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. odderking
    Aug 23, 2023
    9
    A incredibly underrated game. A lot of people complain about the combat, but I actually prefer it to origins, I feel like I’m in control. Also I absolutely love the characters. I think it’s definitely a game worth your time.
  2. Awanka
    Jul 3, 2022
    8
    The Dragon Age you know and love with an updated combat system. The combat is polarizing. It's much more action-oriented and difficult than Origins. You either love it or hate it. Enemies attack in multiple waves, and healing is very limited, forcing the player to manage resources carefully. I personally love hard combat, so it was a plus for me.

    The story is also controversial,    The Dragon Age you know and love with an updated combat system. The combat is polarizing. It's much more action-oriented and difficult than Origins. You either love it or hate it. Enemies attack in multiple waves, and healing is very limited, forcing the player to manage resources carefully. I personally love hard combat, so it was a plus for me.

    The story is also controversial, because it's not the usual save the world trope. The story follows a family just trying to get by after being forced to be refugees from the Dark Spawn invasion. They then get caught up in the major events of the city of Kirkwall that they fled to. Again, I personally dislike cliched stories, so it was a positive in my book.

    Negatives are that they reuse a lot of areas for exploration and combat. The other party characters aren't as memorable or interesting as the Bioware standard.    … Expand
  3. Kvantaliani03
    Nov 20, 2021
    4
    rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
  4. mxnu54
    Aug 12, 2021
    10
    Its really not that bad, obviously Origins was better but its still an extremely good Western Fantasy RPG with very good combat, this game is not a 4.4 lol. The Console Version is very good.
  5. FidelGastro
    Apr 22, 2021
    8
    Its hard to believe how much better this game is than Origins. This game is unfortunately so underrated.
    Yes, i know... world in this game is so smaller than in Origins, quest locations are repetitive. But hey... thanks to that this game is more dynamic than first one. its simplyfied, so everyone can enjoy it right now. You dont have plan on paper how you are going to spend your ability    Its hard to believe how much better this game is than Origins. This game is unfortunately so underrated.
    Yes, i know... world in this game is so smaller than in Origins, quest locations are repetitive. But hey... thanks to that this game is more dynamic than first one. its simplyfied, so everyone can enjoy it right now. You dont have plan on paper how you are going to spend your ability points. Skill tree is clear and understandable. Its shame that you can equip with armor and weapons you find only yourself, because all your buddies have their set of armor which you cant change.

    In the end i must say that this game was a big surprise. Im kinda surprised that this game has only 4.4 rating. But i can understand how these ultra-fans could be dissapointed. So from my side its decent game with 8/10 rating.    … Expand
  6. Prink34320
    Dec 19, 2020
    9
    A truly underrated sequel to the wonder that was Dragon Age: Origins. Although I do agree that the game fails to match up with its predecessor in many ways - from player choice practically being ignored to reusing many areas and enemies, the game still manages to be a thoroughly immersing and enjoyable experience.

    Although Hawke, the game's protagonist cannot be as well-defined as the    A truly underrated sequel to the wonder that was Dragon Age: Origins. Although I do agree that the game fails to match up with its predecessor in many ways - from player choice practically being ignored to reusing many areas and enemies, the game still manages to be a thoroughly immersing and enjoyable experience.

    Although Hawke, the game's protagonist cannot be as well-defined as the protagonist in Origins, having a definitive background allows Hawke to be have the most personal storyline, as opposed to being isolated from the narrative as a savior archetype. Not only that, but Hawke themselves is a very personable character, whose personality can be defined and redefined by the dialogue choices you make, which do have some impact in dialogue and subplots.

    Furthermore, restricting the game to a singular location allows you to have a more personable experience with the location, as opposed to simply stopping by for a few hours to save everyone, you experience what life is in Thedas, and you see how the narrative in the world around you progresses.

    The narrative, although being my least favorite aspect of this game, especially due to the game's third act and how it handles the overarching conflict, still manages to be immersive - out of every Dragon Age game and DLC, this is the only game that has made me legitimately cry because the game managed to make me care about its more minor characters.

    The gameplay is also the most enjoyable in the series. Some do not enjoy the more fast-paced and action packed change of style, but it personally made the game's combat more enjoyable for me - Dragon Age is partially notorious for having rather bland gameplay, and Dragon Age: II provides the most enjoyable combat experience.

    Finally, the characters are what truly make this game my favorite of the series. Not only are there practically no restrictions of who you can romance - a win for player-choice and homosexual gamers, but your relationship with the characters is more three-dimensional, as you can either be a friend or a rival to them, and in both instances you can romance the character, leading to a lovey dovey romance, or a toxic relationship. The best part about the new relationship system is how rivalries might actually be better for those characters, as friendships often enable them to do dangerous things, whilst rivalries can prompt a change in perspective.

    Dragon Age: II is truly an underrated gem, despite all of its flaws, much like Origins was despite its flaws.    … Expand
  7. storygamer
    Sep 1, 2020
    6
    After the terrific predecessor, I was very hyped about the release of Dragon Age II. Storytelling is great and the fights are really decent. But this game has many flaws. It really doesn`t feel like a RPG, because many elements, that made the first game so precious were canceled. Sad to see how good ideas turn out to be disappointing. Ok, but nothing special...
  8. NxtDoc
    Jul 20, 2020
    10
    Dragon Age II is a great story. With a great supporting cast.. Just like Mass Effect 2 (and eventually 3) before it.. Broware clearly wanted to make Dragon Age II for a more casual action oriented audience. And so it does take a slight step back as far as world building. But Dragon Age 2 does still have plenty of charm
  9. Kzart
    May 20, 2020
    2
    The whole game is awful and not fun at all, I really tried to like it but to no avail. At least I bought it while it was in promotion.
  10. Jonas2301
    Oct 12, 2019
    10
    In my opinion this is probably the most underrated game I've ever played. Ignore the negative scores, the game has flaws, but they're mostly trivial, and the great writing, fun combat, and amazing cast more than makes up for it. I legitimately can't recommend this game enough, it's so sad that people are too stupid to appreciate an awesome game like this just because it's different thanIn my opinion this is probably the most underrated game I've ever played. Ignore the negative scores, the game has flaws, but they're mostly trivial, and the great writing, fun combat, and amazing cast more than makes up for it. I legitimately can't recommend this game enough, it's so sad that people are too stupid to appreciate an awesome game like this just because it's different than its predecessor.… Expand
  11. Leontorres7
    Nov 15, 2018
    2
    Thus is a terrible game, it is evident the developers did not care about it, just avoid it and play something else.
  12. BigEvilSquirrel
    Aug 12, 2018
    6
    3 out of 5.
    Dragon Age II suffers from either being rushed, laziness, or both. Environment assets are reused so much it becomes painfully obvious. Enter a cave, and it’s the same map as the previous cave. Gameplay is fun, I really enjoyed playing as a mage. I do recommend giving it a play, but not at full retail.
  13. SrPepe
    Oct 30, 2017
    7
    Más que Dragon Age II, este juego parece el capítulo 1 de Dragon Age Inquisition. La única mejora frente a la primer entrega es el combate, que es más llevadero. Por lo demás decepcionante. Buen juego, muy mal Dragon Age.
  14. WardenofSilence
    Jul 4, 2017
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. DA2 is one game I cannot understand why people defend as being good.

    Hawke is a refugee fleeing from the Blight to Kirkwall, a dreadfully dull, ugly, and unchanging (despite time jumps) city. Hawke is a human and has a set family this time around, cutting down roleplaying potential and replay value. Others argue the game is more personal, but it really isn’t. Your mother is one of the blandest characters in the game, your siblings barely show up after Act1, and nothing you do ever makes any sort of real impact. Your personality is defined by your most used dialogue choice (diplomatic, sarcastic, and aggressive).

    The main plot is broken up into three parts. Act 1: Getting money for the deep roads expectation. Act 2: Dealing with the Qunari. Act 3: Dealing with the Mages/Templars. While Qunari and Mage/Templar plotlines bleed into the previous acts, each act tries to have an end goal surrounding its focused area. Unfortunately, none of them really get the needed depth or time to become good plots. And the awkward pacing at times weakens the overall story structure. The cast isn’t that great. Most companions have a sort of personality trait that defines their entire character, with very few other traits being explored.

    The writing can be laughable at times, despite the fanbase calling it gold. There are moments the make no sense or break established lore. In one instance, you can tell a former slave that “slaves are useful” after getting your own slave in front of him. This would be fine until you can continue to have a relationship with said character. You can even sell him back into slavery, and have another character who hates slavery, approve of it (this could be hypocritical instead of bad writing, depending on the outlook). In another instance, you can refuse to give an item that is completely needed to do a ritual to your companion, only to find out she can do it anyway, despite saying she absolutely needed it. Despite the city being one of the most controlling of mages in the world, you can go the majority of the game as a Mage, which the Templars admit to knowing about, with complete freedom, which is silly. One character might kidnap one of your companions because he thinks you might be against the mages, despite the possibility of you siding with the mages the entire game, something he was often there for. At the end, it is possible for you to save every mage in the Circle, yet the cutscene shows all of them dead, which cases a significant character to go mad and fight you.The mages you encounter are constantly Blood Mages, crazy, or both, which makes trying to build sympathy for them a pain. The final main choice is a complete 180 of this, having you either kill an entire group that didn’t do anything, or defend them. Because that is real hard, morally grey choice.

    Gameplay is a mess. You have your traditional three classes to choose from, and an improved talent/spell tree that allows freedom. However, this is dragged down by the awful level design and enemy placement. The levels, in addition to repeating all the time (with poor attempts by BioWare to hide this fact) and being dreadfully ugly much of the time (which kills your enjoyment of going anywhere), are poorly constricted. Enemies (most of which are completely generic and offer little thought to how to counter them) spawn in waves, just appearing from the sky, which completely defeats the purpose of planning ahead for a given encounter. Often times, this coupled with the often tight places where you fight, can leave you having to kill your entire party just to survive. The game can get hard not because of true challenge, but because it has bad design. Even the most exciting quests (not much besides fetch quests are memorable) get dull and tedious.

