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. Jez89
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    The amount of effort spent on making the game playable has all but been completely overshadowed by superficial additions to make the game look more appealing. Even so, graphical errors and awkward visuals are abound. Very sad day for RPGs, Bioware has lost its touch completely. Will we ever see a game as good as Neverwinter Nights again? Not if DA2 is any indication.
  2. Kaimen
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    My God this is SO awful that i can't even describe it. Baldur's Gate they say? HAH!!! Bioware is drowning deeper every time. Few years will pass and they gonna make us just stand at the center of the world, killing waves of monsters and sometimes talking bullsh*t with party members. If you care for your artistic taste DO NOT buy it. Greatest disappointment of the year.
  3. Dickwolves
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Biggest disappointment of the year. From the Mass Effect copy pasted dialogue wheel, to the terrible graphics regardless if the settings are set on the highest possible settings. Combat that has devolved into nothing but a button mash festival irregardless of the difficulty settings. Dragon Age 2 was an experiment, a failed one at that. Bioware was clearly testing to see if Mass Effect's 2Biggest disappointment of the year. From the Mass Effect copy pasted dialogue wheel, to the terrible graphics regardless if the settings are set on the highest possible settings. Combat that has devolved into nothing but a button mash festival irregardless of the difficulty settings. Dragon Age 2 was an experiment, a failed one at that. Bioware was clearly testing to see if Mass Effect's 2 lazy, casual formulaic gameplay style would translate well into the Dragon Age universe. ME2 has its fans amongst sad lonely people with no lives and Gears of War fanboys. Sadly Dragon Age fans aren't that stupid. Though we were stupid enough to purchase Dragon Age 2.… Expand
  4. darkvadar
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    This is probably the worst RPG I have ever played. I have a hard time even calling it an RPG. I don't even know what to classify it as. Interactive movie, maybe? I really didn't like the first Dragon Age, but it wasn't that bad. I never got around to beating it. My friends kept telling me how awesome this game will be and I checked out reviews which gave it a really high score. From theThis is probably the worst RPG I have ever played. I have a hard time even calling it an RPG. I don't even know what to classify it as. Interactive movie, maybe? I really didn't like the first Dragon Age, but it wasn't that bad. I never got around to beating it. My friends kept telling me how awesome this game will be and I checked out reviews which gave it a really high score. From the sound of the reviews it looked to be GOTY quality. I bought it and played it and was unimpressed through about an hour playing. I just wanted to get through with playing it and it was so repetitive after only an hour. I can't take it any more and I had my stomach sink like when you lose money. I felt like I had been scammed and that my $60 was wasted. I really hate judging a game without even beating it but I just don't have to willpower to wade through this game. Bioware could of at least spent some of the money on commercials for this game on the development instead. It played like World of Warcraft. It was horrible and the only thing I liked about it was the fire that looked pretty cool.… Expand
  5. Galnospoke
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Terrible. This is slasher and it is BAD slasher. cRPG? It is bad joke. This production technically is terrible too - probably worst port for PC in last years. It is worse then latest NFS HP - I dont know how it is possible but it is true. This "game" is stupid and boring like Mass Effect. Remember: absolutely awful and terrible production.

    BTW: Dragon Age 1 was a very good game, real    Terrible. This is slasher and it is BAD slasher. cRPG? It is bad joke. This production technically is terrible too - probably worst port for PC in last years. It is worse then latest NFS HP - I dont know how it is possible but it is true. This "game" is stupid and boring like Mass Effect. Remember: absolutely awful and terrible production.

    BTW: Dragon Age 1 was a very good game, real modern&classic cRPG but, again, unpolished, no patched, without support. Thank You EA and never again with my money.    … Expand
  6. TiesTorN
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Total crap after DA:O, they really shouldn't have even bothered to release this game to PC, 'cuz this is not a PC game, this is a dumb console game which is an insult to all PC gamers.
  7. AndymanMessiah
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    The only reasonable score for a game like this is zero. Dragon Age 2 is an insulting product, rushed out the door with sub-par graphics, idiotic writing, copy-pasted dungeons and a bad attitude. If this is what we can expect of Mass Effect 3 then here's an Origin and Bullfrog fan honestly hoping EA makes the assimilation process short with their newest and most stupid acquisition.
  8. GodlikeSlayer
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Bioware has become very good at making shoddy casual rpgs, much to the disdain of it's fanbase, this is an unworthy successor to dragon age origins no improvements to graphics and gameplay was added, I felt physically ill after playing this game.
  9. bareshift
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This camera make my mage go insane.Reality can't replace the conveniences,when I can't enjoy my mage, who care the reality?The NPCs model are rough.Give the economic profit of investment as soon as early will make workers and players feel tired,bring quality trouble,gameplay experience nervous.And then EA will kill another good studio.Who's next after Bioware?… Expand
  10. uazzamerican
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    This game is a clera example on how a company maximizes profits using a brand name, lot of resouces to advertising and marketing (INCLUDING PROFESSIONAL REVIEWERS... SHAME ON YOU) and an awful product.
    This "Sonic-like" game doesn't deserve a review, this game doesn't deserve nothing. Stay away, save your money, it's the best thing you can do.
  11. Dilbert1
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    I could not say it better than the many reviews here. I expected DA2 to build on DA1; instead it removes and dumbs down many of the features of the original. I also do NOT want publishers throwing day 1 DLC at us. It its ready for day 1 then include it in the game for free - we paid premium cash for this game and milking us at release for more money is shameful.
  12. Ghufds
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Coming from someone who has played and loved cRPGs for his entire life, I have to say that this game is just plain mediocre, and comes as an insult to all hardcore RPG fans. When Dragon Age: Origins came out, Bioware claimed it would be the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate. I know quite a few people who normally pirate their video games, who instead chose to buy that game in order toComing from someone who has played and loved cRPGs for his entire life, I have to say that this game is just plain mediocre, and comes as an insult to all hardcore RPG fans. When Dragon Age: Origins came out, Bioware claimed it would be the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate. I know quite a few people who normally pirate their video games, who instead chose to buy that game in order to support Bioware's return to the cRPG market. Dragon Age: Origins may not have been perfect, but it still seemed like it could be a sign of things to come- Bioware finally giving a new series to the very specific audience that brought Bioware such success in the first place. With DA2, however, Bioware practically spat in the face of those fans, in favor of a quick cash-out. Everything about this game is either dumbed-down for the lowest common denominator, or horribly broken. The story and dialog is simply horrid; rather than offer the choices and consequences one expects from a good cRPG, Bioware chose to implement the dialog wheel from Mass Effect. Any role-playing aspect is utterly demolished, as the character is forced into one of three choices in every conversation, which essentially boil down to "Generic Goody Two-Shoes," "Evil Bastard Just for the Sake of it," and "Snarky Bastard." Furthermore, the options displayed on the dialog wheel are often completely different from what the character actually says. Some of the dialog options are just laughably bad, too: "I Want to be a Dragon"? Seriously, Bioware? Combat is extremely easy, and even on Nightmare difficulty, the average cRPG fan will simply not be challenged at all. Graphics, though by no means the most important part of any game, still ought to factor into the score, as they show just how little Bioware cares about making a good PC game. The graphics are just plain horrible- it honestly looks as though the game is from 2004-5. In order to increase the graphical quality of the game, one must download a high-resolution texture pack from Bioware's website. The fact that this wasn't even included on the disc on release reveals Bioware's complete lack of respect for the PC platform. Another large gripe I have with the game is the DLC- Bioware does it precisely in the manner one should NOT do DLC. DLC is supposed to be extra content that had to be cut from the game because it couldn't be completed in time for release. With Bioware, however, they practically cut chunks of the game out, then decided to sell it back to the player. Some of the DLC is actually located ON the game disc. In conclusion, if you have any respect or love for the game industry, classic cRPGs, or the company Bioware once was, I highly suggest that you avoid buying Dragon Age 2, or any other new Bioware games, for that matter.â… Expand
  13. Zoom78
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    I couldn't believe it when playing the demo. EVERY aspect of the game is bad : visuals ( characters and places - I mean corridors, sorry - ), dialogs, camera management, combats, dumb down from DAO, and so on....
    It's clear now that Bioware does not want to be involved with RPGs anymore. And if I want to play an action game, I buy a good one, Castlevania or gods of war, not that thing.
  14. Superstring
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    As an **** CRPG gamer, I wasn't big fan of DA. Though DA had it's good moments. This isn't a proper review, since I could only stand more than 20 minutes of DA2, and I must say it was horrible. Primitive dialog options, characters made of cardboard, enemies spawning from nowhere and swarming the claustrophobic area. Maybe I'm just too old for this kind of entertainment and it's time toAs an **** CRPG gamer, I wasn't big fan of DA. Though DA had it's good moments. This isn't a proper review, since I could only stand more than 20 minutes of DA2, and I must say it was horrible. Primitive dialog options, characters made of cardboard, enemies spawning from nowhere and swarming the claustrophobic area. Maybe I'm just too old for this kind of entertainment and it's time to pass RPG genre to newer generation of players.… Expand
  15. 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
  16. Wildfire8
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Dragon Age II will be recorded as one of the worst blunders in video game history. Bioware somehow managed to take a promising series, and do a Tomb Raider with it. The game visually looks like a mod for Knights of the Old Republic, if that mod were to lower all the games textures and was inspired by minecraft.

