Dragon Age 2: Mark of the Assassin

            As I have mentioned before, there are many games out there with many pieces of DLC available for them.  Some are good and some...aren't so good.  But with that said, it's been a while since I've actually reviewed any of these and because it came out within the last month I decided to review the Dragon Age 2 DLC Mark of the Assassin.

            Now a lot of people were disappointed with Dragon Age 2 and it truly has divided BioWare fans more than any of their other games have done before and people tend to love it hate it.  But the game was still financially successful and reviews were generally positive and because of this DLC would inevitably follow.  The first major piece of DLC was Legacy.  In short, it was ok.  I told you some interesting things about the Hawk family and had a few interesting villain characters but was all around nothing special.  So was Mark of the Assassin anything special?  Well let’s find out.

            The plot of it revolves around Hawk as he agrees to help and elvin agent named Tallis steal a jewel from an Orlesian noble named Prosper and in doing so, gets caught up in her battles.

            On the positive side it had a great story that was well written, well-paced and full of twists.  The less said about the plot the better but take my word for it.  It's good in this area.  The new enemies like the wyverns and ghasts were welcome additions to the game and I hope to see more of them in future games and DLC.  The environments were well designed and it was very refreshing to see something that didn’t include recycled environments from a Dragon Age DLC, (for more info on this refer to my Dragon Age Review: Part 6).  They also included a few areas where you could use stealth rather than just fight your way through and I felt that was a welcome change of pace.

            In my opinion, however, the best part about this piece of DLC was the characters.  You had a lot of cameos by characters like Liliana, Bann Teagan and other characters introduced throughout both games and I thought that was really cool.  Other characters like Duke Prosper made for some interesting antagonists and the rest were just as interesting.  The best character out of all of them however, was the character of Tallis.  Her voice actor was great as was the writing for her and unlike many of the other Dragon Age 2 characters, she was actually a character you wanted to know more about.  It's actually a shame these characters weren't in Dragon Age 2 because if they had been, who knows?  It may have not received such mixed results from fans.

            The negatives are actually very few in number.  Combat-wise it doesn’t really offer much new to the game, other than the for-mentioned things and to my knowledge you don’t get any noteworthy items in it, (although I could be wrong in this).  Even though you control Hawk's actions, it's never really made clear what your motivation is in helping Tallis.  I know that's a weird thing to comment on but it's the truth.  There really isn't any clear motivation for Hawk to help her. 

            It also didn't really feel like a part of the game, so much as just another mission and that‘s the problem a lot of DLC has and this one fails to escape that shadow.  The only other negative thing I have to say is that I didn't care for the ending.  Minor spoiler alert but don't expect Tallis to become a regular companion.

            All around, this was a good piece of DLC as far as Dragon Age goes.  My standard for DLC, however, was kind of set with Dead Money of Fallout: New Vegas and Layer of the Shadow Broker of Mass Effect 2 and if you compare it with those two, it's doomed.  But it's still an all-around decent add on to the game.  If you take it for what it is, it's pretty good and if you liked Dragon Age 2, you'll like this one.

All Around

7.5/10

First Thoughts on Dragon Age: Legends

            As I’m sure you all know, I love Dragon Age and just about every other game made by BioWare.  So as you can imagine, I was curious when I heard about the Facebook game Dragon Age Legends.  I wasn’t really hyped or geeking out when I heard about it because Facebook games have never impressed me the way they have other people.  Maybe it’s because they’re strictly online games.  Maybe it’s because so many of them require others to effectively play.  Or maybe it’s because it takes so damn long to get anywhere in them.    Or maybe it’s all of the above.  Bottom line, I don’t like Facebook games.  Under normal conditions I wouldn’t even consider playing such a game, let alone write a review on it, but seeing as how it’s Dragon Age I decided to give my thoughts on it.