    RPG elements have been removed in various ways. First, Skills are completely gone. Things like Persuasion are now depended on class, personality type, and who you have in your party. Second, dialogue, now being voiced, has much less dialogue options to choose from, and most of them leading to the same end goal. Gone are the days of Origins where you can piss off a companion to where they refuse to talk to you about something. Third, Companion armor is no longer controllable, with each companion having their set look that serves one function. Forth, not all companions have access to the same trees, despite being the same classes (Anders can have Creation but Merril can’t). These last two points limit each companion into a set role, and while you could argue it is to make them more unique, it limits the overall freedom the player has.

    Fans often say it tried to be different, which makes it good. But trying and succeeding are not the same. DA2 failed in all of its important ways. This game deserves to be remembered as a complete failure, that hopefully gamers and developers can look at to remember that we deserve better. This game is simply awful.    … Expand
  15. Juras
    Mar 16, 2017
    4
    Poorest ever graphics, Kirkwall, dungeon, poorest ever graphics, Kirkwall, same dungeon (almost), poorest ever graphics, Kirkwall, same dungeon (almost), poorest ever graphics, Kirkwall, same dungeon (almost), poorest ever graphics, Kirkwall, same dungeon (almost), poorest ever graphics, Kirkwall, same dungeon (almost), poorest ever graphics, Kirkwall, same dungeon (almost), jedi, ending.
  16. Lycanthropunk
    Oct 1, 2016
    6
    Dragon Age: Origins is still one of my all time favourite games. A RPG for grown-ups. Adult themes, brilliant story, the best characters and voice acting ever and it packed an emotional punch. Dragon Age II however is a sad example of the current trend of dumbing down a genre which should never be dumbed down. I know developers want their games to appeal to as wide a range of gamer asDragon Age: Origins is still one of my all time favourite games. A RPG for grown-ups. Adult themes, brilliant story, the best characters and voice acting ever and it packed an emotional punch. Dragon Age II however is a sad example of the current trend of dumbing down a genre which should never be dumbed down. I know developers want their games to appeal to as wide a range of gamer as possible to maximise sales, but if in doing so you alienate your origiinal fan base, then you are a capitalist douchebag. This game is a prime example. In it's own right it is still a good RPG, and one I still enjoyed playing (hence my score), but as a sequel to one of the greatest games of all time, it is a travesty. A decent RPG SHOULD be for a niche market- it's for gamers who want a whole lot more from a game than the simple sport of amassing huge numbers of headshots in every FPS ever released. The same thing happened with Mass Effect 3. Stop it already! I want depth and options, good story and characters in a RPG, and this provides none of that.… Expand
  17. MetaRogue
    Oct 14, 2015
    5
    Dragon Age 2 is definite departure from the original, but there are no good connotations to this statement. The meditated button pressing from Origins has transformed into mindless button mashing as you orchestrate your character's attack on enemies. Your character also has a preset identity who is horribly named 'Hawke', a hang over from the Mass Effect series.

    Map traversal hasn't    Dragon Age 2 is definite departure from the original, but there are no good connotations to this statement. The meditated button pressing from Origins has transformed into mindless button mashing as you orchestrate your character's attack on enemies. Your character also has a preset identity who is horribly named 'Hawke', a hang over from the Mass Effect series.

    Map traversal hasn't changed and the characters are predictably dull like before. The only praise that the game can receive is that it continues the story (woefully at that).

    In the end, DA2 is the only RPG that is loosely affiliated with the genre.    … Expand
  18. RVallant
    Aug 27, 2015
    1
    Where DA:O set up the foundations of a solid, fantasy cliche'd RPG, Dragon Age 2 tears it down and creates a game that draws inspiration from social recluses with no writing ability whatsoever.

    Characters are a running joke, the plot is ridiculous, contradicting itself or allowing itself to break immersion frequently. The art style of Origin has been destroyed in favour of a    Where DA:O set up the foundations of a solid, fantasy cliche'd RPG, Dragon Age 2 tears it down and creates a game that draws inspiration from social recluses with no writing ability whatsoever.

    Characters are a running joke, the plot is ridiculous, contradicting itself or allowing itself to break immersion frequently. The art style of Origin has been destroyed in favour of a 're-imaging', and every race now has a default normal 'accent' from various countries. There is so much ret-conning going on, that it is clear the writers have lost touch with the foundations of Origin. (Google: Dragon Age 2 memes', particularly in relation to Gaider and feel free to be in awe of how immature and childish the lead writer and his team are... It is astounding, any 'plot holes' have been declared as the players fault as the writing is perfect..)

    Combat has been dumbed down, the developers wanted you to 'press a button and awesome sauce happens' (google, it's a real quote) with enemies teleporting in from absolutely nowhere, essentially killing combat tactics and immersion.

    Effectively, while a lot of people blame EA for killing the Origin series with this utter tripe of a game, -and they certainly are at fault for rushing this copy/past dungeon game out of the door - the problem lies in the socially awkward writers, who think waving a schlong in the air will cause romantic feeling to be evoked between a tree and a chicken. An utter travesty, just don't waste your money.    … Expand
  19. AriseAndBe
    Aug 5, 2015
    7
    The battle system is a great improvement over the original game. That's really all that improved in this game. The characters were okay but I preferred the ones from Origins. The story was actually quite boring and when you compare the two games in this department, II doesn't even come close. Also, the choices you make in this game have a dramatically reduced effect on the outcome ofThe battle system is a great improvement over the original game. That's really all that improved in this game. The characters were okay but I preferred the ones from Origins. The story was actually quite boring and when you compare the two games in this department, II doesn't even come close. Also, the choices you make in this game have a dramatically reduced effect on the outcome of the game which was disappointing.… Expand
  20. 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
  21. DeusXCom
    Feb 21, 2015
    7
    After hearing extreme negative criticism from all sides, I was avoiding this title for a long time, but I loved Dragon Age: Origins and I wanted to experience this one before going into Inquisition, at least for the sake of lore and story, so I finally gave it a spin. It's not as tragically bad as everyone says, but the problem is that when you're making a sequel, especially when you're aAfter hearing extreme negative criticism from all sides, I was avoiding this title for a long time, but I loved Dragon Age: Origins and I wanted to experience this one before going into Inquisition, at least for the sake of lore and story, so I finally gave it a spin. It's not as tragically bad as everyone says, but the problem is that when you're making a sequel, especially when you're a company such as Bioware, people expect it to be better, to make some improvements, to go further, to be bigger. Unfortunately, Dragon Age 2 is worse than Origins in basically every single aspect. Huge world full of various beautiful places and cities to go and explore has been shrank into 1 single city and it's surroundings. Not only that, most of the locations are heavily reused and repeated, so you're visiting the same few places all over again? What the hell happened? Perfectly functional inventory management with tons of beautifully hand-drawn pictures for every single item has been massacred into a simple consolized interface, with only same simple visual signs for items, or only text descriptions. Again, what happened? Character creation, one of the best things about Origins, where you could really tailor your character, including it's race and origin, which affected the starting of your game has been again radically dumbed down into simple choice Warrior/Mage/Rogue and your start is always the same. Open world feeling where you can go anywhere has been changed to pretty strict linearity. Challenging and complex tactical battles has been crippled into what is now basically a mindless hack'n'slash button masher. You can clearly see why scores for this title are so tragic, because nobody coming from Origins to this could have been satisfied with this. Fortunately, I came to this expecting the worst and hoping to enjoy the story and I did. I like the more personal approach, Origins was basically typical saving the world type cliche, so I'm glad this is a bit different, some quests were fun. Characters, while not as strong as in Origins were also well-written. Overall, going into DA2 to enjoy the story is not a bad idea, just avoid comparing it to Origins and thinking about how much worse this is. 6/10… Expand
  22. johncol
    Jan 14, 2015
    9
    I played Dragon Age II after having read a lot of bad reviews and I don't think they are well deserved. I mean, the combat style is someway different, much more faster, the creation of your character is highly influenced by the default one that is presented in the trailer and the development of some companions is not as deep as you would expect.

    Given my personal preferences, what I    I played Dragon Age II after having read a lot of bad reviews and I don't think they are well deserved. I mean, the combat style is someway different, much more faster, the creation of your character is highly influenced by the default one that is presented in the trailer and the development of some companions is not as deep as you would expect.

    Given my personal preferences, what I didn't like was all these events related to some companions who you don't even care about; they just appear in the story and decide to be part of it. It just don't fit. On the other hand, their personalities are clearly defined and are much easier to understand, so you are capable of maximizing your friendship or you rivalry.

    And again, just like in Origins, the story is well developed. A nice bonus here is that you can load your save-data from Origins, so the game is adapted to some of the decisions you took there.    … Expand
  23. The_Arkiteck
    Jan 9, 2015
    3
    This game is going down in my books as one of the worst games i've ever played, which is quite funny since the first game is one of my favorite games i've ever played, the only reason i've given it more than a 1 is because it gave some good filler lore between origins and inquisition.
  24. TheDestroyer
    Nov 24, 2014
    3
    Oh no! You'd have to pay me to play this game again! This is what I'm supposed to review next, to deem whither it's buy-able or should be destroyed. Well I say **** the review! My experience was so bad that I don't need to relieve these nightmarish memories. So instead of a review: you're all going to get an angry rant! **** this game!

    Right off the bat, it breaks it's Dragon Age    Oh no! You'd have to pay me to play this game again! This is what I'm supposed to review next, to deem whither it's buy-able or should be destroyed. Well I say **** the review! My experience was so bad that I don't need to relieve these nightmarish memories. So instead of a review: you're all going to get an angry rant! **** this game!

