DA2: A short review of this insulting abomination

[whitemithrandir]

"the women all have breasts the size of human heads or larger."

Why lie?

Oh yeah, it's the internet and a human is typing. Of course, lie. My bad.

Carry on, dude.

http://www.nitpixels.com/wp-content/gal ... 103274.jpg

http://greywardens.com/wp-content/uploa ... lemeth.jpg

 

[Kaanyrvhok]

Keith why did you waste your time with that game?<<Max
Great review though.

 

[Kaanyrvhok]

Shit.

A turn-based mechanism would allow the game to be about difficult tactical decisions; instead, because it's in real time, it mostly boils down to a very bad action game.

How can this be not said of any Bioware game ever

In BG, which isnt that difficult you are going to reload a plenty if you play the game without pausing on normal. Lots of party member deaths. Oh thats another thing. 2 party members and their ability to die. Not in DA 2.

 

[keithburgun]

"Well you see that's one thing I don't get. Someone please explain to me how this reference to He-Man makes sense."

It's that it's this like idiotic "macho" high fantasy nonsense. He-Man has similarly stupid imagery.


As for the turn-based issue, I love plenty of real-time games. The issue here is that these aren't very good real time mechanics. They're basically turn-based mechanics, just playing out in real time, and that's what sucks. And yes, it can be said for every Bioware game ever. I've only been able to play out a single RTwP game, and that was Planescape: Torment, which was great *despite* its combat.

I do recognize that my review is borderline "not a review", more just a session of trashing the game, but it needs to be trashed.

Thanks for reading, guys - you definitely reacted a lot better to it than silly reddit's /gaming did. I think a few of you were a bit unfair in saying that I don't back up the things that I say are bad - mostly, I think I do this, but I was definitely in a rage so I may have failed to back a few things up.

 

[Redshirt #42]

DA2 is likely BIO's tatical and ahrdest game ever. I'm such a wussy. There's a aprt of me who feels I should be playing at normal because ahrd is well.. hard. R00fles!

I'd say Baldur's Gate 2 is still the most difficult BioWare game. I admit that DA2 is actually fucking hard on Nightmare (quite surprising considering that Nightmare in DA:O was p. much the 'normal' difficulty). However, the game gets a lot easier once you know which talents are the best and use proper tactics. I haven't had a challenging fight since I entered the Deep Roads. I'm now at the beginning of Act 2. Then again, everytime I underestimate the enemy and stop paying attention, some of my party members do get killed (I'm a perfectionist so I reload immediately, even if I can still win the fight ). I've had a lot more problems with some of the bosses in BG2, even on easier difficulties.

 

[Volourn]

I never got so frustrated with a battle in BG2 - even the more challenging ones - that like I needed to lower the dififuclty to get past it so i can get on with the story with promising myself I'll try again later on hard. L0L

Part of this is the silly mid battle spawns, others is just insane. Assassins have wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too much health. L0L

 

[Mastermind]

Difficult BG2 battles were rarely difficult because of enemy HP/damage bloating. It's why the game is a masterpiece and DA2 is shit.

 

[Alec McCabe]

They're basically turn-based mechanics, just playing out in real time, and that's what sucks. And yes, it can be said for every Bioware game ever.

Even Jade Empire? Which is the game that DA2 reminds me most of, I must admit.

The He-Man comment's close, but I thought more of the film '300' - both 300 and DA2 use the same framing device, that of a 'true' story being told and embellished by a narrator.

 

[circ]

300 is actually watchable though and is well choreographed. DA 2? Well, get fat people to do the choreography, and DA 2 is apparently what you get.

 

[attackfighter]

Umm... the fight choreography is pretty fast paced, and the cutscene/dialogue choreography is bland but realistic-ish... doesn't strike me as being something only a fat person would design.

As for DA2 having "macho" imagery and thus being similar to He-Man... that maybe true to an extent but I think it's a pretty poor comparison. Most video games designed for Western men are "macho". FFS The Nameless One has a more macho appearance than Hawke, but no one bashes him for it.

 

[circ]

Why would you assume I mean pacing? I meant the animations themselves being half-assed. Oh who am I kidding, they're shit.

 

[attackfighter]

The animation quality didn't really stand out to me, and when you say they're half-assed what are you comparing them to? They look like they took more work than the animations in Fallout and Baldurs Gate.

 

[Kaanyrvhok]

They're basically turn-based mechanics, just playing out in real time, and that's what sucks. And yes, it can be said for every Bioware game ever.

Even Jade Empire? Which is the game that DA2 reminds me most of, I must admit.

The He-Man comment's close, but I thought more of the film '300' - both 300 and DA2 use the same framing device, that of a 'true' story being told and embellished by a narrator.

For me its Power Rangers with blood and tits.

 

[Kalin]

"I want to be a Ranger!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HpilZ_UH9A

 

[kris]

DA2 is likely BIO's tatical and ahrdest game ever. I'm such a wussy. There's a aprt of me who feels I should be playing at normal because ahrd is well.. hard. R00fles!

Its tough, but there is hardly anything tactical about it. Unless you call the exploits of AI being tactical. Or think it is "tactical" like chess, because you meet the same encounter all the time. How anyone can call this tactical is beyond me.