A Little Dragon Age Rant.

[Orby]

If there is a Dragon Age thread around here be free to dump this here, I struggled to find it.

So Bioware released the Dragon Age 4 trailer at the game awards recently and I haven't seen anyone here posting anything about it.



Okay I know what many of the key members behind Dragon Age (and by some key members I mean all of them) have left the company now. And it really shows in the visuals to this game via the trailer. And I want to go through one picture in particular.



I mean what the hell is this?

Okay so mild rant here. Dragon Age is a franchise I love, I play Dragon Age: Origins once a year because its one of my favourite games. I even enjoyed Dragon Age 2 that's not to say it was good, it wasnt, but I still got some enjoyment from the characters and story.

The problem I have with this trailer is the atheistic. Look at that image, when did Dragon Age become DragonPunk Age. Dragon Age has always been a very grounded fantasy which blends Historical Fantasy and Traditional Fantasy (for the most part), Dragon Age: Origins especially was loosely based on A Song of Ice and Fire books by George R.R.Martin and it clearly shows if you played it. Wardens being the night watch and the Darkspawn being the white walkers, but not only that, like A Song of Ice and Fire it heavily featured a lot of politics in Origins and even Dragon age 2, some of the dialogue was very based in this heavy style where it wasnt just good v evil there were blurred lines and peoples motives made sense. But I digress...

This was a sample of architecture in Origins to compare.




In Dragon Age Inquisition it was clear there was a tonal shift, the move away from the traditional/historical fantasy and into a high fantasy setting that is more super hero-esque super science fantasy akin to, let's say, Final Fantasy and it works for Final Fantasy but not so sure I want it for Dragon Age, especially when that world has already been established only to see them completely change the design.

Even the armor and weapons in the trailer looks very World of Warcraft-ish with the total impractical bow and bright sparkly strings and arrows, which is a stark contrast to the (sometimes) more traditional weapons they had before.



Okay so sure its lovely and flashy and I am sure some people think its way more exciting that traditional armor and weapons and fantasy in general. I mean it looks fancy and cool its colourful and stuff, but where we come to where we got too feels vastly like a different game now.

I know its a lot to rant on by looking at the trailer, and this is maybe overlooking at something before the game comes out. But seeing the slow transformation of the feel of the games seems very prevalent, its a similar thing that's happened to WoW over the years. Where its went to more traditional to more high/science fantasy.

What do you guys think, a lot of Dragon Age fans I kn ow still looking forward to the game and I'd be lying if I said I wasnt too, the tonal shift (if there is one) will might take a while to get used to. But I do kind of prefer my fantasy more traditional/historical...

tldr: Do you think Dragon Age has changed its tonal athletic since Dragon Age: Origins and is it something you have adapted to, do you like it or have you given up on the franchise?

[Leyre]

There are no other Dragon Age games after Origins

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Do you think Dragon Age has changed its tonal athletic since Dragon Age: Origins and is it something you have adapted to, do you like it or have you given up on the franchise?

Ofcourse it's changed. DAO began development in the early 2000s, when the gritty low medieval age aesthetics of the Peter Jackson LotR films were in vogue. Notice how pretty literally every big Western fantasy game was emulating that aesthetic: Guild Wars, Elder Scrolls, and so forth.

When WoW reached the zenith of its popularity in 2009/2010, the popular fantasy aesthetic in the West became colorful, cartoonish characters. DotA2, League of Legends, Kingdoms of Amalur, etc, all followed this. Even established franchise MMOs like Star Trek and Star Wars tried to emulate the aesthetic.

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There are no other Dragon Age games after Origins

Truer words were never spoken.

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The real problem is that old Bioware died after EA bought them out. The people who made the games you loved are long since gone. It's just a dead corpse being puppeteered by EA, much like how old Blizzard is dead and it's just a corpse being puppeteered by Activision. It's pretty much why every game after DAO and ME1 were so awful.

[VinceVega]

Nah. I think Dragon age changed it's look every game. From the medieval look of the first to the city/stronghold of the second to the more glamorous of the third.

The next one is in Tevinter. The one where mages are used to their full extend and is also the oldest of all the human empires.
Ferelden was mostly inhabited by nomadic tribes until a hundred years back and Orlais is... weird.

