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. carsiffon
    Mar 11, 2011
    2
    Just horrible. Arcade fighting system with japanese style animation, plain unlikeable characters, primitive dialog system and gray-tone obsolete graphics. While DAO was spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate, this is suckccessor to a crappy clone of Final Fantasy.
  2. Praesi
    Mar 11, 2011
    2
    DA2 is a disaster for all who loved DA:O , NWN (one of the bests ever) or other traditional RPG´s. Its a casual arcade game without any of the old BioWare strengths. If this is the new BioWare Style, the times were i bought BW Games blind on release Day, are over.
    The most Magazine Reviews are bad Jokes.
    Bioware...remember your roots!!

    2.0
  3. GregoryPeckory
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Feels more like Dynasty Warriors, which is really sad considering the series started out as a spiritual successor to Baldurs Gate, DA 1 did a decent job and people had high expectations for an improved version. I remember when ''improved'' meant adding more features, more complexity, more stats, perhaps improving on the writing quality, not change the genre into a derpg and ''streamline''Feels more like Dynasty Warriors, which is really sad considering the series started out as a spiritual successor to Baldurs Gate, DA 1 did a decent job and people had high expectations for an improved version. I remember when ''improved'' meant adding more features, more complexity, more stats, perhaps improving on the writing quality, not change the genre into a derpg and ''streamline'' all the fun parts of the character building process. I really cant be bothered to raise any further points because the game has just been ruined in almost every aspect. Train wreck.… Expand
  4. Chuckwow
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Chuckwow Mar 10, 20110 You go to the shop to buy milk cos you love milk, and you see a carton labelled MILK 2, wow, that sounds great. Oh, it is, they tell you, look, even the local paper says so. You buy the carton. You go home and pour a suspiciously thin yellow liquid into your tankard, hey, they said it might look a bit different, but it's sure gonna taste even better than milk, so whyChuckwow Mar 10, 20110 You go to the shop to buy milk cos you love milk, and you see a carton labelled MILK 2, wow, that sounds great. Oh, it is, they tell you, look, even the local paper says so. You buy the carton. You go home and pour a suspiciously thin yellow liquid into your tankard, hey, they said it might look a bit different, but it's sure gonna taste even better than milk, so why not? You swirl it round your mouth, glug it down, and savour the unusual taste...before going into spasms and projectilve vomiting in every direction. You do not feel good. You stumble outside choking, saying, my friends, be wary of Milk 2, it really isn't anything like that beautiful liquid we adored. Others, also retching, nod in agreement. Yet in the crowd there are a few strangers wearing "Milk 2 Rules" t-shirts. Where did they come from? "Milk 2 rocks," they say. Just cos it's different from Milk doesn't mean it's the worst liquid you can imagine drinking. But, yes, actually it is.â… Expand
  5. Halfsmart
    Mar 11, 2011
    6
    DA:O was not a bad game, even the good i think. I was hoping that DA2 will be even better - I even made â
  6. slymenstra
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Interview with the man behind DA:O and DA2's score. Guess what he said in an unrelated question?

    "Unlike other titles from Bioware, this score was kind of a rush job. EA really wanted to capitalize on the success of Origins, so the game was really being pushed hard to be released now" My opinion: Abysmal cookie-cutter, **** fantasy world and characters. Everything is bland, the area's,    Interview with the man behind DA:O and DA2's score. Guess what he said in an unrelated question?

    "Unlike other titles from Bioware, this score was kind of a rush job. EA really wanted to capitalize on the success of Origins, so the game was really being pushed hard to be released now" My opinion:
    Abysmal cookie-cutter, **** fantasy world and characters. Everything is bland, the area's, the details, the conversations, the voices, the enemies. This game lacks ' soul'.    … Expand
  7. Isolfr
    Mar 11, 2011
    2
    This game to me was a waste of money, it lacked everything good from DA:O, the plot wanders to much and the way they tie it all together is terrible. It seemed like they took an almost unimportant thing that you can forget for a time and used it to tie the whole thing up. The game would have been better served starting in the last act and going into something epic from there.
  8. Obsidien
    Mar 11, 2011
    10
    For me; This game it's so beautyful but not private to many bugs. Also the city present in this game give us an important emotional investigates players; It's so a very big game with differents protagonists with them unique characters. The Graph's game is an concentrate of all moderns technology in video game. Bio-Ware it's alway faithful of him.
  9. bleak
    Mar 11, 2011
    8
    As for me it's a worthy continuation for the DAO. The game is interesting and entertainment. It is the same Dragon Age: Origins, but it's more bright and various.
  10. Ukengor
    Mar 11, 2011
    2
    It's not a game. It's a disaster. The biggest disappointment of the year. Boring combat, boring dialogs, version 1.0 is completely raw (as example: impossibility to save a game - cool, ain't it?)...
  11. nateg
    Mar 11, 2011
    10
    ok, so here's a reasonable review. aka not a zero, or a 10. Dragon Age:Origins came out so recently that everyone, including myself, is comparing the two games. This is not unexpected, see Mass Effect 1 and 2. When compared to DA:O, this game gets a 6. That is, I wanted to play DA:O 2.0 and was let down. While this will hurt sales, the game itself is a solid 8.5. THE GOOD: Your characterok, so here's a reasonable review. aka not a zero, or a 10. Dragon Age:Origins came out so recently that everyone, including myself, is comparing the two games. This is not unexpected, see Mass Effect 1 and 2. When compared to DA:O, this game gets a 6. That is, I wanted to play DA:O 2.0 and was let down. While this will hurt sales, the game itself is a solid 8.5. THE GOOD: Your character has a remarkably unique adventure, enhanced by the ability for you to choose. I felt like a **** boss when I was champion of my little town. Voice acting was fun and it kept me engaged, when the story was interesting. The gameplay was smooth and easy to control (and is THE ONLY reason i was able to beat that red dude in a 1v1. HOLY CRAP my build was not meant for that matchup, lol). The supporting cast had goals, past issues, and uncompromising habits. I reached level 20 as i was completing the story. We meet characters from DA:O. The world map interface is pimp and easy for quests. They made items easier to manage. Scenery graphics(water reflection), special effects (spells), character heads/mouths are great. I had no bugs the entire playthrough. Abilities are so varied it's awesome. Also, i had fun playing. It was FUN.

    SPOILERS.
    THE BAD: Your particular role is not very important or driven. You are not special and you don't really have a goal(DA:O STOP THE BLIGHT NOW GOGOGOGO! Mass Effect 1: STOP THE EVIL SPECTRE OH **** END OF GALAXY SAVE GALAXY GOGOOGO!) This can cause the perception that the story is 'flat', and if the story is 'flat' the characters in that story seem 'flat'. Think, the Earth is 'flat'. One consequence was that it never SEEMED like there was a main quest line. So all of the quests felt like different ways to get xp. The story fell apart several times for me when i was able to predict it. FIRST MINUTES OF THE GAME: Oh, I have a sister and a mom with me... and it's bioware so they like to kill off characters, yea my sister's dead, and maybe my mom. (i think i could have made it so my sister didn't die, but i didnt care after i saw where it was going, sorry sis). You will never in your life have enough money for all the cool **** some vendors sell. Example, one ring was 100 gold, and i had 50 just before final missions. so if i had wanted , say, 15 of those 100 gold items to deck out my crew... yea gl with that. Protip: just play the game and before the final missions use a money cheat and buy the cool stuff. The world kind of feels the same as DA:O, with 'instanced' parts of towns and forests. But that's bad because it feels small. Like, compared to oblivion,GTA, or whatever with square miles of **** These levels really seem repetitive after a while. Character clothing/gear is still visually not up to par with what it could be. aka when you take an image and stretch it over some polygons. The final boss (for me) was a character I met more than 1/2 way thru the game. I mean, yea she's evil, but... i mean... ok i'll just kill her. im just **** because in DRAGON age 2 you dont win by killing a DRAGON. COMMENTS: The story is presented, it seems, for the exclusive purpose of making DLC's more viable. The end of the story is 'current day'. This is a cool way to tell a story, but i know what they're up to. Even the world map is just READY for another button that says "New Town 1" Also I had sex with almost every character in the game, so that was fun.    … Expand
  12. lagavaz
    Mar 11, 2011
    8
    Generally - i liked DA2,yes - it's not as good as the the DAO but still entertaining. I Liked the characters, almost all of them(well except the elf warrior) , in DAO i liked only Alister,Morrigan, Leliana and Oghren. They were trule interesting and active characters, in DA2 all of them are active and interesting. I liked the new style, the plot but yes i would old style dialogs back ) 8Generally - i liked DA2,yes - it's not as good as the the DAO but still entertaining. I Liked the characters, almost all of them(well except the elf warrior) , in DAO i liked only Alister,Morrigan, Leliana and Oghren. They were trule interesting and active characters, in DA2 all of them are active and interesting. I liked the new style, the plot but yes i would old style dialogs back ) 8 is my answer… Expand
  13. Yoshidude
    Mar 11, 2011
    10
    It's a good thing that Metascore's are based on reputable publishers and not the biased opinion of a "betrayed" fanboy. There was nothing Bioware could do against the inevitable fate of a sequel to one of the greatest RPG's that ever graced humans. If you ask me, however, DA2 comes very close to sharing the glory. I've seen not hide nor hair of the issues reviewers are experiencing; quiteIt's a good thing that Metascore's are based on reputable publishers and not the biased opinion of a "betrayed" fanboy. There was nothing Bioware could do against the inevitable fate of a sequel to one of the greatest RPG's that ever graced humans. If you ask me, however, DA2 comes very close to sharing the glory. I've seen not hide nor hair of the issues reviewers are experiencing; quite the contrary in fact. For people who found the combat of DA:O to be sluggish and repetitive, DA2 is a welcome Saint. The quick-paced hack-n-slash style brawling kept my interest rather than turn me away from boredom. Granted the difficulty level has been turned down a few notches, I play RPG's for the experience and story, not to constantly have to reload my saves, which I was doing often even on Normal in DA:O. And to say that strategy is no longer needed is ridiculous. I found myself constantly pausing the game to issue commands to my party members.

    The graphics are not comparable to 2003. I don't understand how someone can even utter such a thought. The graphics are, in fact, refined in a manner that is completely reflecting of the story arc. DA:O had a serious, mature art style that utilized grey's and blues to set a mood. You were not a hero as much as you were a hope. DA2 moved away from that because the message is different. The art style utilizes more extreme blacks and reds and reminds me of scenes from Sin City. You are a champion, let your power be known!

    The equipment system is a very welcome change to me. In DA:O you had to be constantly on the look-out for upgrades for your plethora of partners. In this game your party members have "companion armor", which negates the need , or rather doesn't allow, for the equipping of head, chest, hand, and feet armor. Only Hawke can be equipped. This allows you to focus all the best equipment on him, who is your MAIN CHARACTER, rather than worrying about the NPC who usually die anyways.

    And then there's the story. I've been seeing reviews that say shallow, horrible script, no content, blah blah. Even in DA:O I wasn't physically forced to pace my room, hand on chin, staring at the floor, then the ceiling, to think about the ups and downs of saving an Elf or killing him. RPG's are meant to hurl you into a story, make you apart of the action, and DA2 does that with FLYING colors. I can choose to be cheeky, serious, kind, lovable, flirtatious, dominant, deciding, passive, or just plain rude to anyone I decide.

