Electric Challenge: Stage 4, Faves and Recs

[alias_sqbr]

For electric_challenge. Almost entirely about Dragon Age.


1: Your favorite genre of game.

After some thought, I'm going to kinda cheat and say "Modern Bioware-style RPGs". Which is to say: RPGs with simple combat, interactive plots, nice graphics, interesting decisions, and fleshed out romances. Also the combat can be made easy with grinding and/or cheats. Afaict no-one but Bioware has ever made games which hit all these buttons, (except maybe Greedfall, which sounds like it goes all-in on the Unfortunate Implications About Genocide part of Bioware's plots) but I've also enjoyed some games which only hit some of them.

2: Three games that you think are the best examples:

The three Dragon Age games :P With the Mass Effect Trilogy a close second (it loses points for being much less queer). SORRY, I SAID I WAS CHEATING. And all six games do some things very well and some things less well, so I really can't pick a specific fave.

3: State the one character that is your favourite in each of these games

My favourite for the Dragon Age series overall is Leliana, because of her amazing arc from sad, idealistic ex-nun/assassin to ruthless pope murdering her way to a more just society. But in terms of individual games, purely based on how much I swoon when I think about them:

Dragon Age Origins: Morrigannnnnn
Dragon Age 2: FENRIS <3
Dragon Age Inquisition: Cassandraaaaa

All of them are spiky tsunderes with a bunch of trauma who deep down just want to be loved. Also, they're rendered and voiced very attractively >.> But they're all also very different.

4: Rec three or more fanwork(s), each of which features at least one of your three favourite characters

Anything for Love (Including That) is a great vid about some of the VERY MORALLY DUBIOUS THINGS we do in Bioware games to make our faves love us. It includes helping Morrigan murder her mother, but not helping Fenris murder his sister, lol.

A Morrigan/Leliana comic

Leliana/f!Surana fanart

Portrtait of Sigrun, my fave from the expansion Dragon Age: Awakening

I poked my pinboard and couldn't find anything I really LOVE involving Fenris, and too much I like to choose from. So here's a self rec for my silly comic Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, since it still makes me laugh.

Comments

[armanya]

Dragon Age ♥.

Lol that Anything for Love video was great. Had never seen it before! The title made me laugh too. Bioware RPGs really are something special.

[alias_sqbr]

They really are :)

[caramarie]

Lol I've never forgiven Fenris for fighting against me when I sided with the mages! (I've never managed to fully friend or rival him ...)

[ember_keelty]

Unless you have him in a very specific rivalry range, you can actually make him come back to you just by saying "Join me!" when he shows up to trashtalk you on the Gallows steps. That's how it's gone for me 2/3 of the times I've played. I actually kind of like that moment better than what happens when he sticks with you from the start due to being friends, because he gets a moment where he actually thinks about what he values most and decides "kill all mages" ain't it, rather than just going along with Hawke.

[caramarie]

Oh, I never realised that! Oops ...

[alias_sqbr]

My first playthrough I didn't know this was a thing, and was friendmancing him but had screwed it up by being too visibly pro-mage in front of him and ahhh. I was all AM I GOING TO HAVE TO KILL MY BOYFRIEND BECAUSE HE CAN'T OVERCOME HIS TRAUMA??? D: D: but then he thought about it and changed his mind!! It was INTENSE.

I've never had that happen with him as a friend (especially with him being a boyfriend or at least ex in...actually I think every full playthrough >.>) but I can see it being lovely.

[alias_sqbr]

Ha, neither has Cam. Especially since he was romancing Merrill and, understandably, did not find Fenris's attitude to her very endearing.

[ember_keelty]

I hear that the second Pillars of Eternity game meets that description (the first almost does, but is lacking the romance). I haven't played it yet, because I found the first one kind of... a flavor of grimdark that really doesn't do much for me. But I probably should get to it at some point!

Also, love that video and that LeliWarden art (which btw is Leliana/Surana, not Leliana/Tabris as you've labeled it here)

[alias_sqbr]

Ah, yes, I heard about that actually! Someone I follow from Dragon Age fandom got really into this chaotic evil orc dude. I vaguely recall looking into it and deciding the game wouldn't be for me but I can't remember why.

Oops, thanks, will go edit.

[winterbird]

Omg you make me wanna love Fenris more because you love him <3

[alias_sqbr]

Hee, aww. I mean you don't HATE him, so you love him more than Cam does!