in too which is a good point (the main reason I skipped 2 was because of that decision to get rid of non humans). Some things are not perfect though. I've started playing an elf and one of the NPCs is assuming my character is a Dalish elf (which is fine but I would have liked the option to decide that for myself).

The story is not really thrilling. It's the old "you're the chosen one" thing and that stuff was already getting old back in the 90s...

Graphic wise I like the environments but I find that some of the models look a bit clunky proportions wise (I'm not a big fan of anime style two handed weapons for instance) and the hair styles are not that great. The game reminds me a bit of Kingdoms of Amalur when it comes to hair styles and that's not what was good about Kingdoms.

So far I'm not really happy with my purchase. I probably need to play a few more hours to see if the game grows on me or if I've wasted my money.

I will undoubtedly play it, but I was waiting until it comes on sale, probably in a year or so. I find there are not that many games where a full price purchase is worth it.

Playing a bad RPG only makes me more nostalgic of the good ol' days, with BG 1, Planescape Torment, BG II, Icewind dale...

I can't say if it is really bad yet but I can say it's not as fun as DAO was. It's more open which is good but it still doesn't get the little things right. By little things I mean hair that look like glued on pasta and weapons that hang in the air on the character's back. Skyrim was guilty of this but considering that DAI limits the type of weapons your character can use they could have made them look better (rogues can't use bigger weapons anymore and that sucks).

Bound by Flame is an indie game and yet they did manage to make scabbards that not only looked good but also functional they also managed to make a crafting system that looks nice without being a pain (which from a first look is what I can say about crafting in DAI).

What I find silly is that people have been criticizing Bound by Flame for its dialogues but quite frankly I feel DAI is not better and possibly worse... One of the first character you meet and get to talk to is also voiced in such a manner that I find rather annoying (the fake accent thing gets old pretty fast).

So yes so far I haven't been blown away. The good thing is the sense of familiarity of going back to some places with an interesting lore and history that we've already been playing through and shaping but the problem is that it no longer feels fresh and that's a pretty big issue when it comes to keeping things interesting.

I'm fighting my chronic restarter syndrome to stick with my guy and see how things open up once I'm out of the starting area and the world opens up.

And so far, do the choices made in DAO and DA 2 have an impact on DAI?

So far it would appear so. I'm using my personal save from DAO and the game acknowledges the fact that Allistair is king of Ferelden.

It's not all bad though, the game still makes you feel like a badass even at level 1:

Spoiler:

I had the opportunity to play a little more this week end and the game feels pretty huge with plenty of lore and things to read and collect and that's the good thing.

The problem is that when it comes to combat it never really feels like it knows what it wants to be. You can switch to the tactical view to issue orders but that's not very handy when it comes to coordinating character's actions. In fact the game plays a lot like a hack and slash action RPG and it reminds me of Dungeon Siege 3 and even Diablo 3. It may work out in the end but that's something one should bear in mind when starting off in order to avoid being very disappointed.

So far the only thing that is incredibly better is the open world which makes exploration and questing rewarding especially if you don't mind taking your time to stroll from one place to another.

The strategic aspect is very interesting when it comes to unlocking new areas and selecting missions for your council.

DAI is neither fish nor fowl and playing this game makes me wish they went for a different take on the combat. Considering the time you spend fighting in these games a more tactical approach would have been welcome. Instead of being a true sequel to DAO it feels pretty much like playing a Diablo like in which you keep clicking (or simply hold your mouse button) waiting for the enemies to go down.

Worse yet, it feels very streamlined in the sense that it doesn't allow so much in the way of customization (at least not where it really matters). Everything is streamlined and that means that you can't step away from the stereotype (you can't even switch between the weapon types you can use on the fly). You're limited in the gear your guy can use simply because of the class you've picked so you won't be able to make a high strength heavy armour rogue which is something that worked pretty well in Origins. In Inquisition you just pick a skill on level up and choose which gear you equip to boost a stat or another and that's pretty much it. I wish things will get better down the line but at this point I don't expect them to.

