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. hafini
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    there is nothing much to say about this game because EA has corrupted its from the inside. The first game is a success but the second game is only a money machine for EA's devils
  2. bsNYC
    Mar 16, 2011
    10
    As with all things, my expectations shape my over-all view of the product's quality. Judged on its own, Dragon Age 2 is a fantastic game. I found the game-play to be extremely enjoyable insofar as I was able to strategically plan out my attack and then get in on the action by taking direct control of a character. Funneling enemies into a trap or a crossfire never gets old and theAs with all things, my expectations shape my over-all view of the product's quality. Judged on its own, Dragon Age 2 is a fantastic game. I found the game-play to be extremely enjoyable insofar as I was able to strategically plan out my attack and then get in on the action by taking direct control of a character. Funneling enemies into a trap or a crossfire never gets old and the combo-attacks are very satisfying. This is the foundation for what could be the best form of RPG combat--at least for my tastes. The graphics are bit lackluster compared to such games as Mass Effect and Uncharted but do not prohibit the player from being immersed in the game. The voice-acting is top notch and the story-telling is superb. The fact that I enjoyed the story so much is a testament to the direction, script, and acting since the plot was lackluster--oscillating between vapid and banal with only a few exciting points (though those points are really exciting). Then why not give the game a 9? Unfortunately, the more defined my expectations, the harder it is to be accepting when those expectations are not met. I loved DAO so much and have never been so immersed in a videogame's story before. Accordingly, I had some expectations about the trajectory of the sequel, including expectations for answers to questions, filled-in plot-holes, and further developed story-lines. None of these were addressed in DA 2 and what made it worse for me was that DA2 has certain parts, which unfortunately turned out to be minor,that ostensibly could have been tied to those plot-lines (an example of a missed opportunity that quickly springs to mind are the lyrium relics in the deep roads somehow connected to the Architect from Awakenings). Am I disappointed? Depends on my perspective. I liken my experience with DA2 to a date with a girl who you've placed on a pedestal but ended up just being friends with. Lovely woman who is a great friend but turned out to be nothing like you expected, romantically. If anything less than the girl of your dreams is a disappointment then I'd be disappointed. If I appreciate gaining a wonderful friend, then DA2 is by no means a regrettable experience (not to mention a lesson about tempering my own expectations) and was worth the $60. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys good storytelling but caution fans of DAO to view this game not as a sequel but as a game simply within the DA universe.… Expand
  3. monkeyboyme
    Mar 11, 2011
    9
    Improved on Origins in almost every way... not sure why some people don't like it but IMO it was awesome.
    I can't wait for some more DLC to come out.
    Very Satisfied!!!
  4. Voland
    Mar 12, 2011
    2
    This game is not terrible but it is so wrong it threatens the future for pc RPGs.
    It's cheap and dumbed down.
    The game mainly consist in following yellow marks on the map, to complete or to take quests, there is no real need to be able to read to play this game. Combat is not so bad, but the difficulty is. Hard is mainly easy as pie and sometimes it gets stupidly luck based or imbalanced.    This game is not terrible but it is so wrong it threatens the future for pc RPGs.
    It's cheap and dumbed down.
    The game mainly consist in following yellow marks on the map, to complete or to take quests, there is no real need to be able to read to play this game.
    Combat is not so bad, but the difficulty is. Hard is mainly easy as pie and sometimes it gets stupidly luck based or imbalanced. I've not played much of nightmare because the friendly fire thing is not well thought out and causes rage-quit.
    Ambients are copy-pasted so much you actally feel frauded when playing.
    Character lack any depth and are not even remotely interesting.

    The plot is (spoiler alert) "You are a champion, or you are going to be one, and haters gonna hate you."

    Thisgameisbad.    … Expand
  5. StanleyWoo
    Mar 14, 2011
    10
    Dragon Age 2 is the one of the best RPG is have ever played. Story is well thought and really complex. Dark and gloomy setting is incredible. Game play has noticeably improved since Dragon Age: Origins. If you are true RPG fan, you just have to play this game. Be excellent to each other. End of Line.
  6. Asher
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    Don't listen to any of these Biodrones, this game screams RUSH-JOB. Graphics from 2006 and gameplay aimed at CoD kiddies = facepalm. Save your money, go for Witcher 2
  7. UnpaidCritic
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    As someone who deeply enjoyed DA:O, I am immensely disappointed by this sequel. Dragon Age 2 is inferior to its predecessor in basically every way. And how Bioware manged to even implement worse graphics than DA:O is completely beyond me. Ratings are always subjective but if you see game reviewers give this game a 10/10 praising its superior graphics .. you cant help but wonder how much ofAs someone who deeply enjoyed DA:O, I am immensely disappointed by this sequel. Dragon Age 2 is inferior to its predecessor in basically every way. And how Bioware manged to even implement worse graphics than DA:O is completely beyond me. Ratings are always subjective but if you see game reviewers give this game a 10/10 praising its superior graphics .. you cant help but wonder how much of this praise came directly from EA itself. Also nice try Avanost.… Expand
  8. RPGLover007
    Mar 12, 2011
    3
    1 Point for the writing, 1 point for the codex and the lore, and 1 point for the graphics. -7 points for:

    -1. The massive reuse of areas. I fall easily into immersion, but even I cannot maintain any immersion when there is only 1 warehouse in a city full of warehouses. And every cave in the entire world is the same cave. I can't imagine who thought that was a good idea. Really? -2.    1 Point for the writing, 1 point for the codex and the lore, and 1 point for the graphics. -7 points for:

    -1. The massive reuse of areas. I fall easily into immersion, but even I cannot maintain any immersion when there is only 1 warehouse in a city full of warehouses. And every cave in the entire world is the same cave. I can't imagine who thought that was a good idea. Really?

    -2. The sound, omg, my ears. I LOVE LOVE LOVE sound. I spend a lot of money on surround sound because I find it essential to immersion. The sound in this game is so harsh. No thumping sounds. Bright, brash, sharp, completely painful to the ears. Instead of cranking up the volume and letting it wash over me, I have to turn the sound down because it's just too painful to listen to, both figuratively and literally. Very sad. Who thought this sounded good?

    -3. Inventory. They did the same **** in ME vs ME2, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but really? AGAIN? They took a very complicated system that was fun and complex that one could spend a lot of time playing with and turned it into a clown system. I suspect this is a fatality of designing an inventory system to be managed by 4 buttons and a cross instead of a mouse and a keyboard.

    -4. Armor. While part inventory, it deserves it's own -1 point. No more managing your companions armor. Most armor in the game is now useless. In DA:O one would learn all about the other character classes and their equipment, how to manage them, and could spend endless hours tweaking everybody's gear. Not so with DA2. There is no management of companions' armor. This is a sad, sad decision. It means about 60% of the gear you pick up is utterly useless to you. Why have armor at all?

    -5. UI. The UI would be nice if I were playing Halo perhaps, or maybe a car racing game. For an immersive RPG? I can't think of a worse UI motif I have seen. It's "slick" and "modern". Goes well together with medieval and swords and sorcery. Seriously, I have to ask again, how did BioWare even find 2 people who thought this was a good idea, much less an entire staff?

    -6. Character class control. Again with the apparently less is more theme. DA:O I could pick whether any char went 1 handed, 2 handed, bow, archer, dagger, anything for any class. In DA2, I'm 40 hours in and since I can't use a bow, nobody can use a bow. All bows are useless thus far. I have 2 rogues companions, but neither can use a bow, and there is no way to allow them to. All bows are useless and pointless in this game thus far. I want more control over the classes and not be forced into multiple playthroughs just to experience basic ideas.

    -7. Character Control. I have rarely gotten angry at a game because it wouldn't be have the way that I want it to, but congratulations BioWare and EA, you're the first. The goddamn camera control on this game is just terrible, TERRIBLE! It makes my face hurt just to type that out while imagining how bad it is. --- I cannot go Isometric.
    --- I can no longer pan left/right/up/down when the mouse hits the edge of the screen.
    --- The circle areas for targeting of actions snap to enemies very aggressively. This means that coupled with the limited camera range, it is often impossible to place a spell where it will be most effective. I find myself constantly FIGHTING with the cursor to try and place a spell at the appropriate spot, and often have to just give up and let the game put it 10 feet to the left, because that's where the skeleton is standing.

    -8. Removal of combat intricacies. I could make a long list, but I'll just give an example. In DA:O, rogues were more effective from behind, so the positioning of rogues and highly tactical crowd control was great fun and filled with precision. In DA2, there is not nearly as much tactical, and no precision. It's just button mashing. The backstab skill now teleports your rogue behind the enemy and hits them for you, instead of you having to do it yourself. And that, I think, can be used a metaphor to sum up the entire experience.

