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. Eudaemonium
    Mar 29, 2011
    8
    Dragon Age II is a very good game, but it is not a great game. It suffers from a distinct lack of polish, poorly recycled areas, several bugs and a distinct lack of pacing during the late-game. Despite this, I found the game to be engaging, intriguing and fun to play, with well developed characters, and interesting and atypical storyline and fun, tactical combat.

    The last of these seems    Dragon Age II is a very good game, but it is not a great game. It suffers from a distinct lack of polish, poorly recycled areas, several bugs and a distinct lack of pacing during the late-game. Despite this, I found the game to be engaging, intriguing and fun to play, with well developed characters, and interesting and atypical storyline and fun, tactical combat.

    The last of these seems to be an issue with a lot of people, and I feel I should make something clear: the difficulty setting essentially completely changes the way the game has to be played. Casual and Normal play more like an action game, with little thought or tactics required on anything but the toughest of battles. Hard and (particularly) Nightmare by contrast play more tactically with precise tactics and micro-management of your team required to excel or even succeed. Nightmare, for example, introduces enemy immunities and friendly fire, which greatly change how the game needs to be played. Playing on Nightmare, I found the combat and gameplay systems far more engaging and fun, and a vast improvement on Dragon Age: Origins. My recommendations to the player is to experiment with the difficulty until they find one that matches the game they wish to play.

    That aside, the combat has several flaws. Foremost of these is the way enemies are pigeonholed into certain "types": Enemy Rogues, Templar Hunters and Rage Demons, for example, fall under a common "Assassin" category that shares behavioural traits. Short of differing elemental immunities (only on Nightmare difficulty), a carefully-thought-out tactic for dealing with assassins will work on *all* of these enemies with almost no variance. This mechanic makes combat for less strategic that it could have been. Other features, such as the more stylised animations, the 'wave' system of enemy encounters, cross-class-combo system and others are more a matter of personal preference: I enjoyed them all, and with some tweaks in future titles I feel they form the basis of an excellent combat system.

    The plot has been similarly dividing. Unlike Dragon Age: Origins, this is not a story about saving the world or defeating an ancient evil. Players looking for that story should look elsewhere. DA2's story is a lot more personal and narrow in scope, focusing on the main character and her or his family and companions as they deal with the evolving religious, social and political situations in Kirkwall, where the majority of the game is set, over a period of 7 years. Overall, I found it more engaging than that of Origins. However, it does suffer distinct pacing problems in the final Act, and ones enjoyment of the story will depend entirely on how one relates to the various companions and situations arising. Again, this an area where opinions will differ.

    A note should be made about the main character, since this is one area I found the game excelled. The player assumes the role of Hawke, a human refugee. Hawke can be male or female, a warrior, rogue or mage, and is completely voice-acted (by either Nicholas Boulton or Jo Wyatt depending on gender). Further, throughout the game the player has the option to pick from distinct 'personality' choices in dialogue. These fall broadly into 'helpful/diplomatic', 'sarcastic/humourous/charming' and 'aggressive/direct/rude'. The more the player picks one of these option, the more it cements Hawke's personality, meaning that when Hawke responds without player direction, he or she often reacts in the manner of the player-directed persona. Unlike the Paragon/Renegade selection in Bioware's other RPG, Mass Effect, the player is not penalised for switching from one personality to another, allowing more fluid role-playing. The reason I bring this up is because, for me (and opinions will vary), Hawke managed to walk the fine line between a player-customised character and a character in their own right. Hawke managed to be both *my* character and *a* character. In my experience, this is incredibly difficult to pull off and I feel Bioware should be commended for the accomplishment. For references' sake, I played an aggressively direct, sometimes sarcastic and rarely diplomatic female Mage. To summarise, Dragon Age 2 is a solid RPG with some interesting gameplay and roleplay systems, an engaging story and characters and fun combat. However, it suffers from lack of polish, recycled dungeons and somewhat underdeveloped tactical elements. The game probably needed another 6 months to a year in development to be the game it could have been. Overall, the Original may be the better game, but DA2 makes certain key improvements. It is not a great game, but it is far from a bad game. It is, indeed, a very, very good game, and well worth playing.    … Expand
  2. SargeGO
    May 25, 2011
    8
    While I still found this game to be great, it wasn't as good as DA:O. While I think that the gameplay got better, the dungeons got too repetitive and it was not nearly as replayable as DA:O. I think the story was just as good, if not better than DA:O.
  3. JadedPuppy
    Jul 18, 2011
    7
    If you forget that this game is called Dragon Age 2, it is actually quite an enjoyable game. The combat isn't necessarily difficult but it is fast paced and there is quite a variety in combat styles to choose from. The story in itself is decent enough, although at times certain developments feel strained, making it too obvious that certain choices in the story are made to sacrifice goodIf you forget that this game is called Dragon Age 2, it is actually quite an enjoyable game. The combat isn't necessarily difficult but it is fast paced and there is quite a variety in combat styles to choose from. The story in itself is decent enough, although at times certain developments feel strained, making it too obvious that certain choices in the story are made to sacrifice good storytelling just to be able to insert some more (pointless) combat.

    Comparing this to Dragon Age: Origins would leave this game coming up short in every aspect. Had this game been called any differently though, it would not have received such a downright hostile reception as it is receiving on this website. Make no mistake, for the Dragon Age franchise, this game is not a step forward. This game offers less choice, a worse plot, and all in all not as much eye for detail. Of course, Dragon Age: Origins had been in the works for much, much longer, while Dragon Age 2 was clearly rushed out the door, leaving it rather unpolished and unfinished in places. There is no excuse for the way areas in this game are re-used. All in all this is a decent game, it's just not a great game.    … Expand
  4. chinoyray
    Mar 16, 2011
    8
    Still a good game. It feels like it was rushed because it is so repetitive but the story is very good. The low score is probably because we expect Bioware to be very good and not like this. It is enjoyable but then again the use of the same assets again and again makes the game look bad. If you compare this to Dragon Age: Origins, it's like a younger brother who will never be better thanStill a good game. It feels like it was rushed because it is so repetitive but the story is very good. The low score is probably because we expect Bioware to be very good and not like this. It is enjoyable but then again the use of the same assets again and again makes the game look bad. If you compare this to Dragon Age: Origins, it's like a younger brother who will never be better than his older brother. Compare this to non-DAO games and you get a very immersing game with a good story and better combat.… Expand
  5. Osyron
    Mar 15, 2011
    7
    As fair as i can be... Almost a week ago this 35 year old man sat sipping an early morning coffee in egger anticipation of the postman visiting his door, because on this morning two great things where happening... 1. the day off work (not to mention the following three as well) 2. the much anticipated Dragon age 2 signature edition was arriving. I was planing on writing an in depth,As fair as i can be... Almost a week ago this 35 year old man sat sipping an early morning coffee in egger anticipation of the postman visiting his door, because on this morning two great things where happening... 1. the day off work (not to mention the following three as well) 2. the much anticipated Dragon age 2 signature edition was arriving. I was planing on writing an in depth, insightful review but instead i am just going to list pro's and cons and a brief summery at the end. Pro's - Graphically its very good, the characters and landscapes are done with a very high level of detail i was only playing on medium settings and found some of scenery quite stunning at times. The spirit and mood of DAO is there, it pops its head up to say hellonow and then, not quite frequent enough for me to fall in love all over but often enough to keep my hopes up that it will blossom and flourish any minute now. the cast - i really liked the cast and supporting companions, i seem to be very loyal and stick with the first /tank/mage/healer that i come across in games and my fear was in this i would not take to the new characters as i would be missing the old ones to much but they grew on me instantly in most cases and for me the real reason i will revisit the game will be to tryout the characters that i did not use often in my first play through. combat - right this is tricky, im going to list comat in both the pro's and cons of the game because i do believe that improves have been made in some areas but bioware have dropped the ball in others, but as this is pro's lets stick with those first. First thing you notice is the visuals of certain abilities and spells, i played rogue in the original and in this one as well and the dynamic of this has been greatly improved, in DAO to perform backstab you had to position yourself behind your target and low and behold you could perform backstab, but targets dont often like to stand in the one spot so your character could end up chasing thenm around till they hold still long enough for you to perform backstab rendering it useless very often. In DA2 its a different story, at the click of a button you vanish, appear and perform backstab all in an instant making it a viable talent and much more pleasing on the eye . The other great thing about combat is the talent trees, there are at least six yes thats right six trees to choose from meaning you can play the same class over and over but have very different characters, experiences and results. Con's - Repetitiveness on maps, i wanted to play the whole game so i made sure i did all side quests before moving on the the main quest/storryline. I found myself repeatatly visiting the same cave/house/coastline to kill bandits/spiders/mercenaries (very similar to the bandits from where i standing) and after a while this felt like a chore rather than a joy, the quests themselves had very little imagination pretty much forgettable for the most part i can only compare it to my experience grinding in MMO's for money/XP. Something i have never before experienced with any bioware game before. combat - its easy, way to easy i was worried by my lack of a healer in the party and kept hoping to meet one down the line but i never did nor did i need to, i can only recall using 2 health potions outside of boss fights and this is with no healer in the party remember, this made fighting tedious, there was no feeling of danger at any time and the fights consist of hordes of mobs coming at you in waves but you feel like a man fighting toddlers, i personal felt like a bad ass for the first few fights but the novelty soon wore off and it became a bore, something in the way of me getting to where i wanted to go. Epicness - I keep comparing it to DAO which is slightly unfair but understandable as this is it's(supposed) successor but it just lacks the depth, variety and feeling of Epicness, overall the game still feels really good but when your riding on the coattails of Epic, really good just does not cut it.. Summery - Had this not been the follow up to Origins or a bioware game i think it would have been far better revived, i personally think Origins as close to a gaming masterpiece that you can get. and those are impossibly big shoes to fill but if anyone could i had faith bioware could. They did it with Baldurs gate, the squeal improving on the original in many ways yet keeping the same things that made everyone fall in love with the original, they did not pull that off this time. I just have the feeling bioware have gone from setting the standard to following the standard, taking the extraordinary and making it ordinary. Is this down to EA the timing of their involvement with bioware cant be dismissed as coincidence in my eyes, given biowares excellent back catalogue of games it strikes me as odd the would go from "sublime" to "quite good" all of a sudden on their own but maybe EA are an all to convenient scapegoat… Expand
  6. darksydex3226
    Mar 13, 2011
    7
    Despite the constant copy & pasted maps, and being pretty much restricted to Kirkwall, Dragon Age II is still a very fun role-playing experience, and I would recommend playing it. I'm on my second run now, and still enjoying it... the game definitely has some low points (hence the 7), like the music, level design, repetitive (but still enjoyable at the end of the day) combat, andDespite the constant copy & pasted maps, and being pretty much restricted to Kirkwall, Dragon Age II is still a very fun role-playing experience, and I would recommend playing it. I'm on my second run now, and still enjoying it... the game definitely has some low points (hence the 7), like the music, level design, repetitive (but still enjoyable at the end of the day) combat, and anti-climatic boss battles... the story is really good though, and the characters are too. All in all, a fun game to hold me over until The Witcher 2.… Expand
  7. wolverdick
    Apr 22, 2011
    8
    I give this game a solid 8. It wasn't as great as the very first in the DA series, but it isn't horrible either. The way developers dumb-down games to appeal to the console audience is the major downfall. The new skill trees leave a lot to be wondered about. But the story is good, the game-play engaging, and there is a lot more to this game than meets the eye. Sure the story isI give this game a solid 8. It wasn't as great as the very first in the DA series, but it isn't horrible either. The way developers dumb-down games to appeal to the console audience is the major downfall. The new skill trees leave a lot to be wondered about. But the story is good, the game-play engaging, and there is a lot more to this game than meets the eye. Sure the story is short, but there are tons of side quests. The interpersonal interaction with the companions is not as good as before, but that doesn't degrade the experience very much in my opinion. All in all, if you like DA you will like the game, but chances are you wont love it.… Expand
  8. harmattan
    Mar 29, 2011
    8
    After having played nearly the entire way through the 1st chapiter (about 12 hrs so far), I am very much enjoying this game. The story is very good (more "the little guy's" quest than DA:O) and the voice acting and dialogue absolutely superb. I'd say the main detractions are the interface and item use is dumbed down, there's a good deal of repetition of areas and what I would describe aAfter having played nearly the entire way through the 1st chapiter (about 12 hrs so far), I am very much enjoying this game. The story is very good (more "the little guy's" quest than DA:O) and the voice acting and dialogue absolutely superb. I'd say the main detractions are the interface and item use is dumbed down, there's a good deal of repetition of areas and what I would describe a empty graphical interfaces (obvious laziness/rush-job here). Overall however, the graphics and animations are much improved over DA:O, especially with the high-res texture pack. Contrary to most posters, I didn't feel penned in being limited to a single city and its periphery: there was enough detail and variation in each space to keep me interested and sticking to some of the same areas gave them a sense of intimacy that the sprawling world of DA:O did not have.… Expand
  9. Anclaw
    Mar 25, 2011
    9
    Ok, so, when I first launched it and started playing as a rogue I was fascinated by the graphics, dynamics of the battle and interface. I like the newcombat system Bioware made,it brings more movement and action into the game, making it differ from other RPGs. As I continued playing and the plot started moving, I had actually mixed feelings.
    "+"
    1) New combat system that makes the game    Ok, so, when I first launched it and started playing as a rogue I was fascinated by the graphics, dynamics of the battle and interface. I like the newcombat system Bioware made,it brings more movement and action into the game, making it differ from other RPGs. As I continued playing and the plot started moving, I had actually mixed feelings.
    "+"
    1) New combat system that makes the game much better and funnier to play than it was in Origins
    2) I like the characters. They are very different, each one in its own way. I really liked Isabella, how they made her interacting with Hawke and other companions. Well, this point is a big plus
    3) The ending is epic. Not spoiling anything. Its some sort of simillar to Mass Effect 2. It was very fascinating and exciting, though pretty hard ( I was playing on Hard difficulty)
    4) Lots and lots of secondary quests to keep you busy and make you play some more hours. I did all of the secondary quests and I really liked them. They differ from Origins, because every one is unique ( You dont come to the Chantry quest desk or Mage Circle bag and silly taketurn in quests). Every quest has its own plot and influences on the gameplay and storyline aswell.
    "-"
    1) First of all... the lack of spaces. There are so little locations that in 5-6 hours you get to know every place where the game takes place. Every cave, mansion, underground is the same. Bioware just lets you go here and there depending on the quest.
    2) I really disliked the Hawke bound only armor system. Only main character can pick up and wear/ buy and wear armor. Your companions only have the standard armor type, which can change once in a game depending on your relations to them. This was just disappointing.
    3) The way Bioware tells you the story. Each time I was getting a main storyline quest I was like: "What the hell did this guy just say? Why do I have to go there? What am I doing here? What the hell is actually going on here????". I couldn't really understand the plot at all at some points, which produced some questions at the end of the game for me. I was hoping for more at this point.
    These are the main pluses and minuses I really think every player encountered in this game. Despite of being so badly scored by many gamers, I still put this game 9. In my opinion, Bioware has made a very little, but still an important step forward. I am very sure, if they combine all their experience from Origins and the second part, they will make a fantastic and an eic story which everyone will enjoy. Let us hope Bioware will fullfill 100% of our expectations in Dragon Age 3. For now, I am willingly waiting for any major DLC coming, because I want more Dragon Age 2. I advice you this game, because if you get used to it ( And you surely will if you enjoyed origins) it will fullfill your expectations, money and will give you lots of pleasant emotions from the game at the end. Goodluck playing!    … Expand
  10. Echohawkdown
    Mar 28, 2011
    10
    For those of you that liked DA:O's loosely turn-based strategy RPG, you're looking in the wrong place. DA2 is all about real-time strategy, with instantaneous execution and a heavier emphasis on the action aspect of the ARPG genre.{||||}

    Despite that, having played through DA:O - Ultimate and DA2, both have their own charms: DA:O feels more old school, with more of a Baldur's Gate feel to    For those of you that liked DA:O's loosely turn-based strategy RPG, you're looking in the wrong place. DA2 is all about real-time strategy, with instantaneous execution and a heavier emphasis on the action aspect of the ARPG genre.{||||}