    The writing in this game is exactly what you'd expect an autistic 12 year old    Dragon Age II will be recorded as one of the worst blunders in video game history. Bioware somehow managed to take a promising series, and do a Tomb Raider with it. The game visually looks like a mod for Knights of the Old Republic, if that mod were to lower all the games textures and was inspired by minecraft.

    The writing in this game is exactly what you'd expect an autistic 12 year old farm hand. Gone are the "grey" moral areas, and choices that affect the story. Instead, a dialogue wheel now lets you choose between 3 options, Sissy school girl, comedic relief in b-movie, and complete jerkwad. With such rivieting dialogue options as "Hey, I wunna be a dragon too!" and "Boy, I'm hungry", it's hard not to believe that Bioware is doing a psychological experiment to see how much punishment masochistic fans will put up with.

    Most of the game takes place in the confines of a single "city". I say "city" loosely, because it is actually nothing more than a collection of buildings, devoid of life. All areas outside of the city and bland and repetitive. Let me be clear on this: EVERY SINGLE OUTDOOR AREA outside of the city consists of a rock wall on one side of the map, and a large, lifeless, poorly textured vista on the other. I've seen 2 year olds that can color better than the job Bioware did with this vista. Dungeons are frequently repeated. Yes, you heard that right, the exact same cave is used over and over and over again.

    You can no longer equip armor to companions, and the new companions are dull and lifeless. Every voice actor in the game sounds the exact same, and they all sound utterly bored with their jobs.

    Of course, I needed even comment on the combat to anyone who has played the demo. Bioware decided to strip out all tactical and RPG elements, and instead turn the game into a poor man's Dynasty warriors, complete with waves of spawning powder rangers running at you, while you perform the same over the top animations over and over carrying massive JRPG styled swords.

    I award this game no points, and may God have mercy on it's soul.    … Expand
  17. anewlow
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Shocking. The dumbed-down sequel to a legendary game, obviously catering to the masses of xbox jocks and stupid girls. A big sloppy profitable dump on anybody who has every praised Bioware for making innovative and beautiful intelligent games for people who appreciate them, and in years to come what will be viewed as the watershed moment that all major game releases looked more and moreShocking. The dumbed-down sequel to a legendary game, obviously catering to the masses of xbox jocks and stupid girls. A big sloppy profitable dump on anybody who has every praised Bioware for making innovative and beautiful intelligent games for people who appreciate them, and in years to come what will be viewed as the watershed moment that all major game releases looked more and more generic, in the same way that pop chart music all sounds the same. Welcome to consoleville.… Expand
  18. twothumbs
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    If you enjoyed Dragon Age:Origins, do not buy this game. The horrible dialog, the horrible combat, and the horrible camera angles reek of rushed development and sheer greed on the part of EA. Do not tarnish your memories of DA:O, stay away from this horrible console port.
  19. Zebrastealer
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    What else is there to say? This isn't an RPG, this is an Action title with a 'fantasy-skin' completely dumbed-down and Consoltized...Extremely disappointing. Bioware has made a lot of great titles in the past and used to be the premier RPG studio out there. Not any longer. Sure, they'll still make great games (Mass Effect 3), but not true, traditional RPGs any more.

    Beyond that, even    What else is there to say? This isn't an RPG, this is an Action title with a 'fantasy-skin' completely dumbed-down and Consoltized...Extremely disappointing. Bioware has made a lot of great titles in the past and used to be the premier RPG studio out there. Not any longer. Sure, they'll still make great games (Mass Effect 3), but not true, traditional RPGs any more.

    Beyond that, even if the game were decent - the graphic performance on High-End nVidia hardware is attrocious and the graphics, while better than DA: Orgins are poor. Plus, on the merits of the game itself, this isn't truely a sequel...more like a sidequest....Save your money and time, wait for the Witcher 2 or Skyrim.    … Expand
  20. Dread
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    What a Disappointment.!
    Why did they dumb down the game like that?!
    There is not any fun in the combats anymore! The camera mechanics are extremely frustrating. There is not enough dezoom to think any tactical choice. You can't even move the camera around. The combats are way too fast paced and look completely ridiculous. Since you pass most of your time in combat, it's hugely    What a Disappointment.!
    Why did they dumb down the game like that?!

    There is not any fun in the combats anymore!
    The camera mechanics are extremely frustrating. There is not enough dezoom to think any tactical choice. You can't even move the camera around. The combats are way too fast paced and look completely ridiculous. Since you pass most of your time in combat, it's hugely unsatisfying.

    It feels super scripted with cinematic every two seconds. Loading times every two seconds.

    I'm really sad for bioware! They are loosing a lot of credibility with this joke of a game.
    It's an insult to rpg players. It has lost almost all the elements that gave some interest to the first opus. And it was already pretty dumbed down compared to Baldur's Gate.