    I figured out how to play DA2 though. I got a sharpie, and I wrote "DO COOL STUFF" on my left mouse button. Now I just hit the DO COOL STUFF button and I'm having fun. I was just playing it wrong previously.    … Expand
  9. nagyi
    Mar 12, 2011
    2
    this game really sucks, i liked the first part, i finished it twice, but this sucks. I hate it that u cant equip ure companions as u like, the potion system sucks, i liked the how it was, like in every normal rpg, and the whole story is a single city... come on!!! whit a year of extra work they could have made a decent sequel.
  10. Erenthorn
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    This an extremely sad attempt for an rpg, before continuing i will point out the first obvious flaws in the game. -Reusing the same four maps 500 times.
    -Setting the whole game in one city.
    -Enemies have a ton of HP and come in waves so the game feels longer. -Frame narrative to avoid being too descriptive about what happens between large periods of time. -Half as much dialogue, more    This an extremely sad attempt for an rpg, before continuing i will point out the first obvious flaws in the game. -Reusing the same four maps 500 times.
    -Setting the whole game in one city.
    -Enemies have a ton of HP and come in waves so the game feels longer.
    -Frame narrative to avoid being too descriptive about what happens between large periods of time.
    -Half as much dialogue, more passive interaction.
    -Millions of stupid side quests that have nothing to do with anything.
    -Dull environment bereft of life and matter.
    -Inability to customize companions allowed you to skip designing different armor models.
    -Collecting hundreds of-- literally, junk items-- to create the illusion of immersion and depth.
    -Poor character development, so you hardly care about your companions by the end of the game. -Lack of any substantial choices that have lasting effects.
    -Contrived ending, that tells you nothing, and leaves a huge gap for sub-par DLC
    -Generic UI showing a lack of creativity and effort.

    Thank You to Sharkey1337 from the Bioware forums for pointing this out. This "game" is a sad excuse for a rushed rpg that lacked any standards of innovation and i ask anyone who thinks about playing this game to not do so. At most, rent and DO NOT BUY, YOU WILL HAVE WASTED 60$ IF YOU DO. Dragon Age Origins compared to this is an absolute masterpiece and anyone who was not played it should do so over buying this short pathetic game.    … Expand
  11. Raggz
    Mar 20, 2011
    8
    A disapointment from Bioware. But that doesn't mean the game is all bad. I just expected more from Bioware that has made some of the best games in gaming history. Good graphics with an excellent story and dialouges. Combat is definatly a step up from DA:O. Quite many bugs out of the box but Bioware are known for great support. It's definatly worth the buck!
  12. qwertxy
    Mar 9, 2011
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is just a disgrace to the name Dragon Age and even more so to the name Bioware. Just stay away from this misery, it represents everything that goes wrong right now in the gaming industry. Dont buy Dragon Age 2, thank you!… Expand
  13. Mehter
    Mar 9, 2011
    1
    The first one was a lot of fun. The second one is decent, but still pretty terrible. Changing the appearances of already established races is never a good thing, and giving said races different accents was just silly.
  14. Stark123321
    Mar 10, 2011
    10
    Nice game, i like everything in it: graphic is coll, fight is fast and bloody, story is epic, every characters has own point of wey, all in this game call player to stay with it!!!)
  15. SKYRIM101
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    Dragon Age 2...feels like its a prologue and an epic won at that...after the ending i kind of got the feeling that there is something epic coming to the dragon age world...something that would make an RPG game that would set the standards for years to come..and this is coming from a adamant bethesda fan...if bioware make a Dragon Age 3 its going to be the game of the century based on theDragon Age 2...feels like its a prologue and an epic won at that...after the ending i kind of got the feeling that there is something epic coming to the dragon age world...something that would make an RPG game that would set the standards for years to come..and this is coming from a adamant bethesda fan...if bioware make a Dragon Age 3 its going to be the game of the century based on the fact that bioware in the last two games have been subtly building up to something...in fact dragon age 2 feels more like a dragon age 1.5 in story terms. i wont spoil the ending for you, and although your kind of suprised by it, it will leave a impression and get you wanting more.… Expand
  16. Mickdaggerman
    Mar 10, 2011
    2
    I liked everything about Dragon Age: origins except playing it. The gameplay was awful. Imagine my suprise when not only is the gamepla in DA2 worse; everything else is too.
    In what was apparently a desperate attempt to recreate the qualoty of Mass Effect 2, Bioware have tripped over their own feet and have poisoned what might have been a good game with lacking gameplay and atrocious    I liked everything about Dragon Age: origins except playing it. The gameplay was awful. Imagine my suprise when not only is the gamepla in DA2 worse; everything else is too.
    In what was apparently a desperate attempt to recreate the qualoty of Mass Effect 2, Bioware have tripped over their own feet and have poisoned what might have been a good game with lacking gameplay and atrocious writing.
    I am suprised I expected anything else.    … Expand
  17. chessmasterhex
    Mar 16, 2011
    8
    Wow. Users here are losing it. DA2 is not as good at it's predecessor, fine, but it's far from a total failure. I suppose it's more fun to grief a decent game than it is to actually discuss it rationally.
  18. Zarafan
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    For me? i score it 9/10

    i must say that this game is one of those, that you must play based in what you see and NOT in what you read. i just toke a risk buying it, and im pretty happy i did. Certainly the dislikes from ppl came because of the change on the direction on history line and some gameplay changes. i have 7 Hours Playing already, and as RPG fan, this change was quite enjoyable.    For me? i score it 9/10

    i must say that this game is one of those, that you must play based in what you see and NOT in what you read. i just toke a risk buying it, and im pretty happy i did. Certainly the dislikes from ppl came because of the change on the direction on history line and some gameplay changes. i have 7 Hours Playing already, and as RPG fan, this change was quite enjoyable. i was waiting for a little more of graphical improvement, but the changes are OK to me.

    IS NOT A BAD GAME, but they changed the direction about to DAO. They did Add a little more action to it. They did it more like Mass Effect Style, and that its what some DAO´s fan dont accept. i Love DAO and ME as well, so this DA2 is great for me.

    Could be Better? of Course, we can allways Want more from Bioware, this time we was waiting for a lot more. and i think that is the real problem.    … Expand
  19. ZieGentleman
    Mar 11, 2011
    4
    So terribly dissapointed. Don't we have enough watered down mainstream games out there? That might even have been okay if this game was a good mainstream game. But its not. It tries to be a hybrid between an action game like God of war and a classical rpg, and it ends up failing at both. The story is also the worst I have seen from Bioware. The story never picks up a main goal and all youSo terribly dissapointed. Don't we have enough watered down mainstream games out there? That might even have been okay if this game was a good mainstream game. But its not. It tries to be a hybrid between an action game like God of war and a classical rpg, and it ends up failing at both. The story is also the worst I have seen from Bioware. The story never picks up a main goal and all you do ALL game is run around in one city and do quests that all feel like side missions. Suddenly the game ends with a bam and a cliffhanger... Not only that but they reuse every dungeon like 15 times, and there are only like 6-7 small dungeons. Any real rpg elements are taken out, you never even get the opportunity to talk your way out of a fight everyone just charge you. If I want an action rpg I will rather play diablo or titan quest.... this is a bad action rpg and it shames the dragon age franchise. I might be a little harsh, its an okay game, but nothing more... don't expect anything.… Expand
  20. Naka
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    I'm a big fan of the original DA and really got into the lore. Unfortunately that doesn't help me trying to like this sorry mess for sequel. The combat is extremely simplified (and meaningless), the story is told in a most unexciting way and the game just feel like a downgrade compared to the predecessor. Usually i believe "less is more", but not to the point when its so simplified itI'm a big fan of the original DA and really got into the lore. Unfortunately that doesn't help me trying to like this sorry mess for sequel. The combat is extremely simplified (and meaningless), the story is told in a most unexciting way and the game just feel like a downgrade compared to the predecessor. Usually i believe "less is more", but not to the point when its so simplified it becomes braindead.â… Expand
  21. DrGulag
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    I have to give this game a ten just to balance the score! My honest number would be closer to nine

    Dragon Age 2 improves a lot of things if you bought the game for PS3. I understand how PC players are frustrated though. Bioware removed the isometric camera and took out certain elements from the game that will most certainly annoy the Baldurs Gate generation. I'm in the third act at the    I have to give this game a ten just to balance the score! My honest number would be closer to nine

    Dragon Age 2 improves a lot of things if you bought the game for PS3. I understand how PC players are frustrated though. Bioware removed the isometric camera and took out certain elements from the game that will most certainly annoy the Baldurs Gate generation. I'm in the third act at the moment and the game is very entertaining. The story has more depth this time around and the voice acting works really well. I'm slightly dissappointed with the removal of other races but that's what happens when you decide to give a voice to the main character, compromises compromises.

    I would have liked the option of being able to customize the equipment of all your team members but atleast you can give them weapons and rings. People are obviously overreacting at the moment. I don't know how you can justify a score between 0-4 for PS3 version unless you're just trying to troll. YES, DRAGON AGE 2 HAS BEEN CONSOLIFIED. So give a low score in the pc section of metacritic but not here. BOTTOM LINE : DO NOT trust the reviews! Yes, the game has decided to abandon a lot of old school rpg elements but most of these people are just pissed off teenagers and pc elitists from rpgcodex / **** This game is still great if you can appreciate it as a stand alone title. Do not go in expecting to play a remake of the original or Baldurs Gate. It's a consolified action RPG.    … Expand
  22. cmchris2
    Mar 14, 2011
    1
    Oops - meant to give this a lower score. I hope this 1 score evens it all out, though I'd like to make it clear that I don't believe this game deserves a 1. The true score for me is somewhere between a 5 and a 6.
  23. mercenar1e
    Mar 15, 2011
    2
    This game is clearly rushed, it has copy and paste dungeons! your going to come across 10-30 side missions that are in the same exact area but a different location entrance.. to the incredibly weak story and an even worse ending, for those that played Dragon Age Origins and are considering about purchasing this game i recommend that you either do 2 things, one is that you rent it, theThis game is clearly rushed, it has copy and paste dungeons! your going to come across 10-30 side missions that are in the same exact area but a different location entrance.. to the incredibly weak story and an even worse ending, for those that played Dragon Age Origins and are considering about purchasing this game i recommend that you either do 2 things, one is that you rent it, the second is that you wait for it to reach a lower price point. I purchased this game for $20 on Amazon and i still feel ripped off.… Expand
  24. tsavostfu
    Mar 17, 2011
    0
    Terrible game. Only redeeming feature is combat - everything else is sub-par in every imaginable way.

