Dragon Age Countdown

[Vesper]

Your story choices aren’t going to deprive you of a tank. I don’t know how much you guys know about the characters, but there are two warriors you get who can both be built up as excellent tanks.

Is there any class/role that isn’t covered by NPC options very well? I always felt that in BG2 I was forced to play some sort of rogue because the NPC options were very poor.

[Stridergg]

Question for those who have it/reviewed it – is there a gore slider or anything? I’m not really one for blood spraying all over everything, but I do like detailed fantasy worlds. I’m on the fence about Dragon Age, and being able to turn down/off the arterial sprays would go a long way with me.

+1, I would also like to know that. Usually I don’t care about this kind of stuff but in this game it’s so terribly overdone, I really want to tune it down a bit.

[divedivedive]

Worst case (if they shipped it from Washington), Wednesday. Really really glad that I chose the free shipping option.

Oh man, not even – I live in Seattle, and chose the free shipping option, and mine is on the way from freaking Delaware. Still, it apparently shipped last week and is expected to be here Tuesday. Easy come, easy go I guess.

[tomchick]

Is there any class/role that isn’t covered by NPC options very well? I always felt that in BG2 I was forced to play some sort of rogue because the NPC options were very poor.

In terms of the basics, the NPC cast is pretty self-sufficient. Your character is going to be a redundant to a certain degree. Once you start getting into specializations, though, things split off into various cool directions.

As for the gore, there’s no slider or toggle. There is an option to “Enable persistent gore”, but I think that’s just for the silly blood splatters carrying over into the cutscenes. The combat animations get into some pretty nasty decapitations and blades plunged into faces and stuff like that. This probably isn’t something you’ll want to play with little ones in the room.

 -Tom

[Murbella]

Your story choices aren’t going to deprive you of a tank. I don’t know how much you guys know about the characters, but there are two warriors you get who can both be built up as excellent tanks.
-Tom

Aren’t all of the warrior companions except one two hander focused?

[Bill_Dungsroman]

In terms of the basics, the NPC cast is pretty self-sufficient. Your character is going to be a redundant to a certain degree. Once you start getting into specializations, though, things split off into various cool directions.

Standard Bioware comprehensive NPC complement, then.

As for the gore, there’s no slider or toggle. There is an option to “Enable persistent gore”, but I think that’s just for the silly blood splatters carrying over into the cutscenes. The combat animations get into some pretty nasty decapitations and blades plunged into faces and stuff like that. This probably isn’t something you’ll want to play with little ones in the room.

 -Tom

Awesome.

[MattKeil]

+1, I would also like to know that. Usually I don’t care about this kind of stuff but in this game it’s so terribly overdone, I really want to tune it down a bit.

Terribly overdone? I haven’t seen anything in the game that I’d consider beyond what’s shown in the Lord of the Rings films, but maybe the PC version is more detailed in its depictions of such things. The blood splatter that gets on the melee characters after a fight is mostly just silly and/or funny, as they stand around conversing very seriously while looking as though they just made a run through the Super Sloppy Double Dare course.

[Murbella]

I don’t mind the blood splatter much, but it does get laughable in serious conversations when the player’s party is talking to people with blood covering their faces.

[madkevin]

Not if you name your main character “Ash”.

[Matt_Bowyer]

Terribly overdone? I haven’t seen anything in the game that I’d consider beyond what’s shown in the Lord of the Rings films, but maybe the PC version is more detailed in its depictions of such things. The blood splatter that gets on the melee characters after a fight is mostly just silly and/or funny, as they stand around conversing very seriously while looking as though they just made a run through the Super Sloppy Double Dare course.

If the blood matches the trailers, a lot of sword strikes were hitting gushers. I don’t remember anything like that in the Lord of the Rings movies.

[MattKeil]

If the blood matches the trailers, a lot of sword strikes were hitting gushers. I don’t remember anything like that in the Lord of the Rings movies.

I don’t remember anything like that in 11 hours of Dragon Age, either. Again, maybe the PC version is more graphic, but the 360 version doesn’t have anything graphic aside from the occasional orc decapitation, and that’s maybe two seconds of indistinct blackish-red spray.

[Matt_Bowyer]

I don’t remember anything like that in 11 hours of Dragon Age, either. Again, maybe the PC version is more graphic, but the 360 version doesn’t have anything graphic aside from the occasional orc decapitation, and that’s maybe two seconds of indistinct blackish-red spray.

Hence the trailer qualifier – it was all over the trailers. I was wondering how that turned out in-game, so if it’s not a big deal, that helps me.

[Angie_Gallant]

Yeah, the trailers had hilariously large poofs of cloud-like blood. It looked ridiculous. I’ll be happy if that’s not the case in the final product.

[Lorini]

Oh man, not even – I live in Seattle, and chose the free shipping option, and mine is on the way from freaking Delaware. Still, it apparently shipped last week and is expected to be here Tuesday. Easy come, easy go I guess.

Yeah mine’s coming from DE too, oh well, I still have plenty to play in the meantime. I thought about and didn’t get the strat guide, but I may do so later.

[idrisz]

I didn’t see much blood either during combat, like 25 hours into the game either. at most is a decapitation here and there.

[Stridergg]

Terribly overdone? I haven’t seen anything in the game that I’d consider beyond what’s shown in the Lord of the Rings films, but maybe the PC version is more detailed in its depictions of such things. The blood splatter that gets on the melee characters after a fight is mostly just silly and/or funny, as they stand around conversing very seriously while looking as though they just made a run through the Super Sloppy Double Dare course.

I don’t remember anything like that in 11 hours of Dragon Age, either. Again, maybe the PC version is more graphic, but the 360 version doesn’t have anything graphic aside from the occasional orc decapitation, and that’s maybe two seconds of indistinct blackish-red spray.

I was talking specifically about the blood splatters, as they appear in trailers and gameplay videos. I am not bothered by the gore aspect of it but find it out of place in some scenes. Like you put it - “it is mostly just silly and/or funny, as they stand around conversing very seriously while looking as though they just made a run through the Super Sloppy Double Dare course”.

I don’t want serious conversations to look “silly and/or funny” because of blood splatters and I really hoped there is a slider to tune it down. But there is none, so oh well. Maybe a mod will correct that. Or maybe it’s not even in the game, that’s even better :)

[idrisz]

I’m pretty sure if you toggle permanent gore off, you won’t get it on you.

that or you can always have the dog in your group :)…

[Brad_Grenz]

I’ve posted my review of the game over on GamerBlahhhg.com.

[Tim_N]

I’ve posted my review of the game over on GamerBlahhhg.com.

Well done mate, that was very funny. I’d love to see a mod for Dragon Age that was based on this.

[kerzain]

Wow I’m liking Brad’s game review blog. Controversy makes up such a healthy percentage of the headlines and review text at that site it’s like Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck decided to do game reviews.

Funny stuff, bookmarked.