    Right off the bat, it breaks it's Dragon Age formula by cloning Mass Effect's conversation wheel into the game, and revealing the results of your options through icons. It even displays what the icons are in the official manual of Dragon Age II; leaving no mystery or excitement through any of the conversation options you pick. But it get's worse.. the torture continues to grow when you learned that even a monkey with brain damage could complete the game. All you have to do is mash a button, and you win! That's it! There's no strategy or tactics for survival. There's no fear in combat when you go against a giant ogre! What's the point of having a tactics menu when you don't need to implore them? Scratch that -- What's the point of this game???

    Let's see what else went wrong here...
    - You're in the same ******* city the entire game!
    - There is no exploration! You see this big island, and you wanna go look around, but you only get to visit a few of the areas! And the areas given to you are small, and often blocked off with invisible walls!! What's worse is you visit the same locations 5 or 6 times the entire game, sometimes 10! And that's not even the dungeons...
    - Many dungeons in this game are a copy/paste. You visit the same areas the entire game, and Bioware has the nerve to give each dungeon a separate name.
    - Hawke is constantly babysitting their family, their friends, and catering to people they've only known for 10 seconds! You will feel less & less involved in the story as it progresses, and almost all characters have no personality and are otherwise boring!
    - The graphics have gotten worse!
    - The soundtrack has no memorable tunes!
    - The weapon & armor customization is teasing you! You can design your own attire, but can't design the rest of your party's attire.
    - Romance serves no purpose in this game.
    - The voice cast sucks!
    - The entire game is one big chore to play!
    - Importing has little impact from the decisions you made from the previous game.
    - Story battles that are supposed to be epic are hyped in the wrong proportion.

    I hate this game! And I wish Bioware never published it! They really messed it up this time! And I have no idea what else to say without revealing spoilers. -Sigh- Does it do anything right? Hardly! All they did was make it playable for everyone, which also is a fault in itself. The entire game just feels rushed because of a deadline. You'll feel like it should be so much more, but it's just going to crash your dreams. This game should just be avoided entirely, or used as a future example for gaming companies on what you should not do in an rpg game. The positives in this game are over-encumbered by the negatives, and it's just not worth it. I won't waste any more time with this flopped game. Buy it if you want, but I guarantee it's going to sour your experience.    … Expand
  25. bigboss1964
    Oct 20, 2014
    7
    Dragon Age II

    Game-play:The game play in this game is great even an improvement from the first game i could say the combat is fast and you have the control over it this was my only complain from the Dragon Age :Origins but the new spells and skills are very disappointing. Story:The story is not so bad it has its moments but the character development is crap here the only interesting    Dragon Age II

    Game-play:The game play in this game is great even an improvement from the first game i could say the combat is fast and you have the control over it this was my only complain from the Dragon Age :Origins but the new spells and skills are very disappointing.

    Story:The story is not so bad it has its moments but the character development is crap here the only interesting people in the game are the protagonist Hawke and Varric.The ending sucks.The story will take you about 24 to 26 hours and with the sides about 36 to 38.

    Graphics:A small improvement but nothing special.

    Notes:The side quests are nice and interesting, i did not like that you can not choose the race of your character.The game is good if you are a RPG fun you should buy it but if you are a hardcore Dragon age fun you probably will be disappointed by the changes but i am fin of the first game and i do like this one as well but the first was surly better than this one.buy it especially when the price drops.    … Expand
  26. Kai82
    Sep 13, 2014
    7
    It is not a terrible game but compared to Dragon Age it is a decline on nearly all levels. The game fells rushed and the main story ends abrupt. The good things are as in nearly all Bioware games the characters. They are all interesting and I always stopped to listen when they starting conversations. Varric and Isabella are always funny. The main story is O.K nether bad or a masterpiece.It is not a terrible game but compared to Dragon Age it is a decline on nearly all levels. The game fells rushed and the main story ends abrupt. The good things are as in nearly all Bioware games the characters. They are all interesting and I always stopped to listen when they starting conversations. Varric and Isabella are always funny. The main story is O.K nether bad or a masterpiece. The side quests are more interesting and better than in the original Dragon Age. Also the dialog wheel is an improvement. On the bad side the graphic looks dated, the locations were recycled over and over and the battle system was switched to action instead of strategy. Overall 2 additional years of programming would have improved this game a lot.… Expand
  27. beeblebrox
    Aug 1, 2014
    8
    Not as good as the first installment of the series. The plot wasn't as epic as in DAO, but considering the canon it is quite understandable. The graphics were improved, the characters were interesting and the battles were still cool. The continuous re-utilization of areas, however, was really annoying.
  28. SyrupForDragons
    Jun 13, 2014
    7
    No clue why people hated this game so much. I personally didn't much care for Origins the 1st time I tried it b/c I couldn't stand its combat, so when I heard 2's combat was more action oriented, I had to try it out. I'm happy to report that I liked it & it got me back into the series. Sure, the game is a bit more linear than it should & everything takes place in pretty much the same area,No clue why people hated this game so much. I personally didn't much care for Origins the 1st time I tried it b/c I couldn't stand its combat, so when I heard 2's combat was more action oriented, I had to try it out. I'm happy to report that I liked it & it got me back into the series. Sure, the game is a bit more linear than it should & everything takes place in pretty much the same area, but I'm willing to overlook these shortcomings for the game's improved combat & wonderful followers. My only real complain is that I wish there was more of a main story, as the game definitely lacked focus.… Expand
  29. zanatadrummer
    Apr 28, 2014
    10
    All this people say this game is bad, but if you compare to other in the same genre, Dragon Age are too better than others.
    Of course for me DA origins is unbeatable, but Origins is Origins and DA2 is DA2 ...
    If u dont like go to play these Japanese RPG.
  30. diehard-gamer
    Mar 25, 2014
    9
    Very, very good.

    I played dragon age 2 soon after completing the Mass Effect Trilogy and, in my opinion DA2 is every bit as good as Mass Effect. Bioware are prety much masters of story driven RPGs and DA 2 is no exception. Good story, good characters, interesting choices and fun from start to end. Technically the graphics and audio are good - closer to Amalur than Skyrim. As are    Very, very good.

    I played dragon age 2 soon after completing the Mass Effect Trilogy and, in my opinion DA2 is every bit as good as Mass Effect.

    Bioware are prety much masters of story driven RPGs and DA 2 is no exception. Good story, good characters, interesting choices and fun from start to end.

    Technically the graphics and audio are good - closer to Amalur than Skyrim. As are the movement and combat mechanics.

    The camera angle is different to the ME series with you looking a bit further away from the characters - but then you're not 'iron sight' aiming firearms.    … Expand
  31. the_blueprint
    Dec 17, 2013
    2
    Almost as bad as the first one this game does the exact same thing: very engaging at first and challenging and at one point the difficulty peaks so high it becomes impossible to get past it.
  32. rohbi
    Nov 2, 2013
    7
    I'm probably the only one who thinks this but I thought that Dragon Age II is actually an improvement over Dragon Age: Origins in a few ways; and I actually am enjoying the time I'm spending in the game right now. For one, I think the combat is better, I still think it is a little boring but it fits within the mechanics of the game. The graphics are better, the game is much moreI'm probably the only one who thinks this but I thought that Dragon Age II is actually an improvement over Dragon Age: Origins in a few ways; and I actually am enjoying the time I'm spending in the game right now. For one, I think the combat is better, I still think it is a little boring but it fits within the mechanics of the game. The graphics are better, the game is much more comfortable to look at here on the PS3 than Origins. Some may complain about the story and I agree that it is not as exciting as the story in Origins but the story here picks up faster than in Origins and generally it is engaging. I actually want to continue playing just to see what happens with Lord Jayford Hawke and his companions. On the downside, the environment that you spend the game in is horrible and it is boring, Kirkwall is interesting to explore at first but it gets tiresome after a few hours, and the outside and cave levels are all copy and paste and it reminds me of Halo: Combat Evolved. I'm shocked that Bioware didn't spend more time here to make better environments to match what they wanted in a exciting story and character driven game. This game gets a 7, it's good, but it could have been so much better.… Expand
  33. BajanMaster
    Sep 7, 2013
    4
    This game had potential to be much better than it was. There is a series of problems within the game, one of them being you can't continue playing once you've played the story to completion, a story where the ending doesn't make sense and repetitive combat which gets boring after the tenth fight you've had. The disappointing of dragons in the game and the lack of customization of yourThis game had potential to be much better than it was. There is a series of problems within the game, one of them being you can't continue playing once you've played the story to completion, a story where the ending doesn't make sense and repetitive combat which gets boring after the tenth fight you've had. The disappointing of dragons in the game and the lack of customization of your party. The game has no memorable moments and has no replay ability, the environment feels stale and lacking. There's no open world movement if you want to travel its just another loading screen, quests were difficult to find and when you completed one there was no sense of accomplishment. Overall this game is shallow and dull with an uninteresting story and could hardly be called a role-playing game as it was more similar to a hack n slash games.… Expand
  34. hcurrie7
    May 5, 2013
    10
    I know a lot of the Dragon Age fans did not like this game. I thought it was great. It is different but still one of the greatest games I have ever played. Choices you make actually do affect the game. I like the fighting much better than DA1. I was not as fond of my companions but the others were so great it is hard to compete. Still all in all this is a great game and great story.
  35. Yukari
    May 4, 2013
    6
    Dragon Age II is a huge disappointment, especially after the epic DA:Origins. Well to begin with good things...the combat system improved, and the graphics are better. And now the bad things, beside the graphics been better the environment and background are so simple that is stupid for a game like this, tha characters are not epic and fun anymore, they are all very winy and don't haveDragon Age II is a huge disappointment, especially after the epic DA:Origins. Well to begin with good things...the combat system improved, and the graphics are better. And now the bad things, beside the graphics been better the environment and background are so simple that is stupid for a game like this, tha characters are not epic and fun anymore, they are all very winy and don't have much of a personality the only one that is an exception is Varric (thank god of the dwarfs). The story is so basic and not that memorable and what you will be doing in the entire game is babysitting and clean the streets from thieves and not much else, even the boss battles are not that amazing.… Expand
  36. thatkid1995
    Feb 6, 2013
    7
    A fantastic RPG experience. There are several negatives, however. The reuse of dungeons is very annoying. Really I would've prefered to wait another 6 months or so for BioWare to finish it rather than have it as it is. The story is quite good and kept me involved for a good 30 hours. The combat is deep and involving and the characters are all well written and interesting.
  37. gmpawesomeness
    Feb 6, 2013
    6
    I have mixed feelings about this game. I love Bioware and think they make amazing games. I enjoy the options you have and the dialogue. It has an interesting combat system although its wierd to use. I personally found it hard to get interested in the game, I hope if they make another one they will make some improvements
  38. 6xdandangp
    Dec 29, 2012
    0
    I expected MUCH more. Dragon Age: Origins had an excellent concept and was much more enjoyable overall. This game definitely does not deserve to be part of the main series. The fact that you're forced to be in one town for most of the game shows how lazy EA is getting.
  39. X_Matt_X
    Nov 4, 2012
    3
    Loved the first one, but this is just too much. If you liked the first one you can't pretend to like this one, despite the hype that was involved. Overall a waste of time, not the same feeling.
  40. Blyzzard
    Nov 1, 2012
    2
    This is horrible. The only people who could possibly enjoy it are die-hard Bioware fans (and while I do like Bioware, I'm not blind to their wrongs). Horrible story, horrible characters, horrible gameplay, horrible dialogue-wheel, horrible recycled maps, horrible everything.
  41. Abstractpurpose
    Oct 31, 2012
    2
    Here lies an example of a company creating a product people liked and as it started getting more attention the company says...hey lets change the core of the game cause people liked it...we cant have that. The first thing youll notice is the graphics are better and your character has a voice. Ok thats fine and good. However the next thing you notice is....omg did it just turn into a hackHere lies an example of a company creating a product people liked and as it started getting more attention the company says...hey lets change the core of the game cause people liked it...we cant have that. The first thing youll notice is the graphics are better and your character has a voice. Ok thats fine and good. However the next thing you notice is....omg did it just turn into a hack and slash game? YES IT DID. And let me say thats not a good thing. Yes iys smoother yes it apoeals to a bigger audience but now youve shown your avid fanbase looking for more of what you made them love last time that you dont care. Hack and slash cuts out a wide array of combat options from the first game and this company doesnt make it as good as other hack and slash games. The fans buying this are doing so because they actually liked the last game is conversation and it lacks the depth and effect of the last game. I cant understand creating a increasingly popular game then changing the mechanics so badly. Even if you like the hacking and button mashing bioware still took something that was established and enjoyed and scrapped it. Its a poor buisness choice to gamble on the now established fans to be acceptant of them unestablishing the core game mechanics. Very dumb move

