bella
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Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by bella on Sept 12, 2019 22:14:19 GMT
A few first impressions after playing for 3,5 hours... - I only just got to New Serene so I haven’t gotten very far, but it’s keeping me interested in the story. I’m fascinated to see where exactly they’re going with the colonization theme. - The voice acting is a bit hit or miss depending on the character, but overall good enough. Haven’t played enough to comment on characters’ personalities yet, hoping they’re not as bland as in Horizon Zero Dawn (a game that I loved btw). - I’m not really feeling the soundtrack which is a bummer, perhaps it’ll grow on me. - The character customization options seem to be pretty good! - Indeed, not too many chances to mold your character through dialogue options, but as I’ve just come from Witcher 3, I don’t mind. I like that they’re creating more options to roleplay through deciding which factions you support, so you can kind of choose your morality etc. I’m not expecting my decisions to make an actual impact on the endgame though. - Some game mechanics and combat have felt a bit clunky, but I’ve pretty much gotten used to it now. - Also, someone in this thread (or at least I remember reading it somewhere) said that Serene reminded them of the streets of Detroit in Deus Ex and I couldn’t unsee it, haha. So to sum up - it’s late and I need to go to bed, but I can’t wait to play more  |
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Post by Space Cowboy on Sept 12, 2019 22:42:56 GMT
From reviewers I’ve seen mention that the governor’s mansion, guard barracks and tavern interiors are reused for each of the three major settlements in the game. More than just that. Reusable faces as well. They have maybe two dozen character models. That's not necessarily bad though. But as someone pointed out, this is a hallmark of old bioware design. That kind of design didnt really fly well with andromeda... That was the biggest untold story. Just now did Dr. Lexi manage to replace every Asari with a clone of herself? 
I guess every game does that to some extent.
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Greedfall
Sept 12, 2019 22:47:48 GMT
via mobile
Post by phoray on Sept 12, 2019 22:47:48 GMT
So long as they don't keep the same exact paintings from one Governor house to another, I think it's fine I regret to inform you there's, like, 5 paintings in the game that are reused over and over again.  I guess ai just meant that it's like, Constantine's super white family members as paintings that I saw in New Serene. That would be not impressive to see that in the Science Faction of very brown people's Big House. |
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Post by dazk on Sept 12, 2019 23:47:22 GMT
saandrig you commented on the side quests being really good, was that more specifically outside the cities because to me the ones I have encountered so far are the usual go here do this with checkpoints added that are of no consequence and just pad things out. Maybe I need to clarify why I am enjoying them so much (turned into a wall of text). First off, I played Kingdom Come Deliverance just recently. And the side quests there are a massive, boring chore most of the time with no real world building to them, mainly involving sending you on a marathon back and forth across the map to tag a bunch of NPCs. So yeah, in comparison Greedfall has awesome and tight quest runs  This timing might contribute to why I like them as much.
Second - almost all of the side quests so far contribute a lot toward revealing you the world and it's dynamics. One thing I hated a lot in DAI, that was also very prominent in MEA, was that the side quests were just there as fetch tasks without a story and zero world building. You want to know about what is happening in the Emerald Graves, Western Approach, Exalted Plains, etc. and how it all came to be? Then read a damn Codex entry (or worse - find it first), because the game doesn't give a fuck to show it to you with it's most powerful tool - experiencing it through gameplay by story driven side quests (but by the Maker, will it send you to kill X creatures and gather plants). It's why I enjoy DA2 and especially ME2 so much. Both games feel like one giant side quest and engage you personally in the world by means of showing, not just telling. How do I know the nobles in Kirkwall are dirtbags, how did I learn so much about the Qunari and Asari cultures (let's face it, in ME1 the Asari were hardly shown as anything more than blue boobs), the shady sides of the DA and ME universes, etc? Well, I had the pleasure of dealing with and seeing all of it first hand. Not by reading a book. I actually didn't even bother reading Greedfall's codex. But I already know a lot about the Naut's traditions, the trade laws of the different factions, the culture of the natives, the good and the bad about the Coin Guard's traditions, the growing tensions between native tribes and their lack of unity and some history about pretty much everything happening on the island. And it's all been shown to me by the side quests. This is my preferred way of world building and I think the game nails it pretty good thus far.
