jensen
This review contains spoilers
Bought it, started it, spent 10 hours in the Hinterlands, dropped it.
Then picked it up again and absolutely loved it! It's not perfect by any means, but (and this is a large but!!) if you stay on the main story path it makes for a great game.
+ Interesting and well-developed companions with grounded and individual perspectives that makes for interesting interactions.
+ Never got around to exploring the crafting system as well as I would've wanted to, but it looks pretty solid.
+ Solid character creation, where your background/class actually impacts the story.
+ Beautiful maps. Wow!
+ The soundtrack is fantastic.
+/- Overall plot and concept. The plot was pretty cookie-cutter stuff, but I liked the whole "organization management" part of it all and I wish they leaned further into that. I liked the main quests enough, but with the level/power requirement it became a little "grindy" at times.
+/- Very very strongly tied to the potential Dragon Age 4. Not necessarily a bad thing, but the "sequel potential" is so great that, if Dragon Age 4 never leaves development hell, it might feel a bit incomplete. If done well, however, it can probably make for a great sequel.
- Unnecessary large. The size of the open world sometimes made the entire thing feel unfocused. Too many side quests, areas and mechanics I felt were added just for the sake of adding things. Tablets, shards, treasure maps- it seemed a bit like an attempt to make the unnecessarily many/huge areas seem less empty. Most of it could be ignored without impacting much of the experience however.
- The combat system didn't do it for me personally. Most of the encounters were meeeh and the scaling didn't feel well done.
- Relies on Trespasser (DLC) for a narratively satisfactory ending.
Despite all my complaining, it's a lovely game that I enjoyed to the point of not being able to put it down.
Then picked it up again and absolutely loved it! It's not perfect by any means, but (and this is a large but!!) if you stay on the main story path it makes for a great game.
+ Interesting and well-developed companions with grounded and individual perspectives that makes for interesting interactions.
+ Never got around to exploring the crafting system as well as I would've wanted to, but it looks pretty solid.
+ Solid character creation, where your background/class actually impacts the story.
+ Beautiful maps. Wow!
+ The soundtrack is fantastic.
+/- Overall plot and concept. The plot was pretty cookie-cutter stuff, but I liked the whole "organization management" part of it all and I wish they leaned further into that. I liked the main quests enough, but with the level/power requirement it became a little "grindy" at times.
+/- Very very strongly tied to the potential Dragon Age 4. Not necessarily a bad thing, but the "sequel potential" is so great that, if Dragon Age 4 never leaves development hell, it might feel a bit incomplete. If done well, however, it can probably make for a great sequel.
- Unnecessary large. The size of the open world sometimes made the entire thing feel unfocused. Too many side quests, areas and mechanics I felt were added just for the sake of adding things. Tablets, shards, treasure maps- it seemed a bit like an attempt to make the unnecessarily many/huge areas seem less empty. Most of it could be ignored without impacting much of the experience however.
- The combat system didn't do it for me personally. Most of the encounters were meeeh and the scaling didn't feel well done.
- Relies on Trespasser (DLC) for a narratively satisfactory ending.
Despite all my complaining, it's a lovely game that I enjoyed to the point of not being able to put it down.
2011
Is it the worst Dragon Age game to date? Probably.
Is it the sexiest Dragon Age game to date? Absolutely.
My introduction to the DA series, I bought this game off origin due to it being on sale (originally, together with ME: Andromeda- a bad game that unfortunately lacks the sexiness that permeates every pixel of DA2).
I completed nearly every side quest thrown my way and I did so with absolute glee. This game is ugly and dull but it's /Dragon Age/ in a way that Inquisition will never be to me. Is part of it nostalgia? Oh for sure- most of it, probably. But I genuinely came to love the companions in a way I never did in Inquisition and Hawke is hands down the best protagonist in any Dragon Age game. I usually jump on the opportunity to customize characters and create a unique story for them, but in this game I couldn't bring myself to play anything but the standard male Hawke. Instead of being the standard blank canvas, he felt like an actual realized character- and I personally enjoyed that (though I understand while some did not like how "predetermined" Hawke was in comparison to the HoF or the Inquisitor).
Oh and #TeamAnders for life btw
Is it the sexiest Dragon Age game to date? Absolutely.
My introduction to the DA series, I bought this game off origin due to it being on sale (originally, together with ME: Andromeda- a bad game that unfortunately lacks the sexiness that permeates every pixel of DA2).
I completed nearly every side quest thrown my way and I did so with absolute glee. This game is ugly and dull but it's /Dragon Age/ in a way that Inquisition will never be to me. Is part of it nostalgia? Oh for sure- most of it, probably. But I genuinely came to love the companions in a way I never did in Inquisition and Hawke is hands down the best protagonist in any Dragon Age game. I usually jump on the opportunity to customize characters and create a unique story for them, but in this game I couldn't bring myself to play anything but the standard male Hawke. Instead of being the standard blank canvas, he felt like an actual realized character- and I personally enjoyed that (though I understand while some did not like how "predetermined" Hawke was in comparison to the HoF or the Inquisitor).