    Then theres the setting. From last game involving several cities and lots of travel they built this game around 1 city and an immediate surrounding area. The only thing that carried over from the last game is.c    … Expand
  42. MrRPG
    Sep 13, 2012
    6
    This is a fantastic game, I don't understand all the negativity towards it, simply because it's different to the first one, it's a great game in its own right, But I guess the people just wanted a shinier version of origins..

    The combat system is close to the same with a little more depth in the actual combat.. Characters are likable, but forgettable, this is one part where I will    This is a fantastic game, I don't understand all the negativity towards it, simply because it's different to the first one, it's a great game in its own right, But I guess the people just wanted a shinier version of origins..

    The combat system is close to the same with a little more depth in the actual combat..
    Characters are likable, but forgettable, this is one part where I will compare the 2, the characters of origin were some of the greatest and most memorable RPG characters of all time, while these ones won't take long to forget..

    The game is lengthy, the story is well written, and it's a lot of fun..
    If your not a fan boy, Hurrdurr different to Origins, definitely pick this title up..    … Expand
  43. Chris_DK
    Jul 8, 2012
    4
    Dragon Age II was a let down, I don't like that the game is being told through a completely new character as it was some storybook. In Dragon Age: Origins you were able to choose race and story setting unlike this sequel. The setting is also very boring, in the prequel you could travel to all kinds of different places but in this game you find yourself in a dull city called Kirkwall. TheDragon Age II was a let down, I don't like that the game is being told through a completely new character as it was some storybook. In Dragon Age: Origins you were able to choose race and story setting unlike this sequel. The setting is also very boring, in the prequel you could travel to all kinds of different places but in this game you find yourself in a dull city called Kirkwall. The storyline is boring and cliché, it doesn't live up to it's expectation and it does surpass it's predecessor. To make it even worse Bioware were so lazy they reused the same locations over and over again… Expand
  44. RKotick420
    May 15, 2012
    2
    Horribly optimized, casual RPG with forced homosexual romance scenes, brown and bloom, casualized RPG elements, bestiality, and all sorts of sick debauchery. I highly recommend NOT buying this piece of crap.
  45. Vorch
    May 3, 2012
    4
    This game was the first hint that Bioware would be taking player choices and then removing them entirely from the equation.

    They removed everything that was enjoyable about DA, scrapped your choices from the old game, and then charged you the full price...

    GG, Bioware.
  46. Nichtswisser
    Apr 24, 2012
    3
    Behold one of the worst sequels in history: Dragon Age 2, the adventure of Hawk in copy&paste Land. If you ever wanted to see serious recycling this is the game for you
  47. Kaden101
    Apr 22, 2012
    5
    Didn't expect much from this after seeing some of the user reviews, but managed to get hold of it cheap, & you know what, it wasn't bad, but could have been so much better.

    Pros : Good acting, & characters, mostly convincing dialogue. Okay companion missions. In my experience bug free, which is more than I can say for some RPG's. Cons : Disgustingly lazy & repetitive level design. They    Didn't expect much from this after seeing some of the user reviews, but managed to get hold of it cheap, & you know what, it wasn't bad, but could have been so much better.

    Pros : Good acting, & characters, mostly convincing dialogue. Okay companion missions. In my experience bug free, which is more than I can say for some RPG's. Cons : Disgustingly lazy & repetitive level design. They really cheaped out on this one using exactly the same levels for different locations, but just locked a few doors & opened some others. I saw in the credits when I finished this that there were 11 level designers/developers...they needed more. Main story - felt weak, & only held up due to the acting & characters. When I'd finished I just thought, is that it, wasn't very epic.

    Overall, it was a pleasant enough rpg, but not a patch on the first one. If you like a story for the dialogue & characters, you'll probably get on okay with it, otherwise it's probably not your cup of tea.

    I'd recommend it only if you can pick it cheap. I don't reckon it's worth £40 of anybodies money.    … Expand
  48. Bellicose
    Apr 10, 2012
    1
    Unbelievably disappointing. I can't fathom why they abandoned what proved to be an awesome style of game (Dragon Age Origins) in favour of generic garbage like this.
  49. skinny_mean_man
    Mar 26, 2012
    4
    if your a fan of the first game, there is a good chance you will not like this one very much. all of the original elements that made the first game great have been watered down. its more of a hack and slash experience which some may find better suited towards their tastes.

    i would give it a slightly higher score if it wasn't billed as a sequel to Origins. but the game has little to do    if your a fan of the first game, there is a good chance you will not like this one very much. all of the original elements that made the first game great have been watered down. its more of a hack and slash experience which some may find better suited towards their tastes.

    i would give it a slightly higher score if it wasn't billed as a sequel to Origins. but the game has little to do with original and , in my opinion, was just an attempt by bioware to turn the game into something more suited to a wider audience which in the end, ends up ruinining it for the games original fans.    … Expand
  50. dragonagefan
    Mar 23, 2012
    1
    This should have been a different game, they should have named something else like the "Swords of Kirkwall", this is nothing like the first one and I was stupid enough to preorder it, I wont preorder the next one until I know what Im buying
  51. 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
  52. Staf
    Mar 6, 2012
    1
    If this game was called anything but Dragon Age it would have been a pretty decent game. Now, i say that because i wouldn't have judged it as a RPG game but rather a action-adventure game. If the aim for this game was to create a good action-adventure game with some minor RPG elements and it wasn't called Dragon Age 2 i would have probably given it a 6.

    With Dragon Age origins BioWare had    If this game was called anything but Dragon Age it would have been a pretty decent game. Now, i say that because i wouldn't have judged it as a RPG game but rather a action-adventure game. If the aim for this game was to create a good action-adventure game with some minor RPG elements and it wasn't called Dragon Age 2 i would have probably given it a 6.

    With Dragon Age origins BioWare had a successful concept where they found a way to make a cRPG work not only on the PC but on consoles. This is something which can be confirmed by looking at the sales figures of Origins, which is among the highest in the company history. You would think that the natural approach to a sequel would be to take the same system as their very successful predecessor and do minor upgrades to the games flaws. Instead BioWare did a 180 and did not only removed the flaws of the first game but removed the very foundation that made it such a success.    … Expand
  53. Deiradinn
    Feb 28, 2012
    9
    To give a game a 0, you either have to moronic or completely biased some stupid reason... a third option just being clinically insane. 0 means the game is a complete mess, unplayable, glitches, severe anomalies and complete loss of design and function. People are stupid. Here's an honest review.

    It's more action oriented, it is no longer an MMORPG clone but an button command issued and    To give a game a 0, you either have to moronic or completely biased some stupid reason... a third option just being clinically insane. 0 means the game is a complete mess, unplayable, glitches, severe anomalies and complete loss of design and function. People are stupid. Here's an honest review.

