Dragon Age II

 PlayStation 3
User Score
4.4

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 1245 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 384 out of 1245
  2. Mixed: 188 out of 1245
  3. Negative: 673 out of 1245
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  1. Surematt
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Ive never reviewed a game on here before, but after about 10-15 hours into this, i just could not do it anymore. i needed to tell people not to buy this game. you might argue that that game has good RP systems, or whatever, and it dosent deserve a flat out 0, mabye a 3 or 4, but a game that when i play it, all i want to do is **** STOP playing it, deserves a 0 in my eyes. god i hope i canIve never reviewed a game on here before, but after about 10-15 hours into this, i just could not do it anymore. i needed to tell people not to buy this game. you might argue that that game has good RP systems, or whatever, and it dosent deserve a flat out 0, mabye a 3 or 4, but a game that when i play it, all i want to do is **** STOP playing it, deserves a 0 in my eyes. god i hope i can get my money back on this junk. it is a total insult to all DA:O fans, and PC gamers in general. terrible console port, from a company that once made such great games. Bioware, if you are reading this, do NOT let your DA team ANYWHERE near Mass Effect 3.… Expand
  2. GodlikeSlayer
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    This game was a poor attempt at an Rpg even for an action Rpg it's dated graphics and poor gameplay let this title down, when compared to the original dragon age origins it is indeed seen as being an inferior sequel.
  3. Wildfire8
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Dragon Age II will be recorded as one of the worst blunders in video game history. Bioware somehow managed to take a promising series, and do a Tomb Raider with it. The game visually looks like a mod for Knights of the Old Republic, if that mod were to lower all the games textures and was inspired by minecraft. The writing in this game is exactly what you'd expect an autistic 12 year oldDragon Age II will be recorded as one of the worst blunders in video game history. Bioware somehow managed to take a promising series, and do a Tomb Raider with it. The game visually looks like a mod for Knights of the Old Republic, if that mod were to lower all the games textures and was inspired by minecraft. The writing in this game is exactly what you'd expect an autistic 12 year old farm hand. Gone are the "grey" moral areas, and choices that affect the story. Instead, a dialogue wheel now lets you choose between 3 options, Sissy school girl, comedic relief in b-movie, and complete jerkwad. With such rivieting dialogue options as "Hey, I wunna be a dragon too!" and "Boy, I'm hungry", it's hard not to believe that Bioware is doing a psychological experiment to see how much punishment masochistic fans will put up with. Most of the game takes place in the confines of a single "city". I say "city" loosely, because it is actually nothing more than a collection of buildings, devoid of life. All areas outside of the city and bland and repetitive. Let me be clear on this: EVERY SINGLE OUTDOOR AREA outside of the city consists of a rock wall on one side of the map, and a large, lifeless, poorly textured vista on the other. I've seen 2 year olds that can color better than the job Bioware did with this vista. Dungeons are frequently repeated. Yes, you heard that right, the exact same cave is used over and over and over again. You can no longer equip armor to companions, and the new companions are dull and lifeless. Every voice actor in the game sounds the exact same, and they all sound utterly bored with their jobs. Of course, I needed even comment on the combat to anyone who has played the demo. Bioware decided to strip out all tactical and RPG elements, and instead turn the game into a poor man's Dynasty warriors, complete with waves of spawning powder rangers running at you, while you perform the same over the top animations over and over carrying massive JRPG styled swords. I award this game no points, and may God have mercy on it's soul.â… Expand
  4. Someguy52
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Terrible graphics, terrible dialogue, forgettable music, bland characters, linear gameworld, uninteresting locations, terrible button-mashing gameplay. Overall: A very very bad game that you should avoid
  5. bugbear1
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    What a POS. Repeated environments, insipid dialogue banter between party members, empty dungeons with practically NO detail and get this: you cannot swap out gear for your party! that's right, u CAN trade jewelry and such, BUT you cannot "tailor" your party at all. extremely short, with little to NO exploration, overall trash story with pandering cutscenes, recycled locations,What a POS. Repeated environments, insipid dialogue banter between party members, empty dungeons with practically NO detail and get this: you cannot swap out gear for your party! that's right, u CAN trade jewelry and such, BUT you cannot "tailor" your party at all. extremely short, with little to NO exploration, overall trash story with pandering cutscenes, recycled locations, insta-spawning enemy rogues that can teleport across the little maps and on and on--

