77 replies to this topic

[Kulyok]

With Anders, it goes like this after the Fade:
- No interesting stuff if you just kill all the demons; he doesn't react to Pride and Desire;
- If you agree with Sloth's demon offer AND give the demon what he wants, upon returning to the clinic, you have a really nasty lash-out from Anders(obviously, romance over and so on).
- However, IF you agree with Sloth demon AND betray the demon later, freeing the elven boy(Anders is dead and can't see it), you can tell Anders later in the clinic that it was all a ruse. Intresting dialogue, too.

I reloaded after that, obviously, because in both latter cases Anders is under a great deal of pain(=his beloved killed him in the Fade), which I just couldn't do to him(well, unless I wanted to see all the options).

Edited by Kulyok, 16 March 2011 - 10:24 PM.

[princesspurpleblob]

Yeah I tried all that today. It was damn hard though. Don't want to hurt Anders. I just can't =\

[Kulyok]

You tell me. I still don't know how I managed to reload a save before the final battle to kill Anders to see what he'll say. ("Kill Anders to see what he'll say", gosh, I sound like a monster). I immediately reload a happy pre-battle save, naturally, but it still felt awful.

[berelinde]

Seriously, he does play on our sympathies. Hurting him is like kicking a puppy. A stray, malnourished puppy who followed you home and is now looking at you with enormous sad, ever-trusting brown eyes while you eat steak. Yes, I do know that dogs of all weights and ages do that. Hmm, so do many men. Ahem. My point is that Anders is lovable. Yet there are some people who find him dull and/or annoying. To each his own, I guess.

I'll probably try that thing with the sloth demon, but I will definitely save first. NO WAY would I let that save game stand.

[Kulyok]

I'm thinking that Anders was meant to be the primary romance of the game. First, in my games, neither Isabella nor Fenris nor Merrill make the first move; Anders does. Second, Bethany says in her banter that Anders reminds her of her father. Also, Gamlen says that Hawke found herself an apostate, just like her mother. (And I do believe that "lover like father" theory). Almost like Anders and Hawke were meant to be.

I think it's great it wasn't David Gaider, though. Much as I admire his Morrigan, Gaider says he doesn't believe in happy endings. (And I want no Elminster on my Anders-Hawke wedding, either!)

[Darziak]

You probably can see your image, but this is how your post looked to me:

Strange, does anyone else see it as that?

How bout a normal link.

[EvaineDian]

You ladies do take fangirling seriously! I have a virtual crush on my absolute favourite game character ever, dear, dear Loghain, but I still chop his head off in most playthroughs.

I wish BioWare would handle romances differently, though. It bugs me that the heart icon tells you which reply is the flirty option. And they are so focused on getting your LI into bed. That was particularly noticeable with Alistair in DA:O: I remember loads and loads of dialogues before you can sleep with each other, but afterwards not so many; there's bascially only the plot-related stuff left. I haven't played any of the Mass Effect games, but my boyfriend has and he complained about the same thing. And now in DA2, I told Merrill she looked nice and suddenly she hopped into my bed and moved in...

Despite the somewhat flawed romances in DA:O, there is still something about the characters that made them more emotionally engaging than in DA2. You can talk to your companions right away when you meet them, but in DA2's Act 1 you hardly get to know each other. And the other (non-joinable) NPCs - I liked Duncan, Teagan and Loghain right away and they only had a few lines each! That's a shame because I think the DA2 setup has so much potential to be more intimate and engaging than DA:O: There is a voiced Hawke, you have a family, are bound to one place you're trying to make your new home and have some seriously fucked up LIs who are heading for the gutter (Anders and to some degree Merrill). And most of all, I find a political/religious cataclysm much more terrifying than a big dragon. And then BioWare goes and leaves all that potential untapped by giving us so few dialogues!

[berelinde]

Yes, that's the real tragedy right there, nevermind unhappy endings. Such limited ability to talk to all denizens of the game world, not just the companions.

[Daulmakan]

You probably can see your image, but this is how your post looked to me:

Strange, does anyone else see it as that?
How bout a normal link.

Sorry. Same thing. It returns me a http://imageshack.us...cked_login.jpg.

[Darziak]

Sorry. Same thing. It returns me a http://imageshack.us...cked_login.jpg.

Then are you blocking imageshack by anychance?

[Daulmakan]

Sorry. Same thing. It returns me a http://imageshack.us...cked_login.jpg.

Then are you blocking imageshack by anychance?

Nope. And what's weird, I actually have an account of my own there. After logging in at IS, suddenly I see your pics now.


Zevran looks ugly.

[princesspurpleblob]

I think it's great it wasn't David Gaider, though. Much as I admire his Morrigan, Gaider says he doesn't believe in happy endings. (And I want no Elminster on my Anders-Hawke wedding, either!)

Eh... Gaidar wrote Anomen romance? >.> But I adore Anomen! (and it was happy ending).

I do agree that Hawke-Anders is meant to be (especially if you choose to play as mage). I do want to see their proper ending though, probably through DLC or something. I found the ending too unsatisifying. We had proper ending for romances in BG2! Even DA:O had some explation of what happened until the Warden disappeared. Just simple statement like "Ander was and probably is still with Hawke" doesn't justifiy ending for me =\ Sorta felt like Morrigan if you romanced her in DAO.