For the flashy weapons: I think only the first game went heavy into the medieval look. It was gone by the second. Everything got flashier and more colorfull.
Take that and put more magic in it and you get what you see in the trailer.

I like the ever changing nature of Dragon Age. The places in the wordl FEEL culturally different and are not just another race in a place where the trees look different... like wow...

[BeepBoo]

I agree with your take. I'm excited because I've loved all of the dragon age games, and thematically DA is one of my favorite franchises, but I feel it looks different in that video. It might not feel that way when we get closer. I didn't notice too much of a shift from origins to inquisition. An evolution of the engine and a different set of enemies maybe, but it felt just as gritty, if not also more grand I suppose.

Only time will tell if I care about that aspect or not, but I do agree it will be hard to top the blight in terms of darkness of enemies faced.

The next one is in Tevinter. The one where mages are used to their full extend and is also the oldest of all the human empires.

If this is true I cannot WAIT to play a templar >:}

[VinceVega]

Ofcourse it's changed. DAO began development in the early 2000s, when the gritty low medieval age aesthetics of the Peter Jackson LotR films were in vogue. Notice how pretty literally every big Western fantasy game was emulating that aesthetic: Guild Wars, Elder Scrolls, and so forth.

When WoW reached the zenith of its popularity in 2009/2010, the popular fantasy aesthetic in the West became colorful, cartoonish characters. DotA2, League of Legends, Kingdoms of Amalur, etc, all followed this. Even established franchise MMOs like Star Trek and Star Wars tried to emulate the aesthetic.

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Truer words were never spoken.

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The real problem is that old Bioware died after EA bought them out. The people who made the games you loved are long since gone. It's just a dead corpse being puppeteered by EA, much like how old Blizzard is dead and it's just a corpse being puppeteered by Activision. It's pretty much why every game after DAO and ME1 were so awful.

I like Inquisition. DA2 also had a good story and the fighting was fun... characters and the setting have just been really lacking.

[Jastall]

One of the very few criticisms I have of Origins is its brownness. The world looks boring as fuck. On top of its better graphics, I much prefer Inquisition's artstyle as well. Even villages look much better.

As for everything being so high fantasy, I'd wager the city is Minrathous, which is the most magical place on Thedas proper, said to have buildings held upright by magic. Ferelden was a comparatively backwater, feudal country known for its simple, rugged people. Tevinter is the thousands-years old most powerful human nation on the continent, home to its mightiest and most prideful mages lording over an undercast of mundanes and slaves, it should by all rights have a much more grandiose architectural style, and if Dorian is any indication the Vints like to show off.

The magic bow I'll grant is somewhat silly, but over the top weaponry started with DA2. Hell even some DLC and unique weapons in Origins look ridiculous compared to the usually quite grounded armor sets.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

We'll see how it is. The nostalgia crazes need to stop though... It still doesn't feel too high fantasy to me. Especially Inquisition.

The magic bow I'll grant is somewhat silly, but over the top weaponry started with DA2. Hell even some DLC and unique weapons in Origins look ridiculous compared to the usually quite grounded armor sets.

Over the top weaponry really is obnoxious unless there was a regular two handed weapon size that didn't look unwieldly. If people want to use over the top stuff more power to them IMO so long as there's options to change the style.

[Rendark]

I don't really care how it looks. All i care about right now is who you play as.

[Morgaith]

As others have said, there is only one dragon age game and it's called origins (and awakening).

[Sorrowseer]

Different parts of the world, origins is too dated now, story was good but thats it, dragon age 2 was somewhat infuriating with how samey everything was, Inquisition was great but could have been a little better in some areas, the screenshots are of the Tevinter imperium the capital of unrestricted mages, it SHOULD look like this, anything less would be a disappointment.

[Orby]

One of the very few criticisms I have of Origins is its brownness. The world looks boring as fuck. On top of its better graphics, I much prefer Inquisition's artstyle as well. Even villages look much better.

As for everything being so high fantasy, I'd wager the city is Minrathous, which is the most magical place on Thedas proper, said to have buildings held upright by magic. Ferelden was a comparatively backwater, feudal country known for its simple, rugged people. Tevinter is the thousands-years old most powerful human nation on the continent, home to its mightiest and most prideful mages lording over an undercast of mundanes and slaves, it should by all rights have a much more grandiose architectural style, and if Dorian is any indication the Vints like to show off.