    Save your money!    … Expand
  21. spinspock
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    This game is a slap in the face for the PC gaming community. In an attempt to appeal to casual gamers they essentially ruined everything that made the first game enjoyable. I was absolutely shocked when I saw the PC Gamer review a few days before the game released and have to question any "reviewers" credibility when they gave this game such a high review.
  22. krash
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Don't play this on the PC or atleast get an xbox controller, this graphics/gameplay is only good for consoles. Also, Play dragon age 2 first before playing DAO so your standard bar is not set to high before playing DA2.
  23. mQCmD
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    I'm a huge fan of Dragon Age: Origins, easily clocked over 100hours in to the game and really enjoyed it over all. Now about Dragon Age 2.

    Graphics: They suck I mean they really suck after what I saw in Dragon age Origins they are really bad, I had everything maxed out on my i7@4.0 two GTX580 and 8gig of ram, they look like something from Playstation 2 era and its 2011, not to mention the    I'm a huge fan of Dragon Age: Origins, easily clocked over 100hours in to the game and really enjoyed it over all. Now about Dragon Age 2.

    Graphics: They suck I mean they really suck after what I saw in Dragon age Origins they are really bad, I had everything maxed out on my i7@4.0 two GTX580 and 8gig of ram, they look like something from Playstation 2 era and its 2011, not to mention the frame rates dont go past 25 and sometimes they drop to 1fps for god knows what reason, the only thing that fixes it is alt+tabing.

    Gameplay: No matter how much better Origins is the only thing they improved in this is the Combat, yes it faster and better, obviously much more oriented towards console peasants. While playing origins when you use to become General of an army so to say and maxed out with best items you just wanted to rape **** left and right like God of War that you are, nonetheless other than combat improve men't nothing else deserves mentioning the game it self feels rushed the interaction wheel haves its ups and downs the perfect combo would be if you could chose texts like in origins and your character would talk would be pretty good that you could chose voice for him such as suave or mystic, but then again we will never see something like this from console port, the game feels like its 70-80% -/+ complete like it unfinished but then again they did what they did for console people.
    I give this game 3/10- Because its a console port, feels like rushed and unfinished game, ****ty graphics and ****ty companions. Deal with it. Gonna go play Origins.    … Expand
  24. Someguy52
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Terrible graphics, terrible dialogue, forgettable music, bland characters, linear gameworld, uninteresting locations, terrible button-mashing gameplay. Overall: A very very bad game that you should avoid
  25. sgeGaming
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Bioware has turned into money hungry idiots like activision.
    They are just blowing games out of their asses now and expecting to get praised for it. This game was atrocious. It's like playing dynasty warriors with an even worse story. If you are thinking of picking this up for any reason, stop right there. Dont give this company the satisfaction of thinking they made something good. They    Bioware has turned into money hungry idiots like activision.
    They are just blowing games out of their asses now and expecting to get praised for it. This game was atrocious. It's like playing dynasty warriors with an even worse story. If you are thinking of picking this up for any reason, stop right there. Dont give this company the satisfaction of thinking they made something good. They seem to have spent no time in this at all, and need to stop.    … Expand
  26. Troll
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Nononono.

    Nothing like the original, and even in an original sense it fails in every conceivable way. It's over-stylized, as if making a game an eyesore is somehow better than a drab, boring looking landscape full of boring looking people (they're both terrible, I guess I have a tolerance for the latter, given how I hate this game) Combat is identical to any hack-n-slash console game-    Nononono.

    Nothing like the original, and even in an original sense it fails in every conceivable way. It's over-stylized, as if making a game an eyesore is somehow better than a drab, boring looking landscape full of boring looking people (they're both terrible, I guess I have a tolerance for the latter, given how I hate this game)

    Combat is identical to any hack-n-slash console game- even on PC, no tactical camera, pause and play is merely optional which completely destroys the point of it even being there, the combat does look more fluid and fun but it's still not my cup of tea, and wasn't the reason I bought the original.

    Adding a dialog wheel is insulting, I've never been satisfied with the way Mass Effect did things, either you're cyber Jesus or future Hitler, and there's no in-betweens, the voice actor for Hawke is mediocre at best.

    It's playable, yes, but it's also the destruction of what was the only isometric tactical RPG franchise we still had.

    Shame on you, Bioware.    … Expand
  27. Tacgnol
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Combat = Derped
    Interface = Derped
    Graphics = Derped
    Writing = Fail

    Banal, Boring, "Streamlined", Popamole ****

    Avoid, whatever the cost.

    Do not enable Bioware in their derpification of the genre.
  28. thedecline
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Bioware has farted out probably the worst thing ever to come out of their behinds, thank you Biodrones, for supporting the decline of RPG's. The decline of RPG's begins with DA2 The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins withBioware has farted out probably the worst thing ever to come out of their behinds, thank you Biodrones, for supporting the decline of RPG's. The decline of RPG's begins with DA2 The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2The decline of RPG's begins with DA2.… Expand
  29. AngryGamer
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Dragon Fail 2=Epic fail Lol at those who gave an 8 or 9 out of 10.
    This game sucks and is an insult to all the pc gamers out there.It has been dumbed down and consolised.On top of all that the graphics suck ass and it runs like sit even on high end hardware.
    Bioware has failed.
  30. wormhole
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    this game sux in any way it can. worst console port ever. DA1 was good RPG, not perfect but just good.
    DA2 is just step back: bad graphics, bad gameplay, bad story and incredible high requirements.