    It's more action oriented, it is no longer an MMORPG clone but an button command issued and then they preform the attack. The design, literature, music, sound effects, character design and story are solid. How is this boring? If they're not fighting giant godlike monsters then I guess it's boring. It's more of a "your pace" kind of game. It doesn't throw myriads of locations at you all at once. Like real life adventure. It's up do you how the story progresses and the interactions of NPC's and your characters, which you can control if you choose to and some cases need to. I honestly don't see what the fuss is about. I love the game. Any RPG is redundant, how is assigning actions to a character in real time over automatically and hotkeys use an argument. I don't know, my opinion, people get their underwear in a bunch for no reason. Most of use have no idea how complex it is to even make a game, at all, beyond RPG maker and most fail horrible at that. So, stop being immature and rate it reasonably. Even Duke Nukem isn't that terrible. Rate it reasonably. I think if a game is clearly of worthy design, no major flaws, playable... then the option to rate it lower than a 5 shouldn't even be in your mind. Idiots think they know it all. Pfft.    … Expand
  54. gamerblue
    Feb 20, 2012
    10
    I want to start and say the bad press this game gets is simply bitter gamers who think video game companies "owe them something." This is not a bad game, not even close. Its actually a good game that just isnt as good as the first game. It does has it's redeeming qualities though. I love the fact the main character has a voice now (ala Shepard). The characters are just as strong as OriginsI want to start and say the bad press this game gets is simply bitter gamers who think video game companies "owe them something." This is not a bad game, not even close. Its actually a good game that just isnt as good as the first game. It does has it's redeeming qualities though. I love the fact the main character has a voice now (ala Shepard). The characters are just as strong as Origins as well (Bioware rocks at characters). The story is good, not great, but still has its redeeming qualities. Overall, I say this is still better then alot on the market and needs to be given its due.… Expand
  55. vixvicco
    Jan 26, 2012
    8
    People don't give credit where its due. This game is constantly compared to its predecessor, which makes the opinions very biased. This is legitimately a good game, and it does improve on its predecessor in many ways. Whilst the storyline is nothing special, it can hardly be called awful and the game itself is quite enjoyable. I recommend playing this game with an open mind, and especiallyPeople don't give credit where its due. This game is constantly compared to its predecessor, which makes the opinions very biased. This is legitimately a good game, and it does improve on its predecessor in many ways. Whilst the storyline is nothing special, it can hardly be called awful and the game itself is quite enjoyable. I recommend playing this game with an open mind, and especially to those who have not played the previous one (though I do recommend playing the previous one as well). This game has less glitches/bugs, improved inventory system, and whilst the characters are somewhat bland, it is an addictive game and may even have you playing it twice.… Expand
  56. 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
  57. Loco
    Jan 9, 2012
    1
    Dear EA.............We all know that you corrupt the poor developers who join your money-making operation, and I don't mind any more. I don't even care that you have sucked the soul out of Bioware, who used to be one of the best developers in the industry. It hurts, but I can deal with you killing talent in the way that you do. It's in your nature. I'm beyond complaining.............. ButDear EA.............We all know that you corrupt the poor developers who join your money-making operation, and I don't mind any more. I don't even care that you have sucked the soul out of Bioware, who used to be one of the best developers in the industry. It hurts, but I can deal with you killing talent in the way that you do. It's in your nature. I'm beyond complaining.............. But killing Dragon Age? After all the promise the first game had? All that potential, just wasted? Even you, EA, must recognise that you've crossed a line too far this time.............. So go ahead. Kill my favourite developers. Drain the life out of the whole industry if you have to. But leave Dragon Age alone. For the love of Ferelden, please, stop Mass Effect-ing what was once the greatest RPG franchise of this generation. Even you have to draw the line somewhere. -Loco… Expand
  58. herman_toothrot
    Jan 8, 2012
    9
    Dragon Age 2 is a solid, enjoyable game, especially, those new to RPG's or looking for something different to the generic FPS's, but as many before have pointed out, have failed to meet the needs of the hardcore RPG fans, due to it's linear nature, repetitive locations and simplified fighting mechanics. The story moves along at a nice pace and the dialogue from your main cohorts is theDragon Age 2 is a solid, enjoyable game, especially, those new to RPG's or looking for something different to the generic FPS's, but as many before have pointed out, have failed to meet the needs of the hardcore RPG fans, due to it's linear nature, repetitive locations and simplified fighting mechanics. The story moves along at a nice pace and the dialogue from your main cohorts is the best I have seen in any game. Around half way through the game I found myself picking my companions due to their personalities, rather than there skills with weapons. The fact that so much attention went into the script writing and actors is a superb addition to this game. If you're a gamer who skips past the dialogue sequence, then this isn't the game for you. But if you like fisting and dwarfs in drag references and smutty humor from your characters, then you might be pleasantry surprised, I know I was. Passed this game by when it first came out, due to the low metacritic score, but having played it, the user score of 3.9 does not reflect the actually quality of this game. Is it a quality RPG, no it's not but that does not stop it from being a great adventure game.… Expand
  59. 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.
  60. Rayjaya
    Dec 25, 2011
    2
    Within 20 minutes of starting up this game i was greeted with "one year later" this is not the last time i see this, and that one skipped year could have been more entertaining then this whole game combined. But we are not so fortunate. In fact you don`t really make a character at all, you have to play as a slightly modified pre made character, and for a series that became famous becauseWithin 20 minutes of starting up this game i was greeted with "one year later" this is not the last time i see this, and that one skipped year could have been more entertaining then this whole game combined. But we are not so fortunate. In fact you don`t really make a character at all, you have to play as a slightly modified pre made character, and for a series that became famous because of the ability to create YOUR character, Your way this is sad. and to add insult to injury you have almost the exact same selection then origins, same hair style (a few new ones that are awful), same tattoos, no other races though. The first third of this game is one long boring fetch quest after another, no story at all really, you need to get 50 gold coins, if you do all these pointless side quests you will spend 20 hours doing nothing. The characters you meet make no real sense, and seem to be disagreeable simply to seem deep, disapproving of any random choice that should have no down side, take on a quest and half your party hates you, usually the warriors. the developers tried to make the game "fresh" and succeeded in destroying any continuity that this game had to the series. Killed that guy? hes back! saved her? She's dead. and some races now have horns for some reason that is never explained. On top of this you spend the entire time in a city, and all backdrops areas and quest locations are reused to the point that it becomes disgusting. The combat is almost improved, faster but more boring, you will be hitting one button a billion times an hour simply because most other attacks are completely useless and may result in a game over screen. If they wanted an action rpg then they should have added a dodge button and a block, and gave it a different name. Also in many ways dragon age origins looked a lot better, the slums in this game have clean streets, and the character models look sad when trying to express emotion. And everyone has chubby faces.... This game is an insult to gamers, gaming and rpg's, and its clear that most reviews are payed, this game is awful. i want nothing more then to give this game a 0, it deserves less, much less.… Expand
  61. 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
  62. Rhino3
    Dec 9, 2011
    9
    Honestly, I don't understand why this game has gotten some much grief from people. I avoided buying this game because of the terrible user scores on here. The game is actually great, the story is good, gameplay is fun,(if you don't like constantly pressing the x button to attack you can toggle it in the options to attack when you just press x) and the way dialogue is chosen(and the factHonestly, I don't understand why this game has gotten some much grief from people. I avoided buying this game because of the terrible user scores on here. The game is actually great, the story is good, gameplay is fun,(if you don't like constantly pressing the x button to attack you can toggle it in the options to attack when you just press x) and the way dialogue is chosen(and the fact that your character is fully voice acted) is much more immersive. DA2 takes most of what DAO does and improves on it, and as expected from a Bioware game the characters are great; a lot of people complained about the characters for some reason, they are just like actual people who don't tell you every thing about themselves and don't wear their hearts on their sleeves like the first one. Despite being a great game it does do some things wrong; such as the repetitive environments, how the city just feels dead no matter what your doing, and the reworking of how some of the Darkspawn look. But don't be scared away by what the fanboys are crying about, if your looking for a fun game with a great story this would be it.… Expand
  63. Inuit_Dude
    Dec 3, 2011
    5
    i need to start off by saying i loved the first game and it is easily in my top 5 games for the PS3 and in the video game world sequals are usually better but that is defenatly not the case here. this game takes a big step back from the previous game in many ways for one they have taken out the combat system which was amazing and required strategy and thought and replaced with a buttoni need to start off by saying i loved the first game and it is easily in my top 5 games for the PS3 and in the video game world sequals are usually better but that is defenatly not the case here. this game takes a big step back from the previous game in many ways for one they have taken out the combat system which was amazing and required strategy and thought and replaced with a button mashing system which makes you sometimes forget to watch your companions health and they sometimes die. they have also taken out the RPG elemant that i loved you make one desicion in the begining and that is it, it doesnt even affect the story all that much. on top of all this is the fact that you can no longer talk to your followers except at thier home base which sucks alot. as well as all this they have gone and made all the items you pick up to only be used by certain characters which made no sense and i went for a while with some people having really crappy equipment and some with really good equipment that they couldnt use because they already had something alot better on. now that all that bad is out of the way if you havnt played the first one you will probably like this game though because it is still an alright game with good graphics colors and voice acting and i also liked how the decisions you made in origions afect this world if you can rent this game before you buy it to see if you will like it… Expand
  64. FThickett
    Nov 8, 2011
    5
    A colossal let down. Dragon Age: Origins was a lot of fun and really captured the brilliance of KOTOR in it's own way (the two are quite similar but not so much so that it's a rip off or something). The characters in DA2 are just bland and, usually, unlikeable. The quests make you wonder why you're even doing anything, I understand the story, why the characters are there, but the questsA colossal let down. Dragon Age: Origins was a lot of fun and really captured the brilliance of KOTOR in it's own way (the two are quite similar but not so much so that it's a rip off or something). The characters in DA2 are just bland and, usually, unlikeable. The quests make you wonder why you're even doing anything, I understand the story, why the characters are there, but the quests pile on so much that you're running so much at a time that it just becomes banal questing. Just a really poor quality sequel.… Expand
  65. Sci-Fi-Dude1456
    Nov 1, 2011
    8
    Now that I played Dragon Age 2 again except on PS3 ( I sold my xbox 360 version), Dragon Age 2 is a good game if you forgive that the combat is dumbed down. The story is decent and graphics are pretty good. I dont like the main character Hawke and I just want my Warden from the 1st game. Not as good as the 1st game but I recommend you to go rent it or buy it when its cheaper.
  66. Lac3dHit
    Oct 30, 2011
    3
    They tricked me with the Demo into buying this game on release. I loved Origins so I expected another quality title. As you start playing it just becomes insanely boring. The story line is bad, the characters are uninspiring, and even the zones put me to sleep. This was a rushed product with no love put into it. I can't even bring myself to complete it.
  67. magcakpro
    Oct 12, 2011
    6
    The re-use of the same maps over and over was a disgrace, but the gameplay, combat, and story was engaging. While the story was weaker than the DA:O, it was still interesting and drove me to play the game to the end, not to mention the obvious lead in to DA3 which I am excited about because of this game. This game is very much worth a used purchase ($20 or less) or a rental. However, ifThe re-use of the same maps over and over was a disgrace, but the gameplay, combat, and story was engaging. While the story was weaker than the DA:O, it was still interesting and drove me to play the game to the end, not to mention the obvious lead in to DA3 which I am excited about because of this game. This game is very much worth a used purchase ($20 or less) or a rental. However, if DA3 does not provide actual level design, I will throw this series away.… Expand
  68. 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
  69. DriftSpace
    Sep 4, 2011
    2
    The only thing Dragon Age 2 has going for it is that it looks better than Dragon Age: Origins; everything else is at least a step down.

