I've been playing Dragon Age 2 lately and so far so good. Granted I've heard a lot of bad things about this and I've taken them into account - never a wise move but I must concede that in some cases it pays to be fore-warned. In any case, I'll guess I'll keep pushing on and when the bad stuff happens at least I'll be prepared for it.
Now let's talk about the romance sub-plot - No holding it off any longer I suppose. I've set my male Hawke on a path to seduce Isabela. Considering what I've previously said about the same-sex relationships this may not come as surprise that I'm doing a het romance. But really, it was more accident than design: I just happened to come across Isabela first and liked her character. As for the other potential romantic candidates, Anders and Fenris got in late and Merril...has yet to be encountered.
Still, romancing Isabela was my choice in my game and I'm going with it. So more power to me :)
But there was one moment that didn't sit well with me: At one point, Anders asked me question with three responses. Two of them were romantic options and the other involved being a prick. Being committed to winning over Isabela I went with the third option.
Now I've previously commented on the absurdity of the romantic sub-plot getting more attention than necessary and, as a result, this moment left a nasty taste in the mouth: It seemed that the romantic sub-plot was less an optional sub-plot and more a necessity.
This doesn't work on several accounts: Firstly, back in Baldur's Gate such a sub-plot was something to do and give the player something to add to their character. By comparison, it seems that if you're unwilling to hit on particular characters in DA2, the game is just to go into a big sulk and punish you for making such a dumb decision.
Secondly, whilst the first DA provided plenty of responses in conversation, DA2 offers a dialogue wheel. Thus such confines mean that being friendly with party members is pretty much an open invitation for them to hit on you (indeed, I had the same problem with Mass Effect 2). This is indeed frustrating and restrictive in the terms of party interaction.
And thirdly, there is the nasty feeling that what was once an option is now compulsory. Now I've loved Bioware RPG's for offering a lot of freedom and options in developing a unique character in the player's own way but to place them in a position where you're forced into a) being a prick or b) having a romantic partner decided for you is indeed a step backwards. What if you don't want to? The game punishes you for it? That doesn't seem a leave a lot of choice
Perhaps in a way it is fitting that the sub-plot has garnered more attention than the actual game :\
A cynical view would be that Bioware put more time and effort into the romantic sub-plot than the rest of the game. Yet I wonder how great a truth lies in that statement....
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