Dragon Age II

 Xbox 360
User Score
4.6

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 2466 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 795 out of 2466
  2. Mixed: 431 out of 2466
  3. Negative: 1,240 out of 2466
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  1. Vaeleth
    Mar 22, 2011
    4
    I could write an essay on this game. I'll keep it short....

    Good: *Classes and skills have much more synergy. *Companion dialog remains witty and amusing. *Companion quests are fun. *Initial story is OK *Crafting is streamlined. - Some don't like this change, it made the game less tedious. The BAD: *The game and environments are hollow. Kirkwall is nice, but it is a ghost town. All    I could write an essay on this game. I'll keep it short....

    Good:
    *Classes and skills have much more synergy.
    *Companion dialog remains witty and amusing.
    *Companion quests are fun.
    *Initial story is OK
    *Crafting is streamlined. - Some don't like this change, it made the game less tedious.

    The BAD:
    *The game and environments are hollow. Kirkwall is nice, but it is a ghost town. All dialog is scripted.
    *Copy and pasted environments are a kick in the balls.
    *Imported saves from DA:O hold no impact.
    *Dialog wheel is misleading.
    *Most boss fights are just tedious attrition kites.
    *Linear environments. You literally cannot explore at all. There are no hidden goodies to be found.
    *Para dropping enemies. All fights come in waves of enemies that appear out of nowhere.
    *Linear story. Your actions have zero impact on the MAIN story.
    *You cannot interact with companions past the rare and quick scripted events.
    *Character cameos from DA:O are forced and hold no meaning.
    *Day 1 DLC that tries to milk more money out of you. Another kick in the balls.
    *The game falls flat in the end. The outcome is the same, regardless of everything you've done.
    *Most equipment is junk, most loot is junk. - Literally. You just killed a boss? He drops... Junk and one good item. -If you are lucky.
    *Bugged quests.
    *Side quests are hollow and pointless. You loot an item and magically know to give it to x or y stranger for gold. ZERO dialog.
    *Enemies just explode, not finishers are satisfying animations.    … Expand
  2. moui
    Mar 22, 2011
    10
    I like the game. It's face paced, exciting, with enough story and emotional turmoil to fill in the gaps. The story is perhaps a bit sparser than in other (BioWare) games, or at least much more focused and small scale: it's about YOUR character, not about EVERYTHING. That said, I still find the story interesting, even compelling.

    It's true that much has been trimmed (streamlined, dumbed    I like the game. It's face paced, exciting, with enough story and emotional turmoil to fill in the gaps. The story is perhaps a bit sparser than in other (BioWare) games, or at least much more focused and small scale: it's about YOUR character, not about EVERYTHING. That said, I still find the story interesting, even compelling.

    It's true that much has been trimmed (streamlined, dumbed down; the term you pick depends on your expectations going in). The inventory is very simple, you only choose armor for your own character, although you can pick weapons and accessories for all of your companions, as well as yourself. There's still attribute customization, and quite a lot of skills; however, the skill system is much more about getting a few powerful active abilities, rather than lots and lots of semi-meaningful passives. I, for one, prefer this system (although I was a huge fan of BG, NWN, KotOR, etc.). It makes me feel much more in control in combat: I know what everything does and how to use it. It makes combat fun, and not at all cumbersome.

    It seems to me that many of the negative reviews stem from the game not meeting people's expectations. I'm sorry to hear those people were disappointed, but I think that if you go in with an open mind, you'll find an excellent game.    … Expand
  3. ImHimTheButcher
    Mar 22, 2011
    10
    Much better than origins. Better story better choices and better gameplay. I actually cried during one part of the game. The ending could have been a little better but this is one of the best games I've ever played.
  4. Siadern
    Mar 22, 2011
    10
    A truely brilliant game. The refinements to the class system are an improvement, combat is even better than the first game (which I also enjoyed), and the game is well paced. A good story and interesting characters, that's well written and brilliantly voiced acted.
  5. danmaxis
    Mar 22, 2011
    9
    This game deserves much more recognition than most people are really giving. It is an overall improvement all over the first. A more cinematic approach to make you feel more close to the characters and the combat is now fast-paced without losing its strategic way. I've played the demo and I'm very satisfied with my experience, I'm definitely buy the full version. They made the game a darkThis game deserves much more recognition than most people are really giving. It is an overall improvement all over the first. A more cinematic approach to make you feel more close to the characters and the combat is now fast-paced without losing its strategic way. I've played the demo and I'm very satisfied with my experience, I'm definitely buy the full version. They made the game a dark fantasied Mass Effect and that is awesome. Good job Bioware! You are always improving and for that I am your loyalist.… Expand
  6. Lunar_Savage
    Mar 22, 2011
    0
    This is basically a cash in on the popularity of the first game...with complete disregard to what made the first game a success. Designed to completely ride off the name alone. Hardcore fans and the original target audience of the first game were thrown to the side in favor of trying to draw more people. Every aspect of this game is truly inferior to the first game, and borrows directlyThis is basically a cash in on the popularity of the first game...with complete disregard to what made the first game a success. Designed to completely ride off the name alone. Hardcore fans and the original target audience of the first game were thrown to the side in favor of trying to draw more people. Every aspect of this game is truly inferior to the first game, and borrows directly from Mass Effect 2. In some ways, you could simply say this game is Mass Effect 2 with swords.

    Combat is no longer strategic or turn based. It's a complete hack n' slash game that's completely about flash with no difficulty whatsoever. Dialog is copy/pasted from Mass Effect 2. And customization is extremely watered down to the point where you don't even get to equip your party members. Even skill trees have been reduced and dumbed down. Dungeons are largely copy/pasted and look the same throughout the game making any potential exploration almost pointless and largely unrewarding. The only high point is perhaps the story, but even then, some will have issues with the reduced scope and style/method of the storytelling.    … Expand
  7. pete_3po
    Mar 22, 2011
    0
    I have never felt the need to write a review for anything on metacritic before. However after being so excited at getting my hands onto DA 2 and enjoying the first few hours of play i have been left feeling appalled by the absolute lack of regard shown by Bioware towards the Xbox community. As i have said i was enjoying playing this game and have no particular greivance with the differingI have never felt the need to write a review for anything on metacritic before. However after being so excited at getting my hands onto DA 2 and enjoying the first few hours of play i have been left feeling appalled by the absolute lack of regard shown by Bioware towards the Xbox community. As i have said i was enjoying playing this game and have no particular greivance with the differing approach taken from origins, but since running into the shield glitch I have had to stop playing and wait for Bioware to release a patch. The shield glitch is a bug in the game were-by if you unequip/re-equip or change your shield your defense stat is not reset but stacks, meaning that your warrior class characters become unbalanced and in effect you are unintenionally lowering the diffulculty of the game. How was this bug missed in testing? did the testers never change their characters shields? In the demo you were unable to change your characters equipment and this leads me to belive that there were stat issues with regard to altering equipment then, if this was the case why was this game released without Bioware resolving this glitch. While I haven't been playing DA 2 (all most two weeks now) I have been reading the Bioware social forums for info on a ETA for a patch, from what I have read I'm glad that I did stop because multiple other game breaking glitches have been found including save, achievement, AI and issues envolving the downloadable content. While little to no info from Bioware as to why on when these issues have occurred or will be resolved.

    Overall i have had to rate this game 0 out of 10 as it is unfinished and should never have been released and therefore in my opinon does not qualify for a rating. The experience has left me with a nasty taste in my mouth after giving Bioware and EA my £40 day one that all most two weeks later is still not a finished product whilst also feeling completly ignored by a company that just doesn't seem to care that it has done wrong.    … Expand
  8. Ravenous
    Mar 22, 2011
    0
    This was the worst Bioware game I've ever played. Where to begin... the overall plot was pathetic, with Act 3 being a complete disaster. Act 2 should have been the final act, with the minor conflict that was Act 3 being just an event that occurred sometime before the final events of Act 2. In other words, the two acts should have been switched. In addition, the combat was terrible, withThis was the worst Bioware game I've ever played. Where to begin... the overall plot was pathetic, with Act 3 being a complete disaster. Act 2 should have been the final act, with the minor conflict that was Act 3 being just an event that occurred sometime before the final events of Act 2. In other words, the two acts should have been switched. In addition, the combat was terrible, with the respawning of enemies becoming so predictable that you can literally expect it to happen in every single fight (YAWWWWN). Just press the attack button over and over, occasionally use a special ability, and you can play the game without even looking at the screen. This game is a complete disaster, and anyone who says they like it is probably deficient in some way.… Expand
  9. Vastgirth
    Mar 22, 2011
    0
    Incredibly disappointing. Lots of boring fighting in the same boring environments. Story doesn't tie in with gameplay. Feels very rushed. What has happened to one of my favourite developers :(.
  10. affewaffe
    Mar 22, 2011
    0
    Refrain from buying this game if you have any expectations. While the game is not a complete disaster when regarded as a standalone game, you will get disappointed if you want to play it because you liked Dragon Age: Origins. Basically it is just a thumbed down, simplified version of its predecessor.

    My rating is not only game related, but mostly Biowares fault. While I would give the    Refrain from buying this game if you have any expectations. While the game is not a complete disaster when regarded as a standalone game, you will get disappointed if you want to play it because you liked Dragon Age: Origins. Basically it is just a thumbed down, simplified version of its predecessor.

    My rating is not only game related, but mostly Biowares fault. While I would give the game a 4-5/10, Biowares extreme failure forces me to make it 1/10. How can a gaming company even dare to censor people opinions about the game in their forums, having workers write ridiculous hymns of praise on metacritic and paying major magazines money to give outrageous scores? Just refrain from buying Bioware products if you can avoid it. Don't support companys with such low ethical standards until they feel the consequences. This is the only way to hurt them for deceiving people in such a shameful, pathetic way. Greedy bastards.

    But now to the game, which I played to the end. DA2 had 18 Months of development time, while DA:O took about five years. This manifests throughout the game which looks nice in the beginning, but lacks quality the longer you run around doing mindless, uninnovative quests. The combat system itself is fun at first but gets annoying due to it repetitiveness and unfair spawn system. A typical mission looks like this: Go to a cave, do x, collect y. Encounter enemies which spawn in weird waves that make no sense at all. When you run into the middle of a room you can be sure that enemies spawn right around you and the first thing you have to do in every fight is moving your fragile casters around the place and kite monsters so they don't die. Monsters are killed, many more enemies spawn for an unknown reason (couldn't they just be there from start) right in your casters again. Repeat kiting. Expect this to happen in 95% of all fights. And why do monsters suddenly spawn in hordes when there was not the slightest sign of enemies seconds before the encounter? Challenge in the fights come from unfair mechanics like hordes of monsters spawning in your ranged characters. This was so annoying, I can't put enough emphasis on it. Boss fights suck. On higher difficulties they are next to impossible due to near infinite health rather than intelligent design. You will do the same few button combinations for half an hour if you decide to fight that dragon/random other boss on hard difficulties. Often the result is endless kiting until the boss is finally dead - not worth it. A really sad game mechanic for a hyped 2011 game but probably the only possible outcome for a game which is rushed to make more money from the franchise.

    Next annoying thing is the game recycling as you advance through the game. While the main city Kirkwall and 4 locations outside of the city are not too shabby at first, EXPECT TO SEE THEM OVER AND OVER AGAIN THE WHOLE GAME. EXPECT INSIDE LOCATIONS TO BE SEEN DOZENS OF TIMES WITH DIFFERENT ENEMIES. Every house, every dungeon, every cave is used multiple times. Seriously, there is no excuse for this in any way. Next thing are shallow companions inculding a crappy dialogue system. Low friendship/romance options are usually maxed out by pressing the "friendly" or "heart" answer 3-4 times. Clicking through the choices couldn't be simpler and has really nothing to do with role playing. Random pirate **** which offers sex to you the minute you talk to her, eerie looking elves on crack and other rather uninteresting characters you can have fight along your side.

    The storyline is another failure, since there is NONE. You flee from darkspawn to Kirkwall and try to become a champion there, which you are later on by collecting generic herbs, fighting some bad boys and rescuing maidens. There is no real mainplot which guides you through the game, generally you don't have a clue what to do next or what happens, since you will start running from one questmarker to another. At a certain point I didn't even bother to read quest texts anymore but rather collected the exp from certain generic, really, really, boring sidequests. This game is tricky though, at first it made me think "Aww.. what a bunch of haters, the game is not too bad. Nice fighting, decent graphics." But then you realize more and more that the hate has a foundation. The foundation is bad game design which can hardly be considered standard in a 2011 AAA+ game. Basically you end up running around in the same textures over and over again, slaying the same models of enemies over and over again as you advance through the three acts in the game. I also did not like the unlogical choices you are forced to make later on, but this is rather my personal taste on the story, which I found really awful.

