Dragon Age II

 PC
User Score
4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 5052 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,397 out of 5052
  2. Mixed: 1,198 out of 5052
  3. Negative: 2,457 out of 5052
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  1. Mr_Big
    Nov 10, 2011
    0
    After having had beat Baldur's gate before trying out this game, I can only think to myself how hard Bioware has fallen.Depth exchanged for puerile romance and tasteless violence.
  2. djnicey
    Mar 18, 2011
    1
    Dragon Age 1 was my favourite game of the last year, this sequel is my least favourite so far. The game mechanics and dialogue has been dumbed down to the point that its just too boring and monotonous to play.

    I played DA:1 for about 60+ hours without once getting bored. DA:2 gets very boring, very quickly. Like others have said, this is more like a Mass Effect action game than an RPG    Dragon Age 1 was my favourite game of the last year, this sequel is my least favourite so far. The game mechanics and dialogue has been dumbed down to the point that its just too boring and monotonous to play.

    I played DA:1 for about 60+ hours without once getting bored. DA:2 gets very boring, very quickly. Like others have said, this is more like a Mass Effect action game than an RPG with any depth. I've been a bit fan of Bioware games in the past, I hope they dont ruin the next Elder Scrolls game as much as Dragon Age has taken a step backwards.    … Expand
  3. Japanties
    Mar 20, 2011
    0
    This game is DAO, but dumbed down and casualized. Would've rated it a 4, but BioWare + EA's ridiculous response to the criticism surrounding this game warrants a zero.
  4. QBro
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    this game for me was epic disappointment, Dragon age origin was to me the best pc rpg in the last 5 years., beat it 4 time with different MC. so when i hear of DA 2 i preorder it months be4 the release. and now i m loss for word over that my belove dragon age have been reduce to garbage. the menu was crap. there is no Pictures for the items so u can't tell was armor or weapon look like,this game for me was epic disappointment, Dragon age origin was to me the best pc rpg in the last 5 years., beat it 4 time with different MC. so when i hear of DA 2 i preorder it months be4 the release. and now i m loss for word over that my belove dragon age have been reduce to garbage. the menu was crap. there is no Pictures for the items so u can't tell was armor or weapon look like, the population of kirkwall was 90% non-interactive(you can't talk to them, they just standing there look pretty) the story was weak. you the dialogs don't make sense to the choice u choose, and the graphic is barely an improvement over the original. ......After browsing through most of reviewing site, i can honesty say I have lost faith in the professional reviewers. Bioware, you have lost 1 costumer here today, no more money out of my pocket for your products.… Expand
  5. Arutha_nz
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    Let me begin by saying DO NOT trust the positive reviewers, as Bioware/EA employees have been busted posting positive reviews on metacritic, check the link for evidence: http://tinyurl.com/6h5xcx4 Aside from the disgusting ethics the above showcases, I am shocked at how lenient the professional reviews are of Dragon Age II's faults, of which there are many, and how much they praise theLet me begin by saying DO NOT trust the positive reviewers, as Bioware/EA employees have been busted posting positive reviews on metacritic, check the link for evidence: http://tinyurl.com/6h5xcx4 Aside from the disgusting ethics the above showcases, I am shocked at how lenient the professional reviews are of Dragon Age II's faults, of which there are many, and how much they praise the "improvements" which are questionable at best. They ignore or downplay the GLARING flaws in the game: e.g., meaningless dialogue choice (apart from quest centric dialogue, characters basically just carry on as if you didn't even say anything, your choices change almost nothing) ; useless **** dialogue wheel from Mass Effect which basically ruins any decent conversations anyway ; the story is overall lacking (mostly it consists of "Now go on, and become epic Hero for great justice!!1211!!") ; the characters