Dragon Age II

 PC
User Score
4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 5052 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,397 out of 5052
  2. Mixed: 1,198 out of 5052
  3. Negative: 2,457 out of 5052
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  1. lostintime
    Mar 17, 2011
    1
    Boring combat system, boring story, boring graphics. I thought bioware turn everything into gold but I was wrong. Mass effect 2 and Dragon Age 2 have both been disappointing for me. Compared to the RPGs of the past, you cannot put this in the same category. Baulders Gate and DA:O was captivating making me wish the game would never end, Dragon Age 2 on the other hand, I find myself pressingBoring combat system, boring story, boring graphics. I thought bioware turn everything into gold but I was wrong. Mass effect 2 and Dragon Age 2 have both been disappointing for me. Compared to the RPGs of the past, you cannot put this in the same category. Baulders Gate and DA:O was captivating making me wish the game would never end, Dragon Age 2 on the other hand, I find myself pressing ESC button a little too often to skip speech so I can mindlessly press 12345 while right clicking on boring enemies at every corner, just so I can finish the game and be done with it. lol. Give this one a miss or at least try the demo first.… Expand
  2. Lied
    Mar 18, 2011
    4
    Disappointed at how Bioware could deliver a half-finished game. The intention was there, with the interesting characters and some development, but the game feels rushed and unfinished as whole.
  3. Corvus
    Mar 18, 2011
    0
    i cant believe what bio did with this game. they take the name of a good rpg and put it on a hack and slash dungeon crawler for consoles. the name of the game reminds of dragon age origins and the theme. nothing else. everything is made with consoles in mind. i don't want to destroy my keyboard and mouse after all. graphics are a joke and the hi res texture pack for pc is nonsense. manyi cant believe what bio did with this game. they take the name of a good rpg and put it on a hack and slash dungeon crawler for consoles. the name of the game reminds of dragon age origins and the theme. nothing else. everything is made with consoles in mind. i don't want to destroy my keyboard and mouse after all. graphics are a joke and the hi res texture pack for pc is nonsense. many say that a good rpg doesn't need good visuals but no one plays text based adventures anymore. we live in 2011.
    the only good thing about the game is that with its lunch dao ultimate edition sells for 18 euros for pc.    … Expand
  4. coltsr2
    May 18, 2011
    0
    Rubbish total joke of a game..let down by so many flawed and broken elements...in the end i uninstalled this rubbish!...Now i have The Witcher 2 instead which is miles better and a true reflection of what RPG's should be!...do yourself a big favour and stay away from this pretend wanabe and get The Witcher 2 instead!!!.....
  5. Aetheryn
    May 21, 2011
    0
    This game is atrocious. By "attempting" to appeal to a wider audience, all Bioware managed to do was alienate its fans while failing to grab the attentions of those they were aiming for.
    The DX11 graphics are abysmal. Just go look at some screenshots of the NPCs.
  6. Kageyoshi
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    It's my fist review on metacritic but I can't keep my mouth shut this time. This game is unforgivable! How Bioware can do this with such a wonderful beginning as DA1? We waited DA2 so much! And now I still can't believe that it's so bad. I spend 34 hours playing this game till it's final. It has it's moments but that's all. I really like and respect Bioware but this game is disaster. IIt's my fist review on metacritic but I can't keep my mouth shut this time. This game is unforgivable! How Bioware can do this with such a wonderful beginning as DA1? We waited DA2 so much! And now I still can't believe that it's so bad. I spend 34 hours playing this game till it's final. It has it's moments but that's all. I really like and respect Bioware but this game is disaster. I hope that it's not going to happen with ME3. I was very disappoint with it's story, locations, dialogs and rpg-part. This game is boring and monotonous. You don't have any interesting events there - it's just an endless killing of identical enemies. Locations are small, identical and dull. Why they place a ME dialog system there? There is even no reputation or special dialog options! This game is like a personal insult to all rpg-gamers. I was waited the journey that never began. Bioware should be ashamed.… Expand
  7. mjwilliams84
    Mar 16, 2011
    3
    Thoroughly disappointing sequel to a fantastic RPG. Fans of Origins and/or anyone interested in immersive, character-based roleplay should avoid this like the plague. Gone are the multiple choice dialogue options of true RPG classics, replaced by the dialogue wheel seen in Mass Effect. While that works in the epic setting of what is effectively a sci-fi blockbuster, it doesn't here. ItsThoroughly disappointing sequel to a fantastic RPG. Fans of Origins and/or anyone interested in immersive, character-based roleplay should avoid this like the plague. Gone are the multiple choice dialogue options of true RPG classics, replaced by the dialogue wheel seen in Mass Effect. While that works in the epic setting of what is effectively a sci-fi blockbuster, it doesn't here. Its shallow, poorly written characters and script are totally forgettable. Seldom does your choice of action or speech affect anything at all. The environments themselves would look average 10 years ago. Areas that look awful in the first place are re-used many times over. The one saving grace is the combat, but with so many other faults, it's barely worth mentioning. The bullet-point nature of this review feels apt, as the disappointments hit home one after the other. As a friend of mine put it; "About as gripping as a lubed-up hand with no bone structure." Colour me shocked and appalled, Bioware.… Expand
  8. tghr182
    Mar 16, 2011
    4
    A SHADOW OF ITS FORMER SELF! Normally bioware do a good job of upgrading their sequels (Example Mass Effect 2) they get rid of the probelms they had with the first. But i'm sorry to tell people but bioware have made a big boo boo with this sequel, they simplfied to the point of embarrassment and the element story that was so so solid in Dragon Age: Origins has all but disappeared, you seemA SHADOW OF ITS FORMER SELF! Normally bioware do a good job of upgrading their sequels (Example Mass Effect 2) they get rid of the probelms they had with the first. But i'm sorry to tell people but bioware have made a big boo boo with this sequel, they simplfied to the point of embarrassment and the element story that was so so solid in Dragon Age: Origins has all but disappeared, you seem to just do the quests because you want to see if the main story is going to get start and it doesn't! Big disappointment can't believe i preorder it!… Expand
  9. mrobs15
    Mar 16, 2011
    0
    This game is an abortion, I have never been so disappointed by a sequel... ever. They ruined the combat system by making a button smashing, roll your head on the keyboard mess. The story is made to seem like your decisions matter, when in reality the story is on rails the entire game. Even with the texture pack the graphics are nothing special, and it looks like they spent about 5 minutesThis game is an abortion, I have never been so disappointed by a sequel... ever. They ruined the combat system by making a button smashing, roll your head on the keyboard mess. The story is made to seem like your decisions matter, when in reality the story is on rails the entire game. Even with the texture pack the graphics are nothing special, and it looks like they spent about 5 minutes on the environment. The two most frustrating things about this game are the fact that they recycle the same dungeons and levels many times over, and the new dialog system is made for people who failed 3rd grade reading comprehension. We don't need pictures telling us what effect our response is going to have on who we re talking to. Hopefully based on the awful scores this game is getting EA will let Bioware do their thing on the next installment of this game(assuming there is one). The bottom line, Don't let EA steal your money with this one, make them responsible, and tell them they need to give us worthy content when trying to expand upon a game as awesome as DA:O.… Expand
  10. Gen13
    Mar 20, 2011
    1
    A disappointing game to say the least. Companions seem quite shallow compared to DA:O. The fact that you have limited interaction with them does not help. Exploding enemies, in most cases enemies just explode in a shower of blood and gore when i stab them with a regular dagger. I don't mind blood and gore, but this is just ridiculous. Massive re-use of instances for quests, seen one cave,A disappointing game to say the least. Companions seem quite shallow compared to DA:O. The fact that you have limited interaction with them does not help. Exploding enemies, in most cases enemies just explode in a shower of blood and gore when i stab them with a regular dagger. I don't mind blood and gore, but this is just ridiculous. Massive re-use of instances for quests, seen one cave, seen them all.
    Also the game was shipped with a few serious bugs. using a certain companion will reduce your attack speed on a permanent basis. DA2 has limited customization option compared to it's predecessor.
    My recommendation, wait until you can pick up a copy for reduced price before buying it.    … Expand
  11. GodofCider
    Mar 20, 2011
    0
    This game is terrible.

    It looked great, when I saw it from a playthrough, and the critic review was rather nice{Speaking of critic reviews, were they bought off or something? Good thing I never trust the critic}. Then I realized how wrong I was when I actually sat down with it on the pc. I rolled a warrior. The gameplay is unbelievably bad. I have to continuously tell my character to    This game is terrible.

    It looked great, when I saw it from a playthrough, and the critic review was rather nice{Speaking of critic reviews, were they bought off or something? Good thing I never trust the critic}. Then I realized how wrong I was when I actually sat down with it on the pc.

    I rolled a warrior.

    The gameplay is unbelievably bad. I have to continuously tell my character to attack, regardless of being swarmed by enemies, because she'll simply stand there dying otherwise. The play itself is atrocious; clunky to an impossible degree.

    The graphics look like something from at least five years ago, even on highest quality(and it eats processing and ram like no tomorrow to do so).

    The camera has no fixed point so you more often than not find yourself trying to continuously right click on enemies 'in front' of you which aren't in range, otherwise you have to drag your frame to see them.

    Targeting boxes are at the base of the enemies, so when you're engaged in combat you have to try and select the small location near their feet to target the one you want, otherwise you click right through their hollow bodies, on the ground behind them, then try and stupidly run to that point; somehow breaking the clunky system even further, as though that were possible.

    Worst of all.

    I haven't even managed to progress past the first 'real' battle yet. That's right. This is my review of the game five minutes in. Why?

    Because ally AI, which you need of course, is so unbelievably, impossibly, terribly, freaking retarded, that the game is borderline, if not, unplayable.

    I'm stuck with two warriors trying to take on a small band of undead things, and a single 'troll'. Okay what's so bad about this? My tank warrior ally is tanking the troll, all's good. I'm out there taking out the badies, and hitting the troll when I can. Okay all clear. Wait...

    WTF?!

    My mage. Whom I had modifed into an entirely medical roll, through both abilities, and selected tactics. Is standing there.

    Not healing me, or my ally, like an idiot. Full mana mind you, I even set her on 'near but not to be engaged in direct combat'.

    She stands there, looking at me, or a rock it's hard to tell to be honest, and watches me die.

    My ai medic, fails at the one task of being a medic. How can a game fail so hard?

    Dragon Age 2 is quite simply: terrible.

    Thankfully I never purchased it, having borrowed a copy from a friend to see how it was. There's cash I certainly didn't need to spend, glad I did it this way.    … Expand
  12. alexbychok
    Mar 24, 2011
    4
    Worst Bioware game ever in this company. They sold their souls to the EA money. Storyline is absent. Boring, monotonous tasks in the same locations are forgotten immediately. The dialogues are long and have no humor.
  13. GrumpyDwarf
    Mar 26, 2011
    3
    So I made a metacritic account simply to put in two cents about the game, it was that disappointing. DAO was a well refined game. Did it have it's difficulties, yes. Needing Wynne in the party or a massive amount of health potions was a frustrating element.

    However, DA2 is bad. It's Chrono Trigger to Chrono Cross bad. The combat has lost all semblance of strategy, it is an orgy of lights    So I made a metacritic account simply to put in two cents about the game, it was that disappointing. DAO was a well refined game. Did it have it's difficulties, yes. Needing Wynne in the party or a massive amount of health potions was a frustrating element.