    Do not buy this game if you are searching for a good role-playing game.    … Expand
  11. Thederaci
    Mar 21, 2011
    0
    I've always thought of Bioware as a safe choice when buying a game. When EA took over I was worried that they were going to ruin another good game company, but surprisingly most of the games came out were good ol' Bioware (maybe abit rushed) with some useless DLC content that I did not care about. That was uintil I came across this joke of a game.
    First of all the world feels soulless and    I've always thought of Bioware as a safe choice when buying a game. When EA took over I was worried that they were going to ruin another good game company, but surprisingly most of the games came out were good ol' Bioware (maybe abit rushed) with some useless DLC content that I did not care about. That was uintil I came across this joke of a game.
    First of all the world feels soulless and small. Well actually, the world feels small because it is small. Quoting a critic "You cant have an epic story on your backyard". That pretty much sums it up.
    The game feels more like a grind than a RPG - You're basically running the same linear dungeons over and over again with enemies that have slightly different color and name. Even the bosses are recycled.
    Combat requires no strategy at all, you can basically buttons mash your way trough the game. Increasing difficulty just requires the player to have more potions and the patience to spam the buttons longer. Sure the people looking for a simple game might enjoy it more, but anyone actually looking for a challenge should not bother with this game.
    Something that Bioware has always gotten right is the story, but not this time. Most of the charaters feel hollow and boring, charater cameos from DA:O just makes you wish you were playing DA:O instead.
    The story itself is rather non thrilling and the side quests are very repeative.
    The graphics are outdated (PC) to say the least and there are some annoying gliches with some of the older graphic cards. If the game looks like it was made 10-years ago, it should atleast work with older hardware.
    I could go on pointing out flaws in this game, but I think i made my point - Dont bother paying 60 bucks for a crappy game. If you absolutely must play this game, then do yourself a favour and wait for the GOTY version with all the DLC content and bugfixes.
    When compairing to other games this game does not deserve a 0 though, but on a Bioware scale it absolutely does. It is definitely by far the worst game they have ever done.    … Expand
  12. yalda
    Mar 21, 2011
    0
    Absolutely disapointed, DA II feels like a long trailer for the first expansion. The effects of having played Origins are minimal and also disappointing. Where is Morrigan? Didn't you say the story with her isn't over? And what about Orsino the first enchanter becoming a Golem of Amgarrak with blood magic?!? This is just cheap recycling of already available monster designs. And then allAbsolutely disapointed, DA II feels like a long trailer for the first expansion. The effects of having played Origins are minimal and also disappointing. Where is Morrigan? Didn't you say the story with her isn't over? And what about Orsino the first enchanter becoming a Golem of Amgarrak with blood magic?!? This is just cheap recycling of already available monster designs. And then all the glitches and bugs: Killed Zevran in part 1, but then he shows up again. After Bethany returns at the final battle she seems to be invincible. everytime she dies I didn't have to revive her, she just resurrected without injury. As if the game wasn't already too easy. Playing on normal I just had to load maybe 2 or three times without ever using any special ability of my warrior. When Monsters appear you could just go to the toilet or watch TV, because you'll win the fight without doing anything. Okay, when there is a demon or a dragon you have to use a few portions. Also the money in the game is useless because these's nowhere anything nice to buy. I could go on like this for hours. I loved DA1 but this was just a big big disappointment :(… Expand
  13. GentlemanMoogle
    Mar 21, 2011
    4
    I wanted to like this game. I really did. It was one of only two games I've ever pre-ordered in my life. I've been playing Bioware games since the original Baldur's Gate, and I've loved them all almost without reservation. And then there's DA2. I'm a gamer who values a coherent narrative, a sense of immersion in a game, and -- if nothing else -- at least the illusion that the choices II wanted to like this game. I really did. It was one of only two games I've ever pre-ordered in my life. I've been playing Bioware games since the original Baldur's Gate, and I've loved them all almost without reservation. And then there's DA2. I'm a gamer who values a coherent narrative, a sense of immersion in a game, and -- if nothing else -- at least the illusion that the choices I make in a game will matter in some way. Unfortunately, DA2 falls short on all three areas. I'll admit, I enjoyed the combat until about half-way through the second act, then it just got repetitive and bland. I didn't mind the lack of companion customization, and I could even forgive the lack of item descriptions. But this is a game that seems to go out of its way to destroy any immersive qualities it may have had. Kirkwall never changes, regardless of your decisions and in spite of the fact that the game supposedly takes place over a ten-year span. Nothing is ever different. If you visit a marketplace in act 1, it will look exactly the same TEN YEARS LATER in act 3. I can forgive a lot, but when Fenris still has the battered corpses of the enemies I killed in his mansion after ten years? Yes, it's a little thing, but the little things matter. Oh, and they use the same four or five maps for every single quest line in the game. Given that most people will put thirty to forty hours of gameplay into this thing, you can bet that you're going to be tired of seeing the same damn map and killing the same damn enemies on that map after the twentieth time you visit. But for me, the biggest kick in the shorts was the overall narrative. Or rather, the fact that there wasn't one. There is no overarching story to this game. Instead, you're given three 'mini-stories' separated by the passage of time. I could forgive this, if Bioware had put in some decent plot and storytelling into these three acts. Unfortunately, they didn't. The totality of Act One's plotline can be summed up as follows: "You need money to get to Act Two." That's right, the entire first third of the game is a glorified toll gate. Admittedly, Act Two is far better, and actually held my interest all the way through to the fantastic end-of-act finale, but then it devolved into a massive Charlie Foxtrot (look it up) in Act 3, with nonsensical revelations flying fast and loose from every corner. And, naturally, Act 3 is where the bulk of the games bugs show up, causing some quests to fry out and become un-completable, and causing other quests and cutscenes to start out-of-order in a manner that yanks me right out of any immersion I might have attained. By the half-way marker in Act Three, I realized that I just didn't care a whit about anything. Thanks to the lack of any extended narrative, I had no reason to care about Kirkwall and its citizens (which wasn't helped by the fact that the entire city seems to live in a static bubble of time where nothing ever changes), and I didn't even care about my companions all that much, despite each of them being fairly well-realized in their own ways. I suppose one could argue that the main narrative was supposed to be Hawke-centered, but I couldn't muster up a shred of care even for my character, because he never felt like a protagonist. All throughout the game, I felt like little more than a glorified errand boy, a bystander relegated to the sidelines while I watch the game's story unfold without my help or the need for my direction. Oh yes, you do rise to power over the years, but it's an empty power, a power forced on you by the game's narratives rather than by your own conscious decision to pick it up. I felt as though every choice I made in this game was superfluous, that no matter what I did, everything would work out exactly the same. This game was supposed to be the story of a man struggling to power in a new and dangerous city. I honestly felt like I was an NPC in what was supposed to be a me-centered storyline. There were some things I loved about DA2. The characters were fun to play around with, and the dialog was top-notch throughout the game. My favorite parts in the entire production were the banters between your party members. But ultimately, they are fluffy sweet icing on a cake made of asphalt and failure. The lack of immersion, the lack of a coherent narrative, the endlessly-repeating levels, and the nagging sense that nothing you do really matters in the grand scheme of things make this one of the most disappointing Bioware entries I've ever had the misfortune to play.… Expand
  14. eduln
    Mar 21, 2011
    0
    Just played Dragon Age 2 for some time and Iâ
  15. RockmasteR
    Mar 21, 2011
    8
    lots of Bioware fans are disappointed by Dragon Age II, but if we need to study the gamers reaction, a 0 score is not a review, it's a response to Bioware and EA for making a game that did not satisfy the DA fans
    even games like Prison Brake did not get a 0 score, and trust me that game is bad!
    now for the review, Dragon Age II is not what Dragon Age was, it changes lots of things, from    lots of Bioware fans are disappointed by Dragon Age II, but if we need to study the gamers reaction, a 0 score is not a review, it's a response to Bioware and EA for making a game that did not satisfy the DA fans
    even games like Prison Brake did not get a 0 score, and trust me that game is bad!
    now for the review,
    Dragon Age II is not what Dragon Age was, it changes lots of things, from gameplay, to scenes, to graphics, etc...
    now if you are playing on a PC with DX11 capable card, you will enjoy the very high graphics, if not, ah well, you will have to suffice with the medium settings on DX9 or High on DX10.
    the gameplay becomes fast paced and by that DA II can be called an action RPG, so the game now is console friendly more than its predecessor. But what let the game down, is the repeated scenes, the limited options for an RPG,
    other than that, the combat is still fun, the choices have a superb impact on the story.
    If you really enjoyed Dragon Age Origins, there is a good possibility that you will be disappointed by Dragon Age II but that does not mean you won't have any fun playing it.    … Expand
  16. Icee
    Mar 21, 2011
    2
    DragonAge: Origins was a great game but DA 2 is just **** 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 Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy this game Don't buy thisDragonAge: Origins was a great game but DA 2 is just **** 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 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… Expand
  17. Fireside
    Mar 21, 2011
    4
    So initially I wasn't too upset with this game, but I decided to go back and play DOA over the weekend. Man, you haters are right: this game sucks. Everything about it is tragically inferior to its predecessor, even the graphics. F you Bioware. This game is garbage and you know it.
  18. Comrade_Critic
    Mar 21, 2011
    7
    This game is deeply flawed, yet I've played it for so many hours and really do enjoy it. First, the problems. There are some major glitches, especially on the Wayward Son mission. You are best to save often if you don't want to lose hours of play like I did. Second, the DA2 guys packed a lot of story in here, but didn't pack in a lot of maps so, sorry to say it does get a bit repetitive.This game is deeply flawed, yet I've played it for so many hours and really do enjoy it. First, the problems. There are some major glitches, especially on the Wayward Son mission. You are best to save often if you don't want to lose hours of play like I did. Second, the DA2 guys packed a lot of story in here, but didn't pack in a lot of maps so, sorry to say it does get a bit repetitive. I'm glad they didn't skimp on story. I guess I'd rather have to keep going back to the same caves and beaches than have less story, but it can get stale. The voice acting was much improved over the first DA2 and the main character is a far better voice actor than the scrubs they got to do Mass Effect. Game play and graphics are also much improved over DA1, though they did dumb it down so people who don't like collecting herbs or enchanting weapons can still have fun with it. At the end of the day this is a solid game that's provided me with hours of enjoyment. It's not another Oblivion, sadly I don't think we'll ever see that again, and it's not even another Mass Effect or KOTOR. It is however a pretty fun game for fans of the genre who don't mind frequent saves and a glitch here or there.… Expand
  19. electryc
    Mar 21, 2011
    8
    The PC game has much improved graphics, and I do truly enjoy the story telling. What I think bioware missed on was a notion that making the combat simpler would be better. RPG's such as bioware classics have made this area fun. I enjoy complexity as well as a majority of rpg lovers. Another knock is the price. 60 dollars seems quite expensive. I hope this has an expansion likeThe PC game has much improved graphics, and I do truly enjoy the story telling. What I think bioware missed on was a notion that making the combat simpler would be better. RPG's such as bioware classics have made this area fun. I enjoy complexity as well as a majority of rpg lovers. Another knock is the price. 60 dollars seems quite expensive. I hope this has an expansion like Origins: Awakenings. I do think I should add ranks due to arsehats who haven't even played this game giving it a 0-3 rating. No game is worth this unless its a bugfest w/ terrible graphics and broken gameplay. I won't stoop to that level and rate it for what an 'actual' player of the game views it at.… Expand
  20. Andyuk101
    Mar 21, 2011
    4
    Dragon Age 2 has been awaited ever since its announcement, and given Bioware's Reputation, it can be forgiven if people where mouth watering over the release of this game.

    Dragon Age Origins / Awakening rearly set the benchmark for fantasy world RPG'S, more in depth and detialed than any other fantasy type RPG game before it. Emulating the success of Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights    Dragon Age 2 has been awaited ever since its announcement, and given Bioware's Reputation, it can be forgiven if people where mouth watering over the release of this game.

    Dragon Age Origins / Awakening rearly set the benchmark for fantasy world RPG'S, more in depth and detialed than any other fantasy type RPG game before it. Emulating the success of Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights and Mass effect. all truely great rpgs and excellent ways to spend your free time playing. However after playing the game for 12 hours or so, i started to notice alot of things that seemed , to be the same, I ignored these at first, these being the same map layouts of caves, alleys, coasts etc constantly visited but with different enterances and exits. Then i started to noitce how bland the backgrounds were, how average the graphics felt, and the sense of epicness seemed to be vanishing the further i progressed into the game. Then i started to notice the quests started becoming quite tedious, go here kill something, go here talk to this person and kill something, go here get ambushed by more mobs etc, felt very disjointed. There rearlly isnt any choice, just the illusion of choice, one of the most frustrating things for me is the lack of gear, and gear / weapons you can equip yourself and your allies with almost everything you pick up being vendor trash and mostly useless. You cannot spec any ally , they all have set roles, with only 1 choice of tank (really annoying), one automatic choice of healer (unless you are a mage) and a real lack of companion and character development that was so enjoyable in the first DA:O / DA:A. The voice acting in my opnion is good, but some of it felt "static", Varric and Isabella are excellent, and Hawkes Male voice is okay, but the Female voice of Hawke to me sounds alot better. You are able to customise Hawkes appearence which is great, because i felt that the default male hawk looked like something of of thunderbirds with his rediculiously looking square face and jaw. If you think Dragon age 2 would be an excellent straight sequeal to DA:O , then just like me you will be terribly disapointed.

    There are some good additions to the game however, the simplifed gear / options menu is nice and feels like the same system they used in mass effect 2, however i feel its to simple for people like myself who are RPG veterans and i feel its a little insulting. There should be an option to use the default system from DA:O or choose the "New and improved" version from DA 2.

    Combat has been completely toned down, there is almost no tactics involed at all, like some people say, its all AOE spam / Keep tank on main threat mob, AOE SPAM / Heal, AOE SPAM, Kill main tank mob, repeat for almost every single fight. The freedom of combat is much better than DA:O however but its so simple my 8 year old son could win every fight without evening trying.

    Im going to finish this review buy breaking it down into "PROS" and CONS", so its easier to make my points.

    PROS:

    - Good Story - Hawke is an excellent addtion to the DA Universe.
    - Simplified Combat easy to pick up and play for new RPG players.
    - Credible Voice Acting.
    - Lots of side quests to keep you enterianed along side the main storyline.
    - The Graphics are good once you have downloaded the textures pack.
    - The Improved crafting system in favor of the tedious one from the first game.
    - 25+ Hours If you do every single side quest and explore everywhere in the game.

    CONS:

    - Combat is too easy, its no challenge to good RPG gamers.
    - The simple gear interace is frustratingly hard to read and compare item to item.
    - The same areas re-used over and over again, simply cut and pasted with different enterances, very boring and bland to play threw.
    - There is no epic feel to the game, the story pans out and leaves you hanging, you feel as if you have only played half a game.
    - The lack of customise options for your crew is rearlly frustrating.
    - Hardly any major boss fights.
    - Once you have played it twice with a male and female hawk, it will gather dust until decent DLC comes out for it.
    - Bioware have sold an unfinshed game, it costs £34.99 at least and you have to pay a further £14.99 or so to get the DLC available straight away, IT should be included in the game!.
    - Leaves you hanging and wanting more, and leaves you feeling very dissapointed.

    Theres an old saying "If its not broke dont fix it", so then why did bioware ruin such a promising game with a seemingly rushed production.    … Expand
  21. Arglesmurf
    Mar 21, 2011
    1
    I have never played a bad Bioware game before. As retaliation, I'm giving it a 0. The game is probably nowhere near that bad, but I bought it at full price based on liking the first and loving Bioware products - I'm done with trusting Bioware and will now check reviews before buying. Never again soil your name with crap, Bioware!
  22. Qeilla
    Mar 20, 2011
    9
    People seem to forget that no game is ever perfect when it's first released. A lot of the tech issues, like auto attack and the SDTV formatting issues will be resolved in patches. (SDTV owners switch over to a widescreen format via your console settings and you'll be fine in cutscenes until a patch is released.) With that said I thoroughly enjoyed DA2. The storyline was engaging enoughPeople seem to forget that no game is ever perfect when it's first released. A lot of the tech issues, like auto attack and the SDTV formatting issues will be resolved in patches. (SDTV owners switch over to a widescreen format via your console settings and you'll be fine in cutscenes until a patch is released.) With that said I thoroughly enjoyed DA2. The storyline was engaging enough that I could not put my controller down until I reached the end and the credits rolled. BioWare gave you many choices throughout the main storyline. Some made me have to walk away and take a break to actually think about it. There was brilliant work done with the VAs and the graphics look more polished and smoother. Having Hawke fully voiced was a nice change from Origins and something from the Mass Effect series that I wished Origins had had in the first place.

    Yes, combat may have been "dumbed" down a bit to try and appeal to a wider audience but you can still pause and micromanage your party if you wish. Auto-attack would've been nice however I didn't miss its absence when I played as a rogue/warrior as I actually liked being â    … Expand
  23. Greggor
    Mar 20, 2011
    4
    The only redeeming quality of this game is its combat system, but even that system is flawed. Enemies tend to come at you in waves. So be aware that any time you think you're picking a fight with three bandits, their entire bandit army is waiting around the corner to punch you in the sack. This wouldn't be so bad except for the implications it has for aggro control. New enemies can't beThe only redeeming quality of this game is its combat system, but even that system is flawed. Enemies tend to come at you in waves. So be aware that any time you think you're picking a fight with three bandits, their entire bandit army is waiting around the corner to punch you in the sack. This wouldn't be so bad except for the implications it has for aggro control. New enemies can't be aggroed until they spawn, so they are gong to immediately jump on your mage/healer/rogue/weakling and ignore your fighter until you scramble to save the lives of your squishy party members.
    That said, the combat is a bit more fun and manageable than its counterpart in DA:O.

    But the rest of the game has just gone downhill. Bioware really disappointed me with this title. The story is watered down and hard to accept. The breadth of its predecessor was sacrificed for "accessibility" to a wider audience. In fact, the whole game takes place in one (small) town. But besides that, other features I dislike are: Your companions don't get new armor, period. You can purchase "upgrades", but you can't put any loot on them. You don't get to choose a race anymore: you're human, and that's all there is to it. The game reuses the same areas for quest after quest after quest. Most of the loot you find (50-75%) is junk. Literally, it's junk. It goes in the junk tab of your inventory. And its only purpose is to be sold for a pittance to merchants. Really, Bioware? You couldn't just give us more cash in treasure chests? You had to add "broken chair" or "mangled darkspawn dagger" into the mix? Are you kidding? This whole game was a massive disappointment. I will never pre-order another Bioware or EA title again. No, you can earn your money from now on. You don't get to get away with crap like this anymore.    … Expand
  24. Zhijn
    Mar 20, 2011
    6
    Without going into to many details. Great voice acting, love the way your character stay in voice character should you be angry, funny or serious. However that alone does not carry a hole game. DA2 is infact incredible repetitive with the method of reusing areas for pretty much everything throughout the hole game, while the environment is very well made and detailed it gets very and i meanWithout going into to many details. Great voice acting, love the way your character stay in voice character should you be angry, funny or serious. However that alone does not carry a hole game. DA2 is infact incredible repetitive with the method of reusing areas for pretty much everything throughout the hole game, while the environment is very well made and detailed it gets very and i mean very boring really fast. Everything from the city to the dungeons are reused over and over and over, very tireing and you are constantly sitting with a feeling that somethings gotta change soon, but it never does.

    Moving on to combat. I got abit of mixed feelings on this one, while i enjoy the faster combat and the class cross combos you can do i absolutely hate the exploding bodies and massive gore that spew all over the place. Fatalities is another thing i liked from DAO but were totally removed from DA2 with exploding enemies. No much strategy in combat either, while you still got the tactical setup for your party there is no strategy to be made on the go, you can still pause and issue orders but you can no longer zoom as you did in DAO. Planning a combat in DA2 isnt to great either anymore considering the game just throw hordes of weak enms at you from all direction making it a total mess for any type of planning. Its clear the combat was not designed for your typical RPG but more of a hack n' slash type.

    Story time. The Hawke start interesting with them fleeing Lothering. Its all a nice setup for well, nothing. After that you just go around picking up side-quests and do main quests with any real story behind you, without any real sens of a goal or any sens of having a villian to fight. They make it clear that its all about Mages and Templars, but your in for a huge suprise when you realize that everything you did getting to the end didnt matter one bit. Every choice you make have zero matter on the world around you.

    Your party. You got a emo elf which is clearly some homage to J-RPGs, a naive elf, a brute ginger female, a pirate whore and a dwarf. You can romance either of em except two. Sadly DA2 have also gone taken a step back here, the romance that had a nice touch in DAO is just blend and dull in DA2.

    Dialog wheel. While i dont mind it to much, its abit to simple. Gone is persuasion, now you get a clear picture of what is what. If a romance option is ready the wheel make it clear with a heart shaped icon. Very simple, maybe to simple (?).

    Bugs and glitchs. Way to many, and that baffles me. Since iv never played a bioware game where so many glitchs and game breaking bugs actually took out the fun.

    Closing. Being a bioware fan and a fan of Dragon Age Origins i say that BioWare did not come through this time around. DA2 is short, unfufilling, lack and sens of purpose with the characters and the hole game have been simplified beyond words, it dosnt feel much like an RPG anymore. I think might have tried to appeal to a to wide of an audience and came up with something that didnt quite work. In short, it feels very rushed like it had a deadline they just barely made.

    I will look forward to Mass Effect 3 and hopefully Dragon Age 3. And i hope BioWares once and for all start improving their sequels, and dont let a deadline or something else get in their way of making a great game.