    This game is not only a step, but leaps and bounds separate from it's predecessor, and that's not a bad thing. To compare the games would be like comparing sandals with running shoes. Both are useful in certain situations, but trying to play beach volley ball in Nike's will cause lots of frustration. You have to see DA2 as a game rather than a sequel. It doesn't live up to DA:O standards because it creates it's own. I fully believe this game is an underrated masterpiece waiting to explode.    … Expand
  14. Marvik
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    Unfortunately I must admit .... disappointed, from DAO made â
  15. Teaser38
    Mar 11, 2011
    5
    Do not buy this game, yet wait until the GOTY or Ultimate or whatever crap the put out with ALL the DLC. You can especially tell it was rushed because the music was all from the original and the demons were just ported from the first and no Genlocks!. Many locations were simply copy and paste. While I can see the simplified inventory, combat felt stilted rather than simplified and hadDo not buy this game, yet wait until the GOTY or Ultimate or whatever crap the put out with ALL the DLC. You can especially tell it was rushed because the music was all from the original and the demons were just ported from the first and no Genlocks!. Many locations were simply copy and paste. While I can see the simplified inventory, combat felt stilted rather than simplified and had obvious bugs. I am very disappointed in Bioware. This is all too bad because I did find the story and the characters interesting.… Expand
  16. johndows
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    Trash for 60$. How can they call it an "rpg" ? Better spend money on a game rather buying reviews! 1 score for not trivia scenario, other parts of game doesn't deserve more than 0
  17. Femalegamer
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Appalling in every way imaginable. I won't go into detail, because most of the other user reviews here have pointed out the insanely gargantuan problems with "God of Dragon Effect."

    Do. Not. Buy. This. Game. If you don't buy it, they won't keep making this hackneyed incarnation of our beloved Dragon Age.
  18. Rock-o
    Mar 10, 2011
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Dear Bioware,

    I just made a metacritic account for the sole purpose of giving my review(more like ranting/flaming two cents) for this game that I was so excited for......... and I am too depressed to write it. Why would you do this bioware? After so many great games you give me this. I thought that when I beat the game, I was still somewhere in the middle of the plots/storyline...nope. The credits appearing literally felt like a smack in the face. I'm just so utterly dissapointed right now that I don't even know what to type. Way to dumb down absolutely everything about the original game that I loved so much. I have never, ever, beaten a game and felt confused/depressed thereafter until I played this. I am absolutely refusing to buying a single DLC for this game as I am not giving any money to the people that just robbed me of sixty bucks.. besides the fact that this is going to be the very first bioware game I have ever traded back in as of tomorrow morning. Thanks for wasting my time setting yourselves up for another sixty dollar expansion.. With Love, Already Dreaming Of Uncharted 3    … Expand
  19. Breenns
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Combat had a big drop. Caves all look the same. Story was generic. More of the same "good response, neutral response, bad response" choices for dialog. It's like you kept all the things I don't like from your games and got rid of the enjoyable parts of DA:O.

    Furthermore, I can no longer support a company that has a division within EA that is willing to suspend people's single player    Combat had a big drop. Caves all look the same. Story was generic. More of the same "good response, neutral response, bad response" choices for dialog. It's like you kept all the things I don't like from your games and got rid of the enjoyable parts of DA:O.

    Furthermore, I can no longer support a company that has a division within EA that is willing to suspend people's single player gameplay for activity on their forums. In a multi-player setting, it is sometimes appropriate to ban individuals who ruin the game for others. But that is not the case when we are considering single player activity, especially not with forums. http://i.imgur.com/xkhUI.png - Source.

    In summary: Poor decisions in game design. Poor design in company policy.    … Expand
  20. pantherfan4389
    Mar 10, 2011
    10
    Play the game before you come to the internet to complain about it people. I played both Origins and I just beat this game and I love it just as much. Give the changes a chance before you condemn them for being "dumbed down."
  21. KillerYeh
    Mar 10, 2011
    10
    This is one of the best RPG I have ever played... such a progress since Dragon Age: Orgins... I won't write a lot - I'll point out the good and bad points:
    + Great storyline
    + Great artwork, design + Nice soundtrack + Super characters, each of them has it's story... + Great graphics, it looks super on maximum settings! + Awesome action, not so boring as in DAO And now... - A wait? I can't    This is one of the best RPG I have ever played... such a progress since Dragon Age: Orgins... I won't write a lot - I'll point out the good and bad points:
    + Great storyline
    + Great artwork, design
    + Nice soundtrack
    + Super characters, each of them has it's story...
    + Great graphics, it looks super on maximum settings!
    + Awesome action, not so boring as in DAO
    And now...
    - A wait? I can't remember any!!!    … Expand
  22. Gremace
    Mar 10, 2011
    5
    Bioware didn't try and improve the aspects of Dragon Age that made it a great game. They tried to make it better for consoles at the expense of PC gameplay. This is the same hack and slash console game that comes out every other week, it has nothing unique or interesting about it.

    I can't help but remember FF13 when I played this game. Like FF13 Dragon Age 2 isn't a bad game, but the only    Bioware didn't try and improve the aspects of Dragon Age that made it a great game. They tried to make it better for consoles at the expense of PC gameplay. This is the same hack and slash console game that comes out every other week, it has nothing unique or interesting about it.

    I can't help but remember FF13 when I played this game. Like FF13 Dragon Age 2 isn't a bad game, but the only thing I feel playing it is disappointment. The things that made origins such a fun and unique *PC* game are gone. In its place is a hack and slash console game. The graphics are straight out of 2005, and poorly optimized. The UI is terrible and made completely for consoles. Like Mass Effect 2 the classic rpg elements are almost completely stripped out of the game. The only character you equip is Hawke. Your equipment choices are more restricted by class than in origins. The detailed dialogue system is gone, your given 2-3 word statements that are labeled paragon, snark, or renegade. Everything that changed was changed for the worse. Bioware has changed since the EA buyout. The great RPG elements of their games are being phased out for broader appeal, and it just makes me sad.    … Expand
  23. izayoisakuya
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    I can't believe I pre-ordered this game, seriously
    I was so hyped to get this game on my hands, oh, it really felt good, but oh surprise, at the beginning of the game the bad graphics were showing up, and by bad I mean, REAL BAD graphics, damnit they look worse than the DA:O ones, but okay graphics aren't everything, right?, let's see, let's go with the dialogue, what can I say..oh    I can't believe I pre-ordered this game, seriously
    I was so hyped to get this game on my hands, oh, it really felt good, but oh surprise, at the beginning of the game the bad graphics were showing up, and by bad I mean, REAL BAD graphics, damnit they look worse than the DA:O ones, but okay graphics aren't everything, right?, let's see, let's go with the dialogue, what can I say..oh yeah..IT WAS MUTILATED, the dialogue isn't the same anymore, it lacks that "magic" that Dragon Age: Origins had, please do not buy this game for the dialogue nor its story, it's like the lead writer was smoking weed, no not even that, looks like his baby wrote it, that's right, it sucks and I won't stop saying so!, now for the quests, they are weak in dialogue nor story like I said before, they are boring and have no action at all.....they suck..

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

    That's it, I'm so angry right now because I can't believe I bought this game...sheesh..I REALLY HOPE IT GETS BETTER BUT IT HAS BEEN OVER 9 HOURS OF GAMEPLAY AND IT STILL SUCKS.    … Expand
  24. Pitt90
    Mar 10, 2011
    2
    It's ... difficult ... to express how utterly disappointed I am with this game. Since any reaction is just an opinion, and we must agree that our opinions are no more or less valid than any other, I will simply say this was a serious disappointment from the joy and love I felt for the first Dragon Age. It's ... wow ... it's just nothing like its predecessor in any of the good ways.
  25. desmond
    Mar 10, 2011
    4
    Dragon Age II is a slap in the face of CRPG fans. The combat system has been revamped to an action-oriented style. The aerial tactical view from the first game is gone. Targeting specific enemies is often problematic, due to the limited camera view.
    The graphics are average, and not on par with Mass Effect 2. A dialogue system, similar to the Mass Effect series, is used in Dragon Age II.    Dragon Age II is a slap in the face of CRPG fans. The combat system has been revamped to an action-oriented style. The aerial tactical view from the first game is gone. Targeting specific enemies is often problematic, due to the limited camera view.
    The graphics are average, and not on par with Mass Effect 2. A dialogue system, similar to the Mass Effect series, is used in Dragon Age II. You'll get to choose from a set of paraphrased dialogue options rather than full text lines. These paraphrased dialogue options rarely have the expected result, which turns the dialogue system into a confusing guessing game.
    Most of the game takes place in Kirkwall. There are only a few outside locations. Several cave maps are identical, despite the relatively small game world.
    The item system, or more precisely party management, has taken a turn for the worse. You only have full control over the equipment for your main character. You can't change the armor of your party members.

    Bioware turned Dragon Age II into an action RPG, and tailored it for consoles. They simplified the dialogue system, added hack-and-slash combat, and removed a fundamental RPG feature - the party members equipment management. Dragon Age II has some good points like storytelling, but that's about it. The bad parts outweigh the good ones. It's sad to see a company, which released a masterpiece like Baldur's Gate II, fall to such a low level.    … Expand
  26. gas
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Im not a huge fan of last Bioware releases, i consider DAO a good game with something really interesting and something to be improved (like the menus,inventory, crafting, linearity and more), and the mass effect serie too, not masterpieces tbh for me, but anyway good, and different games.
    I was and i am i huge fan of old Bioware rpgs, as im a pc player and im no more a kid i remember and i    Im not a huge fan of last Bioware releases, i consider DAO a good game with something really interesting and something to be improved (like the menus,inventory, crafting, linearity and more), and the mass effect serie too, not masterpieces tbh for me, but anyway good, and different games.
    I was and i am i huge fan of old Bioware rpgs, as im a pc player and im no more a kid i remember and i own every rpg with Bioware involved in, and i have to admit i prefer a lot the old titles, no doubt about it.
    This DAO2 prolly wanted to be a mix between DAO and Mass effect as idea, to be something fresh going to please more the console mass then the old style rpg geeks, at the end its all business.
    But the result im sorry will not please everyone im sure about it, on console you get nowadays much better action titles then this one, especially if you consider the graphics and average fps cant compete even with non so recent titles and also the market is crowded with action oriented games, and about the pc geeks there is nothing to tell, no one will even play this more then couple of hours, prolly less.
    Its a real shame to see Bioware involved in a project so damn crap like this one, this game is not a sequel of DAO, its just a laggy linear arcade with minor rpg elements programmed for consoles and badly ported to pc.
    At least it was more honest if they realized to skip the pc release and present this game as an arcade spin off of DAO, like it actually is.
    Its interesting btw to see how the "professional critics" are nowadays controlled by those majors, look at the scores... bah.
    Even if you consider this game a brand new only console game its couldn't get more then a score of 4/10.
    But as im talking about the PC version, dear DAO2 you deserve a full zero.    … Expand
  27. napalm
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    It is too bad they removed some of the KEY RPG elements. The game is more of a Mortal Combat hack and Slash with stats now. The Sole has been ripped from DA and now all that is left is a shallow button masher.

    It is so sad that consoles ruined another great game. DA:O was amazing, good thing Elder Scrolls is coming out this year. I do not recommend DA2 if you like in-depth old school    It is too bad they removed some of the KEY RPG elements. The game is more of a Mortal Combat hack and Slash with stats now. The Sole has been ripped from DA and now all that is left is a shallow button masher.

