There's always Elder Scrolls: Skyrim from Bethesda for that old fashioned, non-linear, open ended RPG, which is coming out soon. The developers are adamant about returning to their Daggerfall / Morrowind roots and moving away from the metamorphosis that was Oblivion.
I KNOW! Did you see that article? They want to get back to the Morrowind weirdness. love it.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
There's always Elder Scrolls: Skyrim from Bethesda for that old fashioned, non-linear, open ended RPG, which is coming out soon. The developers are adamant about returning to their Daggerfall / Morrowind roots and moving away from the metamorphosis that was Oblivion.
I KNOW! Did you see that article? They want to get back to the Morrowind weirdness. love it.
Yey! Can't wait!
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Having to pause and plan out different strategies along the way is "not" action oriented.
/facepalm
/facepalm all you want, but having a burst of motion only to stop, change tactics, change attack and targets, unpausing, letting a few hits happen, only to stop, change tactics, change attacks, change targets, set trap, only to do it all again isn't action oriented in my book.
Not sure what book you are reading.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
It was expected to be crap. Its biowares tactic just like mass effect but this time they added a small blizzard levle trick that will make them even moar money
1st game=good, risky move
1st expansion=degraded. No risk. Fans will buy it 100% money guarranted... making it more stupid friendly simply broadens the sale to the masses getting even moar money
and in da2 they did their blizzard trick which was that da1 choices BARELY affect da2 plus there is no ferelden... Making fans to buy da3 no matter what even after getting disapointed by da2. Plus having all the masses from da2. Da3 sells exceptionally well...
It was expected to be crap. Its biowares tactic just like mass effect but this time they added a small blizzard levle trick that will make them even moar money
1st game=good, risky move
1st expansion=degraded. No risk. Fans will buy it 100% money guarranted... making it more stupid friendly simply broadens the sale to the masses getting even moar money
and in da2 they did their blizzard trick which was that da1 choices BARELY affect da2 plus there is no ferelden... Making fans to buy da3 no matter what even after getting disapointed by da2. Plus having all the masses from da2. Da3 sells exceptionally well...
I am so happy i got da2 the non-legal way
I lost you there. How is it that fans will buy DA3 regardless of the fact that DA2 sucked? Granted I wasn't entirely thrilled with DA:O, although it had a considerably more coherent writing, but this is one series I'm more than ready to consign to the 14.99 Steam Holiday Sale.
Or even the non-legal way if I really have nothing better to play on launch week.
It was expected to be crap. Its biowares tactic just like mass effect but this time they added a small blizzard levle trick that will make them even moar money
1st game=good, risky move
1st expansion=degraded. No risk. Fans will buy it 100% money guarranted... making it more stupid friendly simply broadens the sale to the masses getting even moar money
and in da2 they did their blizzard trick which was that da1 choices BARELY affect da2 plus there is no ferelden... Making fans to buy da3 no matter what even after getting disapointed by da2. Plus having all the masses from da2. Da3 sells exceptionally well...
I am so happy i got da2 the non-legal way
I lost you there. How is it that fans will buy DA3 regardless of the fact that DA2 sucked? Granted I wasn't entirely thrilled with DA:O, although it had a considerably more coherent writing, but this is one series I'm more than ready to consign to the 14.99 Steam Holiday Sale.
Or even the non-legal way if I really have nothing better to play on launch week.
The MASSIVE choices of da1 and a few form da2 will actually affect the story a lot, plus u will be able to travel to old ferelden to see how things progressed from your da1 choices... it will push some ppl to get it with non-legal ways but there will be many who will buy it
The MASSIVE choices of da1 and a few form da2 will actually affect the story a lot, plus u will be able to travel to old ferelden to see how things progressed from your da1 choices... it will push some ppl to get it with non-legal ways but there will be many who will buy it
The "massive choice" thing I don't buy. You made a pretty damn big choice at the end of Mass Effect, and it transferred into ME2 as roughly 10 minutes of recorded dialgoue and no real impact.
ME3 will come out before DA3, so I'll get a very good taste of just how much my choices mattered in the long run. If it translates into nothing more than a few extra dialogue choices I'm not even bothering with DA3.
