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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. dayman75
    Aug 8, 2013
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There are some improvements in combat visuals, and the mechanics is a lot easier to handle, which attract newcomers to the DA series. But for those who enjoy the complex combat system of DA:O (I consider myself one of them) some disappointment might come from this game.
    The game is not a brilliant achievement in graphics (and sometimes it does disappoint, in trees, buildings and the sky) but the characters are pretty well modeled. Reusing locations is also a bad thing that must be noted.
    The storyline could be better, its true. This game is basically babysitting a huge city and (the final act of the game) witnessing what will be the story for DA:Inquisition.
    The quests are pretty entertaining, but the secondary characters can sometimes be quite forgettable.
    Conclusion: Dragon Age 2 is a GOOD game, but it falls short of DA:Origins.    … Expand
  2. AmongstYou
    Jul 29, 2013
    0
    I never thought that a series could be more bastardized, more streamlined, more simplified, than when I had so unfortunately played Final Fantasy XIII. With Final Fantasy XIII however, it was clear that Square Enix was already going down a dangerous path and something as insulting to role playing game fans as Final Fantasy XIII was to be an expected outcome.
    The difference between Square    I never thought that a series could be more bastardized, more streamlined, more simplified, than when I had so unfortunately played Final Fantasy XIII. With Final Fantasy XIII however, it was clear that Square Enix was already going down a dangerous path and something as insulting to role playing game fans as Final Fantasy XIII was to be an expected outcome.
    The difference between Square Enix and Bioware is that Bioware should have known better. Considering that these people brought us Baldur's Gate, the best video game sequel of all time Baldur's Gate II, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, and of course, Dragon Age: Origins, you would think that Dragon Age II would have been decent, if not better than the already spectacular Dragon Age: Origins. I could not have been farther from the true result.

    Dragon Age II elects to take the winning formula of Dragon Age: Origins and tries to do something new. My first problem is why do so? Dragon Age: Origins was absolutely fine and needed not revamping. The best way to make a sequel is to add some new original content, expand the world and story, and also improve and fine tune the few problems of Dragon Age: Origins. Instead, Dragon Age II tries to reinvent the wheel and does so poorly.

    To sum it up shortly, they simplify anything that required strategy the first game's combat into button mashing garbage that makes it feel like Mass Effect with swords and magic. The globe trotting and exploration is now walking through one linear corridor that will give you flashbacks to Final Fantasy XIII. Interaction is non existent. You have more luck talking to a wall in this game than your own god damn party! When the companions don't have their own story arcs and interesting backgrounds, the player ceases to care about them emotionally, making the experience feel incredibly detached.
    "Hand holding" is an understatement when it comes to how the game presents things to you. It practically pushes you to success with you not doing hardly anything. The game is so easy it's boring and feels like a chore to get through. The worst part? The lackluster, no surprises, plot line that feels like a really bad fan fiction and the unbelievably basic dialogue wheel.

    So, final words? It's the worst thing BioWare has produced followed shortly by the god awful and overrated Mass Effect games. BioWare, what the hell happened? Baldur's Gate is the reason I got into role playing games. Dragon Age: Origins was one of the first masterful RPGs in the last five years. To see you put little to no effort in it's follow up is sad. Hopefully Dragon Age: Inquisition is better, but I'm not getting more hopes. Neither am I getting my wallet out. I'll spend my money else where, preferably on CD Projekt Red's next title.    … Expand
  3. iseeall
    Jul 26, 2013
    4
    Dropped it after reaching the first city. The plot is alwful. There is just nothing to do there. You take a pointless role of a bounty hunter and are told to go some place to grab some riches. Well, I don't find it motivating enough. There was no feeling of story at all.
  4. Velnon
    Jul 19, 2013
    8
    Dragon Age II is a very enjoyable experience. It has a greatly refurbished combat system that feels like DA:O while still improving on the clumsiness of the original, it feels smooth and enjoyable and significantly faster paced then the original. The story, while not following the grey wardens, is both well written with plenty of references to the DA:O story. The characters are wellDragon Age II is a very enjoyable experience. It has a greatly refurbished combat system that feels like DA:O while still improving on the clumsiness of the original, it feels smooth and enjoyable and significantly faster paced then the original. The story, while not following the grey wardens, is both well written with plenty of references to the DA:O story. The characters are well designed, and even though you are stuck in one city, the city feels vibrant and interesting. A great game to get if you want to get into Dragon Age or you played the first one and want more to do in the same universe.… Expand
  5. Whiskerbro
    Jul 3, 2013
    2
    I never played Dragon Age 1, and after playing this game, I think I never will. The combat is so dull. The voice acting is bad, and the story is stupid. I care about none of the characters. NONE OF THEM! They are all shallow and could be described with one word. I was never surprised about how characters acted. This game was very little fun.
  6. Rennn
    Jun 27, 2013
    8
    Dragon Age 2 is a mixed improvement over Dragon Age: Origins.

    The game is not as short as many people say. It's easy to put in about 40 hours on one playthrough, as long as you go out of your way to find side quests. If you just try to burn through the story, you'll come out at probably 15 hours. This is a departure from DAO, because in DAO you run into almost every side quest simply by    Dragon Age 2 is a mixed improvement over Dragon Age: Origins.

    The game is not as short as many people say. It's easy to put in about 40 hours on one playthrough, as long as you go out of your way to find side quests. If you just try to burn through the story, you'll come out at probably 15 hours. This is a departure from DAO, because in DAO you run into almost every side quest simply by visiting the story locations. In DA2 you have to search. This isn't necessarily good or bad, it's just a change that many people missed.

    The characters are at least as good as those in Origins, though they're not similar in personality. Stories are consistently multifaceted, with many correct points of view, and which characters you love mostly depends on which one you find the most convincing. Every character's motivations make sense from their point of view. I love Merrill, but I've met people online who think she's the biggest idiot of all time. Likewise, I hate Fenris, but some people love him. Bioware's curse is that they always make characters so deep and multifaceted that a significant portion of the audience hates most of them, because their personalities don't line up with that specific player's view of a good person.

    The story is completely different from Origins. Rather than a single epic climax, it has two climaxes, and the setting is halfway across the world from Origins. A completely different set of problems faces the characters in DA2. It's not a good or bad thing for the series, simply different.

    Combat has immeasurably improved. You can now actually stab with your daggers and swing your sword, rather than flopping every weapon through the air like a broken tennis racket. More spells are available for mages that allow them to funnel enemies into position for tanks, and every class has more methods of breaking up crowds (which were hopelessly annoying in Origins). The downside to this is that enemy AI has not noticeably improved from Origins, meaning that all your new abilities, it's easy to win after the first 10 hours unless you play on the hardest difficulty.

    As usual for a Bioware game, the characters are the incredible part, and they're better than ever. Only Mass Effect does characters as well, and that makes sense considering they're from the same developer.    … Expand
  7. Crimsonking58
    Jun 4, 2013
    6
    All in all, Dragon Age 2 isn't a bad game, but I could never shake the feeling that the game would've been better suited as an expansion pack. There are probably about 10-15 hours of Bioware quality content that doesn't feel like filler amidst the MMO-like pedestrian quests (Playing this after The Old Republic couldn't have helped that feeling one bit); if they had cut off the fat andAll in all, Dragon Age 2 isn't a bad game, but I could never shake the feeling that the game would've been better suited as an expansion pack. There are probably about 10-15 hours of Bioware quality content that doesn't feel like filler amidst the MMO-like pedestrian quests (Playing this after The Old Republic couldn't have helped that feeling one bit); if they had cut off the fat and delivered a more focused title I believe this game would've been much better off. Still, I don't regret playing it, and the moments of greatness pulled me through the moments of mundanity. Origins remains the far superior title, but if you absolutely love the Dragon Age universe you're missing out on quite a bit of good stuff if you decide to skip the second outing.

    Score: 6/10
    Time to beat: 37 hours doing all but two quests
    Play this if: You love the Dragon Age universe and don't mind a few filler quests    … Expand
  8. Nataraja
    May 31, 2013
    5
    To put it simply this is a total let down after the fantastic first game. I was able to play it all the way through once but had no desire to play it again, It was helped greatly by the post launch day patch but it took them several days to bring that online.

    It certainly is not the worst game I have played but it was by far the WORST that Bioware ever produced and it shows that the    To put it simply this is a total let down after the fantastic first game. I was able to play it all the way through once but had no desire to play it again, It was helped greatly by the post launch day patch but it took them several days to bring that online.

    It certainly is not the worst game I have played but it was by far the WORST that Bioware ever produced and it shows that the change to EA was NOT good at ALL for Bioware    … Expand
  9. eroeru
    May 28, 2013
    1
    A huge letdown. Took away all the beauty of the first game, substituted it with a cheesy and cheap overall. Combat is less strategic and less ambient "thanks" to the speed of it and the impossibility to differentiate moves. Characters are twofold. Quests are boring. Environments are simply bland, and as-made-from plastic and paper. Fantasy becomes believable not from overcoloring but fromA huge letdown. Took away all the beauty of the first game, substituted it with a cheesy and cheap overall. Combat is less strategic and less ambient "thanks" to the speed of it and the impossibility to differentiate moves. Characters are twofold. Quests are boring. Environments are simply bland, and as-made-from plastic and paper. Fantasy becomes believable not from overcoloring but from an imaginative and convincing set-up. Needs to be more smart overall. This game is not quality story-telling nor an ambient experience. Doesn't make you think, doesn't move nor make one feel much.… Expand
  10. Razark9
    May 25, 2013
    3
    Oh.. My.. God... EA ruined this game. Battles were way too easy. The story was boring and I felt almost claustrophobic inside the city of Kirkwall. Every cave looked exactly the same..
  11. Cell1e
    May 24, 2013
    6
    I have changed my score for this game based on the fact that it has very little replay value for me since I bought and played it.
    They removed most of the things I love about rpgs and especially from DAO and flashed up the combat a lot. Saying that I liked some aspects of the combat but not enough to justify the removal of all the crafting and personalising of characters and party    I have changed my score for this game based on the fact that it has very little replay value for me since I bought and played it.
    They removed most of the things I love about rpgs and especially from DAO and flashed up the combat a lot. Saying that I liked some aspects of the combat but not enough to justify the removal of all the crafting and personalising of characters and party members.
    I missed terribly the immersion from being able to converse with my team members whenever I liked and of course the romances were for me totally lacking especially compared to other Bioware games.
    The story was pretty dark and bleak, death of loved ones a constant theme throughout the game, not much fun to play of you are struggling with your own grief in rl. The mirror of transformation a nice idea but the awful ghastly shop with the droning and terrible shopkeeper...who likes that kind of place? Twelve year old boys?
    It's an ok game but a HUGE let down after Dragon Age Origins. I've also missed the player made mods as there was no tool kit released for this game. Therefore our modding community have been extremeely limited in what they could do with the game. Such a shame.    … Expand
  12. MaxGayLord
    May 16, 2013
    10
    Yes, the level design is utterly terrible and the visuals are sub-par, but everything else is pure gold. I acknowledge the game has its flaws, however I feel that those flaws are only minor blemishes when compared to the many redeeming aspects of Dragon Age 2.
  13. Brenden7
    May 6, 2013
    6
    I was thoroughly heart-broken after playing this game. Most of what I had loved from the original game was stripped. The approach of having a "framed narrative" was interesting but I feel that the story just did not deliver (I had to ask myself midway through Act 2 what was my purpose for continuing) and it was certainly not of Bioware calibare. The characters were almost one dimensionalI was thoroughly heart-broken after playing this game. Most of what I had loved from the original game was stripped. The approach of having a "framed narrative" was interesting but I feel that the story just did not deliver (I had to ask myself midway through Act 2 what was my purpose for continuing) and it was certainly not of Bioware calibare. The characters were almost one dimensional with a particular elf who would not look out of place in Stephanie Meyer book. The recycled areas quickly got boring and the gamed ceased being an adventure. But most of all I hated the combat: enemys that explode as if they were made of of balloons filled with cranberry juice; endless waves of trash mobs which seems as a vain attempt to make the game feel longer; bosses battled that bordered on ridiculous (*ahem* Meredith and Corpyheus).

