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. stilgars
    Mar 13, 2011
    1
    Indecent release.
    Bioware loses all respect for its fan base and is now releasing a broken outdated and boring game.
    On every area, it is far worse than the original. Less choices, ugly graphics, linear and short, 90% of the game is basically boring and easy combat sequences: it is no more than a Diablo ersatz but without the fun.
    A piece of garbage and a shame for Bioware.
  2. Drissit
    Mar 13, 2011
    6
    Heres a Realistic review from someone who played the game on mostly nightmare/hard difficulty so didn't suffer from the 'button mashing' hack and slash crap people claim it to be, but it simply isn't . The Dialog is somewhat drastically dumbed down from the first, you can only be a goodie goodie, a clown who doesn't take **** anything serious, or an ass, there is no in between like theHeres a Realistic review from someone who played the game on mostly nightmare/hard difficulty so didn't suffer from the 'button mashing' hack and slash crap people claim it to be, but it simply isn't . The Dialog is somewhat drastically dumbed down from the first, you can only be a goodie goodie, a clown who doesn't take **** anything serious, or an ass, there is no in between like the first, i.e. it adopted mass effects slightly less than interesting dialog system bioware seem to love so much. The combat on hard and nightmare is NOT a hack and slash, on nightmare EVERY single encounter has to be micro managed or you will die, on hard all minor encounters can be done with minor micro management but all bosses require full micro management again, the combat is much improved to DAO, its far less sluggish and much more fluid so its a definite plus, DAO itself was just a tedious slow hack and slash on normal/easy anyways so to claim different is stupid. The plot is quite a bit weaker than the previous one, there doesn't seem to be much of an overall plot to the story and it seems second rate from what I would compare to most Bioware games and this looses it major points in my book, for the most part it was very generic and sometimes boring and predictable. The inventory system is dumbed down as in its mostly only about your character now, but honestly thats personal preference, I liked it much more than I disliked it, as it removed a lot of the tediousness from DAO. Graphically, in some cases its improved upon over the original, in others its just bad, the constant reuse of the same bland generic 'block' city really made it get tedious at some points and they reuse the same 20 or so areas over and over and over and over and over, until your eyes feel like they are bleeding. Its not a horrible game, I did however enjoy origins more, but the combat in this was definatly an improvement, just it is a total hack and slash on normal/easy no other way to put it, if you want a true tactical RPG experiance you have to play Nightmare/Hard. I give it a 6/10, some improvement, a lot of dis improvement from the original in other area's of gameplay… Expand
  3. Aken
    Mar 13, 2011
    3
    This is not a sequel to dragon age, it a new story based in the same universe. Some thoughts....

    1. Huge amount of copy/paste levels. All the environments are the same used over and over and over and over. Takes place in one city (region). 2. Characters are lifeless, you don't really care anything about them. Very bland backgrounds 3. You only have full control over the main    This is not a sequel to dragon age, it a new story based in the same universe. Some thoughts....

    1. Huge amount of copy/paste levels. All the environments are the same used over and over and over and over. Takes place in one city (region). 2. Characters are lifeless, you don't really care anything about them. Very bland backgrounds

    3. You only have full control over the main characters inventory. 4. They basically threw out everything in the first game and started from new. Only the lore seems the same.

    If you have not purchased this please wait for the bargain bin. Not worth a 60.00 buck price tag.    … Expand
  4. darksydex3226
    Mar 13, 2011
    7
    Despite the constant copy & pasted maps, and being pretty much restricted to Kirkwall, Dragon Age II is still a very fun role-playing experience, and I would recommend playing it. I'm on my second run now, and still enjoying it... the game definitely has some low points (hence the 7), like the music, level design, repetitive (but still enjoyable at the end of the day) combat, andDespite the constant copy & pasted maps, and being pretty much restricted to Kirkwall, Dragon Age II is still a very fun role-playing experience, and I would recommend playing it. I'm on my second run now, and still enjoying it... the game definitely has some low points (hence the 7), like the music, level design, repetitive (but still enjoyable at the end of the day) combat, and anti-climatic boss battles... the story is really good though, and the characters are too. All in all, a fun game to hold me over until The Witcher 2.… Expand
  5. CazNeerg
    Mar 13, 2011
    9
    Judged purely on it's mechanics, Dragon Age II is far from the traditional RPG that Origins was, but judged on how well it allows the player to actually embrace different roles within the story and make choices with real impact, it is easily as good an RPG as the first game in the series, arguably better. Looking at the choices offered to the player, and the impacts of those choices,Judged purely on it's mechanics, Dragon Age II is far from the traditional RPG that Origins was, but judged on how well it allows the player to actually embrace different roles within the story and make choices with real impact, it is easily as good an RPG as the first game in the series, arguably better. Looking at the choices offered to the player, and the impacts of those choices, Dragon Age II might actually offer more than any previous BioWare title. Whereas most BioWare games have essentially two directions the player can go in at any given time (generally saint or sociopath) DA2 adds a third, allowing the player to occupy the sarcastic charmer role usually reserved for companion characters.

    For me, the best part of RPGs is the ability to drive the story in different directions based on player choice. While I can get immersed in complex inventory management systems, I never miss them when they are gone, and I think that combat is at best an enjoyable extra, and at worst an annoying distraction. I judge RPGs based on the quality of the story and characters, and on how much of an impact the player can have through his choices. From that perspective, I would have to say the Dragon Age II is superior to the first game. It brings back the feeling that I got from the Origin stories in the first game, but lost almost as soon as those origins were over; a sense of connection to a character which was defined and flexible at the same time, and existed in and had substantial impact on a fully realized society. The "gather allies to save the world" plot of the first game, while enjoyable, seemed a little lazy and cliched.

    While I find the story to be much improved in the second game, I still have to knock off one point in the area of characters. One of the primary staples of BioWare games has always been the cheerful psychotic companion, from Korgan and HK-47, to Black Whirlwind, Wrex, Shale, and Jack. There is no comparable character in Dragon Age II, and the loss is strongly felt. There is also no female character of the Viconia/Morrigan type, with it feeling more like they split the Leliani archetype into two and assigned half of the personality to Merrell, and the other half to Isabela.

    As far as choices and impact go, as I said at the start, I think this is quite possibly BioWare's best offering to date in that regard.    … Expand
  6. king_smeagol
    Mar 13, 2011
    2
    users - 3.67/10
    payed critics - 8.40/10
    TRUE SCORE 6.03/10 As you can see the pro's overate games. Pros 84% but we the gamers give it a real score of 38%. AVERAGE META SCORE 60%. Who do you trust? Based on the 'user reviews' the average score is 3.67 out of 10. This is based on 79 votes given 5 or 6, 427 given 7,8,9 or 10 and 822 votes given 0, 1 or 2. The meta critic meta score based    users - 3.67/10
    payed critics - 8.40/10
    TRUE SCORE 6.03/10

    As you can see the pro's overate games. Pros 84% but we the gamers give it a real score of 38%. AVERAGE META SCORE 60%. Who do you trust?

    Based on the 'user reviews' the average score is 3.67 out of 10. This is based on 79 votes given 5 or 6, 427 given 7,8,9 or 10 and 822 votes given 0, 1 or 2.

    The meta critic meta score based on 16 'critics' is 84 out of 100 out 8.4 out of 10.

    I have found over the years the so-called professional reviewers over rate games
    An average game should get 50% not 75% or 85%. We vary rarely see games getting below mid 80's these days even if they are bad.
    So I thought i'd find the average of the true gamers - us the buyer - and combine that score the the payed reviewers to see what the TRUE META SCORE is.    … Expand
  7. shokwaav
    Mar 13, 2011
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I haven't played DA:O so I can't comment on any changes. However, as a newcomer to the Dragon Age series, I have to say I did enjoy the game somewhat. I've played Mass Effect 2 and it was personally very fun but lacking in RPG elements (e.g. weapon/armor customisation was very poor). Dragon Age 2 does fix that somewhat because I personally felt I had more control over my character. On the contrary of most of the reviews I've read, I thought the voice acting was pretty well done. Occasionally I felt that the characters were a bit more fleshed out than those from Mass Effect 2... However, it was annoying because I knew things were happening but the game didn't really explain what. For example, I had no idea what the Qunari where and the Qun and their rivals or something. I never really got what was happening apart from the fact that it was "MAGES vs TEMPLARS!!!!!" and then finally it was war between the mages and the templars etc. etc. A bit too predictable if you ask me.

    Gameplay was very fun though. I played as a mage and those skills are pretty fun. The pause system is very useful. I have to admit I did play on 'casual' (flame me if you want) because occasionally I would forget to check what was happening with my teammates (ME2 teammates wouldn't die so easily :P). Biggest problem with the gameplay was the levels. Seriously Bioware? Everytime I go into a cave the layout is exactly the same. Am I to believe that the insides of the mansions are exactly the same! The overuse of the same level designs is SO ANNNOYING! Blegh. Soundtrack was decent. Nowhere as memorable as those in Mass Effect 2. I liked the music during the fighting. But otherwise, no music apart from the one from the trailer is really stuck in my mind.

    Graphics seems decent. Having played Mass Effect 2 I didn't hate the graphics in Dragon Age 2. I haven't tried the high res pack though. I would have thought that Bioware should have included it in the game rather than being offered as a downloadable. I have to say though I want to explore the Dragon Age world more but Dragon Age 2 doesn't really provide that experience.    … Expand
  8. kawacatoose
    Mar 13, 2011
    10
    Don't listen to all the losers who are giving this game very low scores. It's a blight coming from **** This game is a bit departure from DA:O and not a direct sequel, calling it DA2 wasn't a smart move from Bioware.

    I really like this game, story, music, combat it's all great. Try read some critic reviews they are far better than any user can give here. The reviews from rpgfan.com and    Don't listen to all the losers who are giving this game very low scores. It's a blight coming from **** This game is a bit departure from DA:O and not a direct sequel, calling it DA2 wasn't a smart move from Bioware.

    I really like this game, story, music, combat it's all great. Try read some critic reviews they are far better than any user can give here. The reviews from rpgfan.com and 1up are great.    … Expand
  9. hulk
    Mar 13, 2011
    3
    Don't beleive the people giving this game 10/10 it is no were near a 10/10 game their just lying to you at best this game is a 3/10 this game has been dumbed down so much how can they call it an rpg game its just complete and utter rubbish as im said the people that are giving 10/10 are just lying buyer beware
  10. Orak
    Mar 13, 2011
    10
    I find it annoying to see all the lowscore reviews from people that clearly never even finished the first chapter of the game, or in fact never played anything else than the demo. The game is not without a few minor flaws, but is all in all absolutely brilliant. The story isnt as focused as stories usualy are in rpgs but that actualy have a rather posetive effect on the game. Its muchI find it annoying to see all the lowscore reviews from people that clearly never even finished the first chapter of the game, or in fact never played anything else than the demo. The game is not without a few minor flaws, but is all in all absolutely brilliant. The story isnt as focused as stories usualy are in rpgs but that actualy have a rather posetive effect on the game. Its much more personal and more than anyhting else I praise the choise to finaly abandon the "chosen one" or "save the world approach". The world is brilliant in its complexity, the normal boring "go here and fetch this" sidequests are almost nonexistent. Graphics is a huge improvment over origins and I cant understand anyone that claime the game looks bad or even worse than origins. I have some minor issues with inventory and the dialogue wheel but all in all an excellent game.… Expand
  11. hawk97
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    This game doesn't actually deserve a 0. It is fairly solid and probably warrants a 7-8. The score of 0 goes to the developers. I don't understand how it was possible to make the game this much worse that DA:O. GIVE ME MY CUSTOMIZATION BACK!
  12. Kageyoshi
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    It's my fist review on metacritic but I can't keep my mouth shut this time. This game is unforgivable! How Bioware can do this with such a wonderful beginning as DA1? We waited DA2 so much! And now I still can't believe that it's so bad. I spend 34 hours playing this game till it's final. It has it's moments but that's all. I really like and respect Bioware but this game is disaster. IIt's my fist review on metacritic but I can't keep my mouth shut this time. This game is unforgivable! How Bioware can do this with such a wonderful beginning as DA1? We waited DA2 so much! And now I still can't believe that it's so bad. I spend 34 hours playing this game till it's final. It has it's moments but that's all. I really like and respect Bioware but this game is disaster. I hope that it's not going to happen with ME3. I was very disappoint with it's story, locations, dialogs and rpg-part. This game is boring and monotonous. You don't have any interesting events there - it's just an endless killing of identical enemies. Locations are small, identical and dull. Why they place a ME dialog system there? There is even no reputation or special dialog options! This game is like a personal insult to all rpg-gamers. I was waited the journey that never began. Bioware should be ashamed.… Expand
  13. Mikimax
    Mar 13, 2011
    1
    Compared to Origins, this game suck ass. I was expecting much more from Bioware, but they dumped down this game for American kids.

    This is just a bad console port, period!
  14. Nenene
    Mar 13, 2011
    2
    Very disappointing. A complete step backwards from DA:O in every respect-- graphics, gameplay, characters and storytelling. This was a rush job, and it shows. WoW has better graphics, and better storytelling too. For me to say that about the company that gave me the original -and- Mass Effect is....well, I would say I was angry if I wasn't so depressed. Is -this- the future of BioWareVery disappointing. A complete step backwards from DA:O in every respect-- graphics, gameplay, characters and storytelling. This was a rush job, and it shows. WoW has better graphics, and better storytelling too. For me to say that about the company that gave me the original -and- Mass Effect is....well, I would say I was angry if I wasn't so depressed. Is -this- the future of BioWare games?

