Support NeoGAF

[PFD]

If that's the case, I think they should try to emulate Mass Effect style combat. It'd be better that way.

So cover-based sword fighting and regenerating health bars?

I also think DA2 was ok, not a complete disaster as the Internet makes it seem. The two major flaws IMO were the ending (same ending regardless of choice, and very nonsensical), and the recycling of content.

 

[krameriffic]

So cover-based sword fighting and regenerating health bars?

I also think DA2 was ok, not a complete disaster as the Internet makes it seem. The two major flaws IMO were the ending (same ending regardless of choice, and very nonsensical), and the recycling of content.

The combat was right on the edge of being good. If not for the wave based bullshittery, it actually offered a decent challenge and good party cooperation.

 

[Lancehead]

So cover-based sword fighting and regenerating health bars?

I'm pretty sure I explained what I meant in subsequent posts.

 

[Patryn]

The combat was right on the edge of being good. If not for the wave based bullshittery, it actually offered a decent challenge and good party cooperation.

I disagree. The removal of tactical positioning and balance for friendly fire was a step back.

 

[Moaradin]

I thought the combat had some redeeming values. I know for one, Mages were a lot more fun in DA2 than they were in DA Origins IMO. Still, no tactical view and waved based encounters really hurt the whole thing.

 

[Lancehead]

Now that I think about it, I like the idea of cover-based archery. When in cover you're sheltered, but it takes a long time to draw and fire a shot, during which the archer is quite vulnerable. To offset that the damage can be pretty high. There could also be a high DPS build which relies on agility rather than cover to dodge incoming damage.

 

[Jibbajabbawockky]

The combat was right on the edge of being good. If not for the wave based bullshittery, it actually offered a decent challenge and good party cooperation.

Eh, I just found the combat boring, which is about the worst thing I'd call a core gameplay mechanic in any game. It just wasn't fun for me.

It was too frantic and fast paced to play realtime with pause as that led to just inane levels of micromanagement, and trying to play it mostly realtime like an action game felt too slow and clunky still. Positioning didn't matter and the wave based stuff further eliminated any importance on party positioning since you'd have guys magically parachute down right behind you.

And even changing up difficulty didn't really change things- going from normal to hard just gave enemies a bigger health bar and made fights take longer. And then Nightmare had friendly fire, but again, you had to micromanage to a frustrating extent.

And all of this with the crummy camera that couldn't move around freely or pull back far enough to get a good feel for everything going on. I just thought the combat was a huge step back from Origins. Origins combat was far from perfect too, but DA2 just went in a really weird direction where it had an identity crisis of whether they wanted an action hack and slash or a real time with pause party based game.

 

[dragonelite]

Gonna wait what gaf has to say got burned on ME 3 last 5%.

/Never forget...

 

[SerRodrik]

Eh, I just found the combat boring, which is about the worst thing I'd call a core gameplay mechanic in any game. It just wasn't fun for me.

It was too frantic and fast paced to play realtime with pause as that led to just inane levels of micromanagement, and trying to play it mostly realtime like an action game felt too slow and clunky still. Positioning didn't matter and the wave based stuff further eliminated any importance on party positioning since you'd have guys magically parachute down right behind you.

And even changing up difficulty didn't really change things- going from normal to hard just gave enemies a bigger health bar and made fights take longer. And then Nightmare had friendly fire, but again, you had to micromanage to a frustrating extent.

And all of this with the crummy camera that couldn't move around freely or pull back far enough to get a good feel for everything going on. I just thought the combat was a huge step back from Origins. Origins combat was far from perfect too, but DA2 just went in a really weird direction where it had an identity crisis of whether they wanted an action hack and slash or a real time with pause party based game.

I agree with basically everything here. There was very little I actually liked about DA2's combat system.

 

[Hambone]

I thought the combat had some redeeming values. I know for one, Mages were a lot more fun in DA2 than they were in DA Origins IMO. Still, no tactical view and waved based encounters really hurt the whole thing.

100% agree.

I'm actually replaying DA2 at the moment, and I'll have to say my opinion of the game is a lot more favorable than when I played it the first time. I absolutely loved DA1, and played it 3 full playthroughs (with dlc), and numerous other half playthroughs (own it for Xbox and PC), so DA2 left a sour taste in my mouth when I first played it.

