Divinity II: Ego Draconis

 PC
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 166 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 113 out of 166
  2. Mixed: 29 out of 166
  3. Negative: 24 out of 166
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  1. JonathanD.
    Jan 4, 2010
    5
    I have about 20 hours played with this title. I came into it with absolutely no expectations. I never read a review or anything and up untill I saw it on the shelf in the store, I never knew it existed. So this is a stone cold review from a baseline of zero. This is also for the console port on the 360 rather than the PC version. Graphics were to as expected for a title of this generation I have about 20 hours played with this title. I came into it with absolutely no expectations. I never read a review or anything and up untill I saw it on the shelf in the store, I never knew it existed. So this is a stone cold review from a baseline of zero. This is also for the console port on the 360 rather than the PC version. Graphics were to as expected for a title of this generation of console. A liberal use of light and shadow along with various shadings of light to set certain moods. Example would be that while exploring a cave certain fungus put off phosforescent light but of a purple hue. And it shades everything around it. Honestly I enjoyed the graphics and felt the paper doll representing the player character, scenery, and the monsters to be as well done as I have seen. It is beautifully rendered on my 56" HD TV. The background music is just that. It stays in the background, changes in certain areas to help create moods of tension when combat is immenent. It gives a folk like environment when near a farm. It does all this without you noticing which is what background sound is supposed to do. Very professional job. Voice acting couldn't benifited from a few more different voices instead of one or two guys changing the way they talked so they could be "voice #2". Its not a game breaker. Only a mild annoyance. The controls were very fluid allthough when turning the camera and rolling during combat there was some chugging on the framerate and skips did occur. It was mild but noticable. And while not a game breaker, it is the one thing that keeps me from saying everythnig moves fluidly which it doesn't. That would be a lie. Spell effects are colorfull and varied enough to not appear to be the same animation again and again but in a different color. It works for this title. Character building is very unique in its flexibiliy and how varied. Some skills are for show as they are worthless to gameplay and some have serious balance issues. I won't name them because I don't want to spoil someone's game. But there are certainly some borderline balance issues. Combat is very simple. Its a button masher with jumping and rolling for defense. You have a limited tactical ability in using landscape as cover. Line of sight for mobs can be used to easily break up large quantities of enemies into smaller more easily digested singles. Meaning when you are close enough for the name to appear, mobs notice you unless you are sneaking. If two mobs are close enough then two will notice you and the others around them will ignore. Personally I found the combat to be unentertaining and just plain bad. There is no reward. You do not win because you are a jumping, rolling, dodging machine. You win because your level is the correct number. If you are too low then spells won't work and the enemy cut through you like butter. There is nothing you can do. If you are the same level it isn't even a challenge. If you are higher level then they basically can't hurt you. You basically monitor your health bar, hit the hot key button for a potion from time to time and mash a button. There are few real tactical advantages to be had by playing well. There is no playing well. You are either of the appropriate level to be there doing that and you will succeed or you won't and you will die. The saved game system is broken so when you die.....and you will die....you have to reload. You don't respawn at a nearby checkpoint. When you reload you may or may not be clear on the other side of the world where you previously saved the other night because the way this game overwrites saves doesn't "over write" everything and keeps things from previous saves.....which can sometimes kill your game and cause you to start completely over from scratch after putting in 12 hours of gameplay. Let me tell you how happy that made me feel. I have found that when you go to save that if you don't over write and instead delete old saved game and then save a "new" one, the saved game glitches are eliminated. So at least there is a work around. Otherwise this game isn't playable unless you never die, and play straight through till the end without stopping for a break. The story is poorly concieved and the player is left wondering what is going on and who the heck that was who talked to him. You get the general idea that certain people are bad and are in need of killing. So you go kill them. You don't get to play as a dragon untill you are around