    However, DA2 is bad. It's Chrono Trigger to Chrono Cross bad. The combat has lost all semblance of strategy, it is an orgy of lights and effects with no tactical element whatsoever. I am not sure you even really need to control the main character most of the time to survive through combat. Rather, you can sit there are watch the fireworks. The lack of coherent purpose or direction has me drifting in a video game wasteland of purposelessness. I went from saving Ferelden in DAO to owning half a mine in DA2. Honestly, if I wanted my days to feel like a vain wandering through menial tasks, I would stay in the real world and quit playing video games. All in all I will see the game through, but it feels like a slow, inevitable death; the game is a giant slow-motion train wreck. I want my 59.99 back for DA2, 59.99 for MA2, and 10k for pain and suffering.    … Expand
  14. FlawlessWallace
    Mar 31, 2011
    0
    This game was terrible. What a waste of $60 bucks. All the kissing up to EA is getting old. EA ruins every good game. Dragon Age Origins was at least interesting and fun to go through the story, but this game used the same buiding designs throughout the boring story line and there was nothing unique. Its like they ran out of time and decided to use the same building designs throughoutThis game was terrible. What a waste of $60 bucks. All the kissing up to EA is getting old. EA ruins every good game. Dragon Age Origins was at least interesting and fun to go through the story, but this game used the same buiding designs throughout the boring story line and there was nothing unique. Its like they ran out of time and decided to use the same building designs throughout the whole game. I want my money back for buying this crap.… Expand
  15. buzznjackal
    Apr 4, 2011
    4
    Huge disappoint if your a fan of the first one. First thing you'll noticed is the "consolization" of menu screen. Where the first game had a book overlay for your map, spells, inventory, etc... this one takes you out of the game to an over simplified menu for same information. The UI overlay is ugly to look at as well. The graphics overall appear worse off than the first and yet the gameHuge disappoint if your a fan of the first one. First thing you'll noticed is the "consolization" of menu screen. Where the first game had a book overlay for your map, spells, inventory, etc... this one takes you out of the game to an over simplified menu for same information. The UI overlay is ugly to look at as well. The graphics overall appear worse off than the first and yet the game runs horrible as it shows lack of optimization for PCs. Only one available race to choose from. Most of the game takes place in one city. Dungeons maps are reused over and over again. There is more bad than good. Can't believe critics are giving this game high marks. Bioware must have spent alot of money paying off reviewers instead of spending it on game developement.… Expand
  16. msblue
    Apr 5, 2011
    2
    What a shallow, only vaguely entertaining, repetitive and ugly game with a terrible plot. On the plus side, the voice acting was ok. Definitely no Mass Effect...
  17. FluffyERuf
    May 18, 2011
    1
    Very poor sequel to the excellent DA:0. Just not a rpg and a very forgettable game. 4 out of 10. BUT for all those extremely unfair reviews of Witcher 2 scoring 0 - No game is a 0, only games that don't install. So for that reason my score of 4 goes to 1.
  18. Logikal1
    May 21, 2011
    0
    This game is so bad that I consider it unplayable. I have been a BioWare fan for a decade and I'm sad to say that this product is complete and total trash. Not being able to customize your characters armor is obscene. There is no excuse for that. Not having a tactical camera for a game that IN THEORY (and theory only) is a party based tactical combat RPG is obscene. There is no excuse forThis game is so bad that I consider it unplayable. I have been a BioWare fan for a decade and I'm sad to say that this product is complete and total trash. Not being able to customize your characters armor is obscene. There is no excuse for that. Not having a tactical camera for a game that IN THEORY (and theory only) is a party based tactical combat RPG is obscene. There is no excuse for that. Enemies randomly appearing in 5+ waves on nightmare is obscene. Swordman often literally drop from the sky. There is no excuse for that. Areas are recycled over and over. I don't believe ANY are of the game is unique. The game is trash. Don't buy it. Don't rent it. Don't acknowledge it exists. Its really not worth the frustration if you're expecting another incredible BioWare title. That being said...... I hope Mike Laidlaw never develops another BioWare game.… Expand
  19. Ilaniol
    May 21, 2011
    0
    Im afraid this game was just plain lazy, the story is unimaginative compared to the first game and feels very padded out with the standard lazy RPG type quests . (go here and kill x of these, fetch x of this)

    The combat is just plane boring, no inovation or imagination.

    If you want another bland and samey RPG experience, I'd recommend this.
  20. AkarnisGath
    May 24, 2011
    0
    Do NOT buy this game. If you get the reference that my name is, you are probably an old school BioWare fan. This means that you KNOW they dropped the ball on this one. When I played DA: O I felt that it was a departure from RPGS I was used to, and somewhat bland of a game, and uninspired storywise. But a bad game? No way. DA: O is just what RPGs look like after the reign of WoW. It was aDo NOT buy this game. If you get the reference that my name is, you are probably an old school BioWare fan. This means that you KNOW they dropped the ball on this one. When I played DA: O I felt that it was a departure from RPGS I was used to, and somewhat bland of a game, and uninspired storywise. But a bad game? No way. DA: O is just what RPGs look like after the reign of WoW. It was a fun game for what it was. But Dragon Age 2 is just an abomination. BioWare made a *BAD* game and I never thought this day would come. They made a button-mashing borefest designed for people who don't like or care about RPGs. I really hope they learn from this mistake, because I feel really guilty for giving them money for this affront to the RPG genre. It's pretty obvious the EA has paid reviews (shills) to give it a rating it doesn't deserve. User reviews speak the truth.… Expand
  21. Stub
    Aug 6, 2011
    1
    A forgettable and regrettable abomination of a sequel. Did anyone at BioWare actually play this game before it was released? I seriously hope that some [lead] heads will roll as a result of this botched, repetitive, snooze-fest. Completely underwhelming, unacceptably short and shallow. What made the original fun has been 'stream-lined' out in this sequel.
  22. evilhippo
    Aug 26, 2011
    2
    Huge disappointment. Combat was speeded up absurdly so it it felt like a cheesy arcade fighter game. Animations were corny, characters were uninteresting and contrived. DA:O was not a perfect game but DA2 failed everywhere that DA:O succeeded.

    Bioware said they made Dragon Age 2 more 'accessible" and that is true... is worth remembering that "accessible" is an industry code word for    Huge disappointment. Combat was speeded up absurdly so it it felt like a cheesy arcade fighter game. Animations were corny, characters were uninteresting and contrived. DA:O was not a perfect game but DA2 failed everywhere that DA:O succeeded.

    Bioware said they made Dragon Age 2 more 'accessible" and that is true... is worth remembering that "accessible" is an industry code word for two things: "aimed at a younger, less thoughtful demographic" and "not a role playing game". If you are looking for an RPG and a dev says their game is "accessible", keep your credit card in your pocket and look elsewhere.    … Expand
  23. Hazard
    Nov 15, 2011
    1
    Playing Dragon Age II is like having a bad case of food poisoning... Some new things happen in the same old areas, but none of it is any good and you wish it would end almost before it begins. I preordered the game to ASAP to get the free upgrade to the collectors edition and even upon receiving the game box I was already disappointed. It was just a DVD case with a single disc and somePlaying Dragon Age II is like having a bad case of food poisoning... Some new things happen in the same old areas, but none of it is any good and you wish it would end almost before it begins. I preordered the game to ASAP to get the free upgrade to the collectors edition and even upon receiving the game box I was already disappointed. It was just a DVD case with a single disc and some cards with codes on them. Couldn't even be troubled to send the sound track on a cd. Instead I had to download it. Then I started the game, I liked the beginning until the game play started then it went down hill fast. The choices didn't feel natural at all, the characters were forgettable and their motivations lacking. By the time I got to Kirkwall and started doing quests in the same dungeon I was thoroughly bored. Last time I preorder a Bioware game.… Expand
  24. Broly
    Dec 21, 2011
    0
    Dumbed down game not worthy of the Dragon age name ... Everything was horrible compared to the original. But the sad part was that it sucks even as a stand alone game, regardless that the previous part was the game of the year. From the poor written script at the beginning of the story to bad interface and spawning creeps from thin air ... its just awfully bad

    pure money making ****
  25. mikey42782
    Sep 7, 2012
    1
    bioware...we should give bioware a viking funeral after this abomination.
    If you are new to the Dragon Age series? maybe you'll enjoy it. If you are fan of the first one? well prepared to be disapointed-extremely. I still play the first one-to this day. Why do i say this? well let's go through some things...
    1) it has been completely and utterly dumbed down-yeah...it has. In the    bioware...we should give bioware a viking funeral after this abomination.
    If you are new to the Dragon Age series? maybe you'll enjoy it. If you are fan of the first one? well prepared to be disapointed-extremely. I still play the first one-to this day. Why do i say this? well let's go through some things...
    1) it has been completely and utterly dumbed down-yeah...it has. In the first one, you were completely in charge of what your companions wore, what weapons, etc. In this one? like in mass effect 2? no dice. You get what's called "armor upgrades" for your companions. I used to spend countless hours, just figuring out what armor worked and what didnt, what weapons worked and what didn't. this one? they just want you to keep going. sure you can change what you wear-to an extent. 2)the combat gets utterly repetitive and boring-combat is just that-it's repetitive and boring. don't get me wrong, some of the animations are pretty neat, but they opted the more realistic slow paced combat that was in the first one-which was still and is awesome-to a fast pace get it over with get it done battle, in which you just fight waves upon waves upon waves of enemies until they are dead. 3)copy and paste graphics-there are points after you go through your first dungeon or two you start to notice that things are starting to look the same. yes they do. because they just copied and pasted the effin textures.
    4)location-in dragon age one you had a bunch of places to visit, you could get ambushed on the road..this game goes between two phases-night and day..day time there are certain missions, night time there are certain missions..and get this? 3 areas..there's the city of kirkwall, theres outside the city and well i guess 2. the city and outside. the city doesnt even look like a city if you compare it to denerim in the first one.
    5)graphics-the darkspawn in the first one looked awesome and realistic-to me anyway. i remember several times in Dragon Age Orgins approaching a bridge and there in front of me stood several darkspawn waiting for my blade. the ones in this? it looks like its a really late ps2 game. 6)sounds-if you play nights of the old republic, not only is the graphics engine the same one from this game but it has the same sound effects minus the lasers..
    what's good about it?-i don't know anymore..i can't really think of anything..EA destroyed the dragon age franchise with this one. I still play the first dragon age but i have not been able to get myself to install this game since i beat it last year.

    so whats my conclusion-its nothing even compared to the first dragon age. it is dumbed down to try and make rpg games like this more mainstream. I think that bioware selling out to EA pretty much wrote their death certificate. I will never..ever purchase another ea game again.thank you    … Expand
  26. HGV
    Mar 19, 2011
    1
    Letâ
  27. hawkeman72
    Apr 11, 2012
    3
    This game is so amazing! i mean who could ask for a better game from bioware! the game centers around a character named Hawke, he has a pointed beard that points out on both sides! thats so badass! thats what more RPGs need, badass things like that! I love badassery in video games. I love the blood splatters on the cover, it shows that its a dark and mature game, for mature gamers such asThis game is so amazing! i mean who could ask for a better game from bioware! the game centers around a character named Hawke, he has a pointed beard that points out on both sides! thats so badass! thats what more RPGs need, badass things like that! I love badassery in video games. I love the blood splatters on the cover, it shows that its a dark and mature game, for mature gamers such as myself. Gone are the diverse dungeons and cityscapes of Dragon Age: oregins. Now you will be spending the entire game in Kirkwood! i bet thats a reference to captain kirk! im glad bioware are such Nreds like i am *squee**Glomp* nreds are so cool!. The Dungeons are copied and pasted like they should be! people who want variety are just entitled! The graphics are a step backward from the original dragon age, which is a good thing! those shiny new graphics just hurt my eyes!. The game deals with many real world issues, like killing, violence, and homosex. It deals with the latter in a very mature manner, there are multiple option for homosex in Dragon Age II, some of them can be initiated after a few positive lines of Dialogue! this is exactly what homosexes are like in real life, i walked to the hardware store today and recieved at least 3 or 4 homosexual encounters after asking for directions, its a very accurate and non patronizing portrayal of homosexes. Drag Age II is game of the year, its the best game of the decade and is amazing and good and great in every way. If you dont like it you are a homophone and a nazi.… Expand
  28. merl
    Jun 7, 2011
    2
    Epic fail. It is boring, simple and unfinished (I mean gameplay), and, yes, I'm fan of the DA:O. May be (if the name of the game does not contain words "dragon age") I'll give another score, little better...
  29. jacob-renner
    Jun 16, 2011
    3
    Dragon Age 2 is an action-RPG developed by Bioware . The story which spans a decade is told through a framed narrative. The time skips break the immersion and the outcome of your tale is already known and fixed. The poorly written main plot line revolves around political intrigues and features boring and tedious quests. The game gives you choices, but they don't effect the outcome at theDragon Age 2 is an action-RPG developed by Bioware . The story which spans a decade is told through a framed narrative. The time skips break the immersion and the outcome of your tale is already known and fixed. The poorly written main plot line revolves around political intrigues and features boring and tedious quests. The game gives you choices, but they don't effect the outcome at the end. Party members are shallow and forgettable. The game world is small. Most of the game takes place inside a city called Kirkwall. The city is lifeless, dull and lacks atmosphere. Inhabitants stand around in the same spot for years and the city doesn't change over a decade. There are many identical environments like back alleys, interiors and a few caves outside Kirkwall which are being reused and recycled throughout the game. Combat in Dragon Age 2 is action orientated. Waves of enemies pop out of nowhere. There is not much strategy involved. The dialogue system is simple, you choose a good, bad, or funny response. The paraphrases often don't match the actual answers. There are no dialogue related skills in Dragon Age 2. Party equipment management is very limited. You can't change the armor of your party members. The graphics in Dragon Age 2 are sub-par. The art style is bad. Hurlocks look like Skeletor from the Masters of the Universe franchise and the elves look like non-blue Na'vi from the Avatar motion picture.
    My final verdict: Dragon Age II is an obviously rushed game plagued with bad design decisions. 3/10    … Expand
  30. DubiousPigeon
    Jun 16, 2011
    3
    The cons glaringly outweigh the good, which is unfortunate. The levels/areas are reused and recycled despite being purportedly different places. The flexibility of the game is extremely limited. Combat is fun to look at for awhile but becomes boring and repetitive after fighting the same bandits in the same 3 places with the same 2 weapon types.