    I'm afraid for ME3.    … Expand
  15. Grygus
    Mar 13, 2011
    7
    I wonder whether some of these reviewers have actually played the game or are basing their reviews on the demo or hearsay. This shouldn't be taken to mean that the game is without major flaws; it definitely has problems, but the current user score of 4.0 is laughably low. An unconventional and well-told main story, supplemented by imaginative and fun inter-party dialog and a moreI wonder whether some of these reviewers have actually played the game or are basing their reviews on the demo or hearsay. This shouldn't be taken to mean that the game is without major flaws; it definitely has problems, but the current user score of 4.0 is laughably low. An unconventional and well-told main story, supplemented by imaginative and fun inter-party dialog and a more cinematic presentation are all giant positives. There are some missteps here; the interface feels consoley, with too many clicks to get in and out of subsystems, and the inventory streamlining does some nice things (like the Junk tab) but the loss of party customization is inexplicable. Still, aside from combat I think the game is generally great with some minor lessons to be learned. Unfortunately, the game is primarily about combat, and while the core changes to the combat system are interesting, the encounter design is terrible; almost every fight in the game plays out the exact same way: an initial group is present or is spawned in somehow, and once you've beaten most of them a second wave spawns in. This is highly annoying, partly because it makes every single little fight more of a slog than it should be, partly because it makes the more important battles just more of the same, and partly because it breaks immersion (e.g., second wave coming from a room you not only just cleared, but to which you are guarding the only entrance.) This is exacerbated by the extensive re-use of levels; there are essentially one each of every environment, so every time you're in a cave it's a piece of the larger single "cave" level, and the same is true of the sewers, the wilderness, the wilderness. It's a dismaying lack of content that adds up to truly monotonous combat. There were times I kept playing only to find out what happened next in the story, and actually playing the game was an obstacle to that, rather than fun for its own sake. However, I did keep playing, and I found the ending satisfying (even if the boss fight mechanics, which should have been special and memorable, ended up feeling like minor variations on a theme I'd been listening to for forty hours.) The overall combat experience probably does deserve a 4 actually, but the rest of the game is top-notch. I'll split the difference and rate the game a 7.… Expand
  16. killingspree
    Mar 13, 2011
    10
    This is one of best games of the years. Don't believe any of the bad reviews. They are shills for other gaming companies. EA is one of the finest game makers in the business and Dragon Age II exceeds all expectations and will be the number 1 RPG for years go to come.
  17. Hax
    Mar 13, 2011
    4
    Dragon Age: Origins was one of the best RPG games I have played so far and I really loved it.

    But this, so called "sequel" was such a disappointment and it had nothing to do with Origins. I have a very hard time understanding why on earth would Bioware let this game come out when it wasn't even done. The game is full of bugs, very bad graphics, bad story, very short gameplay for being a    Dragon Age: Origins was one of the best RPG games I have played so far and I really loved it.

    But this, so called "sequel" was such a disappointment and it had nothing to do with Origins.

    I have a very hard time understanding why on earth would Bioware let this game come out when it wasn't even done.

    The game is full of bugs, very bad graphics, bad story, very short gameplay for being a RPG game.

    I only recommend getting this game when its less expensive. I paid 50 bucks for a half @ssed game.

    Bioware you should be a shamed!    … Expand
  18. Paperman
    Mar 13, 2011
    1
    It's my fist review on metacritic but I can't keep my mouth shut this time. This game is unforgivable! How Bioware can do this with such a wonderful beginning as DA1? We waited DA2 so much! And now I still can't believe that it's so bad. I spend 34 hours playing this game till it's final. It has it's moments but that's all. I really like and respect Bioware but this game is disaster. IIt's my fist review on metacritic but I can't keep my mouth shut this time. This game is unforgivable! How Bioware can do this with such a wonderful beginning as DA1? We waited DA2 so much! And now I still can't believe that it's so bad. I spend 34 hours playing this game till it's final. It has it's moments but that's all. I really like and respect Bioware but this game is disaster. I hope that it's not going to happen with ME3. I was very disappoint with it's story, locations, dialogs and rpg-part. This game is boring and monotonous. You don't have any interesting events there - it's just an endless killing of identical enemies. Locations are small, identical and dull. Why they place a ME dialog system there? There is even no reputation or special dialog options! This game is like a personal insult to all rpg-gamers. I was waited the journey that never began. Bioware should be ashamed.… Expand
  19. CaptainScalawag
    Mar 13, 2011
    7
    As of right now I'm about 10 hours into the game and must say that it's not as bad as everyone here seems to think it is. No, it's not nearly as good as the original but if you liked the original then chances are you will probably like this as well. DA:O was a complex RPG but I'm sure that might have thrown off a ton of people because DA:II seems to go too far in the other direction andAs of right now I'm about 10 hours into the game and must say that it's not as bad as everyone here seems to think it is. No, it's not nearly as good as the original but if you liked the original then chances are you will probably like this as well. DA:O was a complex RPG but I'm sure that might have thrown off a ton of people because DA:II seems to go too far in the other direction and simplify way too much. First I'm glad they changed the skill trees for the classes and got rid of the alternative skill tree (herbalism, posion, etc.) and instead opted to allow you to make anything as long as you had the recipe, coin, and ingredients to back it up. The skill trees, like I said, have been streamlined and I think they're far better in this since the trees aren't as linear and there are passive buffs that reward you for investing a lot of points in one tree. The combat is better in some aspects. Heal actually feels like a useful spell to have since it does so much this time around. The attacks also feel like they have more weight, especially as a mage, and I really like feeling like I'm having an affect on the battle rather than being a guy in the background clicking on things.

    That being said my main strategy seems to be "spam area of effect spells" which isn't really much of an exciting strategy. I think they went too far in simplification too, because now you can't get armor for your allies, which is a real shame because I enjoyed going through all the hidden side quests in the last game to get my allies equipped with godly armor, now it feels like I won't get that option. It also feels a bit too easy. I'm playing on normal and despite a few minor setbacks I've hardly died at all. I actually beat a creature in this game (no spoilers) that took me forever to beat in the last game on my first try! It was ridiculous!

    It's not a bad game, but I think they simplified it way too much from the complexities of the first one. If you liked the first one chances are you'll at least get a kick out of this. Maybe in Dragon Age 3 they'll learn from their mistakes and combine the strengths of DA:O and DA II and if they did that, I honestly believe it could be one of the greatest RPGs Bioware ever released.    … Expand
  20. Dave67
    Mar 13, 2011
    10
    To all the suckers out there, rating the game by 6.0 or less. DIE, you worthless sons of a motherless ogre. This game, in my chart, is the second best game I've played in my life right after Mass Effect. The story's catchy, the voice-over is AMAZING and the decisions! OH THE DECISIONS! Also, romances... The only thing I'm sorry for is the lack of nudity in the romance scenes (At least someTo all the suckers out there, rating the game by 6.0 or less. DIE, you worthless sons of a motherless ogre. This game, in my chart, is the second best game I've played in my life right after Mass Effect. The story's catchy, the voice-over is AMAZING and the decisions! OH THE DECISIONS! Also, romances... The only thing I'm sorry for is the lack of nudity in the romance scenes (At least some lingerie, lol...) ! But whatever, I'll go watch a pron for that :-D All in all, this is the game for a true RPG fan. (Who has a life...) 10/10.… Expand
  21. isolde1234
    Mar 13, 2011
    1
    Pros:
    Combat system improved
    more blood Slicing through enemies is effortless better graphics (depending on certain circumstances) Con: Everything else sucks No story Awkward conversations Repeated dungeon maps Companions have no personality Stuck in the same city Game-play was very short for the price of 60$ I didn't want to romance anyone because I find none of my companions attractive    Pros:
    Combat system improved
    more blood
    Slicing through enemies is effortless
    better graphics (depending on certain circumstances)

    Con:
    Everything else sucks
    No story
    Awkward conversations
    Repeated dungeon maps
    Companions have no personality
    Stuck in the same city
    Game-play was very short for the price of 60$
    I didn't want to romance anyone because I find none of my companions attractive
    The story is fixed and your choices doesn't make any difference
    The epilogue was stupid. I'd have a small scene where i get to read about what happen to everyone and everything than to listen to varric acknowledging that my hero is somewhere with his/her lover