    In the end this game didn't not feel like Dragon Age I will admit in conclusion that there are worse games out there but certainly Bioware is better than this rushed mess. I hope for better in the third installment; having played The Witcher 2 and Tomb Raider the bar is set pretty high now.    … Expand
  14. aborle
    May 2, 2013
    7
    More like Dragon Age Episodes.
    If DA O was like a tasty soup, then consider DA 2 a watered down version of that same soup. Hence my rating doesn't go lower, because there is still some goodness left. enough to enjoy the game. Still, here comes the bad:
    So what happened? It honestly appears as though EA has twisted Bioware's nuts and asked them to make a sequel in such a short time. The    More like Dragon Age Episodes.
    If DA O was like a tasty soup, then consider DA 2 a watered down version of that same soup. Hence my rating doesn't go lower, because there is still some goodness left. enough to enjoy the game. Still, here comes the bad:
    So what happened? It honestly appears as though EA has twisted Bioware's nuts and asked them to make a sequel in such a short time. The main problem in Da 2 is the content, or rather the lack of it. 3 different stories occur and then the third one leads to a cliffhanger ending. Choice system this time is annoying this time which leads to the mages screwing up no matter what you choice is. Half the character roster is annoying and we are limited to 1 city (which still manages to be repetitive in itself).

    But i guess there is enough good that will still make DA O fans play this. For other ppl, pick up DA O instead its a better game    … Expand
  15. Dimppa
    Apr 29, 2013
    2
    i'm giving it 2, because i had so high hopes for this thing, i didn't even want to find anything about it in advance at it turned to that crap. of-course there are several things i like but due to critics way too high reviews i can't give 6/7 as i first thought just above average. might have been worth 7/8 without DA Origins
  16. ShinoRagnar
    Apr 29, 2013
    2
    If you liked Dragon Age 1 youre probably not gonna like Dragon Age 2.

    Everything good about DA1 has been replaced:

    Combat System: Replaced with a worthless action oriented -no brainer system
    Skill System: Dumbed down to no choices at all
    Maps: THERE IS ONLY 1 MAP! All theyve done is make you enter from different doors. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?
  17. Adyman
    Apr 20, 2013
    5
    LOL! 82 score, cmon this game is so bad compared with first one! trolllolololololololololololololololololooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
  18. Khaos25
    Apr 17, 2013
    0
    Dragon Age II marks the beginning of the downfall of BioWare and the ever-rising scourge which is EA. Make no mistake, DA2 would be a good game (decent) on its own. But when you're a sequel to what is probably one of the greatest medieval RPGs of all time, you have a lot to live up to. Sadly, DA2 doesn't. Not even a little bit. Repetitive dungeons, lousy gameplay, dull characters, plotDragon Age II marks the beginning of the downfall of BioWare and the ever-rising scourge which is EA. Make no mistake, DA2 would be a good game (decent) on its own. But when you're a sequel to what is probably one of the greatest medieval RPGs of all time, you have a lot to live up to. Sadly, DA2 doesn't. Not even a little bit. Repetitive dungeons, lousy gameplay, dull characters, plot holes and so many more. Its literally a blight on gaming. Origins was the first ever medieval style game I actually finished. I wanted to get off this game a few minutes into the actual gameplay. It WAS that bad. I could go on forever but I feel like I'm gonna waste my time doing so cause you all know the drill anyway. The worst part is IF DA3 turns out good, I would have to finish this sad, sad game in order to play through the whole series properly. But somehow, I fear EA has more nasty things up their sleeves.… Expand
  19. Gravin
    Apr 17, 2013
    1
    After Dragon Age: Origins I was so hyped and wanted to get my hand in this game. And what a waste of time that waiting was. It's not a good game. Almost everything that was good in Origins are thrown out of the window and what we get is a generic, action rpg for consoles. The story is horrible, they use the same caves and areas over and over again. And we cant even leave the god damn city!After Dragon Age: Origins I was so hyped and wanted to get my hand in this game. And what a waste of time that waiting was. It's not a good game. Almost everything that was good in Origins are thrown out of the window and what we get is a generic, action rpg for consoles. The story is horrible, they use the same caves and areas over and over again. And we cant even leave the god damn city! It's horrible, dont touch this piece of garbage!… Expand
  20. Rockodss
    Apr 5, 2013
    1
    Dragon Age 1 was one of those games you buy because it looked cool. I had no idea what I was about to live. So since the 1st one was amazing I thought DA2 would be similar.... don't be fooled... Gameplay 0 everything that made DA1 is dropped on DA2... you better get a controller for your PC version because you simply get a bad port from console to PC....

    DA1 had 2 differents type of    Dragon Age 1 was one of those games you buy because it looked cool. I had no idea what I was about to live. So since the 1st one was amazing I thought DA2 would be similar.... don't be fooled... Gameplay 0 everything that made DA1 is dropped on DA2... you better get a controller for your PC version because you simply get a bad port from console to PC....

    DA1 had 2 differents type of gameplay, console and PC. in DA2 they just said F*** PC lets go easy way.
    Story as nothing near DA1...

    Everything seem wrong with this version.... Wonder what Bioware had in mind...    … Expand
  21. MightyThor
    Mar 17, 2013
    8
    I'm very disappointed in the massive amounts of negative reviews for DA:2. It is not origins 2, it is not skyrim, it is dragon age 2 so stop trying to make it what you want it to be and enjoy the game for what it is! I understand to an extent where they are coming from, but for the most part it is a good game, and the number one complaint is it's not Dragon Age Origins 2 but a totallyI'm very disappointed in the massive amounts of negative reviews for DA:2. It is not origins 2, it is not skyrim, it is dragon age 2 so stop trying to make it what you want it to be and enjoy the game for what it is! I understand to an extent where they are coming from, but for the most part it is a good game, and the number one complaint is it's not Dragon Age Origins 2 but a totally different game. Why can't each game stand on its own? I think DA:2 does. First to address the poor points of 2 in my opinion, one the world has very few locations. It is not open, but neither was origins. Origins just had more instanced places to go. DA2 focuses on a central location and unlocking small instances there for storyline and quests. It plays very similarly to mass effect 2 in that way. Which personally is fine by me, but many people criticize that feature.

    The other flaw to me is the combat animations can get a little over the top. It's a little bit borderline anime when you're playing a rogue. But to me it's a huge improvement over origin's animations (try playing a two handed dwarf in origins, you look ridiculous when you swing).

    The last flaw is you can't create your own hero or play races other than human. Boohoo. Playing a dwarf would've been fun but I can live with this.

    The good points, I like the fully voiced dialogue more. Instead of picking a fully written response you select a flavor of response or question and your hero speaks it, like you pick a humorous response or an angry one so you don't know exactly what he'll say. The game keeps track of what you pick and you start to sort of develop a personality. And it's much better than mass effect's series where you're always trying to be all bad or good because it doesn't work that way here so you can respond to each situation however you like and reactions are done individually and don't need to be unlocked that way.

    Another thing I like is the talent tree. It's an actual tree now so it feels like you're making more of a build instead of just picking a selection of skills. You can also combine effects with other classes for combos so there's some depth there. Battle is not as tactical as origins but in general I like the combat and talents.

    The story is compelling and good to me. It's not on such a grand scale as origins but you're following a family as they rise in importance and it's cool to watch it play out. There's still plenty of lore involved and it's immersive enough.

    In general it's not as deep as origins but still a very enjoyable game.    … Expand
  22. jadam914
    Mar 4, 2013
    5
    Dragon Age Origins was the best RPG to come out in a long while. Though DA2 was good over all by the standards of the first game it was a let down.

    First the good parts. It was better than most any game that came out around the time it was released and many that were made before it. The graphics were acceptable but not a home run. There are side quests to do and the character    Dragon Age Origins was the best RPG to come out in a long while. Though DA2 was good over all by the standards of the first game it was a let down.

    First the good parts.

    It was better than most any game that came out around the time it was released and many that were made before it. The graphics were acceptable but not a home run. There are side quests to do and the character leveling and UI were acceptable. Interaction in the story line was good and though there was only a little room to customize the story through your decisions. Some of the old DAO flavor was there. Over all a good but not great game.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The bad parts, mostly comparing to Dragon Age Origins

    Too Linear
    DA2 felt much more linear than DA. There was less content over all than DAO and less options of things to do.

    Graphics were rushed
    It is easy to see for any serious gamer that the game was rushed. The textures could have been better. The map areas were limited and more recycled that DAO. I would have liked to have more area on the maps provided. It reminded me of some of the older games because things were recycled as much as they were.

    A Console game
    This game was console based with PC as an after thought. Big mistake on Bioware's pare because the made most of the DAO fans mad. It was a more of a console button masher than a true PC game.

    Lacking in content
    Though there was a lot of content as a sequel it was too short compared to DAO. The content was not as decision based as DAO. There was no real main map like in DA. At the end I found my self saying "That's it?"