    Despite that, having played through DA:O - Ultimate and DA2, both have their own charms: DA:O feels more old school, with more of a Baldur's Gate feel to it, whereas DA2 feels much more like an action RPG with the elimination of the "turn"-based combat. In addition, DA2 concentrates on a much smaller area over a longer period of time, which, along with the frame story element, allowed for a much richer development of the player character's story. {||||}

    Pros: {||||}
    Simplified Interface - I no longer have to hover over my skills to tell whether they're activated skills or sustained. A quick glance tells me everything I need to know. In addition, the XP bar extends across the entire screen, and the skill bar is even less intrusive than before, with clean skill symbols and and semi-transparent background. {||||}

    Real-time combat - One of the small complaints I've had with BioWare in their other games is the turn-based feel of combat. In short, it just didn't feel like actual combat being executed in real time. Now, with DA2, they've made it so attacks are quick and skills are executed nearly instantaneously after I queue up the order. {||||}

    POV/Storytelling mechanic - While I've never been a big fan of the frame story mechanic, BioWare was able to pull this one off quite well. I didn't think it was possible, but props to BioWare for making it work. {||||}

    VO/ME dialogue wheel - Seriously, this was exactly what DA:O needed. Well, maybe not the dialog wheel, but it definitely needed something *like* it that would convey the general tone of upcoming dialog as well as making clear whether you were advancing dialog or clarifying things. I'm ambivalent on the dialog icons, though. {||||}

    Cons: Removal of trap-disarming/spotting - Perhaps the most egregious change of all, trap spotting and disarming have been removed in favor of a 4 tier complexity system based on the cunning stat. In other words, if you want a rogue to spot and disarm traps, say goodbye to damage. {||||}

    Heavy-handed defining of character classes - No matter what class you play, BioWare seems to think only two of the six stats should define your class. If you're a warrior, you're looking at strength and constitution; rogue, dexterity and cunning; and mage, magic and willpower. No offense, but it was rather tiresome to be a warrior and be unable to keep threat simply because I kept on running out of stamina since I had to pump attribute points into constitution to wear certain armors rather than willpower. {||||}

    Companion armor - Seriously, who thought of this? I'm pretty sure BioWare just wanted to make sure your companions always looked the same, but I would much rather give them armors that, you know, actually protected them rather than looked nice, yes? {||||}

    Overall, I'd still play DA2 over DA:O, but it will take some time for BioWare to work out those kinks (if they ever do).    … Expand
  11. Joshua61679
    May 8, 2011
    10
    If you're looking for a computer version of a dice based RL rpg, then skip this. If you want a computer game that has a lot of rpg elements, Dragon Age II is as good as there is out there. I found the balance between story and interesting game play in fight scenes to be excellent. I do miss the conversation engine from DA:O, but I didn't find the conversation wheel to be game braking byIf you're looking for a computer version of a dice based RL rpg, then skip this. If you want a computer game that has a lot of rpg elements, Dragon Age II is as good as there is out there. I found the balance between story and interesting game play in fight scenes to be excellent. I do miss the conversation engine from DA:O, but I didn't find the conversation wheel to be game braking by any means.

    All in all, based on enjoyment level, of the 4 DA/ME games released so far, I found this to be the most enjoyable, followed by ME, the DA, then ME II, but I would consider them all top notch games. I thought the story, including the expanded time frame, was compelling, and the ending left me wanting more in a good way.

    DA II's combat system, to me, felt far more immersive than it predecessors, especially when playing as a rogue. You can hack and slash your way through the game on normal difficulty, but higher difficulties require some tinkering with the tactics settings, which are much improved as well.

    Just as with a lot of BW games, there were a host of bugs on release, many of which have been fixed in subsequent patches. I do wish there had been a little more crossover from DA:O, but there were strong hints given that there will be something later in the series that ties things together. I also found the frequent recycling of maps leaving me underwhelmed at times. Yes, a city make of stone won't change much, if any, over the course of 10 years, but there should be more than 2 cave formations in outlying area's, and more than 3 building designs. Even small changes would have been appreciated.

    The choices you make throughout the game do have a bearing on some things, though little affect on end game scenarios. Were this a stand alone game, I would be exceedingly disappointed, but viewed with the expected full series, I understand why some things have to be. It's a rather "Doctor Who" type of view of history and what can and can't be changed.

    Overall, this is an outstanding game, with great replayablity and solid story. If you take it for what it is, and not what perhaps you wish it were (DA:O, or The Witcher) then it delivers. If you where hoping for a remake of the seminal title of the series, you'll probably be a bit disappointed.    … Expand
  12. Bjorik
    Jul 16, 2011
    8
    My beef with this game: NO replay value!!! This is a disaster!
    NO character creation, forget playing different races or alternative start. Combat reduced to button mashing. Almost entire game is set in the same city, yet they put no effort in making it beautiful and interesting to explore. Brown dusty streets and nothing to look at!
    To call this..abomination a sequel to Dragon age is insulting!
  13. pwnYourBrian
    Apr 19, 2011
    10
    After playing for 40h (yes it does take that long), I can say that this game is amazing. Almost all of the flaws have been taken out from Origins, the combat is much more fun, the leveling system is better, the animations are far superior, and most importantly of all, the story is good. I completely disagree with the negative reviews, and suspect that a fair few are simply trolls.
  14. verbose
    May 6, 2011
    7
    I enjoyed a lot of what this game changed. Unlike many, I enjoyed the change to the battle system, and I think that the battle system has been improved and streamlined from the first game. I am ambivalent about not being able to change anyone's armor but the main character, but I can live with that. I enjoy customizing my entire party, however, there is a different kind of enjoyment thatI enjoyed a lot of what this game changed. Unlike many, I enjoyed the change to the battle system, and I think that the battle system has been improved and streamlined from the first game. I am ambivalent about not being able to change anyone's armor but the main character, but I can live with that. I enjoy customizing my entire party, however, there is a different kind of enjoyment that can come from not having to worry about your companions gear very much(especially when half of them are very rarely used). I did not enjoy the fact that certain characters were essentially mandatory for much of the game if you did not pick a mage due to the fact that there is only one real healer in the game. I thought the story was decent. It was not the epic that DA:O was, but it was still interesting to see how one person inadvertently caused a chain reaction. There are three things that I really do not like about this game. 1. DA:O took me roughly 80 hours to finish and do everything there was to do in the game. This game took me roughly 25 hours to do the same. 2. This game uses recycled areas for the entire game. In all of the Acts of this game, you will be revisiting areas that you have already been to over and over and over again. This is probably my biggest gripe of the game. 3. There are too few references to the characters and events of DA:O. As a sequel, and specifically, as a Bioware sequel, I expected to have more appearances from characters of the first game. Also, when characters from the first game do appear, I felt unsatisfied. It seems that they put the characters in the game just to have an appearance rather than actually weaving them into the story of the game. That said, I initially greatly enjoyed this game. It is not a perfect game, but it is still fun.… Expand
  15. soccerball
    Mar 25, 2011
    9
    Loved it. All of the best elements of mass effect brought over to the series and they streamlined a lot of the tedious things in rpg's that used to annoy the hell outta me like loot management, time of day specific quests, and hand me down armor to the rest of the party.
  16. JaylaClark
    Mar 29, 2011
    8
    No, I'm not clinically insane, or a hack-and-slash fan. I actually do like the game enough that its flaws are overcome by the enjoyment, in my opinion.

    Combat, to my eyes, is improved -- I don't feel constrained to take more than one warrior to any one place anymore, as opposed to the last game where my tank (Alistair, or Sten) had to come by every single mission. The story, too, is    No, I'm not clinically insane, or a hack-and-slash fan. I actually do like the game enough that its flaws are overcome by the enjoyment, in my opinion.

    Combat, to my eyes, is improved -- I don't feel constrained to take more than one warrior to any one place anymore, as opposed to the last game where my tank (Alistair, or Sten) had to come by every single mission. The story, too, is more immersive by my standards.

    If it weren't for fit and finish issues, like the recycled maps and the more cartoonish face morphs, I'd say this was clearly the better game. They're enough of an issue to cause me to take two whole points off, I'll admit, but they didn't kill the game for me.    … Expand
  17. LlamaHerder
    May 15, 2011
    9
    As someone who found Dragon Age:Origins to be disappointing (good, but not great), DA2 was actually good enough to actually make me like DA:O better than I originally did - as all good sequels should. The storytelling shows off the depth of the game world, and the storyline actually has something to offer beyond, "The big bad is coming and only you can kill it." The game improved on everyAs someone who found Dragon Age:Origins to be disappointing (good, but not great), DA2 was actually good enough to actually make me like DA:O better than I originally did - as all good sequels should. The storytelling shows off the depth of the game world, and the storyline actually has something to offer beyond, "The big bad is coming and only you can kill it." The game improved on every factor that actually matters to me:

    The main character has a voice. One of the big benefits of playing RPGs from this generation is that my character doesn't communicate telepathically.

    The combat isn't miserable anymore. I personally loved the BG series, but that was more than a decade ago, and we've moved past it. The retro gameplay of DA:O brought up vivid memories of how long and miserable the Underdark dungeon crawl was in DA2. I have no problem with having to work to win in boss fights, but when I have to pause and give orders to every group member every 5 seconds to beat routine trash fights, every dungeon crawl becomes an awful slog. I remember wishing every last dungeon crawl in DA:O was over before it even began. Combat in DA2 is actually enjoyable, which is a nice change from every RPG ever made prior to Mass Effect. It's not even the fact that it's easier, which it is. It's the feel of the gameplay, which feels more like a video game and less like a second job.

    More interesting companion characters, who have real motivations behind the way they react to your actions. Instead of Morrigan's "You did a nice thing for someone, so I hate you," your people have backgrounds and causes that make them behave the way they do. They're also hilarious.

    The focus of the plot is a genuine moral quandary. It's not just "Beat the bad guys who are obviously bad." When you talk to Cullen about his beliefs, you understand why he feels the way he does and can sympathize with him.

    A lot of tedium was removed. Inventory management was less of an issue, and I didn't have to worry as much about gearing out my companion characters. Thank God. I don't know about everyone else, but I definitely do not play video games to fish through my inventory every two minutes looking for Frostrocks and Nature Salves to destroy so I can pick up things that matter. The only thing lacking in this respect was the absence of a "Destroy all Junk" button.

    The sidequests were, nearly without exception, fantastic. I never felt like the legendary hero retrieving cats from trees for old ladies as I have so many times in so many RPGs in the past - including DA:O. They all felt appropriate for someone of my stature at each stage of the game.

    The bad:

    Reused areas. The first time you see any given dungeon, you can count on seeing it countless times afterwards. It's irritating, but not game-breaking.

    A major portion of the plot was pushed a little too hard. Especially at the end.

    I still had to run around looting after every single battle, and I still had to destroy gear constantly to keep enough space in my pack. Deliver the gear on a silver platter and give me unlimited inventory space. When are game developers going to stop imposing artificial inventory limits? I'm already carrying around 15 suits of platemail on my person - is it really a stretch to just ditch the limits entirely?    … Expand
  18. dxmpsycho
    Apr 4, 2015
    0
    Я искренне удивляюсь, когда кто-то пишет или говорит, что игра Dragon Age 2 - это конечно не Origins, но тоже пойдет. Рассмотрим подробнее:

    Плюсы: + не замечены критические баги и вылеты - и больше плюсов не замечено Минусы: - ужасные, уродливые лица персонажей (особенно мать глав.героя) . в Origins лица в 100 раз красивее и живее. здесь же ощущение, что лица слепил пьяный левой    Я искренне удивляюсь, когда кто-то пишет или говорит, что игра Dragon Age 2 - это конечно не Origins, но тоже пойдет. Рассмотрим подробнее:

    Плюсы:
    + не замечены критические баги и вылеты - и больше плюсов не замечено

    Минусы:
    - ужасные, уродливые лица персонажей (особенно мать глав.героя) . в Origins лица в 100 раз красивее и живее. здесь же ощущение, что лица слепил пьяный левой ногой за полчаса. вся остальная графика сделана неплохо, и только с самими фигурками персонажей какая-то ужасная лажа.
    - и из своего персонажа можно слепить только нечто не очень приятное на вид
    - анимация боя в стиле аниме, с дурацкими прыжками и кривляньями. битва теперь больше похожа на цирк
    - в бою сперва ты дерешься, допустим, с 6-ю противниками, побеждаешь их, потом откуда-нибудь спрыгивают еще 8, потом еще по 4 выбегают с двух сторон (неважно, что за спиной у тебя уже все зачищено, они вылезут и оттуда), а потом еще штук 10. это довольно-таки сильно раздражает и надоедает - потому что это нормальное явление, и так проходит КАЖДЫЙ бой
    - массовые заклинания теперь не действуют на своих (что за читерство?)
    - тупейшие диалоги. впечатление, что их писал умственно отсталый первоклассник
    - главный персонаж - не герой, который пришел всем помочь и всех спасти, а жалкая и ничтожная личность, которая если и помогает, то как-то неохотно. а в иных случаях наоборот - как-то чрезмерно экзальтированно.
    - выбор ответа совершенно ни на что не влияет - вежливо ли ты говоришь, шутя ли, или агрессивно. никто не замечает твой выбор - добро ли ты совершаешь, зло ли. на сюжет не влияет совершенно. - события в игре бестолковые - и добро не добро, и зло не зло. а какая-то скучная неинтересная ерунда, до которой, судя по диалогам, глав.герою нет никакого дела. а мне, игроку, почему должно быть дело?
    - какое-то издевательство над миром первой части игры. в Origins был довольно логичный интересный мир - маги, которые должны пройти обучение, чтобы не стать одержимыми демонами (что было серьезной угрозой окружающему миру), и храмовники, которые можно сказать, жизнь кладут на то, чтобы надзирать за магами, чтобы сдерживать одержимых. в Dragon Age 2 мы видим, что маги - это такие вольные художники, которым демоны не беда. главная беда -это жестокая и кровавая тирании храмовников, которые только и умеют, что подавлять нежную и мятущуюся душу мага, и делают это исключительно от природной жестокости
    - бестолковые скучные квесты спутников, где нужно решать их проблемы, которые мне как-то совершенно до лампочки. сами персонажи скучны и пусты, и никак не раскрываются
    - тупейший, скучнейший сюжет. даже не сюжет, а какие-то разрозненные куски. удивительно тупой финал, в котором снова продемонстрировано, что игрок абсолютно никак не влияет на сюжет

    игру хотелось бросить с самого начала, и в процессе игры интереса к ней не было никакого. прошла игру со скрипом и только чтобы узнать, хоть над финалом-то постарались разработчики? оказалось нет, не старались ни в начале, ни в конце.
    в целом игра выглядит дешевой поделкой, которую сделали на отвяжись, и которая ничем не маскирует то, что она дешевая поделка. просто заплатили потом за отличные рецензии. рейтинг 82 процента у этого убожества? это просто смешно. не каждой ХОРОШЕЙ игре дашь такой рейтинг.
    в общем, Bioware очень сильно облажался, но главное, не переживает по этому поводу абсолютно    … Expand
  19. Chaozzak
    Nov 6, 2011
    4
    Horrible. port of console with average graphics and poor level design. Fast and easy combat where enemies popping everywhere. I finished this game and its really disappointing again Origins. I hope that DA3 will be much better
  20. Olaf
    Mar 17, 2011
    7
    Dragon Age 2 though being a good game is a big let down for RPG fans. It tries to cater to a very large gamer base thus sacrificing a lot of which made DAO a huge success. The story at best is average, the voice acting is average though it does shine at times, the combat is more of a hack n slash, enemies explode in countless bits with one hit from a weapon. The combat consists of waves nDragon Age 2 though being a good game is a big let down for RPG fans. It tries to cater to a very large gamer base thus sacrificing a lot of which made DAO a huge success. The story at best is average, the voice acting is average though it does shine at times, the combat is more of a hack n slash, enemies explode in countless bits with one hit from a weapon. The combat consists of waves n waves of enemies spawning at you out of thin air which is absolutely immersion breaking and it continues throughout most of the game in the same manner. The environments are reused again n again n again n again....... The companions are not that great no feeling of attachment, romance is not implemented well, no companion customization, poor inventory system. I could go on n on but Ill stop. Please Bioware check you priorities you can't serve two masters at the same time...… Expand
  21. ZombiePowered
    Mar 24, 2011
    9
    Dragon Age 2 is a fantastic game, and a great next step in the Dragon Age world. It fills that main gap that Origins had: an inspired, original story that matches the originality of the world it is set in. Instead of a generic fight against ultimate evil, DA2 gives us a much more morally muddled world. The conflict between Templars and mages is finally flesh out: we are given ample reasonDragon Age 2 is a fantastic game, and a great next step in the Dragon Age world. It fills that main gap that Origins had: an inspired, original story that matches the originality of the world it is set in. Instead of a generic fight against ultimate evil, DA2 gives us a much more morally muddled world. The conflict between Templars and mages is finally flesh out: we are given ample reason to fear reason, while at the same time supplied with further evidence that the Templars may not be the best people to guard them. The addition of the Qunari as a force to be reckoned with is even more welcome, and their philosophy is further explored, as well as put into direct conflict with the rest of the world in a truly interesting conflict that I'm left begging for more of.
    The great part of the story is the change of focus. Origins was all about stopped the Archdemon, with the Warden and his companions, interesting and deep as they were, as tools to be used to complete this task. In DA2, however, the focus is Hawke. His rise to power and birth into legend is the story, and it is a great one at that. The addition of a voice, and fantastic dialogue, also adds to his depth, and all in all I found myself identifying more with my Hawke than with any other player character in any previous RPG.
    The companions are just as great, and the choice to let them choose their own clothing adds further to their sense of individuality. The great thing about the companions is that, unlike in Origins, they are not all directly tied to the issues in Kirkwall, but instead are tied to Hawke. They feel much more like friends and rivals who stick around because of their personal relationship with Hawke, not because external events force them to stay. The dialogue, both with Hawke and with each other, ranged from hilarious to caring to baleful, and it makes for some excellent and deep group relationships. My only complaint is that Hawke is unable to talk to his companions at will; they will only talk when they have something to say. With such rich connections between characters, I would have liked to experience more group events, or at least the chance to talk with them one-on-one more often. More dialogue, especially Bioware dialogue, is never a bad thing.
    The new combat system is fast, fun, and engaging, but doesn't sacrifice the tactics of Origins. In fact, on higher difficulty it requires far more thought into abilities and positioning than was ever needed in Origins. I found myself pausing frequently to set up nasty combos and to manage my companions movements, though on normal I mostly only used Hawke in real-time (on hard I found myself switching for more often to ranged companions like Varric to keep them kiting nasty melee enemies around the room). The moves are all more reactive and their results brutal (the dismemberment can be a bit ridiculous, and I hope it will be toned down more in future installments). The one negative aspect compared to Origins is the lack of executions; it was one of the best aspects of Origins combat, and I hope it will return in either expansions or future installments of Dragon Age.
    As many have noted, many environments are reused. However, these mostly consist of caves and houses, and you'd have to be quite picky (and a bit petty) to let them significantly impact your experience with the game.
    Finally, the music. The music was... acceptable. It was not notable, though the music certainly fit the mood of the game. However, I felt DA2's fast pace and Hawke's habit of being nothing less than badass made DA2 and excellent choice for incorporating the guitar-embellished music seen in the Destiny trailer. Additionally, pausing of the music whilst the game is paused, and then picking up when combat resumes, would have greatly accentuated the impressive combat and made a more cinematic experience. Overall, definitely a 9.5/10, and definitely worth playing several times.    … Expand
  22. Jinngo
    May 1, 2011
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A Truly Excellent Game Which i Look Forward To Replaying.

    The Game Is Not Dragon Age: Origins, Because DA:O Was Most Likely The Prequel To Everything That Is About To Happen In The World Of Dragon Age, At Least That's How i See It Nonetheless Dragon Age 2 Is a Amazing Game But You've Got To Look At It For What It is Not What You Expected It To Be, There Are Some Minor Elements That Might Trouble Even The Most Loyal Of Bioware Fans Like That You Will Be Wandering The Same Dungeons And Areas Over The Course Of The Game, This Did Not However Bother Me Since You Are In fact Set In Kirkwall Not An Country Or State Like In DA:O And Of Course It's Not Going To Be As Big As Fereldan In DA:O, Well Anyway I Have Almost Only Good Things To Say About Dragon Age 2 In fact My Only Complaint Is i Just Wish It Was Longer. It Was Truly Money Well Spent And I Hope Bioware Continues To Make Amazing Games Like This One.    … Expand
  23. f8tal1ties
    May 25, 2011
    9
    I absolutely loved this game and was so absorbed in the story I hardly slept for 3 evenings so I could finish it. Loved the characters and the dialog change. An absolutely great game. I know some people didn't like the recycled dungeons and it would have been nice to have some different scenery, which is the only reason I have downgraded this to a 9. Kudos bioware!
  24. maddocks2379
    Mar 26, 2011
    9
    Dragon age 2 is one of the best games so far this year, it has a great story, great characters and an improvement combat system however it does have some issues like recycling levels far too often.
    The Skills system has seen a vast improvement with more skills to choose from and each allies has a unique skillset
  25. Lackadaisy
    Mar 11, 2011
    8
    I would like to start off by saying that while I do not regret buying Dragon Age 2, I do regret paying $60 for it. This game is not worth the $60 in it's current state, and the writing at some points is downright terrible to a degree of which made me want to kill small animals.
    On to what I do like:
    I find that the game is in many ways better than it's predecessor and one of them is    I would like to start off by saying that while I do not regret buying Dragon Age 2, I do regret paying $60 for it. This game is not worth the $60 in it's current state, and the writing at some points is downright terrible to a degree of which made me want to kill small animals.
    On to what I do like:
    I find that the game is in many ways better than it's predecessor and one of them is companion inventory. Along with Mass Effect, it's inventory management system was a complete mess. With the removal of said problem, the game got considerably easier to play. Another bonus was the visual aid to the dialogue options. Sometimes things are difficult to decipher when just words, or the small description isn't enough. The combat is smoother, the dialogue entertaining, and the storyline immersive. But there is still one problem.
    Text.
    The massive blocks of test.
    Stop doing this BioWare.
    I bought a game to play it, not to read several novels worth of text.
    I give it an 8/10, but will change it if the game does not receive its much needed patches.    … Expand
  26. CaptainScalawag
    Mar 13, 2011
    7
    As of right now I'm about 10 hours into the game and must say that it's not as bad as everyone here seems to think it is. No, it's not nearly as good as the original but if you liked the original then chances are you will probably like this as well. DA:O was a complex RPG but I'm sure that might have thrown off a ton of people because DA:II seems to go too far in the other direction andAs of right now I'm about 10 hours into the game and must say that it's not as bad as everyone here seems to think it is. No, it's not nearly as good as the original but if you liked the original then chances are you will probably like this as well. DA:O was a complex RPG but I'm sure that might have thrown off a ton of people because DA:II seems to go too far in the other direction and simplify way too much. First I'm glad they changed the skill trees for the classes and got rid of the alternative skill tree (herbalism, posion, etc.) and instead opted to allow you to make anything as long as you had the recipe, coin, and ingredients to back it up. The skill trees, like I said, have been streamlined and I think they're far better in this since the trees aren't as linear and there are passive buffs that reward you for investing a lot of points in one tree. The combat is better in some aspects. Heal actually feels like a useful spell to have since it does so much this time around. The attacks also feel like they have more weight, especially as a mage, and I really like feeling like I'm having an affect on the battle rather than being a guy in the background clicking on things.

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

    It's not a bad game, but I think they simplified it way too much from the complexities of the first one. If you liked the first one chances are you'll at least get a kick out of this. Maybe in Dragon Age 3 they'll learn from their mistakes and combine the strengths of DA:O and DA II and if they did that, I honestly believe it could be one of the greatest RPGs Bioware ever released.    … Expand
  27. dragunrising
    Apr 16, 2011
    8
    Judging by the review scores, I'm guessing there are a bunch of disappointed Dragon Age: Origins fans and/or perpetually depressed people purposely exaggerating minor annoyances. If you review Dragon Age 2 based on its own merits and not its prequel, its hardly the bad game other people make it out to be. Giving the protagonist a voice? Progress. Speeding up the game play and reducing theJudging by the review scores, I'm guessing there are a bunch of disappointed Dragon Age: Origins fans and/or perpetually depressed people purposely exaggerating minor annoyances. If you review Dragon Age 2 based on its own merits and not its prequel, its hardly the bad game other people make it out to be. Giving the protagonist a voice? Progress. Speeding up the game play and reducing the number of available special abilities? Better combat. The menu system is less complicated. The game is a tad bit shorter as well. Most adults/people with jobs hardly have the time to play a game as large as Dragon Age. Good decision in making the game easier to finish for busy people. The bottom line is that sequels are sequels for a reason. They "try" to make improvements for the better. If your going to harp about anything, talk about the reused level design and assets. That is something worth discussing.… Expand
  28. RolandDeschain
    May 19, 2011
    10
    This game is a proof that games are a form of art. BioWare has brought us yet another masterpiece that sets a new standard for this genre.
    Dragon Age 2 is the epitome of everything a sequel should be. Before us is a game that is both accessible and challenging enough to satisfy both the experienced players and beginners. I am most impressed by the new visual style that is genuine and    This game is a proof that games are a form of art. BioWare has brought us yet another masterpiece that sets a new standard for this genre.
    Dragon Age 2 is the epitome of everything a sequel should be. Before us is a game that is both accessible and challenging enough to satisfy both the experienced players and beginners. I am most impressed by the new visual style that is genuine and represents a real refreshment in the sea of photorealistic games. The story is well written and very unpredictable. Redesigned combat system is much more fun than the one from DA: O.
    Be sure to buy DA2 if you love a good RPG and generally a good game.    … Expand
  29. FredIK
    Mar 16, 2011
    7
    Dragon age 2 (DA2) have put a real dynamic fighting BUT too many bugs in the strategic mode made this game disappointing. Too many details (conversation, equipement) with companions, choice of race and background of own characters, the cue aren't reflect sometimes what the characters said (it is perhaps a problem of translation, i don't know). In fact the fans of RPG will find less inDragon age 2 (DA2) have put a real dynamic fighting BUT too many bugs in the strategic mode made this game disappointing. Too many details (conversation, equipement) with companions, choice of race and background of own characters, the cue aren't reflect sometimes what the characters said (it is perhaps a problem of translation, i don't know). In fact the fans of RPG will find less in Dragon Age 2 than In DA Origins. I have more said "it's a pitty" than "Excellent" in my play of DA2.
    My score is 7, sure there are gaps but it stay a real good RPG game. People wait perhaps too much from Bioware which perhaps have to take much time to finish Dragon Age 2. It's not an Epic fail, just choices from Bioware, not really satisfied their gamers.    … Expand
  30. riker
    Jul 14, 2011
    9
    Dragon Age 2 â
  31. Wargizmo
    Dec 4, 2011
    7
    Amazed at all these butthurt fanboys giving this a 4 or below when it's clearly not a horrible game. No, it doesn't have nearly the depth of the first one, but on the other hand the combat feels greatly improved and the general interface, skill trees, inventory system and companion AI are extremely well thought out and eliminate a lot of the boringness that tends to go along with so manyAmazed at all these butthurt fanboys giving this a 4 or below when it's clearly not a horrible game. No, it doesn't have nearly the depth of the first one, but on the other hand the combat feels greatly improved and the general interface, skill trees, inventory system and companion AI are extremely well thought out and eliminate a lot of the boringness that tends to go along with so many RPGs, such as wasting time on inventory management or babysitting every companion so they actually do what they're supposed to in battle. The story and character development aren't quite as gripping as the original, but it's still 100 times better than what you would get in most games. I found the game challenging on hard, without being frustratingly difficult - most difficult encounters can be figured out after a couple of tries.

    The worst thing about the game is probably the recycling of all the environments; the game could have used a few more templates for cave and dungeon design, or better yet use a Diablo style dungeon generator. The other bad thing is, because the game progresses more over time than over game area it feels much less epic than the original, you seem to have a lot less of a world to explore so to speak, and the cities and towns feel a lot more generic, and hence have much less atmosphere. E.g. the difference between the mage, dwarf and elven areas in the original was huge, whereas in DA2 all the town areas kind of look alike, apart form the general difference between rich and poor areas. I appreciate the game might have been worse on release than it is now, since I'm currently playing on the 1.03 patch and haven't experienced any real quest bugs, glitches or crashes yet. To sum up, this is a solid RPG that's worth playing, especially if you're into more tactics/combat based RPGs. It's not as good as the first one but it's definitely worth more than a score of 3 or 4.    … Expand
  32. Clean
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    I hope EA and Bioware will learn and understand the golden rule of gaming industry. Internet user feedback never reflects the wills of gamers. Because most of the fans are just enjoying from the wonderful game, generally don't even bother to leave a review here.

    Look at this game, it has all the elements contributing to its great success and sales records, but it gets a ridiculously low    I hope EA and Bioware will learn and understand the golden rule of gaming industry. Internet user feedback never reflects the wills of gamers. Because most of the fans are just enjoying from the wonderful game, generally don't even bother to leave a review here.

    Look at this game, it has all the elements contributing to its great success and sales records, but it gets a ridiculously low user score here. In fact, this game is just like Skyrim which is a master piece because it removes all the complicated elements of RPG, making the game an exploration and action oriented lightweight RPG. This reaches the top game standard, a game can be enjoyed by everyone, attracting a much bigger audience base.

    It seems DA3 is going in a wrong direction again, caring for a minority of hardcore RPG players will only result in a fall of sale. Because it will never attract the majority of gamers due to taste preference.    … Expand
  33. ttocs
    Oct 31, 2011
    8
    It's in no way a bad game, it just doesn't reach the heights that the first one did. The console heavy gameplay on the PC really isn't well suited for the type of game most people expected. This should have been an off shoot Dragon Age game, not 2.
  34. 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.
  35. 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
  36. 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.
  37. 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.
  38. 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.
  39. 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.
  40. gerszom
    Mar 17, 2014
    7
    I've played it mostly for the plot. I am preparing for DA: Inquisition. This game is much worst than Origins. Simpler, poorer and making impression that developers were in a hurry. Many times You have to travel through the same maps. Main plot is concentrated around one big city. Even big bosses aren't very challenging. It is totally not as good as in the E3 trailer. RPG elements are alsoI've played it mostly for the plot. I am preparing for DA: Inquisition. This game is much worst than Origins. Simpler, poorer and making impression that developers were in a hurry. Many times You have to travel through the same maps. Main plot is concentrated around one big city. Even big bosses aren't very challenging. It is totally not as good as in the E3 trailer. RPG elements are also much weaker than in DA:O.
    But despite all issues it is still good 40h of worthy game. If You like the climate of DA You should definitely play it. Class balance is better than before and npc are finally doing something smart. Characters are nice, plot quite good, music great, and graphics still nice. Worth of trying before DA:I premiere.    … Expand
  41. Player_2
    Nov 19, 2014
    5
    This was unbelievably disappointing. I played the game to 'warm up' for Inquisition after I had kept away from it for years when I first saw credible reviews. I should have kept to it. It feels more like a chore playing the same battles in the same environments over and over (and over and...) again just to realize experience and money are worthless since enemies strength scales and theThis was unbelievably disappointing. I played the game to 'warm up' for Inquisition after I had kept away from it for years when I first saw credible reviews. I should have kept to it. It feels more like a chore playing the same battles in the same environments over and over (and over and...) again just to realize experience and money are worthless since enemies strength scales and the best items are delivered by DLC (stand in your home at the very beginning of the game). Waste of time and nerve. I feel cheated by the publishers and developers (for not standing up to their publishers crazy demands) and most reviews from 'professional' gaming magazines are straight out filled with lies. This being said parts of the game were actually well crafted. I liked the skill system and towards the end (last 30 mins) the story and enemies became more interesting. This game had a lot of potential and could have been great. Sadly it only lived up to the investors wishes.… Expand
  42. Frenetik
    Jul 17, 2015
    4
    What the **** is wrong with these critics (82 score seriously????) This game is pathetic. Its boring, dull and just painfully bad.
    I have no problem with the gameplay or graphics, my main concern is the storyline and the level design. The story is close to nonexistent, about a guy who works his way up the social ladder and gets caught up in some templar versus mages battle. I think they    What the **** is wrong with these critics (82 score seriously????) This game is pathetic. Its boring, dull and just painfully bad.
    I have no problem with the gameplay or graphics, my main concern is the storyline and the level design. The story is close to nonexistent, about a guy who works his way up the social ladder and gets caught up in some templar versus mages battle. I think they could sum up the whole storyline in an dlc , without the useless and crappy side quests where u help every scumbag in that city and do their chores.
    The dialogues are bad, the voice acting is bad and the conversation system is ****ed up. the replies u can chose are basically good, aggressive and ironical, yeah.. yellow red and purple, for retarded people. I preferred it in DAO or kotor where my character was silent.
    The whole action takes place in a single city with some surrounding areas and caves that all look alike. The companions are boring as **** who complain every 5 seconds like little **** maybe except for Varic .
    I could go on and on but in the end it's just a bad game that never should have seen the light of day.    … Expand
  43. Zzgashi
    Mar 9, 2011
    6
    Dragon Age 2 certainly is a step backwards for the series in a few respects, but at it's core it still provides an entertaining role playing experience. My biggest gripe with the game is the control. The right mouse button is both attack and camera control. Without the tactical camera of it's predecessor the camera needs to be constantly adjusted to get a good view of the battlefield,Dragon Age 2 certainly is a step backwards for the series in a few respects, but at it's core it still provides an entertaining role playing experience. My biggest gripe with the game is the control. The right mouse button is both attack and camera control. Without the tactical camera of it's predecessor the camera needs to be constantly adjusted to get a good view of the battlefield, and even then the camera moves on it's own whenever the characters do anything. This makes is quite difficult to target enemies in the heat of battle. The violence looks quite silly as the characters swing over sized weapons in quick exaggerated movements like an anime. The enemies just look slightly stunned every time they get hit until their HP reaches 0 and the pop like kind of meat balloons.

    The characters and interaction however are one thing DA2 does right, and I feel it's the most important part of an RPG experience. The Dragon Age world is well fleshed out with enjoyable characters (Although some feel very familiar of previous Bioware games). I quite liked DA2's "over time" feel. The game takes place over a long period of time, and you can really feel the characters and world change.

    Overall I feel that DA2 technically disappointed, but still entertained.    … Expand
  44. schnoogens
    Mar 9, 2011
    8
    I created an account because I couldn't believe the low scores on this game...and I was a big fan of the first one. I still find myself pausing the game, issuing orders, and it's satisfying. I even took everyone's word for it and started on hard, which worked fine for the first 30 minutes but soon became frustrating...there is no "auto-win" button like people are claiming. It's far tooI created an account because I couldn't believe the low scores on this game...and I was a big fan of the first one. I still find myself pausing the game, issuing orders, and it's satisfying. I even took everyone's word for it and started on hard, which worked fine for the first 30 minutes but soon became frustrating...there is no "auto-win" button like people are claiming. It's far too early for me to submit a full review, but my impression after 2-3 hours has been very favorable and I felt the need to provide some honest, legitimate feedback.… Expand
  45. RamenAwesome
    Mar 24, 2011
    9
    Dragon Age 2 was destined for division among its fan base since it was first revealed to the gamer community. Many people complain that the game has been dumbed down and that it was stripped of its personality. Having beaten the game, I can't help but wonder if any of these negative reviewers actually played more than the first act. Lets start with the story. DA:O's story felt like aDragon Age 2 was destined for division among its fan base since it was first revealed to the gamer community. Many people complain that the game has been dumbed down and that it was stripped of its personality. Having beaten the game, I can't help but wonder if any of these negative reviewers actually played more than the first act. Lets start with the story. DA:O's story felt like a template made from every other Bioware game ever, you're a hero, gather allies, go kill this, DA2 took a different approach and never shows you the whole conflict until the end, instead choosing to hint at the epic battle to come. I found it easy to step into the shoes of Hawke, who made me feel like a unique and powerful character. While Hawke can only be an human, you can still change his/her appearance and his/her story feels more developed than the seven origins in DA:O.which changed nothing except for a few cameos throughout the game. Combat has vastly evolved, Bioware chose to make combat more stylish and fun to watch. Warriors no longer run like they have lead weights for feet, and mages don't prod uselessly with one recycled staff animation. Your new companions are better developed then Origins' as well. Origins feature the standard stoic knight, the standard evil sorceress, and the standard elderly wizard, ect. DA2 developed characters that I connected with, that I learned to love or hate, or feel sorry for. The moral choices you make in the game are no easier than they were in Origins, just better organized. The wheel doesn't dictate the morality of your choice, just the stance Hawke will take. For example the top right option is usually friendly, but being friendly with a blood mage isn't always a good thing. Finally, Kirkwall proved to be a far more dynamic setting than DA:O. Kirkwall is much larger than Origins Denerim, and it has much more personality. Kirkwall is a sin city of crime and corruption, and it makes for some interesting encounters.

    However, DA2 does have obvious faults that make me feel like it was a little bit rushed. Dungeons and caves are often copy pasted for other quests. So when you've seen one underground cave, you've seen them all.There is also no longer a speech or intimidation skill, so some sticky situations can only be resolved if you say the right things and get lucky. The graphics are still substandard to many other titles on the market, but no one seemed to care when Origins came out, so I'm confused why everyone cares now. The top down view has also been removed from the game, which may bother some (myself not included) but fortunately the designers retained the tactical pause function. Also some of the violence in the game can be over the top, which sometimes made the game feel silly instead of dark and moody. Enemies exploding from a dagger strike may be a little much for realism fans.

    Overall, Dragon Age 2 is a step in a different direction, but I think its the right direction. DA2 isn't simplified, just streamlined and more focused then before. Fans waiting for Baldur's Gate 3 will be disappointed that this franchise isn't the game they were waiting for, but that shouldn't take away from what DA2 does well. Despite some rushed design, I enjoyed DA2 more than I did DA:O. If your willing to look past some of the flaws, then maybe you will to.    … Expand
  46. Ellio
    Apr 24, 2011
    10
    I love it. I thought that this game had several brave changes. The framed narrative was certainly new for me and I have never seen it in a game before. The voice was a much appreciated addition with the 3 different tones, my fav is the witty one. Think that you really should play two different Hawkes to really see how much this changes the game =) this even changes what youI love it. I thought that this game had several brave changes. The framed narrative was certainly new for me and I have never seen it in a game before. The voice was a much appreciated addition with the 3 different tones, my fav is the witty one. Think that you really should play two different Hawkes to really see how much this changes the game =) this even changes what you partymember and companions have to say. I love my DA:O to bits but for me DA2 has more replay value =) best game I have at home. Combat is better than DA:O but the thing I like the most are the companions. They are gold. Especially Fenris… Expand
  47. krogan2010
    Mar 9, 2011
    9
    I had to write a review seeing all the haters out there. i am a few hours in and really enjoying it. I loooooooooved DAO, and so far i am enjoying DAII as much. Yes the small inventory can be a pain at times, and spending so much time in Kirkwall could get a bit repetitive if the story and the action was not constantly driving you forward. But overall it is a great RPG that will beI had to write a review seeing all the haters out there. i am a few hours in and really enjoying it. I loooooooooved DAO, and so far i am enjoying DAII as much. Yes the small inventory can be a pain at times, and spending so much time in Kirkwall could get a bit repetitive if the story and the action was not constantly driving you forward. But overall it is a great RPG that will be engrossing for event the hardest cynics.… Expand
  48. Mariany
    Mar 13, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I didn't play DA:O for almost a year, then DA2 is out and i was overjoy to test it out. The short guy and the girl seeker looked promising, then bang the first DA fail, only human to choose (even if u font play the others, it was part of the lore and to play in DA:O)

    Has many said combat is less tactical and that, well i prefer this new method and mage and rogue looks very well designed while in combat and u can still make ur own tactic if ya want (but actualy u don't, just pick tank, healer , damager and it goes how ya want)

    Grapics, man.. its better aright ,but when i was mid act II of the game i got bored of the same city quests, lets face it, combat is nice, graphics is better, but its boring looking to the same place.

    After this i got the mood to go grab my DA:O and start a new game to see the dif better, and i did forget how was and is far better than his sequel.

    Graphics is almost the same, and u can get a good overview when in combat (but still i prefer the fast paced that DA:2 offers). But.. when u became a grey warden and the battle of ostagar begins.. thats the real Dragon Age, thats the real feeling that i loved playing this game.

    And yes, Alistair and morgan moments while ur walking, its epic.

    To conclude my first and only post, DA:O gives much more to the player than its sequel, and u are always on the move from city to city, wild to villages, while DA2 ur stuck in a boring city, even with the nice visual combat system that DA2 offers, origins its in other league of rpgish.

    Cheers    … Expand
  49. LonBorah
    Jun 1, 2011
    10
    First of all this game doesn't deserve 0 or 1 Come on people stop whining that it was not as epic as dragon age origins .Overall it is quite dissapointing after the hype it created along with th success of its predecessor but it still it is not that Bad.Basically what bioware is trying to do is make it a mass effect that's the biggest mistake dragon age is something different and whatsFirst of all this game doesn't deserve 0 or 1 Come on people stop whining that it was not as epic as dragon age origins .Overall it is quite dissapointing after the hype it created along with th success of its predecessor but it still it is not that Bad.Basically what bioware is trying to do is make it a mass effect that's the biggest mistake dragon age is something different and whats with this small map and playing with only one human is another negative but still has its positive like the story is pretty good along with the character models and the r.p.g elements Overall Its quite playable but still i recommend the predecessor why the hell the product was rushed I was suppode to give it a score of 7 but with all those negative comments its better to give it a 8… Expand
  50. Dovahkiin
    Mar 27, 2011
    9
    Most Origins players will say that Dragon Age 2 does not live up to the original. However I was not a big fan of Origins, it felt like a chore to play. Dragon Age 2 actually feels fun to me, it's more streamlined and easier to play. It's not as frustrating as Origins was and it gives more focus on the story. The fact that you can only upgrade your companions' armour does kind of suck butMost Origins players will say that Dragon Age 2 does not live up to the original. However I was not a big fan of Origins, it felt like a chore to play. Dragon Age 2 actually feels fun to me, it's more streamlined and easier to play. It's not as frustrating as Origins was and it gives more focus on the story. The fact that you can only upgrade your companions' armour does kind of suck but at the same time it is less to worry about and makes the game overall less stressful. The game is very combat heavy and it can get tiresome fighting limitless amounts of enemies over and over again. But this is made up for by the enjoyment of the combat itself. No matter what class you play there is fun to be had when slaying demons and defeating Templars. Sure it's only one city with outskirts but Bioware makes this work, especially for the story. Playing as a set character with a fantastic story and still having those many difficult choices there makes the game even better. Unravelling your companions' pasts and learning about how they came to be living in Kirkwall is one of the best parts of the game. All the RPG elements of leveling up your character and choosing their specialization are not only still there, but are drastically improved. There isn't as much customization as Origins but I don't think Bioware games work well with Origin's level of customization. I think that level of customization is more suited for Bethesda games, not Bioware. Bioware is better at making story driven masterpieces, such as Mass Effect, and should continue to do so.… Expand
  51. Bidouleroux
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    First things first: this is NOT a direct sequel to Dragon Age: Origins (DA:O). It's a sequel to Dragon Age, as in the World of Dragon Age (the term "Dragon Age" though, ultimately comes from the Chantry calendar: it is the present Age the world is in and succeeded to the Blessed Age thirty years before the events of DA:O). It is a sequel in time and geography only. You do not play the sameFirst things first: this is NOT a direct sequel to Dragon Age: Origins (DA:O). It's a sequel to Dragon Age, as in the World of Dragon Age (the term "Dragon Age" though, ultimately comes from the Chantry calendar: it is the present Age the world is in and succeeded to the Blessed Age thirty years before the events of DA:O). It is a sequel in time and geography only. You do not play the same character as in DA:O, but you come from the same region of the world, as a way to tie the two games closely and to better show the consequences of the Blight on the neighboring regions that have not been directly affected as was Ferelden. So you start the game playing Hawke, fleeing the blight that has overtaken your native city of Lothering, and you're trying to reach Kirkwall, a free city over the Waking Sea. Dragon Age 2 is the story of that guy (or gal), and that guy only, as he rises up to become the Champion of Kirkwall. In this game, there is only one origin.
    That said, Dragon Age 2 is fricken awesome. Many say it was consolized. It was not, at least not any more than DA:O was already. At worst, you could say it was MMORPG'd. Instead of you waiting hours and hours for the game to roll dices to see if you hit your enemy or not, now you just hit him, most of the time. So combat feels faster, and using your abilities feels more rewarding. The new combo system also works much better than the failed spell interactions of DA:O. It forces you to actually use your party as a team, with rogues and warriors finishing off targets softened up by your mages and vice versa. Each class can put enemies in a special combo-able state that only the two other classes can take advantage of, resulting in more tactics and deeper skill tree planning. The skill trees were redone from scratch, allowing for a more organic development than the linear "trees" from DA:O. Specializations are still here, one at level 7 and one at level 14, giving your Hawke access to two more skill trees out of three, while your companions each have a unique personal skill tree in addition to their class', with one skill activated based on whether you become friends (or rivals) with them. Some feel the fact that you can't change your companions' armor is bad, but really it's much better this way. You can still change their weapons and trinkets (belt, rings, amulet) and you can upgrade their armor throughout the story, even up to allowing you to put (removable) runes in them. This way they keep their unique look and feel, befitting their stations and way of life.
    The companions themselves are much better than in DA:O, too. The game taking place over a 10 year period in the same city, your character knows a lot of people. But only those that cross your path a lot and stay by your side all this time are your companions. And as in Mass Effect 2, companions can die. In the demo, you could see that one of your two younger siblings dies, based on which class your Hawke is. Depending on your choices, others can die too over the course of the game. Romances are also possible, of course, although not with your sibling (that would have been awesome, in a sense). From a Fereldian refugee becoming the city's captain of the guards, to a former prince of Starkhaven (another free city not far from Kirkwall), with a savvy dwarf in between, the list of companions is long and each one has their own story, in parallel to yours. Of course, as they are your companions, your paths will cross more than once, and your actions and decisions will influence their fates.
    Some may be disappointed by the story, or by the ending. They may feel it is not epic enough, or whatever. But these are the kind of people that don't invest themselves emotionally in games. They don't care about the lore. They don't care about the World of Dragon Age. That's why they don't get that Dragon Age 2 is not DA:O 2. DA:O is the story of the Blight in Ferelden, the birthplace of Andraste, founder of the Chantry. Dragon Age 2 is the story of the Champion of Kirkwall, and it puts the Chantry against the Circle of Magi in a struggle for political control over the free city. And then there's the Qunari, who play their part in this struggle. This conflict begets unforeseen consequences, which are hinted at even in the opening scene of the game, where Varric (the savvy dwarf) is being questioned by the Seeker of the Chantry. But only at the end, after your Hawke decides the fate of Kirkwall, will you know how your actions over ten years in this city have changed the World of Dragon Age. Just as in DA:O you stopped the Blight from engulfing the whole continent of Thedas, this time too your actions have global consequences. So hang on to your Dragon Age 2 save, you may very well need it for Dragon Age 3.
    The combat is faster, so 43 hours of playtime for ONE (out of at least three) complete playthrough on normal. And the bugs are nothing worse than what DA:O had at launch. People just have short memories.    … Expand
  52. Sirson
    Mar 25, 2011
    9
    Honestly most of these reviews are a joke, I wonder how many people even played through the whole game before they wrote these. This is a fact, this game is one of the best RPGs released in the last couple of years on the consoles and PCs, people rating it a 1-3 based should be ashamed of themselves.

    Gameplay: Very fluid, with top notch voice acting and writing. The action keeps the    Honestly most of these reviews are a joke, I wonder how many people even played through the whole game before they wrote these. This is a fact, this game is one of the best RPGs released in the last couple of years on the consoles and PCs, people rating it a 1-3 based should be ashamed of themselves.

    Gameplay: Very fluid, with top notch voice acting and writing. The action keeps the game going and don't be surprised if you find yourself playing this game until 3 in the morning. Excellent systems designs make playing a warroior rogue or mage type character equally as fun.

    Replayability: Branching storylines, different difficulty levels and character classes will bring you back for a second helping :)

    Overall: It's a great Fantasy game, ignore the haters, see for yourself.    … Expand
  53. Elricsson
    Mar 29, 2011
    10
    A mature, queer and thoughtful fantasy that finally feels like it's set in the pretty original world of Thedas, not The Forgotten Middle Azeroth blandathon we all know and hate from the last ten years of CRPG. The powerful Chantry-centric story grows organically trough 15-minute long "sidequests" (though most of them link back to the main arc eventually) mixed with act-long serial storiesA mature, queer and thoughtful fantasy that finally feels like it's set in the pretty original world of Thedas, not The Forgotten Middle Azeroth blandathon we all know and hate from the last ten years of CRPG. The powerful Chantry-centric story grows organically trough 15-minute long "sidequests" (though most of them link back to the main arc eventually) mixed with act-long serial stories as well as in the opinions and actions of your followers. Nowhere is the one-dimensional "epic journey to save the world" - **** we are forced to wade through all too often, including in Origins. Instead the city of Kirkwall is locked in an all-too recognizable political conflict between fanatic ideologies, all with their respective merit. These factions are everywhere, even in the bedchamber as your lovers take a political stand that you may have a hard time accepting. And talking about the love - BioWare has finally discovered that the first patch made to their games is usually the gender-neutral and polyamorous tweeks, so this time it's all queer all the time! While many old-schoolers may find the Hawke-persona restrictive, the character-driven setup is really no different from The Witcher, Mass Effect or any adventure game you have ever played. "Roleplaying" opportunities within the part and the story are ample and the massive hypertext novel that is DA2 is of staggering complexity, with choices from act one haunting you in act 3. The haters who find the "diplomatic, sarcastic, hateful" response-cycle restrictive have missed this: to roleplay a believable character (for instance a mage-hater) you have to constantly switch Hawke's attitude - spamming one option constantly (Paragon vs Renegade choice - I'm looking at you!) gives you a spineless git, a psychotic joker, and a very angry fellow. Think about the context of the choices and the game rewards you by reaffirming your imagined personality in a way that is sometimes downright uncanny. If you loved Mass Effect 2's focus on character arcs and minimalist rpg mechanics this is pretty much the fantasy version. If you love spending hours on optimizing builds and inventory for hour-long dungeon slogs this is not your game. But yes: if you enjoy tactics at all - playing on hard is mandatory. And finally: this is not BioWare's Great Betrayal - that came years ago when they scrapped the multiplayer for Origins, changing them from a Roleplaying Game company to a Storytelling Game company. I have never before (or after I might add) boycotted a developer. I finally got over it and played Mass Effect and yeah, even if the abandonment of the NWN-community can never be forgiven, they are decent storytellers as far as computer games go.

    Some other gripes and why they are bull****: Only one map/city - More focused. Saying it should travel more is like saying The Wire should leave Baltimore more often.

    Dumbed down - Slick. I laughed with joy at the "junk" category of the inventory. And the cross-class combo system makes battles more tactical than in Origins, not less. No RTS-style camera - Wow, I can actually see characters in action and not little moving ants that symbolize my optimized stats-packs. More immersive and better realism.

    No direct sequel - Thank the lord. Newsflash: Dragon Age: Origins wad NOT original or brilliant, it was a standard if well-executed fantasy cliché-fest with buckets of blood and some Game of Thrones thefts. And a predictably impressive hyper-text-relationship-novel on top of the ho-hum dungeoncrawling. So all you reactive, inventory-loving, chauvinist, conservative, narrow-minded crpg-freaks out there; unchain your mind, set diff to Hard and behold the quietly subversive escapist glory that is Dragon Age 2!    … Expand
  54. Artamba
    Apr 15, 2011
    8
    Alright. I know there are many idiots in this world, but honestly, look at all these negative reviews. Probably a bunch of kids who quit after the first 5 minutes. (I admit, the beginning was dreadful.)

    But really, I agree that this game doesn't compare to Origins, but it is no where near a bad game. The graphics are good (with HD texture pack). The storyline is forgettable, but not    Alright. I know there are many idiots in this world, but honestly, look at all these negative reviews. Probably a bunch of kids who quit after the first 5 minutes. (I admit, the beginning was dreadful.)

    But really, I agree that this game doesn't compare to Origins, but it is no where near a bad game. The graphics are good (with HD texture pack). The storyline is forgettable, but not bad. The combat is not as satisfying or challenging as Origins but it is decent. And people who say that the voice acting is terrible are being too harsh on DA2. The voice acting is not as amazing as some games out there (Origins), but it is not dreadful or anything close to it. You're all just sad that it's a console port. You use this 'console port' crap as an excuse to tear this game apart.

    This, of course, is just my humble opinion.    … Expand
  55. Pirim
    Mar 16, 2011
    8
    Story was my main concern and it is just fine. No cliffhanger in the end, not too short (although maybe a little short), not too straightforward. Several odd turns, but nothing major. Character development and interaction is quite natural, but it seems like designers didn't put the city entourage to much use. Each district varied too little from the others to leave an impression by itself.Story was my main concern and it is just fine. No cliffhanger in the end, not too short (although maybe a little short), not too straightforward. Several odd turns, but nothing major. Character development and interaction is quite natural, but it seems like designers didn't put the city entourage to much use. Each district varied too little from the others to leave an impression by itself. Overall city and its inhabitants are enjoyable, but again, it didn't seem like a job well done â… Expand
  56. exp3rt
    May 19, 2011
    8
    A very good game for RPG-players. If you played original Dragon Age - you'll like it. It's not a very good graphics, but interesting story and game play. Enjoy.
  57. coffcat
    Jul 17, 2011
    10
    I adored this game. I guess the question is did I like it as much as Dragon Age Origins? My answer would be yes and no. I liked it more, and less, for different reasons. Dialogue wise, the games are comparable. While there is more in the original, it seemed to me in the second that what was said was more important. Quality vs volume in other words. The battle style was definitelyI adored this game. I guess the question is did I like it as much as Dragon Age Origins? My answer would be yes and no. I liked it more, and less, for different reasons. Dialogue wise, the games are comparable. While there is more in the original, it seemed to me in the second that what was said was more important. Quality vs volume in other words. The battle style was definitely different, but I felt it was much better in the long run. I love micromanaging the attacks and this game satisfied that just fine. The storyline to me was just as good as the first. I loved the added feature of "junk items" so you weren't constantly checking to see if something was worth keeping or selling. I also liked the change in how runes were handled. While not really a complaint I was a little disappointed that the second seems to have less replay value for me, I tend to play mostly as nice/diplomatic and don't really have any desire to play it any other way, but that's ok. For the money I spent for the game I have more than received my money's worth. I can only hope that more good dlc comes out to make me want to give the game another go.… Expand
  58. 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
  59. Underscore
    Mar 18, 2011
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. [Previously rated an 8]
    Personal experience is 50% of what makes a game fun, not all of the weight is on Bioware's shoulders. MMORPG games can be extremely well-crafted, but still not my game of choice. My personal experience does not represent their failure to produce a great game.
    All that out of the way - I've had a lot of fun with this game; 60 hours in and most likely to break 100 hours next week. Most people gripe about the Black and White morality choices, though I haven't honestly found one that's simply put "Kill bad guy/Give bad guy weapons." The Yes/No decisions aren't as limiting as you'd think, if you are playing across multiple accounts at once, you will be able to see how differently certain quests accepted/declined affect the world around Hawke. In my opinion, the game is, in essence, simpler than DA:O. Bioware themselves have chuckled to this idea within their own game, passersby saying things like: "Have you noticed that everything is getting... Easier? Like everything from eating, to fighting is a lot Simpler?" [Talkative man, from Hanged-Man Pub.] The game certainly feels a lot more like Fable II, but that doesn't mean the entire game is just a joke and a clink of mugs, there are some moments you wish you could cut people down in, but simply cannot. Not all problems can be solved by mashing "r."
    Which brings me to combat - it is simpler, without being "Dumbed-down." In this, a Soldier is just as well to have Cunning, Dexterity, Strength, Constitution, and even Magic, whereas in DA:O, Magic was pretty passable if you had a healer, though Potent Health Poultices pretty much made the whole 'Magic increases health regained from poultices" useless. And the 'Sneak' skill is brilliantly implemented, making the original look a little weaker in the Rogue department. People have stated that 'Even on Nightmare setting it's way too easy, with no need to pause/fiddle with Tactics.' Whereas even on Normal, fighting bosses/challenging encounters may require a pause here and there. Casual is basically for people too lazy to type "runscript killallhostiles" in console, as it makes using any abilities pretty useless, considering you're mainly attacking low-tier enemies most of the time - though it's intended to be that way. I've ended up fighting a Dragon boss 3 times total, once in Nightmare, twice in Hard, and eventually beat it. To most people, they'd focus on the fact that I had to fight a Dragon 3 times, when in truth, I *wanted* to fight the dragon thrice, on a hard difficulty. Plus, Difficulty can help 'immersion,' cranking it up whenever you fight the supposed "Nightmarish Darkspawn" actually being a challenge rather than an average horde.
    I rarely thought I'd enjoy any other RPG as much as/more than DA:O, but my overall experience with DA2 certainly outdoes DA:O's (Which I have 370 hours and counting on). As an avid Dragon Age fan, DA2 isn't a disapointment, and does explore the unique world DA:O created much more in-depth than the first. In DA:O, your goal is to get aid from Mages, Dwarves, Dalish Elves, and perhaps the Arl of Redcliffe, in DA:2 your goal is to get a high enough standing to protect your family from the religious fear of your Sister's/Your magical gift, fearing the Templars will rush in some day soon...    … Expand
  60. Sarcasmo
    Mar 15, 2011
    8
    It distresses me that so many people are slamming this game without giving any real evidence other than general opinion. Yes, we know you "hate the story" or "think the dialogue is garbage", but your negative opinion on the game doesn't make it a bad game. Personally, I think Halo Reach is a boring, generic FPS in space. Does it deserve the glowing scores it got? Sure it does, because itIt distresses me that so many people are slamming this game without giving any real evidence other than general opinion. Yes, we know you "hate the story" or "think the dialogue is garbage", but your negative opinion on the game doesn't make it a bad game. Personally, I think Halo Reach is a boring, generic FPS in space. Does it deserve the glowing scores it got? Sure it does, because it delivers a quality experience to the fans of the previous entries in the series. If you're going to argue that a game is bad, please back it up with evidence that TRULY supports your claim. Now, I'll start by saying that this review may be a bit biased due solely to the fact that I absolutely love the dragon age universe. I think the lore behind the game is a well thought out enhancement of the "dragons and magic" paradigm. I won't spoil any specifics, but the plot of Dragon Age 2 is broken up into three parts. These individual parts are made up of an assortment of side quests and main quests that ultimately lead up to a finale. While I think each "section" is good in its own way, the ending of the game does fall a bit flat. You're left hanging on the majority of the plot points, and it's clear that Bioware is setting up for a sequel of sorts. Graphically, the game looks nice. It's nothing ground-breaking, but the facial animations are fairly well done, body movements are captured fairly well, and lip syncing is solid. Unfortunately, you'll be spending a LOT of time in the city of Kirkwall, and the basic textures of the walls and buildings do get a bit drag after the 10th time you've walked past them. Sound is done very well, and voice acting is not only well ranged, but delivered well across the board (with the exception of Aveline and male Hawke on some occasions). Now, I played Dragon Age 2 on the Xbox originally and pretty much hated it. I felt like I was playing dynasty warriors all over again and just MASHING the A button for hours on end. It didn't really bother me after a while (mostly because I'm a sucker for RPG storytelling) but it's something to be noted. I actually ended up buying it on the PC, which offers a much different experience. It could be said that the PC version is more like "watching a movie" than it is real-time combat (considering you basically issue commands and then watch how it plays out), but fans of strategy RPG games will enjoy the pause-and-play action. It allows you to plan out each fight and adapt to drastic changes on the fly. Finally, I want to address the companions and classes. For the most part, I was pleased with my selection of party members, but I did feel as though Bioware was forcing certain party members upon me. If you don't play as a warrior, you're almost forced to use Aveline as your tank, which is very frustrating if you don't like her as a character. If you don't pick a mage and then decide to heal, you are almost forced to use Anders. I would have liked to see a bigger selection of members to choose from. The classes are well balanced and each class will give you a different experience when you play them. Even the different skill trees within each class can offer a vastly different experience. Overall, I believe Dragon Age 2 to be a very solid strategy RPG on the PC, and an action RPG on the consoles. If you love RPG games that allow you to "craft your own story" and offer up an insane amount of content in the process, you'll love Dragon Age 2. If you can't get past the small graphical glitches, repeated zones, and restriction to the city of Kirkwall, then I can't recommend this game to you. One last thing, people need to stop instantly saying "This game sucks because Origins was better and this game is a step backward in every way!!!". The game is NOT a direct sequel to Dragon Age : Origins. Bioware obviously saw the success of Mass Effect and brought in elements from that game to make this game better. Whether it worked or not is a matter of opinion, but saying that DA2 is bad because it doesn't improve on Origins is a null argument.… Expand
  61. twisted_words
    Mar 22, 2011
    9
    This has been review bombed because it's the cool thing to do, however I am going to review the game based on my 40+ (and counting) hours I have spent on it. Currently on my 2nd playthrough. First, my credentials: I'm a hardcore girl gamer. I spent countless hours on Baldur's Gate, NWN, Planescape Torment, Mass Effect to name a few, and of course DA:O. Second of all, I absolutely love itThis has been review bombed because it's the cool thing to do, however I am going to review the game based on my 40+ (and counting) hours I have spent on it. Currently on my 2nd playthrough. First, my credentials: I'm a hardcore girl gamer. I spent countless hours on Baldur's Gate, NWN, Planescape Torment, Mass Effect to name a few, and of course DA:O. Second of all, I absolutely love it for some inexplicable reason, which may have something to do with a rather engaging story requiring a lot of your input and attention, fast paced visceral (not just a buzz word) combat, beautiful looking art, some cute injokes (about the world being too brown, lulz) amazing attention to detail, a levelling system that is simplified but actually makes more real world sense than the previous one did, non-repetition (something I had a big gripe with in DA:O) and some neat throwbacks to your imported DA:O save. I have ALWAYS wanted to see where my character choices would take me over time, so it is extremely gratifying to be able to play over multiple years and really have a big impact on the events of the game, rather than just playing through them. My favourite thing about RPGs is designing characters, and in Dragon Age 2 they've allowed you plenty of room to shape Hawke how you want. There's also the thing where no matter what speech option you pick, Hawke comes off sounding completely badass and awesome. The voice acting is phenomenal. It's also worth noting that every character is voiced and lip-synched, you don't do any reading. Not long ago that was unheard of. I was unprepared for how emotionally invested I got into this, which is party why I'm rating it so highly. I really cared when... okay no spoilers, but there are some character deaths that kind of got to me. At first I was determined to play a "renegade" character, but I found myself responding to conversations with the choices I really would pick in real life, because I was so damn invested.

    One other thing I really want to mention is that I am replaying immediately after finishing the game, as I can't bear to think about all the stuff I missed by choosing certain options. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. Why it's not a 10/10: Some things were dumbed down too far, like conversation choices. It by no means stopped me from enjoying the game, but micromanagement is a popular hobby of a lot of hardcore gamers, so it's nice to have the option there. Secondly, it's too short, and the ending is rushed, I'm guessing this is because Bioware are looking forward to rolling out masses of DLC to us. I did notice the price on steam was a bit less than what I paid for DA:O on release date, (as far as I recall I paid $100 for it, which is common with AAA new releases, keep in mind I'm Australian and everything is expensive) paying $70 for a new release is a little easier to swallow. Awakening was a great expansion, so I'm up for more of that. Anyway, I just wanted to balance out the negitivity as I have really enjoyed this game and it's up there with ME2 for me. A lot of people had a whinge about how bad DA:O looked when it came out, and I have to wonder if they bothered playing it on a decent PC. These games look great pumped up to max settings. If you can't run those, then don't whinge. If you have a PS3, reflect on your inability to upgrade your video card.

    Seriously guys, stop looking for flaws and just enjoy it. It's not a perfect game for the reasons I stated above, but it really is worth playing for anyone remotely into the fantasy genre. I'm curious how many hours some of the other reviewers here spent on the game. Did they just play the demo? I thought the demo made the game look pretty **** actually. It's apparently cool to hate on big companies (that secretly review their own games) but it's not cool to just jump on a bandwagon without evaluating something for yourself first. I tell you what though, I am damn well sick of killing abominations. Makes me almost want to lock those mages up. Sorry Anders, that was a joke. I DIDN'T MEAN IT ANDERS.    … Expand
  62. islesofurth
    Mar 16, 2011
    7
    shame people cant be realistic with reviews...

    just finished the game and heres what i think PROS: the new combat sysytem is great, allows for more fluid fights so great if you dont like to pause all the time. skill trees that are unique to chracters other than the main, encourages people to try diferant teams rather than the one team all the time. character stats remake, stats are    shame people cant be realistic with reviews...

    just finished the game and heres what i think

    PROS:
    the new combat sysytem is great, allows for more fluid fights so great if you dont like to pause all the time. skill trees that are unique to chracters other than the main, encourages people to try diferant teams rather than the one team all the time. character stats remake, stats are much more role specific making it less strenuous by not having to balace stats. the storyline is extreamly adaptive and unless you actuly try to you will never play it the same way twice, also with the ability to create the backbone of the story with a DAO save.

    CONS:
    the game is based in a single town so the landscape get old. some DAO cons are follow into DA2 such as multiple sotryline 'busness ventures' that the player may invest into or buy and that do not actuly bring in any income other than a possible longer quest line for that 'venture'. some parts of the game put you at a fork with quests allowing you to take one and not the other however it does not specify that you wouldnt be able to do both you simply need to figure it out the hard way. gold just like in DAO is extreamly hard to come buy if your wanted decent items, if you do all the quests and sell everything you find you wil get about 250g total, depending on the dificulty alot of that will be spent on potions, runes and armour for your team so you will only ever have enough gold to buy one item that is 120g or there abouts and saving for it will take all game if you dont skimp.

    even tho this game has alot of cons i dont know any game that doesnt
    i had fun playing this game, i probly wont beat it with every class but i will certainly beat it one more time over on the hardest possible trying to get everything

    with a few patches this game will be much better

    and to all those people who rated this a bad game, i certainly hope your not waiting for D3 to come out coz it wont have much more specially not in the graphics department    … Expand
  63. Grygus
    Mar 13, 2011
    7
    I wonder whether some of these reviewers have actually played the game or are basing their reviews on the demo or hearsay. This shouldn't be taken to mean that the game is without major flaws; it definitely has problems, but the current user score of 4.0 is laughably low. An unconventional and well-told main story, supplemented by imaginative and fun inter-party dialog and a moreI wonder whether some of these reviewers have actually played the game or are basing their reviews on the demo or hearsay. This shouldn't be taken to mean that the game is without major flaws; it definitely has problems, but the current user score of 4.0 is laughably low. An unconventional and well-told main story, supplemented by imaginative and fun inter-party dialog and a more cinematic presentation are all giant positives. There are some missteps here; the interface feels consoley, with too many clicks to get in and out of subsystems, and the inventory streamlining does some nice things (like the Junk tab) but the loss of party customization is inexplicable. Still, aside from combat I think the game is generally great with some minor lessons to be learned. Unfortunately, the game is primarily about combat, and while the core changes to the combat system are interesting, the encounter design is terrible; almost every fight in the game plays out the exact same way: an initial group is present or is spawned in somehow, and once you've beaten most of them a second wave spawns in. This is highly annoying, partly because it makes every single little fight more of a slog than it should be, partly because it makes the more important battles just more of the same, and partly because it breaks immersion (e.g., second wave coming from a room you not only just cleared, but to which you are guarding the only entrance.) This is exacerbated by the extensive re-use of levels; there are essentially one each of every environment, so every time you're in a cave it's a piece of the larger single "cave" level, and the same is true of the sewers, the wilderness, the wilderness. It's a dismaying lack of content that adds up to truly monotonous combat. There were times I kept playing only to find out what happened next in the story, and actually playing the game was an obstacle to that, rather than fun for its own sake. However, I did keep playing, and I found the ending satisfying (even if the boss fight mechanics, which should have been special and memorable, ended up feeling like minor variations on a theme I'd been listening to for forty hours.) The overall combat experience probably does deserve a 4 actually, but the rest of the game is top-notch. I'll split the difference and rate the game a 7.… Expand
  64. Aluanira
    Mar 15, 2011
    7
    DA2 is a good game with improved graphics and fun companions but it's not quite a worthy successor to DAO. It stands alone better as an expansion. As an RPG, DA2 falls short on the story side and your choices don't seem to matter much. On the plus side, the combat is much faster and the shuffling present in DAO is no longer there. But it can be too fast and with the waves of enemiesDA2 is a good game with improved graphics and fun companions but it's not quite a worthy successor to DAO. It stands alone better as an expansion. As an RPG, DA2 falls short on the story side and your choices don't seem to matter much. On the plus side, the combat is much faster and the shuffling present in DAO is no longer there. But it can be too fast and with the waves of enemies ninja-spawning, tactics don't seem to matter as much as they did in DAO. I found the game a bit dumbed down for a classic RPG but it was still very enjoyable as an action RPG. New models, especially the Qunari, look fantastic but it's unfortunate that Bioware chose to re-use the same environments for so many quests. It's a fun game and definitely worth a go if you're an RPG fan (I'm on my second play through now). Bioware has long been my favourite game company but I do feel let down by this entry in the Dragon Age world after so many years of superb gaming experiences with them. My fingers are crossed for another DA sequel with all of the legitimate concerns addressed. I don't mind waiting!… Expand
  65. Isisius
    Mar 17, 2011
    7
    BEFORE YOU BUT DRAGON AGE II READ THIS
    ***********This is not a bad game.***********
    That is what i want to say right from the bat. Compared to Dragon Age Origins though, it is probably better in a few ways, and worse in a few, and i think this is what is pissing everyone off. Let me start with the good. --- The Story --- This is up to every person i guess, but i thought the story was    BEFORE YOU BUT DRAGON AGE II READ THIS
    ***********This is not a bad game.***********
    That is what i want to say right from the bat.
    Compared to Dragon Age Origins though, it is probably better in a few ways, and worse in a few, and i think this is what is pissing everyone off.
    Let me start with the good.
    --- The Story ---
    This is up to every person i guess, but i thought the story was fine, pretty epic feel, took a little longer to get into than the first, but other than that not too bad.
    --- The Combat ---
    Loved it, everything reacts when you click it, it looks good, took a while to get used to the slightly different roles of the classes this time, but i much preferred the combat.
    --- The Leveling ---
    It was different and i was skeptical at first, but i really enjoyed the leveling. The abilities menu was good and allowed for awesome customization of the character, by level 20 my character was exactly what i wanted.
    --- Crafting ---
    Much better, rather than have to collect a million elfroot, you find sources of it, and can craft things using money once you have find enough sources. Much cleaner more efficient and i actually used crafting this time round.

    Now the the bad, and i apologize in advance to Bioware for this, but i only do this because i love you.
    --- The Maps ---
    Oh god please please PLEASE give me some different **** maps. I was SO sick of playing through the exact same cave maps over and over again the only difference being some pathways are blocked off in each one. And if you are going to use the same map over and over PLEASE at least change the minimap to only show the paths you can reach, that way it might take me a little longer to work out its the same map. Seriously, the exact same mini map for every cave, for ever vault, for ever house, it gets so old.

    --- The Character Interaction ---
    Now i want to make a point clear here, i actually liked most of the characters, sure everyone thinks Anders is a bit of a whiney **** sometimes, but every game has one of them, however the interaction was a real letdown. I also liked how they talked to each, other some of their conversations were great.
    The first game was great you could take so much time talking to the characters learning about them any time you want.
    This game, they only talk to you if your getting a quest, otherwise its the same canned lines spoken back to you.

    --- The "Choices" ---
    Oh man did this annoy me on my second playthrough. Its just lazy developing. First time i played through i was thinking, hmmm maybe if i do stuff different i can improve that. People who have finished the game will know that there is an event towards the end of the game where it gives you an illusion of having played a part in it, but there is really no way to affect the outcome.
    There were a few things in the game that did this, and it feels like it only did it because they couldnt be bothered making different endings.

    --- The Setting ---
    Kinda ties in with the maps, but i think deserves its own criticism, there are what, 4 places you can go, and only one of them is a city. Whoopde friggin do. DA:O was interesting because it gave you a very diverse number of places you could go, the forests of the elves, the caves of the dwarves, the castle of the humans, or if you had DLC, the mysterious keep you could conquer.
    This game just used the same 4 areas, and a few other locations that were all pretty identical, and chucked different bad guys in them.

    --- Conversation Wheel ---
    I know there are some people that love this, but i am so sick of trying to say something and my character saying something else, especially if you are trying to make the conversation flow and don't notice the symbol on the wheel.
    Example: (Slightly paraphrased)
    Fenris: Mage guy wanna kill me good, wont be happy till he sees my cold dead body
    (I look at my choices and choose "Thats a shame", which is exactly what it says in the game, thinking i will be nice and supportive)
    Hawke: Thats a shame.... you have a great body ;)

    I mean come on, really? Sure there are the symbols, but thats just one example of when i didnt check it, and there are many others of me clicking the option that says "No i wont kill him" and Hawke says, "No i wont kill him, ill kill you instead RAHHHH" and i just sit there going oh balls.


    I could go on forever here but i wont, there were a few more good things, and many more bad, eg
    - lazy romance options, ie everyone is bi-sexual
    - every single combat situation has some SURPRISE guys attack you from behind EVERY TIME!!!
    - those damn quests where you find **** and give it to people for money that made no sense

    But in the end, i played the game through and am halfway through playing it through again, it is not a horrible game, but when you make game like DA:O and have that as a starting point, we set our expectations pretty high, and Bioware, you really didnt impress...    … Expand
  66. Bitter_Boy
    Mar 21, 2011
    7
    I'm 10 hours in and I'm having fun. I read these user reviews before installing it and held my nose when I started it, expecting the worst. Perhaps these low expectations allowed me to appreciate the things the game has done right.

    Graphics are fine, I'm not sure what people are crying about. Gameplay is simple, but still challenging. Character progression system is unique and    I'm 10 hours in and I'm having fun. I read these user reviews before installing it and held my nose when I started it, expecting the worst. Perhaps these low expectations allowed me to appreciate the things the game has done right.

    Graphics are fine, I'm not sure what people are crying about. Gameplay is simple, but still challenging. Character progression system is unique and allows you to customize each hero nicely. Missions are well done and usually have an interesting twist. Most missions give you a choice at the end - the morally right thing and the monetarily right thing. And unlike most games, the morally right thing has almost no reward, so it's really tempting to do the evil thing. Dialogue is fairly well written.

    I mean, the game isn't spectacular. It's worse than the original in most ways, and isn't worth full price, but guys, it's not a 0/10. There are a lot of unhinged people on the internet...    … Expand
  67. Corraine
    Mar 26, 2011
    10
    After replaying through the initial Dragon Age multiple a time, it was a no brainer to pick up DA2 as well. While the openers magic is slightly lost along the way the sequel does a lot right. The story itself is written nicely, albeit missing out on a lot of potential drama and interesting scenes. Characters are all around nicely done and actually have a lot of unexpected reactions andAfter replaying through the initial Dragon Age multiple a time, it was a no brainer to pick up DA2 as well. While the openers magic is slightly lost along the way the sequel does a lot right. The story itself is written nicely, albeit missing out on a lot of potential drama and interesting scenes. Characters are all around nicely done and actually have a lot of unexpected reactions and decisions which make the game feel genuinely interesting.

    On the minus side the game has a bit too much of fighting going on. After you learn the gimmick of the fight, it does get nice. Yet wave after wave of extra enemies per each fight does get kind of tiresome. Either way a very well done sequel and a way lengthy as well. Clocked at 90 hours on nightmare after completing about every quest I could find.    … Expand
  68. Deathbehind
    Mar 30, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. While I would like to create a long, fully elaborated review on the game to explain the core features and everything in depth, I honestly cannot, as the game is without much merit whatsoever. The combat took… Expand
  69. thomas67
    Apr 28, 2011
    10
    I am so sick of everyone bashing this game!!! I mean seriously! Yeah it's different that doesn't mean you have to hate it!!! Do you want DLC??? Do You want expansion packs??? Do you want DA3??? Then STOP bashing it!!! Seriously!
  70. daveros
    May 8, 2011
    10
    I was absolutely blown away by how fantastic this game is. Great characterisation, a wonderful story with brilliant cinematic set-pieces and very fun. A brilliant evolution of the Dragon Ago franchise. I can't wait to see more.
  71. goldenturf
    May 26, 2011
    9
    Dragon Age 2 is a really awesome game. Besides a few bugs (Which will probably be fixed in a couple of patches) it delivers the storyline and gameplay of an RPG. Really, a terrific game
  72. SuperHombreLA
    Apr 15, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The worst Bioware game I have played. Cost cutting decisions, more than any other decision Bioware made, is what ruined this game. Let me be clear - game publishers need to manage costs - but they still need to deliver a first rate gaming experience. Bioware needs to deliver quality story telling, rather than rush a second rate experience out the door. I've listed what I think the most glaring cost cutting flaws in the game are below:
    1. My choices don't matter. I am constantly forced back into the same story loop. While I understand that there are limits on story divergence, my choices need to be about more than the flavor of the game I am playing. Not every choice I make needs to alter the story line. But some do. And at least a few need to fundamentally alter the course of the game.
    2. Characters should be memorable, and not flat. If characters can just sort of fit whatever I want to do, then ultimately it's obvious that I'm playing a video game and not interacting with soulful representations. The game ruins the veil of "suspended disbelief" so critical to fantasy on so many occasions by just allowing characters to go along with whatever I want. Fenris, for example, HATES mages, and refuses to join my fight with the mages. Good for him even though it would have made my end fight more difficult. Then, because I manage a pithy one liner about slavery, he joins my party. IF he hated slavery and mages all along, the game should have built up this conflict more within his character, so that we could see the final crisis and denoument, not have him flippantly choose one side because it's what the player feels like doing.
    3. Repetitive use of scenery. Origins got annoying after a while with the same monsters, but the scenery constantly changed. Dragon Age II made this worse by having me fight the same monster models and in the same settings three times in a row.
    4. Every male model looks like they are on roids - how about some varied body types? What about the sinewy rogue? The willowy mage? Why as a mage are my muscles still exploding from my robes?
    5. Sexuality should be more than a lifestyle choice for my romantic options. In Dragon Age, some characters were bisexual and others were not. Some got offended by homosexuality. This added an extra appreciated wrinkle to the game. Which leads me to comment 5...

    Cost containment I could accept:
    1. Focusing on fewer origin stories. Valuable development time could be saved if only a few major storylines are played. So, if I only get three origin stories instead of 15 possibilities I am OK with that. However, these three should be divergent not as close together as possible. E.g. female elven mage, male human warrior, male rogue dwarf. 2. Reuse of monster models. Every game has to do it, I get it.
    3. Limitations on the number of big decisions that alter a story arc. Understood that these cannot pop up all over the place, but there need to be some and a few need to be big ones. Mass Effect 2 demonstrated that if you have enough divergent story arcs, origin stories are less important.
    4. Simpler combat systems. I get it that there are more console games to be sold than PC games. If due to economies of scale I have to have a simpler combat system, I can handle that to if it is still fun and challenging like in Mass Effect 2.

    I accept the above cost containment, and it's because I expect the game designer to spend extra time making sure that what it DOES do is exceptional. No one has infinite resources. Rather than wisely spending its gaming investment dollars on the areas of most return for its gamers, Bioware was solely focused on their financial returns. They have made it clear that all I am to them is a dollar sign and they plan to cash out on the Dragon Age franchise. Very well, Bioware, your gaming audience understands, and I for one will sit out the next Dragon Age unless user reviews are 8.0+. You can buy off publications but not your user base.    … Expand
  73. Persephone611
    Apr 16, 2011
    9
    Dragon Age 2 is not your standard "Hero against the world" or "Hero slays a dragon" story. This is a story about conflict, politics, oppression and personal drama. Unlike most games, it offers no "good" or "evil" way out. That alone is one of its strongest points. I'll list my personal pros and cons first:

    + Breaks out of the stale "Hero defeats an ancient evil" formula. + Companions are    Dragon Age 2 is not your standard "Hero against the world" or "Hero slays a dragon" story. This is a story about conflict, politics, oppression and personal drama. Unlike most games, it offers no "good" or "evil" way out. That alone is one of its strongest points. I'll list my personal pros and cons first:

    + Breaks out of the stale "Hero defeats an ancient evil" formula.
    + Companions are all well defined, plot heavy and not just people with ten dialogue options
    + The combat system is fast and furious, it feels involved and largely improved
    + No more "You gave me 5 gifts. I wuv you" = "Romance" nonsense. Romances take time, feel real and are part of the drama
    + Side quests and Companion Quests are woven into the main story
    + It no longer takes "approval" to get to know your companions. Friendship and rivalry offer different paths, you are no longer punished for disagreeing with your companions
    + Importing DAO saves add wonderful touches and REAL cameos, unlike the hack job called Awakening
    + Gorgeous graphics
    + I encountered only two quests I could not finish
    + No hours of sludging aimlessly through the Deep Roads or the Fade, killing everything in sight

    - Re-used enviroments. While the enviroments they DID create are gorgeous in color and finely drawn, there are too few. Hopefully this will be fixed via a patch.
    - Much as I like the companion interaction being spread out, I'd have liked to see more and I'd have liked to customize them fully. But worry not, the modders are already at work

    This game is not was not meant to be a direct sequel to DAO. They tried going down that road with Awakening and we know that was a disaster. It is a bold, new way of picking up a conflict that was already hinted at in the original. Also, it was bound to happen sooner or later. The tragedies unfolding in this game cannot be blamed on an antagonist or an ancient evil but on, pardon the RPG pun, human nature. There were so many moments in this game when I was teary eyed or yelling "No, no, NO!" at my screen. I don't want to spoil anything however. Is it a perfect game? No. Was DAO a perfect game? Hell, no. DAO was horribly bugged, the last third of the game was badly written and rushed and never mind its formulaic nature and cliché ending. I love both games though. DA2 represents change and many do not like change. I happen to love it. I cannot wait for the newest DLCs and expansion and DA3 can't come soon enough either. I know the haters will pounce down on my review. It'll be an honor though, because I don't care what they think.    … Expand
  74. Edge3133t
    Mar 11, 2011
    10
    Liked: Random armor generator, and shopkeepers regularly replenishing. Appearance of fully upgraded sets and armor as well as companions. (Anders and Merrill looked amazing)

    Disliked: Difficult to put together a full set of gear, say for example, a full suit of elven armor nearly took me to the end of act 2 just to get something piecemeal that looked halfway decent. Failed to put my    Liked: Random armor generator, and shopkeepers regularly replenishing. Appearance of fully upgraded sets and armor as well as companions. (Anders and Merrill looked amazing)

    Disliked: Difficult to put together a full set of gear, say for example, a full suit of elven armor nearly took me to the end of act 2 just to get something piecemeal that looked halfway decent. Failed to put my second act set together when I didn't pick a fight in the Hanged Man for the rogue chest piece. Need more sexy outfits, yes.

    Liked: Companion interaction.

    Disliked: Need to buy most of the 'gifts' to get said interaction, should have been acquired randomly like the other half of the influencing equipment.

    Liked: Overall storyline, plot progression. Ending left me wanting for more from the series.

    Disliked: Once it's over, it's over, no epilogue, no closure. You just have this vague sense that the story will continue in DLC and new expansions.

    Liked: Combat. Great, wonderful, bloody. PC version excelled in this category. Storyline, and plot had this growing 'sense' of chaos slowly consuming the entire world. Companion quests, events, dialog, and romance.

    Bugged comments: Some minor glitches, but the flow of the game and lag was low. Found a random bandit type leader on the beach non hostile close to the entrance, and never did find that kidnapped girl in act 3 on the same beach(related?)

    Final Conclusion: The end was epic, I got the girl, and killed both individuals I wanted to kill off. I managed to keep my party together, except Sebastian also which was impressive. Overall I had fun, and it's an excellent legacy to the original Origins.

    Oh the musical score... best part, without question it totally painted the scene and adding to the suspense and emotion of the game.    … Expand
  75. simonsen123
    Mar 13, 2011
    10
    User- Score of 4.0? I am completely stunned by this. It's waaay down there where you would normally find titles coming out of..... Eastern Europe or Kenya? And let me make one thing clear: It cannot possibly be justified. Dragon Age 2 is a major step up from the original in terms of intriguing story-telling, gameplay and character affection. Doing all the side-quests, there is at least 30User- Score of 4.0? I am completely stunned by this. It's waaay down there where you would normally find titles coming out of..... Eastern Europe or Kenya? And let me make one thing clear: It cannot possibly be justified. Dragon Age 2 is a major step up from the original in terms of intriguing story-telling, gameplay and character affection. Doing all the side-quests, there is at least 30 hours of your time and I can guarantee that if you play on anything above normal difficulty; it will require more than simple hack'n slash as some of the 795 negative reviews have suggested. Yes, at times the combat goes on automatic mode and it may occasionally feel as if you were simply watching a movie but use that opportunity to catch your breath. You will need to do so because the story is as involving as ever and so increasingly fast-paced that at times it will almost surely take your breath away. DA2 clearly has adapted some of the better aspects from ME2 where, although slightly more limited, the conversation-wheel has been greatly simplified and 10x more perceivable. Other players have complained that a beautifully voice-acted main-character is to blame for shallow and uninteresting conversations but I personally feel this helps you retain a closer relationship with the character of Hawke and his ties with his mother, sister and Varric the always witty, Dwarven, companion with the mystical, personified, crossbow Bianca. While some compromises have been made, not only regarding voice-acting but also in combat and the selection of spells and abilities to reach a broader audience, the Wizards hat is still firmly on your head and at the time you finish the game you will have been through the entire emotional band and you will feel anxious whether or not you have taken the right choices all along. All in all I feel that DA2 is an excellent rpg which has evolved from the sort of unpolished, rough around the edges, nature of Origins to be a near perfect action oriented drama which certainly pleased me plenty. I may not be the most hardcore rpg fan but if I were to have a say I would argue that DA2 is better than, not only the previous installments, but also triumphs Mass Effect. So far, this is my GOTY 2011. If you are looking for a new Baldur's gate; look elsewhere.… Expand
  76. Dynex811
    Mar 13, 2011
    10
    Why are people complaining about the combat? The combat was the WORST thing about DA:O. I had a good 70 hours with Dragon Age 2. Great characters and fantastic story. I loved Kirkwall as well. I have no complaints about this game.
  77. life
    May 22, 2011
    10
    Amazing game, not as good as Dragon Age Origin though but still very close. The story is good and there are plenty of choices to make. And most of the character are interesting.
    I recommend it. 10 points for Dragon Age 2 :)
    .
  78. sk4477
    Mar 17, 2011
    7
    Is it as good as DA:O? No. Ist it on my list of possible Game of the Year candidates? No. Was Bioware cutting corners left and right.. yes.. Let's face it, DA2 feels like it was rushed to the market without the care and attention to detail that made its predecessor special. DA2 suffers from repeating dungeons over and over again and disappoints me with a over simplified skill tree. Let'sIs it as good as DA:O? No. Ist it on my list of possible Game of the Year candidates? No. Was Bioware cutting corners left and right.. yes.. Let's face it, DA2 feels like it was rushed to the market without the care and attention to detail that made its predecessor special. DA2 suffers from repeating dungeons over and over again and disappoints me with a over simplified skill tree. Let's just skip over the whole party armor upgrading business and while we're at it, cram the stupid dialog wheel system from Mass Effect down the players throats. It's getting almost too casual now. Yes,I do feel like this title was produced with minimal effort, to rake in some more additional cash. And yes i do blame EA for it.

    Act 1 unfortunately being especially bland, while Acts 2 and 3 do pick up a quite bit, with my party members finally starting to develop some actual profile. But does it deserve a meager 0-4 scores? Hell no. It is still an entertaining title that will keep fans of the old DA:O or faster paced W-RPGS entertained for a good 20h if not way more. My first play thru took 38h. It has a decent storyline, it's technically 'sound' - not great, mind you, just average. I haven't experienced any bugs, crashes or whatnot. I liked the story, it even does lend itself to be played at least a second time through. Plenty of quests to go around, too. I think this title is getting bashed a bit too hard here.    … Expand
  79. MDFD
    Mar 18, 2011
    7
    While I would like to create a long, fully elaborated review on the game to explain the core features and everything in depth, I honestly cannot, as the game is without much merit whatsoever. The combat took a system which felt unrefined in DA:O and rather that improving it and making it better, just completely ruined it to make a system without thought or challenge
  80. Greenbullet
    Mar 26, 2011
    10
    After reading Some really ridiculous reviews one involving "bioware should go bankrupt". I thought I put up a review first off The immersion of the game is still there however modified to work for everyone such as exclusion of being able to interact with your team mates constantly in my opinion this was good because through out origin you'd run in to a interaction block where theAfter reading Some really ridiculous reviews one involving "bioware should go bankrupt". I thought I put up a review first off The immersion of the game is still there however modified to work for everyone such as exclusion of being able to interact with your team mates constantly in my opinion this was good because through out origin you'd run in to a interaction block where the characters would repeat the same thing when interacting with them face to face.
    Graphically its clear that it is superior than Origins and also the battle system is more easier to use and is faster than the previous titles making it better and easier to keep you allies alive.
    I have a problem with the rehashed environments though It gets annoying always being in the same cave but named differently. But overall it was a great game lacking in the hours however still gives you a great sense of immersion and creating a connection with each characters stories just like in Origins. But don't take it from me as try it for yourself and make your own opinion of it. There are some improvements that the game should have but there's no need to say on a review when bioware check on their forums constantly looking for user input    … Expand
  81. c0rel
    Apr 5, 2011
    7
    not as great as the first series, but a good and enjoyable game nonetheless.
    what i really think was great is that the companion that you bring would have a significant plot alteration (although it would been great it there is more quest that could be affected).
  82. thearcher
    Jan 1, 2015
    0
    This is the best RPG in the history of gaming It's better than Baldur's Gate,The Elder Scrolls,The Witcher,World of Warcraft,Fallout,Tera Online,Planescape,Diablo,Star Wars KOTOR,Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines,Divinity,Mount&Blade,Torchlight,Fable,Gothic,Everquest,Guild Wars,LOTR Online,Legend of Grimrock,Dragon's Dogma,Kingdom of Amalur,Risen 2,Alpha Protocol,Last Remnant

    This game    This is the best RPG in the history of gaming It's better than Baldur's Gate,The Elder Scrolls,The Witcher,World of Warcraft,Fallout,Tera Online,Planescape,Diablo,Star Wars KOTOR,Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines,Divinity,Mount&Blade,Torchlight,Fable,Gothic,Everquest,Guild Wars,LOTR Online,Legend of Grimrock,Dragon's Dogma,Kingdom of Amalur,Risen 2,Alpha Protocol,Last Remnant

    This game deserves 100 Metascore

    Just kidding this is worst rpg ever made    … Expand
  83. agentdude
    May 15, 2011
    10
    First, right off the bat, anyone who said the game was too easy, Just turn the difficulty up! Overall an awesome game. Sure, the story isn't as "grand" or "epic" but that way, it's also not The Lord of the Rings for the millionth time like almost all RPG stories are. I love DA:O but come on, that story was clichéd, repetitive, and a little tired. Sure, this game has someFirst, right off the bat, anyone who said the game was too easy, Just turn the difficulty up! Overall an awesome game. Sure, the story isn't as "grand" or "epic" but that way, it's also not The Lord of the Rings for the millionth time like almost all RPG stories are. I love DA:O but come on, that story was clichéd, repetitive, and a little tired. Sure, this game has some flaws. But I think most of those come from rushed production. With more time they could have (and should have) created more than one cave, and a better item system. But, the combat is still fun and tactical, just faster paced. The story in this game was much more engaging and creative, and sure it stays in one city but I liked that. That gives you the player a better chance to actually learn about and connect to the character. This game is fun and people need to be such **** trolls about it. I do agree that the graphics need improvement though. Basically, everyone who complained about this game is a niche dying market of whiny troll PC players that need to stop. I love playing on the PC but you know why I don't like to tell people that? Because then they think I'm some crazy elitist who's trapped in the late 90's. You people are the reason PC gaming is dying! Steam is trying to save it but it can only do so much to combat these kinds of people. I would say 9/10 but I said 10/10 to try to counter just a bit what all these hating trolls have done to the user rating. There's a reason why critics rated it where they did. Cuz it's a good game with a good story that you should buy and play.… Expand
  84. IanHeres
    May 16, 2011
    10
    Dragon Age 2 is far, far better than the user reviews are indicating. I don't think most of the people giving poor reviews actually played it or Dragon Age: Origins despite complaining about how Dragon Age 2 is "dumbed down." Go back and play Origins again. I'll wait. See how slow the combat is? Do you like chasing after enemies at a brisk jog? Notice how little character developmentDragon Age 2 is far, far better than the user reviews are indicating. I don't think most of the people giving poor reviews actually played it or Dragon Age: Origins despite complaining about how Dragon Age 2 is "dumbed down." Go back and play Origins again. I'll wait. See how slow the combat is? Do you like chasing after enemies at a brisk jog? Notice how little character development there actually is? No one even responds to your dialog choices, half the time!

    I don't know why people are saying combat is "dumbed down." What does that even mean? DA2 is pretty similar to Origins, except with some of the shuffling and delays cut out. I like actually being able to hit enemies instead of chasing after them. I'm also glad they finally got rid of the "Enemy swings his sword, you move out of the way, but you get hit anyway because the to-hit was calculated at the start of the swing" thing. That's in Origins, and it bugged the crap out of me.

    The "enemies coming in waves" thing needs to be tweaked, since it can be kind of annoying. It's not the end of the world, and it's a nice touch that they animated extra mooks joining the fight (demons appear out of the ground, humans will rappel down from rooftops, etc), but it's overused. Now, the dialog wheel with the stacking personality development is fantastic. I wish they would use this in more games. Your character actually has a personality you can develop, unlike in Origins where pretty much every character could "say" the same things. Some of the written lines in Origins were "funny" or "diplomatic" but they didn't really have a lasting impact. You could be a jerkass in one scene and a diplomat in the next, and the game didn't care. In DA2, the more responses of a type you use, the more your character becomes like that. It's organic, behind the scenes, and wonderful.

    Now, DA2 isn't perfect. They could have added more maps, but that's not the worst thing in the world. Did everyone forget the utter slog that was The Fade in the mage's tower? There's a mod to skip that section for a reason! Let's be honest: Origins had a fair amount of filler and boring crap, too.

    The story in DA2 could also use some minor improvements. There's a few spots where it would have been nice if it could branch out based on player decision, but that's always going to be a problem in a PC rpg. If you want total freedom of choice, you're going to need to play a tabletop game. I don't remember DA:O being a lot better in this regard.

    Some people seem upset that it's not another "hero saves the world" game. I don't know if this is a surprise to anyone, but an RPG doesn't have to be about a 20-year-old saving the world. It's still a good game even if it's not the typical "level up, become god-king." We've done that before, ok? To summarize, DA2 is a great game. It's not perfect, but neither was DA:O. Dragon Age 2 is faster, has better character development, a better combat system, and a reasonably good story. If you're looking for a traditional, infinity-engine D&D-based game, then this might not be for you. For everyone else, it's a great fantasy RPG.    … Expand
  85. Kaligo
    May 21, 2011
    8
    I've been playing this game for about a month now, on my 3rd play through. When I first started playing I found the game a little easy as some people had complained, but then I change it to Hard, then completed my 2nd play through on Nightmare.

    I find that people forget that not everyone is a a hardcore gamer where everything in a game has to be a challenge. A lot casual gamers get    I've been playing this game for about a month now, on my 3rd play through. When I first started playing I found the game a little easy as some people had complained, but then I change it to Hard, then completed my 2nd play through on Nightmare.

    I find that people forget that not everyone is a a hardcore gamer where everything in a game has to be a challenge. A lot casual gamers get frustrated at the complexity of some popular games and such. Bioware did a good job catering to all with this sequel, although the game story/decisions isn't as diverse and in-depth as DA:O it still tells a great story altogether.

    I like the changes to the combat system, its more fast pace, more interactive, I found that DA: O combat could get dry in long fights with its long cool downs and such. DA2 took a step in a different direction with lower cool downs, cross class combos, and faster combat.

    If you think this game is too easy, try playing it on Nightmare. I say some battles are near impossible on that setting.

    Overall I give it an 8, I like the game play, it had a good story, just wish I had more of a hand sculpting it. The game had quite a few bugs, and could of been a bit more polished before release. It's a solid sequel.    … Expand
  86. AW8
    May 21, 2011
    8
    My first playthrough was seventy hours of entertainment. Combat is fun, conversation is fun. I like that the whole game takes place in Kirkwall, and (mostly) moves in time instead of new locations. It's fun to follow questlines throughout the years. I prefer that party members have their own clothing, like in ME2. You don't have to manage them all, it's less punishing to pick a partyMy first playthrough was seventy hours of entertainment. Combat is fun, conversation is fun. I like that the whole game takes place in Kirkwall, and (mostly) moves in time instead of new locations. It's fun to follow questlines throughout the years. I prefer that party members have their own clothing, like in ME2. You don't have to manage them all, it's less punishing to pick a party member that you haven't upgraded in terms of gear. And you don't have to see the ones you don't use wear old, rusty armor because that's all you're going to let them have. You still get to customize jewelry and all the gear on yourself. there I like the skill trees, and the fact that the classes are more balanced in terms of abilites, for example, rogues can crowd control as well as mages now. Combat is just more fun than in Origins. Everything is faster and reacts quicker. The story isn't the same old "save the world"-type that Origins had, the story is much more original and interesting this time around, BW is fully using the factions they have created and are putting them against each other. The party members are also more interesting than in Origins. Voice acting is impeccable. Aveline's voice actor is making an incredibly good job.

    Crafting has been simplified, how you learn specialization classes have been simplified, don't really care.

    The minor complaints I have with this game is that often, enemies explodes in a blood for some reason. It's just comedic, and should've been left out. Then there's some sidequests that you receive when you find a lost object in loot or in the world, and you have to go to the person who's lost it and receive a small reward and hear both Hawke and the NPC exchange short, boring lines. Those quests should've just been removed, they add nothing to the game. Then there's the most awful thing with the game - the re-used locations. I'm not talking about the fact that a lot of the major plot takes place in the same locations, I'm talking about how cheap BioWare has been when making dungeons, warehouses and damn well everything. They just keep re-using the same maps, with some slight modifications, again and again. Some dungeons are used for at least three times in what is supposed to be different locations, and that's just sad.

    Overall, the game is just pure entertainment. They made the game less hardcore than Origins, but also improved things and made it more interesting. The world and lore they created in Origins are put to much better use as things aren't as good and evil anymore, the whole story is full of gray choices, even until the end - unlike Origins, there's no clear world-threatening pure evil. The conflict keeps you interested, surprised and entertained throughout the whole game.
    Avanost's review was shameless - but closer to the truth than all the 0.0's you see here. :)    … Expand
  87. lftlitm
    May 24, 2011
    10
    I don't think it deserves a ten but I'm giving it one to counter some of the haters excessively negative ratings. This game realistically shouldn't be given less than a 7. People say it's unstable, I call BS. I have a mediocre PC (was good 3 years ago) running windows 7 and I have yet to have the game crash. The graphics are actually quite good even without being able to use the HDI don't think it deserves a ten but I'm giving it one to counter some of the haters excessively negative ratings. This game realistically shouldn't be given less than a 7. People say it's unstable, I call BS. I have a mediocre PC (was good 3 years ago) running windows 7 and I have yet to have the game crash. The graphics are actually quite good even without being able to use the HD textures. The dialogue wheel works fine and your choices aren't just good, silly and bad. There are aggressive comments that are just that aggressive. There are some that are mean spirited but those are typically denoted by the fist icon as opposed to the gavel icon indicating the comment simply being aggressive. Again there are nice comments for instance when you are trying to console someone who is sad and diplomatic comments when you are trying to be just that.. diplomatic. Your dialogue choices affect your characters personality, the reactions of your comrades, special dialogue events that may only be granted to aggressive or diplomatic characters. The combat is entertaining and fast paced. I like the fact it is faster paced than origins was. If you want a more strategic fight then play on hard. Personally I like playing on normal because my character is supposed to be the champion of Kirkwall and I personally feel being forced to use "tactics" like kiting in order to beat enemies to be very lame.

    All in all it is an awesome game that will continually get better as patches and DLC are released.

    So my official rating is a 9. Some small issues but I expect many of those to be fixed over time.    … Expand
  88. Jagtus
    Jul 20, 2011
    8
    In some areas, it fell short compared to Dragon Age: Origins. In other departments, it surpassed it. If you aren't expecting Origins 2, you will like this.
  89. 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
  90. Pax_Romana
    Apr 16, 2011
    10
    I cannot understand the MASSIVE backlash of negative reviews. I loved this game for the character development, the superb voice over work, the story - which is one of the best I've seen in a video game - and because it was just a bloody good time. There were some things I missed from DAO, like slow-mo kill moves, but those were far from decisive. I give this a 10 because I walked awayI cannot understand the MASSIVE backlash of negative reviews. I loved this game for the character development, the superb voice over work, the story - which is one of the best I've seen in a video game - and because it was just a bloody good time. There were some things I missed from DAO, like slow-mo kill moves, but those were far from decisive. I give this a 10 because I walked away from this game FEELING like a champion.… Expand
  91. salty
    Mar 11, 2011
    10
    I'm beginning to wonder if these people actually played the game past either the demo or the first 10 minutes.

    The combat in Dragon Age 1 was basically this: Right click, watch your character (literally) walk over, and start swinging their sword like they're about to fall asleep, and then you win. If you slow down the combat in 2, it's the same thing, but god forbid people actually think    I'm beginning to wonder if these people actually played the game past either the demo or the first 10 minutes.

    The combat in Dragon Age 1 was basically this: Right click, watch your character (literally) walk over, and start swinging their sword like they're about to fall asleep, and then you win. If you slow down the combat in 2, it's the same thing, but god forbid people actually think for more than 5 minutes.

    Graphics: I can't play the game on Highest Dx11 without my FPS dropping to 3 and textures spazzing out. So this is the only valid complaint I can see.

    As far as the difficulty complaints go: I've had to turn down the difficulty during some parts. Some boss fights are just ridiculous. There's nothing "dumbed down" at all. As I said, combat merely happens faster and abilities actually have visible effects.

    Conversations being simplified? This one is just stupid. "I don't have to THINK about what I say now!". I never did in the original and I somehow managed to get everyone to love me (usually just pressing the first option). Take away the wheel that gives you a graphical representation of what you're about to say and it's the same thing as Origins

    Either way, it seems most negative reviews focus on nothing and just say "GG BIOWARE YOU KILLED THE RPG MARKET!" without actually specifying why they hate it (which is pretty much Metacritic in a nutshell). To quote the most popular negative review on here: "Unless you're on hard mode, there is nothing to discuss as far as combat goes". It was the same in Origins. Play on Easy or Normal and you could 'lol' your way to victory. From the same review I quoted earlier "after a mere few hours with it I honestly have no drive to play it any more. That didn't happen until Orzammar with DA:O.". I don't know how people can praise the original, yet chastise the sequel when they openly admit they never finished either. 29 hours in and I'm still having a blast (albeit multiple rerolls because lol@me).    … Expand
  92. ENAK
    Mar 15, 2011
    8
    While the game is not as good as it's predecessor, it surely doesn't deserve the backlash it's getting. Combat is satisfying, the story is as good as in any other Bioware game. The only negative things about seem to be some repetitive locations a smaller (but still quite big) game world and a bit lesser follower interaction. None of which disqualify the game as a triple A title.
  93. Arawaen
    Apr 3, 2011
    7
    Bioware improved class balance and eliminated many of the difficulty spikes that plagued DAO, but at the expense of a great many options (e.g. dual wield and archery warriors are out). DAO combat animations often seemed slow and dull, but DA2 goes to the opposite extreme of being way too fast. The fun fatality animations of DAO have been removed in favor of opponents who literally getBioware improved class balance and eliminated many of the difficulty spikes that plagued DAO, but at the expense of a great many options (e.g. dual wield and archery warriors are out). DAO combat animations often seemed slow and dull, but DA2 goes to the opposite extreme of being way too fast. The fun fatality animations of DAO have been removed in favor of opponents who literally get pulverized into component body parts in a cloud of blood, it looks ridiculous. Maps get reused a lot, every mansion and cave seems to use the same map. I didn't mind the game being set in a single city and visiting the same areas over and over, but the area is full of caves and almost all of them are identical. DAO reused elements, but the redressing hid the reuse quite a bit, DA2 lacks any major redressing of maps and the reuse is very obvious. The UI in DAO was horrid, DA2 improves upon it greatly, both in terms of clarity, aesthetics and screen real estate. The redesigned races are much more interesting, especially the elves which have a more fey-like appearance, as opposed to the short humans with pointy ears they were in DAO. The game is much more stable than DAO, DAO crashes frequently for me, whereas I have had only one crash on DA2 and that was with me cranking up the graphic options to see how high I could go.

    The characters were great, well voiced and Bioware went above and beyond in terms of the party banter and interaction. Having the different companions have relationships outside the main character was a nice touch. The story as well was good, not another 'save the world epic' where we have to ponder why the villains conveniently wait while the hero does all sorts of trivial side quests. I can't deny there aren't some lame side-quests in DA2 (those delviery quests) but overall the quests for your companions and the people of the city fit together with the main plot much better than they did in DAO, ME1 or ME2, simply because you aren't on this ultra-important mission to save the universe as we know it.

    The silent protagonist in DAO always bugged me, the fully voiced Hawke is a plus for me. The subtle effect your dialogue choices have on Hawke's personality is also a nice touch, if you choose the sarcastic option frequently, your Hawke will be more sarcastic in other conversation. The dialogue wheel is a mixed blessing, I liked the icons that give you a clue as to the tone of what Hawke is going to say, but sometimes the paraphrasing is so far off from what you expect, that you don't get the result you wanted.

    DA2 is a fine game that suffers from 2 main things, a rushed development cycle and Bioware's tendency to over correct for criticism in their previous games.    … Expand
  94. Ayuru
    May 18, 2011
    9
    One of the best RPG's I've ever played. Great characters, fun battle system, nice story. Much, much better than boring and out-of-date Dragon Age: Origins. 9.0
  95. Cuco
    May 23, 2011
    10
    Best RPG of 2011. Good story ? Check. Good characters ? Check. Difficult combats ? Check! It's just perfect. You can't go wrong with Bioware.

    Trust in Bioware, go with me.
  96. HalfEmpty77
    Jun 2, 2011
    9
    I can't believe that a game this freaking good scored this freaking low! i have Played through four times now! the story is top notch, the characters are great and the loot is good! who cares if a few environments were recycled a couple times! It was a great game! Can't wait for the third DA game and I can't wait for DLC and expansions for DA2.
  97. animefan1976
    Mar 10, 2011
    7
    I'm giving it a 7 as there are a number of features that improvements over Dragon Age: Origins. Some of those include faster combat, a better spell/talent selection and advancement method, and a voiced player character. There are some other good points as well. Bad points would be things such as a more restricted inventory system for companions, less dialogue with companions one on one,I'm giving it a 7 as there are a number of features that improvements over Dragon Age: Origins. Some of those include faster combat, a better spell/talent selection and advancement method, and a voiced player character. There are some other good points as well. Bad points would be things such as a more restricted inventory system for companions, less dialogue with companions one on one, and a story that doesn't keep you as engaged as the previous game. One thing the PC version really shines on is the graphics. DirectX 11 renderer shows some excellent quality even on high settings with AAx8 and AFx16.… Expand
  98. Obsidien
    Mar 11, 2011
    10
    For me; This game it's so beautyful but not private to many bugs. Also the city present in this game give us an important emotional investigates players; It's so a very big game with differents protagonists with them unique characters. The Graph's game is an concentrate of all moderns technology in video game. Bio-Ware it's alway faithful of him.
  99. Aerthos
    Mar 15, 2011
    8
    I have put in a little over a dozen hours on Dragon Age 2, and overall I would say it is a solid RPG with an excellent narrative that should be given credit for what it is--a great story of a refugee of Ferelden and his rise to become something more. If DA2 is to be compared to any other game it should be Dragon Age: Origins, and as such any comparisons are between these two titles.

    The    I have put in a little over a dozen hours on Dragon Age 2, and overall I would say it is a solid RPG with an excellent narrative that should be given credit for what it is--a great story of a refugee of Ferelden and his rise to become something more. If DA2 is to be compared to any other game it should be Dragon Age: Origins, and as such any comparisons are between these two titles.

    The story itself is not the expansive storyline veterans might have been expecting, but is rather a much more tailored storyline following a member of the Hawke family. The story, which of a different scope, is just as richly detailed as DA:O and is easier for the player to navigate thanks to the improved dialogue system. There are also far more sidequests available than in Origins, which more often than not leads to more character depth for the NPCs than before.

    The talent trees have been drastically changed, and it is purely a matter of preference if this is for the better or the worse. Personally, I like the less linear progression and the concept of upgrades, but I am frustrated by the very large number of potential choices compared to the realistic number of points available to spend during the course of a play through.

    The inventory and crafting systems have been streamlined as well. Crafting is far simpler; now it is just a matter of finding a source of crafting materials and vendors allow you to do the rest. Inventory has made two notable changes. Firstly, there has been the implementation of a "star" system for items to indicate their relative usefulness for characters (mostly useless for veterans of RPGs). Secondly, you are no longer able to equip armor on your companions as they have their own unique armor that you can find upgrades for. While this is a fun concept, it is also incredibly frustrating because it leads to a large number of armor pieces that you are forced to sell because they are not for Hawke's class. Seems rather a heavy-handed way of getting players to play through the game multiple times (if they want to see all the different armors), but it just as well might have been an unthought-of side effect to the upgradeable companion armors.

    Certainly the single most damaging thing to DA2 is dungeon areas being recycled throughout the course of the game. When so much of the rest of the game shines, this is really just a glaring weakness. It might have been less obvious even if the map for the area was not the exact same with a few "doors" simply ones that you are unable to open. Misleading and frustrating as--for me--it really distracted from what has otherwise been a rather enjoyable experience.    … Expand
  100. Hawke24
    Mar 13, 2011
    8
    I think this game deserves 86/100. All characters quite interesting, some of them so awesome... I liked Hawke's family, especially Bethany, Varrick, Merril, and Isabella for sure. I know I am hopeless fan of Bioware ^^.Yes, there's some negative moments, such as lesser duration of game than DaO. For now i completed game 1 time, but i want more of it! Sorry for my English (I'm from Russia)
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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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