    I personally have played most role-playing games as a rogue; stealth always factors heavily in my game-play style, and has become integral in my approach to role-playing games. In fact, many would consider the idea of playing a game in a specific way    The only thing Dragon Age 2 has going for it is that it looks better than Dragon Age: Origins; everything else is at least a step down.

    I personally have played most role-playing games as a rogue; stealth always factors heavily in my game-play style, and has become integral in my approach to role-playing games. In fact, many would consider the idea of playing a game in a specific way which one chooses to be a hallmark of the role-playing genre; I choose a rogue, you choose a mage; I choose good, you choose evil, someone else chooses something in-between. BioWare (probably EA, with their track-record for killing smaller studios with corporate cash mongering and unrealistic deadlines) has effectively removed a significant amount of functionality in-favor of ... well, just less functionality.

    In Dragon Age: Origins I played as a rogue. I would assemble my party, venture out into the wild, leave my party in a safe area, go into stealth mode, scout an area ahead, plan accordingly, and then advance my party in a tactful manner. Dragon Age 2 (for the PS3) enables me to do none of these things; stealth has a short (10-15 second) time-limit, the "hold party" function doesn't work, and even while entering areas in stealth mode enemies advance on the party, even while out-of-sight and out of attack range.

    What's more is that Dragon Age 2 has taken the merit out of exploring areas to find rare/powerful items; 99% of items (which aren't potions or money) found from containers are just different varieties of pre-labeled trash; these items are immediately placed into your character's "trash" inventory, and are completely useless, other than to be sold for meager amounts of gold at a shop. These items include things like: a moth-eaten scarf, a stained bottle, moldy rag doll, etc. If you want the best items available: you buy them from EA via equipment packages, as you'll usually find junk while exploring.

    Earlier I said that Dragon Are 2 looked better, and this is true -- the graphics and textures are much better than its predecessor -- but as a world it looks worse than Dragon Age: Origins. For example: there are many caves to visit in the game, but there are only one or two cave-type maps; when you go to one cave, it differs from the other not in layout or appearance, but is in-fact the exact same map as the others, but different areas are blocked-off. In Dragon Age: Origins most of the areas were unique, with unique layouts and vistas, but this is not the case with Dragon Age 2, which recycles the majority of environments (even house interiors are the same) probably so EA could hurry-up and release a sequel.

    This is further evidenced by the lack of control players have over their party and character; in Dragon Age 2 you get a pre-scripted character (you don't get to design your own), with a largely pre-scripted story.

    I urge anyone who considers buying this game to read the user reviews over the "Critic Reviews," as there is one fundamental truth regarding "Critics," and that is that CRITICS CAN BE BOUGHT. EA has spent a lot of money getting people to believe that Dragon Age 2 is a worthy predecessor to Dragon Age: Origins, but the fact is that it's a poorly-designed and rushed product that more often feels like it's a chore rather than an enjoyable game.    … Expand
  70. Salamunic
    Aug 26, 2011
    7
    Dragon Age II does not feel like a true sequel. Despite the setting and references to Origins, it is more of a redesign of the series, a new start, with too many elements cut and pasted from Mass Effect 2. This isn't a completely bad thing, but it appeals to an entirely different audience and might leave fans of the original very angry and frustrated. From an oversimplified inventoryDragon Age II does not feel like a true sequel. Despite the setting and references to Origins, it is more of a redesign of the series, a new start, with too many elements cut and pasted from Mass Effect 2. This isn't a completely bad thing, but it appeals to an entirely different audience and might leave fans of the original very angry and frustrated. From an oversimplified inventory system to sped up gameplay mechanics, it leaves little room for strategy and requires too much button mashing. While the action-rpg fan in me was still ok with some of the new changes, the game truly suffers from its bland characters. Fantasy stereotypes that are obnoxious and annoying, especially the emo elves whose whining never stops echoing in the big city of Kirkwall. Now understand that this is being compared to DA:Origins, a game that had characters you really cared about until the very end. So as a whole, Dragon Age II is still solid compared to other rpgs, it's just not comparable to its predecessor. Graphically, the game is much sharper with a smoother frame rate, but it suffers from poor, repetitive level design. For the 30 + hours of gameplay, you will feel like you've never left the surroundings from the first few hours of the game. Despite my heavy criticism, this is still a fun action-rpg. It's obvious that the developers worked with an unreasonable deadline but my hopes are high for Dragon Age III. Would I recommend this? If you have played Origins, I would recommend this as a small appetizer for DA III, but just make sure you lower you expectations. For anyone else, I'd highly recommend the fantastic DAL Origins first and wait till this finds its way into the bargain bin.… Expand
  71. Grrsawn
    Aug 23, 2011
    9
    If you loved Origins, then there is a 90% chance that you'll hate this...but it's a chance that I took and ended up not regretting. Basically, if you're looking for Origins, go play Origins because otherwise this won't be for you. It's a great game in all respects and has a lot of charm that its predecessor lacked, but also lacks some that its predecessor had. It's nowhere near as bad asIf you loved Origins, then there is a 90% chance that you'll hate this...but it's a chance that I took and ended up not regretting. Basically, if you're looking for Origins, go play Origins because otherwise this won't be for you. It's a great game in all respects and has a lot of charm that its predecessor lacked, but also lacks some that its predecessor had. It's nowhere near as bad as some other reviewers say.… Expand
  72. grand_alpha
    Aug 20, 2011
    7
    I was initially put off from purchasing Dragon Age II purely based on the massive backlash that it had received from fans. Some of the user reviews on here would make you believe that it is the worst game you will ever play (it's not) and that Bioware (or EA if you will) is out to steal all your money and cares nothing for its audience. I can only comment on the PS3 version of the gameI was initially put off from purchasing Dragon Age II purely based on the massive backlash that it had received from fans. Some of the user reviews on here would make you believe that it is the worst game you will ever play (it's not) and that Bioware (or EA if you will) is out to steal all your money and cares nothing for its audience. I can only comment on the PS3 version of the game which came with the Black Emporium as free DLC but I'm glad I ended up giving it a chance. While far from perfect and certainly not as good as Origins, it's still an enjoyable game that suffers from some admittedly baffling design choices. The first thing I noticed was the inability to fully customise your other party members with any armor that you purchase or find, instead replaced by one (or two) preset "companion armor" looks. Customisation should be one of the main focuses of any RPG and the limitations placed on it take away from the immersion and fun of discovering new items, especially when it's something that your main character can't equip. While the re-using of certain maps, some choppy cut scenes, the limited amount of locations and the emphasis on a more hack and slash style combat will no doubt annoy a lot of people, I still found the story engaging and spent many hours playing it right through to the end. Perhaps the brilliance of Origins and Bioware's other classics gave us high expectations but you could still do a lot worse than Dragon Age II. Here's hoping that they get it right with the third.… Expand
  73. Schuback
    Aug 5, 2011
    6
    Dragon Age II is a good game but for those who had an amazing experience with Dragon Age Origins, don't expect DAII to be DAOII. There are improvements to certain aspects of the first instalment and I can understand why many fans were furious about the changes made in DAII. In fact, those who have been following the Mass Effect series you'll probably understand too. Anyway, from what IDragon Age II is a good game but for those who had an amazing experience with Dragon Age Origins, don't expect DAII to be DAOII. There are improvements to certain aspects of the first instalment and I can understand why many fans were furious about the changes made in DAII. In fact, those who have been following the Mass Effect series you'll probably understand too. Anyway, from what I gather, the storyline is not as epic. You play as a human named Hawke either as a warrior, rogue, or a mage and you can customise his/her appearance. The game spans over 10 years and you discover and learn how Hawke becomes the Hero of Kirkwall. The story has 3 Acts, mostly unrelated and therefore lacking a central theme seen in DAO (gathering arms across Fereldan against the Blight). And the story is quite linear though you'll be making a lot of minor choices throughout the game. Another flaw of this game is that the characters are not as interesting as the ones in DAO. This time they won't be telling you stories about their past or legends, nor will they share jokes. This time converstions with your companions are more about activating their individual quests and acknowledging that you have completed those quests. Some of the companions I found to be unlikable. And let's be honest here, Isabela doesn't hold the candle to Morrigan in every single way. Thirdly, this game uses repeated maps and dungeons. So while there are many quests to take up, you'll be completing them at the same area. Even the dull city of Kirkwall remains exactly the same throughout the ten year period. What's strange is that the graphics are sub par and the level of details and texture of buildings and environments are poor despite the game only having one city and reused caves.. The gameplay is more action oriented this time meaning that it is more fast-paced and requires button mashing (which is optional) to execute moves and attack which I felt was a good addition especially for one playing this game on a console. You'll be seeing some characters from DAO which brings back sweet memories. So despite all the flaws I found in this game, DAII does has it's charms and I certainly enjoyed playing it. It is a good game in itself and if there wasn't a DAO in the first place, this game would have been received much better by the fans.… Expand
  74. TheMainCritic
    Aug 2, 2011
    8
    This is probably one of my favorite games of all time. The only thing that pisses me off is not being able to continue to gain lvls after u beat the game... i mean wtf bioware....
  75. 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
  76. 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
  77. Nirke
    Jun 29, 2011
    9
    Easily one of the best games I have ever played, and the first one to actually make me feel like I was in the middle of a book. The charachters are extremely well written, and even though I can see that they perhaps play a bit too much on the stereotypes that's fine by me as long as the story is as enjoyable as this one is! The only thing keeping this game from a 10/10 for me is it'sEasily one of the best games I have ever played, and the first one to actually make me feel like I was in the middle of a book. The charachters are extremely well written, and even though I can see that they perhaps play a bit too much on the stereotypes that's fine by me as long as the story is as enjoyable as this one is! The only thing keeping this game from a 10/10 for me is it's perhaps less than satisfactory inventory-interface and the fact that most places are disguised corridors that seem to not change even though the story is supposed to be for 7 years...… Expand
  78. Einsatzgruppen
    Jun 27, 2011
    9
    Please don't be fooled by the people who rated this excellent game so poorly - you would be cheating yourself out of an amazing gaming experience. This game was a lot of fun - and this is coming from someone who also owns Dragon Age: Origins and has played and continues to play every kind of game for decades. The characters are amazing and actually have depth, the voice acting is great,Please don't be fooled by the people who rated this excellent game so poorly - you would be cheating yourself out of an amazing gaming experience. This game was a lot of fun - and this is coming from someone who also owns Dragon Age: Origins and has played and continues to play every kind of game for decades. The characters are amazing and actually have depth, the voice acting is great, the animations leave nothing to be desired (well - it COULD look like FFXIII) and the gameplay was a lot of fun too!
    I think people give this game a bad rap because of the more simplified approach than the first game but this doesnt detract from its quality by any means - theres still a ton of room for customization and veteran and novice gamers alike can still have a lot of fun with it as I have.

