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. 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
  2. Tyrielwow
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    Dragon Age II is great sequel to Dragon Age. It feels more like Mass Effect 2, which I think was Bioware's idea. Some aspects of the game were made more simple which probably alienates some hardcore RPG fans. But for me the game feels like a novel in a book series, and I can enjoy the game and the story, rather than spend most of my time finding better equipment and leveling to survive theDragon Age II is great sequel to Dragon Age. It feels more like Mass Effect 2, which I think was Bioware's idea. Some aspects of the game were made more simple which probably alienates some hardcore RPG fans. But for me the game feels like a novel in a book series, and I can enjoy the game and the story, rather than spend most of my time finding better equipment and leveling to survive the game. All in all a great game, and I have high hopes for future DLCs and Dragon Age III.… Expand
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. Jowdet
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    What a horrible game. Bioware dropped the ball on this one, don't waste your money. It's really short - It took me 17 hours to complete, and I wasn't even rushing. Compare that to the original Dragon Age which took me well over 60 hours to complete. Then you have DLC's ready to milk your wallet on the friggin same day as the game was released.

    This sucks. Bioware sucks. EA sucks.
  6. Jyscal
    Mar 15, 2011
    3
    Mindless, dull, boring and generic are the first words that come to mind when playing this game.
    There is literally nothing good you can say about this game, absolutely nothing; the story is boring, the characters have very poor personalities and don't add much depth to the game, love interests are there to appeal to "mature gamers that play mature games" and don't add anything to the    Mindless, dull, boring and generic are the first words that come to mind when playing this game.
    There is literally nothing good you can say about this game, absolutely nothing; the story is boring, the characters have very poor personalities and don't add much depth to the game, love interests are there to appeal to "mature gamers that play mature games" and don't add anything to the story either, the characters themselves look somewhat decent with the texture pack, but the areas and surroundings feel very dead and generic. And oh wow, the UI, it feels like I'm playing **** alpha, it is just that bad, most custom WoW UI's (hell even the regular one) look much better than this piece of **** Luckily I didn't pay for this piece of **** as it truly is depressing for a company like Bioware to **** out a turd like this. I'm still trying to come up with something good I can say about this game, but nope, I just can't do it.    … Expand
  7. Golem25
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. (1.0)

    Gameplay; 1.0/10.0

    The combat in DA2 is a huge step back from Dragon Age Origins. The underlying system is the same, but by upping the pace and letting the player control normal attacks directly, combat feels incredibly dumbed down, which becomes rather boring, rather quickly. Successful attacks are met with a slashing sound. The fighting styles between the three classes (warrior, mage, rogue) feel as almost the same, as do different specializations within a class. Difficulty levels are incredibly unstatic, enough to accomodate neither gamers looking for hack `n` slash action, nor for gamers who want full control over their party, and utilizing the pause menu to issue tactical commands for setting up combos.

    STORY: 1/10

    The tale within a tale narrative structure is kinda interesting at first, but any curiosity you might have quickly dies down, however, as poor storytelling makes you lose any connection to Hawke you may have had at the beginning. There are two issues with the plot devices used in DA2. The first is the timeskip. Between each act of the game, there is a gap in which you do not participate. This makes you feel less engaged at the start of the next act, because whatever new predicament Hawke finds himself in, you were not there to experience it. Moreover, Hawke occasionally meets people that he supposedly met during a timeskip, but you as a player have never met. This really wrenches you out of Hawke's shoes, as you realize that despite controlling Hawke's actions and choices for certain parts of his life, you are ultimately just a spectator.

    The second plot device that I have trouble with is something that is common in RPGs. Basically, you have a main objective, but have to do a bunch of other stuff before you can achieve that objective. DA2's side quests are incredibly boring (more on this later), thus making this common RPG plot device much more obvious. After literally spending hours doing side quest after side quest that have no relation to the main plot whatsoever, it's easy to get sidetracked and forget what Hawke's main goal was in the first place.

    Finally, conversations in DA2 are a step down from the ones in DAO. The fully written dialogue choices from DAO are done away with. Instead, DA2 uses a dialogue wheel similar to Mass Effect. What this means is that Hawke talks exclusively in one-liners, and that conversations are all short and to the point, presumably so they wouldn`t get in the way of the mind-numbingly boring action. Moreover, all conversation choices are marked with an emotion icon (heart, halo, you get the idea). While potentially useful, what these icons really do is making sure gamers don`t have to think about how to phrase a response. Instead, conversation quickly boils down to choosing the stance you want to take, like in the much better, but also quite rushed, Alpha Protocol. Conversations with random NPCs are gone too. Now, every conversation is with a quest-giver. This makes Kirkwall a horribly lifeless place, as everyone you talk to just wants you to help solve their problems. It also means that no one talks to you about Dragon Age lore in the game. Instead, all lore is obtained through the Codex, and not conversations. This means that people who hate reading on a screen like me aren't able to learn much about the lore of the DA universe. Then again, it wasn`t interesting in the first place, but still.

    Conclusion;

    Dragon Age II is an incredibly messy game, which smothered any potential it had with bugs, missed opportunities, and general laziness. Kirkwall is a lifeless place, á la the settlements in Borderlands, while dungeons are reused and reused and reused untill you can literally traverse them with your eyes closed. This, of course fits with the dumbing down of the other elements of DA2. The developers spoke of trying to capture the audience of the Call of Duty series, which is, in my eyes, a grave mistake; firstly because this`ll leave RPG-fans and more serious gamers in the cold, and secondly because COD-fans rather occupy themselves with things like Bulletstorm and sports games, outside of COD.

    DA2 could have redeemed itself with other features, like the score, but fails with that too.

    My final verdict;

    GAMEPLAY; 1.0/10.0
    STORY; 2.0/10.0
    SCORE; 4.0/10.0
    REPLAY VALUE; 1.0/10.0
    GENERAL FEEL; 1.0/10.0

    This adds up to around a 1.5, but seeing as things like gameplay are much more important than the score, I have to give this game a 1.0. Bioware dropped the ball big time with this game, and I look forward to Mass Effect 3 with fear, anticipating a failure of a game, much like Dragon Age 2    … Expand
  8. Reeemul
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    I play Rpg games on pc by 15 years. I have them all starting by Ultima 8 avatar...
    This game is a pure disaster on each side you try to judge it.
    Dialogues are bad, Combact is bad, Graphic is bad (I play at max resolution 2500*1600), History is bad, party is bad, Inventory is bad, statistics and talents are bad. Environment is bad. Difficulty is ridicolous (i am playing at most difficult    I play Rpg games on pc by 15 years. I have them all starting by Ultima 8 avatar...
    This game is a pure disaster on each side you try to judge it.
    Dialogues are bad, Combact is bad, Graphic is bad (I play at max resolution 2500*1600), History is bad, party is bad, Inventory is bad, statistics and talents are bad. Environment is bad. Difficulty is ridicolous (i am playing at most difficult level and believe me it is too easy...) Camera and pause are soo bad that even seems they not exists... It is quite impossible to make tattics with a so bad camera angle.
    Really a disaster... Even Hack and slash games are better than this... Where is the Bioware of the past that releases true rpg games like Baldur's gate, Icewind Dale, Planescape Torment ???
    I buy the signature edition and i wont my money back...    … Expand
  9. 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.
  10. Osyron
    Mar 15, 2011
    7
    As fair as i can be... Almost a week ago this 35 year old man sat sipping an early morning coffee in egger anticipation of the postman visiting his door, because on this morning two great things where happening... 1. the day off work (not to mention the following three as well) 2. the much anticipated Dragon age 2 signature edition was arriving. I was planing on writing an in depth,As fair as i can be... Almost a week ago this 35 year old man sat sipping an early morning coffee in egger anticipation of the postman visiting his door, because on this morning two great things where happening... 1. the day off work (not to mention the following three as well) 2. the much anticipated Dragon age 2 signature edition was arriving. I was planing on writing an in depth, insightful review but instead i am just going to list pro's and cons and a brief summery at the end. Pro's - Graphically its very good, the characters and landscapes are done with a very high level of detail i was only playing on medium settings and found some of scenery quite stunning at times. The spirit and mood of DAO is there, it pops its head up to say hellonow and then, not quite frequent enough for me to fall in love all over but often enough to keep my hopes up that it will blossom and flourish any minute now. the cast - i really liked the cast and supporting companions, i seem to be very loyal and stick with the first /tank/mage/healer that i come across in games and my fear was in this i would not take to the new characters as i would be missing the old ones to much but they grew on me instantly in most cases and for me the real reason i will revisit the game will be to tryout the characters that i did not use often in my first play through. combat - right this is tricky, im going to list comat in both the pro's and cons of the game because i do believe that improves have been made in some areas but bioware have dropped the ball in others, but as this is pro's lets stick with those first. First thing you notice is the visuals of certain abilities and spells, i played rogue in the original and in this one as well and the dynamic of this has been greatly improved, in DAO to perform backstab you had to position yourself behind your target and low and behold you could perform backstab, but targets dont often like to stand in the one spot so your character could end up chasing thenm around till they hold still long enough for you to perform backstab rendering it useless very often. In DA2 its a different story, at the click of a button you vanish, appear and perform backstab all in an instant making it a viable talent and much more pleasing on the eye . The other great thing about combat is the talent trees, there are at least six yes thats right six trees to choose from meaning you can play the same class over and over but have very different characters, experiences and results. Con's - Repetitiveness on maps, i wanted to play the whole game so i made sure i did all side quests before moving on the the main quest/storryline. I found myself repeatatly visiting the same cave/house/coastline to kill bandits/spiders/mercenaries (very similar to the bandits from where i standing) and after a while this felt like a chore rather than a joy, the quests themselves had very little imagination pretty much forgettable for the most part i can only compare it to my experience grinding in MMO's for money/XP. Something i have never before experienced with any bioware game before. combat - its easy, way to easy i was worried by my lack of a healer in the party and kept hoping to meet one down the line but i never did nor did i need to, i can only recall using 2 health potions outside of boss fights and this is with no healer in the party remember, this made fighting tedious, there was no feeling of danger at any time and the fights consist of hordes of mobs coming at you in waves but you feel like a man fighting toddlers, i personal felt like a bad ass for the first few fights but the novelty soon wore off and it became a bore, something in the way of me getting to where i wanted to go. Epicness - I keep comparing it to DAO which is slightly unfair but understandable as this is it's(supposed) successor but it just lacks the depth, variety and feeling of Epicness, overall the game still feels really good but when your riding on the coattails of Epic, really good just does not cut it.. Summery - Had this not been the follow up to Origins or a bioware game i think it would have been far better revived, i personally think Origins as close to a gaming masterpiece that you can get. and those are impossibly big shoes to fill but if anyone could i had faith bioware could. They did it with Baldurs gate, the squeal improving on the original in many ways yet keeping the same things that made everyone fall in love with the original, they did not pull that off this time. I just have the feeling bioware have gone from setting the standard to following the standard, taking the extraordinary and making it ordinary. Is this down to EA the timing of their involvement with bioware cant be dismissed as coincidence in my eyes, given biowares excellent back catalogue of games it strikes me as odd the would go from "sublime" to "quite good" all of a sudden on their own but maybe EA are an all to convenient scapegoat… Expand
  11. DDLRUS
    Mar 15, 2011
    3
    Dear EA, why you think i'am so stupid to buy THIS говно некаÑ
  12. MaximusG
    Mar 15, 2011
    1
    A serious disappointment. They removed everything RPG about this game. Actually I didn't mind the combat system, but the immersion was just gone completely. It felt like walking through a painting, I was not in a real game world. The complete lack of items and lack of variety among the few that there were was also annoying... so was the inability to equip your companions... so were the newA serious disappointment. They removed everything RPG about this game. Actually I didn't mind the combat system, but the immersion was just gone completely. It felt like walking through a painting, I was not in a real game world. The complete lack of items and lack of variety among the few that there were was also annoying... so was the inability to equip your companions... so were the new dumbed-down character trees... so were the recycled dungeons... I could go on...

    And the story was just stupid. Anders blows up the Chantry WHY? "HURF DURFF IT MUST END HERE!!!!" Not to mention the whole thing being rather predictable. The fact that so many DA2 fans cite the "complex and challenging story" as a factor in this game shows how f*cking stupid you have to be to like this. WHOAH **** THE OLD LADY WENT MAD HUH? AND IT WAS COS OF THAT IDOL? NOOO surely not!! Magic driving people insane? WHOAH better slow down there Bioware, you're breaking new ground here!!! Neither did the story hang together. There were lots of plotlines and events that seemed to be relevant but just happened and remained unexplored. More annoyingly, they ruined the character of Anders. Instead of being a bumbling moron making crap jokes, which meant you could laugh at him if not with him, he became a whiny wuss who kept hitting on you (I'm gay irl but seriously, get lost fgt).