level 18 or so. And the content for the "dragon" is very structered to the point where it just seeme like a cool way to get from point A to point B alot faster and along the way you get to play a mini game of shoot the bugs down. This game offers so much. Oh you get to play a dragon. Oh you get an undead servant which helps out in battle and is customizable by what body parts you collect. You have guys who abstractly go out and collect alchemy componants and based on how you equip them effects their success, time spent collecting, and if they have to be healed. You have an upgradable war tower you use which has a real effects in the game depending on if you upgrade the various platforms. There are so many cool ideas and concepts about this game that you would think it should be great. It just isn't. They were great ideas poorly implemented in some cases and not finished in others. I think that is what this game suffers from. It was released before it was done. From quest NPCs dissappearing randomly, to broken quests that you can't finish, to the game killing save bug. So if it sucks so bad then why give it a 5? Its all about perspective. When I go out and spend 50-60 dollars American on a CONSOLE title, I am supposed to be buying a finished product. This was not a finished product nor was it tested. The game wasn't a complete failure. It definatly passed the look test but not much more than that. I would suggest to people to not buy this game. Rent it. Borrow it and play it first. If you can have fun with it then evaluate the flaws on your own terms and decide. This is a game that sounds good on paper but doesn't deliver so don't be fooled.… Expand
  2. Mugros-
    Nov 4, 2009
    5
    For RPG fans, not more. Everyone is talking about the good quests, the fine role-playing. Somehow everyone seems to forget the shortcomings: - extreme stuttering of the graphics. With some tweaks it is better but not gone and it is very annoying. Yes, my machine is fast enough. - Awful, awful interface. It's ugly, it's slow, everything seems to take more clicks than it should, For RPG fans, not more. Everyone is talking about the good quests, the fine role-playing. Somehow everyone seems to forget the shortcomings: - extreme stuttering of the graphics. With some tweaks it is better but not gone and it is very annoying. Yes, my machine is fast enough. - Awful, awful interface. It's ugly, it's slow, everything seems to take more clicks than it should, e.g. read a book, then you are transferred to a different inventory page. - Looting is no fun. trying to access all boxes or barrels is tiresome. The control is bad, i tried to jump from a box to a higher one and most of the time i glided from the upper box like it was covered in slime. Even if there is a nice RPG in there, it is no fun to discover it with the stuttering graphics and the awful interface and controls.… Expand
  3. Airwolf435
    Feb 6, 2011
    6
    Divinity II â
  4. Saerwen
    Feb 20, 2011
    7
    I got this along with the Flames of Vengance, and was lost in FoV thought I had better play this first. I give it a 7 for a few different reasons. I con-cure w/another reviewer that the combat (warrior) was difficult at time, as I continously lost sight of my targets. The graphics are also a bit dated, but I still found teh landscape beautiful. Dragon form was awesome! Come on whoI got this along with the Flames of Vengance, and was lost in FoV thought I had better play this first. I give it a 7 for a few different reasons. I con-cure w/another reviewer that the combat (warrior) was difficult at time, as I continously lost sight of my targets. The graphics are also a bit dated, but I still found teh landscape beautiful. Dragon form was awesome! Come on who doesn't like flying. I don't think that this game deserves such a stinker rep.… Expand
  5. Kai82
    Mar 23, 2021
    6
    I am divided here as I want to sing the games praise despite the flaws as it ended as some of the best (= positive) disappointments in videogames for me. To spare you trouble I would recommend playing “The Dragon Knight Saga” as this games story is not resolved and was continued in the expansions “Flames of Vengeance” which is added in this. It is an action RPG set in the world ofI am divided here as I want to sing the games praise despite the flaws as it ended as some of the best (= positive) disappointments in videogames for me. To spare you trouble I would recommend playing “The Dragon Knight Saga” as this games story is not resolved and was continued in the expansions “Flames of Vengeance” which is added in this. It is an action RPG set in the world of Rivellon. It has the uniqueness that SMALL SPOILER WARNING (If the title did not already spoil it for you) you can transform into a dragon approx halfway through the game. This puts the focus on aerial combat and exploration in 3 dimensions END OF SMALL SPOILER. The story starts with your avatar / playercharacter as newest member of the Dragon Slayers who will face the introduction ritual that gives him/her the unique abilities and will start the first hunt with his seniors. However some unexpected twist will