Dragon Age: Origins

[JohnnyMack]

What say you, nerds of the South Oval?

I need something to do now that football season is over.

[Tulsa_Fireman]

You could always investigate cases of anal fissures.

[Howzit]

I think he's looking for something new.

[NormanPride]

I have heard great things. Mass Effect 2 also came out today and that is another highly anticipated game. Then White Knight Chronicles for the PS3 comes out next week and promises to have a crapload of free downloadable content ready for it when it does. Good times.

[soonerinkaty]

My dick is hard over Mass Effect 2. Im so excited.

[OUMallen]

I'm also interested in hearing about Dragon Age: Origins. Anyone?

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/104/1041839p1.html

[soonerboomer93]

Crucifix plays it I think

[NormanPride]

I have a few friends that play it, and they all love it. It's much more hardcore fantasy than recent RPGs, and is a bit harder I think. Still, amazingly good story and characters.

[Tulsa_Fireman]

http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/upload/2007/08/ogre01.jpg

NERDS!

[C&CDean]

You know what's getting me here? Grown-assed men talking about playing video games and using words like "boner" to describe what playing video games does for them. What a ****ed up world we live in. You boys need to come out to the Deanarosa and help me vaccinate and castrate some calves and preg-test a few cows this weekend. But nay. Instead you'll be swilling sugary Dr. Peppers while ensconced in front of a TV set like an 8-year old pasty-faced, pencil necked, nerdy kid. Rock on wif yo bad selfs.

[Jello Biafra]

You know what's getting me here? Grown-assed men talking about playing video games and using words like "boner" to describe what playing video games does for them. What a ****ed up world we live in. You boys need to come out to the Deanarosa and help me vaccinate and castrate some calves and preg-test a few cows this weekend. But nay. Instead you'll be swilling sugary Dr. Peppers while ensconced in front of a TV set like an 8-year old pasty-faced, pencil necked, nerdy kid. Rock on wif yo bad selfs.

wrong...after i get back from 2 different wrestling tourney's i will be swilling Diet Dr, pepper and partaking in a Xlarge x-cheese all american pizza whilst me und ma baby boys play world at war on a 61" big screen ;)


just tellin ya.

;)

[JohnnyMack]

You know what's getting me here? Grown-assed men talking about playing video games and using words like "boner" to describe what playing video games does for them. What a ****ed up world we live in. You boys need to come out to the Deanarosa and help me vaccinate and castrate some calves and preg-test a few cows this weekend. But nay. Instead you'll be swilling sugary Dr. Peppers while ensconced in front of a TV set like an 8-year old pasty-faced, pencil necked, nerdy kid. Rock on wif yo bad selfs.

How are those Harry Potter books working out for you?

[tommieharris91]

wrong...after i get back from 2 different wrestling tourney's i will be swilling Diet Dr, pepper and partaking in a Xlarge x-cheese all american pizza whilst me und ma baby boys play world at war on a 61" big screen ;)


just tellin ya.

;)

You ain't moved onto MW2 yet?

[GKeeper316]

its bioware which means its good.

[Stitch Face]

I didn't like Dragon Age. So much story...blab, blab, blab. Then fighting was like a messy MMO. I guess I'm not the best guy to ask because Bioware's stuff is always too...verbose, or something...for me. If you like Mass Effect then DA is probably pretty good.

And forget COD/MW. Serious Sam HD is where it's at...

[Jello Biafra]

You ain't moved onto MW2 yet?

heh...the boys had other places to spend their christmas money...you know lego star wars, worthless flat billed (stupid assed wanna be gangster hats) Fox hats and what not...the oldest paid for world at war lol... he's payin/im playin ;)

[NormanPride]

You know what's getting me here? Grown-assed men talking about playing video games and using words like "boner" to describe what playing video games does for them. What a ****ed up world we live in. You boys need to come out to the Deanarosa and help me vaccinate and castrate some calves and preg-test a few cows this weekend. But nay. Instead you'll be swilling sugary Dr. Peppers while ensconced in front of a TV set like an 8-year old pasty-faced, pencil necked, nerdy kid. Rock on wif yo bad selfs.

I really want to take you up on this sometime. Would that actually be cool? baj used to help out on her friend's dairy farm and I've always been kind of jealous.