are for the most part dull and/or unlikeable ; Dungeons are ALL recycled versions of one another, there are a few dungeons put together (generic cave dungeon, generic sewer dungeon, generic mansion dungeon, and generic deep roads dungeon, by name) which are simply reused and revisited without the slightest detail being changed, whether it be layout style or lighting, they are literally exactly the same, and you will revisit them again and again and again ; Enemies now spawn in waves, reducing the tactical micro-management combat that has been with Bioware from the get-go, to pointless button mashing, since you cannot ration mana or energy with any sort of strategy, and it recharges so quickly in combat that it just doesn't matter ; Also related to combat, Bioware decided to balance difficulty settings by just making all of them absolutely mindnumbingly easy, to the point that players will probably never need to utilise the lauded combat pause feature ; quests are similarly tedious, and are often disjointed, meaningless (no story whatsoever, you will sometimes find an item, psychically deduce who the owner is, and then have to take it back to them, they will say "thanks, bye" and that will be it, end of quest), dull, and/or have broken journal notifications ; this list could go on for AGES . Basically, everything anyone ever liked about Dragon Age: Origins has been ruined, and nothing meaningful has been added. The graphics are still sub-par, so no luck there. The inclusion of a voiced character (another so called "improvement") has reduced any NPC interaction to a meaningless facade, as above. There is not one thing in this game that I could say had been unquestionably improved, NOT ONE THING, and a host of backwards steps. This game is a waste of your time, money, and is backed by some morally disgusting people. Avoid at all costs.… Expand
  6. Morainea
    Mar 13, 2011
    3
    Dragon Age:Origins had everything going for it and instead of taking everything that the fans loved and expanding on it, the development team completely ignored them and took the game in a completely different direction.
    Immersion/Atmosphere: This is the biggest problem because those are gone from the game. The quests are uninspiring "run between arrows on the map until the quest is    Dragon Age:Origins had everything going for it and instead of taking everything that the fans loved and expanding on it, the development team completely ignored them and took the game in a completely different direction.
    Immersion/Atmosphere: This is the biggest problem because those are gone from the game. The quests are uninspiring "run between arrows on the map until the quest is completed" type. You can't speak to your companions unless you are in a specific place, which takes away from the immersion. For the large portion of the game you feel like a glorified errand boy. The dialogue wheel is a disaster, since the choices range from "Nice, Cunning, and Jackass", and are conveniently marked by the appropriate icons, so you don't even have to read the text. This doesn't feel like the same caliber of RPG that DA:O was.
    Surroundings: Bland and uninteresting. Unless small brown dull dungeons are your thing.
    Characters: Most characters are pretty one dimensional and are not well written. The only decent one is Varric. Inventory/Abilities: The star rating for items is very annoying. Why not just equip it FOR ME already, if you obviously know what's better for my character? The abilities don't have any thought put into them, with names like "Weapon and Shield". Why not name a talent tree "More HP" or "Stabby Stabby"?
    Interface/Icons/Graphics: Interface is an annoying fest of red and black screens. If you want to laugh, try to go through talent trees and click on icons for abilities and guess what they are. It's basically impossible because they are so poorly drawn. On the plus side, the sex scenes look like two mailboxes banging each other :D    … Expand
  7. hawk97
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    This game doesn't actually deserve a 0. It is fairly solid and probably warrants a 7-8. The score of 0 goes to the developers. I don't understand how it was possible to make the game this much worse that DA:O. GIVE ME MY CUSTOMIZATION BACK!
  8. ReindeeR
    Mar 13, 2011
    4
    Sorry for my language (the translator of Google)