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

    You get almost exactly the same endings regardless of choices... In fact it's barely an RPG at all.
  25. jomac97
    Mar 26, 2011
    10
    Dragon Age II was 10 times better than the first one, but there was one thing i didn't like about it ; how SHORT it was.I hope the third one is even better than this one.
  26. BioWareEmployee
    Mar 11, 2011
    10
    BioWare has done it again with their most fantastic title to date! Everything from the character interaction to the graphics have been fleshed out making Dragon Age IIâ
  27. Tyrant_T100
    Mar 10, 2011
    2
    While Dragon Age Origins was fun if not short of it's goals.
    Dragon Age 2 takes a step back to become inferior in nearly every way, even visually despite it coming out a year later.
    I would very rarely give a game a score as low as this but DA:2 Deserves it, it would have scored higher if DA:O didn't exist but considering this is a sequel it has no excuse why it should fail at things the    While Dragon Age Origins was fun if not short of it's goals.
    Dragon Age 2 takes a step back to become inferior in nearly every way, even visually despite it coming out a year later.

    I would very rarely give a game a score as low as this but DA:2 Deserves it, it would have scored higher if DA:O didn't exist but considering this is a sequel it has no excuse why it should fail at things the previous game accomplished.    … Expand
  28. pazmacats
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    Game is optimized for DLC. Disjointed story, chaotic combat. I recommend reading a book or watching 3 movies instead. If you throw a ball against an wall while wathcing the movie you can call your movie-watching interactive. You can even add a mulitplayer function by throwing the ball to some mate while watching the movie. You should however chose a good movie to watch (otherwise you'll beGame is optimized for DLC. Disjointed story, chaotic combat. I recommend reading a book or watching 3 movies instead. If you throw a ball against an wall while wathcing the movie you can call your movie-watching interactive. You can even add a mulitplayer function by throwing the ball to some mate while watching the movie. You should however chose a good movie to watch (otherwise you'll be wishing to click through stupid dialogue like in DA2)… Expand
  29. Chaozzak
    Mar 11, 2011
    4
    Its different game. Its not DA:O and i know it. But i really don't enjoy this one. Combat system is ridiculous, inventory is entire garbage. On the other side - graphics and story is good (not great!). EA pushes to many pencils and this game was obviously rushed. And... I don't want play Mass Effect in fantasy world!
  30. LordCoake
    Mar 11, 2011
    3
    The only good that can be said of Dragon Age 2 is that Bioware at least made a half-spirited attempt. It was and is marketed as an RPG, but anyone who's played one in the last fifteen years knows it's anything but. It's Gears of War with swords and half the creativity. All the elements that made Origins great are absent, in their place is this...thing.
  31. qstoffe
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    This is a hack & slash console action game. If you're looking for an RPG game, look elsewhere. If you like arcady-console-street fighter-action-games, then this is it. The original DA game was a lot more RPG and more similar to the BG saga. To even compare this game against older RPG games such as BG and Planescape is crazy because it would be like comparing a shooter against Civ5.
  32. Lascelle
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    What reason do we have to believe Mass Effect 3 won't be given the same shoddy treatment as Dragon Age II? So disappointed. Bioware has bought into their own hype and is throwing their well-earned reputation into the proverbial toilet.
  33. Klim
    Mar 10, 2011
    1
    Really, bioware? Really? This is a disaster, and such a step back for Dragon Age (and RPG's in general).
    The game is still buggy, and graphics are just lazy (don't know how they look on high resolution pack, hope the people who have two polygons on their faces now have at least 4), I'd like to review music, but there is NONE. At battle is rarely noticeable, but if not in battle all you    Really, bioware? Really? This is a disaster, and such a step back for Dragon Age (and RPG's in general).
    The game is still buggy, and graphics are just lazy (don't know how they look on high resolution pack, hope the people who have two polygons on their faces now have at least 4), I'd like to review music, but there is NONE. At battle is rarely noticeable, but if not in battle all you have is silence.
    Bioware stated that FF 13 was not really a RPG, because you can't really feel like the character, or make any important choices (which I agree with, don't get me wrong.)... and what happens with Dragon Age 2?
    You have already a character chosen for you, the only option you get is how he looks and what is his/her gender. While in first game you could choose between races, multiple backgrounds, and really feel like it's a character YOU created. Now we just get someone we don't know, we're supposed to care about him and his lost home and family, even though we didn't get to know them more for a minute.
    And the whole dialogue dumbed down to basically 3 choices? How is that an improvement? Not like the choice really matters story-wise anyway, so what bioware just accused of in another game, is doing itself to Dragon Age. What a shame.
    Dumbed down RPG with one-day DLC's and consolized game-play.
    Sorry, but I have to say no to that.    … Expand
  34. sulsa11
    Mar 9, 2011
    9
    I am a die hard PS3'er and I enjoyed the first game except that the combat was cludgy and difficult to manage tactics between characters. This version, imho, has taken and rebuilt the combat issues into a manageable console experience that I find very immersible and fun. I loved ME2 and the feel of DA2 just elevates what they did right in ME2 to make this game find its place in myI am a die hard PS3'er and I enjoyed the first game except that the combat was cludgy and difficult to manage tactics between characters. This version, imho, has taken and rebuilt the combat issues into a manageable console experience that I find very immersible and fun. I loved ME2 and the feel of DA2 just elevates what they did right in ME2 to make this game find its place in my library. I tend to agree with Tesseract, this may not be what the PC gamers wanted, but it is exactly what I was looking for in an rpg. I am just disappointed in the tactics that EA uses to stop the resale and re-playability of games by issuing codes that have to be purchased to experience the full gaming experience. There are ways of trying to stop piracy without compromising our efforts to resale or loan titles to friends. EA you are stepping over the line.… Expand
  35. N19ofEld
    Mar 10, 2011
    10
    An excellent game. Very engrossing and time consuming. An improvement over the first in both graphics in combat. Fighting enemies is faster, and surprisingly more violent. Definitely worth the sticker price. I guess I can see why some would be upset at the changes but for this gamer they are a welcome improvement. Even the Facebook game you gain access to is fun.
  36. steve1945
    Mar 11, 2011
    3
    As an old school crpg player I originally bought Dragon Age Origins due to Biowares steadfast mantra that the Dragon Age franchise will be a resurrection of the crpg genre. So I bought Origins, it was pretty good with some flaws. Figuring Biowares next entry in the series would clean it up and be at BG NWN levels of quality I continued to support them. Then DA2 was announced and the firstAs an old school crpg player I originally bought Dragon Age Origins due to Biowares steadfast mantra that the Dragon Age franchise will be a resurrection of the crpg genre. So I bought Origins, it was pretty good with some flaws. Figuring Biowares next entry in the series would clean it up and be at BG NWN levels of quality I continued to support them. Then DA2 was announced and the first game play was shown. From the increasingly Dynasty Warriors esq combat, to the unbelievably horrible graphics and art style changes. We were told to wait by Bioware and their more rabid fanbase, that I couldn't form an negative opinion because I haven't played it. Well its out now, and its just as big a pile of mediocrity as I suspected it would be. The Dialog is for one, is utterly terrible. Some of the best gems are "Im Hungry" and "I want to be the Dragon!". The Dialog wheel is also another terrible "INNOVATION!" thrown into Dragon Age due to the success of MICHAEL BAY PRESENTS MASS EFFECT! Not only do you not know what you will say with the wheel sometimes what you say is not at all what the words are on the wheel. With the addition of only 3 options with Upper Right being NOBLE GOOD BRIGHT, middle JOKE LOL JOKE JOKE JOKE. and bottom I KILL PUPPIES FOR SATAN BECAUSE!. To go along with that you have tiny pictures of the tone of what you will say. Red for Renegade....errr, green for good, and purple for idiot.

    The graphics and art style. While im not one to put much in graphics a game needs to at least have a good art style and use its assets well. I actually wouldn't care about this if the game had any GOOD aspects. Sadly it does not. Bioware said that the original Dragon Age didn't have an art identity and for the sequel they wanted to make it so different that you would immediately say THATS DRAGON AGE! Good idea right? Certainly. Except they already accomplished this. Very few games do Dark Medieval Fantasy anymore. DAO was one who did and it looked gorgeous on the PC. Which is where the game belongs. So now DA2 gets a new art style ok im down with it until. Its generic WOWesq light colors with terrible terrible exaggeration and jaggies.

    Combat. One look on youtube for Dragon Age 2 Combat will show you what I mean. lets just say AWESOME BUTTON is not awesome.

