Dragon Age

[Xuri]

Spend all your life-savings on a new desktop computer. Buy the PC version.

[Amaron]

My plan is to buy the 360 version since my laptop only meets min specs.  But now I'm a bit worried.  Suggestions?

It sounds like the two versions are totally different.  If you can only control one character at a time in the console version then that's not even remotely the same game.   If you aren't the kind of person to keep a gaming PC around though then does that sort of thing really matter to you?   Console games never have that sort of gameplay and you've already sort of made a decision to be a console gamer so it might not hurt your enjoyment at all.

[Calantus]

I also think it's insulting that I have to worry about developers putting food on kids' tables. I mean, basically that's what some comments sound like. i.e. I should be take into account that companies need to make up costs. Puh-lease. I'm definitely positive that worrying about paychecks applies to me more than them. And the same goes for many gamers. The difference with me and others is that many gamers are stupid, single, and operate under the assumption that they have disposable income (most don't though, in practice). DLC is a phenomenon born out of the desire to tap into this idiotic "disposable income gamer" market. Not for the poor wittle game developers who will die from starvation.. I mean, if that's really the case, just give me your address then. I'll some send beans and rice.

Hmmm. If only there were a way to compensate developers for their work without DLC.

Actually, I have an idea. It came to me when I thought about how if costs rise higher than the set price everything in the world must be then why don't we just raise prices on those things that cost more to make? I know it's never been done before, but I think it would probably work. And when people could make a profit on things that cost a lot to make people might actually start making and selling expensive things. This would probably also help the American car manufacturers, it must be really hard to turn a profit when you need to sell each car for the same price as a happy meal.

[Azazel]

 

[UnSub]

It is Melbourne Cup Day. There's a good chance he's been drinking.

[Sophismata]

Bless November.

[Elerion]

This is seriously testing my want-to-be-honest-since-I-can-technically-afford-to-now resolve.

[Sophismata]

I'm still on the fence. I want to buy the game, because if it's anything like Baldur's Gate I'll really enjoy it. But the character generator and DLC-at-launch thing really has me looking at this sceptically. If I hear its good from those friends of mine who purchased it, I'll probably do the same.

But I'm wary.

[Calantus]

It is Melbourne Cup Day. There's a good chance he's been drinking.

Also had the day off.

[caladein]

PCG (UK) Review.

Also, This game will unlock in approximately 7 hours .

[AutomaticZen]

PCG (UK) Review.

Oh, and if we're listing faults, one appalling gaff is the failure to change family members' skin colour if you roleplay a non-caucasian. My main protagonist, a black man, lived as a sort of reverse 'The Jerk', where no one mentioned that his mother, father and brothers were all white. Embarrassing.

Classic. I shall embrace my white family with open arms. 

[Riggswolfe]

PCG (UK) Review.

Oh, and if we're listing faults, one appalling gaff is the failure to change family members' skin colour if you roleplay a non-caucasian. My main protagonist, a black man, lived as a sort of reverse 'The Jerk', where no one mentioned that his mother, father and brothers were all white. Embarrassing.

Classic. I shall embrace my white family with open arms. 

In a way it's kind of funny. It gives me a Chappelle show vibe.

[Segoris]

Oh, and if we're listing faults, one appalling gaff is the failure to change family members' skin colour if you roleplay a non-caucasian. My main protagonist, a black man, lived as a sort of reverse 'The Jerk', where no one mentioned that his mother, father and brothers were all white. Embarrassing.

Oh sweet, I can roleplay I'm <insert attention whoring famous person here>'s recently adopted kid from Africa, and they didn't even make me pay extra to do so on day 1 with their DLC.

DA:O, now with more simulation features! 

[Stormwaltz]

PCG (UK) Review.

Further to this are the Combat Tactics. Each character has a limited number of these slots (expanded through levelling up and choosing particular skills) to which you can assign specific actions to be performed in specific conditions, using cascading menus. These can be as simple as picking 'Self' then 'Health', then 'is < 25%' then 'Use health poultice: least powerful'. Or as complex as 'if party member Leliana' is 'Being attacked by melee attack', then 'Deactivate mode: Powerful swings'. And so on. With at least five or six slots available for each character, this enables you to set up an elaborate array of specific behaviours so that your party can enact your will without constant babysitting. It's most useful for getting members to self-heal at the right times, heal each other, and switch from range to melee weapons in particular circumstances.

