For some reason this game keeps reminding me about Ogre Battle, the game isn't a real time RTS, but the soul of the genre is definitely inside Dragon Age Inquisition but in a more passive form; they're on the war table, they're on your menus awaiting for orders and the feeling is on the map too somewhere, as your map is a very dependable tool. Just as the RPG and the adventure's genre are inside as well... but the game-play fighting isn't working out for me, they aren't attractive because they can't decide on which world they should fit, no real focus be that realism (It isn't that) or unrealism (not that too) and this is why I couldn't get myself loving this game. They tried to make it look like some action adventure game but ended up with a systematical button's holding instead.
Weird I know, but I'll will explain. I could give a score above 10 if it wasn't for that, just for the technical marvels and never-before-mixed conceptions - apart from those annoying glitches who plagues all nowadays games, but... after some 8 hours of gameplay it just starts to get boring. The game's concept is somewhat new because it is a combination of every element I ever saw on RPG and more, they give you a good illusion that you're working on something real but when you're on single-player, you'll see that the Inquisition and the Inquisitor doesn't have real power. You can't lose an outpost, they should add that to give the game some more activities and a less static-looking. Nobody really fights back against your advancements or your people, it is more about how you do it than how you hold it... but how and when you're going to advance. It's almost like the devs are trying to force that feeling on you;
"Hey look how boring a single-player experience can be. What you're doing playing alone there? Long live Micro transactions." The multiplayer doesn't affect the single-player at the moment, so you aren't really forced to play on-line as it was with ME3, but sure the games nowadays are evolving slowly into a multi-player playground, or devolving to become it on my opinion. Maybe because its just easier and cheaper to them. The singleplayer is almost like an excuse to sell the game, while the multi is what they're really aiming at. It can be the other way around sometimes... I'm not saying that the multiplayer isn't good.
"Become a platinum today, it's just more fun that way." For me, it could be much more fun to have a co-op mode in the story mode instead, so I could finish the game with a human friend... but that would require much more work I think. Let's admit it, there aren't many productive cooperative modes out there today. That wouldn't harm the singleplayer experience nor devolve it, but they never think about that do they?
Maybe boring isn't the right term, but it is the only term around me when I play it. I don't regret buying it, the game has a pretty decent structure (a duh here, I always trust on Bioware's capabilities) I just regret to be having to deal with Origin's crappy services and E.A.'s influences on the making of such game, that's all. I'm out of luck this year. For every possible game I have brought in, the game is either ultra buggy or just made with the damn rush and pay-to-win multiplayer in mind which isn't really that fun, not for me anyway, but it seems to please a big growing crowd everyday. And if you're not playing with real friends, forget it. As most games, unknown players are selfish and sometimes not very polite, the chances to find some of those are real big as always. Play with a well know friend of yours, I always recommend that for all games.
I saw some people on the forums asking a very honest question, - Is D.A.I. a real turn-based game? But the answers are quite weird. Most answers are - It is some sort of it, it is real-time based but you can pause during it for tactics. So you might be thinking, ''Yeah these answers are correct." The truth is, the question is good and it remains without a proper answer to me. You can't even order your heroes to do more than one action per-time during battle, if you wish you will have to ''advance time'' in order to find the next opportunity to order them, during the tactical pause. This always deteriorates the battle into a confusing mess pretty fast, it isn't fun. Don't try to go like that, it won't work for long. The camera is the first thing to get really stupid during those hybrids-based battles. So you better stick with the real-time battle for which the pause remains strictly for a real desperate situation, such as low health, or some basic maneuvers as ordering your mates to take point somewhere nearby.
I mean... ''real-time'' battle when you are off the tactical pause, that is, using the third person view normally is probably the best way to go, most of the time anyway. The game was obviously made with this in mind, a hybrid-based battle with the obvious intention to be classified as an action adventure game. That's too bad.
I would love if D.A.I. could have been a real turn-based game, or like Ogre Battle's crazy idea of battling-before-battle to expect the later result... but no. Apart from it's influences, the E.A.'s ways aren't those ways, they believe that action-izing every damn game will just make them sell games better, as it was with Syndicate, and it was with Mass Effect, and now Dragon Age; I've heard I'm not the only one complaining about this same thing since the second game.
When I find an enemy, I just keep with the right trigger pressed until he dies in about 70% of the time. Is this really action adventure then? If they want it so bad, they could start following the proper path to it, say, like Gauntlet Legends did? Even like some generic free game like Dota? But I think they're trying to please everyone so... This game do looks like an Frankenstein of ideas, as if some combined pieces of feedback were completely glued like many others do.
When you find yourself fighting a hard enemy, don't bother with clever tactics, it's an illusion, it's just there to look nice. Maybe to please the ones from the past and at the same time, to please the market with it. Just go with the basics, and pay attention to who is immune or not with that and that item/weapon/armor/spirits and that's it.