    This is just scratching the surface. All this combined with EA banning people from even playing because of posting negatively about DA2 on Biowares forums, along with Biodevs saying any negative review is some magic **** raid, along with EA slipping in securom on your machine without telling you "which is highly illegal I might add" along with constant locks and bans for anyone who post constructive criticism.

    All makes for one sour second entry into the series. OH GOD NO! STANLEY WOO HAS FOU

    This meta critic review is inappropriate.
    lock down
    End of Line    … Expand
  37. Adanedhil
    Mar 11, 2011
    3
    This is awful game. I think that it is a decline of a genre of a role-playing game. Games goes to simplification, instead of role-playing. This year I expect only the Witcher II from CDProjektRed. EA killed Bioware.
  38. imperita
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    I've played this all of the way through before writing anything. I've always been a Bioware fan, but seriously, DA2 is disappointing and I cannot see how the bulk of review sites can ignore some its fundamental flaws. Granted I can see how the combat has improved for console platforms, but it's really the rest of the game that leaves me feeling irritated. For instance, the dialogue optionsI've played this all of the way through before writing anything. I've always been a Bioware fan, but seriously, DA2 is disappointing and I cannot see how the bulk of review sites can ignore some its fundamental flaws. Granted I can see how the combat has improved for console platforms, but it's really the rest of the game that leaves me feeling irritated. For instance, the dialogue options and conversation interactions have really been dulled down - I assume this is due to the fact that Hawke is now voice-acted. I would love to sit down and talk with whoever came up with the 'sarcastic' replies for Hawke - he just sounds like an idiot. Taking the character of Isabella as an example - we get it, she is a sex addict - there is no need to constantly remind the player over and over again aside from the obviously intended hit with the younger male audience. There is no connection with the characters, you just don't end up caring what happens to them. The exception to this in my opinion is Merrill, whose dilemmas and underlying story fit in more with what I'd come to expect from Origins. The constant 'cameos' from older characters only reinforce the lack of interest with the supposed main cast of this installment. The story is definitely a lesser scale than origins, which makes me feel quite angry as to the marketing propaganda hinting at some sort of epic ascent to 'power'. Whilst the combat mechanics are a little more streamlined, as is item and inventory management in general, this doesn't fix the issue of repeated zones, reuse of assets, the low variety of enemies and the incredibly annoying 'walk-into-an-area-and-keep-spawning-stuff' ideology. Perhaps it is my fault for having expectations that were too high, or not checking beforehand that the entire game was essentially going to be set in one relatively bland city with a few outdoor areas which would be reused at periodic intervals as 'years' progress. I see a lot of the positive reviews being given here with scores of '10'. I just don't see why. Especially the 'OH MY GOD IM LEVEL 7 AND THIS IS AMAZING' - I too was still 'giving it a chance' at that stage hoping that it would open up and improve. Others suggest increasing the difficulty somehow compensates for the bad storyline and being locked into only a few zones just so that you can engage in slightly harder repetitive combat where on occasion people jump randomly from the sky, up from the ground or pop out of nowhere. I'm not a professional review writer - and I've never posted a review on metacritic before despite being a deidcated PC gamer for well over a decade. I just felt massively let down as a player and as a fan of DA:O that the experience of DA2 was quite simply a let down. Honestly it feels as if they sat down after the Awakening expansion and thought 'lets do that again with a new character and implement some of the ideas we couldn't fit into the scope Awakening - we'll call it Dragon Age 2'. P.S. Bring back more of the mage schools and spell combos. Why remove them?â… Expand
  39. gheed123
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    Bioware for me stood for quality RPG. Dragon age Origins was a quality RPG. The quality steadily went down with each DLC and the absolute low of this decline now seems to have been reached with DA2. They tried to make an RPG that appeals to the bro's that play CoD, Halo and Gears of war and the like and ended up with this **** The story is nonexistant, enemies are lame, they raped the loreBioware for me stood for quality RPG. Dragon age Origins was a quality RPG. The quality steadily went down with each DLC and the absolute low of this decline now seems to have been reached with DA2. They tried to make an RPG that appeals to the bro's that play CoD, Halo and Gears of war and the like and ended up with this **** The story is nonexistant, enemies are lame, they raped the lore that they built up with DAO, combat is fun for an hour or 1000 exploding bodies, copypasted terrain, fetch quests.. To me yet another huge disappointment for a triple A title.… Expand
  40. zagorec92
    Mar 18, 2011
    1
    Origins had a lot more epic and exciting story. Idea of putting story in one city, with 2-3 locations near it is really catastrophic. Combat is not that satisfying as it should be, inventory is awful. In Dragon Age Origins we didn't have so much restriction for armors and weapons like here. I was really surprised by that, but in the wrong way. Graphics, well, I can't complain too muchOrigins had a lot more epic and exciting story. Idea of putting story in one city, with 2-3 locations near it is really catastrophic. Combat is not that satisfying as it should be, inventory is awful. In Dragon Age Origins we didn't have so much restriction for armors and weapons like here. I was really surprised by that, but in the wrong way. Graphics, well, I can't complain too much about it. Characters...there's only one worth mentioning and that is Varric because it seems they only finished him and that the others were in work by the time game was out. Main character is finally voiced and it doesn't seem so dumb like in Origins, but I expected more. I really wanted to like this game, especially because it is from Bioware. But call of money and greed from EA made this game the biggest flop this year. I will give it a 2, only because it gave me 35 hours of gameplay. I really hope this won't happen again, this rushing and placing a half-finished product on the market with Mass Effect 3.… Expand
  41. Gixxer420
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    The combat in Dragon Age 2 was actually a lot more fun than the original. But the gameplay, story, atmosphere, music, and just about everything else made this game a steamy pile of **** compared to the original. You stay in one area for the ENTIRE game and environments are recycled 5-10 times, holy **** The characters are decent, but it's hard to get attached to them like you could inThe combat in Dragon Age 2 was actually a lot more fun than the original. But the gameplay, story, atmosphere, music, and just about everything else made this game a steamy pile of **** compared to the original. You stay in one area for the ENTIRE game and environments are recycled 5-10 times, holy **** The characters are decent, but it's hard to get attached to them like you could in Origins. Now as a modern game it was mediocre, but for a Dragon Age successor it was a huge disappointment... I think I beat the game 100% in a little over 9 1/2 hours, Dragon Age: Origins took me over 60 hours to fully complete it, huge step backwards. The story was a mess, serious **** mess, I won't spoil it for anyone but no connections are made and it's a huge cluster **** of nothing. The game has polish, but it doesn't have that epic feel like Origins did. Oh well, maybe Dragon Age 3 will be a little different.… Expand
  42. absu
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. an epic fail,al for i love Dao - is disapper empty locations ,all game in stupid citty like deneriom from fao
    shame on you Bioware.....

    shame on EA managers - who killing the great game    … Expand
  43. crustywaffle
    Mar 12, 2011
    6
    Many have criticized the game for lackluster graphics, a weak story line, forgettable characters, and many other things. Yet at the same time they go out of their way to praise the original Dragon Age, putting it on a higher pinnacle than it deserves to be on.

    Instead of looking at the game its self as its own entity, we should instead compare the first game along with it's sequel in    Many have criticized the game for lackluster graphics, a weak story line, forgettable characters, and many other things. Yet at the same time they go out of their way to praise the original Dragon Age, putting it on a higher pinnacle than it deserves to be on.

    Instead of looking at the game its self as its own entity, we should instead compare the first game along with it's sequel in order to see what things had drastically improved.

    Let's begin with the first thing people have pointed out - Graphics.

    The Graphics in Dragon Age: Origins were the exact same as the ones we are seeing in the current Dragon Age title. They were weak by the standards back than, as they are now. Should graphics take away from the game so much as they apparently have? Probably not, but in order to feel immersed in the world it's important for it to be visually appealing as well. Playing Dragon Age Origins it seemed as if there was nothing but browns and yellows, with an occasional red or white here and there. DA2 seems to have kept that same color pallet.

    Story -
    The DAO story line was, well, forgettable as well. I remember when I first played it I kept forgetting what I was suppose to be doing, what was the point of all this. Yes, I was a gray warden, and yes, I was suppose to be stopping the blight, but why exactly was I saving a child from the fade again? DA2 remains to be the same, the story tries to make its self feel like an epic adventure, but it all ends up being just forgettable moments that you can move on with.

    Characters - DA:O characters were unimportant, in that there didn't seem to be a development amongst them and your self. They remained to be the same character when you first met them up until the end, there was no drastic change in personality. Allastar was as whiny as always, Morrigan was shady until the end, and to be honest, I've forgotten the rest of the characters. That's how bad DA:O was in making the connection to you and your party. DA2 did little to improve on this, quickly killing off your brother or sister in the very beginning, allowing little to no development between the two of you. It's weak, plain and simple.

    Combat - This was perhaps DA2's saving grace. I remember from Origins playing a warrior I was stuck mainly doing auto attacks, occasionally being able to use an ability, and even than, the ability was lackluster. It didn't make me go "Oh wow! That was cool!". It was slow, and clunky, most importantly, it was boring. DA2 how ever changed that with it's new combat system. Sure, it may be hack-n-slash like, but none the less it keeps you entertained while it's going on, and your abilities are actually useful this time around. No longer do I feel like I'm standing there auto attacking a character until he dies, and even when I am auto attacking, the range of motions they make still make it visually fun to watch.

