I am?! Man, that makes me...a little sad, I thought people in general didn't find the game as satisfying as DA:O. Then again I guess maybe that was down to the maps, like you said, and...stuff not pertaining to shoddy themework? I agree that my problem wasn't with the setting, though I did think it was lazy to not even block off the sections of the map you couldn't go to and I did find it monotonous when every "dungeon" had the same layout, but I liked the familiar locations in and around Kirkwall a lot. As you say, the main problem was not doing enough with the concept of a set location rather than setting a game in one location in itself.
Leliana's a character that grew on me over time too. I was sort of...unconvinced by her when she showed up. But I ended up in a relationship with her, pretty much by accident, because I was flirting with EVERYONE but she was the one it took me the longest to get to agree to sleep with me, so I got, err, "stuck" with her. But I think it was probably the best outcome because it made me pay more attention to her and it turned out she was actually pretty interesting and complicated. Taking her to the shrine of Andraste's ashes after I'd been kind of brutal to her about her religion and past, was...really interesting because that ghost dude basically tells her that she's full of it. Which is why I was confused to see her working for the Pope in DA2. Headcanon has it that she's just using them to find the Warden.
I wasn't totally annoyed by the initiating dialogue through plot thing because I sort of liked being able to go talk to people when they were ready to say something, not constantly having to run through the same autodialogue only to find no new options available, but I can see that narratively it would make them seem quite cold to you. "Oh hey, I want something, now we can talk!"
That's an interesting point about Anders and playing through knowing what he does, actually. I now sort of have a greater motivation to replay so I can see that. I meant what I said - I hate that he tricked me, but...the game really and honestly did trick me and if it characterised him so well I didn't see something that was genuinely there, then that's an achievement. The frustrating thing is, his arc makes for a much, much more painful and ambiguous and compelling story of what can happen when a mage gets possessed by a demon than OH MY GOD BLOOD MAGIC GIANT MONSTER ARGH, you know? Because he actually tricked you, and it actually was a tragedy that went unnoticed until it was too late. Bah.
UGH THE QUNARI. I probably don't even want to know what those comments were! I think the thing that bothers me, aside from the noble savage stereotype, is just that there's this assumption that I'll go along with the idea that there's something honourable or redemptive about their lifestyle? When really it seems like the answer to why I should find anything remotely acceptable about a culture that enforces class and gender barriers with a rigidity that involves death and, in the case of mages, inhuman mental and physical barbarism, is, "but, but, ANGSTY MANLY SPARTAN PSEUDOPHILOSOPHY!"
I don't know if you played the Felicia Day DLC? But I was really angry there was no option to refuse to allow her to leave with the list of spies. I don't want to be vindictive or cruel, but when I played that game, the Arishok was in the middle of my city, casually debating conquering it and my sister was in the tower and I'd just seen what the Qun do to their mages. Why would I ever help him? But even though I told Tallis I couldn't help her if she didn't give me more information, I still got railroaded into it by the game.
The point is, they're...sketchy noble savage stereotypes and oppression-is-cool-if-it's-spiritual/culturally exoticised stereotypes rolled into one and I just...they make my skin twitch. *throws temper tantrum* :p
So to end on something less ragey! LOLZ YOU SHIP BETHANY/FENRIS! I don't. Because I ship Me/Stomping On Fenris Broken Heart, but I totally ship Bethany/Isabela for reasons I can't quite articulate but am sure are unassailable!
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Date: 2012-06-08 04:45 pm (UTC)Leliana's a character that grew on me over time too. I was sort of...unconvinced by her when she showed up. But I ended up in a relationship with her, pretty much by accident, because I was flirting with EVERYONE but she was the one it took me the longest to get to agree to sleep with me, so I got, err, "stuck" with her. But I think it was probably the best outcome because it made me pay more attention to her and it turned out she was actually pretty interesting and complicated. Taking her to the shrine of Andraste's ashes after I'd been kind of brutal to her about her religion and past, was...really interesting because that ghost dude basically tells her that she's full of it. Which is why I was confused to see her working for the Pope in DA2. Headcanon has it that she's just using them to find the Warden.
I wasn't totally annoyed by the initiating dialogue through plot thing because I sort of liked being able to go talk to people when they were ready to say something, not constantly having to run through the same autodialogue only to find no new options available, but I can see that narratively it would make them seem quite cold to you. "Oh hey, I want something, now we can talk!"
That's an interesting point about Anders and playing through knowing what he does, actually. I now sort of have a greater motivation to replay so I can see that. I meant what I said - I hate that he tricked me, but...the game really and honestly did trick me and if it characterised him so well I didn't see something that was genuinely there, then that's an achievement. The frustrating thing is, his arc makes for a much, much more painful and ambiguous and compelling story of what can happen when a mage gets possessed by a demon than OH MY GOD BLOOD MAGIC GIANT MONSTER ARGH, you know? Because he actually tricked you, and it actually was a tragedy that went unnoticed until it was too late. Bah.
UGH THE QUNARI. I probably don't even want to know what those comments were! I think the thing that bothers me, aside from the noble savage stereotype, is just that there's this assumption that I'll go along with the idea that there's something honourable or redemptive about their lifestyle? When really it seems like the answer to why I should find anything remotely acceptable about a culture that enforces class and gender barriers with a rigidity that involves death and, in the case of mages, inhuman mental and physical barbarism, is, "but, but, ANGSTY MANLY SPARTAN PSEUDOPHILOSOPHY!"
I don't know if you played the Felicia Day DLC? But I was really angry there was no option to refuse to allow her to leave with the list of spies. I don't want to be vindictive or cruel, but when I played that game, the Arishok was in the middle of my city, casually debating conquering it and my sister was in the tower and I'd just seen what the Qun do to their mages. Why would I ever help him? But even though I told Tallis I couldn't help her if she didn't give me more information, I still got railroaded into it by the game.
The point is, they're...sketchy noble savage stereotypes and oppression-is-cool-if-it's-spiritual/culturally exoticised stereotypes rolled into one and I just...they make my skin twitch. *throws temper tantrum* :p
So to end on something less ragey! LOLZ YOU SHIP BETHANY/FENRIS! I don't. Because I ship Me/Stomping On Fenris Broken Heart, but I totally ship Bethany/Isabela for reasons I can't quite articulate but am sure are unassailable!