DirtyDMan
07-08-2010, 11:14 PM
The original Dragon Age made for an interesting contrast to Mass Effect.
As has been said many times, Mass Effect's evolution has cut down on the RPG elements quite a bit in exchange for appealing to a much wider market, while Dragon Age represents the opposite side of that equation -- the desire to create a classic PC RPG in the vein of Baldur's Gate.
With the announcement of Dragon Age II though, the two games now have a bit more in common. In the character of "Hawke," Dragon Age is basically picking up its own Commander Sheppard, and maybe sacrificing a bit of its identity in the process.
That's not to say that I don't like Commander Shepard. As I've played through the first two Mass Effects, I've steadily grown to like the hardnosed renegade that has been my stand-in for the past two games. It's jarring to see any other Shepard simply because I've come to think of my commander as the only one.
But while the original Dragon Age's approach was different, it was equally valid. Much was made of being able to create a different character from a variety of races and experience their origin story, to the point that "origins" was put in the title. They made for an interesting spin on the traditional self-insert approach, and they really did give me a stronger stake in the story.
Talking to other party members, for instance, felt quite a bit more meanginful. I was aware that my Commander Shepard had a traumatic past -- I picked the Sole Survivor backstory -- but it only popped up on occasion. In Dragon Age, it felt like party members were just as interested in my past as I was in theirs. And as someone who prefers keeping her past to herself in general, it was actually kind of a big deal to reveal that, yeah, I was a noble and my family had been killed.
Putting everyone in Hawke's shoes -- whether male or female -- will indeed streamline the storytelling a bit, but it will also lose some of that personalization. In a way, it feels like a reboot, despite the fact that it will continue the story. For a developer that has lately put a great deal of emphasis on character continuity, it's a bit of an odd turn to throw out all of the groundwork they laid with the original and take the Mass Effect route.
But then, if promises of "dynamic new combat mechanics that put you right in the heart of battle" are anything to go by, BioWare (and EA) are keen to duplicate the massive success of Mass Effect II, and that means creating a medieval Shepard and dropping him (or her) into an action RPG.
If there's a positive to be found in this transition though, it's that that BioWare does seem interested in incorporating some of the origin story concept into Hawke's story. I like the fact that his story will take place over the course of ten years, with the decisions that he makes along the way having a major impact on the direction of the plot. Handled correctly, it could make for an interesting new take on the Dragon Age universe, even if it doesn't quite replace the ability to pick from a wide range of backgrounds and classes.
For now, I'll admit to being a little disappointed with Dragon Age's new approach, since it seems to sacrifice both the continuity and the identity of the original game. We're still a long way from March 2011 though, and I'm happy to reserve judgement until I've seen the game for myself.
1UP's RPG Blog : Dragon Age II: Introducing Medieval Shepard (http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9036528)
This is disappointing to me b/c I do enjoy games that allow me to create my own character.. I feel more involved with the character and since the character is basically me I enjoy the story a lot more....
So this is sad to see but I'm going to wait to see what else they do before start judging this game..
One thing I do like is they are going to incorporating some of the origin story concept into Hawke's story.
As has been said many times, Mass Effect's evolution has cut down on the RPG elements quite a bit in exchange for appealing to a much wider market, while Dragon Age represents the opposite side of that equation -- the desire to create a classic PC RPG in the vein of Baldur's Gate.
With the announcement of Dragon Age II though, the two games now have a bit more in common. In the character of "Hawke," Dragon Age is basically picking up its own Commander Sheppard, and maybe sacrificing a bit of its identity in the process.
That's not to say that I don't like Commander Shepard. As I've played through the first two Mass Effects, I've steadily grown to like the hardnosed renegade that has been my stand-in for the past two games. It's jarring to see any other Shepard simply because I've come to think of my commander as the only one.
But while the original Dragon Age's approach was different, it was equally valid. Much was made of being able to create a different character from a variety of races and experience their origin story, to the point that "origins" was put in the title. They made for an interesting spin on the traditional self-insert approach, and they really did give me a stronger stake in the story.
Talking to other party members, for instance, felt quite a bit more meanginful. I was aware that my Commander Shepard had a traumatic past -- I picked the Sole Survivor backstory -- but it only popped up on occasion. In Dragon Age, it felt like party members were just as interested in my past as I was in theirs. And as someone who prefers keeping her past to herself in general, it was actually kind of a big deal to reveal that, yeah, I was a noble and my family had been killed.
Putting everyone in Hawke's shoes -- whether male or female -- will indeed streamline the storytelling a bit, but it will also lose some of that personalization. In a way, it feels like a reboot, despite the fact that it will continue the story. For a developer that has lately put a great deal of emphasis on character continuity, it's a bit of an odd turn to throw out all of the groundwork they laid with the original and take the Mass Effect route.
But then, if promises of "dynamic new combat mechanics that put you right in the heart of battle" are anything to go by, BioWare (and EA) are keen to duplicate the massive success of Mass Effect II, and that means creating a medieval Shepard and dropping him (or her) into an action RPG.
If there's a positive to be found in this transition though, it's that that BioWare does seem interested in incorporating some of the origin story concept into Hawke's story. I like the fact that his story will take place over the course of ten years, with the decisions that he makes along the way having a major impact on the direction of the plot. Handled correctly, it could make for an interesting new take on the Dragon Age universe, even if it doesn't quite replace the ability to pick from a wide range of backgrounds and classes.
For now, I'll admit to being a little disappointed with Dragon Age's new approach, since it seems to sacrifice both the continuity and the identity of the original game. We're still a long way from March 2011 though, and I'm happy to reserve judgement until I've seen the game for myself.
1UP's RPG Blog : Dragon Age II: Introducing Medieval Shepard (http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9036528)
This is disappointing to me b/c I do enjoy games that allow me to create my own character.. I feel more involved with the character and since the character is basically me I enjoy the story a lot more....
So this is sad to see but I'm going to wait to see what else they do before start judging this game..
One thing I do like is they are going to incorporating some of the origin story concept into Hawke's story.