The ending the series deserved : Pretentious, yet completely superficial!
So, what, you felt you were doing something important the rest of the game?
Story/RPG wise, it's a great success - if you compare it to B movie stories, and maybe that's an exaggeration as well..
Up for good, Down for bad.
At least Dragon Age figured it could add a third option...
The story plays out like a typical American war movie where, somehow, old-fashioned soldiers are the ones that get it right by sheer determination.
Even though the plot is some kind of unstoppable alien AI is slowly overcoming biological life... they manage to turn it into some kind of war soap opera, where everyone constantly asks each other if they're okay because their home planet is being destroyed, or that the war is going terribly, because supply lines are cut off or there's not enough intel.
Really.
And then they manage to turn Shepard's conflict with one soldier into some kind of crucial 1on1. I couldn't hold my laughter when Shepard "loses" the fight with this Kai Leng guy (because a ship appears and a building somehow moves in a way that almost kills Shepard...) and spends most of the time being pissed off because he lost and ends up yelling "WELL I WANT REVENGE NOW ANYONE HAVE IDEAS?" as apparently there was a major plot hole around here, or just a major strategic hole. everyone was just letting him do his own thing, and maybe now they could actually plan something. great.
And really, let's not have MORE decisive moments where Shepard ARGUES his way out... it's painful to hear voice actors forcing themselves to change their opinions after just another bland argument.
Anyway, story's obviously bad, should've picked female shepard for less annoying voice actor, what can you do.
But what about the gameplay?
It's okay.
That's it, okay.
Try to take it as a challenge, though, and the problems start.
As the hit detection system is terrible, and movement is awkward (oh yes, let's make spacebar do *everything*, so much simpler.. how many times I died because shepard couldn't figure out how to jump and duck to cover..) you end up playing up simple movement tactics, as anything else is a waste.
Squad usefulness.. uh, right. Not sure if what the hints say is true, that if you COMMAND them to attack, their shots become more powerful. I'm hoping not.. Anyway, AI is terrible, may just walk off to die, wait under cover while you get surrounded for the "perfect" shot..
I always ended up with half my skills being useless except on token situations where they could look pretty.
I ended up turning down the difficulty because, even though I maxed out weapon damage, there were times that to take out a "sub-boss" i had to use at least half my ammo.. and hope a second one doesn't come before they decide to leave some ammo on the screen.
And thus I ended up filling up my weapon weight limit as it became irrelevant as long as I had ammo.. and fights were just push-overs unless some bug overwhelmed me or so.
Entertaining, yes. But a good game? Fun, diverse gameplay? A challenge? Exciting? No. Popcorn.
Ah... If it wasn't such a pretentious game, I wouldn't care. But it is.
And it just serves one good purpose: to illustrate the tragic direction to which games these days travel to.
Lack of choice.
Lack of depth.
Lack of challenge.
Lack of originality.
That said, I liked some characters. Gives me hope.
Mordin, Tali, EDI... Even Garrus at times.
Others were just plain boring. These.. were the faint flame of originality left.
I felt bad they had to deal with Shepard.
Sigh.
I wonder how many there are out there, still demanding quality in story and game design..
KOTOR wasn't that long ago.
The first Dragon Age was quite okay... even the second one.
I'd also take a Witcher with guns any day..
But while this storm brews, I might go see if I missed out any great RPGs on the SNES...