    My first thought was a solid 7, but after completing DA2 and learning that nothing you do matters it has lost all appeal to me. So sadly, very sadly i give DA2 a 5. =(    … Expand
  25. InformedGamer
    Mar 20, 2011
    0
    BIOWARE AND EA WROTE THE POSITIVE REVIEWS FOUND ON METACRITIC! Google: "Dragon Age Metacritic Review". I'm sure that most of these positive reviews were written by people with a connection to EA, Bioware or the employees friends and family. If you need to deceptively self promote that is a sign of a BIG PROBLEM! This is not even an RPG at all. Action game, yes...kind of. Devoid of anyBIOWARE AND EA WROTE THE POSITIVE REVIEWS FOUND ON METACRITIC! Google: "Dragon Age Metacritic Review". I'm sure that most of these positive reviews were written by people with a connection to EA, Bioware or the employees friends and family. If you need to deceptively self promote that is a sign of a BIG PROBLEM! This is not even an RPG at all. Action game, yes...kind of. Devoid of any life, the main city feels like an empty shell. The story is poor and the NPC's are lame. I am shocked that this was the sequel. And with the DLC, it feels like a complete money grab. Now I know why EA didn't offer a collector's edition, they can make far more money this way. Bioware has slid to a new low and this is from someone that has been a lifetime fan. All I want to do is bring forth the truth about this so we as gamers can influence a change for the better from a corporate entity that has turned their eyes to dollars instead of quality.… Expand
  26. Randomfart
    Mar 20, 2011
    0
    A dumbed down experience. Hack and slash combat, cluncky graphics, recycled enviroments bad pacing, boring storyline, bad dialog and companions. All the naysayers have been right since day one, this game has not been made with the spirit of an rpg and it's an insult to what Bioware used to be.
  27. belkheldar
    Mar 20, 2011
    10
    Forget the haters, this is a great game. Loved every minute. Easily the best RPG I have played since DAO (and that includes ME2). Graphics and gameplay are top notch. Only criticism is recycling of maps.
  28. UserJuicer
    Mar 20, 2011
    4
    Story is interesting, voice work is great.
    Most quests involve running through sewers, caves or country side - all of which you have seen 100 times before.
    During combat enemies come in waves. Killing 10 will almost always guarantee that 10 or 20 more will follow. The combination of the repeated environments and awful, grating combat proves the game didn't receive enough development time    Story is interesting, voice work is great.
    Most quests involve running through sewers, caves or country side - all of which you have seen 100 times before.
    During combat enemies come in waves. Killing 10 will almost always guarantee that 10 or 20 more will follow.
    The combination of the repeated environments and awful, grating combat proves the game didn't receive enough development time and has been padded beyond belief.
    Disappointing.    … Expand
  29. SUPERFLY
    Mar 20, 2011
    8
    Okay, okay, OKAY !!!! We get it that your annoyed, alright? I've read so many unfairly negative reviews of this game that it's really started to bug me. I'm a Dragon Age Origins fan. I loved the first game, but it wasn't perfect. Just like this game isn't perfect. Inevitably comparisons are going to be made, but we should all judge this game on it's own merits. I'm not going to go intoOkay, okay, OKAY !!!! We get it that your annoyed, alright? I've read so many unfairly negative reviews of this game that it's really started to bug me. I'm a Dragon Age Origins fan. I loved the first game, but it wasn't perfect. Just like this game isn't perfect. Inevitably comparisons are going to be made, but we should all judge this game on it's own merits. I'm not going to go into great detail, but I feel as though Bioware / EA have taken two steps forward and one step back with this game. I have gamer friends who have welcomed the simplification of certain aspects of the game. I personally feel differently. Don't misunderstand, there is still depth to be had from managing team combat tactics and your main characters item set, but that's about it. I think some people are having a hard time getting used to this. I love the improvement to the visuals and still feel that the story telling is as engaging as the first. However, this game does feel like the first instalment of a trilogy rather than the full epic story of the first Dragon Age. I predict DLC, a lot of DLC. Overall, I've enjoyed this game and would recommend it to others, with a note of caution.… Expand
  30. KOTOR
    Mar 20, 2011
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was a big fan of bioware. I bought Baldurs gate 1 and 2 ,Neverwinter nights 1,Jade Empire,Sonic The dark Brotherhood,Mass Effect 1 and 2,Dragon Age Origins and Dragon age Awakening And Dragon age 2 .I was dissapointed with Mass effect 2 it was streamlined and didnt fixed the errors of the previous game because i WAS such a fan of bioware forgive them and hoped Dragon Age 2 was the return of The Great Rpg Creators they were.
    Sadly This isnt true Dragon age 2 is not a roleplaying game ,more of action game with a very weak combat and a mess that is the story,this game is a cashin on Dragon Age origins success it was rushed. Spoilers :The Storyline in Dragon Age 2 isn't all that coherent and doesn't really make sense. You have one leader inspired by a magic weapon that influences attitude...but the other leader...their decisions at the end of the game make NO Sense really. The entire game Really doesn 't make coherent sense. It's like whoever made the storyline wanted to make 3 different games and then tried to link them all up nicely at the very end.    … Expand
  31. Hun73rdk
    Mar 20, 2011
    2
    The copy paste RPB of the decade everything in the game is the same copy paste the mines a all the same the caves a all the same and the areas around the city a all the same, armor only have diffrent colors.

    Im having trouble playing for more than 10 min at the time before getting bored This game is dumbed down to console players with no brains at all You can sit and watch a movie just    The copy paste RPB of the decade everything in the game is the same copy paste the mines a all the same the caves a all the same and the areas around the city a all the same, armor only have diffrent colors.

    Im having trouble playing for more than 10 min at the time before getting bored
    This game is dumbed down to console players with no brains at all

    You can sit and watch a movie just pressing R and still win a battle    … Expand
  32. Talvrae
    Mar 20, 2011
    7
    As a Bioware fan girl i will try to make as much of an unbiased review i can do for this game. I'm not blind to it's flaw. But dont want to bash it rediculously for some of the scandals on the game reviews.
    Even if some of the features of Dragon Age Origins return, this is not the same game at all, for the good and the bad. We return to Thedas the same universe and we still are playing a    As a Bioware fan girl i will try to make as much of an unbiased review i can do for this game. I'm not blind to it's flaw. But dont want to bash it rediculously for some of the scandals on the game reviews.
    Even if some of the features of Dragon Age Origins return, this is not the same game at all, for the good and the bad. We return to Thedas the same universe and we still are playing a tactical RPG like the first one, who let you customise the enemies tactics (Richards that's not an unfinished feature, it's necesseries with all the customisations possibles, and it allow to to addapt the tactics to your liking).
    .
    I wills tart out with the bads
    Less customisation than the first one, It's no longer possible to play an elf or a dwarf.
    Recicled environements
    Lack of environement variety
    straight lined missions

    On the good side
    The story is nice and very personal a good change of the epics stories
    The voice acting is excellent as usual on a Bioware titles and the dialogue well work well in the game
    Uge improvement on the graphical side (the art style have changed a lot trought and you like it or you dont)
    Good replayability with lot of things who can change in the game plays

    It's not as good as the original but still a good game    … Expand
  33. florestan123
    Mar 20, 2011
    2
    Along with several other people here, I have never written a review or commented on a game before, but I felt the strong need to voice my opinion about DA2. It just isn't a good game at all. How is it possible that the gaming industry critics have given the game such a favorable review?? Surely they are getting paid by EA in some form or another - we already know that at least one biowareAlong with several other people here, I have never written a review or commented on a game before, but I felt the strong need to voice my opinion about DA2. It just isn't a good game at all. How is it possible that the gaming industry critics have given the game such a favorable review?? Surely they are getting paid by EA in some form or another - we already know that at least one bioware employee (name of Avalone I think?) has posted here with a perfect score. That isn't really bad, and I don't mind that so much, but it sure makes me wonder what else EA/bioware is up to. Here's a message to all RPG fans out there wondering whether to buy this game or not... you will be hugely dissapointed if you enjoyed DAO - because all of the things that made DAO great are missing in this game. Trust me when I say this (because I have no hidden agenda), the general consensus of the user reviews is a lot more accurate than the critics reviews. All of the things that you've read about the game from the user reviews (repeatiing dungeons, hack and slash style play, poor dialogue choices, non-immersion, no caring for characters, no sense of being part of a bigger world), it's all true. Stay away from this one - you can find a much better way to spend $60!… Expand
  34. odysseus2
    Mar 20, 2011
    5
    Before playing Dragon Age 2 Bioware could do no wrong in my eyes.Even merging with EA ,i hoped they could be working towards a dungeon & dragon style mmorpg which truely could take Blizzards bored customer base.
    Looking at the previous titles it was clear that Bioware have very talented people working for them which i got the impression looked at what their fans had to say.
    Thats what    Before playing Dragon Age 2 Bioware could do no wrong in my eyes.Even merging with EA ,i hoped they could be working towards a dungeon & dragon style mmorpg which truely could take Blizzards bored customer base.
    Looking at the previous titles it was clear that Bioware have very talented people working for them which i got the impression looked at what their fans had to say.
    Thats what makes this game release totally unforgivable in my eyes. The characters lack dept, the fight mechanics are terrible, be it a hack & slasher or rpg ,its just wrong. The world is small, barren & uninteresting, i found myself rushing through areas rather than enjoying the game.The game truely lacks any story, ive seen better on first person shooters.

    Perhaps Bioware have their people spread too thin with mass effect 3 and star wars on the horizon, that been said i cant help but dread to see what these major titles will turn out like.
    I hope bioware will learn a lesson from this rather than just faking reviews.    … Expand
  35. JustAGamer
    Mar 20, 2011
    5
    First of all: in my 20 years of C-RPG experience I've never written a game review before because I've never felt the need for it (by the way: apologies for my bad English, I'm not a native speaker). With Drageon Age 2 I believe a worrying tendency emerges I have to adress: short development periods (18 month for DA2), incomplete game world and story, simplistic gameplay to broaden theFirst of all: in my 20 years of C-RPG experience I've never written a game review before because I've never felt the need for it (by the way: apologies for my bad English, I'm not a native speaker). With Drageon Age 2 I believe a worrying tendency emerges I have to adress: short development periods (18 month for DA2), incomplete game world and story, simplistic gameplay to broaden the audience, demanding full prize while preparing DLCs that shall fill in the remaining gaps. Bioware was once regarded as "the bringer of rain" after a drought in the genre of RPGs (for the PC). But now they could play the opposite role: if they are the most prominent agents of the genre (besides Bethesda) and their games are setting trends, then other companies will follow their example, if they haven't already. To be more detailed I'll point out aspects that annoyed me the most: Game World:
    - The most insolent re-use in an state-of-the-art RPG I've seen so far: dozens of times you walk through levels which are IDENTICAL, and I mean identical. Every corner, texture, modell, architecture, lighting etc. are exactly the same, just with another label (for example "cave xyz" instead of "cave abc").
    - The main game world consists of just 15 to 20 small or very small locations in a city (small means an area which takes 20 seconds to 60 seconds to cross, very small means a simple flat)
    - There are no (more or less) diversified regions like snowy mountains, deserts, jungle, forest, real dungeons, castles, other towns etc., just this one city and three outer regions that are not noteworthy
    - The few existing places look sterile and somehow empty although there are a few people standing around, but they are just copies doing nothing. There are no animals, no interesting props, no interesting architecture, no waving foliage, no sounds of wind, loud chatter etc.
    - Most of the levels are extremely tubular: just one way, no possibility for exploration. If you use such level design, you should use it for thrilling script events like in COD to propell the storytelling, but that's not the case for DA2. A proper game world would have been to expensive...

    Gameplay:
    - 90% of gameplay consists of running and killing: go to place X, kill everyone, talk to person Y to have a reason for killing and then go to place Z and kill everyone. Most of the time there are no alternative ways to solve problems (the only exceptions are found in dialogues with companions). But hey: that's what's the world about, ain't it?
    - There are no possible interactions with the environment, just run, fight, talk, (rudimental) barter. No environmental riddles, no forging, no eating, no sleeping, etc. Would be to complex, eh?

    Items and Inventory:
    - Companions can't be equipped with armor, just with a weapon, a ring, a belt and an amulet. Would be to complex...
    - In the inventory and shops items look absolutely uninteresting and the same: each type of item has the SAME grey and white icon, for example the same symbol for a sword. The only difference are the values of the item. To much effort giving them a distinguishable look?
    - Most of the time the few items you can purchase outvalue the few items you find in your travels
    - There are no real item sets or unique items
    - Why does a plate armor take exactly the same space / weight in inventory (= 1 Slot) as a ring or an amulet (= 1 Slot)? Too much to think about?

    Combat:
    - Remember, you have to fight and fight and fight, and sometimes to fight, but don't worry: there isn't much to do, sit back and watch, no tactics needed (you could raise the difficulty but that just means opponents don't take as much damage and hit you harder).
    - No overview allowed: forget Dragon Age Origins or Baldur's Gate, not immersive enough, has to be a close look over the should like Mass Effect 2 or say COD!? Another "advantage": the game world seems to be larger than it is.
    - In many fights there are up to four or five waves of the same opponents like in good old arcade gaming. That's a challenge RPG-players really like. - If a fight ends successfully health, mana and stamina of all your companions are restored instantly. No need for rest, healing etc.... Waste of time, there are more interesting fights waiting 10 yards ahead.
    - Ammunition is for prigs: arrows and bolts are created the moment they are shoot, no buying needed.

    Dramaturgy:
    - The backgrounds and dialogues preceding and following missions are of high quality, BUT what about a larger conflict, to what end am I killing hordes of idiots? Is there any greater inner or outer threat than a killer whom the player seeks to kill? The Qunari are a threat, for twenty minutes of gameplay. Templar and Magicians don't like each other and there's a fight, but that's it. No threat and no thread. Calling Hawke "Champion" is an exaggeration to cover that he hasn't achieved much. The whole game is "unepic" and seems to be a chapter of an epic game.    … Expand
  36. Surumbu
    Mar 20, 2011
    0
    It is deeply unfortunate to see that a certain game company appears to be artificially inflating the metacritic game score on DA2 with a lot of one shot, single reviewer posts. But I urge people looking at the reviews to consider the date frame in which they are posted, the reviewer history and the abnormally high score given.

    DA2 is an poor game, both in terms of what we expect to see    It is deeply unfortunate to see that a certain game company appears to be artificially inflating the metacritic game score on DA2 with a lot of one shot, single reviewer posts. But I urge people looking at the reviews to consider the date frame in which they are posted, the reviewer history and the abnormally high score given.

    DA2 is an poor game, both in terms of what we expect to see from a Bioware title and from the DA franchise. What people have said about the slow/nonexistent story, dumbing down of the game, the poor dialogue, substandard graphics, horrid dialogue wheel... it's all true. This game is NOT worth the $60 to buy it, and is not worthy of Bioware.

    I simply cannot adequately express my disappointment with this game as a long time Bioware fangirl. It's wretched, and I can only hope that Bioware learns the harsh lesson and returns to the format and attention to detail within the RPG genre that made them great in the first place.    … Expand
  37. nirax
    Mar 20, 2011
    3
    If you liked the nwn series, DA:O or even the witcher you may than i suggest to try the game first before buying. You may prepare for some serious disappointment.
    There would be nothing wrong with the game if there were some 'Diablo' letters on the cover, but it is a tremendous disappointment and dumb down if you expect a rich and interesting game.
    Its basically pure hack&slash (Diablo    If you liked the nwn series, DA:O or even the witcher you may than i suggest to try the game first before buying. You may prepare for some serious disappointment.
    There would be nothing wrong with the game if there were some 'Diablo' letters on the cover, but it is a tremendous disappointment and dumb down if you expect a rich and interesting game.
    Its basically pure hack&slash (Diablo Style) with a soso story and some nice characters. The graphic feels cleaner and worse than in DA:O, the combat was streamlinded and quickend, but is esthetically totally unpleasing. Its never elegant, its never eye catching eye candy, i never bothered taking a screenshot, while i have hm ~2k screenshots from the first game.
    Now there are some nice additoins. The voice over feels good, and some options like the possibility to give funny answers is an enrichment, espeically if thats what comes first in your mind anway .
    But the repetitive dungeons, boring map, boring graphics, missing items, everythin feels like it has a huge stamp on it "MAKE the over 10 MIL copies SELL with just 1/2 year development EA order". That just wont work. It was definately my last Bioware game i ever preordered before reading user reviews. / as such its interesting to see how commercial reviewers join Bioware´s epic fail.
    What should they do better: Well stop trying to do a DIABLO clone (knowing that the real diablo would be delayed and thus sniffing blood) - but stick to your theme, stick to what you know best. Deliver a full rich and good - but well yes, costy - RPG environment again. And yes, keep the EA guys away from Product planning.    … Expand
  38. Vejita00
    Mar 20, 2011
    10
    This game is excellent. Do not be fooled by all the fanboys who are giving it an extremely low review simply because its not exactly like Dragon Age: Origins.
    The combat flows much better, and is still quite tactical if you put it on the harder settings. The new conversation system is a bit dumbed down but its worth it to have a character with a voice, I believe. There are a lot of little    This game is excellent. Do not be fooled by all the fanboys who are giving it an extremely low review simply because its not exactly like Dragon Age: Origins.
    The combat flows much better, and is still quite tactical if you put it on the harder settings. The new conversation system is a bit dumbed down but its worth it to have a character with a voice, I believe. There are a lot of little changes that I could probably nitpick to death but most of them grew on me.
    This is worth giving a shot, trust me. Its a very solid game. Its not the dumbed down action fest that everyone makes it out to be. In many ways, I'd call it superior to Dragon Age: Origins.    … Expand
  39. uberfanboy2000
    Mar 19, 2011
    1
    As a fan of everything RPG, I fell completely in love with Dragon Age: Origins. A sprawling game filled with memorable characters, an intricate storyline and seemingly limitless customization opportunities, Origins ticked all the right boxes and felt like a concerted effort to breathe new life into a genre that is seemingly falling by the wayside. Even Origins' most glaring flaws could beAs a fan of everything RPG, I fell completely in love with Dragon Age: Origins. A sprawling game filled with memorable characters, an intricate storyline and seemingly limitless customization opportunities, Origins ticked all the right boxes and felt like a concerted effort to breathe new life into a genre that is seemingly falling by the wayside. Even Origins' most glaring flaws could be easily forgiven in light of it's many strengths.

