cimerians Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Anyone buying this next week? After looking at some existing reviews I pulled the trigger and pre-ordered it. I found this guide helpful to anyone who hasn't played any of the games and wants to try this out: http://kotaku.com/a-beginners-guide-to-all-things-dragon-age-1658487212?utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Twitter&utm_source=Kotaku_Twitter&utm_medium=Socialflow If you have an online Origin account for the first two games (all it did was track your achievements and progress) and you want your story data transferred to the new game just go here and login with your Origin account: https://dragonagekeep.com It will read your registered Dragon Age games along with all the achievements with all the characters you played that finished the game. It will then ask you to pick a character to import and will do it all for you. It will even create an animated movie of your two characters from DA1 and DA2. You can then change the story\events as you see fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestofHouse Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 It's a definite buy for me, but I have enough unopened games on my shelf that I can wait for a price drop. Thanks for the link to that guide! I've read that knowing the back story from the previous two games is critical to getting the most out of the new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimerians Posted November 13, 2014 Author Share Posted November 13, 2014 It's a definite buy for me, but I have enough unopened games on my shelf that I can wait for a price drop. Thanks for the link to that guide! I've read that knowing the back story from the previous two games is critical to getting the most out of the new one. No problem, this and Mass Effect are my crown jewels of console gaming and I think they may have redeemed themselves with this one. DA2 was arguably a let down for many people. I guess I can throw the Elder Scrolls games in there too as a favorite but I think they are permanently distracted with their new MMO to consider single player RPG's anymore. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestofHouse Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 It turns out that Best Buy are offering their Gamer's Club membership for only $30 this week (on sale from $120) with the purchase of a game $39,99 or higher, so I'm seriously considering picking up Inquisition and getting that deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimerians Posted November 18, 2014 Author Share Posted November 18, 2014 For those who want even more of a backstory to the new game or have very little knowledge of the Dragon Age world the "anime" which came out last May has gotten some good reviews and it's worth a watch according to this (I haven't seen it yet myself): http://kotaku.com/before-you-play-inquisition-watch-the-dragon-age-anime-1660015401 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestofHouse Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 That Dragon Age Keep site also has a nifty text adventure you can play. If you click the 3 lines at the top left, which is the Menu icon, you'll see an option for "The Last Court." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimerians Posted November 18, 2014 Author Share Posted November 18, 2014 That Dragon Age Keep site also has a nifty text adventure you can play. If you click the 3 lines at the top left, which is the Menu icon, you'll see an option for "The Last Court." I'm a fan of old text adventure's like Fighting Fantasy etc. and it seems you can create a character here and do stuff. Really cool, I had no idea about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestofHouse Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 (edited) I picked it up on release day (PS3) and just finished the prologue/tutorial. My early observations: - Graphics are a bit ropey, even for a last gen title. That said, the environments are well-designed and look nice. - I'm not really sure what I'm doing yet. The first boss battle took longer than it should have because it wasn't clear what I had to do to end it. - I like that you can revive party members. During the aforementioned boss battle all but one of my party was down at one point and I thought it was over, but I was able to revive everyone and persevere. - I've not yet figured out how to customize the skills on the face buttons, if you even can. - The search feature is interesting but clicking L3 over and over is going to get old fast. Edited November 22, 2014 by WestofHouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimerians Posted November 22, 2014 Author Share Posted November 22, 2014 - Graphics are a bit ropey, even for a last gen title. That said, the environments are well-designed and look nice. Don't worry the graphics look kind of jumpy\choppy on PS4 as well. The cutscenes not the gameplay....the world is really nice looking walking around and stuff. I only just created my character and saved towards the beginning of the game with Cassandra so I haven't done anything yet. I'm just hoping it's better than DA2 otherwise I wont be buying another Bioware game again but it seems it will be fine. I'm looking forward to playing this and taking my time with everything. Did you play the other games? You think it will be pretty good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestofHouse Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 Did you play the other games? You think it will be pretty good? I played the first one on PC but I don't think I finished it. I liked it though. I didn't play the second one because the lukewarm reviews scared me off. All the reviews I've seen of this one though agree that it's back to form, which is why I bought it. I'm optimistic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimerians Posted November 23, 2014 Author Share Posted November 23, 2014 - I like that you can revive party members. During the aforementioned boss battle all but one of my party