    Overall : worth less than 10$    … Expand
  22. Karyuuken
    Mar 13, 2011
    8
    Man, look at all these idiots here attacking this game for no real reason... Story sucks?! We leave in a world where games like Call of Duty are popular and this game's story sucks?Let's get to the bottom of this because we clearly have a problem here.
    GRAPHICS: It's the same engine with improved textures, environment is generally generic and not so impressive
    SOUND: Let's make one thing    Man, look at all these idiots here attacking this game for no real reason... Story sucks?! We leave in a world where games like Call of Duty are popular and this game's story sucks?Let's get to the bottom of this because we clearly have a problem here.
    GRAPHICS: It's the same engine with improved textures, environment is generally generic and not so impressive
    SOUND: Let's make one thing perfectly clear: the sound in this game is one of its strong parts, the music is just splendid and the voice acting is one of the best around, the music is composed by Inon Zur, the same guy that made the music for Origins.
    GAMEPLAY: Oh boy... well, about the gameplay... let's say it's the game's biggest flaw... first of all, they improved the combat but they made everything else bad, there is no way you can interact with your companions unless they have a quest you have to take from them, they replaced the ability to choose your companions' sets with a half assed 'upgrade' system that made absolutely no sense at all, seriously why did they change that?! there was no reason for them to do so, it was perfect just like it was, the UI sucks badly too, so do the icons for spells and items. Bottom line: don't fix it if it isn't broken.
    STORY: Well this is where the other reviews got it all wrong... they imply that the story sucks because it has little reference to Origins, I do agree that this game could use more of it since it's a sequel. But as I said, in a world where games like Call of Duty dominate the stores, how in the name of all that's holy does this game have a crappy story?! It is tragic, sad and kept me going even if the quests were plain stupid. Speaking of quests, this game suffers from the same problem as the DLCs for Mafia 2, there are like 5 quests that advances the plot, and about 20 'main' quests that make absolutely no sense.
    Bottom Line: The story is what you'd expect from Bioware... maybe a bit less...
    CONCLUSION : This game is NOWHERE NEAR Origins and I mean it... it kind of disappointed me, but looking pass the whole sequel thingy... it's a game worth playing. Now you haters can start hate again...    … Expand
  23. Morainea
    Mar 13, 2011
    3
    Dragon Age:Origins had everything going for it and instead of taking everything that the fans loved and expanding on it, the development team completely ignored them and took the game in a completely different direction.
    Immersion/Atmosphere: This is the biggest problem because those are gone from the game. The quests are uninspiring "run between arrows on the map until the quest is    Dragon Age:Origins had everything going for it and instead of taking everything that the fans loved and expanding on it, the development team completely ignored them and took the game in a completely different direction.
    Immersion/Atmosphere: This is the biggest problem because those are gone from the game. The quests are uninspiring "run between arrows on the map until the quest is completed" type. You can't speak to your companions unless you are in a specific place, which takes away from the immersion. For the large portion of the game you feel like a glorified errand boy. The dialogue wheel is a disaster, since the choices range from "Nice, Cunning, and Jackass", and are conveniently marked by the appropriate icons, so you don't even have to read the text. This doesn't feel like the same caliber of RPG that DA:O was.
    Surroundings: Bland and uninteresting. Unless small brown dull dungeons are your thing.
    Characters: Most characters are pretty one dimensional and are not well written. The only decent one is Varric. Inventory/Abilities: The star rating for items is very annoying. Why not just equip it FOR ME already, if you obviously know what's better for my character? The abilities don't have any thought put into them, with names like "Weapon and Shield". Why not name a talent tree "More HP" or "Stabby Stabby"?
    Interface/Icons/Graphics: Interface is an annoying fest of red and black screens. If you want to laugh, try to go through talent trees and click on icons for abilities and guess what they are. It's basically impossible because they are so poorly drawn. On the plus side, the sex scenes look like two mailboxes banging each other :D    … Expand
  24. MistOne
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    Epic Fail. Terrible game.Old graph, many bugs, Not RPG, but fighting slasher!! Total trash. Omg and this company create godly Dragon Age: Origins ? I dont beleive =(
  25. Dynex811
    Mar 13, 2011
    10
    Why are people complaining about the combat? The combat was the WORST thing about DA:O. I had a good 70 hours with Dragon Age 2. Great characters and fantastic story. I loved Kirkwall as well. I have no complaints about this game.
  26. pipayka26
    Mar 13, 2011
    4
    The game is nothing. But I was infuriated with the problems of conservation and the same type of location. I was expecting more.ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
  27. OldWolf
    Mar 13, 2011
    7
    At the the time of writing this review I've left Ferelden behind in the wake of the blight and have arrived in Kirkwall, where I'm now preparing to leave on an expedition into the deep roads (Yea, they apparently reach this far). It's worth mentioning that I've done this twice, once as a warrior and once as a mage, to get a feel for how the story, dialogue and combat differs. I'm startingAt the the time of writing this review I've left Ferelden behind in the wake of the blight and have arrived in Kirkwall, where I'm now preparing to leave on an expedition into the deep roads (Yea, they apparently reach this far). It's worth mentioning that I've done this twice, once as a warrior and once as a mage, to get a feel for how the story, dialogue and combat differs. I'm starting with the general stuff, and what I've seen of the game so far hasn't been bad. Character generation: I'm not going to bash the lack of a racial choice since the story is explicitly written for shemlin (human, for does who haven't played DA). A nice touch that has been added is that you start off by picking gender and class, after which you are thrust straight into a mock-up battle against hordes of darkspawn, culminating in a fight against an ogre and an epic takedown (now THAT is a good way to start a game). During this battle you get introduced to some of the abilities available to your class by allowing you to gradually use more and more of them, and you are also taught the basics. After the battle you are introduced to the actual character-creation screen, where you can modify your Hawke's appearance. You are unfortunately not allowed to distribute starting attribute points or selecting starting abilities. Those that have played DA:O will also note that the skills are missing entirely. Interface: In my opinion, the general interface of DA2 is an improvement over DA:O. There is less embellishment and more solid information. Other than that however, the general interface has changed little, mainly just replacing the the icons for items and abilities with simpler/more generic ones. In conversations the dialogue wheel feels rather simplistic, generally having 3 options ("kind", "joking" and "forceful") that will advance the conversation, with a 4th option to "investigate" the current line of conversation further. Sometimes, however, investigating may yield a new conversation-advancing option, and sometimes the game drops this system entirely opting instead to give you an explicit "bribe" option, a "take-action" option or a set of "unspecified" options, showing both the strengths of this approach (conversations can be more expressive, but don't HAVE to be) and the weaknesses (conversations can get really confusing when the dialogue is poorly written and/or acted). Combat: This is clearly a more action-oriented game than DA:O. Battles flow smoothly, without an obvious turn-system your character will chop away at the enemy as best they can, your character will make a lounge attack to close in on an opponent quicker when you order them to attack and the addition of "physical force" modifiers means that combatants may be staggered or interrupted while in combat (Something sadly lacking from DA:O). That said, pretty much all battles now follow the same formula: You engage an enemy that is (generally) in plain sight, as you wear them down they will receive a wave of reinforcements (they've apparently been hiding the whole time) that will generally attack you from behind. Depending on the battle, there can be as many as 3-4 such waves. On the up-side, this means that you have to plan ahead, conserve your strength and pick your targets well. On the down-side this means that combat will get very predictable, and you generally end up formulating a master-strategy for all battles. On another note, the injury-system is greatly simplified. An injury is just a handicap to your health, if you receive an injury (either from falling in battle, or setting off a trap) your maximum health is reduced. Thats it, don't expect any depth. The abilities are generally well balanced, and the addition of abilities that decreases the threat-level of a character (like the rogues "Evade") while disengaging them from close-combat are definitely welcome. In conclusion the combat-system is very reminiscent of DA:O with a few modifications (mostly for the better imho). Story & quests: Well-written and interesting so far, however with at least one major plothole. It is nice to have a story that let's you start without the weight of the world on your shoulders, letting you acclimatise to the world. The quests are generally more convoluted than they first appear and will often twist and turn to keep you interested. Graphics: The Game looks pretty good, in the sense that DA:O still looks pretty good. The graphics do not seem to have been hugely improved since DA:O. Buggy-ness: The game has been running rather smoothly for me. I pre-ordered the game off-of Steam and have been playing it a little each day since it became available. The one bug that I've noticed is that when you alt-tab out of the game and re-enter all menus stop working (i.e. they cannot be opened). Thankfully the game auto-saves as default. Conclusion: DA2 is worth playing, but it does not appear the part of a masterpiece.… Expand
  28. Irenvelle
    Mar 13, 2011
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I even make an acc for this, but need to tell that.This is game got really got critics reviews from biggest websites and game critics, they are blind or something like that?
    Everyone who play this game more than 10h must see a 2 dungeon in whole game with changed entrance/doors/mobs and to be honest, the story is not that epic how a developers think.
    But game have good side too, good actors game and voices.Some nice fights with WoW-like boss.That's all Sorry for my eng.Don't buy this game, its waste of your money.    … Expand
  29. Paulie_C
    Mar 13, 2011
    2
    I would have given this game 7 or 8/10 if it wasn't called DA2. This is not the sequel the first game deserved and is a traversty to the RPG genre set forth from its predcessor. Having said that, if you ignore the title and assume this game isn't within the DA lineage then it is actually quite entertaining, even though it is a hack & slash 'RPG'.
  30. Temka
    Mar 13, 2011
    10
    СÑ
  31. simonsen123
    Mar 13, 2011
    10
    User- Score of 4.0? I am completely stunned by this. It's waaay down there where you would normally find titles coming out of..... Eastern Europe or Kenya? And let me make one thing clear: It cannot possibly be justified. Dragon Age 2 is a major step up from the original in terms of intriguing story-telling, gameplay and character affection. Doing all the side-quests, there is at least 30User- Score of 4.0? I am completely stunned by this. It's waaay down there where you would normally find titles coming out of..... Eastern Europe or Kenya? And let me make one thing clear: It cannot possibly be justified. Dragon Age 2 is a major step up from the original in terms of intriguing story-telling, gameplay and character affection. Doing all the side-quests, there is at least 30 hours of your time and I can guarantee that if you play on anything above normal difficulty; it will require more than simple hack'n slash as some of the 795 negative reviews have suggested. Yes, at times the combat goes on automatic mode and it may occasionally feel as if you were simply watching a movie but use that opportunity to catch your breath. You will need to do so because the story is as involving as ever and so increasingly fast-paced that at times it will almost surely take your breath away. DA2 clearly has adapted some of the better aspects from ME2 where, although slightly more limited, the conversation-wheel has been greatly simplified and 10x more perceivable. Other players have complained that a beautifully voice-acted main-character is to blame for shallow and uninteresting conversations but I personally feel this helps you retain a closer relationship with the character of Hawke and his ties with his mother, sister and Varric the always witty, Dwarven, companion with the mystical, personified, crossbow Bianca. While some compromises have been made, not only regarding voice-acting but also in combat and the selection of spells and abilities to reach a broader audience, the Wizards hat is still firmly on your head and at the time you finish the game you will have been through the entire emotional band and you will feel anxious whether or not you have taken the right choices all along. All in all I feel that DA2 is an excellent rpg which has evolved from the sort of unpolished, rough around the edges, nature of Origins to be a near perfect action oriented drama which certainly pleased me plenty. I may not be the most hardcore rpg fan but if I were to have a say I would argue that DA2 is better than, not only the previous installments, but also triumphs Mass Effect. So far, this is my GOTY 2011. If you are looking for a new Baldur's gate; look elsewhere.… Expand
  32. Ravenlyx
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    When Ea pick over a game ,it is always become like this.I can not play this game after 5 hours.It is not dragon age which we known.Ea shows us how a mighty have fallen...
  33. TheDeadHeart
    Mar 13, 2011
    3
    The Dragon Age franchise has been tossed into the corporate machinery and spat out as a bruised and crippled shell of its former self. The game manages to deliver a thoroughly mediocre and disappointing experience to both RPG and casual gaming fans alike.

    The combat could possibly be the largest flaw with the game, however it is but one of many large flaws. Many skills and abilities    The Dragon Age franchise has been tossed into the corporate machinery and spat out as a bruised and crippled shell of its former self. The game manages to deliver a thoroughly mediocre and disappointing experience to both RPG and casual gaming fans alike.

    The combat could possibly be the largest flaw with the game, however it is but one of many large flaws. Many skills and abilities present in DA: O which made the game an overly tactical, challenging and rewarding experience have been removed in favor of more 'exciting and fast paced' combat. In Dragon Age 2's case 'exciting and fast paced' equates into the mindless ability bashing. Combat now relies heavily upon 'wave' mechanics. Where instead of individual mobs of enemies the player will be bombarded by wave after wave of enemy turning an epic skirmish into a tedious exercise of endurance. Most side quests are trivial and generic which furthermore offer no further insight into the game world and hold little other responsibility other than keeping the player distracted for a few extra hours collecting X number of items..

    The visuals have undergone an upheaval, yet surprisingly manages to look worse than its predecessor.
    The combat now resembles something out of a Devil May Cry game, rather than the style set in DA:O. The visceral and realistic style of Origins now replaced with an over sensationalized gratuitous flood of warrior aerobatics and bloody explosions. Many Caves, mountains, roads used again and again presumably due to constraints imposed by the soulless suits over in EA pushing for a speedy release and a fast cash-in. Dragon Age: Origins was a modern day throwback to classic RPG games: It incorporated engaging Tactical gameplay , interesting characters and appropriate use of dialog selection and an immersive fantasy setting imbued with a touch of gritty realism to provide a satisfying fantasy experience. Because of this the game was critically acclaimed and sold very well.
    Now letâ    … Expand
  34. alkatrazz
    Mar 13, 2011
    1
    Utter garbage inasmuch as it actually inspired me to signup in order to post my views. This is truly a shame, given the expectations built up with DA:O -- What is hilarious to note is all the major review companies noting `once you get past the..' OR `compare to DA:O this is much worse BUT' and awarding ~80, tbh these look like paid for reviews in order to drive sales. DA2 is awful c.f.Utter garbage inasmuch as it actually inspired me to signup in order to post my views. This is truly a shame, given the expectations built up with DA:O -- What is hilarious to note is all the major review companies noting `once you get past the..' OR `compare to DA:O this is much worse BUT' and awarding ~80, tbh these look like paid for reviews in order to drive sales. DA2 is awful c.f. DA:O.
    END OF LINE.    … Expand
  35. richard_w
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    Wow. What a disappointment. Everything EA touches goes south. EA ruined the single greatest developer ever in Origin, then proceeded to torpedo the second greatest in Bioware. DA:O was a very good, but not quite greate fantasy CRPG. It needed some tuning a few areas, there were too many useless talents in combat and some of the were down right silly such as the rebel yell thatWow. What a disappointment. Everything EA touches goes south. EA ruined the single greatest developer ever in Origin, then proceeded to torpedo the second greatest in Bioware. DA:O was a very good, but not quite greate fantasy CRPG. It needed some tuning a few areas, there were too many useless talents in combat and some of the were down right silly such as the rebel yell that knocked back opponents?!? Do you have a fog horn for a voice??? However, overall it was quite enjoyable and I ended up replaying 6 times. Awakenings was a glimpse into what DA was to become. A lazy bug ridden mess. With great trepidation, I purchased DA II. What a mistake that was. I want my $60.00 back. It's like EA took the worst of Dragon Age, and merged it with the worst of Mass Effect and greated a mess of a game. I don't see it really appealling the action gamer and they have completely alientated RPG fans. You are lead around by the nose, there really isn't any decision process on what to do next. You don't have a choice. Lazy reused levels as even the most ardent fans have pointed out really detract. The story is not all that compelling. I'm OK with something other than the Warden story. That played itself out. But the DAII story just wasn't something I can get into. Why should I care about some local Champion? Why not the tail of the garbage collector? Gee I got some great stuff today. Yawn. It seems like a half finished game that in order to get the full experience, you just need to buy endless DLC. I don't mind DLC but don't take so much out of the game, in order to get folks to buy more DLC. You know what? I won't be buying anything. Period. The new graphics are improved if you don't use NVidia. However, the new art style is cartoonish and silly. Romances? Come on? What a joke. After one wink, the character is ready to boink the protagonist? Doesn't Issabella wear pants? What kind of a pirate runs around in just a shirt and panties? What is with all the oversexed women? Was the core audience 12 year old boys? What really ruined it for me was the combat. DA:O needed a bit of tweaking not a do over. What is with all the twirlly animations? Warriors rocketing around the screen leaving SMOKE TRAILS? WTF? Rogues jumping 30 feat through the air like a kangaroo on steriods? Endless waves of enemies simply appearing out of nowhere? Super Ninja Gaiden. Bad. Really bad. The lack of equiping companions, why then get all the loot if all I can do is sell it? Dumded down to the realm of pointless. For DAIII is the only thing I have to do is fork over $60.00 while EA continually spams me for DLC dollars? The whole game was played on auto pilot. I kept pushing buttons but I'm still waiting for the awsome to happen. Bioware has lost a loyal fan. There is no excuse, other than a money grab for this mess. No redeeming qualities. If I could get a refund I would.… Expand
  36. durrdurrdurr
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    EndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLineEndOfLine… Expand
  37. lsdiskewl
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    Bioware should be ashamed of this game. I am truly astounded on the sheer lack of content and quality of this game. Every single aspect of this game reeks of being an unfinished money grab. The game has also been blatantly gutted of content so it can be sold as DLC.

    Shame on your bioware, shame.
  38. Crapula
    Mar 13, 2011
    5
    Compared to other RPG or action games, DA2 is a quite good game. Compared to other Bioware's games is dreadful. In all kind of senses, as for graphics, history, gaming and strategy. Really bad choices made by EA. If you are a Baldurs Gate / DA Origins fan you shouldn't buy this game.
  39. s3nr1
    Mar 13, 2011
    1
    It's probably not that bad of a game but they should have made it an entirely different series. This one is just blatantly riding the coattail of the much superior origins and other bioware rpgs. This is the worst RPG by bioware ever. There's no exploration at all, you get guided at every turn. Hell even FF games made me think. DA2 is just a mindless hack and slash arcade game much likeIt's probably not that bad of a game but they should have made it an entirely different series. This one is just blatantly riding the coattail of the much superior origins and other bioware rpgs. This is the worst RPG by bioware ever. There's no exploration at all, you get guided at every turn. Hell even FF games made me think. DA2 is just a mindless hack and slash arcade game much like Onimusha. Unlike Onimusha where combat is enjoyable where you need to get used to timing and position; DA2 needs you to just mash keys mmo style, the simplest kind. Dialogs is sub par and doesn't hold a candle to most RPGs out there. The only saving grace is that all of it is voice acted.