            As far as I know, this is the first time BioWare or even EA Games have made a game for Facebook.  In fact I don’t think any major video game company has before now.  It came out around the same time as Dragon Age 2 and I checked it out for about five minutes before getting bored.  In recent months, however, I’ve found myself not really wanting to play video games, (it’s something that happens for me every now and then) but got bored a few days ago and decided to take another look at it.

            From what I gather, you play as the champion of a Free Marches Viscount named Ravi.  To sum it up, weird things are happening in the lands surrounding Ravi's city and you go out investigate.  Apparently, his son is somehow involved, but I have no idea how he fits in.  As far as I am into it, that's all I've been able to gather.  This is something that I find very odd, because of the game's developers.  Even BioWare's crappier games still had decent, follow able storylines but this one doesn’t.  Maybe it gets better the further you get into it but as far as I know the plot is fairly bland and boring.

            The combat is a basic turn based system, not unlike Final Fantasy X and the abilities are very reminiscent of those of the consul Dragon Age games.  It also has a number of recognizable enemies, most notably the Darkspawn.  As usual, you can buy and sell items that you need or don’t need and said weapons and armor give you different boosters in strength as such.  You can also build a castle in it.  Yes a castle.  Now, why do you need a castle?  Well to make potions and bombs.  And that’s about it.  But still, it is pretty cool to have a castle      

After that, however, it just becomes another Facebook game.  Like all medieval Facebook games, it requires you to wait for hours for your energy to recharge in order to continue your quest.  Another annoying thing about it is your companion system.  In this game, you can only use your companions for one battle and you have to wait a number of hours before you can use them again.  This makes the game incredibly difficult and tedious, especially if you lose a fight.  For example, if you have a particular set of characters that work well for you, this makes it impossible for you to use that set more than once under two hours.  Even worse, if you screw up and die you waist said characters for a number of hours and this pisses me off beyond belief.  The most annoying thing about this game, however, is, like all Facebook games, the premium content.  While you can pick up a number of weapons and armor from battles and win them in missions, you can’t get the really good ones unless you actually buy them with real money.  This is something that all Facebook games do and it pisses me off to the point where I'm willing to disembowel Mark Zuckerberg.

So what else is there to say?  Well, I hate Facebook games.  That’s about it and all my negatives draw from that simple fact.  I just don't like them and that's where all my complaints come from.  As far as these kinds of games go however, I have to say, I do enjoy this one.  If you like Facebook games and Dragon Age, I say give this one a shot.  Odds are I’ll stop playing this game before the month ends, but other people may enjoy it.  And that’s all I have to say on the matter.          

Dragon Age 2

           As my more dedicated readers know, last month I did a seven part review on the game Dragon Age: Origins, its expansions and DLC in preparation for Dragon Age II and I'm pleased to say that the first two parts of that review are among my most popular currently ranking at two and three.  Now it's time to follow up on that review. This is the Illusive One's Reviews, and this is Dragon Age II.

The Plot

            The game begins as Varric the Dwarf is being interrogated by a Chantry Seeker, (a kind of inquisition for the Chantry).  Ten years have passed since the beginning of Origins, the Chantry is in ruins, and the world is on the brink of war.  This Seeker seeks Hawke, The Champion of Kirkwall, the one who started all this, and may be the one who can put it all back together again.  Varric, who had known Hawke before becoming the champion, doesn’t know where Hawke is now so the Seeker asks Varric to tell her everything he knows about Hawke.

            And so Varric tells the Seeker the story of Hawke: a refuge from Ferelden fleeing the blight who would change the world and become the Champion of Kirkwall.

The Gameplay

            The gameplay shifted radically from that of Origins in nearly every aspect. For starters, the general controls completely change, (for the better in my opinion).  In it, you have more control of your character, actually having to hit a button to do a regular attack against an enemy while your special moves charge up.  At first this is refreshing, then gets tedious, then gets awesome again when your character is in his or her higher levels and is smashing through enemies like bugs.  The new control over your character also allows you to actually dodge attacks and move out of your enemy's attack range and made it much easier to avoid damage. 