    I say, over all it is a good game but don't get your hopes up too much if you already played the first one.    … Expand
  23. Jaz
    Feb 23, 2013
    4
    For the original Dragon Age i wrote: Very immersing story, believable world, interesting NPCs, fun and demanding combat. Well, Dragon Age 2 has nothing of those.
  24. sindrealmost
    Feb 19, 2013
    7
    There is mixed feelings on this game, as it not a "true" rpg, but after a while the game grew on me. I must also say, that this game now only cost just under 20USD which makes it good value for money. However had I paid full retail for this game I would most likely give it 5.5 or 6/10. But for 20USD this is a good game and the storyline is good, not mass effect good, but good.
  25. misscityhunter
    Feb 11, 2013
    0
    mauvais...très mauvais même. Après avoir joué un chef d'oeuvre comme dao ça fait un peu l'effet de se prendre une bonne baffe dans la figure (incredibly bad)
  26. AlienSpaceBats
    Feb 4, 2013
    7
    I didn't think very much of Dragon Age II at release, though I found it engaging enough to play through twice (and purchase some *ahem* DLC Legacy). My overall view was it wasn't as bad as I'd been led to believe (though not as amazing as "professional" reviews made out either). A post Mass Effect 3 perspective does this game many favours; by comparison Dragon Age II is succinct, nicelyI didn't think very much of Dragon Age II at release, though I found it engaging enough to play through twice (and purchase some *ahem* DLC Legacy). My overall view was it wasn't as bad as I'd been led to believe (though not as amazing as "professional" reviews made out either). A post Mass Effect 3 perspective does this game many favours; by comparison Dragon Age II is succinct, nicely made and high quality. It is missing a number of cRPG elements present in its predecessor, but for the most part it seems this was a successful attempt at streamlining things, the (free) hi-res texture pack makes a lot of difference, as does the DirectX 11 support. So for the most part; nicely written (though not devoid of contrivance or sloppiness minimal), excellent voice acting with some engaging and likeable characters with neat arcs. DA2's positives far outweigh its negatives.… Expand
  27. Flash_Over
    Jan 27, 2013
    5
    Wow, where to start. I played Dragon Age: Origins. I also played other Bioware RPG games dating back to the Star Wars Old Republic games... and I haft to say... this was by far... the worst game they ever made. Thought I liked a few changes they did, I also feel they took two steps forward and 6 steps back. This game is not and shouldn't have been be called a Dragon Age game and be namedWow, where to start. I played Dragon Age: Origins. I also played other Bioware RPG games dating back to the Star Wars Old Republic games... and I haft to say... this was by far... the worst game they ever made. Thought I liked a few changes they did, I also feel they took two steps forward and 6 steps back. This game is not and shouldn't have been be called a Dragon Age game and be named something else. Since DA2 and DA:O are completely different... First off... The combat. I loved the combat style and killing-blow animations in Dragon Age: Origins. It's Lord of the Rings style hack and slash, blood gore, ect... Thats what was expecting in DA2 from DA:O... I was so disappointed. Though I liked the now fast paced style action (Without pausing). The attack animations, the sounds... it was all terrible and unsatisfying. Plus, the selectable classes were all mashed into only 3 classes. Plus where is my option to play as a tank?! I played a Tank in DA:O... For the games setting, looking back to Star Wars and Mass Effect, I though that I would be able to play my character again from previous saves, or what I did in DA:O would be immensely relevant to the next sequel. Boy, was I wrong. Besides a few differences in dialog what you did in DA:O DOES NOT MATTER, and doesn't even effect the story in hardly anyway. In DA2 it all plays out 95% the same with, or without DA:O saves. But, the meat and bones of the game is the story and the characters... The story, the game takes place in a large city, thought i was surprised at first since I was expecting another cross country adventure as in DA:O, but no. Besides venturing out of the city walls every so often, 75% of all the activity take place in the city. In the same places, same districts, same streets, same buildings, same home, same room, same alley same cave... the only thing that changes is the name of the enemies. Its absolutely repetitive! All it is, is hacking through respawns all in hope the story will get better. But, it doesn't! The story lacked depth and it felt so vague! What happened to the epic battles against the dark spawn orcs? The Arch Demons? It is all gone. Though the Darkspawn is the ultimate evil in the Dragon Age universe you will only fight them on a HAND full of occasions. You will find yourself killing spiders... more spiders... some zombies... demons, and endless re-spawns of humanoids. All in the same places you cleared a hour or so ago. For the characters, besides Varren and Hawks sister... I hated them all... All of them. They all feel so hollow as I did not care for them. Plus, Hawks sister either dies(If you bring her to the Dark Roads) or she gets captured and jailed till the very last scene in the game! WTF? So you and Varren are stuck with a Sesame Street gang... I was not to big on Romances in RPGs, but DA2 has even less to offer. For females you have a STD ridden pirate whore, A frail and awkward elf that looks under-aged and a lesbian ginger woman. For males you have a Pretty boy elf that is always pissed off, Anders who is a whiny heterosexual wuss! Me myself, I found ever reason not to like any of them. Plus, they had to make the only normal some what attractive characters your brother and sister... So scratch them too... This game was a HUGE disappointment... This game didn't even give me any nostalgia what so ever... There was also, no crafting, no armor for your companions besides weapon and jewelry... But, to end on a positive note, the game was in a way fun to play. The UI was well dressed and organized, and the game was not as long as DA:O, but it was fairly full of content. I do think i got my monies worth of entertainment (As in time wasted). Plus, the game works and is well polished as I found NO bugs or glitches while playing. It was a very solid platform, no lag, no crashes. Which is rare in games these days. I am generously giving this game a 5/10. Simply because this game would have been INCREDIBLY good and popular if it was not related to Dragon Age; with it's title changed to something else. But, naming this game Dragon Age... Bioware simply shot themselves in the foot.… Expand
  28. oliver1h
    Jan 22, 2013
    1
    A very big letdown after the previous installments! The gaming world feels empty. The rpg elements are dumbed down, and the combat mechanism feels like playing with an arcade game. The story is weak, and the missions feel generic. Art direction is lazy. Japanese rpg like huge sword (I prefer when weapons look realistic). This franchise took a very bad direction.
  29. Aeryx
    Jan 19, 2013
    4
    As a sequel to Dragon Age: Origins this game was a big disappointment. You can tell this game was rushed like crazy with the ridiculous number of recycled dungeons, enemies, and graphic tilesets. This should have been a great game but instead fell victim to EA's ongoing overhype-and-overrush-quality-be-damned business strategy at making new games. The fact that most critics gave this gameAs a sequel to Dragon Age: Origins this game was a big disappointment. You can tell this game was rushed like crazy with the ridiculous number of recycled dungeons, enemies, and graphic tilesets. This should have been a great game but instead fell victim to EA's ongoing overhype-and-overrush-quality-be-damned business strategy at making new games. The fact that most critics gave this game a 90+ score just shows how lacking in integrity game journalists are.… Expand
  30. Pantheon
    Jan 18, 2013
    8
    I could write paragraph after paragraph here about why DA2 isn't even 25% as bad as the majority of critics here would want you to believe, but it would be to no avail I'm sad to say. In the first place, I'm suspect of any rating between 0-3, I'm also suspect of 10's. I could see some people finding this game enjoyable enough to give it a 9, or annoying/disappointing enough to give it aI could write paragraph after paragraph here about why DA2 isn't even 25% as bad as the majority of critics here would want you to believe, but it would be to no avail I'm sad to say. In the first place, I'm suspect of any rating between 0-3, I'm also suspect of 10's. I could see some people finding this game enjoyable enough to give it a 9, or annoying/disappointing enough to give it a bland mediocre rating of 4-6. I can see where some people don't think the graphics are better than in DA: Origins, but the graphics are fine --- not exceptional. The storyline was interesting and some of the characters were downright hilarious, so I really don't understand any complaints on that end. Sure, some of the dialogue could be better ... and all games seem to suffer from repetitiveness, some more than others. I do agree that they overused the same areas/caves which almost gave the game a DLC quality, but I can't see how that merits a drastically diminished overall rating. It's true that combat is simplified and any difficulty encountered relies more on the excessive respawning of mobs than on the mobs' AI and innate abilities .... and it's true that they removed the complexity (or hassle to some) of having to outfit/equip your companions ... still though, the story is fun and intriguing despite its slightly bizarre ending. Yes, it falls short of DAO, then again how many sequels truly surpass their predecessors? I was hesitant to give it an 8, but giving it a flat 7 seemed a bit too low. I think this is one case where the Critic Reviews are closer to the truth than the User Reviews ---- note that they range from 58 to 95. Buy this game on sale and decide for yourself.… Expand
  31. Xelion
    Jan 15, 2013
    7
    I find the 4.2 too low for this game. Yes, it's not DA: Origins, it's not as good. Yet as a standalone game it's not that bad. It looks as good as DA:O (though it's supposed to look better, even if it feels like there was no progress...), combat system is waaay better, but everything else is worse. Your companions are not as interesting, your voiced hero feels wrong, and the responses a laI find the 4.2 too low for this game. Yes, it's not DA: Origins, it's not as good. Yet as a standalone game it's not that bad. It looks as good as DA:O (though it's supposed to look better, even if it feels like there was no progress...), combat system is waaay better, but everything else is worse. Your companions are not as interesting, your voiced hero feels wrong, and the responses a la Mass Effect are too few comparing to how much freedom you felt on the first game. Also, the game keeps reusing the same places over and over again, making it boring.… Expand
  32. ActionBastard
    Jan 14, 2013
    3
    This game, despite being somewhere between resoundingly mediocre and offal, was foisted onto the gaming community by a clueless industry and corrupt, bribe-accepting "journalists." If you like RPGS, don't play this. If you believe in journalistic integrity, don't play this. If you like video games and want the industry to improve, don't play this. I'll give this game a 3, because it'sThis game, despite being somewhere between resoundingly mediocre and offal, was foisted onto the gaming community by a clueless industry and corrupt, bribe-accepting "journalists." If you like RPGS, don't play this. If you believe in journalistic integrity, don't play this. If you like video games and want the industry to improve, don't play this. I'll give this game a 3, because it's prequel was excellent and it held much (squandered) potential.… Expand
  33. kwopper
    Jan 11, 2013
    0
    I honestly didn't even play through this game halfway. Dragon age 2 has none of the strategy, customization, or gameplay the original dragon age, or any bioware rpg has. They dumbed down everything . This game might as well have been a fps except with fireballs and swords.
  34. DanMan3395
    Jan 8, 2013
    0
    This game is an abortion. EA was pregnant with a beautiful baby Dragon Age but they took the drug called "Console" and aborted the sweet baby all over the floor. Everything about this game is inferior to DA:O. There is like 1 dungeon graphic, 1 world graphic, the classes all suck, the magic system sucks. 2 armor graphics and 2 weapon graphics. This is EA and what you should expect from EA.This game is an abortion. EA was pregnant with a beautiful baby Dragon Age but they took the drug called "Console" and aborted the sweet baby all over the floor. Everything about this game is inferior to DA:O. There is like 1 dungeon graphic, 1 world graphic, the classes all suck, the magic system sucks. 2 armor graphics and 2 weapon graphics. This is EA and what you should expect from EA. Pure Abortions.… Expand
  35. 6xdandangp
    Dec 29, 2012
    0
    I expected MUCH more. Dragon Age: Origins had an excellent concept and was much more enjoyable overall. This game definitely does not deserve to be part of the main series. The fact that you're forced to be in one town for most of the game shows how lazy EA is getting.
  36. suneater
    Dec 17, 2012
    3
    Everything about this game is dumbed down from the original. The plot is terribly written with jumpy pacing, resulting in it feeling like multiple games mashed together but somehow still has significantly less content than the original. It felt like the devs couldn't decide when to finish the game so they just ruined everything they could in it. Your choices have very little if any impactEverything about this game is dumbed down from the original. The plot is terribly written with jumpy pacing, resulting in it feeling like multiple games mashed together but somehow still has significantly less content than the original. It felt like the devs couldn't decide when to finish the game so they just ruined everything they could in it. Your choices have very little if any impact on the game with key characters dying no matter what. Conversations have been dumbed down even by Bioware standards into a Good, Bad, or Silly response, with occasional inquiry options. Replacing the tactical gameplay from the original is a consolified "press X to awesome" anime-style system where by the end of the game you are literally making enemies explode with your sword. Crashes to desktop, worse graphics than the original, uneven voice acting with fake accents, an unlikable cast, the list could go on for a while. This game feels unfinished, unedited, and quickly thrown together unlike the polished original.… Expand
  37. ChoicestGames
    Dec 11, 2012
    8
    It's true. Dragon Age II did for Dragon Age, what Mass Effect 2 did for Mass Effect. This means the combat is more streamlined and there was more time left to put an effort into an epic storyline spanning several years of the protagonist's life. To me, this is a good thing. If you're an RPG conservative though, probably not.
