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Dragon Age players, which one's your fave?
- Thread starter Quinton
- Start date
Dragon Age II is my favourite of the series and my second most favourite game of all time.
As a group, the party members are my favourite in a Bioware game. The friendship/rivalry system is actually pretty interesting. Isabela's rivalry romance is my favourite romance in a Bioware game.
The hardest difficulty pushed me to really understand and learn the system in order to use advanced strategies. It felt way more tactical than Origins or Inquisition felt.
Also, unlike a lot of other Bioware games, the subquests didn't feel like pointless filler.
As a group, the party members are my favourite in a Bioware game. The friendship/rivalry system is actually pretty interesting. Isabela's rivalry romance is my favourite romance in a Bioware game.
The hardest difficulty pushed me to really understand and learn the system in order to use advanced strategies. It felt way more tactical than Origins or Inquisition felt.
Also, unlike a lot of other Bioware games, the subquests didn't feel like pointless filler.
Inquisition suffers too much from the MMO-lite style 'grind' trappings (slow mount, repetitive side-quests/tasks, 'waiting' for the timer on the war table) for me to rank it above origins, despite the advancements to the characters/narration.
Origins may be a bit old, and the fade a terrible location to play through more than once, but it's got the edge in terms of being an RPG with distinct player origins/ways to roleplay, and the D&D-esque combat still shines.
DA2...there are things I like about it, but it really needed another year (or more) in the production line.
Origins may be a bit old, and the fade a terrible location to play through more than once, but it's got the edge in terms of being an RPG with distinct player origins/ways to roleplay, and the D&D-esque combat still shines.
DA2...there are things I like about it, but it really needed another year (or more) in the production line.
Origins is a masterpiece and one of the greatest RPGs ever made. DA2 was a cash grab, with no development time. Inquisition, I wanted to love, but the combat is boring. The only class I didn't try was mage, but MMO-esque combat in a SP RPG wasn't the best idea. They changed the combat to sell more copies and the series has suffered for it.
Origins pretty easily. I would go as far as to say in all aspects of the game besides graphics. Best Gameplay, character designs, cast, story, and soundtrack.
the only thing Origins didn't have as far as cast goes is Varric, but other than that, Origins has Morrigan, Allister, Leliana, Sten, even the Dog was awesome. Ogrhen was pretty hilarious too.
Drsgon Age 2 companions? Besides Varric, all forgettable. Anders maybe? But even his best lines were in Origins.
Dragon Age Inquisition? Again, Besides Varric, everybody else just doesn't hold a candle to Origins. Cassandra is whatever, Blackwall is even more whatever. Iron "DUDEBRO" Bull? No thanks. Solas? Oh god screw that guy. Seriously. He sucked. Hated how much attention the devs gave him. Vivienne was actually pretty interesting from what I remembered, but felt like she doesn't get much development. And you couldn't even romance with her, so yeah…that stinks.
I can recall many quests, interesting/funny moments in Origins, and a lot of the characters. Can't do the same for 2 and Inquisition.
the only thing Origins didn't have as far as cast goes is Varric, but other than that, Origins has Morrigan, Allister, Leliana, Sten, even the Dog was awesome. Ogrhen was pretty hilarious too.
Drsgon Age 2 companions? Besides Varric, all forgettable. Anders maybe? But even his best lines were in Origins.
Dragon Age Inquisition? Again, Besides Varric, everybody else just doesn't hold a candle to Origins. Cassandra is whatever, Blackwall is even more whatever. Iron "DUDEBRO" Bull? No thanks. Solas? Oh god screw that guy. Seriously. He sucked. Hated how much attention the devs gave him. Vivienne was actually pretty interesting from what I remembered, but felt like she doesn't get much development. And you couldn't even romance with her, so yeah…that stinks.
I can recall many quests, interesting/funny moments in Origins, and a lot of the characters. Can't do the same for 2 and Inquisition.
Used to be Origins but the gameplay got to boring for me. so its inquisition (inquisition has the best story)
I don't agree with BossAttack on many things, but I can agree with him on this.
He's right.
To expand a bit further, as much as I still like Origins, I think it suffers a bit too hard from trying to be Tolkien but "Edgier". And while it introduces some neat ideas, that what feels like the crux of the game.
Whereas in DA:I it feels like they moved past that stage and actually trying to do it's own thing.
Origins is one of my favorite games ever.