Third - all side quests have their own story (hence the world building plus) that is different enough for each quest and gives you the illusion you are not in a repeat loop. Remember the Witcher 3 and that is lauded for it's awesome quests... 90% of them boiling down to talk to NPC/follow Witcher sense/click on quest markers/listen to Geraldo monologuing/follow Witcher sense/kill stuff/go back to NPC. Greedfall takes the same formula (I think Spiders did the smart thing of emulating the better parts of many games) - yeah, the base activity is the same, but the story behind it is what is selling it. Also I just love how almost all quests give you the opportunity to show off (or hate the lack of) your build. Stat checks left and right. And yes, you can go get the key by the table and open a door, but isn't it better to blow up the wall instead or show off your acrobatic skills or convince the NPC to open the door for you? This adds well to creating the illusion of diversity to what actually is the same base side quest formula. I admit, I might be willing to be more easily fooled than other people by this approach, but give me a cinematic story, dialogue and stat checks and I will keep running back and forth even in ME1's copy-pasted storage rooms.
Fourth - this is a weird one, but... RPing through questing... Yes, we had this discussion somewhere in the posts above. You can't RP much by dialogue in this game (although there are such options now and then. I was confronted to confirm or denounce my faith and then quizzed if I know my scripture, lol). But you can RP by the manner in which you solve the side quests. Stealth, Science, Vigor, Lockpick, Charisma, crafting, good old bribes, brute force - so many possibilities. This is something usually more common in isometric RPGs and Bethesda sandboxes, but is rarely used in the Bioware type RPGs (we usually get one skill to build up for Persuade and it solves everything, otherwise it's combat). I already plan a next PT where my De Sardet will be a spoiled rich brat, trying to solve all problems with gold (might use a gold cheat for the lulz). No points in Charisma, Intuition, Crafting, Science or whatever skill might be considered honest and hard work, no disguises, no stealth, limited diplomacy. The game allows you to solve many quests by throwing money at them, but many other are different. I am curious to see how things will turn out and where De Sardet will fall hard on his butt. I am expecting major hate from factions and some companions. I also consider a pure diplomacy PT, focusing on Charisma/Intuition/Stealth and avoiding confrontations by any means necessary.
So far I still think Greedfall has an edge over MEA in the companion department. Visual/graphical quality is no contest of course, different engines, different budgets, MEA looks better, while Greedfall made a mistake going for photo-realism with an engine that either is not very good at it or needed more polish (I swear, in certain light Kurt looks like he has the Blight). Outside of that though, Greedfall so far invests me into the followers more.
Companions in GF start to shine when you begin their personal quests - far more interesting story wise than MEA, while also fitting quite well into the main narrative. MEA had decent companion quests compared to the rest of it, but that doesn't mean much for a game where side quests were so bare bones. And in MEA the comp quests felt somehow too detached from the rest of the story/world, but that was an issue with other stuff in the game too. Frankly I liked only the development of Jaal and Cora and that was after I finally managed to finish their personal quests, the rest of the team never made a lasting impression. Drack was ok, but he never filled the big boots of Wrex/Grunt (it's a problem with being a sequel). I really wanted to like Vetra, but she was just potential wasted. Liam was also ok, had the best side mission, but I swear I could not understand why we ended up doing it the first two times around, it just came out of the blue and he didn't explain it well. Peebee could have been better if her development wasn't so fragmented all over the place. She was a comic relief that was too sporadic to leave a lasting impression.
Yes, if you edit a video and cram all MEA companion stuff one after the other, it looks better...than how it is in the game. And you can also see how much unrealized potential the companions have, which alone leaves a bad taste (cmon, you have a friggin female Turian as a companion. She alone could have carried the game if given more attention. Nobody would have cared if there wasn't a Peebee or Liam). And while I appreciate the attempt at being light hearted, it fails more often than it succeeds with the companion dialogue. MEA had the issue of being a 60+ hours game on a normal run, that had too little companion interaction for this much game time. That lead to bad pacing, sprinkling crumbs of companion content far too much apart, which often made them feel detached from everything else you did at the time.
