Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
General: Hands On With Dragon Age 2
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
MMORPG.com Managing Editor Jon Wood recently spent the day in the Bioware Edmonton studio and had the opportunity for some quality hands on time with the upcoming Dragon Age II. Before our readers drag out the pitchforks and torches to chase Jon down as an anti-MMO heretic, there are parallels and insights to be drawn from Dragon Age II and Bioware's upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO. Check it out and then let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Recently, I had the opportunity to join the folks at Bioware at their Edmonton studio to get some hands on time with their upcoming RPG, Dragon Age II. Now, before the forums are flooded with the fact that Dragon Age II is not an MMORPG, and that we’ve broken some cardinal rule by even daring to publish an article based on the game, I’m going to tell you that I disagree. Getting a glimpse at the development of one of Bioware’s marquee RPG titles does provide at least some insight into what we can expect from the upcoming Old Republic title.
Read more Hands On With Dragon Age 2.
)
Comments
Good article and I'm really looking forward to this one.
Looking forward to this game and I think RPG's deserve to be here because if you take the RPG out of MMO there's really nothing left.
Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.
great. we need a 'dragon age' - mmorpg.
Interesting. But I hope they cut down on the cut scenes (no pun intended).
DA:O was fun but felt pretty small compared to BG 1, 2 and NWN but it was it cut scenes that annoyed me with it. A great tool when you use them right but a cut scene whenever you meet anyone was too much.
I also felt that the party AI was not always up to scratch. I hope they improved that as well.
And while some of the characters were good I miss the few really funny from the BG gams ("Go for the eyes, Boo!").
Still, high chance I'll buy this game.
If only there would be a fantasy MMORPG with the combat system, character development and gfx of Dragon Age 2...
Guild Wars 2 maybe?
My gaming blog
really? you enjoyed the pause, set, pause, set... combat?
Dragon Age Online maybe?!
I hate the bioware path since NWN, with al this "you'll play the role we have choosen for you, and you will have no choice". This is all what i hated from rpg since the 2d edition of aD&D when role players had to be feed with spoon with huge rules list and detailed books, but couldn't even create an interesting role for their characters outside the box given to them.
In NWN they had still given some freedom with the little sense of open world this game had, but Dragon Age, Mass effects, they are the worst of rpg for me.
I remember when playing NWN, and a guy came telling all those stories about dark elves and those stuff he took from books, and though to be the ultimate reality about dark elves as they really existed. Then i told him he was stupid, dark elves wasn't matriacal society and all those crap (naturally i played a rebel male so i kind of rp this too). But the guy became mad at me and began insulting me ooc, telling me i was an ignorant and knew nothing about rp blabla. Just sad, for me bioware is targeting those poor quality rper as their customers, giving them gelly spoon food, and they have so much succes. It is just so sad.
I wish we could come back to the real creativity role players had with the first d&d box, when rules and description where minimal, and all the imaginative work had to be done by players and GM. Bye bye good old days. Viva la sandbox
Death to the infidels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But ye the idea to make a movie where you can play your role isn't a bad idea in itself, its just so limitating and frustrating in those games.
That is just an option, you can also have it be real time action if you so choose. And yes, I did enjoy the tactical pause gameplay. While I don't enjoy it all of the time for every game I do enjoy having a different combat system in games.
Since when has DAO2 been a mmo?
If this is the case perhaps you could get a hands on with a RPG that IMO will wipe DAO2 all over the place.
Let's face it BioWare live on their rep,they no longer make single player RPG they make single player RPG movies.
Looking forward to your hands on with The Witcher 2 Assassin of Kings.
Surely you will afford the same attention to a european RPG .
I liked DA origins, although the replayability factor was equal to zero. Except for the race starter quests. And now we only got human as race ? Humans are sooo boring. I play one all day long. And who cares about elves ?
A disappointed Dwarf.
Just as I thought, Bioware continues to disappoint me.
First they simplify Mass Effect II (of course the engine is better and the graphical design is better, but both gameplay, characters and story suffered).
Then they start to release a VERY subpar info on TOR and we learn its bassically wow in space with none of the KOTOR spirit.
Now I find out they "masseffectiffied2" the Dragon Age II..
Dialog Wheel?
No Race Selection?
Commercialized Combat aspect?
Named Character and other anti-roleplay elements?
no isometric view mode?(no that one in screen is not isometric mode, thats zoomed out camera.)
Dark dark dark UI?
Separate items for companions and Ebon Hawkey?
Simplified and stripped down skill system?
