By Jim Rossignol on May 9th, 2009 at 8:31 pm.
Possibly a bit spoilery this one, and very bloody. I’m not sure quite what to make of it: the bloody, lusty delivery is somewhat at odds with almost every other glimpse of Bioware’s forthcoming fantasy RPG that we’ve so far seen. I can only assume that the Dragon Age soundtrack will be nothing like the one featured here. Anyway, see what you think, and let the inevitable debate not dwell too long on the sex bits.
Oh, Bioware.
09/05/2009 at 20:35 Psychopomp says:
At the risk of sounding like someone who thinks the game actually *will* be dumbed down for consoles…
It’s pretty obvious this trailer was made to attract the people who put the “tard” in consoletard.
09/05/2009 at 20:40 Storamin says:
Talk about a conflicting marketing mix… how does that trailer adequately portray the “spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate”?
09/05/2009 at 20:43 Azhrarn says:
…. (stunned silence)
ok then, who let the EA execs and PR-people into the design-team meeting?
Because I really hope this was just a mash-up trailer and not a sign of what’s really coming. I wanted a nice deep RPG of the usual good Bioware quality, not some medieval slaughterfest with RPG elements lost among the gore.
Please let this just be PR….
09/05/2009 at 20:44 damien says:
as excited as i’ve been at various times about dragon age, this trailer is pretty deflating. (not as deflating as the date being pushed back for console-izing, mind…)
the only surefire mental image this leaves me with is that the average player they are courting with this video is currently hanging out at the mall, sucking down slurpees and trying to give themselves the most painful “brain-freeze” possible.
09/05/2009 at 20:44 JKjoker says:
i think it has already been dumbed down, the AI seems to take really strange decisions like ignoring wizards in the trailers
also im wondering what they are going to do with area spells, it seems like its impossible not to hit your own guys with them since the ones they showed so far were “low damage for a long time in a huge area” rather than “big damage in an instant in a reduced area” style
09/05/2009 at 20:45 Jim Rossignol says:
It does look like just a case of bad marketing.
09/05/2009 at 20:46 Gorgeras says:
Well that’s EA marketing for you.
I as gearing up for Mr Shouty to say “THIS. IS. SPARTAAA!!”
09/05/2009 at 20:46 Stupoider says:
.. Aww. I was expecting.. epic music. Y’know. Elder Scrolls: Morrowing epic music, y’know?
I am disappointed. :<
09/05/2009 at 20:48 Gorgeras says:
TONIGHT WE 2d6 DIE IN HELL!!
09/05/2009 at 20:50 James G says:
Hmm. I had been maintaining fanboy like levels of optimism for this Dragon Age, but this trailer is enormously off-putting. It plays like those dire ‘pwning n00bs’ clips that some testosterone charged muppets post onto YouTube. I very much hope this is just a case of ‘target audience FAIL’ in advertising, and not an indicator of the game as a whole.
09/05/2009 at 20:50 Noc says:
Baldur’s Gate had mad gibs!
I WILL say that if this stuff is indicative of gameplay, not not just cutscene violences, then I think (tentatively) that it’s a good sign. Something that’s been nagging me for a while about RPG combat is that it tends not to be physical, in the sense that the act of people sticking each other with sharp bits of metal is represented abstractly with floaty numbers and decreasing bars until one party or the other falls over.
An RPG where someone who’s been stuck with a sword for 14 Pointy Damage acts like someone who’s been stuck with a sword would be interesting.
Also, I like the new logo a bit better than the painfully generic old one.
Otherwise? I dunno.
09/05/2009 at 20:50 The Hammer says:
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Hello God of War…
09/05/2009 at 20:52 Heliocentric says:
The humans aren’t racist in this, its just elves are pricks. Not watched the video (browsing on a mobile) but i know what to expect from the game. Its mass effect without guns
and with magic. Scratch that, mass effect had magic.09/05/2009 at 20:54 panik says:
i feel quite embarrassed for it
09/05/2009 at 20:56 Mr Lizard says:
Although on the other hand if you had no prior knowledge of the game (ie that it was actually going to be an elf-based D20-em-up), that trailer would make it look utterly stupid awesome.
09/05/2009 at 20:59 Xercies says:
Hmm I was kind of wary of putting my hopes up for Dragon Age and this trailer isn’t helping things. But who knows this might be a marketing boob but I wouldn’t think so…
09/05/2009 at 21:00 Dominic White says:
This really is a very, very bad trailer, and the people who made it are bad and dumb. The people who are blaming this bad dumbness on consoles are badder and dumberer, though.
Really, you’re stretching here.
09/05/2009 at 21:01 Hajimete no Paso Kon says:
Awww hell yeah. Sex and gore. My two favorite things combined. The gore could of been better though. As well as the sex.
09/05/2009 at 21:01 Jajusha says:
Hmm…well….when you did a critical strike with a blunt weapon and killed the oponent in BG2 there would actually see bits and pieces of…well, bodyparts flying over. Lets hope the video just expresses that part of the gameplay.
09/05/2009 at 21:02 Über Nerd says:
The song… the irony…
babble babble bitch bitch
09/05/2009 at 21:02 Stupoider says:
“the people who made it are bad and dumb. The people who are blaming this bad dumbness on consoles are badder and dumberer”
Oh snap!
09/05/2009 at 21:03 Magnus says:
I’m still blindly optimistic, I can’t let this get me down, I have to believe!
Mind you, odd choice of music, and the most awkward looking sex scene I’ve ever seen in a game…
09/05/2009 at 21:04 MrBejeebus says:
Let it be marketing…please….
I have high hopes for this game as a medieval mass effect, not some ridiculous gorefest to appease the bloodthirsty masses…and if they’re going with blood spray, at least make it look good and please make it a bit more subtle, something like what ZenoClash did…
09/05/2009 at 21:09 Vinraith says:
I very much hope it’s NOT a medieval Mass Effect. ME was alright, but could have stood to be 1) less linear 2) less repetitive (5 stock side mission locations recycled endlessly, blech) and 3) less pointlessly talky. The ratio of actual relevant narrative and interesting background in ME to completely gratuitous character background and other pointless chatter was much too low. It’s a hallmark of Bioware games, one I hope they can move away from a bit.
09/05/2009 at 21:14 Larington says:
Oh dear, it looks as though this “blight” is just a variation on the geth domination struts in Mass Effect, how tedious.
This trailer has actually put me OFF the game. Not a good sign at all.
As for sex scenes in games, has anyone ever seen one that hasn’t been all kinds of awkward? I sure haven’t, for the time being I think anyone even contemplating that sort of stuff in games should stick to ‘imply then fade to black’. And leave it at that.
09/05/2009 at 21:17 Tums Ultra 1000 says:
Whatever passing intrest I had in Dragon Age is now gone.
09/05/2009 at 21:21 Dan Harris says:
Sorry, this looks fucking awful.
09/05/2009 at 21:22 Hulk Hogan says:
I have no interest in yet another generic fantasy RPG with elves, but if the game is like this I might consider picking it up.
HULK HOGAN DOESN’T LIKE ELVES UNLESS THEY MAKE COOKIES OR PRESENTS FOR HIM!!!
09/05/2009 at 21:25 autogunner says:
i liked it, good to see decent violence in the rpg genre which generally has had shite combat without exception.
09/05/2009 at 21:26 Rook says:
Well, Marylin Manson was popular when Baldur’s Gate came out, does that count?
09/05/2009 at 21:28 TwistyMcNoggins says:
Oh dear. I was actually quite excited about this until now. The trip to uncanny valley during the sex scene was quite off putting as well.
Was Mafia the first game to have a “proper” (ie: Soft porn) sex scene in it? It’s certainly the earliest one I can remember.
09/05/2009 at 21:29 Rabbitsoup says:
You know the board form the orange film adds? this is what they would want in a dragon age trailer.
“and then we’l cut to a spurt of blood”
“in the shape of a dragon”
“OH Snap!”
09/05/2009 at 21:30 mcw says:
Marilyn Manson song in a videogame trailer about slaying hundreds of people with a longsword? Somehow I have a bad feeling about this …
I find it genuinely sad that publishers feel everything needs to be marketed to the “Gears of War” crowd. Bioshock was actually overhauled so it could be presented as a “kick-ass-shooter”.
09/05/2009 at 21:32 Maxheadroom says:
Hopefully someone at EA will see this thread.
At some point there must have been a bunch of suits sat round a boardroom table watching that crap and nodding with approval.
If that’s the direction this game is going in then I hope they read this and realise just how out of touch they are.
09/05/2009 at 21:32 Black Mamba says:
Well that was ludicrously funny, though I’d cut them some slack as selling a hardcore super nerd dungeons & dragons style game isn’t so easy these days so they have to trick some people into actually buying it.
Obviously this trailer was not aimed at the RPS scene though PC gaming has its own little collection of morons who would lap this up (go lurk nvnews/guru3d or other graphics whore sites).