MEA feels like it tried to fill too many checkboxes with the companion content (can't have less than the MET now, can we). And while it did manage it, the end result is less than the sum of it's parts. Serviceable at best, but not engaging enough and way too fragmented as an experience. An example - You know what I hated the most? The movie night quest! Liam says "we should do a movie night". I am all "hell, yeah, man, this sounds like fun, Citadel DLC shit right there, team building for the upcoming adventure, let's do it now!" And it fucking took me the whole bloody game to slowly collect the stupid crap everyone needed, because "oh, no, not all at once, unlock it by moving the main story". All the initial hype I had for this quest slowly turned into annoying chore to a point where I didn't care anymore and just wanted to kick it away from my quest log. The end result wasn't anything to write home about either. Too much of the companion stuff felt the same as this.
Greedfall easily wins by being more compact and investing you into the companions early in the game instead of after 30+ hours (hooray for lower budgets and focused development?). The companions are also fleshed out very early, stay consistent with the tone of the narrative and don't raise too much eyebrows with their behavior. Their personal quests are even well tied with the main story and fit better in the world. And damn, Petrus alone wipes the floor with the entire MEA cast just with his voice acting and giving you a chill with his manner. If there was ever a companion that intimidated me by simply introducing himself politely, then he is the guy. I would not want to live in the same neighborhood as him, maybe not even in the same city. Cheers for the extensive response, not sure I agree with some of it but its a good argument as usual. Whilst not having gotten very far yet the only thing I will disagree with you about and having done most of Kurt's first personal quest in Serene and New Serene I fail to see how you don't see that as a fetch quest, for me it was tedious to the max. Sure it has relevance to the story but then so did lots of MEA's side quests especially in terms of providing insight into the Kett and the Angaran history. And the quests for the Bridge Alliance and The Church guys were basically exact copies of each other with different characters inserted relevant to each political group and whilst you weren't "fetching" anything they certainly were in my opinion not overly enlightening except to provide a minor story premise for each faction. Same could be said for the Cabin Boy Quest, all three of them were almost identical in their method and mechanics and for a lot of tedious effort provided minor background for the game. Anyway I don't want this to descend in to an ongoing debate, you are much further into Greedfall than I am but think we just have different expectations of side quests and what mechanics and actions make them more meaningful or better. Thanks again for the reply, as always I appreciate your comments and discussions about the games we play. 
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Post by dazk on Sept 12, 2019 23:58:50 GMT
I wasn't sure if I should get this but I bought the game after all and did the tutorial/intro yesterday, meaning I just arrived on the island. - The RPG stat system is rather light (which is fine) and you don't get a lot of points (which is not that great). Only one talent (or whatever it's called) point every 5 levels feels a little underwhelming. I want to play a diplomat because that's who we are supposed to be in this game, right? SO I put my first talent point in Charisma. Well, having an extra dialogue option in 1 or 2 quests is nice but really, seeing all those locked chests in the tutorial area (that I probably won't be able to return to later) makes me wish I had chosen lockpicking instead. The fact that we can't even diversify a little is nagging me a bit there. - I don't like the combat much at all. Maybe that's in part because - again - I skilled for a diplomat kind of character, believing that, depending on playstyle, combat would actually maybe barely happen. Clearly that was wrong, there seem to be quite a few mandatory fights just as you are exploring the tutorial city. Not to mention that first boss fight, which I had to try about 20 times or more (almost rage quit the game during that one). It would be fine if it felt like it was just me, not doing things properly (you know, Dark Souls like). I don't mind difficult games (loved Elex for example). But here it feels more like fighting the clunky controls rather than the enemies. Whether a parry works or not seems more a gamble than having to do much with timing (and apparently you can't parry all attacks), dodging seems way too small of a step to really evade attacks that way. So I end up just trying to get as many hits in as possible and then run away (and hope my companion triggers the aggro of the enemies as I run). It's not fun at all atm. Maybe it'll get