Blogs Mass Effect 2 vs Dragon Age: Origins

dragon age had a lot of audio, almost too much.. I mean getting to each characters story out at camp was a a big part.. the assassin elf kept trying to get in my pants and I ended up sleeping with a dwarf in the brothel (on accident I'd like to think)

but there was a lot of content.. without the dlc it was challenging and fun.. with the dlc, console boy wins again- smash up the room shale

thought mass effect 1 was better than me2.. but the story and overall it was still a very fun game to play.. plus you had to choose love interests and your choices decided who lived and died in the end.. I'd say they were both worth playing through.. dragon age a bit more if your the exploring type who likes lore and back story

both games you get to sleep with other characters, but dragon age took it a bit far..

what has been seen cannot be unseen

 

I think the thing that made ME2 more engaging to me was the dialogue. everything being voiced (and voiced really, really well) does make a big difference
especially Compared to it the stilted "Everyone stand really still while we have this conversation". I also felt I could have a much more consistent shepard than a character in DA, where I seemed to be able to change around more than someone with Multiple personality disorder.

The other thing that irked me about DA was the racism/hostility towards the grey wardens, people seem to hate them because.....they're grey wardens.
This was even more noticeable after I played the Witcher, in which the hostility was more balanced, they where hated, but on the other hand, it wasn't just baseless, the witchers (Geralt especially) where cold and lacking in emotion.

Also some of the choices in DA really didn't seem to have as much of an impact as I would have suspected, like when you play the royal dwarf, you came back after being exiled (and supposed to be killed) and people hardly bat an eyelid. That and harrowmont still doesn't trust you, what the F, when I last saw him he said he would spent his life trying to prove me innocent.

Combined with all of that was the fact a lot of the classes in DA felt severely underpowered, morrigans shapeshifting (except perhaps the bear) was underwhelming and took to long to cast to be able to use it mid-battle. Arcane warrior mages sucked as you had to sheathe your weapon for almost every spell, which was seriously time consuming, forcing you to use a staff, somewhat negating the point of an arcane warrior.

 

ME 2 = DAO

ME > ME 2

The Witcher > ME


that is all.

 

I far preferred the story and characters in ME to the ones in ME2, but after playing ME2, going back to the graphics, slow load times, and other quirks of the first game are irritating to say the least... I want to go back and re-play to import a character, but I just can't bring myself to.

 

At the moment i have the same problem with DA that i have with oblivion, in that I have played ME2 before DA and Fallout 3 before Oblivion. DA just hasn't gripped me the same as MA or ME2 did yet. In time with DA and oblivion i hope i can get into them but i just don't seem to be able to play them for anymore than 20 mins before i get so bored of them i don't want to try them again.

I must admit that when i bought ME it played the first mission and didn't touch it again properly for months, not because i didn't like it i wasn't ready to start it at that point. And when i was in the mood and ready to play it i was blown w#away with how good it was. And on the podcast the guys say there isn't a lot of action for a while which is true, but I really liked the part walking round the Citadel, if it didn't have the story it did i could so easily have given up but because it has a vast expansive story and every action you take can alter the story (not always in a good way) it kept me playing.

Lastly, i don't know if everyone did but i tried to make shepards face look like mine (it never works tho i still come out looking uglier in every game i try) is it just me or when i see the clips of the game it looks weird having the normal shepard face i want it to have my shepards face.

Anyway, in ME2, *****posible spoiler from here to end. ***** I didn't trust the Elusive Man, but at the end of the game where you can blow up the ship, he says save the ship to acquire the tech from it, this is how good ME series is, i have real regrets with the choice i made and by the third game im hoping the choice doesn't come back to haunt me. Im not re-playing the 1st two games until i have played the third, im playing ME2 a bit still with the same save just to do some missions i have missed, but i won't restart from beginning..*****

 

You didn't play DA: O on the PC, did you? The graphics on the PC version aren't "poor, with basic and blocky geometry, low-res textures and too much shininess". They're really nice.