    Speech -
    This was another drastic improvement over Origins. I was disappointed when Origins came out, and instead of having your character speak, it was another silent protagonist. Obviously the voice casting for the different variable of characters you had would be expensive, so it was understandable. With diminishing the variable, and making it just a human with a male and female counterpart, they could implement what we all came to love from Mass Effect. The acting how ever, was weak compared to ME. I believe this was on part of how rushed the game was though.

    In short, the game is average compared to other bioware releases. This isn't directly to be blamed on bioware its self, but instead on EA. EA wanted to capitalize on DA:O as quickly as possible, and as such rushed Bioware into completing the game as quickly as possible, giving us a new title in 18 months. If they were instead given an additional 6 months to a year, we would have had seen a more polished, better game. It's highly unlikely EA will learn from this mistake, and more than likely because of the over-whelming negative reviews of the game, this will probably be the last in the Dragon Age series.    … Expand
  44. lithh
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm a huge fan of DA Origins, it was the best game I've played since FF X and VII. I was really excited about DA2, I ordered it in December and when I finally got it, I played it through as quickly as I could. During the whole game I was just waiting it to begin and even just before the end credits I thought the adventure was just about to begin. What a huge disappointment! I don't care about crappy graphics, I didn't even notice if they were bad or not. The battles were quite boring but I could have lived with that, too. I want the game to have a great story and great characters and I think DA2 had neither of these. Instead almost the whole game happened in one boring city! And the characters... They're nothing compared to characters in Origins, I feel like they were just random companions but in Origins I really started to love those guys. There's no Morrigan, no Zevran, no nothing in DA2. The story didn't arouse any feelings, I couldn't have cared less what happened but in Origins I think I actually shed a few tears. And for me RPG:s are all about story and characters and the feelings they make me feel.

    I don't know, it could have been a good game if I had never heard of Origins.    … Expand
  45. ADogChasingCars
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    Inspired by the success of Mass Effect 2, Bioware decided to send the Dragon Age franchise down the same dirt brown road. Taking an interesting universe, populated by interesting characters, and replacing it with a bland hero story that tries to hard at every direction. The only button you should press to make something awesome happen with this game is the eject button. :D
  46. Xcwking31
    Mar 16, 2011
    2
    I've really tried to give this game the benefit of the doubt, and I just can't anymore. To be fair I love all Bioware games... I'll take a week of from work just to play their latest game. After playing this game for a day I'm ready to go back to work. Storyline is as thick as water, same scenery a lot of the time, and you stat in the same city 90% of the time. One of the best things aboutI've really tried to give this game the benefit of the doubt, and I just can't anymore. To be fair I love all Bioware games... I'll take a week of from work just to play their latest game. After playing this game for a day I'm ready to go back to work. Storyline is as thick as water, same scenery a lot of the time, and you stat in the same city 90% of the time. One of the best things about Bioware is the chance to make decisions for your character... I didn't really care what my character did, ever. I've read a. Lot of reviews and I'm tires of people defending it by saying "don't buy it", but I bought it off of Biowares excellent track record... I had no idea it was rushed which is what the composer stated. I had no idea it wasn't like the other amazing Bioware games... I will be trading it in and I haven't even finished it. Some people say EA is to blame... I'm not sure, but what I do know is if this came out next year we probably wouldn't be having these conversations. As a Bioware fan it does concern me, but there's nothing I can do but be smarter about my future Bioware purchases. Extremely dissatisfied.… Expand
  47. 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
  48. 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.
  49. Skywin
    Mar 13, 2011
    5
    people that telling it's good really lieing lol , DA:O was really a great game and loved it , DA2 has nothing new , they are reusing places caves/houses for quest really boring if you come to the same place 5 times... The storyline could have made better , i liked DA:O storyline better.. it was quite boring ... why did they change everything? like revamp the darkspawn? i liked the old onespeople that telling it's good really lieing lol , DA:O was really a great game and loved it , DA2 has nothing new , they are reusing places caves/houses for quest really boring if you come to the same place 5 times... The storyline could have made better , i liked DA:O storyline better.. it was quite boring ... why did they change everything? like revamp the darkspawn? i liked the old ones these looked weird like zombies... -.- I loved the new characters , voiced but they could have made it better , it's not worth 50£ ..… Expand
  50. 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
  51. Nishiki
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    My favorite RPG game now. Thanks Bio ware for best 40 hours of my gaming life! The best characters ever, the best gameplay and the best storyline. Dragon Age 2 > Mass Effect 2 and all rpg (gothic, oblivion etc)
  52. teras
    Mar 10, 2011
    10
    Dragon Age Origins was a good game. It had an interesting story, interesting characters and quests and good tactics combat. However it suffered from ugly outdated visuals, lack of proper controls for the ps3 (controlling a character with the stick felt very loose and the characters themselves felt weightless), no sense of immediacy (you sent someone to do an action, you didn't do theDragon Age Origins was a good game. It had an interesting story, interesting characters and quests and good tactics combat. However it suffered from ugly outdated visuals, lack of proper controls for the ps3 (controlling a character with the stick felt very loose and the characters themselves felt weightless), no sense of immediacy (you sent someone to do an action, you didn't do the action with the press of a button) and ..tactics combat. I didn't like the strategic tactics combat of the first, it never drew me in and although I have put more than 70 hours in that game it felt like a choir and I only did it for the story. It also suffered from a lot of micromanagement and combined with a bad font type that was just too small for a 40 inch LCD it resulted in sore eyes. In this respect Dragon Age 2 is a major improvement to say the least. This time the game looks good, in fact at times it looks great, the character models are good and detailed, the background is nice, the buildings and castle walls look great. The controls are tight this time, the characters have some weight and although they move fast and swing great swords with much ease, the feel is right. The combat is a lot more action oriented with the immediacy that I mentioned earlier. You hit X and the character lands a blow. This way the combat is a lot more satisfying although tactics fans will disagree. The excessive micromanagement is gone, and the menus are well designed. Overall the game is more streamlined and console friendly but that's not a negative thing for ps3 owners. Also gone are the endless lines of petty dialogue that led nowhere. The conversations now are more to the point and this time thanks to the mass effect wheel it's easy to understand the motions that hide beneath the phrases so you know what to choose.

    So, to sum things up I would say that DA2 is a more streamlined action RPG game than it's predecessor but without sacrificing depth for looks. The tactics game is still in there for those that prefer it but now it appeals to the action gamer as well. Unless you are a die hard old school RPG player that refuses to accept its changes, you will probably like this game.    … Expand
  53. pantherfan4389
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    Everyone needs to stop be whiny little babies about the changes. I played Origins four times through and I loved that game. I did the side quests, got into the story, and enjoyed the battle system. With that being said, I just finished Dragon Age II and I can tell that it's just as good as the original. People are picking up the game for the first time and coming on here andEveryone needs to stop be whiny little babies about the changes. I played Origins four times through and I loved that game. I did the side quests, got into the story, and enjoyed the battle system. With that being said, I just finished Dragon Age II and I can tell that it's just as good as the original. People are picking up the game for the first time and coming on here and complaining about it because it's not the game that they fell in love with in the first place.

    I finished the second game and it has so many of the same things as Origins that you people haven't even realized yet. The story seems a lot less epic, but it really isn't. Once you start getting into the story points, it really brings you in. The combat is faster and doesn't seem like a game out of the '90s like Origins. Choices are still there, so I don't understand that complaint at all. I actually feel like choices are a bigger part of the story than they were in the first game.

