The Dragon's Second Age

Not too long ago I did a review of Dragon Age Origins, the article entitled "Damnit Bioware!" for those who wish to look back. Why am I bringing it up? Because I got my hands on and played Dragon Age II for the Xbox 360. Anyway, I started the game, expecting much the same thing I was when I played Dragon Age Origins...you know, crappy "Click and Go" navigation with a controller.

I am pleased to say that this, indeed, was not the case in Dragon Age II! They upgraded the graphics and combat system. So the game starts, and I pick a Rogue class (naturally) and the game begins, seemingly starting me with an arsenal of deadly moves and tomfoolery to kill an army. Me and one ally decided that Darkspawn was a nuisance, so I got a really good look at what was possible for my character in this playthrough.

Varric is awesome at bullshitting stories. Look at
Rod Hawke's awesome costume and weapons!

The combat system is no longer click-and-go, but especially as a rogue, it was hack n' slash to the extreme. You had to keep hitting the button to keep attacking, and moreover, it was overly satisfying to crush my opponents with lightning button-pushing skills. The abilities it started me with were all of them, but I preferred Miasmic Cloud, a skill that stunned a group of enemies for a short time, coupled with the ability called "Backstab", which teleports your character behind an enemy and causes a critical hit nearly every time.
After wasting legions of Darkspawn, the story takes another turn, with someone calling total BS on my asskickery. At first I was like, "What!?" then I was like "Oh..." as the story elaborated that it was, in fact, a recounting of the actual tale. The two characters, Varric and the Seeker, as she is called, are speaking. Well, Varric being interrogated, more like.



Anyway, after having BS called, my character, Roderick Bonesword Hawke, (Rod Hawke to his friends) was downleveled to Level One and I had to deal with having only Miasmic Cloud and Backstab. Conveniently, the two skills I felt most at home with. (And the two skills that carried me through the game, even though they were well-enhanced by the end)

So I finally fight my way out of Lothering with my family, decimating all Darkspawn in my way, and we are met with a Templar. "Cool," I thought. Then Rod Hawke did something I wasn't expecting...he TALKED. My character has a voice in this game! Then I found out I had an Apostate family, then I'm like, "Crap, I have to hate Templars now."

After a couple of waves of Darkspawn, an Ogre spawned and killed my last teammate, so I was left doing my Rogue-ey thing. Running like hell and using Miasmic Cloud and Backstab wherever possible, drinking Stamina Draughts like nothing before. So I finally win, first try, a lone Rogue, all by myself, then a nifty cutscene happens where a Dragon comes down and wipes out every Darkspawn nearby.

At first I was like "Damn, an Archdemon for the first boss?!" then it turned out to be Flemeth then I'm all like "Ha! I killed you in Dragon Age: Origins!" She saves my family's sorry arses, and I make a promise to do something for her. She's dead, right?

The story continues where my character basically becomes a slave for a year to live in the city of Kirkwall. A Templar City. A bunch of Apostates moving to a Templar city...absolute freaking genius. So a year passes and I am a little bit more badass for it. Then I have to muster 50 whole sovereigns, enough to buy me out of poverty, to join an expedition.

This is Fenris. He is abnormally badass. Don't mess with him.

So I do. I gain allies along the way: Anders the Grey Warden Mage, Fenris the Mage-Hating Lyrium Encrusted Badass, Varric the Storytelling Master, and an Elven Mage whose Name I forget at the moment. Anyway, we're all badasses and form the badass club of Kirkwall while venturing to the Deeproads to find ancient treasure.

We find it. Sadly.

So another timeskip, and I am a nobleman. AWESOME, I decide, and wave it around in criminal's faces as I promptly annihilate every gang in Kirkwall. Hey, why not? Make some Qunari friends, stand up for the oppressed, be the good guy. Little did I know that would cause a Religious War between the Qunari and Kirkwall. Caught in the middle, Rod Hawke had to slaughter his way through Qunari, Elves, and Mages, all the oppressed peoples he was protecting prior to that event, to get to the Arishok and hand his ass to him on a silver platter.

After the One Day Religious War, I decided to be an ass to the Templars anyway and decide I was going to still fight for the little man, even though they tried to kill me on multiple occasions. By the way, another timeskip and I am the Champion of Kirkwall! Ha-cha! The whole story is about Rod Hawke becoming that. I am glad they continued it after.

So Rod Hawke decides to go on another celebratory Crime Raid, slaughtering another couple of gangs. Keep in mind, this is all optional, I don't have to kill these criminals. I just do.

Woahwoahwoahwoah. I got this.

So then I find out that one of my assets has stopped communicating. Curious, I check it out to find the mine, what I was getting cashez from, attacked by a High Dragon, equivalent to an Archdemon. Roderick Bonesword Hawke would not stand for such blasphemy, and killed the dragon posthaste, teaching all dragons near and far he is not to be trifled with as he completed his Champion Armor.

Then I start yet another religious war and we find out what the whole story is about. Apparently being a dick like Roderick was, the Templars didn't like him. But being a crime fighter and philanthropist, always fighting for the little guy, I found an army where I wasn't really looking for it.