The magic bow I'll grant is somewhat silly, but over the top weaponry started with DA2. Hell even some DLC and unique weapons in Origins look ridiculous compared to the usually quite grounded armor sets.

You slightly swayed my interest with this at least. But I do feel it could have been done with more subtly, the flashy neon colors? That's a bit much. Its not so much what Tevinter is supposed to be but how it is represented in that idea here. I mean 4th century Asia and 4th century Europe still looked of the same time zone despite their many differences culturally, but this just looks other worldly in comparison.

Now maybe because of the graphics, so maybe I am being unfair. But who knows, its just something I have noticed as every game has gone on. I am thinking if someone turned off those neon colours maybe it's just that? :P

Still my thoughts of the weapons remain the same

[ClassicPeon]

I like Inquisition. DA2 also had a good story and the fighting was fun... characters and the setting have just been really lacking.

Inquisition had the most dissapointing end to any video game i've ever played/seen played.

Its basicly an action rpg. Also the classes felt much weaker and way to few spells where worth using compared to the other games.

Combat overall just took a colossal nose dive straight into the dirt.

As for comparing the story of DA:O to the other games. Its not even remotely close. Just the templars vs mages arc in DA: is better then everything the other games could muster put together.

[Jastall]

You slightly swayed my interest with this at least. But I do feel it could have been done with more subtly, the flashy neon colors? That's a bit much. Its not so much what Tevinter is supposed to be but how it is represented in that idea here. I mean 4th century Asia and 4th century Europe still looked of the same time zone despite their many differences culturally, but this just looks other worldly in comparison.

Now maybe because of the graphics, so maybe I am being unfair. But who knows, its just something I have noticed as every game has gone on. I am thinking if someone turned off those neon colours maybe it's just that? :P

Still my thoughts of the weapons remain the same

It's magic fire and glyphs looks like, not neon, but I get what you mean, I'd associate the Imperium more with stark black walls and such, but the city's gotta be lit after dark, and no self-respecting magical tyrant will accept lighting to come from a boring old torch if you ask me. As well, IMO Minrathous of all places on Thedas should look otherworldly, the Veil is probably paper thin there owing to how much magic is used daily and how much blood and suffering is shed by its slaves and gladiators. As someone else said, the difference between Ferelden and Tevinter isn't just cultural, they're radically different societies that approach magic in completely different ways. They shouldn't look even close to the same.

Now, if we visit a Qunari war camp or city and they also have their Saarebas waste their energy flashing around magical fire and other such gaudy nonsense, then yeah I'll call bullshit. They're not supposed to do stuff like that. But the Vints? That's totally in their national character.

[dope_danny]

none of the people who made origins will be working on this. Expect a live service with "yes its a dating sim but you can still pretend its not like those gross japanese games to save your fragile ego" romances.

The old Bioware is gone. Forever. Take it from a Silent Hill fan and deal with it. This is a brand exercise to sell a familiar name for you to clap at because you know reference. This is Anthem 2.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Expect a live service with "yes its a dating sim but you can still pretend its not like those gross japanese games to save your fragile ego" romances.

I never thought Bioware romances were good, but I did like how in DAO, you really had to really consider what you wanted to say to get a character to like you. The only other game I can think of that did that was Sakura Wars. Really got me to think about who those characters were. Whereas in Dragon Age 2, you just clicked the option with the heart on it. Not engaging at all.

[Traveler Voltin]

what the hell?
what kind of crazy time skip are we dealing with?

that doesnt feel like dragonage anymore.

[PACOX]

I liked Inquisition. I'm conflicted with DA2. Gameplay wise it was. Everything else was lazy, almost offensively so.

[Saltysquidoon]

I'm not sure I'm liking Varick's le quirky quiplord marvel self-referential hang a lampshade on it voiceover here. It makes me feel like the story isn't going to be as serious.

Origins released 11 years ago and its the weakest member of the franchise and not a representation of what Dragon Age is anymore. 2 laid the ground work and with Inquisition they hit the ground running.

Please tell me you're trolling.
DA2 is literally shovelware they pushed out in a year and Inquisition was a shallow offline mmo with a goddamn WoD mission table.
I'm expecting DA4 to be a live service lootershooter at this point.

[Nnyco]

Every dragon age was totally different so far.