[C&CDean]

How are those Harry Potter books working out for you?

Why? You wanna nibble on my Sorcerer's stones in my Chamber of Secrets, or drink from my Goblet of Fire? Or would you just rather be a prisoner in my asscabin? What's it gonna be nerd-boy?

[JohnnyMack]

Why? You wanna nibble on my Sorcerer's stones in my Chamber of Secrets, or drink from my Goblet of Fire? Or would you just rather be a prisoner in my asscabin? What's it gonna be nerd-boy?

Uhhhh........NP.......he's talking to you I think.

[C&CDean]

I really want to take you up on this sometime. Would that actually be cool? baj used to help out on her friend's dairy farm and I've always been kind of jealous.

I can always use extra help. Seriously. I'll let you know when I'm going to be doing my spring working. I'll have to wait till they're back on grass pasture and I'll be worming them and vaccinating then. It's interesting, and it's always followed up by brews, ribs, and all the fixin's.

[C&CDean]

You think wrong, cop fellater.

[NormanPride]

I can always use extra help. Seriously. I'll let you know when I'm going to be doing my spring working. I'll have to wait till they're back on grass pasture and I'll be worming them and vaccinating then. It's interesting, and it's always followed up by brews, ribs, and all the fixin's.

Awesome. Let me know when and where, and I'll do my best to clear the calendar.

[Crucifax Autumn]

As was mentioned, I played it and I think it's great. If you don't like the true story based role-playing you won't like it though. It's not a game for the hack & slash Diablo nerds that think story is for once every 20 hours cut scenes.

[OUMallen]

I think I'm going to pick up God of War Collection for PS3 for the icy weekend. I never played either one...

[GottaHavePride]

Dragon Age is cool. Pretty interesting storyline and characters. The fighting gets a little messy - turns into "EVERYONE JUMPS THE QUEEN" kind of situations pretty regularly.

Just picked up Mass Effect 2 in hopes that some ice will give me time to try it out. ;)

And the chick I'm going out with digs these games, too, Dean. ;)

[Crucifax Autumn]

Dragon Age is cool. Pretty interesting storyline and characters. The fighting gets a little messy - turns into "EVERYONE JUMPS THE QUEEN" kind of situations pretty regularly.

Just picked up Mass Effect 2 in hopes that some ice will give me time to try it out. ;)

And the chick I'm going out with digs these games, too, Dean. ;)

Mass Effect 2 is awesome so far.

As for the DA "EVERYONE JUMPS THE QUEEN" part, that's why I play it like Baldur's Gate and pause a lot. More like a real RPG that way anyway.

[OUMallen]

Mass Effect 2 is awesome so far.

As for the DA "EVERYONE JUMPS THE QUEEN" part, that's why I play it like Baldur's Gate and pause a lot. More like a real RPG that way anyway.

What dop you mean "everyone jumps the queen"?

[Crucifax Autumn]

I was referring to the previous post.

[badger]

Nothing like a good vidya thread.

With NP playing ME2 non-stop, I actually re-opened The Orange Box lately. The last cheevhos I got were from before the Demo/Soldier updates, so I may have to give up being Team Medic for awhile... but it's a lot easier to sound like a 7-year-old boy online if you're healing teammates than screwing up the mission.

I also played through Portal again on regular mode and finished it all in about an hour. I hope a sequel is near. Might be an announcement at June's E3.

ME2 is a fun game to watch. I've looked up the Renegade dialog since NP is too busy being the nice guy to let his character's face scar up and get red eyes (no joke, they added this to the sequel!)

[homerSimpsonsBrain]

I really want to take you up on this sometime. Would that actually be cool? baj used to help out on her friend's dairy farm and I've always been kind of jealous.

You do understand that when Dean says "preg-test a cow", he means put a rubber glove on up your shoulder and jam your arm up a cows *** then fondle her uterus, right?

But maybe times have changed since I last saw this done.

[NormanPride]

I love being married to a nerd.

And I need to check our Dragon Age now. I have many friends telling me it is, as they say on the street: "Where it's at"

[NormanPride]

You do understand that when Dean says "preg-test a cow", he means put a rubber glove on up your shoulder and jam your arm up a cows *** then fondle her uterus, right?