The story and plot has enough twists and wrinkles on your standard fantasy tropes that it stayed interesting and the different Origin stories and character role playing avenues with the unvoiced protagonist remains my favorite way to play those kinds of RPGs. Morrigan, Alistair, Leliana, Sten and Shale are some of my favorite RPG companions and the banter you get between all of them as you're adventuring makes for such a sense of character development as you go along the story. The combat is good enough and I just love how often the game reacts to your character- whether that's to some action you take that cascades to unforseen consequences or even just your Origin story affecting late game outcomes one way or another ( human noble being able to be queen versus elf having to settle as Alistair's mistress if he becomes king). The art was kind of average and definitely feels like its a game that took forever to develop but I enjoyed the general sort of dark fantasy tone that Origins had at times compared to how the series has kind of edged more high fantasy by the time you get to Inquisition.
DA2 is one of my most disappointing games ever. I wanted Origins 2 and it is very much not that. On paper, I love what DA2 was trying to do- tell a more personal story of one character in one city over span of 10 years or so and see how relationships change and the environment changes based off of your actions. The problem is that I HATED Hawke as a player character and the move to a more Mass Effect style role playing dialogue wheel. Coupled with the game being pretty ugly to look at and the hilariously awful recycled environments and I just didn't enjoy playing the game. The story itself just wasn't enjoyable to me since I hated Hawke as a character and I just never was able to invest myself in many of the companion characters. DA2 is a cool premise for a game that just stumbled and fell flat on its face right out of the gate for me.
Inquisition is kind of a mix between Origins and 2 in a lot of ways. Narratively, I think Inquisition is cool and combined with the DLC gets to a ton of really interesting lore and story points for the Dragon Age world. The companions were far better than 2, but maybe not quite as good as Origins, IMO. The open world aspects I loved to start but by the end of the game, seeing how pointless so many of the side quests were, even from a narrative POV, really had me burned out by the time I finished the game.
Trespasser is a great DLC though, precisely because it scales back a ton of the bloat of Inquisition's open world and side quests and just gives you a more focused experience, not unlike Origins.
The story and plot has enough twists and wrinkles on your standard fantasy tropes that it stayed interesting and the different Origin stories and character role playing avenues with the unvoiced protagonist remains my favorite way to play those kinds of RPGs. Morrigan, Alistair, Leliana, Sten and Shale are some of my favorite RPG companions and the banter you get between all of them as you're adventuring makes for such a sense of character development as you go along the story. The combat is good enough and I just love how often the game reacts to your character- whether that's to some action you take that cascades to unforseen consequences or even just your Origin story affecting late game outcomes one way or another ( human noble being able to be queen versus elf having to settle as Alistair's mistress if he becomes king). The art was kind of average and definitely feels like its a game that took forever to develop but I enjoyed the general sort of dark fantasy tone that Origins had at times compared to how the series has kind of edged more high fantasy by the time you get to Inquisition.
DA2 is one of my most disappointing games ever. I wanted Origins 2 and it is very much not that. On paper, I love what DA2 was trying to do- tell a more personal story of one character in one city over span of 10 years or so and see how relationships change and the environment changes based off of your actions. The problem is that I HATED Hawke as a player character and the move to a more Mass Effect style role playing dialogue wheel. Coupled with the game being pretty ugly to look at and the hilariously awful recycled environments and I just didn't enjoy playing the game. The story itself just wasn't enjoyable to me since I hated Hawke as a character and I just never was able to invest myself in many of the companion characters. DA2 is a cool premise for a game that just stumbled and fell flat on its face right out of the gate for me.
Inquisition is kind of a mix between Origins and 2 in a lot of ways. Narratively, I think Inquisition is cool and combined with the DLC gets to a ton of really interesting lore and story points for the Dragon Age world. The companions were far better than 2, but maybe not quite as good as Origins, IMO. The open world aspects I loved to start but by the end of the game, seeing how pointless so many of the side quests were, even from a narrative POV, really had me burned out by the time I finished the game.
Trespasser is a great DLC though, precisely because it scales back a ton of the bloat of Inquisition's open world and side quests and just gives you a more focused experience, not unlike Origins.
Origin is miles better than the other two. 2 had at least had an interesting concept but really poor execution. Both the main story and gameplay of inquisition sucked but party member cast was pretty good. Trespasser was really good but not enough to make DAI good game.