    I'm not trying to insult people, but the majority of these reviews came in the day the game came out. Get over yourselves and actually play the game and give it a chance before you run to the internet to complain about it. After beating this game, I can say with certainty that I like it just as much as the original. Sure, some things could have been fixed. I don't need to see what emotion each conversation choice is conveying. I like to be able to figure those things out myself, but all in all the game is an improvement in many areas.    … Expand
  54. vandro
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    Less races, less skills, less hours of gaming, but more jumping, more killing, more speed. Meant to be a casual game for casual gamers. But looks like a game for people who like tu run amok.
  55. TXTSWORD
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    This is exactly what's wrong with gaming, and I hope this entire situation revealed that for some of the plebe gamers who have been asleep to the evils of popular marketed-to-hell trash games. What obviously happened was they decided to take a successful game with a promising future for it's franchise, and make it a DIFFERENT game targeted to people who were not fans of the first. I don'tThis is exactly what's wrong with gaming, and I hope this entire situation revealed that for some of the plebe gamers who have been asleep to the evils of popular marketed-to-hell trash games. What obviously happened was they decided to take a successful game with a promising future for it's franchise, and make it a DIFFERENT game targeted to people who were not fans of the first. I don't know what the long term plan for that was. Additionally, the game was so rushed (to be cranked out in a year for maximum profit) that it's an incoherent trainwreck. Beyond the fact they ruined everything fun about Origins, beyond the weird new "artsy cartoon network show" art direction, beyond wrecking the dialogue system and significance of "choice", beyond everything I expected, it also managed to not be a coherent videogame. The story progression, the world, the sense of purpose, the understanding of your objectives, everything is lost. It's the most bizarre experience I've had playing a game. If it were just bland soulless triple A title bad, that would be understandable. It was what I was expecting. But this is so much worse. It seems... confused. Lack of focus in the design, or lack of direction. Anyways, I imagine that they wrecked this franchise so congratulations I hope you're punished for ceasing to make good videogames. This industry is sick. I don't know what developers to trust. The only one that comes to mind is From Software. Punish bad devs, punish bad publishers, stop giving them your money, stop buying into the hype, and make the industry well again.… Expand
  56. DaReviewDude
    Mar 27, 2011
    7
    As you can see from the user score, every rpg fanatic has been **** about how this game isn't very good. They need to realize that Bioware is a business. As a business you try to make your product appeal to a large audience so they can make a profit. Bioware did not want to create dragon age II with the exact same gameplay as Dragon Age Origins. People tend to say if its not broken don'tAs you can see from the user score, every rpg fanatic has been **** about how this game isn't very good. They need to realize that Bioware is a business. As a business you try to make your product appeal to a large audience so they can make a profit. Bioware did not want to create dragon age II with the exact same gameplay as Dragon Age Origins. People tend to say if its not broken don't fix it but that doesn't work all the time. People would get bored of it and then complain that nothing had changed. Its a lose lose situation really. So in order to appeal to a broader audience they added more of a hack and slash feel to it rather than just choosing an ability and then watching (Which really doesn't appeal to fans of o lets say God of War). As much as it is very linear compared to most role playing games it still is a fun game. It isn't the best rpg out there on the market but it definitely isn't the worst. If you are a fan of the Mass Effect style of dialogue, then you will enjoy this game. Don't listen to any of the user critic's who are giving games 1s or 0s because these are the hard core fanatics that didn't have the game the exact way they wanted. And they also need to realize the amount of work that goes into creating a game like this.… Expand
  57. Alethian
    Mar 11, 2011
    4
    A massive disappointment. In short, large elements of traditional fantasy RPG gameplay have been removed. Combat has become mashing, without any character or style. Customization has been virtually eliminated, barring the main character. Dialogue is poor and the initial development of the story is weak. There are good elements, enough to consider purchasing the game. However, I wouldA massive disappointment. In short, large elements of traditional fantasy RPG gameplay have been removed. Combat has become mashing, without any character or style. Customization has been virtually eliminated, barring the main character. Dialogue is poor and the initial development of the story is weak. There are good elements, enough to consider purchasing the game. However, I would recommend waiting a year or so for the price to drop. It simply is not worth $60.… Expand
  58. Kanye
    Mar 13, 2011
    1
    It was ok for a hack and slash adventure. Forget all about tactical combat, immersion into the story, convincable dialgoue or character development.
  59. AyHy
    Mar 15, 2011
    9
    I honestly can't understand the negative reaction to this game. It's one of the best games I've played in a long time. I sunk a whole weekend into it and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

    Here's an analogy I think is apt: DA2 is to DA:O as Fallout:New Vegas is to Fallout 3. That is to say, it's not in the least bit revolutionary, it often feels more like a giant expansion pack than a    I honestly can't understand the negative reaction to this game. It's one of the best games I've played in a long time. I sunk a whole weekend into it and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

    Here's an analogy I think is apt: DA2 is to DA:O as Fallout:New Vegas is to Fallout 3. That is to say, it's not in the least bit revolutionary, it often feels more like a giant expansion pack than a new game, and it feels more disorganized and less focused than the original. Often, in DA2, you feel like you're running around trying to fix the problems of everyone in the city, no matter how small they might be, and you often find yourself wondering "Wait - what's the point of all this?"

    But those are minor complaints. Pretty much everything good about DA:O has been preserved - the lore, the sense of humor, the banter and interactions between your characters, the sense that you're really roleplaying a character.

    Dialogue is fully voiced in this one, like Mass Effect 2, and this has had some mixed reactions. But I think it was a good choice. It makes the whole experience feel cinematic - like a 50-hour movie that you get to guide. In DA:O, I always thought it was downright creepy that everyone talked to your character while he or she just sat there staring at them with dead, dead eyes. Plus, voicing the character gives them the opportunity to say more than just tiny clickable blerbs, and it lets you really watch yourself taking charge of a situation and shaping Kirkwall to the way your character would want it to be.

    Combat, again, is controversial. Yes, DA2 simplified DA:O's combat system, so to some extent it now feels like a hack-and-slash reminiscent of, say, the Dynasty Warriors series. But that's not entirely bad!! I never felt like combat was really the point of DA:O, and the whole system just *dragged* - I found I was spending about 2/3 of battle time with the game paused, issuing commands. In DA2, that's down to maybe 20%. Combat is simpler than it was before, yes - but it's also more cinematic, and, actually, more satisfying. Winning a DA:O battle gave you the feeling of having outmaneuvered an opponent in a simple game of strategy - like winning a game of Connect 4. Winning a DA2 battle gives you the feeling that you've just punched someone in the face. It's more visceral. I like it.

    As for the maps - well, there's no way around it: they suck. They're all nearly completely linear, and they're all reused over and over and over, ad nauseam. But even that didn't really detract from the game's enjoyment for me. Because I don't play Dragon Age to explore. I play it to roleplay.

    And as a roleplayer, this one is in many ways better than the first. I don't know how genuine the illusion of choice is, because I've only played through it once, but it's a good illusion. In the first game, you could tell from about the time you first visited the Circle how the game was going to go: you'd do the elf quest, and the dwarf quest, and the mage quest, and the human quest, and then there'd be a couple more quests, and then you'd face the Archdemon. And all you truly decided was details. In DA2, you sometimes feel like Kirkwall is your own sandbox - like you, and you alone, are going to decide who lives and who dies and who becomes powerful and who doesn't. And that's just fun. That's the fun that really, for me, made all the other flaws in this game nothing more than minor details.    … Expand
  60. galaktur
    Mar 16, 2011
    0
    Game - disappointing year. is certainly in the game and the good moments, improvements and new approaches, but unfortunately, disadvantages outweigh all its advantages. in pursuit of excess income, usually leaves the crude product, which subsequently will only exacerbate the situation and standard condemns the continuation of game to fail. ea company should reconsider marketing policy.
  61. 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
  62. tnometac
    Mar 10, 2011
    10
    I think it's a great improvement over the first one! I don't understand what everyone else is b*tching about. The combat system is noticeably improved, and I like it. I love the new graphics as well.
  63. WINNING
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    Gameplay is fluid, fun and easy to learn. There's enough variation too keep you intrigued. Some stuff could get stale, and the story starts off somewhat annoying which is why a 9/10 and not 10/10. After playing DA:O on the PC and enjoying it I'm glad I still picked up for ps3, it is just as fun of an experience but this time I don't have to dish out $400 to upgrade my PC in order to run itGameplay is fluid, fun and easy to learn. There's enough variation too keep you intrigued. Some stuff could get stale, and the story starts off somewhat annoying which is why a 9/10 and not 10/10. After playing DA:O on the PC and enjoying it I'm glad I still picked up for ps3, it is just as fun of an experience but this time I don't have to dish out $400 to upgrade my PC in order to run it on max. Don't listen to the people giving it 1/10, they're just pcfanboy trolls who are upset that Bioware understands the importance of a large market.… Expand
  64. Evil_Jeff
    Mar 10, 2011
    10
    So, Dragon Age 2. This is an amazing game which involves a great story, interesting characters and fantastic action. Great job Bioware! I can not wait, Mass Effect 3!
  65. polko-m
    Mar 10, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Game is very good I don't know why each is crying ??? I would gave it 8,5/10, however to help it fight with not fair scores as 0 or 1 I gave 10.!!! It's similar cery much to DA: O (on consoles) so I don't know why there are such differences in score?… Expand
  66. Hude
    Mar 14, 2011
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. DA2 just didnâ… Expand
  67. scribe206
    Mar 18, 2011
    10
    I feel compelled to chime in here and make clear that â
  68. subsided
    Mar 18, 2011
    10
    This game is awesome. This game at least rivals the first game only in this one the combat iss 10X better and the character are awesome and have alot of variety. I just cant see how anyone can give this a failing score when theres no major problems to the game and it has such depth.
  69. scribble206
    Mar 18, 2011
    8
    I feel compelled to chime in here and make clear that 0 reviews are unfair to a very good game. I never played the first one so I canâ
  70. drjaxx
    Mar 18, 2011
    10
    I'm just going to go ahead and believe that most of the reviewers here and whinny fanboys that really didn't give this game a try. Anyone that wrote a review on or around the 8th shouldn't be counted. You can't really get into the meat of a game like this within a day, or even a couple of days. Truth of the matter is, all you whinny ungrateful fanboys don't deserve a game of thisI'm just going to go ahead and believe that most of the reviewers here and whinny fanboys that really didn't give this game a try. Anyone that wrote a review on or around the 8th shouldn't be counted. You can't really get into the meat of a game like this within a day, or even a couple of days. Truth of the matter is, all you whinny ungrateful fanboys don't deserve a game of this quality, and it looks like most of you are going to miss out because of the all of the annoying whinny rumors of false truths about the game. People these days form opinions way too quick. It's hard to take any of these reviews seriously, so I wont. I don't know why I even care to write anything here, it's like throwing stones at a tsunami. I enjoy gaming, but it's times like these that I wouldn't want to be associated with these immature gamers. I know there are quality people out there in the gaming community, but this is getting ridiculous.… Expand
  71. MAXX45
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    "DA2 simply, is NOT an RPG"
    "Bioware..... shame on EA managers - who killing the great game"
    "there is nothing much to say about this game because EA has corrupted its from the inside. The first game is a success but the second game is only a money machine for EA's devils"
  72. SiliconNooB
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    How did Bioware manage to turn the majesty of DAO into this dingy and myopic little world? The plot is stunted, the Dialogue shallow, and the combat is clearly compromised, and that is without even touching upon the game's myriad bugs! Dumbed down doesn't even begin to describe DA2.
  73. normalpants
    Mar 13, 2011
    1
    Dragon Age II is a major disappointment. The first game was certainly flawed, especially in terms of usability for people new to RPGs, but it more than made it for its flaws by giving us memorable characters, a richly-detailed world to explore, and a deep backstory and main story to immerse ourselves in. A lot of people found a special place for Dragon Age Origins in their hearts and IDragon Age II is a major disappointment. The first game was certainly flawed, especially in terms of usability for people new to RPGs, but it more than made it for its flaws by giving us memorable characters, a richly-detailed world to explore, and a deep backstory and main story to immerse ourselves in. A lot of people found a special place for Dragon Age Origins in their hearts and I was certainly one of them.