    I do not know what to say about this game.
    This is a step backwards in the role-playing games
    This console ****
    This game is worth only 4 points out of 10
  9. Boban
    Mar 14, 2011
    1
    This game is disgrace. And there is so many bad thing that I can not name them all. It is easier to say, if Bioware are planning to make DA3 than safest way is to copy everything from DA origins, and I mean skills, crafting, spells, companions armor, rogues abilities to use swords, different caves etc. Better is that they do not change anything, or they could just give Obsidian to make nice game.
  10. tuttifrutas
    Mar 14, 2011
    2
    the game is very disappointing. The graphics seem dated, the music is ok, the game-play is simplified and poses no challenge at all for experienced rpg gamers. LOTS of the recycled content. it is the same layout for all caverns, almost all houses, and almost everything has the same type of texture applied.
    But the City Hub system is the worse, i never seen so many loading screen in my    the game is very disappointing. The graphics seem dated, the music is ok, the game-play is simplified and poses no challenge at all for experienced rpg gamers. LOTS of the recycled content. it is the same layout for all caverns, almost all houses, and almost everything has the same type of texture applied.
    But the City Hub system is the worse, i never seen so many loading screen in my life. initiate quest in district A , goto hub, Loading, do quest in district B, goto hub, Loading, finish quest in district A. This system makes the game a chore. just go play DAO this one is just plain boring.    … Expand
  11. mattshu
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    A complete failure. Graphics look like a PS2 game. Gameplay is like God of War except not real time and boring as hell. I'd rather take an enema from a disgruntled lumberjack than play 5 minutes of this trash. If for some reason you decide to buy this game and feel the need to complain, you better not post anything negative on the BIOWARE FORUM or they will not only ban you from the forum,A complete failure. Graphics look like a PS2 game. Gameplay is like God of War except not real time and boring as hell. I'd rather take an enema from a disgruntled lumberjack than play 5 minutes of this trash. If for some reason you decide to buy this game and feel the need to complain, you better not post anything negative on the BIOWARE FORUM or they will not only ban you from the forum, they'll block access to all of your EA games.… Expand
  12. rarstar
    Mar 15, 2011
    4
    If you liked and are expecting the same quality of game as Mass Effect or Dragon Age Origins this game is not for you. I wanted to like this game, but after 10 hours of game play I've had to put it down and doubt I'll be finishing it. I wish I could get my money back - my opinion of BioWare has been absolutely shattered by this. There's a few things that I found absolutely unexceptable:
    1)    If you liked and are expecting the same quality of game as Mass Effect or Dragon Age Origins this game is not for you. I wanted to like this game, but after 10 hours of game play I've had to put it down and doubt I'll be finishing it. I wish I could get my money back - my opinion of BioWare has been absolutely shattered by this. There's a few things that I found absolutely unexceptable:
    1) Reuse of the same locations (one cave, one warehouse, one coastline) the entire game. All the maps feel like hallways with no sense of open exploration you expect in RPGs.
    2) Item drops are just uninteresting and uninspired. Most things are just named belt, or ring, the graphics for items don't really change, and you can't really use much of what drops anyways. They actually have a "junk" category... why are you making me pick up junk in the first place?
    3) Dialogue/relationships between characters is pretty shallow/contrived/immature.
    4) Ending is abrupt - ends in 7 years... where's my decade they advertised?
    5) Combat is horribly dull and uninspired. There's no strategy, you just fight wave after wave of enemies that spawn out of nowhere. 6) Many of the quests are just tedious and boring. This just feels like a very stale and poorly executed RPG with none of the innovation, twists, and intelligence I'd expect from a AAA title.