09/05/2009 at 21:33 Baris says:
Thing is, this trailer will undoubtedly attract attention from the ‘hey you see that new trailer for that dragons game on Xbox Live? it’s pretty sweet’ demographic.
Edit: Holy crap, Hawaii Five-0 theme fits incredibly well with it, well done to the guy who mentioned it.
09/05/2009 at 21:35 IvanHoeHo says:
This is either false advertising or the people who were looking forward to Dragon Age can stop caring now.
09/05/2009 at 21:36 Man Raised By Puffins says:
For some reason I found that trailer utterly hilarious, it’s like one of those ridiculously bad fan edits set to Linkin Park (except official and set to Marilyn Manson, obv.).
Still hopeful for the game, I’d say Jim is right and this is just a piss awful piece of marketing. The footage in the mix looks much the same as what has already been demoed.
09/05/2009 at 21:36 Psychopomp says:
YOU KNOW WHAT MAKES THIS TRAILER EVEN BETTER?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LnK8b_jk8w
Start is as the Bioware logo pops up
09/05/2009 at 21:38 bhlaab says:
(let the bodies hit the floor let the bodies hit the floor let the bodies hit the floor let the bodies hit the….)
…FLOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRR!!!
09/05/2009 at 21:38 CryingTheAnnualKingo says:
Wow. You guys are sure making a big deal out of some badly edited cutscene snippets.
I for one like the idea of leaving behind the white bread PG Canadian blandness of BG for darker, bloodier places. Go back to the earliest previews; DA has always been about dark fantasy, way before a console version was even a part of plan.
09/05/2009 at 21:40 Dreamhacker says:
Is the title supposed to reference Jan Smuts, by any chance?
09/05/2009 at 21:41 DigitalSignalX says:
Chalk one up for the minority… I liked the trailer. I also liked Mass Effect. Mass Effect with swords and magic sounds great. Some of the repetitive (minor) flaws in ME hopefully can be fixed.
09/05/2009 at 21:45 Larington says:
@Psychopomp: Yeah, I feel better now, thanks.
09/05/2009 at 21:46 I heart Stalin says:
What the hell? A BioWare RPG that actually looks cool and not completely bland? I’m amazed.
09/05/2009 at 21:52 Chiablo says:
Voice acting seemed good… the lip sync, and graphics of the characters though… blah
09/05/2009 at 21:53 Aermane says:
I guess the violence could end up being like it was in Jade Empire, i.e. no blood or anythig apart from certain special attacks that would cause the enemy to explode in a shower of blood and bits.
09/05/2009 at 21:53 damien says:
@ CryingTheAnnualKingo. i’m sorta confused how splashing chunks of body and blood splatters (ALL over BG 1+2, IWD 1+2) is “white bread PG Canadian blandness”.
in terms of “darker, bloodier places”, the old black isle / bioware / interplay games make mass effect look as bland and spotless as riding in a space-elevator for hours (complete with elevator muzak). oh wait…
09/05/2009 at 21:54 Dan K says:
WOW, I know theres a lot of this is poor marketing talk, but bloody nora this looks epic, if thats how visceral the fights are and it’s combined with a mass effect style of depth. Game of the year at least.
09/05/2009 at 21:57 damien says:
i gather that i’m the only one here who couldn’t stand the fact that mass effect pretended to be a sprawling space opera but delivered a linear, sprawling space corridor opera instead?
09/05/2009 at 21:59 Nimic says:
Right. I still can’t get into the Dragon Age site, ever since the last time when I accidentally said I was 12 years old, or something. Now it says “Sorry, you are too young”.
That hurts.
09/05/2009 at 22:01 Alex N. says:
The trailer did a good job of making it look a bit more dynamic and less stuffy than every other promotional material has so far. It’s a nice step away from D&D-esque (ripped off Tolkien, sure) Good/Evil nonsense.
That, however, is fucking amazing (‘scuse my colloquial).
09/05/2009 at 22:01 RC-1290'Dreadnought' says:
The earlier footage made me think it was really, really, really, boring. For example, because of lame animations. So this trailer was doing me good. I guess I liked the song+lots of blood.
09/05/2009 at 22:02 Jonas says:
This is actually a fairly obvious marketing trick: Anybody remember the Gears of War trailer soundtracked with Mad World? Of course you do, it was exceedingly memorable. It was also nothing like Gears of War.
This is probably the same thing: You need to make your product stand out, and that’s not done by making a trailer just like all the other RPGs have, soundtracked with the same generic orchestral score as all the other RPGs. It’s done by doing something completely unexpected, that no other RPG would think to do because it’s just absurd.
This qualifies.
09/05/2009 at 22:04 Fat says:
Aside from the music (which didn’t seem to fit in a video with swords and armour) i thought it looked fine, if a little (ok, very) cheesy.
Though, this is from someone who hasn’t actually seen Dragon Age previewed before, so i have no idea what other people were expecting, this is the first i’ve seen of it. Looks like a slash-fest to me, which i wouldn’t particularly mind. But the ”RPG”-ey descriptions sound like a better game than what i just witnessed.
About the console stuff, we seem to get nearly half of PC games as console ports these days, i wish it would stop. Some of the games are fine, but i hate the dumbed down controls systems and everything else that comes with a port.
09/05/2009 at 22:05 DeliriumWartner says:
Yeah, everyone’s really hating on this. It’s weird because to me the last few trailers looked like NWN2 but uglier. As in uninspired, dull and lacking in any kinda of pace. Obviously that’s just trailer impressions.
Now, I’m not saying this has changed my mind but hell, an RPG with blood and actual proper violence? The sex seemed a bit forced in (sorry, pun not intended), but haven’t we been asking to be treated like adults for a while?
Yes the trailer looks like Crank 3: The Dragonning, but come on, focus on the content! Blood, sex – might this be EA trying to treat the gaming medium as a proper grown up media?
09/05/2009 at 22:05 Preedy says:
i think its just me but that looks AWESOME. but im an action junky so hey anything with violence looks good
09/05/2009 at 22:09 trioptimum says:
For its faults, this trailer succeeded (for me) in conveying a very strong message: ‘you are absolutely not in the target audience for this game’.
09/05/2009 at 22:11 chaves says:
I found it hillarious. Now the change of the logo design (blood splatter, etc) makes sense. Because finally Dragon Age _is_ mature. It has sex. It has blood. And giant spitting gorilla-like beasts. Complex themes only real adults can grasp fully.
I can’t wait to see the next trailer. Seems that Bioware is eager to place the CRPG genre in a new level. Not necessarily above the actual one, but still.
09/05/2009 at 22:12 Bhazor says:
I agree with NOC, in Baldurs when you killed with a critical he’d explode in shower of body parts and the screen would shake. I actually like the new logo, certainly an improvement on the previous one which I can’t even remember. But yeah, I really hope the team kneecap the next EA man to come through the door.
Also check the size of the chick’s shoulders at 52-53 seconds. Her head must be the size of a potato. A small one, not like a king Edwards potato.
Reply to TwistyMcNoggins: The earliest sex scene was probably Custers Revenge. Sadly this scene was included in the trailer to capitalise on the “success” of the Mass Effect sex festival. Heres hoping theres an actual believable relationship rather than the “quick lets shag before the world ends” like in Jade Empire and Mass Effect. Bring on the new Viconia.
09/05/2009 at 22:15 Tem says:
It’s a “Violence” trailer. it’s Bioware.
Good lord you people, stop crying. You know better. It was violence for violence sake. It’s the equivalent of them demo’ing the spell fx.
If it gives them more sales in the process, who cares?
You’d be collectively stupid to say “OMG THEY ARE SHOWING THAT IT HAS VIOLENCE IN IT, IT ISN’T FOR ME ANYMORE”.
Wait… It’s already happened.
09/05/2009 at 22:15 Hoernchen says:
Uh oh. Now I’m worried. First it’s too good to be released , now this… what next ? Achievements ? A time challenge mode ?
09/05/2009 at 22:18 Sp4rkR4t says:
That trailer actually inflicted pain upon my soul.
09/05/2009 at 22:20 cjlr says:
@Dreamhacker:
Yep, my first thought was Jan Smuts as well. Then I realized that any connection between DA and early twentieth century south african political figures was tenuous at best. Oh well.
Also, believing trailers about anything is just silly. Trailers are designed to appeal to as many lowest common denominator morons as possible; the actual product and its target audience notwithstanding.
But even so, I am so, so, unimpressed with it.
09/05/2009 at 22:20 Nick says:
That was.. odd. For a BG style RPG trailer I mean.
09/05/2009 at 22:22 Owyn says:
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?
09/05/2009 at 22:23 Zyrxil says:
So basically Bioware spent the last two years remaking 300 in RPG form? /palmface. It’s not a God of War clone Bioware; please beat your marketing department into bloody pulps.
09/05/2009 at 22:24 JohnArr says:
“Blood, sex – might this be EA trying to treat the gaming medium as a proper grown up media?”
Completely the opposite.
