Seen sets Dragon Age Inquisition (DAI) the tendency of Bioware continues: You can tell there is a lot of money in it. You can tell there is a lot of love in it. But it also notes: The last word had the money counter. But damn ax when the lovers have you not at least provided a worthy fight.
The following points often relate to the predecessor, and for good reason: DAI is the third part of a series the most, who will play it, know at least one predecessor and thus have a useful comparison.
Aesthetically linked to DAI on Dragon Age II: A lot of acts stylized, much (tarot cards, frescoes etc.) working with simple, strong lines and large areas of color precisely in the 2D area. Effect: The game acts as a unified whole and drips only way of atmosphere. Even otherwise convinced Inquisition on the graphical page: It is the first DA-title, in which I sometimes a Impressed Boooah! could not resist. Whether Characterdetails (Cassandra's facial expression I find amazingly lifelike) or environment: Schick Schick Schick, even on medium settings. Moreover Inquisition feels wide, sweeping as the predecessor: The former Thedas was dismembered by loading screens and offered relatively limited walkable environments. In DAI, these segments are even still there, but much more generous. Where you previously could wait by-four loading screens between the warehouse and a shop in Orzammar because it is one that keeps however somewhat longer today. At least you can meanwhile read randomly selected Codex entries, and has the next hour then no loading screen more (if you're not constantly shuttling between the fields).
For the explorers Bioware has the infamous limits eased somewhat in the environment: Many of SGIs mountains you can climb (and slide down), the bounce over fences, and even waist-high walls do not pose an insurmountable obstacle is more.
A matter of taste, I find, however, as Bioware has filled these new, expansive environments: Much of it is standard MMORPG Mampf: Collect twenty bear butt out fourteen regions, conquer five strategic points. This extends the game pretty (I arrived in the second act until after about 30 hours of play, but also have my time left), but whether one finds it annoying filler or as a good reason for longer in the impressive surroundings to remain a matter of taste. Personally, it tells me at the moment too, because I do not get enough of them to march through Thedas. But I can imagine that there is a real frustration factor when eventual second playthrough. In any case, these filler tasks offer little new or challenging.
The "Mamorperger" in the title comes from these and similar elements (eg mounts collect): Otherwise you will find something more in MMORPGs, not in solo RPGs.
Konsolitis is my hobby horse, about which I am almost like upset. In the PC version of DAI this insidious disease strikes twice, namely at the menus and the tactical camera. In the menu, it is only a bit annoying because you can not quickly select eg via a menu with the mouse, for example, characters, but only gets presented to the other via a next / previous function a. In three NPCs in the group so bad, but when you're not in your own home fortress, and must click through all available characters as: The PC has to be better.
Much worse, I find the tactical camera. The fact is also evident for optimized controller: If you switch to this mode is centered the camera in a bird's eye always first on the selected character. In order to move the camera now, for example, to get an opponent into the picture), you move the camera with the direction keys (WASD for most of us), during a crosshair indicating the center of the screen, what is envisaged precisely (pointer is disabled). Changes to the character what so with the primary purpose is when you're working in the tactical mode then the camera returns to this character: you have to re-move the camera to the opponent, and give instructions.
** Edit on 01/23/2015: With the patch 1.03 game has recently received the "bug fix" that the tactical camera no longer automatically (as described above) always on the character newly selected centers. This makes the tactical camera a lot more convenient to operate, if far from perfect. **
For consoles like this kind of commanding his tactical battles an evil which is the controller owed. On PC it is unreasonable seizure.
Luckily you have rarely resort to this kind of warfare: The combat system is almost 1: 1 of Dragon Age II adopted, and that is: Little tactics, a lot of action. And often a lot too easily (although, as I said, is not so bad, because one can thus push at least before use of the tactical camera). At least a bit of what Bioware has however learned from DA II: opponents will no longer spawn continuously and after every fight with dozens of out of nowhere. Outside the fighting but that happens continue: Just one has cleaned ruins by bandits, revolves once by 360 degrees, and finds the ruins of Templars reoccupied. So frustig and flashy as in DA II this Come Teleport the enemy is no longer, however.
From history I did not dare, she finally to judge: I am well halfway through DAI, and so far I would say: Solid, but not earth-shattering. Small minus point that a background knowledge is missing if you have not played the previous DLCs certain; But at least give Varric the Inquisitor at least the rudimentary background in the respect.
Speaking of companions: I've heard from some people that they found the DAI-selection of group members very positive. I can not share this impression. (Known Varric and Cassandra, both of DA II) Up to two fellows I find the choice of collaborators uninspired, bland and sometimes even caustic. Where I could not wait to other Bioware titles to learn more about my people, because it is a horror to me in DAI sometimes even before, I continue to deal with them.
Pure craftsmanship make SGIs texts a mixed impression. The Write wash undecided between Uff, I am ashamed right strange about clichés let them but not really up to That has now actually driven tears to my eyes: quite hit and miss as the English speakers would say.
And that's the overall impression I have of the whole game: BioWare has with DAI many things right, put something right, but new holes cut in other places on board who would not have to be.
Others:
- DAI requires necessarily an Origin Account (Yes, is already in the description, but rather mentioned again).
- Very stable the game (save regularly so) is not: From time to time the game ended after prolonged charging and for no apparent reason itself, and similar to Origins there seems to be a bug that floods the memory for long game sessions. What then either lead to a halt in the game, or just the abrupt self-terminating the client.
- My review is based on about 45 hours played, where I have the game is not completely played (but far enough that I think I can allow myself an assessment). If the game experience change until the end again markedly, I'll edit this review. ** Edit on 01/23/2015: I have about 100 hours of play through the game, and about 85% of the finished what there is to do. My assessment has been generally confirmed, and I the main story then something meatless found as initially suspected, but this is pretty good concealed from the optional "Drumrum".
* "Mamorperger" from "MMORPG". A game that is not a MMORPG (massively multiplayer because neither nor online), but takes a playful bond them.