Stripped down availability of companion skillsystems?
Skeletor Darkspawn?
Qanari race turned into generic horned badguy ogres?
"hot" and "edgy" flemeth?
"hot" and "edgy" characters with no good backstory or connection to the plot(ala MEII)?
No quest freedom as the whole game is divided into ridiculous "chapters" with separate quests?
Dialogue as cheesy as "so you wanna know about the CHAMPIUN"...
Not to mention that the new "futuristic" generic item icons or skill icons do not amuse me.
All I can hope now is that the story is good and we are not going to face some bug race which started to kidnap people from the outskirt towns, while working for a shady mercenary organization...knowing how meII and TOR turned out and how MEIII trailer looks.....it doe snot bode well on this too.
# A GRIM, ODD, ARCANE SKY
# ANY GOD, I MARK SACRED
# A MASKED CRY ADORING
# A DREAMY, SICK DRAGON
If u are in gaming for stories, you guys are wrong... go and read some books if u want stories, the fact is, this game looks more playable for a greater audience and that's the point, make simple, balanced and most of everything, make it enjoyable, those are the things that sells, and that's the points of games, if they don't sell, they can't make games...
I don't get what kind of an "insight" on Old Republic can anyone get by looking at Dragon Age 2? they're made by the same company, but are they made by the exact same teams? same programmers, game designers, game artists?
The only thing in common that they have is that the same company funds both games and places its label on them, that's all.
btw, If you want a story, guys, go play old good TES3: Morrowind, that's the best rpg game i've seen since 1990's. Open world, open questing, strong plot and characters, whatever... i didn't fully liked first Mass Effect because it was all zoned up, and ME2 was even worse, and i'd bet a hundred bucks that they'll ruin DA2 too.
Online Games in Girl's Eyes
http://chickgeekgames.blogspot.com
A LOT and I'd even say the majority of players of BW games disagree with you. ME2 is for, again, probably the majority better than ME when it comes to gameplay, characters and story, and is seen by most as an improvement upon ME, you only have to look at several gaming forums and reviews to witness that.
About SW:TOR, well, that's another subject, but suffice to say that the recent preview articles were predominantly positive about their SWTOR gameplay experiences, and to most SW:TOR without a doubt manages to capture the KOTOR spirit.
Maybe it's true that it doesn't bode well for you and that you will not enjoy DA2 or SWTOR, but that certainly doesn't apply to most other people.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
Geralt of Rivia.
What are you smoking? What is a game without a story? I'm sorry friend, but I think you are the one that is wrong. Most MMO's are based off some kinda story, and lots of people actually take the time to get to know those stories. Just because you have have no depth, doesn't mean we all don't.
Actually, yeah.
Don't get me wrong - I like actiony, twitch-based games too (Team Fortress, Global Agenda, Vindictus, etc.). But there's something to be said for turn-based, cerebral-type gameplay as well. Sometimes I'd rather think than just button mash or test my hand-eye coordination.
Now with that said, one of my beefs with Dragon Age: Origins was that there were (IMO) way too many powers/spells/abilities than ever needed. A ton of that junk was just redundant. More often than not, my strategy amounted to aggro'ing everything I could with my tank, applying force field, then using him as an anchor for fireball spam.
Yeah, generaly not a big fan of the Bioware "Here's our story. Now ACT the part of this character we made for you approach." I mean they do make decent stories, but I'd rather get that experience from a novel/movie instead...and I get popcorn with it.
Vastly prefer the "Here is a virtual world we created for you. Now go write your story in it." approach.
Can't fault Bioware for sticking with what works for them....would just prefer more games out there which took the Bethesda approach instead.
The thing is people don't have to do Pause, set, pause, set combat.
Put it on easy mode and conduct one's actions on the fly. it works very well and there is relatively little pausing. It's far more fluid that way but still challenging.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Some of the biggest games ever released have no story. A game isnt defined by having a story.
While I think Luk is indeed wrong in his extreme statement, there is plenty of room in a lot of games for a decent story (especially RPGs), so are you.
The truth is actually somewhere in the middle of the two of you.
yep, I did, just as I did in BG1 & 2.
I enjoyed the tactical style of play that mechanic gives.
One race really hurts the replay factor for me. Something about a dwarf berserker warrior and elven archer/ranger is the core of fantasy rpg
Im putting my money on several expansion to compensate...
Well duh, if Bioware was not owned by EA all the races would've come part of the game. Since EA is out to make $$$ you can bet ytour ass on DLC's and boxed expansions. I remember a time "dlc" content would come free.