Dragon Age 3

[Hoax]

I'm very unimpressed with the visuals, it looks incredibly fake and plastic in that video and in the 10min of streams I watched. I hope that's just a console thing.

[Paelos]

On the PC everything looked insanely shiny. Like you could see reflections in lips. I hope there's a way to turn that off, even though they were proud of it in the videos.

Ugh. It's a medieval world where they can barely figure out how to stop demons from ransacking the planet, but A LIPGLOSS IN EVERY POT GUYS!

[Signe]

I love lip gloss.  It's one of my favourite things in the world besides shoes.  I'm still getting it for the 360, though, because after xmas I'm giving the xbox and all it's games and bits to my nephew so he and his woman can play games together.  He even gets my Gold account!  Well, until January when it runs out. 

[rk47]

Not sure wtf is up with Bioware's Dragon Age division. Their arts direction are pretty questionable.
Mass Effect team didn't have noticeable flaws like the DA team did.
Overall, I'm setting my bar of expectations for the graphics prettttty low on this one cause they don't look late 2014 at all.

[Samprimary]

On the PC everything looked insanely shiny. Like you could see reflections in lips. I hope there's a way to turn that off, even though they were proud of it in the videos.

Ugh. It's a medieval world where they can barely figure out how to stop demons from ransacking the planet, but A LIPGLOSS IN EVERY POT GUYS!

maybe lipgloss is a demon repellant, similar to how the qunari etch their fucking faces with toxic paint to amp their stats. ferelden had such horrid problems with the blight mostly on account of how not shiny it is.

[Merusk]

Gloss, the Bloom effect of 2014.  Fucking graphics artists.

[jakonovski]

Insert shiny naked Kim Kardashian pic here.

[calapine]

On the PC everything looked insanely shiny. Like you could see reflections in lips. I hope there's a way to turn that off, even though they were proud of it in the videos.

Ugh. It's a medieval world where they can barely figure out how to stop demons from ransacking the planet, but A LIPGLOSS IN EVERY POT GUYS!

Well, to be positive: As it's so bad that everyone notices it (and even the reviews took it up) it's not unlikely there will be a patch to tone it done. Or alternatively a fan-made post-processing mod.

Or edit the config files. Bloom = 1 is easier to change than ShittyWriting = true.

[Montague]

On the PC everything looked insanely shiny. Like you could see reflections in lips. I hope there's a way to turn that off, even though they were proud of it in the videos.

Ugh. It's a medieval world where they can barely figure out how to stop demons from ransacking the planet, but A LIPGLOSS IN EVERY POT GUYS!

Well, to be positive: As it's so bad that everyone notices it (and even the reviews took it up) it's not unlikely there will be a patch to tone it done. Or alternatively a fan-made post-processing mod.

Or edit the config files. Bloom = 1 is easier to change than ShittyWriting = true.

We'd probably sooner get another screed on gamer entitlement and how we're too stupid to truly appreciate all that is Bioware's genius.

[Hoax]

Insert shiny naked Kim Kardashian pic here.

[Megrim]

Hobbit.

[Ingmar]

PC preload available tomorrow at 9 am via Origin I believe. At least for my copy that's what it is showing.

[rk47]

Still can't play it, right?

[Ceryse]

Right, it doesn't unlock until Tuesday. Although, my Origin says it unlocks Monday at 10 pm, so thereabouts.

I pre-ordered, in large part because I'm an idiot, but also because I'm curious about the multiplayer, due to how good Mass Effect 3's multiplayer was and I got ME3 so late that anything beyond Bronze level was impossible because of how poorly geared my characters are (that and I suck at multiplayer crap that isn't a DIKU MMO..) which was frustrating. Although, I'm not completely sold on the multiplayer they've shown for DA:I. It doesn't seem to have the same feel as ME3's.. in part, I think because of how they've dealt with requiring various classes, regardless of difficulty level -- whereas in ME3 it never seemed to matter much if you had all level 1 soldiers on Bronze, so long as people weren't idiots.

[Rasix]

PC preload available tomorrow at 9 am via Origin I believe. At least for my copy that's what it is showing.

Is there anything of note in the preorder bonuses?  Most stuff looked like weapons or cosmetics. 

[Phildo]

I'll say that the DLC weapon packs for DA2 were really useful.  Then again, once you got those, you never needed to pay for weapons or armor again so it made pretty much all the money in the game useless.

[Ingmar]

PC preload available tomorrow at 9 am via Origin I believe. At least for my copy that's what it is showing.

Is there anything of note in the preorder bonuses?  Most stuff looked like weapons or cosmetics. 

Deluxe has the soundtrack, some bonus loot for multiplayer, and some goofy mounts. Regular just has a gear set I think, don't know if it is purely cosmetic or what. Nothing like Sebastian or Shale type 'day 1' DLC this time AFAIK.

[Merusk]

I'll say that the DLC weapon packs for DA2 were really useful.  Then again, once you got those, you never needed to pay for weapons or armor again so it made pretty much all the money in the game useless.

Yeah, I picked those up and agree. If I get DA3 I won't pick-up any weapon packs because it largely made finding gear pointless. Since that is a key gameplay point of RPGs for me it was a problem.

[Paelos]

I have a deluxe edition because fuck it, why not? The music to DA games has always been hauntingly good to me.