    It is so sad that consoles ruined another great game. DA:O was amazing, good thing Elder Scrolls is coming out this year. I do not recommend DA2 if you like in-depth old school RPG's. If you like an action game, then you may like it.    … Expand
  28. Dogcat
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    I can't believe I spent money on that. I've seen the teasers, gameplay videos, I've played the demo. I could forgive them this "combat system" 'cause I really wanted to know what happened to Ferelden, Morigan, the Circle and stuff....until yesterday. The plot is simply awful. Instead of solving global problems we have to play as a not-that-smart character who is always in the middle ofI can't believe I spent money on that. I've seen the teasers, gameplay videos, I've played the demo. I could forgive them this "combat system" 'cause I really wanted to know what happened to Ferelden, Morigan, the Circle and stuff....until yesterday. The plot is simply awful. Instead of solving global problems we have to play as a not-that-smart character who is always in the middle of every solid battle in one single city (ONE SINGLE CITY!!! WTF, BIOWARE?)...and usually these battle are caused by the stupidity of your companions (Isabella and Andres).

    The whole game is just a disgrace.    … Expand
  29. Puma_Mexa
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Previous game was miles better. This one is just average at best, definitely not worthy of a good score. But I can see EA payed every relevant reviewer to have a descent score on Metacritic, though If you see the user scores It clearly shows the discontent of gamers about DA2, too much hype and all we got was a game where the only descent point is the combat mechanics (just at hard). EvenPrevious game was miles better. This one is just average at best, definitely not worthy of a good score. But I can see EA payed every relevant reviewer to have a descent score on Metacritic, though If you see the user scores It clearly shows the discontent of gamers about DA2, too much hype and all we got was a game where the only descent point is the combat mechanics (just at hard). Even the graphics are really bad. I have a high end PC were I can run Crysis at max at 60fps, but DA2 consumes a ridiculous amount of resources even on medium settings, and it's not like it has state of the art visuals or employs real time physics in every interaction either. I was going to give it a 5 but now. Bioware, banning a gamer and not letting him play the game just because he talked bad about your overlord, EA? That's low, and not just Activision low. See if I ever buy another game from you.… Expand
  30. Goikotxea
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Not only this is not a step forward from what was already a "not so good but somewhat promising" Role Playing Game, this is officially two steps back. Some people like to call those gamers that like to think, when playing, other than smashing buttons expecting awesome things to happen, i don't care, i refuse to call what is an extremely dumbed down, very poorly written action game withNot only this is not a step forward from what was already a "not so good but somewhat promising" Role Playing Game, this is officially two steps back. Some people like to call those gamers that like to think, when playing, other than smashing buttons expecting awesome things to happen, i don't care, i refuse to call what is an extremely dumbed down, very poorly written action game with its own, childish concept of "mature content"(which means sex scenes and lots of blood-- give me a break) anything more than horrible. Poor job.… Expand
  31. DavidGayder
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    If anything this game proved once and for all that Bioware and EA are bribing reviewers to publish lies in order to increase sales. This is the only unbiased review I was able to find on the internet.

    http://www.videogamessuck.com/review437.html
  32. d00gatr0n
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Terrible, terrible game. Even worse than the game itself, are the actions of EA and Bioware... banning people from playing a game they purchased if they criticize the company on their forums. Its the equivalent of a car maker remotely disabling the ignition on your car because you complained about its performance. Imagine the uproar? I don't understand how EA thinks it can get away withTerrible, terrible game. Even worse than the game itself, are the actions of EA and Bioware... banning people from playing a game they purchased if they criticize the company on their forums. Its the equivalent of a car maker remotely disabling the ignition on your car because you complained about its performance. Imagine the uproar? I don't understand how EA thinks it can get away with it. Will never, ever be purchasing an EA or Bioware game again.… Expand
  33. jadeia
    Mar 10, 2011
    3
    The Dragon Age story has lost it's soul with this console-implementation. It's incredibly dumbed down, and feels like a simplified game you would expect on an iPhone or mobile device. While the graphics are indeed amazing, the voice acting fine and the interface slick - it's just disappointing. The unusually high average scores from professional "reviewers" just shows how large the divideThe Dragon Age story has lost it's soul with this console-implementation. It's incredibly dumbed down, and feels like a simplified game you would expect on an iPhone or mobile device. While the graphics are indeed amazing, the voice acting fine and the interface slick - it's just disappointing. The unusually high average scores from professional "reviewers" just shows how large the divide between commercial expectations and end-user expectations really are.… Expand
  34. DenverOHara
    Mar 10, 2011
    1
    The very definition of consolized garbage, clearly this game wasn't made for PCs, let alone for consumers with a brain. The graphics are an abomination. Generic places, uninteresting visuals, low 2003-like textures (hell, Half Life 2 is way more beautiful than this game AND has really better facial animations)... I could go on and on. The sound is mediocre, the story is incredibly retardedThe very definition of consolized garbage, clearly this game wasn't made for PCs, let alone for consumers with a brain. The graphics are an abomination. Generic places, uninteresting visuals, low 2003-like textures (hell, Half Life 2 is way more beautiful than this game AND has really better facial animations)... I could go on and on. The sound is mediocre, the story is incredibly retarded and it's on a fanfic, Stephenie Meyer level... Everything that is wrong with the game industry in a single package, props to Bioware for this achievement in degradation of humanity's values and standards. Oh and what's even funnier: Activision will probably misunderstand the hate and will try to dumb down DA3 even more, trying to make it more "accessible". This is why we can't have good games anymore, console-centric games made by individuals with billions and billions of **** in their minds.… Expand
  35. idspispopd
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Terrible. Repetitive. Boring. Major disappointment. Plus Bioware will suspend your access to your games if you say something on their message-board they don't like. EA and Bioware will never get another dollar out of me. End of line.
  36. galstaff
    Mar 10, 2011
    3
    Two words: huge disappointment. While DA2 by itself might not be too bad by console standards, but it's absolutely horrible and degraded sequel to one of the best CRPGs. I really regret my decision to preorder. Spending $60 not only didn't buy me a good game, but also I've just spent the money to encourage developers of this garbage.
  37. bobloadmire
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    awful game, and EA/Bioware bans (banned from actually using the game) users for talking bad about the game on their forums. Do not buy from this company.
  38. Zarafan
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. i must say that this game is one of those, that you must play based in what you see and NOT in what you read. i just toke a risk buying it, and im pretty happy i did. Certainly the dislikes from ppl came because of the change on the direction on history line and some gameplay changes. i have 7 Hours Playing already, and as RPG fan, this change was quite enjoyable. i was waiting for a little more of graphical improvement, but the changes are OK to me.

    IS NOT A BAD GAME, but they changed the direction about to DAO. They did Add a little more action to it. They did it more like Mass Effect Style, and that its what some DAO´s fan dont accept. i Love DAO and ME as well, so this DA2 is great for me.

    Could be Better? of Course, we can allways Want more from Bioware, this time we was waiting for a lot more. and i think that is the real problem.    … Expand
  39. Donkaban
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    A huge disappointment. The reduction of RPG to stupid idiotic slasher. Simplification of all components of the genre. Dragon Effect - another console squalor of BioWare.
  40. Fettskalk
    Mar 10, 2011
    1
    Since I have to keep things short;
    Things that are wrong:
    -Poor graphics (gnarly arms, clipping, npcs spazzing out in the background during conversations. Bad textures (yes, there is a high res pack available, but it should have been shipped with it.), poor character proportions (the elves tend to look like absolutely stupid.), generic idle npcs in towns with n64 graphics. Have your    Since I have to keep things short;
    Things that are wrong:
    -Poor graphics (gnarly arms, clipping, npcs spazzing out in the background during conversations. Bad textures (yes, there is a high res pack available, but it should have been shipped with it.), poor character proportions (the elves tend to look like absolutely stupid.), generic idle npcs in towns with n64 graphics. Have your world designers ever tried to make rocks that aren't octahedron-shaped? And every enemy looks exactly the same, with no variations. Heck, even the mercenaries tend to have full face masks. Stormtrooper effect anyone?
    -Poor writing, and at times voice acting. Everything about Merril makes me want to hurt cute animals.
    -Poor combat system. It tries very hard not to be a traditional rpg, as it wants to be a action game with rpg elements. It fails at both things. The combat system is very uninspired. It seems as if the general thought behind it was to just autoattack, and use cooldowns whenever they are up for some flashy moves. It is very dull, and you hardly even have to think about strategy. Stick with the traditional mode, or go full action rpg ala Demon's Souls. Don't go for a inbetween abortion of a combat system.
    -Enemy npcs spawn reinforcements. Often right on top of you. Playing primarily as a mage, this system just makes me seethe with rage. How are you supposed to play with strategic positioning when the enemy is likely to spawn on top of you? It would seem as the only viable way to get some enjoyment out of this game is to play at lower difficulties, since the enemies just get more hp and lower cooldowns on the harder difficulties. They don't do anything extra, they just take longer to beat. And as a mage that is cooldown strangled, this is just ragefodder.
    -Stripped out most forms of custiomisation options for your companions. All you can give them are weapons and belts+jewlery. So this means that Carver will run around in his shirt all game? This also means that there is very little in the way of min/maxing your characters, except for skill setup.
    -Constant reuse of areas. I'm looking at you, cave, coast and mountain areas. In act one, I had to enter the exact same cave more than three times. Can't you just make a little effort to actually make areas? It is very monotonous and dull.
    -Timeskipping. This completely ruins immersion. Suddenly, a year has gone, and when you go talk to random people, they act as if they have known you for years, leaving the player absolutely dumbfounded as to who they are, and what they do. And then, three years have gone. I honestly feel that this is a very, very big immersion breaker, and should have been scrapped from the start.

    All in all, I feel that this game shouldn't have been released in this state. They should have actually worked on it for another year, possibly half a year. This game tries too hard to be a cross between some random anime (melee skills. Seriously. What is going on there?), rpg and action game. And it fails in all aspects. The animation works are shoddy, often outright lazy, leaving multiple *main* characters with severely deformed bodies and gnarled limbs. Many items and armors are practically a copy/paste from DA:O. How did you spend your time and money, Bioware? Because you surely can't have spent it on this game.