    This game is 60% an unfinished rush-job and 40% an attempt to commercialise RPGs. Evidently someone at EA failed to notice that cRPGs are ALREADY highly commercial. Hopefully this will flop and they'll learn their lesson.    … Expand
  13. rarstar
    Mar 15, 2011
    4
    If you liked and are expecting the same quality of game as Mass Effect or Dragon Age Origins this game is not for you. I wanted to like this game, but after 10 hours of game play I've had to put it down and doubt I'll be finishing it. I wish I could get my money back - my opinion of BioWare has been absolutely shattered by this. There's a few things that I found absolutely unexceptable:
    1)    If you liked and are expecting the same quality of game as Mass Effect or Dragon Age Origins this game is not for you. I wanted to like this game, but after 10 hours of game play I've had to put it down and doubt I'll be finishing it. I wish I could get my money back - my opinion of BioWare has been absolutely shattered by this. There's a few things that I found absolutely unexceptable:
    1) Reuse of the same locations (one cave, one warehouse, one coastline) the entire game. All the maps feel like hallways with no sense of open exploration you expect in RPGs.
    2) Item drops are just uninteresting and uninspired. Most things are just named belt, or ring, the graphics for items don't really change, and you can't really use much of what drops anyways. They actually have a "junk" category... why are you making me pick up junk in the first place?
    3) Dialogue/relationships between characters is pretty shallow/contrived/immature.
    4) Ending is abrupt - ends in 7 years... where's my decade they advertised?
    5) Combat is horribly dull and uninspired. There's no strategy, you just fight wave after wave of enemies that spawn out of nowhere. 6) Many of the quests are just tedious and boring. This just feels like a very stale and poorly executed RPG with none of the innovation, twists, and intelligence I'd expect from a AAA title.

    I'm not sure where the "professional" reviews are coming from but I feel like they can't have played the game for very long because it's just so obviously a subpar game.

    Bleeeeeh    … Expand
  14. Arutha_nz
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    Let me begin by saying DO NOT trust the positive reviewers, as Bioware/EA employees have been busted posting positive reviews on metacritic, check the link for evidence: http://tinyurl.com/6h5xcx4 Aside from the disgusting ethics the above showcases, I am shocked at how lenient the professional reviews are of Dragon Age II's faults, of which there are many, and how much they praise theLet me begin by saying DO NOT trust the positive reviewers, as Bioware/EA employees have been busted posting positive reviews on metacritic, check the link for evidence: http://tinyurl.com/6h5xcx4 Aside from the disgusting ethics the above showcases, I am shocked at how lenient the professional reviews are of Dragon Age II's faults, of which there are many, and how much they praise the "improvements" which are questionable at best. They ignore or downplay the GLARING flaws in the game: e.g., meaningless dialogue choice (apart from quest centric dialogue, characters basically just carry on as if you didn't even say anything, your choices change almost nothing) ; useless **** dialogue wheel from Mass Effect which basically ruins any decent conversations anyway ; the story is overall lacking (mostly it consists of "Now go on, and become epic Hero for great justice!!1211!!") ; the characters are for the most part dull and/or unlikeable ; Dungeons are ALL recycled versions of one another, there are a few dungeons put together (generic cave dungeon, generic sewer dungeon, generic mansion dungeon, and generic deep roads dungeon, by name) which are simply reused and revisited without the slightest detail being changed, whether it be layout style or lighting, they are literally exactly the same, and you will revisit them again and again and again ; Enemies now spawn in waves, reducing the tactical micro-management combat that has been with Bioware from the get-go, to pointless button mashing, since you cannot ration mana or energy with any sort of strategy, and it recharges so quickly in combat that it just doesn't matter ; Also related to combat, Bioware decided to balance difficulty settings by just making all of them absolutely mindnumbingly easy, to the point that players will probably never need to utilise the lauded combat pause feature ; quests are similarly tedious, and are often disjointed, meaningless (no story whatsoever, you will sometimes find an item, psychically deduce who the owner is, and then have to take it back to them, they will say "thanks, bye" and that will be it, end of quest), dull, and/or have broken journal notifications ; this list could go on for AGES . Basically, everything anyone ever liked about Dragon Age: Origins has been ruined, and nothing meaningful has been added. The graphics are still sub-par, so no luck there. The inclusion of a voiced character (another so called "improvement") has reduced any NPC interaction to a meaningless facade, as above. There is not one thing in this game that I could say had been unquestionably improved, NOT ONE THING, and a host of backwards steps. This game is a waste of your time, money, and is backed by some morally disgusting people. Avoid at all costs.… Expand
  15. Sirkiko
    Mar 15, 2011
    2
    This is for sure the disappointment of the year and the reason why BioWare should've never been sold to Electronic Arts. This "sequel" is worse than the original in almost everything, except textures and skill effects. The main plot is boring and has no sense, the combat is dumb and the Hawke has no charisma at all.
  16. mobijoker
    Mar 14, 2011
    10
    Plus-1. Battle is must faster and responsive 2. Better graphics than Origins 3. Main character has voice
    Minus-1.Story is uninteresting 2.Repetitive environment 3. Zoom is not sufficient to get full view of battlefield 4.Companions are boring 5. Battle is easy even on hard.Button mashing is the way to win. 6.Crafting    Plus-1. Battle is must faster and responsive 2. Better graphics than Origins 3. Main character has voice
    Minus-1.Story is uninteresting 2.Repetitive environment 3. Zoom is not sufficient to get full view of battlefield 4.Companions are boring 5. Battle is easy even on hard.Button mashing is the way to win. 6.Crafting is mnimal 7.Armor customization is very minimal 8.Choices are bland and mostly without any real consequence
    So,this sums it up.The worst bioware game ever.Though a good action game,but whether its an rpg and successor to Dragon Age Origins is questionable.
    My Score: 6/10    … Expand
  17. Taichoojack
    Mar 14, 2011
    4
    This sequel I must admit was a big letdown they took what was a challenging strategic game for PC and dummed it down to a button mashing console game. The combat system in DA: O was a bit slow but turning every kill into a messy kill just makes it boring, every time I slice a group of foes in half with one swing I feel like pulling out my hair...aah! Nonetheless the narration has improvedThis sequel I must admit was a big letdown they took what was a challenging strategic game for PC and dummed it down to a button mashing console game. The combat system in DA: O was a bit slow but turning every kill into a messy kill just makes it boring, every time I slice a group of foes in half with one swing I feel like pulling out my hair...aah! Nonetheless the narration has improved though the story has suffered, regurgitating codex from the previous game no use reading them. I must say I was very disappointed with the leveling up too, who told them to dumb it down to attributes and abilities that clearly don't add anything as I can hack all foes to death with normal attacks. I must say that the graphics though are better and the narration actually gets you to like your character.
    I don't see myself playing it the 4 times I have played through DA: O( maybe one more play through is in order to remember a true masterclass).That said my only salvation is that the Witcher is coming out later this year I hope they don't disappoint    … Expand
  18. bernardtcx
    Mar 14, 2011
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Well its been 4 days and I went through DA2 twice to try out the impact of different decisions. Did my second run through on casual to get over the repeated dungeons asap. A good game on its own but it shouldn't be called DA2. Yes yes we all want change but not too much shall we? We can't franchise Macdonalds and not sell burgers!

    Some plus points first. It was nice to hear my character speaking, but this is nothing extraordinary. Music was average, and the environments were well designed and nice to look at (I like the wounded coast sky), if one ignores the reuse of environments and the static nature of everything. The grey area of decisions is a good step forward, but it was not used properly and left players (me at least) hanging. Cliffhangers are good, but a balance is needed. There was no closure at all (not to mention the cliffhangers from DAO).

    I must say, that if Kirkwall was ruined and converted entirely into one expansive dungeon, it would have been kinda cool (Like ghastheim in good ol' ragnarok). It would have served excellently as ONE major quest, but the content given to us was far to short and limited to be DA2 in its entirety.

    Also, the entire of DA2 had to do with mages. The problem is that the enemy mages were useless! They casted less spells than their demonic counterparts and there are so many interrupts available to stop them (or to kill them in one shot). In DAO, a battle with just 2 emissaries could be fatal if you didn't plan your tactics properly. In DA2, a rogue can tank 5 mages that do nothing but shoot at you with their staves. As one of the core classes of the story, this was one major disappointment. Improvements to the combat system were definitely appreciated, and I liked the junk system as well. However, I felt that the items were just bland, and there was no kick from getting an EPIC item from a boss kill. The star system wasn't really helpful.

    I missed how expansive the word of DAO was. Yes you can say that DAO was just in ferelden and it is good to move out of ferelden but the fact remains that the entire DA2 was in one city! Uptill "chapter 3", I was still thinking that the entire game was just one small chapter of a larger story, and was waiting for some epic war against tevinter to materialize. How disappointed I was when the game suddenly ended (WAY TO SUDDEN).

    One major attraction of RPGs is the variety: of environments, of creatures and of items that a player faces. It is an expression of human imagination: it is thrilling and refreshing. Cutting back on these three aspects is most disadvantageous: they the pulling factors that retain old players and draw new ones. Remember how deep we could go into the deep roads in DAO? Remember the myriad of creatures found in each area in DAO? There was so much variety just for every single chapter, and now this? Obviously there has been a massive shift in corporate strategy, and from my financial background, this is one colossal red flag. Note that DAO is just one basis of comparison. All successful rpgs (Diablo, WOW etc) tend to have large varieties of enemies and deep lore. Also there were some comments on how the escape from lothering didn't feel like an escape. Well I think the demo sums up what you can expect from the game. I remember other 'escape' scenarios in other games, like Maiev running away from Illidan as the cave collapsed all around her, or the Protoss evacuation from Aiur. These were ancient games but with whatever technology they had, the missions actually embodied the urgency of an escape. It is this lack of atmosphere, coupled with the reuse of environments, that has degraded the utility of DA2.

    Also, you rescued Flemeth, one of the characters that has had an excellent redesign, and she was like "KTHXBYE". What? Thats it? Ain't even a cliffhanger.

    Such a pity for a game with an excellent foundation. There were so many advances and improvements (including good looking characters), but the developers did not realize the full potential of their creation. There is no need to rush games to increase revenue (why else would you rush it?). Investments have long horizons are take time to realize their true value (Look at blizzard!). Was it worth it to risk Bioware's reputation (You cannot deny all these honest, negative reviews when they are the majority!)? Will I buy DA3? Yes, but only because DAO was really good, and because I am waiting for Diablo 3 to come out (which better not be a disappointment) and have nothing to play in the mean time.    … Expand
  19. MorningStar
    Mar 14, 2011
    8
    I accept some of the criticisms leveled at this game, but some of them are just plain wrong. Graphically to my eyes this is a big improvement over the disjointed and inconsistent Origins, which looked great one minute and awful the next. With the hi-res texture pack and all the DX11 effects on it's an impressive sight in my opinion. The depth of field and motion blur are especiallyI accept some of the criticisms leveled at this game, but some of them are just plain wrong. Graphically to my eyes this is a big improvement over the disjointed and inconsistent Origins, which looked great one minute and awful the next. With the hi-res texture pack and all the DX11 effects on it's an impressive sight in my opinion. The depth of field and motion blur are especially improved over DAO. While I'm not a fan of the re-used environments they're generally more detailed than the same old caves that DAO recycled through the deep roads and half the rest of the game.

    Difficulty is a bit iffy so far for me, playing a mix of normal and hard I've found a lot of the game too easy, excepting a boss fight that took me 5 goes to get through on hard. Let's not forget this is far (FAR) better than the train wreck of difficulty in DAO that seemed to be programmed by a bipolar sitcom star. A few random encounter wolves harder than masses of darkspawn anyone?

    Anyone who expects Bioware to keep remaking Baldurs Gate for all eternity to appease the D&D crowd, or compares this unfavorably to NWN2 (I enjoyed it, but really?)

    For mine this is more of a return to KOTOR, a much better an refined return at that. It deserves the ~85% it's getting from real reviewers (who've actually played the game, unlike most of the posters here who seem to be going off the demo - a couple even admit to never playing the finished game).    … Expand
  20. Russ
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    This game is simply an apple that fell too far from the tree so to speak it is absolutely an insult...... There are too many problems to list. I have over 500 hours into the original Dragon Age and in comparison the new game is not even recognizable. Thumbs down.
  21. Gene
    Mar 14, 2011
    6
    The game's a bit of a rushed mess. I don't mind the streamlined combat, inventory, or even the cookie cutter locations, but at the end the story just breaks down under it's own weight. Character motivations make no sense, both factions are so unlikeable that it's hard to really choose who to go with, and to top it off it makes absolutely no difference who you side with anyway since you'reThe game's a bit of a rushed mess. I don't mind the streamlined combat, inventory, or even the cookie cutter locations, but at the end the story just breaks down under it's own weight. Character motivations make no sense, both factions are so unlikeable that it's hard to really choose who to go with, and to top it off it makes absolutely no difference who you side with anyway since you're just going up against waves of lunatics on both sides the whole time.… Expand
  22. jfp2004
    Mar 14, 2011
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There's a lot of things to like about this game, and a lot of things to dislike. Combat is over the top, the story is unfocused and weak, and the entire scope of the game feels a lot less epic than Origins did. This has already been discussed at length in most of the reviews. For the purposes of time, however, I'm going to focus on the thing that bothered me the most. For me, the MOST annoying factor is the fate of the siblings. You only get to have your sibling for the first act of the game. At the end of the Deep Roads, no matter what you do, your sibling leaves the party, either dead or with another faction - the Circle, the Templars, or the Grey Wardens. This was annoying for me. Getting to know the family that came with Hawke was one of the big draws for me. Why give us a character and let us get to know them only to take them away before half of the game is done? It seems almost like it was done because of the development time - like they didn't have the resources to do both stories for the entire game since you only get one or the other, and so, to cut corners, they took them out of the equation for most of it. It's not even the fact that I used Bethany as my healer - I liked her as a CHARACTER beyond that, and so her fate was particularly upsetting for me. It's probably not fair for me to judge the game harshly because of this, but I do. If the sibling was able to rejoin the party sooner, perhaps towards the end of Act II or at the beginning of Act III, I wouldn' mind as much. I'd even enjoy it. It would add some drama. But by removing the ability to get around this, to find another solution, it forces you into losing the sibling and removed one of the better connections I had to the main character. Combined with the fate of the mother, it was just too much. With so many unavoidable tragedies, I started to detach myself from everything that was going on, and made me question why Hawke would stick around after all of that personal loss instead of just moving on to somewhere better.… Expand
  23. Masterhummel
    Mar 14, 2011
    3
    Dragon Age II feels like it want to statisfy the customers basic needs but nothing more. You can buy it and may get up to eight hours of basic entertaiment. However, it's not enought for me. This game doesn't look finished after one and an half year. It hast a great story development but all ends up in some mess of trivial stuff. Freedom of choice is only an illusion - nearly no one of theDragon Age II feels like it want to statisfy the customers basic needs but nothing more. You can buy it and may get up to eight hours of basic entertaiment. However, it's not enought for me. This game doesn't look finished after one and an half year. It hast a great story development but all ends up in some mess of trivial stuff. Freedom of choice is only an illusion - nearly no one of the huge ammount of descissions you doing have any effect. So, why a 3 out of 10 when it is 'basically statisfieng'? Because i think Bioware doing things in a bad way. Someone there may've got that you only have to do 'the basic things' to get the customers money, but it's the wrong way. I really wish that the next Bioware product get the time it needs.… Expand
  24. Thrashpuppet
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    This game does not deserve a rating of zero, but it's going to get one - Because I think a statement needs to be made to Bioware (and all these oddly fawning press sites) about the direction this franchise is headed in.