    if u want play good cRPG just stay away from DA2. it's waste of ur time
  31. DigitalAcuity
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Geeze, can they possibly dumb down these games any more. Blatant copy-paste areas and revisiting the same locations over and over, very lazy design. So many waves of mobs that its almost border-lining on hack and slash game. that wouldn't even matter so much if the combat was good but it's not, like everything else totally dumbed down. I just can't stand to play this game any more, itsGeeze, can they possibly dumb down these games any more. Blatant copy-paste areas and revisiting the same locations over and over, very lazy design. So many waves of mobs that its almost border-lining on hack and slash game. that wouldn't even matter so much if the combat was good but it's not, like everything else totally dumbed down. I just can't stand to play this game any more, its just bad in just about every area, way to linear and tedious and an incredible disappointment, a huge step backwards in my opinion. Total proof that publishers are paying these top reviewers to give good reviews.… Expand
  32. jimmy2x2x
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    A real disappointment, Bioware has gone to the dogs. Everything about this game stinks: The drab graphics (even with the high res texture pack), horrible dialogue, lack of variety in location, limited party control, poor combat - you can't see what the hell is going on half the time. It feels like a tacky Playstation 2 game, not a bleeding edge title released in 2012. Dragon Age 2 isA real disappointment, Bioware has gone to the dogs. Everything about this game stinks: The drab graphics (even with the high res texture pack), horrible dialogue, lack of variety in location, limited party control, poor combat - you can't see what the hell is going on half the time. It feels like a tacky Playstation 2 game, not a bleeding edge title released in 2012. Dragon Age 2 is garbage - don't even buy it when its on sale.… Expand
  33. Jimbobbrown
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Well just played the demo and it was enough to make sure i wouldn't be buying it. What a disappointment as i loved the first game. It would seem every decision they made was designed to alienate fans of the original. Could go into all the faults but others have already, don't believe the press this game is not anywhere near the caliber of origins and plays like a dumbed down jrpg. NoWell just played the demo and it was enough to make sure i wouldn't be buying it. What a disappointment as i loved the first game. It would seem every decision they made was designed to alienate fans of the original. Could go into all the faults but others have already, don't believe the press this game is not anywhere near the caliber of origins and plays like a dumbed down jrpg. No thanks Bioware.… Expand
  34. Kermutten
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    First off I want to say that before today I didnt have a user here on metacritic I registered solely so I could share my utter hatred for this abomination called "Dragon Age 2", it's the bastard child of Bad Console ports, and stupid greed. First off I was a mega DA:O fanboi, i loved it to death, and aside from Mass Effect 2 which I consider a poor port aswell and not deserving of anyFirst off I want to say that before today I didnt have a user here on metacritic I registered solely so I could share my utter hatred for this abomination called "Dragon Age 2", it's the bastard child of Bad Console ports, and stupid greed. First off I was a mega DA:O fanboi, i loved it to death, and aside from Mass Effect 2 which I consider a poor port aswell and not deserving of any praise what so ever, I was actually a bioware fanboi, this changed today, and let me explain why. 1. Removal of tactical overview, this does not need to be explained if you're a PC gamer, this was a **** decision and it proved to be one of the worst side steps EVER! 2. You Can't upg. the armor on your companions now what the **** is this? That is the stupidest **** I ever heard, you can't upg armor in an RPG? Makes you feel VERY disconnected from your party. 3. Targetting, and inability to use out of combat spells? I can't for the life of me figure out why I'm not allowed to throw a fireball through a door and hit like i could in DA:O, you have to wait until the enemy engages you thats down right retarded, pick your battles much? 4. Bugged combat on nightmare, basically with the removal of multiple spells from the wizard cycle you have less tactical manevouring to do which means that you get stuck in some awful situations that you just can't get out of. Not saying it's impossible to complete on nightmare at all, im saying is there really such a thing as constant permanent knock downs? If you played the game, you know what I mean. 5. Removed the interaction with NPC's all together, and shop keepers are now tables, and chests? Now what the **** is up with that? Unless they have a glimmering ****ing ! like in world of warcraft over their head, you can't speak to them? Why did bioware decide to make a city feel this ghost like instead of building on from denerim? 6. Boss Fights / Spawn points, now here is a thing that really bugged the **** out of me in this game there seems to be random spawn points, just build for a console so you don't have to look to far around to find some action, which means if you actually TRY to be tactical and position your mages behind a shield walled tank, dont feed safe, and why not? Well because soldiers in this game have wings, which means they land from the ****ing SKY and drop down like command troops in second world war, to my disbelief a good tactic turned **** because my mages suddenly got pummeled, removing once again the tactical aspect of the RPG. 7. This brings me to the hack and slash aspect, they talk about the new mechanics like it's soo refined and polished, all i see is alittle more combat animations, sure it's nice and all, but all you do now is move a rogue behind people and hit them, and watch things die, it's no challenge on anything but nightmare, and on nightmare you will suffer from the removal of tactic, which makes this another dumbed down diablo 2 hack'n'slash clone with a little prettier graphics and some voice acting, big whoop. This is a review written after 9 hours of gameplay on nightmare, and I'm not returning to the game, I will try to get a refund on this piece of **** I do not want it in my house, if I can't get it refunded im selling it in resale.

    And all those fanboys who give this game 10, does not mean what true RPG means, I have played all the old fall-out games, all the old black isle games, and i would trade good graphics for decent gameplay any day of the week, so i piss on your "graphics" and say this in return "consoles are killing the PC"    … Expand
  35. Johnbot
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    This is nothing but a dumbed down sad console port. Graphics are bland and low quality.
    All the party controls are gone and we're left with the **** "tactics". Combat is basically button mashing and waiting for cool downs.
    Choice in dialogs have been replaced with the **** Mass Effect-style "pick a style and stick to it". God forbid a choice would actually have unpredicted consequences.
  36. xXxSephirothxXx
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    I can't believe I paid full price for this game, what a total let down.
    I absolutely loved DA:O, and this game was a total kick to the pants.
    I've never felt so strongly to actually leave a review before on here, but this game has really rustled my jimmies. Even FFXIV is better than this game. Shame on you bioware for releasing this absolutely disastrous videogame. You should consider    I can't believe I paid full price for this game, what a total let down.
    I absolutely loved DA:O, and this game was a total kick to the pants.

    I've never felt so strongly to actually leave a review before on here, but this game has really rustled my jimmies.

    Even FFXIV is better than this game.
    Shame on you bioware for releasing this absolutely disastrous videogame.
    You should consider yourself lucky people can't get a refund!!!!!!!!!!!!    … Expand
  37. Max_R
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Seems that there are no more old-style rpgs: Dragon Age Origins was far from Baldur's Gate series as well as Dragon Age 2 is far from Dragon Age Origins and I don't want console-looking games in my pc, especially if they claim to be solid rpg when they aren't at all. It's a murder. There are already Mass Effect that is an eccellent action game series.
    P.s.
    @Bioware, do not apply some dx11    Seems that there are no more old-style rpgs: Dragon Age Origins was far from Baldur's Gate series as well as Dragon Age 2 is far from Dragon Age Origins and I don't want console-looking games in my pc, especially if they claim to be solid rpg when they aren't at all. It's a murder. There are already Mass Effect that is an eccellent action game series.
    P.s.
    @Bioware,
    do not apply some dx11 feature to the engine makeing it heavier when this force you to make an "essential graphics". It's not necessary: it's stupid, . Gamers prefere less feature and more artistic style: we aren't benchers.    … Expand
  38. checkem22
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Terrible game, david gayder should be ashamed of himself. this is a spit in the face to all rpgs.

    more linear than FFXIII if you can believe that.
    and the gameplay? was watching tv while spamming random buttons and i beat the game
    the writing is atrocious, its almost as bad as this review.
  39. RustyShackle
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Outdated graphics, there were better looking PS2 games than this , Bad story, Gameplay isn't even remotely fun.

    Bioware dropped the ball on this one. There is nothing else to add to this review besides pointing out the corny 10/10 reviews that seem extremely fishy.
  40. NukeDukem
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Bioware decides to ditch the gameplay mechanics that made Dragon Age 1 such an engaging and strategic experience, in favor of making an action ARR PEE GEE on par with Fable 2 or Fable 3 in it's lackluster execution. Every design choice, graphical rendering, movement control scream out "MADE FOR CONSOLES." Regardless, it will make all of it's developers money back, due to it's two previousBioware decides to ditch the gameplay mechanics that made Dragon Age 1 such an engaging and strategic experience, in favor of making an action ARR PEE GEE on par with Fable 2 or Fable 3 in it's lackluster execution. Every design choice, graphical rendering, movement control scream out "MADE FOR CONSOLES." Regardless, it will make all of it's developers money back, due to it's two previous sucessful entries, Dragon Age has changed for the worse in this sequel. 0/10… Expand
  41. Comradepinko
    Mar 17, 2011
    0
    This game is a massive downgrade from the original. Tactical camera is missing, enemies respawn in waves making player positioning essentially worthless for most fights, dungeon maps are recycled, player companions can not equip any armor you find which makes acquiring new gear mostly a case of selling gear to vendors, the non combat trade skills have been removed (granted many wereThis game is a massive downgrade from the original. Tactical camera is missing, enemies respawn in waves making player positioning essentially worthless for most fights, dungeon maps are recycled, player companions can not equip any armor you find which makes acquiring new gear mostly a case of selling gear to vendors, the non combat trade skills have been removed (granted many were pointless but I would have preferred something different rather than complete removal), the Mass Effect style dialogue wheel is stupid, forcing the player into one role takes away quite a bit from the experience of the first, higher difficulty settings result in a kite fest rather than actual strategy, DLC content marketed AT LAUNCH and extra items given out for crap like "LIKING DRAGON AGE IN FACEBOOK" which makes a pirated copy of this game more convenient than just buying that game on STEAM since you won't have to jump through hoops to get the extras you want. I'm not sure if I could have been any more disappointed by this game. Terrible! I was hoping for another game similar to Baldur's Gate and I ended up with what feels like a crappy console port.… Expand
  42. zwaps
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    1. Rogue Archer is useless. The NPC dude is much better and it's almost impossible to run from mobs with two rogues and one mage. I had to cheese every single engagement. I hope you get a warrior if you keep playing because ****
    The worst thing: The difficulty on insane is not from tactical depth. All you need is luck and button-mashing (and running around in circles, if your party    1. Rogue Archer is useless. The NPC dude is much better and it's almost impossible to run from mobs with two rogues and one mage. I had to cheese every single engagement. I hope you get a warrior if you keep playing because ****
    The worst thing: The difficulty on insane is not from tactical depth. All you need is luck and button-mashing (and running around in circles, if your party sucks).

