Comments on: More Dragon Age Footage

By: KingMob

KingMob — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:53:19 +0000

I liked Baldur’s Gate, Jade Empire, Mass Effect, and I’m looking forward to this.

By: Sam

Sam — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:45:03 +0000

There is an interview with Bioware’s David Gaider on the most recent Gamers with Jobs podcast
to be found here thats well worth a listen.

By: James G

James G — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:04:31 +0000

@Sombrero Kid
I agree about Mass Effect, I thought it was great, and it had some excellent characters. (Ashley Williams was an excellent character, even if I didn’t actually ‘like’ her.) I even enjoyed the combat, which managed to feel like an RPG, despite its more FPS stylings. Jade Empire however was a bit meh for me, the combat felt like little more than button bashing, and I never really felt for any of the characters.

Dragon Age I am very much looking forward to. I hope that they’ll be able to replicate some of the more interesting battles seen in the BG2, where a change in tactics could be the difference between a wipe-out, and coming through with barely a scratch in some fights. (Although some of the most fun were those where the last enemy goes down while your entire party is on single figure hitpoints.) If they can marry this with some of the presentation developments seen in Mass Effect then it will be fantastic. (I must say, that after having Shepard fully voiced in Mass Effect, the silent protagonist looked strange in those trailers)

By: The Hammer

The Hammer — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:23:50 +0000

This is one of the few retails games I’m really looking forward to. I normally yawn at the Bioware dialogue, but if the lead-writer has such a pedigree underneath him, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how the story is presented and plays out.

I -love- dungeon crawlers, especially group dungeon crawlers, and this looks to be one of the best of them. If it’s a tad simpler to understand and enjoy than Baldur’s Gate, I’ll be pleased.

By: The Sombrero Kid

The Sombrero Kid — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:08:57 +0000

@Schadenfreude you’re very right this is another reason to look forward to this a lot!

By: Schadenfreude

Schadenfreude — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:00:05 +0000

The lead-writer on this, David Gaider, was lead-designer of Throne of Bhaal (And he then released the Ascension mod for it), did some of the writing on KotOR (HK was all his) and was responsible for Hordes of the Underdark (Chapter 3 of which is Fried Gold IMO). I think it’s a good enough pedigree to get excited about.

By: Albides

Albides — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:42:47 +0000

I’d agree, Yggdrasil. Much of the gritty fantasy I’ve read seems the same maundering navel-gazing of other high fantasy works. They’re usually engaging, but then you get to end of the first volume of a projected 10 volume set or something and realise that it’s like binging on chips or something. Nice, but all you’ve gained by the end of it is a bit of weight. And a terrible metaphor.

But what I mean is they’re not really offering you much that’s new. They’re just selling you the same soap opera self-indulgence re-marketed for “mature” readers.

Not to say I won’t play this and think it’s a great game, though.

By: The Sombrero Kid

The Sombrero Kid — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:41:46 +0000

i don’t get the popular opinion on this, i thought mass effect was fucking brilliant, i thought everything to come out of bioware has been fucking brilliant and i don’tt see any reason why dragon age will be any differant infact everything i see makes me think it’ll be fucking brilliant!

By: YggdrasilHugger

YggdrasilHugger — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:14:39 +0000

I think that if you need a hook into what high fantasy is then look no further than the Bioware RPG, it’s in their blood. Even KotOR and Mass Effect are high fantasy if you define the genre by themes and scope.

Maybe high fantasy isn’t seen as being so fashionable any more or they just want to change things. Fire and Ice seems to be the most popular fantasy at the moment. I’ve only read the first book and didn’t rate it but it didn’t seem to me to be any less high fantasy, just quicker to brutalise main characters and more focused on a semi-realistic medieval setting.

Scott Lynch and Steven Erikson are something else in my opinion. The Lies of Locke Lamora should be required reading. Honestly, it’s like Blackadder meets Thief.

By: Ian

Ian — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:13:09 +0000

“As much as I love Bioware, and as excited as I am for DA, I wish everyone would stop spouting the words: ‘dark, gritty and epic’. Get your hands on a thesaurus 1 already.”

Only that if/when they do everybody’ll just say, “Oh. You mean dark and gritty then, eh?”

By: beeber

beeber — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:01:13 +0000

I enjoyed Neverwinter Nights, it was good. And over the years I’ve managed to repress the niggling disappointment I felt about it after loving BG2.

But now, I’m emotionally liberated to face up to emotions, and get terribly excited about Dragon Age.

And It was the green circles that did it for me, too.

By: Devin

Devin — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:23:53 +0000

@theleif

I picked them as opposite ends of the spectrum… She’s amazing but what she writes is very different from Reynolds. I cannot imagine that anyone with the ability to read RPS would dislike Bujold, but if you wanted MOAR REYNOLDS you might be disappointed in your liking. You should look for maybe like Iain M. Banks as well.