    Story is told by the trite flashback routine. What is this Black Ops 2 ? Graphics are cartoony even with the downloadable texture pack, a lot of textures are still absolutely horrendously low res. This is not a big game, the monotone environment should have made it easy to make a hires texture versions for most of the elements in the game.

    The characters models are all the same except for the head part, which doesn't have much variations either. Spell effects are low rate. Old FF games was a lot more flashier and looks a lot better. I'm mentioning this because the people who actually liked DA2 can't stop praising how chaotic it is. Oh please as I mentioned before FF games are better at this sine FF7. And whats more pathetic is that DA2 renders these effects with DX11 with a lot of the latest lightning techniques. Go play The Witcher Enhanced Edition instead while waiting for the second version. ME3 will be garbage as well if you keep letting EA walk all over you. DO NOT PRE-ORDER MASS EFFECT 3! Otherwise they will pull the same stunt. ME1 was superior to ME2 and I can't imagine ME3 getting more dumbed down but DA2 made me a believer. EA will find a way if you don't voice your dissatisfaction!    … Expand
  40. Purplescai
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    Dragon Age Origins was the way to go.
    The only good things I can mention about this game are some combat animations, and even those, while pretty, belong in an anime.
    Was it that hard to leave a mage thrusting forward to atack with his magic staff, instead of spinning like a mad man every time? So many bad things I could mention, not the least of all the writting and quests. I read so many    Dragon Age Origins was the way to go.
    The only good things I can mention about this game are some combat animations, and even those, while pretty, belong in an anime.
    Was it that hard to leave a mage thrusting forward to atack with his magic staff, instead of spinning like a mad man every time?
    So many bad things I could mention, not the least of all the writting and quests.
    I read so many reviews and I can't tell if they are paid or just ignorant of how games were written a few years ago.

    On IGN I read the following retarded statement:

    Lasting Appeal ---> 8.0
    Keeping you in one area for almost the entire game means youâ    … Expand
  41. Noelemahc
    Mar 13, 2011
    9
    An interesting marriage of the decision-making mechanics codified by Alpha Protocol, an extensively rehashed dialogue system of the Mass Effect series and the role-playing system of the original Dragon Age, this game would have received a lot less undeserved criticism if people were judging it as a Gaiden game instead of being a true sequel. It feels and acts like a Gaiden game, after allAn interesting marriage of the decision-making mechanics codified by Alpha Protocol, an extensively rehashed dialogue system of the Mass Effect series and the role-playing system of the original Dragon Age, this game would have received a lot less undeserved criticism if people were judging it as a Gaiden game instead of being a true sequel. It feels and acts like a Gaiden game, after all - most of its events are not significantly related to those of Origins, although the decisions you've made there certainly make an impact on the otherwise insular world of Kirkwall and the Free Marches.
    The streamlined dialogue system, caused mostly by the introduction of a voiced protagonist, now tracks your overall behaviour and that affects how your character acts and reacts to outside stimuli when out of your direct control - something added for cinematic impact, and something a lot of people find jarring and unpleasant for an unbelievably wide amount of (mostly) daft reasons.
    The rehashed combat is faster-paced, aimed obviously at pleasing those who did not enjoy the previous game's rather old-school approach to tactical combat, while not flawless, still behaves better than the one in KotOR, for example, the thought of which it was obviously supposed to invoke due to the overall similarity. While it may be uncomfortable for hardened PC veterans to get used to the idea of a non-detachable camera, it does not detract from the enjoyment of the game, as those who play with direct control over one character and AI tactics over the others will not notice it at all, and those who play via micromanaging every character's every breath in battle will generally manage on a level too micro for it to cause them statistically significant discomfort.
    The story itself, based off the foregone conclusion that your protagonist has somehow gone and helped the world become a worse place through trying to make it a better one, makes a lot of people complain that there is no core to the story - how they missed the focus on the evolution of a refugee into the Champion of a city-state is beyond me. Most of the quests - both central to the story and not - revolve around you and your involvement in the city's internal affairs, and the game goes out of its way to show the impact it can and will have on the day-to-day lives of its people. Those expecting something more similar to the first game's crusade against evil will probably be disappointed - but that does not mean that this game's story is any weaker than the last one's.
    The companions you will travel with are a mix of new and old - two NPCs from Origins return as actual companions - Isabela, the pirate queen you could have a tryst with as the Grey Warden, and Merrill, the protagonist's friend in the Dalish Elf origin - and two companions from Awakenings return as, well, one companion - Anders has become the new vessel for the Spirit of Justice, but that did not go well for either of them. The rest of the team are new to the story of the setting, but they all come with their own load of emotional baggage, issues and aspirations - wildly conflicting ones, at that - which you will have to take into account when dealing with them.
    Another nice element borrowed from Alpha Protocol is the rivalry element - you no longer suffer penalties from having your companions hate you, as was the case in Origins (though if you play your cards wrong they WILL leave the party and never come back), instead, their personality changes to reflect the wrongs you inflicted on them and they gain bonuses that benefit them and them alone, instead of you or the whole party. A nice touch, that, and another handy step towards the humanization of our companions - they will often clash with each other about their beliefs and intentions while walking with you through the city or the surrounding landscapes, often with hilarious conclusions.

    Indeed, the game is not devoid of problems - the need to download the high-quality textures as a separate patch to make the game look even remotely modern, the horrifyingly crippling graphical card compatibility problems which require a lot of shamanic magic to attain a stable FPS count on an nVidia chipset, especially an older one, and the copy-and-paste based dungeons stand out as the foremost ones. However, none of these really detract from the fun you could be having with this game instead of bashing it on the Internet, and the subtlety of some of the design decisions (like the fact that the appearance of your family members will change along with the appearance of your protagonist, or that the magical cure-all Special Dialogue Option Button borrowed from Mass Effect along with its dialogue system will no longer actually solve ALL the problems) helps reinforce the fact that this is, in fact, a beneficial step in the evolution of the genre.

    It is with that thought that I end my review - this game WILL BE LEGENDARY. If only because of its impact on the gaming community.    … Expand
  42. nennet
    Mar 13, 2011
    10
    оÑ
  43. wordy_actions
    Mar 13, 2011
    6
    Having now played Dragon Age 2 for several days, and having seen the incredible hatred leveled against it, I feel I must write a review for this game. Story: First and foremost, the most important thing in any RPG: the story. DA2 plays less like a grand 'let's save the world' adventure and more like 'let's do some stuff in a fantasy setting'. Now you may see this as a negative critique,Having now played Dragon Age 2 for several days, and having seen the incredible hatred leveled against it, I feel I must write a review for this game. Story: First and foremost, the most important thing in any RPG: the story. DA2 plays less like a grand 'let's save the world' adventure and more like 'let's do some stuff in a fantasy setting'. Now you may see this as a negative critique, but it isn't. DA 2 takes the world, politics, races, and organizations that were all introduced in DA:O and makes you intimate with them. Very intimate. The story is told through a framed narrative, but I'm sure most of you are aware of this so let's move on. Back to the intimate part. The entirety of the game takes place in and around the city of Kirkwall, a city with a long and bloody history (but, hey, that's pretty must to be expected). You and your family flee there from Ferelden following the Blight, and you decide to stay there and gain fame and fortune. In the first act of the game (there are 3 in total) you must collect 50 gold in order to fund an expedition to the Deep Roads. That's it. No evil wizard trying to kill the king, no dragons attacking the castle, and no damsels in distress. Just do quests and get gold. I feel this lack of story direction is both the game's largest strength and greatest weakness.

    RPGs are often plagued with the problem of trying to make the player the center of the world while also allowing them to make the decisions they want to make. In DA2 you aren't the center of the world. Not at the beginning anyway. And the whole driving force of the game is that your character wants to make a name for themselves. The greatest strength part: you are not given a list of goals to accomplish and instead you are basically let go to do as you please. The greatest weakness: it just doesn't feel epic enough. In terms of amount of gameplay it is certainly epic, just not in scope. You don't fight armies of darkspawn, or save a kingdom. You do quests. Lots and lots of quests, and many of them are indeed very interesting and some are tied together in interesting ways. You save mages from templars, you save templars from blood mages, you fight Qunari, you rescue nobles and their sons, you stop crime, you cause crime, you go into the fade and vanquish demons, and so on and so forth. I cannot stress how much I enjoy having a huge amount of quests in an RPG. It's fun, but doesn't feel meaningful.

    Combat: The essentials from DA:O are there. You have a tank with a sword 'n board and they hold aggro, you have a rogue who stands behind people and stabs 'em, and you have a mage who heals and casts fireballs. The underlying mechanics are not as different as many people seem to believe. How these mechanics are presented/implemented in different ways. Movement, attack speed, and attack damage have all been buffed while the health of many enemies has been decreased. To balance this out, there are a lot more enemies. I'm playing the game on Hard, and it's somewhat uneven. Some fights are ridiculously easy, while others are very difficult. At least it makes sense that killing seasoned Qunari warriors will take a lot longer than killing a band of hapless street thugs. The combat animations are flashy, bloody, and filled with lots of thunder and fire. Many people call the combat dumbed down, and many people call it simplified. So I'm just going to say this; the combat is fun, but if you preferred the more tactical combat of DA:O then you won't enjoy this. This doesn't mean the game is bad. Somethings just aren't for everyone.

    Graphics: Looks fine on my PC. If you're one of the people complaining about the graphics in an RPG, then you're trying to hard to hate this game.

    Sound, Voice Acting, and Music: Good but not great. Varric easily gets my vote for the best voice-acted character.

    Bottom line: If you are someone who wants this game to be Baldur's Gate 3, then it's not for you. Don't get me wrong. I'd love a Baldur's Gate 3 to come out. But this isn't it. And you just have to live with that. DA:2 has flaws just as DA:O did, they're just different flaws. The story doesn't work 100%, but it at least was a stab at something different. There's this strange notion that Bioware 'dumbed' down DA2 for the 'stupid masses', but honestly I think this idea is overblown. In fact, many of you who hate this game must think I'm a member of the masses who plays Halo and Call of Duty non-stop. And I'm not. I'm a HUGE fan of roleplaying games. Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Morrowind, Oblivion, KOTOR, ME+ME2, DA:O, and now DA:2. I like all of these games and love some of them. DA:2 is a fun game with hours and hours of questing filled with moral ambiguity in one of the best new fantasy worlds to come out in a long time. Even if the story that holds it all together is not as good as other Bioware games, I really don't care so long as I'm in the world of Thedas.    … Expand
  44. nIMrOD888
    Mar 13, 2011
    6
    An unworthy sequel to a great game. Dragon Age 2 falls short in every single way except the story, that being the story is vastly unrelated to the first game and waits for proper tie in with the expected next sequel. If you were expecting a new game with new innovations then you will be sadly mistaken. If you want closure to stories pertaining to those of Dragon Age Origins/ Awakening thenAn unworthy sequel to a great game. Dragon Age 2 falls short in every single way except the story, that being the story is vastly unrelated to the first game and waits for proper tie in with the expected next sequel. If you were expecting a new game with new innovations then you will be sadly mistaken. If you want closure to stories pertaining to those of Dragon Age Origins/ Awakening then you this will only cause more questions than before. My advice for any dragon age fan is to wait for the next one and then play this, this barely has any purpose as of right now.… Expand
  45. Hawke24
    Mar 13, 2011
    8
    I think this game deserves 86/100. All characters quite interesting, some of them so awesome... I liked Hawke's family, especially Bethany, Varrick, Merril, and Isabella for sure. I know I am hopeless fan of Bioware ^^.Yes, there's some negative moments, such as lesser duration of game than DaO. For now i completed game 1 time, but i want more of it! Sorry for my English (I'm from Russia)
  46. Digitalkid
    Mar 13, 2011
    5
    Payed 60$ on steam just because of a review, and got what?! DAO was weak enough, but this ...! Simplifying everything to nothing.

    Dialogs reduced to 2-3 phrases, and thats great! Cause world and chars are totally empty. Their acts are so nonlogic and unpredictible, that in a half an hour i was just clicking icons. "Be nice", "be rude". Why DA2 is so gay?! Seriosly, in a few hours 3 f..    Payed 60$ on steam just because of a review, and got what?! DAO was weak enough, but this ...! Simplifying everything to nothing.

    Dialogs reduced to 2-3 phrases, and thats great! Cause world and chars are totally empty. Their acts are so nonlogic and unpredictible, that in a half an hour i was just clicking icons. "Be nice", "be rude". Why DA2 is so gay?! Seriosly, in a few hours 3 f.. proposing "their services" and not even one girl blinking.

    Enemies are just fallin at you from nowhere like in some DMC. Do you need any tactics in chess when opponent can put any figure anywhere he wants?..

    Plot reminded ME2. Just get 50 sovereins (10 companions) to get to the new chapter. And you call that a scenario? Written in 15 minutes?! I dont even know what i'm doing when takin quest in 2 clicks, killing some more enemies, done in 2 clicks. What was is?!

    Locations look like Orzamar entrance. Sooooo lowpoly. No more to say.

    3-4 hours of DA2 was enough. Looks like nothin left of Bioware i ones knew. Bye guys.    … Expand
  47. achinech79
    Mar 13, 2011
    1
    Diiiiiiiiiiisaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaappppppppppppppppooooooooooiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnntttttttteeeeeeed..... before any was a must buy bioware... from today that changes
  48. Aemony
    Mar 12, 2011
    5
    The game, while good, doesn't live up to the Dragon Age game, but to the Dragon Effect name. Storywise it's _just_ fine but the rehashes (every area is reused at least 10x somewhere else), lack of dialogue freedom, boring repeated quests, and streamlined plus simplified gameplay elements help bring out the terrible fact for everyone to see. This game is not a sequel to Dragon Age andThe game, while good, doesn't live up to the Dragon Age game, but to the Dragon Effect name. Storywise it's _just_ fine but the rehashes (every area is reused at least 10x somewhere else), lack of dialogue freedom, boring repeated quests, and streamlined plus simplified gameplay elements help bring out the terrible fact for everyone to see. This game is not a sequel to Dragon Age and shouldn't be called DA:II. It's a complete spinoff of the original game and should be treated as such.

