Dragon Age - official Codex verdict

[Geofferic]

This game is WAY worse than Codex said it would be, and I didn't buy the Codex line at all.

Also, wow, I ran into four bugs, literally, in the first 20 minutes that required me to load a saved game.

 

[Korgan]

Tactics: very good, proper oldschool difficulty, plenty of choices in combat. Instant regeneration as usual, injuries are negligible.
Strategy (builds and gear and stuff): OK, allows variable playstyles.
Grafix: decent, runs very well at first but every 4 hours the memory leak slows it down to a crawl.
Story & general writing: below average, better than ME but worse than BG2.
Setting: meh, tried to collect all the dark fantasy tropes, didn't do anything fun.
Companions: awful except for Alister and FavouriteCodexer the Warhound.
Music: at least it's not Jeremy Soule. Can't tell the difference sometimes, though.
Voiceover: BANAL SHIT BORING
Conclusion: RPG of the year due to lack of competition.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Overall, the game's better than the terrible marketing would have had you believe. The gameplay isn't bad but there's a lot of dialog that varies in quality. Some of it's pretty bad, most of it's passable but some of the VO character accents are just ugh. Listening to Imo-liana talk makes me want to puncture my eardrums and stick a fork in my eye.

It's fun though and some of the ideas about the setup are interesting - though I suspect an LP or repeated playthroughs will start to show how many choices actually do anything other than put a spin on your character's RP. It's amusing though, given the Codex's byline, how many people here seem to hate this sort of thing - being offered choices that only serve to let you describe your role. Just saying.

The tit armour looks downright hilarious

Look, you'd take care not to have your implants ruptured too if you'd paid out that sort of cash.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Shitty game. Fun to play for a while, but that's it. 2 replays max.

That's a bad game for you? The only games I recall ever replaying are BG 2 and Bloodlines.

Seriously. The thought of playing through a long game over and over bores me to tears, like those Twilight fangirls hat saw the film 20 times (no, not exaggerating). Except if there's a years gap between replays, maybe

 

[Melcar]

If the game is entertaining and interesting what's the problem? If it's shit, like DA, then yes it becomes a chore. That's why my saying I wouldn't replay it more than 2 times. One to, you know, play it through, and the other to see if you missed anything.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

If the game is entertaining and interesting what's the problem?

Yes, but several times? I would play for a few hours, maybe, and go "Okay, I remeber everything from now on". Sometimes I replay games, but that's because I played them a long time ago and don't remember much. Unless it's an action game, or something I can zip through anyway.

Maybe I feel like this because I like to do most stuff on the first playthough anyway (what can be found on a first playthough, of course), instead of going for the main quest first and later play relaxed. Then, a second play would feel redundant, like watching the same movie twice in a row.

 

[Xor]

The codex seems to be divided into two camps. Those who think DA is shit and refuse to listen to any attempts to change their opinion, and those who are actually capable of enjoying games that aren't as good as Fallout.

DA is far from perfect, but that doesn't make it a terrible game. There are quite a few points to critique, like the joining scene, the terrible dialog, etc, but just calling the whole game shit and dismissing anyone who says they enjoyed any part of it as a bioware fanboy is stupid, juvenile, and it detracts from any legitimate discussion that could be had about the game.

 

[dragonfk]

Really great game. Definitely a better game than The Wicher.

You have been charged with betraying your motherland, comrade.

The central committee is not pleased, and the secret police is currently on its way to arrest you.

Aw shucks...

 

[Hamster]

The codex seems to be divided into two camps. Those who think DA is shit and refuse to listen to any attempts to change their opinion, and those who are actually capable of enjoying games that aren't as good as Fallout.

Actually there three camps. Those who think DA is shit and refuse to listen to any attempts to change their opinion, those who are actually capable of enjoying games that aren't as good as Fallout but can still see their flaws, and ITS group, that attacks anyone who dares criticize Dragon Age.

