@Th3solution Thanks for writing that and considering how I might approach Dragon Age: Inquisition and its epic length. Even I'll admit to a slump during Horizon, where I booted it up to "get stuff done" and it felt like a bit of a chore for a couple days. You're right, like you, I do tend to make sure I've cleared a given list of side quests before activating the next story mission, and there was a brief moment where Horizon dropped the ball on pacing for that specific approach, so it can happen to me and understand how it could equally have happened to you with Inquisition. I also do recall that article you mention, I think, although thankfully not too many of the specific details regarding Inquisition itself (spoilers!) but I'm already aware that it's a large game (so your quoted figure didn't send me into shock, as it might've otherwise done).
I think I'm ready. Right now, I'm invested in the world and the characters. It also helps that Dragon Age II, which I just finished the core story of, ends on a cliffhanger and deliberately leaves a few questions unanswered. Whilst I know that I won't be playing as Hayden Hawke again, at least not beyond the DLC which I plan to grab next week, I still feel that it'll be more of a continuation if it picks up and carries forward those plot elements. Origins ended with such finality (since I sacrificed my Warden to defeat the Blight) and then DAII picks up a totally separate story, with periodic cameo appearances and a few winks and nudges, so I'm now curious to see how they're gonna handle a more deliberate and unavoidable story connection.
For all my praise, however, there are things I disliked about Origins which still continued to frustrate me in DAII. As is always the case with choice-based games (and BioWare games in particular) some of the context is sorely lacking. A conflict triggered by a tragic cultural misunderstanding, which I tried desperately to avoid, still resulted in a giant statue of me standing on the severed head of my enemy being erected; I shook my head at it every time I walked past, and would've liked the option to tear it down. Also, speaking slightly more personally, my hatred of spiders is well-documented and, whilst the smaller eight-legged enemies were just on the right side of the line between "cartoonish" and "realistic" (meaning I could deal with them okay), dropping in the giant room-sized ones and making them lunge at the camera as I fought them wasn't an experience I cared to repeat... and yet it happened twice. In the same way I adore Tomb Raider Underworld, this game will always carry a "but I wish it didn't have to have spiders in" rider. Finally, the post-credits return to Kirkwall was disappointing; there was no final extra scene with Anders, no epilogue to speak of (probably because of that cliffhanger ending) and just a single pop-up direction to buy the DLC. Maybe that'll fix it but, as of right now, I'm left with an empty mansion and nowhere to go.
Those three issues aside, by delivering a tightly-focused thirty-hour experience, stacked in favour of story and cutting down on all the boring gameplay nonsense, DAII won me over at every single turn. The grand finale was spectacular, the narrative arc was compelling and the payoff to all the seemingly-disconnected plot threads had me gasping and grinning in equal amounts. Truly a masterpiece.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger Only just realised you've finished Dragon Age II. You're not messing about with these games are you?
I thoroughly enjoyed the second game. I liked the way Kirkwall felt like a real city. It felt alive. It was grand, sprawling, proud, corrupt, impoverished, seedy - it was all of these things at the same time and it was fascinating to watch it change. I think what they were trying to do was quite ambitious and I can see how it didn't work for everyone, but I enjoyed watching a city evolve and grow through the seasons and years, its citizens with it.
Hawke was a great character and Anders' story was pretty incredible. I loved the guy, although my wife hated him. He really divided opinion in our house, did old Anders.
Enjoy the third one!
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
@Gremio108 Oh no, when I realise I like something I tend to get a little, er... let's say "intense" about it. Might die tomorrow and I wanna see what happens next, gosh darn it!
I agree with everything you said about Kirkwall. That's what drew me in; the feeling that I was making these decisions and then, fast forward a couple years, I'm seeing and living the impact they've had on the city. I haven't felt connected to an environment like that in a long time. Kirkwall became almost as important to me a character; I cared for it, wanted to keep it safe, wanted to help it.
As for Anders, well... apologies for what's probably about to become a wall of text.
Toward the end of Act 2, I lost Isabela. When she revealed that the relic she sought (for her own personal gain and protection) was the Qunari artefact, and that she was putting her own welfare above that of Kirkwall, I got really angry. I demanded that she surrender and explain everything to the Arishok, so she (naturally) stole the relic and fled. I never saw her again. I was pretty amazed that BioWare had done something so bold, made a choice so stark; I'm used to Mass Effect, where it's pretty difficult to make enemies and the extremes, like character deaths or departures, are almost hidden like Easter Eggs. But I also thought that'd be it, in terms of seismic shifts in the storylines of my friends.
All the time I was with Anders, I thought he was adorable. I totally fell for him; he was an oppressed minority, somebody who was fighting to survive against an uncaring social structure fearful of what he represented (parallels much?). He spoke about his love of cats and dreamed of a better future, where we could be together. He was sweet, a little cheeky but mostly just a kind-hearted, self-deprecating soul who'd been touched by tragedy. And yeah, there was the whole Justice thing, but having seen what a positive impact such an experience had on Wynne in Dragon Age: Origins, I thought that'd be where the minor complications came from; he'd maybe struggle to deal with that for a bit, make a decision, I'd say a few loving words and then hurrah, romance complete.
