So, finished DA2 today. almost 38 hours of play spread over 5 days. I had some vacation I had to get out of the way before the new vacation year started, so I used the oppitunity to grind through the game =)
as Dragon Age Origins left me somewhat fatigued for more than a week as I played late into the night and had to get up for work ^^;
so decided to get it over and done with ^^
Spetacular game. lots of laughs, hard choices, challenging battles and a few sniffles too =3
impressive vistas and interesting story.
But what really carries it is the characters. your group of people, their interaction with you and each other is what really sets the game appart and raise it up.
Take that away and it's just an average adventure game, with plot missions and tagged on side quests of "kill this" or "get that"
and the frequent recycling of area maps for new missions grated on the experience "you have to go to this place in the hills, there be bandits" apperently it's the ONLY place in the hills, cause I've been here three times before killing Qunaries, highway men and darkspawn.
It's a small detail, but it ruins the over all picture.
I'd like more mission that isn't just mob grinding.
One of the coolest missions was the haunted house. walking through a deserted mansion, stuff shaking or subtly moving about, voices jammering and doors opening or slamming. between the eeriy mood and your companions nervous chatter. this isn't even a horror game and I found myself on edge ^_^
Also I really didn't like that they'd changed the design on the dark spawn, seemed kinda pointless and wasn't explained.
And there were a few bugs in the last segment of the game. scripts that didn't activate on a few side quests. nothing serious, but annoying all the same.
But that's just really nit picking. between the story, the massive piles of choices and consequeces and endearing characters and superb voice acting. this is a real contender for game of the year =)
As for my character. Maleus Hawke. I went with a mage, for a change. partly because I wanted that awesome sword staff I'd seen in the trailer and secondly, I always play as a warrior. Time I tried something new ^^
My playthrough went quite well. I played towards a nice guy, who didn't take shit, but was ready to give people a chance. but just the one.
Few things I might have done differently ^^;
For one, the little Elf bloodmage (whom I incidently ended up with, through courting Isabela for most of the game. but she just wanted sex ^^; ) whom I tried to help with a magic mirror that'd gotten her cast out from her tribe, I tried to advice against it, but that'd just piss her off. so ahead we went. Sure that in the end we'd restore it, pretty sure there'd be a demon lurking somewhere in there. but confidently I could deal with it and in the end she'd be redeemed and welcomed back.
That one bit me in the ass ^^;
Turns out, there was a demon, trouble was, to save her, her old teacher had taken the demon into herself and we had to kill her >_< leaving little Merrill heartbroken, outcast, her teacher's blood on her hands and nothing to show for it. That was sad =(
Tried to reload the encounter a few times, to see if I could wing it. I do this occationally with big choices, just out of curiousity to see what the alternatives would yield and the go back to the original choice and play on. One of the alternat choices here forced me to slaughter the whole elven tribe to save our lives ^^; so I guess we got away easy.
but damn what a awesome ride. gonna miss sitting in on the chitchat between the various characters ^_^