better with more skills (I have high hopes for "roll" but can't get there till lvl 7). Anyway, right now, I definitely play the game despite it's combat, definitely not for it. - The sneaking also seems weird. Tried it in the harbor warehouses. My companions just snuck right into the path of a guard and actually blocked their way (making them walk against each other indefinitely). I then found out that the "sailor coat" I wore actually counted as a Naut uniform, so the guards ignored me anyway and I didn't really have to sneak but what does this weird positioning of the companions mean? Do they just not alert enemies at all (which would just look weird) or do they (and, given from their stupid open positioning, that would make sneaking pretty much useless)? Too ealry to tell for me now but it certainly seems weird. Preliminary conclusion: It seems to be a decent AA game, that is promising in terms of setting, story and dialogue but is lacking in game mechanics and production values. From what I have seen so far, 50 bucks seems like a very steep price to ask for a game of this caliber (seeing how something as brilliant as Plague Tale: Innocence started out at $30). I got it for $40 at Greenman Gaming and that's pretty much fair enough because I like these kinds of story games. But from what I've seen so far, it's more of a title for story/character enthusiasts like us, who can live with gameplay that is more utilitarian than enjoyable. I chose Warrior and focused on sword and gun and the firstboss fight was literally run behind it and whack it with the sword six times then shoot it four times and it was all over. From what others I have discussed it with it seems that Warrior build makes combat WAY easier than magic which they had all chosen. The sneaking animation is incredibly hilarious but that could also be because of having just come from ACOD with its stealth. I had the same experience doing the sneak and having the sailor coat on!!!!!! 
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Post by dazk on Sept 13, 2019 0:02:40 GMT
A few first impressions after playing for 3,5 hours... - I only just got to New Serene so I haven’t gotten very far, but it’s keeping me interested in the story. I’m fascinated to see where exactly they’re going with the colonization theme. - The voice acting is a bit hit or miss depending on the character, but overall good enough. Haven’t played enough to comment on characters’ personalities yet, hoping they’re not as bland as in Horizon Zero Dawn (a game that I loved btw). - I’m not really feeling the soundtrack which is a bummer, perhaps it’ll grow on me. - The character customization options seem to be pretty good! - Indeed, not too many chances to mold your character through dialogue options, but as I’ve just come from Witcher 3, I don’t mind. I like that they’re creating more options to roleplay through deciding which factions you support, so you can kind of choose your morality etc. I’m not expecting my decisions to make an actual impact on the endgame though. - Some game mechanics and combat have felt a bit clunky, but I’ve pretty much gotten used to it now. - Also, someone in this thread (or at least I remember reading it somewhere) said that Serene reminded them of the streets of Detroit in Deus Ex and I couldn’t unsee it, haha. So to sum up - it’s late and I need to go to bed, but I can’t wait to play more  I am glad you mentioned the music, it started bothering me yesterday and some of it in stealth situations was very immersion breaking/annoying.
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saandrig
N5
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda, SWTOR, Anthem, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
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Post by saandrig on Sept 13, 2019 6:18:26 GMT
I'd probably say around 11-12 hours, and that's mostly just main quest stuff. I didn't even touch some factions, and only did Siora's and Vasco's personal stuff. Also I used a trainer that had a '' speed up game '' function that REALLY helped with long distance running back to back lol. Thank you. That was "about" what I was expecting. Even DAI - if you just looked at critical path content - was...15, 20 hours tops? So, yeah - 11-12 sounds about right. If we apply the same rules to DAI - "speed up the running", do mostly main quest, remove the Power gating grind - then we will end up with about 5-6 hours game (most of the time will be cutscenes and dialogue). Maybe closer to 7 if you count Trespasser.
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obatalaryder
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Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by obatalaryder on Sept 13, 2019 11:00:50 GMT
Closing in on 15 hours and at level 13 so here's my fully formed first impressions; my future review will basically be a small summary. So here are my drawn-out personal points about the game:
- Yes, there is plenty of jank. And bugs. Nothing that's seriously bothered me, though.