    When Dragon age : Origins came out, it was a refreshing throwback to the classic RPGs of yore (specifically the Baldur's Gate series) and it had just enough depth and    This game does not deserve a rating of zero, but it's going to get one - Because I think a statement needs to be made to Bioware (and all these oddly fawning press sites) about the direction this franchise is headed in.

    When Dragon age : Origins came out, it was a refreshing throwback to the classic RPGs of yore (specifically the Baldur's Gate series) and it had just enough depth and complexity to live up to its predecessors. It wasn't quite what they were, but it was bloody close - and it had all the modern bells and whistles on top. I played the hell out of it. Along comes "Awakening", and suddenly we're starting to see a change. The role playing is getting "lite" , the combat is becoming more and more prevalent and repetitive, and the depth of choice is suddenly shrinking. Where once we had a vast world to explore, dozens of characters we could converse with in each area, and a variety of possible story outcomes, we are now being limited to a small selection of areas with very linear paths, and characters who exist solely to sell us potions, or do battle with us. Very Diablo-esque. Only Blizzard knows how to do all that much, much , better. And that brings us to ... Dragon Age II. Or Dragon Effect, or God of Dragon Age, or whatever you want to call it because it doesn't really feel like a sequel so much as a mash-up with some other action oriented game. The world has now shrunk to the point of ridicule - literally, a single city. The quests have been simplified to the point they more or less complete themselves (pick up an item, follow the quest marker, click on guy who takes item from you automatically and gives you 50 silver pieces) and the combat has become this frenzied slash'em up style thing with obvious anime influences (your characters waltz around the battlefield like in fast forward, and one of the swords you can wield is actually a direct replica of Cloud's Buster Sword in FF 7 . The story is as flat as the gameplay, failing in its attempts to evoke emotion (family members in peril) by fast forwarding through all the potentially dramatic stuff and leaving a few quick cut scenes which are poorly animated and awkwardly voiced. The game always feels like it is in a rush... You are never allowed to contemplate what has happened, its feels like the developers are just telling you to "be sad now!" or "laugh at this joke!" and then they move you immediately back to the action, and the buster Swords and Final Fantasy Hair do's. I will end this novel by saying that Dragon Age 2 will probably appeal to a certain demographic of gamers who enjoy heavily action oriented games and fantasy settings (God of war, Diablo) but to the (apparently old, and forgotten) Role playing gamers who grew up on the likes of Icewind Dale, BG, Planescape torment, etc. This game is a joke. It is a bastardized, dumbed down ( do NOT tell me that being unable to change my companion's equipment is anything other than this) farce, which squanders the good will I had toward Bioware and the Dragon Age franchise and leaves me cold to the thought of a DA3. Thanks for DA:O Bioware. I think I'm going to play that one again, instead.    … Expand
  25. mattshu
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    A complete failure. Graphics look like a PS2 game. Gameplay is like God of War except not real time and boring as hell. I'd rather take an enema from a disgruntled lumberjack than play 5 minutes of this trash. If for some reason you decide to buy this game and feel the need to complain, you better not post anything negative on the BIOWARE FORUM or they will not only ban you from the forum,A complete failure. Graphics look like a PS2 game. Gameplay is like God of War except not real time and boring as hell. I'd rather take an enema from a disgruntled lumberjack than play 5 minutes of this trash. If for some reason you decide to buy this game and feel the need to complain, you better not post anything negative on the BIOWARE FORUM or they will not only ban you from the forum, they'll block access to all of your EA games.… Expand
  26. pyradius
    Mar 14, 2011
    10
    As a caveat, I will state that I didn't even play the game without the high res texture pack. The moment I went into the options and saw that option greyed out, I went "WTF?" and within 20 minutes (including locating/downloading) this pack I was ready to go. Key system specs would be:

    Intel Q6600 2.4ghz Quad w/4GB RAM Geforce GTX460 1900x1200 Res is my min play standard even if I have    As a caveat, I will state that I didn't even play the game without the high res texture pack. The moment I went into the options and saw that option greyed out, I went "WTF?" and within 20 minutes (including locating/downloading) this pack I was ready to go. Key system specs would be:

    Intel Q6600 2.4ghz Quad w/4GB RAM
    Geforce GTX460

    1900x1200 Res is my min play standard even if I have to lower some other settings. The "Very High" setting was apparently too much for my system even with AA and anisotropic filtering off. Whatever is in that "Very High" package is hefty to say the least. Lowering this setting one notch down (And conversely turning ON the anisotropic filtering at max) found me playing the game with what I would state as much improved graphics compared to the original title.

    If you were familiar with DA, then you probably already knew that it was much more action-adventure with some token RPG elements thrown in for good measure. If you thought otherwise then you may not enjoy the sequel because it hones in even more on these elements much in the same way Mass Effect 2 shed some of the RPG undertones of its predecessor.

    You will find the talent (ability) system fairly shallow compared to most deep skill-set RPGs just as the first DA. That said, they did arrange the individual skills a bit better to allow you to pick and choose a bit more easily. That said, most of the deeper skills have pre-reqs that will require you to take some abilities whether you want them or not. All in all, I find that the character abilities and the encounters play together more nicely than the original DA.

    The Tactics screens seem quite a bit improved although I have not tinkered too extensively with these yet. The Custom Tactics have done a good job of automatically incorporating into my followers lists of tactics and I have found my followers to operate much better overall in regards to controlling themselves in combat vs. the original.

    The NPCs and monsters are still not too broad in scope when compared to say AD&Ds Monstrous Compendium, but I feel this is more artistic direction and how they wanted their world to be than any serious limitation to create monsters on their part. That said, I would like to see some more diversity in NPCs. On this subject though, I found I wanted to tear my eyes out if I saw another darkspawn in the original, whereas the mixture of blood mages, undead, giant spiders, rock wraiths has livened things up at least a little bit. In fact on the subject of rock wraiths that has been one of the first times I've seen Dragon Age try and use the environment for tactical decisions in the fight. It seems like they've taken much more advantage of 'wave'-based encounters than they did in the original but still keep them relatively fast-paced.

    The voice acting is top notch and I've found myself actually listening to the brief quips from random NPCs and actually listening to the individual stories a lot more carefully. While perhaps not as epic-feeling in scope, I have enjoyed my slow rise to power in Kirkwall as the Champion, learning about the tensions between various races and factions along the way.

    Expect a radial dialogue like in Mass Effect 2. While I have become a fan of Bethesda's Fallout 3 dialogue system for RPGs, it is not without faults either. For me, the Mass Effect 2 dialogue system just seemed a natural fit for the action-adventure with mild RPG elements that this game is.    … Expand
  27. Shenancalhar
    Mar 14, 2011
    9
    played DAO and all dlc and the expansion loved it all . now Ive put in 42 hours and hit lvl 22 in DAO2 and cant be happier with the game . was a bit disappointed at the start due to the format changes but some were along the way i didn't care anymore the game does a great job of pulling you in to the story and making you feel as though your decisions have a greater impact on theplayed DAO and all dlc and the expansion loved it all . now Ive put in 42 hours and hit lvl 22 in DAO2 and cant be happier with the game . was a bit disappointed at the start due to the format changes but some were along the way i didn't care anymore the game does a great job of pulling you in to the story and making you feel as though your decisions have a greater impact on the situations and the situations are having an impact upon the world .
    the new combat system is a feast for the eyes . and i for one am happy to not have to carry around a ton of crafting mats but still be able to find mats and craft items    … Expand
  28. tuttifrutas
    Mar 14, 2011
    2
    the game is very disappointing. The graphics seem dated, the music is ok, the game-play is simplified and poses no challenge at all for experienced rpg gamers. LOTS of the recycled content. it is the same layout for all caverns, almost all houses, and almost everything has the same type of texture applied.
    But the City Hub system is the worse, i never seen so many loading screen in my    the game is very disappointing. The graphics seem dated, the music is ok, the game-play is simplified and poses no challenge at all for experienced rpg gamers. LOTS of the recycled content. it is the same layout for all caverns, almost all houses, and almost everything has the same type of texture applied.
    But the City Hub system is the worse, i never seen so many loading screen in my life. initiate quest in district A , goto hub, Loading, do quest in district B, goto hub, Loading, finish quest in district A. This system makes the game a chore. just go play DAO this one is just plain boring.    … Expand
  29. Pinely
    Mar 14, 2011
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Dragon Age II is, obviously, a divisive game. This reviewer found it to be a net improvement over Dragon Age: Origins, primarily thanks to the improved writing, visual style, companions, and combat. However, the game is far from perfect, mostly due to repetitive environments, inconsistent difficulty, confounding item decisions, and a weak introductory level(s).

    The writing isn't for everyone, I'll admit that. I, however, appreciated a storyline that wasn't about saving the world from an enemy hell bent on destroying it. It is a well executed romp of survival, friendship, family, and politics. Bioware learned some lessons about companions as well. Origins companions suffered because Morrigan, Allistair, and Loghain were so central to the story. In DA2, each companion is of roughly equal importance (aside from Varric, who is slightly more important). Lastly, Bioware is saying more with less. Origins had characters over elaborate (particularly companions), which became frustrating. I get it Morrigan, you're a wilds apostate, I don't need you to remind me each time I talk to you. DA2 does a better job at avoiding this.

    I can't say DA2's visuals are perfect. There are still a lot of textures that are simply bad. But, for the most part, DA2 presents a consistent visual style for items, areas, and characters. It isn't Crysis, but it runs well on older machines and looks decent while doing so. Unlike Origins, it doesn't feel like every item is a generic fantasy weapon or armor.

    Combat (at least on the PC) has improved. The time it takes in between actions being queued and executed has been reduced. I like to pause constantly in combat and this seemingly small change has made combat much more fun. In Origins, I would queue up abilities, wait 3 seconds as my party gradually executed their orders, and then pause again. In DA2, I'm not waiting for very long, making combat feel more involved. There is no top down view, but being that I pause combat I never found much use for that view in Origins. Lastly, the skill trees are now actual trees, instead of linear progressions. This opens up more options for a particular character.

    Kirkwall is mostly nice, but for some inexplicably reason Bioware decided that it would be nice to reuse the same dungeons over and over again. I don't mind that it all takes place in Kirkwall, but does every freaking cave, cellar, and house in Kirkwall have to be identical? By the time you hit the third act, this becomes a bit comical.

    I've played the game through normal and halfway through hard. Bioware, puzzlingly, decided to have reinforcements appear in nearly every battle in the game. I don't mind having enemies show up mid way through a battle, it keeps me on my toes and adds difficulty to an encounter. But, they range from wet noodle to Spartan and often appear from thin air. I often find myself saving before every possible encounter because I just don't know how it will pan out, which is an annoyance.

    I like the UI and the Skill Changes. I like how the items look. I do not, however, like how Bioware implemented Armor. First, companions have their own custom armors that cannot be changed and are upgraded throughout the game. Giving companions a unique visual style is a good thing, but removing companion itemization sucks. Second, there appear to be certain sets of armor that are clearly superior than the others during each Act. I'd like a little more variety in a game based upon the RPGs of yore. Lastly, although 5 armor classes was a bit too much in Origins, I think DA2 needs one more set to sit in between Leather and Plate.

    My final criticism lies with the games introduction. You start the game having already fled from Lothering, in a bland wasteland. You lose a companion that you haven't even really met within the first 15 minutes and you get mystically whisked away to safety. And then you do another brief area in which you sell yourself into servitude for a year. About an hour of content that feels like a complete waste of time. The fun part doesn't begin until you pick up Varric, which is a shame.