"Think the party AI sucks? Fix it yourself!"

Obligatory F13 sarcasm aside, I think this is a neat feature.

[Yegolev]

Stolen from FFXII, yes?

Need more reports.

[JWIV]

Stolen from FFXII, yes?

Need more reports.

I was going to say Phantasy Star IV myself which had the combat macros at least.   The conditional trigger stuff is definitely a sweet improvement though. 

[jakonovski]

Le sigh, all the pirates are playing DA and soon so are Murricans. As an euro scumbag I paid the highest price and get the worst service, especially if Steam intends to make me wait until 8PM on Friday like the countdown suggests. Thanks EA and Steam for punishing me for being a customer!

[Teleku]

They're not punishing you for being a customer!  There punishing you for being European.  Get it right.

[Segoris]

Le sigh, all the pirates are playing DA and soon so are Murricans. As an euro scumbag I paid the highest price and get the worst service, especially if Steam intends to make me wait until 8PM on Friday like the countdown suggests. Thanks EA and Steam for punishing me for being a customer!

Man up and deal, etc.

 

[jakonovski]

Le sigh, all the pirates are playing DA and soon so are Murricans. As an euro scumbag I paid the highest price and get the worst service, especially if Steam intends to make me wait until 8PM on Friday like the countdown suggests. Thanks EA and Steam for punishing me for being a customer!

Man up and deal, etc.

 

Dude I was already aiming that at myself for being a little bitch who whines about video games. This is such a shit hobby for shit people.

[Draegan]

Eurogamer 8/10

Over half a decade in the making, vast in scope, neck-deep in loot, lore and labyrinthine plotting - if classics were measured by the yard and made out of man-hours, Dragon Age would stand head and shoulders above them all.
'Dragon Age: Origins' Screenshot 1

But they're not. And although it's a work of great accomplishment and craftsmanship - and no small amount of ambition - Dragon Age is sorely lacking in the things that make a truly great role-playing game, or any game for that matter: vision, inspiration, soul.

[Brogarn]

Eurogamer 8/10

Over half a decade in the making, vast in scope, neck-deep in loot, lore and labyrinthine plotting - if classics were measured by the yard and made out of man-hours, Dragon Age would stand head and shoulders above them all.
'Dragon Age: Origins' Screenshot 1

But they're not. And although it's a work of great accomplishment and craftsmanship - and no small amount of ambition - Dragon Age is sorely lacking in the things that make a truly great role-playing game, or any game for that matter: vision, inspiration, soul.

But yet they give it an 8/10. Ooookay.

Either way I'm still antsy because I won't get it until tomorrow.

BALTIMORE, MD, US     11/03/2009     8:50 A.M.     DEPARTURE SCAN

/sadface

[jakonovski]

This whole release date cockmongering is like a guy standing on the street shouting "fuck you" at your place. Sure, you can close the window and he can't bother you anymore, but why is he shouting fuck you at me for no reason at all?

[tmp]

Quite; really not getting the 3 day delay for European release, unless the staggered release is supposed to somehow protect Bioware DLC servers from meltdown or something.

[AutomaticZen]

Eurogamer 8/10

Over half a decade in the making, vast in scope, neck-deep in loot, lore and labyrinthine plotting - if classics were measured by the yard and made out of man-hours, Dragon Age would stand head and shoulders above them all.
'Dragon Age: Origins' Screenshot 1

But they're not. And although it's a work of great accomplishment and craftsmanship - and no small amount of ambition - Dragon Age is sorely lacking in the things that make a truly great role-playing game, or any game for that matter: vision, inspiration, soul.

Odd.  They give it an 8/10, and many of the other reviews say the opposite.

Gamespot (9.5)

When was the last time you felt totally lost in a fantasy gameworld? When was the last time you played a game with such a well-crafted and enjoyable story that you knew you’d remember it for a long, long time? Dragon Age: Origins is that kind of game, so rich and involving that you are powerless to resist its wiles and whims, so touching and triumphant that your mind and heart will be moved.  In the fictional land of Ferelden, you meet memorable characters and fight for a cause you believe in, and it's this backdrop that makes developer BioWare's newest role-playing game so extraordinary. Dragon Age is more than a well-crafted story, however: It's a lengthy, intricate, and thoroughly entertaining adventure that's easy to fall in love with.

