I've finally beaten the game and figured I'd post my thought on the game.
To start off, I will say I loved this game. Best Bioware game I've played since Mass Effect 2 and it restored some faith in Bioware after the problems I had with ME3, DA2 and TOR.
Graphics:
I play it on 4k setting hooked to my UHD TV and the game looks wonderful. Especially areas like Emerald Graves and Arbor Hills. Characters models are pretty detailed for the main characters, with moles and scars and other imperfections that make them seem more realistic. Some of the characters themselves are somewhat ugly, but I believe that was the intent. Cassandra is a bit mannish, Sera a bit sloppy. I wish there was more graphical difference between the armors and weapons, though, and that you could choose different skins for things. I wasn't a huge fan of the looks of the Serrated Greatsword, but it was the best weapon I could find, so I was stuck with it at the end.
Animations are pretty good, with some stiffness on occasion and lip syncing is up to snuff, despite some clipping at times (like Josie's tongue going through her teeth when pronouncing a "th" sound). Spell and ability effects don't seem as flashy this time around and are much more subtle. Not sure how I feel about that, as I enjoyed casting giant flaming tornados like you could in DA![[face_shock]](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ignboards.com/styles/ign/ign/smilies/classic/shock.gif "Shock [face_shock]")
. But overall, the graphics are some of the best I've seen on next gen so far.
Gameplay:
The bread and butter of any game, I really enjoyed the gameplay in DA:I. A combo of DA and DA2, it kept things moving, while not feeling like Mass Effect with swords. However, it's not without its flaws. The tactical camera is a pain to use, with even minor obstacles keeping you from being able move the reticle. The only time I ever really used it was during dragon fights to move my ranged characters somewhere safer.
I enjoyed only being able to pick on specialization as it made the choice more meaningful. However, I felt this game was very limited in options compared to earlier games for skills. A lot of the skills that were base skills before were transformed into specialty skills instead of them creating new ones (for example, rift Mage) and while I prefer passives over sustained abilities, I miss some of the old sustained skills like weapon enchants.
Exploration was awesome with large maps and beautiful scenery. However, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to do it on my second play though, because while the areas themselves were great, almost every side quest was "find X, kill X, and while you're at it, grab any landmarks/astrrariums/shard on your way". Several of the zones were filled with quests, but felt so empty because there was little, if any, story. What was there had next to nothing to do with the main quest.
Story:
And finally the other huge part of Dragon Age and why people play Bioware games-- the story. I really enjoyed he story that was there, but honestly felt there wasn't enough of it. There was only a handful of actually story missions and if it wasn't for level requirements, you'd be able to complete it in half a day. The only real major story choices was between the Templars or Mages and even then, who you choose doesn't affect any of the rest of the game. You'll still fight Red Templars in certain areas, no matter if you freed them or not. You had a few other choices, but none really had an impact on the story. And I felt Corypheous failed as a villain. He just didn't grab me like Loghain or the Archdemon, and the final fight against him was extremely easy and anticlimactic. He didn't get enough story time to establish himself as a real villain, especially when you were decimating his plans at every turn.
Which brings me to the characters. The story and choices for each individual character was much better than the overall story. From simple things like Josephine's family troubles (and cheesy, but wonderful romance) to the hard decision of Chargers vs Qunari Dreadnought, each character felt real and had their own unique personality. Not every character had a deeper conflict like Cole or Blackwall or Cullendid and not every character was as well fleshed out (I thought Vivienne was the weakest character), but they all brought something to the story and the table. My favorite scene is still the card game Varric's sets up and how Josie and I totally left Cullen stripped naked of both his clothes and dignity. It's moments like that which Bioware excels at.
I also liked the twist at the end and hope that Bioware uses this to springboard better things in the future and I can only hope that we don't get another misstep like ME3's ending. I felt like DA:I's ending didn't reflect your choices as much as I'd like, but I can accept that as part of a story still being told.
