Dragon Age II: Mark of the Assassin

 PC
User Score
5.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 131 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 131
  2. Mixed: 42 out of 131
  3. Negative: 47 out of 131

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  1. JamesX
    Oct 24, 2011
    4
    For a game that is centered on a character it does a remarkable job of making her less developed than even the simplistic Anders. Together with the lack of personal sense and facade of [non]-development.

    The entire story hinges on the main character's lack of morality and respect for the laws of hospitality. A conflict focused on a empty basis of the Qun that was proped up with    For a game that is centered on a character it does a remarkable job of making her less developed than even the simplistic Anders. Together with the lack of personal sense and facade of [non]-development.

    The entire story hinges on the main character's lack of morality and respect for the laws of hospitality. A conflict focused on a empty basis of the Qun that was proped up with engimatic words that ultimately just hows how pathetic it was. The contraversial ideologies of the Qun was not displayed and instead merely included more as a hook to get you to open your wallets.

    The only part that I enjoyed was the banter between the companions, and it was not worth re-installing the game to try the DLC. Save yourself the trouble and buy a book or lunch with the money you might have spent on the DLC.    … Expand
  2. theFunkyMan
    Oct 18, 2011
    6
    Better DLC than the first One. New scene, new characters, new monsters, new objects, new story. But it's too short. There is a new sneaking feature, but it's very lame. Bioware should have cut it from the game. The new party member is not too interesting: Why can't we have a brutal, tough Qunari warrior instead of this boring elf?
  3. Blowfish64
    Oct 27, 2011
    3
    Sigh. Another failure from Bioware, something we've become all too familiar with lately. This DLC has much promise but in the end leaves off all substance. Conversations with NPCs are virtually non-existent and the ones that are are cut short. The ending is infuriating as Bioware continues its penchant for removing all choice from the player's hand, turning their games into theSigh. Another failure from Bioware, something we've become all too familiar with lately. This DLC has much promise but in the end leaves off all substance. Conversations with NPCs are virtually non-existent and the ones that are are cut short. The ending is infuriating as Bioware continues its penchant for removing all choice from the player's hand, turning their games into the adventure genre rather than role-playing despite claiming to have listened to their fans who have repeatedly complained of this kind of laziness from the writers. The only positive to this DLC is the new scenery and enemies, but when looking at it objectively, it only looks good in comparison to how bad the original game was. One NPC even comments on that, saying that it's a nice change of scenery since all of Kirkwall looks exactly the same, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the developer's reuse of maps in the original. Guess what? Not funny. Kind of like this DLC. It's a bad joke.… Expand
  4. AlexCornell
    Oct 12, 2011
    8
    Let me start with what's bad. The biggest issue here is, of course, the price. Ten bucks is a lot of money to ask for a single-player DLC that can be finished in less than five hours. To top it off, it does not add much to the core game, without any real impact on Hawke's saga as a whole. The second issue is the stealth-gameplay. While I can appreciate the effort Bioware put in to thisLet me start with what's bad. The biggest issue here is, of course, the price. Ten bucks is a lot of money to ask for a single-player DLC that can be finished in less than five hours. To top it off, it does not add much to the core game, without any real impact on Hawke's saga as a whole. The second issue is the stealth-gameplay. While I can appreciate the effort Bioware put in to this section, it feels out of place, and can be very frustrating. How do my stealth skills not work here? I've crafted a guile and shadowy Hawke, yet he's unable to use the abilities I purposely gave him. Lastly, the puzzles are a mixed bag, while challenging and engaging at times, they also become tedious. There addition feel a bit heavy-handed and superficial. It's also a bit unrealistic that a manor's vault and treasure will be protected by color-coded magical doors and pressure plates, when I'm sure locks will be more efficient (I know this because the outside locks cannot be picked by either you or Tallis, meaning they work better at protecting your stuff than puzzles do).

    Now for the good, while I cannot recommend one to pay this much for the game, I can certainly tell you there is a beautiful and complex story here, one worth hearing and experienced. Packed with numerous exploratory elements, with more sidequests than I thought they can put in a typical DLC, this part of Hawke's tale is the most interesting and most involving I've come across. There is a personal sidequest for all your companions, there is significant interaction between who you take with you. They aren't just staring into blank space at all times. There is much you might miss if you rush it, and what you might miss feels so personal, that I would implore you to try again with another character with different companions. No matter the gameplay flaws, Bioware remains the king of videogame writing, and Mark of the Assassin is a shining jewel in the crown that king wears. And for this, I don't regret the purchase.