    Dragon Age II is a rushed, poorly written and overly-simplified game that has little to nothing in common with it's predecessor. Whilst the immediacy of the reformed combat and the overhauled interface are welcome improvements, the rest of the game seems like a cynical slap in the face to roleplaying game fans everywhere.

    The characters are soulless husks saddled with sparse, poorly written dialogue. The environments are claustrophobic, drab, grey and brown boxes with moveable walls and endlessly spawning enemies that are endlessly recycled (think of THAT WAREHOUSE in Mass Effect 1). The dialogue wheel, whilst a positive move, was hampered by the fact that Hawke delivers all of his lines with about as much emotion as dead slug. Couple this with the fact that the ENTIRE of the game takes place within roughly 10 or so areas (sorry, but Hightown Day and Hightown Night or does not exactly satisfy any wanderlust) and you are left with a bland, cynical, soulless game that does nothing but blacken the name of what was shaping up to be an intelligent, well written and refreshing fantasy series.

    Must try harder Bioware. You are a lot better than this nightmare of a game...    … Expand
  40. necro128
    Mar 19, 2011
    4
    simple.. repetitive and predictable. good bye dragon age.....
    now you have a action game masked as rpg. run around the same caves and "dungeons" one time and other let you with the feeling of be playing a bad chinese MMO made to extract you money with micropayments. and probably thats what EA want with the forthcoming dlc,s.
  41. Jaddel
    Mar 19, 2011
    0
    Absolutely disappointing. This was my last bioware game...
    For the next 5 years I will give the money for every bioware game released, to charity instead buying the game !!!
  42. dishwasherwong
    Mar 19, 2011
    3
    Dragon Age 2 is not a worthy successor to Dragon Age Origins: The combat while not as bad as expected is overshadowed by awful story, awful character development, one of the most disappointing endings I've seen in a while, and completely pointless inventory system and commerce (torn trousers anybody?). There's no reason to care about anything that happens in this game, the characters areDragon Age 2 is not a worthy successor to Dragon Age Origins: The combat while not as bad as expected is overshadowed by awful story, awful character development, one of the most disappointing endings I've seen in a while, and completely pointless inventory system and commerce (torn trousers anybody?). There's no reason to care about anything that happens in this game, the characters are forgettable with the exception of the dwarf Varric and maybe Avelline and the storyline has no clearly defined antagonist and is poorly paced (seriously, where is the beginning, middle and end?). I'm shocked that Hawke had a motivation to get out of bed in the morning when all he has to do all day is pointless fetch quests in the same drab, tired environments with a bunch of people he's supposed to care about.

    Garbage, if you must play more Dragon Age - go back and play the first one, faults and all.    … Expand
  43. sweetpixiesmile
    Mar 19, 2011
    8
    Very Mild Spoiler Alert.

    All the poor reviews has prompted me to write my very first, since it seems that there has been a very visceral, knee-jerk reaction to the game from an RPG community that fears another Diablo style gameplay being foisted off as a role-playing game. Let's be clear. DA2 is not DA:O. Get that in your heads, DA:O fans. Once you accept this, the gameplay itself    Very Mild Spoiler Alert.

    All the poor reviews has prompted me to write my very first, since it seems that there has been a very visceral, knee-jerk reaction to the game from an RPG community that fears another Diablo style gameplay being foisted off as a role-playing game.

    Let's be clear. DA2 is not DA:O. Get that in your heads, DA:O fans. Once you accept this, the gameplay itself is very similar to the original, and still retains the same general gameplay design (and problems) as the first instalment.

    The Differences:
    The main character: This time around you can only choose a Human mage, fighter or rogue, male or female. If you were hoping to have the tree style pre-story for each character, forget it. However, depending on which trade you pick, it changes whether it's your brother or sister who survives the flight from Ferelden to Kirkwall.

    Auto-attack: you remember in DA:O, when you could just select the enemy for you to attack and your character would just keep slashing/shooting/firing at the mob? No more. You have to mash the "X" button to keep getting the character under control to keep spamming the basic attack.

    Equipment: If you wanted to use any piece of armour on any of your companions? Forget it. This is one of those Mass Effect changes, where the basic equipment of your companions automatically upgrade as you level... but you can't share anything other than weapons. Armour can be buffed with little additions, but that's it. This reduces the need to micromanage your companions, at the cost of being able to do it. That sort of sucked, since being able to control you load out in the last game was nice.

    Radial Menu Dialogue: Another Mass Effect style change. Didn't really bother me.

    Skills: This is where an obvious decision was made to somehow simplify the game. Not that I really agree, but now I no longer have to agonize over the alot ment of skills and skill points. However, for the people who just love to play with their character sheets, the non combat skills played a rather important role, and if that was what you were hoping they'd keep, you will be sorry. That being said, the big problem with nerfing the non-combat skills is that the attributes still influence them, but now it isn't obvious when a Rogue can begin picking standard level locks or the main character is able to influence a conversation.

    The Same:
    Story: If you thought that DA:O was original... sorry, it's not. You just haven't read it before. And the same with DA2.

    Cut-scene teleportation: If there was one thing that really annoyed me with DA:O, it was the fact that you were always put into a position of being swarmed or spammed. You could never leave any of your party in overwatch (even though the baddies do, or have several waves of reinforcements to force the issue), but every cut scene always immediately teleported your party to predetermined spots... ensuring that the fight was tough only because you were about to be swarmed from multiple directions. This always bothered me, because why wouldn't you, knowing you were going to walk into a trap or tactically dangerous situation, leave a heavy as backup.

    Map: What, you thought the Map in DA:O wasn't overused? I laugh at that. Each map was so overused, and you always had to wait for your fake travel trail.... but I guess the illusion was good enough to fool most people.

    The Other Stuff:
    Graphics: Really, about the same as the previous, but with better backgrounds. The character appearance customization looked horrible... but once in game, it was as smooth as silk, and really made you look better than... well, pretty much everyone. It's also much more cinematic, with the basic attack a very pretty martial display and plenty of gore. And what, you warriors weren't covered with blood after a particularly intense fight in DA:O?

    Music: Pretty much the same as DA:O

    Overall Impression:
    My feeling is that most of the negative reviews came from people with very little attention span, or was just expecting a regurgitation of the same DA:O. There are some changes, but the overall game plays exactly the same. The really tough fights, you still have to micromanage every millisecond or you'll get turfed in a heartbeat. As for the nerfed soft-skills sets, I hope they bring them back the next time around, and also allow some pre-planning and strategy. My only real peeve is that when ordered to hold position, the characters not currently under control don't stay where you dropped them. However, I believe this is a problem with the behaviour, which dictates whether a companion stays close to the player controlled character.

    It's still rather fun to play, and even if you're playing warrior, it's not just another button masher; though is still required to fight and win, and is definitely worth the play, and the money.    … Expand
  44. Eceliion
    Mar 19, 2011
    3
    Everyone has said everything that needs to be said. I finished the game (mostly) today and...wow, I've never been so disappointed. Not only did I waste $69.00 buying this junk, I also wasted hours of my life. Sigh.
    EA has eaten BioWare up and pooped them out. I've lost hope now :(
  45. maverikki
    Mar 19, 2011
    9
    Once you get past the horrible inventory system and if you can get past the reused dungeons, this is a really solid game. The game is also very long and I loved the unreliable narrator. The story is about the player rising from being nobody to being the champion. The story and the characters felt really diverse and I have the feeling that there should be enough content for a second orOnce you get past the horrible inventory system and if you can get past the reused dungeons, this is a really solid game. The game is also very long and I loved the unreliable narrator. The story is about the player rising from being nobody to being the champion. The story and the characters felt really diverse and I have the feeling that there should be enough content for a second or third playthrough. This is based on my experience of finishing the game on nightmare difficulty on a mage. Playtime 60 hours but that doesn't include all the reloading I would guess.… Expand
  46. Miz3k
    Mar 19, 2011
    1
    What a total disappointment. Much like Mass Effect 2 this game fails to deliver on so many levels. About the only thing I can say I liked about this game was the combat overhaul, but after some time with the game even that became very boring and was added to the long list of cons. This game has been so over-simplified it barely resembles an RPG anymore. You can craft the appearance of yourWhat a total disappointment. Much like Mass Effect 2 this game fails to deliver on so many levels. About the only thing I can say I liked about this game was the combat overhaul, but after some time with the game even that became very boring and was added to the long list of cons. This game has been so over-simplified it barely resembles an RPG anymore. You can craft the appearance of your character as in other games of this type, but you are basically just selecting different presets. Guitar Hero and Rock Band had a more robust creation tool. Menus have been lifted straight from Mass Effect 2, and the game setup is identical, this is not a good thing. Your choices for upgrading your character are very limited, there is a difference between making your game more user-friendly and stripping down almost all customization options. Combat is reduced to hack n' slash gameplay and anyone who believes this isn't just another button-masher is diluted. You can pause the action and give commands but you never really need to. Graphics are very bland, textures are low-res and character models are questionable. The only characters who look even remotely cool are certain companions and if you look in the strategy guide you can see that the concept art for these and all other characters was better than the finished product. There are very few locations the game takes place in, an even bigger crime is that every house you enter, every cave you search, every sewer you trudge through is the exact same place as all the ones you ever have or ever will venture into in the game. It really takes away from the immersion when you are told to search for something in a cave or sewer or estate only to realize you've already been there more than once. And no, they aren't telling you that you are having multiple missions in the same locale, they are all different missions in the same recycled location visually, these places are on different parts of the map with different names and are being passed off as a new place, and Bioware is hoping you won't notice. Also there is no exploration, you walk down pre-defined paths with a few deviations here and there with expected loot waiting at the end. This is essentially Final Fantasy 13, Bioware just covered up the linearity a little better. There is no customization for your companions. They always wear the same armor and you can only buy four upgrades for them, all they do is change stats, not appearance. This is really a game all about accessorizing, the most you'll ever toy with in terms of customization is the jewelry you and your companions wear. The DLC was obviously part of the game that was withheld to make extra money for EA and Bioware, visually and story-wise it fits in too well with the rest of the game to be standard DLC. Speaking of story, there really isn't one. The first Dragon Age was so epic, the story of a hero on a quest to save the world. Here you are a refugee out to reclaim your family's name and honor. There isn't even a real villain until Act 3 and that's the end of the game. Just like ME2 this game boils down to being just a checklist. "Make sure you do these things before this time or this will happen to you." As for save-game importing, it has no effect on the story whatsoever. Certain characters show up but seem tacked on and out of place. At one point you meet a character that with the use of the import could have been your created character from the first game, however it ends up just being some generic character that has no impact on the story at all. What's bad is that in this scene you could tell Bioware thought this would be epic and dramatic and it ended up failing on all levels. Romances boil down to the same checklist formula as in ME2 as well as the rest of this game and thus lose all impact and are rendered pointless and too much effort for no real payoff. I don't know how they did it but Bioware even managed to make the Deep Roads unexciting. I also don't understand why Bioware thought the story and characters in the first game were so bad not to continue them, they did the same thing to a lesser extent in ME2. Bioware really needs to stop stripping down their games to reach a broader, less intelligent audience simply to make more money for their new overlords(EA). Once they have alienated all their fans and no longer present any value to them they will be cast aside like EA's other at-one-time golden children(Black Box for example, there are others). I know this will probably be my last trip into the Dragon Age universe, and as soon as I'm through with ME3(I have to finish the series because I'm already so invested in the Commander's story) I won't waste any more of my time with any new Bioware IPs. Oh well, at least I still have Skyrim to look forward to. Also, BEWARE! Bioware posts their own reviews to inflate their game's score, this added to everything listed above is really sad.… Expand
  47. billyup
    Mar 19, 2011
    3
    I don't like being lied to. Bioware LIED to us. When people want to buy an RPG they don't buy an ACTION GAME they buy an RPG. Do you understand bioware? We don't like your obvious buyout of game reviews. We don't like having our RPGs turned into Action games. We don't like being told a million times how something is "Epic" and then only lasts "25 hours". RPG PLAYERS DON'T WANT ACTION GAMES!
  48. kingjamesjr
    Mar 19, 2011
    2
    First off, this game had potential but somewhere down the line, someone really made some fuc up decision, this game no way a sequel to dao, I feel really sad that bioware has really drop the ball on this game, it's time for Bioware to grow some real balls and tell ea to suk it. Because at this current rate Bioware is going to lose its fan base at a rapid pace if this mickey mouse ****First off, this game had potential but somewhere down the line, someone really made some fuc up decision, this game no way a sequel to dao, I feel really sad that bioware has really drop the ball on this game, it's time for Bioware to grow some real balls and tell ea to suk it. Because at this current rate Bioware is going to lose its fan base at a rapid pace if this mickey mouse **** keeps up! Now back to this awful of a game period, this game is so simple that my 2 yr can play, I just hope that's not the market Bioware or Ea are trying to target because if it is they fail miserablely. There is nothing in this game that saids i'm the damn best rpg out there so screw everyone else! They have made some improvements but they over did it with the more i reuse the better the game will be concept. Which fail miserable again. My real gripe is this why mess with a game that could have been a great by trying to make it a action rpg which fail btw look at ff13 a massive falier. In the future, stop EA from messing with what ur company does best Good story, character that u truely love and hate,innovating character design and maps those are ur real strength in making a stellar rpg game. Oh btw, I will never by a game pre-order period from u guys any more what a shame, That u let alot of folks down with this so called sequel that suppose to top DA:O and i swear all the hype behind this title was really misleading and Ea And Bioware should be ashame of themselves Cuz actually i feel cheated cuz i bought a product that did nothing what was suppose to do most of all suppose to be entertaining. All i got was bunch of nonsense that really didn't make any sense.… Expand
  49. Xiphus200
    Mar 19, 2011
    7
    I found the game enjoyable, though it didn't have the same epic scope that Origins did.

    Story: The main story overall didn't have much continuity other then your character, Hawke was the one responsible for solving each 'years' crisis. Your companions have better story arcs. The ending was a letdown to me, after 40 hours of game play their wasn't much resolution, no end game wrap up of    I found the game enjoyable, though it didn't have the same epic scope that Origins did.

    Story: The main story overall didn't have much continuity other then your character, Hawke was the one responsible for solving each 'years' crisis. Your companions have better story arcs. The ending was a letdown to me, after 40 hours of game play their wasn't much resolution, no end game wrap up of the events Hawke had set in motion or how each of his companions fared. It felt hollow and open ended for the obligatory sequel.

    Graphics: The biggest thing people who played Origins will notice is character design has changed a lot, and its quite jarring when you run into NPCs that made appearances in Origins/Awakening that look nothing like they did before. However, once you get past all the retcons of art design the game itself is rather well designed, though some reused textures from Origins for clothes don't show as much polish as the new armor and clothes. The scenery is lovely though.

    Combat: I actually liked the increased pace of combat and the cross-class combos were pretty fun to pull off. My main gripe about combat is the 'waves' of enemies, where you'd kill the first group of enemies and then a second and sometimes third group would materialize out of thin air. Towards the end of the game having to kill 30 enemies every fight just made things drag on and I got a bit tired of all the mindless slaughter.

    I don't regret buying this game and it did hold my attention for 40 hours and probably more in subsequent play throughs. I consider any game that I play for more then 20 hours a success. It's not the best Bioware game I've played but when stacked up against other fantasy games it can hold its weight.    … Expand
  50. Kezmer
    Mar 19, 2011
    9
    This game is really fun, and I don't understand the negative reviews. I am having a great time with it. I think the conversations and story line are great. there are a few annoying things here and there but for the most part even if it is "dumbed down" this game deserves wall better than the average score it has right now
  51. JunnuW
    Mar 19, 2011
    5
    The new combat system gives more feeling to the fighting but can bit repetitive in the end. The biggest flaw in the game is the story IMO. If i want to see 3 different political stories i open my tv and turn on the news. And all tho the small quest to get money works in the beginning it gets really boring after that.. come one not 1 good longer fantasy quest? Just quest that take 15 min toThe new combat system gives more feeling to the fighting but can bit repetitive in the end. The biggest flaw in the game is the story IMO. If i want to see 3 different political stories i open my tv and turn on the news. And all tho the small quest to get money works in the beginning it gets really boring after that.. come one not 1 good longer fantasy quest? Just quest that take 15 min to do x 100. I like Dragon age 1 style more. 3 Long stories where u can get into the story better. But the game still does have lots of good things like good characters and some nice quest lines. I started to like the game most, just before the end.. finally something is happening. then comes the credits... Funny enough the game has more loot than DA1 but now only main character can use armors. others can still use weapons tho. but they all have armor that u can upgrade but not change.