The ME3 factor is a massive consideration. The ME2 gameplay overhaul was a very solid improvement and the story didn't suffer one bit. DA2 not only completely killed scenery and monster variety in their overhaul, but the story was the flimsiest in terms of handling different choices believably, so whatever I see in ME3 will likely be half as good as what the DA3 team truts out.
Originally posted by Sovrath only to do it all again isn't action oriented in my book
You are mistaking combat pace and smoothness for complexity and tactics.
There are true/old RPG systems where each round of combat counts and you truly need to use tactics and thinking. Then there is on the opposite end 'action RPG' like Diablo or Gothic that are more or less just button mashing/click fest combat systems.
You pause in true/old RPG because each combat round can make you win or lose the battle, you pause in DA2 because you control 4 characters.
only to do it all again isn't action oriented in my book
You are mistaking combat pace and smoothness for complexity and tactics.
There are true/old RPG systems where each round of combat counts and you truly need to use tactics and thinking. Then there is on the opposite end 'action RPG' like Diablo or Gothic that are more or less just button mashing/click fest combat systems.
You pause in true/old RPG because each combat round can make you win or lose the battle, you pause in DA2 because you control 4 characters.
I am not mistaking anyting at all (I think?) and I completely agree with you. Doesn't make DA:O2 an action oriented game?
Look I get tactics, I play Medievil total War (and Rome) so I understand that. I understand why one would pause for 4 characters. I play on easy so I don't have to pause and therefore try to do everything in real time TO make it more action oriented.
and I would say that a game like Diablo is an Action game.
So I'm not sure why your "/facepalm. "
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
Stopping to set tactics breaks the flow of combat. Breaking the flow of combat doesn't seem to be very conducive to an "action oriented game". Would Diablo be as viscerally exciting if one had to stop and set tactics?
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
Definitely a step back from DA:O. The lazy reuse and lack of variety in the locations is the biggest thing for me. You go through the exact same city environments three times, and most of the outside locations are reused too. Carbon copies of the same caves/outside areas, and it isn't like these are open areas with lots of room to explore, they are on the rails, tunnel style levels. It's either laziness or budget cutbacks in level design, probably a combination of both.
I like DA2's faster paced combat, but I hate how enemies spawn right out of the ground in waves. Not even an attempt at immersion. Lame.
Even with all the gimmicks to stretch things out, DA2 is still shorter than DA:O.
The story and party members are meh, but I do think the skill trees are an improvement over DA:O's, and offer more replayability.
DA2 is still a decent game (especially when you consider the lack of decent single player RPGS), but this is the first time I"ve been disappointed by a Bioware game. Looks like they are focusing their resources on SW:TOR and half assed DA2 in the process. I only hope that they don't do the same thing with ME2, which is my favorite RPG franchise.
Currently, my entire group in Dragon's Age 2 is at level 9, very close to level 10.
I feel like I've played it enough to see more or less how the game is. Truth is, I don't like it as much as I did Dragon Age 1. I'm truley not feeling this game. In fact, I liked 2 Worlds 2 a lot better then this one.
One thing I especially do not like is you can't pick up armor for the rest of your group. This is sooo stupid! I wonder who's bright idea was this? I've always enjoyed playing Bioware's game so it's why I'm so surprised this game is a letdown from their usual good games.
The game isn't all garbage, it's just not what you'd expect espcially when the first one was such a hit.
Way before you even get close to level 10, actually several levels before this at about 6 when you're still weak you're given missions where you need to face 2 and 3 swarms of foes, one after another before you get rid of the first ones. WTF? This is good when you're higher in level not when you're just starting out.
To me Bioware probably makes the best games out but this time around, they blew it.
You can pick up group armor upgrade for each character.
Originally posted by Sovrath Well, let's put it this way, Stopping to set tactics breaks the flow of combat. Breaking the flow of combat doesn't seem to be very conducive to an "action oriented game". Would Diablo be as viscerally exciting if one had to stop and set tactics?
Dragon Age 2 was always going to be a let down. Did you not play all the other Bioware games? They are all on rails and lead the player through a linear type of game play.
That is why the new star wars MMO is also going to be utterly crap as well.