    I typed more than I intended. In spite of its flaws, I'd recommend Dragon Age 2 to any RPG fan, particularly fans of Dragon Age Origins. I feel that a lot of the negative criticism is more about how the game is perceived by players and less about actual faults. That said, it only edges out Origins by the slimmest of margins. If Bioware intends for Dragon Age to become a stable franchise, they'll need to bring some more of Origins into Dragon Age 3.    … Expand
  30. 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
  31. Kurrinos
    Mar 14, 2011
    6
    Good game but falls short in a few crucial areas that will put people off playing it thro to the end. First I would like to say that this is a good game if you are an avid rpg game player. Since there are not many rpg genre offerings from high profile developers it can be cursed with over critisim and over hype, unfortunatly DA2 has been jumped on in regards to massive over critism. Let meGood game but falls short in a few crucial areas that will put people off playing it thro to the end. First I would like to say that this is a good game if you are an avid rpg game player. Since there are not many rpg genre offerings from high profile developers it can be cursed with over critisim and over hype, unfortunatly DA2 has been jumped on in regards to massive over critism. Let me put is this way. It does not deserve anything above a 6 or 7, from me personaly, I enjoyed it on a game level but not on a story level. Mainly because there is no drive, no narrative and there certainly is not climax or plot twists that make your eyes water or have an emotinal breakdown. This for me, is a deal breaker, a good RPG needs to suck you in emotionaly, the better the story/game the more of yourself you invest in it and the greater the enjoyment. (Old gamer moment incoming) BG2 is a perfect example huge long game, similarly split into acts each with an overriding point to them. You must escape, you must find a way to rescue your sister, you have been thwarted but the baddie while getting your sister, you must escape again, you must stop the baddie all to the backdrop of an evolving narative of you are the child of a god and someone is screwing it all up. Its pretty simple stuff here, but DA2 has none of that. You have no purpose or anything to focus as a goal, it's a bunch of unconnected quests that don't add up to a greater whole. There is a massive void in this game called "the main plot" and without it feels like Hawk (the MC) is just spinning thier (and your) wheels as there is no purpose to what they are doing in each of the acts. It is such a shame, there are so many great things about this game that I did enjoy like the voice acting, the companions themelves with thier quests/development and enjoyed the writing itself (mostly). Sadly this only magnifies the fact that the core is missing.… Expand
  32. bioburn
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    The only way to describe this game is as if a 'collection of red but cheeked monkeys got together,got high, bashed and mixed some Final Fantasy with Dynasty Warriors thinking that they are making the next tactical mastery Baldurs Gate game". Hence, to make the monkey story short-> were the Bioware folks working on this high?

    I opened the demo, expecting all the 'user' -aka    The only way to describe this game is as if a 'collection of red but cheeked monkeys got together,got high, bashed and mixed some Final Fantasy with Dynasty Warriors thinking that they are making the next tactical mastery Baldurs Gate game". Hence, to make the monkey story short-> were the Bioware folks working on this high?


    I opened the demo, expecting all the 'user' -aka 'non-professional' reviews to be wrong, trusting my soul with PC-Gamer and all the other critics with their godly knowledge of what makes a video game right. Yet, it is the users that are right all the time, thats what I understand now. As I quit the demo of Dragon Age 2 in record time, after 15 minutes of just slaying weird looking not-so-scary monsters that are supposed to be the darkspawn by just bashing 1,2,3,4 at random moments. I was surprised however that for a 'bunch' of refugees, they could slay so many, yet their town couldn't defeat these 'darkspawn'. I expected a hug of full win, yet was only received with full hairy monkey arms of fail.

    Very limited options in the game-few classes, limited hair styles, limited everything. Button smashing gameplay-> only Dungeon Siege makes this type of stuff fun-yet they had button smashing tactical gameplay!

    If all you like to do in life is kill endlessly, hordes and hordes of monsters that pop up and instantly die-this is your game. If you like to play a good game, something to enjoy, shy away from the comfortable looking hairy arms that Bioware currently has open for 40 euros a hug. Only PRO that Dragon Age 2 was the demo, that saved me a lot of money. Thanks Bioware.    … Expand
  33. leg_lamp
    Mar 14, 2011
    8
    Sleeker and faster combat, improved interface, improved graphics, and great characters. The plot isn't as urgent or immersive as the former game, but the game was still quite enjoyable.
  34. Eikinskjaldi
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The worst sequel i ever played. Perhaps developers planned this game for dumb heads? 3 variants of answers in dialogs, poor armor and weapons arsenal, stupid, oh sorry, idiotic combat system, absolutely predictable story and a lot of other "great" innovations...
    Am i sleep or this guys really developed the greatest rpg games in past?
    Also, about magazines score - Are U F Kidding? 9/10 - for what? O_o
    2.0/10.0 - enough for this "masterpiece"    … Expand
  35. SHaDER
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    A truly awful game. Absolutely no storyline whatsoever, you are literally cast into town and told to do side quests for the first 13 hours. Combat is the same boring fights over and over again, with multiple waves of mobs spawning in EVERY SINGLE fight. They reuse the same exact maps over and over for different places, they couldn't even be bothered to design different, unique locations.A truly awful game. Absolutely no storyline whatsoever, you are literally cast into town and told to do side quests for the first 13 hours. Combat is the same boring fights over and over again, with multiple waves of mobs spawning in EVERY SINGLE fight. They reuse the same exact maps over and over for different places, they couldn't even be bothered to design different, unique locations. Most of the characters are either annoying or boring, not that it would matter if they were interesting or not because you can't even interact with them save for a few occasions. I thought that Bioware was going downhill before, but holy crap this is just an absolute garbage of a game.… Expand
  36. Soulfighter
    Mar 14, 2011
    10
    Don't trust the spam-reviews, this game is solid.Bioware really improved DA:O to make one of the best RPG with a story that builds well and good character development if you get past the first 5 hours. Contrary to the apparent bulk of reviewers, you cannot beat the game in 10 hours even if you rush the main quest. I took the day off of work yesterday and played for 21 hours and haven'tDon't trust the spam-reviews, this game is solid.Bioware really improved DA:O to make one of the best RPG with a story that builds well and good character development if you get past the first 5 hours. Contrary to the apparent bulk of reviewers, you cannot beat the game in 10 hours even if you rush the main quest. I took the day off of work yesterday and played for 21 hours and haven't even gotten past the initial town. Dragon age 2 is definitly one of the best rpg of this year and a must have. i recommend this game to anyone and v can't do anything about it.… Expand
  37. JohnHex
    Mar 14, 2011
    1
    After amazing Dragon Age I, the Dragon Age II is a big let down. It has thrown away everything that made Dragon Age I such an epic adventure. For example in Dragon Age II you never leave the Kirkwall which makes environment more and more boring when time passes. The combat is just bad and over used. It is dull when a group of bandits or spiders jump on you on every corner. Not to talkAfter amazing Dragon Age I, the Dragon Age II is a big let down. It has thrown away everything that made Dragon Age I such an epic adventure. For example in Dragon Age II you never leave the Kirkwall which makes environment more and more boring when time passes. The combat is just bad and over used. It is dull when a group of bandits or spiders jump on you on every corner. Not to talk about enemy reinforcements: seems like every gang in Kirkwall got a lot of men to spare. Reinforcement idea is also too heavily over used. I swear there wasn't a single battle without more enemies popping from ground.

    Do not believe "professional" critics, the game is just bad and should never been released. User score speaks for the game quality.    … Expand
  38. Krubin
    Mar 14, 2011
    1
    I gave this game an average 5 before because I liked many aspects but felt it didn't impress me. But now I am greatly disturbed by Bioware employees REVIEWING THEIR OWN GAMES. For Shame Bioware. This is deceptive marketing. So this game gets a 1 for Bioware committing what I consider to be fraud.

    http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/g3td7/dragon_age_2_conspiracy_highest_rated_metacritic/
  39. StanleyWoo
    Mar 14, 2011
    10
    Dragon Age 2 is the one of the best RPG is have ever played. Story is well thought and really complex. Dark and gloomy setting is incredible. Game play has noticeably improved since Dragon Age: Origins. If you are true RPG fan, you just have to play this game. Be excellent to each other. End of Line.
  40. TeN
    Mar 14, 2011
    9
    Okay, the real feeling of being a grey warden and the atmosphere that da:o had is not really there, but the feeling while being in battles nice. It's a somewhat dull story, but mostly all i want is to fight, so i don't see a 'big' problem. Personally i find the game to be a 7 - 8 but i rate it a 9 , because most of you people talk like this: "oh noo, it's no RPG anymore but it has becomeOkay, the real feeling of being a grey warden and the atmosphere that da:o had is not really there, but the feeling while being in battles nice. It's a somewhat dull story, but mostly all i want is to fight, so i don't see a 'big' problem. Personally i find the game to be a 7 - 8 but i rate it a 9 , because most of you people talk like this: "oh noo, it's no RPG anymore but it has become a hack and slaaaash". While some RPG elements are a bit fading from this game (which i can acknowledge) The major elements are still there.
    So if they are still there, but just a bit less, why rate it a 0 or 1 just because its not dungeons and dragons anymore?    … Expand
  41. 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
  42. UnpaidCritic
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    As someone who deeply enjoyed DA:O, I am immensely disappointed by this sequel. Dragon Age 2 is inferior to its predecessor in basically every way. And how Bioware manged to even implement worse graphics than DA:O is completely beyond me. Ratings are always subjective but if you see game reviewers give this game a 10/10 praising its superior graphics .. you cant help but wonder how much ofAs someone who deeply enjoyed DA:O, I am immensely disappointed by this sequel. Dragon Age 2 is inferior to its predecessor in basically every way. And how Bioware manged to even implement worse graphics than DA:O is completely beyond me. Ratings are always subjective but if you see game reviewers give this game a 10/10 praising its superior graphics .. you cant help but wonder how much of this praise came directly from EA itself.

    Also nice try Avanost.    … Expand
  43. Ashin
    Mar 14, 2011
    2
    A step back in every respect from Origins, if you enjoyed Origins, don't expect to enjoy this, it caters for a low tier of gamers, one day DLC is another slap in the face from a money grabbing company.
  44. ross_rs
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    I, as a good fan of Bioware am disgusted that they would even release this game, EVERTHING is a downgrade from the previous Dragon:Age Origins!

    Dialogue is atrocious (Not just for a Bioware game, for any game), even without the dialogue, just the number of choices for each piece of dialogue received has been reduced far too much. Graphics: Another let down with a download required to    I, as a good fan of Bioware am disgusted that they would even release this game, EVERTHING is a downgrade from the previous Dragon:Age Origins!

    Dialogue is atrocious (Not just for a Bioware game, for any game), even without the dialogue, just the number of choices for each piece of dialogue received has been reduced far too much.

    Graphics: Another let down with a download required to gain full access to the graphics which should have been included, other than that you are looking at pre-2003 graphics at best. (Even if you do manage to get the high-res pack, I hope you have fun with all the additional bugs and rendering fails it has!)

    Combat: System is a mess with no real effort even needed on the higher difficulties, you either steamroll through the waves of trash or get steamrolled back, use of tactics doesn't make a difference, just mindless button-bashing in comparison to DA:O with no thought needed.

    Story: ..Just.. Wow... The amount of ret-con and even complete destruction of anything happening within the storyline and of DA:O..Just..Wow..

    Characters: Characters are either bland or just plain stupid. Even characters from DA:O have somehow completely changed all traits and act like essentially a completely different person (Anders anyone).

    DLC: Loads of DLC on launch day, an inexcusable grab for more money made worse by players actually buying the data that should already be available with the retail game.

    Control Scheme: PC users will know the woes, a console game back-ported to the PC.. ouch! Safe to say the irritating camera detracts from the already abysmal gameplay available.
    This is all made worse by the reviews planted by Bioware on various sites (Including here) giving it 10/10 reviews instead of listening to fan feedback and tackling any problems. Metacritic user Avanost using a Bioware Devs personal handle and creating an account as soon as it could be rated on.

    Although DA:O was an above-average game athough I did thoroughly enjoy it, Dragon Age II is just a step in the wrong direction in almost every way. All the good aspects have been destroyed, if you liked Dragon Age: Origins but have not yet purchased Dragon Age II, STEER CLEAR! Those memories of DA:O will be forever tarnished.    … Expand
  45. Hude
    Mar 14, 2011
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. DA2 just didnâ… Expand
  46. Carpenter
    Mar 14, 2011
    3
    This game is not an RPG, and it is not what we expected from the Dragon Age Franchise to develop in. It focus on combat and resembles more and adventure game, aimed at teens, that its predecessor, Origins. This game is a let down, and in certain way I'm happy they take over a new history, and not ruined the one builded back in Origins. The game es short, and dumbed down. Do your self aThis game is not an RPG, and it is not what we expected from the Dragon Age Franchise to develop in. It focus on combat and resembles more and adventure game, aimed at teens, that its predecessor, Origins. This game is a let down, and in certain way I'm happy they take over a new history, and not ruined the one builded back in Origins. The game es short, and dumbed down. Do your self a favor and don't buy it.… Expand
  47. Dosker55
    Mar 14, 2011
    10
    Revel, savour and bask in the brilliance; this is a game that no gamer can afford to ignore. Everything here is bigger, better, brighter, faster, longer, sicker, cooler than the series has ever been before
  48. Xalius
    Mar 14, 2011
    8
    While I do agree that the game have some rough edges, I think it's kinda a shame that the game has received such harsh reviews. I think BioWare has done it again in making a good game, the story, the new combat system and the game-play itself is amazing. I do not wish to only give this game positive words, I think it's a shame that there are places in the game where the graphics are lowWhile I do agree that the game have some rough edges, I think it's kinda a shame that the game has received such harsh reviews. I think BioWare has done it again in making a good game, the story, the new combat system and the game-play itself is amazing. I do not wish to only give this game positive words, I think it's a shame that there are places in the game where the graphics are low rendered, and it's also a shame that you cannot enter dialog with your companions whenever you wish, but other than that - Dragon Age II is a great game, and I certainly recommend it.