            The attributes haven't changed but the skills and talent sets have.  The skill sets have been eliminated altogether and the talents have been renamed abilities and encompass specialization.  These sets have changed from being a simple row of things to upgrade to a tree, each often requiring you to learn a specific ability before learning another.  The weapons and armor still have that cool, medieval fantasy look to them but strangely enough, you can only change the armor of Hawke throughout the game and everyone else has their wardrobe set for themselves throughout the game, (although you can change their weapons and accessories).

           The graphics in this game were also hugely improved upon, although there were several annoying glitches with the cut scenes that constantly distracted me.  All the characters and enemies from the previous game have completely new looks.  Most notably of these were the Qunari, who are bigger, fiercer looking, have horns and blue skin, (yea I didn't entirely get that last on either).

            The number of enemies in this game was, for the most part, limited to those introduced in Origins and its DLC.  While most of these enemies had great new looks, I found it to be a bit disappointing that they didn't come up with anything new.  Probably my biggest issue with the enemies was how underused the Darkspawn were.  I was honestly hoping for less of them to fight, but they nearly cut them out of the game completely.  Luckily, it makes up for it with a huge number of different factions to fight that include Templers, Mages, Qunari, slavers, and various other criminal and government organizations.  

            Then there are the traveling locations in this game, which are painfully limited.  For the most part, you're stuck in the city and its surrounding forests, mountains, and caves.  While much better looking than the locations of Origins, there were annoyingly few in number.

            Finally there is the dialog wheel.  While heavily inspired by the dialog wheel from the Mass Effect Games but this one I think is better.  The first game just gave you a list of things to say and made for boring, one sided, conversations.  With the dialog wheel, however, it allowed you to be nice, tactful, sly, humorous, charming, aggressive, blunt or lie, giving the game a huge number of dialog options.  What ultimately made it better then the dialog wheel of Mass Effect was that not as much hinged on what you said in general conversation.  In Mass Effect, you kind of had to watch what you said for your paragon or renegade status which can and will affect the entire game whereas in this game, the characters may just like you a little less.

The Characters 

            Believe it or not, the characters in Dragon Age II were actually a lot better than the ones from Origins.  Their dialog was improved, their back stores were better, and their motivations for helping Hawke were usually out of mutual need for help rather than a fight for survival.  The best of all of these characters was your protagonist Hawke.  While most RPGs protagonists are boring, silent characters Hawke is just the opposite.  Being able to choose his/her dialog from the wheel gave you all the abilities mentioned above made Hawke an interesting and compelling protagonist.  What I personal found really interesting about Hawke was that he/she wasn't a character out to conquer the world or to save it; he/she is just trying to make a living in this world but constantly finds himself/herself getting caught up in events that change everything.  

            This cast of supporting characters were also great and include includes Varric the Dwarf, Carver, Hawke's Brother, Bethany, Hawke's sister, Avaline the Guard, Isabela the pirate captain, Merrill the Dalish Elf, Anders the Mage, and Fernis the warrior elf and each adds their own flavor to the story and many of their personal quests are actually involved in the main story lines.  On a trivia note, three of the characters were actually introduced in Origins and Awakening.  Isabela was introduced in a whore house in Denerim in Origins, Merrill was a character from the Dalish Origin Story and Anders was a companion from Awakening.

            The characters of Bodahn and Sandal return in this game as both merchants and Hawke's servants (play the game for more details).  While I'm on this subject there were a few cameos by a few characters from Origins and Awakening who appear in the final act of the game.  These cameos include Alistair, Leliana, and Nathaniel Howe but disappointingly consist mostly of hello, nice to meet you, thanks for the help, and see you later.
            As a mentioned above, the dialog system has hugely improved and the lines for the supporting characters have as well.  Most notably, it now contains swearing and I felt it made the dialog more raw and realistic.