    At least I can spec the Dwarf to be melee if I want my character to be ranged.
    Oh wait I can't. That's right, **** your RPG-ism. You play like we want.


    2. The gameplay has nothing to do with tactical RPG. Your only real option is when to press the ability buttons.
    Tactical placement of characters, stealth, backstab etc. doesn't mean **** All you need to do is press the button since _everything_ is an ability now.
    I don't even see what I could be doing differently. There are a few battles where you can chokepoint enemies in doorframes, otherwise there is little to do tactically.
    It feels like half of the elements of BG2 combat are missing. In BG2 I usually ended up planning hard engagements, leading different enemies into traps I set earlier, buying specific items and buffs just for that engagement. DA2 is so far away from that complexity. DA:O wasn't perfect, but it was at least a bit closer.
    Rogue used to be about using a few things like stealing, positioning and stealth. Now it's just like beeing a mage - a Rogue mage.

    Also, I hate the amount of enemies. The screen is littered with em and any amount of tacticality that remained is pretty much an efford in futility. Most mobs should have been about the size of your party, but with interesting foes. I don't even particulary analyze what enemies I am fighting, I am doing the same charade over and over again.
    Miles and miles away from previous RPGs.


    3. You never get to plan ahead anyway, since ALL enemies just drop on you literally. This is the worst thing ever and I can't grasp how they thought this would be a good idea.
    It's almost like Mass Effect 2 now. "Oh look an empty room. Welp, ambush. How surprising"
    Preparation doesn't get you any further. I also haven't used any potions or buffs yet previous to engagements. Maybe it was too early in the game for that though.

    4. Camera angle.. whatever. Isometric view wouldn't have salvaged the gameplay.

    5. Everything feels so restricting. You have almost no choice in what your character does and how he looks etc. Inventory has become more or less obsolete. It doesn't even feel like an RPG in that sense.
    For some reason the character creation process and the initial RPG immersiveness has - for me- never felt so disappointing in any PC RPG.
    It feels like a movie.
    Everytime. Cutscene. Go somewhere, enemies appear out of thin air, second wave, cutscene. Repeat. Every.. single .. time.
    Immersion level is very low. If you care about those things.

    6. Graphics are fine, voice acting is nice etc.

    7. Art style is ****ed. The ****ing Dalish elves look like cartoon characters. This has bothered me the most. It's like an anime. I expect this will be even worse later on. Not that the gameworld is completely unattractive. It just feels like EVERY SINGLE THING they changed is worse than in DA:O.
    I HAVE to use that dwarf with the cyberpunk Machine gun in an high fantasy RPG? Yeah thanks, totally works for me. **** you.

    8. You can interact even less with the gameworld. In the spirit of dumbing it down this is not too surprising. But there is so little loot, so little to pick up or see or get.
    You just don't get the feeling the enemies are actually carrying weapons or whatever.
    It feels like you get a generic reward, instead of actually "going through their stuff for useful ****".
    Feels wrong.

    9. The interface is **** I don't even know why, but it annoys me hugely. Probably because back in the day the interface symbolized a backback or inventory or a spellbook or whatever. Now it's literally a list of computer buttons. Just like the loot is not actual loot, but a computer-given reward. Also feels wrong.



    With a decent story I could see myself buying this for 10â    … Expand
  43. toby99
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    - realy dont know where Bioware wanted to take this story but they really fell short of their goal. - multiple elements simplified or cut completly. Another case of Bioware trying to fix what wasnt broken I guess
    -"Tactical" combat is not really tactical to put it nicely
    -if you want a good computer button masher then maybe you should wait for Diable 3
  44. Aetheryn
    May 21, 2011
    0
    This game is atrocious. By "attempting" to appeal to a wider audience, all Bioware managed to do was alienate its fans while failing to grab the attentions of those they were aiming for.
    The DX11 graphics are abysmal. Just go look at some screenshots of the NPCs.
  45. phlask
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    It's amazing this is a Bioware game. How times have changed and how awful games are these days. This game has a complete lack of depth and requires very little intelligence to play. They couldn't dumb down this game anymore from the original even if they tried. This is what happens to games when they are catered to the console crowd, they are complete crap and do not deserve any of my time.
  46. clos4life
    Aug 15, 2011
    0
    Pros: More fluid combat, less boring treks through long dungeons, great story, half your characters are interesting, liked ME2 style of missions, nice graphics

    Cons: Horrible horrible ending, at the end of the game you feel like you didn't win and you accomplished nothing, can't romance a strong moral character (ie: Aveline, Isabella is slutty even if she somewhat reforms when you romance    Pros: More fluid combat, less boring treks through long dungeons, great story, half your characters are interesting, liked ME2 style of missions, nice graphics

    Cons: Horrible horrible ending, at the end of the game you feel like you didn't win and you accomplished nothing, can't romance a strong moral character (ie: Aveline, Isabella is slutty even if she somewhat reforms when you romance and Merrill is an insecure and irritating idiot blood mage like almost every mage in the game), repetitive dungeon city environments (having to run through same cities, dungeons and outdoor areas over and over is just lazy design), half of your party characters absolutely suck balls to the point I didn't do any of their quests or want them in my party.

    Overall a 1 because the cons are so overpoweringly strong compared to the pros, specially the worst ending of a game I've seen in years where nothing is accomplished and lots of loose ends are left.    … Expand
  47. RPGFan2
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Bioware has created what could go down as the worst "RPG" ever made. Of course, I have to say RPG in quotations, because all RPG elements have been stripped. It is a "role playing" game I guess, but that role is a very strict one laid down by Bethesda. There are no choices to make now, as has become a Bethesda trademark, and very few dialogue trees. The dialogue now is just a linearBioware has created what could go down as the worst "RPG" ever made. Of course, I have to say RPG in quotations, because all RPG elements have been stripped. It is a "role playing" game I guess, but that role is a very strict one laid down by Bethesda. There are no choices to make now, as has become a Bethesda trademark, and very few dialogue trees. The dialogue now is just a linear rambling between two bored sounding cookie cutter people, and the instead of influencing the conversation, you are only allowed to select whether the character will do the conversation angry, soft, or sarcastic.