09/05/2009 at 22:27 Bhazor says:
No this trailer is as mature as say a Linkin Park/Marilyn Manson video. Its aimed at terrible young people.
The game itself? Hmmm, I’ve lost a lot of my faith in Bioware since Mass Effect. And what with a large portion of the team sucked into eternal mmo development limbo I’m not sure if you could even say its the same company that made Baldurs/Kotor 1. I’ll wait for the RPS verdict when its released.
09/05/2009 at 22:27 Eric says:
I was disappointed when I first saw the trailer, because it was right after they changed the logo and both together seemed to point to a dark, anti-hero vibe which I don’t care for. I like heroic games.
@Tem has a good point though: it’s the “violence” trailer and is meant to be a collage of the gory/mature bits.
09/05/2009 at 22:28 Jubaal says:
It always makes me chuckle how fickle people are. So many comments here decrying that they were looking forward to the game until seeing this trailer. The only different between this and other trailers is the fact that it has slightly different cut scene clips and very different music to what people were expecting. It isn’t as though the game has suddenly fundamentally changed, it’s just marketing. Why shouldn’t they try and target another audience who may not have tried RPGs before. The publishers aren’t in it for the good of their health they are in it for the money.
Anyway this trailer doesn’t really tell us anything more about the game that we already know. I’m going to continue to keep an open mind until there is much more substance to start to base a judgement on.
09/05/2009 at 22:28 BooleanBob says:
Ah. It looks Bioware have stumbled upon the fabled Ubisoft Prince of Persia: Warrior Within marketing recalibration strategy. Entirely their decision to make (or EA’s, as perhaps it may turn out), but I can only say that I now feel more alienated than ever.
Basically, what trioptimum said.
Psychopomp’s Hawaii Five-O trick works so well that he deserves some kind of inaugural internet barony. I dub thee Lord Psychopomp, most honoured purveyor of pop-culture media mashups. Arise.
09/05/2009 at 22:29 Calabi says:
One problem if their marketing it like that and the game is nothing like that then they will just piss those people of that they are marketing to.
I cant wait for the turn based sex though, roll 1d6 for penetration, roll 1 = miss. Try again, or crack one off on your own, to bears in the woods.
09/05/2009 at 22:30 Pete S says:
It wasn’t actually the violence that put me off (I’m assuming this was a selection of the most graphic moments from the game) so much as the choice of music (totally didn’t fit in with the theme of the game, assuming the game world is remotely similar to the novel-based-on-the-game world) and the awful, awful character models.
The sex scene (and why do you put a sex scene in a “violence’ trailer) was just creepy-looking, the models were so bad. And the face modeling on characters without helms is awful, too.
I was really looking forward to Dragon Age. I’m not going to let a single trailer sway me very much, but if anything this one dampens my interest in the title.
09/05/2009 at 22:33 Major McMuffin says:
Somehow much better with Hawaii Five-O inthe background. So yes, the biggest problem wth this trailer is the music. It also seems very unrepresentative of the gameplay, at least based on those other trailers. So I’m guessing this is EA pumping it up for the young people. Damn young people, ruin everything.
09/05/2009 at 22:36 sfury says:
Finally a DRAGON!
09/05/2009 at 22:37 Tem says:
– Who is this from? David Gaider.
That’s the lead writer on DA:O, if you weren’t aware.
I’d suggest people check out the Bioware Forums topic on this video before running around like decapitated chickens any further.
http://daforums.bioware.com/forums/viewtopic.html?topic=677607&forum=135
09/05/2009 at 22:40 Larington says:
The violence stuff seemed ok-ish, I guess. Like others I was put off by the choice of music and the “look, we have sex in our game, aren’t we mature?” stuff which frankly, I seem to find off-putting whenever I encounter it in games. The violence was kinda cool I suppose, however it wasn’t contextualised by visible game interface or anything of that sort so its probably not even indicative of actual gameplay.
@Tem: Fair enough, I suppose, but my reaction is partly based out of a severe discomfort for what is clearly marketting and demograph targetting, something I’ve always been uncomfortable with in games because its usually based on very base instinctual stuff like “look, violence” rather than say in films, “You’ll like this film because its film noir, or its an action film, or its a romcom, etc”.
09/05/2009 at 22:44 Gorgeras says:
In response to Mr Gaider: different kinds of people are scary and immoral. We must shun them.
09/05/2009 at 22:46 JKjoker says:
@Psychopomp: lol, just … lol :D
it fits so much better than the manson song, it even changes beats just at the right moments
09/05/2009 at 22:48 Nick says:
It didn’t really bother me, was just a bit jarring with what I expect the game to actually be like when you are playing it… a better Manson track could have been used too, if thats the direction they were going.
I also wish they’d fucking well released it for the PC when it was ready so I could be playing it.
09/05/2009 at 22:51 Tem says:
@Larington: And that’s one of the more reasonable concerns in this thread. Here’s a couple more quotes from that thread:
-David Gaider, in response to a poster
-QueenOfLies
09/05/2009 at 22:53 wake says:
Admittedly I watched the trailer w/o sound because of a browser on the fritz, but I think people are reading far too much into it. For one, violence and RPG quality aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive; just because its got some kibbles’n'bits going on doesn’t mean that the game will have a hollow story or bad combat (tho that very well may be true).
Honestly, I think it’s just a case of pandering to more mainstream audiences– good luck getting an average Joe to buy your game with a 1 1/2 minute trailer of combat based on die-rolls. If that’s the case then good for them. I’d love to see companies like BioWare gain more of a marketshare.
09/05/2009 at 22:55 Larington says:
Yep, well in any case my position hasn’t really changed from before I saw that trailer – I’m waiting for reviews/RPS to give a more solid analysis of it based on actual playtime as to whether its any good or not. I enjoyed Mass Effect despite having some issues with certain gameplay mechanics and Bioware would have to really mess up for reviews to not be moderately favourable.
09/05/2009 at 22:58 Clockwork Harlequin says:
Is this really the new sh*t? I haven’t really been following development, so I have nothing to be disappointed about:)
But I found it less than pretty. Stiff animation? Cardboard faces? Poor color scheme? Just Youtube uglifying it? I’m not sure what I was picking up on. Am I just crazy?
09/05/2009 at 22:59 Tem says:
@Clockwork: I noticed the bad lip syncing, particularly.
09/05/2009 at 23:03 jackflash says:
*edit* negativity undeleted. That trailer is god awful. Is Jerry Bruckheimer Bioware’s new creative lead?
09/05/2009 at 23:05 simonkaye says:
I feel a great disturbance – as if every 14-year-old on the planet creamed their pants at once and suddenly pre-ordered this game.
09/05/2009 at 23:14 Bhazor says:
This may just be a trailer but it is still terrible.
I mean Manson? Really? For fucks sake.
09/05/2009 at 23:16 Vinraith says:
@damien
You’re not alone. I was hoping for so much more from ME (among other things, a reason to play through it more than once). Ah well, the premise wrote a check Bioware simply couldn’t cash.
09/05/2009 at 23:18 SteveHatesYou says:
I’m all for ditching the EPIC SCORE found in every bloody fantasy trailer, but… Marilyn Manson? Really? That’s just embarrassing.
09/05/2009 at 23:32 Larington says:
As an alternative, try running this against Apocalypse Please by Muse (Absolution, 2003)… Works much better, though the song is rather long for it.
Anyone else got suggestions for better songs?
(As an aside, I just tried bending my head back as far as that girl does when she goes to blow the candle out and… Ouch)
09/05/2009 at 23:34 Lilliput King says:
“This is the new shit”
Damn straight.
Sort it out Bioware.
09/05/2009 at 23:35 Michael Bay says:
I LIKE! It’s like Lord of the Rings, but ROCKIER.
Could have done with more robots, though.
09/05/2009 at 23:37 Saul says:
Hahaha has everyone lost their sense of humour? I thought it was funny.
09/05/2009 at 23:42 Tworak says:
Yeah… I don’t know if I like this.
09/05/2009 at 23:43 SirKicksalot says:
Holy shit, Generic Age looks even more generic!
09/05/2009 at 23:44 Magnus says:
ABC – That was then, this is now.
“Why make the past your sacred cow…”
“Can’t complain, mustn’t grumble…”
“That was then, but this is now…”
Of course the question should be raised, why bother trying to make it seem like an action heavy gorefest? Won’t those that buy it on that basis be really disappointed after they buy it?
after they buy it…
09/05/2009 at 23:51 Will Tomas says:
It’s videos like that that at least show that Heather Chaplin was right about video game marketeers. Bloody hell, that’s juvenile. That sort of stuff makes me ashamed to admit I like playing the bloody things, and to try and justify any intelligence in the design of them. Idiotic.
09/05/2009 at 23:55 Some Guy says:
wtf? is this still the company that made KOTOR
EA corrupts all.
09/05/2009 at 23:59 Larington says:
Oopsie, if you look at the falling down animation of the guy that gets a throwing knife thrown into him, a rather nasty hole appears in the side of the character model for a split second.