My biggest gripes:
-wave based encounters (which throws tactics out the window)
-reused assets
-pressing "A" and something awesome happens (or, does it?)
-reused assets
-no PC choice for starting race
-reused assets
-Mages everywhere that decide the best course of actions to win the hearts-and-minds of everyone is to unleash demons and go on murderous rampages
-changing Flemeth into a hot, armor wearing grandma (seriously, wtf)
-reused assets
-wish they could slow the combat down (agree with the poster above)

Things I loved:
-more tactics slots from the beginning and removing the need to spend ability points
-improved art\graphics
-interesting characters, that are well voice acted (though I still love Allistar and Morrigan. They had the best banter)
-streamlining potions
-the "home base" to store loot, and buy potions and runes.
-improved ability trees
-the new look of the Qunari (I think they nailed it)

Indifferent on:
-equipping armor on companions
-the main story

Replaying DA2 again, I've changed my mind on this game and can enjoy it for what it is. I think most people seem to agree that the re-used environments, and the loss of tactical combat are the the biggest issues with the game.

 

[Patryn]

I thought the combat had some redeeming values. I know for one, Mages were a lot more fun in DA2 than they were in DA Origins IMO. Still, no tactical view and waved based encounters really hurt the whole thing.

How much of that was due to the fact the Friendly Fire was all but removed? Certainly made it easier to just drop the more impressive and damaging spells willy-nilly.

I like the idea of friendly fire because it forces mages to be more disciplined.

 

[water_wendi]

So party based RPG's are only enjoyable if playing as a non-human from an isometric perspective? To do otherwise renders the entire game terrible? If that's the case then fair enough, I just can't really comprehend it myself. If people's tastes were really that specific, they wouldn't enjoy any other games.

Edit: I mean, of course it is nice when RPG's offer greater depth of character creation choice, but it doesn't affect whether a game is good or not.

The problem is that the multiple beginnings with the different races of DA:O was probably the best thing about the game. Maybe it was just me but once i played one race/class to where all paths eventually meet i started another game with a different set up to see the storyline from a different perspective.

 

[Enduin]

I found combat in DA2 much more satisfying than DAO, despite its shortcomings and imbalances. I've said this before shortly after DA2 came out, but I found myself pausing and playing far more than I ever did in DAO because the game was much better at executing my commands. Even though the game wasn't too hard, it was still quite gratifying setting up combos with your team. Freezing an enemy and then shield bashing them, hitting them with hex of torment and backstabbing them and a whole lot more.

I would prefer that they keep the combat more in line with DA2, but simply balance it out and add in those more tactical and challenging aspects that were removed. As a base I find it much more appealing. Especially because DAO was far from being hard or tactically rewarding. The combat in that game was simply mediocre and nothing to aspire to.

I also hope they retain the wave system, but only if they find a way to make it work. I really think if balanced well and executed correctly it would be a nice secondary feature to combat, but not a main feature. Not every encounter needs multiple waves of enemies and having them pop up from all directions for no reason was terrible, but I think implementing it in an intelligent and dynamic way would make combat more interesting and lively.

 

[Lancehead]

I also hope they retain the wave system, but only if they find a way to make it work. I really think if balanced well and executed correctly it would be a nice secondary feature to combat, but not a main feature. Not every encounter needs multiple waves of enemies and having them pop up from all directions for no reason was terrible, but I think implementing it in an intelligent and dynamic way would make combat more interesting and lively.

Wave based combat works when it's a "defend this spot" type of encounter. The reason you'd get for waves elsewhere is to prevent alphastriking. But that's pretty much a cover-up for poor encounter and enemy design.

 

[Jibbajabbawockky]

Even though the game wasn't too hard, it was still quite gratifying setting up combos with your team. Freezing an enemy and then shield bashing them, hitting them with hex of torment and backstabbing them and a whole lot more.

You could still do things like the freeze/petrify and shield bash combo in Origins. I did like how they expanded that for DA2. Although they got rid of the ability to use the spell combos, which were great in Origins.

 

[Enduin]

You could still do things like the freeze/petrify and shield bash combo in Origins. I did like how they expanded that for DA2. Although they got rid of the ability to use the spell combos, which were great in Origins.

Ohh I know, but the problem with Origins was that input lag was huge. The pathfinding AI in the game was terrible. You would command a party member to go attack enemy A but it would take a good couple of seconds from them to stop attacking enemy B, disengage, determine what pathway they would take and then go over there, reposition to attack and then attack. It was not efficient or instant to say the least.