    It looks like visual designs of weapons    The cons glaringly outweigh the good, which is unfortunate. The levels/areas are reused and recycled despite being purportedly different places. The flexibility of the game is extremely limited. Combat is fun to look at for awhile but becomes boring and repetitive after fighting the same bandits in the same 3 places with the same 2 weapon types.

    It looks like visual designs of weapons were handled by different parties and thrown in the game without communicating with one another. it leaves a sense of disconnect to see cartoony, over-colored plastic swords next to weapons whose designers were trying way to hard to make them look edgy and cool.

    Alot of the character writing is excellent, which is one of the few redeeming qualities of the game. And while the areas are absurdly recycled, they tend to be visually appealing.

    I really wanted to like this game but there is simply too much wrong with it to be content.    … Expand
  31. Alkemic
    Jun 19, 2011
    1
    Comparing to DA:O, this is a worthless production, only to made a cash. Only better thing in sequel is that they make spells looks better, and environment still looks nice. Game play and mechanics are broken, but storyline isn't bad. Don't waste your money like I waste.
  32. SquattingBear
    Jun 20, 2011
    0
    This game is complete trash, and seems to be a pathetic money grab by EA. The worst part is that it worked. Bioware has always pushed out complete trash DLC for Mass Effect and even DA:O, but I didn't expect them to do the same for an entire game. I played 10 hours and quit. It's terrible enough that I didn't even want to play it. It tries to be mass effect, but all the characters areThis game is complete trash, and seems to be a pathetic money grab by EA. The worst part is that it worked. Bioware has always pushed out complete trash DLC for Mass Effect and even DA:O, but I didn't expect them to do the same for an entire game. I played 10 hours and quit. It's terrible enough that I didn't even want to play it. It tries to be mass effect, but all the characters are terrible. Story is terrible. Quests are exactly what you might expect.... from World of Warcraft. Most quests are meaningless "Go here, kill that, return xxx items to xxx person". Hawke is bland and the dialogue is often... just bad. Ok so the story is a joke, what about the combat you might ask? It is far too easy and all strategy is trumped by AOE spamming. Controlling your squad isn't necessary, and even if you wanted to the lack of isometric view combined with terrible camera angles make it tough.

    What about equipment and the like? Well that is a disappointment as well. Nearly all the useful items are only wearable by Hawke, and not your party members. Why they did this I have no idea. If you have a Mage Hawke, you find a ton of warrior gear that is only useable by Hawke, causing you to throw it away instead of giving it to your tank ( Which I doubt you even need in this game, its that easy.)

    Overall the game is an extreme disappointment and I have lost all respect for Bioware. They went from being in my top 3 favorite developers to near the bottom of the list. I feel cheated and will not purchase anymore bioware games until well after they are thoroughly reviewed....BY PLAYERS, not critics trying to shore up a mass effect 3 exclusive for their publication by giving inflated reviews.    … Expand
  33. KaiEkkrin
    Jun 24, 2011
    4
    Dragon Age II would be a moderately OK CRPG if it had been made by an unknown developer and published standalone. As a sequel to Origins, it's a disaster. Pluses: still a well-crafted story, side plots, romances, etc. Minuses: pretty much everything else. Forced to play as a Human. Constant location re-use, with the same map standing in for every cave in the country, for example.Dragon Age II would be a moderately OK CRPG if it had been made by an unknown developer and published standalone. As a sequel to Origins, it's a disaster. Pluses: still a well-crafted story, side plots, romances, etc. Minuses: pretty much everything else. Forced to play as a Human. Constant location re-use, with the same map standing in for every cave in the country, for example. Top-down view gone, and teleports enemies down in random places during encounters, ruining the excellent tactical combat system inherited from Origins and replacing it with a slog (there is a *lot* of combat). Awash with meaningless side quests; I ended up scooping them up in MMO style and following glowing objectives, not remembering or caring what it was I was actually doing. Even the main quest is a flop: the main character is someone that things just happen to, and appears to have no real effect on the world, even though the game keeps insisting that you're AWESOME really. Completely fails at doing an epic story that doesn't involve saving the world, making you feel like a nobody instead (see Mask of the Betrayer for how this should be done). I no longer believe the word of the professional reviewers who gave this disappointment 90% scores.… Expand
  34. Gakka
    Mar 1, 2012
    2
    Really disappointed with this game. I have been a fan of BioWare games since BG1 and this game along Jade Empire(if I remember the name correctly) are the biggest disappointments. This honestly just feels like a huge money grasp. Hopefully BioWare learned from this that they can't just put out anything and expect to people to be happy with it...
  35. Miang
    Sep 24, 2012
    4
    This game is not even a shadow of its former self (DA1). Insultingly reused content, stuck in just one city, very short duration, combat system is worst than DA1's, a dull plot and many more negative aspects and litle to nothing positive to comment here. I give this game a 3 because it's a Dragon Age... or maybe not. I don't know. But this game is an insult to every Dragon Age fan.
  36. Gothic90
    Sep 10, 2012
    3
    It's a game that tries to cater to everyone, but in the end is satisfying to no one.
    Yes combat fluidity is improved, but making it an action game with wild swings of greatsword, and that one where you can't even use the top down camera? That takes too much away from the tactical, group based combat experience.
    In fact, there are mods to DAO like Nightmare+ and Combat Tweaks on dragon    It's a game that tries to cater to everyone, but in the end is satisfying to no one.
    Yes combat fluidity is improved, but making it an action game with wild swings of greatsword, and that one where you can't even use the top down camera? That takes too much away from the tactical, group based combat experience.
    In fact, there are mods to DAO like Nightmare+ and Combat Tweaks on dragon age nexus that resolves the drawbacks of DAO's combat system, without taking away the core experience.
    Also, while it ventured into the area of action based combat, there is hardly anything it can offer to compete with real action games, there's no rolling or even jumping. You do it right, or you don't do it at all.

    The characters are also rather bland characters. Many are minor characters of Origins with one dimensional personalities. Which is fine, but when they become major characters of DA2, you have to add more dimensions, and by that I don't mean Isabela's boob size.

    This is the game that marks the beginning of Bioware's downfall. It is no longer a game; it is a formulated product. Bioware thinks writing + combat = game, which is definitely not true.    … Expand
  37. Smaug
    Sep 12, 2012
    0
    Greatest disappointment in history of RPG's...
    Poor story where every action has only one prescripted outcome
    You are playing an emotionless doushebag Terrible graphics Untactical and repetitive combat Short Tiny amount of scenery and locations Boring WoWesque quests Poor animations Overhiped piece of **** Only thing it was good for was for showing how corrupted gaming magazines    Greatest disappointment in history of RPG's...
    Poor story where every action has only one prescripted outcome
    You are playing an emotionless doushebag Terrible graphics
    Untactical and repetitive combat
    Short
    Tiny amount of scenery and locations
    Boring WoWesque quests Poor animations
    Overhiped piece of **** Only thing it was good for was for showing how corrupted gaming magazines actually are.    … Expand
  38. Goikotxea
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Not only this is not a step forward from what was already a "not so good but somewhat promising" Role Playing Game, this is officially two steps back. Some people like to call those gamers that like to think, when playing, other than smashing buttons expecting awesome things to happen, i don't care, i refuse to call what is an extremely dumbed down, very poorly written action game withNot only this is not a step forward from what was already a "not so good but somewhat promising" Role Playing Game, this is officially two steps back. Some people like to call those gamers that like to think, when playing, other than smashing buttons expecting awesome things to happen, i don't care, i refuse to call what is an extremely dumbed down, very poorly written action game with its own, childish concept of "mature content"(which means sex scenes and lots of blood-- give me a break) anything more than horrible. Poor job.… Expand
  39. DavidGayder
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    If anything this game proved once and for all that Bioware and EA are bribing reviewers to publish lies in order to increase sales. This is the only unbiased review I was able to find on the internet.

    http://www.videogamessuck.com/review437.html
  40. izayoisakuya
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    I can't believe I pre-ordered this game, seriously
    I was so hyped to get this game on my hands, oh, it really felt good, but oh surprise, at the beginning of the game the bad graphics were showing up, and by bad I mean, REAL BAD graphics, damnit they look worse than the DA:O ones, but okay graphics aren't everything, right?, let's see, let's go with the dialogue, what can I say..oh    I can't believe I pre-ordered this game, seriously
    I was so hyped to get this game on my hands, oh, it really felt good, but oh surprise, at the beginning of the game the bad graphics were showing up, and by bad I mean, REAL BAD graphics, damnit they look worse than the DA:O ones, but okay graphics aren't everything, right?, let's see, let's go with the dialogue, what can I say..oh yeah..IT WAS MUTILATED, the dialogue isn't the same anymore, it lacks that "magic" that Dragon Age: Origins had, please do not buy this game for the dialogue nor its story, it's like the lead writer was smoking weed, no not even that, looks like his baby wrote it, that's right, it sucks and I won't stop saying so!, now for the quests, they are weak in dialogue nor story like I said before, they are boring and have no action at all.....they suck..

    Now for the "sex" scenes, I can't believe bioware did this to Dragon Age 2, I can't even speak to someone without having the "sex dialogue " option showing up every instant, on males and females, what the hell?!, THIS IS NOT DRAGON AGE NOR THIS IS NOT A VALID DRAGON AGE SEQUEL, I demand my money back, but sadly I can't do so, huh? oh well

    That's it, I'm so angry right now because I can't believe I bought this game...sheesh..I REALLY HOPE IT GETS BETTER BUT IT HAS BEEN OVER 9 HOURS OF GAMEPLAY AND IT STILL SUCKS.    … Expand
  41. johndows
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    Trash for 60$. How can they call it an "rpg" ? Better spend money on a game rather buying reviews! 1 score for not trivia scenario, other parts of game doesn't deserve more than 0
  42. Ukengor
    Mar 11, 2011
    2
    It's not a game. It's a disaster. The biggest disappointment of the year. Boring combat, boring dialogs, version 1.0 is completely raw (as example: impossibility to save a game - cool, ain't it?)...
  43. Isolfr
    Mar 11, 2011
    2
    This game to me was a waste of money, it lacked everything good from DA:O, the plot wanders to much and the way they tie it all together is terrible. It seemed like they took an almost unimportant thing that you can forget for a time and used it to tie the whole thing up. The game would have been better served starting in the last act and going into something epic from there.
  44. Brod
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Сх Expand
  45. ChDeWa
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    Dragon Age II is supposedly the sequel of DA O but it lacks all the traits that made DA O such a great game. First of all DA II is too linear because all the different options of DA O have been reduced to good-neutral-evil, while many your choice doesn't even matter because the result will be the same. The characters are simpler, thus less interesting. The battles are too simple and someDragon Age II is supposedly the sequel of DA O but it lacks all the traits that made DA O such a great game. First of all DA II is too linear because all the different options of DA O have been reduced to good-neutral-evil, while many your choice doesn't even matter because the result will be the same. The characters are simpler, thus less interesting. The battles are too simple and some times comparable to the complexity of games like...Pokemon.… Expand
  46. morethan9000
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Grim, dark, bad. The graphics would have looked shameful five years ago; the writing reads like fanfiction by pre-teens, and the less said of the gameplay, the better. Dragon Age: Origins was mediocre, but DA2 has truly bested it in all departments, descending to a whole new level of unacceptably AWFUL.
  47. jthm39
    Mar 14, 2011
    1
    This game, is the worst game....EVER.

    Basically you take a decent game like Dragon Age: Origins, then rub Electronic Arts **** all over it. Then you hired **** developers that cater to casual 12 year olds. THEN you only worry about sales, and not the quality of the product.

