Dragon Age II

An excellent role-playing game, and a logical and direct evolution of the previous game, more action-focused and more polished, although its action focus won't please everyone.

It may be difficult for hardcore gamers to ignore the revamped combat system, but once you calm down and excuse some minor flaws, you'll find an amazing game in Dragon Age II.

BioWare set the bar quite high for themselves with the Dragon Age: Origins. With big-but-subtle changes, the developer tries to address a larger audience with the second game, but this doesn't mean that these changes aren't fit for the hardcore demographic. On the contrary, Dragon Age II keeps the deep RPG-elements and the gratifying story that turned the first part into such a well received game.

A much improved game engine and a new art style gives the realm a cleaner, more attractive look and its inhabitants a more distinctive appearance. Minor niggles aside, this is without a doubt the best story-driven fantasy RPG available on consoles at the moment.

Dragon Age 2 is a great RPG for PC and consoles, but it lacks a bit of complexity.

Some great storytelling and enjoyable fighting prove once again that Bioware is the king of modern role playing games.

Dragon Age II is probably something worse than its prequel, Origins, but it remains a wonderful RPG that tries to simplify the gameplay to be more comfortable to the action players.

Fans of Dragon Age: Origins will love Dragon Age 2, and it's one of the best role-playing games for PS3. That said, part 2 cannot quite deliver like the original Dragon Age, since time has passed and there is internal competition like Mass Effect 2.

Although, visually, it still fails to reach standards of pure excellence, Dragon Age 2 proves to be a fantastic fantasy-RPG that will undoubtedly satisfy both fans of the genre and potential newcomers.

Despite the change in pace, graphics and tactics, Dragon Age II is once again one of the greatest RPGs of our time, thanks to an interesting storyline, fascinating characters and a fun, over the top dark fantasy combat system.

Fueled by its brains, a likeable cast, and a sprawling storyline, Age II delivers. It's the sort of game with jaws, the kind that consumes lives. [Apr 2011, p.72]

Striking and confident compared to Origins' drab brownness. [Apr 2011, p.86]

If you like your RPGs old-school with plenty of Tolkien and Dungeon Master mixed in with sword wielding warrior women and moody elves, then Dragon Age is for you.

Dragon Age 2 is a perfect example of how a great sequel should be put together.

Dragon Age II might stir up a little controversy for the radical changes BioWare implemented in the series, but many of them were done to make the game more accessible. It's still the Dragon Age many of us know and love, it's just growing up a bit. If you're looking for a fantastic adventure with incredible dialogue, vastly improved visuals and visceral combat, this game won't disappoint.

Dragon Age II is streamlined, not simplified. It's a great game within its own rights, but issues with the overall story, repetitive environments, and control scheme keep it from being truly fantastic.

Combat may take some time to get used to, but overall a spectacular game from Bioware.

The new battle system and the action gameplay are nice. Only the level design is obviously too repetitive. The game looks and feels a lot more accessible than its predecessor.

An improvement over the original, but still suffering technical issues and is decidedly old-fashioned in many regards. [Issue#203, p.72]

The depth in terms of gameplay and control is here, and if you wish to fully immerse yourself in yet another top-quality BioWare adventure, you won't be disappointed. However, I just can't figure out the need for words like "streamlining" and "accessibility" when it comes to extraordinarily niche titles designed specifically for hardcore fans.

Gripping, complex, and delightful, role-playing games are rarely this good.

I'll give Bioware points for trying to do something different in their world, but they really did have it right the first time in terms of character building and the scope of the story.

A smaller gameworld and recycled environments make Dragon Age II feel less expansive than Origins, but a number of console friendly game changes may make it more appealing to console gamers than its predecessor.

Dragon Age II offers an action-oriented RPG adventure with enough refinements to improve upon the stellar Origins. However, the new streamlined combat, loot, and exploration system may turn off hardcore RPG followers.

I just think by making the game simpler, they have created a fun playing game, but not a very deep one.

This new Dragon Age game is a really good one. The game continues where the original game ended. This time you play with Hawke and multiple team members against the Darkspwan who are back to take over the world. A great Action RPG with a very strong story and gameplay, only the graphics aren't really improved than the previous part and that could have been obviously a lot better.

Despite a bitch-slap of an ending (setting it up for a sequel no doubt), there's some really great moments in this game.

The combat is more responsive and bloody, you don't need to fight the inventory system anymore, and conversations are more engaging thanks to the adapted Mass Effect wheel. There are downsides though; the semi-linear story and repetitive environments have a negative effect on what is otherwise a great role-playing game.