But maybe times have changed since I last saw this done.

Yep, and I'm sure it's wholly disgusting to the un-initiated. I can be a little squeamish, but I can handle things like this. And no, it doesn't sound like loads of fun, but it's rewarding work. ****, I work in a cube. A cow's *** would be a welcome change.

[homerSimpsonsBrain]

Yep, and I'm sure it's wholly disgusting to the un-initiated. I can be a little squeamish, but I can handle things like this. And no, it doesn't sound like loads of fun, but it's rewarding work. ****, I work in a cube. A cow's *** would be a welcome change.

Dean. Please post pictures :D

Actually NP, you'll probably have a blast if you've never done or seen anything like that before. And if you spill enough of the ivomec on yourself, Badger wont be able to call you wormy any more.

[badger]

NP might not have seen it, but I have... and it's weird.

My best friend lives on a farm up north and I had the opportunity to witness a few of the farm activities, including this.

Because of the price of this, they tried having a resident bull of the farm for awhile, apparently because while artificial process is a lot of guesswork as to when the heifer's in heat, the bull naturally knows when a cow wants it... how in the hell did we get on this topic?!?!

[homerSimpsonsBrain]

Dean and JohnnyMack got started talking dirty to each other. It went down hill from there.

[badger]

I can contribute far more to this cow birthing discussion, but I was really hoping for a vidya discussion :(

[NormanPride]

Then talk about vidya.

[GottaHavePride]

What dop you mean "everyone jumps the queen"?

Like the scene in Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part I.... ("Knight jumps the Queen! Pawn jumps the Queen! Everyone jumps the Queen! Gangbang!")

I meant that in Dragon Age, it can turn into a brawl where all the baddies just head straight for your main character and pile on. It can get messy unless you bring a couple of characters that can dish out a lot of hurt over very large areas.

Am I a nerd? Yes I am. In Mass Effect (1 AND 2) I found that the sniper rifle is your best friend. Only problem in ME1 is you have to save up the cash to get an accurate rifle. I love clearing a room full of goons with a half-dozen shots.

[Crucifax Autumn]

I always make sure to have some powerful magic around for crowd control and if you have a tank character along and give him the correct abilities you can pizz off those crowds of enemies and draw them onto that tank.

As for comparing the 2 games, they are almost the same game other than one being space and the other being fantasy, but DA, to me at least, has much better dialogue in the romance subplots where ME2 comes off as a bit creepy honestly. OTherwise they are both EXTREMELY solid games IMO.

Disclaimer: I'm speaking of the PC versions. For all I know the platformers suck. I know for sure that DA has more playability and viewpoint options and has community added content that the platforms don't have, and while I haven't really compared, I'm sure ME2 is the same.

[SicEmBaylor]

I can always use extra help. Seriously. I'll let you know when I'm going to be doing my spring working. I'll have to wait till they're back on grass pasture and I'll be worming them and vaccinating then. It's interesting, and it's always followed up by brews, ribs, and all the fixin's.

You know, people have joked but I've always been halfway tempted to go out there and do that stuff for a day. Sure, every minute would feel like an hour inside the 7th circle of hell but it'd be something to tell the grandkids some day!

If I wasn't likely moving then I might just do it.

[SicEmBaylor]

Anyway, how does Dragon Age compare to Oblivion? Is the world as open as Oblivion?

I lost days of myself inside that game.

[Crucifax Autumn]

No where near as open, but the voice acting is superior and the gameplay is fun as hell. I like both games, but for far different reason. The closest comparison for DA is Baldur's Gate 2 with better graphics and stunning cut scenes. It's kinda like BG2 mated with The Witcher with a strong storyline. The biggest weakness are the side quests with the typical old go get such and such many of some item and take 'em back. I'm the kinda dork that goes ahead and performs those assignments for the experience and cash, but most of those are fully optional.

The biggest bitch anyone's really had about DA that I find legitimate is their way of selling add on content (practically advertaising IN the game) but it doesn't bother me THAT much since I'll just go to some of my favorite little sites and steal the content anyway and they don't make money off me for **** that shoulda been in the game to begin with. The prime example is a paid add-on that increases your inventory space, which really IS a totally ******y thing to do. They are doing the same BS with ME2. I hate the trend, but if it makes it more likely that the games are profitable enough to have further sequels I can live with it.