    IMO Good characters and good story telling saves this, but i really would like to see more fantasy themed stories not some political fights over same city in 3 different times. Come one 3 same quest with different people on other sides? cheap.    … Expand
  52. Landor
    Mar 19, 2011
    4
    Besides the discussion of to much action, gore, comic like design and the Hack ´n Slay fights which is a question of taste for sure. You can see, that DA2 had not enough time.The hardcore recycling of enemies and levels ist just bold. Dialogues are simple, predictable and don´t go into depth. And the hero Hawk never shows any kind of emotions. I love Bioware gamesBesides the discussion of to much action, gore, comic like design and the Hack ´n Slay fights which is a question of taste for sure. You can see, that DA2 had not enough time.The hardcore recycling of enemies and levels ist just bold. Dialogues are simple, predictable and don´t go into depth. And the hero Hawk never shows any kind of emotions. I love Bioware games for the epic story lines and great emotions. I even loved Mass Effect 2, so its quite clear that I´m not that kind of hardcore traditionalist, but DA2 has nothing to do with RPG any more. Its RPG light or RPG fast food. Easy to consume. Easy to forget. I miss the spark, which brings me to play this game again and again. I finished the game one time now and I not going to play it again. So my recommendation: DON´T GIVE MORE THAN 10 BUGS. If this is the future of Bioware´s understanding of RPG, I will never buy a game of this company again. EA and Bioware are going in the wrong direction .… Expand
  53. Zelnaga
    Mar 19, 2011
    3
    Currently I'm struggling to finish this game. The more I play it the more I think this is the ugly child of Mass Effect and Devil May Cry (or insert your own hack and slash title here). This isn't the Dragon Age i know, because its anything but Dragon Age apart from name and a few standout features. Could call it a stripped down version of it.

    I don't really need to state the so called    Currently I'm struggling to finish this game. The more I play it the more I think this is the ugly child of Mass Effect and Devil May Cry (or insert your own hack and slash title here). This isn't the Dragon Age i know, because its anything but Dragon Age apart from name and a few standout features. Could call it a stripped down version of it.

    I don't really need to state the so called 'problems' of this game as its been highlighted already but here a quick run though.

    - Reused Maps - Trying to get more content into this game? Good excuse. Try telling that to the people in the same office. The one who produced Mass Effect 2. Reused maps in ME? Not in the same league as Dragon Age 2 where most of the maps were near identical. Evident of being lazy? Id say so.

    - Item management - No armor customization for your teammates? Whether you could call this being streamlined or not, I don't know. Bioware possibly couldn't be asked to add skins for each armor equipped by our team mates.

    - Respawning Enemies - I remember watching a video of a bioware producer saying Dragon Age 2 demonstrating the game as a 'tactical' game. Well .... if I saw him id tell him hes a BSer. Its more akin to a hack and slash game then anything else, not more so for the lack of auto attack (Im playing 360 version), but the respawn of enemies at anytime, from anywhere. You can throw tactics out the window.

    I could go into more but its already been highlighted, but whether Bioware is just being rushing this game out the door by EA, being lazy or just making this game more streamlined goes it just hasn't worked for me and alot of people. Are they just concentrating all thier efforts on Mass Effect 3 and neglecting this once awesome game? Everyone have their own opinions. For sure. But with the bad press, fan backlash (anyone who thinks otherwise is a tool) and ever decreasing review scores from the public.

    This is anything buy Biowares finest. You can be sure that when DA3 is being hyped up in a few years time, they will use DA2s negativity and downfall as a way to promote its squeal.    … Expand
  54. olorijn
    Mar 19, 2011
    3
    I pre-ordered this purely on how much I enjoyed DA:O. Boy do I regret that.

    Endlessly repeated landscapes, stuck in a single city, with no motivation, just a bunch of fedex quests and ever repeating spawns of enemies out of thin air. I miss being able to customize my companions armor. I miss having more than good, snarky & evil conversation choices. I miss the feeling of exploring a    I pre-ordered this purely on how much I enjoyed DA:O. Boy do I regret that.

    Endlessly repeated landscapes, stuck in a single city, with no motivation, just a bunch of fedex quests and ever repeating spawns of enemies out of thin air.

    I miss being able to customize my companions armor. I miss having more than good, snarky & evil conversation choices. I miss the feeling of exploring a whole world. I miss the old Anders, and ser-pounce-a-lot.

    The voice-acting is meh; there's no Claudia Black here. The graphics are improved, but so repetitive, it's hard to care.

    I've finished Act 1, bored, and unable to work up the motivation to continue. I won't be pre-ordering DA:3. Renting maybe.    … Expand
  55. REiS9
    Mar 19, 2011
    8
    .. Well, where do I start. There were various of bugs and glitches in the game I didn't quite enjoy. One of them prevented me from getting an extra party member. And another one pretty much never allowed me to die. In this game, your more of an errand boy/girl through out the game. But; it stuck with DA:O story very well. The same map/area is contently reused over, and over again. But; you.. Well, where do I start. There were various of bugs and glitches in the game I didn't quite enjoy. One of them prevented me from getting an extra party member. And another one pretty much never allowed me to die. In this game, your more of an errand boy/girl through out the game. But; it stuck with DA:O story very well. The same map/area is contently reused over, and over again. But; you are in the same area through out the game. That was the bad review. The good: It was.. At the right pace. Everyone rants on about how it was TOO fast. DA:O was too slow. While in DA:O I found myself hitting one button in a fight; and then going to the bathroom or something else while I waited for the fight to be over. Maybe every now and then I hit a button. I found myself actually staying for the game; actually playing the game. and lots more. The graphics had minor improvements. The storyline may not be as good as DA:O; but it's still quite impressive for what it was (It's a sequel with a good storyline? Bonus points). Some of you said that this game is too fast paced because of it's animations.. What? No; animation is for effects. While the combat may look as though it's faster; the average fight in DA:O and DA2 has minor time differences. I found myself using the same strategy in both games. Think of what to do; do it, and make minor changes if I it didn't go as plan; but except I have to repeatedly hit A, which I enjoy; I have something to do while I think of my next plan. I also find it a little harder to stay alive nDA2 then DA:O (Mainly cause of a healing tree taken away). Classes are as balance as they were in DA:O. Oh! Your character talks! I found this really shocking. And I recently discovered that your personality is set by how often you make a choice. For example; if you were to talk in a joking way a lot, your tone of voice will change and adjust to that depending how often you used it. I thought this was a very interesting game mechanic. You and other characters have there own set of personality (of course). And none of them are really boring either. (Well except for Fenris). I know I'm suppose to talk about the game; but it really bothers me that people actually give this game a big zero. Is the game so bad; even in comparison to the original, that it had to be given a zero? I even hear that this is the last game you will EVER buy from Bioware. Really now? Jees' calm down drama queen. "This game was a rushed game" This I agree with. The game didn't get enough time I would like to assume. But yes; rushed would be one of the right words during the production of this video game. You guys also seem to LOVE including un-related games into the subject as well. Comparing them for your own purpose to make this game look bad. I'm honestly starting to think you guys are just going with what people are saying. And not actually playing the game to your fullest. I even find some of yo using the same lines as the next guy. You play this game with your hopes way to high; and expectations even higher.] I kept my expectations low. The second I heard Dragon Age 2 was coming out, I thought "Eh; it's probably going to be a bad sequel like every other movie.game." But it wasn't! The game was surprisingly a lot better than I imagined it to be; sure there were some minor improvements needed to be done, but over all it was still good. Don't just listen to what others say; hell, you don't have to listen to what I say; just look up a video of the game play, if you like; try, if not; then whatever. This game does NOT deserve a straight zero. MOST of you guys aren't even reviewing over the story! I know I might be taking some lines from BigLou, I know I'm a bit hypocrite. But I swear to you right now; I wrote all this down before I read his.… Expand
  56. Captainsmokes
    Mar 19, 2011
    9
    I only signed up for meta critic to defend this game. the reviews this game is getting from its users are exactly why I don't like to classify myself as a "gamer" here we have a terrific product released so soon after the original, and because it isn't exactly what we wanted it's terrible! frankly even the things I didn't like when
    first I picked up the game I quickly saw why they were    I only signed up for meta critic to defend this game. the reviews this game is getting from its users are exactly why I don't like to classify myself as a "gamer" here we have a terrific product released so soon after the original, and because it isn't exactly what we wanted it's terrible! frankly even the things I didn't like when
    first I picked up the game I quickly saw why they were changed or added, and by the time I'd played through the game I came to really like many of the changes.
    as far as the mechanics go I understand that it may feel watered down at first, but the simplifications allow for a much faster and more tactile experience. yes the setting and story feels to be less epic, but it really only suffers the way many sequels in fantasy trilogies do, playing through after replaying DA:O as you start to connect the dots you should realize that DA:3 is going to be truly impressive indeed. for a revolutionary third entry the second must necessarily seen like exposition to the first. In any case the beautiful art and colorful storytelling more than redeem any short coming in my mind. and Bio ware would have to fail entirely in their efforts in DA:3 before I would even consider not purchasing DA:4    … Expand
  57. samus_smash
    Mar 19, 2011
    9
    Dragon Age 2 does take a different turn from its predecessor but I do not understand all these low ratings. It is a good game. It functions well and it's engaging, so it at least deserves a 2. The graphics are better, the fighting is better, the loot is better organized and the skill system is stream lined. They have even gotten rid of all the useless spells that I never used. Not only isDragon Age 2 does take a different turn from its predecessor but I do not understand all these low ratings. It is a good game. It functions well and it's engaging, so it at least deserves a 2. The graphics are better, the fighting is better, the loot is better organized and the skill system is stream lined. They have even gotten rid of all the useless spells that I never used. Not only is the combat more fast-paced and involving but the micro-managing of your party is better as well. It may seem like a little change, but when you issue orders, the game doesn't automatically pull you back into the combat like in Origins. Like I said, small change but it makes so much of a difference. I replayed Origins and found the combat slow in comparison. The only problem I've had with the game is the lack of locations. The story is also less grand than Origins, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Ignore the trolls and at least rent it. It may not be your cup of tea, but if it is, you'll have a lot of fun.… Expand
  58. BigLou
    Mar 18, 2011
    8
    Hi All,
    I'd just like to say that this game does not deserve a ZERO! I know some people will be angry at me, but anyone who gave a 0 score should seriously take a step back and think about it... I have revised my previous review from a 9 to an 8 - or 7.5 if the scale would permit - after about 38 more huors of play, but a zero???!!! What is wrong with you??!! If this game ain't your    Hi All,
    I'd just like to say that this game does not deserve a ZERO! I know some people will be angry at me, but anyone who gave a 0 score should seriously take a step back and think about it... I have revised my previous review from a 9 to an 8 - or 7.5 if the scale would permit - after about 38 more huors of play, but a zero???!!! What is wrong with you??!! If this game ain't your cup of tea then I can see giving it a 4-5, but any score lower is a clear indication that you SHOULD NOT BE REVIEWING VIDEO GAMES! I have been a gamer for over 20 years, and I believe a score of lower than 4 must come from someone who has not looked at this game objectively. If you hate the genre so much, stick to FPS and racing games, because your review can not be taken seriously. As a added note, anyone who has been following Bioware from the beginning (ehem... - Silvermaul) I understand your frustration caused by this games lack of ability to meet the high standards set by games like KOTOR, Baldur's Gate (one of my all time favorites) and of course who can forget Mass Effect 1 and 2 - however, this is still a decent game. ZERO! - come on folks, that is ridiculous!    … Expand
  59. Drakenian
    Mar 18, 2011
    8
    While Dragon Age 2 is certainly not as good as its predecessor, Dragon Age: Origins, it is still an incredible fun and enjoyable game. All the typical elements of Bioware games are present, from the branching dialogue trees, deep immersive characters, and a good storyline as well. Added to the mix is a new combat system, a more "real-time" combat system as opposed to the semi "time-based"While Dragon Age 2 is certainly not as good as its predecessor, Dragon Age: Origins, it is still an incredible fun and enjoyable game. All the typical elements of Bioware games are present, from the branching dialogue trees, deep immersive characters, and a good storyline as well. Added to the mix is a new combat system, a more "real-time" combat system as opposed to the semi "time-based" one present in Origins. What this new combat system allows is more of an action-y experience during battles, allowing you to properly dodge of your own volition and strike when you wish.

    The one thing inexcusable about this game, however, is that it is buggy as all hell. Texture glitches more prominently than others, but glitches in conversation lines, glitches in recognizing certain things you have or have not done that should affect certain situations, (game may not recognize that you, say, slew a girl's brother, and she will act as if he's alive) bog down the experience and cause irritation. That is not to say that it completely ruins the experience, but it is evident that the game could have used a few more months working out the bugs.    … Expand
  60. Doublecross
    Mar 18, 2011
    0
    Wow, lol i cannot believe this, I s*** you not, like 3/4 through Act 2 i was like F*** this. Everything is the same not just map that i have already painfully accepted. But holy crap there was not 1 epic quest that actually took me a on a journey that was memorable. I really hated everything about this game. The only + was the combat, but even that got old after i have fractured my thumbWow, lol i cannot believe this, I s*** you not, like 3/4 through Act 2 i was like F*** this. Everything is the same not just map that i have already painfully accepted. But holy crap there was not 1 epic quest that actually took me a on a journey that was memorable. I really hated everything about this game. The only + was the combat, but even that got old after i have fractured my thumb on the mute...... i mean A button ;) (really Bioware?). And the lack of strategy, if there even needed to be any. When i played DAO i played the whole game on normal difficulty until the end, i just had to turn it on Casual cause i simply had no clue wtf i was doing wrong. But things would just beat the living s*** out of me. Now DA2 I played on normal the whole way through ACT 1, thinking wtf, why is this so easy. I had to turn it on Hard, and i never do that in any games, i hate challenges lol. But what the heck, all i was doing before was push a button and things started exploding right if front of me. I know its not major, but i feel like that just furthermore proofs how this games was just dumbed down to little schnitzel scheisters. Iam also playing a warrior, another thing that pissed me off is for me to wait for brittle *sigh, i need more brittle orgasms in this game. And although DOA was full of tactics and all that crap that i just wasnt used to in an RPG i began to love it. Sure it pissed me off that i spent most of the time during a battle at times in the Radial Menu, but w/e. I just missed the tactics in DA2. I also want to point out my final F*** this Game moment. So as i was doing the nightmare mission i was like yaay back in the fade killing shades and all that junk. I was sooooo prepared for like an epic long quest journey and bought poisons and potions to stock up for some action, just like in DAO. And then after 15 minutes the quest was over LOL. The dialogues before the quest took as much time as the the actuel fighting time. Wow i was pissed lol. I have to stop right here cause this isnt really constructive anymore, iam too pissed to continue, In summation DAO = Wow something new, something fresh, epic journeys, amazing world and areas, EPIC STORY DA2 = I just ran out of toilet paper, but even there it fails. I then tried DAO, and of course as clean a newborns butt. PS: Casey Hudson, I have complete Faith in you that you will not even remotely screw up Mass Effect 3, your team has brought RPGs to another level. Now please do me a favor go to your DA2 buddies office and break your foot up David Gaiders a**… Expand
  61. guipow
    Mar 18, 2011
    5
    The game lost the emotion factor, and, if it is a continuation of Dragon Age: Origins, it should not be said by the producers that the total change on game play and looks should not be considered. It is very frustrating to wait for a RPG that you expected to look like DAO, but improved, and to receive a Mass Effect like product not just because of the conversation factor. Itâ
  62. PrancingPotato
    Mar 18, 2011
    0
    EA is posting their own reviews here and possibly elsewhere online to manipulate reviews. The 10/10 review by Avanost is fake and posted by Bioware:

    http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/g4jei/ea_admits_to_manipulating_online_review_scores_in/
  63. Eerazer
    Mar 18, 2011
    9
    It's a good game, stop being stupid everyone, its intensely annoying.

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  64. subsided
    Mar 18, 2011
    10
    After seeing these scores i has no choice to make an account a write a review. This game is at least as good as the first with its improved combat system and sheer volume of game. it will be rare to find another game that has this much depth and quality packed into it. Anything under a score of 7 or at least 6 is ridiculous for the quality that this game has. Keep up the good work
  65. Nikola8
    Mar 18, 2011
    10
    The game is excellent. After reading over a bunch of the 0/10 ratings that people are giving it here on Metacritic, I will begin my review by addressing the biggest complaints I've seen.

    First of all, the graphics ARE better than DA:O. That's really not debatable (one can look at the engine that was used or simply compare screenshots of the game). There are a lot of negative remarks    The game is excellent. After reading over a bunch of the 0/10 ratings that people are giving it here on Metacritic, I will begin my review by addressing the biggest complaints I've seen.

    First of all, the graphics ARE better than DA:O. That's really not debatable (one can look at the engine that was used or simply compare screenshots of the game). There are a lot of negative remarks about the fighting. As an XBOX player, I am actually happy with the updated fighting mechanism. The fights are faster and more fluid, but are still RPG fights- when it all comes down to it, the fights are still turn based- this is hidden a little, but go play a game in the Fable series then this game and compare and you'll see that the basic turn based elements are still there. It may feel like the buttons are press-and-slash, but you will notice that a head-on fight will result in you getting hit once in between every hit you attempt. There has been criticism as the the small number of talents/spells you have. I have not added up the total number compared to DA:O, but it is very comparable. Many of the reviews bash the story telling. Most of these, however, admit that they haven't played the game through or that they gave up on the game. Considering the fact that you don't even have the whole story revealed until the end of the game, those who haven't played it through don't have credibility to speak about the story. As someone who has played it through, I must say the story is VERY good. I dare say better than DA:O (as much as I love Origins). The difference is that, after Lothering, you can pretty much guess the way the rest of the story will play out in Origins. Conversely, It is impossible to see the story in DA2 coming since so many plot elements aren't revealed until the end of the game. It is very well done.