- Story is a slow-burner, in a good way. The lore; the characters, the factions, etc. Everything after the prologue is where it picks up because it actually manages to settle down. Everything is paced nicely. Because the Malichor is such an indefinite disease, you never feel like you're committing narrative dissonance by doing a bunch of unrelated side quests as seen in typical rpgs. The side quests coalesce smoothly right along the main ones making for a tightly cozy immersion. The sidequests actually have worldbuilding. Uncovering unexplored areas in the wild just meandering about also feels naturally intriguing. Too
The amount of meat that goes into these quests is definitely the "core" of the game. And quests help define your De Sardet character-wise; quest decision choices is your way of RPing, rather than constant dialogue wheels a la typical Bioware. That whole stealth/attack/diplomacy triumvirate mechanic is VERY impactful on the state of your quests and faction reputation.
It is not just choices on a wheel or a gameplay mechanic. It's the opposite of something like Deus Ex where playing stealthy or violent on a level doesn't change the actual narrative outcome. It's something I've learned to be careful over. I made an absented-minded mistake during a quest involving the natives and that mistake ended up detailing the end of the quest and where I somewhat stood with that particular village's leaders. Losing reputation points (when you just got a few) when you had no intention to lose any is not an enjoyable feeling. Still early, but I think Spiders are nailing the quest design.
- The soundtrack is AMAZING. I'm a music buff so a game OST being an instant earworm gets extra, extra credit from me (last one that did it for me was Kara's Theme from Detroit Become Human). From the main menu to the cutscene cinematics to the battle music, and to the music just filling in whenever you enter a town an area in the wilderness, it's all awesome as hell. I like the modern ambient/electronic/industrial touches to orchestra music and traditional drum and flute music. The music that plays when you're sneaking by Ulgs in a forest or engaging in combat is invigorating.
- Now the biggest anchor this game has and possibly my most favorite aspect of it is this: Diplomacy, diplomacy, diplomacy. It's strange that despite reading from the previews and articles you never realize that this game is basically built to be a diplomat simulator. it's something that I didn't see coming despite what I had prior knowledge of and I'm falling in love with it. It's an engrossing and fun as hell gameplay loop. It's a dedicated loop that unsettles what one stereotypically is expecting from an RPG, and it keeps you coming back for more. You're constantly thinking of how to approach any particular situation. It's something that I never noticed I really wanted until now. Every game has a selling point as a loop and this is basically it.
- One thing that reminded me of Bioware was the combat system. In the sense that combat in games like Mass Effect 1 were just a way to from point A to B. And in a roleplaying sense, get from dialogue wheel to dialogue wheel. That's what I internalized in ME1. And the same goes for Greedfall where the combat for me is just a buffer to get from one diplomatic interaction to the next.
On Companions so far:
- Petrus' VA makes his character more likable than I ever expected. Too bad I don't like Theleme.
-Just got Aphra and I like how feisty she is.
The game appears to be more about the overall lore and world than any specific fixation on characters.
Character Customization:
Character Creator faces are basically just presets. And even the presets are limiting. Disappointing. Dressing up your character however is one of the most enjoyable parts of the game.
The theme of colonialism so far in the game is played straight with no mincing.
I think some of the critiques about this game are valid but other concerns I feel just come from wrong expectations.
Overall I'm enjoying this game the most playing it from the narrative-driven perspective. The entire political intrigue of this game is just enjoyable to be immersed in. Anything leading up to a choice of method to resolve something has me excited. The mystery of everything from places to factions and plot threads are constant. So far a game based entirely around political choices and colonialism is delivering what its promised, story-wise.
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Kappa Neko
...lives for biotic explosions. And cheesecake!
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kappaneko
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by Kappa Neko on Sept 13, 2019 12:31:03 GMT
My boyfriend is currently playing the game and after a somewhat uninspired "it's decent" response he now says I should play it too without specifying why. So it growns on you then? The setting did so not interest me. The colonial art style is not my thing. Art style always has a big influence on my buying choices and Greedfall I would have dismissed based on that alone tbh. Then again I would never have bought DAO if I didn't love ME1 so much. So I can tolerate unappealing settings if the story is engaging. So is it engaging...?