10/05/2009 at 00:02 Taillefer says:
I’m hoping for a Blizzard-esque response, and they release a trailer of the party skipping through golden fields with dragonflies flitting about, birds singing beautiful tunes, a big, bright and happy Sun shining away in the Sky. Fairies shower each other in rainbow dust, and little bunnies bounce and roll around our heroes feet. Then everybody laughs merrily to themselves at the end, commenting on how the World is such a wonderful place. Along to “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows”.
10/05/2009 at 00:02 Nick says:
If you got hit with the business end of a throwing knife a hole would appear in you too!
10/05/2009 at 00:05 Hajimete no Paso Kon says:
I love how people think this small trailer showing bloodshed and one sex scene ruins the entire game. Thank you RPS commenters, you have fueled my laughter quite well for now.
Remember folks, you can be a pretentious douchebag and still enjoy bloodshed.
10/05/2009 at 00:07 Funky Badger says:
It’s not like every other marketing campaign for everything aims for the lowest common denominator. Or is it?
(Marvel have hired boatloads of interns to help them count the huge piles of money Wolverine made over the last week, and that’s nothing if not a dumb shouty violent movie…)
10/05/2009 at 00:08 Duoae says:
Bleh, horrible ‘advert’/marketing. Set to the Five-O tune it was pretty funny…. other than that my wanting this game just keeps getting less and less. The graphics don’t look good (not that i overly mind that), the story doesn’t look interesting and there’s a difference between trying to “appeal to different kinds of people” and making a trailer that’s in no way representative of the actual product.
10/05/2009 at 00:10 Magnus says:
“No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.” – HL Mencken
10/05/2009 at 00:10 negativedge says:
The reason this game will suck isn’t because of the trailer, kids. The reason it will suck is because Bioware hasn’t made a good game in a decade.
10/05/2009 at 00:11 negativedge says:
Well I take that back, Neverwinter was at least a great idea and a good set of tools
10/05/2009 at 00:12 Capital-T-Tim says:
Glamorizing the slaughter of thousands of elves, dragons, and knights with a spastically-edited video set to a heavy metal song? Disgusting.
I may be a bit more sensitive than most – my grandfather lived through the Dragon Age – but it’s just too soon for this sort of exploitative trash.
10/05/2009 at 00:16 DMcCool says:
This has actually peaked my interest of the game everything i’ve seen up to now just pointed toward Dragon Age being the biggest pile of generic fantasty bullshit in recent memory. So obvious what Bioware are doing, just remaking the same generic fantasy “RPG” they used to make but now in exciting new 3D. I actually find it insulting that we are expected to be excited about this game just because its the new fantasy game and its in 3D .
However, this trailer made it at least seem they are trying to put some actual viceral combat in, which is welcome. The sooner Bioware admit they can’t write a single interesting character and their plots are generic and lazy beyond belief and just flat out admit people play the games to kill kobolds the better. Bioware “RPG”s are about combat and have always been about combat, this is the most honest trailer they’ve ever produced.
10/05/2009 at 00:17 Muzman says:
That is solid frikken gold.
10/05/2009 at 00:18 DK says:
“Now, I’m not saying this has changed my mind but hell, an RPG with blood and actual proper violence? The sex seemed a bit forced in (sorry, pun not intended), but haven’t we been asking to be treated like adults for a while?”
Are you kidding? “Look, here’s some Blood and titties!” is not being treated as adults. It’s quite the opposite.
@Guy-who-said-BG-was-whitewashed: Please show me the scene where you can have someone make a human skin leather armor for your main character in Mass Effect. Or any other post-shark-jumping (ie Jade Empire) Bioware. Baldurs Gate had nuance – they didn’t have to beat you over the head with the dark places and overlay marylin manson on it.
10/05/2009 at 00:19 That Guy says:
I guess after the snorefest that was the majority of Mass Effect Bioware finally realized just how infantile and formulaic most of their games are and just decided to run with it.
Mass Effect had a well-thought out and tasteful alien/human love scene at the end, and Dragon Age looks to pornography that idea hard-fucking-core.
Mass Effect had alright combat, but it was mostly GoW style hiding behind cover to jump out and shoot/use psychic “spells”, so at least this game is trying to go more physical (not that it has a choice.)
Going back and replaying Bioware games after a fresh run of Fallout1,2/Arcanum/anything by the Troika folks/anything by anyone that isn’t Bioware you realize just how bland their games are. :|
At least their gameplay is top notch though.
10/05/2009 at 00:21 Turin Turambar says:
Gritty fantasy = Marynlin Manson?
10/05/2009 at 00:29 DarthInsinuate says:
I think the “may not be representative of actual gameplay” boiler-plate applies to the choice of music.
Also the sex scene reminds me of the wonky dance audition in Knights of the Old Republic.
10/05/2009 at 00:31 Adventurous Putty says:
I don’t think it would be so dreadful if the script writers would ditch the binary morality system. Or deconstruct it. Or SOMETHING, other than the Holy Trinity of dialogue options repeated ad nauseum.
10/05/2009 at 00:36 Senethro says:
Wow this is getting lots of posts. We going for a 200 comment total?
10/05/2009 at 01:01 CakeAddict says:
Among the most awful trailers I’ve seen for a while, it’s probably just my taste but I took my headphones off when that.. music.. started.
I also found a few of those.. blood spurts awfully fake.
And I suppose bioware is in to sex scenes these days, perhaps it will be in the news again? =3
10/05/2009 at 01:03 Blzbob says:
Even better – for comedic effect – play this as the Bioware logo pops at the start.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdFhmRdBtno&feature=related
10/05/2009 at 01:39 Ashurbanipal says:
I’d rather not add to all this negativity, but…
Damn it, I hate fantasy sometimes. At its best, it’s filled with wonder and awe and imagination. At its worst, it’s a juvenile bit of navel-gazing. Not long ago, there was a new trend in epic fantasy spearheaded by people like G. R. R Martin. And I’m sorry to say that it’s just as vacuous as everything that came before it, but, like this trailer, made a novelty out of violence and sex, only to have people call it revolutionary, or say that “fantasy had grown up”. Far from it.
I find it hard playing Mass Effect or Never Winter Nights 2. They feel absurdly stilted, themes are shallow, personal interactions as deep as that of a disney movie. Shepherd’s no-nonsense soldierly demeanour puts everything at a distance, including my ability to relate to him. Neverwinter Nights 2′s hamhanded effort to make me try to relate to and feel sympathy for a village in which I was apparently raised but only had real experience with for all of 10 minutes only made me frustrated.
I just wish these games would become a little more mature. That fantasy might learn more from say, John Fowles The Magus or Gene Wolfe’s Shadow of the Torturer. Or sci fi learn more from, I don’t know, J. G. Ballard. And thereby understand that there’s more than just battles, friendship and sex. I feel like I’m being treated like an idiot sometimes in these games. For all their violence actually feel like they’re written by puritans, incapable of relating to anyone, looking for an outlet for repressed urges.
In fact, this trailer is a bit like American porn to me, which differs to that of europe in that it’s often completely devoid of the erotic. Slick, but also quite awkward. That’s this.
10/05/2009 at 01:47 Dagda says:
You know, for what this is. . .it’s not badly done. I mean, I’m still rather stupefied at the choice of music and the decision to make this sort of trailer in the first place, but with that in mind it’s a rather solid production.
10/05/2009 at 01:48 Wirbelwind says:
Terrible.
10/05/2009 at 01:55 SuperNashwan says:
o.O
Just think, somewhere right now there is someone who does marketing as their job, what they get paid for every day, who thinks this is a good way to represent the game. Boggles the mind.
10/05/2009 at 02:15 Fenchurch says:
Let’s not worry about this. This is EA being an embarrassing Dad who has made a hideous slideshow of out of context development footage of Bioware’s game and slung it up on the ‘net without thinking straight. I can’t believe people get paid good money to take such bad decisions as this.
Marylin Manson. I mean, does that really say “classy fantasy series”?
Excuse me whilst I go re-read my Lord Dunsany books.
10/05/2009 at 02:16 tmp says:
Looks like a non-issue. Blood and gore certainly fit when the people are hacked apart with sharp metal bits, it didn’t hurt the Witcher or the latest Fallout to have it. (and it’s typically optional and left to the player to enable/disable anyway)
The “smut” with party NPCs looks like standard Bioware fare at this point, and seeing how here the characters remain in their underwear vs full nudity they had in ME… well hardly something to whine about, also.
10/05/2009 at 02:16 Günter says:
I find it ironic that the Gears of War trailers are so much classier than this.
10/05/2009 at 02:25 Hulk Hogan says:
If they’re going to rip off The Witcher’s take on fantastic racism they might as well rip off the sex and violence too, ‘eh?
10/05/2009 at 02:26 Alaric says:
Does anyone else think that the graphics look simply crummy?