[badger]

The biggest bitch anyone's really had about DA that I find legitimate is their way of selling add on content (practically advertaising IN the game).

Oh, you mean this?
http://i46.tinypic.com/2cpz2ig.jpg
:D

Another interesting trend in the making money via vidya category is trying to eliminate the second-hand game market that Gamestop loves so dearly. Not sure how it applies in DA, but ME2 has a one-time code for its downloadable content server. If you don't have the one-time code (for example, if you bought a used game where the original owner used the code themselves), it costs Xbox Live points to be able to access... yes, you have to pay to be able to pay more for downloadable stuff. More info here (http://news.softpedia.com/news/Weekend-Reading-The-Cerberus-Network-And-Killing-Second-Hand-133538.shtml).

[NormanPride]

Like the scene in Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part I.... ("Knight jumps the Queen! Pawn jumps the Queen! Everyone jumps the Queen! Gangbang!")

I meant that in Dragon Age, it can turn into a brawl where all the baddies just head straight for your main character and pile on. It can get messy unless you bring a couple of characters that can dish out a lot of hurt over very large areas.

Am I a nerd? Yes I am. In Mass Effect (1 AND 2) I found that the sniper rifle is your best friend. Only problem in ME1 is you have to save up the cash to get an accurate rifle. I love clearing a room full of goons with a half-dozen shots.

ME2's semi auto sniper rifle with advanced slow-mo and headshot damage = ownage.

[NormanPride]

No where near as open, but the voice acting is superior and the gameplay is fun as hell. I like both games, but for far different reason. The closest comparison for DA is Baldur's Gate 2 with better graphics and stunning cut scenes. It's kinda like BG2 mated with The Witcher with a strong storyline. The biggest weakness are the side quests with the typical old go get such and such many of some item and take 'em back. I'm the kinda dork that goes ahead and performs those assignments for the experience and cash, but most of those are fully optional.

The biggest bitch anyone's really had about DA that I find legitimate is their way of selling add on content (practically advertaising IN the game) but it doesn't bother me THAT much since I'll just go to some of my favorite little sites and steal the content anyway and they don't make money off me for **** that shoulda been in the game to begin with. The prime example is a paid add-on that increases your inventory space, which really IS a totally ******y thing to do. They are doing the same BS with ME2. I hate the trend, but if it makes it more likely that the games are profitable enough to have further sequels I can live with it.

ME2's stuff was all free out of the gate. They haven't added anything new yet that costs anything.

[Stitch Face]

I've always preferred dungeon crawlers and grinders compared to "story-based" RPGs. Like Bard's Tale or Wizardry in the old PC days instead of the Japanese console RPGs. Now as a "workin' man" I can stand wading through the narrative even less. It's like I have to turn my brain off outside of work. Plus the modern narrative RPGs all look and sound so Lord-of-the-Ringsy after the movies. I mean, every fantasy game was already a rip-off of Tolkien somehow, but it's like the movies gave new games something more precise to emulate. Now everything's even more 'fayforest this' and 'dark lord that' and fake British accents.

I loved the Baldur's Gate games on the PS2/Xbox because they were Diablo clones with awesome item drops. Just recently started playing through Champions of Norrath (PS2), made by the guys who did the Baldur's Gate games on the Playstation. Press a button, swing a mace, kill stuff, pick up magic weapon. Repeat ten million times. Go to bed.

Sweet brainless never-ending elf-on-orc carnage. No story.

[GottaHavePride]

I mean, every fantasy game was already a rip-off of Tolkien somehow, but it's like the movies gave new games something more precise to emulate. Now everything's even more 'fayforest this' and 'dark lord that' and fake British accents.

You might dig Mass Effect 2. You can get bonus achievements for making bad guys scream as they die (usually by lighting them on fire in some way). And I believe at one point my character actually said "that's about enough of this ****" and shot someone in the foot while they were monologuing. Heh.

[Stitch Face]

You might dig Mass Effect 2. You can get bonus achievements for making bad guys scream as they die (usually by lighting them on fire in some way). And I believe at one point my character actually said "that's about enough of this ****" and shot someone in the foot while they were monologuing. Heh.