  38. 223kazin
    Dec 9, 2012
    1
    I've been a long time fan of Bioware games, I was frothing at the mouth while I played DA:O. I bought all the DLC, played it three or more times, I had a blast. I could barely trug along in DA2. The combat was fairly brainless and easy, which made much of the game dull and exhausting to play. The graphics were underwhelming, with a sly attempt to hide it under copious amounts of gore. TheI've been a long time fan of Bioware games, I was frothing at the mouth while I played DA:O. I bought all the DLC, played it three or more times, I had a blast. I could barely trug along in DA2. The combat was fairly brainless and easy, which made much of the game dull and exhausting to play. The graphics were underwhelming, with a sly attempt to hide it under copious amounts of gore. The dialogue wheel was an unwelcome change. I thought Dragon Age was supposed to be the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate? Baldur's Gate didn't have a **** dialogue wheel. It's well and good to cater to the console crowd, but it's not like you need precision or masterful reflexes during dialogue. Since when were dialogue wheels a staple for console games? Is it really that difficult to use the D-pad to navigate detailed dialogue choices in a drop down format? Also, despite what all these 10 ratings like to spout, the story was boring, and the characters were immemorable. I can remember the likes of Allister, Morrigan, Leliana, Shale, Oghren. I can't, however, remember a single god damn character from DA2, besides "Hawke". I'm not entirely sure what Bioware was thinking, but I couldn't even finish this game. I got 12 hours into it. 8 of those hours I was being incredibly stubborn thinking "I'm going to finish this **** game even if it kills me, it's got to get better at some point." ...It didn't. In the end what really killed this game was how unintuitive the combat was. A game with barely any difficulty to it is doomed to fail in the eyes of any self-respecting player. This is likely a great entry-RPG for your kids, but I'd just as readily suggest Kingdom Hearts, instead.… Expand
  39. bjaz
    Dec 3, 2012
    3
    a failed rpg game
    can't found anything great
    dragon age origin was a epic game and this game unable to touch e...
    hoping dao3 would be better.....
  40. freejack
    Nov 25, 2012
    1
    Let me start by saying DA:O is my second favorite RPG of all time with Planescape Torment holding the top spot. Now I'll make this short. DA2 was the biggest disappointment in all my years of gaming. Bioware turned a deep, tactical, thought-provoking game into a contrived, mind-numbing clickfest. Who's retarded idea was it to make opponents essentially blow up? Nowhere did it mentionLet me start by saying DA:O is my second favorite RPG of all time with Planescape Torment holding the top spot. Now I'll make this short. DA2 was the biggest disappointment in all my years of gaming. Bioware turned a deep, tactical, thought-provoking game into a contrived, mind-numbing clickfest. Who's retarded idea was it to make opponents essentially blow up? Nowhere did it mention that our players swords were laced with impact-triggered C4. Then there's all the pointless side quests that some 10 year old must have conceived. Click here on the map, fight group one, fight group two, retrieve item, repeat ad nauseam. Although I understand why there are gay characters in the game, the fact that there are so many is baffling to me. Not only is this unrealistic, it feels like Bioware is pushing some kind of agenda on the player. I really liked how it was handled in the earlier Mass Effects and DA:O. In DA2 you couldn't swing your sword without hitting a homosexual (unintended sexual innuendo). You'd think this game was made specifically for gay 12 year old gore junkies with ADHD. I will definitely not be buying DA3 until reviews from regular folk like myself and not the big gaming sites come out praising the game.… Expand
  41. WingedAnomaly
    Nov 18, 2012
    8
    I'm going to keep this short and simple. It's not DA:O - hell, it's barely an RPG, but it's a good game. I found myself wrapped up in the world, the characters, and the story, enjoying the combat and the tension, reveling in the soundtrack, and generally enjoying myself. There are a number of glaring flaws, but if you don't walk into it expecting Dragon Age: Origins, you'll probablyI'm going to keep this short and simple. It's not DA:O - hell, it's barely an RPG, but it's a good game. I found myself wrapped up in the world, the characters, and the story, enjoying the combat and the tension, reveling in the soundtrack, and generally enjoying myself. There are a number of glaring flaws, but if you don't walk into it expecting Dragon Age: Origins, you'll probably enjoy yourself, just like I did.… Expand
  42. cossayos
    Nov 2, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A cheap ripoff of something that once was great. Fights degenerate to a button fest, complete with exploding enemies. You feel like a monkey on speed. This in itself is something that turned me off so completely that I hardly could muster the strength to get going. Enemy hordes dropping from the sky do additional damage when it comes to immersion. Add to this repeating environments that reek of cheapness and a story that's very ambitious but contradicts itself, and you quickly reach the bottom of what an RPG should offer in my opinion. Sprites and the unnecessary revamping of the races substract another bit of the atmosphere. Give that game a wide bearth unless you're simply into mashing one button. There's nothing else to it. Bearable only after consuming a sixpack of beer.… Expand
  43. Palenoire
    Nov 2, 2012
    2
    This is not Dragon Age. This is some Mas Effect poseur! BioWare need to slow down and think about what they are doing. Critics? I have no doubt that critics are BOUGHT by EA. They are sold-out hypocrites and they are LYING straight to your face! Another example of EA being douchebags and more bad words.
    And don;t listen critics that review EA game - they are bought by EA (I have no doubt)
  44. Qis
    Oct 13, 2012
    1
    This game will get boring to re-play, it is because we can't customize our companions so we will see the very same thing. Each companions have their own designed and theme that we can't change it. There is no actual plot for the entire game, it is just about the survivor of the recent war make a living in a new city and then happen to be involve in numerous conflicts either by his/herThis game will get boring to re-play, it is because we can't customize our companions so we will see the very same thing. Each companions have their own designed and theme that we can't change it. There is no actual plot for the entire game, it is just about the survivor of the recent war make a living in a new city and then happen to be involve in numerous conflicts either by his/her companions or the city he/she live. Those conflicts are actually none of his/her problem, he/she doesn't even have to involve in anything either. The ending of the story is the same with a little different no matter what choices we make. Combat is anime-like, with no tactic, because of enemies can pop up from thin air, re-spawn randomly, so it will be hack and slash all the time. The maps are just copy and paste, recycled everywhere. The graphic is okay, but the rest is just dull. This game can be played just for fun and nothing serious about it. This game destroy it's predecessor Dragon Age : Origin.… Expand
  45. IndigoInsane
    Oct 3, 2012
    9
    If I wanted to play Dragon Age Origins I would play that. Instead I wanted a good sequel that elaborates on the in game world without making me replay it. Hear that? I do not want to play a sequel and spend the entire game **** about how it isn't the first game because well duh, it's the sequel. Do I have issues with certain parts of the game? Of course, combat is to simple and areas areIf I wanted to play Dragon Age Origins I would play that. Instead I wanted a good sequel that elaborates on the in game world without making me replay it. Hear that? I do not want to play a sequel and spend the entire game **** about how it isn't the first game because well duh, it's the sequel. Do I have issues with certain parts of the game? Of course, combat is to simple and areas are re-used way to often. However I absolutely loved the plot, more then Origins, and found Varric is only a close second to Alistair and although I don't like Isabella she's at least more understandable then Morrigan.… Expand
  46. Miang
    Sep 24, 2012
    4
    This game is not even a shadow of its former self (DA1). Insultingly reused content, stuck in just one city, very short duration, combat system is worst than DA1's, a dull plot and many more negative aspects and litle to nothing positive to comment here. I give this game a 3 because it's a Dragon Age... or maybe not. I don't know. But this game is an insult to every Dragon Age fan.
  47. Parvarteshwar
    Sep 12, 2012
    8
    Now that a few years have passed I can say Dragon Age 2 is actually a pretty good game. Sure, it's not an epic game like Origins but it's still pretty good. The combat is fast paced, highly varied from class to class and even from character to character, and much more frequent. It's a lot of fun to select spells, switch characters, select attacks, switch characters, complete cross-classNow that a few years have passed I can say Dragon Age 2 is actually a pretty good game. Sure, it's not an epic game like Origins but it's still pretty good. The combat is fast paced, highly varied from class to class and even from character to character, and much more frequent. It's a lot of fun to select spells, switch characters, select attacks, switch characters, complete cross-class combo and watch health bars plummet. It's a huge improvement on Origins and you have a lot more control over your companions. The Tactics menu is even improved so you can focus most of your attention on a single character and the AI will still perform adequately up to Hard mode. Dialogue is really improved. Say what you want about the Dialogue Wheel, it has made it a lot easier to choose a response and your no longer surprised when an NPC gets angry at something you said. in Origins you didn't always know when a particular phrase was sarcasm or animosity but now it's clearer and you can make better choices. You don't generally have five or six responses but the ones you do have are just as sufficient to make your impact. The player character is now pre-set and fully voiced in dialogue. This does take away from the 'create your own experience' aspect but Bioware has always had good dialogue and they did not disappoint. You can still role-play as Penis Johnson, now he is Penis Hawke which in my mind is just as juvenilely hilarious. Your companions are just as varied and can be just as interesting as in Origins but they have a lot more companion quests and they will no longer get pissed off and leave if you do something they don't like. You now have a Friend/Rival meter which offers bonuses for being at one end of the extreme, you can even Romance a character that has a -100 opinion. There are now more Romances and you can have several without other companions getting too jealous. Ferelden was a closed world with a few dozen maps spanning a continent but Kirkwall (not the wonderful tourist destination in Orkney) is comparatively small. It has about the same number of maps but they are meshed into a single city and therefore it feels much smaller than it actually is and it fails to create the illusion of a free world like Origins. You do have a lot more quests so now you will revisit the same map a dozen times which does get tedious well before the final chapter. You also never leave the city. I think they did this because they wanted you to feel attached and care for the outcome of its inhabitants. To a degree they succeeded but it is still lacking compared to the first game. The story is a lot more low key than Origins which is where many people get pissed off. Instead of destroying an unstoppable horror from consuming a continent as the leader of a mysterious and storied order, you are just a poor refugee who pulls him/herself up by his/her bootstraps to become the most powerful person in town. You can either be help an independent city-state remain free and happy or you can destroy it. It's closer to The Witcher than Origins but it gets the job done and is interesting enough to keep you going. Each chapter has a different goal and a different theme so even though you never leave the city it does change dramatically. Just don't expect to feel like you've saved the world but do expect to feel like you've created a city. And the most important aspect of any video game: Immersion. Yes, it's easy to get lost in Hawke and the voice actor does a really good job of reciprocating my intent for each given response. The world is still Dragon Age and there is a lot of depth there, just don't expect to sink as far as you did in Origins. In conclusion, it's a good game with a lot more positives than faults and most importantly it is fun. It has the 'Middle Game' problem where they don't want to introduce the big finale but they need a lot of filler and for filler Dragon Age 2 is the best there is.… Expand
  48. Smaug
    Sep 12, 2012
    0
    Greatest disappointment in history of RPG's...
    Poor story where every action has only one prescripted outcome
    You are playing an emotionless doushebag Terrible graphics Untactical and repetitive combat Short Tiny amount of scenery and locations Boring WoWesque quests Poor animations Overhiped piece of **** Only thing it was good for was for showing how corrupted gaming magazines    Greatest disappointment in history of RPG's...
    Poor story where every action has only one prescripted outcome
    You are playing an emotionless doushebag Terrible graphics
    Untactical and repetitive combat
    Short
    Tiny amount of scenery and locations
    Boring WoWesque quests Poor animations
    Overhiped piece of **** Only thing it was good for was for showing how corrupted gaming magazines actually are.    … Expand
  49. Gothic90
    Sep 10, 2012
    3
    It's a game that tries to cater to everyone, but in the end is satisfying to no one.
    Yes combat fluidity is improved, but making it an action game with wild swings of greatsword, and that one where you can't even use the top down camera? That takes too much away from the tactical, group based combat experience.
    In fact, there are mods to DAO like Nightmare+ and Combat Tweaks on dragon    It's a game that tries to cater to everyone, but in the end is satisfying to no one.
    Yes combat fluidity is improved, but making it an action game with wild swings of greatsword, and that one where you can't even use the top down camera? That takes too much away from the tactical, group based combat experience.
    In fact, there are mods to DAO like Nightmare+ and Combat Tweaks on dragon age nexus that resolves the drawbacks of DAO's combat system, without taking away the core experience.
    Also, while it ventured into the area of action based combat, there is hardly anything it can offer to compete with real action games, there's no rolling or even jumping. You do it right, or you don't do it at all.