What surprises me: there is apparently a very strong critique. Not only here but on the official forum as well. Still, rating are all in the sky. Often I read a review text and it feels like 5/10 and then the reviewer gives 8 or 9. Games are often way too positively reviewed, and DA2 is just one example. I wonder how Bioware will deal with the critique.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Stopping to set tactics breaks the flow of combat. Breaking the flow of combat doesn't seem to be very conducive to an "action oriented game". Would Diablo be as viscerally exciting if one had to stop and set tactics?
The video, if it is truly on Nightmare and depending on what "DevConsole Enabled to reduce party size down to one to recreate "solo" battle" means, will show one individual on Nightmare who is good enough to solo on nightmare.
In that case, "sure" that person is good enough that he/she doesn't have to pause and can take advantage of their skills to truly experience an action oriented DA:O 2.
But if most players (and I suspect that most players are like this) need to constantly stop and start on nightmare in order to set tactics then their game play experience isn't action oriented.
There are players in mmo's who solo bosses because they are good and have good gear and their class choice makes it possible.
LOTRO has this from time to time and I've seen it in WoW. It doesn't mean that those encounters are "solo" encounters. Nor does it mean that DA:O is an action game just because one person might be good enough not to have to pause.
Though again, I'm still interested to know if this is commonplace, if he is good, if it is truly nightmare or if cheats are involved.
In any case are you arguing that DA:O 2 is an action game or that if one is extremely good then they can make it an action game?
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
What surprises me: there is apparently a very strong critique. Not only here but on the official forum as well. Still, rating are all in the sky. Often I read a review text and it feels like 5/10 and then the reviewer gives 8 or 9. Games are often way too positively reviewed, and DA2 is just one example. I wonder how Bioware will deal with the critique.
Oftentimes there is a disconnect from audience to critic.
Just look at "good" indy movies. Critics will praise them but they just don't bring in the audiences.
Then something like a re-make of "single white female" will be panned and it brings in large audiences.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
I would agree to some point, but the thing is - DA2 is more addicting to me than DA:O.
I never finished Origins, it became too tedious. At DA2, I'm currently level 15 (I think, cba to check right now) and having a blast because so much is happening with the story.
It's true many things look dumbed down, but "fun" is actually on higher level to me. The difference in scores between players and professional reviewers is that professionals have actually PLAYED the game from start to finish.
I would agree to some point, but the thing is - DA2 is more addicting to me than DA:O.
I never finished Origins, it became too tedious. At DA2, I'm currently level 15 (I think, cba to check right now) and having a blast because so much is happening with the story.
It's true many things look dumbed down, but "fun" is actually on higher level to me. The difference in scores between players and professional reviewers is that professionals have actually PLAYED the game from start to finish.
sense of truth in your post. I am trying to push myself into playing the game beyond my frustration points to get back the rewarding and addicting feeling. I actually disliked DA: Origines aswell due to it's extreme linearity and clunky combat/graphics. DA2 does that a little bit better but to me it feels like an Actionised game I didn't love to begin with. Than again im a rpg lover so *starts DA2*
The video, if it is truly on Nightmare and depending on what "DevConsole Enabled to reduce party size down to one to recreate "solo" battle" means, will show one individual on Nightmare who is good enough to solo on nightmare.
In that case, "sure" that person is good enough that he/she doesn't have to pause and can take advantage of their skills to truly experience an action oriented DA:O 2.
But if most players (and I suspect that most players are like this) need to constantly stop and start on nightmare in order to set tactics then their game play experience isn't action oriented.
There are players in mmo's who solo bosses because they are good and have good gear and their class choice makes it possible.
LOTRO has this from time to time and I've seen it in WoW. It doesn't mean that those encounters are "solo" encounters. Nor does it mean that DA:O is an action game just because one person might be good enough not to have to pause.
Though again, I'm still interested to know if this is commonplace, if he is good, if it is truly nightmare or if cheats are involved.
In any case are you arguing that DA:O 2 is an action game or that if one is extremely good then they can make it an action game?
Hey Sovrath. It isn't as uncommon as people would like to think (though of course i wouldn't call it common... YET). People have all ready started no-pause nightmare runs along with guides. The top two off the top of my head are 2h warriors of various builds and playstyles (SPOILERS WARNING IN THE LINKS.. maybe. :P); this is in addition to the solo Nightmare rogue run.
