From: Aecioo | #023
I think you've just fallen in love with the characters so you're ignoring a lot of the flaws in the game because you enjoy the character interactions. Which is ok, I guess, but most people can't and still think the game is poopy.
I wouldn't say I'm ignoring the flaws though. I'm acknowledging them as well as the fact that the rest of the game makes up for them, and then some.
Now for the story.
Given my love for the characters, I think it's obvious what I think about the story. The storytelling in Dragon Age 2 is just so frickin' good. As Rock mentioned earlier, it finally makes sense for you character to be involved in the little problems random people all over the city are engaging in because you're still a nobody and no one really cares who you are. One thing I've long hated about most RPGs is that after a while you start getting really powerful, killing dragons and all other sorts of incredible creatures, yet everyone continues to treat you like some chump for the fact that you could have traveled to that area at any point during the game and they have no reason to respect you. Honestly, it always annoyed the **** out of me that you could be the most powerful person in the world and people would still talk to you as if you were just some dude. This doesn't happen in Dragon Age 2. Each act ends with an important event for the story that drastically changes the way you are perceived by those within Kirkwall. People still treat you like a chump after you've made a name for yourself and basically become nobility, but that's because there are still people who consider themselves "above" you. After becoming the champion you finally get the respect you deserve with only a few people in the entire city having more influence than you.
I really don't want to talk about Origins here because they're just too different of games, but I feel that one of the main reasons that the decisions of Origins make little impact in DA2 is because it focuses on a much smaller problem and even at the end of the game, you have nowhere near the fame or influence of the Hero of Ferelden. The character in Origins literally saved the entire world from the Blight in what was probably the shortest time in history (if every Blight lasted just a year, I'm not sure it would be that big of a deal) while settling the conflicts of the warring kingdoms of Ferelden and doing whatever happened in Awakenings (I've already forgot the story of that game). Hawke's story is just to become the champion of Kirkwall which is almost insignificant given the scope of Thedas. I feel that Hawke is just used as a vehicle to set up the circumstances of DA3. While I could understand people being upset that the game was set up as a sequel and it turned out to be nothing more than a side-story, I think the characters and events of DA2 were interesting enough in their own right to make up for the lack of scope compared to Origins.
I don't think anything needs to be said of voice acting in a Bioware game, but goddamn is it good here. I cannot say that I was ever bored listening to or participating in interactions with other characters in DA2, which is not something I could say about Origins as much as I liked that game. Liking a story comes down to personal taste, and I can't sit here and tell you that the story is objectively good... but it really resonates with me personally. I have never been a fan of replaying games that I've beat, and I can count the games I've done that with on one hand. Playing a game 4 times is unprecedented for me, and I believe that speaks to the strength of the game's storytelling. Despite knowing how the events will play out, I've still never skipped a scene of dialogue just do to how well they are directed throughout the entire game.
Continued?
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