 

[Hamster]

let's hope morons like Black, Racofer and Skyway pack up and leave soon. Any semblance of a good discussion regarding this game is ruined by their constant bitching.

I didn't bother reading those megathreads because, as usual, they've been ruined by skyway and his gang. Not to sound cliche, but get a life and stop your constant reposting. Ban them.

How about you both will gtfo and migrate to ESF or Bioware forums where good mods will protect you from those evil people with different opinion?

Seriously, if you can't handle it when somebody have opposing opinion about a game, then gtfo.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Ah, but it doesn't come down to "different opinion, deal w/ it"

Thing is, a lot of people posted rational reviews stating the bad shit, instead of spouting "shit, shit , shit". It's like bizzarro ESF, instead of blind praise we get blind hate. Which may be fun for shits and giggles but gets stale after a while.

Here, see, this is a piece of shit desperately trying to rake in cool points.

Writing, story: Jesus fucking christ, it's like you took a bunch of dumbass celebrities and put them on an island with castles and orcs and shit. I swear to god I've never cringed so much in my life. Will Bioware buy me a new ESC key? Because I think I'm gonna use mine up if I decide to continue.

And this is something worthwhile that tells me about the actual quality of the damn thing.

The writing is pretty hammy at times, but I find it fun to follow in a "soap-opera" kind of way so far. At any rate, I've only played through the origin plus the first big plot-point place. There seems to be quite a lot of dialogue in the game. Again, it varies in quality but I haven't felt the need to brutally skip through it yet which tends to happen with Biowares games when I play them. Though so far, Persuasion has definetely not gotten a lot of use. I get the sense that it will be used more soon though as the opening parts are to get the story going I suppose. A few different responses to my character being an elf so far but nothing huge.

 

[opium fiend]

Good fucking heavens, the writing is beyond atrocious. Banter between party members belongs in a teen show. Alright, maybe this belongs more in the impressions thread, but the total blandness of the world and its inhabitants did it for me.

Except for the dwarf stories.

 

[Silellak]

Dear Lord I wish I had the available free time to even consider playing a game I consider "shit" twice. I'm incredibly lucky if I have time to go through a game I really like twice.

 

[Hamster]

Ah, but it doesn't come down to "different opinion, deal w/ it"

Thing is, a lot of people posted rational reviews stating the bad shit, instead of spouting "shit, shit , shit". It's like bizzarro ESF, instead of blind praise we get blind hate. Which may be fun for shits and giggles but gets stale after a while.

Good thing about internet is that you are free not to read their posts and not to reply to them, you know.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

^Kind of hard when it's spammed on every thread and gets other people to reply to them, derailing any worthwhile discussion into juvebile crap.

 

[St. Toxic]

I haven't played it, but I know it's shit.

 

[Ch1ef]

^:kodexian power:














:respect:

 

[HanoverF]

I don't know how close to complete I am, according to the stat thing I'm 39% but I've gathered my little army and am now up to confronting loghain. I'm at 81% world visited so the low percentage must mean the last 61% of the game is mostly backtracking. Joy. Or it's low because I skipped most of the stupid grab a quest from a barrel thing. Seriously? That's the best you got? I can't really see replaying the game, the combat is just so dull and tedious, and mostly balanced for a specific party to breeze through. I'm also willing to bet most of the choices and consequences make almost no difference except for the end game wrap up. Also the choices are lame and binary. Side with elves or werewolves, save or destroy the forge/circle, one dumb dwarf is king or another. Screw that, why can't I make the annoying drunk the king? Or better yet that crazy darkspawn eating sidequest guy? If you play as a dwarf can you pronounce yourself king? Doubt it, might be interesting to see, but the combat is so awful I couldn't see slogging through it all to get back there.

 

[Texas Red]

The codex seems to be divided into two camps. Those who think DA is shit and refuse to listen to any attempts to change their opinion, and those who are actually capable of enjoying games that aren't as good as Fallout.