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

    Bleeeeeh    … Expand
  13. MaximusG
    Mar 15, 2011
    1
    A serious disappointment. They removed everything RPG about this game. Actually I didn't mind the combat system, but the immersion was just gone completely. It felt like walking through a painting, I was not in a real game world. The complete lack of items and lack of variety among the few that there were was also annoying... so was the inability to equip your companions... so were the newA serious disappointment. They removed everything RPG about this game. Actually I didn't mind the combat system, but the immersion was just gone completely. It felt like walking through a painting, I was not in a real game world. The complete lack of items and lack of variety among the few that there were was also annoying... so was the inability to equip your companions... so were the new dumbed-down character trees... so were the recycled dungeons... I could go on...

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

    This game is 60% an unfinished rush-job and 40% an attempt to commercialise RPGs. Evidently someone at EA failed to notice that cRPGs are ALREADY highly commercial. Hopefully this will flop and they'll learn their lesson.    … Expand
  14. Gildor
    Mar 15, 2011
    1
    Totally disappointed for a game shamefully dumbed down, poor in content, and with very low production quality. Probably sold for the only reason to make quick money on the name of the previous game.
    This is the last Bioware game I spend my money on.
  15. guinevere2
    Mar 15, 2011
    2
    Expect an oversimplified hack and slash with quite dull and linear storyline and pseudo choices that does not matter for a thing for you character or storyline. Camera works terribly in this game and the overuse of generic dungeons is an absurd....This is kind of "Prince of Persia" or "Tomb Raider" game more than it is a Dragon Age" Origins successor, not mentioning Baldur"s Gate. I amExpect an oversimplified hack and slash with quite dull and linear storyline and pseudo choices that does not matter for a thing for you character or storyline. Camera works terribly in this game and the overuse of generic dungeons is an absurd....This is kind of "Prince of Persia" or "Tomb Raider" game more than it is a Dragon Age" Origins successor, not mentioning Baldur"s Gate. I am very disappointed with this title, although if you like arcade games you may like actually it.… Expand
  16. Vociferous
    Mar 17, 2011
    0
    There's really only one good thing about Dragon Age II and that is its ability to reveal how the 'critics' have become next to useless when it comes to assessing the worth of a game. Especially so when the inflation of a game's rating is part of the marketing strategy utilised by EA and various other publishers to get you to purchase overpriced tedium (i.e. DA2). Want to know how good aThere's really only one good thing about Dragon Age II and that is its ability to reveal how the 'critics' have become next to useless when it comes to assessing the worth of a game. Especially so when the inflation of a game's rating is part of the marketing strategy utilised by EA and various other publishers to get you to purchase overpriced tedium (i.e. DA2). Want to know how good a game really is? Read the reviews made by people whose opinions aren't subject to scrutiny by these publishers.

    As for the game itself, virtually everything that needs to have been said has been said. Dragon Age II is truly a celebration of the most asinine elements of game design. It's built on the principle that far less detail is somehow much more exciting. After all, why should game developers construct elaborate backdrops and diversify the environments that the player will roam through when they can simply copy and paste the same areas over and over again? It's not as if anyone will notice that they're running through the same buildings and the same caves if those areas are changed ever so slightly on each return visit.

    Keeping in line with the graphical splendour, the gameplay of Dragon Age II is also wildly mediocre. The combat feels unpolished and oversimplified. With the addition of a 'wave' mechanic to fights, it becomes near impossible to tactically assess any fight from its outset. Once you've fought off all the enemies on screen, more simply pop into existence to fight you. There's no indication of how many waves you'll get nor how many enemies you'll fight in each wave. This is especially tedious when it occurs in every encounter. No thought seems to have been given to enhancing combat at all other than to extend its duration and give you less to do during a fight. Last time I checked, prolonging a bad thing didn't turn it into something magical and Dragon Age II is no exception.

    If you were hoping that the narrative was the redeeming factor, hope no longer. It's not. The story could simply function as a long winded introduction to the protagonist and nothing more. There's no true climax in this game and the note on which it all ends sums up the entire experience; overwhelming blandness.