DA2 was in that respect, which was my main point. If you wanted to set up combos it was super easy and little trouble at all. You didn't have to fight your party to do things. All too often in DAO I would freeze some enemies tell my fighter to shield bash one and by the time he was in the right position and starting his long ass animation to shield bash the enemy would unfreeze and the whole thing would be botched. Never once in DA2 did I feel like things were happening too fast and I was losing control over the battle. I would pause issue commands, unpause let my party execute them and then watch until I felt new commands were necessary or a good combo was available.

Wave based combat works when it's a "defend this spot" type of encounter. The reason you'd get for waves elsewhere is to prevent alphastriking. But that's pretty much a cover-up for poor encounter and enemy design.

I agree that the application would be, and should be, relegated to more specific and realistic situations, but not simply "defend this spot." If you're attacking a fort or base it makes sense that more enemies will come at you from further inside the base, but thats just one direction, not all directions like the game would do.

I like the system because it made me more protective of my mages and forced me to dispatch enemy groups more quickly. Too often in DAO you would just stick your mages far back and let them blast off big ass spells without worry. I appreciated the notion in DA2 that someone would come out from your flank and try and take them out and you'd have to hit them with a quick mind blast or cone of cold. Again it could work if crafted more finely and with logic for each encounter, which would require better encounter and enemy design in general which is a win win for everyone.

 

[Lancehead]

That stupid "shuffling".

 

[tw1164]

So cover-based sword fighting and regenerating health bars?

I also think DA2 was ok, not a complete disaster as the Internet makes it seem. The two major flaws IMO were the ending (same ending regardless of choice, and very nonsensical), and the recycling of content.

I agree. The ending really pissed me off. The whole time I was wondering aloud why the npc didn't just 10 sec while I solve their problem.

One other thing, a lot of the NPCs would talk about their hate for blood mages to my blood mage. It felt really stupid.

 

[Patryn]

Ohh I know, but the problem with Origins was that input lag was huge. The pathfinding AI in the game was terrible. You would command a party member to go attack enemy A but it would take a good couple of seconds from them to stop attacking enemy B, disengage, determine what pathway they would take and then go over there, reposition to attack and then attack. It was not efficient or instant to say the least.

DA2 was in that respect, which was my main point. If you wanted to set up combos it was super easy and little trouble at all. You didn't have to fight your party to do things. All too often in DAO I would freeze some enemies tell my fighter to shield bash one and by the time he was in the right position and starting his long ass animation to shield bash the enemy would unfreeze and the whole thing would be botched. Never once in DA2 did I feel like things were happening too fast and I was losing control over the battle. I would pause issue commands, unpause let my party execute them and then watch until I felt new commands were necessary or a good combo was available.



I agree that the application would be, and should be, relegated to more specific and realistic situations, but not simply "defend this spot." If you're attacking a fort or base it makes sense that more enemies will come at you from further inside the base, but thats just one direction, not all directions like the game would do.

I like the system because it made me more protective of my mages and forced me to dispatch enemy groups more quickly. Too often in DAO you would just stick your mages far back and let them blast off big ass spells without worry. I appreciated the notion in DA2 that someone would come out from your flank and try and take them out and you'd have to hit them with a quick mind blast or cone of cold. Again it could work if crafted more finely and with logic for each encounter, which would require better encounter and enemy design in general which is a win win for everyone.

I think too often the enemies in DA2 were fodder, so they were dead before I could bother to execute any strategies.

Combat often felt, to me at least, far closer to the "arcade-y" opening that was supposed to be an exaggeration than the later "real" combat.

 

[Enduin]

I agree. The ending really pissed me off. The whole time I was wondering aloud why the npc didn't just 10 sec while I solve their problem.

One other thing, a lot of the NPCs would talk about their hate for blood mages to my blood mage. It felt really stupid.

Well the idea of you being a mage was just stupid. It seemed like the most appropriate class since it had the most at stake of the three combat classes, but at the same time the way the plot and everything unfolded it as simply ridiculous. Everyone knew you were a mage, for tens years you were just left alone, you had major dealings with the highest persons in the city and nothing ever came of it. It just felt silly.

I really wanted to like the main story, but it was so under developed. 1/3 to 1/2 of the necessary story sections were just not there and what was there was woefully underdeveloped and in need of revisions.

I think too often the enemies in DA2 were fodder, so they were dead before I could bother to execute any strategies.

Combat often felt, to me at least, far closer to the "arcade-y" opening that was supposed to be an exaggeration than the later "real" combat.

I can agree with that, it was one of the more glaring affects of the wave system. But on the higher difficulties most enemies lived long enough for you to execute combos and strategies. I really hope in DA3 they find balance to it all, because again I think as a foundation DA2's combat is not bad or flawed, just in need of refinement.