    Gone is any hint of stategy of depth to combat. The game is a click fest, a poor mans devil may cry, that requires no skill to beat on hard or lower difficulties. On nightmare, a mode they obviously ran out of time on balancing, is just frustratingly impossible, not because it provides a good challenge, but because instead of balancing it, they just added 10000hp to every enemy and said "done".


    The graphics represent and huge step back not only from Dragon Age origins, but for the whole generation. This looks like something you'd find on the Playstation 2. The game lacks any art direction, and any sense for colors other than brown.

    Dragon Age 2 is not only a huge step back for the series, but a huge step back for video games in general. The dumbing down of the series marks the biggest leap in what has become a trend in video game design. I can only hope that Bioware listens to the fans after this outing and, pun intended, return to their origins as RPG designers in their next outing.    … Expand
  48. CriticalKarl
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    I really don't see how taking out RPG elements out of an RPG would ever improve said RPG. This seems to be a re-occurring problem with sequels recently, removing key features for some odd reason.
  49. Dorian147
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    the only GOOD thing about this game that i was lucky enough to sell it off to someone... bet they will hate me after they star playing this POS..the first game was an AMAZING experience and this one was piece of crap.. no wonder when a bioware dude in an interview says "Button = AWESOME".. only a crappy game can come out of it then
  50. Gradstudent
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    It's wholly unfair to judge an entertainment product without taking the time to complete and evaluate it on its own terms; if one had skipped the finale to Lars Von Trier's masterful "Dogville," for instance, and judged it merely on its (somewhat dull) first two thirds, the criticisms one would level against it, while technically accurate, would be unfounded and unfair. Here lies myIt's wholly unfair to judge an entertainment product without taking the time to complete and evaluate it on its own terms; if one had skipped the finale to Lars Von Trier's masterful "Dogville," for instance, and judged it merely on its (somewhat dull) first two thirds, the criticisms one would level against it, while technically accurate, would be unfounded and unfair. Here lies my biggest issue with many of the first "0" reviews on Metacritic; unless these gamers live outside our time-space continuum, I cannot fathom how they could have had the time to fully evaluate the game, much less finish it. This damages the impression of many of these reviewers as it sets them up as soapbox preaching whiners who the vast populace should ignore, as well as their opinions.

    That said, I have just completed "Dragon Age II" for the PC. And yes, every complaint railed against it is pretty much dead on: Brain-dead combat that fits the PC like a children's mitten on a camel (the lack of controller support is positively nonsensical), generic writing (at best), weak characterization, massive amounts of retconning (don't expect your save game from Origins/Awakening to matter in the slightest), mostly unreactive world, atrocious, "Saturday morning cartoon" art design (even WITH the texture pack) and a plot that barely even exists. Huzzah EA, you've successfully destroyed the final AAA RPG manufacturer in the world. Congrats. Would you like a cookie?

    Do not buy this game. Please. EA does not need your money.

    Well, unless you wish to buy my used copy on Amazon. If so, do buy it so that I can be rid of this abomination. Speaking of abominations, time to go fight some in Origins.    … Expand
  51. Richizzzle
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Wow, DA:O is my 4th favorite game of all time and this "Sequel" / pile of dog barf makes me wish that i had completely avoided it. Be warned if you like RPGs, Interesting stories, and engaging combat look elsewhere. However if you like casual button-mashing garbage, and picking 3 of the same "choices", please by all means go out and spend 60 dollars on this aborted fetus of a game. My eyesWow, DA:O is my 4th favorite game of all time and this "Sequel" / pile of dog barf makes me wish that i had completely avoided it. Be warned if you like RPGs, Interesting stories, and engaging combat look elsewhere. However if you like casual button-mashing garbage, and picking 3 of the same "choices", please by all means go out and spend 60 dollars on this aborted fetus of a game. My eyes strained to make sense of the "art direction". This was like staring into Rumor Willis' face while getting beaten with a sock filled with quarters and being castrated. I would rather stare into the sun for 5 hours until my eyeballs dried into tiny protein raisins, take them out of their sockets and insert them into my colon than have to play 10 more seconds of this game. What the hell was Bioware thinking?

    I can only hope to god that Laidlaw, and Gaider were just shooting up coke and saying "Hey know what would be really funny! Trolling all of our fans in a sad attempt to gain new ones while ostracizing the original ones!" Because no sane being would ever have let this pile of aborted llama fetuses ever escape from the planes of Peru. Avoid. Avoid at all cost. If you want bioware to actually make good games instead of this crap don't buy it and send them a message that you wont just gobble up this vomit because they slapped their name on it. Don't let all those "Biodrones" tell you otherwise. anyone who pledges loyalty to a company that only cares about profit isn't worth listening to. Again.

    Stay away, for your own safety. Please.    … Expand
  52. BobTheBarbarian
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Bland characters, soap opera dialogs, no choice of playable back-story or race. Combat system looks like a bloody jRPG with over-sized weapons swung at supersonic speed. Sometimes when you hit an opponent with 2h sword he vaporises into a tiny blood cloud and only his shoes are left standing... (I'm serious) T_T this game is a joke - a bad, bad joke that just makes me wanna play theBland characters, soap opera dialogs, no choice of playable back-story or race. Combat system looks like a bloody jRPG with over-sized weapons swung at supersonic speed. Sometimes when you hit an opponent with 2h sword he vaporises into a tiny blood cloud and only his shoes are left standing... (I'm serious) T_T this game is a joke - a bad, bad joke that just makes me wanna play the sh**tiest DLC from the first one and forget about that nightmare of a sequel.… Expand
  53. HellFlyer
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    The game is really bad and it seems Bioware became superlazy and EA ruined another great title thanks to their marketing efforts. I dont know even where to begin

    1. Side quests are too short and similar...Kill this kill that , delivery this deliver that 2. Inventory sucks , all items look the same , only colours ...are different 3. Serious performance issues on high end PCs (GTX 480 and    The game is really bad and it seems Bioware became superlazy and EA ruined another great title thanks to their marketing efforts. I dont know even where to begin

    1. Side quests are too short and similar...Kill this kill that , delivery this deliver that
    2. Inventory sucks , all items look the same , only colours ...are different
    3. Serious performance issues on high end PCs (GTX 480 and Core i7 920 max FPS is 30-35)
    4. Its all too simplified , no tactics, no skilled battles, just slash enemies and heal yourself
    5. Time change from day to night with mouse click! seriously????
    6. Female Hawke voice is the same as her sister's voice. I was shocked and disappointed by this
    7. A lot of issues with quests which might become unavailable if you do something differently ( Dont believe me? open README file , scroll down to the bottom and see for yourself
    8. Horrible journal and codex , just a plain dull text with ugly and small font. No pictures, no bestiary images , nothing!!!


    In summary, it seems the game had great potential, interseting story and charchters BUT 2 years is to little for an RPG game. Bioware ruined amazing franchise and I lost money. Do yourself and your wallet a favour and dont buy it. Dont get me wrong I really loved DA and DAO but this game has only one thing in common. Its called Dragon Age 2    … Expand
  54. dcynic
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Not worth a full zero by any means, the game works after all, but as a matter of principle the game gets one anyway.