    In the end, the DLC is almost a return to form in Bioware's legacy. It has its awkward and sometimes forced gameplay mechanics, muddling a well-told, immersive, and engaging tale, which is the right balance of linearity and open-endedness. So buy it, if you want to play a subtle, endearing, and personal gaiden in Hawke's life; otherwise, RSVP "No" to this party.    … Expand
  5. AGB
    Oct 17, 2011
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. If you did not like Dragon Age 2 do not worry, you won't have to reinstall the game for Mark of the Assassin, it is just as banal as its predecessor, and tinkering around the edges has not changed the experience. The mighty have fallen to the depths and they continue to present us with their findings there.

    Bear in mind that those who review this expansion favourably obviously like to play on rails with limited choices. They like corny amateur come-ons made-up by 40 year old virgins and to 'play' a long boring anime film. Despite the change of scenery to WoW forest lite, MOTA keeps the same atmosphere as its underage parent game.

    *SPOILER HERE* Case in point, there is a discussion with Felicia, sorry Tallis, where she discusses being one of the communist/borg-type Qun. This is a great chance for a grown up conversation with a touch of philosophy and real choices. However, the conversation is a big simplistic let-down, trying to masquerade as something deep. You are hit with the same bland 'yes, joke, or no' responses, apart from a ton of lore-breaking. 'Yes's' are tame citizenship-lesson-inspired non-committal approval (you can't convert your character) 'Joke' or 'light-heartedness' responses are as insipid as ever. 'No's' are just the same childish stuff. No proper challenge is made to Talis' simple Qun apologist thinking (you can't even try to unconvert her). 'The Qun just want improvement' Talis reasons while you want to bash her over the head and say 'Wake up, wanting improvement isn't unique to the Qunari'.

    It's the same level of argument as 'Cake or Death' youtube.com/watch?v=BNjcuZ-LiSY - only without any humour.

    There are more puzzles, but again, they are not challenging and only add to the childish feel of the game, so just end-up being tedious time-drains to get through and pad-out the game time.

    Combat is ludicrously simple at this late advanced stage, no fight is a challenge, just continue to bash the 'Awesome!' button. There's a new creature called 'Ghasts' - no not the ghasts of H.P. Lovecraft, or even D&D, but something akin to Warhammer snotlings - but again without the humour. As if you needed any further confirmation, yes Bioware have sold out and are unashamedly aiming for the junior market whilst including enough sexual content to rate it M in the US and 18 in the UK - and that is the real outrage, not side-boob in Mass Effect 1 (nerfed 'sexy time' NOT included in this expansion btw - and definitely no chemistry).

    So it's a way-overpriced tame and dishonest experience that just soils the DA world even further.    … Expand
  6. EastonReviews
    Jan 5, 2012
    0
    If Dragon Age was 50 times as good as it is, improved it's graphics by 100, removed the unnessisary gore, stopped making useless cash grab sequels with different names, had a decent plot, and actually lowered the price to $0.00, this game would be a quater of the way there of getting a 1.
  7. elgringo
    Dec 3, 2011
    0
    This was incredibly bland, I'm used to get quality from BioWare but since Dragon Age 2 the company seems to be on a constant downwards spiral. This game and it's DLC are the epitome of bland console ports with unchallenging gameplay. Will not waste again money on any other BioWare product.
  8. Demonbox
    Dec 4, 2011
    1
    "Cities always teem with evil and decay. Let's give it a good shake and see what falls out!"
    so i tried to shake DA2 and it's boring city, nothing fall out
    "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, watch it! I'm huge!" so i avoided buyin DLc for this game, still i was curious, so went to a friend of mine and tried it... i'm happy i didn't pay for this, Felicia Day is good in the Guild    "Cities always teem with evil and decay. Let's give it a good shake and see what falls out!"
    so i tried to shake DA2 and it's boring city, nothing fall out
    "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, watch it! I'm huge!"
    so i avoided buyin DLc for this game, still i was curious, so went to a friend of mine and tried it...