    Thats how you make a **** game. Thats how you kill a good developer like Bioware. 4.0? 4.0.
  48. November
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    CaÅ
  49. MAXX45
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    "As a Player of Baldurs Gate 1 &2 , Planescape Torment , Morrowind and all the other RPGÃ
  50. marineuac
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game kept hardly anything from original origins... there just seemed to me more awakening, but not even awakening solved alot of questions in origin. theres also the fact that you only see flemeth twice in the whole game, why is she even in the game? (aside from travel twards kirkwall) What was the point in the long run??? What of morrigan's child and my warden? Seeing alistar was about the only satisfying thing in the game.

    Then theres just only Kirkwall?? In first da there was much more cities and places to go to... limiting everything to kirkwall just seemed so stale. I half expected they would keep that map or at least make traveling seamless but guess not.

    Also the major thing that bothered me was how during import it said all of these things, shale recovered, amaranthine saved, urn of sacred ashes, connor's status, and most importantly my warden went threw the portal with morrigan... yet in NONE of this changed anything in da2. Flemeth only seen twice... pitiful. She seemed like a major story element too. saved by her, then released from amulet then thats it??

    The game should not even be called dragon age 2. Should just be called "game #456: hawke" because it has nothing to do with dragon age.    … Expand
  51. Verilee
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    Oh my... I have never thought I had to write that...

    RPGs... I did em all... from the first days with my Commodore Amiga (Bard's Tale, some AD&D RPGs), to PC games (also AD&Ds, Might and Magics, Ultima Underworld, those from Interplay, and all the classic Biowares, and Elder Scrolls Arena, Daggerfall and so on...), so I claim to have a vast knowledge about how RPGs were and how they are    Oh my... I have never thought I had to write that...

    RPGs... I did em all... from the first days with my Commodore Amiga (Bard's Tale, some AD&D RPGs), to PC games (also AD&Ds, Might and Magics, Ultima Underworld, those from Interplay, and all the classic Biowares, and Elder Scrolls Arena, Daggerfall and so on...), so I claim to have a vast knowledge about how RPGs were and how they are now. I found some better, some not so good, but most of them were quite solid RPGs.

    It's of course a matter of taste, but to me, RPG means story, interactions and customizing the characters. DAO is already streamlined compared to the Elder Scrolls Universe, but still classic RPG because of all those things that are still possible, and probably one of the best story and especially dialogues (which results in a great overall atmosphere) I have ever seen in an RPG.

    Although, even in DAO I miss being able to jump, or to access all those places that can be seen, from that point it's a bit limited, but still acceptable to me as there are other unique features.

    Now DA2... I decided to first have a look, so visited a friend, and had a look, and have to say, I won't buy that game. I don't hate it, but I am not into Action-Adventures. Opponents spawning out of nowhere, 2 metres jumps in full armor, no thank you... to me that is more comic style gaming, jump and run even a bit... no, that's not RPG anymore to me.

    Flemeth designed like a mixture of Manga and Domina, no, not my taste.

    Not being able to equip my party... that is a no go for me in an RPG. I mean, I love to spend hours with so callled unimportant details like trying out clothes, armors, crafting, making potions... whatever. DA2 delivers nothing. A fast paced action game, not bad by itself, but not worthy of being named Dragon Age or even being regarded as its successor.

    Some good things still, some nice dialogues, but it feels more like an interactive movie... hey of course not to the extent I had with Dragon's Lair on my good old Amiga... but still, too dictated for me. Everything is kind of chewed before we get it to eat.

    I don't hate this game, but I don't think it is wise to distribute it as the successor of DAO, and besides, Bioware to me was a synonym for great RPGs. Now, that does not seem to apply anymore. A pity.

    Per se there is nothing wrong in offering variations or different style games within the same universe... other companies did that in the past too, Bethesda had some spin-offs (Elder scrolls series vs Battlespire, Redguard), 3DO had them (Might and Magic series vs Heroes), Origin (Ultima, and then Ultima underworld was different), and some more.

    They could have opened a new spin off series, like DA Action Adventures or whatever, then the players can decide for themselves whether to try it out or not, without being fooled with wrong expectations, rising up when hearing the name Dragon Age, or even Dragon Age 2, which implies the continuation of the 1st game.

    Dragon Age, to me, stood for RPG, like Elder Scrolls does, different, but great. I don't want to see an action adventure under the Elder Scrolls series label, and I didn't want to see that with DAO.

    It happened, and I think they didn't do themselves a favour. For me, this series ended with DAO, and will start again, when they pick up on what they built with DAO. Whether it was Bioware's fault, or EA's, it is an enourmous damage that has been done to Bioware's reputation, in rushing out such a game, and pretending it is the successor of DAO.    … Expand
  52. Zulu
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    http://www.videogamessuck.com/review437.html

    ^BESTREVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  53. richard_w
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    Wow. What a disappointment. Everything EA touches goes south. EA ruined the single greatest developer ever in Origin, then proceeded to torpedo the second greatest in Bioware. DA:O was a very good, but not quite greate fantasy CRPG. It needed some tuning a few areas, there were too many useless talents in combat and some of the were down right silly such as the rebel yell thatWow. What a disappointment. Everything EA touches goes south. EA ruined the single greatest developer ever in Origin, then proceeded to torpedo the second greatest in Bioware. DA:O was a very good, but not quite greate fantasy CRPG. It needed some tuning a few areas, there were too many useless talents in combat and some of the were down right silly such as the rebel yell that knocked back opponents?!? Do you have a fog horn for a voice??? However, overall it was quite enjoyable and I ended up replaying 6 times. Awakenings was a glimpse into what DA was to become. A lazy bug ridden mess. With great trepidation, I purchased DA II. What a mistake that was. I want my $60.00 back. It's like EA took the worst of Dragon Age, and merged it with the worst of Mass Effect and greated a mess of a game. I don't see it really appealling the action gamer and they have completely alientated RPG fans. You are lead around by the nose, there really isn't any decision process on what to do next. You don't have a choice. Lazy reused levels as even the most ardent fans have pointed out really detract. The story is not all that compelling. I'm OK with something other than the Warden story. That played itself out. But the DAII story just wasn't something I can get into. Why should I care about some local Champion? Why not the tail of the garbage collector? Gee I got some great stuff today. Yawn. It seems like a half finished game that in order to get the full experience, you just need to buy endless DLC. I don't mind DLC but don't take so much out of the game, in order to get folks to buy more DLC. You know what? I won't be buying anything. Period. The new graphics are improved if you don't use NVidia. However, the new art style is cartoonish and silly. Romances? Come on? What a joke. After one wink, the character is ready to boink the protagonist? Doesn't Issabella wear pants? What kind of a pirate runs around in just a shirt and panties? What is with all the oversexed women? Was the core audience 12 year old boys? What really ruined it for me was the combat. DA:O needed a bit of tweaking not a do over. What is with all the twirlly animations? Warriors rocketing around the screen leaving SMOKE TRAILS? WTF? Rogues jumping 30 feat through the air like a kangaroo on steriods? Endless waves of enemies simply appearing out of nowhere? Super Ninja Gaiden. Bad. Really bad. The lack of equiping companions, why then get all the loot if all I can do is sell it? Dumded down to the realm of pointless. For DAIII is the only thing I have to do is fork over $60.00 while EA continually spams me for DLC dollars? The whole game was played on auto pilot. I kept pushing buttons but I'm still waiting for the awsome to happen. Bioware has lost a loyal fan. There is no excuse, other than a money grab for this mess. No redeeming qualities. If I could get a refund I would.… Expand
  54. alkatrazz
    Mar 13, 2011
    1
    Utter garbage inasmuch as it actually inspired me to signup in order to post my views. This is truly a shame, given the expectations built up with DA:O -- What is hilarious to note is all the major review companies noting `once you get past the..' OR `compare to DA:O this is much worse BUT' and awarding ~80, tbh these look like paid for reviews in order to drive sales. DA2 is awful c.f.Utter garbage inasmuch as it actually inspired me to signup in order to post my views. This is truly a shame, given the expectations built up with DA:O -- What is hilarious to note is all the major review companies noting `once you get past the..' OR `compare to DA:O this is much worse BUT' and awarding ~80, tbh these look like paid for reviews in order to drive sales. DA2 is awful c.f. DA:O.
    END OF LINE.    … Expand
  55. MistOne
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    Epic Fail. Terrible game.Old graph, many bugs, Not RPG, but fighting slasher!! Total trash. Omg and this company create godly Dragon Age: Origins ? I dont beleive =(
  56. Torako
    Mar 14, 2011
    2
    2
    Bioware is asking Russian players to raid Metacritic and raise DA user score .
    Here's the link: http://www.bioware.ru/2011/03/10/dragon_age_2_vote_on_metacritic.html
    You can use Google translate, if anything.

    Sorry, Bioware, but your Bio-bots with green scores doesn't make this "game" good.
  57. PissedatBW
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    Absolutely PISSED at bioware... i absolutely loved DA:O and ME:1, but come on. what hell was ME:2 about? choices didn't carry over. story very lackluster. but the combat. was easily 2x better, after beating it i was left empty and dissapointed. but that was ok since DA:O came out and had me spending hours on it even replaying it 3 times as each of the classes... ME moved to the back of myAbsolutely PISSED at bioware... i absolutely loved DA:O and ME:1, but come on. what hell was ME:2 about? choices didn't carry over. story very lackluster. but the combat. was easily 2x better, after beating it i was left empty and dissapointed. but that was ok since DA:O came out and had me spending hours on it even replaying it 3 times as each of the classes... ME moved to the back of my mind. i was counting the days DA:2 came out, replayed Origin another couple of times when DA:2 was nearing release. played the demo and was slightly nervous... completely revamped combat and the **** ME wheel in it? uh oh it's ME:2 all over again... and sure enough. **** combat requiring NO thought at all. i find myself spamming attack as opposed to setting up chokepoints/traps/mage combos (where are the mage combos btw?!?!? were they COMPLETELY taken out or do i need to spend more time away from the attack spam to look more into this?) i've yet to get to the deep roads and i don't even wanna play anymore. i see NO references to my grey warden other than Isabella and a drunken allistair (who was my FAVORITE character, cheesball lines not withstanding he was the best tank i could hope to make) no thought to dialogue... dont even know my followers so if i pick a dialogue option they may not agree with there is NO hint to it other then when the damn dialogue is closed i see a "Aveline +5 rivalry" wtf?!?! sooo the **** doesnt like saving a cave full of innocent mages?!?!? im pissed... bioware took all my hopes and loyalty and took a massive **** on them. well, if they REFUSE to cater to the true fans. **** it i will no longer purchase a bioware game. i sincerely hope you guys follow suit, a massive refusal to buy their **** seems to be the only way to get them to make a real game. well bethesda i hope you keep it real i am willing to look past New vegas in hopes of the new ES. screw ME and **** DA… Expand
  58. motazturk
    Mar 15, 2011
    1
    this game is a joke!!!! and seeing the high reviews from reviewers makes me sick!!!! you should be ashamed of yourselves!!!! Terrible game on all platforms. 2003 graphics, mediocre gameplay, underwhelming story. Just go replay Dragon Age: Origins or Neverwinter Nights 2 instead and avoid this disaster. Spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate, MY ASS!
  59. droppedmyhand
    Mar 15, 2011
    2
    This is not a game. Bioware is selling you a $60 EXPANSION PACK.

    The major problem with this game is REUSED ASSETS that are of a very small number to begin with. I hope you like fighting bandits, zombies, revanents, quanari, and the occasional dragon because that's literally all that there are in this game. Not just that, but the faces, armor, and weapons are almost completely reused from    This is not a game. Bioware is selling you a $60 EXPANSION PACK.

    The major problem with this game is REUSED ASSETS that are of a very small number to begin with. I hope you like fighting bandits, zombies, revanents, quanari, and the occasional dragon because that's literally all that there are in this game. Not just that, but the faces, armor, and weapons are almost completely reused from previous games.

    So, while your using these reused weapons to fight reused monsters, I hope you enjoy REPEATEDLY exploring the same locations: there's the town of kirkwall, of course, and there's one map for the coastline, one map for a cave (that is reused at least five or six times), one map for the sewers, and one map for the deep roads. THAT IS IT. You are constantly revisiting the same places over and over.

