Those elements are secondary to character and story for immersiveness.  :P  Stunning visulas, audio, and presentation are boring and bland without a focused narrative to bring the world to life (see Bethesda criticisms).  It has those, I guess, but you seem to emphasize elements that are secondary to me, so my opinion is probably irrelevant to you anyway.  The game could be best thought of as an amalgam of elements from Bioware's previous RPGs (Baldur's Gate II, Mass Effect, Knights of the Old Republic), with Neverwinter Nights 2 being the closest title to it I can think of.  If you didn't like those, you probably won't like this.  This is not a sandbox game, so if you go into it with that expectation you'll be disappointed.

You could always try the free flash game if you're on the fence. :P

It's pretty immersive.  After playing through the mage origin story, my main gripe is that the plot pigeonholes you into certain paths / dialog options that don't necessarily make sense according to the type of character you're playing--I wanted to be neutral but the game unnaturally forced my character to choose a side in the squabble by limiting my dialogue options.  Basically, the most sensical option (don't get involved) wasn't available and wasn't effectively negated.  With a little more polish, I think this "plot hole" could've been easily filled--which is a shame, because the situation set up had the potential to be very poignant.  Of course, if you're not trying to play realistically / true to character, or you're willing to play along with the choices they give you, this gripe is moot.

The encounters so far seem to be set.  Once you get a full group, the encounters become pretty interesting.  Lots of ambushes and surprises.

Huh, apparently there were 3 editions of the game released (ignoring platform): Regular, Collector's, Digital Deluxe

Collector's had a cloth map, tin case, and Bonus DVD, while the Digital Deluxe version had the Bonus DVD content + the extra DLC Warden's Keep ($7 extra otherwise).  Collector's Edition retailed at ~$10 greater than Regular, and Digital Deluxe versions retail at ~$15 greater (at least for the PC version).

Compare here: http://dragonage.bioware.com/game/preorder/

Interestingly, the Gamespot review mentions that some of the battles in the PC version are more challenging, perhaps because of the greater control the PC version allows.  Or to take a different perspective, control issues forced the developers to tone down the difficulty of the console versions.

Most of my message has already been dissected to death (honestly didn't expect that much of a response from a few-sentence blurb), but...


Compare that to what I actually said:

"If I want to do that, I'll go pick up some old PS2 games."

"Old PS2 games" meaning, technically, "games that came out early in the console's life."  Growlanser Generations would be a prime example.  FFX would technically qualify, but well, would not be very representative of the games I was thinking of. :P  Gust games would qualify because they do retain that retro'ish feel, though they're not exactly "old".

As for my definition of immersion, I'm referring to becoming immersed in a fictional world (e.g., Baldur's Gate 2), not merely getting addicted to a game and losing track of time (e.g., Tetris).  High budget graphics can be advantageous for this but are not necessarily pivotal; I think visual novels consisting of only still CGs can achieve a high level of immersion as well.

Anyway, I'd be much more interested in handhelds like the DS if games like Love Plus were actually localized, despite the fact that they could very well destroy civilization as we know it.


 

Anyone play the free Dragon Age: Journeys flash game they released?  It's simple but almost frustratingly addicting...can't believe I let them lure me in with promises of unlockable items in the main game...

I'm getting the PC version, btw.  It's hardly even debatable at this point: it's cheaper and, since it appears to be the platform it was originally intended for, it's likely the better version for both graphical and gameplay reasons.  But cheaper alone should be reason enough.

The DS and PSP may have a lot of games...but none of them make me say "I have to play that."  In the end, that's all that matters.  Remakes? No thanks.  Retro gaming?  If I want to do that, I'll go pick up some old PS2 games.  I argue that the handheld lineup doesn't bring anything new to the table.  The only advantage it has is mobility; if you don't care about that, not much point in getting one if you already own several home consoles.  Handhelds are a diversion.  Console games are about immersion.

I feel sort of silly now, but to my dismay further research has reinforced my earlier point.  I discovered that save corruption issues are fairly common with PS2 games played on the PS3, even the 20GB and 60GB models.  Gust games (the PS2 games I'd be most likely to play on my PS3) in particular have frequent problems.  This completely compromises the usefulness of my PS3's backwards compatibility features.  I can deal with odd rendering issues and freezes, but save corruption is simply intolerable.  Even the risk of it is enough to keep me from ever using the BC feature.  What a pain.

I actually liked Croix better than Lyner.  Croix was fairly witty and I often found his comments rather amusing, while Lyner was generally pretty dull and thickheaded--your stereotypical clueless and brash male lead.

I typically complete every game I buy.  There's a few games that've worn my patience thin though:
Fallout 3
Morrowind
Odin Sphere
Final Fantasy XII

I think I see a pattern here--games that I get not necessarily because I want them, but because the rest of the world thinks they're the greatest thing since sliced bread.  It's hard to get into games you're playing not because you want to, but because you should.  I have a couple other games that aren't RPGs that have gotten shelved indefinitely for the same reason.

If the second had a weakness (imo) it was that that focus was on the relationship between the Reyvateils rather than the main character and the Reyvateil he chose.  For a game seemingly designed to appeal to the dating sim crowd, that's a big weakness.

Heh, magical girl transformations.  They still managed to subtlely work some ecchi into what was otherwise a dramatic tour de force.

It is emulation.  Even the release models don't play every PS2 game perfectly.

But don't take my word for it.

Quote from a Sony representative during an interview:

Link: http://threespeech.com/blog/2007/02/scee-respond-to-backward-compatibility-questions/

It's close, pretty damn close, but the Emotion Engine/GS combo still isn't a PS2.  On the flip side, rumor has it that the Raki bug doesn't cause Ar Tonelico 2 to crash on the 20 and 60GB PS3 (game doesn't load at all on the 80GB model).  I'll soon have a chance to see for myself.

I just ordered a 20GB refurbished PS3.  The family wanted to get me a birthday present, and it was on my mind. ^^  Once I tack on a new 250GB hard drive I'll have myself a 250GB PS3 with hardware-emulated backwards compatibility...mmm.

Pretty much.  Ironically, good ADV-style RPGs (H-game or not; oftentime good H-RPGs also have all ages console ports) are too difficult / expensive for the tiny eroge localization industry to get ahold of, while they're too niche for the mainstream localizers to consider--rather unfortunate since it's one of my favorite game genres.  The announcement of localizations for Sakura Wars V, the Ar Tonelico series, and Record of Agarest War was a pleasant surprise, however.

That's what happens when you hire your family to do the voice acting.  Not kidding.