    Combat and gameplay areas are endlessly repeated and monotonous, obvious budget cuts and rushed duedates by EA and lets not forget stripping away half of the mechanics for a streamlined massively effective experience.

    RIP Origins =(
  55. Gavinn
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    I'm sorry Bioware, but you just took the most promising video game IP of the past decade and completely destroyed it, whilst losing most of your loyal fans and supporters in the bargain.

    The cosmetic changes and the combat revamp would have actually been fairly amazing if they had been implemented without watering the entire concept of a role-playing game down to the point where I    I'm sorry Bioware, but you just took the most promising video game IP of the past decade and completely destroyed it, whilst losing most of your loyal fans and supporters in the bargain.

    The cosmetic changes and the combat revamp would have actually been fairly amazing if they had been implemented without watering the entire concept of a role-playing game down to the point where I literally can't continue playing past the ten hour mark without beginning to feel guilty'traitorous about doing so.

    There is too much wrong here to forgive. The city where you spend 90% of the game is completely devoid of life. Constantly recycled maps. Dialogue wheel instead of real conversation options. Extremely limited loot/items. Lack of ability to fully customize companion gear. And that's just scratching the surface. (Magically instant respawning enemies zomg!)

    It seems like everything you did with this game was aimed at having fewer options for the player. My question is....why? It is beyond asinine to limit the player's choices in a role-playing game. Creating and then fully fleshing out/realizing a character or party is what games in this genre are supposed to be about! If I wanted another point and click action RPG/ FPS, well, they're a dime a dozen these days. You guys were special because you were one of the last companies around still making REAL role-playing games.

    And if that's not bad enough, on day 1 you're trying to charge players for in-game content instead of just...you know...putting it in the game to improve the experience for your customers.

    What a crock.    … Expand
  56. 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
  57. Nightrain50
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    You like to hurt me you know that you do.
    You like to think in some way that it's me and not you... but we know that isn't true.
    You like to have me jump and be good, but I don't want to do it. You don't know why I won't act the way you think I should. You thought they'd make me behave and submit. What were you thinking? Cause I don't forget. You don't know why I won't give in, to    You like to hurt me you know that you do.
    You like to think in some way that it's me and not you... but we know that isn't true.
    You like to have me jump and be good, but I don't want to do it.
    You don't know why I won't act the way you think I should.
    You thought they'd make me behave and submit.
    What were you thinking? Cause I don't forget.
    You don't know why I won't give in, to hell with the pressure I'm not caving in.
    You know that I got under your skin.
    You sold your soul but I won't let you win.
    You talk to much, you say I do, difference is nobody cares about you.
    You've got all the answers, you know everything, why nobody asked you, it's a mystery to me.
    I'm sorry for you, not sorry for me.
    You don't know who in the hell to or not to believe.
    I'm sorry for you, not sorry for me.
    You don't who you can trust now or you should believe.
    You close you eyes, all well and good, I'll kick your ass like I said that I would.
    You tell them stories they'd rather believe, use and confuse them, they're numb and naive.
    Truth is the truth hurts, don't you agree?
    It's harder to live with the truth about you than to live with the lies about me.
    Nobody owes you, not one damn thing.
    You know where to put your: "Just shut up and sing."
    I'm sorry for you, not sorry for me.
    You don't know who in the hell to or not to believe.
    I'm sorry for you, not sorry for me.
    You chose to hurt those that love you and won't set them free.
    You don't need anyone else to be sorry for you.
    You've got no heart.
    You can't see all that you've done for me.
    I know the reasons you tear me apart.

    Sorry
    Guns N' Roses
    Chinese Democracy    … Expand
  58. judini
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    This is not a role-playing game, is this a joke?
    It should be named "Dragon Effect 2" or "Street Fighter Dragon Edition" :D What a piece of crap! I can't believe it....
  59. 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
  60. 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.
  61. 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
  62. 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
  63. 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
  64. 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
  65. Klim
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Really, bioware? Really? This is a disaster, and such a step back for Dragon Age (and RPG's in general).
    The game is still buggy, and graphics are just lazy (don't know how they look on high resolution pack, hope the people who have two polygons on their faces now have at least 4), I'd like to review music, but there is NONE. At battle is rarely noticeable, but if not in battle all you    Really, bioware? Really? This is a disaster, and such a step back for Dragon Age (and RPG's in general).
    The game is still buggy, and graphics are just lazy (don't know how they look on high resolution pack, hope the people who have two polygons on their faces now have at least 4), I'd like to review music, but there is NONE. At battle is rarely noticeable, but if not in battle all you have is silence.
    Bioware stated that FF 13 was not really a RPG, because you can't really feel like the character, or make any important choices (which I agree with, don't get me wrong.)... and what happens with Dragon Age 2?
    You have already a character chosen for you, the only option you get is how he looks and what is his/her gender. While in first game you could choose between races, multiple backgrounds, and really feel like it's a character YOU created. Now we just get someone we don't know, we're supposed to care about him and his lost home and family, even though we didn't get to know them more for a minute.
    And the whole dialogue dumbed down to basically 3 choices? How is that an improvement? Not like the choice really matters story-wise anyway, so what bioware just accused of in another game, is doing itself to Dragon Age. What a shame.
    Dumbed down RPG with one-day DLC's and consolized game-play.
    Sorry, but I have to say no to that.    … Expand
  66. Olf
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    A game that resembles every other RPG game tossed out for consoles. No imagination or creativity. The ingenuity that made Dragon Age origins so ground breaking is totally lost on this sequel that would make DAO get an emancipation from Dragon Age 2 if it could so it would not stain its good name. A terrible at best sequel and a very sub par game in general. Poorly done Bioware, and EA youA game that resembles every other RPG game tossed out for consoles. No imagination or creativity. The ingenuity that made Dragon Age origins so ground breaking is totally lost on this sequel that would make DAO get an emancipation from Dragon Age 2 if it could so it would not stain its good name. A terrible at best sequel and a very sub par game in general. Poorly done Bioware, and EA you should be ashamed by the lack of imagination it took to create this game.… Expand
  67. 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
  68. 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.
  69. 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
  70. 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
  71. 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
  72. 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.
  73. 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
  74. 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
  75. 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
  76. 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
  77. 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
  78. 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
  79. 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.
  80. 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.
  81. 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.
  82. 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
  83. 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
  84. 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
  85. 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
  86. 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
  87. 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
  88. 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
  89. 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.
  90. 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
  91. hitaisin
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Linear slasher with copy/paste locations :(. - Story is boring, only some times you will see something interesting (only few last moments).
    - no CG videos, only some "animated pictures" like in cheap games
    - Dialogs are boring - Answer variants in dialogs doesn't affect anything - party member relation (friend or foe) is fiction... + battles are dynamic, I finished game only because liked    Linear slasher with copy/paste locations :(. - Story is boring, only some times you will see something interesting (only few last moments).
    - no CG videos, only some "animated pictures" like in cheap games
    - Dialogs are boring
    - Answer variants in dialogs doesn't affect anything
    - party member relation (friend or foe) is fiction...