    It is true that the talking mechanism is simplified into a wheel, giving fewer conversation options. However, it is simply a carryover from Mass Effect and functions in a very similar way. I did appreciate the plethora of conversation options in DA:O, but the fact that Hawke has a voice compared to the "Silent Hero of Fereldon" more than makes up for this since it makes the protagonist more 'real'. The complaint over DLC is unjustified. If your pre-ordered before January, you got the signature edition for the price of the retail edition, which came with the day 1 DLC free. There is only x amount of room on a disc, and Bioware didn't have enough room to include everything, hence the "Day 1 DLC". You pay $60 for a full disc, it isn't unreasonable for Bioware to charge extra for content that comes in addition to the full disc. Now that I've addressed the complaints I've seen, my final comments are simply that this game is excellent. I will admit that it takes a few hours to get into it, but in that sense it is like a good book (the beginning is a compilation of what seems like random events, but as you play on these events start to weave together in a very satisfying way. I would highly recommend this game and its DLC- Sebastian's story in the DLC is quite engaging. Overall, its a step below Mass Effect 2, but a step above Mass Effect and DA:O. A very satisfying game to play.    … Expand
  66. adamfmartin
    Mar 18, 2011
    9
    Dragon Age 2 shakes things up, and as a result as caused a polarizing view of the worthy RPG. The gameplay is faster than it's predecessor and the story more intimate. Instead of travelling Ferelden to stop a massive archdemon from destroying the world, the creators have streamlined the game into the city of Kirkwall. Kirkwall itself is a complex city-state in political turmoil. YouDragon Age 2 shakes things up, and as a result as caused a polarizing view of the worthy RPG. The gameplay is faster than it's predecessor and the story more intimate. Instead of travelling Ferelden to stop a massive archdemon from destroying the world, the creators have streamlined the game into the city of Kirkwall. Kirkwall itself is a complex city-state in political turmoil. You play Hawke, a refugee from Lothering, fleeing the events of the first game. The changes to the game are audacious. It's an intimate story about family, politics, and religion all set against the backdrop of dark fantasy. It's deceptively clever. While the game starts slowly and feels aimless, you realize as you play through that every decision, every mission you go on, ends up effecting the world and how you play your character. Instead of traditional "save the world from evil", Bioware has given us a game that plays out in wonderful shades of gray.

    The voice acting is superb, the characters complex and interesting, and the gameplay, while not your traditional rpg-style, is visceral and dynamic. Don't be fooled by the low ratings. I don't believe anyone should review a game based on ten minutes of playing it. By Act 2 of this game, you are so emotionally involved with Hawke and his companions, there is real immersion and emotion. Bioware is known for creating classic characters. In Knights of the Old Republic, you have HK-47. In Mass Effect, you have the wonderfully blunt Wrex. In KOTOR 2, there is wonderfully slippery Kreia. And in both Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins, you have a number of characters that rank up there with the best characters the industry as produced. And in Dragon Age 2, there's the wonderfully crafty dwarf known as Varric. As the narrator of this story, he becomes something of its heart and soul.

    People in this day and age like to make snap judgments. In the history of gaming, I've never seen more childish reviews of a game. Don't let this 4.33 fool you. This game, while not as epic as the original, is infinitely satisfying and groundbreaking. Worth every penny.    … Expand
  67. Crf_Commando
    Mar 18, 2011
    8
    This game is not truly DA2. It is a well designed game, but unfortunately instead of building on the success of DA:O, it takes bits and pieces from that game and tries to go in a new direction. I give the company credit with trying to change and improve upon the game. However, if you are trying to make a series of DA games, you probably should have taken the time to improve the originalThis game is not truly DA2. It is a well designed game, but unfortunately instead of building on the success of DA:O, it takes bits and pieces from that game and tries to go in a new direction. I give the company credit with trying to change and improve upon the game. However, if you are trying to make a series of DA games, you probably should have taken the time to improve the original games shortcomings before releasing this game. All that said. I thoroughly enjoyed this game(enough to play through it 4 separate times). Just keep in mind that you are not getting Dragon Age: Origins 2. You are getting Dragon Age: Kirkwall.
    I would have rated it a 5 because of its succession behind DA:O, but instead I chose to rate the game based on its own merits and shortcomings.    … Expand
  68. Corvus
    Mar 18, 2011
    1
    i cant believe what bio did with this game. they take the name of a good rpg and put it on a hack and slash dungeon crawler for consoles. the name of the game reminds of dragon age origins and the theme. nothing else. everything is made with consoles in mind. i don't want to destroy my keyboard and mouse after all. graphics are a joke and the hi res texture pack for pc is nonsense. manyi cant believe what bio did with this game. they take the name of a good rpg and put it on a hack and slash dungeon crawler for consoles. the name of the game reminds of dragon age origins and the theme. nothing else. everything is made with consoles in mind. i don't want to destroy my keyboard and mouse after all. graphics are a joke and the hi res texture pack for pc is nonsense. many say that a good rpg doesn't need good visuals but no one plays text based adventures anymore. we live in 2011.
    the only good thing about the game is that with its lunch dao ultimate edition sells for 18 euros for pc.    … Expand
  69. Guolfo
    Mar 18, 2011
    10
    I understand that people could dislike DA2 (even if on day one is too early to give a judgement), but giving a 0 is too much. Anyway, here is my first review!
    I'm actually playing it, I'm finishing third act and I'm having a blast. Inventory is better than origin, combat is more arcade, yes, but playing on hard or nightmare is still really difficult and requires a lot of micromanagement    I understand that people could dislike DA2 (even if on day one is too early to give a judgement), but giving a 0 is too much. Anyway, here is my first review!
    I'm actually playing it, I'm finishing third act and I'm having a blast. Inventory is better than origin, combat is more arcade, yes, but playing on hard or nightmare is still really difficult and requires a lot of micromanagement (and a lot of use of pause button!). The companion are quite lively and they tend to interact more often than in origin. And, as much as the gift mechanics of Origins could be amusing, the gift and interaction system used in DA2 is more functional and easier to understand. If there is something I don't like, that's the environment, that's build around four or five standard maps that never change... That's disappointing, since Origins had a really nice amount of variety.
    All in all, I'm really loving DA2 and I can't wait to start my second and third play-through, making entirely different decisions.    … Expand
  70. Marcman59
    Mar 18, 2011
    3
    It's rather unfortunate how this game turned out. The combat is no longer tactical, it simply requires you to hit your abilities as the cooldowns refresh. The story is bland, and makes it difficult to press on, nothing "hooks" you. If this game had been released as a stand-alone title not under the Dragon Age name, it wouldn't have been nearly as disappointing. Also, 27 different DLC'sIt's rather unfortunate how this game turned out. The combat is no longer tactical, it simply requires you to hit your abilities as the cooldowns refresh. The story is bland, and makes it difficult to press on, nothing "hooks" you. If this game had been released as a stand-alone title not under the Dragon Age name, it wouldn't have been nearly as disappointing. Also, 27 different DLC's at launch is rather excessive and a terrible trend to follow. I'm all for DLC, but I want game expansion that couldn't have been included on the disc.… Expand
  71. dirtyfinger
    Mar 18, 2011
    3
    Combat is ridiculous. Animation speed increased to the point that no strike animations are visible. Intended to speed up combat ... which it doesn't, since the increased speed is offset by higher monster hitpoints and swarms of enemies.
    also, combat has been "coolified", meaning that every standard attack is the 'Fallout 3' equivalent of 'Bloody Mess', meaning that a killing stab with a    Combat is ridiculous. Animation speed increased to the point that no strike animations are visible. Intended to speed up combat ... which it doesn't, since the increased speed is offset by higher monster hitpoints and swarms of enemies.
    also, combat has been "coolified", meaning that every standard attack is the 'Fallout 3' equivalent of 'Bloody Mess', meaning that a killing stab with a dagger causes humans to explode.

    unconvincing encounters with different factions ... you somehow are constantly forced to kill potential allies. also swarms of enemies, even if you're just on a evening stroll to the nearest tavern.

    also, maps get recycled over and over and over. sure, you're revisiting old locations very very often, but you'll see the exact same dungeon map on up to five DIFFERENT locations!
    Lazy!

    No, this game is a complete fail in the categories Bioware tried to improve.    … Expand
  72. Skyduke
    Mar 18, 2011
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First of all: if you thought this game was going to be a successor to Dragon Age, my advice to you is: don't buy it. You will be sorely disappointed. It has nothing of the depth and immersion of the first game; the dialogue is trite, and there is little to no party interaction (you can't even chat to your companions at a camp, for crying out loud...).
    The quests are very much disconnected; there is no central theme to it, like there was in the first game. There is no overarching goal. You are basically just doing random, WoW-like quests. The "main" quests make little or no sense, and I'm honestly not sure your choices matter that much, except for one or two major exceptions. To give you an idea: I sided with the mages: Orsino turning to blood magic when we had been killing all the templars and had been supporting him all the way made no sense at all.
    Now, I'll just tell you what I think the good and bad points are:
    Positive: Faster, more reactive fights (with the downside that they are now a little too fast; feels a lot like button mashing to me, and waiting for your cooldowns...). Your choices do have real consequences on the plot/setting/companions.
    That's it.
    Negative: Watered down story, which at times will make no sense at all. Feeling of disconnection and "just wandering around".
    Very little meaningful party interaction.
    Quite a few bugs left.
    Ending was very unsatisfying: no summary of what happens to the participants depending on what you did during the game.
    No truly horrific elements, like the Deep Roads in the first one.
    Trite, often juvenile, canned dialogue. "Steer my boat" Hurhurhur!!!
    Graphics are actually worse than the first (all things equal).
    Canned, cut-and-paste repetitive dungeons with no character.

    All in all, I am really disappointed. I expected much better.    … Expand
  73. Ghostwise
    Mar 17, 2011
    9
    I've been playing RPG's as well as every Bioware title all my life and I enjoy them thoroughly. I thought Dragon Age 2 was a fantastic wild romp through the impressive city of Kirkwall. I found the combat to be infinitely more satisfying than in Origins with it's faster pace but it still retained the pause and play tactics of the original. The ability to give your party up to 20 tacticsI've been playing RPG's as well as every Bioware title all my life and I enjoy them thoroughly. I thought Dragon Age 2 was a fantastic wild romp through the impressive city of Kirkwall. I found the combat to be infinitely more satisfying than in Origins with it's faster pace but it still retained the pause and play tactics of the original. The ability to give your party up to 20 tactics each is also awesome. The production values are pretty impressive too with fantastic camera work and good voice acting. The game really feels to me like a fantasy version of Mass Effect 2, and that's not a bad thing in my book. Sure there are some changes to the core gameplay like the dialog wheel and the stripping away of armor from companions but it still definitely feels like another AAA Bioware title. I'm even more impressed that they did it in such a short time as well. The game, for me on my first playthrough, lasted right on the 45 hour mark and I enjoyed every minute of it.… Expand
  74. LanceX2
    Mar 17, 2011
    10
    I truly believe this game is amazing. The graphics are much better IMO in this game. The combat is vastly superior then DAO. I often got bored while fighting in DAO. The changes were huge and there are downsides such as reused maps but I stand by Dragon Age and Bioware and Im able to evolve just as they tried. Heres hoping even more in DA 3!
  75. cephalopd
    Mar 17, 2011
    10
    After playing through the game I think its a solid game. It is very different from Dragon Age: Origins, but thats not necessarily a bad thing. I feel like the game is more streamlined than Origins. It reminded me more of Knights of the Old Republic than Baldur's Gate. I enjoyed my first playthrough and and am working on my second and there will probably be a few more over the next fewAfter playing through the game I think its a solid game. It is very different from Dragon Age: Origins, but thats not necessarily a bad thing. I feel like the game is more streamlined than Origins. It reminded me more of Knights of the Old Republic than Baldur's Gate. I enjoyed my first playthrough and and am working on my second and there will probably be a few more over the next few months. So, if you are expecting a rehash of Origins, you'll be disappointed. It's a completely different game, but it's still a fun game and has plenty of merits of its own. Download the demo, give it a whirl and see for yourself.… Expand
  76. Getbusyliving
    Mar 17, 2011
    2
    Terrible game. Thoroughly disappointed. I just can't understand why they would mess with a formula that worked so well in the previous game. I won't be pre-ordering anything from Bioware ever again.
  77. wb33brown
    Mar 17, 2011
    8
    Okay so this is how it is, Dragon Age 2 is considered both an improvement and a disappointment in surprising ways. Story-wise, Dragon Age 2 is very astonishing and a big improvement from the Origins story. The characters are more interesting and as it should have been in Origins, you can't win over their friendship with random gifts around your journeys. I mean why would you berate yourOkay so this is how it is, Dragon Age 2 is considered both an improvement and a disappointment in surprising ways. Story-wise, Dragon Age 2 is very astonishing and a big improvement from the Origins story. The characters are more interesting and as it should have been in Origins, you can't win over their friendship with random gifts around your journeys. I mean why would you berate your companion with gifts when they only been in the party for 10 minutes? Also you don't have to be your companion's friend as they can also be your rival which is just as interesting. Combat is satisfying and improved, but sorry PC players the consoles win this battle. But heres the bad part, as you know recycled environments is a dirty term in the modern gaming industry and there's plenty of it in Dragon Age 2. Hell, they don't even hide it when you go in the environments. I know you're in a city and every house has the same architecture on the outside, but do they have to have the exact same layout and set of stairs as everyone else? There aren't many glitches surprisingly since this is a RPG. Overall if you look above these flaws you will find a very likable game that is fantastic from start to finish.… Expand
  78. Jealousy
    Mar 17, 2011
    0
    DA2 gone very wrong. It's no more a tactical RPG, it's just an action point & click. Example : when you are in a tavern, you can only talk to Isabella and Varric, and that's only when they have quests available. You can't interact with any of the NPCs at all. The wheel of dialogue don't do her job, sometimes you select a choice, and the dialogue is completely different and then you getDA2 gone very wrong. It's no more a tactical RPG, it's just an action point & click. Example : when you are in a tavern, you can only talk to Isabella and Varric, and that's only when they have quests available. You can't interact with any of the NPCs at all. The wheel of dialogue don't do her job, sometimes you select a choice, and the dialogue is completely different and then you get loose in the conversation, the choice have not really any impact on the story. Optionnal quest are boring, some are using the same graphic for the dungeon. Only one city ..… Expand
  79. scotius
    Mar 17, 2011
    0
    This review contains no spoilers.

    Being a Bioware fan and having followed this company since their dawn, I wanted to love this game. I really wanted to love this game. Bioware is a company renowned for their compelling characters, vibrant locations and amazing storytelling. Sadly, this game has none of these things. Remember HK-47? Remember Morte? Remember the Justicar or Darth Revan?    This review contains no spoilers.

    Being a Bioware fan and having followed this company since their dawn, I wanted to love this game. I really wanted to love this game. Bioware is a company renowned for their compelling characters, vibrant locations and amazing storytelling. Sadly, this game has none of these things. Remember HK-47? Remember Morte? Remember the Justicar or Darth Revan? The characters in this game are very bland, very boring, third rate LOTR rip offs.