    this drek makes FFXIII "look" like the greatest game ever made- It's readily apparent that EA have finally converted BIOWARE to their way of creating games.
    -lackluster money-grab with no conscience and no-soul gameplay, DA2 panders to the ADD crowd with spamming, action-adventure combat, minimal RPG elements, and in-short: welcome to the suck!    … Expand
  6. snafeer
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    I cannot believe what Bioware did.. they $#!^ on the entire community. This game screams "WE WANT MONEY". This game had little to no effort put into it, it feels like you are playing the role of an inbred retard who needs your help. Yes, your help. You need to help him stop repeatedly punching himself in the face, because he is so damn stupid. The visuals are also terrible, the repeatedI cannot believe what Bioware did.. they $#!^ on the entire community. This game screams "WE WANT MONEY". This game had little to no effort put into it, it feels like you are playing the role of an inbred retard who needs your help. Yes, your help. You need to help him stop repeatedly punching himself in the face, because he is so damn stupid. The visuals are also terrible, the repeated textures and horrible emotions shown on the slapped on character faces remind me of 9/11. Bioware, you should feel ashamed, this is not a game, this is a joke.… Expand
  7. Elvenhunter
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    just a terrible game! i totally agree with the people saying this takes out the "role-playing" out of the roleplaying game. hawke isnt even that cool and the story was flat out... well just that, FLAT. DA2 just destroyed what was to be a great franchise
  8. RPGFan2
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Bioware has created what could go down as the worst "RPG" ever made. Of course, I have to say RPG in quotations, because all RPG elements have been stripped. It is a "role playing" game I guess, but that role is a very strict one laid down by Bethesda. There are no choices to make now, as has become a Bethesda trademark, and very few dialogue trees. The dialogue now is just a linearBioware has created what could go down as the worst "RPG" ever made. Of course, I have to say RPG in quotations, because all RPG elements have been stripped. It is a "role playing" game I guess, but that role is a very strict one laid down by Bethesda. There are no choices to make now, as has become a Bethesda trademark, and very few dialogue trees. The dialogue now is just a linear rambling between two bored sounding cookie cutter people, and the instead of influencing the conversation, you are only allowed to select whether the character will do the conversation angry, soft, or sarcastic.

    Gone is any hint of stategy of depth to combat. The game is a click fest, a poor mans devil may cry, that requires no skill to beat on hard or lower difficulties. On nightmare, a mode they obviously ran out of time on balancing, is just frustratingly impossible, not because it provides a good challenge, but because instead of balancing it, they just added 10000hp to every enemy and said "done".


    The graphics represent and huge step back not only from Dragon Age origins, but for the whole generation. This looks like something you'd find on the Playstation 2. The game lacks any art direction, and any sense for colors other than brown.

    Dragon Age 2 is not only a huge step back for the series, but a huge step back for video games in general. The dumbing down of the series marks the biggest leap in what has become a trend in video game design. I can only hope that Bioware listens to the fans after this outing and, pun intended, return to their origins as RPG designers in their next outing.    … Expand
  9. Tamarzan
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Very bad. Sony has terrible sauce with stuff that makes everybody sad, and they cry because they think it's supposed to be good. TL;DR: very very bad, do not
  10. pazmacats
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    Game is optimized for DLC. Disjointed story, chaotic combat. I recommend reading a book or watching 3 movies instead. If you throw a ball against an wall while wathcing the movie you can call your movie-watching interactive. You can even add a mulitplayer function by throwing the ball to some mate while watching the movie. You should however chose a good movie to watch (otherwise you'll beGame is optimized for DLC. Disjointed story, chaotic combat. I recommend reading a book or watching 3 movies instead. If you throw a ball against an wall while wathcing the movie you can call your movie-watching interactive. You can even add a mulitplayer function by throwing the ball to some mate while watching the movie. You should however chose a good movie to watch (otherwise you'll be wishing to click through stupid dialogue like in DA2)… Expand
  11. omgwot
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Its hard to make a game worse than this nowadays. Any decision-maker who played this and approved it for release has either the wrong job or was under heavy pressure, or maybe he had a moment of silly or was on drugs, or both. Maybe they just wanted to deliberately piss off their user-base and destroy their image, forever.
  12. TXTSWORD
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    This is exactly what's wrong with gaming, and I hope this entire situation revealed that for some of the plebe gamers who have been asleep to the evils of popular marketed-to-hell trash games. What obviously happened was they decided to take a successful game with a promising future for it's franchise, and make it a DIFFERENT game targeted to people who were not fans of the first. I don'tThis is exactly what's wrong with gaming, and I hope this entire situation revealed that for some of the plebe gamers who have been asleep to the evils of popular marketed-to-hell trash games. What obviously happened was they decided to take a successful game with a promising future for it's franchise, and make it a DIFFERENT game targeted to people who were not fans of the first. I don't know what the long term plan for that was. Additionally, the game was so rushed (to be cranked out in a year for maximum profit) that it's an incoherent trainwreck. Beyond the fact they ruined everything fun about Origins, beyond the weird new "artsy cartoon network show" art direction, beyond wrecking the dialogue system and significance of "choice", beyond everything I expected, it also managed to not be a coherent videogame. The story progression, the world, the sense of purpose, the understanding of your objectives, everything is lost. It's the most bizarre experience I've had playing a game. If it were just bland soulless triple A title bad, that would be understandable. It was what I was expecting. But this is so much worse. It seems... confused. Lack of focus in the design, or lack of direction. Anyways, I imagine that they wrecked this franchise so congratulations I hope you're punished for ceasing to make good videogames. This industry is sick. I don't know what developers to trust. The only one that comes to mind is From Software. Punish bad devs, punish bad publishers, stop giving them your money, stop buying into the hype, and make the industry well again.… Expand
  13. Puma_Mexa
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Previous game was miles better. This one is just average at best, definitely not worthy of a good score. But I can see EA payed every relevant reviewer to have a descent score on Metacritic, though If you see the user scores It clearly shows the discontent of gamers about DA2, too much hype and all we got was a game where the only descent point is the combat mechanics (just at hard). EvenPrevious game was miles better. This one is just average at best, definitely not worthy of a good score. But I can see EA payed every relevant reviewer to have a descent score on Metacritic, though If you see the user scores It clearly shows the discontent of gamers about DA2, too much hype and all we got was a game where the only descent point is the combat mechanics (just at hard). Even the graphics are really bad. I have a high end PC were I can run Crysis at max at 60fps, but DA2 consumes a ridiculous amount of resources even on medium settings, and it's not like it has state of the art visuals or employs real time physics in every interaction either. I was going to give it a 5 but now. Bioware, banning a gamer and not letting him play the game just because he talked bad about your overlord, EA? That's low, and not just Activision low. See if I ever buy another game from you.… Expand
  14. Naka
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    I'm a big fan of the original DA and really got into the lore. Unfortunately that doesn't help me trying to like this sorry mess for sequel. The combat is extremely simplified (and meaningless), the story is told in a most unexciting way and the game just feel like a downgrade compared to the predecessor. Usually i believe "less is more", but not to the point when its so simplified itI'm a big fan of the original DA and really got into the lore. Unfortunately that doesn't help me trying to like this sorry mess for sequel. The combat is extremely simplified (and meaningless), the story is told in a most unexciting way and the game just feel like a downgrade compared to the predecessor. Usually i believe "less is more", but not to the point when its so simplified it becomes braindead.â… Expand
  15. hafini
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    there is nothing much to say about this game because EA has corrupted its from the inside. The first game is a success but the second game is only a money machine for EA's devils
  16. Lascelle
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    What reason do we have to believe Mass Effect 3 won't be given the same shoddy treatment as Dragon Age II? So disappointed. Bioware has bought into their own hype and is throwing their well-earned reputation into the proverbial toilet.
  17. 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
  18. FilthyGround
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Compared to DA:Origins this game is a great disappointment.
    Compared to Baldur's Gate it's a mere insult.
    Even if you take it for what it is without comparing it to the greatness of former Bioware games, you end up with a not much of a game at all. The art work is sloppy, the gameplay lacks depth, the moral choice system is a joke and the story is cliché on cliché    Compared to DA:Origins this game is a great disappointment.
    Compared to Baldur's Gate it's a mere insult.
    Even if you take it for what it is without comparing it to the greatness of former Bioware games, you end up with a not much of a game at all.
    The art work is sloppy, the gameplay lacks depth, the moral choice system is a joke and the story is cliché on cliché on cliché.
    Adding to that the story is so blatantly cut off to provide them with content for the mandatory launch day DLC. I never pirated a Bioware game out of respect for they great games they made.
    This ends now.
    This game is bad enough to end more than a decade of loyalty.    … Expand
  19. absu
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. an epic fail,al for i love Dao - is disapper empty locations ,all game in stupid citty like deneriom from fao
    shame on you Bioware.....