 

i've them all on pc

 

DAO was good and I enjoyed it. ME2 was better I have to admit - loved it.

It was almost ruined by the mining though, Pure boredom and pure unforgivable padding from the developer.

Looking forward to ME3 one hell of a lot more than DAO2,

 

Overall writing: DA = ME2
Interaction between PC and main NPCs: I'd give DA the edge but let's say DA = ME2
Interaction between PC and other NPCs: DA = ME2
Interaction between main NPCs = DA > ME2
Graphics: While the style differs I'd say DA = ME2
Mini games: ME2 > DA
Team combat AI: ME2 > DA
Team combat mechanics: DA > ME2
RPG elements: DA > ME2

Looks like a draw, close enough. Now the negatives...

Stupid mini games: ME2 > DA
Quick time events: ME2 > DA
Ruining the story/mood with QT events: ME2 > DA
Telegraphing combat situations: ME2 > DA
Telegraphing combat by filling a room with obvious cover: ME2 > DA

Ouch! Guess it all comes down to what you want from a game. Both games have serious flaws but I certainly spent a lot more time playing DA as I found it to be less annoying overall. A comparison of DA and ME1 would have been a much closer race.

 

Interesting...
Team combat in ME2 is almos inexistent. I've played the entire game as I don't have partners. Developed the main character the way I wanted (wich I have to say it's very poor) and just throw the points randomly at the coadjuvants in ME2.

On the other hand, my main character in DA:O were completely dependant in the other NPC. My main was a tank, morgan, the old wizard woman and the thief. Morgan and the old woman healed the rest of the party plus aided in attacks, and the thief were used for traps and senaking. Sometime later I used Shale, the golem, as a second tank.

In ME2 the main character did all the work on healing and the attacks. Sneaking/stealth was almost inexistent.

There are so much more ways to develop the party and the main character in DA:O.

What about the random conversations from morrigan to allaister and shale to any other characters?... They are so much fun!.

C'mon! You can wield two swords in DA:O but you can't have guns akimbo in ME!

Anyway, ME1 had a fantastic story. I really LOVED it. ME2 was shallow as a spit. I have the impression that if you play ME1 and 3 you wouldn't see any point in playing ME2. But for now, thats just a guess.

DA:O you can develop stories from the beggining a little different, but the overall story is shallow too.

ME2 is a great game, but as a hardcore RPG fan, DA:O is much more game.

Good thing I can have them both on my PC

BTW, DA2 scared me with all that manga-like look. GOD!! I HATE manga clichès! I hope its just a stupid teaser...

 

I don't think they can be compared directly.
DA:O is for people who want to explore and do their own thing.
ME is for people who want to have an interactive movie.

I like both, but under different situations. I played DA:O when I wanted to do some RPG gaming for a long time. I played ME when I just wanted a story and be entertained.

 

Actually, Mass Effect 2 feels like a really generic, run of the mill shooter where your choices don't matter and graphics are prioritised over depth, story and proper role-playing. In comparison, Dragon Age offers a classic CRPG experience, albeit a bit streamlined and with a lot of interface improvements. While the story itself is dull, the world is full of deep, rich lore and the combat is tactical, challenging and rewarding, without being frustrating like the D&D-based games in BioWare's back catalog. Mass Effect 2 is undeniably a better game than the first, moment-to-moment, but I don't think that having celebrity voices and a sci-fi theme really makes it a more compelling play experience than Dragon Age. We have a word for people who think that way: it's "shallow".

I think it's unfair to wholly dismiss Dragon Age as "boring". It's a very different game from Mass Effect 2, and targeted towards a different audience. You can level just as many criticisms at each, but at least Dragon Age doesn't have the absurd number of plot holes and genuinely "what the **** were they on when they though of this?" moments that Mass Effect 2 does, nor does it lack when it comes to depth, choice and consequence, and actual role-playing. For those who call its combat mechanics too challenging or "random"... all I can say is, learn to play. Go play through Icewind Dale or the original Baldur's Gate + expansion, and tell me Dragon Age is difficult. Compared to the classic CRPGs it emulates, Dragon Age is a walk in the park... which in its case is a good thing, since it relies a lot less on appeasing random number generator gods than it does on making smart decisions in building your party and during combat. Modern RPG players have it easy.