    Now, the story itself is...not bad. Largely forgettable--about on the same level of Jade Empire's, but more predictable. The main quest line is bogged down by tons of mini-quests that seem ripped from your favorite generic MMO--go here, crawl through the same rehashed cave map, kill this guy, come back to me. Combat is fun at first, but quickly turns dull. Enemies either die way too fast for any kind of strategic input or have giant health bars that take minutes to whittle down. I turned up the difficulty to hard, even though I consider myself a casual gamer, to try to make combat more bearable. It doesn't. It just makes it last longer. Enemy AI is non-existent. Melee guys charge you. Guys with bows stand in the back and take pot shots. That's all. Character's are pretty dull. Varric is awesome, and Fenris had his moments. The rest were merely bodies. Voices are disjointed, especially with Hawke (I played female--male might be better, I don't know.)

    Graphics are meh. I'm lucky enough to have a DX11 card and was able to push it up, but the character models themselves are pretty uninspired and even the prettiest cave still looks like a cave, especially when its the same cave over and over and over...

    All in all, I cannot in good conscience recommend buying this game. Everything about it seems like it was just put together as quickly as possible to make money.    … Expand
  60. frimmy
    Mar 16, 2011
    2
    This game has been a serious disappointment. I was a big fan of DA:O, it had its faults, but all in all it was an excellent game. DA2 looks to me to be a rushed job, the story is...decent. Some parts are interesting and makes you want to see what happens, but its only a few. - The conversations the user have with the npcs are sometimes good, most times really really bad. The conversationThis game has been a serious disappointment. I was a big fan of DA:O, it had its faults, but all in all it was an excellent game. DA2 looks to me to be a rushed job, the story is...decent. Some parts are interesting and makes you want to see what happens, but its only a few. - The conversations the user have with the npcs are sometimes good, most times really really bad. The conversation wheel and its options does not reflect what Hawk says at all, and mostly this was annoying since the reaction i wanted to give during the game wasnt reflected by my character. This also helped to distance me from my character, and helped ruin my experience. The characters that was so good in DA:O, is by my opinion in DA2 just there to help you in the game and to progress the story. They are uninteresting and dull. Their stories of how they came to be doesnt grasp me at all. - Combat isnt all that bad. I like the fast pace, and the fact that mages actually do more than just stand still and point their stick looking angry at whatever needs to die. Rogues are superheroes, able to jump distances that would make spiderman impressed. They can also teleport, wich could be handy for a thief, but not viable at all in my opinion. This and the fact that warriors swing their swords as easy as a twig ruined the combat "feel" for me. But what they did with the mages was a plus. Tactics wise its idotic. The camera ruins it by making it a challenge just seeing where ppl are, not to mention trying to make a character attack a mob. The game was played in hard to mode to have any challenge at all. - Graphics is ok, alot don't like em but i found em decent, but the fact that i had to manually download high res graphics was for me personally a setback, and a sign that PC users was not their main target at all. Menu systems reflects this aswell as i see them made for consoles and not a mouse. The game developers decision to reuse areas got to the point of annoying, tedious and just showed a lack of imagination. My conclusion is that bioware and EA just simply failed this time. They tried and failed miserably. This kind of game might have been good enough in the 80s, but nowadays most users are expecting more than this. I can't even call it a good attempt since i personally spent more time wanting the game to be over than i wanted it to continue. Its for me definatly not worth a 2 playthroug, it was barely worth 1. i will not recommend this game to anyone. Simply because they had so much going for them with DA:O, but instead of improving the things that made that such a great game, they decided to remove everything and make a game of inferior quality.… Expand
  61. kktrian
    Mar 16, 2011
    2
    Nothing I can really say except without a doubt the production company bought and paid for any decent critic reviews. There is no way a professional game critic could endorse this pile of crap. It's story is for a 5 year old, the gameplay is boring, and you can't even choose the equipment for your party (dead serious)
  62. Tata
    Nov 19, 2011
    1
    My previous score was 2, but I have to go lower. Once you try to play a solo run, you will recognize how bad and broken the combat system is. Dodging attacks is basically going 1m to the side and that's It. I also found out this way that enemy archers can shoot through ANYTHING, another slap in the face. Because of the DLC items, you're almost immortal. And this was on Nightmare, I mightMy previous score was 2, but I have to go lower. Once you try to play a solo run, you will recognize how bad and broken the combat system is. Dodging attacks is basically going 1m to the side and that's It. I also found out this way that enemy archers can shoot through ANYTHING, another slap in the face. Because of the DLC items, you're almost immortal. And this was on Nightmare, I might add. Boss fights are a joke. After the I. Act, I didn't have any will to continue playing this game, and I probably never will.… Expand
  63. anactoraaron
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    This game feels like Madden in the way that Bioware and EA didn't care enough about it to simply cut and paste from other games (DA:O and ME2). Then they dumb it down for kids (who really shouldn't be playing games like this anyway). I really feel like EA is responsible for this tragedy of a game in every way. Like all of EA's other hit franchises everything is cut and paste with only theThis game feels like Madden in the way that Bioware and EA didn't care enough about it to simply cut and paste from other games (DA:O and ME2). Then they dumb it down for kids (who really shouldn't be playing games like this anyway). I really feel like EA is responsible for this tragedy of a game in every way. Like all of EA's other hit franchises everything is cut and paste with only the character roster being different... Except in DA2 here they couldn't actually cut and paste from DA:O to get a "working title" (words used very loosely) complete (another word used very loosely) in a year. Expect the same sort of thing for Dragon Age 2012: Hall of Fame edition. I should have known EA would do something like this... they are the worst "big" game publisher that exists and franchises they have done games for have tanked worse for every sequel - like what they did to 007 games. Anyone here actually like 007: Double agent? That game was a bad sequel, but DA2 is even worse. It's like their only goal was to ride the coattails of the first game and essentially kill the series to make money. Here's my advise to you EA. Make games that are actually good and build up a good customer base. Then when it's sequel time do what Valve has done for Half-Life 2 ep.3. Take all of the time in the world to release a sequel that's actually BETTER than the first one. DA2 just is plain awful. I will be wiping the spit that was a $60 purchase off my face for a long time. Just wait, soon there will be DLC that will make this game more like DA:O and will cost you another $60. Pathetic!… Expand
  64. Klim
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Really, bioware? Really? This is a disaster, and such a step back for Dragon Age (and RPG's in general).
    The game is still buggy, and graphics are just lazy (don't know how they look on high resolution pack, hope the people who have two polygons on their faces now have at least 4), I'd like to review music, but there is NONE. At battle is rarely noticeable, but if not in battle all you    Really, bioware? Really? This is a disaster, and such a step back for Dragon Age (and RPG's in general).
    The game is still buggy, and graphics are just lazy (don't know how they look on high resolution pack, hope the people who have two polygons on their faces now have at least 4), I'd like to review music, but there is NONE. At battle is rarely noticeable, but if not in battle all you have is silence.
    Bioware stated that FF 13 was not really a RPG, because you can't really feel like the character, or make any important choices (which I agree with, don't get me wrong.)... and what happens with Dragon Age 2?
    You have already a character chosen for you, the only option you get is how he looks and what is his/her gender. While in first game you could choose between races, multiple backgrounds, and really feel like it's a character YOU created. Now we just get someone we don't know, we're supposed to care about him and his lost home and family, even though we didn't get to know them more for a minute.
    And the whole dialogue dumbed down to basically 3 choices? How is that an improvement? Not like the choice really matters story-wise anyway, so what bioware just accused of in another game, is doing itself to Dragon Age. What a shame.
    Dumbed down RPG with one-day DLC's and consolized game-play.
    Sorry, but I have to say no to that.    … Expand
  65. DrKillShot
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Terrible blend of modern rpg concepts without any of the decision making process being in the hands of the player. The endings are linear and your choices don't really have an impact (choices made in the first game are much more noticeable), the combat is not tactical or fun with just wave after wave of enemies spawning from random locations, and environments are extremely repetitive toTerrible blend of modern rpg concepts without any of the decision making process being in the hands of the player. The endings are linear and your choices don't really have an impact (choices made in the first game are much more noticeable), the combat is not tactical or fun with just wave after wave of enemies spawning from random locations, and environments are extremely repetitive to the point where you will recognize where all of the enemies are and where all of the loot is after 3-4 missions. Bioware is usually an excellent developer but this is very subpar.… Expand
  66. Nomoremrniceguy
    Mar 10, 2011
    1
    Unbelievably Lazy console port. Imagine a PS2 era japanese fight game with pong style graphics dumbed down so that random mashing of keys provides total victory running at around 10fps and you have this travesty of a game. By far the worst in the series and I've been playing since they were mostly text!
  67. bobloadmire
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    awful game, and EA/Bioware bans (banned from actually using the game) users for talking bad about the game on their forums. Do not buy from this company.
  68. Koumal
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    No strategy, no challenge, mediocre interface, RPG ? No, I don't believe. Action boom boom, it's all.
    A slap in the face for fans of DA:O and for fans of good games.
  69. HLeo
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    What happened?! They took my favorite game ever made and completely dumbed it down and destroyed it. Seriously what the heck is this? What game is this?!
  70. Someone2345
    Mar 11, 2011
    3
    Yes, I created a meta critic account just to post about my disappointment with this game. I have heard it said that it should have been marketed as something like "Hawke's Story: A Dragon Age Adventure" - this would have made much more sense, because this certainly isn't the sequel to that enthralling rich game that was DA:O. It has been simplified to the point of boring. Who is Hawke andYes, I created a meta critic account just to post about my disappointment with this game. I have heard it said that it should have been marketed as something like "Hawke's Story: A Dragon Age Adventure" - this would have made much more sense, because this certainly isn't the sequel to that enthralling rich game that was DA:O. It has been simplified to the point of boring. Who is Hawke and why the well should I care about him? I get to pick snippets of words and then he goes and says something completely different. With the inclusion of the speech wheel I no longer have to work out what is the good, evil or neutral response - I can just pick the pretty picture. I no longer have to discern if my investigative questions will provoke a reaction, cause the big question mark tells me that they are just questions. I can't change the character the way that I want to, I am fighting arena battles instead of "random encounters". What REALLY annoys me is that this game flies in the the face of what DO:A was suppose to be "a spiritual sequel to the late great baldur's quest". This game seems more akin to a MMORPG guest hunt. The shame bioware... the shame... I am also now no longer interested in Knight of the Old Republic MMO. In fact... that is what this game reminds me of. Die by the sword... but without VSIM.… Expand
  71. Nohra
    Mar 11, 2011
    4
    Really, all I have to say can be summed up with something I said to a co-worker earlier today, "The ending screamed 'We're going to finish this game with DLC.'" I don't want to have to pay $30-40 more to finish up a $60 game. I don't want to buy a book, read through it, and discover the last 50 pages have been ripped out. I'm seriously getting sick of the rampant growth of DLC as aReally, all I have to say can be summed up with something I said to a co-worker earlier today, "The ending screamed 'We're going to finish this game with DLC.'" I don't want to have to pay $30-40 more to finish up a $60 game. I don't want to buy a book, read through it, and discover the last 50 pages have been ripped out. I'm seriously getting sick of the rampant growth of DLC as a business practice - especially for single-player games.… Expand
  72. Gixxer420
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    The combat in Dragon Age 2 was actually a lot more fun than the original. But the gameplay, story, atmosphere, music, and just about everything else made this game a steamy pile of **** compared to the original. You stay in one area for the ENTIRE game and environments are recycled 5-10 times, holy **** The characters are decent, but it's hard to get attached to them like you could inThe combat in Dragon Age 2 was actually a lot more fun than the original. But the gameplay, story, atmosphere, music, and just about everything else made this game a steamy pile of **** compared to the original. You stay in one area for the ENTIRE game and environments are recycled 5-10 times, holy **** The characters are decent, but it's hard to get attached to them like you could in Origins. Now as a modern game it was mediocre, but for a Dragon Age successor it was a huge disappointment... I think I beat the game 100% in a little over 9 1/2 hours, Dragon Age: Origins took me over 60 hours to fully complete it, huge step backwards. The story was a mess, serious **** mess, I won't spoil it for anyone but no connections are made and it's a huge cluster **** of nothing. The game has polish, but it doesn't have that epic feel like Origins did. Oh well, maybe Dragon Age 3 will be a little different.… Expand
  73. Jamieaawroe
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    A massive disappointmentof a game. I feel like this game has taken everything good about origins and removed or neutered it, as well as making the bad aspects even worse. (And I would only give origins a 7/10) I really wanted to like Dragon age 2, as I have every other Bioware game to date. The problem is that it sells itself as an WRPG, when in actual fact it's more of an action game withA massive disappointmentof a game. I feel like this game has taken everything good about origins and removed or neutered it, as well as making the bad aspects even worse. (And I would only give origins a 7/10) I really wanted to like Dragon age 2, as I have every other Bioware game to date. The problem is that it sells itself as an WRPG, when in actual fact it's more of an action game with JRPG elements. The quests feel like they're stolen straight from WoW, with one liners on completion and little to no introduction text. I've put 12 hours into this game, doing all the side quests and trying to role play and I've found it impossible. I'm not controlling Hawke, I'm watching a predefined character and subtly influencing him. The main reason for this is the lack of dialogue options. Terrible, terrible game.… Expand
  74. Erenthorn
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    This an extremely sad attempt for an rpg, before continuing i will point out the first obvious flaws in the game. -Reusing the same four maps 500 times.
    -Setting the whole game in one city.
    -Enemies have a ton of HP and come in waves so the game feels longer. -Frame narrative to avoid being too descriptive about what happens between large periods of time. -Half as much dialogue, more    This an extremely sad attempt for an rpg, before continuing i will point out the first obvious flaws in the game. -Reusing the same four maps 500 times.
    -Setting the whole game in one city.
    -Enemies have a ton of HP and come in waves so the game feels longer.
    -Frame narrative to avoid being too descriptive about what happens between large periods of time.
    -Half as much dialogue, more passive interaction.
    -Millions of stupid side quests that have nothing to do with anything.
    -Dull environment bereft of life and matter.
    -Inability to customize companions allowed you to skip designing different armor models.
    -Collecting hundreds of-- literally, junk items-- to create the illusion of immersion and depth.
    -Poor character development, so you hardly care about your companions by the end of the game. -Lack of any substantial choices that have lasting effects.
    -Contrived ending, that tells you nothing, and leaves a huge gap for sub-par DLC
    -Generic UI showing a lack of creativity and effort.