    shame on EA managers - who killing the great game    … Expand
  20. DKN
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    Iâ
  21. XcaliburOne
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    BioWare please tell me what in god's name did you do to Dragon Age? I don't even want to type how disappointed I am with this title. I fully blame this game's release with the superquake in Northern Japan.
  22. assmaster69
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    I wrote a detailed review about all the things wrong with the game earlier, and gave it a score of three. This is a revision to balance out the bioware employees and shills giving it 10s.
  23. Redtrip
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    The only RPG worse than Dragon Age is the sequel. If Bioware continues to make such terrible games it will see itself go from acclaimed developer to bankrupt.
  24. Dzverg
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    Hello!
    For the first time I haven't received pleasure from game from BioWare Game is awful. The fighting system causes furiousness. The graphics is primitive, that I play such impression Doom, for control of the camera - to tear off hands or it is even better a head.
    If they I will make Mass Effect 3 in the same type it it will be very bad.
  25. Viraglue
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    Bland and watered down, DA2 was a huge disappointment, visually and conceptually. Judging this game solely by itself (I haven't played Origins), I joined Metacric just to say, don't waste your money. If you have to, rent the game first before you flush it down the drain. What I want to know, is how are all of these so-called "Critics" rating this game +86? I wonder how much BioWare spentBland and watered down, DA2 was a huge disappointment, visually and conceptually. Judging this game solely by itself (I haven't played Origins), I joined Metacric just to say, don't waste your money. If you have to, rent the game first before you flush it down the drain. What I want to know, is how are all of these so-called "Critics" rating this game +86? I wonder how much BioWare spent on getting those ratings.… Expand
  26. Vastgirth
    Mar 22, 2011
    0
    Incredibly disappointing. Lots of boring fighting in the same boring environments. Story doesn't tie in with gameplay. Feels very rushed. What has happened to one of my favourite developers :(.
  27. 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
  28. Asher
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    Don't listen to any of these Biodrones, this game screams RUSH-JOB. Graphics from 2006 and gameplay aimed at CoD kiddies = facepalm. Save your money, go for Witcher 2
  29. gheed123
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    Bioware for me stood for quality RPG. Dragon age Origins was a quality RPG. The quality steadily went down with each DLC and the absolute low of this decline now seems to have been reached with DA2. They tried to make an RPG that appeals to the bro's that play CoD, Halo and Gears of war and the like and ended up with this **** The story is nonexistant, enemies are lame, they raped the loreBioware for me stood for quality RPG. Dragon age Origins was a quality RPG. The quality steadily went down with each DLC and the absolute low of this decline now seems to have been reached with DA2. They tried to make an RPG that appeals to the bro's that play CoD, Halo and Gears of war and the like and ended up with this **** The story is nonexistant, enemies are lame, they raped the lore that they built up with DAO, combat is fun for an hour or 1000 exploding bodies, copypasted terrain, fetch quests.. To me yet another huge disappointment for a triple A title.… Expand
  30. lithh
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm a huge fan of DA Origins, it was the best game I've played since FF X and VII. I was really excited about DA2, I ordered it in December and when I finally got it, I played it through as quickly as I could. During the whole game I was just waiting it to begin and even just before the end credits I thought the adventure was just about to begin. What a huge disappointment! I don't care about crappy graphics, I didn't even notice if they were bad or not. The battles were quite boring but I could have lived with that, too. I want the game to have a great story and great characters and I think DA2 had neither of these. Instead almost the whole game happened in one boring city! And the characters... They're nothing compared to characters in Origins, I feel like they were just random companions but in Origins I really started to love those guys. There's no Morrigan, no Zevran, no nothing in DA2. The story didn't arouse any feelings, I couldn't have cared less what happened but in Origins I think I actually shed a few tears. And for me RPG:s are all about story and characters and the feelings they make me feel.