Overall, the game was a lot of fun, with several glaring flaws that they will hopefully improve on in the next game. I give it an 8/10.
To start off, I will say I loved this game. Best Bioware game I've played since Mass Effect 2 and it restored some faith in Bioware after the problems I had with ME3, DA2 and TOR.
Graphics:
I play it on 4k setting hooked to my UHD TV and the game looks wonderful. Especially areas like Emerald Graves and Arbor Hills. Characters models are pretty detailed for the main characters, with moles and scars and other imperfections that make them seem more realistic. Some of the characters themselves are somewhat ugly, but I believe that was the intent. Cassandra is a bit mannish, Sera a bit sloppy. I wish there was more graphical difference between the armors and weapons, though, and that you could choose different skins for things. I wasn't a huge fan of the looks of the Serrated Greatsword, but it was the best weapon I could find, so I was stuck with it at the end.
Animations are pretty good, with some stiffness on occasion and lip syncing is up to snuff, despite some clipping at times (like Josie's tongue going through her teeth when pronouncing a "th" sound). Spell and ability effects don't seem as flashy this time around and are much more subtle. Not sure how I feel about that, as I enjoyed casting giant flaming tornados like you could in DA
. But overall, the graphics are some of the best I've seen on next gen so far.Gameplay:
The bread and butter of any game, I really enjoyed the gameplay in DA:I. A combo of DA
and DA2, it kept things moving, while not feeling like Mass Effect with swords. However, it's not without its flaws. The tactical camera is a pain to use, with even minor obstacles keeping you from being able move the reticle. The only time I ever really used it was during dragon fights to move my ranged characters somewhere safer.I enjoyed only being able to pick on specialization as it made the choice more meaningful. However, I felt this game was very limited in options compared to earlier games for skills. A lot of the skills that were base skills before were transformed into specialty skills instead of them creating new ones (for example, rift Mage) and while I prefer passives over sustained abilities, I miss some of the old sustained skills like weapon enchants.
Exploration was awesome with large maps and beautiful scenery. However, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to do it on my second play though, because while the areas themselves were great, almost every side quest was "find X, kill X, and while you're at it, grab any landmarks/astrrariums/shard on your way". Several of the zones were filled with quests, but felt so empty because there was little, if any, story. What was there had next to nothing to do with the main quest.
Story:
And finally the other huge part of Dragon Age and why people play Bioware games-- the story. I really enjoyed he story that was there, but honestly felt there wasn't enough of it. There was only a handful of actually story missions and if it wasn't for level requirements, you'd be able to complete it in half a day. The only real major story choices was between the Templars or Mages and even then, who you choose doesn't affect any of the rest of the game. You'll still fight Red Templars in certain areas, no matter if you freed them or not. You had a few other choices, but none really had an impact on the story. And I felt Corypheous failed as a villain. He just didn't grab me like Loghain or the Archdemon, and the final fight against him was extremely easy and anticlimactic. He didn't get enough story time to establish himself as a real villain, especially when you were decimating his plans at every turn.
Which brings me to the characters. The story and choices for each individual character was much better than the overall story. From simple things like Josephine's family troubles (and cheesy, but wonderful romance) to the hard decision of Chargers vs Qunari Dreadnought, each character felt real and had their own unique personality. Not every character had a deeper conflict like Cole or Blackwall or Cullendid and not every character was as well fleshed out (I thought Vivienne was the weakest character), but they all brought something to the story and the table. My favorite scene is still the card game Varric's sets up and how Josie and I totally left Cullen stripped naked of both his clothes and dignity. It's moments like that which Bioware excels at.
I also liked the twist at the end and hope that Bioware uses this to springboard better things in the future and I can only hope that we don't get another misstep like ME3's ending. I felt like DA:I's ending didn't reflect your choices as much as I'd like, but I can accept that as part of a story still being told.
Overall, the game was a lot of fun, with several glaring flaws that they will hopefully improve on in the next game. I give it an 8/10.