    Thank You to Sharkey1337 from the Bioware forums for pointing this out. This "game" is a sad excuse for a rushed rpg that lacked any standards of innovation and i ask anyone who thinks about playing this game to not do so. At most, rent and DO NOT BUY, YOU WILL HAVE WASTED 60$ IF YOU DO. Dragon Age Origins compared to this is an absolute masterpiece and anyone who was not played it should do so over buying this short pathetic game.    … Expand
  75. Rhey
    Mar 17, 2011
    3
    Combat system improved, but everything else is worse than Dragon Age: Origins.
    Nobody needed a game like DA II. There are tons of titles like that.
    We needed an improved realistic, revolutionary & innovative npc interaction. Because there wasn't an RPG like Origins for that aspect before. In DA II you cannot talk to your company whenever you want, you have to wait for a Cutscene (quest or    Combat system improved, but everything else is worse than Dragon Age: Origins.
    Nobody needed a game like DA II. There are tons of titles like that.
    We needed an improved realistic, revolutionary & innovative npc interaction. Because there wasn't an RPG like Origins for that aspect before.
    In DA II you cannot talk to your company whenever you want, you have to wait for a Cutscene (quest or gift). You cannot talk to your party friends about your accomplishments, while the old good Origins did.
    We got a step back to something pointless, instead to improve the innovation, they killed it.
    A static location into the same city for the whole game and some anonymous random cave, BAD.
    No longer an epic journey like Origins, but the dumb match Templars Vs Mages.
    Efforts reduced on DAII, a team weakened to work on an other project like SWTOR. BioWare revealed in July that the ME2 system has been adopted cos the Dragon Age system requires too many efforts and resources, despite the higher quality / success of DA compared to ME2.

    The DA2 sales are pushed by what people know about DA:Origins.
    If DA3 will never ship, it will be a fail, because DA2 won't push anything.    … Expand
  76. zagorec92
    Mar 18, 2011
    4
    Origins had a lot more epic and exciting story. Idea of putting story in one city, with 2-3 locations near it is really catastrophic. Combat is not that satisfying as it should be and inventory is awful. In Dragon Age Origins we didn't have so much restriction for armors and weapons like here. I was really surprised by that, but in the wrong way. Graphics, well, I can't complain too muchOrigins had a lot more epic and exciting story. Idea of putting story in one city, with 2-3 locations near it is really catastrophic. Combat is not that satisfying as it should be and inventory is awful. In Dragon Age Origins we didn't have so much restriction for armors and weapons like here. I was really surprised by that, but in the wrong way. Graphics, well, I can't complain too much about it because my graphic card doesn't allow me to experience high or medium quality settings. Characters...there's only one worth mentioning and that is Varric because it seems they only finished him and that the others were in work by the time game was out. Main character is finally voiced and it doesn't seem so dumb like in Origins, but I expected more. I really wanted to like this game, especially because it is from Bioware. But call of money and greed from EA made this game the biggest flop this year. I will give it a 4, only because it gave me 35 hours of gameplay and because the main character isn't so dumb. I really hope this won't happen again, this rushing and placing a half-finished product on the market with Mass Effect 3.… Expand
  77. ZzrowGraff
    Oct 7, 2011
    0
    I LOVED DAO. It was a masterpiece. DA2 is garbage well-described in many earlier reviews. My purpose in writing this review is to bring to your attention the fact that at gamestop.com Morrowwind:GOTY costs $19.99 while DA2 costs $19.95. Bioware's tour-de-farce is less marketable several months after its release than a game that came out in 2002. If that doesn't clue you in, go ahead andI LOVED DAO. It was a masterpiece. DA2 is garbage well-described in many earlier reviews. My purpose in writing this review is to bring to your attention the fact that at gamestop.com Morrowwind:GOTY costs $19.99 while DA2 costs $19.95. Bioware's tour-de-farce is less marketable several months after its release than a game that came out in 2002. If that doesn't clue you in, go ahead and waste your money. I wish I could sell you my copy for the $60 I paid for it. :)… Expand
  78. chibajoe
    Mar 21, 2011
    3
    They would have been better off naming this game "Diablo Age 3". The incessant combat, random loot generator, uninspired voice acting, and complete lack of RPG elements made for a thoroughly underwhelming gaming experience. Had EA been honest and told everyone up front that this was going to be a hack-n-slash gear hunt with some cinematics thrown in for good measure, I think people wouldThey would have been better off naming this game "Diablo Age 3". The incessant combat, random loot generator, uninspired voice acting, and complete lack of RPG elements made for a thoroughly underwhelming gaming experience. Had EA been honest and told everyone up front that this was going to be a hack-n-slash gear hunt with some cinematics thrown in for good measure, I think people would have been willing to cut them a little slack. To claim this half complete abortion as the inheritor of the crown of Dragon Age and the "spiritual" successor of Baldur's Gate is a spit in the face of every RPG gamer who has ever played those games. If you are an RPG player, DO NOT BUY THIS GAME, it sucks (as an RPG). If you're just looking for 30 or so hours of mindless hack and slash in repetitive and over used environments on an aging graphics engine, and you have $60 that you just can't find something better to waste on, then this might just be the game for you.… Expand
  79. Rizla
    Mar 16, 2011
    4
    It's sad that this game has turned out how it has. Where i would play DA:O hours on end cause it immersed me into a beautiful world with diversity and a compelling story, i have to take a break from DA II every half hour because of the fatigue the game gives me, it's the same thing over and over, covered in bland and repeating surroundings and a general 'meh' feeling toward anythingIt's sad that this game has turned out how it has. Where i would play DA:O hours on end cause it immersed me into a beautiful world with diversity and a compelling story, i have to take a break from DA II every half hour because of the fatigue the game gives me, it's the same thing over and over, covered in bland and repeating surroundings and a general 'meh' feeling toward anything character or story wise.

    I miss bird eye view alot when positioning party members, which is a shame since you haveto reposition alot due to enemies spawning out of nowhere. Simplified loot system is so uninteresting and easy to get around with that it's an annoyance to be bothering with.

    Managing companions has been reduced to giving them jewelry. I never liked Massive effect to start with and the introduction of that wheel selection thing is just horrid to me.

    In the end i felt like all options that would activate some braincells have been reduced to such simple tasks that i can't find it more challenging than setting one foot in front of another. It's so straightforward and linear :-S

    The character selection system is restrictive and doesn't offer in any way what DA:O did, not at all. I don't feel like i'm playing a unique character at all in this game.

    This game might of been received better if it hadn't been named the sequel to DA:O. But even if you take the first game out of the picture it still doesn't add up to a very good game in it's genre. I'd say i would rate it a 6 without ever playing DA:O. It's just not good. :(    … Expand
  80. Freetex
    Mar 25, 2011
    3
    Whilst I truly enjoyed, the immersive, dynamic storytelling of the first game, I have to say, the second installment is very much a disappointment. The scripting seems exceptionally stunted in comparison, and the voice acting, a key selling point of the first ranges from poor, to absolutely terrible. The combat feels unwieldy, and unintuitive, the party system unbalanced, and the storylineWhilst I truly enjoyed, the immersive, dynamic storytelling of the first game, I have to say, the second installment is very much a disappointment. The scripting seems exceptionally stunted in comparison, and the voice acting, a key selling point of the first ranges from poor, to absolutely terrible. The combat feels unwieldy, and unintuitive, the party system unbalanced, and the storyline contrived. Granted, these are all points relative to the quality of Bioware in general, and the original Dragon Age, but they set the bar- And instead of clearing it, they've rushed an underdeveloped, flawed sequel to release, seemingly in the hopes that the Bioware name, and the success it's predecessor alone will create a good gaming experience. Sadly, I'm certain that it will be enough to ensure sales, at least, however undeserved....… Expand
  81. Adur
    Apr 12, 2011
    2
    All the negative critique that needs to be made about this game has been, it's rubbish and an insult. For everyone who is a long time Bioware fan, this game was a slap in the face. As a lover of RPG games who has bought almost every Bioware game since Baldur's gate, I know I for one want game that are more intricate and more detailed as time goes on, not games that are dumbed down forAll the negative critique that needs to be made about this game has been, it's rubbish and an insult. For everyone who is a long time Bioware fan, this game was a slap in the face. As a lover of RPG games who has bought almost every Bioware game since Baldur's gate, I know I for one want game that are more intricate and more detailed as time goes on, not games that are dumbed down for "bros" to enjoy. There is a very specific type of gamer, like me, who enjoyed the types of games Bioware used to make, and we are the ones who pumped up their company up in the first place, who made them a success. Yet they didn't hesitate to cast us aside in the hope of getting in on the "bro" market. Stay classy Bioware, I'm done with you.… Expand
  82. Vortigos
    May 20, 2011
    2
    Feckless. Uninspired. Redundant. The development and marketing of this game is an affront to RPG aficionados, the PC gaming community and Dragon Age I loyalists. This game isn't bad because it didn't faithfully follow in its predecessor's footsteps or because it borrows elements from Mass Effect 2 -- it's bad on its own merits by any sane standards. Don't believe the positive magazineFeckless. Uninspired. Redundant. The development and marketing of this game is an affront to RPG aficionados, the PC gaming community and Dragon Age I loyalists. This game isn't bad because it didn't faithfully follow in its predecessor's footsteps or because it borrows elements from Mass Effect 2 -- it's bad on its own merits by any sane standards. Don't believe the positive magazine reviews for a minute; they are written by a bunch unlettered sychophants (PCGamer I am apalled) without the gumption to really put this shoddy RPG in its place. EA-Bioware set the bar so high with a truly careless and gaudy marketing campaign only to deliver so precious little. The story and setting are unprecedentedly fragmented, insipid and provincial. It's a sandbox game in the sense that the game-world is about the size of an actual sandbox (broken into narrow fragmented chunks) and the game's main and basically only setting (the tiny city of Kirkwall) is about as interesting and varied as sand. If the mildly amusing dialog in this game impresses you -- with its incessant and jarring close-up head-shots of your character "voice acting" -- you need to quit playing video games and start watching daytime soap operas. It has good combat mechanics that quickly grow tiring as you fight the same type of battles against the same type of enemies endlessly. DA2 has some good action elements but that's not nearly enough to redeem this game. After all, if we are judging it solely on the basis of being an "Action RPG" it is tiers below Diablo or even Torchlight in terms of combat and fun. This game deserves the ridicule. EA-Bioware deserve our scorn. I beg of you not to buy this game. If you unfortunately already have, at least do not buy any of its meager and pathetic DLC. Tell your friends to avoid this game. Write on internet forums. I'll tell you why -- I had a nightmarish epiphany. A talented and capable game developer had an idea for a grand and inspiring RPG only to be turned down by a publisher who offered the following advice: "can't you make it more like Dragon Age 2? That did well." We can't let that happen. Bioware needs to suffer for this sham. If they suffer they might actually risk doing what they and their customers really love… Expand
  83. Equinocio
    Feb 9, 2012
    0
    A huge deception. Boring gameplay, dumbed down combat, poor graphics. Very sad indeed, doesn't even get near the firt game in terms of overall quality. Shame on you Bioware.
  84. Sh0dan
    Sep 18, 2011
    2
    With DA: Origins BioWare captured a tiny bit of the magic they used to have in their heyday with the likes of Baldurs Gate 2 and KOTOR, and in my opinion that strategic, tactical "thinking" gameplay felt like a step in the right direction, particularly the PC version with its overhead distant perspective allowing us to get a good view of the battlefield. However this game just feels soWith DA: Origins BioWare captured a tiny bit of the magic they used to have in their heyday with the likes of Baldurs Gate 2 and KOTOR, and in my opinion that strategic, tactical "thinking" gameplay felt like a step in the right direction, particularly the PC version with its overhead distant perspective allowing us to get a good view of the battlefield. However this game just feels so watered down and casualised its just lost all of that past BioWare magic. I felt the same about Mass Effect 2 also, which seemed dumbed down and more about mindless action. So if anyone else out there reading this felt the same about that game, then trust me, DA2 will disappoint you too.… Expand
  85. Ghengiz
    Mar 16, 2011
    4
    I would much rather replay Dragon Age Origins than have spent money on something that is not as well polished as I have come to expect. It's not horribad, it's just not what I wanted. Your mileage may vary.
  86. thecrius
    Mar 15, 2011
    4
    Playing this game is like having "just" sex with the same girl for more than 1 months. Boring.

