Topic: Gamer thread

[Sig]

Dwarfs are best.

[Cannonofdoom]

I thought that Dragon Age was a very good game. It had very good DLC content as well. Going through all of the origins and achieving the different endings was fun.

[Aldaris]

The story was generic but no worse than Skyrim's. That's why I don't get the hate for the story, when shit like Skyrim is no better and the combat is downright worse.

"No better"? I liked Skyrim well enough, especially the world, but the story and the characters were utterly forgettable. I couldn't tell you a single memorable moment of either story or characters now after a couple of months. Completely bland in that regard.  And that is were Dragon Age shone. In my opinion at least.

And yes, I really liked the DA combat system - it has a lot of room for player skill. Not immediately obvious, but I really noticed in the fight against the first Ogre. In my first playthrough I was completely frustrated, in my second one it was smooth sailing.

[phillyt]

What was terrifically memorable about the characters in DA?  It was canned.  Most were annoying.  Their stories were largely predictable.  It felt like another Bioware game.  Mass Effect did a far better job of making the characters engaging. 

Comparing Skyrim and Dragon Age is problematic.  They are too different.  Skyrim's world and the open approach, combined with the combat system and variety of experiences and shear mass of content is epic.  It fails in the main quest (as it always does though this one was better) and the creation of truely memorable characters (the openness of options makes scripted character interaction troublesome).

Dragon Age is a pseudo-turn based RPG.  The textures were awful.  The models were awful.  The sex scenes were embarrassing.  The areas to explore were very hit or miss.  What it succeeded at was in drawing you into those personal relationships.  The interactions, responses, and camp scenes were all fun.  The items, multi-party system, and strategy was enjoyable.  But it all felt very bland.

On another note, the makers of DA have said they are integrating what Skyrim did into their game, recognizing that what they have done in the past wasn't stellar.

[Feanor Fire Heart]

What was terrifically memorable about the characters in DA?  It was canned.  Most were annoying.  Their stories were largely predictable.  It felt like another Bioware game.  Mass Effect did a far better job of making the characters engaging.

SOME of the characters were quite memorable in ME1.  Both of the love interests (regardless of what gender you play) were bland. Tali, Wrex, Joker, and Garrus were the most memorable and interesting characters.  I find the ME2 crew to be more memorable even though 2 of the 3 I mentioned above come back to be apart of the crew (gee I wonder why?).  I have yet to play ME3 so I couldnt comment.  Still need to finish my Fem shep play through of ME1 and 2.

Also in ME1 whether you play as male or female Shepard, does anyone else feel like when you approach Kaiden Alenko to chat it always seems VERY awkward?


As far as DA:O goes, The characters are not that memorable.  The only one I can honestly remember was the evil witch party member.  I am half temped to reload DA:O and give it another try, but I have enough games to finish.

[rufus sparkfire]

I'm not very keen on the 'party members talk at great length about their troubled pasts' style of RPG. That's one reason I like the dog best!

[Finlay]

Dragon age combat was fun but the world wasn’t great.
Hard to compare to skyrim which is good more down to the world and exploration and all the stuff you can do. The “main quest” in skyrim isn’t really what the game is about. Also, you can't be a dwarf in skyrim. *sob sob sob*

Is alien: colonial marines going to be good? I absolutely loved the old AvP game.

[Feanor Fire Heart]

Is alien: colonial marines going to be good? I absolutely loved the old AvP game.

you're kidding right?  Ive been posting so much stuff about that game!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBIpUEjFFHA

the game is made with much love and detail.  they thoroughly read through the aliens manuals and schematics.

[phillyt]

I am not convinced.  I refuse rto get my hopes up.  They haven't done a good AVP game in like 11 years.

[Feanor Fire Heart]

I am not convinced.  I refuse rto get my hopes up.  They haven't done a good AVP game in like 11 years.

well because it's not AvP. Its just A.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w3vlks9lYY

[Finlay]

It gives me hope it is affiliated with gearbox- borderlands is awesome.

If it's good I'll definitely get it. bioshock and rome 2 are the ones I will really let myself get hyped for

[Sig]

My point wasn't to flatly compare Skyrim and DA:O as games, merely that what people savage DA for being average in they totally brush off in Skyrim when it is basically the same. I would argue that the actual gameplay in Skyrim is flat terrible, and the giant beautiful world is what makes the game, which is unmatched by any other. DA isn't a great game, no, but it does everything competently and the meat - the combat - is great.

