tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-270723342797172859.post3793662905079352572..comments2023-11-17T00:28:24.168-08:00Comments on The Rotted Rose: DA2 Playthrough: Final wrapupNemoremhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13935785631488525747noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-270723342797172859.post-68610118125626306172011-03-22T09:31:54.254-07:002011-03-22T09:31:54.254-07:00Good point about Kirkwall, though if they were goi...Good point about Kirkwall, though if they were going to dress up some of the reused areas, they should have started with the ones that were supposed to actually be different locations. But yeah, it would have been great to depict different seasons in Kirkwall, maybe have the city dressed up for a big holiday, or just have new structures going up. Huge missed opportunity.Nemoremhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13935785631488525747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-270723342797172859.post-71290842916185973962011-03-22T04:53:05.805-07:002011-03-22T04:53:05.805-07:00Oh yeah, sorry. Was mainly talking about the flash...Oh yeah, sorry. Was mainly talking about the flash-forwards with Varric. I also liked the time jumps, and I think it actually made me connect with the companions a lot more. On the other hand, I really think we needed to see more changes to Kirkwall itself between the time periods so to speak. I know the jumps are only 3 years (I think it was?), but still. <br /><br />I just finished the game and, well... I found Act 3 to be a bit medicore and the ending of it didn't really help. And I think that feeling is increased by Act 2 being a lot more interesting overall.<br /><br />I also really missed the ending of DA. In DA, I think they did an *excellent* job of crafting both a cutscene that could put a note of finality in the cinematic sense, as well as providing the classic, simple ending slide telling you what happened with the communities. The DA2 ending feels very brief and... yeah, cliffhanger-ish to say the least.<br /><br />Been fun to follow your blog posts on this though. Always nice to read something cool-headed instead of either the A) internet raging or B) fanatical fanboyism.Starwarsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-270723342797172859.post-7494867344746804262011-03-21T13:14:17.423-07:002011-03-21T13:14:17.423-07:00Yeah Starwars, Varric's commentary didn't ...Yeah Starwars, Varric's commentary didn't do much for me either (though I didn't have a big problem with it either - I'm just ambivalent). When I say I liked the framed narrative, it was really the structure - the way it allowed you to skip forward in time and make the story about whatever the PC was doing.<br /><br />The game should have ended with the conclusion of the Qunari storyline (preferably with the resources from Act 3 used to bolster the rest of the game). There are some fun parts at the end, and it's certainly interesting to discuss and debate, but eh... not top quality.<br /><br />Thanks for the detailed response. Sounds like we're pretty much in agreement.Nemoremhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13935785631488525747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-270723342797172859.post-34325306758979440662011-03-21T12:38:17.664-07:002011-03-21T12:38:17.664-07:00I'm almost finished with the game and I must s...I'm almost finished with the game and I must say that I have very mixed feelings overall.<br /><br />One of the most interesting bits is definitely the story. It is flawed as you say, but it so refreshing to see something like this from Bioware, that is much more on the "ground level". Sadly, I don't think they quite pull it off. But yeah, as you said, the story as it unfolds in Act 2 with the Qunari presence... They had me really hooked there and I really wish they had managed to keep that level throughout the game.<br /><br />Sadly enough, my interest has dipped again as the game moved away from that conflict. I don't find it as horrendous as the first part of the game but the game is starting to bore me. So I'm glad I seem to be moving towards the ending.<br /><br />On the whole, I think my lasting impression of DA2 will sadly be one of unfulfilled potential. Occasionally there are flashes of brilliance, to the point where I feel it's some of Bioware's best stuff. <br /><br />But I dunno... I love the idea of a city adventure, yet I don't think DA2 does it nearly well enough. The day/night cycle has plenty potential but mostly used to push some more combat in the player's face during the night. The combat system is fun but crushed under the encounter design. The writing for Hawke is IMO not sharp enough to warrant the dialogue wheel. The list goes on.<br /><br />The framed narrative is interesting but it's also a thing that I think Alpha Protocol did so much better. It's not exactly the same (in AP you're controlling the dialogue in the flash-forwards as well) but I found it to have a lot more tension overall between <br />the two talkers. It's not bad in DA2 but it doesn't *do* anything for me, at least not thus far. Perhaps there will be a pay-off during the ending but so far I feel it's mostly just a short recap of what Hawke has done, and occasionally Varric spinning a yarn but it hasn't really served a huge purpose for me personally. It's just there.<br /><br />But yeah, DA2 is a really mixed experience for me. I wouldn't call it bad but there are many parts to it that really are bad, if not disastrous in my eyes. There are occasional flashes of brilliance but most of the time it feels like a sort lite treatment of DA... And a few times it dips almost into fanfic level territory.<br /><br />Don't regret my purchase either but nevertheless... I think it's rather disappointing overall.Starwarsnoreply@blogger.com