Last but not least the game makes a really poor job of telling you about your guy's back story while at the same time forcing it down your throat. You don't get to pick between different options like you did in Origins and that's something of a letdown. For instance an elf has to be Dalish. A Human is necessarily a noble (that was already the case in Origins except for mages). You can't play a casteless Dwarf (you have to play a surface Dwarf). As a Qunari you've abandoned the Qun and you're just a mercenary... All in all you can pick any class and race combination (Dwarves can't be mages) but you're still limited and in many ways you're actually playing a predetermined character. It wouldn't be so bad if the game was more forthcoming with information but having to play for almost two hours before realizing that my Elf Rogue is actually Dalish when in my mind I had assumed all along that he hailed from an Alienage is rather annoying to say the least...

I feel like I may start over with a Qunari Fighter and forget about my Elf Rogue despite having sunk a few hours in the game already. Playing a Rogue in DAI doesn't feel as special as playing one in DAO and I can't bring myself to play an Elf or a Dwarf with an oversized sword. Two handed swords are just so huge in this game it looks like they come from an anime.

It seems DAI is an obvious ploy to appeal to a mass audience by dumbing it down. I can hear Bioware saying "no no, don't give them too much choice, it will just make them confused because they can't think for themselves"...
-_-

Yep - I'm not remotely interested in this game now.

Don't get me wrong it's still incredibly better than DA2 (although I haven't played much of DA2 it wasn't fun at all for me). I may be a bit harsh but some things feel awkward... What I miss the most is the possibility of being more creative with my character's build.

In many ways it's a lot like Diablo 3, it's fun, quick, easy to get into but essentially dumbed down. I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a more hardcore CRPG (but to be frank I wouldn't recommend Skyrim or the Witcher series either). The one thing that doesn't feel dumbed down is the lore. It's huge and goes beyond ripping off A Song of Ice and Fire (which is the main criticism I can make regarding DAO).

Let's face it, DAO was an anomaly. It allowed us to focus on a character's story with the different origins. DA2 took another direction by limiting itself to one character, DAI offers more but after playing DAO it feels like taking a shortcut.

If Inquisition played like Divinity Original Sin it would be a truly great CRPG... I don't like DOS that much and I don't think it's as great as people say but it has some nice mechanics that work perfectly with an isometric game. Inquisition tries to cater too much to console players and action RPG fans and it shows.

I thought you were a fan of The Witcher? Or is it just the second one you don't like?

Triactus wrote:

I thought you were a fan of The Witcher? Or is it just the second one you don't like?

I like the Witcher (I haven't finished the second one yet because it keeps being pushed back by other games) but I do stand by my opinion that it's at best an adventure CRPG and not a true CRPG. IMO if we start putting the RPG label on the Witcher then we have to put it on games like the latest Tomb Raider as well.

If I don't get a chance to create my own persona or at the very least make some significant choices to make it my own then I may be playing a role or rather a part (like an actor) but to me that's not the same as roleplaying.

As much as I like the Witcher as a whole I don't care much for the main character. I find him tiresome, I dislike his American accent in the games and at times the emphasis on being a badass ruins my fun. Last but not least I don't like the fact he is an albino because it's Elric of Melniboné's thing but it gets really bad when Geralt is called "White Wolf" which is Elric's nickname. It can't be a coincidence. I guess there is a fine line between an homage and plagiarism.

I'm just happy that I got to play DAO before I knew anything about A Song of Ice and Fire. Just thinking about the many similarities between the Night's Watch and the Grey Wardens would have been enough.

Yea, I agree. I'm a rather creative person and I like creating a story. I like creating a character that looks, acts and thinks like I want him to. Being imposed with a personnality on the main character is tiresome. In DA 2, you had a sort of carefree and "look how funny I am" character that might not appeal to everybody. In Witcher, I agree that you're stuck with Gerald in all it's forms. In Witcher 1, you couldn't even customize what he looks like. At least in DA 2, you could modify hair styles and facial hair. I modified those two in each new chapter of the game to mark the passage of time (chapter 1, he had short hair and no beard. In the final chapter, he had a long beard and long hair). It's these little details that allow me to create my own story, in a sense.

Another thing that I disliked was the voicing. To me the soundset is very important for any given character. In DAI you have two voicesets to choose from, one sounds British and the other one sounds American. That sounds a bit limited but it's not that bad actually. Considering that most players seem to frown upon games in which the main character is not voiced...

I've been playing with the character creator and there are some ways to make some striking characters.