Anyway. Being a fighting games kinda guy I'm hanging out for the next Blazblue, chrono phantasma.

[phillyt]

 Didn't find the combat mechanic to be that good.

Likewise, there is far more to sky rim than just the world.

[harv]

Chivalry Medieval Warfare has a free weekend on steam starting now 

First person Medieval combat 

[Aldaris]

Likewise, there is far more to sky rim than just the world.

Seriously: what exactly? Is it challenging? Does it have a good, or at least well told, story? Good, or at least interesting, characters? What?
You could do a lot of stuff, yes. But to me, that falls under "world", and yes, that aspect was great. In all Elder Scrolls games.

Don't get me wrong, I LIKED Skyrim while I played it! But I still don't think it was a) objectively a very good game as far as game mechanics are concerned, and b) it just wasn't very interesting once all the prettyness wore off which, granted, took quite a while. Incidentally, that's the same thing I would say about Oblivion.

[Feanor Fire Heart]

I mod skyrim so much that I uninstalled it.  Will probably pick it up again at some point.  I really liked the world and atmosphere.  Of all the characters you meet Lydia and Jarl Balgruuf are the only memorable "characters" if you want to call them that.  The companions questline is a interesting story as is the thieves guild but I never really ventured nor finished the 2 main storylines.  The Mages college was pretty cool but not very thrilling the 2nd or 3rd time I played it.

The music can really hype you up when fighting a dragon or a zombie boss.  It's fun but bland in certain areas.

[phillyt]

Seriously: what exactly? Is it challenging? Does it have a good, or at least well told, story? Good, or at least interesting, characters? What?
You could do a lot of stuff, yes. But to me, that falls under "world", and yes, that aspect was great. In all Elder Scrolls games.

Become head of the Campanions.
Arch Mage of the College
Head of the Dark Brotherhood
Thane of the various cities
Build your own house
Decorate various houses
Craft within three fields and quest to obtain the items required
Free form role play and be the character you want to be.

In many ways, the Elder Scroll games are computerized DMs who are able to offer the game you want to see.

DA offered none of those things.  I am still suspicious of this "memorable characters" talk.  Other than saying the chick from Farscape or that british guy from Crossing Jordan, what was memorable in the least about the characters?  The utterly canned Obi Wan guy who recruits you?  The guy who does a Darth Vader redemption at the end?  In every case it is either completely obvious, stereotyped fantasy or drawn almost completely from another, better, Bioware game.

[Finlay]

My point wasn't to flatly compare Skyrim and DA:O as games, merely that what people savage DA for being average in they totally brush off in Skyrim when it is basically the same. I would argue that the actual gameplay in Skyrim is flat terrible, and the giant beautiful world is what makes the game, which is unmatched by any other. DA isn't a great game, no, but it does everything competently and the meat - the combat - is great.

Anyway. Being a fighting games kinda guy I'm hanging out for the next Blazblue, chrono phantasma.

agreed

Seriously: what exactly? Is it challenging? Does it have a good, or at least well told, story? Good, or at least interesting, characters? What?
You could do a lot of stuff, yes. But to me, that falls under "world", and yes, that aspect was great. In all Elder Scrolls games.

Become head of the Campanions.
Arch Mage of the College
Head of the Dark Brotherhood
Thane of the various cities- these all come under "world" and stuff to do.
Build your own house
Decorate various houses- lolwut. you seriously put decorating a house as a big plus of skyrim?
Craft within three fields and quest to obtain the items required- agreed, this was good. although did break the game quite easily.
Free form role play and be the character you want to be. Without compelling NPCs, it falls flat a bit.

[phillyt]

Who were the compelling NPc in da?

[MrDWhitey]

Your mum.

[Finlay]

Who were the compelling NPc in da?

Oh, I don't think there are any.

but there aren't in skyrim either.

[phillyt]

But that's like the big get for da.  The character interaction and voice acting are what gives it any real cred.

[rufus sparkfire]

Voice acting!

No one in the world has ever cared about voice acting!

[phillyt]

Nihilist.

[rufus sparkfire]

I turn the subtitles on and skip through them as fast as I can read.

I don't play games to listen to people slowly speaking lines!