    I don't know, it could have been a good game if I had never heard of Origins.    … Expand
  31. Backintime
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    Role-Playing Game? A hack-and-slash with bland, uninspired environments. Endless swarms of enemies? Where's the tactical aspect? For a company that became famous because of excellent characterization and sex scenes.... the characters (especially Anders and that Elf Chick Whose Name Starts with M, who just sort of sits there) are one-dimensional, and everyone is fully clothed. Ick. No-buy.
  32. 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
  33. spacegiraffe
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    To even consider this game as an RPG is insanity.
    Almost every positive reviewer has been paid off by EA/Bioware. Don't believe the positive reviews, DA2 will go down in history as the worst game of 2011.
  34. Corpsefiend
    Mar 16, 2011
    0
    The biggest failure in the entire history of gaming. Quite comparable to Superman 64. Just a complete and utter disaster. Everything about this game is horrendous. Gone are the days of Baldur's Gate and the days of quality RPG's from Bioware. Overtaken by dollar signs, and nickel and diming their loyal fans to death. The DLC has gone way to far, why would you sell an incomplete gameThe biggest failure in the entire history of gaming. Quite comparable to Superman 64. Just a complete and utter disaster. Everything about this game is horrendous. Gone are the days of Baldur's Gate and the days of quality RPG's from Bioware. Overtaken by dollar signs, and nickel and diming their loyal fans to death. The DLC has gone way to far, why would you sell an incomplete game in the first place. The Q&A is absolutely non-existant. One last thing Chris Hoban thanks to you blatantly lying and altering review scores, you have turned the masses and everyone that supported Bioware against you.… Expand
  35. galaktur
    Mar 16, 2011
    0
    Game - disappointing year. is certainly in the game and the good moments, improvements and new approaches, but unfortunately, disadvantages outweigh all its advantages. in pursuit of excess income, usually leaves the crude product, which subsequently will only exacerbate the situation and standard condemns the continuation of game to fail. ea company should reconsider marketing policy.
  36. tsavostfu
    Mar 17, 2011
    0
    Terrible game. Only redeeming feature is combat - everything else is sub-par in every imaginable way.

    Character development for party characters is just terrible. The overall story is completely AWFUL.