    There hasn't been a solid RPG on the PS3 for a long time in my opinion and Dragon Age II was a really welcome addition to the genre from what I believe has been a long hiatus.    … Expand
  79. pyrocloud7
    Jun 19, 2011
    9
    I felt the Dragon Age II was a fantastic RPG adventure game. I am writing this review fresh after beating it. I think many of the negative reviews for this game stem from the fact that purists wanted a DA:O clone, when in fact, BioWare is going more in the direction of a medieval mass effect, which is not bad at all. Many of the original elements are there, the combat has not changedI felt the Dragon Age II was a fantastic RPG adventure game. I am writing this review fresh after beating it. I think many of the negative reviews for this game stem from the fact that purists wanted a DA:O clone, when in fact, BioWare is going more in the direction of a medieval mass effect, which is not bad at all. Many of the original elements are there, the combat has not changed dramatically, and the level system has been improved in my opinion. There are a few things that I did not like, such as the lack of ability to change your companions armors, but little details like that are overlookable. If you want a DA:O clone, play some more DA:O, there are like a million possible outcomes, but if you want a new and refreshed Dragon Age experience with a fantastic story line (although at time some optional quests are boring and unnecessary for the story) pick up DA2. The events about to unfold in the DA universe will shake the very ground of Thedas, don't miss out!… Expand
  80. ShoCh
    Jun 4, 2011
    7
    Reading all the whiny complaints about this game (not just here - everywhere!) is starting to get on my wick. The game isn't perfect - but it's also nowhere near as bad as people would have you believe. The characters are great (especially the elf, Merrill) and the graphics and game-play are definitely way above average. If this was the 1st game and Origins didn't exist, everyone would beReading all the whiny complaints about this game (not just here - everywhere!) is starting to get on my wick. The game isn't perfect - but it's also nowhere near as bad as people would have you believe. The characters are great (especially the elf, Merrill) and the graphics and game-play are definitely way above average. If this was the 1st game and Origins didn't exist, everyone would be raving about how great this game is. My one complaint is that they haven't put enough effort into creating the locations. One house is exactly like another, as are caves and warehouses - if more effort had gone into making each location different to the previous one you were in - I would give this game a 9.… Expand
  81. Topster
    Jun 2, 2011
    2
    Ladies and gentlemen, this is the result of attempting to market to the masses. The result of rushing production to "capitalize" on a loved franchise. The result of completely misunderstanding what made the first Dragon Age popular in the first place. This kind of thing is to be expected of that horrid producer EA who, let's face it, would be almost unheard of if they hadn't secured theLadies and gentlemen, this is the result of attempting to market to the masses. The result of rushing production to "capitalize" on a loved franchise. The result of completely misunderstanding what made the first Dragon Age popular in the first place. This kind of thing is to be expected of that horrid producer EA who, let's face it, would be almost unheard of if they hadn't secured the rights to make almost exclusive games for the major sports leagues so long ago. But it is NOT what is to be expected of BioWare, the company that gave us KotOR, Baldur's gate, and Neverwinter Nights. This is not a bad game relatively speaking, but the reason I give this a 2 is because of how much of an utter disappointment it is. Where to start? Dumbing down combat? The copy-pasted environments? The worse inventory system? The dialog wheel that seems more interested in telling its own story regardless of what the player chooses? Hell, they couldn't even get whether consoles had the auto-attack feature fight, which it didn't. Because nothing is more immersive than monotonously having to mash the X button the entire combat. Let's start with combat, shall we? From the very first dev interview I knew something was wrong. This sales guy said something along the lines of "Combat will be streamlined so casual players will be able to just fight their way through without the menu, but for older fans, you can still set up tactics and use the menu!" Essentially, this douchebag told us that you can succeed in combat by completely ignoring tactics and menus, but for some reason they give us the option to use them anyway. The result of this brilliant stratagem is a hack & slash Dynasty Warriors-style game where you mash X through endless hoards of enemies while even more respawn around you who, funnily, go after the closest enemies they spawn near, which is usually the mages handing out in back. Yes, this game PUNISHES YOU for relying on tactics. People say that these issues can be solved through cranking the difficulty up, but I can't fathom how this is the case, since all that accomplishes is making your squishy companions die FASTER. The environments. Need I say more? "Oh, but BW didn't have enough time! It was EA's fault!" Yeah, well I don't see how that changes the fact that after you beat the first act of the game, you have literally seen all there is to see. I wonder what else you could excuse with this logic; "Twilight would have been good if the author didn't suck!" "The Star Wars prequels would have been awesome if George Lucas didn't go insane before writing them!" The fact of the matter is that it sucks. It doesn't matter *why*, because it still does. And to touch on something one of the devs said in defense of the environments, how it was "artfully concealed"? No, it wasn't Having you enter and exit through the same dungeon 30 times from different areas is not "artfully done". Hell, they didn't even bother to alter the minimap to not show areas they block off. The inventory....Can you believe that even though they dumbed the crap out of this system, it STILL gets mired in useless crap you have to micromanage? They take away exchangeable armor for party members, they restrict what kind of weapons they can use (if you want an NPC that can use a bow you pick up, you need to pay for one.) and they don't ever let you change weapon styles. Varric can only ever use his crossbow. Isabella can't use a bow. Aveline can't use a 2h and Fenris can't use a shield. Why. The. Hell. Not? AND YET you still have to micromanage all the loot you pick up to make sure that all your party is still equipped with the best possible gear. BW has made an inventory system that is simpler AND still requires as much micromanaging as the first DA. ow do you DO that? The dialog wheel. Dear GOD the dialog wheel. I will never understand BW's obsession with that system. Why? What is so good about a circular select screen that gives you a few little blurbs of dialog you want to say before your character winds up saying something that only vaguely matches what you picked? If BW doesn't want our input, just make the game action-adventure and make the main character a handsome everyman with short brown hair and stubble who spouts cliched action-movie quotes. That's the direction they seem to have gone anyway. EA is cancer and BW is the willing carrier. Before this game, I was psyched to pick up TOR, ME3, and yeah, DA3. Now? I'm waiting for the reviews to come out before I even consider renting any of those. Vote with your money, people.â… Expand
  82. 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
  83. rego
    May 25, 2011
    4
    I must reluctantly agree with a very low user score. The Origins made me wet myself it was that great. Ive played every DLC and can honestly tell you it was the RPG of the year for me with Witcher following it on the second place. Grim unforgiving world, gripping fighting mechanic, ive had multiple main heroes specializing in different magic schools - game was that replayable. Making uglyI must reluctantly agree with a very low user score. The Origins made me wet myself it was that great. Ive played every DLC and can honestly tell you it was the RPG of the year for me with Witcher following it on the second place. Grim unforgiving world, gripping fighting mechanic, ive had multiple main heroes specializing in different magic schools - game was that replayable. Making ugly choices and facing the consequences, reading about a boy that went missing during the fight in a village that was never found after a missing ive never completed, blackmailing and making a living from being a general a$$hole - "***** YEAH!" ive cried, this game is awesome. So why?! WHy did you do this to us, your loyal loving followers bioware. Why TF are you always, ALWAYS placed is in the fcking middle spot on every ffing fight?!. I cant believe how lobotomised the main hero and his gang were to ALWAYS end up there. It was a feature in Origins to pick your spot and fight from there. Fighting became tedious and annoyingly predictable with wave after wave AFTER WAVE of enemies, making mages less than relevant and even less relevant in boss fights, which are btw are even more tedious than normal fights. i didnt care about it anymore. Set the difficulty to Casual - that part of the game was dead to me, well done. Also thanks for dumming down dialogue options, they felt quite irrelevant after that as well. Such little investment in building your reputation and consequences when dealing with NPCs made that part dead to me as well. Do I support mages or templars, I didnt care which, they were mirror images of each other with betrayals and mad masterminds around every corner. So anything good about it? Yeah, id say engine is a major improvement, shading and lighting - nice. Models - very nice. Well done coders and art team - thats the only thing holding the game there. But with huge chunks of the game leaving a sour taste in the mouth that isnt enough unfortunately. Why did you take away all that was good in the game and had to dumb it down and make it incredibly annoying?! Bad marks for the game, Bioware!… Expand
  84. 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
  85. OddityAngel
    May 22, 2011
    7
    Oh, the hyperbole and the hysterics! Dragon Age II is not the best RPG ever, nor is it the worst. It does not deserve a score of zero. It also doesn't deserve a full ten. Obviously subjectivity is an issue, some people look for certain things in a game, while other players are judging by a totally different set of standards, but the extremes in scoring may say more about the fanbase thanOh, the hyperbole and the hysterics! Dragon Age II is not the best RPG ever, nor is it the worst. It does not deserve a score of zero. It also doesn't deserve a full ten. Obviously subjectivity is an issue, some people look for certain things in a game, while other players are judging by a totally different set of standards, but the extremes in scoring may say more about the fanbase than the game itself...