The Verdict

            All around, I have mixed feeling on this game.  While I though the plot was good and much more realistic then that of Origins, it just didn't feel as compelling.  It was more about a decade in a man's or woman's life and events that changed the world due to his or her actions then your usual fantasy story.  Don't get me wrong.  I did love the way the plot was executed but it just wasn't as compelling as Origins.  The number of locations was painfully limited and the enemies were disappointing to say the least.  The graphics, gameplay, dialog, and characters I felt were hugely improved and made the game incredibly enjoyable. 

            Last thing to note is the ending.  I won't spoil it, but it should suffice to say it's bullshit.  It's one of those ending leaves you hanging, paving the way for another sequel and this pissed me off beyond belief.  But still, if you liked Origins and are a fan of the stuff by Bioware, (as I am), then pick it up.  Just don't have expectations of it as high as the sky and don't expect a conclusive ending.

All Around

8.5/10

The Illusive One's Dragon Age: Origins Review Part 7

            Wow!  I'm glad that's done.  That was easily the longest review I have ever done or probably will ever do.  Before I go any further let me just thank those of you who stuck with me through all six articles and through this one.  So thank you.

            Well as my articles tell, I loved this game.  It did have its faults, like all games do, but the good out shined the bad.  It had great characters, a great, if clichéd, plot, and a great setting for it all to happen.  Awakening was good, if not what I expected and the DLC was hit or miss.  The game, the expansion and all the DLC is available in Dragon Age: Origins Ultimate Edition and I would highly recommend getting it if you haven’t already played Dragon Age.

            Dragon Age II is due for release on March 8^th and from what I know about it, looks like Bioware has ironed out all the bad things I had to say about Origins.  And that's all I have to say about Dragon Age: Origins.  Once again, thank you for reading, keep on gaming, and keep reading.  Until next time, this is the Illusive One signing off.

The Illusive One's Dragon Age: Origins Review Part 6

           Well, my Dragon Age review is almost over.  In this article I'll be getting into the last three pieces of DLC released for Dragon Age.  It's Part 6 of my Dragon Age Origins Review.

Leliana's Song

           Leliana's Song was released on July 6, 2010 and allowed you to play through Leliana's background story, taking place several years before the events in Origins.  This one, in my opinion, is the most flawed of the three.  Of all the characters in Origins, other than Alistair, Leliana is the character you’re given the most information on.  The game completely rewrites her back story, having it take place in Ferelden rather than the Orlesian Empire, shamelessly uses stock setting from Origins and Awakenings and adds nothing new to the game.  A very ignorable piece of DLC.

5/10

Golems of Amgarrak

           Released on August 10^th, 2010, Golems of Amgarrak takes place sometime after the end of Origins.  You once again take control of your Gray Warden as he/she goes into the Deep Roads to investigate the disappearance of a dwarven expedition.  The expedition was searching for the lost Amgarrak Thaig whose people were dedicated to finding the secret to creating golems.  Unfortunately, instead you find horrible things that are borderline Lovecraftian. 

            This one happens to be my favorite piece of DLC of the three.  While it did have boring characters and reused settings from Origins and Awakenings it made up for it in its horror type suspense, enemies, difficulty level, and it's ever changing environment that has to be seen.  Easily the best of the three.

8/10

Witch Hunt

           The final piece of DLC for Dragon Age: Origins was released on September 10^th, 2010.  One year has passed since the end of Origins and reports have reached you that Morrigan, the witch from Origins, has returned to Ferelden.  Along with your dog, you set out to investigate this news.  It's a decent but flawed piece of DLC.

            The characters introduced were far more entertaining and once again their interactions with your dog make for comedic gold.  Like the last two, it reused settings and environments from Origins and Awakenings but made no effort to hide it and has a lot of continuity issues.  It offered only one new enemy and even that one's place in the game made no since.  Objects and groups also appear in areas you had already been and offer very thin explanations as to why.