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

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

    so whats my conclusion-its nothing even compared to the first dragon age. it is dumbed down to try and make rpg games like this more mainstream. I think that bioware selling out to EA pretty much wrote their death certificate. I will never..ever purchase another ea game again.thank you    … Expand
  51. Ocelot113
    Sep 5, 2012
    2
    For a game that really only had to improve on the fluidity of combat, they changed pretty much everything from the first game, for the worse I might add. Combat seems to be the only thing they got right, for the most part. ----- The story was linear not allowing for multiple outcomes to situations. Bringing a hero through tragedy is okay, but absolutely dropping the story after theFor a game that really only had to improve on the fluidity of combat, they changed pretty much everything from the first game, for the worse I might add. Combat seems to be the only thing they got right, for the most part. ----- The story was linear not allowing for multiple outcomes to situations. Bringing a hero through tragedy is okay, but absolutely dropping the story after the downfall is not. The point of a hero is the journey back from disaster and the choices that they make shortly after tragedy. Dragon Age 2 after every major event skips ahead in time missing all those pivotal choices. Immense tragedy with no option for justice is a good way to piss people off, not get them emotionally invested. because there was no proper response to events it made me realize that this is a game, and I don't want to play it anymore because my reaction was not expressed. Not even close. That's the opposite of immersion. ----- Speaking of immersion, the use of a main voice actor could have been an amazing addition, IF... the tone of the voice were more versatile. RPG's requires that you feel like you are the role you are playing and when you cannot be aggressiveness sharp-tongued or be righteously stern then voice acting obliterates immersion. Forcing voice acting into pansy good guy, cheery joker, and jack-off bad guy, means you do not get real characters but cliche stereotypes. And when you are choosing multiple reactions during a scene you get unrealistic multiple personality mood swings. ----- Party Character options got an axe to the face. No ability to equip characters with armor and no ability to choose any skill tree, killed this game for ever RPGer that played, and loved Dragon Age: Origins. One of the great things about DAO was that if you didn't like someone in the party, you could give that role to someone more interesting. The fact that I had to run 90% of the game with the soulless, emotionless, thought and humor inept Aveline because she was the only tank, was... well the dumbest character choice I've ever come across in a game. Lastly, I'll quickly touch on the combat. Really the only problem I had with the combat was the cooldown system. In DOA there was a dedicated tank and a dedicated healer, for the most part. This system works, use it. Healers were made extinct because of the over-powering cooldown system. I downloaded a mod to lower all cooldowns making this game faster paced and much more fun since the healer was viable again. ----- Needed mods to enjoy: http://dragonage.nexusmods.com/mods/3194#content (Armor for Party Members) http://dragonage.nexusmods.com/mods/2407#content (All Skill Trees for Party Members) http://dragonage.nexusmods.com/mods/2186 (Reduce All Cooldowns)… Expand
  52. chronoT
    Sep 2, 2012
    5
    Although I do not think it's fair that this game is getting a score of 1, it really is disappointing. The graphics are decent but not much if any improvement from Origins, but the gameplay itself took a huge nose dive. The thing that bothers me the most is the way the maps and quests are setup, it's totally generic, rushed, and to be honest seems incomplete. Seriously, after a few hoursAlthough I do not think it's fair that this game is getting a score of 1, it really is disappointing. The graphics are decent but not much if any improvement from Origins, but the gameplay itself took a huge nose dive. The thing that bothers me the most is the way the maps and quests are setup, it's totally generic, rushed, and to be honest seems incomplete. Seriously, after a few hours of play all the dungeons and a lot of areas are repeated and used again, and makes the game feel lame. The story as well was overall pretty terrible, I have no idea how they went from such a well written story in Origins to a game that really doesn't add up. I would have to recommend not wasting your cash on this, stick with Origins and the DLC/Expansion/Character Texture improvement mods.… Expand
  53. Martin90
    Aug 31, 2012
    1
    DAO was an awesome game whit a cool story and in the second one they just trhow it away , and give us just a lame game : no continuity, awful scenarios, and characters
  54. hwarming
    Aug 29, 2012
    7
    People are very negative about this game, and quite frankly, it doesn't deserve the hate it gets. Sure it isn't as good as Origins, but it is still a good game. I'm going to divide my review into Pros and Cons.
    Pros: The combat: Fighting in this game feels very fast paced, a very big improvement from Origin's which feels sluggish compared to 2's. Graphics: Being a sequel, it naturally has    People are very negative about this game, and quite frankly, it doesn't deserve the hate it gets. Sure it isn't as good as Origins, but it is still a good game. I'm going to divide my review into Pros and Cons.
    Pros: The combat: Fighting in this game feels very fast paced, a very big improvement from Origin's which feels sluggish compared to 2's. Graphics: Being a sequel, it naturally has improved graphics. Voiced Player character: This is the first Dragon Age game that has your character voiced, and uses a dialogue wheel similar to Mass Effect's. I really didn't mind the way dialogue worked in Origins and KoToR, but when your character actually speaks, you kind of get more of a feel to what you're saying.

    Cons: Reuse of areas: A lot of caves and buildings are reused environments, just with different monsters and items, this is due to the publisher EA rushing BioWare for an early release. NPC Companions: The companions in this game are a step down from Origins, in Origins, you liked pretty much all of them, at least I did, they had a good back story, and you learn to like them as the game goes on, in 2, not so much, I really only like 2 of the companions, Merrill, and Varric, Anders is a character from Awakenings, DA:O's expansion, they really messed him up in this game, changing his personality completely. The Story: It's just not as good as Origins, it doesn't feel as epic, and no matter what you do, the endings are pretty much the same, feeling like you didn't have much choice in the story, which goes against normal BioWare games. Exploration: In Origins you got to explore a whole country, in 2, you get a city, which changes at day and night, and a little bit as the story progresses.

    Overall, it's a good game, just not as good as Origins, Bioware tried something new, and it didn't work out, hopefully they'll spend more time on Dragon Age 3    … Expand
  55. Gamed2long
    Aug 24, 2012
    6
    A lot of people got their hate on for this game. If you payed $60 expecting a reasonable sequel to Dragon Age:Origins I don't blame you.
    I read the reviews and eventually bought this game anyway when the price was much reduced.
    This is a great example of a low end $20 bargin bin game. There is fun to be had. Interacting with the characters on your team is where most of the fun lies. And    A lot of people got their hate on for this game. If you payed $60 expecting a reasonable sequel to Dragon Age:Origins I don't blame you.
    I read the reviews and eventually bought this game anyway when the price was much reduced.
    This is a great example of a low end $20 bargin bin game. There is fun to be had. Interacting with the characters on your team is where most of the fun lies. And the plot is simple yet functional. Its a tad predictable but it doesn't really get in the way. They recycle maps like a son of a gun. I mean several years are supposed to pass between acts and your player is generally stuck in the same city. It would be cool if you could watch the city grow and evolve or maybe show off some of its devastation as the game progresses. I mean by the end of the first act I was sick of all the same old places that went basically unchanged as the game went on. Because every warehouse is exactly the same everywhere right? Just the way they designed the maps it feels very sandbox. But it is a solid play. And while it isn't "Epic" in any sense of the term I went into it with modest expectations and it didn't disappoint.
    Don't get me wrong they killed the franchise here. DA:O was an epic and could have started an epic franchise and its a shame this is the sequel. But looking at it as a stand alone game its alright.    … Expand
  56. scorched595
    Aug 22, 2012
    1
    What a piece of **** this game was. The story is written like a 10 year old's crossover fanfic, the characters are so cliche and poorly made, that I'm surprised that they aren't made of cardboard, and the graphics are just awful to look at. Not only that, but there are issues such as the dialogue options are too vague and don't show what your character is actually going to say. The worstWhat a piece of **** this game was. The story is written like a 10 year old's crossover fanfic, the characters are so cliche and poorly made, that I'm surprised that they aren't made of cardboard, and the graphics are just awful to look at. Not only that, but there are issues such as the dialogue options are too vague and don't show what your character is actually going to say. The worst issue though, by far, is the layout of dungeons and the setting. It's set in one **** city and the outlying countryside around it, but that's not the worst part, the worst part is the constant recycling of dungeons for every quest, meaning if you actually pay attention, you will notice you've been going through the same cave systems for the 30th **** time. The combat is the only thing good about this game, it's fast paced and keeps you on your toes, but everything else just sucks. Dragon age 2, suck my **** dick… Expand
  57. kane148
    Aug 13, 2012
    7
    I felt that this game wasn't so much bad as it was a disappointment. While it takes place in the same world as Dragon Age: Origins and shares the same basic gameplay, it feels very different--and not in a good way. The item/inventory system has been vastly simplified but, unlike Mass Effect 2, this does not remove the need to manage loot: it just makes it far less rewarding for those whoI felt that this game wasn't so much bad as it was a disappointment. While it takes place in the same world as Dragon Age: Origins and shares the same basic gameplay, it feels very different--and not in a good way. The item/inventory system has been vastly simplified but, unlike Mass Effect 2, this does not remove the need to manage loot: it just makes it far less rewarding for those who want to take the time, while still forcing everyone else to sort through a pile of generic rings, belts, and swords to see which are worth keeping. The combat system has also been changed to make it more action-oriented and fast-paced, and while it does make hacking or zapping enemies more fun, the changes remove much of tactical depth present in DA:O. Moreover, unlike its predecessor, most fights now feature waves of enemies which spawn all around your party (shades rising from the ground, thugs jumping down from buildings, etc.), making any useful strategy difficult. I did find that the characters and story in this game were pretty good--not quite as good as DA:O but still worthy--and I thoroughly enjoyed developing relationships with my party. One improvement is the friend/rival system, which means that unlike DA:O you don't have to suck up to party members to get their bonuses: each character has 2 unique bonuses, one for a friend and one for a rival. This game severely limits your main character by forcing you to be a human with the surname Hawke who must follow a single basic path throughout the game, and who has far fewer dialogue choices than in DA:O. The upside is that your character is fully voiced, so NPCs are no longer the only ones talking aloud. One significant fault of this game, however is that all the events after the intro take place in and around a single city, so you spend the whole game visiting the same locations over and over. This didn't have to be a major setback, but the developers failed to incorporate much variety into the locations: every cave, warehouse, backstreet, and tunnel look the same--they just reused the same blueprint for almost every location, with certain doors added to seal off unneeded areas. There is also a paucity of variety in enemies: you spend most of the game fighting the same spiders, bandits, and blood mages. Between these two problems, the game-play is far less fun than it could be. One final point is the graphics: overall they are improved from DA:O (except for the tiresome re-use), but for some reason the handful of characters from the first game just look AWFUL. Most look very weird and poorly done, like the artists did them over lunch one day. As someone who spent dozens of hours playing Origins, I was appalled to see my beloved friends looking so horrendous. Overall, I still think this game is worth playing--mostly for the story/character development--but unlike DA:O, this is not a game I can see myself playing again and again.… Expand
  58. Synapse
    Aug 13, 2012
    10
    Stunning game, superb story and characters, and combat is faster and flows better than Origins. Has a few issues with reuse of environments etc. but doesn't detract from the games brilliance. A must for roleplaying fans.
  59. dumle
    Aug 8, 2012
    5
    Bioware were pretty bold when they made Dragon Age 2. Sadly few things got improved from the first one. The combat though pretty to look at feels dumbed down, and the new conversation wheel is a complete disaster hurting a big part of the game. A lot of features from the first one has gone missing and overall it feels a lot more simplified. The writing feels uneven and has more downs thanBioware were pretty bold when they made Dragon Age 2. Sadly few things got improved from the first one. The combat though pretty to look at feels dumbed down, and the new conversation wheel is a complete disaster hurting a big part of the game. A lot of features from the first one has gone missing and overall it feels a lot more simplified. The writing feels uneven and has more downs than ups and the story lacks real choices despite despite being alright apart from that. The games biggest flaw however is that its feels rushed. Bioware must really like the environment because they are recycling material like never before. It really get embarrassing, especially considering that the environments weren't that great the first time.Its still a decent rpg though. Just don't expect to much.… Expand
  60. Aegrus
    Jul 23, 2012
    10
    As a game, it was pretty good. As a character relationship simulator, it was amazing. This truly is the only game I've seen that has characters equal to or better than those in Mass Effect 2 and DA:O. Dungeons are recycled, which gets irritating after a while. However, the combat has been improved greatly from Origins. It's now faster and more responsive, with the new ability treesAs a game, it was pretty good. As a character relationship simulator, it was amazing. This truly is the only game I've seen that has characters equal to or better than those in Mass Effect 2 and DA:O. Dungeons are recycled, which gets irritating after a while. However, the combat has been improved greatly from Origins. It's now faster and more responsive, with the new ability trees adding more strategy to levelling your characters classes. The graphics on release are better than those in DA:O, but free HD texture dlc makes them actually look modern. There's a two-pronged story this time, focusing first on the Qunari invasion, but primarily on the Mage-Templar conflict. The story is less epic than that of DA:O, but more emotional and personal. (Certainly more original.)