    + battles are dynamic, I finished game only because liked battles
    +/- graphic is nice, but locations are lack of details it is not RPG, it is slasher with dialogs    … Expand
  92. soldier99
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Bioware threw in all the bad bits in DA:O and Mass Effect 2 in a blender and gave us this abortion they call Dragon Age II. If you want a game that makes you feel bad for wasting your time playing such a piece of garbage then listen to all those paid for reviews. I will warn you that your efforts to want to love the game because it's DA2 will be futile.

    Now I truly fear for Mass Effect 3.    Bioware threw in all the bad bits in DA:O and Mass Effect 2 in a blender and gave us this abortion they call Dragon Age II. If you want a game that makes you feel bad for wasting your time playing such a piece of garbage then listen to all those paid for reviews. I will warn you that your efforts to want to love the game because it's DA2 will be futile.

    Now I truly fear for Mass Effect 3. I can't believe Bioware actually agreed to put its name behind this shoddy product and dared to call it a RPG.    … Expand
  93. timkdodson
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    The game could have been good had BioWare and EA not screwed it up by requiring DLC just to complete the main parts of the game. Basically they just want to nickel and dime us into paying double what we would normally pay. Also, they are banning people on the forums which makes the game innaccessable! Not Cool!!! I used to love BioWare games.
  94. morethan9000
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Grim, dark, bad. The graphics would have looked shameful five years ago; the writing reads like fanfiction by pre-teens, and the less said of the gameplay, the better. Dragon Age: Origins was mediocre, but DA2 has truly bested it in all departments, descending to a whole new level of unacceptably AWFUL.
  95. imperita
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    I've played this all of the way through before writing anything. I've always been a Bioware fan, but seriously, DA2 is disappointing and I cannot see how the bulk of review sites can ignore some its fundamental flaws. Granted I can see how the combat has improved for console platforms, but it's really the rest of the game that leaves me feeling irritated. For instance, the dialogue optionsI've played this all of the way through before writing anything. I've always been a Bioware fan, but seriously, DA2 is disappointing and I cannot see how the bulk of review sites can ignore some its fundamental flaws. Granted I can see how the combat has improved for console platforms, but it's really the rest of the game that leaves me feeling irritated. For instance, the dialogue options and conversation interactions have really been dulled down - I assume this is due to the fact that Hawke is now voice-acted. I would love to sit down and talk with whoever came up with the 'sarcastic' replies for Hawke - he just sounds like an idiot. Taking the character of Isabella as an example - we get it, she is a sex addict - there is no need to constantly remind the player over and over again aside from the obviously intended hit with the younger male audience. There is no connection with the characters, you just don't end up caring what happens to them. The exception to this in my opinion is Merrill, whose dilemmas and underlying story fit in more with what I'd come to expect from Origins. The constant 'cameos' from older characters only reinforce the lack of interest with the supposed main cast of this installment. The story is definitely a lesser scale than origins, which makes me feel quite angry as to the marketing propaganda hinting at some sort of epic ascent to 'power'. Whilst the combat mechanics are a little more streamlined, as is item and inventory management in general, this doesn't fix the issue of repeated zones, reuse of assets, the low variety of enemies and the incredibly annoying 'walk-into-an-area-and-keep-spawning-stuff' ideology. Perhaps it is my fault for having expectations that were too high, or not checking beforehand that the entire game was essentially going to be set in one relatively bland city with a few outdoor areas which would be reused at periodic intervals as 'years' progress. I see a lot of the positive reviews being given here with scores of '10'. I just don't see why. Especially the 'OH MY GOD IM LEVEL 7 AND THIS IS AMAZING' - I too was still 'giving it a chance' at that stage hoping that it would open up and improve. Others suggest increasing the difficulty somehow compensates for the bad storyline and being locked into only a few zones just so that you can engage in slightly harder repetitive combat where on occasion people jump randomly from the sky, up from the ground or pop out of nowhere. I'm not a professional review writer - and I've never posted a review on metacritic before despite being a deidcated PC gamer for well over a decade. I just felt massively let down as a player and as a fan of DA:O that the experience of DA2 was quite simply a let down. Honestly it feels as if they sat down after the Awakening expansion and thought 'lets do that again with a new character and implement some of the ideas we couldn't fit into the scope Awakening - we'll call it Dragon Age 2'. P.S. Bring back more of the mage schools and spell combos. Why remove them?… Expand
  96. Hamakua
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    EA is starting to show through the Bioware veneer, this is not a game of "traditional" Bioware quality but your typical EA "shovelware". A re-skinned and neutered DA:O pushed out the door as a cash infusion into EA's portfolio just in time for Q1 reporting.

    The claims that EA would be hands off for on developers like Bioware and other is of course bunk. IP's get stripped as EA pumps out    EA is starting to show through the Bioware veneer, this is not a game of "traditional" Bioware quality but your typical EA "shovelware". A re-skinned and neutered DA:O pushed out the door as a cash infusion into EA's portfolio just in time for Q1 reporting.

    The claims that EA would be hands off for on developers like Bioware and other is of course bunk. IP's get stripped as EA pumps out sequel after sequel cashing in on usually solidly established franchises. By the time the fans of the respective franchise wake up, they have already moved on and you are stuck with a series of games who's quality is inversely proportional to the "series number". The higher the number, the lower the quality.

    EA is not any better than it was 5 years ago, the difference was they purchased a bunch of new developers who were hot and they "claimed" to have changed their ways. Please.

    How's it feel Bioware to be the latest EA sellout patsys? Way to flush your reputation down the drain.

    DA2 is a shadow of what DA:O was, and DA:O was a fraction of what NWN was.

    DA:2 is a simplistic and linear hack and slash that has been trimmed down so you can roll your face across the keyboard and achieve "Profit!". There is no depth in deploying tactics, hell, tactics? What are those? The game has been made significantly easier (from an already easy franchise) so to cater to the lowest common denominator. The narrative is forced and poorly executed, it feels like I am witnessing 7 year-olds perform a truncated Richard III. Great for the few parents of the 7 year-olds, the rest of us find it infantile.

    Gameplay is button mashing and more button mashing. AI is below par and the graphics/landscape is repetitive and feels pulled from 2002, 2003. The graphics aren't bad, per say, but they aren't pushing any envelopes, or melting any systems. Developing for consoles only then making **** ports over to PC isn't winning you any beauty contests EA-ware.

    Tell you what guys, maybe Bioware is passed it's prime, maybe you should all liquidate and move your assets over to the Madden house, you know, where all mediocre developers go to be forgotten.    … Expand
  97. Lascelle
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    What reason do we have to believe Mass Effect 3 won't be given the same shoddy treatment as Dragon Age II? So disappointed. Bioware has bought into their own hype and is throwing their well-earned reputation into the proverbial toilet.
  98. jackitsu
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Critics are rigged. This game was so bad on so many levels, I don't know where to begin. More than anything it was disappointing, because it could have been a great game and fell short on everything and got so far from its roots that its barely recognizable. It strings you along with hopes that it will take you back to the world you loved but never does. Disappointing. Bad.
  99. Impagliazzo
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Pretty weak mechanics, bad camera, heavy. A let down! The first DA is a much more polished game with mechanics suited to the complexity of its gameplay.
  100. bazooka65
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad gamevery bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad gamevery bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad gamevery bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very bad game very 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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.
    Read full review
  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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