    The locations? Well, lets just say that the entirety of this game is played in the same 2 locations. Backgrounds and models are used and rehashed ad nauseam. This entire game feels as if it was very cheaply made, rushed and pointed towards an audience that does not like RPGs or wants them to be "simpler". The combat is half RPG and half Diablo and the end result of that unholy union is something abominable. The game will last you about 6 hours if you play through to the end. Pathetic. The graphics are not as good as Shadow of the Collossus (a game that came out just as the PS2 was ending its commercial life). It is dumbed down terribly. Also, be very aware that Bioware employees are on this site bumping it up. The reviewer "Avanost" has been discovered to be one of these already. "Anything negative you will see about this game is an overreaction of personal preference" eh?! A review is a statement of personal preference. Well done on giving it a ten, though, signifying that you think DA2 is the best that a game can become or ever be.    … Expand
  80. xDeniz
    Mar 17, 2011
    10
    I don't know why people are being so harsh on Dragon Age 2. All i wanted from this title was to feel that i was really THE CHAMPION OF KIRKWALL! And it did! The history isn't as epic as the first one, there isn't a great threat to humanity. Instead we have a deep history about a human and his family. It tells how he rise to fame and fortune. I really loved this game! I played KOTOR, DragonI don't know why people are being so harsh on Dragon Age 2. All i wanted from this title was to feel that i was really THE CHAMPION OF KIRKWALL! And it did! The history isn't as epic as the first one, there isn't a great threat to humanity. Instead we have a deep history about a human and his family. It tells how he rise to fame and fortune. I really loved this game! I played KOTOR, Dragon Age Origins and i also loved them all. Dragon Age 2 has a special place in my heart, it was the first game that i completed 100%, i really wanted to feel that i was Hawke and never wanted his 10-years-long adventure to come to and end... But it did and now i want Dragon Age 3 as bad as ever!… Expand
  81. jukejoint
    Mar 17, 2011
    0
    It makes me sad to review this game. I have loved everyone of Biowares games, but this one. Dragon Age 2 is nothing of the same game. They took a fantastic RPG and turned it into an Action/combat console game. The combat is not difficult i didn't die once on default settings, not a challenging game.
  82. djekna
    Mar 17, 2011
    5
    I`m big fan or RPG games, hell big fan of Bioware but come on, OK from the start visual really great
    but who play RPG games for great visual, we play for story, making our character more and more better with next level, going trough lots of mission to get that perfect item, so at the end of the game we can see how our perfection look like. Fighting well big zero click this and yeee this    I`m big fan or RPG games, hell big fan of Bioware but come on, OK from the start visual really great
    but who play RPG games for great visual, we play for story, making our character more and more better with next level, going trough lots of mission to get that perfect item, so at the end of the game we can see how our perfection look like. Fighting well big zero click this and yeee this explode click that and wow another explosion, story well i can dig it but this is part 2, the story should have been much better come on i have finish 5 time allover ahead Dragon age origins and now i`m level 11 and still trying to find good reason for play(damn how a great commercial and reputation can make you feel stupid for paying 50 euro). Skills really you can chose what ever you want, trust me i`t going to look great when you click to use it and there it end it`s value , inventory well i like how they handled resource but that is it if you want to upgrade armor of your companion you need to look out trough all town just sad. Items also i don`t see some great innovation there, if you liked first dragon age this one is going to be huge disappointment, really how it get that great critic review i don`t know, this is what it is a mediocrity game with nothing special, and please guys from game industry enough of DLC and promo item that we need to pay, make it free or don`t make it at all    … Expand
  83. nexusmind
    Mar 17, 2011
    7
    I've almost arrived at the end of my Dragon Age 2 journey and I feel the need to weigh in a bit early to help boost the game back from its undeservedly low user score.

    At its core, Dragon Age 2 is yet another finely made Bioware title with all of the great atmosphere, storytelling, and characters that their previous titles have had. This time around, we're getting a far more focussed    I've almost arrived at the end of my Dragon Age 2 journey and I feel the need to weigh in a bit early to help boost the game back from its undeservedly low user score.

    At its core, Dragon Age 2 is yet another finely made Bioware title with all of the great atmosphere, storytelling, and characters that their previous titles have had. This time around, we're getting a far more focussed slice of the world. Your character is important to the city of Kirkwall, but you get the sense that far grander events are playing out elsewhere in the world. I for one like this departure; it made me feel like I had a big role to play in one small region, but wouldn't be shifting the destiny of the continent. The game is also quite a bit more policial in nature. Still, while I love Kirkwall and the new art style throughout the game, there are major downsides. The limitations of staying in one city become apparent long before the end of the game and the environments get terribly repetitive.

    As far as gameplay is concerned, you'll be diving into a mix of Origins and Mass Effect. I played Origins on PC and enjoyed its more classic top-down rpg controls, but I'm playing DA2 on xbox and I think this new control scheme is excellent as well. If you take the time to dig into it, they haven't left much out from the new controls. The command wheel lets you issue most of the same commands you could in Origins, and then lets you participate a lot more viscerally once you launch the attack. The streamlined inventory works great too, and I can't remember anything from Origins that I find myself missing terribly in DA2. However, it isn't all good news. The exploding gore and corpses get pretty silly, and larger battles can get a bit too hectic for the third person controls. It would also be nice to have more control over outfitting my party.

    As I write this, the user score sits at 4.3, largely because a vocal minority of fans clearly don't understand how to objectively use a 0-10 scale. This game deserves far better than that. You don't slam something with a 1 or 0 out of 10 because it disappoints you or departs from your expectations, you slam something with a 0 if it's broken, awful to play, or of insultingly poor craftsmanship. This game is NONE of those things. Dragon Age 2 is far from being the best Bioware has done, and their Mass Effect titles pull off action gameplay a lot better, but it still stands above many other releases this year. I just hope they learn a lesson or two and make Dragon Age 3 the best one yet!    … Expand
  84. El_Duckie
    Mar 17, 2011
    3
    I don't say this often, but I found myself unable to complete this game. Not out of difficulty mind you, but sheer boredom. After completely ignoring their old fanbase who enjoyed the original, Bioware, and I quote, "want call of duty's audience." I.e. a bunch of ADD 12 year olds, and this shows in the changes. Gone are the skill trees in the first game, replaced instead with...nothing.I don't say this often, but I found myself unable to complete this game. Not out of difficulty mind you, but sheer boredom. After completely ignoring their old fanbase who enjoyed the original, Bioware, and I quote, "want call of duty's audience." I.e. a bunch of ADD 12 year olds, and this shows in the changes. Gone are the skill trees in the first game, replaced instead with...nothing. Something as simple as a skill tree would scare off the Call of Duty audience so they just got rid of it altogether. Combat is now hack'n'slash in Devil May Cry style, only without the fun. The graphics are awful, textures and objects are poorly rendered, but don't worry, I heard they're releasing a graphics overhaul as DLC for the low price of £14.99. Bioware seems to have it's greedy heart set on deliberately taking out features of a finished game and forcing you to pay extra for content that should've been part of the game originally.

    If you can't be bothered to read that, imagine Dragon Age I as an older brother. He has his flaws, he's hardworking, immersive and generally an interesting person to be around. Dragon Age 2 is it's younger, exceedingly simple and borderline retarded brother, who was diagnosed with ADD as a fetus.    … Expand
  85. dgrey
    Mar 17, 2011
    0
    This game represents exactly what is wrong with the video game industry these days. What's more is that developers are attempting to inflate the scores of these games by creating fake reviews (see "Avanost"). For that, and the fact that this game is a travesty, I'm giving the game a 0.
  86. Trxw11
    Mar 17, 2011
    3
    As a fan of DA1 (and BG before it), this is a disappointment. The gameplay is easier (i.e. less challenging) and paced for action not roleplay, the controls are simpler & imprecise (i.e. fewer tactics possible), the graphics are glossy with FF-style overblown animations, the levelling is much faster and less satisfying with earlier access to formerly senior skills (so it feels badlyAs a fan of DA1 (and BG before it), this is a disappointment. The gameplay is easier (i.e. less challenging) and paced for action not roleplay, the controls are simpler & imprecise (i.e. fewer tactics possible), the graphics are glossy with FF-style overblown animations, the levelling is much faster and less satisfying with earlier access to formerly senior skills (so it feels badly balanced), the redesigned maps are harder to read and spread across multiple panes (so you can't see the whole world in 1 place), the game world starts to repeat even a few hours into the game, and finding stuff is less exciting because it simply says "ring" rather than "ring of xxx" until you go into the inventory, which has been simplified and streamlined so it's less satisfying allocating your spoils. Widescale tinkering by designers too influenced by Mass Effect and less mindful of real RPG design (which should be satisfyingly complex) has resulted in a game that does precisely what they hoped it wouldn't, which is alienate its core audience. Sad to see a franchise get watered down like this. The only major improvements are in story and character, which have more twists, grey areas and unpredictability - unlike the gameplay. I'm playing on in the hope it slows down, this is like getting a sugar rush after eating too many sweets - a slightly sickly feeling tinged with regret.… Expand
  87. Blastfurnace2k
    Mar 17, 2011
    5
    Ok, this is the third time I've revised my review. Now that I am completely finished with the game I can firmly state I stand behind everything I said before. The limitations they've put on this game are inexcusable. To all the people saying it's a seperate game and shouldn't/can't be compared, let's be realistic. Not only is this a company we expect great things from, but it's a SEQUEL soOk, this is the third time I've revised my review. Now that I am completely finished with the game I can firmly state I stand behind everything I said before. The limitations they've put on this game are inexcusable. To all the people saying it's a seperate game and shouldn't/can't be compared, let's be realistic. Not only is this a company we expect great things from, but it's a SEQUEL so there are bound to be expectations based on the first. To all the people that are crying foul that the negative scores are a conspiracy theory, grow up. Not everyone has the same tastes and not everyone will accept anything less than their expectations. If your standards were set low, don't cry foul because we were holding this game to a higher standard. They stripped the character interactions with the party members astronomically compared to the first. They removed all customizing from your party members gear except for weapons and rings etc. The relationship building has been totally ruined in my opinion, it's nowhere near the depth of DAO. The fact that it has enemy scaling is also ridiculous in my opinion. That's what difficulty settings are for, if I work to be a badass, let me be one, don't make the enemies grow stronger with me. What, are they questing doing Darkspawny things like finding an amulet for another Darkspawn in Darkspawn village for xp and sovereigns? Having enemies pouring in from all directions is also annoying. It allows for little technique in setting up tactics for random encounters. As for positives, some of the characters are truly likable thanks to some excellent voice work and writing. The combat is a step in the right direction, but I still don't understand why developers think I want to wail on the x button for 3 hours at a time just because I'm playing on a console, patch in auto attack for my thumbs sake. The story is more up close and personal which in itself is interesting, but overall if you played the first, there's no comparison. The term "epic" could easily describe DAO, the term "meh" could easily describe this story. Interesting and good don't mean the same thing and this is just interesting, not 10 material. People need to stop being paranoid and nerd raging. The game doesn't hold up to the bar set by it's predecessor.… Expand
  88. Pachkenum
    Mar 17, 2011
    3
    The story is there but the telling of it is very poorly executed.
    It lacks the depth and strategy elements that made the first one good.
    The reuse of levels and the ability to only play human as well as the lack of control over your companions really pulls you out of the enjoyment.
    At best it is mediocre.
  89. Blazing
    Mar 17, 2011
    7
    Sin duda alguna, una entrega muy inferior en relación a Origins, con muchos puntos flojos. Su único punto fuerte es que los combates contra bosses siguen teniendo "algo de estrategia", y otras pequeñas cosas sin mucha importancia. Esta entrega ha sido especialmente enfocada a todos los públicos, dejando de banda a los fieles seguidoresSin duda alguna, una entrega muy inferior en relación a Origins, con muchos puntos flojos. Su único punto fuerte es que los combates contra bosses siguen teniendo "algo de estrategia", y otras pequeñas cosas sin mucha importancia. Esta entrega ha sido especialmente enfocada a todos los públicos, dejando de banda a los fieles seguidores del rol. Personajes poco complejos, historia confusa, simplificaciones... un despropósito en si. BioWare solo tenía mejorar un poco Origins para hacer un gran juego.… Expand
  90. FrogX
    Mar 17, 2011
    10
    I loved it. People can hate on Bioware all they want but this game was fantastic. The beginning seemed a bit slow at first, but I don't believe it could have been any other way. The manner in which the story ramps up the juice first slowly then with greater speed had me questioning my decisions and at one point sitting in shock. This was a great game. Yes it is different, and I applaudI loved it. People can hate on Bioware all they want but this game was fantastic. The beginning seemed a bit slow at first, but I don't believe it could have been any other way. The manner in which the story ramps up the juice first slowly then with greater speed had me questioning my decisions and at one point sitting in shock. This was a great game. Yes it is different, and I applaud Bioware for smashing the mold on a tired old game system that is simply no longer needed in this day and age. This was not DnD, this was not Dragon Age: Origins. This was something new and beautiful. RPG's were never supposed to be about hitting action keys and spending hours on a leveling process. It is about playing a role.

    In Dragon Age: 2 you play the role of Hawke, starting out as just a guy trying to get by, you are inexplicably pulled into a whirlwind of events happening in your new home. The new interface is clean, and the fact that it fades from view when not needed is fantastic. I have loved the programmable controller button concept since Fable 1, and I choose my characters skills to keep me off the radial menu. The potential to either directly control your associates or just let them hang back and do their job was wonderful. I hate pausing a game. As to the story I found it to be intriguing. At first, despite hype I had read since the game was announced, I truly didn't know what was happening. I started to wonder how long I would have to do all these side quests... then BAM something big happens. From that point it just gets bigger. This game literally had me in shock. At least twice I set my controller down and just stared at my giant screen. One time I reloaded just to make sure I had understood what had happened. I was confused that after such a short time I genuinely felt close to a character I had largely ignored. Bravo Bioware!

    This game defies the standard that so many people have begun to believe comprises an RPG. It takes the story and gameplay and merges them into something that begs to be called art. Is it for everyone? Well it should be! There is no excuse with the computational power at our finger tips not to finally advance the genre. This was a bold move and I think one that pays off. Love it or hate it, the game has finally changed. As to the current accusations that Bioware employees tried to inflate the rating here. If that were the case then you would have seen far more positive reviews. How naive to think most companies from game developers to hardware manufacturers do not inflate reviews every chance they get. I am glad in this case for had I not seen the article on another site I would not have realized that so many people, many of which could work for Bioware's competitors had written bad reviews of a game I deeply enjoyed. So here I am. I agree whole heartedly with Avanost that dislike for this game largely stems from an inability to let go of conventions. We gamers are constantly derisive of anyone who "clones" another companies games (one in particular comes to mind in the MMO space) and yet the moment true innovation, skillfully executed hits the shelf we cry foul and crawl back in our familiar box unable to contend with change. I am disappoint in all of you!

    I say cheers Bioware! Now go use that engine for Old Republic 3... I want to smash things with a lightsaber!!!    … Expand
  91. xenomorf
    Mar 17, 2011
    5
    With the reputation that Bioware built in the past years, I really wonder whether Bioware is actually satisfied with the performance they delivered and if they would ever be honest about it. Its not about the combat, which in some ways I found satisfying and enjoying despite its less tactical. Its not about the simplification of the RPG system. The worst thing in my opinion is theWith the reputation that Bioware built in the past years, I really wonder whether Bioware is actually satisfied with the performance they delivered and if they would ever be honest about it. Its not about the combat, which in some ways I found satisfying and enjoying despite its less tactical. Its not about the simplification of the RPG system. The worst thing in my opinion is the lifelessness of the story, the characters, the environments. Bioware games stood for epic and immersive storylines, atmosferic environments, deep and evolving charachters and overall...choice. That is gone with DA2. No epic beginning of the story that leaves you wondering where this is all going. The first 8 hours you spend time to try to 'get into the city' jumping from the same locations to the same locations and worse, a lot of 'different' environments are exactly the same. Not just in textures or anything, but EXACTLY the same map with the only difference is that sometimes certain areas of the map are not accessible by a locked door. Compared to ME 1&2, DA:O, KOTOR etc, Bioware should be ashamed of themselves. If this is the new direction Bioware is taking, I am already worried about their future games. I already bought this one blindly like everyone else being negative about the game, but their next game I will consider with greater care. Sorry Bioware, next time better I hope… Expand
  92. Morbane
    Mar 17, 2011
    1
    This sequel reminds me of the disappointment I felt when I played CoD3, after loving CoD2. Same game engine, but a completely different take on the game and game world. Not so much a sequel as a homage or reboot.

    DA2 really feels like it was made by a different studio, one with no regard for stylistic continuity. I'd argue DA2 is more linear than past incarnations of this genre and    This sequel reminds me of the disappointment I felt when I played CoD3, after loving CoD2. Same game engine, but a completely different take on the game and game world. Not so much a sequel as a homage or reboot.

    DA2 really feels like it was made by a different studio, one with no regard for stylistic continuity.

    I'd argue DA2 is more linear than past incarnations of this genre and doesn't shape up to offerings like Mass Effect that continue plot and character decisions across sequels. Mass Effect and DAO made me want to play them again to see how things would have turned out had I made different decisions. My choices in DA2 felt inconsequential, at least individually. The world itself is fairly linear as well, rather than the story or action pushing you forward - the maps / landscape forces you to move in a specific direction.

    Perhaps my biggest disappointment was when I realized I could not import my character from DAO, I had to be a specific new character. I could pick my gender and class, although they all looked very similar, but there were less options than DAO which went beyond the typical 3 classes and 2 genders to offer up different races and unique back stories. I really think RPG fans expect more from this genre than a choice between Mage, Warrior or Rouge. I loved DAO and to be honest was hoping for more of the same with DA2. I played DAO through as three different characters - each experience had enough unique elements to keep me coming back for more. I especially liked that I could import my characters into the expansions packs and really enjoyed Awakenings (which in my opinion felt more satisfying as a sequel than DA2).

    DA2 does allow you to import key plot points from your save game, although considering the first character I met in DA2 from DAO was one I killed in DAO - I'm not sure what impact this actually had. To be fair I think the part of DA2 I'm referring to is set before I killed said character in DAO (yep it's a kind of parallel story line as opposed to a continuation), but even so the character looked completely different. Had the name not been mentioned several times, I would not have guessed it was the same character.

    DA2 also has none of the detail or depth of DAO.

    It's highly stylised compared to DAO, icons replace images of weapons and armor in the inventory for example. Part of the fun of DAO was considering the look of the character as much as the features of items - but in DA2 with items represented by icons and the wider camera, you tend to just pick items purely on their stats like an old school Ever Quest game. Icons are a lot more abstract / stylised as well, so aren't always obvious what they represent - particularly the spells and skills. Likewise many back story elements and cut scenes are highly stylized 2d flash style animations. Similar to the flashbacks in the cartoon Mulan. The abstraction / style comes across as an animation cheat rather than an artistic decision.