    Story-changing choices are lacking compared to Dragon Age Origins, but there are even more ways that your reactions with characters can develop. This is a trade off. I got 45 hours out of the game going completionist, so for an rpg, it's a little on the shorter side. Still, it costs about $20 now. I say, try it out now that the hype's worn off. It's not a perfect game, but it's better than the naysayers with ultra-high expectations claim it to be.    … Expand
  61. hello4
    Jul 19, 2012
    1
    After playing dragon age 2 I can't help but feeling a bit cheated.Not many games including skyrim can beat dragon age origins but it's the matter in which da2 failed that upsets me. The emotional attachment to characters compared to da:O is non existent,the storyline in my view is boring and the setting of the game leaves further disappointment.Background after background is overused andAfter playing dragon age 2 I can't help but feeling a bit cheated.Not many games including skyrim can beat dragon age origins but it's the matter in which da2 failed that upsets me. The emotional attachment to characters compared to da:O is non existent,the storyline in my view is boring and the setting of the game leaves further disappointment.Background after background is overused and predictable enemy spawning causes frustration.The first game in my view is bigger in size better in quality and nearly has more depth of story in the intros combined than all of da2Don't buy this game you'll regret it.… Expand
  62. RoboticDevice
    Jul 19, 2012
    2
    For those of you wondering whether or not Dragon Age 2's combat is different from Dragon Age Origins, it is. In Dragon age origins, the combat took timing, it took skill, thought and effort. You had to plan out everything you wanted to do, and it was great. Because if you didn't, you had a high chance of failure. you actually had to think, you had to work, and you had to comply with realFor those of you wondering whether or not Dragon Age 2's combat is different from Dragon Age Origins, it is. In Dragon age origins, the combat took timing, it took skill, thought and effort. You had to plan out everything you wanted to do, and it was great. Because if you didn't, you had a high chance of failure. you actually had to think, you had to work, and you had to comply with real terms of combat. In Dragon Age 2, it's completely different. If you want to win nearly ANY battle, including against dragons, all you have to do is spam the attack button and you will. I cannot tell you how many times I attempted to make it harder on myself just to make it feel like a real game. I attempted to limit my attacks per second, I changed the difficulties to harder, even so, I still won every single battle with ease because of the X button. I have an Xbox remote, during a few fights I just took it downstairs while spamming the X button, made myself a sandwich, came back up, stopped in the bathroom a few times, and came back to see not only me still alive, but everyone else dead because I had killed them. It was that simple. There is no justice in combat for this. However, I give it a 3, simply because of the fact that the campaign and story line do make some sense, they just barely follow Origins, but even so, I highly recommend you put it back on the shelf and run. This teaches kids that when they're in real world situations, all they have to do is spam the button. That's how I got my first girlfriend, ironically, but that's beside the point. Please don't buy this.… Expand
  63. St33rpike
    Jul 18, 2012
    5
    Okay, the combat in this game is really fun: you can simultaneously choose the moves of every member of your squad, can switch perspectives to complete the fight as a different squad member, and are asked to be highly strategic during some intense battles. Also, the story is fun, even if it pales in comparison to the more nuanced narrative of Mass Effect. Why the low score? Well, in someOkay, the combat in this game is really fun: you can simultaneously choose the moves of every member of your squad, can switch perspectives to complete the fight as a different squad member, and are asked to be highly strategic during some intense battles. Also, the story is fun, even if it pales in comparison to the more nuanced narrative of Mass Effect. Why the low score? Well, in some ways, this feels like a beta-test version of the game. The dungeons are all obviously using the same one or two maps. The shopkeepers simply run out of items if you buy their whole supply. Enemies don't regenerate when you return to areas later. All of this leads to a game that feels unfinished. It is entertaining enough, but I would never recommend this game without pointing out its serious weaknesses.… Expand
  64. McKinneyKEA
    Jul 16, 2012
    2
    Boring story that didn't pull me in, unlikable characters, reuse of dungeons, butchering of the rpg genre and the dragon age franchise. There are so many things I dislike one of the more important ones......the diolouge wheel. Your are not you, this is not a sequal this is a basterdized couzinof the origonal.
  65. Aralakh
    Jul 12, 2012
    4
    This game would have very likely received a slightly higher score from me had it not been named "Dragon Age II". Going into this, I had some (reasonable) expectation that the quality of the RPG would live up to its predecessor, and unfortunately I was disappointed in almost every way possible. The voice protagonist is an entertaining novelty, but I would have gladly given it up if it meantThis game would have very likely received a slightly higher score from me had it not been named "Dragon Age II". Going into this, I had some (reasonable) expectation that the quality of the RPG would live up to its predecessor, and unfortunately I was disappointed in almost every way possible. The voice protagonist is an entertaining novelty, but I would have gladly given it up if it meant a richer story and more immersive environment rather than simply trekking about a city running errands for dozens of hours. BioWare really dropped the ball with this one, and I hope they can get the franchise back on track with Dragon Age III.… Expand
  66. Escherichia
    Jun 18, 2012
    5
    I played this game before Dragon Age Origins and, since I couldn't compare it with its predecessor it didnt feel that bad... Sure, the hack and slash combat wasnt the best idea for a RPG and the story was kinda dumb, but overall it felt like a mediocre game, not a terrible game.
    Then I played Dragon Age Origins and understood where all the hate was coming from: Dragon Age 2 butchers the    I played this game before Dragon Age Origins and, since I couldn't compare it with its predecessor it didnt feel that bad... Sure, the hack and slash combat wasnt the best idea for a RPG and the story was kinda dumb, but overall it felt like a mediocre game, not a terrible game.
    Then I played Dragon Age Origins and understood where all the hate was coming from: Dragon Age 2 butchers the franchise in pretty much every aspect.
    I stick to my original feeling for the game at this review since i did not replay it after playing Dragon Age Origins and give it a 5: Far from great, still not absolutely terrible game. But if I had to compare it to DA:O, I would give DA2 a 2 at most.    … Expand
  67. foil
    Jun 17, 2012
    0
    this game was pretty hardcore, but I think it could have been hardcorer. needed more weapons and death animations because they make games better always.
  68. Zoso
    Jun 15, 2012
    0
    After over a year now, I still can't forget the disappointment when I first played the game. After playing Dragon Age: Origins, I'd been looking forward to the sequel in anticipation, but was even more taken aback than when Neverwinter Nights was released.
    It's truly terrible in every respect, it's basically a hack-n'-slash action RPG badly ported from an outdated console (like PS2 ore    After over a year now, I still can't forget the disappointment when I first played the game. After playing Dragon Age: Origins, I'd been looking forward to the sequel in anticipation, but was even more taken aback than when Neverwinter Nights was released.
    It's truly terrible in every respect, it's basically a hack-n'-slash action RPG badly ported from an outdated console (like PS2 ore something). I was so paralyzed I actually played about 10 hours, waiting for the story to kick in, or anything to kick in, really, but it didn't.
    And it would have been so easy to make a great sequel to a great game - just leave mot of what made the game intact, improve upon the more technical stuff (graphics, interface responsiveness), and you're good to go. But no, they had to waste that chance and s**** it up (like what 4E did to D&D).