Replay FO 1 and then compare it to DA. You will see that, though in general it is more mature, how simple the game actually is. In the Vault, you have just a few lines of dialog. Shady Sands has just a few NPCs and the quests are of the most banal/boring/shit type possible, such as rescuing a maiden in distress or blowing up scorpions. The dialog for the whole game is really simple and quests themselves, if you remember correctly, not better than anything in DA. The game is old.

You might like FO better because it doesn't have barely dressed sluts, titty armor, young adventurers or Marylin Manson powered trailers and I wholeheartedly agree. However, from a technical RPG perspective, is much better. The lore of FO, the setting and the characters have left an impression on us since it's actually good and we were years younger, and I think this overshadows the actual games which have aged.

 

[Xor]

Let's not derail the thread with a pointless argument.

 

[Texas Red]

Ah, but it doesn't come down to "different opinion, deal w/ it"

Thing is, a lot of people posted rational reviews stating the bad shit, instead of spouting "shit, shit , shit". It's like bizzarro ESF, instead of blind praise we get blind hate. Which may be fun for shits and giggles but gets stale after a while.

Here, see, this is a piece of shit desperately trying to rake in cool points.

Writing, story: Jesus fucking christ, it's like you took a bunch of dumbass celebrities and put them on an island with castles and orcs and shit. I swear to god I've never cringed so much in my life. Will Bioware buy me a new ESC key? Because I think I'm gonna use mine up if I decide to continue.

And this is something worthwhile that tells me about the actual quality of the damn thing.

The writing is pretty hammy at times, but I find it fun to follow in a "soap-opera" kind of way so far. At any rate, I've only played through the origin plus the first big plot-point place. There seems to be quite a lot of dialogue in the game. Again, it varies in quality but I haven't felt the need to brutally skip through it yet which tends to happen with Biowares games when I play them. Though so far, Persuasion has definetely not gotten a lot of use. I get the sense that it will be used more soon though as the opening parts are to get the story going I suppose. A few different responses to my character being an elf so far but nothing huge.

I agree completely. I noticed the bizzaro thing happening when TW was released. Literally(and I mean this literally) ALL of the threads were pulled in the same direction by just a few posters. It was impossible to discuss anything other than TW being or not being shit. Want to talk about the story or the character? Good luck. I stopped reading some Codex threads at that time and now I miss the majority of them because I know exactly how skytard and his gang is going to post and derail the thread.

I came to the Codex to get a balanced view on RPGs and other genres. Now it is simply the opposite of Gamespot or IGN and, just like with Gamespot and IGN, not worth reading.

 

[Emotional Vampire]

^:kodexian power:

Shitsense (Ex)

 

[Phelot]

I think it boils down to taste. Besides the flaws and pros I've mentioned in other threads, there is something about DA that I simply don't like. I felt the same way with NWN and NWN 2. I've never played Mass Effect or Jade Empire and have no desire to, but just looking at the screenshots of those games makes me cringe.

Maybe it's the style or something, I don't know. I'm trying to complete the part were you do the Joining and it's like fucking work or something. This is what happened with NWN and NWN2... eventually I found some enjoyable parts but I had to play a third or so of the game to do it. The beginning of NWN2 were you have to go to the swamp and get that crystal bullshit from those Lizardmen... it was like sitting through math class for me. Same thing with DA.

I hate the characters. It's like they try to hard. The bad asses sound like dorks trying to fit in. The costumes look like bad carnival clothing. All the women have some sort of circle or lines pointing out that they have tits. The settings look boring. I mean they have this big fucking ruined city or something in the mountains and they manage to make it look ugly and bland. I'm nitpicking I know and I also know this is just opinion. Some people love it and that's OK.

It's a matter of opinion of course and that's what is important to remember.

 

[Jim Cojones]

from a technical RPG perspective, is much better

If you're talking about "technical perspective", why are arguing about things like characters and lore?

 

[Genma:TheDestroyer]

Consensus? From what I've seen, there isn't even close to a consensus view.