assault rifles
small machine guns
light machine guns
shotguns
snipers
Well, so much for running off to Orzamarr....I ended up getting side tracked with personal quests and doing the Mage Collective and Irregular quests, and now I'm in Denerim dealing with the Chantry board there. Perhaps I'll deal with the Dwarves tomorrow. lol
Zevran, because I didn't romance that smarmy bastard the first time through. Although I'm kind of wishing I had rolled a male warden character and romanced Morrigan.
It would be fun to romance Morrigan, she's so cute, but I prefer to play as a female if given the chance, and she doesn't go that way... Though given how vastly different things can play out and with so many choices, I think I'll do that for one of my future playthroughs, too. And I'll be getting back to Denerim now myself, didn't mean to derail this conversation like it's a dating sim or something. This is a very well-crafted narrative with such lifelike and interesting characters, you can't help but get emotionally attached.
No problem, pablo! The ability to romance characters in Bioware games make them as popular as they are and the companions are what make the stories so enthralling. Sure, the lore behind Dragon Age is vast and fascinating (it actually has it's own D20 pen and paper rule book with TONS of information about Thedas and the different peoples in it), but it's the characters which always drive the story, and you seek to learn more and more about them and where they fit into the big picture. And the fact that everything and everyone is so intertwined makes it addicting. Soon you start seeing connections everywhere. It's fabulous.
Mass Effect is very much the same way. Ask me about my love for Garrus Vakarian some time if you wanna see an unhealthy obsession with a video game character. lol Plus, just between you and me, my guilty pleasure is Bioware fan fiction. I read as much of that stuff as I read of real books anymore, because I like seeing other people's takes on my favorite characters.
And sure, people can give me a hard time about that, but it's no different than our mutual obsessions with Roland and his Ka-tet. :-)
EDIT: On the subject of character gender, I'm the same way in that I almost always prefer to play as a female if and when possible, at least in a RPG. And they are almost always brunettes who wear their hair back with brown eyes. And I play them as the diplomatic optimist. I just like to feel connected to my character so they are almost always a self insert, at least the first time around.
I have to get in on Mass Effect soon, maybe once I'm through DAO. And yeah I agree about the "self insert" thing, that's the great thing about video games is they're so immersive and interactive, you really feel connected to the character you are in the game and the world, and what they're going through. If done well, of course. And if a game gives you these customization options for your avatar (for you, essentially), it's so gratifying. And fun! This is why I prefer to play RPGs. And the more I play it the more I'm convinced DAO is one of the best ever.
P.S.: You'll have to link me to some of this fanfic
Mass Effect is absolutely worth playing and I highly recommend it. Its just like Dragon Age, only in space, with guns and aliens. The one big difference between the series is that in Mass Effect, you are Commander Shepard from start to finish, whereas in Dragon Age, you are a new protagonist in every game. And Bioware manages to pull off both without a hitch...I don't pine after the Warden in Dragon Age II, the new main character is super easy to fall in love with, but there is something to be said about playing the same character (Shepard) over the course of three games. Talk about an emotional attachment. PHEW!
I will give you this bit of advice though...if you find yourself absolutely enthralled in the Dragon Age story after you've played through Origins, I'd stick with Dragon Age for now. The story is so big and the actions you take have so many ripples throughout the environment that I think it gives you the best experience to play them all back to back to back, at least in terms of immersion and emotional poignancy. Plus, in terms of the near future, Bioware has released some press on the 4th Dragon Age game (albeit vague at best) so we have that to look forward to over the horizon, at least in the next two or three year (I hope).
As far as Mass Effect goes, after the Mass Effect Andromeda snafu, it's basically a dead-in-the-water series. They have said they'd like to go back to it eventually, but I don't see that happening for a very long while. Andromeda made them money but it was failure in terms of how poorly it was received by fans and critics alike.
And I'd be happy to link you some fanfiction! It's *full* of spoilers though. Perhaps after you complete Origins???