    Sad. I'm never going to pre-order anything Bioware again.    … Expand
  69. neowiz73
    Jun 6, 2012
    9
    Awesome game, It ties in story elements from the first one real well and makes a nice continuation of the original. Great story effecting elements Bioware has crafted into all it's newer games. Great story, Great gameplay and Great character development options. Not much else I could want.
  70. Pandafrag
    Jun 3, 2012
    6
    I personally love the new combat, but everything else was dull. Dragon Age Origins was a plot driven game and the story for DA2 felt very weak and dull. DAO also had vast varieties of places to explore but the island centric game felt too confiding. Character development for your companions are boring and you never really "care" for any of them.
  71. MacrosTheBlack
    May 30, 2012
    3
    Of late game designers seem to have gone the route of making sequels less intricate instead of more intricate. Dragon age II suffers from this exact same problem and ruins the experience. Dragon age 1 was a game for the ages, an old school CRPG in the baldur's gate tradition which met with much enthousiasm from gamers everywhere. I remember thinking to myself "this is going to be AWESOMEOf late game designers seem to have gone the route of making sequels less intricate instead of more intricate. Dragon age II suffers from this exact same problem and ruins the experience. Dragon age 1 was a game for the ages, an old school CRPG in the baldur's gate tradition which met with much enthousiasm from gamers everywhere. I remember thinking to myself "this is going to be AWESOME if they get an expansion going, with a follow up story and more classes!" Imagine my dissapointment when I ordered DA2 and found out that DA2 really has nothing in common with DA1. The story is completely unrelated to the DA1 story, the combat system is incredibly dumbed down to the point of just relentlessly button bashing and seeing pretty colours and the origins system, which was very promising, was axed alltogether. Can't give this one more then a 3, and I'll be holding off on any bioware purchases untill they prove they can get it right again.… Expand
  72. Larwood
    May 28, 2012
    8
    The good: fluid, enjoyable combat; good characters; involving storytelling; nice character progression system.
    The bad: almost no replayability; the story leaves you at a rather awkward moment, leaving blatant room for a sequel; some strange gearing mechanics (like the sets that nobody will ever bother to collect; not many actual dragons(?).
    The ugly: constantly reused environments.
  73. ricesautes
    May 25, 2012
    3
    The game isn't bad, but as the estimable Gertrude Stein noted: "There's no there there". I would probably give it a 5 on its own merits, but I have to deduct 2 points for ruining the luster on the incredibly awesome DA:O. Everything that was right in the original has been toned down and dumbed down. The story is meh, the characters are meh, the loot is meh, the locations are meh, and theThe game isn't bad, but as the estimable Gertrude Stein noted: "There's no there there". I would probably give it a 5 on its own merits, but I have to deduct 2 points for ruining the luster on the incredibly awesome DA:O. Everything that was right in the original has been toned down and dumbed down. The story is meh, the characters are meh, the loot is meh, the locations are meh, and the outcome is meh. I realize it would have been hard to top the first game, but this pales in comparison to even the Awakening DLC.… Expand
  74. Lulgrim
    May 24, 2012
    2
    I borrowed an account to play this after Origins and Awakening made me skeptical about buying any more BioWare games. Wow I'm glad I didn't pay for this. Ugly graphics, bad voice acting, terrible writing, uninteresting story, crappy gameplay, recycled locations... I just have nothing positive to say.
  75. madhad234
    May 15, 2012
    2
    This game isn't even worth my time to write a review about, avoid Dragonage 2 at all costs! Terrible game on all platforms. 2003 graphics, mediocre gameplay, underwhelming story. Just go replay Dragon Age: Origins or Neverwinter Nights 2 instead and avoid this disaster. Spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate.
  76. shyrofox
    May 15, 2012
    9
    Honestly I loved Dragon Age II. The quests felt important, the story had wonderful immersion, and the voice acting was incredibly fun to play with and listen to. I admit the lack of a variety of equipment was a little disappointing, but I never found that to be horribly important to the overarching plot. The ending is lovely and epic, but it has a very cut short feeling to it that leavesHonestly I loved Dragon Age II. The quests felt important, the story had wonderful immersion, and the voice acting was incredibly fun to play with and listen to. I admit the lack of a variety of equipment was a little disappointing, but I never found that to be horribly important to the overarching plot. The ending is lovely and epic, but it has a very cut short feeling to it that leaves you going, "That's it? Wait... that's the end?" I look forward to Dragon Age III in hopes that this confusion might be cleared up. Still, one of my favourite games, even if the combat does lack the challenge present in DA:O.… Expand
  77. IcoNat20
    May 15, 2012
    2
    This game has terrible story direction, bad graphics (compared to DA:O), unneeded reimagining of monsters, elves and mages alike. The dungeons are endless repeats, with waves of generic enemies coming at you at the same dungeon (but different name) that you were in an hour ago. The writing for the story feels like a weeaboo fanfic rather than a professional piece of work, and the combatThis game has terrible story direction, bad graphics (compared to DA:O), unneeded reimagining of monsters, elves and mages alike. The dungeons are endless repeats, with waves of generic enemies coming at you at the same dungeon (but different name) that you were in an hour ago. The writing for the story feels like a weeaboo fanfic rather than a professional piece of work, and the combat has been casualized click to win. Repeatedly my suspension of disbelief was taken away by quest's objectives just pulled out of air for me to complete without any mystery, especially with items found in caves. Not only that, but my control of my character was taken away from me repeatedly as well, going as far as to take years of my character's life away from me. I'd expect this from an action game, but not from an RPG. On top of this, my choices did not matter at all, and I was railroaded in the story line so no matter what I did, specific things always happened. The dialogue system was removed from DA:O, instead replacing it with a mass effect style system. Wouldn't be so bad if the dialogue was well written, instead whenever I picked the "Joke' dialogue option I felt like punching hawke in his smug **** mouth. This half finished game was not worth the 60 dollars I paid for it, and it wasn't worth 10. Buyer's remorse to the nth degree. That is all I want to say.… Expand
  78. Dudster
    May 6, 2012
    6
    THE GOOD:

    Combat is more fluid and abilities make more sense than DA1. Scripting the characters works also better. Story is fine, characters are interesting. THE BAD: The game mainly plays in a city. It looks like it has different buildings, but in reality its just one house. Whenever you enter a mansion, its exactly the same from inside. Oh, a door is barred here, and you enter    THE GOOD:

    Combat is more fluid and abilities make more sense than DA1. Scripting the characters works also better. Story is fine, characters are interesting.

    THE BAD:

    The game mainly plays in a city. It looks like it has different buildings, but in reality its just one house. Whenever you enter a mansion, its exactly the same from inside. Oh, a door is barred here, and you enter through the cellar, but its still the same house. There is one cave in the game. Well there are multiple caves, but from inside its THE SAME. You enter from a different direction, a rock slide blocks a path you could walk in "the other" cave. But its exactly the same map. There's that hill. Well there's multiple hills, but you get it. You're basically exploring the same area from a different entrance point, and some passages blocked off here and there. There's several Warehouses in the city as well. They're all the same. One word comes to mind: LAZY. Yeah, I felt kind of ripped off, cheated. Like the thought I wouldn't notice. Well I did. Another bad thing is that combat consists of waves of enemies popping out of nowhere. Suddenly they're there. You kill them and *pop* another group pops out of thin air and is beating your healer up. I really hated those two aspects. I really really hated the lazy repeated environment. This alone is the reason why I discontinue buying DA. This bores me immensely when "exploring" the world consits in entering the same places, pretending I'm somewhere else. If I want to pretend something, I won't buy a game for it. I'll just pretend.    … Expand
  79. Certate0
    Apr 30, 2012
    8
    I try to review based on the merrits of the game in question, not on its predecessors and not on ideas about how the game should have been. Dragon age is graphically great, the fighting is enjoyable and the story works well. The dungeons and other areas are very repetetive which was a little dissapointing but did not marr the experience. The inability to enhance armour on team mates alsoI try to review based on the merrits of the game in question, not on its predecessors and not on ideas about how the game should have been. Dragon age is graphically great, the fighting is enjoyable and the story works well. The dungeons and other areas are very repetetive which was a little dissapointing but did not marr the experience. The inability to enhance armour on team mates also dissapointing. These are all minor issues and overall I really enjoted the experience and would recommend giving it a spin.… Expand
  80. Lordsmerff
    Apr 29, 2012
    4
    Dragon Age II was the most enjoyable game I will never play again. The companions were great, their side stories were interesting and their dialogue was hilarious. I loved how deep and rich the characters were, as I do in all Bioware games I have played to date. The game is completely different to DA:O with the choices you made having minimal impact in DA2, which is really disappointing asDragon Age II was the most enjoyable game I will never play again. The companions were great, their side stories were interesting and their dialogue was hilarious. I loved how deep and rich the characters were, as I do in all Bioware games I have played to date. The game is completely different to DA:O with the choices you made having minimal impact in DA2, which is really disappointing as this game is supposed to be a trilogy. The gameplay changes were interesting, they are not DA:O but they make for a different game rather than a worse one. I also enjoyed how the main character is more involved within the storyline, however, the gear system was very limiting and I found myself just getting the special "class" set of gear that is available in each act, it really felt like I was back in the day playing Diablo II again but with less customisation. The main plot was very interesting and kept me playing despite the problems of the game. Sadly, the plot within the final act just turns into an abysmal mess and this really damages the experience of the whole game, I absolutely loved the plot in this game but it had such a weak storyline by the end. I play RPG's for the rich immersion I get and despite its final act I still do feel Bioware delivered a wonderful experience overall in this area. By far the biggest disaster of the game, one the developers surely were aware of but decided customers are utterly stupid and won't notice, was the reusing of maps. Not only are maps reused over and over within the world, they are all repeated again every act. No attempt is even made to hide the reuse of maps, the mini map doesn't even show the changes and doorways just appear blocked. This made the game extremely repetitive and I found myself grinding through the same set of maps endless times trying to get my story fix and reach the ending. For this reason alone I will never play Dragon Age II again. This was a disgraceful result from a company that has such a strong reputation for creating worlds to explore and interact with. I really tried to be understanding of this game, I love the games Bioware make and have been a long time fan. Unfortunately, for me Dragon Age II Act by Act started great, stayed great (but annoying in regard to the maps), and then went uncontrollably downhill until the ending. Overall it fell very short of not only my expectations but also what I consider an industry minimum. DA:O was an enormous success and a much desired modern rehash of some classic fantasy RPG's (Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights), I have no idea why they just didn't improve on an already acclaimed format. I'm not saying DA:O was what I wanted in Dragon Age II, I like to mix things up, but Bioware has dropped its standard (except for characters) trying to be different and that is the problem that I have with DA2. I have the feeling that Bioware and EA will need to re-evaluate a lot of things before DA3 if they want to redeem the Dragon Age trilogy.… Expand
  81. Nichtswisser
    Apr 24, 2012
    4
    Behold one of the worst sequels in history: Dragon Age 2, the adventure of Hawk in copy&paste Land. If you ever wanted to see serious recycling this is the game for you.
  82. hawkeman72
    Apr 11, 2012
    3
    This game is so amazing! i mean who could ask for a better game from bioware! the game centers around a character named Hawke, he has a pointed beard that points out on both sides! thats so badass! thats what more RPGs need, badass things like that! I love badassery in video games. I love the blood splatters on the cover, it shows that its a dark and mature game, for mature gamers such asThis game is so amazing! i mean who could ask for a better game from bioware! the game centers around a character named Hawke, he has a pointed beard that points out on both sides! thats so badass! thats what more RPGs need, badass things like that! I love badassery in video games. I love the blood splatters on the cover, it shows that its a dark and mature game, for mature gamers such as myself. Gone are the diverse dungeons and cityscapes of Dragon Age: oregins. Now you will be spending the entire game in Kirkwood! i bet thats a reference to captain kirk! im glad bioware are such Nreds like i am *squee**Glomp* nreds are so cool!. The Dungeons are copied and pasted like they should be! people who want variety are just entitled! The graphics are a step backward from the original dragon age, which is a good thing! those shiny new graphics just hurt my eyes!. The game deals with many real world issues, like killing, violence, and homosex. It deals with the latter in a very mature manner, there are multiple option for homosex in Dragon Age II, some of them can be initiated after a few positive lines of Dialogue! this is exactly what homosexes are like in real life, i walked to the hardware store today and recieved at least 3 or 4 homosexual encounters after asking for directions, its a very accurate and non patronizing portrayal of homosexes. Drag Age II is game of the year, its the best game of the decade and is amazing and good and great in every way. If you dont like it you are a homophone and a nazi.… Expand
  83. Bellicose
    Apr 10, 2012
    1
    Unbelievably disappointing. I can't fathom why they abandoned what proved to be an awesome style of game (Dragon Age Origins) in favour of generic garbage like this.
  84. mrqrvitz
    Apr 7, 2012
    8
    I've bought the game knowing that it has many bad reviews and made Bioware fans angry. But I like this game. It's story is far better than the story of its predecessor. We have some plot twists, not many things are predictable. The gameplay is very dynamic, but it lacks of tactics. You can take control over your companions, but it's not necessary. The only use of that is when you try toI've bought the game knowing that it has many bad reviews and made Bioware fans angry. But I like this game. It's story is far better than the story of its predecessor. We have some plot twists, not many things are predictable. The gameplay is very dynamic, but it lacks of tactics. You can take control over your companions, but it's not necessary. The only use of that is when you try to avoid damage from area spells. Anyway, it is fun. Crafting system is also quite good. Main flow of the game is area recycling - you will march through the same caves, mansions and underground passages all the time. But it's not that you will come back to the same places - you visit completely new locations looking like several other places but with different doors locked, blocked passages etc. It's the same mistake that was made during developing original Mass Effect. It seems that someone was very lazy. Anyway, I am very fond of this game, especially its plot. At last, we are not saving the world, we are watching a political struggle. It's more mature than contemporary RPGs, particularly other games made by Bioware.… Expand
  85. Kerzath
    Apr 4, 2012
    0
    El mes pasado me detectaron cáncer y ayer me operaron para extirparme el tumor. Cuando me lo sacaron resultó ser el Dragon Age 2. Me cago en EA, tendrían que enterrar todas las copias de esta malformación en forma de juego y que no se volviera a saber nada más.
  86. Shechu
    Apr 2, 2012
    3
    This game is bad, initially it can seem that it goes for good way but then it becomes monotonous, boring and short. And yes, it is possible that the system of battle is better than DAO but for everything else it's a pity that shares name with a great game, his predecessor.
  87. okm974
    Apr 2, 2012
    9
    I am really baffled by the strongly negative reviews that have been posted. I thought the game was very much in the spirit of DA:O, but with improved graphics and gameplay. I logged over 100 hours on nightmare, going back through multiple times to try different builds and plot developments. I was a huge fan of the cross-class combinations, finding it an improvement over the spells-onlyI am really baffled by the strongly negative reviews that have been posted. I thought the game was very much in the spirit of DA:O, but with improved graphics and gameplay. I logged over 100 hours on nightmare, going back through multiple times to try different builds and plot developments. I was a huge fan of the cross-class combinations, finding it an improvement over the spells-only combos of DA:O; playing as a rogue and backstabbing staggered enemies was extremely satisfying. The writing was just as good as any Bioware production--some parts of the main plot were a little clumsy and the scope of the plot wasn't as epic as DA:O by nature of its set-up, but it had good pacing and coherence. Party dialogue was also great. I found the characters extremely compelling and felt very attached to every recruitable companion. I've heard of people avoiding the game because of the negative fan feedback, which is unfortunate; even if people think the game doesn't live up to DA:O, it certainly doesn't deserve a 0, 1, or 2. It's solid and enjoyable, warranting at least one playthrough, and can easily suck up a lot of time and provide a lot of fun if players are completionists or like broody elves.… Expand
  88. Legionator
    Apr 2, 2012
    0
    Maybe the greatest disappointment of the RPG history. Everything that makes Dragon Age: Origins is either watered down or removed. Dialogue system, skills&attributes, inventory, ui, camera, art style, graphics are terrible. Combat is boring, meaningless, mindless. The only good thing about this game is that it can use to understand which critics are honest and which critics are lapdogs of EA.
  89. AlexanderVallin
    Mar 28, 2012
    9
    I'm a huge fan of DA:O and enjoyed this game as well. I understand that people would have appreciated more variety in the landscape, but I found the storyline to be interesting and I liked the cast. I played through this game twice, which says a lot given my limited free time these days. Anyway, if you play primarily for character development and character interaction, this might beI'm a huge fan of DA:O and enjoyed this game as well. I understand that people would have appreciated more variety in the landscape, but I found the storyline to be interesting and I liked the cast. I played through this game twice, which says a lot given my limited free time these days. Anyway, if you play primarily for character development and character interaction, this might be worth picking up.… Expand
  90. Bossk-Office
    Mar 28, 2012
    5
    A so-so game that probably feels worse than it truly is because it is the sequel to one of the best games ever, Dragon Age Origins. It is a much, much smaller game, made even smaller by limitations such as you can't equip your companions with armor and in some case even with weapons of your choice; you spend most of your time running quests in a very few different locations, instead of theA so-so game that probably feels worse than it truly is because it is the sequel to one of the best games ever, Dragon Age Origins. It is a much, much smaller game, made even smaller by limitations such as you can't equip your companions with armor and in some case even with weapons of your choice; you spend most of your time running quests in a very few different locations, instead of the enormous world of Origins; and when you do travel to other places, you find they re-use the same maps as places you've already been to.