    While good enough on its own two feet the game is brought down by sharing the title of the best RPG of the former decade. If you, as like others, are intent on enjoying the game then do not go into it with DA:O fresh in your mind. It will shatter your every expectation and leave you numb from the betrayal of BioWare.    … Expand
  49. deathlycold
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    They tried to appeal to the masses and in doing so did not make a deep RPG. IF it was called something else it might be a good game. But it is no Dragon Age. I recommend playing DA Origins and not DA2 .
  50. Hawgh
    Mar 12, 2011
    9
    First review, excuse the rambling nature:

    Very enjoyable game. Gameplay more fluid than predecessor. Graphics better. Graphical style much less generic. Story comparable, if not better. Storytelling of the highest caliber. Characterisation and NPCs top notch. Sadly, character customisation options reduced compared to predecessor, and Bioware games in general. However, player actions seem    First review, excuse the rambling nature:

    Very enjoyable game. Gameplay more fluid than predecessor. Graphics better. Graphical style much less generic. Story comparable, if not better. Storytelling of the highest caliber. Characterisation and NPCs top notch. Sadly, character customisation options reduced compared to predecessor, and Bioware games in general. However, player actions seem to be create a greater response in the world, and makes for a more involved experience. Good game length; I finished my first playthrough in 32 hours, and there are things that I missed. Cannot make qualified review of replayability, but I can see myself doing at least two more playthroughs. Excellent pacing of story. Main complaint is the rather lacklustre content of the game's journal/quest log. Great RPG, I recommend buying it. But if ambivalent, wait until price drop and DLC-packages appear.    … Expand
  51. povis
    Mar 12, 2011
    9
    Aw some game. i love it very much. they improved most aspects in game. i want to see it in RPG of the year award. :) and i wonder why there so many negative review from users. this game much better than previous.
  52. polemic
    Mar 12, 2011
    5
    It's hard when reviewing a sequel to separate the game itself from the series. If this was a review of this game alone it would definitely score a 7, however, this is a poor showing by both Bioware and Dragon Age standards. I'd like to pick up some of the features that haven't been highlighted that much in the negative reviews, the main one being the story. The main quests and side questsIt's hard when reviewing a sequel to separate the game itself from the series. If this was a review of this game alone it would definitely score a 7, however, this is a poor showing by both Bioware and Dragon Age standards. I'd like to pick up some of the features that haven't been highlighted that much in the negative reviews, the main one being the story. The main quests and side quests felt entirely disconnected from both each other and themselves. The main story itself was so convoluted it made virtually no sense (especially the last act and very especially the ending). Featuring both unbelievable characters, limited choices and hammed cameos from the cast of the original game (at one point someone pops up says "hello" and then, for no apparent reason, disappears with no explanation).

    Dragon Age: Origins, Awakening and its various DLC's were wonderful in that they fleshed out a remarkably believable, intriguing and novel world. This sequel has failed not only to enrich or develop that world but in some places has completely ignored things that were established in the first game (e.g. the relationship between mages, blood mages and abominations). Add to this the fact that, although many of the strategy features remain (for instance the ability to pause) enemies now come in waves (appearing - often quite literally - from the ether) making it impossible to plan out a battle; thus reducing the pause feature to a safety net to use potions. In addition there are roughly six different enemies and maps in the game which are reused ad infinitum and combat becomes little more than an endless wave of indiscernible creatures. One unfortunate consequence (among many) is that the game lulls you in to a sense of complacency broken only by a contrived boss fight, which crop up once in a while. These battles are so unbelievably and incomparably difficult compared to the trash that winning them always appears to be more a matter of luck than judgement.

    All this said this is a very good game, but it bares a very similar relation to Dragon Age: Origins as Mass Effect 2 did Mass Effect 1. Faster combat, better graphics, with a less gripping story, poorly fleshed out companions and a very disappointing amount of RPG or customization elements.    … Expand
  53. TheGreenBaron
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    If you're looking for a Bioware RPG, this is not the game for you. Poor writing, flawed combat, near zero customization (I hear that names for items besides 'belt' and 'ring' will be released as DLC), recycling on a level that would do Al Gore proud, and a plot on rails are a serious turn off. This game should have been named Dungeon Age, but that would be insulting to the plot ofIf you're looking for a Bioware RPG, this is not the game for you. Poor writing, flawed combat, near zero customization (I hear that names for items besides 'belt' and 'ring' will be released as DLC), recycling on a level that would do Al Gore proud, and a plot on rails are a serious turn off. This game should have been named Dungeon Age, but that would be insulting to the plot of Dungeon Siege 1...… Expand
  54. Tanis
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    All good in Orgins is gone, this is an insult to rpg players from EA/bioware, where is the spirit from Baldurs gate?. Simply, it is dead.
    - Dialog wheel breaks any rpg experience. Good/Bad/Stupid decisions insults human intelligence.
    - No tactical view, wtf! Baldurs legacy!? ( for me the best of the battles in Origins) - UI terrible, consolized, ugly and ridiculously small for 1920x1200    All good in Orgins is gone, this is an insult to rpg players from EA/bioware, where is the spirit from Baldurs gate?. Simply, it is dead.
    - Dialog wheel breaks any rpg experience. Good/Bad/Stupid decisions insults human intelligence.
    - No tactical view, wtf! Baldurs legacy!? ( for me the best of the battles in Origins)
    - UI terrible, consolized, ugly and ridiculously small for 1920x1200 ( subtitles hurts my eyes)
    - Corridors maps once and once again, repeat maps once and once again.
    - Companions/history/inmersion far far far from Origins. ( for me the best in Origins)
    - Graphics/Art Design and Music/Effects far worst than Origins.
    - a lot of bugs/side effects in pc because is a very very bad port. (DAO was designed for PC, ME was a bad port, ME2 was a very bad port, and this is extremely bad port, whats the next bioware?)
    - very poor performance for main characters (i like me/me2 character performance but this not)
    - uninspired side quests and typical main quest, always in the same place.
    - etc..., all good in Origins is dumped down extremely.
    - this is not a rpg game, is a kick in the face from bioware for all loyalty customers who support them since their beginning.
    - From more than 900 hours in Origins and still playing to 18 hours in DA2 and uninstalled, this is the evolution for me.    … Expand
  55. daniel_lanois
    Mar 12, 2011
    3
    Dragon Age 2 has been simplified to appeal to a wider audience. The dialogue wheel from Mass Effect (good, bad and cheeky choice), action-combat, less customization (no race selection, limited party equipment control). Instead of improving the game they dumbed it down. It's also obvious that Dragon Age 2 had a short development cycle. Less play time, recycled environments, small gameDragon Age 2 has been simplified to appeal to a wider audience. The dialogue wheel from Mass Effect (good, bad and cheeky choice), action-combat, less customization (no race selection, limited party equipment control). Instead of improving the game they dumbed it down. It's also obvious that Dragon Age 2 had a short development cycle. Less play time, recycled environments, small game world, even the story is below Bioware standards. What a disappointment to true role playing fans!… Expand
  56. FuFxs
    Mar 12, 2011
    10
    I've just completed this game and overall, I was very surprised how engaged I was with the gameplay, story and the characters themselves. I'd come expecting the worse (read the user reviews and comments from forums) but on it's own, it was very good. Thx BioWare! Well done.
  57. QBro
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    this game for me was epic disappointment, Dragon age origin was to me the best pc rpg in the last 5 years., beat it 4 time with different MC. so when i hear of DA 2 i preorder it months be4 the release. and now i m loss for word over that my belove dragon age have been reduce to garbage. the menu was crap. there is no Pictures for the items so u can't tell was armor or weapon look like,this game for me was epic disappointment, Dragon age origin was to me the best pc rpg in the last 5 years., beat it 4 time with different MC. so when i hear of DA 2 i preorder it months be4 the release. and now i m loss for word over that my belove dragon age have been reduce to garbage. the menu was crap. there is no Pictures for the items so u can't tell was armor or weapon look like, the population of kirkwall was 90% non-interactive(you can't talk to them, they just standing there look pretty) the story was weak. you the dialogs don't make sense to the choice u choose, and the graphic is barely an improvement over the original. ......After browsing through most of reviewing site, i can honesty say I have lost faith in the professional reviewers. Bioware, you have lost 1 costumer here today, no more money out of my pocket for your products.… Expand
  58. julemand
    Mar 12, 2011
    10
    I felt this game was interesting in story (something other people seem to disagree with, I'm not sure why??) and was very entertaining. I'm not much of a critic, but I felt I'd come with my opinion anyway, seeing as I had been slightly worried about the quality of the game after reading so many poor reviews of it.
    I truly enjoyed playing it and to me, that's really the most important part.    I felt this game was interesting in story (something other people seem to disagree with, I'm not sure why??) and was very entertaining. I'm not much of a critic, but I felt I'd come with my opinion anyway, seeing as I had been slightly worried about the quality of the game after reading so many poor reviews of it.
    I truly enjoyed playing it and to me, that's really the most important part. I'm not sure about the quality of the graphics. I rather liked them, but other people seem to find them outdated? I haven't got much to compare it to tbh because I don't play that many games. The story was good and I liked the way they did the narrative (and I also found myself really liking the narrator, lol). I knew of the companions beforehand, yet I still found myself liking some of the ones I did not expect to like. I mean, there are problems with the game, sure, hence why I didn't give it a 10, but really, they are so insignificant compared to how great the other parts are. So I think if you liked Origins and don't play Dragon Age 2 with a "GOD DAMNIT I HATE THIS" attitude from the start, you will be pleased. If you are content being dissatisfied or unwilling to try because of the bad user reviews, then your loss I suppose :/    … Expand
  59. maxwell97
    Mar 12, 2011
    5
    I haven't yet played this game, and I honestly don't know if it's good or bad. I'm posting this to warn everyone who sees it not to trust the average user score, as obviously one person or a small group has been posting multiple ratings to bring down the score. My evidence for this:

    1. The ridiculous number of ratings. The game has been out for three days, and has more ratings for    I haven't yet played this game, and I honestly don't know if it's good or bad. I'm posting this to warn everyone who sees it not to trust the average user score, as obviously one person or a small group has been posting multiple ratings to bring down the score. My evidence for this:

    1. The ridiculous number of ratings. The game has been out for three days, and has more ratings for the PC version than the original PC DA has, which has been out for about a year and a half. It has over twice as many ratings as the PC version of Black Ops. It has (as another pointed out) over six times as many ratings as WoW: Cataclysm. 2. The very similar writing style in evidence between a great many reviews.
    3. The great disparity between the user rating here and on other sites. Gamespot has an average user rating of 7.1, IGN has 6.7, Game Informer has a 6.0. The 4.0 here is too far out of line to be believable. Whoever is doing this, please, get a life. If you're seriously THAT mad because a game doesn't fit your traditional PC-centric mold, and you just HAVE to bring down that average score on Metacritic, you really need to develop some other interests. Seriously, it's unhealthy.    … Expand
  60. arielomba
    Mar 12, 2011
    4
    Dragon Age Origins = RPG Masterpiece Dragon Age 2 = Casual Action RPG

    Do not say a bad game, it is not, but compared with its predecessor is casual garbage. Maybe if not take the name of Dragon Age would be a good idea.
    Anyway, Bioware you went to the dark side of force.