It's hard to argue with this. I really enjoy Dragon Age lore but Origins screams "Tolkien but R-rated!" There's also a sarcastic undercurrent that makes it difficult to invest in the big dramatic moments.
I hope for the 4th game, the Devs finally cut the fat and give us a combination of the best companions from the 3 games into one (kinda how Mass Effect 3 did sorta).
- Morrigan
- Leliana
- Allister
- Varric
- Sten
(So basically best Origins cast plus Varric)
- Sandal (yes you heard me, I finally want Mr. Enchantment!)
and of course a couple of other new ones, but hopefully more interesting the majority of characters we got from 2 and 3.
- Morrigan
- Leliana
- Allister
- Varric
- Sten
(So basically best Origins cast plus Varric)
- Sandal (yes you heard me, I finally want Mr. Enchantment!)
and of course a couple of other new ones, but hopefully more interesting the majority of characters we got from 2 and 3.
Absolutely love them all, but I'm going with Inquisition because it does so much right AND has native controller support on PC. Honestly, if Origins included the option to use the same control scheme on PC that it uses on consoles, it might have at the very least tied it for me. Both Inquisition and Origins do very different things, but they each do them really well. DA2 is a little clunkier on the gameplay side, but it's got some of the best character interactions in any game I've ever had the pleasure of playing. I also have similar thoughts about controller support (I mean COME ON it can't be that difficult to port those console features over to PC).
Each game does something the best and something the worst.
Origins is the best at being a medium ground between old school RPGs and modern RPGs, as such it has the best role playing potential. The variety in how things can go down is at an absolute high. It also deserves credit for laying the foundation of the setting. However, it's actual story is pretty generic and the gameplay is... look, I know some people like this but let's just say it wasn't for me.
Dragon Age 2 has the best writing, BY FAR. It's also very refreshing to have a big RPG not feel the need to be about saving the world and defeating the Big Evil, but telling a more personal story about a person, their family, and their city. I also think nearly all the systems and mechanics from Origins are improved upon here. Combat is faster and more fun. The Friendship/Rivalry system is the BEST affection system Bioware has ever had and solves so many of the issues with Origin's system. Of course, the faults in this game are glaring and obvious. With only A YEAR to develop this thing, the corners are cut hard. So I really hope you don't mind visiting the same 10 locations over and over again.
Dragon Age Inquisition is... ahh, I mean, I do like it a lot. The ending and Tresspasser really help solve issues I had with the story throughout. The characters are great. You can really see the the way this team writes characters getting more refined with each game. And while some of the story can be weak, the presentation of that story is at a series high. But 90% of this game is bad MMO fetch quests with little story behind them. There are moments of brilliance but this wasn't the way.
So if I had to rank my favorites, I guess...
DA2 > Origins > Inquisition
I'm sad Gaider is gone but I've got high hopes for DA4.
Origins is the best at being a medium ground between old school RPGs and modern RPGs, as such it has the best role playing potential. The variety in how things can go down is at an absolute high. It also deserves credit for laying the foundation of the setting. However, it's actual story is pretty generic and the gameplay is... look, I know some people like this but let's just say it wasn't for me.
Dragon Age 2 has the best writing, BY FAR. It's also very refreshing to have a big RPG not feel the need to be about saving the world and defeating the Big Evil, but telling a more personal story about a person, their family, and their city. I also think nearly all the systems and mechanics from Origins are improved upon here. Combat is faster and more fun. The Friendship/Rivalry system is the BEST affection system Bioware has ever had and solves so many of the issues with Origin's system. Of course, the faults in this game are glaring and obvious. With only A YEAR to develop this thing, the corners are cut hard. So I really hope you don't mind visiting the same 10 locations over and over again.
Dragon Age Inquisition is... ahh, I mean, I do like it a lot. The ending and Tresspasser really help solve issues I had with the story throughout. The characters are great. You can really see the the way this team writes characters getting more refined with each game. And while some of the story can be weak, the presentation of that story is at a series high. But 90% of this game is bad MMO fetch quests with little story behind them. There are moments of brilliance but this wasn't the way.
So if I had to rank my favorites, I guess...
DA2 > Origins > Inquisition
I'm sad Gaider is gone but I've got high hopes for DA4.
Dragon Age isn't Mass Effect, that wouldn't feel good in this series at all. Give me all new characters.
I knew that Dragon Age 2 was going to be losing this poll, but I don't care, it's still my baby. I love every game in this series, so it's a pretty hard choice but something about Dragon Age 2 just really works for me despite all of it's quite obvious flaws. The Qunari Arc in particular is excellent, and I think it's some of the most compelling writing I've seen in a game.