I didn't do a no-pause nightmare run, but the only times I needed to pause at all in Hard and down was when my party's tactics bugged the hell out (which were sadly far too many common). An example is seeing Isabella stabbing away with only 1/10th of her health despite my top tactic for her being: "Self: Health < 25% -> Use Item: Restoration Potion", which I always had plenty (and no, it usually wasn't on cooldown when I'd check).
Once you get to this point, DA2 definitely feels more of an action game (I spent the majority of my fights afterwords just mashing R and 1,2,3,4).
On Nightmare, the game encourages a much greater focus on damage and cross-class combos due to CC only lasting a small % of its actual length, incomming damage (especially once you start facing multiple assasin-type mobs at once - in one fight, you face 4) being quite high in the boss fights as you progress, and the sheer amount of hp and damage resistance the enemies have (I did do Nightmare for about 1/3rd of the game before I grew bored of the tediousness).
And before people try to "correct" me, take note I said encourages, not demands it.
By the way, the best way to truely exploit those cross-class combos is through the Tactics setup. Some last way too short (like Disorient) and are very easy to miss manually. Of course, others (like brittle) give you plenty of time to notice yourself. Soo... yeah.
Personally I am enjoying it immensely.. I loved DAo and I will admitt that DA2 is not *as good* as its predecessor but you must also remember DAo took 5 years to make and DA2 was roughly 1.. So of course it will not be as in depth or have as huge a game world as the first..
In the end it comes down to personal preference and I am enjoying it still on my 3rd play through
I would agree to some point, but the thing is - DA2 is more addicting to me than DA:O.
I never finished Origins, it became too tedious. At DA2, I'm currently level 15 (I think, cba to check right now) and having a blast because so much is happening with the story.
It's true many things look dumbed down, but "fun" is actually on higher level to me. The difference in scores between players and professional reviewers is that professionals have actually PLAYED the game from start to finish.
sense of truth in your post. I am trying to push myself into playing the game beyond my frustration points to get back the rewarding and addicting feeling. I actually disliked DA: Origines aswell due to it's extreme linearity and clunky combat/graphics. DA2 does that a little bit better but to me it feels like an Actionised game I didn't love to begin with. Than again im a rpg lover so *starts DA2*
I'm glad others also thought this of DA:Origins, I just couldn't understand all the glowing reviews. The combat was very poor I thought, especially your party AI. Whenever I would cast a firestorm spell (or whatever it was called: any of the area of effect fire damage spells) the computer AI would just have the rest of my party run straight into it and burn to a crisp, unless I manually selected them and then set them to stay in one spot until the spell expired.
This type of ridiculously terrible party AI ultimately caused me to just finally quit the game about 2/3 the way through. It was inexcusably poor AI in my opinion, and in a game where combat was almost nonstop this became a game breaker for me. Bioware is notorious for their poor pathfinding even since the Baldurs Gate days, but you'd think they would have figured it out after all these years. Boggles the mind...
GW2 "built from the ground up with microtransactions in mind" 1) Cash->Gems->Gold->Influence->WvWvWBoosts = PAY2WIN 2) Mystic Chests = Crass in-game cash shop advertisements
Comments
I KNOW! Did you see that article? They want to get back to the Morrowind weirdness. love it.
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
/facepalm
Yey! Can't wait!
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
/facepalm all you want, but having a burst of motion only to stop, change tactics, change attack and targets, unpausing, letting a few hits happen, only to stop, change tactics, change attacks, change targets, set trap, only to do it all again isn't action oriented in my book.
Not sure what book you are reading.
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
It was expected to be crap. Its biowares tactic just like mass effect but this time they added a small blizzard levle trick that will make them even moar money
1st game=good, risky move
1st expansion=degraded. No risk. Fans will buy it 100% money guarranted... making it more stupid friendly simply broadens the sale to the masses getting even moar money
and in da2 they did their blizzard trick which was that da1 choices BARELY affect da2 plus there is no ferelden... Making fans to buy da3 no matter what even after getting disapointed by da2. Plus having all the masses from da2. Da3 sells exceptionally well...
I am so happy i got da2 the non-legal way
I lost you there. How is it that fans will buy DA3 regardless of the fact that DA2 sucked? Granted I wasn't entirely thrilled with DA:O, although it had a considerably more coherent writing, but this is one series I'm more than ready to consign to the 14.99 Steam Holiday Sale.