    Keep the money in your wallet, don't embarrass game developers and publishers who actually make the effort to allow you to enjoy games and don't buy this game.    … Expand
  17. Bruckner8th
    Mar 17, 2011
    4
    I can certainly understand why there is so much hatred for this game after finally playing it through. Rarely have I experienced such an anger while playing a game. Dragon Age 2 is a shockingly pathetic combination of a weak story, retarded game mechanics, ugly graphics (compared with ALL current games) and extremely annoying companions and NPCs. It is unbelievable that they dare chargingI can certainly understand why there is so much hatred for this game after finally playing it through. Rarely have I experienced such an anger while playing a game. Dragon Age 2 is a shockingly pathetic combination of a weak story, retarded game mechanics, ugly graphics (compared with ALL current games) and extremely annoying companions and NPCs. It is unbelievable that they dare charging 60 bucks for this piece of trash. I would rather cut both my hands and legs than to ever buy another Bioware "product" again ("work of art" my ass!). To the extremely lucky who have not yet bought the game but are curious to try (curiosity here only brings more pain than good), I humbly advise you to torrent the hell out of it (Dragon Age 2's shoddy quality doesn't even justify your patient waiting for its price tag to drop to 10%!). Just torrent, try and then utterly forget it!… Expand
  18. xsgenefuzz
    Mar 17, 2011
    1
    I give this game such a low score because I absolutely cannot review it in a vacuum, as a stand-alone game that has nothing to do with DA:O. Even if it was not in any way related to DA:O, I would still have to give it no more than a 5, because this is not an RPG. It's a flashy, anime-esque hack'n'slash game with a few RPG elements. And that is just not my cup of tea. But because thisI give this game such a low score because I absolutely cannot review it in a vacuum, as a stand-alone game that has nothing to do with DA:O. Even if it was not in any way related to DA:O, I would still have to give it no more than a 5, because this is not an RPG. It's a flashy, anime-esque hack'n'slash game with a few RPG elements. And that is just not my cup of tea. But because this is called Dragon Age 2, I have to compare it to DA:O. It may not be a sequel, per se, but it is still supposed to be the same universe with the same lore, and that is where Bioware went staggeringly wrong. For starters, the artwork and rendering of various races, characters, and creatures have been drastically changed. Elves look like rip-offs of Avatar's Na'vi, Qunari have horns, darkspawn look like humans with stupid skull-mask faces that aren't the least bit scary or revolting, and Flemeth is an armor-clad Disney sorceress. Not only have they turned into cartoon caricatures of themselves, it is practically inconceivable that Bioware would actually expect us to believe that this is in fact the same world. To add insult to injury, Bioware took some serious liberties with the lore of DA:O (e.g. when people are infected with the taint, they no longer simply go insane and die an agonizingly slow and painful death, they actually turn into darkspawn). Call me a fanatic or a purist, but I feel as strongly about this as I would about someone taking liberties with LOTR lore. What makes for great fantasy or science fiction is its internal consistency, its adherence to the reality of its own world. Start taking liberties, start introducing contradictions, and we stop believing in the reality, which is the real magic. I could have dealt with a few cosmetic changes if they hadn't messed with the lore. But this game is disappointing for me in other ways as well. Everything feels "dumbed down." Combat is an over-the-top gore fest with little to no tactics (or thought) required. Enemies constantly explode into little meaty bits, limbs flying in all directions. Two-handed weapons are larger than the characters that wield them. Rogues execute Bruce Lee-style gravity-defying spins and kicks, leaping twenty feet to close with an enemy. The basic rules of physics are non-existent. The story-line is similarly non-existent. While I do like the new Friend/Rival companion system, where a companion will stick with the main character even if they disagree about everything, there is no compelling reason for the Rival companion to stick around. This would have made much more sense in DA:O. Stopping the Blight and killing the Archdemon is precisely the kind of world-at-stake pressing goal that would realistically override hurt feelings, petty squabbles, and political disagreements. In DA2, there is no such overarching world-at-stake goal, so the "I'll stick with you even though I hate your guts" mechanism just doesn't ring true. Everything else RPG fans love about the genre, from armor, weapon, and item systems to skill development, is also "dumbed down." A little "star-rating" system tells you at a glance whether the item you just picked up is "better" than the one you have equipped. Crafting has been vastly simplified, and the need to gather, scavenge, or buy crafting materials virtually eliminated. You can no longer equip companions in any armor, or (in some cases) with any weapon; they are limited to their specific "companion armor." Again, all this does is take the need for thought and tactical planning out of the game. As for the UI, it is obviously designed for consoles, which is extremely aggravating for PC gamers. We don't play consoles for a reason -- because we don't like them! -- and when we are forced to click around in a console UI on our PC, it is just infuriating. This game has left me very sad. Considering that Bioware has been *the* RPG leader of the industry for the past several years, I worry that the future of this beloved genre is bleak indeed.… Expand
  19. Keplar
    Mar 17, 2011
    2
    I love DA:O very much, it's one of the most impressive games I've ever played,. I'm not at all impressed with DA2, however. In DA:O, I could log in, and immerse myself for 12 hours without realizing it - here, I have to fight to want to play an hour at a time. The graphics are pretty, but otherwise, this is a step backward from DA:O in almost every way. It feels like a fairly primitiveI love DA:O very much, it's one of the most impressive games I've ever played,. I'm not at all impressed with DA2, however. In DA:O, I could log in, and immerse myself for 12 hours without realizing it - here, I have to fight to want to play an hour at a time. The graphics are pretty, but otherwise, this is a step backward from DA:O in almost every way. It feels like a fairly primitive console game thus far, and the inability to swap nearly any armor on your party members is beyond stupid. The questing is vapid (One never even knows what you're actually doing half the time, or why) with many quests being things like "Go talk to X group member at the tavern" when that group member is, in fact, in your travelling party and standing right next to you. The storyline, while potentially intriguing, is so broken up that it isn't particularly enjoyable. Everything feels like an excuse to go from one cut-scene to the next. In DA:O, it felt like you, the player, actually controlled the flow of the plot, and could make a difference in what would happen. In DA2, everything is preordained, and you're just along for the ride, being pushed from one step to the next, whether you will or no. Also, you felt an attachment to your character - you understood and helped shape the back-story that would be with your throughout the game. In DA2, you're some random nameless person, back-story already established, and everybody already knows everything about you... except you the player. They forget the part where they tell you about yourself.