The tactical view will render useless most of the time, it's just better if you choose another squad member during the battle and move him manually. Maybe to take down an enemy from behind if he have some big shield for example, you gotta work the way in a messy battle and that's it, it's the only useful thing. The pause has this limited area not just to go, and this is okay, but also to look, and this is not okay. If you wish to see the second level inside a fort's battle you will have to climb the stairs with the camera - believe you or not - with a camera. Yes, the camera won't reach a upper level if she doesn't have a place to climb up to move there. Sometimes you're forced to get around many things such as rocks or declinations just to order a command to attack, when the enemy is much near but on the other side of that.
Yeah yeah, the old excuses will explain that problem or the false logical explanation will always pop-up somewhere. Those things, like that horrible camera and confusing battles, are a game killer -> for me.
As the plot, I didn't liked or disliked it during the journey. It's just the same plot that every Bioware game has. Find a group of badasses to stop a Saren-like enemy with a Sith-like power which will destroy the world. Sometimes they speak that themselves, ''I just know that we gotta stop him."
The game tries to appeal us by going on with this rift-closing gameplay (It is somewhat fun), with your Inquisitor. Much like the Oblvion gate-closing was with the hero of Kvatch, it's probably the main feature, and the dragons slaying too, often amazingly impossible if not with higher levels, and I like it that way. The narrative has some problems but they're pretty decent. The first day I brought it the game had some nasty FPS drops during the cutscenes but it isn't a problem anymore. I'm far above the recommend requirements and yet running it with ultra graphics... there is nothing very impressive for me on the background. I don't know, D.A.I. graphics looks good enough for me, but to call it impressive or stunning... that's truly an exaggeration. It isn't, and it does has it flaws actually.
Plastic looking hairs with limited choices, weird motion captures (they seem to be hump on the cutscenes) and disproportionate looking horses equipped with four seats, for your entire party, and then there are the ugly looking armors... Some dialogs doesn't gives zoom to the camera on whoever is talking. for a whatever boring reason. When will the developers realize that people do care more and more about these sorts of details? They really need to improve it a single bit. Don't come with that, I know it isn't easy but also not that hard too. Just look at what the modders are doing, it is a sign of what the gamers want and a sign of what is possible to achieve. I just hope that the incoming Mass Effect game will actually bother in giving us a better sense of customization.
The Inquisitor's pajama will be an eternal classic meme. Wait! Before you go modding those pajamas... Be aware that Bioware's games aren't really mod-friendly, be careful for the constant CTDs will happen. Mods aren't for everyone, I rather stick with the damn devs problems. You can try, and good luck.
At least the facial customization has been improved, but no matter how hard you try, you will always end up with that weird generic face a bit, or with a disproportionate head with your body. Okay whatever, that isn't an issue but just a mundane wish. But admit it, it does has an negative impact on your gaming experience. But from what I've heard, the facial customization is a lot better now (better than any ME I can say that)
Well, the game is intriguing with that real time assignments, it's fun for a while and it is new to me... and I'm already a Leliana's fan number one. The darky, shadowy looking ones are always my favorite, but the romancing options are quite tight with D.A.I. but that's okay, it gives a mature looking to it. Not everybody can date you let's say, but Bioware's vision on romancing isn't just sex or whatever. I always saw it as an complement to your story that you're writing with your character. These sex scenes might trick you into thinking that it's all about sex, but it isn't. It didn't worked well for me, but it's pretty organic nonetheless... Bioware is the only company trying to give you a real romance so far, so it is on their right to go for it. The future of that can be just as brilliant as a good narrative is.
The characters are all interesting, each one of them with their own motivations and personality, Bioware's quality guarantee. I just don't like Iron Bull's voice for it makes me remember too much about Vega's lines on M.E.3, it is the same voice-actor. He's good, but again I just do not know much about it . His voice should have been made with a more serious tone. Again, that's just mundane.
I'm out, sorry for this big ass reviews but these are really important to me. It is a way I've found to vent about the game's problems and for now I'm just unlucky and people hates me already for the low scores. Gotta try The Witcher 3 soon, I bet that the fighting mechanics are less confusing there and more willing to cooperate, and to give me some fun instead of annoyances I guess.
Dragon Age Inquisition's fightings nastiness isn't what I'm looking for. I don't know about the rest, maybe they want to be tricked into thinking that you're actually playing it when you're just holding a button and then, they call it "action" or ''turn-based."
But try the game if you know what you're about to go into, you're probably going to like it if you're up with that kind of game that D.A. is now becoming. Sometimes I think that we as a people, gamers that is, we should proceed with caution every time we buy a game, specially from E.A.. Maybe the game is great, but you won't like it if he doesn't have what you're looking for.
I'm looking for some stylized battles, not for some systematic ''hold LT to attack'' kind of game. I'm not that patient.