was down at one point and I thought it was over, but I was able to revive everyone and persevere. Damn if I knew that I wouldn't have loaded my game over and over again. I finally barely survived with one party member going down. lol. How do you do that? Do you stand next to them and hit a button? Guess I'll find out pretty soon. Trying to figure out how tactics work too.... I'm still trying to get used to 3rd person combat. I know how to lock on an enemy but not sure how to switch to another enemy. The overhead "turn based" tactics would be better handled on a PC I think, it works ok with a gamepad and it seems battles are a little easier to handle that way but its a bit time consuming. Right now I'm doing things around Haven and it seems to be a pretty deep game if you let it. I've been reading a bunch of tomes and stuff and it adds a lot to the world. I think if I blow through this game without just exploring and reading a few things the game would be more dull. Problem is it may take me forever to finish it. Seems they ported in some Skyrim stuff too like crafting etc. So far right from the start it's automatically better than DA2 (for many reasons) so thats a good thing. Not sure by the time I beat it if it will gain the title of the best of the three. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestofHouse Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Damn if I knew that I wouldn't have loaded my game over and over again. I finally barely survived with one party member going down. lol. How do you do that? Do you stand next to them and hit a button? Guess I'll find out pretty soon. Trying to figure out how tactics work too.... You stand over the person and hold X. It takes a few seconds and enemies are usually pummeling you in the process. You use the right stick to cycle through enemies. Tactics are definitely easier to use in the PC version. I don't plan on using the overhead function unless I absolutely have to. And I'm lazy and just like to control my own character, so I hope companion AI is decent in this game. One thing I found that I already found that I definitely don't like is skills from the same tree look identical in the shortcut HUD. I'm a mage and added a second Lightning skill, and the icon is the same as my first. And I still don't know how to customize skills on the face button. I just now finished the prologue so I'm really only starting. I haven't even explored the starting area. Everything I've read says it's incredibly deep. It's somewhat intimidating, actually. I think I'm going to wait until after Thanksgiving to really dive in because I'm not going to be able to play much this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestofHouse Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 For anyone thinking of picking this one up, it's one of Amazon's cyber Monday deals today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPA5 Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 My friends been playing this since release, it does look really great on PC. I'm not usually a massive fan of AAA titles, but I definitely have this on my Steam to-buy list after watching some gameplay for myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimerians Posted December 2, 2014 Author Share Posted December 2, 2014 My friends been playing this since release, it does look really great on PC. I'm not usually a massive fan of AAA titles, but I definitely have this on my Steam to-buy list after watching some gameplay for myself. It's probably only going to be released on Origin so you may not find it on Steam (unfortunately). Another reason I bought this on console. It's not bad but I firmly believe the tactics mode would be a lot easier and more enjoyable on PC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wongojack Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 We have it on 360 because my wife would have probably had an aneurism if she couldn't play on release day. I've just been watching her play (ALOT) while I try to clean up ME3 achievements and get ready for my own playthrough. It is automatically better than DA2 just from the freedom you get, but I tend to agree with this from Cimerians: "I think if I blow through this game without just exploring and reading a few things the game would be more dull. Problem is it may take me forever to finish it. Seems they ported in some Skyrim stuff too like crafting etc." The characters seem kinda boring to me. The original game's banter between Alistair and Morrigan was incredible. I don't think I've EVER liked any two game characters better. My wife is playing as a female character, and I find her voice acting to be relatively humorless and kind of low on expression. There are soooo many companion and close NPCs that I'm getting them confused, but again I'm not playing yet. I see the Skyrim comparison for sure (trying to climb up mountains for instance), and even though I don't play games in the MOBA genre, the gameplay seems very influenced by it. Watching her try to figure out how to do the battles was rough. I think she kinda just gave up and pushes the attack triggers a lot instead of learning the ins and outs of the battle system. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimerians Posted December 2, 2014 Author Share Posted December 2, 2014 I think she kinda just gave up and pushes the attack triggers a lot instead of learning the ins and outs of the battle system. Yeah I do the same thing, I skip overhead tactics and just press the attack triggers repeatedly. Every so often I'll pause it and have a character drink a potion if he's in trouble but I still need to go into the character tactics screen and adjust things a bit so I can survive tougher battles. Some of the rifts can be very hard to close if your not leveled enough. I agree, the banter so far is pretty lame and not as enjoyable as Origins, maybe it gets better I don't know. There's plenty to do and people to meet though so we'll see. Right now I'm in Ferelden closing rifts and doing random quests (that seem to pop up out of nowhere). Overall at the very least its better than DA2....a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wongojack Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 I have no idea why my quotes don't work.. I'm doing the same thing I always do. In fact, I swear when I first posted that the quote was formatted correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestofHouse Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 How are you all progressing with this? I'm only around three hours in and have just begun exploring the Hinterlands, but I find myself really drawn in to the game world. It really feels like the world is alive and things are happening around me whether I'm involved or not. And unlike most "open world" RPGs, the quests feel very natural and purposeful -- not just random filler. I'm still shaky on combat, mainly because I haven't played enough yet. I feel like it's less strategy and more button mashing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimerians Posted December 19, 2014 Author Share Posted December 19, 2014 How are you all progressing with this? Its great, much better than the second game, I'm in the Hinterlands and (unlike some game journalists) I'm not leaving. There's lots to do so I'm basically going around the whole map doing stuff, I almost never get tired of it even though the tasks are small things. I found tactical combat easy to use and now I actually use it for difficult battles. What I do is: - Hit pause. - Pick my character and click on a monster, by using a skill or simply a basic attack (X). - Press and hold R2 and let combat flow. - Release to pause again and repeat. Sometimes I click on an area of the map to have my guy move there if he gets surrounded. For easy battles I don't use tactical combat. The more you play the more you get really good with it and switching between people if you have to. One point I have to mention to save time: Carry staves that have one of each of the different elements (ice, fire, lightning) for you or your wizard. There are caves with magical doors that can only be unlocked by hitting them with the corresponding magical element. I love this game but I need to get back to it, I've put it on the side for a week now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestofHouse Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 One point I have to mention to save time: Carry staves that have one of each of the different elements (ice, fire, lightning) for you or your wizard. There are caves with magical doors that can only be unlocked by hitting them with the corresponding magical element. Excellent tip! Thanks. I usually just open combat with an AOE buff on my party, then a shock spell that hits multiple baddies, then I just start blasting the nearest baddie. If the battle goes on for long enough I'll repeat the AOE buff. I've only played it sporadically. I need to push other games aside and make it my priority. This is a game that would reward dedication. I wish that like Destiny you could read codex online. My playtime is so limited that I don't like to devote a lot of game time to reading. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+remowilliams Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 I'm absolutely loving this game, I have like 70 hours into it or so. Heck I think I had 45+ before I even got to Skyhold. There's so much to do, see and play around with in this game that it was almost overwhelming at first. I even took the time to go through the whole Dragon Age keep site and set the world parameters with my choices made in the earlier games. Glad I did this even though it was a bit time consuming and a bit hard to remember every last thing since it's been a while Must Own RPG as far as I'm concerned unless you like that Japanese doe eyed, giant headed, fifteen foot long sword crapola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimerians Posted December 19, 2014 Author Share Posted December 19, 2014 70 hours?? I need to play more and catch up. One more thing, if anyone likes Cassandra as a character in this game I recommend watching her story in this animated movie (which happens between DA2 and DA3): http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Age-Seeker-Blu-ray-Combo/dp/B0074B2MMW I'm glad I watched it even though she looks different in the animated film it still shows her as a tough warrior with strong beliefs. Its not the greatest thing in the world but it adds a little background about the Templars the Mages and the Chantry and how Cassandra worked her way up in rank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestofHouse Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 As I settle in and give this game my full attention, I'm discovering some minor things that I don't like. Load times. I'm guessing this is more of a last-gen problem than a current-gen. I'm playing on PS3 and I can make tea in the time it takes to load a new region. Level surprises. I was exploring the southeast area of the Hinterlands when I encountered a rift. I'd already closed a rift in the Hinterlands with no trouble so I approached this one with confidence. Within seconds my entire party was wiped. I guess that's the price you pay for having a truly open world, but some indication of an area's or baddies' level would be nice. I can't get used to the menus. Handling inventory and my character still feels clunky. Again, these are just minor things, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimerians Posted December 20, 2014 Author Share Posted December 20, 2014 You get used to the menu's if you stick to playing the game. It took a WHILE for me to get used to it. Some rifts are harder than other's, I usually get back later to the more difficult ones. Loading isn't a problem for me (PS4)...although I have a hybrid drive in it, actually it goes too fast where I can't even read the card tips so yeah its probably on the PS3\360. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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