    The voicing of the main character is unnecessarily lengthy, and appallingly inaccurate - you almost never say anything resembling the option you selected, and conversations take twice as long as they used to, because you have to wait for (or ESC through) constant banter that you apparently have no control over anyway. The whole chat-wheel thing is a damnable console derivative that needs to die in a fire, and makes it unclear what number keys to use for keyboard chat control. To top it all off, there is no non-combat skill-tree! This isnâ    … Expand
  20. crazyblur
    Mar 17, 2011
    0
    Hot trash , they took every good feeling and interesting aspect of origins and decided to dump it , companions are now a specific event only affair; no more talking to them as and when you please. gifts are quests now and totally retarded, random encounters? what random encounters? and as everyone has noticed , reused maps.. gets to the point you sometimes forget what the hell you are inHot trash , they took every good feeling and interesting aspect of origins and decided to dump it , companions are now a specific event only affair; no more talking to them as and when you please. gifts are quests now and totally retarded, random encounters? what random encounters? and as everyone has noticed , reused maps.. gets to the point you sometimes forget what the hell you are in the dungeon for.. was i killing dragons? spiders? rescuing idiots? whats the diff anyway it all looks the SAME. totally would not recommend, screw bioware and EA , never getting my money again… Expand
  21. sabbede
    Mar 18, 2011
    6
    Origins pulled you in and didn't let go - I wanted to marry it and devote my life to exploring every facet of the game. It was what I look for in a woman - it was rich, deep, engaging, beautiful, and filled with brutal, visceral combat. We had something real together, the kind of thing you can build a real life on.