Kind of a tangent, but my favorite thing I ever heard in a videogame was when I rolled a warthog in Halo (or Halo 2 maybe) and one of the soldiers onboard said "my change fell out!"

[badger]

You might dig Mass Effect 2. You can get bonus achievements for making bad guys scream as they die (usually by lighting them on fire in some way). And I believe at one point my character actually said "that's about enough of this ****" and shot someone in the foot while they were monologuing. Heh.

So your character probably has red glowing eyes and a lot of scars on his/her face by now, hmm? Or did you get the cosmetic surgery upgrade :D

(it's funny because I'm not joking)

[jkjsooner]

I loved the Baldur's Gate games on the PS2/Xbox because they were Diablo clones with awesome item drops. Just recently started playing through Champions of Norrath (PS2), made by the guys who did the Baldur's Gate games on the Playstation. Press a button, swing a mace, kill stuff, pick up magic weapon. Repeat ten million times. Go to bed.


I really like the console Baldur's Gate games - CON slightly less but still liked them. I'm still playing Oblivion even like it even more. The only thing about Oblivion is that my wife can't play with me.

Honestly, I really loved the Zelda games back in the day. I haven't played any since Zelda 3 but I like the way you had to think a little to kill some of the bosses and to get through some of the tricky sections.

I have a four month old so there hasn't been any gaming for me in a while and probably won't be for a while. She did get me Dragon Age: Origins for Christmas. I played it for about 30 min but it will be a while before I get to really play it. I might want to finish Oblivion first anyway.

[badger]

Honestly, I really loved the Zelda games back in the day. I haven't played any since Zelda 3 but I like the way you had to think a little to kill some of the bosses and to get through some of the tricky sections.

I grew up under the strict motherly order that video games rot your brain and are a waste of time, but when I worked during the summers to purchase my own video game console (the price, in retrospect, was probably more of a deterrence to being anti-vidya than brains rotting or time wasting), even anti-vidya mom thought cel-shaded Link was cute in Wind Waker.

Before we sold our Wii to a fellow SF.com boarder (thanks, fan!), NP played through the Wii version of Twilight Princess. It was fun to watch and I think NP had fun playing it, but alas, it's pretty much a one-play game, like the other Zeldas.

[Stitch Face]

Since this thread has morphed into a general discussion of RPGs and elves in pointy hats, let's kick the nerd factor up to 11...

Has anyone played Dark Spire on the DS? Now that's a real RPG!

[NormanPride]

Etrian Odyssey brings the pain as well. FOE!

[Crucifax Autumn]

Oh, you mean this?
http://i46.tinypic.com/2cpz2ig.jpg
:D

Another interesting trend in the making money via vidya category is trying to eliminate the second-hand game market that Gamestop loves so dearly. Not sure how it applies in DA, but ME2 has a one-time code for its downloadable content server. If you don't have the one-time code (for example, if you bought a used game where the original owner used the code themselves), it costs Xbox Live points to be able to access... yes, you have to pay to be able to pay more for downloadable stuff. More info here (http://news.softpedia.com/news/Weekend-Reading-The-Cerberus-Network-And-Killing-Second-Hand-133538.shtml).

One more reason PC is better. I have all the DC and exclusives and I haven't paid for any of them.

[Crucifax Autumn]

ME2's stuff was all free out of the gate. They haven't added anything new yet that costs anything.

They will soon enough! lol

[Crucifax Autumn]

Hack and slash games like Diablo are NOT role playing games. They are adventure games. Giving a character levels and ability scores isn't enough to make it an RPG.

[badger]

One more reason PC is better. I have all the DC and exclusives and I haven't paid for any of them.

ja, i remember that happenin' with the orange box, where PC gamers on TF2 (like me!) got all the updates for free with all the new weapons, achievements, etc., while 360 and PS3 guys didn't.

Hey! Bill Gates needs money too! Online gaming for free?! Lulz :rolleyes:

[Crucifax Autumn]

Another comment I have to make after reading through this thread is this:

Hack & Slash games like Diablo are NOT role playing games. Characters having ability scores and levels doesn't make it an RPG. Fun, yes. RPG, no.