 

[Jibbajabbawockky]

Ohh I know, but the problem with Origins was that input lag was huge. The pathfinding AI in the game was terrible. You would command a party member to go attack enemy A but it would take a good couple of seconds from them to stop attacking enemy B, disengage, determine what pathway they would take and then go over there, reposition to attack and then attack. It was not efficient or instant to say the least.

Yeah, thats true about Origins' pathfinding. Except as I recall with DA2 (which I haven't played since it came out, to be fair) the shuffling still happened quite a bit. I'd pause, click on a guy to attack and watch as my guy would just shuffle on over to attack. Yet sometimes he'd run or leap over. It seemed like there was some distance calculation probably determining whether to rush over or not but it was never transparent when you'd rush over quickly to intercept or just stroll on over.

I think too often the enemies in DA2 were fodder, so they were dead before I could bother to execute any strategies.

Combat often felt, to me at least, far closer to the "arcade-y" opening that was supposed to be an exaggeration than the later "real" combat.

The over the top combat effects like everyone exploding into giblets or drop kicking flasks didn't help make things look at all even semi plausible. I think BioWare wanted to speed things up and make combat look "cooler" than Origins, but I thought DA2 just looked ridiculous more often than not.

 

[Enduin]

Yeah, thats true about Origins' pathfinding. Except as I recall with DA2 (which I haven't played since it came out, to be fair) the shuffling still happened quite a bit. I'd pause, click on a guy to attack and watch as my guy would just shuffle on over to attack. Yet sometimes he'd run or leap over. It seemed like there was some distance calculation probably determining whether to rush over or not but it was never transparent when you'd rush over quickly to intercept or just stroll on over.


The over the top combat effects like everyone exploding into giblets or drop kicking flasks didn't help make things look at all even semi plausible. I think BioWare wanted to speed things up and make combat look "cooler" than Origins, but I thought DA2 just looked ridiculous more often than not.

Shuffling still existed thats for sure, but its affects on gameplay were greatly reduced. Most of time you had to look for it to see it, unlike DAO where you couldn't help but notice it all the time.

As for the acrobatics and gore affects, those didn't really do anything for me, they didn't annoy me or excite me. So I would prefer they toned it down, made it more realistic and special so when some enemy does blow into chunks I feel like I earned it.

 

[PFD]

I'm pretty sure I explained what I meant in subsequent posts.

I was just teasing

 

[hateradio]

I thought the combat had some redeeming values. I know for one, Mages were a lot more fun in DA2 than they were in DA Origins IMO. Still, no tactical view and waved based encounters really hurt the whole thing.

I actually thought the opposite because there weren't that many cool combos.

 

[Mister_Bubbles]

The problem is that the multiple beginnings with the different races of DA:O was probably the best thing about the game. Maybe it was just me but once i played one race/class to where all paths eventually meet i started another game with a different set up to see the storyline from a different perspective.

Yeah, it was definitely one of the things that made it great to replay. One thing that I would like to see in future games that there wasn't much of is more reactivity to your class choice during the actual game. DA:O did an alright job, but the actual effect your origin/class has on quests, the storyline and interactions with NPCs is fairly minimal, and as mentioned above even took a step back with DA2. I imagine this is what their intent is with having you only have a human race and choose an origin rather than play it in DA3 - you get the same sense of approaching the game from a different perspective, but they can put more work into reactivity in the actual main game. At least, I hope that's the case.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

I don't think you can just handwave the wave-based combat as a satellite problem to DA2's battles. It crafted many of the problems.

Because each battle area was designed for wave-based combat, there was never any situation where enemies were placed strategically and, thus, required strategic positioning. Dragon Age may get shit for having hallways that lead in to other hallways, but you can bet an ambush would be waiting for you from each of those hallways and you better consider getting your tank ready to draw aggro. There were rarely any such situations in DA2, where enemies will literally pop out of ground around you.

Since they didn't want you waiting around every individual area too long (it also did not jive with the "A for Awesome" mentality) but couldn't design intelligent combat interaction, enemies often just showed up and then exploded in a few hits so they could hurry up and get the next wave out. This made battles feel unsatisfying. You were Hawke, Lord unto the Earth, and never felt like you were in a battle for your life. The feeling of grandiose power just ended up making the whole thing feel more insignificant.

 

[Mister_Bubbles]

I don't know about anyone else but I thought they did a much better job with the combat in the DLCs. The encounters were, on the whole, more well thought out, and there were no 'appear from nowhere' problems.