CVG (9.4)

Most extraordinary about this opening choice is the incredible sense of being of that race, and the part that race plays in history. I know much about the elves, the dwarves and the mages: I've been to their homelands, experienced their cultures, influenced their lives and been influenced by them. But I've no idea what it's like to be a Dalish elf. I can tell you all about being a noble human, my family's past, our relationships to the ruling classes, and most of all, the horror of loss and betrayal that surrounded me. No part of the game is without this enormity of history.

GameInformer (9.0)

In addition to capturing the joy of battle, Dragon Age also provides an engrossing backdrop for the action. Even more than Mass Effect, the nation of Ferelden feels like a fully realized setting with its own history, conflicts, and power groups. This is one of the main reasons the game is so addicting; completing quests isn’t just about grinding experience and amassing loot – it actually feels like you have an impact on the world.

In the middle of reviewing Dragon Age, I had a couple vacation days scheduled. During my long out-of-state weekend, the game was constantly popping into my mind – how I could have won a fight differently, or how I might spend my next few talent points. As soon as my flight landed back in Minneapolis, I didn’t even fight the urge; I drove straight into the office and spent an entire Sunday night in front of the computer fighting darkspawn and saving Ferelden. The number of titles that can foster this level of dedication and obsession are few, and Dragon Age: Origins is among the best of them.

Against the Eurogamer review:

But any desire to play it again is ultimately squashed, for many reasons which can be boiled down to one. Although the systems which make up Dragon Age's world are all interesting and well-realised - the companion interaction, the plotting, the character progression, the combat - the world itself is neither.

I got the feeling from reading it, that he was aiming to give it a 6 or 7.

[schild]

Remember, Eurogamer was the only site that gave Darkfall a 2.

Someone is afraid of backlash and knows no one reads anything on the web.

[Murgos]

Meh, I read one review of Borderlands that said the game has no atmosphere, which of all the faults it does have that isn't one.  Just because someone publishes a review doesn't mean it's worth anything.

[Velorath]

Quite; really not getting the 3 day delay for European release, unless the staggered release is supposed to somehow protect Bioware DLC servers from meltdown or something.

If that were the case, it didn't work.  Trying to download the Shale DLC, and the game makes you login to Bioware's Social Network site (which is apparently in beta).  I already have a Bioware/EA login in so I use that and it asks me to set up a profile and then click on the "next" button, at which point I get a "An Error Has Occurred Error creating social site account" message every time.  It's like their damn SWTOR beta signup.  Somebody get these guys someone who can make a functioning webpage (or maybe just a less retarded way for people to get their DLC).

[Yegolev]

I'm fairly certain that a Metascore does not adjust the aggregate score based on review text.  Furthermore, no one depending on advertising is going to give a bad rating to a Bioware game.

Also:

Just because someone publishes a review doesn't mean it's worth anything.

I am waiting to gauge the F13 reaction.  As if I am going to stop playing Borderlands.  What will likely happen is that I replace Last Remnant with Dragon Age in couple-time.

[schild]

Meh, I read one review of Borderlands that said the game has no atmosphere, which of all the faults it does have that isn't one.  Just because someone publishes a review doesn't mean it's worth anything.

Yea, f13 is seriously foreign to that train of thought.

[Rasix]

Time to see if the lame Best Buys around here have it in stock.  Well, after my fun fun allergy shots.

[Yegolev]

What the fuck could you be allergic to in Arizona?  Maybe you meant "antivenin"?

[AutomaticZen]

What the fuck could you be allergic to in Arizona?  Maybe you meant "antivenin"?

Dirt or scorpions?

[Ingmar]

Chain-link fences and old people, obviously.

[Xuri]

Available: 6 November 2009
This game will unlock in approximately 2 days and 22 hours

Fine, Electronic Arts. I'll just not fucking play your stupid fucking dragon age game. Try me again in 2030 when you've finally decided to treat your customers the same wherever they live.