    Greetings.
  61. teknohead
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    Dragon Age 2 is one of the worst sequels I have played in a long time. Laidlaw should be fired for this terrible mess of a game. He claims he is aiming to make the game more accessible to a wider audience but has instead alienated the original fanbase. Bioware will not get another $ from me until they prove themselves as a tier one developer again and not some EA lackey churning out cashDragon Age 2 is one of the worst sequels I have played in a long time. Laidlaw should be fired for this terrible mess of a game. He claims he is aiming to make the game more accessible to a wider audience but has instead alienated the original fanbase. Bioware will not get another $ from me until they prove themselves as a tier one developer again and not some EA lackey churning out cash grabbing ****… Expand
  62. StThanksgiving
    Mar 12, 2011
    3
    Listen, I have never taken the time to actually sit down and write a review for a game before, and I've been playing both PC and consoles for years. This game actually pissed me off to the point that I'm going to say something. I am actually angry I paid 60 bucks for this game. I have never complained about spending money on a game... even bad ones... ever.... and I bought NFL HeadListen, I have never taken the time to actually sit down and write a review for a game before, and I've been playing both PC and consoles for years. This game actually pissed me off to the point that I'm going to say something. I am actually angry I paid 60 bucks for this game. I have never complained about spending money on a game... even bad ones... ever.... and I bought NFL Head Coach! Who thought it was a good idea to make a sequel to a game by REMOVING content from it? Am I crazy? The story is fine, and just like Mass effect 2, I will finish the thing and just chalk it up to an expensive day at the movies, which this has basically been. I will not however play the game again. Once I know what happens in DA2, I will go back to Origins and start a new game, or maybe dig Neverwinter Nights out of a closet.
    A couple of bullets:
    + I am not an RPG purist. The new talent trees is fine, I could care less about the DPS of a dual wield warrior vs Dual wield Rogue. The new COMBAT however, is ridiculous. Why does everyone turn to red jello? Why do I feel like im fighting waves of Foot Soldiers from the Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles arcade game? I thought the final battle of ME2 was stupid, but there isnt a single fight in this whole game that wasnt retarded. Why are people repelling from the rooftops? Why am I fighting random gangs of people every time I walk around at night? Who are these people? why are they angry? Why do they insist on fighting me if they are all dead after two swings of the sword?
    +Why is every environment I walk through identical to the last one? I actually read a forum post where a Dev said they removed the overhead view to allow for more detailed environments... ALL THREE OF THEM! WHAT A LOVELY WAREHOUSE! WHAT A LOVELY STREET! WHAT A LOVELY CAVE! I swear to god, on my last run through the same exact cave in the mountain I swear I saw Hawk yawn.
    +Why have three conversation options if they all have the same result? Why talk at all? chances are the person im talking to will be red pudding after one hit with the boom stick.
    +Why cant I choose my race? why cant I dress my team in the stuff I want? Better Question, WHY AM I PICKING UP LOOT THAT NO ONE CAN USE?!?! Just have everyone drop coin! why am I carrying junk?!!?
    +These things wouldnt bother me if the game title didnt have a "2" at the end of it. Why would you remove content from a game in the sequel? Why would you limit the options and level of involvement in a game THAT HAD IT IN THE FIRST INSTALLMENT. I heard the Dev's were streamlining the game because it sold well on consoles and they were appealing to that group. Did the console people ask for less of a game? Did anyone ever consider that the console people bought DAO because it had a lot of immersive elements that other games didnt have? again

    I PAID MORE MONEY FOR LESS GAME. I would have posted this review on Biowares social site, but I dont want to have my accounts locked and game accounts voided for daring to criticize my betters.

    the three points I gave this game are out of loyalty to the Bioware I once knew.    … Expand
  63. Cowson
    Mar 12, 2011
    10
    I have no idea why people are rating this game so low and saying some very outrageous things. People, don't listen to these loosers. The game is fantastic. I think the voice acting is spot on and I love how it's darker than the previous. The graphics and sound are a breath of fresh air. I can't wait to see how it progresses!
  64. Hyperwolf
    Mar 12, 2011
    10
    I can't even be bothered to give a full review and for all those TL:DR people out there, then I can honestly say 'first time disappointed with Bioware". Whatever jack ass tainted this IP should be sent to work in the salt mines.
  65. Plautus
    Mar 12, 2011
    6
    Going into this game, I had extremely high hopes, most of which were smashed against the cliffs of mediocrity. Dragon Age II is nothing more than a half-hearted attempt to cash in on the incredible success that was Dragon Age: Origins. That said, the game has both positive and negative features that one must take into account.

    First the negative: Dragon Age II takes place mostly in a    Going into this game, I had extremely high hopes, most of which were smashed against the cliffs of mediocrity. Dragon Age II is nothing more than a half-hearted attempt to cash in on the incredible success that was Dragon Age: Origins. That said, the game has both positive and negative features that one must take into account.

    First the negative: Dragon Age II takes place mostly in a single environment, the city of Kirkwall. Kirkwall is neither attractive nor welcoming in ways Bioware both wanted (art style, ambiance) and ways they most probably did not want (repetitiveness). The set pieces in this game repeat themselves at an unacceptable rate. The combat is more tuned to consoles than to PC gaming, and as a PC gamer, I found this entry in the Dragon Age saga rather boring in terms of combat. While there is blood and gore, it is at a ludicrous level, obviously meant to appeal to the ultra-violence/God of War crowd. What makes combat worse is the fact that enemies spawn in waves, often in absurd quantities, and the player will often have to engage in combat for no reason at all, as mindless thugs will spawn in the streets frequently. If you are a fan of Mass Effect, Dragon Age: Origins, or Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, you will be horribly disappointed by the game's background, writing, and pace as well. Dragon Age II is repetitive in the nature of its quests. There is little gray area to be seen in this game, and such themes as slavery, and "blood magic" (slitting one's wrists to conjure evil spirits or kill people) obviously denote evil, and place a decidedly moralistic overtone on the game. There is also nowhere near enough loot and new equipment to keep the scavenging aspect all-too-crucial to a role playing game interesting. Finally, the whole game is told retrospectively through the narrative of a secondary character, and the plot ends with a massive, pointless cliffhanger. Rather than write a good game with a sense of closure at the end (e.g. DA:O or KOTOR), Bioware has chosen to go the "Halo 2 route" and try to keep us guessing. If only I cared. Now for the good. The combat in this game is, I suppose, rather entertaining for Console players. Despite their repetitiveness, the set pieces are quite pretty. Also, the protagonist, Hawke, actually has a voice, and his dialogue works much like that of Commander Shepard in Mass Effect. Indeed, the lending of a voice to the protagonist actually strengthens this game's otherwise mainly weak narrative. Hawke is a very human character, who is well-acted and who responds believable to situations both grave and light well. On the topic of response, the lip-synch and character design in this game are also fantastic. Each of the game's secondary characters has a unique design, makes them the only visually appealing part of the game. If you wish to know, the secondary characters all have well-written back stories as well, which are actually more interesting than the game's main plot. Other than that, the game is fairly lengthy (my play through lasted about 24 hours) and technically reasonable, meaning that it doesn't crash and lag as much as a game like Fallout: New Vegas.

    In conclusion, Dragon Age II is a decent game. In my opinion, it is nowhere near as bad as other reviewers say it is. Perhaps, they are overreacting because they expected a game closer to the original. Honestly, I was as well. That said, I was able to enjoy this game by putting it aside from Bioware's other work. Such a title is far below their standards; however, it is still a serviceable game and a fairly good adventure yarn. My suggestion is don't bother with the PC version: wait a few months and buy it half-price or rent it for a console. Despite Dragon Age II's myriad flaws, it is still a serviceable game, just not one that is worth sixty dollars.    … Expand
  66. anonymous86
    Mar 12, 2011
    10
    Good game. Excellent story. Great RPG. Much room for improvement so Dragon Age 3 will be even more playeble. I anticipate more joy from Bioware in the future.
  67. vandro
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    Casual game for casual players. Less races, less skills, less hours of gaming, but more speed, more jumping, more killing. Seems to be a game for people who like to run amok.
  68. Darthudd
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    It's pretty and thats just about all it's got going for it. Have been playing it on normal difficulty and it's like a damp firework pfffft. If you do buy it chuck it on the hardest setting and maybe you'll get some satisfaction from it. Shame I've been waiting ages for this sequal.
  69. garhent
    Mar 12, 2011
    6
    Do not pre-order anymore Bioware Games, I repeat, do not pre-order. Next, look at the gaming sites that advertise Bioware titles, you will notice they are also the ones that tend to satirize a bad game, ie Penny Arcade. Frankly, its a good thing Bioware worked with Penny Arcade before the game was released, because I have a feeling the guys at Penny Arcade would skewer the game.

    The    Do not pre-order anymore Bioware Games, I repeat, do not pre-order. Next, look at the gaming sites that advertise Bioware titles, you will notice they are also the ones that tend to satirize a bad game, ie Penny Arcade. Frankly, its a good thing Bioware worked with Penny Arcade before the game was released, because I have a feeling the guys at Penny Arcade would skewer the game.

    The problem I have is I don't think they actually play tested the game at all. Play on Nightmare mode as a mage and then try to get through intro, try it just try it. They've nerfed healing to the point where its Fecking useless. They put in a cool down on healing potions so can't use them when you need to use them now there is a shared timer. The AI is horrible, you turn off tactics and your fecking tanks run out of cover to get hit by crossbowmen.

    I truly hate Bioware now for this game. The positive non game player reviews of this game is crap, they damn well aren't from fans. If I have anything to tell Bioware it is this:

    1st) Fix TACTICS, give a switch to turn it OFF or ON without having to individually turn off a tactic per player
    2nd) When I don't give a character an order, they should damn well stay put and not rush into a fire of ranged fire
    3rd) Give me the DLC that I paid for at the beginning of the game, don't make me run all over the place trying to find it
    4th) Do actual play testing. I am your market, you took a fan boy who buys all of your products and turned him into someone who will NEVER PREORDER FROM BIOWARE AGAIN IN ONE GAME. Did you actually have people play the intro and see what they thought
    5th) Play test all of the difficulty levels ALL. Nightmare should be beatable by someone who is highly familiar with Bioware and understand the basics, but OH F no, you guys couldn't do that could you.

    You get a 0 from me on this game. Read the reviews here from other posters and release a patch to fix the troubles or you are going to have an Elemental on your hands and destroy your Brand Name.    … Expand
  70. Ramanujan
    Mar 12, 2011
    5
    A veritable tour de force of mediocrity, corner cutting and action gaming. I struggled to find any semblance of a RPG here. This is BioWare's hero, not mine. I felt as if they were playing the game for me for long periods. Good job too in some respects otherwise I would never have finished it and got at least some value for money. If this game wasn't rushed to hell then Bioware/EA need toA veritable tour de force of mediocrity, corner cutting and action gaming. I struggled to find any semblance of a RPG here. This is BioWare's hero, not mine. I felt as if they were playing the game for me for long periods. Good job too in some respects otherwise I would never have finished it and got at least some value for money. If this game wasn't rushed to hell then Bioware/EA need to start firing people - starting yesterday. Combat bereft of tactics, cave deja vu, camera angles, boring quests - I won't go on repeating what others have said. There were some good moments and this is not a 0/10 game, but neither is it a 10/10. It's definitely not worth paying full price for it - maybe when it's half price you will feel that spending your money was not in vain. My main motivation for signing up and writing this was after reading the Escapists review for this game which is absolutely shameful. Either the reviewer has an IQ slightly above Isabella's chest measurement or it's the other, obvious, less savoury possibility.… Expand
  71. PlacidDragon
    Mar 12, 2011
    4
    Shortly summed up, i thought DA2 was awful.

    To go a little more indepth, Bioware has done away with things like companion equipment (apart from accessories), changed the camera to an "up your butt" forced view, and max zoomout isnt far at all, its extremely difficult to see much if you are playing a ranged character (like a mage). To top the insult off, they have introduced spawning    Shortly summed up, i thought DA2 was awful.

    To go a little more indepth, Bioware has done away with things like companion equipment (apart from accessories), changed the camera to an "up your butt" forced view, and max zoomout isnt far at all, its extremely difficult to see much if you are playing a ranged character (like a mage).

    To top the insult off, they have introduced spawning waves of enemies, and lots of "flashy" deathmoves with gore whipping all over the place. This has a lot more in common with an action game than it does a role playing game. Definitely the low point of Bioware's career :/    … Expand
  72. jhoncarmack
    Mar 12, 2011
    4
    I still do not believe in like Bioware sold out so well for EA, and transform one of the best RPGs of all time in a toxic **** like DA2 specially made based on the consoles, and the worst is that I played all versions and all are garbage.
  73. Mipharos
    Mar 12, 2011
    10
    Dragon Age II is a great game once you get past any bias you may have or false expectations over why it isn't "Dragon Age: Origins 2". I will try and keep my feedback spoiler free and focus on the core tenants of what the game offers and why I rated as I did:

    Pros: 1. Unique story-line, new characters and setting. Although you spend a majority of your time playing in one area of the    Dragon Age II is a great game once you get past any bias you may have or false expectations over why it isn't "Dragon Age: Origins 2". I will try and keep my feedback spoiler free and focus on the core tenants of what the game offers and why I rated as I did:

    Pros: 1. Unique story-line, new characters and setting.

    Although you spend a majority of your time playing in one area of the Dragon Age world, you never run out of things to do. The advancement of the story allows for deeper sense of exploration and understanding of the world you are thrust into and the impact you have on its evolution. 2. A compelling set of characters and individual back-stories to work through.

    Although it may miss some of the classic characters of DA:O, DA:2 does not fail to deliver on high-quality characters with a rich background to explore. Each one bringing with them a unique set of opportunities and challenges that you as the hero will work through as you relationship grows. 3. A plot that will leave your head rolling by the time you get to the end, with some of the best and morally challenging decisions I've faced in an RPG of this type.

    It is harder to describe the story without going into spoilers, I am now on my second play-through and my head is still spinning from the first. By far one of the better stories I've had a chance to be part of in any RPG. Every action, every relationship, every decision will lead to plot twists and turns that you just won't see coming... And in the end, all must decide....

    4. Action packed combat, no dancing around your enemies for 5 seconds before you start combat. The combat moves as fast as you do. I love what they did with the pace of combat, it gets the blood pumping and really makes you feel epic. Your characters react as quickly as you do, so you can move through fights quickly and with devastating force. At the same time, for the more complex engagements, you have the ability to take a more strategic approach by pausing combat and issuing commands to individual party members.

    5. Simplified user interface

    I love the idea that I spend far less time managing my inventory then I do playing the game, definitely one of the better features. Potions, Crafting & Armor are all simplified for players to be able to get things done without investing countless hours into organizing through tons of items you may never use. Cons:

    1. Limited environment, repetitive maps

    Sadly, where the game lacks in a large way is a true sense of open world exploration. Although the world of Kirkwall is huge in and unto itself, it doesn't quite offer you the freedom of true exploration. I can understand why it is the way it is based on the story, however I am a fan of being able to explore and this was one area that hurt. The other is the fact that several of the dungeon maps get recycled, after a time you will start to see several familiar maps come up time and time again. 2. Over-simplified armor and customization

    Although I am a fan of simplifying the armor and inventory management, I do prefer to have control over what armor my party members wear and when. I feel the game did not really offer a lot of variety where party armor was concerned.