Like so many of the Mass Effect romances, I thought it'd be pretty straightforward. I didn't even listen when he directly told me, multiple times, that I shouldn't love him because he'd do something terrible and betray me someday; heck, I say stuff like that all the time to my partner, mostly because I'm insecure and have low self-esteem... not because I'm actually planning on blowing up a church, killing hundreds of innocent people and sparking a Civil War.
When that actually happened at the end of Act 3, I was properly in shock. It was Isabela all over again, except dialled up to eleven. I started selecting dialogue options to support and defend Anders, because I thought it's what I should do; I was kinda on autopilot, always looking for the heart icon when talking to or about him. Sebastian demanded I kill Anders and left when I didn't, and Fenris stormed off as well, only returning to fight me before the final boss. The only reason Aveline stuck around is because I'd managed to get her to maximum friendship, but even she was hesitant.
But, perhaps worse than all of those reactions, I could see that Hawke was frowning, recoiling and talking in near-disgust every time I chose dialogue that supported Anders. Once I'd finished the game, I broke free of my autopilot and gave it some thought; specifically, if I'd been so angry at Isabela, why wasn't I furious with Anders? Why didn't I abandon him? Heck, why didn't I kill him? I should have; he was a terrorist, he killed innocent people to make a political statement, and (okay, despite those brief, periodic warnings) he lied to me... and had used me to plant the bomb. I'd been a little nervous when he did that, but I rolled with it, thinking he'd maybe stolen a forbidden spell to help him remove Justice or something, but now? Now I was complicit in terrorism.
Broadly speaking, throughout the game's very clear narrative arc of Templars Vs. Mages, I was on the side of the Mages anyway; it's just where my personal politics fall, even though I've never and will never play the Mage class myself. But I'm both a diplomat and an honourable man (or so I like to think) and so, reflecting on my decisions post-credits, I actually felt a little ashamed of my blinkered support for Anders.
For a game to make me question my decisions is one good thing; for a romance to end up going down such a path is something else. Kudos to BioWare; I totally didn't see it coming.
This morning I played the Mark of the Assassin DLC (and loved it, especially since it had shades of Kasumi's DLC from Mass Effect 2, one of my all-time favourite DLCs) and took Anders with me, just to see how a post-launch, post-credits approach to his character might change. Perhaps because I stuck with him and made the autopilot decisions I did, he was back to being adorable and sweet and a little cheeky.
And y'know what? That was fine with me, because I totally "get" him and still love him. But someday I'll replay the whole game and when I do, knowing what I do now, I don't think I can romance him... because next time I get to the end, I'm probably gonna kill him.
In other words, I totally get why he divided opinion in your house!
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRogerWhat they basically did with Dragon Age II was put a terrorist in your party, say 'here are the reasons for doing what he did' and ask you to decide how to deal with it. Unbelieveable. Did you play the Awakening DLC? Anders was an absolute powerhouse in my party throughout Awakening, so I was already pre-disposed to like him. As for Isabela, well I don't think my Warden from Dragon Age Origins will ever forget his night with her and Zevran in a hurry
@Gremio108 Yep, and it's slightly terrified me that I didn't see it coming, especially when it was so freakin' obvious in hindsight and his behaviour throughout is almost textbook. I guess I just didn't expect it from a game, especially one about witches and magic powers and dragons and whatnot, so I wasn't even looking (until it was too late). Adding the romance on top is what made it particularly effective; otherwise, if we were talking about Varric or Sebastian, it might not have had quite the impact.
Nope, I haven't played Awakening yet (because I totally intend to go back through all three games once I'm done, exactly like I did with Mass Effect, and that's when I'll add it in). It'll be interesting to see how I react to Anders in that DLC now, and whether it'll change my determination to avoid him and kill him at the end of Dragon Age II when I get there again.
Eew. I take it that means you were sympathetic towards Isabela then?
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger My DA:O Warden was basically up for anything. I picked the dwarf underclass story and decided from the off that he was going to be an absolute animal. Because I didn't expect to enjoy it, (my wife's a fan and wanted me to play it to see how much our playthroughs differed) I didn't take it entirely seriously at first, hence the horny dwarf. I later took my DA II and Inquisition characters much more seriously. I even went for mage for Inquisition, something I never do with games like this. I was really into the series by that point.
I didn't take much notice of Isabela until the second game. I thought she was brilliant in it, although I'll admit her constant side-switching did get a bit tiresome. But she eventually became my 'fifth team member', filling in for Varric when I fancied some double-dagger action.
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
@Gremio108 Same boat; my best friend got me Origins and urged me to play it, so my Warden was quite the jerk to begin with, because I'd never pushed a choice-driven game to extremes before (my Shepard was the consummate diplomat and hero) and wasn't taking it too seriously either. Most conversations ended with me throwing a knife in the back of somebody's head. I helped people out, but for a price. Totally took that poor homeless kid's family sword and everything.