10/05/2009 at 02:31 Nahkatakkimies says:
Because Bioware = Marilyn Manson
10/05/2009 at 02:31 Binho says:
I think there is nothing wrong with the video. It didn’t do anything for me, but it didn’t make me think any less of the game.
What does get on my nerves is the over the top action everything has these days, the so called ’300 syndrome’. All that was missing was the pointless slow motion shot.
Seriously, can’t we have some proper, tense action/violence, with believable consequences for the characters?
Stop with the running, jumping, spinning, slow motion, and general badassery.
That shit isn’t badass anymore (it never was after you turned 12). It’s just lame and retarded.
10/05/2009 at 02:36 tmp says:
Given the amount of characters involved in some of these scenes, no. They seem to be going for large scale fights and environments, so the fidelity of individual pieces suffers.
10/05/2009 at 02:39 surlyben says:
Marilyn Manson is nice and all, but as long as they were heading in that direction, I think they should have gone with one of those epic metal bands with the cookie monster vocals. The genre is littered with high fantasy RPG concept albums…
10/05/2009 at 02:41 lumpi says:
Identical: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Eh58xUqMIo
10/05/2009 at 03:02 Kanamit says:
I really want to know what RPGs made in the last half a decade that all these commentators seem to be talking about that make Bioware games so inferior by comparison.
10/05/2009 at 03:09 Aftershock says:
Is it bad that i thought was a cool trailer?
The gore was gamey, and thus off, as always, but otherwise (minus gamesex) was pretty cool.
So i liked the song?
10/05/2009 at 03:31 TheDeadlyShoe says:
the bioware hatin’ in this thread is silly.
if you didn’t like NWN, NWN2 or Mass Effect, that’s your right. But don’t portray your personal opinion as the Will of the Market, because all those games were successful.
I think the trailer sucks, but seriously people get a grip.
10/05/2009 at 04:00 AidenJerrod says:
*splash*
*splash*
Yaaay! I love it! I love blood-fest! Kewl! Err, I love mature-themed RPG, such as The Witcher, and now this. This one seperates the MEN from the boys. LoL! Now backoff younglings! >:D
10/05/2009 at 04:06 Kanamit says:
I still remember when I turned 18 and was given my very own deck of pornographic cards to separate me from the boys, as it were.
10/05/2009 at 04:16 MC says:
Apart from the epically bad background music, I must say that piqued my interest. Usually the combat in this sort of RPG is kinda sterile and bland, whereas that was nicely viceral. But then, I’m not pretentious enough to pretend I don’t like blood and titties.
And I’ve never owned a console in my life.
10/05/2009 at 04:18 Real Horrorshow says:
All this trailer tells me about the game is that there’s blood in it and possibly a Mass Effect-like sex scene, and that EA has a bunch of morons in their marketing department.
I don’t see how this spells doom for the game.
10/05/2009 at 04:28 Ozzie says:
This trailer looks actually much more interesting than anything I have seen of this game before!
Yeah, it’s trashy, cheap, cheesy, immature……..but at least it looks entertaining! That’s a step up!!
10/05/2009 at 04:45 Melf_Himself says:
Blah blah blah. The issue here is not the unusual choice of soundtrack, but the much more depressing feeling that the footage was an amalgamation of various cut-scenes from the game.
However, if that was actual gameplay footage, I say, bring it on.
10/05/2009 at 04:50 Erik R says:
Hey Bioware/EA, http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/3546/seinfield.gif
10/05/2009 at 04:59 Markoff Chaney says:
This is the new shit.
Stand up and admit.
Do we get it? Yeah.
Do we want it? No.
I like the old shit.
Stand up and admit.
Successor, spirit
Baldur’s Gate? Bullshit!
That being said, I’m sure that song won’t be in the game, and I think this game will still be pretty enjoyable. Fun little trailer, even if I’m of the demographic that has been playing their games for over a decade and all this makes me do is shake my head and wonder why the corporate types defend this drivel and, yet, I still hold out hope.
I know far too well what happens when one appeals to mediocrity and the lowest common denominator. You get the same old shit.
10/05/2009 at 05:00 Pijama says:
Not knowing much about Dragon Age, so I don’t know about spoilahs.
Now, gentlemen, brace yourselves for MR. PJ OBSERVASHUNS:
1. It’s GOOFY.
2. Seriously, it is bloody goofy. Particularly the blood splatterings and the alleged “sex scene”. Come on.
3. What the heck, MANSON? Hahahaha…
4 and most important one: Hawaii Five-O theme is highly recommended. Seriously, it turns this failfest into classy action.
@Psychopomp: I declare you an Internet hero.
10/05/2009 at 05:24 Evangel says:
@ Kanamit, just because most of the market is made up of shiny shit does not mean that shiny shit with writing scrawled on it is acceptable.
And I’m comparing this to Troika’s Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines, a game released in November 2004. Another 6 months until it’s past the “half decade old” mark.
If you’re after something a little more recent, Mask of the Betrayer by Obsidian, September 2007. The Witcher, October 2007.
10/05/2009 at 05:27 Sean w/o an H says:
Sometimes the marketing can aim for lowest common denominator, even when the design does not. Happens with movies, can happen with games too.
It’s not like we’re seeing a new Dante’s Inferno trailer, where trailers just confirm your fears… have a little faith, people.
That being said, the trailer is pretty over the top… like they took every bloody moment from the entire game, threw in an out-of-context sex scene that actually matters to the story, and rushed it to the marketing dept. The trailer is crazy, but I still hope that the game isn’t.
::edit:: and RealHorrowshow beat me to it. Sorry :)
10/05/2009 at 05:34 noom says:
I am stunned at how well the Hawaii 5-0 theme fits that… utterly stunned.
In fact, to cast just as relevant a judgment on this as everybody else, I am deciding that I love the game and shall buy four copies just because of the trailer/hawaii 5-0 combo.
10/05/2009 at 05:56 Pijama says:
It should be renamed to “Dragon Age – Origin of the 5-0″.
With that in mind, “BOOK’EM DANNO!” should be said after the final battle™.
10/05/2009 at 06:01 Karrius says:
Another vote for the Hawaii 5-0 thing being absolutely amazing. How did you ever think to combine them?
10/05/2009 at 06:16 Kanamit says:
@Evangel: Vampire: The Masquerade is a very good half of a game. Then it becomes a tedious hack n’ slash. Parts of it are brilliant, of course, but if I had to choose between it or a Bioware game I’d choose the latter in a second.
I put substantial time into The Witcher, and as I recall the main story line was either indecipherable or forgettable. The combat was also rather tedious, IMO. And original? Please. The whole freedom fighters or terrorists thing has been done before, and better. Also, elves and dwarves! OMG generic! It also managed to do sex worse than a Bioware game (which I will freely admit is quite an accomplishment).
I have not played Mask of the Betrayer, but I intend to do so.
10/05/2009 at 06:29 CryingTheAnnualKingo says:
@damien
IWD was Black Isle, not BioWare, that’s why it had an edge to it. BioWare has never made anything with an edge to it at all. That’s what I was referring to, and why I’m happy they are attempting to something different with DA. The trailer was bad, no doubt, but I’m still glad they are doing something different.
And my point stands that this was always the direction the game was going, so you can’t blame this one on the consoles, though tempting it might be.
10/05/2009 at 06:44 James T says:
DRAAAGOOON BRAAAAAIN!
Actually, I can’t think of any game that’s “done it” remotely as well as The Witcher.
10/05/2009 at 07:03 Kanamit says:
Not exactly mainstream, but the Geneforge series for one. Maybe I’m just too much of a Jacobin, but when given the choice between keeping racist paternalistic assholes in power whose actions are surely costing many lives already or letting a few innocents get killed, I’ll go with the latter without hesitation. At least in video games, that is. It’s only when there’s more than one factor at play that the choice becomes difficult for me.
This isn’t to say that The Witcher is bad game. Just that I think it’s a bit overrated.
10/05/2009 at 07:04 geldonyetich says:
Trailer Motivation: “I just know the players will realize we’re awesome if we can get them to pay attention to us… hmm, what’s provocative? Maybe if we spin it as funny people won’t take offense while still getting that wanted attention.”
And yeah, @Kanamit, The Witcher was more a refreshingly novel take to the CRPG genre than a genuinely good game. It drags far too much and has a number of nasty interface issues, for example.
10/05/2009 at 07:08 Psychopomp says:
I started up the trailer again, right as my grandma turned on the TV that was too loud from Rock Band earlier, and DODODO DOO DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO blasted through the house.
“With that in mind, “BOOK’EM DANNO!” should be said after the final battle™.”
I second this,
10/05/2009 at 07:15 damien says:
barely on-topic reply, to things mentioned by Kanamit:
the witcher did one thing very well, that bioware could really stand to learn from. how to let the player explore morality and find their own way through game play situations with moral implications without flashing neon signposts that simplify human behavior to a sliding scale of “really good” and “really bad”. (the prologue – outskirts of vizima – area alone is more ethically complicated, fun and challenging for a player than the entirety of mass effect’s storyline)
say whatever about the games themselves (i’ve finished the witcher four times and still play it, i finished mass effect once and would never dream of playing it again), for all the emphasis bioware puts on ethical dilemmas in game play and player choice along moral game paths, their games dont really deliver on that level.