    I feel like DA2 got me drunk and gave me herpes.
  22. Seleste
    Mar 19, 2011
    2
    I am really disappointed of the way Bioware is going with one of its major brands. The action parts are ok, but there is little to nothing left of the Dragon Age feeling. Story Failures, Decisions from DA:O are not correct imported. People alive that died... and such things. Boring Hack&Slay Action. DA2 isn't really a PC RPG Game anymore, it is a Console Hack and Slay RPG Action game. WithI am really disappointed of the way Bioware is going with one of its major brands. The action parts are ok, but there is little to nothing left of the Dragon Age feeling. Story Failures, Decisions from DA:O are not correct imported. People alive that died... and such things. Boring Hack&Slay Action. DA2 isn't really a PC RPG Game anymore, it is a Console Hack and Slay RPG Action game. With bad Interface and technical Problems. Also the level design repeats constantly, i only counted 2 or 3 different maps for caves and buildings. Monsters and Models of DA:O/A and DLCs get reused, partially as Boss Monsters. Altogether they used what they had, made some little additions and sold it for the full prize.… Expand
  23. Drathicus
    Mar 23, 2011
    4
    Before starting Dragon Age 2, I went back to a Lothering saved game from Dragon Age: Origins to study the look of the NPC's; I wanted my Hawke character to resemble one of the NPC's from the original game... perhaps that seems strange, but I thought it would be fun from a role-playing perspective. I realized at that time that the DA:O NPC's had just a few basic models/molds that were thenBefore starting Dragon Age 2, I went back to a Lothering saved game from Dragon Age: Origins to study the look of the NPC's; I wanted my Hawke character to resemble one of the NPC's from the original game... perhaps that seems strange, but I thought it would be fun from a role-playing perspective. I realized at that time that the DA:O NPC's had just a few basic models/molds that were then copied to populate the city. I was somewhat shocked, because I hadn't really noticed that during my first two DA:O playthroughs. I mention this because DA:O definitely "cut corners": linear pathways/not very open, clone NPC's populating cities, multiple dialog choices that lead to the same outcome, etc. The beauty of DA:O, however, was that the Bioware mages (developers) created Disney-like illusion: an epic storyline, characters you could have in-depth conversations with (at the time of your choosing), the ability to modify your companionsâ… Expand
  24. Scrotar
    Mar 21, 2011
    2
    Just finished playing the demo! It was fantastic!!! NOT!!! IT WAS A STEAMING PILE OF **** How could they do this to Dragon Age Origins!?