occur and change the faith of your character and Rivellon. Gameplay wise it is an action RPG but not with focus on evading or blocking via button pressing. You chose freely between the standard classes mage, ranger, warrior or priest as you can learn or upgrade abilities freely only restricted by the needed character level. Some are quite devastating like the explosive arrows for rangers (a weak class without it) or more specifically the magic spells magic missile or magic blast. Be warned it is old school. With this I mean not just following quest markers to your targets. You have to do it the hard way and also the world is mostly open for you to explore (= You can run into enemy groups at much higher level that wipe the floor with you). The rest is good standard as there is an enhancement and alchemy system for you to use which at the end gets some amazing results (Disenchant equipment with good enhancement to make the spell available). Bonus points for some good puzles and riddles. Another unique thing is that you find sometimes part of creatures which have a use and will support you immensely. Later in the game you can upgrade something to get even more options. Other positives are the mind reading options in conversations (For the price of experience points you can get additional info's or something that might be even better), quest can be solved sometimes in different ways and some good writing with humor. So far and good and it sounds like we are on the 9-10/10. However there are some mayor and minor weaknesses I already announced above. The game freezes often when I exited a room which happen a lot (stopped counting at 12 times) but nearly never in the second half of the game and also once during quick travel. I encountered twice invulnerable enemies (Standard enemies / not story or quest related). There are hard difficulty spikes in the game. Firstly in the first actual map Broken Valley. You have hard times between level 5 and 10 and secondly after you can explore the Orbas Fjords around level 18 up to level 23 (Remark: I played a ranger / archer which suck at the beginning but it is also valid to some extend for other characters). This was more running the gauntlet than fun but also a somehow enjoyable challenge. The final dungeon is a plague. I died faster than I could react and had to puzzle things out. The controls are not that great with keyboard and mouse in the parts you need precise jumps. Finally the conclusion is a disappointment and will lessen the rating. Like already mentioned get “The Dragon Knight Saga” for the whole experience. This might be the make or break point for some. I have mixed feelings here. I think I give some advice: Always use experience as additional quest reward as money is no problem (max level for me was 34 but I have read things from 32 to 37 if you exploit some things). A summoned creature helps in dividing enemy attention. Would not waste much skill except for the demon you can get at level 20 as you have another option it you get 4 parts and a necromancer (possible in Broken Valley). You can use cheap tricks like attacking from higher (unreachable) ground (If positioned correctly arrows and spells will hardly hit you). Alternatively you can attack from afar, run away as you are faster than the enemies and attack from afar again (Rinse and repeat). Enhancements are firstly weak but will become really potent or useful. You can use potions from the menu (no short delay). Lastly just level up as there seems to be a system that helps too (My status increases were often not enough to explain why I could deal a bit easier with enemies). Back to the review: Presentation wise the game looks good and I was surprised how well it ages. The soundtrack was sometimes fantastic enough that I wanted to get the tracks. Overall this is a devisive game for me. If has parts that are excellent and other parts that I hate. A good but disappointing experience will be my conclusion.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

86
#86 Best PC Game of 2010
59
#59 Most Discussed PC Game of 2010
57
#57 Most Shared PC Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 43 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 43
  3. Negative: 0 out of 43
  1. GameStar
    83
    It's not a perfect game, but the surprise of the year: A lot of great gameplay, lots of fresh ideas and a lot of fun. You may like some things more than others, but where else can you annoy a dragon again and again by shouting the name of his nemesis?
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  2. PC Games
    80
    Larian Studios have managed to create good quests that make fun because of all the odd characters and the great self-depreciating humor. But at the same time the game lacks comfort, so that the player has to have a lot of patience in order to see the end.
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  3. Gamers.at
    79
    Divinity II - Ego Draconis is definitely a very solid roleplaying game, which is unfortunately lacking at some points. For roleplaying fans nevertheless a must have.
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