Mass Effect has one of the best extended universes in all of science fiction, not just video games. Bioware put in an insane amount of time and dedication into building and fleshing out their lore. Fantastic integration of artistic vision, RPG elements, and large scale battles.
Platinum'ing Mass Effect 3 almost broke me mentally. That final battle in Insane difficulty is no joke.
I’m afraid to click that button!
lol...I'll sum it up for you if you want, pablo.
The game is bad because the story is wayyyy too short for the amount of time needed to actually complete the game. It's also horribly unoriginal.
I know things you do in DAO have an effect on some things in DA2 and 3. Is it like that with Andromeda, do things you did in the past games affect it?
No, not at all. Andromeda is in no way connected to Shepard's story.
Oh, hopefully they'll just move on and do Mass Effect 4. But I am very excited for a potential Dragon Age 4 in the works. I may even finish Inquisition by then!
Without traveling into spoiler territory, it would be really hard to do a Mass Effect 4, given the different ways the trilogy could have ended. That's why they went with Andromeda, in an entirely different galaxy.
Soooo much left for the Dragon Age story lines though
Oh my fucking god, this Deserted Building in Denerim is a circle of hell! My girls are getting pwned...
Are you talking about the huge sprawling building with all the mercs and Qunari warriors and blood mages?? I just did that this afternoon....you walk into a room and like two other doors open to other rooms and pretty soon your whole screen is full of people trying to kill you. lol
Also pablo, I think you're a bad influence on me.
I had absolutely NO INTENTION of playing through DA2 and DA:I again after I finished Origins. I kinda figured this would be a one shot deal and then I'd go off to play the Witcher games or maybe something else that's new. Like the new Assassins Creed. But after all this talk, I think I'm going to end up playing the whole trilogy through again. AND, I think I'm going to invest in a few of the DLCs for DA2 which I had never played through in the past.
Sigh. I'm such a slave to these characters.
Sorry, Andi!
I'm kind of an obsessive personality but I didn't know it was contagious.
Here's something to make up for it maybe:
And yeah that's the place, it's so hard. At the end it's this boss mage and a bunch of others that just overpower you. I think I'll need to come back later, my journey has ended like a dozen times here.
Well, I also have a somewhat obsessive personality when it comes to things I'm passionate about. But sometimes you gotta cut the cord. Because there is more to life than just Bioware games! Like...games from other companies. And I must play them as well. But I *always* go back to Dragon Age/Mass Effect eventually.
And now onto the Brecillian Forest, because you're right about Orzammar. I should save myself the headache and do that one last!
HOLY SHIT!!!
Well I didn't see this coming from Sten...
Spoiler:
Ack. That's why I put a lot of into cunning and persuasion skills. So I can make people do what I need
Honestly, I'm not sure if that would have helped at that point or not! Perhaps if I had a huge intimidate score, since Qunari are big on following your role and knowing your place. I wonder what exactly triggers him though...I'll have to research it later. Is it because I'm a woman? Or maybe he was just sick of helping everyone rather than fight the Archdemon?? I don't know, but he seems to be cooperating now that I beat the shit outta him.
Pablo, have you done the Urn of Sacred Ashes quest yet??
I got the quest and that’s why I’m in Denerim now but there’s so much to do I’ve been sidetracked by all these side-quests. Also made it to The Pearl, that was fun! Didn’t want to upset Leliana so when presented with a choice of lovely ladies to spend time with, I sheepishly declined
Oh and I am very much looking forward to the new Assassin's Creed, too, but I stopped buying new games when they come out, cause inevitably there will be DLCs and preorder exclusives... and fuck that shit. I'll buy the complete edition next year for half the price. If you look back a few pages to this summer, I actually started an Assassin's Creed binge, but now I got distracted so I'm still on Black Flag, which means I'll need to finish it and play the other three games before I can get to AC Origins. So I guess it will just be DA/ME for me, and Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, whenever that Deluxe Edition comes out.
Pablo....question. Have you spoken with Alistair much? If so, what has he told you about his mother and all that jazz?
I'm just...comparing some notes.