I was going to edit my pseudo review and decided it best to quote it for background and go from there.
My review was quite a bit off the mark on this game, mostly due to install issues and very little actual content seen prior to venting.
Pretty crazy, I just read through that post and if true, is pretty damned scary and it this point, I want my money back for this turd of a game.
After about four hours in game, I recalled what it was that bugged me about the Dragon Age series in general. This is not an RPG, hell not even and action game with RPG over tones. This is a Linear Dialogue Driven Consequences Minimal game. The battle system is tired and done half assed, as compared to Baldurs Gate and the like with turn based battle systems. The whopping extent of their variable endings is based on subtle differences in how you respond, 1-4 choices, to situations and questions posed, BFD... this is 2014 and you would think Bioware would have a clue that these modern computers can do some crazy stuff running AI over the top of the graphics system..
The graphics are ok, nothing stellar and outside of the far too numerous cut scenes, pretty damned drab. I was jonesing so hard for a decent, hell I would settle for mediocrity at this point, RPG and bought this turd. After reading about the DRM and the fact my whole system is SSD based, fuck EA and Origin, this company can burn in hell and that wasn't easy for me to say since I always thought of EA as a top tier gaming company. These days, EA is about the safe road and bland games with nothing making them stand out, either good or bad.
It is pathetic how friggin linear this game is, watch too many cut scenes, get to the zone you need to travel through and there is literally nothing to look for, you might find a couple gold pieces or a crappy piece of gear, outside of that it is a single channel from where you entered to where you're headed, even the larger areas are mostly just a meandering channel of space to travel through with out much to interact with. On the interactions portion, don't bother to elicit any information from the numerous NPC, none have dialogue or can be interacted with... Another shit game from EA and the last for me, said it before but this time, they are black listed from my future game purchases.
EDIT: EA needs to hire some one with balls (females have balls too!!), that has some creative ideas and an understanding of what the fuck an RPG is, Skyrim, Fallout, Legenda Of Zelda (more an action RPG but still and RPG!!), the Russians with the Stalker series and numerous others that came before. You need an open world to explore, to some extent, and a non-linear story line with side quests, not this turd EA foisted...
1) I am too that point where any game that isn't truly stand-alone or on Steam, I dislike dealing with.
2) Games that have trouble with first install, I dislike dealing with.
3) Games that use cut scenes too often and to poor effect, I dislike dealing with.
4) I love RPG's, from the original Legend Of Zelda, hell, before that it was bulletin boards & MUD's, through most the modern high fantasy lore role playing games.
This game runs on Origina, EA's turd of an answer to Steam, nuff said here.
This game came on three DVD and each DVD took no less then thirty minutes to read and load, some issue I bet with my brand DVD player (top of the line LG Blu Ray player). Thing never errored out, it just took FOREVER to read write and load each of the three DVD. I was iritated by the time I even got to character creation screen.
Bioware has brought a whole new level of cut scenes to the opening sequences to the Dragon Age franchise. Thankfully, after the first few zones that are the "starting zone", the number and length of cut scenes drops dramatically and they are properly used to develop story and plot lines, well acted and usually not bad; I almost never find myself looking for a way to get past them, you can't as far as I can tell.
I like RPG, especially of the high fantasy order, think LOTR lore.
That four hours I posted previously was install time, time futzing with Origin to get up and going and logged into their turd service. Not sure how many hours in the game but probably closer to two with character creation time and deciding which class I wanted. Actually, I had a hard time between dwarf (these guys are awesome, they love beer!), or an elf for my thief\ranger class. I don't want to ruin the game start but suffice it to say, there are a couple short zone runs with questions posed, you answer and move on, tiny zone, narrow path with zero decisions to make. After a few of these small zones you get dumped into a small starter area, a few quests and the main plot starts getting fed to you. I thought I was at one of the bigger towns and I wasn't even there yet.
The reality is this game is head and shoulders above anything the Dragon Age franchise has put out there to date. Period. Once you get into the main portion of the game is kind of a blending of RPG, the game content played in the numerous zones you unlock, but also a bit of a card game as you have a diplomatic table of the two major lands you are fighting for. On each side of the map you have numerous missions and secondary quests that you can use one of three diplomatic attache to try and resolve, the fourth option is to go there directly and deal with the issue heads up. The zone based ones require you spend Power to gain access to these zones, some can cost as high as 30 power to unlock and gain access, others are 5 or 10. You gain power by resolving one of the main story lines for either of the two main land masses. The simple quests that are dealt with diplomats can return Power and items for your "Inquisition", even this will evolve over time as the main story arcs off a couple ways and you have very impactful decisions to make at many branches along the way. There are numerous story arcs off the main plot and many others that are story lines by themselves.
The game play is very much Dragon Age with the first person game play as good as they have had it. The tactical play is made simple by a stop time mechanism if you like micro-managing the battle rounds. The game has a good menu for the NPC AI and I only have to stop the battle once in a blue moon to adjust something, usually a heal pot or regen pot is needed and that is it. The zones vary greatly, from some awesome tundra, desert and snow, but the sizes, shapes and variety make each one different and fun. There are a couple maps that are on my shit list as they are so busy, multiple levels with a very shitty mapping system in game. Makes it a bitch to get where you need to be, thankfully, it is only two maps out of like twelve I have opened up so far. Some of these maps are pretty damned big and fairly open topography, others are tighter channel driven style.
I was jonesing for a good RPG, glad I bought the game and did not park it after the first night of game play. The next night it only took an hour or two to be fully hooked and trying my damnedest to get the first real zone clear and earn some Power!!
Now, at level 20, I am about halfway through the game and have enjoyed it immensely. I might even go again with another class and see how the other half lives, ranger is super powered after level 10 and make it far too easy in my opinion. I run with two meat-shields most of the time, Cassandra and Iron Bull. These two are warriors dressed up in heavy armor, one is a 2H Axe wielder and the other a sword and shield. These two are the front line power and specced with lots of crowd control, stuns and such, and a ton of hit points and defense. I use Vivienne as my mage, she is specced mostly Ice magic (the natural slow ice has is rocking, makes a juge difference in the mobs timers for abilities) and a bit of healing as backup. With this group, chosen as the banter is pretty funny among them while adventuring, I have mowed down most zones and only a couple of the dragons are TOUGH, like ass kicking tough.