10/05/2009 at 07:20 Kanamit says:
True enough. Mass Effect is actually slightly better in this respect, but yeah, Bioware doesn’t handle morality very well. It is especially annoying how they punish the player if they don’t play 100% one way or another.
Which is probably part of the reason why KotOR is my favorite of their games. Bioware’s morality system actually makes complete sense in that context.
10/05/2009 at 07:29 geldonyetich says:
@Kanamit
To an extent, I’d say Bioware’s focus on a morality system originated in KOTOR. Sure, they had some pretenses of good or evil in games like Baldur’s Gate, but there really wasn’t a hard running total of good and evil.
They sort of branched out from there by trying to bring it to their later games, and (as you mentioned) it oft feels out of context.
The Force masks a lot of necessary reinforcement to carry rash actions of malice or benevolence. If a man suddenly walks up to you and cuts you in half with a glowing sword, that’s unexpected and weird. If he’s a Sith, the action isn’t so surprising: that’s just why they call it The Dark Side.
10/05/2009 at 07:41 Pijama says:
Folks, I do suggest you take a look at the video’s thread on bioware’s official forums. The attitude of the bioware guys is just l-o-v-e-l-y.
In other words, you don’t do this kind of shit after heralding your game as the spiritual sequel of Baldur’s Gate. You seriously DON’T. To use an analogy, it is like Rachmaninoff going to a crappy trash metal band or Lord Tennyson writing your newest run-of-the-mill rubbish sitcom to fill a gap in the schedule. Bloody disgraceful and a waste of potential.
p.s. – Markoff Chaney: How do you feel about sending that little song to Bioware’s community management team? :)
10/05/2009 at 07:45 geldonyetich says:
@Pijama
If Fallout 3 has taught us anything, it’s that you can wait a decade or two and most people won’t remember the previous game well enough to care when you completely repurpose its sequel.
10/05/2009 at 07:51 damien says:
@Pijama hahahaha. i’m reading the (25+ page!!!) thread now. i love the internets.
10/05/2009 at 07:59 damien says:
reading through the bioware forum thread, its dawned on me that i wouldn’t have found this trailer nearly as stupid if it had focused on either violence or sex. its the mixing of the two that makes the whole thing just awful and gratuitous and silly.
reminds me of funcom’s marketing of Age of Conan as a “mature” game while shilling it along over-ample bosoms and candy-apple red screen splatters – “heads will roll!!!!!!!111!!!”.
of course your game is going to be full of hyperactive 12 year olds. this isn’t calculus, here…
10/05/2009 at 08:08 damien says:
i have to turn the music off on a number of my favorite german-made fantasy RPGs because of their strange insistence on having power-metal soundtracks.
its very jarring.
(why does the TAB key take you from the text input box to the masthead?)
10/05/2009 at 08:08 Pijama says:
@geldonyetich: hahahaha, touché. Well, to Bethesda’s defense (holy crap I never thought I would say that), they didn’t make the original Fallout games. So they *KIND OF* had an excuse. Everyone knew right off that they would put their own touch on the game.
But this? Fuck. An artist shows you a marvelous painting he did and got a lot of well-deserved praise, but then the guy for some bloody reason gets a bucket of piss and tries to sell you as his newest masterpiece which was inspired by the former work… hehe. Essentially, that is what BioWare is doing.
@damien: Isn’t it delightful? hahahaha!
10/05/2009 at 08:18 PC Monster says:
Good Grief…what’s up, guys? Slow hate day for you? Thank God this trailer has come along, then!
There are a couple of reasonable crits to make about this trailer – the decidedly amateurish nature of the modelling, animation etc, but everything else raised is just laughable snobbery and AIM dim-wittery. “OMG – the console ‘Tards’ are going to be playing our beautiful game!?!?” “Manson? Seriously???”
Honestly – get over yourselves, people. It’s an EA title being published IN A RECESSION – what did you expect them to do? Market it to the percentof a percent of elite RPG gamers, those nerdy stalwarts who’ve played Bioware’s entire back-catalogue and probably play RPG’s in other forms?
10/05/2009 at 08:25 Pijama says:
Oh, mind you folks, the bucket of piss I forementioned is the trailer, not the game.
10/05/2009 at 08:28 Azhrarn says:
I don’t mind the violence as such, if it is dark fantasy, as many seem to think, it fits, however throwing several tonnes of gratuitous violence and a very odd sex scene into a trailer with *that* music under it and you get something that’s no longer good. It is disgusting, nothing more. Pure smut, no depth.
This really seems designed for the fratboy crowd, which really isn’t the standard demographic for an RPG. I just hope the game wasn’t shaped around that retargetting.
10/05/2009 at 08:34 drygear says:
I actually kind of like the trailer if you use the Hawaii 5-0 theme. It makes it fun. Except for the sex scene, she just looks and moves too strangely.
I thought I’d try it with Miserlou, and it works if you start it and then immediately start the trailer. It’s not as good as Hawaii 5-0, but still interesting.
If you want to see something really interesting, musicwise, advance this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISWWq_bO6U0 to the one minute mark and pause it, start the trailer, and when the Bioware logo appears press play on the song. It’s almost as if it was intentional…
10/05/2009 at 08:40 drygear says:
Forgot the link to the version of Miserlou that worked best for me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCCJtR-RjHg
Also, if you go with the one in my previous post and restart the trailer while it ends and keep the song playing, it still syncs up the second time through!!!
10/05/2009 at 08:44 Clockwork Harlequin says:
Can’t we all go and complain somewhere else? About something completely fresh? I’ve enjoyed hating the trailer too, but the joke’s wearing thin. Let’s go bitch about nuclear power or child pornography or something instead (OMFG console NPPs).
Also, hear me, RPS! This story must now be tagged Angry Internet Men!
10/05/2009 at 09:12 Adler says:
Hoping the soundtrack IS going to be like that.
Metal FTW!
10/05/2009 at 09:20 Psychopomp says:
You did *not* just call Manson metal.
I need to have a VERY long talk with you.
But I can’t
So here’s some Melechesh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfegItscO3g
Edit:ANNUNAKIAN CODE DIVULGED
10/05/2009 at 10:12 Zinic says:
At the risk of being dismissed as a consoletard (even though I don’t own one of this generations consoles), I’d just like to say that this trailer didn’t draw me away from buying the game, as much that it enforced my will to do so.
Can’t have dark gritty fantasy without blood and violence. This trailer isn’t what the game is about, but it is uplifting to see a game that wants to offer more than just story. Or graphics for that matter.
And to Psychopomp. Melechesh is black metal. While still metal, it’s not METAL. If you get my drift.
10/05/2009 at 10:24 Nick says:
Endless sub-pidegon holing of music and the arguing that follows is most tiresome.
10/05/2009 at 10:54 James T says:
What’s that got to do with the sentences before it?
10/05/2009 at 10:54 Nick says:
Also tarring the whole thread with the same brush.
10/05/2009 at 11:15 Bhazor says:
Dudes, yesterday we had the first in-engine BG&E trailer and the number one topic there was helicopter physics.
We’re a tricky group to keep focused.
Also if Manson is still shocking to you then you are five. It’s a bad trailer is what I’m saying, like something that someone with a Slipknot background would post on youtube. Also it just shows how off the animation looks.
To me the worst part is the Apocalypse Shag which *does* look like a problem with the story. A cliche used in both Jade Empire and Mass Effect and one that has always got right up on my tit ends. Where’s Viconia’s bitter hump and decision that I’m not quite as bad in bed as some of those who forced her into sexual slavery? Or even the vaguely exploitative Aeries pity shag (“No you really aren’t ugly. No honestly. Please stop crying. Oh god stop crying at me! Fine!”). It’s doubly worse because turning her down will sometimes see her run away. Often taking 50,000 gold in spells with her. Jaheira was also played by a woman called Mrs Darling. Which is a neat name.
10/05/2009 at 11:24 Nifft says:
I like it. An adult , gory RPG with some sex elements, setted in a fantasy world. It is something refreshing. Who said that fantasy is only for children?
10/05/2009 at 11:28 Steve says:
i have been hyped for this game for a long time but now i’m even more hyped…i can’t understand why all of you complain about the trailer…sure it looked like a slaughterfest but if you watch closely you’ll imediatly see one thing…that dragon age origins has fucking (sorry…) awesome cutscenes…and you don’t think that this trailer showed every single cutscene there is do you? furthermore this cutscenes could have dramatic story impacts…for example the guy that got stabbed in the stomache could be a friend who betraied you and you get the option of killing him or not…this game WILL have an awesome story (seriously…did you ever see a bioware game NOT delivering in the story aspect) and the cutscenes are epic…bioware said that this will be a very dark and mature game with a lot of violance…but that doesn’t keep it from having a good story…you guys are overreacting
10/05/2009 at 11:28 Nick says:
“Who said that fantasy is only for children?”