    Try again with the recipe you used for DA:O. It worked better. Heck, even better: use the BG2 recipe.    … Expand
  41. Nomoremrniceguy
    Mar 10, 2011
    1
    Unbelievably Lazy console port. Imagine a PS2 era japanese fight game with pong style graphics dumbed down so that random mashing of keys provides total victory running at around 10fps and you have this travesty of a game. By far the worst in the series and I've been playing since they were mostly text!
  42. AssForce
    Mar 10, 2011
    8
    Dear Bio Ware DA2 its abomination.This game horrible! How you can do that so wrong?! This is sheer frustration and misery, after such a successful project you have cut out everything except the engine, and blood, and you think it's worthy sequel? Dear developers,you may suck!
    PS: With hate.
  43. greydel
    Mar 10, 2011
    1
    Ugh my first review had a problem... didn't save right but I still want to give my two cents.
    Not a Bioware game... its a console button masher. Seems to go all the wrong places with characters I just could not stand to watch or bother to care about.
  44. Tabby
    Mar 10, 2011
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Being a fan of both Dragon Age Origins and the Mass Effect series I looked forward to this release with glee, but after completing Dragon Age 2 I am sorely disappointed with it. While at first the faster game play while in a battle was refreshing by the end of the game each battle felt hollow, in comparison with Origins each battle requires much less thought or strategy and I would often find myself simply pressing the same combination of number keys at the start of a battle, using a health potion if needed then repeating the same actions until the game decides weather it would send an additional 8 enemies into the fray after the first group had been dispatched or allow me to continue a quest. The game seemed content to throw a large army at the player simply for walking along a path between quest points and to do so at every possible opportunity, one stretch of road I remember would have taken the players group a mire 30 seconds to traverse unopposed but instead it took the better part of 10 minutes because the group was set upon by a band of undead, short distance up the road another pack of undead would attack and after they had been dispatched a third group of miscellaneous rouges decided there number was being served. I expect a game to throw a large group at the player once in awhile but must a quest involving the retrieval of a herbal plant or an unimportant crystal require the attention of a horde large enough to sack a moderately size town Every Time? The enemies the game presented me with end up not acting the part of a band of rebels or thugs intent on kidnap or slaughter of innocents but as pebbles in the bottom of my shoe, striped of character in my mind by the sheer tedium of having to fight the same groups of 7 or 14 enemies every turn of the corner to finally reach a bag containing ultimately worthless and trivial items. Dragon Age 2 shares more in common with an MMORPG than it does it's predecessor in that you will be spending a large amount of time doing fetch quests like returning a lost piece of clothing or freeing some damsel in distress until you reach some arbitrarily decided point where the main plot is allowed to resume. Dragon Age 2 greatest weakness is in the way it treats the story, while Origins had a somewhat cliche but warm over arching storyline, giving vaguely defined goal that slowly solidifies as you make progress, Dragon Age 2 there was very little to grip my attention or engage my curiosity, the game leads the player forward by glimpses of coming glory told from a future vantage point where the actions the player had taken or had suffered were judged and debated for there merits and sucked all mystery and opportunity of total surprise out the window, you were constantly made aware of what you would become and the story completely skipped so many of the small but vital aspects of storytelling. For those of you that have played DA2 Demo, I felt that the Hawke responded in a cold and matter of fact way to your siblings death no matter which conversation option you pick, that there was lack of effort from some of the voice actors and that sense that the event lacks in gravity never left my mind through the game, Bioware seems to have forgotten how to create realist characters that actually give the impression of life, all the companions conform to one trait of there character at all times, for example one companion will join you as an outcast of their people due to their one core trait and at the end of the game and personal quest line they carry and react the same way they had upon first meeting the player, caring for their people but never says anything if in the course of their quest line you end up killing their people or not, they just feel like a cardboard cutout and unfortunately this is not isolated. As for the main plot itself, I went from one major plot to the next without feeling any real need to do the involved quests because it is hard to feel that my main characters attempt to save up the money to Buy A House (Act 1; Hawke attempts to get on the property ladder.) is worthwhile after running fetch quests for pennies nigh on 4 hours. To boot the ending to the game had me questioning weather or not my characters moral choices had anyway bearing whatsoever on anything at all, aside that it all lead up to what was in essence a promotion for Dragon Age 3. Before this game had I asked myself what was the worse Bioware game I had ever played, I would probably not answer that question very well, And unless Dragon Age 2 is the beginning of a downward spiral, I can answer that question without thinking. fans of Origins story and lore should stay well clear of this game, and to anyone one else I'd say wait for a drop in the price.… Expand
  45. smugster
    Mar 10, 2011
    1
    Whilst I enjoyed to play the first game whenever I felt to get inside a good RPG I have to admit that my expectations could not be reached by Dragon Age II (PC).

    The new combat system feels very reduced and and does not give me the deep feeling of immersion that the first game offered. I don't even want to talk about the plot writers, which reduced this game's depth to a low I've never    Whilst I enjoyed to play the first game whenever I felt to get inside a good RPG I have to admit that my expectations could not be reached by Dragon Age II (PC).

    The new combat system feels very reduced and and does not give me the deep feeling of immersion that the first game offered.

    I don't even want to talk about the plot writers, which reduced this game's depth to a low I've never experienced in a BioWare game, I've enjoyed all Mass Effect games, the Baldur's Gate series, Dragon Age Origins, Awakening and several DLC made by this company.

    This game however is not even worthy to be mentioned among those gems.

    I was failed, please forgive me for this rating, but it's honest. If you enjoy a game where you can engage in romantic liaisons with every character that can't escape your party you should buy it and enjoy the wooden animations. If you seek role playing quality stick to the first game and never touch this one.

    I had to return it, sorry my $50 are me more worth than pestering unmotivated developers.

    Thus rated 1 with deep disappointment and please don't make any more characters like Tali and Merrill.    … Expand
  46. JamesDeSavoy
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    Okay, I've been playing every spare moment I've had since the midnight release and this is a phenomenal title by Bioware. Graphics: if you want max graphics you need a GeForce 500 series card or higher to enable it, or you'll stutter. High is for DX 11 cards and it would only let me have medium with my 240. So more graphic control on the PC with clearer wording on what I can use and what IOkay, I've been playing every spare moment I've had since the midnight release and this is a phenomenal title by Bioware. Graphics: if you want max graphics you need a GeForce 500 series card or higher to enable it, or you'll stutter. High is for DX 11 cards and it would only let me have medium with my 240. So more graphic control on the PC with clearer wording on what I can use and what I can't would have been nice. Reused locales are present and I had thought after ME 1 they had learned to stop rehashing stuff, but then again this game's development time was a fraction of the first titles. The reason? They tell a very specific story in a refreshing 2nd person narrative. Characters all go through development over the title, people who want a challenge: roll with Nightmare. Combat on console: people keep posting about button mashing. It's optional, go into the options and turn on auto attack if you don't like it. Cliffhanger endings: It's BiowareEA, there's going to be a stream of DLC, there's going to be an expansion pack, and there's going to be a GOTY edition. Events from your DA:O game transfer, most of the cast make guest appearances, and the lore is solid. It's clear this is being considered a franchise and that we haven't seen the last of DA or the main character, they've told us from the start what this title is about: one man's rise to fame and glory. BG 2 fan? Tactical view is toast. DA:O was a claim to the past, DA2 is moving forward mainstream style. It's huge, lots of content, lots of choices, fully voiced, and replay value for days with lots (almost all) of the quests that take about 15 minutes or less to complete. Can't choose your race, but you get gender and class. For the casual, you can bring who you want without worry of party balance and still make it through. Inventory: mostly your PC exclusive. Most characters have their own weaponsarmor so you can't outfit their every detail. Micromanagers will be sad, I think that's obvious in the user reviews. I absolutely adore BG2, Neverwinter 2, Witcher, Mass Effect 1 and lived and breathed Mass Effect 2 and DA:O. Hope this review helps/… Expand
  47. Slackerman
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Reasons abound to avoid DA2 and can be read elsewhere. Instead of improving upon and fixing the shortcomings of content in DA:Origins, Bioware cut them out entirely. Gone is the large and varied landscapes. Dungeons are comprised of the same tiles in a limited set, making them all appear to be the same. Character customization was eviscerated. Skill trees are still present, probablyReasons abound to avoid DA2 and can be read elsewhere. Instead of improving upon and fixing the shortcomings of content in DA:Origins, Bioware cut them out entirely. Gone is the large and varied landscapes. Dungeons are comprised of the same tiles in a limited set, making them all appear to be the same. Character customization was eviscerated. Skill trees are still present, probably because they couldn't figure out a way to remove them entirely, but are still stunted. The inventory system, likewise, is worse, and you can't even outfit any party members save your own character - and even that character's customization options are limited. That their lead developer at Bioware left early in DA2's inception is not a coincidence.

    EA's (and this Bioware's) new business plan:
    -multiplatform development, making the PC versions crippled as they are shackled by the limitations of consoles, -shortened development time and less content to cut costs and rush games to market faster;
    - recurring revenue in the form of DLC to keep their hands in our pockets, for content that should have been included in the game, anyway. Don't be fooled by the bloated critical scores. Ethics and game reviewers have very little in common, now. Remember, these are the same critics that gave Civilization V a 90. Most don't dare to score dreck like this fairly, as doing so gets them placed on blacklists that result in no new games to review and loss of advertising dollars. Others are used to having lower expectations from games as they primarily review them for consoles. If you like cRPGS, and quality games with lots of content and great gameplay, avoid this extreme example of consolitis like the plague. Our real vote is with our gaming dollars, and we need to send EA and Bioware a big fat NO to shoddy, stunted games and DLC leeching.

    -------------------------------
    Just say NO to Preorders
    DLC is the Devil.    … Expand
  48. lolla1
    Mar 10, 2011
    3
    I'm a girl and I finished the game so I'll write from my perspective. I like smart games and this one wasn't so smart. The conversations were boring, hardly no wry humour, romance (Hawke and Anders) was rushed. The worst part was that you weren't able to speak to your heroes unless you went to their room AND you were lucky enough to see the yellow arrow above their heads. The tinyI'm a girl and I finished the game so I'll write from my perspective. I like smart games and this one wasn't so smart. The conversations were boring, hardly no wry humour, romance (Hawke and Anders) was rushed. The worst part was that you weren't able to speak to your heroes unless you went to their room AND you were lucky enough to see the yellow arrow above their heads. The tiny conversation was held and then it was just "back to normal". I've played Dragon Age: Origins and I know that they could do better. Srsly, were you saving money on voice actors? I also missed the camp or at least some house where EVERYBODY hangs out.
    Secondly, I hated how the game felt like an action game. Well, it is. I hated it. It should be an RPG, not Half Life.
    I hated the ending. There's hardly any continuity of DA:O and on top of all that, there's this unresolved ending. "so this is the story about the champion" - kthxbye. The story feels unfinished. And no, I won't buy the DLCs.
    Revisiting old locations was boring. The city was awesome with the day/night system, but it was still sometimes boring.
    The game was too dumbed down. Where was the button for selecting all party members? There wasn't any. I had to hold shift and click every one, which was annoying. Sometimes I selected all members and just clicked on an enemy and waited 2 minutes until they kill him. Boring.
    I missed the camera from above. I missed being able to equip all party members. Collecting armor was no fun.
    I liked the cutscenes, the loading screens, the art, the music. That's it. I suggest to Bioware that they merge DA:O and DA2 for DA3, if there will even be one.    … Expand
  49. DrKillShot
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Terrible blend of modern rpg concepts without any of the decision making process being in the hands of the player. The endings are linear and your choices don't really have an impact (choices made in the first game are much more noticeable), the combat is not tactical or fun with just wave after wave of enemies spawning from random locations, and environments are extremely repetitive toTerrible blend of modern rpg concepts without any of the decision making process being in the hands of the player. The endings are linear and your choices don't really have an impact (choices made in the first game are much more noticeable), the combat is not tactical or fun with just wave after wave of enemies spawning from random locations, and environments are extremely repetitive to the point where you will recognize where all of the enemies are and where all of the loot is after 3-4 missions. Bioware is usually an excellent developer but this is very subpar.… Expand
  50. Gorlak
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    You'd think bioware would learn from their mistakes, but apparently they don't. Putting in a mass effect conversation wheel was possibly the stupidest choice they could have made, add a couple of copy and paste dungeons and N64 level graphics and you have yourself the worst game of the year. If they spend half as much money on developing the game as they do on paying of reviewers, theyYou'd think bioware would learn from their mistakes, but apparently they don't. Putting in a mass effect conversation wheel was possibly the stupidest choice they could have made, add a couple of copy and paste dungeons and N64 level graphics and you have yourself the worst game of the year. If they spend half as much money on developing the game as they do on paying of reviewers, they might actually make a decent game.… Expand
  51. TheGuineaPig
    Mar 10, 2011
    1
    Just terrible, it''s just disgusting how Bioware can alienate their audience and call their game a RPG. They removed so much and added so little just so they can appeal to an audience that doesn't care about the genre. The gameplay requires very little, as the generalization of "button-mashing" would come into effect, the graphics are sub-par, there is no excuse for this since they aren'tJust terrible, it''s just disgusting how Bioware can alienate their audience and call their game a RPG. They removed so much and added so little just so they can appeal to an audience that doesn't care about the genre. The gameplay requires very little, as the generalization of "button-mashing" would come into effect, the graphics are sub-par, there is no excuse for this since they aren't going for any kind of art style. The storyline is just terrible, as well as the dialogue making no sense and having no relation with what you chose on the dialogue wheel. There is very little customization, which is what a RPG is supposed to have. The game sacrifices deep and compelling storyline and gameplay for a bloodfest. It's sad to see that Bioware is going this way, and I hope Mass Effect 3 doesn't suffer the same problems if they haven't already.… Expand
  52. Waterboy2go
    Mar 10, 2011
    1
    A far cry from its glistening counterpart. The graphics feel dumbed down and is impossible to not notice all their flaws. The dialogue sounds as if it was written by a fanfic writer, and takes a lot of atmosphere and emotion out of the game. The clunky controls make the game nearly impossible to play. Overall, the game feels very rushed and is more of an open alpha then a genuine release.
  53. Fante
    Mar 10, 2011
    2
    I can't begin to explain my disappointment in this game. I thought DA:O was one of the best RPG en newer times, and i was hoping they would just fix the few problems the first game had and just continue with excellent story. This is what i think of the new "enhanced game-play"