[Ingmar]

Same. It's a new composer this time (not Inon Zur anymore, now it's Trevor Morris) but everything they've released has been good so far.

[Signe]

I ended up getting the PC version because my nephew is coming up early (not near the holidays at all) and he's taking the 360 back with him... with the already bought 360 version.     BUT... I don't mind so much.  It'll be easier to cheat later on.

[Velorath]

I would have got Deluxe but GMG had a deal for 20% off and I think Origin is the only place you can get the digital deluxe version. I could have justified paying $10 extra for deluxe, but not almost $20 extra.

[calapine]

Does anyone know how long has it been in the past for a DA / ME franchise-release having it's first "50% off on Halloween weekend/ Bastille day / Eid al-Adha" sale on Origin?

[Velorath]

Probably start off with some rounds of multiplayer when this unlocks tomorrow night. Origin name is Velorath if anybody else is planning on getting into multiplayer a bit.

[Jeff Kelly]

I'll pass on it until I hear some of the player reactions when peopla actually had a chance to play that game. Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 3 burned me to much to buy this on day 1.

[Tmon]

Yesterday while the Broncos were getting their asses handed to them I watched the various game play videos and decided that I could put up with a couple-three hours of collect ten rats to get to the rest of the game so I picked up a preorder.   

[rk47]

Played half an hour.
This is not so good. At all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7Rrqo9qXSM&feature=youtu.be

[Ingmar]

Pro tip: if the weird shiny hair is bugging you, apparently the graphics setting that will fix it is setting mesh quality to high.

[calapine]

Played half an hour.
This is not so good. At all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7Rrqo9qXSM&feature=youtu.be

Ok, so let me transcribe the video, without editorializing:


The very first frames show the setting. You are traveling in a mountainous region, with copious snow. Disaster strikes from the sky. <Fade to dark>

You wake up on the floor of a vast underground cavern. The character behavior makes clear that you are confused as to why and where.

You seem to be imbued/possessed by some sort of magical force. The ominous green glows suggests it is not a benign effect.

Before you can wonder what this all means an unknown woman person arrives to rescue you.

You are attacked by creatures of the cavern, which seems to trigger [or coincidence?] the magical force inside. Green glow, you pass out, fade to black.

You wake up inside an interrogation cell, tied. Entering the room a is tough interrogator together with a sidekick. You are threatened with execution. People are dead and you are suspiciously the only one alive.

Interrogate leads you outside. A rough-build fortress in a mountains area. Snowfall. Mysterious force in the sky, it triggers the power within you, hurting you. It becomes clear the magical power is getting stronger and will be your end.

We know this because the interrogator says: "Each time the breach expands your mark spreads and it is killing you. It may be the key to stopping this. But there isn't much time. [...]Closing the breach."

To sum up, there is magical force in you that will slowly take you over, if you cannot stop it. The snowy region you are in threatened by is the sudden appearance of a supernatural threat. It is clear that your sudden new power is connected to this threat.

The interrogator unties your chains, but you are not a free man.  The interrogate informs you that you are accused of causing the death of the local ruler. It is clear you will have to co-operate with the interrogator. "You wish to prove your innocene, this is the only way."

The interrogator tells you that you have to go up the mountain head into the valley to test the nature of your magical affliction.

[End of RK video]


Neverwitcher 2 Mask of the Elderscrolls.  


Edit: I forgot. The interrogator tells suddenly appearing force is a gateway, a portal if you will, beyond which large, powerful, evil beings reside. They are called..eh..something starting with D. 6 letters.

[Paelos]

The hair does look silly. I'll be changing that setting.

[rk47]

I'm sorry man, if the SP combat is indicative of what to experience in MP ... then no way it's gonna be a hit.
The ranged combat is the epitome of 'half assed action rpg'
Auto-lock on arrows? What the hell? There's no location damage? Why?! After ME3 showing how it's done?!

[calapine]

I have a writing complaint. The Darkspawn wasn't really a deep or original concept. So I am not holding that against the "Rift" plot. But presentation matters.

Here in DA 3 the interrogator women, who really seems more a soldier-captain rather than a scholar, flatly, without any buildup tells you the deal in the first five minutes of the game:

"Each time the breach expands your mark spreads and it is killing you. It may be the key to stopping this. But there isn't much time." There, done. That was the central concept of the game, we move on.


Then 10 play minutes later:  Literally the second named person you meet in the game, during a fight, and before you introduced yourself, takes your hand, points it against a rift. The rift closes. Fight-scene ends, dialog starts.:

"Closed that thing? How?" "Whatever magic opened the breach in the sky also placed that mark on your hand. I theorized the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach's wave - and it seems I was correct. It seems you hold the key to our salvation." And done. Now you can sleep through the rest of the conversation without missing the plot.


That just seems...low effort? Or is it me?

[rk47]

You just jam it in, Cal.
JAM. IT. IN.

[Lantyssa]

You got the touch!  You got the Pow-Aaaaaaaaah!

[HaemishM]

Played half an hour.
This is not so good. At all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7Rrqo9qXSM&feature=youtu.be

Fapping jokes always make bad games better.

Also, late to the party, as I haven't watched any videos prior to this but... that hair. ... THE FUCK? That is fucking amateur hour.