    8/10    … Expand
  49. SolInvictus
    Mar 14, 2011
    8
    The Good:
    -The Characters and banter( especially Varric)
    -Animations are better (especially facial)
    -Kirkwall is not Athkala but it's far better than Denerim, and -Art Style
    -Game Play
    -Good Greek Tragedy of a story

    The Bad:
    -No iso-metric camera
    -The ending
    -The same maps over and over again
    -Combat gets repetitive
  50. Turing2634
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    Is this an RPG? It might be an ok Hack 'n' Slash game, but as an RPG it falls flat almost every respect. Where's the subtle nuanced dialogue? Where's my options of talking my way out of a fight? I appreciate that often you have to fight, but why everytime? and whats with the magically spawning waves of enemies? sometimes you see them jump from roofs or come through door sure, but you alsoIs this an RPG? It might be an ok Hack 'n' Slash game, but as an RPG it falls flat almost every respect. Where's the subtle nuanced dialogue? Where's my options of talking my way out of a fight? I appreciate that often you have to fight, but why everytime? and whats with the magically spawning waves of enemies? sometimes you see them jump from roofs or come through door sure, but you also see them appear infront of you. Probably the most disappointing Bioware game ever. This isn't Baldur's Gate 3, it's not even Dragon Age 2 (in spirit). This is to Origins what Dark alliance games were to Baldurs Gate.… Expand
  51. 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
  52. biship
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    This is not a BIOWARE game. Its a EA dumbed down for kiddies console port. GFX are a minor upgrade from DA:0. Runs like crap (2x6970's). I cant recommend buying this game. You will find after a few hours no desire or incentive to play the game.
  53. brightng
    Mar 14, 2011
    10
    There are things I really like about the game and things that I don't like much at all. To put this in perspective, this is the first time that I've been motivated enough to write a review for one of these games. Generally, I'm a big Bioware fan and I've been playing RPG games for close to 30 years now. So far I've played a female mage.

    What I like: 1. There are some very stark choices in    There are things I really like about the game and things that I don't like much at all. To put this in perspective, this is the first time that I've been motivated enough to write a review for one of these games. Generally, I'm a big Bioware fan and I've been playing RPG games for close to 30 years now. So far I've played a female mage.

    What I like: 1. There are some very stark choices in this game whose consequences are much more real than in past games. Before this, I've been able to predict the outcome for each choice whereas in this one I've been surprised at times. Kudos for this, because some of these choices have made the game seem more real. 2. I've also generally enjoyed the different way of presenting talents and some of the abilities that weren't there before. 3. Varric is a great character as well. He's a refreshing change from the brooding males and my only lament regarding him is that I would have liked him to be one of the characters that could be romanced. Ah well... I like Aveline as well. Merrill is not bad, though not as memorable as the DA:O.
    4. I like overall the tension between the different factions and I would have liked the game to focus on and develop these even more. Why not spend more time on Ander's side quests instead of all those "out of nowhere and only for XP" side quests?
    5. I also enjoyed that the main character was also involved in some of the banter outside of specific conversations.
    6. I enjoy the city setting and actually would have preferred that the game not go outside at all. A few more settings in the city would have given it more depth and complexity. Having the outside made both outside and inside took away from the depth of the city while not really providing a satisfying complement to it (with the few and repeated outside settings).

    What I don't like: 1. Like many others, I feel that laziness or lack of effort gutted some parts of this game. The scenery is an obvious one and the general lack of different opponents is a less irritating but present one as well. 2. The bland nature of most of the inventory was also something that has taken much of the fun out of the game for me. It feels like this: "Magic Sword +1; Magic Sword +1.1; Magic Sword +1.2" Many of the items that we pick up just don't seem to matter. I would rather there be fewer ones that really matter. Also, why do so many of the robes look exactly the same? Couldn't they have had at least a few different models? In fact, if they didn't want to do too much designing, I would have preferred that they do the same for the main character as they did for the sidekicks (set costumes) but with, say, 5+ choices at the beginning so that one could choose. 3. The male sidekicks were quite forgettable for me. I was delighted in Origins because there were multiple people I could enjoy building relationships with, each with their own quirks that mostly did it for me. Here, on the other hand, I find the males pouty, often too similar, and generally uninteresting. Isabel hasn't really done it for me either, which is quite the thing to say since I usually enjoy that kind of sidekick.
    4. I really could do without the enemies suddenly appearing out of nowhere. It breaks the immersion for me completely at times. 5. Similarly, the endless stream would be good for some encounters to give them context, but for others I would rather have a few tougher enemies rather than the same, eventually mind-numbing, swarm.    … Expand
  54. 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.
  55. 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
  56. Seragrime
    Mar 14, 2011
    3
    If you bought this thinking it was a sequel, like I did, you're going to be disappointed. What you're getting is really Dragon Age:Kirkwall with a very heavy handed dose of Mass Effect.

    You have a home that serves as your mail box, storage chest, crafting station and all of your companions have their own designated spaces in town much like ME. No more cozy campfires where someone bursts    If you bought this thinking it was a sequel, like I did, you're going to be disappointed. What you're getting is really Dragon Age:Kirkwall with a very heavy handed dose of Mass Effect.

    You have a home that serves as your mail box, storage chest, crafting station and all of your companions have their own designated spaces in town much like ME. No more cozy campfires where someone bursts into song or confesses their deepest regret and you can forget about getting 'one public display of affection'. Other than picking who you want and chosing the sparkly heart on the dialog wheel, the game decides the path and speed of your courtship, not you. Not that it matters because the companions are fairly one-dimensional or in Isabella's case bluntly stereotypical-- I can deal with her giganormous boobs and lack of pants, but couldn't you have given her some brains instead of making her a running sex-joke?-- though Fenris had the potential to be interesting if they'd bothered to give us more than the Cliff Notes version of his life. Instead we we're just supposed to accept that magic did it and he wasn't a biotic like in ME

    My biggest pet-peeve all the pieces were there for another multi-option game. Qunari. Surfacer Dwarf, Lothering Refugee (human), Kirkwall Native (elf). Instead they decided to go the ME route and do a singular character, linear story and game defined looks for your companions. The game may be bland but the improved graphics and Why all the changes to the format though? DA:O sold well. People liked it and bought all the DLC. In ME you gathered a team to chase down a rogue spectre and saved the world. In ME2 you didn't go to Earth, you got into your brand-new spaceship with a new evil to fight and went out to save the world again. So if they were so keen to borrow so much from ME why couldn't they give us a new evil to fight with our hand-picked character?    … Expand
  57. Icee
    Mar 14, 2011
    2
    Dragon Age: Origins its a great game. Dragon Age 2 just **** sorry but its true. Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game
  58. NixSar
    Mar 14, 2011
    4
    I've waited for this game filled with hope that it will be at least as good as its excellent predecessor, but as soon as I've started it, quite honestly I was at a loss for words. I still am, but I will still write a couple of lines in hope to, if nothing else, feel better about buying it. Everything immediately felt wrong - the graphics looked weird - somehow improved, but also somehowI've waited for this game filled with hope that it will be at least as good as its excellent predecessor, but as soon as I've started it, quite honestly I was at a loss for words. I still am, but I will still write a couple of lines in hope to, if nothing else, feel better about buying it. Everything immediately felt wrong - the graphics looked weird - somehow improved, but also somehow completely off and worse (really cannot explain better), the controls clunky, camera erratic, combat system so wildly different to anything before, but after 10 hours of playtime still not getting any better or more familiar in my opinion. The story feels completely disconnected, I have yet to feel any kind of connection to the game, love for the characters or appeal for the storyline and so it goes on and on and on... Not a disaster if viewed without its predecessor in mind, but just a weird, unnecessary game.… Expand
  59. Torashuu
    Mar 14, 2011
    3
    The game is decidely rushed as is apparent in repettitive scenery and combat, poorly fleshed out narrative with stereotypical characterization. It is basically the anti-thesis of what one expects from high quality RPG's from the company that used to set the bar themselves. Not only does the game itself have little merrit, the name behind it makes it all the more tragic. Poor show Bioware,The game is decidely rushed as is apparent in repettitive scenery and combat, poorly fleshed out narrative with stereotypical characterization. It is basically the anti-thesis of what one expects from high quality RPG's from the company that used to set the bar themselves. Not only does the game itself have little merrit, the name behind it makes it all the more tragic. Poor show Bioware, really hope you can step up your game.… Expand
  60. 27raven
    Mar 14, 2011
    5
    Why the lack of interesting and diverse locations? Why one repeating cave and houses over and over again? Why waves of enemies spawning from the ceiling? Why the brutal requirements in DX11 in 5 year old looking game? Why no interesting and surprising puzzles? Why many other things i don't want to even remember? If it wasn't for DA:O and if it wasn't Bioware I would give 7 points but likeWhy the lack of interesting and diverse locations? Why one repeating cave and houses over and over again? Why waves of enemies spawning from the ceiling? Why the brutal requirements in DX11 in 5 year old looking game? Why no interesting and surprising puzzles? Why many other things i don't want to even remember? If it wasn't for DA:O and if it wasn't Bioware I would give 7 points but like this i fell it deserves 5 points max.
    Btw. I didn't like many things in DA:O (skill system, class imbalances) but it was still a pearl in comparison to this game.

    PS: Why so high scores from magazines? Does EA pay that well? It was the same with NFS:Shift and I completely understand people who give 0 points as a defense against so exaggerated ratings.    … Expand
  61. noMugop
    Mar 14, 2011
    9
    Many people give negative scores. It's like flash mob! Why u did it guys, i think many of u even dint play that game. Bioware is the legendary one in game industry. They are best of all. Never winter nights, dragon age 1,2; mass effect 1,2 ! All this games r legendary! I'm limited in my english by several words :)) but even that cant stop me! MY SCORE IS 100!!!!!
  62. Anastasia
    Mar 14, 2011
    9
    This is the worst... First Person Shooter ever. BUT IT IS THE BEST RPG EVER! Dragon Age 2 is absolutely phenomenal in every single way. I bought it and I still can't put it down. It is a brilliant technical accomplishment by BioWare, and is easily one of their best games. BioWare never fails to impress, and Dragon Age 2 is no different.
  63. gulgamesh
    Mar 14, 2011
    4
    Dragon Age 2 is a step backwards in many ways from Dragon Age: Origins. DA:O was supposedly the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate and while it fell short of that lofty goal, it did manage to be a great step in the right direction and a great first entry for a new RPG franchise. A sequel merely needed to build upon that success by giving the fans more of the same with a new story to sinkDragon Age 2 is a step backwards in many ways from Dragon Age: Origins. DA:O was supposedly the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate and while it fell short of that lofty goal, it did manage to be a great step in the right direction and a great first entry for a new RPG franchise. A sequel merely needed to build upon that success by giving the fans more of the same with a new story to sink their teeth into. Sadly DA2 fails to do this. Many of the great features of the original have been removed. The origins choice and playthrough at the start where a race/class is chosen and it affects the character entirely, has been removed. Full dialogue options have been removed in favour of a simple good/bad/neutral choice. Combat has been made very simple and less tactical. The overhead camera has been removed.

    It has the better graphics that we would expect from a sequel but the substance and the depth and richness that would have been needed to cement this is as a great RPG franchise have been forgotten in favour of flashier animations, extra voice acting and simpler gameplay to appeal to a mass market.

    This is bad enough but the game was also rushed. The environments are recyled to a very noticeable extent that ruins immersion and the gameplay feels linear in comparison to better rpgs.

    I do not know if it is possible in the modern gaming market to produce something with love and care like BG was but Bioware, if you are listening - please go back to your roots and make a TRUE baldur's gate successor! Or at the very least make sure that Dragon Age 3 is more like it's origins.    … Expand
  64. phil_is_random
    Mar 14, 2011
    8
    DA2 is not your "traditional" Dragon Age, mind you - but what means traditional, if there has only been one title of the series so far? It's fast-paced, action-filled, gory goodness and at least I enjoyed playing it very much. Just don't expect as much RPG as in Dragon Age - if you are okay with that, you will have fun!
  65. Gingervitis
    Mar 14, 2011
    7
    As the low "user score" shows there's a ton of negative feedback from the community on this game. Some is very valid, some is sensationalism.

    The interface; Big update since DA:O. Pretty much the entire UI is nicely set up, clean, and easy to use. The first thing that will hit when you first play the game (if you played the first) is they adopted the "dialog wheel" from Mass Effect, which    As the low "user score" shows there's a ton of negative feedback from the community on this game. Some is very valid, some is sensationalism.

    The interface; Big update since DA:O. Pretty much the entire UI is nicely set up, clean, and easy to use. The first thing that will hit when you first play the game (if you played the first) is they adopted the "dialog wheel" from Mass Effect, which was a huge bonus for myself. It was something i was wishing for when playing the first dragon age. Lots of people don't seem to feel the same way as me, but i guess it all comes down to person preference here.