    The saving grace is really the combat, which is fast and quite a bit of fun once you get used to the new system. Still, even that has its serious drawbacks: encounter design ranges from run-of-the-mill to amateurish, full of immersion-breaking nonsense like knights in heavy armor dropping from the sky all over the place in mid-battle as waves of reinforcements. There is also really only one way to build each character, a far cry from the flexibility of Origins.    … Expand
  91. saintos123
    Mar 28, 2012
    3
    Such a poor, poor game...not nearly as good as dragon age I.
    This is just a laim game, poor text, poor design, i even encounterd repeatable maps, different quest same map different location. Poor design of charchter, voice acting, dialogue is annoying.
    Hawke feels like retard, I can honestly say that this game has one of the worst dialogue in rpg. I think this game has been made by some    Such a poor, poor game...not nearly as good as dragon age I.
    This is just a laim game, poor text, poor design, i even encounterd repeatable maps, different quest same map different location. Poor design of charchter, voice acting, dialogue is annoying.
    Hawke feels like retard, I can honestly say that this game has one of the worst dialogue in rpg.
    I think this game has been made by some other studio not bioware, cause its so dissapointing.
    I am trully sorry that i have paid for this game    … Expand
  92. andraip
    Mar 23, 2012
    8
    Not as good as DA:O but still a lot of fun to play, besides the recicled caves and endless waves.

    The voiced PC gives the game a lot more depth and I also liked the faster combat and the more personal story.
  93. Riddlefang
    Mar 20, 2012
    8
    Dragon Age 2 has been very much criticized by fans of the first game, and I understand why. It's true that the areas in the game are way to few and that the story and characters aren't as good, but I enjoyed this game a lot. It may not be one of my favourite rpg's, but it provides at least 40 hours of content. I'm not saying the game is flawless, cause the combat is certainly not as goodDragon Age 2 has been very much criticized by fans of the first game, and I understand why. It's true that the areas in the game are way to few and that the story and characters aren't as good, but I enjoyed this game a lot. It may not be one of my favourite rpg's, but it provides at least 40 hours of content. I'm not saying the game is flawless, cause the combat is certainly not as good as the previous one. It's less tactical and more like an mmo, but it's still fun to control 4 characters at once, and the boss battles are probably a little better. There's also better graphics, voice acting and music, and all in all it's actually a pretty good game… Expand
  94. Dandynamite2201
    Mar 20, 2012
    0
    After the great game Origins, this game is rather poor in comparrison, the plot holes are everywhere, the ending was surely made for a laugh, and the combat system has no tactics and is built just to appeal to fans of Tekken or Fable, where button mashing is a must.
  95. Aviod
    Mar 18, 2012
    5
    I am a fan of the DA:O and the expansion Awakenings. I wont go on a hate fest like soo many, I perfered the original dragon ages as they were mainly made for PC and in my opinion better made, You also had different beginnings for different classes which was a plus. I do not mind the gameplay of dragon age 2, or even the graphics. The thing that i really hated on dragon age 2 is the reuse.I am a fan of the DA:O and the expansion Awakenings. I wont go on a hate fest like soo many, I perfered the original dragon ages as they were mainly made for PC and in my opinion better made, You also had different beginnings for different classes which was a plus. I do not mind the gameplay of dragon age 2, or even the graphics. The thing that i really hated on dragon age 2 is the reuse. Basically 1 cave with blocked off areas etc etc and stuck in one town (going out to smallish places) limited the sense of adventure, that is my reason for the low score is because they cheapen out on this game and took a lot of shortcuts, the first made you feel epic, this it was barely on the positive side.… Expand
  96. lagendofdoom
    Mar 16, 2012
    0
    While Dragon Age Origins is in my opinion the perfect game and ive been waiting for it's sequel, i must say the disappointment was too great for me to even finish Dragon age 2. This game just ruined the franchise, it seems like Bioware wanted to make Dragon age 2 to be appealed by the most of the audience and because of that Dragon Age 2 doesn't have anything that might make him differentWhile Dragon Age Origins is in my opinion the perfect game and ive been waiting for it's sequel, i must say the disappointment was too great for me to even finish Dragon age 2. This game just ruined the franchise, it seems like Bioware wanted to make Dragon age 2 to be appealed by the most of the audience and because of that Dragon Age 2 doesn't have anything that might make him different from the others Rpgs games, the gameplay is faster paced but also plain, the story is boring, character also are boring, exploration ? there is nothing to explore... graphics might even be worse than its predecessor. In other words the game is a huge let down and might have just killed the franchise good name… Expand
  97. fitscotgaymer
    Mar 13, 2012
    7
    This game really gets a bum rap as far as games go, and the reason for it is two fold. 1) The gaming media has so skewed the ratings system that most people think anything less than a 9 or a 10 is positively awful. This is a belief shared by big publishing houses, and by developers also. It has rendered the ratings system useless; and is, I believe, responsible in part for the negativeThis game really gets a bum rap as far as games go, and the reason for it is two fold. 1) The gaming media has so skewed the ratings system that most people think anything less than a 9 or a 10 is positively awful. This is a belief shared by big publishing houses, and by developers also. It has rendered the ratings system useless; and is, I believe, responsible in part for the negative overreaction to this game as evidenced by the inaccurate and unfair Zero's, One's, and Two's. 2) Bioware's Marketing Department is really really bad. They gave a distinct impression to the fan base about what Dragon Age "2" was going to be like, and then what was delivered was quite different. Which explains much of the backlash. Granted none of this was helped by the extremely short development cycle that resulted in a game that feels incomplete and has a really crappy, bland, and boring ending. In spite of this however I still feel like a lot of the really low user reviews are unfair, because IMO the game is decent. The engine runs much more smoothly, and is much more stable than in Dragon Age Origins. The Character based textures are much cleaner, and much prettier. The dialogue, and interpersonal interactions with NPC companions are much deeper and more emotive than in Dragon Age Origins. And the overall story arc is coherent and mostly complete, even if it ends a little abruptly, and crappily with SuperEvilNinja!Meredith. Claims that the combat has been dumbed down to flashy hack'n'slash mechanics are untrue. Combat runs almost exactly the same as in DAO. The differences are mostly cosmetic, with faster animations, a lack of "finishing" moves, and the missing isometric camera. Or are different in the execution/presentation of the combat scenes - example: The Parachuting from the Sky Heavily Armoured Waves of enemies, or occasional cut scene "finishing" move. Tactics work the same, and talents (although streamlined) work the same. The guts, the actual mechanics of combat are exactly the same. If DA2 were an exam, it would get a solid and respectable B IMO (with DAO getting an A).… Expand
  98. MarqsS
    Mar 11, 2012
    3
    Avoid like a plague if you played and enjoyed Origins. If not then you sure can get some fun from it, but as a sequel it fails terribly. Graphics are so-so but overall the game is lacking in every aspect. Characters are not entertaining at all, you just can't feel anything when you interact with them... Hell I don't even remember half of them. Fights are also terrible, just button mashingAvoid like a plague if you played and enjoyed Origins. If not then you sure can get some fun from it, but as a sequel it fails terribly. Graphics are so-so but overall the game is lacking in every aspect. Characters are not entertaining at all, you just can't feel anything when you interact with them... Hell I don't even remember half of them. Fights are also terrible, just button mashing and killing NPC-s who simply appear from nowhere. Oh, and your choices means nothing like in most recent RPG-s. You just kill everyone and only big decision is who will be killed first...… Expand
  99. Skawn
    Mar 11, 2012
    4
    A poor sequel to DA:O. Copy pasted areas, inconsistent difficulty, and a feeling of being hemmed in.

    A shame really since it was a promising IP and one of the first BioWare games I just didn't like that much.

    That said, I did see it though to the end but it felt like a chore not a joy.
  100. SIckTired72
    Mar 10, 2012
    0
    Worst game by Bioware!

    Dumbed down RPG action for the massess with little resemblence from the original Dragon Age Origins. Forget about character customisation, in depth story and epic feel. This is a rushed out game best described as a half baked, half designed banana of a product. It's not even worth shelling out $5 in the bargin bin.
Page:

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
See all critic reviews »