Dragon Age 2: Exercises in siding with crazy people

[Dracos]

Not a review, just an end yammering...


So watching the ending credits scroll, and while I enjoyed some parts of the game, I couldn't help but think...

How much more awesome the game would be if it wasn't necessary for it to end with a world disruptive result?  What it might've been like if your party members were on your side?

Hell, what if the RP world wasn't: Crazy Tyrants versus Desperate Terrorists, with endless gangs to whet your appetite.

There definitely is an interesting thing that results from the amount of choice the game provides in that it really makes me question more why things just 'had to go down' a certain way.  Really?  We couldn't have stopped that horrendously stupid crime that everyone saw coming and was commenting on?  We had to help it OR ignore the quest entirely?  We have to stand by and let the crazy world changing terrorist succeed?

Really, does everyone, or practically everyone, have to be irrational crazy people?

"So, hey guys...how's it going?"
"It's a spy for Orsino!  And clearly going to stop our plan to depose the tyrant!"
"Uh..." *looks at 'Down with the Despot' t-shirt*  "You sure about that?"
"KILL THEM!"
"...really?  Not even gonna try and talk?"  *murders everyone*
"Ah, I'm so sorry, I would've never let this go this far if I knew it was you..."
"Go far...?"
"Oh, they kidnapped your sister for leverage."
"What the hell?  Isn't the leader of this group an old friend of mine?  Seriously, they couldn't think of any better way to deal with me then this?"

Virtually every quest from act 2 onward is like this.  It's a rarity when someone isn't being completely unreasonable and unwilling to even talk.  God-damn every mage uses blood magic and demon summoning too.  I think demons were my second highest kill count.  I like fighting demons and dragons and all, but seriously, whatever happened to a mage just chucking a fireball my way?  No one says "Man the city has a gang problem cuz there are hundreds of gangsters at every area", it's always "mages are evil!"

Sure, you can always make choices, but they really don't matter in any sense other that relationship (Did I drive this person away or not?).  Even with doing or not doing the quests, folks will still go get killed it seems without you.

I found it stunning that the ending sort of declared "Yeah, it probably never would've escalated to this degree without the champion".  I mean, seriously?  Sure, without the champion, there's no idol (Maybe, provided no one ELSE filled the talented warrior spot), but the quarnari would still wage war driven mad by the sheer insanity of the place, elves were being slaughtered and raped before the champion ever arrived, mages were being abused and turning to blood magic, and literal rebellions and slaughters were going in the streets (prior to anything).  But sure, the champion made the escalation possible?  Uh, wot?  

Seriously, the nobles of the city are the only ones with their heads remotely screwed on straight.  And the city poor.  Maybe cause neither of them need to be potential villians, they get to act somewhat rationally?

and yeah, spoiler... but you have to kill the leaders of both sides anyway?  And you can't do it in context of protecting the common man from those rabid idiots, you have to do it in context of siding with one?

"So uh, you decided to turn into a giant demon even though we were winning?  Couldn't you just shut up and take your victory?  I like that you suddenly admit working with the blood mage who ended his serial murder shtick with my mom.  Very classy."

WTF?  Just because a boss fight is possible, doesn't mean we SHOULD fight all the bosses.  If you want a setup like that, drop the choice nonsense and just go FF style.  Then we don't blink as much when it's a roller coaster because we're not telling people 'this is crazy/retarded' the whole time.

"So you know how they kept telling you if you play with demons, bad things will happen?  All the time?  I really don't see how this is ANYTHING of a surprise."