    - They made combat look like a bad hack and slash game, with no real need for tactics. And yes i did play on    I can't begin to explain my disappointment in this game. I thought DA:O was one of the best RPG en newer times, and i was hoping they would just fix the few problems the first game had and just continue with excellent story. This is what i think of the new "enhanced game-play"

    - They made combat look like a bad hack and slash game, with no real need for tactics. And yes i did play on nightmare
    - The graphics are even worse than the first game. And yes i did use the high res texture pack
    - The characters mean nothing to me and has no real background story
    - The menus and inventory look like crap (no graphics what so ever)
    - You are unable to use half the gear you find be course you cant equip you team mates
    - They removed skills from the game (not feats)

    This is the worst that they could do to this game. I just don't know what to say. DISAPPOINTED!!!!!    … Expand
  54. chronos
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    I do not typically preorder games, and this game has proven why that is a wise idea. I am of the crowd that thought that Mass Effect 2 was a downgrade from ME1 in the RPG department (but without a doubt a better shooter) and I cannot imagine how anyone who claims to like rpg's will find much of anything redeemable in Dragon Age 2. There is no longer any strategy to combat, no tacticalI do not typically preorder games, and this game has proven why that is a wise idea. I am of the crowd that thought that Mass Effect 2 was a downgrade from ME1 in the RPG department (but without a doubt a better shooter) and I cannot imagine how anyone who claims to like rpg's will find much of anything redeemable in Dragon Age 2. There is no longer any strategy to combat, no tactical camera, no tactical positioning. I would have been much more satisfied with a deeper, involved story based on the DA:O engine. Say a more polished Awakenings with considerably more content. As it is, I wish I could return DA2.… Expand
  55. JesusHKriest
    Mar 10, 2011
    2
    This is ridiculous. The scores metacritic has listed for this game are nowhere near accurate, as evidenced by user reviews. The story is ridiculous... I don't even understand why people are traveling with me. The main quest is short, devoid of story and back-story, and to make matters worse I suddenly am having intercourse with two females at the same time. I don't even know them; I don'tThis is ridiculous. The scores metacritic has listed for this game are nowhere near accurate, as evidenced by user reviews. The story is ridiculous... I don't even understand why people are traveling with me. The main quest is short, devoid of story and back-story, and to make matters worse I suddenly am having intercourse with two females at the same time. I don't even know them; I don't even remember hitting on them.
    The combat is ridiculously easy, even on Nightmare difficulty. Bosses can be kited (as in, you can run around in circles over and over again and they will never catch you) as your friends continually shoot them, essentially making every boss nonexistent. For combat, all you have to do is rack up as much damage output as physically possible and nuke EVERYTHING. And by everything, I mean waves and waves of random people who are attacking me for reason unknown. I'll just be running a little errand for some guy in exchange for money, and SUDDENLY 50 people will charge out of nowhere to prevent me from delivering an old man his medicine (I made up that scenario as to prevent spoilers).
    I am not usually one to care about graphics (especially considering I still play 8-bit games), but in all seriousness this game makes me feel like I am playing on a Nintendo 64. And that's not saying the N64 was bad, it's just very old. Every character seems to be colored in a poorly textured splash of blood at all times, and it's just not realistic. Speaking of realism, every character seems to have 100 pound swords that they swing around like baseball bats, which seems a little lame. I'm going to stop here; as I write I am continually lowering the score I am giving this game, and so I should stop before it gets down to 1 for the sake of Bioware.    … Expand
  56. mylan
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    I like it, I will be happy to play! And I can not understand why so many negative reviews? The first game was very good, I think the second will be even better.
  57. Schweinehund
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Baldur's Gate 2 was one of my favorite games. I thought Dragon Age: Origins came close enough to being its spiritual successor as advertised, and I enjoyed that game for what it was, but Dragon Age 2 is as far from being a successor to the Baldur's Gate series as possible. It was just painful to play for so many reasons. Graphically, they somehow managed to make it appear even worse thanBaldur's Gate 2 was one of my favorite games. I thought Dragon Age: Origins came close enough to being its spiritual successor as advertised, and I enjoyed that game for what it was, but Dragon Age 2 is as far from being a successor to the Baldur's Gate series as possible. It was just painful to play for so many reasons. Graphically, they somehow managed to make it appear even worse than its predecessor (not saying DA:O was bad graphically, but it certainly was groundbreaking in that aspect). The combat is now a mindless button masher, obviously tailored to please console players, because it ends up just being frustrating on the PC, only aggravated by the clunky camera. The formulaic dialogue and the cliche story are so inept in this one that it makes me want to stab furniture. Apparently BioWare were just looking for a quick cash-in. I'm definitely not buying Dragon Age 3 when it comes out (and it will, because their greediness knows no bounds).… Expand
  58. Norgredel
    Mar 10, 2011
    1
    Pcked this up a couple days ago on Steam, and I have to say that I'm horrified. I liked DA1, although I wasn't terribly impressed but I still enjoyed the game and looked forward to improvements in the sequel. I guess I should have come here first before blindly blowing $60 (can't return it either and if I dispute the charge, my entire steam account is forfeit).

    How did a company fall so    Pcked this up a couple days ago on Steam, and I have to say that I'm horrified. I liked DA1, although I wasn't terribly impressed but I still enjoyed the game and looked forward to improvements in the sequel. I guess I should have come here first before blindly blowing $60 (can't return it either and if I dispute the charge, my entire steam account is forfeit).

    How did a company fall so far from producing Baldur's Gate 2, MDK 2, Knights of the Old Republic, and Neverwinter Nights to producing this monstrosity? Already, it's been released with some serious bugs that were simply ignored in development. It has over 20 DLCs on its first day (including a "high resolution texture pack") that should have simply been in the game. Bioware developers said it was because they "ran out of time before the release date". If they were too busy to get basic game items and textures in there, I can see why it has so many bugs in the game itself. It's really sad that they didn't have time to put 1.5 GB worth of content (approximately 30% of the total game size) into the game.

    The writing is a bunch of over-the-top tripe that was written by high-school freshmen. The combat has gone from RPG style to a generic hack-n-slash. The story has been neutered beyond belief...