[yermom]

this game does sound like fun with the gay elf sexing :eek:

[Crucifax Autumn]

I managed to refrain from banging the gay elf, though he seemed to want some pretty bad after I teased him. I did get the sex on with the ladies though! lol

I nailed more babes in The Witcher though...And I have the "sex cards" to prove it.

[badger]

NP played more ME2 last night... his Shepard is a dude, so pretty much every main female character wants him now, even the scary tatooed bald one (ewwwww).

I tried to play TF2 online, but my incompetent team members are all n00bs who are going for achievements instead of filling roles on the team... imagine that, playing a TEAM role on TEAM Fortress 2, hmm?

So, I retreated to NP's side on the couch to watch him hit on the girl with the mask.

[picasso]

How are those Harry Potter books working out for you?

So reading is akin to spending 5 hours punching buttons on a video game?

[SicEmBaylor]

So reading is akin to spending 5 hours punching buttons on a video game?

If it's fiction it pretty much is.

[Crucifax Autumn]

Don't be bashing on fiction. It can have more to say about the human condition than an entire library of non fiction.

[JohnnyMack]

So reading is akin to spending 5 hours punching buttons on a video game?

I really don't think there's a whole lot of difference between reading something like HP and playing something like Dragon Age. Dragon Age has a fairly well laid out narrative with plenty of cut scenes that make it more half movie / half game. It's certainly a far cry from a button masher on Nintendo.

[Tulsa_Fireman]

You guys ever play Left 4 Dead?

At least blowing the guts out of zombies isn't as nerdarific as whacking your sword against another dude or smacking it against a giant lizard.

Wow. Have some gay innuendo.

[badger]

You guys ever play Left 4 Dead?

At least blowing the guts out of zombies isn't as nerdarific as whacking your sword against another dude or smacking it against a giant lizard.

Wow. Have some gay innuendo.

Your avvie kind of looks like Bill.

The second one is better, as awesome as the first one was. Computer characters seem to get stuck a lot less.

However, the second one's inclusion of melee weapons causes some Internet glitches.

[picasso]

If it's fiction it pretty much is.

I don't read fiction but that's a silly statement.

[SicEmBaylor]

NP played more ME2 last night... his Shepard is a dude, so pretty much every main female character wants him now, even the scary tatooed bald one (ewwwww).

I tried to play TF2 online, but my incompetent team members are all n00bs who are going for achievements instead of filling roles on the team... imagine that, playing a TEAM role on TEAM Fortress 2, hmm?

So, I retreated to NP's side on the couch to watch him hit on the girl with the mask.

Pfft, you're ALL n00bs. I miss the original TF that I played back in early HS when it was a Quake I mod. Those were the good old days of TF. I tried TF2, but it just totally sucks compared to the original.

I wonder if there are any servers left for the original Quake version of TF....

[SicEmBaylor]

I don't read fiction but that's a silly statement.

Not necessarily.

[Crucifax Autumn]

Actually SicEm it is. There are more truths to be found in a lot of fiction than in a lot of non-fiction. I realize you haven't read anything other than history books since the day you threw out your Hardy Boys and Choose Your Own Adventure books when you were 4, but the statement that implies that fiction is somehow a "lesser" pursuit than just writing down **** that actually happened is a bit shortsighted.

Anyway...about them games...

[JohnnyMack]

Not necessarily.

To each his own I suppose. I tend to bounce around with what I read depending on my mood (just finished The Looming Tower and now I'm on some schweet D&D action). Next up I'm gonna knock out Europe Central by Vollman.

To say that nothing can be gained from fiction and that it's simply a video game type diversion is pretty short-sighted and lacking in imagination.

[soonerboomer93]

Pfft, you're ALL n00bs. I miss the original TF that I played back in early HS when it was a Quake I mod. Those were the good old days of TF. I tried TF2, but it just totally sucks compared to the original.

I wonder if there are any servers left for the original Quake version of TF....

come on, TF wasn't out when you graduated in '90 to start your 2 decade college career...

[SicEmBaylor]

come on, TF wasn't out when you graduated in '90 to start your 2 decade college career...

I'm not quite that old. Thank God...I'm not sure there's any life left after 30.