 

[Patryn]

I don't know about anyone else but I thought they did a much better job with the combat in the DLCs. The encounters were, on the whole, more well thought out, and there were no 'appear from nowhere' problems.

Well, that was definitely one area they really tried to concentrate on in them. At that point they knew they had been crucified for the area reusage and the waves.

 

[Mister_Bubbles]

Well, that was definitely one area they really tried to concentrate on in them. At that point they knew they had been crucified for the area reusage and the waves.

Indeed. It wasn't supposed to be a 'stop hating on Bioware' post, just saying that they're not completely beyond scripting decent combat encounters, and at least they're moving in the right direction.

 

[hateradio]

I'm not sure if they're moving in the right direction just yet.

ME3 suffered from some of the wave combat.

Spoiler

Especially at the end of the game, on Earth.

And some its (second?) DLC, also had some issues with it.

 

[Nirolak]

There was some additional concept art revealed: https://twitter.com/machinimated/status/269935634330828800/photo/1

 

[Dennis]

There was some additional concept art revealed: https://twitter.com/machinimated/status/269935634330828800/photo/1

Certainly seems more ambitious than DA2.

 

[hateradio]

There was some additional concept art revealed: https://twitter.com/machinimated/sta...828800/photo/1

http://www.abload.de/img/a78bb30cqaa8hwrn2qkt.jpg

I'm assuming that this becomes that demon?

 

[Anteater]

There was some additional concept art revealed: https://twitter.com/machinimated/status/269935634330828800/photo/1

 

[pieatorium]

There was some additional concept art revealed: https://twitter.com/machinimated/status/269935634330828800/photo/1

IMG]http://www.abload.de/img/a78bb30cqaa8hwrn2qkt.jpg[/IMG]

So they're doing another WoW clone?

 

[Slygmous]

Certainly seems more ambitious than DA2.

Next gen confirmed.

 

[Patryn]

Remember when they were all "We're not going to show anything until we really have something to show?"

Good times, good times.

 

[Nirolak]

I get the impression they're getting ready to unveil the game soon.

First up, we have Cameron_Lee showing the game's director/executive producer doing green screen interviews with their head of marketing, which is usually something you would only do if you intend to release the interview to consumers. They also have ordered 200 or so Dragon Age III t-shirts for their staff, indicating that the logo is finalized and that people might be wearing them to conventions.

Cameron Lee @BioWare ‏@Cameron__Lee
Mark looking all snazzy! @BioMarkDarrah http://pic.twitter.com/E8PGTtsM

Cameron Lee @BioWare ‏@Cameron__Lee
Taking photos of the awesome crew during an interview with sexy Jarrett. http://pic.twitter.com/CeJDxLsI

Cameron Lee @BioWare ‏@Cameron__Lee
New t-shirts for the team #DA3 http://pic.twitter.com/P8l7puMq

Source: https://twitter.com/Cameron__Lee

Secondly, we have the game at a state where people are taking it home to playtest it and bring back feedback over Christmas.

Aidan Scanlan ‏@aidanscanlan
Pre-Alpha build of #DA3 I'll be taking home over Xmas break. It's early but it's looking great! pic.twitter.com/CBP8k8SM

Source: https://twitter.com/aidanscanlan

 

[Mario007]

I get the impression they're getting ready to unveil the game soon.

First up, we have Cameron_Lee showing the game's director/executive producer doing green screen interviews with their head of marketing, which is usually something you would only do if you intend to release the interview to consumers. They also have ordered 200 or so Dragon Age III t-shirts for their staff, indicating that the logo is finalized and that people might be wearing them to conventions.


Source: https://twitter.com/Cameron__Lee

Secondly, we have the game at a state where people are taking it home to playtest it and bring back feedback over Christmas.


Source: https://twitter.com/aidanscanlan

To be honest, I hope they show something soon. These announcements of the game without actually showing anything are pretty annoying. Same thing went for LRFFXIII and the new Mass Effect game.

At least a short CGI trailer would have been nice.

 

[Jibbajabbawockky]

I get the impression they're getting ready to unveil the game soon.

When would they unveil it coming up? As I recall, on the BioWare forums, Chris Priestley has mentioned not to expect any new news until into the new year, or spring. What conventions are coming up they could do something at? PAX East is in February, isn't it? I guess thats a possibility.

You're right with the green screen interviews reminding me of the PR type interviews/promos they did for Dragon Age 2.