    The gameplay; Very fast paced, which is fun but after a few hours and you start to gain abilities, it becomes an absolute cluster****. Spell effects going off everywhere, sometimes i cant even tell if abilities are from my party or from the enemy. The game is also very difficult. I started on normal, but after wiping to one of the boss fights for about an hour i gave up and switched it to casual. Apparently i am all of a sudden bad at video games, Haha. Don't get me wrong, I find the gameplay years ahead of the first game. Which im probably alone in saying, Its much more fun to just pick up and run with. One thing that disappointed me was the fact that you couldn't give gear to your group (except for rings/belts/necklaces) which i thought was a bit lame. The talent trees are well laid out, I would say mages probably have the best set up trees of all of them, they a lot have incredibly powerful spells. But thats not much different from DA:O except now the CC is toned down quite a bit. With my playthrough I chose a rogue. After a few hours i started playing one of the mage side-characters when in combat because of how powerful they are, thankfully after getting the rogue some more abilities i switched back and she's a beast now, lots of hard hitting abilities and the gameplay for rogue after you get up to level 8-9 is just so fast paced and fun.

    The story; Well... this is probably the weakest part of the game. When going through the storyline it feels a little forced, but I still find it engaging. I would say the story is a lot more accessible than the first game. I wont get into specifics so there are no spoilers but there have been a few points that made me facepalm and say "REALLY?".

    Graphics; I dunno where the complaints about this are coming from... It looks beautiful once you get the HD texture update. But it probably takes quite a newly updated computer to seriously run it at high settings.

    All in all, This game has some major flaws, but is well worth a play-through. I had a hard time getting into DA:O. But DA2 is much more accessible and fast paced for gamers that are newer to the RPG format. Which I guess can be viewed as a good or bad thing depending on your standpoint.    … Expand
  66. garudevil
    Mar 14, 2011
    1
    Best combat ever? did they change the difficulty to hard or nightmare. It's so unbalance. In casual and normal you dont have trouble to deal with the army of enemy (around 15 - 20 guys in all fight). But in hard mode it's sucks! with poor cooldown potion system and no zoom out camera. poorest combat system ever.
    I expect to meet this number of enemy (in every battle) in dynasty warior but    Best combat ever? did they change the difficulty to hard or nightmare. It's so unbalance. In casual and normal you dont have trouble to deal with the army of enemy (around 15 - 20 guys in all fight). But in hard mode it's sucks! with poor cooldown potion system and no zoom out camera. poorest combat system ever.
    I expect to meet this number of enemy (in every battle) in dynasty warior but not dragon age.    … Expand
  67. Gamer77
    Mar 14, 2011
    1
    "Darker, sexier, prettier" were the advertising words for this sequel. Unfortunately the ONLY thing that actually has got better (in some parts of the game) is combat dynamics. Story line itself is very narrow comparing to original DAO, darkness has been replaced with fierce button smashing combating and then sex... well that's completely REMOVED. Okay, you actually can get to kiss someone"Darker, sexier, prettier" were the advertising words for this sequel. Unfortunately the ONLY thing that actually has got better (in some parts of the game) is combat dynamics. Story line itself is very narrow comparing to original DAO, darkness has been replaced with fierce button smashing combating and then sex... well that's completely REMOVED. Okay, you actually can get to kiss someone and invoke some dirty dialogue, but anyone who has actually played DAO will be very disappointed. There's no passion, no mature decisions to be made and absolutely nothing to see in terms of mature gaming. It looks like this sequel is more targeted to 13 years old console gamers than to people who actually played and enjoyed the original Dragon Age.

    The only thing that could save the game amongst DAO players would be fast introduction of expansions and toolset, that would make possible to enchange game in mentioned areas. Without that, I think the game is doomed and will only result financial loss and more sadly, ruin the name of Dragon Age.    … Expand
  68. AlexanderRussia
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    ЧÑ
  69. wiwefak
    Mar 14, 2011
    7
    Dragon Age 2, isnt something what i expected it to be. Maybe i was hoping for DA:O sequal. The game does have improvment at some points. The combat is more fun now, it isnt clunky and the animations are smooth. It was nice to see my rogue just kill stuff with style. The spells and skills look nice, First time i casted rock armor i was amazed how much better it looked compared to DA:O. TheDragon Age 2, isnt something what i expected it to be. Maybe i was hoping for DA:O sequal. The game does have improvment at some points. The combat is more fun now, it isnt clunky and the animations are smooth. It was nice to see my rogue just kill stuff with style. The spells and skills look nice, First time i casted rock armor i was amazed how much better it looked compared to DA:O. The new Qunari look nice, but in the game you dont see any female Qunari's also you dont see any female Dwarfs. The dialogue wheel is something they tried to take over from ME2, but it dosent fit for DA2. In a rpg i wanna be the character and choose what i say like i did in DA:O, but with the new dialogue wheel i often felt like i didnt bother reading any options. Making me pay less attention to the story. I always knew top was good, middle was neutral and bottom was evul. So i always clicked the top one and didnt bother reading anything else. Which was a huge letdown. In DA:O you had so many diffrent choices and you chose the option which felt what you would have said so you were thinking what you would do, you were in the game. Also the dialogue options were sometimes confusing, because i hoped it to say something diffrent and it kept me sometimes wondering if i pressed something wrong or could the other options say what i wanted to say.

    Companions:
    Companion customization is dumbed down. You can't change ur companion armor, except rings,necklace, belt and weapon. In a rpg i always want to customize all my characters. Or maybe it was too much to expect. 1,5 years to make a sequal isnt that much, comparing to DA:O and i guess Bioware didnt have the time to make armors for your companions. But not being able to change armors, resulted my main character who was a rogue, have more armor/defence than my tank. Even though you can upgrade your companion armors, by getting some special upgraders or doing companion quests it isnt as effective compared to DA:O, where you could give them your old set.

    Another thing about companions, you cant talk to them everytime you want. Basically if you want to know about them you need to wait for the companion quest to open. I always was checking all my companions, because i wanted to know about them more, but i never was able to talk with them unless they had a quest and that wasnt really what i was looking forward to. In DA:O you could talk with them everywhere, which was great, but now the only chance to talk with them is during companion quests and occasionaly cutscenes. In DA:O, you talked with them everytime gave them gifts, laughed at their jokes and dialogues, but now it feels like they removed it from the game. True the companions to have funny dialogue with eachother from time to time, but here i don't bother listening to them at all, unless its Varrick whos talking. Varrick will probably be the companion i will remeber. Compared to DA:O, where i loved Alistair, Morrigan, Shale, Zevran, Oghren and so on. The companions in DA2 arent that memorable.

    The theme is Kirkwall, you spend all the time in Kirkwall and its surrounding places. Kirkwall is a huge city and you can choose to visit at night and day, which is nice, but the city is empty. I mean there arent npc-s. The huge city seems kinda empty, but that isnt a big problem, the biggest problem is the dungeons and recycled areas. After ACT1 you will spend ur time revisiting the places u visited for several more times. Basically after ACT1 you have seen the whole game. Compared to DA:O, where there were so many diffrent places, citys this seems like they didnt have money or the time to make new dungeons. After revisiting a dungeon the 20-th time you know where the most treasures are and it isnt as rewarding and the game lacks exploration.

    What is the deal with DLC before the game is even released. They are trying to milk too much money out of the gamers who like the Dragon Age universe. There are 2 dlc-s already, which 1 has a new companion and the other has some bonus items. You can play DA2 without dlc-s easily, because those dlc don't add that much depth to the game. Also on hard/nightmare the game is challenging, however some places are unbalanced and make you wanna tear your hair out. To play on nightmare you gotta exploit all the weakness and the stupidness of the enemys ai. The game started feeling like hit and run. The game isnt as tactical as DA:O, yes you can play it tactically, but after waves and waves of enemys ur tactics mostly end up being useless, because enemy's come out of nowhere and just take out ur mage or rogue. So you never can be prepeared.

    Dont get me wrong Dragon Age 2 is a good game, but i always kept comparing it to DA:O. DA2 was rushed out, it wasnt polished like DA:O. If there wasnt DA:O i would give DA2 a score of 8, but it felt for me that it isnt as good as DA;O and i always compared to it. So imma give it a 7.    … Expand
  70. sparrow667
    Mar 14, 2011
    9
    DA2 took me 36 hours of gameplay (skipped 10+ quests). Good:
    Bioware games are always about the story - and it is the best story written by David Gaider so far. Connections between DAO/DAA and DA2 are far more complex than in Mass Effect 2. Crafting system was nicely improved. Combat changes may seen controversial, but itâ
  71. CroGamer002
    Mar 14, 2011
    8
    Game is just absolutely amazing. But let me start with cons. I seriously dislike new design of the Darkspawn and I hate those horns on Quinari. Didn't like idea that party members can't be equipped with other armor and robes and reused maps is just stupid. Well now the pros. Characters are amazingly on same level as DA:O characters which was a huge surprise for me. Plot is far, FARGame is just absolutely amazing. But let me start with cons. I seriously dislike new design of the Darkspawn and I hate those horns on Quinari. Didn't like idea that party members can't be equipped with other armor and robes and reused maps is just stupid. Well now the pros. Characters are amazingly on same level as DA:O characters which was a huge surprise for me. Plot is far, FAR superior to DA:O and plot twist at the end was just shocking and wanted to beat the crap out of my favorite character for that, in the good way. Some side quest actually impact main story, graphics are nice, soundtrack nice too. Gameplay is largely the same as DA:O, only is much more fast-paced which makes it harder and more fun.

    This game is a must buy for anyone who like RPG games and future DLC's are expected for this game and Bioware doesn't fail with DLC's.    … Expand
  72. Rayofjudgement
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    Dragon Age II fails as a sequel to one of the greatest traditional styled RPGs of modern times.
    Combat is a pseudo hack and slash RPG in betweener which just seems to be the worst of both worlds.
    The dialog system has been vastly reduced. In Dragon Age: Origins all the choices had significant effects on the game world and at times were very difficult to make depending on your morals    Dragon Age II fails as a sequel to one of the greatest traditional styled RPGs of modern times.
    Combat is a pseudo hack and slash RPG in betweener which just seems to be the worst of both worlds.

    The dialog system has been vastly reduced. In Dragon Age: Origins all the choices had significant effects on the game world and at times were very difficult to make depending on your morals and values which you wanted to instill or try and play out. In Dragon Age II its reduced to Generic Good, Generic Bad and la Troll answer (i.e. "I want to Be a Dragon" this is a real dialog option near the beginning of the game). There are even icons to signify if its good, bad and trolololol. Taking out any ounce of decision making on the player part apart from I want to be Good/Bad/Neutral.

    The story is ok, but there are heaps of unnecessary arbitrary quests scattered mostly constists of kill x gather y or variations of which had little to no impact on the overall story where as Dragon Age: Origins almost everything had impact.

    Graphics are acceptable. Characters are done quite well but everything else is blegh.

    Music is not done well, it fits but doesn't stand out.

    I don't recommend this game at all. Its simply shovelware. Play the original Dragon Age. It is a masterpiece. This sequel is not good enough at all.    … Expand
  73. BiefstukFriet
    Mar 14, 2011
    4
    As a stand alone game, Dragon Age II is a passable and entertaining game. Nothing fancy or groundbreaking, but entertaining non the less. However, it does have its flaws. The caves, houses and locations in the City of Kirkwall - the location of the majority of the game - are constantly recycled. Does that location look familiar? It probably is, because even though the missions change, theAs a stand alone game, Dragon Age II is a passable and entertaining game. Nothing fancy or groundbreaking, but entertaining non the less. However, it does have its flaws. The caves, houses and locations in the City of Kirkwall - the location of the majority of the game - are constantly recycled. Does that location look familiar? It probably is, because even though the missions change, the locations quite often don't. You'll find yourself slogging through a location you visited half an hour ago. Sometimes, the game spices things up and you start of where you left the location during your previous visit.

    The combat is pretty smooth and visualy appealing but also rather simple. Positioning your party to best use the lay of the land is not needed and also not usefull because enemies spawn pretty much out of nowhere from all sides of the map in a neverending tide. That well placed mage, screened by your warrior and rogue just got jumped on by a group of enemies that just were not there.

    As for the storyline, following Hawke's rise from refugee to champion is a novel idea and has merrit, but story's lack of a clear goal and sense of urgency makes it lack a soul. As a result side-quests feel like filler and of no import. Now there is one thing that truly vexes me, the impact of my Warder from Origins in DAII. There is none, merely comments on his past actions which is a far cry from Mass Effect II, where the choices made in ME I had strong consequences.


    DA Ii is ntertaining, but with flaws and would've scored a 7. DA II only becomes a '4' (see my user score) when you compare it to Dragon Age: Origins. origins had a compelling storyline, fleshed out locations, entertaining characters you could bond to, a clear goal to work towards and tactical combat.