In short, Rod Hawke kicks ass, takes names, and goes home. He got lost somewhere in Varric's story...

Now the fun part is over, to the actual review. Dragon Age II did a good job of setting a unique perspective on the story, and was creative in manipulating that aspect. They didn't forget this was hindsight by a frequently bragging dwarf, and there are several times it shows. It makes for an intriguing story, though I was dismayed by the lack of class choice and past choice.

You can only choose the Human. Can't be an elf or a dwarf. Your past is always "Runs from Lothering like a pansy" and it makes for a stale opening. Dragon Age Origins had it right by allowing choice of race and class, as well as a reflexive past based upon your choices. However, Dragon Age Origins had a click and go feature that was promptly replaced by II's hack n' slash system.

The party is a lot better at fighting in general, and you have more in-depth Level Trees. It is a better RPG experience, in my mind, than DAO. However, DAO represented RPG in a better way, which was actually creating the role you were born to play.

In the end, I really enjoyed Dragon Age II. They got right what they got wrong last time, but they screwed up what they had going for them last time to do it. But hey, we all need to have a few faults here and there.

Until next time I post, peace

PS:
Also, let me know through one of my contacts (on the left, I believe) if you would like to see more of Roderick Bonesword Hawke's Adventures through Kirkwall and it's outlying areas, and I will dedicate an update to it everytime I can.

An RPG Niers...

Er...nears. Anyway, figured I'd post about Nier Gestalt, the American version of Nier. The Japanese one is called Nier: Replicant. Anyway, I started the game to hear a nice monologue full of curses--yup, definitely Square Enix's attempt at making an "M" rated game.

Feel my dark powers! FEEL THEM

The game starts at the beginning of humanity's end. You are Nier, protecting your daughter from hordes of dark monsters with a lead pipe. Armed with a tome of dark power, you are given an arsenal of powers that include skewering your enemies on pure energy and leaving them to die, or creating a gigantic hand made out of dark power and simply crush your enemies. With this book's power, you are practically a god.

So you battle it out in front of a supermarket for a small while, killing every dark monster you see, then a boss appears and you slay it with your vast amounts of power. It was only the end of level one, and I was impressed as hell, being able to manipulate the forces of darkness without being forced onto the ethical "Is it right to launch a gigantic lance at your enemies?"

After that and a short cutscene, it propels you approximately thirteen hundred years into the future, with you still being Nier and having a daughter named Yonah, just like 1300 years ago. I thought he was immortal for a while, just keeping it a secret that he was alive all these years.

As Nier in the distant future, you see time after civilization fell. There are monsters called "Shades" prowling the world. The dark monsters I mentioned earlier? Yeah, even after a thousand years they exist. People refer to places like America as "ancient cities and places." I have to say, it was really cool being the ancient dead all-knowing race, for once in my lifetime. Instead of something vague, I can laugh about how wrong they actually were. I digress.

You are a hunter for your village, trying to also find a cure for your daughter's terminal illness. After she disappears, you track her down and find...a book of extreme dark power. This brings continuity into question, but in a good and intriguing way...like, "How did this get here? :)" because you know the full extent of its power. It's name is Grimoire Weiss (Book White, for those interested. Lovely name for a tome of darkness.)

This is Grimoire Weiss, the White Book. It is
your best friend, and greatest source of
Dark Powers. Also witty oneliners. Gotta
love those.

...then you learn it hasn't been reviewing it's dark spells this past millennium, and only knows how to rapidfire dark bullets. A relatively weak attack, but still, it's more than most humans can boast of. You then start wandering the land in a renewed attempt to save your daughter from illness, this time collecting allies and powers as you go along.

...this is the part where you say "Hulk Smash!"...right?

At the One Third Point of the game, you return to your village to find a gigantic monster (let's mark number two on our list of giants slain) attacking. With all of your dark powers at current, you take it on and do some good amounts of damage. After a while of fighting, you realize you can't win, and you had to sacrifice something dear to seal it in the library.

The game timeskips five more years, and you are now uglier than ever. Sorry, it had to be said...you now look like you have a diaper on your face for some reason...

Anyway, after five years of training with the Jackie Chan of the future, or he must be, Nier has become a master of all things weapon. Melee weapon, at least: aside the shortsword which I neglected to talk about earlier, you can now use lances, axes, and two handed swords. In addition to your dark arsenal of death, you are now officially a demigod in my eyes.

You release the seal in the library to get back what you lost and take on the monster one last time, this time with dramatically different results.

The game has a beautiful plot I could go on and on about, as well as multiple endings. However, now we talk of gameplay. The game does a good job of giving you a good amount of power without it being too much. It takes after Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. You have the main story you can follow...or you can deviate and whore out on sidequests for extra stuff, often allowing for deeper insight into Nier's and Weiss' friendship as it blossoms into a beautiful thing. Two companions making one liners and witty jokes at eachother as they slaughter badguys.

It is a hack-and-slash RPG, one of my favorite kinds of RPG, and it is definitely worth picking up if you ever get the chance. The plot is deep, the gameplay is meaningful, if the quests get repetitive now and then you can skip them...and the soundtrack is absolutely beautiful.

Anyway, until next time I post, PEACE OUT!