I think I may start a new game with a mage for a change. Considering how the game plays mages seem to be a nicer option. I've never been a big fan of mages in DA2 but I'm not too happy with my Rogue.

Hgh... Don't get me started on voice acting. There are some incredible actors that are sometimes recruted for CRPGs (David Warner as Jon Irenicus, for example). But the actor that voices Gerald in the Witcher (in the english version), is simply cringe worthy. For DA 2, it's not that I didn't like the protagonist's voice actor, I just tought we were locked up in his characterization of the role. That's more the fault of the studio.

I can't stand Geralt's American voice... I even tried playing the first game with Polish voices because it was just unbearable.

Usually Bioware games get some pretty decent talent. I must say I did prefer the female Shepard in Mass Effect, when it comes to Inquisition I find that the voices are fine. My only problem is the voice acting for one specific character (I find the fake accent unnerving).

I've been playing Inquisition. I just finished a playthrough with a female qunari mage, in fact. I've enjoyed it more than you did, I think, but I wasn't really comparing it to Origins. Really, the setting is the only thing those two games have in common. I compared it more to Skyrim, Guild Wars 2, and Dragon Age 2.

Bioware didn't help things when they bragged about how the combat would be tactical. It's purely an action RPG. If you approach it as anything but that, it's going to suck. Their "tactical camera" has as much claim to being tactical as I have to being a bowl of soup, so their press events about that feature were, well... I'll let Sir Humphrey Appleby say it for me:



That said, as an open-world hack-and-slash set in the Dragon Age universe, I enjoyed it. The plot may not be anything groundbreaking, but I fully expected them to return to a "save the world" story after so many players complained about Dragon Age 2 NOT having the player save the world. Given that, I enjoyed the characters and the feeling of running a faction. They drop some huge lore revelations late in the story that I found interesting.

Comparing it to Skyrim, two things really stood out. Obviously, the characters were a lot more fun. Not to the level of New Vegas, but at least there is actual characterization here.

Also the world seems more reactive. If you do all the quests in a region, the region becomes stabilized and people start moving in a setting up camps. In Skyrim, you clear out a ruin of bandits, and you know that the next time you pass by that ruin, the bandits will all be back again as if nothing had ever happened. Nothing ever changes in Skyrim... the world might be packed with sights to take in, but it's static.  I like the fact that I can actually have an effect on the world of DAI.

It's not the Dragon Age game I would have asked for, but they seem dead-set on moving away from their roots in terms of combat.

Also, I'm happy I could finally play a qunari, even if she wasn't a proper qunari. I expected that, as the lore would make it pretty much impossible to play a qunari mage. They might have been able to have a qunari warrior or rogue be a ben-hassrath agent, but they keep their mages on very tight leashes.

Thanks for this Kana. Apart from the video clip making me smile this morning, the information you give about the game is interesting.

I'm not going to rush to play this. I've loads in my library so can wait, see what else is said about Inquisition and make an informed choice. It's a shame tho' as it was a game that I really hoped would do more than both you and Cara have found. If that had been the case, I'd be begging for someone to buy me it for Christmas!

Oh well... fingers crossed for Witcher and Risen 3.

Very good points Kana. It's not a terrible game, in fact it's actually fine but it's definitely not what we have been told it would be.

Quote :

Bioware didn't help things when they bragged about how the combat would be tactical. It's purely an action RPG. If you approach it as anything but that, it's going to suck.

You hit the nail right on the head there.

I haven't played in a week and I'm not anywhere near finishing a first run but I've found out that I'm having more fun with a mage considering the action focused combat which is a pity considering I'm a player whose favourite class has always been thieves and rogues.

Here is a link for a free download of some tavern songs with music sheets!

http://www.dragonage.com/en_US/news/inquisition-tavern-songs-giveaway

I just bought Inquisition. I can't wait to try it out (though I am not having sky high expectations). While I know it will be an action RPG, there is a lot of elements in DA 2, Mass effect, Skyrim that I liked. I just don't know if I'll have time to try it out until the last week-end of June... DAMN YOU SCHEDULE!!

It's funny. The Inquisition description and the upcoming Mass effect 4 description sound awfully alike in it's game mechanics. Will we see there's crossover material, like there was between ME 2 and DAO.

Low expectations will help you enjoy the game. It is not a bad game but it lacks focus IMHO. Have fun Tri.