Or even the non-legal way if I really have nothing better to play on launch week.
The MASSIVE choices of da1 and a few form da2 will actually affect the story a lot, plus u will be able to travel to old ferelden to see how things progressed from your da1 choices... it will push some ppl to get it with non-legal ways but there will be many who will buy it
The "massive choice" thing I don't buy. You made a pretty damn big choice at the end of Mass Effect, and it transferred into ME2 as roughly 10 minutes of recorded dialgoue and no real impact.
ME3 will come out before DA3, so I'll get a very good taste of just how much my choices mattered in the long run. If it translates into nothing more than a few extra dialogue choices I'm not even bothering with DA3.
The ME3 factor is a massive consideration. The ME2 gameplay overhaul was a very solid improvement and the story didn't suffer one bit. DA2 not only completely killed scenery and monster variety in their overhaul, but the story was the flimsiest in terms of handling different choices believably, so whatever I see in ME3 will likely be half as good as what the DA3 team truts out.
You are mistaking combat pace and smoothness for complexity and tactics.
There are true/old RPG systems where each round of combat counts and you truly need to use tactics and thinking. Then there is on the opposite end 'action RPG' like Diablo or Gothic that are more or less just button mashing/click fest combat systems.
You pause in true/old RPG because each combat round can make you win or lose the battle, you pause in DA2 because you control 4 characters.
I am not mistaking anyting at all (I think?) and I completely agree with you. Doesn't make DA:O2 an action oriented game?
Look I get tactics, I play Medievil total War (and Rome) so I understand that. I understand why one would pause for 4 characters. I play on easy so I don't have to pause and therefore try to do everything in real time TO make it more action oriented.
and I would say that a game like Diablo is an Action game.
So I'm not sure why your "/facepalm. "
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
You indeed seem quite unsure and confused.
Well, let's put it this way,
Stopping to set tactics breaks the flow of combat. Breaking the flow of combat doesn't seem to be very conducive to an "action oriented game". Would Diablo be as viscerally exciting if one had to stop and set tactics?
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
Definitely a step back from DA:O. The lazy reuse and lack of variety in the locations is the biggest thing for me. You go through the exact same city environments three times, and most of the outside locations are reused too. Carbon copies of the same caves/outside areas, and it isn't like these are open areas with lots of room to explore, they are on the rails, tunnel style levels. It's either laziness or budget cutbacks in level design, probably a combination of both.
I like DA2's faster paced combat, but I hate how enemies spawn right out of the ground in waves. Not even an attempt at immersion. Lame.
Even with all the gimmicks to stretch things out, DA2 is still shorter than DA:O.
The story and party members are meh, but I do think the skill trees are an improvement over DA:O's, and offer more replayability.
DA2 is still a decent game (especially when you consider the lack of decent single player RPGS), but this is the first time I"ve been disappointed by a Bioware game. Looks like they are focusing their resources on SW:TOR and half assed DA2 in the process. I only hope that they don't do the same thing with ME2, which is my favorite RPG franchise.
You can pick up group armor upgrade for each character.
Enough said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3vmxYMXRUE
Dragon Age 2 was always going to be a let down. Did you not play all the other Bioware games? They are all on rails and lead the player through a linear type of game play.
That is why the new star wars MMO is also going to be utterly crap as well.
Why people rave about bioware games is beyond me.
What surprises me: there is apparently a very strong critique. Not only here but on the official forum as well. Still, rating are all in the sky. Often I read a review text and it feels like 5/10 and then the reviewer gives 8 or 9. Games are often way too positively reviewed, and DA2 is just one example. I wonder how Bioware will deal with the critique.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
You really aren't saying much are you?
The video, if it is truly on Nightmare and depending on what "DevConsole Enabled to reduce party size down to one to recreate "solo" battle" means, will show one individual on Nightmare who is good enough to solo on nightmare.
In that case, "sure" that person is good enough that he/she doesn't have to pause and can take advantage of their skills to truly experience an action oriented DA:O 2.
But if most players (and I suspect that most players are like this) need to constantly stop and start on nightmare in order to set tactics then their game play experience isn't action oriented.
There are players in mmo's who solo bosses because they are good and have good gear and their class choice makes it possible.
LOTRO has this from time to time and I've seen it in WoW. It doesn't mean that those encounters are "solo" encounters. Nor does it mean that DA:O is an action game just because one person might be good enough not to have to pause.