Oh and #TeamAnders for life btw
2009
the blueprint
This review contains spoilers
A great game. Not necessarily a great /Assassin's Creed/ game, but a great game nonetheless.
Do yourself a favor and choose Kassandra as protagonist- Melissanthi Mahut is an absolute delight!
Despite being a huge Assassin's Creed fan, I can't help but feel as if this game would have been better if you took out the... Assassin's Creed part. The modern-day parts were uninspired and unfortunately detracted from the all in all experience.
Loved pretty much everything until the ending, which soured me a bit on the game in general.
hihi Found Family go brrr I love my war criminal brother
Do yourself a favor and choose Kassandra as protagonist- Melissanthi Mahut is an absolute delight!
Despite being a huge Assassin's Creed fan, I can't help but feel as if this game would have been better if you took out the... Assassin's Creed part. The modern-day parts were uninspired and unfortunately detracted from the all in all experience.
Loved pretty much everything until the ending, which soured me a bit on the game in general.
hihi Found Family go brrr I love my war criminal brother
This review contains spoilers
This game ticks aaall my boxes but for some reason I didn't love it the way I thought I would.
Although I've never played Pathfinder, I'm a huge fan of similar TTRPGs and must say this was a stunning CRPG. I'm also a sucker for Kingdom management so you won't hear me complain about that.
In classic me-fashion, I will say that I LOVED this game up until the end. Then came House at the Edge of Time (?) and it was as if all momentum just... died. It was such a colossal pain in the ass that a few hours in, I died and reincarnated as a spiteful ghost of my former self that is now writing this review. Luckily Nyrissa girlbossed gatekept gaslighted the rating up half a notch
Although I've never played Pathfinder, I'm a huge fan of similar TTRPGs and must say this was a stunning CRPG. I'm also a sucker for Kingdom management so you won't hear me complain about that.
In classic me-fashion, I will say that I LOVED this game up until the end. Then came House at the Edge of Time (?) and it was as if all momentum just... died. It was such a colossal pain in the ass that a few hours in, I died and reincarnated as a spiteful ghost of my former self that is now writing this review. Luckily Nyrissa girlbossed gatekept gaslighted the rating up half a notch
2013
Back in high school, a classmate of mine wrote an essay about this game that affected me to the point were I literally can't stop thinking about it three-or-so years later.
This game is so brilliant- so beautiful, thought-provoking, funny, etc etc. - that the repetitive gameplay barely feels repetitive.
Glory to Arstotzka!!
This game is so brilliant- so beautiful, thought-provoking, funny, etc etc. - that the repetitive gameplay barely feels repetitive.
Glory to Arstotzka!!
2004
I fuckign hate this game
2007
Bad game! Unfortunately a favorite of mine
2015
Another day, another settlement needs your help
I wish I could rate this game lower but Todd Howard is in my house and he is holding a gun to my head and he fuz'roh'dahd my family please send help
So good I had to rate it separately from the base game! Amazing map designs, beautiful writing and flawless comedic timing- a perfect send off to the series and the characters. As mentioned by another reviewer, it's only downside is that it's available far too early on and struggles to really find a fitting place and pace in regards to the rest of the narrative- but otherwise flawless <3
2010
played through the entire trilogy a few weeks ago and felt hollow for days after. wanted to write down my thoughts on it but it still felt too raw.
yesterday i was cramming for finals, listening to someone's playlist of video game soundtracks, when a song from this game came on- you know, the one that plays when you're viewing the galaxy map. i'm not being melodramatic when I tell you that my heart physically /ached/.
i don't think a proper review will be coming any time soon, this one will remain raw for quite some while <3
yesterday i was cramming for finals, listening to someone's playlist of video game soundtracks, when a song from this game came on- you know, the one that plays when you're viewing the galaxy map. i'm not being melodramatic when I tell you that my heart physically /ached/.
i don't think a proper review will be coming any time soon, this one will remain raw for quite some while <3
2012
This review contains spoilers
"had to be me. someone else might have gotten it wrong."
i was inconsolable. still am!
this game was absolute dread. and by that i don't mean because of the mega-robo-aliens invading earth, but because i had to sit through it knowing that this was the last time i'd ever get to experience a mass effect trilogy game for the first time.
ME3 was brilliant. i laughed, i cried, and i enjoyed every second of it.
well, except the ending. I really hated that.
(and I can't wait to hate it just as much the next time <3)
i was inconsolable. still am!
this game was absolute dread. and by that i don't mean because of the mega-robo-aliens invading earth, but because i had to sit through it knowing that this was the last time i'd ever get to experience a mass effect trilogy game for the first time.
ME3 was brilliant. i laughed, i cried, and i enjoyed every second of it.
well, except the ending. I really hated that.
(and I can't wait to hate it just as much the next time <3)
2007
best of the trilogy story-wise, worst of the trilogy gameplay-wise, first of the absolute best video game series of all time
2018
well, you are certainly on a raft!