    You get almost exactly the same endings regardless of choices... In fact it's barely an RPG at all.
  37. dgrey
    Mar 17, 2011
    0
    This game represents exactly what is wrong with the video game industry these days. What's more is that developers are attempting to inflate the scores of these games by creating fake reviews (see "Avanost"). For that, and the fact that this game is a travesty, I'm giving the game a 0.
  38. Randomfart
    Mar 20, 2011
    0
    A dumbed down experience. Hack and slash combat, cluncky graphics, recycled enviroments bad pacing, boring storyline, bad dialog and companions. All the naysayers have been right since day one, this game has not been made with the spirit of an rpg and it's an insult to what Bioware used to be.
  39. yalda
    Mar 21, 2011
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Absolutely disapointed, DA II feels like a long trailer for the first expansion. The effects of having played Origins are minimal and also disappointing. Where is Morrigan? Didn't you say the story with her isn't over? And what about Orsino the first enchanter becoming a Golem of Amgarrak with blood magic?!? This is just cheap recycling of already available monster designs. And then all the glitches and bugs: Killed Zevran in part 1, but then he shows up again. After Bethany returns at the final battle she seems to be invincible. everytime she dies I didn't have to revive her, she just resurrected without injury. As if the game wasn't already too easy. Playing on normal I just had to load maybe 2 or three times without ever using any special ability of my warrior. When Monsters appear you could just go to the toilet or watch TV, because you'll win the fight without doing anything. Okay, when there is a demon or a dragon you have to use a few portions. Also the money in the game is useless because these's nowhere anything nice to buy. I could go on like this for hours. I loved DA1 but this was just a big big disappointment :(… Expand
  40. Thederaci
    Mar 21, 2011
    0
    I've always thought of Bioware as a safe choice when buying a game. When EA took over I was worried that they were going to ruin another good game company, but surprisingly most of the games came out were good ol' Bioware (maybe abit rushed) with some useless DLC content that I did not care about. That was uintil I came across this joke of a game.
    First of all the world feels soulless and    I've always thought of Bioware as a safe choice when buying a game. When EA took over I was worried that they were going to ruin another good game company, but surprisingly most of the games came out were good ol' Bioware (maybe abit rushed) with some useless DLC content that I did not care about. That was uintil I came across this joke of a game.
    First of all the world feels soulless and small. Well actually, the world feels small because it is small. Quoting a critic "You cant have an epic story on your backyard". That pretty much sums it up.
    The game feels more like a grind than a RPG - You're basically running the same linear dungeons over and over again with enemies that have slightly different color and name. Even the bosses are recycled.
    Combat requires no strategy at all, you can basically buttons mash your way trough the game. Increasing difficulty just requires the player to have more potions and the patience to spam the buttons longer. Sure the people looking for a simple game might enjoy it more, but anyone actually looking for a challenge should not bother with this game.
    Something that Bioware has always gotten right is the story, but not this time. Most of the charaters feel hollow and boring, charater cameos from DA:O just makes you wish you were playing DA:O instead.
    The story itself is rather non thrilling and the side quests are very repeative.
    The graphics are outdated (PC) to say the least and there are some annoying gliches with some of the older graphic cards. If the game looks like it was made 10-years ago, it should atleast work with older hardware.
    I could go on pointing out flaws in this game, but I think i made my point - Dont bother paying 60 bucks for a crappy game. If you absolutely must play this game, then do yourself a favour and wait for the GOTY version with all the DLC content and bugfixes.
    When compairing to other games this game does not deserve a 0 though, but on a Bioware scale it absolutely does. It is definitely by far the worst game they have ever done.    … Expand
  41. MINUS-1
    Mar 22, 2011
    0
    *Shame on you* BioWare for destroying an excellent franchise. *Double-shame on you* BioWare for getting your employees to post positive reviews of this game (and no lameasses -- it's *not* the same as Obama voting for himself! Obama voting for himself does not influence others to vote for him. YOUR FAKE REVIEWS posted here on MetaCritic, however, *do* influence people). *Triple-shame*Shame on you* BioWare for destroying an excellent franchise. *Double-shame on you* BioWare for getting your employees to post positive reviews of this game (and no lameasses -- it's *not* the same as Obama voting for himself! Obama voting for himself does not influence others to vote for him. YOUR FAKE REVIEWS posted here on MetaCritic, however, *do* influence people). *Triple-shame on you* BioWare for scamming your customers and adding paid DLC immediately following release (you money-grubbers).

    Take BioWare's fake postings on this site as testament to how bad this game is!

    This *ahem* "sequel" cannot hold a candle to the original DA:O. They have dumbed it down to the extreme and released yet another crappy arcade experience. They have lost their core audience. Out of the gamers I know, there isn't *even one* RPG fan that is picking this title up. I myself am trading in my pre-ordered copy for a store credit -- if they give me five bucks for it I'll consider myself lucky.

    OMG -- I finished DA:O (PC version) and believe me when I tell you: this is not even the same game!

    If you liked DA:O, then go find yourself an old copy of Neverwinter Nights 'cause yer' gonna hate DA II.

    I do recommend it to those people that play every single Dynasty Warriors game, however. "In the action, indeed".

    I had so much high hopes for this game and I can safely say that now I wouldn't even buy it in a bargain bin. If I got it for free, I wouldn't even play it -- we only live so long to waste our time playing rubbish like this.

    As for IGN -- 8.5? 8.5?????? SERIOUSLY?

    I love what you guys wrote in the "Lasting Appeal" section of your review especially. You guys are going to replay this game in order to "develop different relationships". LOL!

    Nuff said.

    All you people that don't know what a BioWare RPG could and should be: please feel free to disagree with me.    … Expand
  42. Zodiackiller
    Mar 24, 2011
    0
    This game is bad! I really hated this game it's a surprise that this game comes from the people who made mass effect 2. This has to be the biggest waste of money in my entire history of playing games. If you say you like this game you are fooling yourself. It sucks!
  43. FaisedOut
    Mar 25, 2011
    0
    This is NOT an RPG, folks. I should've listened to the negative reviews posted here but my excitement for a new console RPG took over and I purchased it anyway. Think of this game as a "Dynasty Warriors" or the related "Samurai Warriors" game. Now if mindless hack-and-slash doesn't appeal to you, this game won't either. Funny thing is, I love hack-and-slash as well as a good RPG butThis is NOT an RPG, folks. I should've listened to the negative reviews posted here but my excitement for a new console RPG took over and I purchased it anyway. Think of this game as a "Dynasty Warriors" or the related "Samurai Warriors" game. Now if mindless hack-and-slash doesn't appeal to you, this game won't either. Funny thing is, I love hack-and-slash as well as a good RPG but this game is neither! Download the demo and you will see what I mean. DO NOT HEED ANY OF THE GOOD REVIEWS ON THIS SITE! Did they even PLAY the game???… Expand
  44. Surenkin
    Mar 26, 2011
    0
    I have enjoyed almost all the games Bioware has produced in the past. Hardly anyone can deny that games like Baldurs Gate II, Dragon Age Origins and Kotor provide tons of entertainment. They received high ratings from professional reviewers and the community was pleased.

