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[Hanzoku]

Wow. I can understand losing access to an MMO for actions within the game. Losing access to your SINGLE PLAYER GAME because someone didn't like what you posted?

I'd be looking into having the game cracked in no time to prevent that idiocy.

[freeformschooler]

As to that image, I would just like to say I but what. I almost cried because of how awful that is.

I'd be looking into having the game cracked in no time to prevent that idiocy.

Now I know that if I buy a game from EA again, I'm going to be cracking it right away too.

[Solifuge]

Bioware's Brent Knowles wrote on the subject of DA2 on his blog, and how it was enough to inspire him to leave his position at the company entirely:

Discussion on Dragon Age 2 began around this time and looking ahead I knew that I wasn’t going to be satisfied with what Dragon Age 2 would be. Party control/tactical combat are huge factors in my enjoyment of a role-playing game as is adopting the role of the hero (i.e., customizing my character). I was fairly certain Dragon Age would transition towards more of a Mass Effect experience, which while enjoyable is not the type of role-playing game I play. Could I be the lead designer on such a title? Certainly… though if I were going to work on a game adopting a set-in-stone protagonist I’d rather work on something lighter, like a shooter.
[...]
I can’t/won’t go into any other details other than to point to an old entry I made about this and reiterate: “I’m not the same person I was when I started, and BioWare isn’t the same company. ”

I saw the demo for DA2 about the time I started playing DA1, and they hardly seemed like the same game. DA2 got the "Mass Effect" treatment, and seemed to be bleached of all the oldschool Baldurs Gate and d20 goodness that it once had... with no control over the creation or actions of the character you play, but for static dialogue options they even marked as "Saint" "Asshole" or "Further Plot Exposition". Add the removal of tactical combat, in favor of a button mashing hack-and-slash, and that sealed the deal for me.

Edit: Just saw this post. Not only has their ability to design a decent game been sucked dry by EA, but... what?! How is that even legal! The kid bought the damned game; you can't prevent him from playing it because he disparaged your company on an internet forum. Doesn't matter how many shells of blame they hide behind, because that is what they've just done there!

What the fuck, BioWare?

[Catastrophic lolcats]

Is anyone really surpised with this?

When I torret EA games I feel like freakin' Robin Hood.

[Stworca]

Assuming that he would sue them, is law on his side? Can an internet forum EULA really justify taking away something that someone has bought?
Ofcourse he wouldn't win the case ,because EA would bribe the **** out of every single possible person, plus hire twenty lawyers, and even if he won, he'd just win back his DA2.. but still, i wonder if the law is on their side here?

[Farseer]

By the by, BioWare is "borrowing" (read: blatantly stealing) game systems from other developers now.

Compare some of DA2's game systems (and other things) with Alpha Protocol's:
- Rivalry bonuses taken directly from it.
- Framing device of interrogation on past events taken directly from it.
- Three conversation choice effects taken directly from it. (In AP, it's suave, aggressive and professional. )

[catoblepas]

By the by, BioWare is "borrowing" (read: blatantly stealing) game systems from other developers now.

Compare some of DA2's game systems (and other things) with Alpha Protocol's:
- Rivalry bonuses taken directly from it.
- Framing device of interrogation on past events taken directly from it.
- Three conversation choice effects taken directly from it. (In AP, it's suave, aggressive and professional. )

Wow, I had hoped that they would have learned from DA, where they stole story and setting elements from The Wheel of Time, Lord of The Rings, Dungeons and Dragons, and others....I don't think I will be buying another Bioware game any time soon, possibly ever.

[HLBeta]

As someone who never played Alpha Protocol, I tend to see the framing story as more like the film adaptation of the Princess Bride, albeit with Grandpa off his meds and a sociopath grandchild.

The latest rounds of EA policy have left me in the awkward position of buying their games, because artists need to eat, and then pirating them for home use, because EA policy if wildly anti-customer. I really shouldn't feel that it's better for me and my computer to download a cracked version from some skeezy hacker type than to actually use the legal version I've already payed for.

[catoblepas]

Apparently They snuck Securom illegally onto PC copies:

http://www.destructoid.com/ea-sneaks-securom-drm-onto-dragon-age-ii-disc-196185.phtml

[KaguroDraven]

By the by, BioWare is "borrowing" (read: blatantly stealing) game systems from other developers now.