    That's your Waterloo, Bioware, Let's put down the hats.
  87. Voland
    Mar 16, 2011
    4
    I suggest you don't buy this game. It does so many things wrong it actually damages the rpg genre.
    The game consists in following yellow markers on the mini map to complete "quests", knowing how to read is not really necessary to complete the game.
    The story is very underwhelming and never motivates the player to keep going on. And it's quite short. Aside from the deep roads and the city    I suggest you don't buy this game. It does so many things wrong it actually damages the rpg genre.
    The game consists in following yellow markers on the mini map to complete "quests", knowing how to read is not really necessary to complete the game.
    The story is very underwhelming and never motivates the player to keep going on. And it's quite short.
    Aside from the deep roads and the city all game quests are done in the same 4-5 ambients recycled over and over again (A abandoned mansion, A creepy cellar, A natural cavern (the most used by far). and so on). It's a fraud.
    The combat system is not too bad on hard difficulty if you cripple your party enough (i've played with no belts rings and amulets) and if you have a bad party setup. Otherwise it's too easy. Nightmare mode is not well though out and it's just annoying.

    What I like about the game is the quest system. There should be more varied quests, but the fact that during the second act you face the consequences of the choices you made during act 1 is nice.
    Companions are ok i guess, but I never cared much for any of them.

    Suggestions for the future: - Playing an rpg should not be like walking along a corridor, it should be more open ended.
    - Combat doesn't need to be frenetic. It can also be tactical or it can be both. Just no one wants a lackadaisical button-pressing. Gamers just need to have a fun and hard "nightmare mode".
    - Final bosses should be more varied. For God sake there are billions of really original and fun fights in WoW's dungeons. Is it so hard to get some ideas from there? I liked the boss of the deep roads though.
    - Itemization is not too bad, personally I like it if it's less streamlined with just a few really powerful items (not gamebreaking but with particular properties, like the "immune to flanking" amulet) dropped by really hard to beat enemies (think Final Fantasy secret bosses like Ozma, Dark Eons, Omega Weapon).
    - Some say that a complex level-up and party personalization system scares away non-rpg players. There doesn't need to be one. The game can also be completely skill based.    … Expand
  88. achinech79
    Mar 13, 2011
    1
    Diiiiiiiiiiisaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaappppppppppppppppooooooooooiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnntttttttteeeeeeed..... before any was a must buy bioware... from today that changes
  89. Nenene
    Mar 13, 2011
    2
    Very disappointing. A complete step backwards from DA:O in every respect-- graphics, gameplay, characters and storytelling. This was a rush job, and it shows. WoW has better graphics, and better storytelling too. For me to say that about the company that gave me the original -and- Mass Effect is....well, I would say I was angry if I wasn't so depressed. Is -this- the future of BioWareVery disappointing. A complete step backwards from DA:O in every respect-- graphics, gameplay, characters and storytelling. This was a rush job, and it shows. WoW has better graphics, and better storytelling too. For me to say that about the company that gave me the original -and- Mass Effect is....well, I would say I was angry if I wasn't so depressed. Is -this- the future of BioWare games?

    I'm afraid for ME3.    … Expand
  90. Pupalisk
    Mar 13, 2011
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This review is coming from someone who absolutely loved Dragon Age: Origins and came into Dragon Age 2 with high expectations. I fully expect that if I didn't like Origins so much I'd give this game about a 5 or 6.

    I just completed this game as a sword and shield tanking warrior. Dragon Age 2 has many good qualities but just as many faults. The combat in this game reminds me of old arcade games with enemies constantly spawning in from the sides while you beat them up. Most of the fights in this game involve enemies swinging down from the rooftops like monkeys. I spent most of my battles trying to pick up aggro on stray enemies spawning in behind my mages. I enjoyed the new combat animations, but not much else. The dual wielding dagger Templars doing back flips in full plate was pretty entertaining.

    Another problem with the combat is the lack of npc character specializations. You can't, for instance, make Isabela an archer or make Fenris a tank. Your only choice for a healer for most of the game is Anders. With my warrior I felt like I was forced to take Anders with me even though I didn't really like him. It feels a lot like having to take Wynne with you in Origins if you weren't a mage. At least there you had the option of making Morigan into a healer. Also, as I'm sure many previous reviews have stated, you can't change your companion's armor. The graphics do look pretty good. However, there are so few environments that the visuals eventually lose their appeal. You literally see everything you are going to see in the first act of the game as far as environments go. I wish that Dragon Age 2 had at least one more substantial area to visit. There were a few graphical glitches I encountered such as the shield on my warrior's back appearing and disappearing during dialogues.

    The plot starts off strong, gets weaker in the middle, and ramps up near the very end. This game really hammers you with the whole Templars vs Mages concept and doesn't stop. I was getting tired of being reminded around every corner that the two groups just don't like each other. I guess they are just trying to explain that to new players who haven't played Origins, but even then it seems excessive. Along this line, it appears that every mage in the city of Kirkwall can just whip out a knife and perform blood magic. I was shocked by the amount of blood mages in this game. It really got old fast.

    I really liked the Qunari in this game, and looked forward to all the segments involving them. They were voiced well, and by the end of the game I thought they would have made a much better antagonist than the actual antagonist.

    I enjoyed the voice work and the music of the game for the most part. Some of the pronunciation of certain locations in the game have changed from Origins (I cringe whenever an elf says Arlathan), but that is my only complaint. The characters are believable and are quite interesting. Their voices are pretty quiet though, requiring me to crank up the speaker volume and lower the soundeffect/music volume to hear them well.

    The side quests in this game are quite mundane. You usually either go somewhere and kill some guys or you bring some item you found back to somebody in the town. There are so many side characters involved in these quests that you quickly forget who they are when they show up later. I'd have characters appear and say something like, "You killed my brother!!!" and I'd just be standing there thinking, "I did?" It helps that several of these encounters have a dialogue option along the lines of, "Who are you again?"

    The game froze on me about 8 times, with about two cases of quests not working correctly. I had just completed a character quest with Anders, and the quest text told me to speak with him in his clinic. When I went to his clinic and clicked on him, all he did was speak one line of dialogue. The quest remained in my log until the end of the game. I found out later that some other quests I thought I had completed didn't show their ending scenes.

    It took me about 30 hours to complete the game, doing all of the side quests I could find and beating optional boss encounters. It was pretty fun in the beginning, but I gradually just wanted to hurry up and complete it near the end. For every one thing that Dragon Age 2 does right, it does one thing wrong. I can't recommend paying full price for this game, but you should pick it up after the price has come down a bit or steam has a sale. Well, only if you enjoy the setting of Origins. I can't really imagine someone getting much out of this title without having played the first game.    … Expand
  91. stilgars
    Mar 13, 2011
    1
    Indecent release.
    Bioware loses all respect for its fan base and is now releasing a broken outdated and boring game.
    On every area, it is far worse than the original. Less choices, ugly graphics, linear and short, 90% of the game is basically boring and easy combat sequences: it is no more than a Diablo ersatz but without the fun.
    A piece of garbage and a shame for Bioware.
  92. CaptainPerhaps
    Mar 16, 2011
    2
    I absolutely loved Dragon Age origins so I preordered DA2 as soon as I could. There is a fine line between streamlining and dumbing down, and unfortunately this feels very much like it's been dumbed down for a more casual console audience. Much of the geeky tweaking and customisation of most RPGs has gone - you can't even change your companions' armour, so effectively any armour you findI absolutely loved Dragon Age origins so I preordered DA2 as soon as I could. There is a fine line between streamlining and dumbing down, and unfortunately this feels very much like it's been dumbed down for a more casual console audience. Much of the geeky tweaking and customisation of most RPGs has gone - you can't even change your companions' armour, so effectively any armour you find in the game is either for your main character or for the scrap heap.

    The various scenes look graphically (slightly) better that Origins, which is good, but almost nothing can be interacted with. Combat is messy and too fast, so it's hard to keep track of exactly what each of your party up to, and descends into a hack n slash affair.

    I think some of the UI improvements are pretty good but it's been taken far too far and sucked all the fun and 'RP' out of the 'G'. My advice to Origins fans would be to restart Origins with a new character as you'll have a lot more fun.

    I'm not a ranting troll by the way, but rather a genuinely disappointed fan, who really wanted DA2 to at least be as good as its predecessor. Fingers crossed, if they do a third game then they'll revert some of these core changes back, but I doubt Bioware/EA would want to be seen as backtracking, as that would be an admission that they've made a blunder on this one.    … Expand
  93. Stravento
    Mar 14, 2011
    1
    I finished the game today. Beyond not being the same type of game as DAO, and thus a sort of surprise, the major problem with the game is the recycling of levels and the complete lack of variety in the quests. The quests are all the same. Even for an action rpg the game itself is quite boring, there is one boss battle that requires something different than the usual strategies that you canI finished the game today. Beyond not being the same type of game as DAO, and thus a sort of surprise, the major problem with the game is the recycling of levels and the complete lack of variety in the quests. The quests are all the same. Even for an action rpg the game itself is quite boring, there is one boss battle that requires something different than the usual strategies that you can apply to every fight. The story is very nice, and I personally do not care if it is more linear given that it is good. The problem is that the game transmit the feeling of having no soul. If you want it is something like the first assassin creed, gorgeous, nice story, but after you have completed a third of it you are bored to death.… Expand
  94. Thetruthhurts
    Mar 15, 2011
    4
    Dragon Age 2 is a poor game and extremely disappointing. While some changes from DA:O were made to "improve" the game, the result is appalling and a joke. Some principles of what makes a good "RPG" are universal and can be assessed objectively, such as a unified overarching story that makes sense, varied combat and environments, and the ability to immerse yourself in the game.Dragon Age 2 is a poor game and extremely disappointing. While some changes from DA:O were made to "improve" the game, the result is appalling and a joke. Some principles of what makes a good "RPG" are universal and can be assessed objectively, such as a unified overarching story that makes sense, varied combat and environments, and the ability to immerse yourself in the game. Unfortunately this is not possible in Dragon Age 2 for a number of reasons:

    1. After completing the game, I struggled to recall what the main purpose of my journey was, or what I achieved. Honestly, what the hell was the point of Act 1??? I don't want to give away spoilers, but it was very difficult to enjoy a story that was put together in far too short a space of time and where there was no direction in character or plot development.

    2. The re-use of the same environments was an insult to any gamer who spent their hard earned cash on this product. It is not asking too much to play a 30+ hour campaign without seeing the same environments ad nauseum. I believe I literally saw a total of 10 environments a dozen times each. If the designers couldn't get some more environments designed within the release date, then they need to push the release date back. Gamers expect more for their money, and rightly so. We are not stupid 12 year olds who cannot see the cust-cutting short cuts that have been taken.