    What happened? How is it possible for a gaming company to take such a nosedive in one year? It would have been    I have enjoyed almost all the games Bioware has produced in the past. Hardly anyone can deny that games like Baldurs Gate II, Dragon Age Origins and Kotor provide tons of entertainment. They received high ratings from professional reviewers and the community was pleased.

    What happened? How is it possible for a gaming company to take such a nosedive in one year?

    It would have been UNFATHOMABLE to even consider that the average community score for a Dragon Age sequel would be less than 60/100 but here we are.

    How is it that in almost every single installment before Dragon Age 2 we had the ability to impact the world around us and the ending of the game would change depending on our choices? But now it doesn't matter who you support, not one bit. One tragedy after another isn't the core problem here but that you can't do anything about it.

    What's the replay value people? Really, what is it? What can I do differently? Have sex with Merrill instead of Isabela and change my tone of voice while speaking during pre-determined events?

    And how is it that romances have devolved into *press heart symbol to have h0t s3x*

    What happened to gameplay? What happened to stealing, creating potions, collecting resources and having a connection with the world around us?

    Where is the possibility to lie, intimidate and charm during conversations? Isn't that what roleplaying has been all about in your previous releases? You dont even need to read your own lines in DA2 (nor can you). Just choose one option from *calm*, *joke* or *angry*. Talking yourself out from a bad spot isn't really an option if the game has already decided what is going to happen.

    What happened to being able to choose your own race. What's the point of having racism towards elves if you cant even play one anymore?

    Customizing the armor of your companions might not seem like a big deal to many people since we are forced to use the best armor sets anyway and sell all the junk. But it does look completely stupid to have some pirate woman in a prostitute uniform fighting against a high-dragon. This is something I expect to see from square and Final Fantasy, not Bioware.

    And the worst thing is that after investing over 40 hours of gameplay, there is no real ending or closure. So what's the idea behind this? Rip us off with DLC's?

    And people really need to stop being naive. I hardly doubt this is going to be a prequel to some epic tale. Why should I believe that a savegame import would matter now when it has never had a major impact in the past? It's just going to be another set of cameos, letters from the people you saved and a couple of mentions about what happened in the past.

    This game does its job as a linear adventure hack'n'slasher but that's it.

    Just one year ago Bioware put square on blast by stating that "Final Fantasy XIII is not an RPG yadayada". And here we are now....I hope CD Projekt stays silent and walks the walk with Witcher 2, because you guys need a reality check.

    On a scale from 1 to pretzel, I'm mad salty lol. I guess it's time to go back to hyping the upcoming Mass Effect 2 DLC, because atleast you still have dev-teams that know what the hell they are doing.

    Bioware, I am dissapoint :(    … Expand
  45. rottencat
    Apr 2, 2011
    0
    I'd imagine that the main reason that people are paying to play this is because its main character on the poster looks like Gordon Freeman.

    The game looked very promising- but this was anything but fun. The fact that this game was allowed to advance past the "script writing" stage is beyond me.
  46. TrueGamer2011
    Apr 7, 2011
    0
    Utterly disappointing. I was intending to write a long thought out review explaining in detail my dislike of this game. But why should I bother? Bioware obviously couldn't be bothered to spend time creating a faithful sequel, so likewise I won't bother spending time writing a thorough review. I have totally lost faith in Bioware.
  47. Talos84
    May 10, 2011
    0
    Shame bio-ware let EA get there hands into dragon age such a waste. wish they would have keep it more along the lines of dragon age origins it would have been really awesome
  48. brisbanesimon
    May 17, 2011
    0
    this is such a bad game,absolutely pathetic attempt at creating an rpg,shame on you bioware,i will be never ever ever again purchasing any of your products after this abomination of a game
  49. Fanton
    May 18, 2011
    0
    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!
  50. Jimbob
    May 20, 2011
    0
    One of the most dissapointing games that i have ever had the misfortune of playing. Most of us loved DAO and we hoped that we finally had a game series that would give us the fulfillment that we all were looking for...alas we got Jade empire 2. I really dont know where to begin..the awful recycling of environments, the linear plot which gives ONE ending, yes thats right ONE, TheOne of the most dissapointing games that i have ever had the misfortune of playing. Most of us loved DAO and we hoped that we finally had a game series that would give us the fulfillment that we all were looking for...alas we got Jade empire 2. I really dont know where to begin..the awful recycling of environments, the linear plot which gives ONE ending, yes thats right ONE, The forgettable companions or fed ex quests that are scattered more than generously all over the game. Bioware are renowned for their great storytelling , guess what they dropped the ball this time, the plot is disjointed to the extent that at the end of the game you will be left scratching your head in confusion. To me it felt like a cash grab and also a betrayal from a dev that i have followed since 98.… Expand
  51. Frorfvoid
    May 20, 2011
    0
    It's not often that a sequel comes out worse in every single way to its predecessor, yet the brilliant minds at BioWare have managed to accomplish just that with Dragon Age 2. This game is clearly rushed, likely due to the influence of EA, and doesn't even remotely resemble all of the greatness that Dragon Age Origins was known for. Try harder next time, BioWare, and you might win back myIt's not often that a sequel comes out worse in every single way to its predecessor, yet the brilliant minds at BioWare have managed to accomplish just that with Dragon Age 2. This game is clearly rushed, likely due to the influence of EA, and doesn't even remotely resemble all of the greatness that Dragon Age Origins was known for. Try harder next time, BioWare, and you might win back my business.… Expand
  52. obrion
    May 21, 2011
    0
    what a stupid game i cant beleive i brought it the music is baaaaaaaad the graphics are baaaaaaaad the story is baaaaaaaaaaaaad the whole game is baaaaaaaaaad
  53. KsidE
    May 24, 2011
    0
    Dragon Age 2 is an R.P.G because: It's [R] = Recycled, has [P] = Poor graphics, and story-wise is a [G] = Gasbag. You can make Neverwinter Nights once, twice but the fifth time is just BORING.