    All they needed to do was tweak a couple of things from the first one and this one would have been legendary, or at least passable. But it's like they just gave up; this game has no soul because the developers simply didn't care.    … Expand
  59. R3YNO
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    Listen to the people who played the game for than a little bit. It is clear that some people have an agenda to smear this game. I will point out the good and the bad in bullets. GOOD: * (Less Talking)- The thing that bugged me most was the British accents which seemed to not shut up. Almost exactly the same as Mass Effect also the main character speaks as apposed to standing there standingListen to the people who played the game for than a little bit. It is clear that some people have an agenda to smear this game. I will point out the good and the bad in bullets. GOOD: * (Less Talking)- The thing that bugged me most was the British accents which seemed to not shut up. Almost exactly the same as Mass Effect also the main character speaks as apposed to standing there standing every one his thoughts via brainwave. *(Combat) - Its faster and more appealing that before. *(The world) - The world is much better detailed and fleshed out than in origins. All the environments look great.
    BAD * (No variation with races) - the thing I liked most of Origins was that you can build your character even with race. Now you just start off with a human and that's that. Not a Huge Issue but one that people may find irritating. *(Not tactical cam) - If you played on PC you would know that the camera can be zoomed really far back like in Balder's Gate where you can tactically plain your attacks. Not in this game. However due to the games ability to be modded not a big issue because chances are people are making that kind of mod as I am typing. (( All and all a game defiantly worth checking out. Lucky for you there are demos on all systems and PC)    … Expand
  60. Wyngale
    Mar 10, 2011
    10
    While other loudly shout that the game is failed, i'd say that i loved this game all the way.
    Some advice for those who are angry about a product - try to judge the game as it is, without a single comparison with DAO, and you will probably like this game, in the same way as i liked that.
  61. Arertur
    Mar 10, 2011
    8
    Han hecho un juego notable, Bioware ha hecho su primer juego notable y no sobresaliente por querer llegar a un publico mas amplio, en una epoca en la que los desarrollos cuestan muchos años y muchos millones, con seguramente una presión por parte de Electronic Arts muy alta, donde te cierran el estudio por lanzar dos juegos buenísimos pero con unasHan hecho un juego notable, Bioware ha hecho su primer juego notable y no sobresaliente por querer llegar a un publico mas amplio, en una epoca en la que los desarrollos cuestan muchos años y muchos millones, con seguramente una presión por parte de Electronic Arts muy alta, donde te cierran el estudio por lanzar dos juegos buenísimos pero con unas ventas mediocres. Difícil época.
    Solo espero que con este juego consigan ver con sus estadísticas y con las buenas opiniones (me refiero a las que están bien explicadas y contextualizadas) que se han salido de su camino, que deben volver, que a quien no le gustaba el Dragon Age Origins no les va a gustar el 2, si aora dicen que si les gusta cuando lleven 20 horas de juego lo van a dejar, el publico de los COD quiere una campaña de max. 10 horas y un multijugador para jugar con los amigos que les dure tropecientas horas, pero no esto, y espero que lo vean y para la supuesta tercera parte sepan corregir las equivocaciones que en esta entrega han cometido y vuelvan a los orígenes de DA, por que esta saga, incluso con esta segunda entrega no tan buena como la primera parte pero si muy divertida y absorbente, se lo merece.
    Bioware, no podéis convertiros en una compañía que haga juegos notables, volved a buscar la perfección como hacíais antaño, vuestros fans se lo merecen.    … Expand
  62. animefan1976
    Mar 10, 2011
    7
    I'm giving it a 7 as there are a number of features that improvements over Dragon Age: Origins. Some of those include faster combat, a better spell/talent selection and advancement method, and a voiced player character. There are some other good points as well. Bad points would be things such as a more restricted inventory system for companions, less dialogue with companions one on one,I'm giving it a 7 as there are a number of features that improvements over Dragon Age: Origins. Some of those include faster combat, a better spell/talent selection and advancement method, and a voiced player character. There are some other good points as well. Bad points would be things such as a more restricted inventory system for companions, less dialogue with companions one on one, and a story that doesn't keep you as engaged as the previous game. One thing the PC version really shines on is the graphics. DirectX 11 renderer shows some excellent quality even on high settings with AAx8 and AFx16.… Expand
  63. Hellmax
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    n DA2 will blow your mind. The dialogue is very poorly written. It reads like a bad harlequin romance novel, something of the grade that you'd find in a trashy teen vampire cash in. The voice work feels dead pan and boring for any non party member NPC and that coupled with the unrealistic fangirl-like writing makes for some truly cringe worthy scenes. One character tries so hard to ben DA2 will blow your mind. The dialogue is very poorly written. It reads like a bad harlequin romance novel, something of the grade that you'd find in a trashy teen vampire cash in. The voice work feels dead pan and boring for any non party member NPC and that coupled with the unrealistic fangirl-like writing makes for some truly cringe worthy scenes. One character tries so hard to be cute, so hard to appeal to the "moe" loving crowd that her lines make her seem borderline retarded. It works with little girls because they are young and the stupidity can be excused. But when a grown woman speaks like a nervous 14 year old and calls swordsmen "sworderers" that "do something with a sword" then you start questioning this person's IQ. The game has the textures of an N64 game and that isn't even an exageration. There are pictures floating around the internet showing the low res (even with the supposed high res pack) of the ground, the buildings and the people most of all. All the NPCs asside from those in Hawke's party and in cutscenes look as detailed as the Happy Mask Salesman from Majora's Mask. This is a bad game. Don't buy the hype… Expand
  64. Jabberwock
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Very disappointed in this game. While DAO was a real masterpiece for me, this game can offer nothing from what I liked in a firt part. Developers went to simplify everything. Skills, dialogues, spells, talents, inventory, everything! Game become more console-orientated. "Dynamic fighting" seems terrible for me. Plenty of monsters spawning all around. I could forgive part of these things,Very disappointed in this game. While DAO was a real masterpiece for me, this game can offer nothing from what I liked in a firt part. Developers went to simplify everything. Skills, dialogues, spells, talents, inventory, everything! Game become more console-orientated. "Dynamic fighting" seems terrible for me. Plenty of monsters spawning all around. I could forgive part of these things, but not for Bioware. This game is not worthy to stand along with previous company products.… Expand
  65. archurban
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    many people already posted about everything what I wanted to say. I don't want to explain more. the game is the worst ever I have played such a big games in my life. graphic, junk console port, no details on PC setting, no movement with mouse and camera view, boring combat, terrible voice acting, many bugs.... it is too bad that Bioware ruined their reputation by itself.
  66. Kjella
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Man, there's some serious paid trolling on this game. Look for example at this user: http://www.metacritic.com/user/GHawke

    Three reviews all for Dragon Age II, nothing but "IT'S AMAZING" and 3x10 scores. Here's my zero to even it out, because the game really sucks.
  67. Wolfram
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    I'm not hugely far into the game. I haven't experienced all it has to offer. But I played DA:O for ~30-40 hours before I just gave up on it. I didn't like it, playing on PS3. DA2 so far is just a much more fun and smooth experience. I have a fairly high end PC (two 5850 in crossfire) but it plays great at 50-60fps with DX11, all options on, Very High detail, and the HD texture pack. No lagI'm not hugely far into the game. I haven't experienced all it has to offer. But I played DA:O for ~30-40 hours before I just gave up on it. I didn't like it, playing on PS3. DA2 so far is just a much more fun and smooth experience. I have a fairly high end PC (two 5850 in crossfire) but it plays great at 50-60fps with DX11, all options on, Very High detail, and the HD texture pack. No lag or crashes yet. If I set it to 4xAA I can record video just fine (which I'm doing) above 45fps. The funny thing about some of the negative comments is they comment on the convo wheel sucking then also praise former BioWare RPGs. Apparently they never heard of Mass Effect... Anyway while it's hilarious that some fanboys or whatever they think they are decided to negative bomb this game, it's definitely worth picking up. If you're on the fence just go check out some Let's Play videos and decide for yourself. I'll be uploading my stuff to YouTube on the weekend (TheWolfram23).… Expand
  68. TheMitherer
    Mar 10, 2011
    4
    I thought that DA:O (decent game though it was) was the beginning of the end for Bioware and this just confirms it. Bioware have, in the past, given me more value for money than I could ever hope for. And for that I am ever grateful. But this game, this game is a disgrace. Companions I know little about and a main character that I care about even less. Extremely repetitive dungeons, lackI thought that DA:O (decent game though it was) was the beginning of the end for Bioware and this just confirms it. Bioware have, in the past, given me more value for money than I could ever hope for. And for that I am ever grateful. But this game, this game is a disgrace. Companions I know little about and a main character that I care about even less. Extremely repetitive dungeons, lack of any driven storyline, poor artwork, far too much (oversimplified) combat in any given period of time, environments pared down to the bone, uninspiring weapons, uninspiring armor, uninspiring enemies, not a few essential elements deliberately left out so that they can be put back in via DLC. The list does not end here.

    This game is just disrespectful to all fans of Bioware. It is so obvious that it was rushed purely for money making purposes without any care for fans or even for Bioware's own integrity. Their marketing department nowadays is tacky, untruthful and quickly becoming synonymous with unadulterated greed on one hand and total BS on the other. It's fine making money boys, but where the hell has your pride gone?

    I thought I'd get double digit playthoughs of DA:O. I managed 2. I tuned out of this one after 10 hours. I'll give you this one Bioware. I'll give you this one because you have done fantastically well by me in the past. But please, get your pride and integrity back.    … Expand
  69. lotr0710
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    game was worse than the original, but still very solidly madeâ
  70. Oper
    Mar 10, 2011
    2
    It`s not RPG. Primitive 2004 graphics, primitive linear locations, primitive dialogues, primitive slasher, uninteresting gameworld, uninteresting story, primitive 2-button gameplay for idiots... BioWare is now very fond of money, but do not like their gamers. This game is a clear example on how a company maximizes profits and minimizes costs using a brand name. Money, money, money... TheIt`s not RPG. Primitive 2004 graphics, primitive linear locations, primitive dialogues, primitive slasher, uninteresting gameworld, uninteresting story, primitive 2-button gameplay for idiots... BioWare is now very fond of money, but do not like their gamers. This game is a clear example on how a company maximizes profits and minimizes costs using a brand name. Money, money, money... The love of money has killed real RPG.… Expand
  71. baronb
    Mar 10, 2011
    3
    It would be nice to say that Dragon Age II fell short of lofty promises and unrealistic expectations for a sequel to a quite successful game. It would be nice to say that, but DA2 is in every sense of the word rushed, and oozing focus-group driven development. DA2 is to RPGs what a mockup of Avatar done in Poser would be to film: an anaemic, shallow, mass-market appeal piece of shlock thatIt would be nice to say that Dragon Age II fell short of lofty promises and unrealistic expectations for a sequel to a quite successful game. It would be nice to say that, but DA2 is in every sense of the word rushed, and oozing focus-group driven development. DA2 is to RPGs what a mockup of Avatar done in Poser would be to film: an anaemic, shallow, mass-market appeal piece of shlock that also happens to look like crap. The same four (count em, four!) different dungeons will be trawled through the entire game, with some minor variations in which doors are hard-locked. The enemies are similarly monotonous and repetitive, coming in three types: basic, auto-attacking warriors and archers, and spellcasters that will hang back. No difference in behaviour or special abilities seem to exist between the different species of monsters. Fighting the same endless waves of spider-people and dwarf-orc "run up and attack" monsters with no variation quickly dulls the mind, which is almost comforting given the writing, setting, and level design. The encounters in which these brilliant tactical AIs are presented consist of copy-pasted waves of monsters spawning from nothing, ad nauseaum. The levels are incredibly linear, and one quickly realizes anything resembling an open area will probably just mean lots of spawns of identical mobs before trundling down the next corridor. Despite being a triple-A title from a star studio, the game manages to look like Poser models battered in jaggies and fried in tones of brownish-red low-res textures. The "Push button; receive Awesome", fun-finds-you game design leaves little or nothing to the player's imagination or skill. The dialogue is offensively cheesy, even by generous RPG standards, and the ridiculousness and awkwardness of the romances and massive out-of-place gazongas on ancient crones and tiny elf women speak to state of mind of the writers and who they were writing for. Maybe Bioware is too high on a decade's success to realize they too are capable of producing trash when churning out the most tepid, repetitive, cash-in sequel imaginable in as little time as possible. Maybe the blog posts by senior designers about the old staff not being on the project and the design going entirely another way tell the story. Either way, leaving aside the questions of developing for consoles and DLC, leaving aside expectations from old-school RPGs: Dragon Age II does not stand on its own as an RPG. It is a dull slog and a massive failure of a game. Save your money and please, vote with your wallet. Keep your hopes up for the Witcher 2 and Deus Ex 3 for quality franchise RPGs in 2011, but give DA2 the widest possible berth.… Expand
  72. War_Tiger
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Thanks bioware for selling out and appealing to the mass majority of younger gamers. The addition of many scantly clad characters does well in appealing to 13 year olds. The over the top exploding gore and wildly unrealistic combat is also good at catering to the wants of hyperactive anime fans with ADHD everywhere. When I played this at a friends house I felt like I was playing a specialThanks bioware for selling out and appealing to the mass majority of younger gamers. The addition of many scantly clad characters does well in appealing to 13 year olds. The over the top exploding gore and wildly unrealistic combat is also good at catering to the wants of hyperactive anime fans with ADHD everywhere. When I played this at a friends house I felt like I was playing a special exclusive version of god of war made only in japan but featuring a different protagonist 'hawke' the man who can swing a two handed sword with 1 hand like it was a tin butter knife. (Of course god of war was actually an action game, not an "RPG" trying to be one). Did you like the tactical challenge of nightmare in DA:O? Well we don't have any of that boring tactical crap anymore! No thinking and planning required! Just mash those buttons hard enough and you can overcome any battle! If you're really have trouble just grab your keyboard/controller hold it high and shout "Super sayian button mash activate!!" then proceed to repeatly smash the keyboard/controller into your desk/tv/monitor/friend (Maybe he'll explode into a blood mist like in the game!)

    Whats next? Dragon Age 3: Path of the vampire god of war. Featuring cloud from ff7 and sepphiroth fighting together in their latest adventure to stop the twinkling vampire god edward (yeah twilight) from his vampire darkspawn invasion. Also featuring full frontal nudity from all your favorite ff7 and DBZ characters. If you buy the special naughty DLC for only $70.00 you can get breast enlargements to EEE+ (up from just DDD) for every female character and you get kagomai from inyuyasha as a new tag along sex slave companion.