    i'm happy i didn't pay for this, Felicia Day is good in the Guild (or in Buffy etc..)leave her there and out of DA
    if you loved DA2 (there's something wrong in you?) you can like also this money milking content, if like many others you didn't like DA2 avoid this stuff at all costs.
    " I hit, to no effect!? I need a bigger sword!"
    Minsc comes handy again, stop buyin their games if they don't make games that suit you    … Expand
  9. roboticsun
    Oct 12, 2011
    7
    Let's say that this DLC's gameplay is what DA2 should have been. A couple of interesting puzzles, very nice Companion banters and dialogs(highly recommend Bethany and Sebastian or take Aveline or any LI your Hawke romanced ), and well-designed boss fights (the final boss battle is quite fun) gives this one some credits. Well the stealth mechanics is pretty broken and easy as hell. It'sLet's say that this DLC's gameplay is what DA2 should have been. A couple of interesting puzzles, very nice Companion banters and dialogs(highly recommend Bethany and Sebastian or take Aveline or any LI your Hawke romanced ), and well-designed boss fights (the final boss battle is quite fun) gives this one some credits. Well the stealth mechanics is pretty broken and easy as hell. It's still not a long dlc (5 hours on Nightmare), but if you actually like how DA2 handle the interactions between the characters, then it has replay values. I gave it 7 out 10 for the mediocre stealth mechanics and overpriced tag and recommend this to people who liked DA2.… Expand
  10. jones117
    Oct 13, 2011
    10
    One of the best dlc in recent times. If you like Dragon age universe and are fan of its lore then you owe it to yourself to buy this. I know most of you had your gripes with DA2, don'st let it influence your decision to buy it. This DLC has beautiful outdoor surroundings that reminded me of DAO brecillian forest and best dialogue I have heard in recent times( note my Hawke was funnyOne of the best dlc in recent times. If you like Dragon age universe and are fan of its lore then you owe it to yourself to buy this. I know most of you had your gripes with DA2, don'st let it influence your decision to buy it. This DLC has beautiful outdoor surroundings that reminded me of DAO brecillian forest and best dialogue I have heard in recent times( note my Hawke was funny character build). Also this DLC also varies gameplay by introducing proper stealth sections rather than those in Mass Effect 2's Arrival DLC which are a complete joke compared to this. Also your companions that you choose to take with you have unique and funny dialog(mine were Varric and Anders). Also be ready to encounter familiar characters from both DAO and DA2. Also there are possible hints to DA3. So kindly give DLC a try before you judge it. It is better than most DLC out there.… Expand
  11. Orctownorc
    Aug 24, 2013
    5
    Once bitten twice shy. I bought played and disliked DA2 immensely. When offered this DLC it was a no-brainer to absolutely ignore it. I remembered buying all the DLC for DA Origins and yet every single but of it was rubbish. So I will avoid every DLC Bioware ever cooks up from here on out. Suggest that if the broad community of players refuses to buy their bad DLC they will have to adaptOnce bitten twice shy. I bought played and disliked DA2 immensely. When offered this DLC it was a no-brainer to absolutely ignore it. I remembered buying all the DLC for DA Origins and yet every single but of it was rubbish. So I will avoid every DLC Bioware ever cooks up from here on out. Suggest that if the broad community of players refuses to buy their bad DLC they will have to adapt and start making DLC that actually enhances the game and represents true value for money.

