Dragon Age - Munchkin Initial Review

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I pre-ordered the game the day it was available for pre-order. I went directly to the store the time it opened and purchase the Deluxe edition for the PS4. I have heard that the PS4 and computer have identical graphics.

After placing the game in and updating the world based on my Dragon Keep selection I have now played Dragon Age Inquisition for 8 hours. Below are my initial thoughts on the game.

The GOOD:
- Graphics are improved over the last game, quite a bit in fact. The game play graphic look as exactly like the cut scenes; great job!
- The story reminds me more of Dragon Age Origins than Dragon Age 2. It pushes the primary character to the fore front of the issues facing the land. The way it is introduced reminds me a lot of the first game, took me back to the first time I reach Ostagard.
- Gameplay is a mixture of tactical and quick combat. The true first battle I had after the introduction I was killed in a about 3 minutes and it was just a push over mob. Tactics such as character placement matters in this game. As a Mage, no front line assults.
- Codex with reading – this takes me to the Baldur's Gate days. Plenty of stuff here
- Interaction between party members exist and you know who is talking as they place a little box next to them and there are times when you can get into the conversation
- Conversation with the primary has been improved greatly compared to the prior game
- Armor styles now exit for all chacaters
- The open world style of the game is pretty open with fast travel to camps and major cities. I would say it reminds me of Baldur's Gate but the world is more open.
- There are plenty of things to craft from potions, weapons and armors. Armors and weapons get unique stats and look based on the item used to craft it
- Not only can you craft items, but you can also improve items and change the items look. Very cool feature here.
-Voice acting was very well done. A plus effort here.
-Character facial customization is the best I have seen in a game with two options for in game character voice.

The BAD:
-Classes and abilities are aligned with the setup found in DA2. This means you cannot use a Rogue with a sword and shield and you cannot have a duel wielding warrior.
-Armor is limited to armor and head – they removed the individual armor pieces it is a full suit you equipped. Making it easier to manage inventory but removes the customization one would like with pieces; however, see above for crafting on customization.
- Camera Angle – it seems focused on the character until you turn on the tactical view, I am use to games where I can adjust the closest of the camera.


After 8 hours all I have to say is that this is the game I expected with DA2. Bioware delivered on this game 100%. I will be playing the crap out of this over the weekend.

 

You know there is a helmet feature, to turn off helmets.....

 

The controls and UI in general are godawful. The game itself is fine.

 

PC or Console?

From a console stand point I see no issues with the controls or UI.

If it is on the PC, I imagine you have some customization for controls.

And OMG....

I am playing just the first area and it the Winterlands and it is bigger than just the first game alone...Lots to explore and visit. Very open compared to the other games. Reminds me of Baldur's Gate (the first game) when you reach a certain point it would take you to the world map. very big maps for this game.

 

PC. It is very, very PC unfriendly. You can't zoom out far enough in tactical mode for it to be much use, and simple things like clicking on an item and expecting your character to walk over and pick it up - well you can't do it. You need to WASD over to the item, get close enough, find where your cursor is (it disappears when you're looking around), move it over the item and right click. I mean, seriously?

Nothing wrong with gameplay though, massive game and plenty to do. Characters have depth, there's plenty of banter and the story is good. They just need to sort out the controls and the camera.