Sorry, didn\'t mean to post that blank comment (and can\'t seem to edit?).
I definitely agree it should have been free due to its prominence (though if it had been free, if probably wouldn\'t have been nearly as great), but I think Trespasser is genuinely the best thing Bioware has ever done. The plot is great and engaging, the combat at its height and probably the most fun in the series, the characters have great development (Sera and Leliana especially), and that scene at the end with Solas is genuinely my favourite Bioware moment. The perfect combination of great writing, acting and music. Trevor Morris\' score for the base game was great, but here its a whole other level. I deeply hope Solas\' leimotif will continue to be used in the next game. Actually, Solas being handled well is the think I hope for the most in the next game.
The good news is that Solas\' main writer, Patrick Weekes, has taken over as the head writer for Dreadwolf. So I\'m pretty confident Solas will be written well. It\'s the rest of the game that worries me.
I'm a geek.
Yeah, with all the people leaving, Weekes staying is one of the few things keeping me somewhat optimistic about the next game, I think he\'s one of the best writers at Bioware (this is the guy who wrote Iron Bull, Mordin Solus and, from a framework created by Gaider, Solas). The game itself, due to a very troubled production, is a big worry, which is sad because it had so much stacked in its favour: a great villain; a great setting (Tevinter is a great place to combine more fantastical elements with the darkness of Origins and the political intrique of Inquisition) and an engine that, at least in Inquisition\'s case, produced a beautiful looking RPG with good gameplay (that could easily be built upon). This could have easily been the best or at least one of the best games in the series, and still could I suppose, but then they decided to go the route of a heist game? That would be a great spinoff, but wouldn\'t work for the next instalment for the franchise (especially since it feels like a grand finale to several plot threads set up by the previous games). Then, I believe, it was an MMO. Yay.. I think they\'ve back-tracked on that, which is good, but the amount of delays and people leaving, as well as the very little we know even at this point, don\'t spell good things. Which is a shame, because Trespasser\' does such a good job getting you excited for the next instalment, and if that ends up bad, it would retroactively hurt Trespasser\'\' (though certainly wouldn\'t ruin it)l.
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DLC Mini-review and Ranking
Thankfully Inquisition doesn’t have nearly as much DLC as Origins did. It went for quality over quantity, and it shows. I think all three packs are worth playing, though I will still rank them as I do have my preferences.
3: Descent
The Dragon Age: Inquisition page makes an interesting point in comparing the three DLC packs to types of RP Gs. In this case, Descent is a classic dungeon crawl where you go further and further into the Deep Roads to find a way to stop a series of earthquakes. When you reach the bottom you get some great loot and learn an important twist to the series lore. My main gripe is pretty much the same one I have every time the series ventures into the Deep Roads: it’s too long. You’re spending most of your time on combat, and five hours straight of it isn’t my cup of tea. I would’ve preferred the lore parts to be sprinkled throughout the quest rather than dumped on me all at once at the end.
2: Jaws of Hakon
The sandbox RPG of the packs, this is actually my favorite one to play. The new environment is gorgeous, the look into Avaar culture is interesting and long overdue, and the main plot is intriguing and exciting. I think if more of the locations in the main game had been like the Frostback Basin a lot of players would have enjoyed the game more. It’s a bit smaller but packed with things to do and lore to discover. The climax also incorporates some of the base game's best features to craft a truly epic finale. If you’re looking just for a good time playing the game, I heartily recommend this one.
1: Trespasser
I feel a little conflicted about putting this one at the top. It certainly has the strongest story and companion interactions, but they almost feel too strong for a DLC pack. The events of this pack are so impactful on the world and characters that it feels more like an epilogue to the game than an addition. To give an example from Mass Effect, Arrival is an important DLC pack for ME 2 that helps set up the third game, but it isn’t essential for either. Trespasser feels essential because it ties up your companions' stories and clearly sets up the plot for the next game. It’s so important to things that it feels like it either should’ve been a part of the main game to begin with, or it should’ve been free like ME 3’s Extended Cut. That makes ranking it so high tough for me because I don’t want to encourage this kind of business practice. The ending of a game like this should not be locked behind a paywall. But at the same time, it’s so important that I don’t feel right ranking it lower. So I’ll say this: if you buy only one DLC pack for Inquisition, this is the one that will give you the most bang for your buck. But I do feel a bit skeevy endorsing a predatory practice like this.
That concludes my look at Dragon Age for now, but if it does ever manage to come out I will be back for a review of Dread Wolf. Fingers crossed that it does release and is the great game Bio Ware needs to reaffirm player trust.