    â
  25. Skanablu
    Mar 22, 2011
    1
    Biggest disappointment of years... Dialogs for idiots and fight is a freaking hack n slash... Dragon Age 1 was best RPG since the great trio (Torment, Baldur, Fallout) and this is just a n unfunny joke...
  26. lustral
    Apr 2, 2011
    4
    People are right putting the lowerest score, it can be only be zero to destroy instead to improve. People is angry.
    Copy and paste the same locations. Inconsistent lore like players allowed to be mages without any reason (grey warden? no). Brilliant dialogues but too few. This is an expansion camouflaged by tons of side quests and almost experienced romances.
  27. Jardenon
    Apr 10, 2011
    2
    What did you do bioware?! What in gods name did you do?!?! The first game was one of the most Epic, and Amazing games I have played by this company. The cutscenes, The music, the lore, The stylization of the characters, Specifically Morrigan. Her actor was terrific. (this is a biased statement about Morrigan) but her aside, I felt for the characters, and felt for the story! Even though theWhat did you do bioware?! What in gods name did you do?!?! The first game was one of the most Epic, and Amazing games I have played by this company. The cutscenes, The music, the lore, The stylization of the characters, Specifically Morrigan. Her actor was terrific. (this is a biased statement about Morrigan) but her aside, I felt for the characters, and felt for the story! Even though the enemies were a little repetitive without much variance as well as seeing the same clothing on characters multiple times in the same cutscenes, the game still got the point across. But the second game?! The music was terrible. In the first game right away you hear this blood pumping epic theme with a woman chanting strange words beautifully...what was wrong that you decided to take such a thing out of the second game?! The voice acting was horrible, It didn't make me laugh or entertain me in the slightest. And most importantly, didn't make me feel for the characters. The gameplay was completely changed, simplified, and made boring! and don't get me started about the poor choice of party members as well. All in all I felt nothing for these people...the Hero of Ferelden was only mentioned in passing. It's like what you did barely mattered especially since the whole damn game was a story being told by a Dwarf while the story was being played....I admit they had balls trying something different but it ruined the suspense for me. I couldn't even make it through the whole entire game cause of how sorry it all was...shame on you Bioware, shame on you. I will not be playing Dragon Age 3...you had something beautiful, and you ruined it! You better not have ruined Mass effect 3 like this! Or mark my words I will never purchase another Bioware game as long as I live!… Expand
  28. dreambob
    Sep 10, 2011
    6
    This game is not up to standard with today's AAA games. the environments are boring and lifeless, I've spent more time looking at the mini map than my surroundings simply because there is int much to look at. The dungeons are a copy and paste of one and a other. I wont complain about the fighting, it's fast ,exciting and you need to use strategies in most fights.
    The best part of dragon    This game is not up to standard with today's AAA games. the environments are boring and lifeless, I've spent more time looking at the mini map than my surroundings simply because there is int much to look at. The dungeons are a copy and paste of one and a other. I wont complain about the fighting, it's fast ,exciting and you need to use strategies in most fights.
    The best part of dragon age 2 is the conversation system. The graphics are a lot better, the voice acting is excellent and the dialog choices are fun however, the story line is not that engaging. Dragon age 2 feels cheep and unfinished, I do not recommend.    … Expand
  29. Daematune
    Aug 26, 2011
    2
    It's extremely unworthy, so unworthy it should not possess the "Dragon Age" title. Mostly everything about the game is either extremely underdone or just extremely bad, seriously. Bioware tried way too hard on attempting to make this game successful. If I were to explain what went wrong with this game I'd be writing this for hours, don't buy it, stick to Origins if you must. Bioware hasIt's extremely unworthy, so unworthy it should not possess the "Dragon Age" title. Mostly everything about the game is either extremely underdone or just extremely bad, seriously. Bioware tried way too hard on attempting to make this game successful. If I were to explain what went wrong with this game I'd be writing this for hours, don't buy it, stick to Origins if you must. Bioware has always been a developer that you could trust with the uniqueness and success of their content, their trust has most definitely been shaken.… Expand
  30. Gjefflin
    Aug 2, 2011
    2
    I've been playing RPG's for over 22 years starting with Legend of Zelda and my first PC game in 1992 "Ultima Underworld". I've played games before that were bad because the developers didn't know what they were doing. In this case however, it was sheer corporate greed that turned what could've been a great Bioware game series into something unrecognizable and not up to snuff with ANY ofI've been playing RPG's for over 22 years starting with Legend of Zelda and my first PC game in 1992 "Ultima Underworld". I've played games before that were bad because the developers didn't know what they were doing. In this case however, it was sheer corporate greed that turned what could've been a great Bioware game series into something unrecognizable and not up to snuff with ANY of Bioware's past games. Had they not packaged this as "Dragon Age 2" and instead called it perhaps...."Dragon Age: Kirkwall" and charged half the price I wouldn't have been as upset as I was due to the fact that I wouldn't have been "expecting" a game that was to be if not as good as DA:O...hopefully better. I have no patience with gaming companies that put out rushed, sub-quality games and expect their fans to shell out full price for it because they're expecting the same quality of the game that they played previously. "Turd" sums up my feeling of being "taken" for my money. Here's my "constructive criticism".

    "DA2 was not the worse game I've ever played. But it was certainty among the most disappointing. The more cartoony graphics, repetitive use of maps, dwellings and dungeons, the extremely poor character development, the confusing ending, the frustratingly restrictive character inventory (Not being able to use any weapon, armor or ability to outfit any of your party members) the ridiculous spawning of mass enemies out of thing air to create the illusion of difficulty was in my opinion a complete and utter embarrassment and a rip-off to fans of the original Dragon Age game. On the positive side, I did like the fact that vendor trash was easily recognizable and you could sell it all in one shot. There was also one story (The serial killer) that was very well written. Outside of that, this was definitely one of Biowares (Actually the only one I can think of in their history as a gaming company) failures. I am trying to keep faith in Bioware games going forward as everyone makes mistakes. Time will tell. I will NOT be buying any DLC until i see lots of critic and player reviews.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Best PC Game of 2011
5
#5 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
19
#19 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 45 Critic Reviews

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