I've just done the Keep online, after uploading my completed DAII save last night (Legacy was a great DLC, really enjoyed it, although not quite as much as Mark of the Assassin, but they were different beasts) and have tweaked a good few choices from Origins, because in hindsight (having fallen in love with the franchise thusfar) I regret my terrible actions. It's also why I had no problem with my Warden sacrificing himself to save Ferelden in the end; it was totally penance for being such a stone-hearted, murderous bully (although I'd make the same choice for different reasons if I were playing as a true hero).
Glad you grew to like Isabela, even though I didn't. My friend is outraged that I got so angry with her and drove her away, because she's one of her favourite characters (and her usual romance partner, too). When I play through the series again, I'll make different choices and spend more time with the folks I've been sidelining thusfar. That's when I'm sure I'll "get" her.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
I could be wrong but I think Isabela leaves the game at that particular point regardless - in my first playthrough I romanced her & she still took off and I'm pretty sure I didn't push her away. Was expecting her to show up again at the finale but she never did - don't know if that's just the way the game was written or something but it did seem strange that she never reappeared again? Maybe someone out there who knows more about it can enlighten me perhaps.
@Strathnaver1 I spoke with my best friend, who loves Isabela, and she confirms that Isabela can return under specific circumstances. Providing your Friendship with her is above +50 (or ideally maxed out; it isn't tied to romance, because you can romance a Rival) and you tell her to "take the relic and run" to save her own life, she'll make a dramatic entrance whilst you're talking with the Arishok and confess, returning the relic in an attempt to prevent any violence. She then runs away, but can be found back in the Hanged Man at the beginning of Act 3, at which point she can rejoin you for the rest of the game. It's your friendship and willingness to let her save herself that guilts her into being a hero; if you aren't friendly with her but tell her to run, she just runs and never returns and likewise, if you demand she returns the relic and confronts the Arishok, she gets defensive and runs for good.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRogerYou've accidentally created a cracking narrative there - guy who is famously cruel to everyone he meets across the land, sees the error of his ways and ends up sacrificing himself to save Ferelden
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
Really !? That's interesting, thanks for the tip - may have to romance Isabela again when I next play through then & see if I can max out her friendship first etc. Having said that, Merrill is my real sweetheart in this game (Blood Magic & all !!)
@Gremio108 Thanks! It did also feel a bit Jack Bauer at certain points, that kinda "do whatever it takes, even being cruel and nasty, and then I'll put myself in harm's way to justify it" approach. Given how everybody in Dragon Age II spoke about what happened, I was actually pretty happy with how it turned out, and was glad to know I hadn't ruined everything by playing the first half of Origins as such an appalling man.
@Strathnaver1 No worries; hope it helps! You sound like the mirror of my best friend; she's playing it alongside me, too, and has chosen to romance Merrill this time, instead of her usual choice, Isabela. She's totally fallen for her! I really liked her character as well, so can understand why.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
Currently playing BioShock infinite.. that game deserves a Platinum. In the spare time i re-started to play Burnout Paradise, because i have to unlock online trophies and since i Just read they're going to close the online the First of august
@RogerRoger thanks but i Just saw i still have to do One of the most ridiculous trophies i've ever seen in a game... I have to send a photo of my face to unlock this trophy, but i wont buy a camera Just For It, so i'll pass lol
Just finished yakuza 3.
Started with lollipop chainsaw which is really fun and absurd so far.
I’ll recieve jojo’s bizarre adventure all star battle and katamari forever in the mail this week which I’m happy to try.
Having replayed Arkham Asylum and Arkham City (the original PS3 versions rather than the Return To Arkham remasters), and intending to replay Arkham Knight soon, I thought I'd give WB Montreal's prequel another go, and I'm so glad I did. Okay, so it closely follows Rocksteady's template, it's a little less refined, and there are a few bugs and small design issues that have been overlooked (I was able to hack a keypad and grab at least one Riddler data pack before I should have), but I still think this is a worthy, and maybe underrated, addition to the Arkham canon.
Rocksteady's games are no doubt the superior of the bunch, but I do think WB Montreal do some things better. For one, I think Origins tells a better story than any of Rocksteady's efforts, which to me always fell flat with their "big" reveals. Eight assassins all gunning for Batman on Christmas Eve is an ace setup, and we get to see a younger, angrier Bruce Wayne making his mark on Gotham and forging relationships with both friends and foes. The wintry and festive backdrop also make exploring the map more appealing, even if half of it is reused from Arkham City, and the bosses are a cut above - for the most part - too.
I was going to jump straight into Arkham Knight next, but I might check out Arkham Origins - Blackgate before that, giving me a fine excuse to dig out my PS Vita (unless I opt for the console Deluxe Version, of course). Can anyone recommend if it's worth a look?
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