    3. Re-spawning enemies in battles. I mean honestly, is there anything else that could make it more difficult to immerse yourself in Kirkwall? You find a set of enemies, proceed to kill them, then randomly 20 more sprout from the skies. Is there an explanation? NO! It just happens and you deal with them. Sorry, but this is just extremely lazy programming and game design. You wanted to make the game challenging so you just add more baddies. Well, from a game design point of view this may have been the easiest option, but how many modern classic videogames employ such a draconian approach to game design? None. This was disgusting and a discgrace and I expected better for a supposedly AAA title.

    4. The loss of real decision-making. It would be hard to describe this section in detail without spoilers, but it should be noted that although the game presents itself as giving you a "choice" in your story, the sad fact is that no matter what options you take in the story, there is little to no bearing on the final outcome.

    5. The game feels "incomplete". While DA:O had it's own well contained story, and a lot of DLC and even a full expansion, the original product itself felt complete. The story made sense, had a beginning, middle and conclusion (as all stories with STRUCTURE have). This game does not have structure, and feels like a petty cash grab to throw in some more overpriced DLC. Honestly, I don't mind DLC, but the core product should be complete enough that it doesn't feel like I have to buy DLC to enjoy my experience. Give me a complete product and story for my money, not this farce. (I believe this may just be an approach that EA adopts, as I swear to god that the Sims 3 was also one of the world's most incomplete games)

    6. The city of Kirkwall is a joke. Do you honestly think I didn't see how you made all the high buildings so that you didn't have to create a greater draw distance, or add textures or design to objects in the distance? Sorry, but there shouldn't be so many "high rise" buildings in a game set in an era that is similar to medieval europe. Where are all the other towns and cities? The forests? Nothing, just one bland city with too many buildings blocking any views.

    7. Gameplay. So you said that the game can still be played tactically but you took out the tactical view and made enemies need a single button to be killed? Lazy, boring and stupid This was blatantly lazy from a design point of view, I'm sure you saved some money in your design on the game, but you have lost money on future purchases with this rubbish.

    Granted there are some redeeming features such as improved graphics (in comparison to DA:O) and the new dialogue system show promise, however this is never fully realised as Hawk is rather bland and generic and hardly customisable, leaving little to the imagination. Therefore a 4/10 is a fair assessment. I would like 36 hours of my life back and 100 AUD.

    EA/Bioware may have made a conscious business decision to expand their audience, but this business decision has backfired on them as they have lost a customer (and likely many more), and let me tell you, the COD ADD audience that this game is targeted at are largely uninterested in a fantasy RPG that takes way too long to complete considering there is so little content.

    By the way, I understand this is my first and only review, but I feel so strongly about this game that I felt the opinion should be expressed. I am not a troll, just a very angry customer who has been ripped off.    … Expand
  95. Atardecer
    Mar 15, 2011
    4
    There could be a long list of things I could mention that are just wrong with this game. Lets just say if you like Dynasty Wars, console button mashing, over the top animations, lazy implementations of game themes and finally, you like your RPGs, well, not as RPGs but as arcade style games, then you will love this. If you like traditional RPGs, save your money as this is pure powder puff.There could be a long list of things I could mention that are just wrong with this game. Lets just say if you like Dynasty Wars, console button mashing, over the top animations, lazy implementations of game themes and finally, you like your RPGs, well, not as RPGs but as arcade style games, then you will love this. If you like traditional RPGs, save your money as this is pure powder puff. Very disappointing. If you play it, remember to keep inserting $1 to continue...… Expand
  96. Worm
    Mar 15, 2011
    2
    Biggest disappointment since Spore. This is what happens when you take a complex genre and try to dumb it down so that everybody can enjoy it -- the result is a mess that bores the longtime DnD fans while still being too inaccessible for today's wave of newcomers. Take Dynasty Warriors, but remove the cool and interesting characters, varied settings, and adrenaline-pumping music, and thisBiggest disappointment since Spore. This is what happens when you take a complex genre and try to dumb it down so that everybody can enjoy it -- the result is a mess that bores the longtime DnD fans while still being too inaccessible for today's wave of newcomers. Take Dynasty Warriors, but remove the cool and interesting characters, varied settings, and adrenaline-pumping music, and this is what you are left with.

    I highly recommend researching Bioware's handling of criticism before deciding to purchase this game.

    Hopefully Bioware will learn from their mistakes, and their next game will have a more decided focus -- either a silly waggle adventure game for the Wii that mom and dad can play, or a REAL sequel to Baldur's Gate II. Trying to smush the two together is a recipe for failure.    … Expand
  97. ruxi
    Mar 15, 2011
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Compared to DA1, the sequel is trash in my honest opinion. The game lacks depth in storytelling, lore and quests. Storytelling was even lower quality than DA1. What I mean is that if I am playing a "movie RPG" like DA2, I expect to see some scripted custom animations, high quality dialogue or even nice prerendered cut scenes but when I completed the game I felt empty handed. I was also expecting to see some advancement in the Dragon Age core lore but after the brief introduction of Flemeth and her reappearance mid-game, the game just kept centering on the Champion of Kirkwall. Lore-wise speaking the game should have been an expansion or DLC to original DA, very much like DA:O. The quests themselves are mindless, which might be enough for some people but I feel that there should be something new to these "go to the point X, kill Y and bring me the Z". Recycling maps is usually acceptable in this kind of games but if we are just running around one city lik in DA2, I get the expression the game was pushed out too early. Every mansion looks the same, every house has the same rooms and even all the close by caves, five or six of them, look completely the same. I felt like playing one of those low grade Asian role-playing game made for kids which would not see the similarity of the maps.

    Combat and skill system is surely better than in DA1. Fighting in general feels more smooth and even thought number of abilities/spells was reduced, I think the general feel of the abilities/spells is better. The "combo states" (staggering etc.) game the fighting a little more depth too but overall these positive features can't save the game.

    All-in-all, I feel like I've brought an overpriced and hurried expansion pack to Dragon Age. Makes me a sad panda.    … Expand
  98. JunglePredator
    Mar 15, 2011
    1
    I haven't played this, nor will I ever play this.
    Due to metacritic poisoning by EA/Bioware employees this title fails it's chance to be reviewed there by retaining the base score of 1.
    Further the employee of EA/Bioware was from Alberta & it shames me to have such unethical persons in our country so much so that all EA's recent decent to good customer service with me has been set back    I haven't played this, nor will I ever play this.
    Due to metacritic poisoning by EA/Bioware employees this title fails it's chance to be reviewed there by retaining the base score of 1.
    Further the employee of EA/Bioware was from Alberta & it shames me to have such unethical persons in our country so much so that all EA's recent decent to good customer service with me has been set back by a marked amount.    … Expand
  99. 4thegreywardens
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    YOU TOOK DRAGON AGE AND MAKE IT SUCK SO MUCH IT MAKES FFXIII LOOK GOOD. That's scary. AVOID.

    Graphics: DX11 looks worse than most DX9 games I've seen. Flashy, crappy textures, silly rendering artifacts, clipping issues, etc. New "stylized" design is kinda bs and lame. Story: There is no story, really. It has a few nice moments, but there is no PLOT. Just a long list of **** happens."    YOU TOOK DRAGON AGE AND MAKE IT SUCK SO MUCH IT MAKES FFXIII LOOK GOOD. That's scary. AVOID.

    Graphics: DX11 looks worse than most DX9 games I've seen. Flashy, crappy textures, silly rendering artifacts, clipping issues, etc. New "stylized" design is kinda bs and lame.

    Story: There is no story, really. It has a few nice moments, but there is no PLOT. Just a long list of **** happens." Oh, also, it doesn't respect your DAO decisions. Imports dont mean much. And, the ending is just the worst sequel hook ever. And that's saying something after Witch Hunt DLC.

    Characters: Your party members can actually... like... do quest-related stuff when you take them along. This is pretty cool. They're also really one-dimensional. And slightly retarded. Anders... makes some questionable choices, Merrill makes the most idiotic childlike observations despite her age, Isabella is just... vacuous - and she makes questionable choices, Fenris is a damn "manly emo" ripped straight from some kind of extra-bad FF game, Aveline is a well-meaning hardass, etc. Oh, Merrill and Anders are returning characters in name only since they're so changed they're completely different characters now.

    Sex: Enough of it to deserve it its own section. Brothel isn't even funny this time. Ninja-romances are horrible. You have a Male Hawke who acts nice to Anders (WITHOUT flirting) and after his questline Anders just... seriously comes on to you (WTF?) and for your responses you have 3 options where 2 of them are heart-shaped romance options, so I pick the third, angry one, which apparently means gay ragesex time. OKAY, NO THANKS.

    Interface: No tactical camera is pain. You can't give orders well. Add to that classic "helpful" AoE targetting to automatically select enemies and... yeaugh. There is a horrible bug going on where pretty often I cant make any orders because the interface is bugging out and thinks I'm assigning a different order (click fireball on mage, go to warrior, be unable to do anything as game expects you to keep assigning mage order with warrior, try to assign/cancel mage order, be unable since you selected warrior, switch to mage, assign/cancel order, switch to warrior; I somehow get it to happen a LOT). Inventory star rating system to tell you what to wear is just insulting.

    Character attribute and ability system: The new system for leveling skills is cool, but the way it's used is just dumb (they really like asking you to get two abilities which absolutely do not work together - like, activating one requires disabling the other - to get access to other abilities). There might be some good potential for trying out different builds if only it felt like builds really mattered (they don't, really). For attributes: You also have a choice of 6 attributes, but you will really just be using 2 at most (these 2 are determined by your class). The other 4 are just bait for you to shoot yourself in the foot.

    Balance: Yeah, tons of OP stuff in there. You wont feel like you're playing this game before long. You'll just be bored while watching enemies die. I think the game is intentionally made stupidly easy because the game is so rushed (It was developed in ONE year.) it was the only way to make it playable.

    Level design: Insulting. Everything is narrow, too straightforward, and to top it off levels are re-used WAAAY TOOO MUUUCH. Also, cutscenes keep repositioning your team into bad locations. And the game really likes to spawn waves and waves of enemies right out of nowhere to keep you busy fighting. Classic console BS. And all the encounters feel the same. Bioware seems to have gone for quantity, not quality here. Also, Kirkwall (This is the city where the entire game takes place.) doesn't feel like the bustling mega-city it's meant to be.

    Questing: A lot of pointless padding quests in there. It even has fetch quests where you hardly talk to anyone.

    Game length: I'd say around 35-40 hours tops - that's if you decide to do every sidequest except the completely mundane fetch quests. 20 hours tops if you don't waste time with that.

    Dialogue: It makes Mass Effect's wheel system look good. All regular dialogue will have Investigate menu (ie. ask questions) plus 3 options: Nice, Silly, and **** Because picking too many options of one flavor "sets the flavor for your character" there will be a lot of automatic dialogue you wont get to pick. So now, you have even less of an idea what your character will really say. The "flavor" will just take over.

    Music: I don't really remember it.

    DRM: Disgusting. Unethical and amoral even. Go to www.reclaimyourgame.com and read about it. ...And you need internet to be able to play this game, even though it has NO multiplayer or anything (just DLC). PAIN. To top it off, people have gotten locked out of their Bioware accounts for forum offenses, which LOCKED THEM OUT OF THE GAME. Yeah.

    I'm going to hope for The Witcher 2 now.    … Expand
  100. ADogChasingCars
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    Inspired by the success of Mass Effect 2, Bioware decided to send the Dragon Age franchise down the same dirt brown road. Taking an interesting universe, populated by interesting characters, and replacing it with a bland hero story that tries to hard at every direction. The only button you should press to make something awesome happen with this game is the eject button. :D
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Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Best PC Game of 2011
5
#5 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
19
#19 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 45 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 45
  3. Negative: 0 out of 45
  1. PC PowerPlay
    Apr 18, 2011
    90
    Moving even further from the classic RPG, strong story and clever combat are nonetheless still found within Dragon Age II. [May 2011, p.52]
  2. Gaming Nexus
    Apr 12, 2011
    58
    Despite some advancement in storytelling approach and liberal borrowing from Bioware's Mass Effect approach to gameplay, Dragon Age 2 on the PC has a lot of bugs and is populated with re-used settings that make this feel like a play performed on a stage with two sets.
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  3. CPUGamer
    Apr 11, 2011
    85
    For a rushed product that is still battling bugs, the currently offered product still provides 40 hours of challenging and engaging gameplay. This combines to provide a good, but not great gaming experience.
    Read full review
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