At least a short CGI trailer would have been nice.

Especially with BioWare games, I'm sick of CG trailers. With The Old Republic and Dragon Age, CG trailers make the game look way better than the actual gameplay does. And supposedly DA3 will look much better on a technical level than anything they've done before, so I'd hope whatever initial reveal of the game they do uses in game assets.

 

[Nirolak]

When would they unveil it coming up? As I recall, on the BioWare forums, Chris Priestley has mentioned not to expect any new news until into the new year, or spring. What conventions are coming up they could do something at? PAX East is in February, isn't it? I guess thats a possibility.

You're right with the green screen interviews reminding me of the PR type interviews/promos they did for Dragon Age 2.

Well, both previous games were announced on the cover of Game Informer, so the first Thursday of every month (sometimes Tuesday or Wednesday) is usually when those happen.

 

[Mario007]

When would they unveil it coming up? As I recall, on the BioWare forums, Chris Priestley has mentioned not to expect any new news until into the new year, or spring. What conventions are coming up they could do something at? PAX East is in February, isn't it? I guess thats a possibility.

You're right with the green screen interviews reminding me of the PR type interviews/promos they did for Dragon Age 2.



Especially with BioWare games, I'm sick of CG trailers. With The Old Republic and Dragon Age, CG trailers make the game look way better than the actual gameplay does. And supposedly DA3 will look much better on a technical level than anything they've done before, so I'd hope whatever initial reveal of the game they do uses in game assets.

While I agree, I would still have preferred a short 30 second teaser in CGI with a short narration. Anything would be better than 'Yeah we're making this game, it's called DA3: Inquistion and that's all we're gonna say for ages'.

 

[Jibbajabbawockky]

While I agree, I would still have preferred a short 30 second teaser in CGI with a short narration. Anything would be better than 'Yeah we're making this game, it's called DA3: Inquistion and that's all we're gonna say for ages'.

Yeah, something like Skyrim's teaser would have been nice. I got the impression they announced DA3 as abruptly as they did due to all of the leaks tied to those surveys. At that point it was just silly for BioWare to deny the existence of DA3 when it was obvious they were making it.

 

[Mario007]

Yeah, something like Skyrim's teaser would have been nice. I got the impression they announced DA3 as abruptly as they did due to all of the leaks tied to those surveys. At that point it was just silly for BioWare to deny the existence of DA3 when it was obvious they were making it.

This is true, I forgot about the leaks. Well, at least it seems we're getting some reveals soon so all's good. I'm quite excited to see DA in Frostbite and see how they learned from DA2.

 

[Nirolak]

Yeah, something like Skyrim's teaser would have been nice. I got the impression they announced DA3 as abruptly as they did due to all of the leaks tied to those surveys. At that point it was just silly for BioWare to deny the existence of DA3 when it was obvious they were making it.

BioWare also has a large amount of job postings up, so being able to announce they were making Frostbite 2 games with long development cycles and a new IP was probably a nice boon to the hiring process.

 

[Dennis]

My body is ready.

For crushing disappointment.

 

[1138]

I've only played through Origin and Awakenings thus far, but I liked what I saw. The main storyline was a bit of a letdown, but many of the sidequests and charachters were memorable. Though I doubt I will say the same about DA2, at least based on what I have read about that game on this board. I will probably pick this up eventually, so hopefully this title will redeem Bioware after putting out several letdowns in a row.

 

[hateradio]

http://media1.gameinformer.com/images/blogs/curtis/covergallery/covers/cov_187_l.jpg

I can't believe they used Papyrus.

My body is ready.

For crushing disappointment.

I think they hit (crack) rock bottom with DA2. There's no way that they would actively destroy their franchise again. I'm sure the heads at BW/EA are concerned with what happened to the sequel and ME3. Alienating a fan base is never good for sales.

I hope they remove the comic book dude and apply a serious fantasy element. They tried to Mass Effect the game, and it didn't work.

They really missed the goal with Hawke, and I would hate for them to try to force players to like the protagonist by making them cool, while his/her story is abysmal and uninteresting.

I'd hate for DAO to be the only good thing to come from the DA universe.

 

[truly101]

My body is ready.

For crushing disappointment.

Your first mistake was hope.

 

[Nirolak]

Apparently Game Informer's cover was delayed until Tuesday due to the holidays: https://twitter.com/Andrew_Reiner/status/286904039705284608

I don't know for sure that this will be Dragon Age, but it's just my hunch after the tweets as mentioned prior.