In their reimagining of Dragon Age II, Bioware has transferred one too many points from storytelling and exploration to combat.

It really seems like the biggest mistake is calling it "DA2," as it's just different enough from Dragon Age: Origins to not feel like a sequel, but more like a reboot. The different main character, the faster and more streamlined combat, and the overall structure makes it feel like a fine Dragon Age adventure, but not a direct follow-up to DAO.

Part of me was disappointed with Dragon Age II. I hoped for an improvement on the original, but it ultimately feels like a step back. [Apr 2011, p.85]

Dragon Age II is still a good role-playing game, but in more than one way it is inferior to its great predecessor.

Ultimately Dragon Age II feels like a one step past, and two steps back from Origins. It has been specced purely with us console gamers in mind and now has a low barrier of entry that will rally new fans to the Dragon Age banner. That's admirable, but fans who did get into Origins will lament the less masterful storytelling and the noticeably uneven visual presentation. [May 2011 p.78]

Unquestionably an improvement on the original. [Apr 2011, p.106]

While the environments and fights may get a little redundant by the end, a well written story, plenty of side quests, and great character development save the day.

The purist, PC-RPG crowd will hate it for "dumbing down" one of the last remaining hardcore RPGs, while the console clan will love it for making a fantastic series more accessible. Everyone should cotton to the clever, twisty story and fully fledged characters.

It features slick combat, interesting characters and an intriguing narrative that - for those who can ignore the presentational shortcomings - combine to make an incredibly immersive role-playing experience. However, the game's uninspired, repetitive environments and limited sense of adventure fail to provide a suitable platform for what could have been the defining RPG of this generation.

Dragon Age 2 has its flaws, but none of them are big enough to obscure the vast, absorbing whole of the game. This Hawke the slayer is definitely not rubbish.

Dragon Age 2 is a long, epic adventure that will give you your money's worth. It's just that some of the execution didn't feel spot-on. The story needed work, and the characters sometimes felt flat.

It's a shame that these intricacies were tempered by unnecessary simplification and unfocused storytelling. Nevertheless, Dragon Age II makes a strong impression, pulling you through with the promise of another fun quest, another character to meet, and another beast to slay.

Dragon Age II unfortunately isn't the perfect sequel to Dragon Age: Origins. However the game itself is still very good, so lovers, unite!

Some missteps have been made between the first game and this sequel but Dragon Age II stands on its own as a solid, brawling RPG, and is a worthy addition to the world of Thedas.

While I don't feel DA2 has changed my expectations of RPGs, I had a blast playing it, which doesn't often happen with sequels released within the same hardware generation.

Despite its game mechanics being streamlined to cater the console-audience with a high tempo and a smaller set of statistics, Dragon Age II is still a massive role-playing adventure. With its immersive storyline and good class system, it its yet another Bioware game in the collection of great role-playing experiences.

While Dragon Age II doesn't quite measure up to it's predecessor, the streamlined approach was a solid effort - if Bioware can somehow marry the best parts of Origins and Dragon Age II, it will produce one of the best RPGs the world has ever seen.

Despite the way narrative has been re-structured and the combat made meatier, this sequel follows the old conventions of the genre too literally to develop an individuality beyond them. Two entries down the pipe, and Dragon Age is still experiencing the growing pains of a series that's more dedicated to studying fantasy games than developing its own personality in the genre.

There are occasional strong moments, but unless you're desperate for more of the Dragon Age setting, it would be best to replay Dragon Age: Origins or Mass Effect 2 instead.

It's quick, painless and will leaving you wanting more. Perhaps it doesn't bear the weight other RPGs do, but it carries its own and smoothly enters players into its world. Overall, it may not challenge, but it does please.

Dragon Age II isn't a bad game, but it is a huge disappointment from such a respected and otherwise consistent developer. While the combat has been improved significantly, its failings in other areas – areas in which BioWare usually excel – are numerous and baffling. In the 32 hours it took me to finish the game, I spent the last 10 wishing it would hurry up and get to the good bit at the end. And then it turned out the ending was a bit non-committal and rubbish, too. A shame.

Dragon Age II is blessed with a deep universe and a ton of content, but it's sadly undermined by its technical side. Even though, visually, the game goes beyond the original, it still forgoes some elements of its predecessor in order to become more action-oriented, which is a choice that will most probably keep dividing opinions. We'd have hoped to see this sequel install the franchise as a must-have by correcting the shortcomings of the original. Instead, we'll have to make-do with finding it most entertaining indeed, but without any added praise. Too bad.