Colin_is_Cool
2011
This is my second time playing through the game after playing it on the 360 over 10+ years ago. Back then I came away from it feeling quite dissatisfied especially with the repeating dungeon environments. But this time around playing on PC with all the DLC and a better understanding of tactical RPG combat in general...I liked it a lot more.
The three acts all have a neat throughline that give the plot a more episodic feel than Origins and other RPGs where the narrative builds up to one big boss fight that's been telegraphed ahead of time. The Deep Roads Expansion, the Arashok and Qunari, and Mage/Templar conflict are all executed and built to well.
Companions are a nice shade of grey this time around compared to Origins, which were mostly composed of varying degrees of "good guy." Inquisiton has the same problem. DA 2's companions have a tendency to be self-serving and a few commit straight up atrocities in pursuit of their agendas. But all have redeeming qualities that help the player understand their perspectives.
Mark of the Assassin and Legacy are both fun DLC experiences. It's kind of crazy that Legacy wasn't part of the main game as it sets up the main villain for DA Inquisition. But the it does feel pretty detached from the main plot so maybe it's better that it wasn't. Cool weapon you get from that you get to upgrade as you progress through that. Funny to remember how Felicia Day was EVERYWHERE in games a decade ago. She's good in Mark of the Assassin though. The plot of that DLC kinda goes everywhere and involves a very clunky stealth gameplay sequence, and a fun sliding tile puzzle.
Combat is probably the big bummer here because it feels very oversimplified. They over-designed this game for a controller. Pausing and zooming out with the camera to give precise tactical movements is a chore, some skills are redundant (i.e. two Force Mage spells do the exact same thing). While it is satisfying to tear through crowds of enemies, they spawn out of thin air and routine encounters feel artificially lengthened by teleporting spawns of enemies.
Overall, better than I remember. Wish it was designed better w/ PC players in mind beyond having an action bar for skills. Hearing Inquisition kind of follows suit in the way it controls, but I'm curious to revisit it in preparation for Dreadwolf.
The three acts all have a neat throughline that give the plot a more episodic feel than Origins and other RPGs where the narrative builds up to one big boss fight that's been telegraphed ahead of time. The Deep Roads Expansion, the Arashok and Qunari, and Mage/Templar conflict are all executed and built to well.
Companions are a nice shade of grey this time around compared to Origins, which were mostly composed of varying degrees of "good guy." Inquisiton has the same problem. DA 2's companions have a tendency to be self-serving and a few commit straight up atrocities in pursuit of their agendas. But all have redeeming qualities that help the player understand their perspectives.
Mark of the Assassin and Legacy are both fun DLC experiences. It's kind of crazy that Legacy wasn't part of the main game as it sets up the main villain for DA Inquisition. But the it does feel pretty detached from the main plot so maybe it's better that it wasn't. Cool weapon you get from that you get to upgrade as you progress through that. Funny to remember how Felicia Day was EVERYWHERE in games a decade ago. She's good in Mark of the Assassin though. The plot of that DLC kinda goes everywhere and involves a very clunky stealth gameplay sequence, and a fun sliding tile puzzle.
Combat is probably the big bummer here because it feels very oversimplified. They over-designed this game for a controller. Pausing and zooming out with the camera to give precise tactical movements is a chore, some skills are redundant (i.e. two Force Mage spells do the exact same thing). While it is satisfying to tear through crowds of enemies, they spawn out of thin air and routine encounters feel artificially lengthened by teleporting spawns of enemies.
Overall, better than I remember. Wish it was designed better w/ PC players in mind beyond having an action bar for skills. Hearing Inquisition kind of follows suit in the way it controls, but I'm curious to revisit it in preparation for Dreadwolf.
Takes a min to get going Story-wise but once it does, it's one of the best I've seen in a Star Wars game. Gameplay is still top notch and new Saber stances feel great. Exploration becomes a greater focus in this game and discovering things like Zeffo Temples and Jedi Trials were super rewarding. Skoova Stev and Turgle are great additions to the "weird little guys" roster of Star Wars characters.
Only huge drawback for me was the woefully inconsistent framerate, especially on Koboh. Other than that, it's a must-have for any Star Wars fan.
Only huge drawback for me was the woefully inconsistent framerate, especially on Koboh. Other than that, it's a must-have for any Star Wars fan.
1996
My Dad's favorite game ever and the first point-and-click game I ever played. Some puzzles are a bit obtuse thought that is fitting with the theme. Incredible animation and art style.
I will never uninstall. The flow of THPS is engrained into my muscle memory and the revamp of old 1 and 2 levels mixed with the completed combo system of THPS 3 makes this an easy "pick up and play at any moment" type of game for me. I can kill 15 minutes or 8 hours in this game.
Just a nigh-perfect game, maybe the best open-world adventure game of all time. Playing the first 6 hours of this felt transformative. Like many long open-world games, it can feel a bit formulaic toward the end, but I'll chalk that up to recognizing the gameplay loop. An absolute pleasure to play and I hope Tears of the Kingdom recaptures some of the magic again.
2023
One hell of a game. I only played a smattering of the original game way after release and watched a walkthrough later. This version I felt ratcheted the horror atmosphere way up while still maintaining the fun action movie tone and kept encounters tense with more varied enemies. Most definitely my favorite game of this console generation.