There is absolutely no reason to be surprised that Dragon Age II is the Game of the Week. The opening salvo in what will probably be a monumental year for BioWare, countless developers and publishers would kill to have one franchise with the weight and authority of Dragon Age. BioWare have three currently active major franchises with Neverwinter Nights, Baldur's Gate and Jade Empire languishing on the shelves waiting for the next round of love.
Mass Effect 2 has slowly crept up my chart of favorite games, but Dragon Age has not aged in the same way for me. I bear the game no ill will, but the ponderously difficult and epic RPG concept has never sat particularly well with me in the first place, and somewhere around hour 20 or so my eyes glaze over fully and I long for the easy familiarity of something less taxing. I have relatively little doubt that Dragon Age 2 will be a repeat performance, but right now I admit that I'm looking forward to the 20 hours to come.
I may try my hand at the console version of the game this time around. I certainly enjoyed the demo on the consoles, and felt that it offered more immediacy and sense of being in the moment than my previous DA experience. Either way, I like that the choice between console and PC is a meaningful one. Some companies just get it. BioWare is counted among them.
For those of you who like your RPGs of a lighter fare, take note that Torchlight hits XBLA this week and under no conditions should be missed particularly if you have not yet enjoyed the PC version. Also, some baseball games.
PC
- Dragon Age II
- Major League Baseball 2K11
- Forsaken World
Xbox 360
- Dragon Age II
- Major League Baseball 2K11
- Yoostar 2: In the Movies
- Warriors: Legends of Troy
PlayStation 3
- Dragon Age II
- MLB 11: The Show
- Major League Baseball 2K11
- Warriors: Legends of Troy
- Yoostar 2: In the Movies
Nintendo DS
- Major League Baseball 2K11
- Pet Bunnyz Bunch
- Atari's Greatest Hits Vol. 2
Wii
- Major League Baseball 2K11
- The $1,000,000 Pyramid
PSP
- Major League Baseball 2K11
- MLB 11: The Show
- Phantom Brave: Heroes of the Hermuda Triangle
Comments
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It's baseball time!
I can't believe you picked Dragon Age 2 over Yoostar 2... Get your sh*t together, Mr. Sands.
I need an "I'm with Dyni" t-shirt. -- Localgod54
Baseball! Yay!
I played the demo for The Show and it seemed exactly the same as last year and not exactly deserving of a purchase, but then the new analog pitching mechanic started sinking its hooks into me, and what the hell, I'll be picking it up on the way home tonight. Just have to not kid myself about completing full seasons... mini-seasons and playoff scenarios, that's all I can handle.
Oh yeah, Dragon Age 2. If they've really Mass Effect-ed it up, I'm going to love it.
www.luckyghost.com
Backloggery
Torchlight was awesome on PC, and will be just as awesome on XBLA. However, if they'd added co-op, it would have been stratospherically awesome; as is, I doubt I'll re-buy it on the console, just because it wouldn't be that radically different of a game.
"I would be insulted if I could figure out exactly what it means."
--*Legion*
Aaaaah, Pokemon Black / White falls through the cracks with a weekend release.
My kids are so excited.
Had that one on last week's TWA.
The thing about smart people is they seem like crazy people to dumb people -- Thing I saw on the Internet
DA2 just makes me miss 1998 week.
Steam: Dysplastic / Battle.net Dysplastic#1920
I love how the Dragon Age 2 box pic isn't the PC version - it gets the 360 one
I guess Mr. Sands has already decided which version he will be supporting with his goodjeristic currency!
Love others, weird and wonderfully. | "Life's a trip. You've only got one shot, let her rip." - K.Flay | My Games
I'm intrigued by Dragon Age, but I'm not a traditional RPG kind of player. I enjoyed the fact that I could crank down the difficulty in Mass Effect and focus on the story, instead of worrying about minute details in my squad setup and issuing commands in the middle of a fight. I'd probably play Dragon Age, but it seems like the game is way too difficult for somebody who doesn't do tactical RPG combat like myself. Maybe DA2 remedies this a bit. Anyone have comments along this line?
I think I just got a little teary-eyed.