I have to say though that I'm really surprised that a lot of people here are saying that Origins has the best cast, I actually think it's got the worst cast of the three games by a fair margin. Like yeah, Alistair, Morrigan, Leliana and Sten are pretty great but the other half of the cast is pretty dire. Wynne, Shale and Oghren are all extremely lame, and Zevran does nothing for me either, although he's not as bad as the other three. So yeah I'd consider about half the companions in the game to be really uninteresting, even Loghain is much more interesting as an antagonist then he is as an ally.
I have to say though that I'm really surprised that a lot of people here are saying that Origins has the best cast, I actually think it's got the worst cast of the three games by a fair margin. Like yeah, Alistair, Morrigan, Leliana and Sten are pretty great but the other half of the cast is pretty dire. Wynne, Shale and Oghren are all extremely lame, and Zevran does nothing for me either, although he's not as bad as the other three. So yeah I'd consider about half the companions in the game to be really uninteresting, even Loghain is much more interesting as an antagonist then he is as an ally.
I thought I was one of the few who love Inquisition! While it does some things that frustrate me, the highs wins over the lows. The ball mission being one of them. Also the world building.
I'm so looking forward to DA4, if they take the feedback from their last game it can only go up from here.
I'm so looking forward to DA4, if they take the feedback from their last game it can only go up from here.
OP
OP
Thanks for all the replies, everybody! Seems DAO's early overwhelming lead kind of mellowed out a bit over time (but it's still the clear favorite). Pretty cool that DA2 has enough fans to make it halfway to Inquisition. I don't mean that in a sarcastic way! It's just that I suspect even the most ardent of DA2 diehards recognize the game is deeply, deeply flawed; the strength of its cast and overall premise carries it in spite of those flaws.
For me, DA2 is like a 6/10; really not great by any stretch but better than a lot of other games. My personal favorite entry is Inquisition, though before its DLCs hit, I think it was like a 7.5 for me? By the time Trespasser dropped, it had risen to a 9. Origins is the best one when no DLCs are counted, though.
For me, DA2 is like a 6/10; really not great by any stretch but better than a lot of other games. My personal favorite entry is Inquisition, though before its DLCs hit, I think it was like a 7.5 for me? By the time Trespasser dropped, it had risen to a 9. Origins is the best one when no DLCs are counted, though.
I've never played Inquisition but have seen bits.
I quit out of DA2 after playing it for like an hour. I did not like what they did with the combat.
I also have big problems with the fact that the sequels ignore your ability to kill certain party members in the first game.
So Origins, perfection.
I quit out of DA2 after playing it for like an hour. I did not like what they did with the combat.
I also have big problems with the fact that the sequels ignore your ability to kill certain party members in the first game.
So Origins, perfection.
I loved Inquisition, probably had around 200 hours in it through all the DLC. The Witcher 3 seemed to sour a bunch of people on it retroactively, but I played it well after playing Witcher 3 and had a blast.
I enjoyed Origins quite a bit as well, though I never did finish it. I don't remember why exactly I bounced off of it. I'll probably give it another shot sometime. I skipped over 2 entirely.
I enjoyed Origins quite a bit as well, though I never did finish it. I don't remember why exactly I bounced off of it. I'll probably give it another shot sometime. I skipped over 2 entirely.
I have to admit, I hold Origins in a much, much lower regard than most people. For me is a game caught between the past and the future, without a shred of identity and no real knowledge of what it wanted to be, both as a game and as a universe. Poor combat, poor graphics, poor artstyle. It had good character and some storylines? Yes, but so did DA2 and Inquisition. And they also did much more than that.
Origins for sure but Inquisition is great too, it can be overwhelming or boring at times, but combat is excelent.
Hawke is the best protagonist but Inquisition is my favorite overall. Half the stuff that excites me about Inquisition playthroughs is only possible because of stuff established in Origins, though
Gotta refer to my most trusted publication here, PC Gamer.
www.pcgamer.com
Clearly, Dragon Age 2 was the RPG of the decade 2011-2020.
Dragon Age 2 review
To make Origins, BioWare dredged up buckets of backstory from the minds of their best writers. A new land was invented, branded with religious intolerance and inherent racism. Then, once the continent of Thedas was concrete, BioWare forgot they’d invented all that engaging stuff and slapped a...