I'm a story/atmosphere first person. Don't care if the combat is janky if story and characters suck me in. Horrible quest design (as in MEA) can really kill all the fun though. It's why I gave up on Witcher 1 after 4 hours a couple of years ago. It was everything I hated about quest design back in the old days of RPGs.
From what I gather, it's a lot about factions and they all sort of suck, kind of like in Fallout 4? SO then how about choices? How much does the game adept to who you're friends with and who hates you? A lot of games fall short on actual consequences (Bioware games included).
I always like good faction drama leading to different epilogues. So if that's here, I could be swayed into checking it out.
I'm busy playing other games so I don't need to play this just to be playing something.
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saandrig
N5
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda, SWTOR, Anthem, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Posts: 3,861 Likes: 8,219
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Post by saandrig on Sept 13, 2019 13:11:38 GMT
I'm a story/atmosphere first person. Don't care if the combat is janky if story and characters suck me in. Horrible quest design (as in MEA) can really kill all the fun though. It's why I gave up on Witcher 1 after 4 hours a couple of years ago. It was everything I hated about quest design back in the old days of RPGs. From what I gather, it's a lot about factions and they all sort of suck, kind of like in Fallout 4? SO then how about choices? How much does the game adept to who you're friends with and who hates you? A lot of games fall short on actual consequences (Bioware games included). I always like good faction drama leading to different epilogues. So if that's here, I could be swayed into checking it out. I'm busy playing other games so I don't need to play this just to be playing something. The game is definitely made with "story and atmosphere" as the top priority by a good margin. Will it appeal to your taste though? I can't say. It definitely appeals to mine. The quest design is much better than MEA or DAI, but, again only my opinion - because each quest has a fitting story to it (with the small in-engine cinematics during conversations), gets commented on by whatever companion you have with you (and different companions give different comments, even talk and argue with each other about it) and offers multiple ways to resolve it. But don't get fooled, it's still the regular - "go from A to B, do something, get back to A", but it's wrapped in a much better package than many other RPGs and obviously tries to take notes from the "Witcher 3" quest approach.
I can't really comment how choices and reputation with factions impact the story, because I am still around early midgame or so, but there are obvious bonuses to being a friend with factions so far - you get a gift item and their merchants offer better quality items. As I am buddy-buddy with all of them for now, I don't know if negative Reputation locks you out of quests, areas or such. I do hear comments from faction NPCs though where they do say "you are a good person, but we know you play friends with our rival Faction X too". And if you bring certain companions while meeting their rival faction, you can create a diplomatic incident, but so far it's mostly Reputation drop and funny cutscenes.
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sentinel87
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Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect Legendary Edition, Dragon Age The Veilguard
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Post by sentinel87 on Sept 13, 2019 14:41:28 GMT
This was a game I've been watching for a while, it sort of fell off the radar after it war initially announced for a while. This is also the second title I bought from Focus Home Interactive, the other being the great little game A Plague Tale: Innocence that released earlier this year.
Just beat the game and here are some thoughts. It took me about 31 hours to go through without doing everything, though I did many side quests. I played a one handed sword user with heavy reliance on a firearm. I loved the addition of firearms in this game.
I've heard it called a "Bioware lite" game and I can see inspirations.
The voice acting is great and many of the places you can visit are stunning. It's not a true open world game but the levels feel large. It reminds me of DA2 in many ways, especially how some of the building assets are all copy paste of each other.
The setting is fascinating. It's a sort of late 17th century period involving exploration and colonization and the search for a cure to a deadly plague afflicting the land you're character is from.
I never encountered a quest that felt like a fetch quest. I got one really drastic surprise about a third the way in that felt like it came from no where and another larger one that did feel like it was building up to with foreshadowing that didn't surprise me about half the way through. The final boss was a bit of a surprise as well but did have some build up and explanation.
One of the things I have a bit of a problem with is the lack of dialogue options in conversations. They are just extended cut scenes. Most of the time you only have the option to decide in which order you want to ask questions in order to move the conversation along.