    I didn't expect anything revelatory out of the sequel, after all, it's coming hot off the heals of the last game (roughly a little less than 2 years?) and I don't exactly have a lot of faith in the games industry in the first place. I expected a reasonable upgrade to the combat system and a roughly equivalent level of story-telling, which has been a staple of every Bioware game they have ever released, even less-loved ones. My expectations were not met. Despite what the previews have led you to believe, the combat system is pretty much exactly the same as the first game, which is great for me, because I actually had a blast with combat in the first one. There are a couple minor tweaks that make it feel like you're more in the control of your characters, which is a nice touch, but it's pretty minor stuff. Combat has been toned down to be much easier, to the point where you can virtually spam X or A in all of your fights and win on normal difficulty. Most people will want to play it on hard or higher assuming you want to play it at all.

    The reason you should not play Dragon Age II is because it cheapens the Dragon Age series. I found myself pining for characters I hated in the first one (Sten and Zevren anyone?) because every single character is unmemorable and all of their dialogue boils down to "hey guys! let's get the band guys, ok?" Also, there isn't nearly as much voice acting in the sequel as there was in the first one. NPCs, vendors, side-quest givers and even some major plot characters usually have one sound byte that repeats no matter how many times you talk to them. "Dungeons" are just a series of narrow passages and rooms with little to no distinguishing landmarks to make you feel like you're actually making progress or seeing anything new. Some major quests have their conclusions take place in environments that aren't much better than some of the random outdoor encounters from the world map in the first game. Maybe I'm being too harsh, but it's a shame when I can no longer say that a Bioware game is a day one purchase at full price without reading reviews. It feels rushed, forced, unnecessary, and I can't help feeling like I wasted my money. Even though the combat is still fun and slightly improved, I don't hate myself quite enough to slog through this mess of a game.    … Expand
  74. Viraglue
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    Bland and watered down, DA2 was a huge disappointment, visually and conceptually. Judging this game solely by itself (I haven't played Origins), I joined Metacric just to say, don't waste your money. If you have to, rent the game first before you flush it down the drain. What I want to know, is how are all of these so-called "Critics" rating this game +86? I wonder how much BioWare spentBland and watered down, DA2 was a huge disappointment, visually and conceptually. Judging this game solely by itself (I haven't played Origins), I joined Metacric just to say, don't waste your money. If you have to, rent the game first before you flush it down the drain. What I want to know, is how are all of these so-called "Critics" rating this game +86? I wonder how much BioWare spent on getting those ratings.… Expand
  75. Icee
    Mar 14, 2011
    1
    Dragon Age: Origins its a great game. Dragon Age 2 just **** sorry but its true. Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game
  76. Corraine
    Mar 26, 2011
    8
    After replaying through the initial Dragon Age multiple a time, it was a no brainer to pick up DA2 as well. While the openers magic is slightly lost along the way the sequel does a lot right. The story itself is written nicely, albeit missing out on a lot of potential drama and interesting scenes. Characters are all around nicely done and actually have a lot of unexpected reactions andAfter replaying through the initial Dragon Age multiple a time, it was a no brainer to pick up DA2 as well. While the openers magic is slightly lost along the way the sequel does a lot right. The story itself is written nicely, albeit missing out on a lot of potential drama and interesting scenes. Characters are all around nicely done and actually have a lot of unexpected reactions and decisions which make the game feel genuinely interesting.

    On the minus side the game has a bit too much of fighting going on. After you learn the gimmick of the fight, it does get nice. Yet wave after wave of extra enemies per each fight does get kind of tiresome. Either way a very well done sequel and a way lengthy as well. Clocked at 90 hours on nightmare after completing about every quest I could find.    … Expand
  77. Marcoo_PL
    Mar 28, 2011
    7
    In my opinion it is 100x better than the first one. Combat system is great for me, dialogues are masterpiece, even better than in mass effect 2 for me. I hope BioWare will keep going the right way (action rpg) because this is what they are doing great..... ANOTHER GREAT GAME BIOWARE!!!!
  78. 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...
  79. 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....
  80. spookymuffin
    Mar 23, 2011
    9
    I can honestly say that I don't understand all of the negative attention this game is getting, I'm on my third playthrough and am nowhere near bored with it yet.

    When I first started playing I was a little thrown by some of the changes (how the battle system has been simplified and the way that you can only interact with your companions in their home bases) but I gave the game a fair    I can honestly say that I don't understand all of the negative attention this game is getting, I'm on my third playthrough and am nowhere near bored with it yet.

    When I first started playing I was a little thrown by some of the changes (how the battle system has been simplified and the way that you can only interact with your companions in their home bases) but I gave the game a fair chance and after a few hours of play I was enjoying just as much as (if not more than) Origins.

    One of the game's strongest points is the voice acting (just as it was in the original) and I was impressed when I first met the Dalish and heard their new Irish (is Merill the only Welsh one?) accents and felt that it suited them much better than the American ones that they had before. I was especially pleased (as an Irish person) to hear *real* Irish accents as opposed to something you'd hear from the Lucky Charms leprechaun. I also found the story in this game much more deep than the one in Origins, the plight of the mages and the position of the templars meant much more to me than it ever did in Origins.