    3. Race restriction

    Although I can appreciate the character of Hawke, I feel the limitation to human takes away from story. The story would have been equally as compelling having an Elven, Dwarf or Human protagonist but that's a personal preference. 4. Can't import a finished game

    Though not game breaking, if its a feature your hoping for it isn't there.... You finish your game and you can replay as often as you want (Obviously), but you'll have to start a new each time.

    In closing, my review is favorable and I personally feel the game excels in its own right. Although many on these posts have said otherwise, I'm not comparing it to something its not, I am rating it for the experience I had. Its a fantastic game and well worth the investment, just don't go in expecting Elder Scrolls, Fallout or any other of the Open Ended RPGs its been compared to.

    Dragon Age II is not opened ended, its a narrative with a specific plot you act out as the player. From that perspective, the game delivers on one of the more action packed thrill rides I've had.    … Expand
  74. clarkey2003
    Mar 12, 2011
    10
    So much dislike here i thought i`d put in my 2 penny worth.. Its not excatly the same as DAO no.. but get over it. To me DA2 is like mass effect becomming mass effect 2. ok not as much fuiddling to get the right gear etc more fast paced combat and fun.. dont get me wrong im a fan of the old baldurs gate series and not a console rpg tourist. I think half the reviews here are written bySo much dislike here i thought i`d put in my 2 penny worth.. Its not excatly the same as DAO no.. but get over it. To me DA2 is like mass effect becomming mass effect 2. ok not as much fuiddling to get the right gear etc more fast paced combat and fun.. dont get me wrong im a fan of the old baldurs gate series and not a console rpg tourist. I think half the reviews here are written by peeps who have probably played the demo.. or maybe 1 or 2 hours of the game and want to flame at the change.. To me every minute or hour that passes in the game i see a lovingly created story, some seriously crazy fights and spells and just enuff rpg to keep u hooked. Yes i did love DAO.. but this is summin fresh and fun.. its damn right crazy at times and i apluad u bioware for trying to push games forward.... Now flame me if u like but there are times during DA2 it feels more like baldurs gate 2 than any game ever has.. so just because u lot have pushed this score down so low.. im gonna give it a 10..… Expand
  75. sgtStones
    Mar 12, 2011
    7
    Expectations are a b*tch. They have to be filtered out when trying to give some sort of a review...well at least to a point. A sentiment, not many users ( on metacritic anyway ) seem to share. I finished DA:O 6 times ( 4x on hard and twice on nightmare )... needless to say I love that game and I'm already thinking about the approach I'll take in the next playthrough.

    But now DA2 was    Expectations are a b*tch. They have to be filtered out when trying to give some sort of a review...well at least to a point. A sentiment, not many users ( on metacritic anyway ) seem to share. I finished DA:O 6 times ( 4x on hard and twice on nightmare )... needless to say I love that game and I'm already thinking about the approach I'll take in the next playthrough.

    But now DA2 was released and yes...the first 2hours of playing this long-awaited game, really disappointed me. I think that's when some people alt-tabbed to their browser, went on this site and had to let off some steam. The strange thing is, although things don't really get better as the game goes on, I still had fun with the game ( and I'm still having fun with it now ). But the moment my destined-to-be spirit healer pulls off moves like "the last airbender" I new that this won't live up to my expectations. Here are my cons: - Menu/Icon-Design really doesnt hold a candle to the beautiful art we saw in Dragon Age:origins....it looks like its been designed for a tron-movie-tie-in game
    - although Combat now looks much fancier, it's also much quicker, hence too chaotic at times and with top view removed it can be hard to keep track of everything thats happening
    - Enemies spawn into the battlefield, so you cant really tell how long a fight will go
    - Looting has lost a lot of its charm and restrictions concerning the equipment of your party members really takes away from the fun
    - the crafting system doesn't deserve the name
    - the skill trees and the associated restrictions are not to my taste - the gift mechanic has been changed dramatically, to the point of no recognition
    - it would also have been nice to see what the scale is on the friendship/rivalry bar, so that I know wtf 10 points in either direct are worth ( but I'm nitpicking, and I shall be the cop who stops it...erm me )
    - and yes: Carver is a douche ;)

    pros:
    - everything that reminds me of DA:O


    I was also a fan of Mass Effect. And in the beginning, I was disappointed in ME2 aswell. Mainly due to the ( severe ) dumbing down of the skill-system ( which wasnt the most complex to begin with ). But ME2 provided some new gameplay features, great graphics, much improved action and once more a great epic story with diverse characters, making it, in the end a superior successor. DA2 fails to deliver anything new to justify the "dumbing-down" ( or streamlining, as the industry would like to brand it ) making it inferior to its predecessor.

    But even DA 0.5 is still good game, and certainly better ( if not by much ) then most recent rpgs ( fable 4, Ego Draconis, TwoWorlds II ). It's DEFINATELY NOT A 4.0    … Expand
  76. Macleish
    Mar 12, 2011
    9
    Not as good as DA:O. A great game nonetheless. The combat is excellent. Fast paced, while still being tactical. And the Story actually flows better than Origins in my opinion. Well worth the price of admission! Well, at least I'm having fun.
  77. jaward1
    Mar 12, 2011
    9
    I have to say I don't understand all the negativity surrounding this game. I really enjoyed it. Like really. The conversation wheel is exciting, the main character (you) is cool and funny and quests are generally entertaining. There is a consensus among 'hard-core' gamers that this has been 'dumbed down' from Dragon Age:Origins. I disagree. The combat is slightly easier (this can beI have to say I don't understand all the negativity surrounding this game. I really enjoyed it. Like really. The conversation wheel is exciting, the main character (you) is cool and funny and quests are generally entertaining. There is a consensus among 'hard-core' gamers that this has been 'dumbed down' from Dragon Age:Origins. I disagree. The combat is slightly easier (this can be changed by putting it on hard difficulty though), the graphics are better than the predecessor (although not stunning) and the city of Kirkwall full of life and things to do. It is my opinion that people are riding a wave of dislike for this game as they judge it too firmly on the previous one. This is a different game in some respects. However it is also a brilliant one. Flaws include many loading screens and a small world map, but the new dynamic combat, the improved visuals, the main character speaking and the depth of the gameplay (where your decisions really seem to matter) make this a brilliant role playing experience. Just not one for the hardcore, baldurs gate loving PC gaming community that seem to spawn from troll land at the moment.
    Overall:
    Graphics - 8 (if on very high detail)
    Gameplay- 8.5 (a little repetitive but fun)
    Presentation- 9 (Beautiful loading screens, simple menus)
    Sound- 9.5 (great music and superb voice work)
    Lasting appeal- 9 (a long game with multiple plot lines)
    OVERALL- 9/10

    Bottom line- If you liked Mass effect 2 you will love this game.    … Expand
  78. assmaster69
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    I wrote a detailed review about all the things wrong with the game earlier, and gave it a score of three. This is a revision to balance out the bioware employees and shills giving it 10s.
  79. peroxxi
    Mar 12, 2011
    4
    This game in crap. No exploration, tons of bugs, tons of more bugs, awful difficulty calibration, crappy graphics. They made this game in few months just because EA command it!
    It's turned to a great rpg to a casual action rpg.
  80. richgw
    Mar 12, 2011
    10
    Game is a HUGE step up from Dragon Age 1. The only reason people don't like it and why it's getting unfavorable reviews is because it's not EXACTLY THE SAME as dragon age 1. If they called it something else and cut off all ties with the first game it would get 10's across the board. There's more emphasis on combat and human interaction than ''adventure'' and lore. Personally i love theGame is a HUGE step up from Dragon Age 1. The only reason people don't like it and why it's getting unfavorable reviews is because it's not EXACTLY THE SAME as dragon age 1. If they called it something else and cut off all ties with the first game it would get 10's across the board. There's more emphasis on combat and human interaction than ''adventure'' and lore. Personally i love the direction they're going with both this game and mass effect 2, and i hope it continues.

    Keep up the good work, bioware!    … Expand
  81. onward1614
    Mar 12, 2011
    3
    Only went half through the game and already lost interest. Can't believe this game comes from bioware and is entitled "DA". The plot is not even decent, and all dialogues are plain & boring. Staring to worry the trend bioware is adopting and the future of DA series.
  82. TheHfay
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    A rushed out game with tons of recycling and poor game design. Bioware is only trying to milk the franchise with this botched dung of crap.
    Running 4 times the same dungeon?
    2/3 of the game taking place in the same city?
    No crafting system?
    Who are you kidding, Bioware?
  83. Witness
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    Having played Dragon age origins I'm sorry to say that this game is shockingly bad. Dragon age 2 is a game without a soul. It drops all pretense as a rich, character driven RPG in exchange for needlessly flashy combat animations.

    The game is enjoyable if you want to watch endless waves of goons explode for 40 hours. Otherwise you might as well use the DA2 cd as a very expensive drinks    Having played Dragon age origins I'm sorry to say that this game is shockingly bad. Dragon age 2 is a game without a soul. It drops all pretense as a rich, character driven RPG in exchange for needlessly flashy combat animations.

    The game is enjoyable if you want to watch endless waves of goons explode for 40 hours. Otherwise you might as well use the DA2 cd as a very expensive drinks coaster.    … Expand
  84. Mts2148
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    The game is a major disappointment compared to the original. Dragon Age I felt at least somewhat close to the Baldur's Gate it claimed to be the spiritual successor to. On the other hand, DA2 imitates Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, the ugly action RPG stepchild. Note: action RPGs suck when you have a party of four PCs with braindead AI. Just awful. I'm done with Bioware.
  85. Helper12000
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    I should have waited for the reviews. However I have been counting down the days for this release and didn't think twice about buying the game. I agree with the users they have strayed from the original game and the negative reviews are going to be pouring in!!! Wish they stuck to what made DAO great!!
  86. Meisterwerke
    Mar 12, 2011
    10
    Fantastic game, i like this. Is amazing... the only downside is that history is a little out of Dragon Age: Origins
    Good innovation by Bioware. The game innovates in many ways and the combat is amazing. The graphic quality (a full) is wonderful and unique characters.
  87. Kentathon
    Mar 12, 2011
    9
    Lots of angry players who wanted the game to fail or rated it low without ever playing it. It's a great RPG in a great series.

    There are copy/pasted caves all over the place and that is a flaw, but that is the one and only flaw in the entire game. Whatever Bioware did to make so many kids cry and pray that their game will fail, my hat is off to you. Keep curb stomping the haters and    Lots of angry players who wanted the game to fail or rated it low without ever playing it. It's a great RPG in a great series.

    There are copy/pasted caves all over the place and that is a flaw, but that is the one and only flaw in the entire game.

    Whatever Bioware did to make so many kids cry and pray that their game will fail, my hat is off to you. Keep curb stomping the haters and make more quality content.    … Expand
  88. Toxic_Terror
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    I expected much more from Bioware... DAO was a great RPG, i've finished it 8 times, but DA2 - this is miscarriage from game industry. So, we have a stupid boring hack'n'slash (it's enough to press 1,2,3,4,5 on 'nightmare' difficulty - no tactics at all!) with some castrated rpg elements. Locations are absolutely dead - a labyrinths with couple of boxes containing trash and some uselessI expected much more from Bioware... DAO was a great RPG, i've finished it 8 times, but DA2 - this is miscarriage from game industry. So, we have a stupid boring hack'n'slash (it's enough to press 1,2,3,4,5 on 'nightmare' difficulty - no tactics at all!) with some castrated rpg elements. Locations are absolutely dead - a labyrinths with couple of boxes containing trash and some useless neutral npc's. Additional quests are awful - 'go there, kill somebody, come back', repeat couple of hundred times or until uninstall the game. Battles become schizophrenic because of respawn - killing last enemy from previous wave - a new wave appears just from air. There's also still a lot of bugs. This game is the biggest disappointment of the year. Possible target audiens - kids 8-12 years old for not to overstrain their fragile brains.
    I've bought DAO, but i already regret a lot of times about downloading this cracked "game" from torrents. The only thing it's worthy - uninstallation as soon as possible.    … Expand
  89. SomeBuddah
    Mar 12, 2011
    9
    Never in all my days have I seen such a concerted effort to destroy a games reputation in the history of the internet.

    Dragon Age II is as good a game as Dragon Age: Origins was, in its own way. The difference in the styles of the two games are not entirely all that different, the biggest change to DA2 in regards to how its played out is the lack of full itemization for your companion    Never in all my days have I seen such a concerted effort to destroy a games reputation in the history of the internet.

    Dragon Age II is as good a game as Dragon Age: Origins was, in its own way. The difference in the styles of the two games are not entirely all that different, the biggest change to DA2 in regards to how its played out is the lack of full itemization for your companion characters and thats really about it.

    The story is fantastic, anyone who says otherwise doesn't understand that the games dynamics are secondary to the games story. And DA2 delivers, on story, in spades. Whats more the changes to the combat dynamics are so miniscule that the concerted and concentrated attempts at slagging the reputation of the game by "user score" alone seems like its been done by a huge group of angst ridden "fans" of the Dragon Age franchise that refuse to see the good of the game simply because of the few things that have been changed.

    DA2 is a ever growing, intense story that travels over 10 years of your characters life in Kirkwall. And while some may complain that the game is "smaller" than DA:O because its only in and around the city of Kirkwall most of the environments in DA2 are actually bigger than any of the environments in DA:O, instead of fighting in a tiny little area, or parts of the city being about the size of a breadbox, Kirkwall's different districts stretch out quite a bit. To compare, take the Market District of Denerim in DA: which is about the size of the village of Loethering (fields not included), as compared to the Hightown or Lowtown districts of DA:O which are comparably the size of the Brecillian Forest areas in DA:O.