            The last thing to address about it is the way it was promoted.  Bioware and EA advertised that Witch Hunt was the end to your Warden's story and that it provides closer to Morrigan's.  It did none of the latter and your Warden is still active at the end of game.  If anything it was more of a teaser for Dragon Age 2 and was flat out infuriating at the end.  But unfortunately it seems like an essential piece to the Dragon Age story and is worth getting

7/10

            And that's the last of the Dragon Age DLC.

The Illusive One's Dragon Age: Origins Review, Part 4

           Well, it's time for the Illusive One's Review of Dragon Age: Origins, Part 4.  As I said on my previous post, this one will be dedicated to some of the strange things about the game; just little things that I loved and hated about the game.

           For starters were the graphics.  I mean, just look how cartoony they are in comparison to other non-Nintendo games that have come out in the past few years.  There are often graphical glitches that you wouldn't expect in this generation of gaming such as limbs going through cloths or weapons just disappearing into the ground when a character gets up.  It kind of seemed like Bioware got lazy in this department, (they were probably more dedicated to Mass Effect 2).

           Then there is the blood in this game.  I mean, good God, it just gets everywhere.  Even a single stab just splatters in unexpected ways.  And it stays on you!  I mean the only way to get it off is to travel or have your dog lick it all up.  Yes, your dog can lick you clean of blood.  Make of that what you will. 

           There are a few oddities I noticed with the plot as well.  For example, even if you didn't use a certain origin story there are references to the character you could have played as.  Another has to do with the human noble origin story.  A character introduced at its beginning was Arl Rendon Howe, voiced by Tim Curry, (his image is to the left).  Now how obvious is it that guy would betray you?  I mean come on!  He looks like a rat and he's voiced by Tim Curry.  What more warning do you need?

           The last thing I wanted to note were a few references made to other pieces of media.  Towards the end of the game you have to rescue the queen from Loghain and to get her out she dresses up as a guard.  A possible response to this; Aren't you a little short for a guard?  If you don't know what that's from may you burn in fires of Hell.  The last one to note is a completely random event.  A meteor falls to the earth with a baby inside of it.  Somehow it survives and a local couple adopts it as their own.  WHAT THE HELL?!  Is that foreshadowing a possible alien invasion to Thedas?  Is there going to be a Dragon Age version of Superman who's going to save the world?  Oh well, whatever.  It still makes me laugh.

            And that's it for part four.  If you've stuck with be this long, please stay and continue to do so.  Next is the expansion to Origins, Awakenings.

The Illusive One's Top Ten Biggest and Least Favorite Fantasy Clichés

      For those of you who haven’t noticed, I'm a big fan of the fantasy genera of fiction and have read tons of books in this area.  I don't know what exactly it is that drew me to this genera but it has been my favorite for years.  Unfortunately, it's a genera that tends to repeat itself and often it seems like I'm reading the same book over and over again.  Over the years, I have noticed many common elements and have decided to put them in a list of the biggest and worst.

            Before I start this list, however, there are a few other clichés that I feel need to mention, even though they themselves do not make my list.  The first is the love interest of the protagonist being or turning out to be a prince or a princess.  While this happens quiet often, it doesn’t happen nearly as much as the ones on my list and isn't as infuriating as some. 

            Another that deserves mention is the evil politician or wizard who serves as an inconvenient obstacle for the protagonist.  Here's how it works; for some God-unknown reason a politician or wizard will block the way of the protagonist, either out some insane belief that the antagonist will bring salvation or believes that the antagonist isn't as serious of a threat as the protagonist claims it is.  Thankfully, this one, (although it is a cliché of its own), isn't as overused as the ones that make my list and can make for a great quandary.  So, without further adieu, it's the Illusive One's Top Ten Biggest and Least Favorite Fantasy Clichés.