    The Good (things I considered enjoyable)

    The characters. Bioware typically shines when creating party members, and this game is no exception. Are they better than the DA:O characters? Well, let's just say I liked SOME DA:2 characters better than SOME DA:O characters. The conflict: Dragon Age II does not try to create another Blight level threat, instead it focuses on more complicated issues. There are no clear good guys here, only extreme views and scared people. The typical 'horde of evil' fantasy trope has its place, but it's nice to see a more nuanced conflict. I found it to be quite engaging.

    The combat animations: Gone are the slow moving mages. No longer do I feel the need to mutter 'pew, pew' as they seem to slowly fire ineffectual bolts at their enemies.

    Voiced PC. The voice acting in general is superb. The dialogue wheel could have been better utilized, but it is a step in the right direction. New designs for the fantasy races. Why even have elves if they're just going to be pointy eared humans? Take advantage of your visual medium and create something unique! Good on Bioware for deviating from the typical design.

    The Bad: Reused maps. Uninspired environments. Kirkwall itself boasts a more unique design than most locations in DA:O, but it is static, unchanging and sterile. DA: II is supposed to take place over a number of years, that should should show in the city itself. There should have been changes in scenery, weather, ANYTHING! Total lost opportunity, Bioware. Disjointed quests. Sometimes you complete a quest without even realizing it because there is so little distinction between them. You stumble across your goal. Predictable fights. There is no variation and very little strategy involved. Weak third act. After an impressive amount of build up (and a strong second act) the climax of the game falls flat due to some heavily forced character moments. It loses it's organic feel. The Ugly:

    Game breaking glitches. Many of these have been resolved with patches, but they should not have been an issue in the first place. They were just another sign that the game was rushed.

    In conclusion: Dragon Age II is a polarizing game. It benefited from its brand (the oddly high early reviews and exceptional preorder sales), but perhaps that same pedigree has hurt it. People had high expectations, and when those expectations were not met they responded with (disproportionate) anger, and the backlash has been amusingly ferocious in intensity. You will likely find something to enjoy in this game if you REALLY enjoy the Dragon Age setting and would like to visit again (being more interested in a good story than a great game), or if you are a casual fan of RPGs. I find it has a fair amount of replay value. I would not recommend paying full price for it if you do not belong to one of these two groups. Wait for it to go on sale, keep your expectations reasonable and you may enjoy it. I did. Or you may not. If these reviews are anything to go by most people probably make up their mind well before they sit down to play.    … Expand
  86. 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
  87. 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
  88. 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
  89. 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!
  90. 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
  91. gorkys
    May 17, 2011
    5
    I was very disappointed. I expected game much more like RPG than Hack&Slash. Shame on you BioWare. This game is very overrated on all platforms.!!! That was waste of my money!!
  92. AgentGoodwrench
    May 13, 2011
    9
    Dragon Age 2 is a game that old school RPG fans love to hate. I approach it from the same perspective as I do all games. A perspective of a gamer. Not an RPG gamer, or a shooter gamer, but simply a gamer. It saddens me to see it being ripped apart just it is not exactly what some players expected, and they need to take their anger out on the poor game.

    Is DA2 perfect? By no means.    Dragon Age 2 is a game that old school RPG fans love to hate. I approach it from the same perspective as I do all games. A perspective of a gamer. Not an RPG gamer, or a shooter gamer, but simply a gamer. It saddens me to see it being ripped apart just it is not exactly what some players expected, and they need to take their anger out on the poor game.

    Is DA2 perfect? By no means. However, it is an enjoyable experience that few video games can provide. True, changes from Origins have been made which turned DA2 into a more actionized sequel. The speed of combat has increased and attacks became flashier, though otherwise it is about the same as before. It does not take away from the tactical side of the gameplay, nor does it make the game feel any less of an RPG. What is different from the prequel is how companions are handled. The player can no longer equip their armor and choose their combat specializations. Instead, each companion maintains a unique appearance which can be upgraded by finding and buying certain armor upgrades. You still can choose which weapons the companions wield but on a more limited scale. Certain rogue only uses ranged weapons, while the other only daggers. To someone who used the default weapon styles of the companions in previous Dragon Age releases it is not worth fussing about. Each companion has access to a unique to him/her specialization tree. This spices up each character and separates them from one another.

    The story, characters, and dialogue are standard Bioware fare. As usual they're pretty much excellent. The main difference is that you're no longer able to choose the origin of your character and she or he has a voice now. Some would argue that for this release the story is on the weaker side, and in a certain way I'm inclined to agree. The final act seemed a bit rushed and some interesting opportunities for story development were missed. The antagonist could have used more screen time and character development as well. That's not to say that the game wasn't filled incredible moments that just tug at the player's hear. DA2 is filled with tales of love, hate, betrayal, and horror.

    The game looks quite good for the most part though everyone has the same gripe about it. Bioware reused maps way too generously. By the final act you can run trough them with your eyes closed. Definitely not a good thing. That's the biggest problem I experienced in the game. Sure, there were a few glitches here and there but most were minor and there was less of them compared to Origins (from what I experienced in my several playtroughs at least). DA2 also runs much smoother on the PS3 than it's predecessor, and does not have that irritating save lag of Origins.

    Overall, Dragon Age 2 is two steps forward, two steps back. It is better than Origins in some areas, while worse in others. It is not a worse instalment, just slightly different. All in all, it is a good game worthy of several playtroughs.    … Expand
  93. frikkingsweet
    May 13, 2011
    7
    This is a great game from the get go ... but the longer you play it the more it feels like your doing the same thing over and over... lack of different areas to check out and no way to really free roam in between locations is kinda a big downer...
  94. mamous_04
    May 12, 2011
    4
    Iâ
  95. bconde
    May 11, 2011
    3
    I am a victim of this piece of crap. I got fooled because I am a DAO fan. Please spare yourself. Please Save your money. This is an insult to Dragon Age Origin Fans, and a sly move at cashing in on the original DA's success. Supporters are usually brainwashed diehard fans of the original Dragon Age game, but frankly this sequel is a cheap shortcut to everything DAO has established. It'sI am a victim of this piece of crap. I got fooled because I am a DAO fan. Please spare yourself. Please Save your money. This is an insult to Dragon Age Origin Fans, and a sly move at cashing in on the original DA's success. Supporters are usually brainwashed diehard fans of the original Dragon Age game, but frankly this sequel is a cheap shortcut to everything DAO has established. It's poor in every respect, and this I say without exaggeration. So please spare yourself from buying such a worthless game, just get yourself some Red Dead, or Batman AA, or Dead Space 2.… Expand
  96. 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
  97. Mezinger
    May 9, 2011
    4
    I don't bother to play most games, I'm very selective with respect to what I buy and play on my consoles. Bioware used to be a developer I could trust to make great games every time. But the things started to change ME2 was more shooter-ized, for a mainstream crowd, Dragon Age Origins: Awakenings was just terrible, and then Dragon Age 2 with so much promise was a complete let down... don'tI don't bother to play most games, I'm very selective with respect to what I buy and play on my consoles. Bioware used to be a developer I could trust to make great games every time. But the things started to change ME2 was more shooter-ized, for a mainstream crowd, Dragon Age Origins: Awakenings was just terrible, and then Dragon Age 2 with so much promise was a complete let down... don't get me wrong it's still better in my opinion than that vast majority of games out there, which I know is just a matter of personal preference. But it is just full of mistakes, the worst one being is that nothing you do effects the outcome of the story, it's the DA2 railroad, it's awful, don't waist your time here it has no replay value and it is a sorry excuse for a story driven role playing game.… Expand
  98. skydigger
    May 8, 2011
    6
    I bought this game the day it was released. I HATED it in the beginning. However, it has grown on me a little bit. The characters, dialog, acting and plot are all pretty good. Not quite up to the DA:O standard but DA:O is hard to beat in those areas.

    The combat is DIFFERENT. They've eliminated some of the stalling and freezing that plagued DA:O but they've turned it into a    I bought this game the day it was released. I HATED it in the beginning. However, it has grown on me a little bit. The characters, dialog, acting and plot are all pretty good. Not quite up to the DA:O standard but DA:O is hard to beat in those areas.

    The combat is DIFFERENT. They've eliminated some of the stalling and freezing that plagued DA:O but they've turned it into a button-masher.

    As others have reported the maps are quite repetitive. This game is NOT a 10 or a 1..it's somewhere in the middle.    … Expand
  99. trophy_hunter
    Apr 30, 2011
    6
    First of all, Dragon Age 2 is by no means a terrible game. Itâ
  100. HypeUsNotThem
    Apr 21, 2011
    3
    Pros:
    + The clear abilities points distribution system is a improvement
    + Voiced protagonist dialogs
    + "Sell All Junk" button (Only a requirement when you have junk)

    Cons:
    - Cheap dungeon design
    - Excessive gore and unnatural moves in combat animations
    - Spiders drop gold (What?)
    - Shallow characters and dialogues
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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

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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.
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  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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