You can't play a sarcastic or diplomatic character. That is already set for you. This annoyed me because there were many times when my character would say things that I felt like in a Bioware game I would have some semblance of choice via the dialogue wheel. I just kept waiting for a choice on how to respond but never could.
You can make several large choices regarding what happens to other factions and the end has one final choice.
Overall a good game. Really glad to see that other developers are looking to try and fill the gaps Bioware is showing in the RPG market.
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Cyberstrike
N4
is wanting to have some fun!
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
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Post by Cyberstrike on Sept 14, 2019 15:41:31 GMT
Greedfall reminds me more of Fable than any BioWare game. It's an above average to good game but it's NOWHERE in BioWare's league sorry but DAI and MEA are still better games than Greedfall.
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saandrig
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Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda, SWTOR, Anthem, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
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Post by saandrig on Sept 14, 2019 16:11:06 GMT
Greedfall reminds me more of Fable than any BioWare game. It's an above average to good game but it's NOWHERE in BioWare's league sorry but DAI and MEA are still better games than Greedfall. I am in the opposite team I think with regards to story (pacing and engagement), quests and world building, Greedfall is quite ahead of both those titles. Still won't call it better than DA2 though.
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Post by phoray on Sept 14, 2019 16:19:59 GMT
Being at a full blown camp during Loading Screens between zones is excellent and should be the standard.
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Post by phoray on Sept 14, 2019 16:26:43 GMT
Greedfall reminds me more of Fable than any BioWare game. It's an above average to good game but it's NOWHERE in BioWare's league sorry but DAI and MEA are still better games than Greedfall. I am in the opposite team I think with regards to story (pacing and engagement), quests and world building, Greedfall is quite ahead of both those titles. Still won't call it better than DA2 though. DA2 is pretty amazing, ya. Especially with the very subtle faction mechanics between Templar and mage factions. I can't comment in it's being better than Fable, DAI, or MEA yet. The companion storylines have been a bit abrupt to me. I'm having to gate my own content because I feel like it's giving it to me too fast. |
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azarhal
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Post by azarhal on Sept 14, 2019 16:37:17 GMT
Being at a full blown camp during Loading Screens between zones is excellent and should be the standard. The game has some good design decisions. ^That's one of them. The other being the little camps on the maps, which was taken from DAI, but unlike DAI I actually use those in GreedFall because they have my chest, crafting table and you can talk to your companions who aren't in your party...instead of going all the way back to your "house". Just the chest is super helpful when your inventory is full. Or for keeping all those armors for covert operations. Which means I don't have to run all the way back all the time. Yes, I'm an hoarder.
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xrayspex73
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Post by xrayspex73 on Sept 14, 2019 16:44:08 GMT
The more I play Greedfall, the more I like it. This game is certainly right in my wheelhouse. Once you start to really explore after arriving in New Serene, the game starts to shine. I also really like how they implemented camps (very DAI-ish but even better like azarhal said).
This is far and away the best game Spiders has ever released. Glad to see someone pick up the mantle after Biower died.
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xrayspex73
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Post by xrayspex73 on Sept 14, 2019 16:45:17 GMT
Greedfall reminds me more of Fable than any BioWare game. It's an above average to good game but it's NOWHERE in BioWare's league sorry but DAI and MEA are still better games than Greedfall.
How about Anthem? Is it better than Anthem?
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Iakus
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Post by Iakus on Sept 14, 2019 16:57:02 GMT
Greedfall reminds me more of Fable than any BioWare game. It's an above average to good game but it's NOWHERE in BioWare's league sorry but DAI and MEA are still better games than Greedfall. I am in the opposite team  I think with regards to story (pacing and engagement), quests and world building, Greedfall is quite ahead of both those titles. Still won't call it better than DA2 though. I split the difference. It's about on par with DAI (Greedfall does some things better than DAI, DAI does some things better than Greedfall) but waaaaaay better than MEA. Still early to say if Spiders can "replace" Bioware. But I'm looking forward to their future titles with great anticipation.
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Post by witchcocktor on Sept 14, 2019 16:57:44 GMT
DA:I is better for me when it comes to romances, character customization, variety in landscapes and overall gameplay.
