Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

Review Skyrim Dawnguard Review @ Gamebanshee

VentilatorOfDoom

Administrator
Staff Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2009
Messages
8,600
Location
Deutschland
Tags: Bethesda Softworks; Dawnguard; Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

I'm not sure whether we're supposed to post anything but kickstarter news, but anyway, I'll dare it. Gamebanhee offers a full (brief) review of Skyrim's Dawnguard expansion.
These additions, along with a 12-quest campaign, might sound like a lot of nice stuff for a DLC, and perhaps it is, but I felt underwhelmed. The first problem is that almost all of the additions are cosmetic. The Soul Cairn is an interesting place to visit, and Bethesda did a nice job in making it feel bleak and forlorn, but exploring it is no different than exploring anywhere else. Meanwhile, frost giants are the same as regular giants, coffins are the same as beds, crossbows are the same as bows, and so forth.

The other problem with the DLC is that its new big attraction, the ability to transform into a vampire lord, is worthless. Just like the werewolf form before it, unless you're level 20 or something, you're going to do way more damage and have way more options with your regular form than with either of the specialty forms, and so there isn't any reason to use them, except perhaps for role-playing purposes. Bethesda tried to make the forms more powerful by adding perk constellations to them (you gain perks by killing enemies while using the form), but even with the perks the forms are underpowered.

The campaign also has some problems. I already mentioned that the big decision you have to make doesn't change anything, but there are other issues as well. For example, I'm pretty sure the enemy you fight the most in the campaign is the falmer, which seems like an odd choice. The campaign also introduces an evil vampire named Harkon, but he spends 95% of the time off screen, and the only reason you decide he's evil is because of stuff you hear secondhand. Harkon doesn't actually do anything evil. He just hangs out in a castle. And finally, while the campaign is active, there are random vampire attacks in Skyrim's major cities. This is great for making it feel like there's really a vampire conflict going on, but the vampires far too easily kill named NPCs, including shopkeepers and quest givers, and so their attacks are more aggravating than anything else.
Radiant quest givers killed by vampires!
 

DalekFlay

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
14,118
Location
New Vegas
I liked how this "expansion" put stuff in that changed the main game as well. All the Fallout 3 and New Vegas stuff was in new areas and felt really separated, it was nice to just add on to the world as a whole.

That said it was thoroughly underwhelming and overpriced.
 

Bulba

Learned
Joined
Nov 1, 2010
Messages
518
instead of this shit they should release a dlc which makes dragons non level scaled - would make the game thousand times more fun
 

thesheeep

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Mar 16, 2007
Messages
9,956
Location
Tampere, Finland
Codex 2012 Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming! Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Torment: Tides of Numenera Codex USB, 2014 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Bubbles In Memoria A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
I just played as a Werewolf recently and... yeah... that review is absolutely right. Werewolf form is useless, and doesn't even add anything to the game. Other werewolves still attack you like they were some silly sabre cat.
Once all DLCs are out for a bargain, I might buy them, but until that I'll keepmy impression that most Bethesda DLCs and expansions don't really add anything worthwhile to the game.
 

tuluse

Arcane
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
11,400
Serpent in the Staglands Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Shadorwun: Hong Kong
I liked how this "expansion" put stuff in that changed the main game as well. All the Fallout 3 and New Vegas stuff was in new areas and felt really separated, it was nice to just add on to the world as a whole.

That said it was thoroughly underwhelming and overpriced.
I actually hate it when dlc does this. It totally ruins the experience for me.

I almost quit Deus Ex HR because the DLC added stuff into the main game, and it was so obvious, and I bought the game with all dlc included.
 

DalekFlay

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
14,118
Location
New Vegas
I actually hate it when dlc does this. It totally ruins the experience for me.

I almost quit Deus Ex HR because the DLC added stuff into the main game, and it was so obvious, and I bought the game with all dlc included.

I am guessing you mean the added weapons and shit? That's not exactly what I am talking about. It's not a weapon pack, it's a big thing, but a lot of it takes place intertwined with the main game. That's what I liked... in Fallout 3 you went to The Pitt and it was its own thing, you were there exclusively and left with a few weapons and it was done. This feels more like they added a quest chain into the core game along with some new stuff.
 

tuluse

Arcane
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
11,400
Serpent in the Staglands Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Shadorwun: Hong Kong
There was also the Tracer Tong quest which was obviously added in after the fact.
 

Gurkog

Erudite
Joined
Oct 7, 2012
Messages
1,373
Location
The Great Northwest
Project: Eternity
Tags: Bethesda Softworks; Dawnguard; Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

I'm not sure whether we're supposed to post anything but kickstarter news, but anyway, I'll dare it. Gamebanhee offers a full (brief) review of Skyrim's Dawnguard expansion.
These additions, along with a 12-quest campaign, might sound like a lot of nice stuff for a DLC, and perhaps it is, but I felt underwhelmed. The first problem is that almost all of the additions are cosmetic. The Soul Cairn is an interesting place to visit, and Bethesda did a nice job in making it feel bleak and forlorn, but exploring it is no different than exploring anywhere else. Meanwhile, frost giants are the same as regular giants, coffins are the same as beds, crossbows are the same as bows, and so forth.

The other problem with the DLC is that its new big attraction, the ability to transform into a vampire lord, is worthless. Just like the werewolf form before it, unless you're level 20 or something, you're going to do way more damage and have way more options with your regular form than with either of the specialty forms, and so there isn't any reason to use them, except perhaps for role-playing purposes. Bethesda tried to make the forms more powerful by adding perk constellations to them (you gain perks by killing enemies while using the form), but even with the perks the forms are underpowered.

The campaign also has some problems. I already mentioned that the big decision you have to make doesn't change anything, but there are other issues as well. For example, I'm pretty sure the enemy you fight the most in the campaign is the falmer, which seems like an odd choice. The campaign also introduces an evil vampire named Harkon, but he spends 95% of the time off screen, and the only reason you decide he's evil is because of stuff you hear secondhand. Harkon doesn't actually do anything evil. He just hangs out in a castle. And finally, while the campaign is active, there are random vampire attacks in Skyrim's major cities. This is great for making it feel like there's really a vampire conflict going on, but the vampires far too easily kill named NPCs, including shopkeepers and quest givers, and so their attacks are more aggravating than anything else.
Radiant quest givers killed by vampires!

That pretty much sums up all BGS games, doesn't it?
 

DalekFlay

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
14,118
Location
New Vegas
There was also the Tracer Tong quest which was obviously added in after the fact.

Human Revolution had two radically different types of DLC. The weapon packs and pre-order mission were superfluous bullshit no one should ever care about. Missing Link however was a great and rather long expansion mission that was arguably better than the main game.

This is why I have never understood the "I hate DLC" crowd. DLC, like expansion packs and games themselves, vary in size, value and quality.
 

tuluse

Arcane
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
11,400
Serpent in the Staglands Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Missing Link was also the kind that is clearly separate from the rest of the game. Which is fine with me. I *hate* the kind that changes the base game after the fact.
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom