Dragon Age II

 PC
User Score
4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 5052 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,397 out of 5052
  2. Mixed: 1,198 out of 5052
  3. Negative: 2,457 out of 5052
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Koumal
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    No strategy, no challenge, mediocre interface, RPG ? No, I don't believe. Action boom boom, it's all.
    A slap in the face for fans of DA:O and for fans of good games.
  2. HLeo
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    What happened?! They took my favorite game ever made and completely dumbed it down and destroyed it. Seriously what the heck is this? What game is this?!
  3. Someone2345
    Mar 11, 2011
    3
    Yes, I created a meta critic account just to post about my disappointment with this game. I have heard it said that it should have been marketed as something like "Hawke's Story: A Dragon Age Adventure" - this would have made much more sense, because this certainly isn't the sequel to that enthralling rich game that was DA:O. It has been simplified to the point of boring. Who is Hawke andYes, I created a meta critic account just to post about my disappointment with this game. I have heard it said that it should have been marketed as something like "Hawke's Story: A Dragon Age Adventure" - this would have made much more sense, because this certainly isn't the sequel to that enthralling rich game that was DA:O. It has been simplified to the point of boring. Who is Hawke and why the well should I care about him? I get to pick snippets of words and then he goes and says something completely different. With the inclusion of the speech wheel I no longer have to work out what is the good, evil or neutral response - I can just pick the pretty picture. I no longer have to discern if my investigative questions will provoke a reaction, cause the big question mark tells me that they are just questions. I can't change the character the way that I want to, I am fighting arena battles instead of "random encounters". What REALLY annoys me is that this game flies in the the face of what DO:A was suppose to be "a spiritual sequel to the late great baldur's quest". This game seems more akin to a MMORPG guest hunt. The shame bioware... the shame... I am also now no longer interested in Knight of the Old Republic MMO. In fact... that is what this game reminds me of. Die by the sword... but without VSIM.… Expand
  4. Nohra
    Mar 11, 2011
    4
    Really, all I have to say can be summed up with something I said to a co-worker earlier today, "The ending screamed 'We're going to finish this game with DLC.'" I don't want to have to pay $30-40 more to finish up a $60 game. I don't want to buy a book, read through it, and discover the last 50 pages have been ripped out. I'm seriously getting sick of the rampant growth of DLC as aReally, all I have to say can be summed up with something I said to a co-worker earlier today, "The ending screamed 'We're going to finish this game with DLC.'" I don't want to have to pay $30-40 more to finish up a $60 game. I don't want to buy a book, read through it, and discover the last 50 pages have been ripped out. I'm seriously getting sick of the rampant growth of DLC as a business practice - especially for single-player games.… Expand
  5. Gixxer420
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    The combat in Dragon Age 2 was actually a lot more fun than the original. But the gameplay, story, atmosphere, music, and just about everything else made this game a steamy pile of **** compared to the original. You stay in one area for the ENTIRE game and environments are recycled 5-10 times, holy **** The characters are decent, but it's hard to get attached to them like you could inThe combat in Dragon Age 2 was actually a lot more fun than the original. But the gameplay, story, atmosphere, music, and just about everything else made this game a steamy pile of **** compared to the original. You stay in one area for the ENTIRE game and environments are recycled 5-10 times, holy **** The characters are decent, but it's hard to get attached to them like you could in Origins. Now as a modern game it was mediocre, but for a Dragon Age successor it was a huge disappointment... I think I beat the game 100% in a little over 9 1/2 hours, Dragon Age: Origins took me over 60 hours to fully complete it, huge step backwards. The story was a mess, serious **** mess, I won't spoil it for anyone but no connections are made and it's a huge cluster **** of nothing. The game has polish, but it doesn't have that epic feel like Origins did. Oh well, maybe Dragon Age 3 will be a little different.… Expand
  6. Jamieaawroe
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    A massive disappointmentof a game. I feel like this game has taken everything good about origins and removed or neutered it, as well as making the bad aspects even worse. (And I would only give origins a 7/10) I really wanted to like Dragon age 2, as I have every other Bioware game to date. The problem is that it sells itself as an WRPG, when in actual fact it's more of an action game withA massive disappointmentof a game. I feel like this game has taken everything good about origins and removed or neutered it, as well as making the bad aspects even worse. (And I would only give origins a 7/10) I really wanted to like Dragon age 2, as I have every other Bioware game to date. The problem is that it sells itself as an WRPG, when in actual fact it's more of an action game with JRPG elements. The quests feel like they're stolen straight from WoW, with one liners on completion and little to no introduction text. I've put 12 hours into this game, doing all the side quests and trying to role play and I've found it impossible. I'm not controlling Hawke, I'm watching a predefined character and subtly influencing him. The main reason for this is the lack of dialogue options. Terrible, terrible game.… Expand
  7. Erenthorn
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    This an extremely sad attempt for an rpg, before continuing i will point out the first obvious flaws in the game. -Reusing the same four maps 500 times.
    -Setting the whole game in one city.
    -Enemies have a ton of HP and come in waves so the game feels longer. -Frame narrative to avoid being too descriptive about what happens between large periods of time. -Half as much dialogue, more    This an extremely sad attempt for an rpg, before continuing i will point out the first obvious flaws in the game. -Reusing the same four maps 500 times.
    -Setting the whole game in one city.
    -Enemies have a ton of HP and come in waves so the game feels longer.
    -Frame narrative to avoid being too descriptive about what happens between large periods of time.
    -Half as much dialogue, more passive interaction.
    -Millions of stupid side quests that have nothing to do with anything.
    -Dull environment bereft of life and matter.
    -Inability to customize companions allowed you to skip designing different armor models.
    -Collecting hundreds of-- literally, junk items-- to create the illusion of immersion and depth.
    -Poor character development, so you hardly care about your companions by the end of the game. -Lack of any substantial choices that have lasting effects.
    -Contrived ending, that tells you nothing, and leaves a huge gap for sub-par DLC
    -Generic UI showing a lack of creativity and effort.

    Thank You to Sharkey1337 from the Bioware forums for pointing this out. This "game" is a sad excuse for a rushed rpg that lacked any standards of innovation and i ask anyone who thinks about playing this game to not do so. At most, rent and DO NOT BUY, YOU WILL HAVE WASTED 60$ IF YOU DO. Dragon Age Origins compared to this is an absolute masterpiece and anyone who was not played it should do so over buying this short pathetic game.    … Expand
  8. Rhey
    Mar 17, 2011
    3
    Combat system improved, but everything else is worse than Dragon Age: Origins.
    Nobody needed a game like DA II. There are tons of titles like that.
    We needed an improved realistic, revolutionary & innovative npc interaction. Because there wasn't an RPG like Origins for that aspect before. In DA II you cannot talk to your company whenever you want, you have to wait for a Cutscene (quest or    Combat system improved, but everything else is worse than Dragon Age: Origins.
    Nobody needed a game like DA II. There are tons of titles like that.
    We needed an improved realistic, revolutionary & innovative npc interaction. Because there wasn't an RPG like Origins for that aspect before.
    In DA II you cannot talk to your company whenever you want, you have to wait for a Cutscene (quest or gift). You cannot talk to your party friends about your accomplishments, while the old good Origins did.
    We got a step back to something pointless, instead to improve the innovation, they killed it.
    A static location into the same city for the whole game and some anonymous random cave, BAD.
    No longer an epic journey like Origins, but the dumb match Templars Vs Mages.
    Efforts reduced on DAII, a team weakened to work on an other project like SWTOR. BioWare revealed in July that the ME2 system has been adopted cos the Dragon Age system requires too many efforts and resources, despite the higher quality / success of DA compared to ME2.

    The DA2 sales are pushed by what people know about DA:Origins.
    If DA3 will never ship, it will be a fail, because DA2 won't push anything.    … Expand
  9. zagorec92
    Mar 18, 2011
    4
    Origins had a lot more epic and exciting story. Idea of putting story in one city, with 2-3 locations near it is really catastrophic. Combat is not that satisfying as it should be and inventory is awful. In Dragon Age Origins we didn't have so much restriction for armors and weapons like here. I was really surprised by that, but in the wrong way. Graphics, well, I can't complain too muchOrigins had a lot more epic and exciting story. Idea of putting story in one city, with 2-3 locations near it is really catastrophic. Combat is not that satisfying as it should be and inventory is awful. In Dragon Age Origins we didn't have so much restriction for armors and weapons like here. I was really surprised by that, but in the wrong way. Graphics, well, I can't complain too much about it because my graphic card doesn't allow me to experience high or medium quality settings. Characters...there's only one worth mentioning and that is Varric because it seems they only finished him and that the others were in work by the time game was out. Main character is finally voiced and it doesn't seem so dumb like in Origins, but I expected more. I really wanted to like this game, especially because it is from Bioware. But call of money and greed from EA made this game the biggest flop this year. I will give it a 4, only because it gave me 35 hours of gameplay and because the main character isn't so dumb. I really hope this won't happen again, this rushing and placing a half-finished product on the market with Mass Effect 3.… Expand
  10. ZzrowGraff
    Oct 7, 2011
    0
    I LOVED DAO. It was a masterpiece. DA2 is garbage well-described in many earlier reviews. My purpose in writing this review is to bring to your attention the fact that at gamestop.com Morrowwind:GOTY costs $19.99 while DA2 costs $19.95. Bioware's tour-de-farce is less marketable several months after its release than a game that came out in 2002. If that doesn't clue you in, go ahead andI LOVED DAO. It was a masterpiece. DA2 is garbage well-described in many earlier reviews. My purpose in writing this review is to bring to your attention the fact that at gamestop.com Morrowwind:GOTY costs $19.99 while DA2 costs $19.95. Bioware's tour-de-farce is less marketable several months after its release than a game that came out in 2002. If that doesn't clue you in, go ahead and waste your money. I wish I could sell you my copy for the $60 I paid for it. :)… Expand
  11. chibajoe
    Mar 21, 2011
    3
    They would have been better off naming this game "Diablo Age 3". The incessant combat, random loot generator, uninspired voice acting, and complete lack of RPG elements made for a thoroughly underwhelming gaming experience. Had EA been honest and told everyone up front that this was going to be a hack-n-slash gear hunt with some cinematics thrown in for good measure, I think people wouldThey would have been better off naming this game "Diablo Age 3". The incessant combat, random loot generator, uninspired voice acting, and complete lack of RPG elements made for a thoroughly underwhelming gaming experience. Had EA been honest and told everyone up front that this was going to be a hack-n-slash gear hunt with some cinematics thrown in for good measure, I think people would have been willing to cut them a little slack. To claim this half complete abortion as the inheritor of the crown of Dragon Age and the "spiritual" successor of Baldur's Gate is a spit in the face of every RPG gamer who has ever played those games. If you are an RPG player, DO NOT BUY THIS GAME, it sucks (as an RPG). If you're just looking for 30 or so hours of mindless hack and slash in repetitive and over used environments on an aging graphics engine, and you have $60 that you just can't find something better to waste on, then this might just be the game for you.… Expand
  12. Rizla
    Mar 16, 2011
    4
    It's sad that this game has turned out how it has. Where i would play DA:O hours on end cause it immersed me into a beautiful world with diversity and a compelling story, i have to take a break from DA II every half hour because of the fatigue the game gives me, it's the same thing over and over, covered in bland and repeating surroundings and a general 'meh' feeling toward anythingIt's sad that this game has turned out how it has. Where i would play DA:O hours on end cause it immersed me into a beautiful world with diversity and a compelling story, i have to take a break from DA II every half hour because of the fatigue the game gives me, it's the same thing over and over, covered in bland and repeating surroundings and a general 'meh' feeling toward anything character or story wise.

    I miss bird eye view alot when positioning party members, which is a shame since you haveto reposition alot due to enemies spawning out of nowhere. Simplified loot system is so uninteresting and easy to get around with that it's an annoyance to be bothering with.

    Managing companions has been reduced to giving them jewelry. I never liked Massive effect to start with and the introduction of that wheel selection thing is just horrid to me.

    In the end i felt like all options that would activate some braincells have been reduced to such simple tasks that i can't find it more challenging than setting one foot in front of another. It's so straightforward and linear :-S

    The character selection system is restrictive and doesn't offer in any way what DA:O did, not at all. I don't feel like i'm playing a unique character at all in this game.

    This game might of been received better if it hadn't been named the sequel to DA:O. But even if you take the first game out of the picture it still doesn't add up to a very good game in it's genre. I'd say i would rate it a 6 without ever playing DA:O. It's just not good. :(    … Expand
  13. skwervin
    Mar 16, 2011
    5
    It takes a special talent to take something so good and to screw it up sooooo bad. If I didn;t know better I would think it was a deliberate attempt to sabotage the genre and the game as a whole.

    Combat is unbelievable with exploding bodies and spamming adds at every turn. Complete lack of RPG content - cannot converse with companions or merchants as in DA:O, romances have gone back to    It takes a special talent to take something so good and to screw it up sooooo bad. If I didn;t know better I would think it was a deliberate attempt to sabotage the genre and the game as a whole.

    Combat is unbelievable with exploding bodies and spamming adds at every turn. Complete lack of RPG content - cannot converse with companions or merchants as in DA:O, romances have gone back to the 1950's and the elves look like they were cross bred with the little green men from Mars. Inability to tweak companions gear and all the wasted inventory made me want to cry. Lack of any real coherence to the story, lack of consequence from your decisons and lack of any sympathy towards your companions (or should I call them what they really are? Swords for hire?) equals a boring game without anything that endeared the original to me. I will NOT be buying any DLC in the near future and will think a second and third time before buying anything else from EA/Bioware in the future.    … Expand
  14. Freetex
    Mar 25, 2011
    3
    Whilst I truly enjoyed, the immersive, dynamic storytelling of the first game, I have to say, the second installment is very much a disappointment. The scripting seems exceptionally stunted in comparison, and the voice acting, a key selling point of the first ranges from poor, to absolutely terrible. The combat feels unwieldy, and unintuitive, the party system unbalanced, and the storylineWhilst I truly enjoyed, the immersive, dynamic storytelling of the first game, I have to say, the second installment is very much a disappointment. The scripting seems exceptionally stunted in comparison, and the voice acting, a key selling point of the first ranges from poor, to absolutely terrible. The combat feels unwieldy, and unintuitive, the party system unbalanced, and the storyline contrived. Granted, these are all points relative to the quality of Bioware in general, and the original Dragon Age, but they set the bar- And instead of clearing it, they've rushed an underdeveloped, flawed sequel to release, seemingly in the hopes that the Bioware name, and the success it's predecessor alone will create a good gaming experience. Sadly, I'm certain that it will be enough to ensure sales, at least, however undeserved....… Expand
  15. Adur
    Apr 12, 2011
    2
    All the negative critique that needs to be made about this game has been, it's rubbish and an insult. For everyone who is a long time Bioware fan, this game was a slap in the face. As a lover of RPG games who has bought almost every Bioware game since Baldur's gate, I know I for one want game that are more intricate and more detailed as time goes on, not games that are dumbed down forAll the negative critique that needs to be made about this game has been, it's rubbish and an insult. For everyone who is a long time Bioware fan, this game was a slap in the face. As a lover of RPG games who has bought almost every Bioware game since Baldur's gate, I know I for one want game that are more intricate and more detailed as time goes on, not games that are dumbed down for "bros" to enjoy. There is a very specific type of gamer, like me, who enjoyed the types of games Bioware used to make, and we are the ones who pumped up their company up in the first place, who made them a success. Yet they didn't hesitate to cast us aside in the hope of getting in on the "bro" market. Stay classy Bioware, I'm done with you.… Expand
  16. Vortigos
    May 20, 2011
    2
    Feckless. Uninspired. Redundant. The development and marketing of this game is an affront to RPG aficionados, the PC gaming community and Dragon Age I loyalists. This game isn't bad because it didn't faithfully follow in its predecessor's footsteps or because it borrows elements from Mass Effect 2 -- it's bad on its own merits by any sane standards. Don't believe the positive magazineFeckless. Uninspired. Redundant. The development and marketing of this game is an affront to RPG aficionados, the PC gaming community and Dragon Age I loyalists. This game isn't bad because it didn't faithfully follow in its predecessor's footsteps or because it borrows elements from Mass Effect 2 -- it's bad on its own merits by any sane standards. Don't believe the positive magazine reviews for a minute; they are written by a bunch unlettered sychophants (PCGamer I am apalled) without the gumption to really put this shoddy RPG in its place. EA-Bioware set the bar so high with a truly careless and gaudy marketing campaign only to deliver so precious little. The story and setting are unprecedentedly fragmented, insipid and provincial. It's a sandbox game in the sense that the game-world is about the size of an actual sandbox (broken into narrow fragmented chunks) and the game's main and basically only setting (the tiny city of Kirkwall) is about as interesting and varied as sand. If the mildly amusing dialog in this game impresses you -- with its incessant and jarring close-up head-shots of your character "voice acting" -- you need to quit playing video games and start watching daytime soap operas. It has good combat mechanics that quickly grow tiring as you fight the same type of battles against the same type of enemies endlessly. DA2 has some good action elements but that's not nearly enough to redeem this game. After all, if we are judging it solely on the basis of being an "Action RPG" it is tiers below Diablo or even Torchlight in terms of combat and fun. This game deserves the ridicule. EA-Bioware deserve our scorn. I beg of you not to buy this game. If you unfortunately already have, at least do not buy any of its meager and pathetic DLC. Tell your friends to avoid this game. Write on internet forums. I'll tell you why -- I had a nightmarish epiphany. A talented and capable game developer had an idea for a grand and inspiring RPG only to be turned down by a publisher who offered the following advice: "can't you make it more like Dragon Age 2? That did well." We can't let that happen. Bioware needs to suffer for this sham. If they suffer they might actually risk doing what they and their customers really love… Expand
  17. Equinocio
    Feb 9, 2012
    0
    A huge deception. Boring gameplay, dumbed down combat, poor graphics. Very sad indeed, doesn't even get near the firt game in terms of overall quality. Shame on you Bioware.
  18. Sh0dan
    Sep 18, 2011
    2
    With DA: Origins BioWare captured a tiny bit of the magic they used to have in their heyday with the likes of Baldurs Gate 2 and KOTOR, and in my opinion that strategic, tactical "thinking" gameplay felt like a step in the right direction, particularly the PC version with its overhead distant perspective allowing us to get a good view of the battlefield. However this game just feels soWith DA: Origins BioWare captured a tiny bit of the magic they used to have in their heyday with the likes of Baldurs Gate 2 and KOTOR, and in my opinion that strategic, tactical "thinking" gameplay felt like a step in the right direction, particularly the PC version with its overhead distant perspective allowing us to get a good view of the battlefield. However this game just feels so watered down and casualised its just lost all of that past BioWare magic. I felt the same about Mass Effect 2 also, which seemed dumbed down and more about mindless action. So if anyone else out there reading this felt the same about that game, then trust me, DA2 will disappoint you too.… Expand
  19. StanleyRichards
    Apr 18, 2011
    5
    This game takes away many of the components that made Dragon Age Origins' such a compelling RPG. The gameplay and story have all been turned inside-out.

    The combat has been dumb downed in a way that strategy is not much of a requirement anymore to go through many of the game's battles. I've not found a need to even touch the TACTICS system of the game, even on hard, and possibly    This game takes away many of the components that made Dragon Age Origins' such a compelling RPG. The gameplay and story have all been turned inside-out.

    The combat has been dumb downed in a way that strategy is not much of a requirement anymore to go through many of the game's battles. I've not found a need to even touch the TACTICS system of the game, even on hard, and possibly nightmare. It's mostly just pressing the "R" key, watch pretty visuals and see things blow up. Instead of the strategic element we are so familiar with, Bioware gives us a much more fast-paced and more fluid, action-oriented fights that last much shorter than Origins'. This is still no saving grace to the brainless combat that Bioware thought would be a better alternative.

    The story is where things really start taking a toll for the worse. Origins' had such a compelling story. You travel around Fereldan recruiting and getting aid from different armies to stop an incoming blight. In this game, you go around doing chores for people in the city. A step downwards, considering it was made by Bioware, the same company that brought us classics like Baldur's Gate and Mass Effect. Shame on you, Bioware. It's a decent game at best. There's no real thought needed in this game, but it's fast-paced combat could interest newer players for awhile.    … Expand
  20. Ghengiz
    Mar 16, 2011
    4
    I would much rather replay Dragon Age Origins than have spent money on something that is not as well polished as I have come to expect. It's not horribad, it's just not what I wanted. Your mileage may vary.
  21. thecrius
    Mar 15, 2011
    4
    Playing this game is like having "just" sex with the same girl for more than 1 months. Boring.

    That's your Waterloo, Bioware, Let's put down the hats.
  22. Voland
    Mar 16, 2011
    4
    I suggest you don't buy this game. It does so many things wrong it actually damages the rpg genre.
    The game consists in following yellow markers on the mini map to complete "quests", knowing how to read is not really necessary to complete the game.
    The story is very underwhelming and never motivates the player to keep going on. And it's quite short. Aside from the deep roads and the city    I suggest you don't buy this game. It does so many things wrong it actually damages the rpg genre.
    The game consists in following yellow markers on the mini map to complete "quests", knowing how to read is not really necessary to complete the game.
    The story is very underwhelming and never motivates the player to keep going on. And it's quite short.
    Aside from the deep roads and the city all game quests are done in the same 4-5 ambients recycled over and over again (A abandoned mansion, A creepy cellar, A natural cavern (the most used by far). and so on). It's a fraud.
    The combat system is not too bad on hard difficulty if you cripple your party enough (i've played with no belts rings and amulets) and if you have a bad party setup. Otherwise it's too easy. Nightmare mode is not well though out and it's just annoying.

    What I like about the game is the quest system. There should be more varied quests, but the fact that during the second act you face the consequences of the choices you made during act 1 is nice.
    Companions are ok i guess, but I never cared much for any of them.

    Suggestions for the future: - Playing an rpg should not be like walking along a corridor, it should be more open ended.
    - Combat doesn't need to be frenetic. It can also be tactical or it can be both. Just no one wants a lackadaisical button-pressing. Gamers just need to have a fun and hard "nightmare mode".
    - Final bosses should be more varied. For God sake there are billions of really original and fun fights in WoW's dungeons. Is it so hard to get some ideas from there? I liked the boss of the deep roads though.
    - Itemization is not too bad, personally I like it if it's less streamlined with just a few really powerful items (not gamebreaking but with particular properties, like the "immune to flanking" amulet) dropped by really hard to beat enemies (think Final Fantasy secret bosses like Ozma, Dark Eons, Omega Weapon).
    - Some say that a complex level-up and party personalization system scares away non-rpg players. There doesn't need to be one. The game can also be completely skill based.    … Expand
  23. achinech79
    Mar 13, 2011
    1
    Diiiiiiiiiiisaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaappppppppppppppppooooooooooiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnntttttttteeeeeeed..... before any was a must buy bioware... from today that changes
  24. Nenene
    Mar 13, 2011
    2
    Very disappointing. A complete step backwards from DA:O in every respect-- graphics, gameplay, characters and storytelling. This was a rush job, and it shows. WoW has better graphics, and better storytelling too. For me to say that about the company that gave me the original -and- Mass Effect is....well, I would say I was angry if I wasn't so depressed. Is -this- the future of BioWareVery disappointing. A complete step backwards from DA:O in every respect-- graphics, gameplay, characters and storytelling. This was a rush job, and it shows. WoW has better graphics, and better storytelling too. For me to say that about the company that gave me the original -and- Mass Effect is....well, I would say I was angry if I wasn't so depressed. Is -this- the future of BioWare games?

    I'm afraid for ME3.    … Expand
  25. Pupalisk
    Mar 13, 2011
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This review is coming from someone who absolutely loved Dragon Age: Origins and came into Dragon Age 2 with high expectations. I fully expect that if I didn't like Origins so much I'd give this game about a 5 or 6.

    I just completed this game as a sword and shield tanking warrior. Dragon Age 2 has many good qualities but just as many faults. The combat in this game reminds me of old arcade games with enemies constantly spawning in from the sides while you beat them up. Most of the fights in this game involve enemies swinging down from the rooftops like monkeys. I spent most of my battles trying to pick up aggro on stray enemies spawning in behind my mages. I enjoyed the new combat animations, but not much else. The dual wielding dagger Templars doing back flips in full plate was pretty entertaining.

    Another problem with the combat is the lack of npc character specializations. You can't, for instance, make Isabela an archer or make Fenris a tank. Your only choice for a healer for most of the game is Anders. With my warrior I felt like I was forced to take Anders with me even though I didn't really like him. It feels a lot like having to take Wynne with you in Origins if you weren't a mage. At least there you had the option of making Morigan into a healer. Also, as I'm sure many previous reviews have stated, you can't change your companion's armor. The graphics do look pretty good. However, there are so few environments that the visuals eventually lose their appeal. You literally see everything you are going to see in the first act of the game as far as environments go. I wish that Dragon Age 2 had at least one more substantial area to visit. There were a few graphical glitches I encountered such as the shield on my warrior's back appearing and disappearing during dialogues.

    The plot starts off strong, gets weaker in the middle, and ramps up near the very end. This game really hammers you with the whole Templars vs Mages concept and doesn't stop. I was getting tired of being reminded around every corner that the two groups just don't like each other. I guess they are just trying to explain that to new players who haven't played Origins, but even then it seems excessive. Along this line, it appears that every mage in the city of Kirkwall can just whip out a knife and perform blood magic. I was shocked by the amount of blood mages in this game. It really got old fast.

    I really liked the Qunari in this game, and looked forward to all the segments involving them. They were voiced well, and by the end of the game I thought they would have made a much better antagonist than the actual antagonist.

    I enjoyed the voice work and the music of the game for the most part. Some of the pronunciation of certain locations in the game have changed from Origins (I cringe whenever an elf says Arlathan), but that is my only complaint. The characters are believable and are quite interesting. Their voices are pretty quiet though, requiring me to crank up the speaker volume and lower the soundeffect/music volume to hear them well.

    The side quests in this game are quite mundane. You usually either go somewhere and kill some guys or you bring some item you found back to somebody in the town. There are so many side characters involved in these quests that you quickly forget who they are when they show up later. I'd have characters appear and say something like, "You killed my brother!!!" and I'd just be standing there thinking, "I did?" It helps that several of these encounters have a dialogue option along the lines of, "Who are you again?"

    The game froze on me about 8 times, with about two cases of quests not working correctly. I had just completed a character quest with Anders, and the quest text told me to speak with him in his clinic. When I went to his clinic and clicked on him, all he did was speak one line of dialogue. The quest remained in my log until the end of the game. I found out later that some other quests I thought I had completed didn't show their ending scenes.

    It took me about 30 hours to complete the game, doing all of the side quests I could find and beating optional boss encounters. It was pretty fun in the beginning, but I gradually just wanted to hurry up and complete it near the end. For every one thing that Dragon Age 2 does right, it does one thing wrong. I can't recommend paying full price for this game, but you should pick it up after the price has come down a bit or steam has a sale. Well, only if you enjoy the setting of Origins. I can't really imagine someone getting much out of this title without having played the first game.    … Expand
  26. stilgars
    Mar 13, 2011
    1
    Indecent release.
    Bioware loses all respect for its fan base and is now releasing a broken outdated and boring game.
    On every area, it is far worse than the original. Less choices, ugly graphics, linear and short, 90% of the game is basically boring and easy combat sequences: it is no more than a Diablo ersatz but without the fun.
    A piece of garbage and a shame for Bioware.
  27. CaptainPerhaps
    Mar 16, 2011
    2
    I absolutely loved Dragon Age origins so I preordered DA2 as soon as I could. There is a fine line between streamlining and dumbing down, and unfortunately this feels very much like it's been dumbed down for a more casual console audience. Much of the geeky tweaking and customisation of most RPGs has gone - you can't even change your companions' armour, so effectively any armour you findI absolutely loved Dragon Age origins so I preordered DA2 as soon as I could. There is a fine line between streamlining and dumbing down, and unfortunately this feels very much like it's been dumbed down for a more casual console audience. Much of the geeky tweaking and customisation of most RPGs has gone - you can't even change your companions' armour, so effectively any armour you find in the game is either for your main character or for the scrap heap.

    The various scenes look graphically (slightly) better that Origins, which is good, but almost nothing can be interacted with. Combat is messy and too fast, so it's hard to keep track of exactly what each of your party up to, and descends into a hack n slash affair.

    I think some of the UI improvements are pretty good but it's been taken far too far and sucked all the fun and 'RP' out of the 'G'. My advice to Origins fans would be to restart Origins with a new character as you'll have a lot more fun.

    I'm not a ranting troll by the way, but rather a genuinely disappointed fan, who really wanted DA2 to at least be as good as its predecessor. Fingers crossed, if they do a third game then they'll revert some of these core changes back, but I doubt Bioware/EA would want to be seen as backtracking, as that would be an admission that they've made a blunder on this one.    … Expand
  28. Stravento
    Mar 14, 2011
    1
    I finished the game today. Beyond not being the same type of game as DAO, and thus a sort of surprise, the major problem with the game is the recycling of levels and the complete lack of variety in the quests. The quests are all the same. Even for an action rpg the game itself is quite boring, there is one boss battle that requires something different than the usual strategies that you canI finished the game today. Beyond not being the same type of game as DAO, and thus a sort of surprise, the major problem with the game is the recycling of levels and the complete lack of variety in the quests. The quests are all the same. Even for an action rpg the game itself is quite boring, there is one boss battle that requires something different than the usual strategies that you can apply to every fight. The story is very nice, and I personally do not care if it is more linear given that it is good. The problem is that the game transmit the feeling of having no soul. If you want it is something like the first assassin creed, gorgeous, nice story, but after you have completed a third of it you are bored to death.… Expand
  29. Thetruthhurts
    Mar 15, 2011
    4
    Dragon Age 2 is a poor game and extremely disappointing. While some changes from DA:O were made to "improve" the game, the result is appalling and a joke. Some principles of what makes a good "RPG" are universal and can be assessed objectively, such as a unified overarching story that makes sense, varied combat and environments, and the ability to immerse yourself in the game.Dragon Age 2 is a poor game and extremely disappointing. While some changes from DA:O were made to "improve" the game, the result is appalling and a joke. Some principles of what makes a good "RPG" are universal and can be assessed objectively, such as a unified overarching story that makes sense, varied combat and environments, and the ability to immerse yourself in the game. Unfortunately this is not possible in Dragon Age 2 for a number of reasons:

    1. After completing the game, I struggled to recall what the main purpose of my journey was, or what I achieved. Honestly, what the hell was the point of Act 1??? I don't want to give away spoilers, but it was very difficult to enjoy a story that was put together in far too short a space of time and where there was no direction in character or plot development.

    2. The re-use of the same environments was an insult to any gamer who spent their hard earned cash on this product. It is not asking too much to play a 30+ hour campaign without seeing the same environments ad nauseum. I believe I literally saw a total of 10 environments a dozen times each. If the designers couldn't get some more environments designed within the release date, then they need to push the release date back. Gamers expect more for their money, and rightly so. We are not stupid 12 year olds who cannot see the cust-cutting short cuts that have been taken.

    3. Re-spawning enemies in battles. I mean honestly, is there anything else that could make it more difficult to immerse yourself in Kirkwall? You find a set of enemies, proceed to kill them, then randomly 20 more sprout from the skies. Is there an explanation? NO! It just happens and you deal with them. Sorry, but this is just extremely lazy programming and game design. You wanted to make the game challenging so you just add more baddies. Well, from a game design point of view this may have been the easiest option, but how many modern classic videogames employ such a draconian approach to game design? None. This was disgusting and a discgrace and I expected better for a supposedly AAA title.

    4. The loss of real decision-making. It would be hard to describe this section in detail without spoilers, but it should be noted that although the game presents itself as giving you a "choice" in your story, the sad fact is that no matter what options you take in the story, there is little to no bearing on the final outcome.

    5. The game feels "incomplete". While DA:O had it's own well contained story, and a lot of DLC and even a full expansion, the original product itself felt complete. The story made sense, had a beginning, middle and conclusion (as all stories with STRUCTURE have). This game does not have structure, and feels like a petty cash grab to throw in some more overpriced DLC. Honestly, I don't mind DLC, but the core product should be complete enough that it doesn't feel like I have to buy DLC to enjoy my experience. Give me a complete product and story for my money, not this farce. (I believe this may just be an approach that EA adopts, as I swear to god that the Sims 3 was also one of the world's most incomplete games)

    6. The city of Kirkwall is a joke. Do you honestly think I didn't see how you made all the high buildings so that you didn't have to create a greater draw distance, or add textures or design to objects in the distance? Sorry, but there shouldn't be so many "high rise" buildings in a game set in an era that is similar to medieval europe. Where are all the other towns and cities? The forests? Nothing, just one bland city with too many buildings blocking any views.

    7. Gameplay. So you said that the game can still be played tactically but you took out the tactical view and made enemies need a single button to be killed? Lazy, boring and stupid This was blatantly lazy from a design point of view, I'm sure you saved some money in your design on the game, but you have lost money on future purchases with this rubbish.

    Granted there are some redeeming features such as improved graphics (in comparison to DA:O) and the new dialogue system show promise, however this is never fully realised as Hawk is rather bland and generic and hardly customisable, leaving little to the imagination. Therefore a 4/10 is a fair assessment. I would like 36 hours of my life back and 100 AUD.

    EA/Bioware may have made a conscious business decision to expand their audience, but this business decision has backfired on them as they have lost a customer (and likely many more), and let me tell you, the COD ADD audience that this game is targeted at are largely uninterested in a fantasy RPG that takes way too long to complete considering there is so little content.

    By the way, I understand this is my first and only review, but I feel so strongly about this game that I felt the opinion should be expressed. I am not a troll, just a very angry customer who has been ripped off.    … Expand
  30. Atardecer
    Mar 15, 2011
    4
    There could be a long list of things I could mention that are just wrong with this game. Lets just say if you like Dynasty Wars, console button mashing, over the top animations, lazy implementations of game themes and finally, you like your RPGs, well, not as RPGs but as arcade style games, then you will love this. If you like traditional RPGs, save your money as this is pure powder puff.There could be a long list of things I could mention that are just wrong with this game. Lets just say if you like Dynasty Wars, console button mashing, over the top animations, lazy implementations of game themes and finally, you like your RPGs, well, not as RPGs but as arcade style games, then you will love this. If you like traditional RPGs, save your money as this is pure powder puff. Very disappointing. If you play it, remember to keep inserting $1 to continue...… Expand
  31. Worm
    Mar 15, 2011
    2
    Biggest disappointment since Spore. This is what happens when you take a complex genre and try to dumb it down so that everybody can enjoy it -- the result is a mess that bores the longtime DnD fans while still being too inaccessible for today's wave of newcomers. Take Dynasty Warriors, but remove the cool and interesting characters, varied settings, and adrenaline-pumping music, and thisBiggest disappointment since Spore. This is what happens when you take a complex genre and try to dumb it down so that everybody can enjoy it -- the result is a mess that bores the longtime DnD fans while still being too inaccessible for today's wave of newcomers. Take Dynasty Warriors, but remove the cool and interesting characters, varied settings, and adrenaline-pumping music, and this is what you are left with.

    I highly recommend researching Bioware's handling of criticism before deciding to purchase this game.

    Hopefully Bioware will learn from their mistakes, and their next game will have a more decided focus -- either a silly waggle adventure game for the Wii that mom and dad can play, or a REAL sequel to Baldur's Gate II. Trying to smush the two together is a recipe for failure.    … Expand
  32. ruxi
    Mar 15, 2011
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Compared to DA1, the sequel is trash in my honest opinion. The game lacks depth in storytelling, lore and quests. Storytelling was even lower quality than DA1. What I mean is that if I am playing a "movie RPG" like DA2, I expect to see some scripted custom animations, high quality dialogue or even nice prerendered cut scenes but when I completed the game I felt empty handed. I was also expecting to see some advancement in the Dragon Age core lore but after the brief introduction of Flemeth and her reappearance mid-game, the game just kept centering on the Champion of Kirkwall. Lore-wise speaking the game should have been an expansion or DLC to original DA, very much like DA:O. The quests themselves are mindless, which might be enough for some people but I feel that there should be something new to these "go to the point X, kill Y and bring me the Z". Recycling maps is usually acceptable in this kind of games but if we are just running around one city lik in DA2, I get the expression the game was pushed out too early. Every mansion looks the same, every house has the same rooms and even all the close by caves, five or six of them, look completely the same. I felt like playing one of those low grade Asian role-playing game made for kids which would not see the similarity of the maps.

    Combat and skill system is surely better than in DA1. Fighting in general feels more smooth and even thought number of abilities/spells was reduced, I think the general feel of the abilities/spells is better. The "combo states" (staggering etc.) game the fighting a little more depth too but overall these positive features can't save the game.

    All-in-all, I feel like I've brought an overpriced and hurried expansion pack to Dragon Age. Makes me a sad panda.    … Expand
  33. JunglePredator
    Mar 15, 2011
    1
    I haven't played this, nor will I ever play this.
    Due to metacritic poisoning by EA/Bioware employees this title fails it's chance to be reviewed there by retaining the base score of 1.
    Further the employee of EA/Bioware was from Alberta & it shames me to have such unethical persons in our country so much so that all EA's recent decent to good customer service with me has been set back    I haven't played this, nor will I ever play this.
    Due to metacritic poisoning by EA/Bioware employees this title fails it's chance to be reviewed there by retaining the base score of 1.
    Further the employee of EA/Bioware was from Alberta & it shames me to have such unethical persons in our country so much so that all EA's recent decent to good customer service with me has been set back by a marked amount.    … Expand
  34. 4thegreywardens
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    YOU TOOK DRAGON AGE AND MAKE IT SUCK SO MUCH IT MAKES FFXIII LOOK GOOD. That's scary. AVOID.

    Graphics: DX11 looks worse than most DX9 games I've seen. Flashy, crappy textures, silly rendering artifacts, clipping issues, etc. New "stylized" design is kinda bs and lame. Story: There is no story, really. It has a few nice moments, but there is no PLOT. Just a long list of **** happens."    YOU TOOK DRAGON AGE AND MAKE IT SUCK SO MUCH IT MAKES FFXIII LOOK GOOD. That's scary. AVOID.

    Graphics: DX11 looks worse than most DX9 games I've seen. Flashy, crappy textures, silly rendering artifacts, clipping issues, etc. New "stylized" design is kinda bs and lame.

    Story: There is no story, really. It has a few nice moments, but there is no PLOT. Just a long list of **** happens." Oh, also, it doesn't respect your DAO decisions. Imports dont mean much. And, the ending is just the worst sequel hook ever. And that's saying something after Witch Hunt DLC.

    Characters: Your party members can actually... like... do quest-related stuff when you take them along. This is pretty cool. They're also really one-dimensional. And slightly retarded. Anders... makes some questionable choices, Merrill makes the most idiotic childlike observations despite her age, Isabella is just... vacuous - and she makes questionable choices, Fenris is a damn "manly emo" ripped straight from some kind of extra-bad FF game, Aveline is a well-meaning hardass, etc. Oh, Merrill and Anders are returning characters in name only since they're so changed they're completely different characters now.

    Sex: Enough of it to deserve it its own section. Brothel isn't even funny this time. Ninja-romances are horrible. You have a Male Hawke who acts nice to Anders (WITHOUT flirting) and after his questline Anders just... seriously comes on to you (WTF?) and for your responses you have 3 options where 2 of them are heart-shaped romance options, so I pick the third, angry one, which apparently means gay ragesex time. OKAY, NO THANKS.

    Interface: No tactical camera is pain. You can't give orders well. Add to that classic "helpful" AoE targetting to automatically select enemies and... yeaugh. There is a horrible bug going on where pretty often I cant make any orders because the interface is bugging out and thinks I'm assigning a different order (click fireball on mage, go to warrior, be unable to do anything as game expects you to keep assigning mage order with warrior, try to assign/cancel mage order, be unable since you selected warrior, switch to mage, assign/cancel order, switch to warrior; I somehow get it to happen a LOT). Inventory star rating system to tell you what to wear is just insulting.

    Character attribute and ability system: The new system for leveling skills is cool, but the way it's used is just dumb (they really like asking you to get two abilities which absolutely do not work together - like, activating one requires disabling the other - to get access to other abilities). There might be some good potential for trying out different builds if only it felt like builds really mattered (they don't, really). For attributes: You also have a choice of 6 attributes, but you will really just be using 2 at most (these 2 are determined by your class). The other 4 are just bait for you to shoot yourself in the foot.

    Balance: Yeah, tons of OP stuff in there. You wont feel like you're playing this game before long. You'll just be bored while watching enemies die. I think the game is intentionally made stupidly easy because the game is so rushed (It was developed in ONE year.) it was the only way to make it playable.

    Level design: Insulting. Everything is narrow, too straightforward, and to top it off levels are re-used WAAAY TOOO MUUUCH. Also, cutscenes keep repositioning your team into bad locations. And the game really likes to spawn waves and waves of enemies right out of nowhere to keep you busy fighting. Classic console BS. And all the encounters feel the same. Bioware seems to have gone for quantity, not quality here. Also, Kirkwall (This is the city where the entire game takes place.) doesn't feel like the bustling mega-city it's meant to be.

    Questing: A lot of pointless padding quests in there. It even has fetch quests where you hardly talk to anyone.

    Game length: I'd say around 35-40 hours tops - that's if you decide to do every sidequest except the completely mundane fetch quests. 20 hours tops if you don't waste time with that.

    Dialogue: It makes Mass Effect's wheel system look good. All regular dialogue will have Investigate menu (ie. ask questions) plus 3 options: Nice, Silly, and **** Because picking too many options of one flavor "sets the flavor for your character" there will be a lot of automatic dialogue you wont get to pick. So now, you have even less of an idea what your character will really say. The "flavor" will just take over.

    Music: I don't really remember it.

    DRM: Disgusting. Unethical and amoral even. Go to www.reclaimyourgame.com and read about it. ...And you need internet to be able to play this game, even though it has NO multiplayer or anything (just DLC). PAIN. To top it off, people have gotten locked out of their Bioware accounts for forum offenses, which LOCKED THEM OUT OF THE GAME. Yeah.

    I'm going to hope for The Witcher 2 now.    … Expand
  35. ADogChasingCars
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    Inspired by the success of Mass Effect 2, Bioware decided to send the Dragon Age franchise down the same dirt brown road. Taking an interesting universe, populated by interesting characters, and replacing it with a bland hero story that tries to hard at every direction. The only button you should press to make something awesome happen with this game is the eject button. :D
  36. wertyxious
    Mar 16, 2011
    1
    This game is terrible. I don't think this can be even called an RPG at all. It looks just plain ugly, recycles the same exact locations. The gameplay is simply a joke. Doesn't Bioware have any shame selling this to people? Biggest disappointment this year so far.
  37. Redria
    Mar 16, 2011
    2
    The PC gaming market is disappearing and we are becoming more and more of a console based world. The PC had its prime but is is diminishing faster and faster with each passing year. When I bought this game, I did it with the trust that Bioware would not disappoint, but instead a worthy successor to the first game in the series. What I got for my $60.00 is a rushed game that has beenThe PC gaming market is disappearing and we are becoming more and more of a console based world. The PC had its prime but is is diminishing faster and faster with each passing year. When I bought this game, I did it with the trust that Bioware would not disappoint, but instead a worthy successor to the first game in the series. What I got for my $60.00 is a rushed game that has been stripped of immersible storyline, graphically simplified for idiots, a combat system that is cool for about 10 minutes, and in short a
    game that I am having trouble finding the motivation to even finish. The game lacks an interesting story, interesting characters, interesting quests, interesting tech trees, interesting equipment. This game at best should have been an expansion on the first game simply following a certain character, much like Awakenings, but instead they have already tarnished this series with this deplorable piece of garbage. I had a lot of respect for Bioware until now and the only thing I have to look forward to on the horizon is Mass Effect 3, which I am now worried may have the same fate of Dragon Age 2 in being a rush job. Pasta save Shepherd.    … Expand
  38. supertle
    Mar 16, 2011
    1
    This game has NO HEART in it. The world is boring. No NPC to talk to. Full of one liners. All you do is stare at the mini map and follow in one direction towards the marker. There is no exploration. There is no good loot. In fact they made it easy by letting you find a bunch of junk items and a "SELL ALL JUNK" when visiting a merchant. What's the point of picking up junks simply forThis game has NO HEART in it. The world is boring. No NPC to talk to. Full of one liners. All you do is stare at the mini map and follow in one direction towards the marker. There is no exploration. There is no good loot. In fact they made it easy by letting you find a bunch of junk items and a "SELL ALL JUNK" when visiting a merchant. What's the point of picking up junks simply for selling? Normally junk is considered items you end up not using but could be used if you had plans or skills for it. They really took the "role playing" out of RPG. All that left really is just a vanilla game. You cannot customize your party equipment. You are forced into using certain roles for your companion if you want to maximize their potential. The actions of this game also go so fast that it feels like you're in a freaking shooter game with the ability to pause. Don't get me started on the DLC money making scheme either ... ... and be careful with these reviews. Google "dragon age Chris Hoban" and see for yourself. This game should rank somewhere in the low 7s as average score due to the graphics.â… Expand
  39. julianshadez
    Mar 19, 2011
    0
    How extremely disappointing this game was, after waiting for it for so long, to get this mediocre piece of crap just pisses me off. I am in awe of the critic reviews. How can you re-use the same maps over and over, how can you only fight 10 character models the whole game, did the devs think that they could copy Baldur's Gate with the whole city hub thing? They failed miserably.
    I wish one    How extremely disappointing this game was, after waiting for it for so long, to get this mediocre piece of crap just pisses me off. I am in awe of the critic reviews. How can you re-use the same maps over and over, how can you only fight 10 character models the whole game, did the devs think that they could copy Baldur's Gate with the whole city hub thing? They failed miserably.
    I wish one critic would have the balls to come out and say the truth about this mess of a game.    … Expand
  40. athreus
    Mar 19, 2011
    2
    This game is the biggest disappointment of 2011. I don't understand how it is possible that DA2 has so many positive reviews in the press. Horrible boring game, uninspiring graphics, nightmarish dialogue and stupid, mindless fights...
  41. azraal
    Mar 27, 2011
    1
    Disapointing...
    We have here a pretty litte Dragon Effect....
    It could have been a perfect spin off as an action aventure game... But as a successor of an rpg, it's a zero... EA and Bioware gives us a game stripped of all real rpg elements... As for the dungeons? Well it's a matter of opened door and locked doors... The dungeons are reused over and over again. Maybe if they release    Disapointing...
    We have here a pretty litte Dragon Effect....
    It could have been a perfect spin off as an action aventure game...
    But as a successor of an rpg, it's a zero...
    EA and Bioware gives us a game stripped of all real rpg elements...
    As for the dungeons? Well it's a matter of opened door and locked doors... The dungeons are reused over and over again. Maybe if they release modding tool, someone will make something out of it? But for now, it's a waste of money if you're looking for something that looks even remotely like a RPG...
    It feels like junk food: You know it's bad, you feel it's a waste of money. But in the end, you buy it, and usually, you regret buying it... At least, the sales are here, so ea will keep going at it...    … Expand
  42. Joha
    Sep 5, 2011
    2
    While I absolutely loved Dragon Age Origins, I had too big expectations for this game. TO me it does not feel like Origins where strikes were realistic and strategy was a must. Endless spawns of enemies and anime-like combat and weapons (bigger better!) are the things that kill the game. Graphics are cartoonish and I am ok with that. As for locations, you practically see 3 or 4 differentWhile I absolutely loved Dragon Age Origins, I had too big expectations for this game. TO me it does not feel like Origins where strikes were realistic and strategy was a must. Endless spawns of enemies and anime-like combat and weapons (bigger better!) are the things that kill the game. Graphics are cartoonish and I am ok with that. As for locations, you practically see 3 or 4 different ones, since all the dungeons are the same... just with different doors open. BUt the thing I absolutely dislike about this game is the dialogue wheel where it even shows you what kind of approach is that. Where are the multiple options where you had to think to not piss some people off? Guess most of today's games are made for fast selling and 12-14 year old public.… Expand
  43. mwak
    Aug 30, 2011
    2
    +2 for the artistic effort. But even if you look at it like a hack and slash, it's not fun and repetitive. If you look at it like a sequel to Dragon Age , it's ... not that ... it's just a name + II on a box. The scenario is no so bad ... realization is so very bad. It's not a bioware game at all ... just a bad-o-ware game. Too Human was really more interresting in the same game style.+2 for the artistic effort. But even if you look at it like a hack and slash, it's not fun and repetitive. If you look at it like a sequel to Dragon Age , it's ... not that ... it's just a name + II on a box. The scenario is no so bad ... realization is so very bad. It's not a bioware game at all ... just a bad-o-ware game. Too Human was really more interresting in the same game style. (how is it even possible :( )… Expand
  44. smugster
    Mar 10, 2011
    1
    Whilst I enjoyed to play the first game whenever I felt to get inside a good RPG I have to admit that my expectations could not be reached by Dragon Age II (PC).

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Thus rated 1 with deep disappointment and please don't make any more characters like Tali and Merrill.    … Expand
  45. greydel
    Mar 10, 2011
    1
    Ugh my first review had a problem... didn't save right but I still want to give my two cents.
    Not a Bioware game... its a console button masher. Seems to go all the wrong places with characters I just could not stand to watch or bother to care about.
  46. Donkaban
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    A huge disappointment. The reduction of RPG to stupid idiotic slasher. Simplification of all components of the genre. Dragon Effect - another console squalor of BioWare.
  47. Femalegamer
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Appalling in every way imaginable. I won't go into detail, because most of the other user reviews here have pointed out the insanely gargantuan problems with "God of Dragon Effect."

    Do. Not. Buy. This. Game. If you don't buy it, they won't keep making this hackneyed incarnation of our beloved Dragon Age.
  48. carsiffon
    Mar 11, 2011
    2
    Just horrible. Arcade fighting system with japanese style animation, plain unlikeable characters, primitive dialog system and gray-tone obsolete graphics. While DAO was spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate, this is suckccessor to a crappy clone of Final Fantasy.
  49. timkdodson
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    The game could have been good had BioWare and EA not screwed it up by requiring DLC just to complete the main parts of the game. Basically they just want to nickel and dime us into paying double what we would normally pay. Also, they are banning people on the forums which makes the game innaccessable! Not Cool!!! I used to love BioWare games.
  50. KLS
    Mar 11, 2011
    6
    Setting, Story, Characters and Environments are horrible. RPG elements are dumbed down. That dumb blood all over the characters, that bland and desaturated colors, repeating locations... gameplay is freaked out - its horrible! Its not something that i was waiting from Bioware :-///
  51. artanis
    Mar 11, 2011
    2
    This game is extremely disappointing. They have removed so much of what made Dragon Age great. There is no longer a branching storyline. It doesn't even matter what dialogue options you select anymore. The characters act as if they're living a giant joke.

    The graphics are mediocre in most areas of the game, and absolutely horrible in others. I haven't seen such blocky character    This game is extremely disappointing. They have removed so much of what made Dragon Age great. There is no longer a branching storyline. It doesn't even matter what dialogue options you select anymore. The characters act as if they're living a giant joke.

    The graphics are mediocre in most areas of the game, and absolutely horrible in others. I haven't seen such blocky character models since the playstation 1. It feels extremely rushed and I am sad to have paid for it.    … Expand
  52. SiliconNooB
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    How could Bioware have got Dragon Age 2 so very very wrong? Performance is terrible even if you are fortunate enough to be able to get the game running, and forget about it running in anything greater than DX9! And then on to of that Bioware have wormed their way through our collective back doors and inflicted us with securom. I honestly couldn't recommend anything more than a rental ofHow could Bioware have got Dragon Age 2 so very very wrong? Performance is terrible even if you are fortunate enough to be able to get the game running, and forget about it running in anything greater than DX9! And then on to of that Bioware have wormed their way through our collective back doors and inflicted us with securom. I honestly couldn't recommend anything more than a rental of this deeply flawed abortion, or perhaps picking it up on the cheap ... :(… Expand
  53. Djinnslayer
    Mar 15, 2011
    1
    Being a fan of Bioware since Baldur's Gate. I loved Dragon Age Origins, Started Playing Dragon Age 2 and I felt like Bioware just gave up on the franchise. The combat felt more like an action game, meant for 10yr olds to keep them entertained. Story wasn't even as good as the original, where I was always wondering what was happening next.. DA2 just felt like side quest after sideBeing a fan of Bioware since Baldur's Gate. I loved Dragon Age Origins, Started Playing Dragon Age 2 and I felt like Bioware just gave up on the franchise. The combat felt more like an action game, meant for 10yr olds to keep them entertained. Story wasn't even as good as the original, where I was always wondering what was happening next.. DA2 just felt like side quest after side quest. and oh your done.. With a slap in the face ending.. I feel very disappointed in the direction Bioware is going, and defiantly not recommend this game to any of my friends.… Expand
  54. Gravin
    Apr 17, 2013
    1
    After Dragon Age: Origins I was so hyped and wanted to get my hand in this game. And what a waste of time that waiting was. It's not a good game. Almost everything that was good in Origins are thrown out of the window and what we get is a generic, action rpg for consoles. The story is horrible, they use the same caves and areas over and over again. And we cant even leave the god damn city!After Dragon Age: Origins I was so hyped and wanted to get my hand in this game. And what a waste of time that waiting was. It's not a good game. Almost everything that was good in Origins are thrown out of the window and what we get is a generic, action rpg for consoles. The story is horrible, they use the same caves and areas over and over again. And we cant even leave the god damn city! It's horrible, dont touch this piece of garbage!… Expand
  55. pimpninja180001
    Mar 18, 2011
    4
    A grand let down. From the reused locals, to the lackluster quest lines, Dragon Age 2 never stops feeling stale. If your looking for a engrossing depth defying role playing game, Dragon Age 2 can't fulfill.
  56. lemon01
    Mar 18, 2011
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. OK I grabbed this from the steam user forum, from "loa1452". Sorry to plagiarize, bit his/her review really hit it on the mark for me. To summarize, this game is TERRIBLE: reused levels (again and again and again), the same fight over and over again, very limited enemy types(lots of spiders...), and incoherent story.

    From loa1452
    _______
    DA:O was not perfect by any means, but boy did it immerse you. There were so many minute details that just sucked you in. Didn't care about the graphics, didn't care that my party of mages steam rolled every battle on the hardest difficulty. It was fun. That is the whole point of RPGs: Laugh, cry, battle and forget that you are playing a game.

    Kirkwall

    One of the well known 'features' of Dragon Age 2 is that the whole "story" takes place in Kirkwall. When I read this in a game preview, I didn't mind. I assumed (wrongly) that Kirkwall must be HUGE. The first thing you will notice after stepping into Kirkwall is how tiny it is. It takes all of 10 minutes to explore the whole entire city. You think you are going up some stairs to explore a new area when a dialog box pops up, "Would you like to gather your party and continue?". Uh, Ok. A screen pops up where you have to click a new area. Boom. You are transported to the new area that looks exactly like the first and is tiny, tiny, tiny. There are a few crates and sacks to open, but that is it.

    Oh well, you say. "I don't care how tiny it is, my attention span is so short every area will seem new to me anyways". Well you will also notice Kirkwall is filled with tons of people going about their business! What a sprawling city just filled with life! Unfortunately, you can't talk to any of these people. None. Zero. Clicking them does nothing. Area recycling

    OK, so now the dreaded area recycling that fangirls everywhere try to justify. I'd like to remind everyone that I play games for fun. I realize many of you now play games as a form of repetitive work (like WoW), in that case, you still won't like this game. It is truly ridiculous. Accept a quest, go through a mine, return back and get a reward. Good, it was fun. Accept another quest, go back to the exact same mine, but now somehow there are doors closed off with rocks, and new doors magically have opened. WTF? Ok whatever, I'll let it slide. Oh wait, please don't make me go back to Kirkwall to accept another quest. I know we have moved past this but Kirkwall is so small that I memorized every area, where everything was in just one pass through of the city. I can see how people can convince themselves that this area recycling is fine, as I did myself for a little while. But finally I cracked. I hate it. I hate this game. If you haven't cracked yet, just keep playing. It will happen. I promise.

    Battles

    Not much to say about this one. Every battle is the exact same, with the a lot of the same enemies. This is just a real let down. Here is how it works: Approach an area, kill off about 7 - 10 enemies, a second wave of 7-10 enemies appears. Kill them. Move on. Every. Single. Battle. Is. The. Same. Two waves. Then done. All of them. So when you enter a battle, you know exactly what will happen, this absolutely kills immersion. Items They seemed to have made an effort to add a ton of gear into the game. Only problem is that most of it is only for the main character. That leaves a tiny subset of stuff you can actually equip to others. It is obvious that the game was rushed. A few items have actual clever names like, "Gloves of the unknowable unknown". Ok, whatever. Cool. But then it stops. Items that have different attributes are all named the same, "Ring. Belt. Helm. Staff". Annoying to sort through 5 "Rings" in your inventory that all have different properties.

    Story
    Ah what else. How about the story? I never could figure out what was going on. It's full of endless side quests. Inever did figure out what the overall goal was. There was an area in the journal that listed the "main plot" quests, but they were no different than the endless, forgettable side quests.

    Conclusion
    I was expecting an epic sequel to DA:O. This is such an embarrassment of an RPG that I actually feel used, and conned. There is no possible way that BioWare was putting the finishing touches on this baby and thought, "Wow, good job guys. This game is really fun". The game is small, repetitive and just plain boring. Why are there 2 waves to every fight? Why are all the areas the same? Why is Kirkwall so damn small?! I am surprised that it took them this long to release the game. It should have taken 4 months, max. I just wish the gaming media websites would actually rate games truthfully. They should be embarrassed.    … Expand
  57. d00gatr0n
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Terrible, terrible game. Even worse than the game itself, are the actions of EA and Bioware... banning people from playing a game they purchased if they criticize the company on their forums. Its the equivalent of a car maker remotely disabling the ignition on your car because you complained about its performance. Imagine the uproar? I don't understand how EA thinks it can get away withTerrible, terrible game. Even worse than the game itself, are the actions of EA and Bioware... banning people from playing a game they purchased if they criticize the company on their forums. Its the equivalent of a car maker remotely disabling the ignition on your car because you complained about its performance. Imagine the uproar? I don't understand how EA thinks it can get away with it. Will never, ever be purchasing an EA or Bioware game again.… Expand
  58. Dogcat
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    I can't believe I spent money on that. I've seen the teasers, gameplay videos, I've played the demo. I could forgive them this "combat system" 'cause I really wanted to know what happened to Ferelden, Morigan, the Circle and stuff....until yesterday. The plot is simply awful. Instead of solving global problems we have to play as a not-that-smart character who is always in the middle ofI can't believe I spent money on that. I've seen the teasers, gameplay videos, I've played the demo. I could forgive them this "combat system" 'cause I really wanted to know what happened to Ferelden, Morigan, the Circle and stuff....until yesterday. The plot is simply awful. Instead of solving global problems we have to play as a not-that-smart character who is always in the middle of every solid battle in one single city (ONE SINGLE CITY!!! WTF, BIOWARE?)...and usually these battle are caused by the stupidity of your companions (Isabella and Andres).

    The whole game is just a disgrace.    … Expand
  59. GregoryPeckory
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Feels more like Dynasty Warriors, which is really sad considering the series started out as a spiritual successor to Baldurs Gate, DA 1 did a decent job and people had high expectations for an improved version. I remember when ''improved'' meant adding more features, more complexity, more stats, perhaps improving on the writing quality, not change the genre into a derpg and ''streamline''Feels more like Dynasty Warriors, which is really sad considering the series started out as a spiritual successor to Baldurs Gate, DA 1 did a decent job and people had high expectations for an improved version. I remember when ''improved'' meant adding more features, more complexity, more stats, perhaps improving on the writing quality, not change the genre into a derpg and ''streamline'' all the fun parts of the character building process. I really cant be bothered to raise any further points because the game has just been ruined in almost every aspect. Train wreck.… Expand
  60. curry
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    Dragon Age 2 feels completely rushed, streamlined and dumbed down. The writing is generally sub par, dialogue is childish and cheesy, and quests are mostly just delivering items around the map and killing trash mobs. Voice acting is also bad and doesn't fit the characters. Don't waste your money on this garbage.
  61. Lucita
    Mar 12, 2011
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I won't go into details about the "technical" parts of the game (UI, combat, graphics, etc.) some were fine, some weren't. What disappointed me more was the story. It seemed...vague and vain to say the least. A lot of things left unanswered in DA:O which I was expecting to be answered in DA II. Yet they remained as vague as they were. Maybe it was wrong of me to expect something like that...The only way to be pleased by DA II is to see it like an expansion of DA:O, a story that is preparing you for what is coming next.… Expand
  62. nagyi
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    i must confess i played only 2 hours and after that i uninstalled the game, reasons:
    -u cant equip ure teammates
    -the potion system is f*cked up, i liked it when i had 234234234 items in my inventory and it was hard to manage it, its how its supposed to be in an rpg -and the whole story is in 1 city? come on!!! -too linear story (i want a huge world to explore as i wish like in fallout 3)    i must confess i played only 2 hours and after that i uninstalled the game, reasons:
    -u cant equip ure teammates
    -the potion system is f*cked up, i liked it when i had 234234234 items in my inventory and it was hard to manage it, its how its supposed to be in an rpg
    -and the whole story is in 1 city? come on!!!
    -too linear story (i want a huge world to explore as i wish like in fallout 3)
    when i played it it felt like prince of persia or assasins creed only worse. i want a normal rpg not an action game.    … Expand
  63. qstoffe
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    This is a hack & slash console action game. If you're looking for an RPG game, look elsewhere. If you like arcady-console-street fighter-action-games, then this is it. The original DA game was a lot more RPG and more similar to the BG saga. To even compare this game against older RPG games such as BG and Planescape is crazy because it would be like comparing a shooter against Civ5.
  64. SilentObserver
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    This game is a complete disappointment considering the high hopes of the original DAO fans.
    The plot is transparent and boring, the companions are wooden puppets with no real emotion, the dialogues are as bad as if somebody intended them to be this way, and the maps are no more than an afternoon's boring copy-past work,the quests are horrendous repetitive errands in the same damn bland    This game is a complete disappointment considering the high hopes of the original DAO fans.
    The plot is transparent and boring, the companions are wooden puppets with no real emotion, the dialogues are as bad as if somebody intended them to be this way, and the maps are no more than an afternoon's boring copy-past work,the quests are horrendous repetitive errands in the same damn bland city,the humour present in the original DAO is nowhere to be found,and the ending will make you punch your screen and then your face for being an naive idiot enough to give over 50euro for this piece of rushed ****    … Expand
  65. s3nr1
    Mar 13, 2011
    1
    It's probably not that bad of a game but they should have made it an entirely different series. This one is just blatantly riding the coattail of the much superior origins and other bioware rpgs. This is the worst RPG by bioware ever. There's no exploration at all, you get guided at every turn. Hell even FF games made me think. DA2 is just a mindless hack and slash arcade game much likeIt's probably not that bad of a game but they should have made it an entirely different series. This one is just blatantly riding the coattail of the much superior origins and other bioware rpgs. This is the worst RPG by bioware ever. There's no exploration at all, you get guided at every turn. Hell even FF games made me think. DA2 is just a mindless hack and slash arcade game much like Onimusha. Unlike Onimusha where combat is enjoyable where you need to get used to timing and position; DA2 needs you to just mash keys mmo style, the simplest kind. Dialogs is sub par and doesn't hold a candle to most RPGs out there. The only saving grace is that all of it is voice acted.

    Story is told by the trite flashback routine. What is this Black Ops 2 ? Graphics are cartoony even with the downloadable texture pack, a lot of textures are still absolutely horrendously low res. This is not a big game, the monotone environment should have made it easy to make a hires texture versions for most of the elements in the game.

    The characters models are all the same except for the head part, which doesn't have much variations either. Spell effects are low rate. Old FF games was a lot more flashier and looks a lot better. I'm mentioning this because the people who actually liked DA2 can't stop praising how chaotic it is. Oh please as I mentioned before FF games are better at this sine FF7. And whats more pathetic is that DA2 renders these effects with DX11 with a lot of the latest lightning techniques. Go play The Witcher Enhanced Edition instead while waiting for the second version. ME3 will be garbage as well if you keep letting EA walk all over you. DO NOT PRE-ORDER MASS EFFECT 3! Otherwise they will pull the same stunt. ME1 was superior to ME2 and I can't imagine ME3 getting more dumbed down but DA2 made me a believer. EA will find a way if you don't voice your dissatisfaction!    … Expand
  66. Purplescai
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    Dragon Age Origins was the way to go.
    The only good things I can mention about this game are some combat animations, and even those, while pretty, belong in an anime.
    Was it that hard to leave a mage thrusting forward to atack with his magic staff, instead of spinning like a mad man every time? So many bad things I could mention, not the least of all the writting and quests. I read so many    Dragon Age Origins was the way to go.
    The only good things I can mention about this game are some combat animations, and even those, while pretty, belong in an anime.
    Was it that hard to leave a mage thrusting forward to atack with his magic staff, instead of spinning like a mad man every time?
    So many bad things I could mention, not the least of all the writting and quests.
    I read so many reviews and I can't tell if they are paid or just ignorant of how games were written a few years ago.

    On IGN I read the following retarded statement:

    Lasting Appeal ---> 8.0
    Keeping you in one area for almost the entire game means youâ    … Expand
  67. lsdiskewl
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    Bioware should be ashamed of this game. I am truly astounded on the sheer lack of content and quality of this game. Every single aspect of this game reeks of being an unfinished money grab. The game has also been blatantly gutted of content so it can be sold as DLC.

    Shame on your bioware, shame.
  68. Ravenlyx
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    When Ea pick over a game ,it is always become like this.I can not play this game after 5 hours.It is not dragon age which we known.Ea shows us how a mighty have fallen...
  69. Seragrime
    Mar 14, 2011
    3
    If you bought this thinking it was a sequel, like I did, you're going to be disappointed. What you're getting is really Dragon Age:Kirkwall with a very heavy handed dose of Mass Effect.

    You have a home that serves as your mail box, storage chest, crafting station and all of your companions have their own designated spaces in town much like ME. No more cozy campfires where someone bursts    If you bought this thinking it was a sequel, like I did, you're going to be disappointed. What you're getting is really Dragon Age:Kirkwall with a very heavy handed dose of Mass Effect.

    You have a home that serves as your mail box, storage chest, crafting station and all of your companions have their own designated spaces in town much like ME. No more cozy campfires where someone bursts into song or confesses their deepest regret and you can forget about getting 'one public display of affection'. Other than picking who you want and chosing the sparkly heart on the dialog wheel, the game decides the path and speed of your courtship, not you. Not that it matters because the companions are fairly one-dimensional or in Isabella's case bluntly stereotypical-- I can deal with her giganormous boobs and lack of pants, but couldn't you have given her some brains instead of making her a running sex-joke?-- though Fenris had the potential to be interesting if they'd bothered to give us more than the Cliff Notes version of his life. Instead we we're just supposed to accept that magic did it and he wasn't a biotic like in ME

    My biggest pet-peeve all the pieces were there for another multi-option game. Qunari. Surfacer Dwarf, Lothering Refugee (human), Kirkwall Native (elf). Instead they decided to go the ME route and do a singular character, linear story and game defined looks for your companions. The game may be bland but the improved graphics and Why all the changes to the format though? DA:O sold well. People liked it and bought all the DLC. In ME you gathered a team to chase down a rogue spectre and saved the world. In ME2 you didn't go to Earth, you got into your brand-new spaceship with a new evil to fight and went out to save the world again. So if they were so keen to borrow so much from ME why couldn't they give us a new evil to fight with our hand-picked character?    … Expand
  70. SanzaXI
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    Dragon Age II is filled with choppy, wooden animations, it suffers worse soulless faces than the Mass Effect series had, graphics worse than Origins, and it is not an immersive RPG despite the high budget and amount of voice acting. They dumbed down the UI and spell casting system to appeal to people who's first RPG was probably Dragon Age 2 and to take in the casual Call of Duty playersDragon Age II is filled with choppy, wooden animations, it suffers worse soulless faces than the Mass Effect series had, graphics worse than Origins, and it is not an immersive RPG despite the high budget and amount of voice acting. They dumbed down the UI and spell casting system to appeal to people who's first RPG was probably Dragon Age 2 and to take in the casual Call of Duty players (http://n4g.com/news/696379/bioware-we-want-call-of-dutys-audience). This is without a doubt Bioware's worst RPG by far. It's a shame to see that the name they've grown through RPG treasures they made like Jade Empire and Kotor are smeared by trash this. I've decided to give up on Bioware until I hear some enlightening news about TOR… Expand
  71. batosai33
    Apr 12, 2011
    2
    Dragon Age II is another sequel that would have been better as a new IP. Looking at it as a new IP, it has a flowing combat system, decent customization, good story, and interesting characters. This, however, is not a new IP. This is the sequel to one of the best RPGs i have ever played. Compared to DA:O the customization is laughable, the leveling is limited, combat animation is moreDragon Age II is another sequel that would have been better as a new IP. Looking at it as a new IP, it has a flowing combat system, decent customization, good story, and interesting characters. This, however, is not a new IP. This is the sequel to one of the best RPGs i have ever played. Compared to DA:O the customization is laughable, the leveling is limited, combat animation is more interesting and flowing, but is very limited, and the characters are too stuck in their roles. Essentially the only thing that they improved was making the combat more flowing, especially for the mages. Everything else was cut by 1/3. you have only one race instead of 3, cutting your character options by 1/3, any non mage class is stuck in archery, 2handed swordsmanship, etc instead of being able to choose between 3, and you are stuck in one city and the mountain out back instead of being able to travel around a huge map. Will I buy it? Yes, once the price drops to 1/3 that of DA:O.… Expand
  72. Gremace
    Mar 10, 2011
    5
    Bioware didn't try and improve the aspects of Dragon Age that made it a great game. They tried to make it better for consoles at the expense of PC gameplay. This is the same hack and slash console game that comes out every other week, it has nothing unique or interesting about it.

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

    I can't help but remember FF13 when I played this game. Like FF13 Dragon Age 2 isn't a bad game, but the only thing I feel playing it is disappointment. The things that made origins such a fun and unique *PC* game are gone. In its place is a hack and slash console game. The graphics are straight out of 2005, and poorly optimized. The UI is terrible and made completely for consoles. Like Mass Effect 2 the classic rpg elements are almost completely stripped out of the game. The only character you equip is Hawke. Your equipment choices are more restricted by class than in origins. The detailed dialogue system is gone, your given 2-3 word statements that are labeled paragon, snark, or renegade. Everything that changed was changed for the worse. Bioware has changed since the EA buyout. The great RPG elements of their games are being phased out for broader appeal, and it just makes me sad.    … Expand
  73. AlexanderRussia
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    ЧÑ
  74. Mlodzimier
    Mar 15, 2011
    1
    Hack and slash combat, bad graphics, terrible dialogue system which reminds me more of a guessing game ... And most importandly, story is not that great. Misunderstanding.
  75. Rif
    Mar 16, 2011
    3
    I just signed up to write about this game. I have beaten it, every quest possible and I have completed Origins. The only thing that connects this so called sequel and Origins is the plot at some point, the rest...Im afraid is gone. First thing that kicks the faithfull fans in the nuts is fights - its no longer a well thought battle with deep tactics...its a SLASHER. Is it a good thing?I just signed up to write about this game. I have beaten it, every quest possible and I have completed Origins. The only thing that connects this so called sequel and Origins is the plot at some point, the rest...Im afraid is gone. First thing that kicks the faithfull fans in the nuts is fights - its no longer a well thought battle with deep tactics...its a SLASHER. Is it a good thing? Probably. But the fights, even though fast and flashy, are not memorable - wave after wave of 5-6 faceless enemies (who appear out of this air...yep magic) start to bore after about 1 hour. In the origins you could talk about one battle for 20 minutes, this one - "well I clicked on the dude and his head flew off"...The graphics are not as bad as people say - I mean how would you improve it? Everything looks alright for me. Everyone knew about the lack of customization, so lets forget this issue. The characters in the game are decent with back stories...now lets talk about the REAL PROBLEM - AREAS...I cannot find a good reason for developers to make 2 damn caves which you will have to run through OVER and OVER AGAIN! So lets sum it up:

    In this game: Decent Story and Characters (+1)
    Decent graphics (+1)
    Voice actors did a very good job (+1)
    Fighing techs (would be +1 for Xbox/PS but on pc not so much)

    there you have it - areas are: Denerim is grey textures, 2 caves, a couple of deserted areas with respawning enemies.

    If anyone at Bioware is reading the reviews...guys I will pay twice as much for the next game if you make it more like Origins, I am deeply dissapointed and sad...I couldnt find a game which weill really "take" me and then I bought Origins, so when I heard about 2nd part I was so excited you wouldnt believe...And I get this mindless unfinished H'n'S    … Expand
  76. Ramon_
    Mar 16, 2011
    4
    This sequel is really disappointment, absolutely not at the level of the first chapter. The gameplay is simple hack & slash console game, boring landscape, repetitive dungeons...
  77. Souljah
    Mar 16, 2011
    4
    One word, disappointed. The gameplay, story, mechanics are all just plain boring. Bioware should of took a page out of blizzards book and done an open beta prior to releasing this game. The huge backlash from the community could of been avoided if they would of done so. Is it the worst RPG Ive ever played? No. Could it of been better if it wasn't rushed out the door? Absolutely. ToOne word, disappointed. The gameplay, story, mechanics are all just plain boring. Bioware should of took a page out of blizzards book and done an open beta prior to releasing this game. The huge backlash from the community could of been avoided if they would of done so. Is it the worst RPG Ive ever played? No. Could it of been better if it wasn't rushed out the door? Absolutely. To the critics giving it higher then an 8.. you should be ashamed of yourselves. I highly doubt they even played the game. Not one comment on how Bioware reused the same dungeon mapping over and over.. seems like something worth mentioning. DA2 gets a 4 just because Isabele is as hot as a videogame character can be.… Expand
  78. ujellybro
    Mar 16, 2011
    0
    Poor writing, poor environments, copy pasted dungeons, bad graphics, awful fighting system, this game really is not worthy of being made by BioWare. The company that made Mass Effect and Dragon Age 1, should have known that this was an abomination, but they released it anyway. Truly a waste of money, steer well clear.
  79. Misery
    Mar 16, 2011
    1
    I am really disappointed of the way Bioware is going with one of its major brands. The action parts are ok, but there is little to nothing left of the Dragon Age feeling. Story Failures, Decisions from DA:O are not correct imported. People alive that died... and such things. Boring Hack&Slay Action. DA2 isn't really a PC RPG Game anymore, it is a Console Hack and Slay RPG Action game. WithI am really disappointed of the way Bioware is going with one of its major brands. The action parts are ok, but there is little to nothing left of the Dragon Age feeling. Story Failures, Decisions from DA:O are not correct imported. People alive that died... and such things. Boring Hack&Slay Action. DA2 isn't really a PC RPG Game anymore, it is a Console Hack and Slay RPG Action game. With bad Interface and technical Problems. Also the level design repeats constantly, i only counted 2 or 3 different maps for caves and buildings. Monsters and Models of DA:O/A and DLCs get reused, partially as Boss Monsters. Altogether they used what they had, made some little additions and sold it for the full prize.… Expand
  80. vklS
    Mar 18, 2011
    3
    Ñ
  81. Fore
    Apr 10, 2011
    1
    This game deserves 3/10 but because of Bioware employees posting their fake reviews here I decided to give it a 1/10. Like all the other negative comments, stay away from this game. Save your money. If someone told me this was Bioware game I would laugh at them but unfortunately Bioware's name is on the box.
    The people who says this game is good should give you back your $50 after you    This game deserves 3/10 but because of Bioware employees posting their fake reviews here I decided to give it a 1/10. Like all the other negative comments, stay away from this game. Save your money. If someone told me this was Bioware game I would laugh at them but unfortunately Bioware's name is on the box.
    The people who says this game is good should give you back your $50 after you throw this game out your window. This game destroyed bioware's reputation. This game has destroyed the reputation of all the critics who gave this game a good review. This is not a RPG. The story is full of plotholes. Your decisions makes no difference in the ending. The settings are constantly reused. Your companions are all gay too lol. Makes me wonder if Mass Effect 3 will still be called a RPG if bioware "streamlines/consolize" it like DA2.    … Expand
  82. kalisnik
    May 21, 2011
    1
    shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit
  83. eroeru
    May 28, 2013
    1
    A huge letdown. Took away all the beauty of the first game, substituted it with a cheesy and cheap overall. Combat is less strategic and less ambient "thanks" to the speed of it and the impossibility to differentiate moves. Characters are twofold. Quests are boring. Environments are simply bland, and as-made-from plastic and paper. Fantasy becomes believable not from overcoloring but fromA huge letdown. Took away all the beauty of the first game, substituted it with a cheesy and cheap overall. Combat is less strategic and less ambient "thanks" to the speed of it and the impossibility to differentiate moves. Characters are twofold. Quests are boring. Environments are simply bland, and as-made-from plastic and paper. Fantasy becomes believable not from overcoloring but from an imaginative and convincing set-up. Needs to be more smart overall. This game is not quality story-telling nor an ambient experience. Doesn't make you think, doesn't move nor make one feel much.… Expand
  84. Linx_vm
    Dec 20, 2011
    1
    Terrible game on pc mediocre graphics, mediocre gameplay, underwhelming story. Just go replay Dragon Age: Origins or Neverwinter Nights 2 instead and avoid this disaster. Spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate, MY **** ASS!!!!
  85. eduln
    Mar 21, 2011
    0
    Just played Dragon Age 2 for some time and Iâ
  86. jhnxsmth
    Mar 22, 2011
    1
    -enemies warp in from nowhere

    -massive discontinuities in game lore -samey-classes, indistinguishable abilities -zero difficulty -literal copy-pasted environments (didn't even bother to black out unused portions of copied minimaps) -story suddenly ends bizarrely in the super-short last act, despite all the build up -no tactical camera -waves of identical enemies, each presenting no    -enemies warp in from nowhere

    -massive discontinuities in game lore

    -samey-classes, indistinguishable abilities

    -zero difficulty

    -literal copy-pasted environments (didn't even bother to black out unused portions of copied minimaps)

    -story suddenly ends bizarrely in the super-short last act, despite all the build up

    -no tactical camera

    -waves of identical enemies, each presenting no challenge

    -less interesting items

    -all quest and stories are basically unsatisfying

    -Basically bioware hates magic, and went through all the trouble of creating a magical fantasy world to spend the whole time telling you how evil magic and fantasy would be.

    -The Male/Male love interest is a psychopathic nancy. Despite the constant complaints bioware has received on its mincing stereotypes since Skye in Jade Empire.

    -At this late date, despite tireless efforts from fans, and years of negativity towards their decision, it is still not possible for two male characters to love eachother and be together. Or for that matter to even both exist and be sane.

    -I mean come the **** on. The voice actors recorded romance dialogue in Both ME, ME2, and DAO. Bioware cut it because they hate gays.

    -If you hate gays, I guess you should buy this game to support a company that is as bigoted as you are. Pay the hate!    … Expand
  87. llyndarae
    Mar 23, 2011
    1
    Dejavu is simply what I've been feeling throughout the game, constantly recycling of the maps and a storyline talking about a champion whose presence is felt only in a single town simply doesnt cut this as an epic adventure nor plot.

    The over reliance on tool tips is ultimately frustrating. Better time can be spent rather then when you have 6-7 item named "Ring" in your inventory and    Dejavu is simply what I've been feeling throughout the game, constantly recycling of the maps and a storyline talking about a champion whose presence is felt only in a single town simply doesnt cut this as an epic adventure nor plot.

    The over reliance on tool tips is ultimately frustrating. Better time can be spent rather then when you have 6-7 item named "Ring" in your inventory and have to mouse over just to see what each one of them are. Have developers became so lazy to even make item names more meaningful. Combat is extremely predictable, instead of throwing quality fights on you, developers have decide to throw waves of predictable mobs on you with a certain fixed combination of mobs.
    Even more absurd is how they do not bother to give these waves a common sense entrance.
    For example, how retarded can it sound when you are in the middle of the docks and mobs appear with a 'jump down from above' animation? What are they? Para-troopers? I never knew dragon age have advanced so much in technology that mobs can make such entrances.

    Money can be better spent else where, do not feel the urge or pressure to buy this just because it WAS a hit in the first release.    … Expand
  88. noff
    Mar 23, 2011
    2
    Rubbish- recycled areas, no variation limited game-play real estate. No character development, No decent game length for an RPG. Boring over redundant game-play mechanics. The game felt aborted, unfinished, terrible "modern" graphics hardly warmed my gpu up and to have to repeatedly see the same scenery recycled poorly quest after quest, dungeon after dungeon was very detrimental to theRubbish- recycled areas, no variation limited game-play real estate. No character development, No decent game length for an RPG. Boring over redundant game-play mechanics. The game felt aborted, unfinished, terrible "modern" graphics hardly warmed my gpu up and to have to repeatedly see the same scenery recycled poorly quest after quest, dungeon after dungeon was very detrimental to the experience!
    HUGE disappointment. In trying to please a wider market manages to please practically no one. Some people like apples some people like pears....NO ONE likes a pearpple
    Bioware - for shame !    … Expand
  89. Serpieri
    Mar 23, 2011
    4
    Instead of building on the Strengths of Dragon Age: Origins, Bioware created a game that failed to capture the imagination of gamers everywhere. A failed sequel in every way, the game should have been marketed as The Kirkwall Chronicles; a story that bears no relevance to its predecessor. The adventure that follows is repetitive, tedious, and very shallow. A Dragon Age for Dummies, whereInstead of building on the Strengths of Dragon Age: Origins, Bioware created a game that failed to capture the imagination of gamers everywhere. A failed sequel in every way, the game should have been marketed as The Kirkwall Chronicles; a story that bears no relevance to its predecessor. The adventure that follows is repetitive, tedious, and very shallow. A Dragon Age for Dummies, where its strength lies in its recycled approach to maps, characters, story and quests. The Plot is miserable, your actions donâ… Expand
  90. Raskolnikoff
    Mar 24, 2011
    2
    Don't know what Bioware hoped to achieve with this game, or why they thought they could get away with such a rushed job...
    I loved the immersion in DA:O, the little details, the variety of the different settings.... They made combat faster... FFS why? Seeing a warrior wielding his two-handed sword looked real in DA:O... Now the guys do somersaults, and struck down enemies blow up as if    Don't know what Bioware hoped to achieve with this game, or why they thought they could get away with such a rushed job...
    I loved the immersion in DA:O, the little details, the variety of the different settings.... They made combat faster... FFS why? Seeing a warrior wielding his two-handed sword looked real in DA:O... Now the guys do somersaults, and struck down enemies blow up as if you'd forced a grenade in their mouth...
    There are a hundred things that are wrong with this game; characters, combat, lack of variety in settings, bland environments, uninteresting dialogue choices and so on...
    I'm terribly disappointed, and really hope they're gonna polish Mass Effect 3 as they should... Never pre-ordering a Bioware game again...    … Expand
  91. PhiloHippus
    Mar 26, 2011
    4
    Verdict: NOT WORTH IT

    - Short shallow RPG, little replay value - Maps are very few and excruciatingly reused - Story provides no followup to Origins plot - Dull forgettable hero and characters - Stripped down inventory takes much of the interest out of finding proper loot and dungeon crawling - Whole game seems like a mere excuse for future DLC content On a more personal note and    Verdict: NOT WORTH IT

    - Short shallow RPG, little replay value
    - Maps are very few and excruciatingly reused
    - Story provides no followup to Origins plot
    - Dull forgettable hero and characters
    - Stripped down inventory takes much of the interest out of finding proper loot and dungeon crawling
    - Whole game seems like a mere excuse for future DLC content

    On a more personal note and strictly regarding the story, I can't fathom how you could fail so miserably on writing a proper plot with so many rich loose ends left over from Origins.
    I'm not saying the sequel should tie into the first episode to be good, but if you're going to branch out of an excellent and bestselling first story, you really do have to make it good, and DA2 isn't. A tale that boils down to climbing the social ladder while finding an ominous strange artifact (left unexplained for DLC profit) belongs in a Tombraider setting, not a Dragon Age Origins sequel. Mike Laidlaw should definitely be sacked and I should be reimbursed.

    Though compelled to give less, I rate it 4 points because of the excellent art and map design.    … Expand
  92. Janosuk
    Mar 26, 2011
    4
    After playing the original Dragon Age to death and back i can't help but wonder how on earth Bioware could possibly get this wrong?

    The way that almost every other quest has you go to the same location over and over again is beyond a joke and is enough to put off even the most avid Dragon Age fan-boy, the entire city of kirkwall feels claustrophobic and small along with it's drab browns    After playing the original Dragon Age to death and back i can't help but wonder how on earth Bioware could possibly get this wrong?

    The way that almost every other quest has you go to the same location over and over again is beyond a joke and is enough to put off even the most avid Dragon Age fan-boy, the entire city of kirkwall feels claustrophobic and small along with it's drab browns and grays littered all over the place.

    The new cast of companions are boring and dull, you don't get the option to get to talk to them or get to know them while exploring the various areas, aside from Varric the majority of the cast are entirely forgettable ( I was shocked to find a Welsh character in the game, but to my disappointment she's just as boring as the rest)

    The new U.I, while more streamlined, is by no ways as well presented as it is in origins.

    Also the story is some what weird when compared to the original, for almost a third of the game your sat there wondering what you are supposed to be doing or when the game will even start.

    To say they treated PC customers well with this game is a joke, buggy direct x 11 from the get go (Had to download beta drivers to get it to run), had to download a 1gig H.D texture pack separately just to get the game to look some what decent.

    If your a fan of RPG games then i suggest you give this one a miss and if you haven't already played origins i suggest you go pick up the original with all the D.L.C, it's a FAR better game by a huge stretch.    … Expand
  93. jhonnyLokuras
    Mar 26, 2011
    2
    -Reusing the same four maps 500 times.
    -The whole game takes place in one city.
    -Enemies have tons of HP and come in waves so the game feels longer. -Frame narrative to avoid being too descriptive about what happens between large periods of time. -Half as much dialogue, more passive interaction. -Millions of stupid side quests that have nothing to do with anything. -Dull environment bereft    -Reusing the same four maps 500 times.
    -The whole game takes place in one city.
    -Enemies have tons of HP and come in waves so the game feels longer.
    -Frame narrative to avoid being too descriptive about what happens between large periods of time.
    -Half as much dialogue, more passive interaction.
    -Millions of stupid side quests that have nothing to do with anything.
    -Dull environment bereft of life and matter.
    -Inability to customize companions allows you to skip designing different armor models.
    -Collecting hundreds of-- literally, junk items-- to create the illusion of immersion and depth.
    -Poor character development, so you hardly care about your companions by the end of the game. -Lack of any substantial choices that have lasting effects.
    -Contrived ending, that tells you nothing, and leaves a huge gap for sub-par DLC    … Expand
  94. Vombatidae
    Mar 28, 2011
    2
    So very sad... a great PC game (DA:O) that had the potential to become epic is dumbed down to the button-mashing show-me-the-next-cut-scene console-centric cliché that is DA2. It isn't just that DA2 is a horrible game - but every single aspect of it is worse than DA:O and suffers horribly by comparison. And BTW something is obviously very, very wrong with the "critics" whenSo very sad... a great PC game (DA:O) that had the potential to become epic is dumbed down to the button-mashing show-me-the-next-cut-scene console-centric cliché that is DA2. It isn't just that DA2 is a horrible game - but every single aspect of it is worse than DA:O and suffers horribly by comparison. And BTW something is obviously very, very wrong with the "critics" when there is this much of a gap between them and the user rating. If you must buy the game, at least get a console version so that you can pretend there is some justification for the frontal lobotomy Bioware & EA gave it.… Expand
  95. jamesinchains
    Mar 30, 2011
    3
    I was very upset to see DA2 go this way, I must admit. After spending hundreds of hours playing and replaying DA:O, it fast became one of, if not my favourite game ever. It was so in depth, you feel in love with the world and with the characters, such an amazing storyline etc. Like any game, it had its flaws but they were minimal compared to its successes. DA2 is frankly, the biggestI was very upset to see DA2 go this way, I must admit. After spending hundreds of hours playing and replaying DA:O, it fast became one of, if not my favourite game ever. It was so in depth, you feel in love with the world and with the characters, such an amazing storyline etc. Like any game, it had its flaws but they were minimal compared to its successes. DA2 is frankly, the biggest letdown sequel I have ever played or seen. It has no character to it, the storyline is anything but engaging, the game itself is far too short and felt too me to be far shorter than its predecessor. The characters are bland and boring, with no particular personality or back story to them. Hawke him/herself is in my eyes a complete failure, aided by juvenile dialogue, no emotional depth and the typical generic broody hero trait ¬_¬
    The graphics are apalling. Games on my iPhone have better graphics. Games on my ps2 had similar graphics. Kirkwall is horribly unattractive and plain, as are the few other locations in the game, including all the locations that are EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE REST.
    The combat is I suppose interesting in its own way (I liked the actual time fighting rather than swinging your weapon once every 5 seconds) but also incredibly repetetive and easy. Even on the harder difficulties, I could wipe out a group of 10 enemies with only my mage (a feat that was impossible in DA:O)
    But on to the real aspect of an RPG, the story. Well, what of it? There is no story in DA2 as such. The whole game is just a series of monotonous 'go there, do that' tasks with little story in between. It didn't bring anything new to the table because we know the Qunari invaded Ferelden and are constantly trying to conquer the land, we know the mages hate the templars and vice versa. But then anything it does tell us, it doesn't tell us anything about. What the hell was up with Flemeth? With all the media and press that had come out before DA2's release, it seemed like she was going to be heavily involved. She barely had 5 minutes in the game, all of which explained and went towards nothing. It was like 'Oh, there's Flemeth, the monsterously powerful Witch of the Wilds. Ok, that's done with.' And what the hell was up with the whole thing witn Cassandra and the ending. Ok, we gather the world is apparently on the brink of war, BUT WHY? GIVE US SOME DETAILS!!!! And then the ending is left not even on a cliffhanger, it's like the designers just gave up halfway through making the game! Nothing is explained, in fact, everything just becomes 10 times more confusing, and not in a good makes you want to know more confusing way, just in a well that **** sucks confusing way.
    DA2 is an insult to DAs legacy, a less that mediocre game that was evidently rushed beyond belief due to corporate greed. It has no fire or soul to it and has not even one aspect to compare it to DA:O. I can see why the original producer left, I'd die of shame if that empty souless piece of crap was associated with me in any way.
    For those of you considering buying it, here's a tip. Don't. Especially if you're a fan of the series. You will be heartbroken. There are plenty of great games out at the moment; Crysys 2, Rift, The Sims Medieval etc.
    I have two words for you Bioware: EPIC FAIL.    … Expand
  96. zairis
    May 7, 2011
    3
    A failed attempt at making Dragon Age a mix of action an RPG. What we get is a severely dumbed down RPG with unsatisfactory action element, that take up the majority of play time. Plus and uncompelling story that has nothing to do with Origins...

    I do not get how this game has gotten so many positive reviews... This is not a BioWare grade product, this is something straight from the    A failed attempt at making Dragon Age a mix of action an RPG. What we get is a severely dumbed down RPG with unsatisfactory action element, that take up the majority of play time. Plus and uncompelling story that has nothing to do with Origins...

    I do not get how this game has gotten so many positive reviews... This is not a BioWare grade product, this is something straight from the bowels of EA's rush'n'cash department.

    So where do I start? First of all, as I stated before, the story has virtually nothing to do with Origins. If you were hoping to see big time consequences of your actions in the previous game, you are in for an unpleasant surprise. Nothing you did in Origins has any impact on DA2, apart for some minor and negligible side quests. Furthermore, the story itself feels incredibly forced at times. In Origins, I really wanted to defeat the Blight, even while playing an "evil" character. DA2's story didn't make me care about it's main plot, mainly because, for the most part, it was being shoved down my throat. There is a quest quite early on, which you are forced to do to advance the story, but there is no logical train of thought nor are there any circumstances in game that would make your character want to do this quest, unless they felt a certain way towards one of the main groups presented in the story. It feels more like an optional side quest than a main plot one . And the side quests themselves are a travesty. Mind you, there are some cool ones that clearly have been thought through, but they are drowned in the sea of identical, almost grind-like, minimum flavour text, quest you get in a shoddy MMO.

    Let's have a look at the game mechanics then. The new stats system feels more transparent and logical, the talent trees are better designed than those in Origins, but that's where the good stuff ends. The Mass Effect style dialogue tree looks well and all, except for the fact than in most cases, all you choose is they way your character will say, "Yes I agree". Fortunately this doesn't happen too often, but it becomes very annoying if you want to play, what is after all an RPG game. And speaking of RPG elements, you cannot equip your party with armour, and by that I mean that you can't customize your companions helmet, torso and boots slots. You are stuck with what they have, until you find a special upgrade, and every companion only gets four. Not four upgrade slots which you can fill in from randomly dropped upgrades, because there are no random upgrades. Each companion will only ever get four armour upgrades, so you don't overheat that brain of yours choosing which one to give to who. The combat would be great if not for one thing: enemies that spawn mid fight, usually off camera. And again it wouldn't be so bad if the newly spawned guys were just minions helping the big boss you are currently fighting. But more often than not, they are pretty powerful, and can seriously mess up your party if you don't spot them the instant they are spawned. Also, the difficulty settings have been dumbed down, so now you get friendly fire only on the highest level. And the gap between the two top settings (Hard and Nightmare) is so big, it seems no one had any time to tweak them. On Hard the game is still laughably easy, and on Nightmare it becomes, at times, downright frustrating. Graphically it is an improvement over Origins, allthough I was never the one to dislike a game just because it had old graphics. What I cannot abide however is the endless and shameless recycling of locations. Most of the main ones are ok, but it quickly becomes apparent that there are only so many side quest ones. And it's not like some quest just take place in the same location. The cave you enter on a beach will be the exact same cave you have already visited in the mountains, but maybe with an entrance that is located elsewhere, and with some areas sealed away. You really get the feeling they either rushed the game out, or were just plain lazy about it.

    In an effort to appeal to a broader audience (namely the drunken frat boy demographic) BioWare has dumbed down their game to the point you can barely call it an RPG and added a ton of sub par action and clumsy gore. If this was a game by any other developer, and not a sequel to Origins, this would be an average game with a few memorable moments. Being as it is, it is a poor game with lots of memorable failures...    … Expand
  97. Overmannus
    May 18, 2011
    3
    A deeply flawed game with empty world and recycled graphic assets. Limited to a single city where nothing changes over a decade and artificially prolonged with pointless quests and waves of mobs who totally destroy combat tactics. I can't remember a RPG where i wanted to single handedly slaughter most of my companions because they were so annoying. s.
  98. Lanzmann
    May 21, 2011
    3
    A huge disappointment overall. Completely fails to live up to its predecessor. A consolized, streamlined and dumbed down game target for the Call of Duty market. Gameplay is okay; the rest is pure garbage: lack of different environments, stupid story, crappy ending, fails to deliver true choice-and-consequence mechanics, cardboard character textures, lack of an interesting roster... pickA huge disappointment overall. Completely fails to live up to its predecessor. A consolized, streamlined and dumbed down game target for the Call of Duty market. Gameplay is okay; the rest is pure garbage: lack of different environments, stupid story, crappy ending, fails to deliver true choice-and-consequence mechanics, cardboard character textures, lack of an interesting roster... pick one. Not to mention the protagonist, a failed attempt to create a medieval Shepard. You might even have some fun while playing it, but if you actually enjoyed the first game, some tears of grief are along for the ride.… Expand
  99. Fanton
    May 18, 2011
    1
    I had high expectations with this game after Dragon Age: Origins, the game was done without any care for the story, being short and leaving holes that may have been playable and interesting! The worst of it is repeating the same maps in the few places to go! I very much hope that Mass Effect 3 will not turn that same garbage!
  100. silvarius2000
    May 18, 2011
    0
    I pre ordered this game and received it on launch day. Finished the game in a few weeks time and waited until now to write a review. With Witcher 2 fresh in my mind I can fairly say that for the lover of good stories and something that will draw you in with stacks of coffee cups on your desk and sleepless nights thinking about what will happen next in your following chapter. This isnt it.I pre ordered this game and received it on launch day. Finished the game in a few weeks time and waited until now to write a review. With Witcher 2 fresh in my mind I can fairly say that for the lover of good stories and something that will draw you in with stacks of coffee cups on your desk and sleepless nights thinking about what will happen next in your following chapter. This isnt it. From a lacklustre beginning to a flaccid ending. This product ripped me of money that I cannot return to Steam. Dont do the same mistake. Bioware should be ashamed of this piece that insults every lover of the genre.… Expand
Page:

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 45 Critic Reviews

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