    The camera perspective is higher and wider than DAO, which has the effect of taking you out of the action and makes the battle field look more like Dynasty Warriors or Warriors Orochi - it's often confusing and the wider view means you see less detail in the charters and models. This is compensated for by the inclusion of non-interactive elaborate "finish him" cut sequences when you kill a boss. Combined with the faster pace and the single action button for attack that triggers combo / attack animations - the fighting feels very much like the Samurai button mashers I mentioned. The combat in DAO was always pretty basic compared to other RPGs, DA2 has simplified it further. The speed of the action also means less detail and more animation cheats for things like spells. Again this more realistic timing has been replaced by stylistic animation loops. Action is broken up by the turn based system, but even this doesn't feel as rewarding as DAO, with the wider view effecting enemy selection. There seems to be more enemies as well, but you seem to be able to take more damage and dispatch them faster than DAO as well. The gaps in the enemy waves allow you to regenerate, so all these aspects combined mean there's less reliance on the turn based tactics and more button mashing. The specialization system is similar to what was on offer in the DAO Expansions, but the layout isn't as clear. With specialization groups displays as trees rather than in a matrix with prerequisites. AI tactics seem better, but probably because combat is less complicated. In terms of visuals, you won't be having any Red Dead Redemption moments.

    Bottom line is it really doesn't feel like a sequel. It feels more like a poor copy or a stylistic re-imagining    … Expand
  93. Persephone611
    Mar 17, 2011
    10
    10.00 Dragon Age 2 is not your standard "Hero against the world" or "Hero slays a dragon" story. This is a story about conflict, politics, oppression and personal drama. Unlike most games, it offers no "good" or "evil" way out. That alone is one of its strongest points. I'll list my personal pros and cons first:

    + Breaks out of the stale "Hero defeats an ancient evil" formula. +    10.00 Dragon Age 2 is not your standard "Hero against the world" or "Hero slays a dragon" story. This is a story about conflict, politics, oppression and personal drama. Unlike most games, it offers no "good" or "evil" way out. That alone is one of its strongest points. I'll list my personal pros and cons first:

    + Breaks out of the stale "Hero defeats an ancient evil" formula.
    + Companions are all well defined, plot heavy and not just people with ten dialogue options
    + The combat system is fast and furious, it feels involved and largely improved
    + No more "You gave me 5 gifts. I wuv you" = "Romance" nonsense. Romances take time, feel real and are part of the drama
    + Side quests and Companion Quests are woven into the main story
    + It no longer takes "approval" to get to know your companions. Friendship and rivalry offer different paths, you are no longer punished for disagreeing with your companions
    + Importing DAO saves add wonderful touches and REAL cameos, unlike the hack job called Awakening
    + Gorgeous graphics
    + I encountered only two quests I could not finish
    + No hours of sludging aimlessly through the Deep Roads or the Fade, killing everything in sight

    - Re-used enviroments. While the enviroments they DID create are gorgeous in color and finely drawn, there are too few. Hopefully this will be fixed via a patch.
    - Much as I like the companion interaction being spread out, I'd have liked to see more and I'd have liked to customize them fully. But worry not, the modders are already at work

    This game is not was not meant to be a direct sequel to DAO. They tried going down that road with Awakening and we know that was a disaster. It is a bold, new way of picking up a conflict that was already hinted at in the original. Also, it was bound to happen sooner or later. The tragedies unfolding in this game cannot be blamed on an antagonist or an ancient evil but on, pardon the RPG pun, human nature. There were so many moments in this game when I was teary eyed or yelling "No, no, NO!" at my screen. I don't want to spoil anything however. Is it a perfect game? No. Was DAO a perfect game? Hell, no. DAO was horribly bugged, the last third of the game was badly written and rushed and never mind its formulaic nature and cliché ending. I love both games though. DA2 represents change and many do not like change. I happen to love it. I cannot wait for the newest DLCs and expansion and DA3 can't come soon enough either. I know the haters will pounce down on my review. It'll be an honor though, because I don't care what they think.    … Expand
  94. dmz82
    Mar 17, 2011
    9
    This is a great game. It is not a direct continuation of the Origins storyline, so if that is what you are looking for, you might be disappointed. The story does survive on its own though, and you get the impression that there is a much bigger picture forming in the background that Bioware will reveal in a later game. The tale is epic, to be sure, but not in the formulaicThis is a great game. It is not a direct continuation of the Origins storyline, so if that is what you are looking for, you might be disappointed. The story does survive on its own though, and you get the impression that there is a much bigger picture forming in the background that Bioware will reveal in a later game. The tale is epic, to be sure, but not in the formulaic hero-saves-the-world kind of way. In fact, you could debate whether the hero (if Hawke can be called that) actually saves anything or instead sets everything on fire. The combat is faster paced than it was in Origins. If you like that, you will enjoy this game. If not, it might be a bone of contention for you. It's nice to see more detail in how the characters fight. For instance, mages wielding their staffs as actual weapons is one of the little improvements that actually adds a lot to the game. It was disappointing to see finishing moves removed, and the exploding bodies is kind of cheesy. I liked Origins combat, but I like DAII's combat as well. If Bioware could synergize the two systems, they'd have something great. The characters are interesting and have a lot of depth. There are so many directions you can go with each of them. You control their fate throughout their game and some choices you make will decide what the future holds for them or whether they even survive at the end. The biggest downside I found to this game were what I perceived to be laziness in design. Reusing maps was an obnoxious shortcut that gave some parts of the game a repetitive feeling and had me rolling my eyes. The game also takes place in a very enclosed geographic area that can get boring after awhile. I also disliked how I had to run over long distances to find an exit just so I could move to a new area of the city. But these dislikes are minor in comparison.

    Overall, I enjoyed this game immensely. I feel Bioware is putting a big story together. The scope of DAII's story was not as big as DAO in the traditional sense, but it seems like this game is setting us up for something big later on.    … Expand
  95. Nightfish
    Mar 17, 2011
    4
    Dragon Age 2 is the "Phantom Menace" to Dragon Age: Origin's "A New Hope". Thank you George for making this comparison possible and instantly recognisable by nerds everywhere. In many ways, I wouldn't need to say anything more than that, but I will anyway: When writing a review of Dragon Age 2, you probably have to say a few words about where you are coming from first. Are you theDragon Age 2 is the "Phantom Menace" to Dragon Age: Origin's "A New Hope". Thank you George for making this comparison possible and instantly recognisable by nerds everywhere. In many ways, I wouldn't need to say anything more than that, but I will anyway: When writing a review of Dragon Age 2, you probably have to say a few words about where you are coming from first. Are you the wide-eyed fanboy or the disgruntled, estranged hater formerly known as a "true" fan? Then you claim to be neither, but the one true voice of reason who's got a neutral view on this issue. Personally, I have bought and played repeatedly pretty much everything Bioware published since Shattered Steel and I've enjoyed each game on his own merits. I loved Planescape Tormet, Baldur's Gate 2 just as much as Jade Empire, even though that game is radically different in terms of combat. I'm saying that to illustrate that I am very well capable of enjoying a game that does not have the traditional isometric view of tactical combat.

    Dragon Age 2 however, I cannot get into no matter how much I want to like it. This game is a train wreck of Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age and not in a good way. Let's take a look at some of the "bad" things. First of all: Combat. I cannot, for the life of me, see how anyone could view the new system as an improvement. They tried to make combat incredibly fast paced and action packed, but somehow this does not play out the way it's intended, at least not for me. Seeing a guy in full platemail armed with a huge two-handed weapon move faster than Neo in the Matrix doesn't just break immersion for me, it shatters it beyond all hopes of repair. Most enemies die in one hit now and they do so in a spectacularily silly and over the top gory way. There's more blood in here than in the silliest splatter movie I ever saw. There's a fine line between "adult" and "graphic violence" and enemies EXPLODING into 20 gallons of blood and shishkebab upon being stabbed in the chest once. To compensate for all the insta-kills, enemies now spawn in waves by the dozens. This robs the individual enemy of any significance. How can I be intimidated by a blood mage or a horrible demon if there's 20 of each under every other rock? Beats me. The sadest thing about DA2 is that it actually fails where bioware usually excells. The story and dialogue. Take the human noble origin story in Dragon Age Origins, for example. Before everyone dies a gruesome death you spend some time to get to know them. Thus, when they do die, their death has some impact on you. In DA2, we skip the first part in favor of turning the gruesomeness of the death up to 11. The thing is, if some random red shirt dies twice as horribly, I don't care twice as much. The "main story" if it can so be called, is anything but an improvement over the original as well. Granted, you are not saving the world, which in theory can make for an interesting story as well, but many people take this fact alone to mean the story is brilliant. Unfortunately, that is not quite true. The writing is incredibly ham-fisted at times. I cannot count how often the game prevents you from using obvious solutions to problems simply because the plot requires that this problem cannot be solved in a simple manner. This adds to the "rushed" vibe the game gives off in general. There's barely any "fluff" anymore. You cannot talk to your companions at will anymore, for example. Some of the events of DA:O are imported and the game shoe-horns them into DA2, but if you spend even 2 seconds thinking about "Why was Alistair here just now?" you'll notice that he had no significance to the plot, provided no insight whatsoever and was there simply as a little bit of fan-service. Oh yea, and the RPG part got dumbed down some more, but that was to be expected I guess and is barely worth mentioning in light of all the other shortcommings the game has. Still, rating the game a 0/10 as many people do is just as silly as rating it 10/10. There is good to be found if you can look past your expectations for a bit. Some of the quests are indeed well written and fun. The voice actors did a really good job, almost without exception. Flemeth's new look is a vast improvement over her old one, too bad she is in the game for about 5 minutes, tops. It's almost like she notice "Oh snap, this is gonna hurt!" and flapped out of the game on her dragon wings. I cannot say I blame her. In conclusion, Bioware lost a lot of credibilty with me for this game. No longer will I blindly buy whatever they release. Once burned, twice shy. The shady things they did here on metacritic are not helping that image. I hope they learn a lesson from this disaster and can recover and return to what made them successful in the first place instead of succumbing to EA's corruption for good.    … Expand
  96. Agarwel
    Mar 17, 2011
    3
    Real dissapointment. The dialogues and side quests itlesf are great. But thats all. Main quest is basically missing (I was not sure what Im trying to achieve in the main plot until like 35hours in the game. Till then the main plot feels like series of random side quests. Where most of them really have nothing to do with game ending). There is so few locations that it is smallest game IReal dissapointment. The dialogues and side quests itlesf are great. But thats all. Main quest is basically missing (I was not sure what Im trying to achieve in the main plot until like 35hours in the game. Till then the main plot feels like series of random side quests. Where most of them really have nothing to do with game ending). There is so few locations that it is smallest game I played in loong time. Still they managed to put around 40hours of quest into such samll environment. That means you are always fighting at the same locations over and over again. The fights are stereotype with spawning enemies without any logic. It just sents same waves again and again. Boss fight are not interesting at all. The bosses have just bigger size and HP. So you fight it like normal enemy - you just need to spent 15 minutes on it. Resulting in boredom. Considering that the enviromnent is not build for the quests, but the quest are put into generic enviromnent, the atmosphere is really low. It does not matter if you go deal with bandinds, investigate murder, releasing prisoners or dealing with blood mages. It will happen o nthe same generic street (with flegmatic NPCs around) each time. The result feels much more like a datadisk or DLC, than a full game. Its just few small locations with lots of quests thrown into them without any logic.… Expand
  97. drumbunny
    Mar 17, 2011
    6
    It's not a bad game but definitely no RPG, not to speak of a Dragon Age... The story also is far less dramatic and interesting than in DAO. Damn those casuals :(
  98. Wabblewobble
    Mar 17, 2011
    9
    I have no idea how anyone would be able to successfully play this on a console on the harder settings. I was a bit afraid they would have made this game easier due to some of the press pre release. But, as they say, only the easier settings have been made easier. Nightmare is alot harder, especially at the start. And the game is difficult in some ways which we are not accustomed. You cantI have no idea how anyone would be able to successfully play this on a console on the harder settings. I was a bit afraid they would have made this game easier due to some of the press pre release. But, as they say, only the easier settings have been made easier. Nightmare is alot harder, especially at the start. And the game is difficult in some ways which we are not accustomed. You cant actively tank stuff. You cant as easily control threat. Its more about movement and position tactics then other games. Usually, using such tactics are exploitive, due to game design, like pathing etc. And its not perfect in this game but its a step in the right direction.… Expand
  99. Amster
    Mar 17, 2011
    10
    Most of the hate for this game is entirely unfounded. I know there are several groups from several forums who have said they intended to down rate this game, without having played it, out of the "principle" of it, and I think we see much of that here. Some people wanted nothing but DA:O v 2.0, but Bioware made the choice to innovate and try to reach a broader audience.

    Is DA2 the same as    Most of the hate for this game is entirely unfounded. I know there are several groups from several forums who have said they intended to down rate this game, without having played it, out of the "principle" of it, and I think we see much of that here. Some people wanted nothing but DA:O v 2.0, but Bioware made the choice to innovate and try to reach a broader audience.

    Is DA2 the same as DA:O? No. They did change the game up, and hardcore fans of DA:O may be disappointed. Does that make DA2? No. But people are having a hard time seeing past the changes. I am a huge fan of Dragon Age: Origins, and I am also finding that I am quickly becoming a big fan of Dragon Age 2.

    ***The combat is, to me, less tactical and on a normal setting easier, but it is much more engaging and fun. I adore DA:O, but there were times when the combat felt like it was just dragging on and on and on and would never end. The animations in DA:O for combat were sluggish and pretty basic. In DA2 they are much more catchy and action packed, they make you feel like your character has some real talent, and lend to you feeling powerful.

    ***It is unfortunate that we no longer have options for other races for our PC, but I feel so much more connected to my voiced character than I ever did to my Warden in DA:O who was mute and expressionless most of the time. She felt so lifeless, and the PC now has a personality all her own that develops with the dialog options you make as the game progresses. Always take the witty approach, then you characters dialog even on things you do not choose reflects this. Always take the stern approach, same thing.

    ***Companions are still interesting, I think they did a great job of writing them and didn't find one I didn't like, though I feel we do not get enough time to get to know them. Party banter while we are out and about is increased, but talking to your party members when they are at their homes (vs. being at a camp now) is very low, and usually only triggers by picking up certain items or progressing to a certain point in the story. I would have liked to get to know them a bit better, as what I did get to know of them was truly interesting.

    ***The game does reuse certain maps and dungeons, which I find unfortunate, but DA:O was not free from this and did it as well. It is more noticeable for DA2 though, as we are in the same city/area spanning 7 years of the game. I honestly didn't find it bothering me TOO much, but I would have liked to see a bit more variety in the dungeons.

    ***The last thing I will touch on is the story and writing. DA2 isnt a big epic story about one truly evil big bad that is out to destroy or take over the world. You do not get the same kind of sense of urgency or threat as you did in DA:O. This is by design, and honestly, by request. MANY fans begged for this on the official forums, and yet now they complain about it.

    ***The story is more about the smaller events in the characters life, about what happened to this person to shape them into the individual they are, they are about the things they happened to Hawke and his/her family and their city which lead them to eventually becoming the Champion of the city. I actually enjoyed the story and it was a nice change of pace for once. The ultimate climax and culmination of these events was interesting and I enjoyed the ending boss battles. ***The writing for the game was very good. There are many endearing moments in the game through dialog and the quests, many hilarious, and many heartbreaking. The writing and voice acting were extremely enjoyable and I never really felt it lacking at anytime. I feel completely immersed into the game because of it.    … Expand
  100. djotacon
    Mar 17, 2011
    9
    Dragon Age 2 is for me, an excellent game. Have simplified and improved the class system making the game accessible and very entertaining. The RPG elements are still present but rather the player and help each ballasting in deep mechanical game pc own that do not benefit at all.

    Graphically the game has been improved and the animations of the scenes to levels magnificent and gifted the    Dragon Age 2 is for me, an excellent game. Have simplified and improved the class system making the game accessible and very entertaining. The RPG elements are still present but rather the player and help each ballasting in deep mechanical game pc own that do not benefit at all.

    Graphically the game has been improved and the animations of the scenes to levels magnificent and gifted the game of impeccable artistic finish and much better than its predecessor.

    As for the game system contains numerous ethical issues to be resolved by the player avoiding the dichotomy good / bad as simplistic in many RPGs.
    For me it is a great buy for any role player. I'm not at all agree with the comments of people who will surely do nothing but destructive criticism of the game.

    For me an excellent RPG and a very good purchase.

    note. Not working for Bioware and I'm unemployed .... XD    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

67
#67 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2011
3
#3 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011
19
#19 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 75
  3. Negative: 1 out of 75
  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. Gaming Nexus
    May 1, 2011
    75
    Faulty game mechanics and disappointing maps, combat scenarios and storyline direction aside, Dragon Age II still has a surprising amount of intrigue hidden beneath the blemishes. The depth of character relationships, as well as the complex nature of the world of the Dragon Age franchise are a savior to a game that would otherwise forever be remembered by its mistakes.
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  3. Game Chronicles
    Apr 22, 2011
    90
    Above all, it seems like Dragon Age II is an experiment. If you're a fan of the first game and expect a direct continuation, either in story or mechanics, you'll be disappointed. If you're not willing to put up with some rough edges and some mechanics that don't quite work as intended, you'll end up having a hard time. But if you're going for a game that has some of the best storytelling in RPGs in a while, or you're looking for a BioWare RPG to tide yourself over until Mass Effect 3, you won't do much better right now than Dragon Age II.
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