No one. Though this trailer does its best to suggest anything but “adult”.
10/05/2009 at 11:47 A:\Big.bat says:
Rubbish marketing idea, but I’m not going to let it put me off the game. I’m quite sure that it’ll be nothing like this trailer implies.
/crosses fingers
10/05/2009 at 11:53 graham says:
Bioware are masters of this thing, it has been EAified but ultimately Biowares mitts are gonna be all over it.
I remain stoked for this.
10/05/2009 at 11:55 Thrawny says:
Game fails, it has no Lazers.
10/05/2009 at 11:59 Pidesco says:
This trailer is nothing like the final game, I’m sure. The problem is that there is a high likelihood that DA will suck for reasons not readily apparent in this trailer. Except perhaps the dialogue. I’m sure the atrocious lines spouted off in the sex scene are an accurate example of the writing quality in the end product.
10/05/2009 at 12:38 Markoff Chaney says:
I own nothing I give to the community. That’s the point. Please, take anything I ever post and use it if it helps. Modify, edit, rewrite, remake, whatever. The second I post Opinion away! it belongs to everyone. Crowd sourcing is an amazingly effective tool but it only works if the crowd works together.
As a complete aside, I think my personal distaste comes from when I saw Manson live some good 15 years ago. He sucked. Honestly, I think, one of the, if not the, worst shows I have ever seen in my life. I’d have rather gotten to see GG Allin again than that garbage he was putting out. At least NIN made up for the horrible opening act…
I am still hopeful for the game itself, but I do think this was a stupid commercial that appeals to people who won’t be happy with the game, unless we’ve been lied to about how the game actually plays all this time. To think that a quasi turn based CRPG can be called the new shit is, really, quite funny in a non-inebriated just woke up with a bit of a headache on a Sunday morning kind of way. Really Really funny would have been the Hawaii 5-0 mashup. That’s probably a different demographic than they were going after though.
10/05/2009 at 12:58 woto says:
F**** YEAH MORE BLOOD AND BETTER BLOOD EFFECTS MAN!!!!
10/05/2009 at 13:11 Stupoider says:
EA Games is at it again!
10/05/2009 at 13:16 LukeE says:
This obligatory musical bloodshed trailer seem like it has a lot more in common with Vampire than Baldurs Gate.
Loud shouty music of the angry variety – check. Blood pretty much everywhere – check. Partially clothed girlies – check.
And being compared to Vampire surely isn’t a bad thing. Well… unless its because its so buggy as to be impossible to complete at launch.
For all of peoples insistence that every little thing they see about a fantasy RPG must be exactly as generic as they would imagine it… I enjoyed this. Even if it is cheesy as f***.
10/05/2009 at 13:22 DK says:
“Market it to the percentof a percent of elite RPG gamers, those nerdy stalwarts who’ve played Bioware’s entire back-catalogue and probably play RPG’s in other forms?”
Seeing as how that’s literally what they promised when they announced Dragon Age….yes, that’s exactly who they should market it to.
10/05/2009 at 13:23 john says:
“The trip to uncanny valley during the sex scene was quite off putting as well”
That would require the game to actually have decent graphics, frankly this game’s graphics look worse than neverwinter nights 2, and much worse than oblvion’s.
10/05/2009 at 13:43 Gorgeras says:
Heh, Mythic also said Warhammer Online would be an all-out-war PvP MMO. Then came EA…
Oh snap.
10/05/2009 at 13:54 Simon Jones says:
Extremely poor music choice aside, I thought the trailer was pretty good – it’s the first time the combat has looked exciting and interesting. Unfortunately it also appears to be 100% cut scene.
I imagine the disconnect between the cut scene combat (swords doing ‘realistic’ kind of damage) and in-game combat (generic repetitive animations of people being slashed with swords and an HP bar gradually reducing) will be annoyingly jarring.
Nothing wrong with traditional RPG combat mechanics, but I wish they’d at least design the visuals so that it made sense.
On another note: love the new dragon motif on the logo.
Surprised by just how negative the responses are here – maybe the music is swaying people? Watching it with the sound turned off is probably much better.
10/05/2009 at 14:13 Bhazor says:
Reply to Kevlar
Calling this an intentional joke is giving them far too much credit.
Reply to Simon Jones
But that isn’t the combat. It’s some jerkily animated cut scenes which look pathetic compared to say God of War 2 or Ninja Gaiden or even The Witcher.
Aside: Is this the longest non piracy debate in RPS so far?
10/05/2009 at 14:55 Funky Badger says:
Can people please stop equating NWN and Mass Effect, it’s making my head hurt.
10/05/2009 at 15:10 Chaz says:
Good grief whats with all the angst? It’s just a bloody trailer for crying out loud!
10/05/2009 at 15:11 Rei Onryou says:
Who put Michael Bay in charge of marketing?
I’ve gone from “probably buy” to “wait for demo, and if no demo, wait for bargain bin”. Roll on Alpha Protocol.
10/05/2009 at 15:47 Hypocee says:
I dig the rolly-gorilla-dogs, tho.
10/05/2009 at 15:51 InTheNile says:
This is just a fan video, right? Like those other ones on YouTube with awfully unfitting heavy metal music and bad editing?
10/05/2009 at 15:52 theleif says:
I see a clear correlation between the recession and the quality and positivism of forum posts.
10/05/2009 at 15:58 EliteBestoftheBest says:
LOL @ Americans trying to do The Witcher their way.
10/05/2009 at 16:00 Gorgeras says:
Actually, nothing has been more detrimental to PC gaming than the constant targeting of the lowest common denominator. Elitism is merely a symptom of this as more pessimistic PC gamers like myself react to an undeniable trend towards dumbing down. I think a lot of us haven’t forgiven BioWare for publicising a very pretty Neverwinter Night; at last very heavy substance and style would no longer be exclusive. When it came, the poly-count had been drastically reduced and it didn’t quite measure up as a worthy game next to Baldur’s Gate 2.
Given the choice, I’d rather be elitist and ignorant than just plain ignorant(like filthy consoletards!): the elitist has a mind towards improvement and correction that the slob ignorant do not.
10/05/2009 at 16:10 Rudolfo says:
Hell yeah! It’s GTA: San Dragon Age : O.R.I.G.I.N.S. by Tom Clancy…also, subwoofer alarm -.-
10/05/2009 at 16:31 Lawlers says:
Well their marketing worked. People across the webz are talking about Bland Age because of the trailer when they wouldn’t have given two shits about the game before.
Bad publicity is still publicity after all. Brilliant move Bioware!
10/05/2009 at 16:41 Adventurous Putty says:
Game fails, it has no Lazers.
Seconded.
10/05/2009 at 16:45 Fedora Freak says:
I love you guys so much, especially you, Psychopomp, that I have dubbed over the Violence trailer with the Five-O theme. Behold our bastard (yet classy) creation!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yTVjUY9wMg
10/05/2009 at 16:55 Feet says:
Haha! That’s much much better!
10/05/2009 at 16:55 Fumarole says:
Shades of this no doubt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYaTPsIHkZA
10/05/2009 at 17:10 CaptainObvious says:
I like how the guy walking in 10 seconds into vid looks like he’s shuffling to the five-o theme. Awesome!
10/05/2009 at 17:11 Tei says:
Since I have watch another video that show the game is different, I will not make a “Bye Bye Baldurs Gate, Helllo Generic Gears of War clone!”-sh comment.
10/05/2009 at 18:00 Pijama says:
@Fedora Freak: THIS IS WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
Oh, my angst isn’t directed to the game, au contraire. It’s just that Bioware’s marketing department could have done a SO MUCH BETTER JOB at showing those things that wouldn’t look like this crapfest. xD
10/05/2009 at 18:02 HeyMrDJ says:
Can somebody do the Baldur’s Gate 2 trailer set to Slipknot? I want to see the juxtaposition in action.
10/05/2009 at 18:06 Jockie says:
Well it may be poor marketing as Jim says, but it certainly seems to get people talking about the game, which is what advertising it sposed to do innit?
Bet a lot of people will send this to their buddies and tell them to check it out, rather than a slower, talky trailer where not much happens (ie, all the other trailers). The April Fools trailer excluded of course.
10/05/2009 at 18:09 HeyMrDJ says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMhQxW_WQwA
+ music from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUvihMkVKLQ = win!
A new meme for 2009? The DragonAgeRoll.
10/05/2009 at 18:20 Dominic White says:
Jockie: Advertising is only really good if it makes you want the product. I remember the debacle that was the PSP advertising campaign of a few years back – I had found myself wanting one until those ads ran, and ended up putting off my purchase for a year… and even then, I got one second-hand.
10/05/2009 at 18:50 Carra says:
So this game is all about sex, blood and rock & roll!
10/05/2009 at 18:58 Magnus says:
@Fedora Freak: It is uncanny how well that fits with the trailer, good job!