    THE GROT REVIEW CRITERIA: After a long time writing reviews like an anus, think its time to set a few bad habits straight: Stop insulting designers. Show some respect for the design process and getting games in circulation. Hence (1) No Red scores. (2) Game scores as follows: Bad Game 5/10. Poor Game 6/10. Mediocre Game: 7/10. Good Game 8/10. Great game 9/10. Stella Game 10/10. To get 10/10 it must be a game that can be (theoretically) play-able for 1000+ hours. Not only great but near endless fun. Games may be bad or poor but making them should earn respect. Thus even the worst POS will still be a 5/10. 0/10 no longer exists in my vocabulary. Yellow is the new red. For the sake of accountability: you can reply if needed: Orctowngrot: Tim Rawlins: timtimjp@yahoo.com    … Expand
  12. Tata
    Oct 18, 2011
    7
    It's a pretty nice DLC but the prices DA2 contents are getting is just abnormal. No matter how good a DLC is, It won't make up for the 10$ tag. Pros: New Romance (yaaay), story isn't that bad, companion comments,puzzles(!!!). Neutral: Witcher 2 like stealth sequences( which is a good thing), but it's a but clunky. Cons: Way too easy combat( that's the main game's fault), randomly appearingIt's a pretty nice DLC but the prices DA2 contents are getting is just abnormal. No matter how good a DLC is, It won't make up for the 10$ tag. Pros: New Romance (yaaay), story isn't that bad, companion comments,puzzles(!!!). Neutral: Witcher 2 like stealth sequences( which is a good thing), but it's a but clunky. Cons: Way too easy combat( that's the main game's fault), randomly appearing enemies still not a good game mechanic and the game freezed 2 times which never happened in the main game. If EA would finally give the Dragon Age part of Bioware some air, they could actually make a great third part, like Origins was. Crossing fingers for Mass Effect 3 now.… Expand
  13. jakoby
    Oct 12, 2011
    9
    what can i say? I like dragon age origins, i like the awaking, i like all of the DLC witch belongs to dragon age. I think this is better, then the Legacy was, but it is not perfect. Tallis (Felicia Day) is a great character! With her the game now is almost "perfect'.
  14. Merrill4Life
    Oct 11, 2011
    10
    Bioware does it again! A truly worthy addition to what PC Gamer crowned the "best RPG of this decade" Dragon Age II Mark of the Assassin surpasses everything gamers have come to expect from DLC. The lovely Felicia Day comes alive as Tallis in a performance so convincing and immersive it as if you were actually exploring the world of Thedas with the actress herself. The new stealth basedBioware does it again! A truly worthy addition to what PC Gamer crowned the "best RPG of this decade" Dragon Age II Mark of the Assassin surpasses everything gamers have come to expect from DLC. The lovely Felicia Day comes alive as Tallis in a performance so convincing and immersive it as if you were actually exploring the world of Thedas with the actress herself. The new stealth based mechanics are simply amazing and add hours of replay value to an already incredible game. Now not only can you think like a General and fight like a Spartan, but you can now sneak like a Ninja as well. Bioware has shown that they are the modern day masters in the gaming industry, providing in a DLC better stealth based combat and avoidance than seen in the Metal Gear Solid and Assassins' Creed series. Truly this is a must buy and one can only marvel at what next exciting chapter awaits Dragon Age II.… Expand
  15. benjaminavatar
    Oct 13, 2011
    10
    I just have to say this Dlc is good, interesting, stealthy, misterious and a big diamond as a present. I just hope that there will b more DLC for Dragon age 2 until Dragon age 3 Exiting date will be reviled!
  16. faceless-1
    Apr 10, 2014
    0
    Yaaay this DLC is total garbage. Well at least it is not 100% copy pasted like dragon age II, but story and everything in this DLC is boring. Mark of the Assasin is also very short . It is same cash in garbage lik half of the original dragon age DLC, but Original Dragon age was superb RPG, where dragon age II is total trash.
  17. kane148
    May 24, 2015
    6
    This DLC isn't terrible, but it's really not worth the price in $ or probably even in time. It adds a little bit of lore about the Qunari and Orlesians, but that's honestly all stuff you could read on a wiki in 10 mins. Although some of the locations and new enemies are visually appealing--especially after the drudgery of so many hours around Kirkwall--most of what you'll find here is justThis DLC isn't terrible, but it's really not worth the price in $ or probably even in time. It adds a little bit of lore about the Qunari and Orlesians, but that's honestly all stuff you could read on a wiki in 10 mins. Although some of the locations and new enemies are visually appealing--especially after the drudgery of so many hours around Kirkwall--most of what you'll find here is just not that interesting. There's some new game mechanics to play around with, but they're really not that fun. What I found most frustrating is that this DLC doesn't seem to have any meaningful impact on the larger game: the story is entirely self-contained and doesn't affect the main plot at all, even though it's ripe for a tie-in, you don't get a new permanent companion, and the loot isn't even impressive (at least if you have loot from other DLCs). I did give this a couple more points in the score for Felicia Day's performance, and for the final boss fight, which was at least challenging (something most fights in DAII are not).… Expand
  18. Broyax
    Mar 29, 2017
    7
    On sent un effort de variété dans ce DLC avec quelques pointes d'humour bienvenues ainsi que quelques clins d'oeil. Tout cela fonctionne bien avec même une énigme ou deux ! la seconde m'a fichu mal au crâne : je n'ai point l'habitude ! surtout que Dragon Age II consiste avant tout à massacrer tout ce qu'on voit entre deux dialogues plus ou moins pontifiants.

    Toujours est-il que ce    On sent un effort de variété dans ce DLC avec quelques pointes d'humour bienvenues ainsi que quelques clins d'oeil. Tout cela fonctionne bien avec même une énigme ou deux ! la seconde m'a fichu mal au crâne : je n'ai point l'habitude ! surtout que Dragon Age II consiste avant tout à massacrer tout ce qu'on voit entre deux dialogues plus ou moins pontifiants.

    Toujours est-il que ce second DLC (après l'Héritage) est bien meilleur que le jeu principal. Plutôt comique comme situation. Ou inquiétant en fait. La Marque de l'Assassin vaut donc le coup surtout que ce nouveau personnage est très charmant même si l'histoire ne casse pas des briques.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. PC Games (Russia)
    Nov 23, 2011
    80
    A fine add-on offering diverse and fun gameplay variations, some of those never before seen in the series. [December 2011, p.92]
  2. Pelit (Finland)
    Nov 15, 2011
    78
    You never know what to expect from Bioware when they create a new DLC. Sometimes they are decent, more often not. Legacy and Mark of the Assassin are pleasant surprises in the continuum. The adventures are well written, Tallis is a compelling new character and the combat is challenging enough. The add-ons are solid work, but not extraordinary by any means. [Nov 2011]
  3. Absolute Games
    Nov 7, 2011
    80
    The only serious drawback of this DLC is that you cannot change the outcome of its story.
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