Video Gamers

As far as the sequels:

DA II received a lot of flak, but ignore this and try it. I actually liked it better than the original. It was flawed, sure--I won't deny all the reused assets or a few places that seem rushed--but they tried to break the standard BioWare formula with the story. Also, Varric is awesome. The first one is good, but slightly too long (confession: have never actually fully completed a playthrough yet without getting distracted by other games) and mostly just tells a traditional fantasy well.

Haven't played Inquisition, can't comment.

My real favorite BioWare franchise is Mass Effect, which you should also check out.

As far as the sequels:

DA II received a lot of flak, but ignore this and try it. I actually liked it better than the original. It was flawed, sure--I won't deny all the reused assets or a few places that seem rushed--but they tried to break the standard BioWare formula with the story. Also, Varric is awesome. The first one is good, but slightly too long (confession: have never actually fully completed a playthrough yet without getting distracted by other games) and mostly just tells a traditional fantasy well.

Haven't played Inquisition, can't comment.

My real favorite BioWare franchise is Mass Effect, which you should also check out. Originally Posted by Warden639

I think the Dragon Age 2 turned out the way it did because EA wanted to make it more like Mass Effect - with a big emphasis on fast-paced gameplay. Dragon Age 1 stood out because it forced the player to slow down and plan out their strategy, as well as consider the consequences of their decisions. Inquisition struck a great balance between the two, and offered a huge world to explore and get lost in.

Speaking of Mass Effect, I may change it again but I decided I should give myself an avatar.

Geth do not intentionally infiltrate.

Has anybody tried out Monster Hunter: World yet? I've always been curious about that franchise, but there's never been a game released on XBox, so I've never had an opportunity to play it.

So I got Mass Effect: Andromeda a while back and so far it just hasn't grabbed me. What am I missing? I haven't played any of the other Mass Effect games, could that be why?

Has anybody tried out Monster Hunter: World yet? I've always been curious about that franchise, but there's never been a game released on XBox, so I've never had an opportunity to play it. Originally Posted by JdeHog

It's incredibly addictive! Get it if you can.

So I got Mass Effect: Andromeda a while back and so far it just hasn't grabbed me. What am I missing? I haven't played any of the other Mass Effect games, could that be why? Originally Posted by SpankyJ

Can't say I've played it but after watching videos on YouTube it didn't really pique my curiosity
. Seemed pretty meh to me

So I got Mass Effect: Andromeda a while back and so far it just hasn't grabbed me. What am I missing? I haven't played any of the other Mass Effect games, could that be why? Originally Posted by SpankyJ

Not playing the original trilogy might have something to do with it, but it's a separate game entirely, so it's not like you're missing a lot of the background or major plot points.

I felt the same way when I first got it: very underwhelmed and lost interest pretty quickly. It has a very 'unpolished' feel to it - like the developers wanted to do so many things, but never really followed through with any of them. A lot of that can be chalked up to typical EA fuckery, though. From what I've read, EA forced Bioware to scrap most of their work and start over only a few months before release, but still keep to the same deadline. I haven't played it since release, but I've heard that Bioware was able to make some improvements to it since then; maybe I'll pick it back up and see if it's any better sometime.

It's incredibly addictive! Get it if you can. Originally Posted by Parttimehobbyist

Sweet! I've been watching some gameplay and review videos, so my interest is definitely piqued. I've been play The Witcher 3 recently, and one of my favorite parts is the monster hunting - so it sounds like Monster Hunter is right up my alley! I'll probably wait for the price to drop or a sale, though.

Not playing the original trilogy might have something to do with it, but it's a separate game entirely, so it's not like you're missing a lot of the background or major plot points.

I felt the same way when I first got it: very underwhelmed and lost interest pretty quickly. It has a very 'unpolished' feel to it - like the developers wanted to do so many things, but never really followed through with any of them. A lot of that can be chalked up to typical EA fuckery, though. From what I've read, EA forced Bioware to scrap most of their work and start over only a few months before release, but still keep to the same deadline. I haven't played it since release, but I've heard that Bioware was able to make some improvements to it since then; maybe I'll pick it back up and see if it's any better sometime. Originally Posted by JdeHog

Hmm, not just me then. I thought maybe you needed to have played prior entries in the series but sounds like that is not the case.

Hmm, not just me then. I thought maybe you needed to have played prior entries in the series but sounds like that is not the case. Originally Posted by SpankyJ

Don't let it keep you from enjoying the franchise - I highly recommend playing the original trilogy. And if you can, get them bundled with the DLC.

I love Mass Effect, particularly the second one, and I took a chance on DAII despite negative reviews. But I'm not sure I'll ever buy Andromeda.

Skip it and go for the trilogy. It's possible you'll decide the first hasn't aged well, but it's also not terribly long.

I started the latest Wolfenstein game and Destiny 2 last night.

Wolfenstein seems very promising. Impressive graphics and seems like a very straightforward 1st person shooter with a great plot.

Destiny 2 picks up right after the first one. Pretty fun so far. Good graphics, easy to play, and I'm digging the soundtrack.

Picked up Into the Breach for $15 on Steam last night after it released. Had my eye on it since I heard the creators of FTL were working on another game.

Lost a lot of sleep, manipulating kaiju into attacking each other with my mech squad. It's the Civilization "one more turn..." effect.

Haven't played it yet. How would you rate it?

I've been busy playing "The Evil Within 2." Really great so far!