Now, to be fair, while I think Dragon Age is better, I think that comes down more to personal preference. To call Mass Effect 2 an RPG is just downright shameful, but as a story-driven shooter it's definitely up to par with other games in its genre, and certainly has better writing even if the main storyline has some major issues. I'm more an RPG fan than I am a shooter fan these days, so while I could appreciate both games, Dragon Age really struck me as the genre revival I was looking for (shame about the sequel, huh?). Both are excellent games considering the state of the industry, but then, remember that Planescape: Torment was also made over ten years ago; it's despicable that an RPG even coming close to that level of quality, storytelling and consistent creativity has yet to surface in all this time.

 

I own both games on PC. Beat Dragon Age a total of three times so far and now I'm working my way through the DLC missions and stuff like that which is pretty hit or miss but the main game is quite something. Mass Effect 2 on the other hand has been collecting dust on my hard drive. I got twelve hours deep into it and I just stopped playing, scanning was lame, the characters kinda got on my nerves [that's more of a personal note but hey, it's how I felt] and the combat was pretty uninteresting as far as I got. Granted, I did play the soldier class which doesn't get some of the more flashy powers but after playing the first game a few times as that very same class, I was not impressed with ME2.

Dragon Age is a clear winner for me and I was always more of a sci-fi guy. Mages, elves, kings and crowns never really interested me but Dragon Age did the whole fantasy setting right.

 

Does anyone know a good source for buying KOTOR 2?

 

I'd almost agree, but when it was released I played DA:O for pretty much the entire weekend, 30h+, and most of the week nights after...then stopped! In the dwarven mine, and have been for months...just not played it.
But I did similar for ME1 and ME2, got near the end quickly then stopped playing for months. I think in all cases though its because I don't want it to end.

I think one of the DA:O problems though for me is that I tend to be completionist...so I'll do every damn quest and then get bored. And there are a lot of really dull quests in the traditional RPG...which being more action based Mass Effect mostly avoided.

 

Strange i have the oppisite effect ME2 does not do it for me while dragon age even do the graphics are not that great is very enjoyable.

it just the kind of player you are some people don't like oblivion and like fall out 3 i must say oblivion does it for me fall out 3 i started but never really got into.

cjb119 also has a point i like questing and finding every little thing in the game other people like more action, i still remember wolfenstein the first one i pushed every wall in the game looking for secret passways

its also fantasy vs Sifi some people like guns others like bows and swords

 

I greatly enjoyed both and I have played both several times already. But if I had to choose I would say that Mass Effect 2 is my preference.

 

Woah there nelly, you killed the kid Clive? You monster!

Personally I felt that Dragon Age was a solid contender for best game ever, until Mass Effect 2 came out and was clearly superior. For me the fundamental difference is the better implementation of the writing (although the writing is brilliant for both, ME2 uses it better) and the combat, which is done better in ME2.

But that said I don't think it's entirely fair to compare ME2 to DA, because ME2 is a second generation game, and the first Mass Effect suffers from quite a few of the same issues as Dragon Age. My spidey sense reckons Dragon Age 2, if it gets the same kind of treatment as Mass Effect 2, could be immense. For a first stab the first Dragon Age was very good.

 

The problem here is that DA and ME2 are awesome.
Yet both are horribly flawed.

Me2 being the better, they changed too much from the original.
The ending was pants..

I was left with the credits rolling just thinking is that it?
Whilst with the original ME, I was overwhelmed at the epicness.

 

Majority if the time I spent playing Dragon age it felt incomplete and the feeling reinforced every time with each DLC release in the first few months.