Greedfall on the other hand has a better story, good roleplaying, better dialogue, better quests and a limited scope that they focused on, instead of trying to be something bigger than it is.
Both had good companions, but I think I'm going to give DA:I the shoutout for better companions, just because they talk more with each other, form a kind of a family and the romances are better.
DA:I is one of my favorite games ever, but Greedfall really impressed me regardless. I went into the game hoping for a good gay romance, which didn't happen, but I got out with an overall emotional, rollercoaster of an experience and an excellent story that really kept me hooked despite not getting what I initially wanted.
Greedfall 100% gets more exciting and hectic when you're like 40% finished with the main quest. After that, it really, REALLY picks up and I couldn't put the game down.
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saandrig
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Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda, SWTOR, Anthem, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
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Post by saandrig on Sept 14, 2019 17:09:05 GMT
I am in the opposite team I think with regards to story (pacing and engagement), quests and world building, Greedfall is quite ahead of both those titles. Still won't call it better than DA2 though. I split the difference. It's about on par with DAI (Greedfall does some things better than DAI, DAI does some things better than Greedfall) but waaaaaay better than MEA. Still early to say if Spiders can "replace" Bioware. But I'm looking forward to their future titles with great anticipation. DAI is much better with the companion content, but honestly it's the only thing that I would give really high marks. The companion interactions, banter, stories and different romances is what I look forward when doing a PT. I dread too much of the pointless boring filler it has and the wasted potential of the open world.
I don't know what Spiders can do with an AAA budget, which comes with it's own challenges, but with Greedfall they showed that they nailed the AA market and the game is very near to the AAA quality and actually better than some AAA titles.
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azarhal
N7
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda, SWTOR, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
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Post by azarhal on Sept 14, 2019 17:26:08 GMT
I don't know what Spiders can do with an AAA budget, which comes with it's own challenges, but with Greedfall they showed that they nailed the AA market and the game is very near to the AAA quality and actually better than some AAA titles. With 5-10% of the budget. They could x4 GreedFall's budget and it would still be AA. GreedFall isn't just AA, it is low budget AA. I think AAA budgets are more an hindrance to development than something that helps. It cause developers to take all sorts of stupid decisions because they think they have the money and manpower to fix/change everything, instead of staying focused on their original designs. GreedFall was announced in 2017, not that long after they started development and they never moved away from their originals design. Quests stuff shown a year later (at E3 2018) are still in the game with pretty much no changes. Compare that to BioWare or Cyberpunk who show stuff at E3 and a year (well more 1.5) later at release it's all scrapped or heavily altered.
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Post by slimgrin727 on Sept 14, 2019 18:00:32 GMT
Greedfall reminds me more of Fable than any BioWare game. It's an above average to good game but it's NOWHERE in BioWare's league sorry but DAI and MEA are still better games than Greedfall.
How about Anthem? Is it better than Anthem?
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Post by rapscallioness on Sept 14, 2019 18:22:30 GMT
Okay, I'm loving this game. It's a slow burn. This game is much long than 30 hours. I'll go into longer stuff later.
Right now I need help. My Vasco romance won't trigger. I looked at the guides a few minutes ago, and apparently I said all the right things. I did all his quests, but the guy has literally nothing else to say to me. This has been going on for quite some time.
Meanwhile, Kurt has thrown himself at me, and I didn't even get flirty with him:
Kurt: *with great deference* "Your Excellency....we'll bang, okay?"
Me: Wait, what? Oh, dear.
When I refused him, his response broke my heart. It really did. So, I reloaded and decided to just not talk to him. At least until Vasco came with it.
Vasco: "Hello,my friend. What can I do for you?"
Me: You know damn well!
Sigh.
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Post by phoray on Sept 14, 2019 18:33:21 GMT
Vasco: "Hello,my friend. What can I do for you?" Me: You know damn well! I am amused but can't help. Vasco is sort of my preferred romance out of the options but I'm not that far. |
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This timing might contribute to why I like them as much.
I think with regards to story (pacing and engagement), quests and world building, Greedfall is quite ahead of both those titles. Still won't call it better than DA2 though.