    So it has voice-acting. And that sums it up. What is the your [R] Role ?, what about the [P] Play ?, how about the [G] Gaming feeling ? Everything is overly-scripted, and your choices are like a    Dragon Age 2 is an R.P.G because: It's [R] = Recycled, has [P] = Poor graphics, and story-wise is a [G] = Gasbag. You can make Neverwinter Nights once, twice but the fifth time is just BORING.

    So it has voice-acting. And that sums it up. What is the your [R] Role ?, what about the [P] Play ?, how about the [G] Gaming feeling ? Everything is overly-scripted, and your choices are like a few options to say towards the same outcome.

    So it's like 40 hours long. But those are boring hours. Fighting never got beyond the turn-based phase. It is not suppose to be like a J-RPG where everyone is some kind of girl waiting for the next combo while you read a block of text with the story...

    So it's mature because it has blood. Not because the story is mature, not because the caracters are mature. There are romantic quests... yes while trying to keep the below mature rating, even kids will be bored.    … Expand
  54. halo_on
    Jun 1, 2011
    0
    I'm 34 years old and have been gaming since the original Nintendo came out. I absolutely loved Dragon Age: Origins. This game is an abomination. Could the developers have been MORE lazy? It seems all of their efforts were focused on the graphics and combat with VERY little attention paid to content. I could go on and on about how bad this game is. Literally the only redeeming quality areI'm 34 years old and have been gaming since the original Nintendo came out. I absolutely loved Dragon Age: Origins. This game is an abomination. Could the developers have been MORE lazy? It seems all of their efforts were focused on the graphics and combat with VERY little attention paid to content. I could go on and on about how bad this game is. Literally the only redeeming quality are improved graphics. Just about every other aspect of the game trails Origins by a mile. Pretty sad.… Expand
  55. jorge100
    Jul 6, 2011
    0
    One of the worst games I have ever played. Game play utterly boring, and storyline without any redeeming qualities. A lackluster performance by E.A. and Bioware. Attention to detail was nonexistent. I will no longer buy any E.A. or bioware title. Just not worth the money
  56. SanhMan82
    Jul 14, 2011
    0
    This game was the biggest disappointment in the history of Role Playing games. Bioware hype the game like it was going to be better then Dragon Age Origins, and honestly i want the game to be. The developer forgot what an RPG game really needs, Freedom to do whatever. Not being able to customize my companions gear, and restricting a Mage or Rogue armor to my main when hes a warrior wasThis game was the biggest disappointment in the history of Role Playing games. Bioware hype the game like it was going to be better then Dragon Age Origins, and honestly i want the game to be. The developer forgot what an RPG game really needs, Freedom to do whatever. Not being able to customize my companions gear, and restricting a Mage or Rogue armor to my main when hes a warrior was probably the stupidest role playing decision ever. I felt like an errand boy when i'm playing Dragon Age 2, the fact this game sold as well as it did because of fan base from Dragon Age Origins is the greatest injustice ever.… Expand
  57. Dyavin
    Sep 27, 2011
    0
    I registered with this website specifically so I could give this game a 0 rating. Having just completed Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Awakening about a month ago, I was eager to dive into Dragon Age II and pick up where I left off.

    I somehow managed to finish the game, but it was only through sheer force of will and irrational hope that something in the ending would make it all    I registered with this website specifically so I could give this game a 0 rating. Having just completed Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Awakening about a month ago, I was eager to dive into Dragon Age II and pick up where I left off.

    I somehow managed to finish the game, but it was only through sheer force of will and irrational hope that something in the ending would make it all worth it. The fact is, Bioware (or more accurately, EA controlled Bioware) took everything I loved about Dragon Age : Origins and removed it from the sequel. After that, they spent a few years living on corned beef and vodka in the bioware offices, all the while vomiting and defecating into a community trash bag, which they then compacted into a blue-ray disk and labeled "Dragon Age II".

    Dragon Age II removed any realistic aspect of customization from the game. All talents and stat points are close to irrelevant, and you can literally pick anything randomly and spam the X button until the game is over if you really wanted to. They also removed any gear or itemization options. Items dropped at the very end of the game with 5 stars (an arbitrary ratings system that was meant to tell players that they should or shouldn't equip the item if they couldn't read the stats) that had literally the exact same stats as items with no stars that I received in the first 10 minutes of the game. In all reality, gear and items are pointless and may as well have not even existed. With the exception of switching your weapon out occasionally, items were pointless.

    Combat was completely redundant and boring. You can (I did it) literally defeat the entire game by pressing 1 button. All of your talents and stats, as I said before, are largely irrelevant. The cross-class combo system was broken and awkward, and the lack of spells and abilities with any substance made combat absolutely painful to participate in.