                  At number ten, The Revenge Story.  This is something that happens in most fantasy stories, (and most other genres of fiction as well).  The scenario usually goes something like this; a family member or someone close to the protagonist will be die and sends him or her out to begin their place in the story.  Often the story will end with the protagonist getting his or her revenge but finds that by the story's end, he or she no longer cares about revenge and only about how he or she has shaped the world.  While this is a terribly overused fantasy cliché, it can make for a great story if used right and that's why it's only at number ten.

      At number nine, The Old Empire.  In most fantasy, the current kingdoms that exist are always built on the ruins of some other great, preexisting empire.  What exactly caused the destruction of said empire is usually a plot point for the series, if only a minor one.  It's one that is used a lot, but is a forgivable one, in my opinion.

          At number eight, The Ultimate Evil Antagonist.  This is where the clichés start to get annoying.  Following in the footsteps of The Lord of the Rings, nearly every fantasy series has this cliché.  The villain involved will often be some kind of all powerful, all encompassing evil entity, such as Sauron in Lord of the Rings, the Warlock Lord in Sword of Shannara, or the Dark One in The Wheel of Time.  As a result, the lines of good and evil are often clear and this leads to repetitive stories.  Unfortunately, those who enjoy fantasy have to accept this cliché, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it.

         At number seven, The Magic Sword.  Yet another irritating and common cliché.  This is yet another one that has roots in The Lord of the Rings, but was popularized by Shannara.  The sword involved will be magic or special, often the only thing that can kill the antagonist.  While this one isn't as common as a lot of others, I find it one of the most infuriating and intolerable of the fantasy clichés.

          At number six, Red Shirt Characters.  A red shirt character is one that is introduced simply to be killed off and is another infuriating fantasy cliché.  These characters are often introduced, given a name, have no spoken words, and are killed off almost as quickly as they are introduced.  It's one that authors often use, just so the book will have a higher body count and shows laziness on their part and is an unforgivable cliché.

          At number five, The Capital Coming Under Attack.  From Lord of the Rings, up to Dragon Age Origins, this is a cliché that keeps on getting used, even though we have seen it a thousand times before.  Either due to a surprise attack or the crushing of all other defenses or both, an antagonist with a huge army will always attack the capital city of some kingdom the protagonist supports.  While it does make for an awesome final battle it's still one that gets overused and I just wish it would die.  

          At number four, The Average Joe Becoming A Hero.  This is a very common cliché, with roots in Tolkien books but is a forgivable one.  Here is how it works; a young man or woman will get involved in some wizard’s quest to slay an evil overlord because of their ancestry or through a twist of fate.  As I said, this is forgivable one because who honestly doesn’t like to see a commoner rise past social boundaries.

          At number three, The Protagonist With Secret Ancestry.  This one is easily explained by four but is so common in the fantasy world that it deserves a spot of its own.  Often the protagonist will be revealed to have royal parents or have magic abilities that are explained by their true parentage.  

          At number two, Farm Children or Children of Innkeepers Becoming Heroes.  This one is also easily explained by four and usually encompasses three.  It just so happens that the child of a farmer or an innkeeper is more common examples and deserves a place of its own.

And what is the biggest and my least favorite fantasy cliché?

 

          The Protagonist Getting Captured.  Other then the First Law Trilogy, I don't think I have ever read a fantasy book where this doesn’t happen and it never fails to piss me off to the point of where I'm willing to burn down a whole building full of books by the author just to vent my rage.  Just thinking about it makes me want to smash my keyboard as I type.  Usually the main character will get separated from the main group of his or her companions due to some unforeseen circumstances and results in said character's capture.  These captures often have no purpose other than to have an elaborate escape or introduce a new character that could have just as easily been introduced at some other time in some other way. 

            And that's my Top Ten Biggest and Least Favorite Fantasy Clichés.  I admit this one is a bit short and may seem a bit lazy but I honestly didn't know what else to say.  Until next time, this is the Illusive One saying, LATER!