EDIT: Just thought of something. I love ME2 and DA2 equally but for different reasons. For me, my character (Shepard) was the driving force for me to play game in ME2. I don't think I ever loved my own character so much before ME2. DA2 on the other hand, Ander is the main driving force. I actually couldn't give half a damn about Hawke. I don't like her appearance, no matter how much time I've spent to make her look *likeable* nor will I ever like her voice acting =\

Edited by princesspurpleblob, 17 March 2011 - 10:21 PM.

[Kulyok]

Weeell, Anomen was written kind of ten years ago. (Though I love him, too). Neither Alistair nor Zevran by David Gaider don't have any happy endings, and even Viconia doesn't. Anyway, maybe I'm paranoid, but I'm glad Anders was done by Hepler, because Fenris's romance by David Gaider doesn't seem as happy to me.

Despite the somewhat flawed romances in DA:O, there is still something about the characters that made them more emotionally engaging than in DA2. You can talk to your companions right away when you meet them, but in DA2's Act 1 you hardly get to know each other. And the other (non-joinable) NPCs - I liked Duncan, Teagan and Loghain right away and they only had a few lines each! That's a shame because I think the DA2 setup has so much potential to be more intimate and engaging than DA:O: There is a voiced Hawke, you have a family, are bound to one place you're trying to make your new home and have some seriously fucked up LIs who are heading for the gutter (Anders and to some degree Merrill). And most of all, I find a political/religious cataclysm much more terrifying than a big dragon. And then BioWare goes and leaves all that potential untapped by giving us so few dialogues!

I don't know about not liking "non-companion" NPCs, though. I loved Orsino literally on first sight(in the Fade). Even though his death was so very stupid. And Keran the young templar had a great torso. And that Qunari mage quest in Act 1 was very, very moving.

And Duncan and Loghain had quite a lot of lines each - Loghain was a full NPC for an important part of the game, including Return to Ostagar(think Bethany or Carver), and Duncan was one of the key figures of the game, who was present in all six origins. DA2 didn't have these origins, so there was no need for a Duncan-like figure.

But I agree that people like Thrask, Sister Petrice, Meredith and Gamlen fell short of the mark, even with Gamlen's quest and Meredith's major role.

Oh! I tell you what I expected. I thought - I was sure! - that Viscount Dumar's seneshal was up to something. "My door is always closed" and stuff like that - I was so sure he'll have an evil plot ahead! Alas, alas. Ah well.

[princesspurpleblob]

I don't know the romance ending for Fenris, I might look it up on wiki. I'm glad that Anders was done by Hepler as well, and also glad gaider decided to give happy ending for Bhaalspawn-Anomen ending


Also, I liked a lot of non-companion NPCs in DA2. Mainly the ones who made cameo appearance from DA1. I didn't like Orsino that much (he reminded me of dracula). I liked Keran and his friends (especially the one who gives you most information and also the one who told off the girl templar "perhaps you should be the next one to go missing"). I also liked that templar, thrask. Poor guy. Loses his daughter and his life too, and all he did was try to help mages.

[EvaineDian]

And Duncan and Loghain had quite a lot of lines each - Loghain was a full NPC for an important part of the game, including Return to Ostagar(think Bethany or Carver), and Duncan was one of the key figures of the game, who was present in all six origins. DA2 didn't have these origins, so there was no need for a Duncan-like figure.

What I'm saying is this: In my very first playthrough I met Duncan and Loghain only very briefly and they didn't have many lines at all - Duncan during the City Elf origin and in Ostagar, and Loghain outside of his tent in Ostagar and then at the Landsmeet. I didn't even know he could be a companion back then; with Alistair bitching so much, I thought Loghain had to die.     Still I liked both Duncan and Loghain very much right there and then, and not after I saw their other, extended content. Same goes for my City Elf and Cousland relatives. Or take Cullen - he has even less content, but he has quite the fanbase!

I don't get the same feeling in DA2 for any new character really. Bethany died in my first game and I thought "So what? I don't know her at all." Carver left and I thought "Whatever." I can only think of two people I felt a bit of an attachment for - Meredith because of her visual design and because she's barkin' mad, and Mother Hawke because of the "All That Remains" quest. Some of the templars (Thrask?) had some potential to be likable, but to be honest when they reappeared I often thought "Who are you again?".

Edited by EvaineDian, 18 March 2011 - 04:26 AM.

[princesspurpleblob]

I think Loghain was memorable for his "bad evil" look I could tell immediately he is something big in the plot/game. Duncan was memorable, because he appears in all Origins + he does narrative

[princesspurpleblob]

I'm giving in >.> might try Fenris romance after all. Anyone know of Aimo? She just drew this hiralious/adorable Fenris/MHawke comic, and now I'm soooo tempted to try the romance! (Damn you Aimo and Bioware).

[berelinde]

I'm trying the Fenris rivalmance... but not really loving it. I'm still planning on dumping him for Anders. I've got Dissent and Bitter Pill quests on deck, Anders at 100% friendship, Fenris at about 90% rivalry, and it should be fun. Just gotta make sure to talk to Fenris first after all quests are done.

[Philiposophy]

I liked DA2. There were a fair number of improvements over Origins. The combat was more dynamic and less of a drag. I'm not a fan of the spawns though.

I was also very pleased by the story. BioWare is very good at creating universes and filling them with characters but they're typically less good at plots, varying from the simply mundane to the lame. So, DA2 breaking the general formula of late was well met by me. It wasn't always perfect - I found the Arishok and the qunari much more worthwhile adversaries than Meredith and Orsino - but in general it succeeded in being a character driven story. Hawke's companions all (well, not all but most) do have a major role in the story's development.