    Again thank you bioware. I remember when you made RPG's like Baldur's Gate, but you're right! Why make a good game when you can make GOOD MONEY!!!!    … Expand
  73. Shadow97
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    People you are not right dragon age 2 is a very good game and an excellent continuing of first part. I agree that this game is a bit different and not like the Dragon Age but you must know that Bioware is doing all the best to give pleasure to players and I think we should accept Dragon Age 2 how it is.
  74. Jaelit
    Mar 10, 2011
    10
    An excellent role-playing game, and a logical and direct evolution of the previous game, more action-focused and more polished, although its action focus won't please everyone. (c)
  75. x181
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Super Dragon Age Fighter 2 Turbo: Tournament Edition Round 2.
    Console trash. A money grab. A precisely calculated move. When you make a deal with the devil (EA), he always comes back to collect. Bioware is dead.
  76. Sailon107
    Mar 10, 2011
    2
    Dragon Age 2 just parody on Japanese-style slasher with elements RPG.
    Roleplaying completely absent, the dialogues are boring, dull one type lokatsii.Eto just soulless piece of code on which I wasted attention and spent their hard-earned money.
  77. Sayalero
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Bioware: 1995-2011. RIP.

    Murió de casualización aguda, agravada con una fiebre consolera que llevó a la compañía de RPG más grande a no saber ni quién es. Despreció a su antaño fiel base de usuarios, quienes aguantaron pacientemente sus desplantes hasta que DA2: El    Bioware: 1995-2011. RIP.

    Murió de casualización aguda, agravada con una fiebre consolera que llevó a la compañía de RPG más grande a no saber ni quién es. Despreció a su antaño fiel base de usuarios, quienes aguantaron pacientemente sus desplantes hasta que DA2: El Insulto Final dejó claro que el verdadero sueño de Bioware es convertirse en uno de tantos aspirantes (eternamente fracasados) a ocupar el trono de la mediocridad en el que se sienta Call of Duty.

    Menos mal que nos queda CD Project. Y que esto sirva de advertencia para Bethesda.    … Expand
  78. DeN_DarK
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Dragon Age Origins was simple, but good RPG. Dragon Age 2 just parody on Japanese-style slasher with elements RPG. Take Dragon Age 1 cut interesting dialogs, cut D&D-style universe, cut armor and you have Dragon Age 2. I really love Fallout 1,2+NV, BG, NWN2, Planescape and Dragon Age 1. After Dragon Age 2 i have only one question. Why they did this to us? Disappointment.
  79. Loken
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    I am a fan of the RPG genre and played the original, albeit lightly, the improvments over the first are noticable. The Stories frequent options for pathway choice is great and the option to take more playable characters that fit the expanding story succseed where the originals story based around none playable characters. I think the combat is tons of fun and works very well all around.I am a fan of the RPG genre and played the original, albeit lightly, the improvments over the first are noticable. The Stories frequent options for pathway choice is great and the option to take more playable characters that fit the expanding story succseed where the originals story based around none playable characters. I think the combat is tons of fun and works very well all around. There is the issue of SO MUCH day one DLC, 2 expansion missions, and a checklist of downloads some free, some only for buyers of other EA games. All in all that doesn't change that fact the combat is the core and done exceedingly well!… Expand
  80. Esett
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    I so wanted this game to be great. Sadly there is NOTHING good in it. The characters are bland, Kirkwall is a ghost town with nothing interesting happening. Still it would have been great to at least see the same great quests from Dragon Age Origins(i bought 2 copies of it btw) that same great dialogue. None of that is found in Dragon Age 2. What is found then you might ask:

    Well in a    I so wanted this game to be great. Sadly there is NOTHING good in it. The characters are bland, Kirkwall is a ghost town with nothing interesting happening. Still it would have been great to at least see the same great quests from Dragon Age Origins(i bought 2 copies of it btw) that same great dialogue. None of that is found in Dragon Age 2. What is found then you might ask:

    Well in a nutshell:

    - Copy pasted combat. I am not kidding. Almost ALL fights are like this: one main strong monster, a few archers, a few melle combatants. 20 seconds into the fight more monsters show up.
    - Copy pasted dungeons. You will find a lot of very familiar areas after about 2 hours.
    - Bad voice acting.
    - Uninteresting quests that involve nothing but combat. The game plays so bad it's impossible for me to find anything good about it. It is an amazing devolution of what Dragon Age: Origins was.

    I wish i was just trolling:((    … Expand
  81. colhabdluke
    Mar 10, 2011
    3
    Very boring gameplay your in the same location for most of the game i got very bored of the fighting tactics very quickly it is simply not an RPG it is more of a hack and slash game very linear paths to follow dumd down dialogue wheel like mass effect 2 cant change your parties armour like the first game no over head camera all in all this game is no were as good as the first game veryVery boring gameplay your in the same location for most of the game i got very bored of the fighting tactics very quickly it is simply not an RPG it is more of a hack and slash game very linear paths to follow dumd down dialogue wheel like mass effect 2 cant change your parties armour like the first game no over head camera all in all this game is no were as good as the first game very dissapointed.… Expand
  82. anx
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    I like the game. I like the way they've changed the battle. And, surprisingly, the conversation wheel from ME works just fine. To my mind it was worth waiting for.
  83. Kozal
    Mar 10, 2011
    1
    DA2 confirms the turn taken with ME2, this does not reassure the future of RPGs from this studio. Bioware is a turning point in its history, abandoning his philosophy to produce evoluted PC games for simplified console games (it is their right, no worries on that point, but Bioware must not hide behind the notion of RPG who died in this game).

    DA2 is not an RPG, the story is    DA2 confirms the turn taken with ME2, this does not reassure the future of RPGs from this studio. Bioware is a turning point in its history, abandoning his philosophy to produce evoluted PC games for simplified console games (it is their right, no worries on that point, but Bioware must not hide behind the notion of RPG who died in this game).

    DA2 is not an RPG, the story is transparent, the city of Kirkwall is almost empty, spaces are duplicated (for reasons of economy ? Why ? It's a shame for this great studio), poor gameplay and poor level graph, strategic and tactical disappear, it is not worthy of Bioware (the bitter feeling of having a game not finish â    … Expand
  84. Kakaw
    Mar 10, 2011
    5
    Less depth, less of a story, less of a game. Half of what the first game was. Went the hack and slash route and eliminated a lot of the RPG features within the game...If it did not eliminate them, they altered them in a "dumbed down," way. It seriously seems the creators catered to a whole new customer and I'm curious to see if this trend continues. I'll be one sad panda if this trendLess depth, less of a story, less of a game. Half of what the first game was. Went the hack and slash route and eliminated a lot of the RPG features within the game...If it did not eliminate them, they altered them in a "dumbed down," way. It seriously seems the creators catered to a whole new customer and I'm curious to see if this trend continues. I'll be one sad panda if this trend continues from this type of developer.… Expand
  85. haberman13
    Mar 10, 2011
    3
    I hate 'simplification' and 'dumbing down' - this game is the epitome of that.

    If you loved DA:O you will HATE this game. If you loved ME2 you will probably love this game. Made for unintelligent morons, like most games, unfortunately there are dramatically more morons than intelligent people - so Bioware is going to make a lot of money, and smart people no longer can trust Bioware. If    I hate 'simplification' and 'dumbing down' - this game is the epitome of that.

    If you loved DA:O you will HATE this game. If you loved ME2 you will probably love this game.

    Made for unintelligent morons, like most games, unfortunately there are dramatically more morons than intelligent people - so Bioware is going to make a lot of money, and smart people no longer can trust Bioware.

    If you liked this game your intelligence is in question.    … Expand
  86. firthh
    Mar 10, 2011
    2
    As a sequel to DA:O this is a total let down. It is sad that i pre-ordered it at all. I would have never expected this from BioWare.The game itself is a total console port and I couldn't say anything good about it. Everything is just dumbed down, except maybe dialogues. Totally linear story. You could compare it's graphics to Gothic II. I guess I was expecting just too much. It has noAs a sequel to DA:O this is a total let down. It is sad that i pre-ordered it at all. I would have never expected this from BioWare.The game itself is a total console port and I couldn't say anything good about it. Everything is just dumbed down, except maybe dialogues. Totally linear story. You could compare it's graphics to Gothic II. I guess I was expecting just too much. It has no similarity to DA:O but if you like action rpg's you might like it and if you loved DA:O, just don't bother. RIP BioWare and old-school rpg's.… Expand
  87. Mixon
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    If you are fan of Mass Effect, then you will love it, like me. Bio ware you are best.
    Dragon Age 1 path to 2 part looks like Me1 to Me2. Many people forgot that is rpg means Role Play Game, when you play a role with your decisions in dialogs.
  88. Roycon
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Fans of RPGs will find this a huge disappointment. It's falsely-advertised and very dumbed down in order to appeal to a younger audience.

    There's little good to be said. And there's a lot of bad things to known. Sadly, truth hurts. The most noticeable change lies in combat. It's faster, grittier, more responsive and... not very tactical. I kept using the very same tactic throughout the    Fans of RPGs will find this a huge disappointment. It's falsely-advertised and very dumbed down in order to appeal to a younger audience.

    There's little good to be said. And there's a lot of bad things to known. Sadly, truth hurts.

    The most noticeable change lies in combat. It's faster, grittier, more responsive and... not very tactical. I kept using the very same tactic throughout the game the whole. 'Cause it was the fastest way to slay my foes. It involved having one melee unit (in this case a warrior specialized in two-handed combat) and 3 ranged units (one, preferably a healer). It's simple. I would let the A.I. control the warrior, he jumped into the fray and did whatever he wanted - Gathering the attention of my enemies. At the same time I would have all my 3 units selected at all times. And order to them to focus fire on the same target and when it dies, move onto the next target. Most often combat lasted less than a minute using this method - It was very dull.

    But what about the story? I can tell you it's great, though disappointing. It's a lot like the one in Mass Effect 2. Dragon Age 2 lacks a real [visible] plot. Instead you'll follow Hawke and company for years in the city of Kirkwall. While playing, it will feel like a giant side quest, that contains side quests. It's not too bad, as there's a lot of good moments in the game, some that comes completely unexpected, depending on your relationship to your companions. The ending is however very disappointing and makes the game seem like a pro-logue.

    The visuals are mostly dull. There's very little to be seen and the animation is stiff and awkward, which is strange seeing how we've had, and it still is, outstanding animation in games that was released in the early 2000s. And there's a total of 3-4 dungeons in the game that you will be visiting, over and over and over again (in side quests). AND THE BLOOD IS STILL AWKWARDLY APPLIED TO YOUR CHARACTERS FACES.

    To summarize the whole game. It traded in the strategic and tactical thinking that Dragon Age: Origins had for a hack'n KITE and some slash game. Story is hidden and it will feel like a side quest, but you'll go "ah" when it's all revealed and probably disappointed. The interactions between you and your companions are better than ever. But even that won't save the game from it's flaws.

    5/10. Bioware made the same mistakes in Mass Effect 2. Which you'd think they learned anything from. But it couldn't be further from truth. They are forsaking the RPG players tactical play, characters customization and much more in order to appeal to none-RPG players.    … Expand
  89. DAOFan11
    Mar 10, 2011
    2
    As a side note before I start this, NO, this game did not live up to my expectations, but I am trying to judge this game as a standalone, and not as a successor to DAO. We should look at "What is" instead of "What could have been" or "What's not".