    Why Bioware took such a radical approach to a very much acclaimed game as Dragon Age Origin is beyond me.    … Expand
  74. donotfeed
    Mar 14, 2011
    5
    Not the best Bioware game. Im not a hardcore player myself, but after 5 or 6 hours of gameplay I was kinda sick of copy&paste caves and visiting same locations over and over again. Combat system is also weak (press "1-9" to kill, repeat 20 times thanks to the constant respawns). The game from "complete & forget" category
  75. Haylzorz
    Mar 14, 2011
    8
    I can agree with some of the already stated negative factors about this game, such as the combat system needing little thought or planning (unless on hard mode) and that some of the dialogue options seem a little... well, sloppy. What I will say about the graphics is that I have a high end gaming PC with an nvidia geforce gtx 570 and therefore I downloaded the hi-res texture package and II can agree with some of the already stated negative factors about this game, such as the combat system needing little thought or planning (unless on hard mode) and that some of the dialogue options seem a little... well, sloppy. What I will say about the graphics is that I have a high end gaming PC with an nvidia geforce gtx 570 and therefore I downloaded the hi-res texture package and I see little improvement. Although I find the graphics only slightly underwhelming, it is a little off putting when there's such a diverse mix between shoddy textures and higher quality ones. Some armour looks great, some looks dreadfully out dated. However this all said and done, I am enjoying the game immensly. I find the storyline involving and dramatic (without seeming to try too hard) and the party members you can recruit are all very intriguing and different. The replay value of the game, in my opinion, is very high. There are quite a few options and paths you can take and I for one am looking forward to my second character already. And as for being stuck in the city mainly, which I heard about before even playing the game, hasn't been an issue for me. The only disappointing thing I will point out is that house/cave/deeproads layouts are all reused quite a lot. Overall I think Dragon Age 2 isn't as bad as people are making it out to be. It feels much like the first game and although it does seem to have been dumbed down ever so slightly (mainly with the combat and character relationship factors) I can see it appealing to a wider variety of gamers. And you don't need to have played the first game to enjoy this one.… Expand
  76. Callex
    Mar 14, 2011
    9
    What on earth? Am I playing the same game as these other reviewers? DA 2 is in no way deserving of such low scores. I think there's a clash of audiences here. If you're after pages of statistics, tedious micromanaging, played the entirety of DA1 in tactical view and consider PC gamers to be the master race, then this probably isn't the game for you. Streamlining isn't always a bad thing;What on earth? Am I playing the same game as these other reviewers? DA 2 is in no way deserving of such low scores. I think there's a clash of audiences here. If you're after pages of statistics, tedious micromanaging, played the entirety of DA1 in tactical view and consider PC gamers to be the master race, then this probably isn't the game for you. Streamlining isn't always a bad thing; the game is easier to digest overall, the voice acting is stellar, the combat feels more involved and environments are prettier. The game is by no means perfect, but a score less than 5? Ridiculous.… Expand
  77. Jussi
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    "Darker, sexier, prettier" were the advertising words for this sequel. Unfortunately the ONLY thing that actually has got better (in some parts of the game) is combat dynamics. Story line itself is very narrow comparing to original DAO, darkness has been replaced with fierce button smashing combating and then sex... well that's completely REMOVED. Okay, you actually can get to kiss someone"Darker, sexier, prettier" were the advertising words for this sequel. Unfortunately the ONLY thing that actually has got better (in some parts of the game) is combat dynamics. Story line itself is very narrow comparing to original DAO, darkness has been replaced with fierce button smashing combating and then sex... well that's completely REMOVED. Okay, you actually can get to kiss someone and invoke some dirty dialogue, but anyone who has actually played DAO will be very disappointed. There's no passion, no mature decisions to be made and absolutely nothing to see in terms of mature gaming. It looks like this sequel is more targeted to 13 years old console gamers than to people who actually played and enjoyed the original Dragon Age.

    The only thing that could save the game amongst DAO players would be fast introduction of expansions and toolset, that would make possible to enchange game in mentioned areas. Without that, I think the game is doomed and will only result financial loss and more sadly, ruin the name of Dragon Age.    … Expand
  78. Zokjin
    Mar 14, 2011
    6
    My main gripes with this game are the combat system, the recycled environments and the lack of choice. I don't mind the flashy new feel of the combat, but the enemies-popping-out-of-thin-air -system is cheap and underwhelming. In my mind an RPG is supposed to promote game play where positioning and tactics play a major role. This was possible in DA:O since the enemies you saw where theMy main gripes with this game are the combat system, the recycled environments and the lack of choice. I don't mind the flashy new feel of the combat, but the enemies-popping-out-of-thin-air -system is cheap and underwhelming. In my mind an RPG is supposed to promote game play where positioning and tactics play a major role. This was possible in DA:O since the enemies you saw where the ones you were going to fight but now reinforcements pop out of no where blowing tactics out of the water. One might argue that it's there to crank the difficulty up, but that's just wrong. There are many ways to make a game more difficult which are not as cheap as this. DA:O was plenty difficult on the hardest difficulty without this system.

    Lets get to the recycled environments. I don't mind having to visit the same place a few times, but when you have 3 templates for a building interior which are used for 20 different buildings it gets old and fast. Same goes for caves etc.

    This game also lacks one of the most important aspects of RPG's, actual choices that affect what happens in the world. There are some minor things you can decide on, but nothing that truly affects the world around you. You can solve a situation a few different ways but in the end the result is almost always the same.

    A lot of people seems to think the story is something horrible but I don't share that view. It's not a great story but it's also not a complete train wreck.

    There are a lot more flaws in this game like the VO acting which is done without emotion, uninteresting characters and bugs.

    Don't get me wrong, it's an OK game, but it feels very rushed. The sad thing is I know Bioware can do a lot better than this.    … Expand
  79. The013
    Mar 14, 2011
    4
    I rated DA2 4/10. Let me explain why I deducted 6 points from maximum to get this score.
    First: you cannot equip your party members. This is an RPG for god's sake and most of the equipment you find gets trashed as it cannot be used by anyone except the PC. Sorry Bioware, this is not how RPGs work.
    Second: dumbed down dialogue system. Again, RPG means role playing. How can you "play the    I rated DA2 4/10. Let me explain why I deducted 6 points from maximum to get this score.
    First: you cannot equip your party members. This is an RPG for god's sake and most of the equipment you find gets trashed as it cannot be used by anyone except the PC. Sorry Bioware, this is not how RPGs work.
    Second: dumbed down dialogue system. Again, RPG means role playing. How can you "play the role" if you have no idea what your character is about to say?
    Third: copy-pasted locations. You will spend a lot of time there and you will learn them by heart. One particular foundry is where three different quests take place. Four quests will have you search one particular warehouse. All caves are similar, etc blah-blah-blah. Trust me, you will be tired of visiting the same locations over and over again.
    Fourth: glaring errors in lore and storyline. The dalish camp stays in one place for six years even though they are supposed to move. Mages (mostly enemy mages but your companions as well) can teleport even though official "laws of magic" say this is impossible. And I'm just scratching the surface here.
    Fifth: boring combat. Bioware designers believe that sending in waves after waves of enemies on party from all sides is challenging. It is not, it's stupid, unimaginative and overly repetitive. First I was outright laughing at enemies appearing out of thin air then it just became annoying. And by the way, you can throw tactics out of the window too: what point is "trying to hold a chokepoint" as in-game tips suggest when you have enemies popping out of nowhere all over the place?
    Sixth: immutable storyline. Sure, your hero does have a profound impact on the game world but your choices are of little, if any significance.
    There's only one thing that does matter in DA2 - the story. It is indeed set in stone but it is great and keeps you moving forward despite all of the game drawbacks. I suggest to knock down the difficulty level to Easy and just enjoy the narrative. Pretend you're watching an interactive movie and you might actually enjoy it - even though the endless battles can still bore you down to death.    … Expand
  80. Azoteh
    Mar 14, 2011
    4
    It isn't Dragon Age 2. Where is the spiritual successor of Baldur's Gate?? If they had call it otherwise might be a good Action-Rpg but not at the expense of destroying his own saga.
  81. 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.
  82. RavenZD
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    This games claims to be mature RPG from one of best RPG developers in the world, It simply is not true.
    Before i start with pros and cons, let me just say a thing or two about mature rpg:
    1. It is not mature (yes there is sex and some quests are rather interesting), but flashy combat, quests that are so dumb (discover a item on floor and bring it to someone for reward is insult of    This games claims to be mature RPG from one of best RPG developers in the world, It simply is not true.
    Before i start with pros and cons, let me just say a thing or two about mature rpg:

    1. It is not mature (yes there is sex and some quests are rather interesting), but flashy combat, quests that are so dumb (discover a item on floor and bring it to someone for reward is insult of intelligence). There is no real group dynamics, story so far is refreshment from usual rpg epic default, but i don't mention this as a necessary good thing - you are driven solely by making a name for your self in one rather small town. It is ok to have this, but you expect more at the end. This is just: ok, and that is it, what now?

    2. RPG - where to start....it just doesn't feel like one. Inventory is a big part of rpg for me - i like to play around with items, have meaningful icons, distribute with my members, combine what is best and generally play around with crafting etc. Here they take most of it away. There are no icons, party customization is awful, if you get DLC armor & weapons, you will be using it alot because it is very powerful...crafting is just basically purchasing from a stand...no open world, feels very limited with location recycle... i just can't get into the character and into setting.


    To be clear, haven't played game through...i started by single session of 8 hours, than 6, than 4, than 2.. yesterday i just chilled on couch, had absolutely no wish to turn it on (in DA:o it was quite opposite, my desire to play got bigger with progression). Not really sure if i will be able to finish it (difficultly is not an issue).. it just doesn't captivate and mesmerize like RPG should.


    PRO: no bugs, some very interesting quests, combat can be fun sometimes, top notch voice acting
    CONS: inventory, party chars not very interesting, fight is not tactical at all, no open space, narrow corridors or walls most of game (don't mind dungeon crawl now and then, but this is nowhere near so far), dialog wheel (absolute rpg abomination) and yes for me - no epic struggle as culmination of all the efforts...


    For me a big letdown, if you liked origins and enjoy classic RPG experience do not buy this game until it is not on some discount or used...don't think I'll ever play this more than once if i manage to get interested enough to complete.

    P.S. If this is what RPG is going to be from now on - i must be getting too old and this simply is not for me.    … Expand
  83. Spalle
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    If this is a game with some different name and from some new and unknown developer, then I would probably not even look at the game like this, and I would probably give it 2. But when game like this comes from Bioware, and it is named Dragon Age I would give it 0 because it is complete disappointment. Sad thing is that Bioware made their best game 10 years ago, and many people look to getIf this is a game with some different name and from some new and unknown developer, then I would probably not even look at the game like this, and I would probably give it 2. But when game like this comes from Bioware, and it is named Dragon Age I would give it 0 because it is complete disappointment. Sad thing is that Bioware made their best game 10 years ago, and many people look to get similar game from them. I think that anyone who want good rpg must look other way… Expand
  84. Boban
    Mar 14, 2011
    1
    This game is disgrace. And there is so many bad thing that I can not name them all. It is easier to say, if Bioware are planning to make DA3 than safest way is to copy everything from DA origins, and I mean skills, crafting, spells, companions armor, rogues abilities to use swords, different caves etc. Better is that they do not change anything, or they could just give Obsidian to make nice game.
  85. miker17
    Mar 14, 2011
    10
    Sorry for my bad english but after reading some most idiotic rev. i had to write rev. myself.
    From my point Dragon Age 2 is good game that removes very draging areas of 1st game (like Fade,Deep roads) where you spend hours and only point is to go from point A to point B and kill every one in your way.
    Story is well writen and dialogs and voice acting is amazing(different accents for    Sorry for my bad english but after reading some most idiotic rev. i had to write rev. myself.
    From my point Dragon Age 2 is good game that removes very draging areas of 1st game (like Fade,Deep roads) where you spend hours and only point is to go from point A to point B and kill every one in your way.
    Story is well writen and dialogs and voice acting is amazing(different accents for people from other areas of the Thedas)dialog tree is practicly same only he is done ME style wheel. Story is more personal and follow your character rise to power over years, they dont put you against evil gods to deafeat or demons that threatens to consume worlds and this is nice change from stereotype. Pople who have problem whit it there are millions other RPG whit this plot. My only problem in this game is reused areas and open ending (witch smells by EA DLC policy)
    Game have only few bugs and most of them only shows in Nightmere Mode
    Hate campaign this game have is unjust.
    9.0    … Expand
  86. Leanansidhe
    Mar 14, 2011
    10
    Don't listen to the nitpickers. This game has an amazing story and fun combat. Yes, some of the areas get a bit repetitive, but all the old-schoolers who keep going on about it have obviously forgotten about the cut and paste areas of BG 1 & 2. Every wizard tower, every tomb, looked exactly the same. Same with Mass Effect, so they changed it to make every area different, and peopleDon't listen to the nitpickers. This game has an amazing story and fun combat. Yes, some of the areas get a bit repetitive, but all the old-schoolers who keep going on about it have obviously forgotten about the cut and paste areas of BG 1 & 2. Every wizard tower, every tomb, looked exactly the same. Same with Mass Effect, so they changed it to make every area different, and people still find a reason to complain. If you've played the first game, you definitely owe it to yourself to pick up the second. The ending is amazing.… Expand
  87. Nikkol
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    Abysmal game. Graphics same as Origins, retarded dialogue system, japaneese-style combat, TERRIBLE camera, lack of tactical mode( as in Origins), dumb story with no actual choice. Forcing decisions upon player that actually got no alternative.
    Complete and utter degradation compared to OriginsAwakening
  88. Zulu
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    http://www.videogamessuck.com/review437.html

    ^BESTREVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  89. DAOfan
    Mar 13, 2011
    3
    This is game can not be termed as sequel to Dragon Age :Origins. Period. Normally I never write on public forums but the way DA series is being treated after such a great game like DA:O saddens me. Origins had it owns short comings but hey BIOWARE should have improved on them rather stripping Origins completely and making DA2 a hack & slash game with few rpg elements.
    Why I am    This is game can not be termed as sequel to Dragon Age :Origins. Period. Normally I never write on public forums but the way DA series is being treated after such a great game like DA:O saddens me. Origins had it owns short comings but hey BIOWARE should have improved on them rather stripping Origins completely and making DA2 a hack & slash game with few rpg elements.
    Why I am disappointed, - Re-used maps, I mean same place over and over again ? what happened to exploration ? -Communication System - hello this is rpg right ? so why is the interaction with npc so restricted ? how do I build relationships with them or actually feel anything, right now I dont feel or give a damn if any of the the companions live or die
    -Weapons,Crafting,Loot - You can not equip companions the way you want, damn restricted, the loot you get after killing seems meaningless ... Crafting .... well there isnt any !
    - Voice Over : Some may like it , some may not but this Hawke is not me or atleast certainly not my warden. I dont feel connected with this guy
    -Companions - well, the characters arent deep either, I mean really they are shallow, I feel like I am playing an action or adventure game not an RPG