10/05/2009 at 19:48 Jockie says:
@Dominic, this trailer is clearly designed to expand their audience outside the rpg fans who will probably buy it anyway (like me).
Did I like the trailer? no. Will it stop me buying the game, which I know is not really represented by this trailer? no. Will it attract the kind of player who might not think twice if it was a talky RPG trailer, and likes their gaming with a smorgsabord of blood and guts? too early to say, but I wouldn’t rule it out.
10/05/2009 at 19:58 Azhrarn says:
Posted by Magus: @Fedora Freak: It is uncanny how well that fits with the trailer, good job!
I have to chime in here, that’s almost eerie how well that lines up with the trailer.
@Jockie: I hope that you’re right, but a sudden change of direction wouldn’t surprise me with EAs involvement here.
Bioware is good at what they do, but I’ll certainly wait for more information and opinions before committing to a purchase now.
10/05/2009 at 20:29 Quests says:
This seems really stupe and consoletard oriented.
Ironically the only thing that cheers me up is the seemingly bad graphics, cause bad graphics always mean quality game play structure.
10/05/2009 at 20:44 Taillefer says:
Psychopomp, Fedora Freak: That made /everything/ so much better. Awesome.
10/05/2009 at 21:27 l1ddl3monkey says:
It looks (and sounds) like Underworld 3 in a lot of places (in case anyone is in doubt: THAT IS A VERY BAD THING). Swords and sorcery and Marilyn Manson? Faaaaaahk off EA.
10/05/2009 at 22:05 Okami says:
OH
MY
GOD
10/05/2009 at 22:18 Psychopomp says:
I am blushing.
A lot.
10/05/2009 at 23:23 Magnus says:
If anyone is feeling too worried, they should just head over to http://dragonage.bioware.com/gallery.html and watch some of the videos. Should put your minds at rest!
11/05/2009 at 01:02 MC says:
@Psychopomp, Fedora Freak
That is so ridiculously awesome. Now the actual game will seem disappointing when that’s not the in game theme song.
11/05/2009 at 01:10 Tim says:
I kinda enjoyed it, sure it’s silly. I actually just finished watching underworld 3, and then saw this. It’s kinda the same vein, cinematic action gore. Silly meaningless, even bad, but still entertaining. And it was also very short :)
11/05/2009 at 03:27 Pags says:
Hate to prolong this discussion, but if you want an example of a GOOD advertising campaign for a game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEaL8HqufFI
11/05/2009 at 04:35 Psychopomp says:
I suggest this be tried as well
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6zDfxZ4NcE&feature=rec-HM-r2
And yes, I did start trying random theme songs a few hours ago.
This, so far, is the only other one that’s worked.
Also, go to the original trailer on youtube, and look in related videos
When you see it, you’ll shit bricks.
11/05/2009 at 04:42 JKjoker says:
@Psychopomp: its fits pretty well, but it doesn’t manage to take trailer from meh to awesome like the 5-oh one does
11/05/2009 at 04:52 Psychopomp says:
@JKjoker
I concur, wholeheartedly, I doubt anything else could
THAT’S WHY WE MUST SEARCH!
11/05/2009 at 05:39 Fedora Freak says:
I also must concur, but for now I’ll sit back and ride on the wave of my worked-for fame.
… Over 300 views on the first day for my first YouTube. I am proud. All thanks to you, though, Psycho.
On a more serious note, I think I’ll relay my opinion about the trailer. It’s AWESOME. I love Bioware for its storylines, and proof of that has already been given for DA:O. Besides the fact that the marketing types decided to use untextured models in the footage and chose possibly the worst “song” on the face of the Earth, the trailer’s content itself seems like it’s going to be extremely, perhaps overly visceral. Now, I realize that this isn’t mature. Hell, it’s pretty much classic juvenile fantasy.
But, come on, guys – what’s wrong with that? I don’t think that I’ll ever get enough of classic, juvenile fantasy games, especially if they live up to KotOR, JE, and ME quality. Original fantasy universes are extremely difficult to make (i.e., no “classic” races like dwarves, elves, goblins, etc.), and I know that from having made one or two. Those companies that do create something original, high-quality, and new will go down in gaming history as groundbreakers, much like Psychonauts and Okami. But while we wait for those masterpieces, can’t we just settle down and enjoy some of the classic stuff, our guilty pleasure, our memories. Don’t be mad at the Bioware guys. They make good games. Trust them to do that.
11/05/2009 at 07:06 MC says:
Heh, couldn’t resist making the Violence/Cowboy Bebop remix.
Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb5gehjIMQQ
11/05/2009 at 07:13 Fedora Freak says:
Is this going to become something we do for every new trailer of any PC game ever? Cause that would be awesome.
11/05/2009 at 07:32 Snuffles says:
Dear god, did anyone else see that chick’s neck flatten out when she blew out the candle? Those animations look horrible, hopefully it’s going to receive a lot more work before release. I would have expected more from the developers of the remarkably good Mass Effect (KOTOR I & Jade Empire were so-so at best). Of course, Mass Effects gameplay was a complete Z-fest, but the story was fantastic, and the characters were all nicely fleshed out. Is this something they’re going to start doing in every Bioware game; The obligatory PG-13 sex-scene? I’m really not all that excited by the game; no cooperative multiplayer. But seriously, this looks dissappointing to the max. Hopefully they’ve had someone with a brain-stem working on Mass Effect 2. ME was like, the first RPG from Bioware I’d ever actually cared to finish. ME2 had better be god-like.
11/05/2009 at 08:18 Subjective Effect says:
I’m another one who is more interested in this now that it doesn’t just look like some generic fantasy drivel.
11/05/2009 at 08:49 harvb says:
Ooh look, Adult Lord of the Rings.
Seriously though, I can’t wait for this. Been a long time since we had a really classy RPG – Morrowind, I’m thinking.
11/05/2009 at 09:09 Ozzie says:
Wow, the Hawaii Five-0 Theme does fit perfectly! It’s really a much better trailer with it! Well choreographed, too!:-D
11/05/2009 at 09:15 Ian says:
I can’t decide whether this is a marketing train-wreck or a work of marketing genius.
11/05/2009 at 11:20 feline says:
Ah I see I’m not the only one hoping this is just an epic marketing fail. I guess I’ll just have to wait till more serious stuff gets out again.
@Nimic: just throw away your bioware site cookies and re-enter birthdate
11/05/2009 at 12:29 Theory says:
Lest we forget: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azkuCfWjwpU
11/05/2009 at 17:41 Z says:
Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows is 1:36 long. The trailer is 1:33.
After muting DA and using S,L+R as the theme music, I have to say this is no coincidence. It was MEANT TO BE.
11/05/2009 at 18:19 Z says:
Sadly, the benny hillifier doesn’t work
11/05/2009 at 18:26 Z says:
Here, Join my surreal life.
11/05/2009 at 19:00 aaron says:
Just so I’m clear: if there is no blood or sex, it’s sanitized and watered-down for a T-rating so they can sell more to the console crowd, i.e., Oblivion. If there is blood and sex, it’s pandering to them 14-year-old console kids what love their gore and boobs. Is that about right?
The music in the trailer was an awful choice, sure, but I just don’t get the backlash against the game because of a little ultraviolence. Sharp bits of metal tend to make people bleed quite a lot. And sometimes people have sex. Both might come off as tacky in the context of the game, but I’ll go ahead and trust Bioware until they give me a reason not to.
12/05/2009 at 00:43 Nallen says:
Done by the same guy as the RA3 ‘Remix’ trailer. Sheer luck he was let loose on something it sort of half suited first time.
True Story.
12/05/2009 at 01:04 Psychopomp says:
HEY FEDORA
WE HAVE PEOPLE ON YOUTUBE RIPPING THE VIDEO AND POSTING AS THEIR OWN
PLAGIARISM, FLATTERY ALL THAT!
13/05/2009 at 06:10 Fedora Freak says:
I NOTICED THAT, IT’S PRETTY INCREDIBLE ISN’T IT AND SUCH
14/05/2009 at 08:50 SmartAlec says:
Fedora Freak, you might just have done more to sell Dragon Age than the people who made the trailer in the first place!
14/05/2009 at 17:30 Drako says:
Bloody awful cheesy 300 crossed with softcore porno.
the kids who buy this cause of the trailer will sure be pissed when it doesn’t play like DMC
14/05/2009 at 17:57 Psychopomp says:
Man, that would make a terrible DMC game.
Where’s the suitcase that turns into a mobile missile array?
18/05/2009 at 20:31 Talon says:
Thanks for the Idea Taillefer
Dragons Age Of Sunshine. Aww how sweet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ekxHK9sDbo
18/05/2009 at 22:39 Talon says:
Dam you tube
Uploaded to Daily Motion instead
http://www.dailymotion.com/talon2000uk/video/15669485
20/05/2009 at 22:01 Paul says:
AD&D + GTA: What more could anyone want?
28/02/2013 at 20:25 Meldreth says:
Hi.