Compare some of DA2's game systems (and other things) with Alpha Protocol's:
- Rivalry bonuses taken directly from it.
- Framing device of interrogation on past events taken directly from it.
- Three conversation choice effects taken directly from it. (In AP, it's suave, aggressive and professional. )

Just to point something out and play devil's advocate.
-Rivalry bonuses and conversely friendship bonuses are NOTHING new, the later may be far more common but both have been in RPGs long before Alpha Protocol
- Said framing device has also been used many times, in games, books, movies, and even plays, Alpha Protocol did not come up with it.
- I'll ignore part of my argument and just say that the conversation choices resemble ME more than Alpha Protocol.

Please don't assume they stole from a game that 'recently' came out when everything from that game has been used better before it came out.

[Farseer]

Just to point something out and play devil's advocate.
-Rivalry bonuses and conversely friendship bonuses are NOTHING new, the later may be far more common but both have been in RPGs long before Alpha Protocol
- Said framing device has also been used many times, in games, books, movies, and even plays, Alpha Protocol did not come up with it.
- I'll ignore part of my argument and just say that the conversation choices resemble ME more than Alpha Protocol.

Please don't assume they stole from a game that 'recently' came out when everything from that game has been used better before it came out.

Have you played Alpha Protocol? :p Trust me when it's just one of those things that you pick up when you look at both games. And it wouldn't bother me if it wasn't for the fact that all these elements are in DA2. If it was just one, I wouldn't even notice.

But the way the framing device works (ambiguously refer to future events to leave choices up to the player) and the very atmosphere of it is reminiscent of Alpha Protocol. If it was just a similar framing device (discussing past events) or even the exact same framing device but in another medium, I wouldn't even mention it. When it's pretty much exactly the same framing device in the same medium, that's when you go, "Holy shit, they've ripped this off."

The rivalry bonuses thing is something I've never seen in any game other than AP. Please link to the games you mention.

You mean the "silly, angry and peaceful" choices? :p Almost exactly like "suave, aggressive and professional"? I don't see how they more resemble ME, personally.

[MagmaDeath]

Apparently They snuck Securom illegally onto PC copies:

http://www.destructoid.com/ea-sneaks-securom-drm-onto-dragon-age-ii-disc-196185.phtml

I hope anyone who bought it here did so through Steam.
Securerom is really terrible for your computer, its basically malware/spyware.

[SeaBee]

Summary bans on (anyone's) whim and SecuROM, too! Fantastic.

No, I'm not even going to rent this game for my XBawks. Or bother with a torrent. I'll just pretend DA:O has no sequels. Reconsidering Mass Effect 3 now.

[Moogie]

Nodding along in agreement with many of the complaints being expressed, especially EA's meddling and the sneaky secuROM shit.

But I still torrented the game, and I'm having fun with it.

Yes, it's very different to DA:O in many aspects. Worse in some ways, better in others. I don't really care to compare it, though. While I could not truthfully disagree with any of the arguments put against it, the truth of the matter (to me, at least) is that it's still a fairly entertaining romp in its own right, and at least deserving of a single playthrough.

The character interactions are still entertaining and they've increased the quality of the animations all round. People look a lot less stiff and awkward, which heightens the feeling of immersion. I'm actually enjoying the faster pace of combat this time, but I may not be totally unbiased here as I played a Mage in DA:O, and a Rogue in DA2, and found the Mage experience much more difficult/frustrating. Perhaps Rogues in DA:O are just as fun? I do plan on going back and playing the first game again once I'm done with this.

I definitely don't like the shops in DA2. They are annoying, even without comparison to other games. One thing I really hate, though, is how new enemies magically spawn-in near a battle in progress. That's a very, very poor gameplay mechanic which adds nothing but artificial difficulty.

Anyway, I don't think righteous indignation is worth missing a half-decent game for, no matter how justified the outrage. If it didn't have the name "Dragon Age", it'd stand on its own as a mediocre, derivative, but still passable and in many cases highly enjoyable game. Don't buy it, though. Torrent it, or rent it at most. EA certainly don't deserve to be rewarded for their nasty actions lately.

[LoSboccacc]

Yeah, they literrally said that fetch quests and side missions distract players and make them forget about the "main epic plot"... I can even find the youtube video about that if you really want it.

After watching that I decided that I'd better stick to DAO.

well, this is somewhat a good idea. not if the implementation is a 20 hours scam; (still more game content than most other games out there)

but it is if they cut the damned kill the rat in the basement question and the fake deliver message quest used just to move you from one part of the world to another.

someday they will find a better balance between the everything is epic elder scroll and everything is just work baldurs gate.