    Combat System : Well I must say it is more fluid and I liked it but they took it TOO FAR, this is not suppose to feel like HACK & SLASH game. They have almost killed the tactical aspects of the battles, which I hate it. It is not a shooter with swords... come on ! The combat is a mixed bag, you like some you dont like some things. I will take it with a pinch of salt

    Verdict --- If you loved DA:O for what it was with its shortcomings - then you will hate DA2    … Expand
  90. PaniCcakE
    Mar 13, 2011
    8
    So, after watching the hate for this game explode all over the internet, it has left me wondering if people actually give games a fair go these days. people complain about the difficulty been stupidly easy on anything but hard, but Bioware did say that this would be the case, saying that each difficultly was made to suit different play styles and is it even that bigger hassle to turn upSo, after watching the hate for this game explode all over the internet, it has left me wondering if people actually give games a fair go these days. people complain about the difficulty been stupidly easy on anything but hard, but Bioware did say that this would be the case, saying that each difficultly was made to suit different play styles and is it even that bigger hassle to turn up the difficulty? and about 5 hours into the game it really does start to feel like the way a dragon age game should be. now dont get me wrong, i am still disappointed in how it turned out, with the graphics especially, but it still for a game that was rushed by its producers. its a great game without a doubt.… Expand
  91. darkcerb
    Mar 13, 2011
    4
    Excellent combat and crafting system likable characters (for the most part) go a long way to making this a great game, unfortunately this is an rpg and as such is dragged down by linear quests, boring and extremely repetitive quests.

    What can I say? at the end of the game I felt extremely disappointed, some things are improved and yet we're still stuck crawling through narrow and    Excellent combat and crafting system likable characters (for the most part) go a long way to making this a great game, unfortunately this is an rpg and as such is dragged down by linear quests, boring and extremely repetitive quests.

    What can I say? at the end of the game I felt extremely disappointed, some things are improved and yet we're still stuck crawling through narrow and claustrophobic dungeons which seemingly include the city you spend all your time in...This is just a massive let down from an amazing franchise. Wish I was a professional reviewer though, they must be paid very well....    … Expand
  92. JxG1991
    Mar 13, 2011
    8
    Below is the first review I submitted. You can ignore that if you'd like. The reason I'm submitting this is so I can say that there's something very, very wrong here. The number of negative reviews is outrageous! And, for the most part, notice that the negative reviews get the most helpful votes while the positive reviews, no matter how well written and well thought out, get un-helpfulBelow is the first review I submitted. You can ignore that if you'd like. The reason I'm submitting this is so I can say that there's something very, very wrong here. The number of negative reviews is outrageous! And, for the most part, notice that the negative reviews get the most helpful votes while the positive reviews, no matter how well written and well thought out, get un-helpful votes. Take a look at other sites with community reviews. gamespot.com ( http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/dragon-age-2/index.html ) currently has DA2 at a 7.1 user score on PC, an 8.3 on 360, and an 8.3 on PS3. The user score for PC on g4tv.com ( http://www.g4tv.com/games/pc/64225/dragon-age-ii/ ) is at a 4.4 out of 5, while 360 and PS3 are at a 3.9 and 3.8 out of 5, respectively. DA2 currently has a user score of 6 on Gameinformer.com ( http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_ii/b/pc/archive/2011/03/08/dragon-age-ii-pc-review-a-port-caught-in-the-middle.aspx ) and a score of 7 on PS3, 7.5 on 360. Should I go on? I'm not going to go and say this is some coordinated attack. But just look at the data and how it's dramatically skewed in the negative direction while most other gaming websites put the average score at a solid 7. Just... don't pay attention to all of this bull. Play the game yourself and make the decision. Wow... what's with all the hate? ... Whatever. These are my thoughts... Where should I begin with this game? How about combat since I see so much ranting and raving about how it's so drastically different... what? I mean really, WHAT?! How is it "drastically" different? Are you suddenly required to solve a complex physics equation prior to each attack? On consoles? Yeah sure, it's different; but this is area is for PC reviews. The same basic principals of the original still apply; see enemies, pause game, position party, select enemies, select attacks, un pause game and watch your enemies scour the ground for their skull fragments. (As for consoles, I've heard Bioware intends to release a patch of sorts to implement the auto-attack function. And if you're going to wail on about it then I sincerely hope you slam your finger in a car door. You forget that there are people working at B-Ware, and all people are prone to mistakes regardless of where they work. So far I've experienced no problems with my game. Not a one. I'd say they've done a pretty good job so far.) What I don't like about the combat is how unbalanced the difficulty can be. One minute I'm turning my foes into pincushions for my arrows, and the next minute I'm wondering how my body parts came to be scattered throughout the room. Graphics are just, meh. Not great but not terrible. Some of the characters look like they've taken a trip through the "uncanny valley" and will proceed to haunt your nightmares. Other characters don't look half bad however (Varric's chest hair anyone? woof.) Most of the environments tend to repeat themselves giving the "randomly generated dungeon" feel. But the city of Kirkwall itself isn't a bad looking place. But what's with all the gangs out at night? I suppose the guardsmen are all on there lunch break... I love the characters. I like having a PC with a voice and a personality. The silent protagonist thing from the first game was plenty fun, but giving the PC a voice, emotions, personality, and a social conscious of it's own makes me feel more like I'm projecting myself into my character. The companions are all very well written and well voiced. I might hate some of them, but I love to hate them. The story may lack depth at times. I mean all you really need to know is you're a guy/girl who's trying to start a new life in a kind of messed up place and you get tied up in politics eventually I'm sure. But it's refreshing to not have to save the world again. But some potentially amazing stories are set up in this game and it's worth it to get to know them. Just being back in the Dragon Age world is great to me. I don't know what else I can say. I like the game. I like it enough to sit here and write about it. The decision to try it out is really up to you though.… Expand
  93. ReindeeR
    Mar 13, 2011
    4
    Sorry for my language (the translator of Google)
    I do not know what to say about this game.
    This is a step backwards in the role-playing games
    This console ****
    This game is worth only 4 points out of 10
  94. dopigsfly123
    Mar 13, 2011
    5
    While I think the "0" and "1" ratings here are unwarranted and a little unfair (this isn't E.T., people), I do agree that this was a shockingly disappointing game; why Bioware chose to so drastically alter a new, highly successful franchise is beyond me.

    Their mantra while developing this game seems to have been "repetition, repetition, repetition!". Most combats proceed exactly the same    While I think the "0" and "1" ratings here are unwarranted and a little unfair (this isn't E.T., people), I do agree that this was a shockingly disappointing game; why Bioware chose to so drastically alter a new, highly successful franchise is beyond me.

    Their mantra while developing this game seems to have been "repetition, repetition, repetition!". Most combats proceed exactly the same way: random group of enemies encountered - group killed - second wave attacks - group killed - end of encounter. This might not be so bad if the strategies you used to defeat these groups weren't roughly the same every single time. Alas, I found myself mindlessly clicking the same buttons to defeat the same enemies in the same number of waves for the entire duration of the game. The environments are repeatedly re-used as well. Not only do you find yourself returning to the same cave for like five different quests, but that same cave layout is used for other quests as well. Then there's mansion levels, warehouse levels, and city levels; they're all the same. How lazy can Bioware get? You never even get to venture beyond the city of Kirkwall and its four adjoining (repeatedly re-used) environments. That said, the story wasn't terrible (although I don't think it compares well to DA:O). I would argue that the basic mechanics of combat have been improved as well; it's snappier, faster-paced, and generally cooler looking. Unfortunately, they took a great deal of depth out of the game when they "streamlined" (gutted) the abilities and skill trees. The end result is a great looking combat system that is less strategic, less active, and more repetitive than the one in DA:O. They have the framework, but they didn't do anything good with it.    … Expand
  95. xtrmx
    Mar 13, 2011
    1
    I always thought bioware would eventually make a mediocre game but I never thought it would be this fast. Everything has been dumbed down and god...playing the same area 20 times is the most boring thing I've ever come across in my last 10 years of gaming.
  96. checkeredhat09
    Mar 13, 2011
    3
    I hate to be so tough on a game that was at least slightly enjoyable, but given the fact that we all know Bioware is capable of creating outstanding games, I have to give this game a pretty low score.

    Part One - Laziness Graphics were mediocre at best, by 2011 standards. Felt like I was back in 2006 playing TES. But more than that, every dungeon map was identical...no actually, really.    I hate to be so tough on a game that was at least slightly enjoyable, but given the fact that we all know Bioware is capable of creating outstanding games, I have to give this game a pretty low score.

    Part One - Laziness

    Graphics were mediocre at best, by 2011 standards. Felt like I was back in 2006 playing TES. But more than that, every dungeon map was identical...no actually, really. At first I thought it was just me, but no, Bioware really was that lazy. Second was the inventory system with items that had the exact same name and appearance but different stats. I mean, wtf? Is it really that hard to make one more name up? This game was not polished at all, total rush job. This was confirmed by the guy who recorded the score for the game (though it was more EA's fault for rushing to capitalize on the popularity of Origins)

    Part 2 - Bugs

    Maybe the consoles are a little less buggy, but it's hard to find someone that didn't have problems with this game. From date-check activation failure to random crashes to broken quests that occur out of order or not at all, the bugs in this game should have been fixed. If I'm EA and I'm putting my name on that game, I would not let such a bug-riddled excuse for a final product reach store shelves.

    There are so many other things about this game that are infuriating, like the clunky combat system ( and the bugs inherent to it). But those i can live with.

    The characters were OK. Not great, but less stereotypical than in Origins. There was more moral "grey area" and the future impact of your actions couldn't always be guessed.

    So overall, I'm pretty disappointed in Bioware for being coerced into taking a series that had such high hopes attached to it, and putting it through the meat grinder, creating this sad excuse for a game.    … Expand
  97. 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
  98. JTyran
    Mar 13, 2011
    5
    I was very disappointed in Dragon Age II because they changed or removed a lot of things that I enjoyed in the first game. Some things have been improved like inventory management but the highly stylised character animations are a real turn off.
  99. Decker
    Mar 13, 2011
    3
    Let me start the review with a quote from the content description by the BBFC: "Throughout DRAGON AGE II players are constantly hacking and slashing at enemies". Hack&slash, this accurately describes the combat in Dragon Age II. The dialogue system has been dumbed down. It offers three choices: good, bad and snarky. Dialogue related skills like coercion are gone. The customization optionsLet me start the review with a quote from the content description by the BBFC: "Throughout DRAGON AGE II players are constantly hacking and slashing at enemies". Hack&slash, this accurately describes the combat in Dragon Age II. The dialogue system has been dumbed down. It offers three choices: good, bad and snarky. Dialogue related skills like coercion are gone. The customization options have been reduced. There is no race selection for the main character. Several passive skills beside coercion have been removed (as well as some crafting skills). It's not possible to change the armor, boots, gloves and helmets of your party members. The player is cooped up in one city (Kirkwall) for most part of the game. There are a few outside locations like caves, which all have the same layout. Kirkwall is split up into several areas. Whenever you leave an area, you get a menu of other locations to visit. There is no sense of travel or exploration. The play time is considerably shorter than Dragon Age. Story and characters are sub-par Bioware standard. There are many flaws in Dragon Age II. Bioware has overly simplified the game and its mechanics, to make it more accessible to the mainstream casual market. They dumbed down the good features of the first game like dialogue system, customization, combat system and added the bad features like enemies appearing out of nowhere and awkward underwear love scenes to the second game. The original game was an epic journey, with memorable characters - the second game is an epic failure. Don't waste your money on it.… Expand
  100. Mariany
    Mar 13, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I didn't play DA:O for almost a year, then DA2 is out and i was overjoy to test it out. The short guy and the girl seeker looked promising, then bang the first DA fail, only human to choose (even if u font play the others, it was part of the lore and to play in DA:O)

    Has many said combat is less tactical and that, well i prefer this new method and mage and rogue looks very well designed while in combat and u can still make ur own tactic if ya want (but actualy u don't, just pick tank, healer , damager and it goes how ya want)

    Grapics, man.. its better aright ,but when i was mid act II of the game i got bored of the same city quests, lets face it, combat is nice, graphics is better, but its boring looking to the same place.

    After this i got the mood to go grab my DA:O and start a new game to see the dif better, and i did forget how was and is far better than his sequel.

    Graphics is almost the same, and u can get a good overview when in combat (but still i prefer the fast paced that DA:2 offers). But.. when u became a grey warden and the battle of ostagar begins.. thats the real Dragon Age, thats the real feeling that i loved playing this game.

    And yes, Alistair and morgan moments while ur walking, its epic.

    To conclude my first and only post, DA:O gives much more to the player than its sequel, and u are always on the move from city to city, wild to villages, while DA2 ur stuck in a boring city, even with the nice visual combat system that DA2 offers, origins its in other league of rpgish.

    Cheers    … Expand
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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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