    That's not to say that the game is without its issues: -I've had a ridiculous amount of crashes for a PS3 game; times when the game has frozen completely and I have to manually turn off the console. -I feel like the companions have been unnecessarily scaled back, I can't understand why they removed the option to change their armour and I have a feeling that we got much less dialogue simply so that Hawke could have a voice of his/her own.
    -The fact that the game reuses the same 12-odd environments gets old real fast. This is not something I can remember happening in Origins at all and it was something that really began to bother me after a while.    … Expand
  81. FilthyGround
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Compared to DA:Origins this game is a great disappointment.
    Compared to Baldur's Gate it's a mere insult.
    Even if you take it for what it is without comparing it to the greatness of former Bioware games, you end up with a not much of a game at all. The art work is sloppy, the gameplay lacks depth, the moral choice system is a joke and the story is cliché on cliché    Compared to DA:Origins this game is a great disappointment.
    Compared to Baldur's Gate it's a mere insult.
    Even if you take it for what it is without comparing it to the greatness of former Bioware games, you end up with a not much of a game at all.
    The art work is sloppy, the gameplay lacks depth, the moral choice system is a joke and the story is cliché on cliché on cliché.
    Adding to that the story is so blatantly cut off to provide them with content for the mandatory launch day DLC. I never pirated a Bioware game out of respect for they great games they made.
    This ends now.
    This game is bad enough to end more than a decade of loyalty.    … Expand
  82. Hugodastrevas
    Mar 27, 2011
    10
    This game is really really really good, yes it has some issues but all games have them.
    The story it's pretty refreshing, without the usual cliches and one dimensional characters. The gameplay it's actually fun. This game is NOT "dragon age : origins 2.0" or "mass dragon age effect". It's something new altogether and i effin love it.
  83. Olf
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    A game that resembles every other RPG game tossed out for consoles. No imagination or creativity. The ingenuity that made Dragon Age origins so ground breaking is totally lost on this sequel that would make DAO get an emancipation from Dragon Age 2 if it could so it would not stain its good name. A terrible at best sequel and a very sub par game in general. Poorly done Bioware, and EA youA game that resembles every other RPG game tossed out for consoles. No imagination or creativity. The ingenuity that made Dragon Age origins so ground breaking is totally lost on this sequel that would make DAO get an emancipation from Dragon Age 2 if it could so it would not stain its good name. A terrible at best sequel and a very sub par game in general. Poorly done Bioware, and EA you should be ashamed by the lack of imagination it took to create this game.… Expand
  84. Redtrip
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    The only RPG worse than Dragon Age is the sequel. If Bioware continues to make such terrible games it will see itself go from acclaimed developer to bankrupt.
  85. Dzverg
    Mar 13, 2011
    0
    Hello!
    For the first time I haven't received pleasure from game from BioWare Game is awful. The fighting system causes furiousness. The graphics is primitive, that I play such impression Doom, for control of the camera - to tear off hands or it is even better a head.
    If they I will make Mass Effect 3 in the same type it it will be very bad.
  86. Backintime
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    Role-Playing Game? A hack-and-slash with bland, uninspired environments. Endless swarms of enemies? Where's the tactical aspect? For a company that became famous because of excellent characterization and sex scenes.... the characters (especially Anders and that Elf Chick Whose Name Starts with M, who just sort of sits there) are one-dimensional, and everyone is fully clothed. Ick. No-buy.
  87. nmaxw63
    Mar 22, 2011
    7
    Not as good as the first game. Bioware have changed too many things and the whole things feels like a bit of a mish mash (designed by committee springs to mind), and story is no where near as tight.
    Support characters are also no where as near interesting (except for possibly Merrill who gave me a chuckle or two). Isabella is a cardboard cut out light relief charcter, Bethany is boring,    Not as good as the first game. Bioware have changed too many things and the whole things feels like a bit of a mish mash (designed by committee springs to mind), and story is no where near as tight.
    Support characters are also no where as near interesting (except for possibly Merrill who gave me a chuckle or two). Isabella is a cardboard cut out light relief charcter, Bethany is boring, Carver - what a whining **** glad he died when you choose the warrior option.
    Still, once past the negatives, I had some fun with the combat, you feel like a kick-ass warrior, instead of a wimp who couldn't survive for 5 minutes without your team like you do in most RPGs. Often I felt like my character was able to come to the rescue of team, rather than relying on them.    … Expand
  88. Nur
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    I truly had hoped the news and indications during the development of this game were false, but sadly no. This game completely strays from everything that made the original so amazing in a sad attempt to gather a style of game player that, frankly, can get better hack and slash elsewhere. DA2 tries to be all things to all people and fails at that. Is it fun? It passes the time adequatelyI truly had hoped the news and indications during the development of this game were false, but sadly no. This game completely strays from everything that made the original so amazing in a sad attempt to gather a style of game player that, frankly, can get better hack and slash elsewhere. DA2 tries to be all things to all people and fails at that. Is it fun? It passes the time adequately but so does playing solitaire. It's okay, but not great, just a time killer with no replayability. Certainly NOT worth the 60 dollar price tag EA slapped on this.… Expand
  89. OMGmyFACE
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    The first one was great fun and while this game couldn't possibly have lived up to its expectations, it did a good job of failing on its merits. The background designs are bland and annoying, the conversation and morality choices no longer have any variety to them, the graphics glitch out from time to time, and the combat is so dumbed down that it felt like playing Dynasty Warriors:The first one was great fun and while this game couldn't possibly have lived up to its expectations, it did a good job of failing on its merits. The background designs are bland and annoying, the conversation and morality choices no longer have any variety to them, the graphics glitch out from time to time, and the combat is so dumbed down that it felt like playing Dynasty Warriors: Origins instead. This was supposed to be an RPG?… Expand
  90. spacegiraffe
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    To even consider this game as an RPG is insanity.
    Almost every positive reviewer has been paid off by EA/Bioware. Don't believe the positive reviews, DA2 will go down in history as the worst game of 2011.
  91. Corpsefiend
    Mar 16, 2011
    0
    The biggest failure in the entire history of gaming. Quite comparable to Superman 64. Just a complete and utter disaster. Everything about this game is horrendous. Gone are the days of Baldur's Gate and the days of quality RPG's from Bioware. Overtaken by dollar signs, and nickel and diming their loyal fans to death. The DLC has gone way to far, why would you sell an incomplete gameThe biggest failure in the entire history of gaming. Quite comparable to Superman 64. Just a complete and utter disaster. Everything about this game is horrendous. Gone are the days of Baldur's Gate and the days of quality RPG's from Bioware. Overtaken by dollar signs, and nickel and diming their loyal fans to death. The DLC has gone way to far, why would you sell an incomplete game in the first place. The Q&A is absolutely non-existant. One last thing Chris Hoban thanks to you blatantly lying and altering review scores, you have turned the masses and everyone that supported Bioware against you.… Expand
  92. Zagor
    Apr 5, 2011
    10
    After spending over 70 hours, I'm on my second playthrough and still haven't had enough. Dragon Age 2 is by far the best work Bioware has released and I am looking forward for Dragon Age 3.
  93. IamLegion
    Apr 12, 2011
    9
    I really don´t understand all this hate from so many gamers. Seriously. I loved Dragon Age Origins and I played it all the way until the end. I loved it so much that I even finished Awakening and pretty much all its DLC. When I started playing Dragon Age 2, of course I had my expectations. And, yes, the game feels different. It looks different; it plays different. But doesI really don´t understand all this hate from so many gamers. Seriously. I loved Dragon Age Origins and I played it all the way until the end. I loved it so much that I even finished Awakening and pretty much all its DLC. When I started playing Dragon Age 2, of course I had my expectations. And, yes, the game feels different. It looks different; it plays different. But does this really matter that much? It´s core and soul remain untouched. It is sitll an AWESOME game THAT SHOULD NOT BE MISSED. I love the new characters, the whole "Mass-Effect 2-thing" going on, the improved graphics and the gameplay too. For PS3 users, Dragon Age Origins - although excellent - felt I little clunky for me, I mean, to play with a controller. Now, I REALLY feel empowered while fighting my opponents. I REALLY feel I AM doing it and not just pointing and clicking. Serious, guys. It´s ok to have our own opinions about what we play. But we must be honest with ourselves. Dragon Age 2 is a BLAST (and you know it!) and it does not deserve such bad reviews. It is not perfect, but it is still a gaming gem. I give it 9 out of 10.… Expand
  94. 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
  95. 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
  96. XcaliburOne
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    BioWare please tell me what in god's name did you do to Dragon Age? I don't even want to type how disappointed I am with this title. I fully blame this game's release with the superquake in Northern Japan.
  97. SC00per
    Mar 28, 2011
    10
    Great game... Once again nerd-rage strikes and some "fans" of DAO are angry that DA2 is well.... different... Some people just can't cope with change.

    In short: -Improved combat, (strategic control over party is more satisfying and combat with your main character is a lot more fun). -Better voice acting. -Great storyline and characters -Quests are more involving than the usual arbitrary    Great game... Once again nerd-rage strikes and some "fans" of DAO are angry that DA2 is well.... different... Some people just can't cope with change.

    In short: -Improved combat, (strategic control over party is more satisfying and combat with your main character is a lot more fun). -Better voice acting.
    -Great storyline and characters
    -Quests are more involving than the usual arbitrary grinds you sometimes find in games of this genre. -Streamlined inventory / character menus with new features which make everything more manageable.
    -Better graphics. More stylized characters and environment. Great job on this game. A lot of flaws I found with DAO that stopped it being 'fun' at times have been addressed in DA2. If you were put off by the 'PC-feel' of DAO then this is well worth picking up. Equally, if you enjoyed DAO, (and you aren't an angry nerd), then grab a copy of DA2.

    10/10 - Probably the best RPG current;y available for PS3 / 360    … Expand
  98. PsiCat
    Mar 24, 2011
    10
    An amazing RPG and excellent addition to the Dragon Age series. Love the faster paced combat compared to Dragon Age: Origins, and while there are a few minor flaws it is definitely not deserving of all the negative reviews from people who probably didn't even play the game. I'm eagerly waiting the next entry in the series.
  99. 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
  100. existentialist
    Mar 19, 2011
    8
    I will preface this by saying the game wasn't what I expected, but I am not going to rate the game on expectations like many people have. While there are many aspects of the game that I felt could have been done better, I can't rightly give it a negative review. No matter its faults, any game that keeps me coming back for more night after night did something right. The biggest fault isI will preface this by saying the game wasn't what I expected, but I am not going to rate the game on expectations like many people have. While there are many aspects of the game that I felt could have been done better, I can't rightly give it a negative review. No matter its faults, any game that keeps me coming back for more night after night did something right. The biggest fault is repetitive environments. The second biggest fault, which I actually didn't mind too much, was the way the story was presented. The point-of-attack (look it up if you're not an English major) was way off. Being a video game this is forgivable, but still a little irksome. Also your character has no real drive through most of the game; Hawke just responds to events that are part of a larger story. This is an interesting perspective, but overall makes the game feel less epic. The real greatness is in character development and relationships. The character subplots, in my opinion, more than make up for the lack of a cohesive overall plot. The voice acting is great and the characters are deep and believable; each of them adds a unique perspective to events in the game. I admit, some of the background chatter between party members can be trite, but for the most part it is interesting and funny. I recommend changing party members every once-in-awhile so you can listen their exchanges with each other. Also the setting, plot, and codices do add much to the history and mythos of Dragon Age. The combat and movement animation is fluid and an upgrade from DA:O. If you enjoyed DA:O combat you will feel right at home. I didn't find the combat overly easy. I am not afraid to admit, I had to change the difficulty to casual for a couple fights. One thing I have heard people complain about, that I think is an improvement, is the companion armor system. I hated the tediousness of buying and equipping armor in DA:O; it took forever going through each piece of equipment for each party member and comparing it to each piece in your inventory. In Dragon Age 2, each companion has their own armor set which can't be switched out. The companions are still highly customizable with armor upgrades, runes, and a whole slew of accessories. I think most players will find, especially when judged on its own merits, that Dragon Age 2 is an enjoyable game. So what if it isn't the pinnacle of Bioware's greatness or didn't achieve the epicness of its predecessor, I had a heck of a fun time playing it and that is really what matters.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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.
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