    Its got just as much total play time, if you do all the quests in each act as a single game of DA:O and twice as many epic moments. In fact nearly every decision you make as you progress in DA2 will have effects and ramifications on what occurs later in the years of the game. And whats more none of these decisions have "clues" as to what the right decision is, something you do with all intention of trying to do "right" may have dire ramifications in the future of your game, regardless of your good intentions.

    This game not only has all the replay value of DA:O, it is missing a lot of DA:O's slowdowns in regards to replay value. DA2 doesn't need "Skip the Fade" mod because there are no sections of DA2 that are universally tedious. Whats more there are no sections of DA2 that are as universally predictable either, even the Fade sequence that is in DA2 is much shorter, has some fair rewards in it and some interesting differences in occurrence depending on who you take with you.

    The 720 or so people that have negatively reviewed this game have done so on the basis that the game is now accessible to people who enjoy action RPG play, and while i won't disagree with them, there are some changes to DA2 I didn't like as well, the major thing I will disagree with them on is that just because its "different" doesn't mean its a piece of trash that has fallen far short of the mark of BioWare's usual quality.

    I've been playing the game since the day of release and I still have not completed it on my very first character and I can already see, from the 3 acts I've played that there are going to be a lot of different ways for me to replay this game as I wait for DA3, as compared to DA:O where I more or less just kept replaying the SAME GAME just with a different personality, with DA2, the game can change substantially depending on the choices I make.

    DA2 is a fine platform for the continuation of the franchise and I feel that other than the itemization issues and the locked itemization for companion characters its a worthy successor to the DA franchise. Making it more exciting, giving it more replay and best of all, making me hungry for more of the story, in a way that DA:A did not do, after DA:O was released.

    Please keep in mind as you read this page that this game has been subject to a concentrated flagging by a collusion of unhappy niche RPG fans that are all part of the same group on the BioWare Social Forums, a group that was specifically formed for this purpose alone, to come to Metacritic and to drop the user score as low as they could. And as you can see even with this concerted effort theres only around 800 people as compared to the hundreds of thousands of preordered copies of DA2 that were sold.

    The game isn't perfect I give it a 9 of 10 and I do so because they did strip out some elements of RPG control that I'd have liked to have kept, but the story is fantastic, the way the game changes and morphs around your decisions is awesome, and the new combat pace is also quite good. DA2 is everything DA:O should have been, but missing a few things DA:O was that DA2 should have kept.    … Expand
  90. steve1945
    Mar 12, 2011
    3
    As an old school crpg player I originally bought Dragon Age Origins due to Biowares steadfast mantra that the Dragon Age franchise will be a resurrection of the crpg genre. So I bought Origins, it was pretty good with some flaws. Figuring Biowares next entry in the series would clean it up and be at BG NWN levels of quality I continued to support them. Then DA2 was announced and the firstAs an old school crpg player I originally bought Dragon Age Origins due to Biowares steadfast mantra that the Dragon Age franchise will be a resurrection of the crpg genre. So I bought Origins, it was pretty good with some flaws. Figuring Biowares next entry in the series would clean it up and be at BG NWN levels of quality I continued to support them. Then DA2 was announced and the first game play was shown. From the increasingly Dynasty Warriors esq combat, to the unbelievably horrible graphics and art style changes. We were told to wait by Bioware and their more rabid fanbase, that I couldn't form an negative opinion because I haven't played it. Well its out now, and its just as big a pile of mediocrity as I suspected it would be. The Dialog is for one, is utterly terrible. Some of the best gems are "Im Hungry" and "I want to be the Dragon!". The Dialog wheel is also another terrible "INNOVATION!" thrown into Dragon Age due to the success of MICHAEL BAY PRESENTS MASS EFFECT! Not only do you not know what you will say with the wheel sometimes what you say is not at all what the words are on the wheel. With the addition of only 3 options with Upper Right being NOBLE GOOD BRIGHT, middle JOKE LOL JOKE JOKE JOKE. and bottom I KILL PUPPIES FOR SATAN BECAUSE!. To go along with that you have tiny pictures of the tone of what you will say. Red for Renegade....errr, green for good, and purple for idiot. The graphics and art style. While im not one to put much in graphics a game needs to at least have a good art style and use its assets well. I actually wouldn't care about this if the game had any GOOD aspects. Sadly it does not. Bioware said that the original Dragon Age didn't have an art identity and for the sequel they wanted to make it so different that you would immediately say THATS DRAGON AGE! Good idea right? Certainly. Except they already accomplished this. Very few games do Dark Medieval Fantasy anymore. DAO was one who did and it looked gorgeous on the PC. Which is where the game belongs. So now DA2 gets a new art style ok im down with it until. Its generic WOWesq light colors with terrible terrible exaggeration and jaggies. Combat. One look on youtube for Dragon Age 2 Combat will show you what I mean. lets just say AWESOME BUTTON is not awesome. This is just scratching the surface. All this combined with EA banning people from even playing because of posting negatively about DA2 on Biowares forums, along with Biodevs saying any negative review is some magic **** raid, along with EA slipping in securom on your machine without telling you "which is highly illegal I might add" along with constant locks and bans for anyone who post constructive criticism. All makes for one sour second entry into the series. OH GOD NO! STANLEY WOO HAS FOU This meta critic review is inappropriate. lock down End of Lineâ… Expand
  91. TwiTu
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    I give it a 1 for the effort. The rest is honestly a typical and shallow console game. This doesnt even deserve to be called an RPG. On top of it the DX11 support is a draconic way to get people with a DX9 or DX10 card to buy a DX11 card. Why else would the textures (amongst many other things) be extremely bad with DX9?

    Im not even starting on gameplay because it is what I already said.    I give it a 1 for the effort. The rest is honestly a typical and shallow console game. This doesnt even deserve to be called an RPG. On top of it the DX11 support is a draconic way to get people with a DX9 or DX10 card to buy a DX11 card. Why else would the textures (amongst many other things) be extremely bad with DX9?

    Im not even starting on gameplay because it is what I already said. Shallow and boring with console controls and gameplay. This is BioWare now? I am pretty pissed how the gaming culture is being dragged down by corrupt developers and publishers who dont even know their own product.    … Expand
  92. Brader182
    Mar 12, 2011
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Everything is great in this game!!!Meet the Best Rpg for teen years Dragon age 2!!! I love this game!! I complete the game already and i want more play it.i want more adventures,i want more dlc which tell us about Hawke s fate)))dont listen people who give negative review its all flashmob… Expand
  93. SilentObserver
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    This game is a complete disappointment considering the high hopes of the original DAO fans.
    The plot is transparent and boring, the companions are wooden puppets with no real emotion, the dialogues are as bad as if somebody intended them to be this way, and the maps are no more than an afternoon's boring copy-past work,the quests are horrendous repetitive errands in the same damn bland    This game is a complete disappointment considering the high hopes of the original DAO fans.
    The plot is transparent and boring, the companions are wooden puppets with no real emotion, the dialogues are as bad as if somebody intended them to be this way, and the maps are no more than an afternoon's boring copy-past work,the quests are horrendous repetitive errands in the same damn bland city,the humour present in the original DAO is nowhere to be found,and the ending will make you punch your screen and then your face for being an naive idiot enough to give over 50euro for this piece of rushed ****    … Expand
  94. Userusername
    Mar 12, 2011
    5
    Let me start out by saying I liked dragon age origins. It had a good story, memorable characters and a real good setting. The only problem I had with the game is that combat became very tedious. Dragon age II fixes the combat by making it fast-paced and a better leveling system. Sadly it removed everything that made the first game worthwhile. Boring characters and story realy put me of the game.
  95. qstoffe
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    This is a hack & slash console action game. If you're looking for an RPG game, look elsewhere. If you like arcady-console-street fighter-action-games, then this is it. The original DA game was a lot more RPG and more similar to the BG saga. To even compare this game against older RPG games such as BG and Planescape is crazy because it would be like comparing a shooter against Civ5.
  96. Zloom18
    Mar 12, 2011
    10
    Dragon Age 2 - I liked it. I think this is the best game I ever played. Graphics, combat, story telling, its all better. I think, DA2 take its rightful place in the world of computer games.
  97. katarn
    Mar 12, 2011
    6
    Not the best Bioware RPG ever. A lot of copy/paste, strange design decisions (corpses in the house of one of the characters staying there for six (!!!) years. Game is about seven years long but there are no big changes in this little world. Bugs do not let me finish some quests. Ending (not just it, actually) looks like a good place for DLC. Want to know true end? Just pay EA/Bioware 5-10Not the best Bioware RPG ever. A lot of copy/paste, strange design decisions (corpses in the house of one of the characters staying there for six (!!!) years. Game is about seven years long but there are no big changes in this little world. Bugs do not let me finish some quests. Ending (not just it, actually) looks like a good place for DLC. Want to know true end? Just pay EA/Bioware 5-10 (more?) dollars. I spend on this game money and now I don't think, that it was a good idea. I could write much more, but do not see any need in it: just look at demo and think on your own about 50-60 euro/dollars (1000 rubles) you can spend on it. Does it really cost so much? I don't think so.… Expand
  98. SiliconNooB
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    How could Bioware have got Dragon Age 2 so very very wrong? Performance is terrible even if you are fortunate enough to be able to get the game running, and forget about it running in anything greater than DX9! And then on to of that Bioware have wormed their way through our collective back doors and inflicted us with securom. I honestly couldn't recommend anything more than a rental ofHow could Bioware have got Dragon Age 2 so very very wrong? Performance is terrible even if you are fortunate enough to be able to get the game running, and forget about it running in anything greater than DX9! And then on to of that Bioware have wormed their way through our collective back doors and inflicted us with securom. I honestly couldn't recommend anything more than a rental of this deeply flawed abortion, or perhaps picking it up on the cheap ... :(… Expand
  99. Nickless_man
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    Game is rushed from beginning to the end. New dialog wheel locks you in with 3 basic options, which are basically good, funny/neutral, angry but good options. No matter what you select, game moves forward, your companions loves you for it.

    Quests are just MMO rehashes. Collect 50 golds, go there, do this and that. There's no driver for doing quests other than "YOU HAVE TO MAKE MONEY!"    Game is rushed from beginning to the end. New dialog wheel locks you in with 3 basic options, which are basically good, funny/neutral, angry but good options. No matter what you select, game moves forward, your companions loves you for it.

    Quests are just MMO rehashes. Collect 50 golds, go there, do this and that. There's no driver for doing quests other than "YOU HAVE TO MAKE MONEY!" line. There are no moral dilemmas, everything is overly simplified.

    Combat is both better and worse than the Origins. Better because it is overall more responsive. Worse because of the design choices. Enemies ALWAYS attacks you in waves. When you engage a group, there's usually a trigger mob, once this mob is killed, another wave that is generally at least as big as the original group appears out of thin air. All combat has at least 2 waves that includes 5+ mobs at least. Some mobs have ridiclous powers to mark up the difficulty. NPC Assassins for example, will literally disappear for a while, and then backstab one of your characters, no matter what they are doing. You cannot attack assassins while they are invisible, they are invulnerable, even though official guide says you can hit them with areal attacks, but you cant. Their attacks hit for at least 75% damage on your tank.

    Area you play the game gets rehashed to death. On act 1, you run around to make money, on act 2, you run around doing a different thing, in the same area. Slightly different quests, slightly different loot. Caves are all identical, at most they'll have some other texture pack on them to disguise this fact.

    You cannot talk with ANY OF YOUR COMPANIONS. Only way to talk to them is when they have a quest available. Even then, you can only get that quest from their own house/bar/keep/whatever. Most of them just utter 3 lines and give you +5 reputation. There's absolutely no character development.

    Because of the limited dialog wheel, your character falls short on any kind of development. Your character either becomes extremely naive, annoying or childishly unfunny. Worse part is, no one seems to notice your characters character traits, they make a 1 line comment at most and thats it.

    Graphics while better than Origins, is still leagues behind any competent game. High res texture pack is simply mandatory, its a wonder how the game got shipped without it. Directx 11 options are mostly jokes. Tessellation is minimal and game has the worst SSAO effect I've ever seen. Blur is simply over the top. Even with minimal effects directx 11 causes too much of a performance drop.

    Animations are just blatant attempt at capturing "cool" kids. Characters swing heavy 2 handed swords like its a small twig. 2 handed swords really become over the top in this game, every 2 handed weapon has the "GIANT F**ING WEAPON" syndrome. Stinks of anime in a western cRPG is worst of both worlds.

    I wasn't surprised when the lead designer of Bioware quit his job because of the direction Dragon Age 2 was going.

    This simply isn't a Bioware game. Its a mediocre attempt at miking Dragon Age name.    … Expand
  100. nagyi
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    i must confess i played only 2 hours and after that i uninstalled the game, reasons:
    -u cant equip ure teammates
    -the potion system is f*cked up, i liked it when i had 234234234 items in my inventory and it was hard to manage it, its how its supposed to be in an rpg -and the whole story is in 1 city? come on!!! -too linear story (i want a huge world to explore as i wish like in fallout 3)    i must confess i played only 2 hours and after that i uninstalled the game, reasons:
    -u cant equip ure teammates
    -the potion system is f*cked up, i liked it when i had 234234234 items in my inventory and it was hard to manage it, its how its supposed to be in an rpg
    -and the whole story is in 1 city? come on!!!
    -too linear story (i want a huge world to explore as i wish like in fallout 3)
    when i played it it felt like prince of persia or assasins creed only worse. i want a normal rpg not an action game.    … 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.
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