Though again, I'm still interested to know if this is commonplace, if he is good, if it is truly nightmare or if cheats are involved.
In any case are you arguing that DA:O 2 is an action game or that if one is extremely good then they can make it an action game?
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
Oftentimes there is a disconnect from audience to critic.
Just look at "good" indy movies. Critics will praise them but they just don't bring in the audiences.
Then something like a re-make of "single white female" will be panned and it brings in large audiences.
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
I would agree to some point, but the thing is - DA2 is more addicting to me than DA:O.
I never finished Origins, it became too tedious. At DA2, I'm currently level 15 (I think, cba to check right now) and having a blast because so much is happening with the story.
It's true many things look dumbed down, but "fun" is actually on higher level to me. The difference in scores between players and professional reviewers is that professionals have actually PLAYED the game from start to finish.
NEW IDEAS that can refresh the STALE state of MMORPGs
sense of truth in your post. I am trying to push myself into playing the game beyond my frustration points to get back the rewarding and addicting feeling. I actually disliked DA: Origines aswell due to it's extreme linearity and clunky combat/graphics. DA2 does that a little bit better but to me it feels like an Actionised game I didn't love to begin with. Than again im a rpg lover so *starts DA2*
Have to get DA:O Ultimate Edition if it get's on steam sale again.
Still, when does BW get rid of combat and all that stuff altogether and just make interactive movie?
Hey Sovrath. It isn't as uncommon as people would like to think (though of course i wouldn't call it common... YET). People have all ready started no-pause nightmare runs along with guides. The top two off the top of my head are 2h warriors of various builds and playstyles (SPOILERS WARNING IN THE LINKS.. maybe. :P); this is in addition to the solo Nightmare rogue run.
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/305/index/6616406
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/305/index/6396096
I didn't do a no-pause nightmare run, but the only times I needed to pause at all in Hard and down was when my party's tactics bugged the hell out (which were sadly far too many common). An example is seeing Isabella stabbing away with only 1/10th of her health despite my top tactic for her being: "Self: Health < 25% -> Use Item: Restoration Potion", which I always had plenty (and no, it usually wasn't on cooldown when I'd check).
Once you get to this point, DA2 definitely feels more of an action game (I spent the majority of my fights afterwords just mashing R and 1,2,3,4).
On Nightmare, the game encourages a much greater focus on damage and cross-class combos due to CC only lasting a small % of its actual length, incomming damage (especially once you start facing multiple assasin-type mobs at once - in one fight, you face 4) being quite high in the boss fights as you progress, and the sheer amount of hp and damage resistance the enemies have (I did do Nightmare for about 1/3rd of the game before I grew bored of the tediousness).
And before people try to "correct" me, take note I said encourages, not demands it.
By the way, the best way to truely exploit those cross-class combos is through the Tactics setup. Some last way too short (like Disorient) and are very easy to miss manually. Of course, others (like brittle) give you plenty of time to notice yourself. Soo... yeah.
Personally I am enjoying it immensely.. I loved DAo and I will admitt that DA2 is not *as good* as its predecessor but you must also remember DAo took 5 years to make and DA2 was roughly 1.. So of course it will not be as in depth or have as huge a game world as the first..
In the end it comes down to personal preference and I am enjoying it still on my 3rd play through
I'm glad others also thought this of DA:Origins, I just couldn't understand all the glowing reviews. The combat was very poor I thought, especially your party AI. Whenever I would cast a firestorm spell (or whatever it was called: any of the area of effect fire damage spells) the computer AI would just have the rest of my party run straight into it and burn to a crisp, unless I manually selected them and then set them to stay in one spot until the spell expired.
This type of ridiculously terrible party AI ultimately caused me to just finally quit the game about 2/3 the way through. It was inexcusably poor AI in my opinion, and in a game where combat was almost nonstop this became a game breaker for me. Bioware is notorious for their poor pathfinding even since the Baldurs Gate days, but you'd think they would have figured it out after all these years. Boggles the mind...
GW2 "built from the ground up with microtransactions in mind"
1) Cash->Gems->Gold->Influence->WvWvWBoosts = PAY2WIN
2) Mystic Chests = Crass in-game cash shop advertisements