    Anyways, first and foremost, i'm not a fan of the gameplay change in the slightest. Too point-and-click-esque for me. Some people like that    As a side note before I start this, NO, this game did not live up to my expectations, but I am trying to judge this game as a standalone, and not as a successor to DAO. We should look at "What is" instead of "What could have been" or "What's not".

    Anyways, first and foremost, i'm not a fan of the gameplay change in the slightest. Too point-and-click-esque for me. Some people like that play style, but I certainly don't. The combat is fun but simple. Not complicated, not intricate, not detailed, just simple.

    The graphics are fine. They could be a little bit better, but I'm not letdown or anything by them.

    The dialogue is just morbidly terrible. It seems like they spent about 2 seconds writing each of the lines without even brainstorming or giving them any thought (AT ALL!). They are really shallow; you can tell almost no thought was put into it.

    The CGI is cool I guess. A little much of it, but when i'm high it gives me something to look at.

    All-in-all, not a game I connect with at all, but fun for a short amount of fun before I move into something more enthralling.    … Expand
  90. omgwot
    Mar 10, 2011
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Its hard to make a game worse than this nowadays. Any decision-maker who played this and approved it for release has either the wrong job or was under heavy pressure, or maybe he had a moment of silly or was on drugs, or both. Maybe they just wanted to deliberately piss off their user-base and destroy their image, forever. Goodbye forever.… Expand
  91. Snubort
    Mar 10, 2011
    3
    Dragon Age 2 is RPG lite. A significant amount of what made the first game, Dragon Age: Origins, endearing has been either removed or watered down. Combat is unfulfilling, it is very difficult to lose. Battles are won by keyboard mashing, not tactical planning. The synergy between the Classes has been decreased, and you are left with the feeling that your party members are onlyDragon Age 2 is RPG lite. A significant amount of what made the first game, Dragon Age: Origins, endearing has been either removed or watered down. Combat is unfulfilling, it is very difficult to lose. Battles are won by keyboard mashing, not tactical planning. The synergy between the Classes has been decreased, and you are left with the feeling that your party members are only following you to provide comic relief. However, even their comedy is no relief. The dialogue in DA II is stilted and the characters are poorly developed. In many cases, the main character's dialogue options are reduced to oversimplified stereotypical one liners. Oh, don't worry if you lack basic communication skills and cannot discern the meaning of simple phrases, DA II tells you when the main character is joking or serious. Bioware no doubt attempted to create something greater than Origins. Sadly, the changes they made to the original were unnecessary or poorly executed. DA II feels like a B-rate movie. After the novelty fades away, you will want your money back.… Expand
  92. anactoraaron
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    This game feels like Madden in the way that Bioware and EA didn't care enough about it to simply cut and paste from other games (DA:O and ME2). Then they dumb it down for kids (who really shouldn't be playing games like this anyway). I really feel like EA is responsible for this tragedy of a game in every way. Like all of EA's other hit franchises everything is cut and paste with only theThis game feels like Madden in the way that Bioware and EA didn't care enough about it to simply cut and paste from other games (DA:O and ME2). Then they dumb it down for kids (who really shouldn't be playing games like this anyway). I really feel like EA is responsible for this tragedy of a game in every way. Like all of EA's other hit franchises everything is cut and paste with only the character roster being different... Except in DA2 here they couldn't actually cut and paste from DA:O to get a "working title" (words used very loosely) complete (another word used very loosely) in a year. Expect the same sort of thing for Dragon Age 2012: Hall of Fame edition. I should have known EA would do something like this... they are the worst "big" game publisher that exists and franchises they have done games for have tanked worse for every sequel - like what they did to 007 games. Anyone here actually like 007: Double agent? That game was a bad sequel, but DA2 is even worse. It's like their only goal was to ride the coattails of the first game and essentially kill the series to make money. Here's my advise to you EA. Make games that are actually good and build up a good customer base. Then when it's sequel time do what Valve has done for Half-Life 2 ep.3. Take all of the time in the world to release a sequel that's actually BETTER than the first one. DA2 just is plain awful. I will be wiping the spit that was a $60 purchase off my face for a long time. Just wait, soon there will be DLC that will make this game more like DA:O and will cost you another $60. Pathetic!… Expand
  93. esiaschdeprap
    Mar 10, 2011
    3
    I'm too tired to be angry any more...Now I'm just sad. It's fun...kinda. But it is a gesture of disloyalty to the avid fans of Bioware. It's basically Dynasty Warriors meets the Dragon Age Universe. And the lore IS the absolute only reason I'm playing this game. I'm going to hold out on condemning Bioware. They are my favorite gaming company and I really hope they get the message that theI'm too tired to be angry any more...Now I'm just sad. It's fun...kinda. But it is a gesture of disloyalty to the avid fans of Bioware. It's basically Dynasty Warriors meets the Dragon Age Universe. And the lore IS the absolute only reason I'm playing this game. I'm going to hold out on condemning Bioware. They are my favorite gaming company and I really hope they get the message that the people who have been buying their games year in year out are hurting right now. I understand companies make money, that's what they do but this is not going to gain them the popularity vote. I mean, Jesus Christ look at the damn user metacritic score! Hell, look at the critic score, 8.3 for a contemporary Bioware game? That's the first time in a while that a Bioware game wasn't automatically slated for a nomination in all of those RPG of the year titles. Truth is, I love you Bioware...And I have to believe that you won't cheat on me with those Australipithicene Afarensis console gamers anymore but...OH MY GOD YOU'RE A WHORE!!!! (crying ensues)… Expand
  94. Mordimer
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Terrible game on all platforms. 2000 graphics, pathetic gameplay, naive,childish story. Just go replay Baldur's Gate 2 (similar graphics) or Duke Nukem 3d (better story) instead and avoid this thing. Not much else has to be said. They've sold out and now cater to the lowest common denominator instead of providing high quality RPGs like they used to. Terrible.… Expand
  95. jerrybee
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Disappointed to see how Bioware decided to move away from the pc fans who made the first Dragon Age a success with this "simplified" installment. I must admit, I dont own any HD console, so I sadly had to play this game on my computer. Had I played on a console I'm sure I would probably enjoy it as I believe was intended by Bioware. Sadly this is just not a computer rpg that Dragon AgeDisappointed to see how Bioware decided to move away from the pc fans who made the first Dragon Age a success with this "simplified" installment. I must admit, I dont own any HD console, so I sadly had to play this game on my computer. Had I played on a console I'm sure I would probably enjoy it as I believe was intended by Bioware. Sadly this is just not a computer rpg that Dragon Age Origins was. Its something else entirely.… Expand
  96. Judge3030
    Mar 10, 2011
    4
    The first game was very good. This is just crap. I liken it to the step backwards neverwinter nights 2 was when compared with the first neverwinter nights.
  97. ZieGentleman
    Mar 10, 2011
    2
    So terribly dissapointed. Don't we have enough watered down mainstream games out there? That might even have been okay if this game was a good mainstream game. But its not. It tries to be a hybrid between an action game like God of war and a classical rpg, and it ends up failing at both. The story is also the worst I have seen from Bioware. The story never picks up a main goal and all youSo terribly dissapointed. Don't we have enough watered down mainstream games out there? That might even have been okay if this game was a good mainstream game. But its not. It tries to be a hybrid between an action game like God of war and a classical rpg, and it ends up failing at both. The story is also the worst I have seen from Bioware. The story never picks up a main goal and all you do ALL game is run around in one city and do quests that all feel like side missions. Suddenly the game ends with a bam and a cliffhanger... Not only that but they reuse every dungeon like 15 times, and there are only like 6-7 small dungeons. Any real rpg elements are taken out, you never even get the opportunity to talk your way out of a fight everyone just charge you. If I want an action rpg I will rather play diablo or titan quest.... this is a bad action rpg and it shames the dragon age franchise. I might be a little harsh, its an okay game, but nothing more... don't expect anything.… Expand
  98. bpe
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Waaay overrated and not worth playing. Interface doesn't work well, and as an RPG it really doesn't have anything unique or worthwhile that makes it stand out at all. It has all the bells and whistles that please the critics but do nothing for gameplay once you actually get semi-serious about playing.
    Unless you insist on playing every single fantasy RPG ever made, save your money here.
  99. Daveid
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    My rating of 0 does not reflect the game's quality. Metacritic's (as of now) user score of 3.0 does not reflect the quality either. Merely, we as fans are severely disappointed in the delivery and intent of Dragon Age II and are expressing it accordingly. If I were to be honest with myself, I'd probably give it a 6/10, which is still fairly horrible.

    Here's the sad truth. Some, if not    My rating of 0 does not reflect the game's quality. Metacritic's (as of now) user score of 3.0 does not reflect the quality either. Merely, we as fans are severely disappointed in the delivery and intent of Dragon Age II and are expressing it accordingly. If I were to be honest with myself, I'd probably give it a 6/10, which is still fairly horrible.

    Here's the sad truth. Some, if not mostly all, the highly ratings for these games are just paid reviews. You can see evidence for yourself on the forums. This is sad and completely unnecessary. Instead of shelling out cash to make your game look good, why don't you use that money to actually make the game look good, honestly and truthfully? I have no idea where it all went wrong in the development of this game. The graphics are a step down from Origins, the combat is a joke (unless playing an Nightmare, which is exactly the problem) and worst of all, the RPG element of this game is hideous. Only 3 dialog options, really. Are you kidding me here, BioWare? Maybe, maybe, this would be forgivable.. if it weren't for the 5 words or less sentence that represents that dialog option. Case in point, the story telling just atrocious.

    I sincerely hope BioWare learns a lesson from this. Hell, I hope they end up releasing ALL DLC for free, in hopes that more people will buy the game and their fan-base will half-heartily turn the other cheek. But, it's gonna take a lot more than free DLC to fix this problem. Rather, I think they should just consider it a loss, make a great Mass Effect 3, and then somewhere down the road revisit Dragon Age and make it the game everyone wanted to be.    … Expand
  100. Mazena
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    DA2 fixes a lot of annoyances in DA:O, but seems a bit unfocused. The talk about the game being dumbed down is mind-boggling to say the least. I have been playing DA2 on hard difficulty and random bandits and mean templars are feeding me my own shield while in DA:O I rarely died or had any difficulties. You can make some good skill and ability combos and positioning of your team is the keyDA2 fixes a lot of annoyances in DA:O, but seems a bit unfocused. The talk about the game being dumbed down is mind-boggling to say the least. I have been playing DA2 on hard difficulty and random bandits and mean templars are feeding me my own shield while in DA:O I rarely died or had any difficulties. You can make some good skill and ability combos and positioning of your team is the key to victory.

    It takes more time to get to know the new companions, but they're all interesting and will make you interested in them. For the first time it has been difficult for me to choose which companions I want to bring with me, I never had such problem in ME games or DA:O. Also the other NPCs in the world seem to have real personalities, but you don't usually get to know them too well.

    Choices matter more than in DA:O and you have more options even in regular conversations. The way you talk to people defines your personality in the later game and you can even choose to let your companions to do the talking for you in some situations. Quests are plentiful, but the side quests can too easily distract you from the main story, just because there is a crap load of them. That can also be a good thing for you, but it is a matter of opinion.

    I will be updating this review as I get further into the game and get to know the story more, but so far it has convinced me of that the average joe flaming the game either had some very unrealistic expectations or haven't played the finished 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

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 45 Critic Reviews

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