"Yeah, well, uh, just keep your Power Gloves off her, pal, huh?" -Corey, from "The Wizard"
From what I could tell from the demo, the game is no longer a tactical RPG. It's an action-RPG now. Think Diablo with multiple characters and the ability to tweak the AI scripting.
"...mahal ko ang longganisa!" - Demosthenes
The DA2 difficulties are set out to assume certain levels of control over the party, so you don't have to do it all if you don't want to. Hang on and I'll see if I can dig them up.
edit:
For all Disgaea/Nippon Ichi enthusiasts: do not overlook Phantom Brave for the PSP (if you have the Sony machine, that is). In many aspects it's even crazier than Disgaea.
It's easy to play piano: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time.
I thought DA on the 360 was great, and I plan to play DA2 first on that platform as well. Having it on a home theater setup makes it really cinematic and immersive. I did play DA on the PC as well, and I liked the more tactical overhead perspective, which reminded me of Baldur's Gate. So I'll probably also end up buying this one for both platforms, too.
"Come, amigo, throw away your mind." --Malcolm Lowry, Under the Volcano
GOOD NEWS! Strategy and tactics no longer a required for DA2 combat. You just press a button, and the awesome takes care of itself!
Diablo had better environments
But seriously - I'd recommend people try the demo before taking the plunge on DA2, ESPECIALLY if you liked the first game. It's a shocking departure.
Personally I thought the combat was ok (it's the over-abundance of brown, repetitive environments and shorter length that give me more cause for concern) but if you were a fan of the PC combat in DA1 you really need to try the PC demo first.
Still didn't stop me pre-purchasing and downloading it of course - it can't possibly be worse than Gothic 4, so that's a plus.
inactive here until further notice.
Sorry, it's all about baseball this week.
Dragon what? Never heard of it. Though something tells me I may wait until there's an Ultimate edition. But since I know nothing about this game I'm not sure what that would mean.
How did I live before digital distribution of old, cheap games?
MilkmanDanimal wrote:You did live before digital distribution of old, cheap games. Now you just play games.
It's some game about the dangers to buses and cars.
Struggling to sleep? Try my sleep podcast! Sleepy Time Tales.
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I think I might know someone who would be into that.
How did I live before digital distribution of old, cheap games?
MilkmanDanimal wrote:You did live before digital distribution of old, cheap games. Now you just play games.
Oh, right -- that game Fox was decrying for its sexual content.
Torchlight 2 is supposed to drop on PC later this year, though, so that co-op loveliness is a-comin'.
I'll probably double-dip on the first Torchlight anyway because A.) I'm a whore and B.) cheevos.
Steam ID: hbi2k
Twitch: BenCreighton
Well GS is opened till past midnight tonight for DA 2, I'll slip in for 2 baseball games
It's highly unlikely that we'll ever see another Neverwinter Nights or Baldur's Gate game, as those were based on licenses that have been pulled. Still, one can hope...
We'll see them just like we're seeing a new Deus Ex, a new Xcom, and a new Thief. The question is whether or not we'll see them in the hands of Bioware and if they'll be anything like their predecessors.
Professionally offended. Does not understand jokes. Needs a man to explain them to me.
I enjoyed Jade Empire and would like to see BioWare revisit that someday, however unlikely that would be.
Steam: [GWJ]MeatMan | "Now I know where to go if I have a hankering for testicles." –Higgledy
Well the D&D licence is with Atari so Bioware aren't likely going to get a stab at it for a while (Atari already has someone working on a - probably terrible - Forgotten Realms co-op action RPG at the moment). Best bet would be Obsidian, but they have their hands full with Dungeon Siege 3, The rumoured Wheel of Time Game and about a bazillion other things.
A new Jade Empire game would be right up their proverbial alley though I think, given their new "hit a button to do something awesome" approach to RPGs.
inactive here until further notice.
The Show definitely does commercials well. Still need to try the demo.
What Stele said ^ -mortalgroove
Switch: 6273-9936-5107
If you're going for the million dollars for 2k, you damn well better pick it up at midnight and get started.
What Stele said ^ -mortalgroove
Switch: 6273-9936-5107
Sony wanted to combat all of the Brian Wilson love on 2K11 by showing off revealing that they have his signature move, too.
But it also shows that Giants fans are really out of shape, needing to sit between each and every pitch. That, or they are really high and it is the world's slowest wave.
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