Clearly, Dragon Age 2 was the RPG of the decade 2011-2020.
Origins gets my vote. Solid balance between classic crpgs like Baldurs Gate and modern Bioware like Mass Effect.
Origins' story had a bit of an edge over Inquisition's, but Inquisition is a much better on the gameplay and combat side. Actually, everything else. So Inquisition. In fact, nowadays, I'd put Dragon Age 2 over Origins as well, because the latter aged terribly. Dragon Age 2 is still fun despite its shortcomings.
DA:I for me. I spent well over 100 hours in that game (incl. DLC) and enjoyed every second. I think it has some of the strongest and most interesting lore of any RPG I've played.
After that DA:O. I think I did three playthroughs and had a great time in each one.
DA2 is third, but I still enjoyed my time with it.
After that DA:O. I think I did three playthroughs and had a great time in each one.
DA2 is third, but I still enjoyed my time with it.
Origins overall is the best "game" to me but DA2 is definitely the most interesting one for me. Loved what it tried to do with Kirkwall and I feel it's a shame BW will probably never attempt anything like it again.
Inquisition was the most forgettable one despite being long as fuck, that said I'm not playing any of its DLCs until DA4 is near, backlog is long enough
Inquisition was the most forgettable one despite being long as fuck, that said I'm not playing any of its DLCs until DA4 is near, backlog is long enough
Origins is the blue print they should have followed for the series. The way they handle the different character and story options was great.
I really actually don't get what is so beloved about the original dragon age aside from the excellent plot and cast.
People like Origins for resembling their boomer RPGs, DA fans prefer Inquisition for being a fundamentally better game despite not resembling old shit like BG AFAIK
It's Origins, but for the record I can't really say I'm particularly in love with that one, either.
I never thought that highly of the series in general.
I never thought that highly of the series in general.
Origins by a country mile. Then Inquisitions - while it has its problems I liked the companions, and the environments were wonderful. DA2 was a massive disappointment. Didn't connect with any of the companions aside from the dwarf, endlessly copy pasted rooms, very bland environments, and the story doesn't really get going until after the deeproads which is like halfway through the game. If I had to give a score:
DAO: 9.5/10
DA2: 6/10
DAI: 7.5/10
DAO: 9.5/10
DA2: 6/10
DAI: 7.5/10
Dragon Age can be a frustrating series to discuss because it really matters what platform you played it on. Origins for example is a PC game through and through, and the console ports have bad performance and really bad combat dragging the experience down. The story and such are still great, so I love it, but Inquisition is clearly a console-first game with MUCH superior controller combat, albeit at the expense of KB&M controls.
So to me Inquisition is my favorite over Origins (DA2 is third but I still think it's a great 7.5-8/10 game) but I recognize part of that is the platform.
But part of that is just that Inquisition's story is far more interesting. I'd argue it's the first game that understands what its world and characters are and how to leverage them into an interesting tale. Origins feels far too derivative with its Blight story to LOTR despite its subplots fleshing out the world, and DA2 has one incredible act in a three-act story where the other 2 acts work against it. Inquisition meanwhile rewards you with investing yourself in the lore and story, playing with your expectations, and having deeper discussions about the institutions of Thedas than appear in Origins or 2. It's not perfect, but it makes me more excited for a sequel than Origins or 2 did.
So to me Inquisition is my favorite over Origins (DA2 is third but I still think it's a great 7.5-8/10 game) but I recognize part of that is the platform.
But part of that is just that Inquisition's story is far more interesting. I'd argue it's the first game that understands what its world and characters are and how to leverage them into an interesting tale. Origins feels far too derivative with its Blight story to LOTR despite its subplots fleshing out the world, and DA2 has one incredible act in a three-act story where the other 2 acts work against it. Inquisition meanwhile rewards you with investing yourself in the lore and story, playing with your expectations, and having deeper discussions about the institutions of Thedas than appear in Origins or 2. It's not perfect, but it makes me more excited for a sequel than Origins or 2 did.
Inquisition somehow managed to make Varrick kinda boring. And he was like the only thing that was good in DA2. Even though I hated half of the cast in DA2, it probably had the strongest characters. And sarcastic hawke
I still think it's exceedingly silly to have a concept of "watch how this area changes over a decade" in a game whose core theme is basically "olol you can't do anything to change what happens". I mean, even beyond bioware's usual somewhat weak choice and consequences
