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
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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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