    The overall visuals were appealing, and the voice acting was fairly well executed. The storyline, companion development, and scope of the game however, were absolutely terrible. They used the same setting for the entirety of the game, recycling and reusing about 6 environment maps (yes, the actual same maps, not the same texture sets, but the exact same floorplans) for the entire game. Let's recap. Terrible writing, terrible storyline, meaningless stats and talents, redundant and boring gameplay, redundant and recycled surroundings, and a completely unfinished ending with hundreds of loose ends and a lose/lose conflict. This game is quite possibly the worst sequel ever made. Shame on Bioware, they are better than this. DA3 is supposedly addressing the issues people like me have raised. Let's hope they do, because I loved the first game and am willing to try again with the 3rd.    … Expand
  58. DurzoBlint
    Jan 14, 2012
    0
    Dragon Age 2 is more than just rushed. It is openly contemptuous of the player. It's lazy. It's sexist. It's written by a team whose idea of high literature is a selection of "for teens" Buffy novels. There's nothing here of merit. The combat is completely bereft of anything resembling depth, and the endless waves of reinforcements that spawn from nowhere serve only to remind you howDragon Age 2 is more than just rushed. It is openly contemptuous of the player. It's lazy. It's sexist. It's written by a team whose idea of high literature is a selection of "for teens" Buffy novels. There's nothing here of merit. The combat is completely bereft of anything resembling depth, and the endless waves of reinforcements that spawn from nowhere serve only to remind you how little the developers think of you and what they believe it takes to keep you entertained. The story railroads the player and renders all their decisions irrelevant, without actually achieving anything while doing so, as most linear games will at least attempt to do. Don't trust the sycophantic paid-for reviews: Dragon Age 2 is not worth your time or your money.… Expand
  59. Jiyeon
    Dec 12, 2011
    0
    This game is just shocking. I played through it once when it came out and I was so angry by the way the game was and the ending in particular that I put the game aside and never touched it again. I recently decided to give it another shot but I find myself remembering exactly why I got so angry at it in the first place. The battle system had the potential to be great but it just feltThis game is just shocking. I played through it once when it came out and I was so angry by the way the game was and the ending in particular that I put the game aside and never touched it again. I recently decided to give it another shot but I find myself remembering exactly why I got so angry at it in the first place. The battle system had the potential to be great but it just felt choppy/buggy and way to easy. My biggest gripe though out of everything was lack of companion interaction (specially on the romance end). I loved DA:O as I got so invested into my characters and the relationships/friendships they formed. In DA2 I felt no love or care towards any of my companions, even Anders who I loved in DA : Awakening (who might I add had the worst personality transplant in game history). The ending though is the biggest WTF slap in the face ever. I remember sitting watching the event that had just taken place and I was dumbstruck (for lack of better word to explain it). The game just feels disjointed with the same boring backdrop, lack of story and dialouge to be honest it almost felt like it wasn't even part of the same series. I try to forget DA 2 exists, I just hope in the future EA/Bioware take heed of our complaints on this game and go back to what made Dragon Age great. Why fix something thats not broken?… Expand
  60. krammerlock
    Dec 28, 2011
    0
    Horrible betrayal of their fans and just plain stupid business decision. This games adds nothing new of note and changes much of what was loved by fans. Without a story to propel you through the dungeons, there is no reason to be excited by the game play.
  61. Starfucr
    Mar 14, 2012
    0
    I loved Dragon Age but I do not recognize the game anymore. What is this? Its a disgrace. I want to meet Morrigan again, I want to feel something. This is crap. Btw, I managed to play 10 minutes before i had to turn it off. Who the fsck was the project manager of this game? The person should never ever work with games again . ever. and ever. yeah. its not a very serious soundingI loved Dragon Age but I do not recognize the game anymore. What is this? Its a disgrace. I want to meet Morrigan again, I want to feel something. This is crap. Btw, I managed to play 10 minutes before i had to turn it off. Who the fsck was the project manager of this game? The person should never ever work with games again . ever. and ever. yeah. its not a very serious sounding review. But im just too disappointed to be rational at this point… Expand
  62. tazz29
    Jun 15, 2015
    0
    This is one of the worst games I've played. Repeated dungeons/landscapes that made me question whether I'd already played the quest before, cliche characters, a story arc containing you to a predetermined outcome, weak, Twlight-ish dialogue that sounds like it's straight from Creative writing Beginners class, and you can't even customize characters' armour, other than for Hawke. I stoppedThis is one of the worst games I've played. Repeated dungeons/landscapes that made me question whether I'd already played the quest before, cliche characters, a story arc containing you to a predetermined outcome, weak, Twlight-ish dialogue that sounds like it's straight from Creative writing Beginners class, and you can't even customize characters' armour, other than for Hawke. I stopped half way and uninstalled it. Dragon Age Origins is superior in every way.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

44
#44 Best PS3 Game of 2011
7
#7 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2011
80
#80 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 52 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 52
  3. Negative: 0 out of 52
  1. GamingExcellence
    Aug 3, 2011
    85
    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.
    Read full review
  2. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    May 27, 2011
    80
    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]
  3. Gamers' Temple
    May 16, 2011
    85
    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.
    Read full review
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