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. VLG
    Aug 22, 2023
    7
    Same as the first entry but worse. Pointless. I remember having some fun with it tho.
  2. Magikcarp
    Jul 19, 2023
    5
    Gameplay - 5
    Plot & Characters - 7
    Storytelling - 7
    Pacing - 6
    Music & Sound - 7
    Replayability - 5
    Performance - 10
  3. MadAdventurer
    Jul 2, 2023
    7
    Fine, fine... no so good as the first one, but c'mon, guys! The story was great! And we got Varric on this one!
  4. Kmtw
    Jun 29, 2023
    1
    You'd think after all these years there'd have been a fix for the Wayward Son glitch by now. Can't progress the game, not starting over. Was looking forward to playing the Dragon Age games but I think I'll leave it here.
  5. HydrophobikFish
    Jun 9, 2023
    8
    This game is a lot more hot and cold than Origins and as such comes away a bit worse. It trades the multiple zones for a single city that evolves over time, and while its cool sometimes it largely isn't worth it. Not enough changes and it feels stale, which doesn't help when youre revisiting the same dungeons over and over. But on the flip side Hawke is a much more established characterThis game is a lot more hot and cold than Origins and as such comes away a bit worse. It trades the multiple zones for a single city that evolves over time, and while its cool sometimes it largely isn't worth it. Not enough changes and it feels stale, which doesn't help when youre revisiting the same dungeons over and over. But on the flip side Hawke is a much more established character and when surrounded by a roster of stronger, more vocal characters you get a lot better sense of their relationships and how they feel about you and the city. Overall it's a great game that does a lot extremely well, but is held back by some major shortfalls as well.… Expand
  6. ZXSth
    Feb 25, 2023
    8
    While lacking enough innovation to effectively distinguish it from Origins, DA2 continues the trend of excellent characters, a brilliantly-told story and solid RPG mechanics. These trends exist in spite of some disappointing reuse of assets and a downgrade in character customization, and while these choices seem intentional, they do not always yield success by consequence. Overall, a veryWhile lacking enough innovation to effectively distinguish it from Origins, DA2 continues the trend of excellent characters, a brilliantly-told story and solid RPG mechanics. These trends exist in spite of some disappointing reuse of assets and a downgrade in character customization, and while these choices seem intentional, they do not always yield success by consequence. Overall, a very solid experience that deserves to stand among the other games in the Dragon Age trilogy.… Expand
  7. CausticMisery
    Jan 28, 2023
    7
    It's a travesty compared to the first game, but on its own, it's got a few nice things going for it. Shame about the copy-paste dungeons and enemies.
  8. MajinAndre
    Jan 23, 2023
    10
    Easily the best game in the series, just missing the scope of Origins. Great gameplay, characters, and story, its just a shame BioWare was forced to work with so little. However the fact they could still make an enjoyable game with tons of replayability speaks to how great the studio is.
  9. BlaskoHP
    Sep 2, 2022
    10
    An underrated game, its not so bad like the people say, its different and its good
  10. Swimming4Ten
    Jul 15, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The fact that this game claims that it's a Dragon Age game, but it doesn't have the option of changing your race. Your forced to be a human. The storyboard writer that said this game was a good idea probably shouldn't be a writer for anything. I didn't care about my companions, in fact I made it a goal to kill them all by the end of the game. Except Varrik.… Expand
  11. davey16
    Mar 29, 2022
    6
    This game was enjoyable if I didn't have anything to compare it to for any reason at all...

    That being said, for being a sequel of a game I really enjoyed... its not great.

    Origins is better than it in every possible way and I feel like this whole game is a large missed opportunity.

    I enjoyed it at moments but it simply just was more blah than anything else.
  12. L3Fari0us
    Jan 10, 2022
    5
    Dragon Age 2 feels like BioWare's shot at a more accessible RPG while trying to maintain the quality and depth they're known for.

    Pros: +Gameplay is more action orientated & faster than DA:O +Solid voice acting for the most part +Art style still holds up to this day +Returning characters, making the games feel connected +Story, while linear, is very interesting, albeit a bit    Dragon Age 2 feels like BioWare's shot at a more accessible RPG while trying to maintain the quality and depth they're known for.

    Pros:
    +Gameplay is more action orientated & faster than DA:O
    +Solid voice acting for the most part
    +Art style still holds up to this day
    +Returning characters, making the games feel connected
    +Story, while linear, is very interesting, albeit a bit frustrating at times
    +Armor looks great, specially endgame sets
    +All classes feel good to play
    +The twists are all well executed

    Cons:
    -You can't play as different races, unlike the previous title
    -Your origin story is always the same one
    -Narrative is extremely linear
    -Most dialogue options don't matter
    -Dialogue options are extremely ambiguous
    -Dialogue options are always extreme (either be a super nice person, a terribly mean one, or a jokester)
    -The protagonist's delivery isn't always what you are expecting
    -You can only interact with your companions during their specific quests, aside from that they only offer generic dialogue when you try to speak with them
    -Romance feels like an afterthought
    -There are a lot of reused dungeons
    -Most enemies are too bullet sponge
    -Enemies spawn in waves and sometimes out of thin air
    -The first 1/3 of the game feels like an endless stream of mostly uninteresting side quests & there's a lack of motivation for the player to push through

    Overall, Dragon Age 2 is a game that while it improves on some aspects that the previous game lacked, it drastically misses on the ones a game needed the most in order to be recognized as a sequel for Dragon Age Origins. If you are looking for a well thought RPG with a more tactical and slow combat with meaningful choices and a narrative that warrants different playthroughs, then I do not recommend this game.    … Expand
  13. Peachboiii
    Nov 28, 2021
    2
    I feel bad for giving it such a low score, because i know its EAs fault and not bioware. And they did a great job in the time they had and the pressure they were under. But i just cant get into this game. I hate the character im playing, the layout looks cheap, enviroment is bland and everything looks the same everywhere. They could've called this something else, like making it a spin offI feel bad for giving it such a low score, because i know its EAs fault and not bioware. And they did a great job in the time they had and the pressure they were under. But i just cant get into this game. I hate the character im playing, the layout looks cheap, enviroment is bland and everything looks the same everywhere. They could've called this something else, like making it a spin off or something. It would be more forgiving. But EA also demanded they call it DA2.. I mean, f them so f*ing much. EA is the worst thing to happen to Dragon age.… Expand
  14. Player848
    Nov 15, 2021
    9
    Нормально, сначала мне не понравилось, Dragon Age III всё никак не выходило, и где-то 50+ прохождении я оценил линейность и с каждым разом всё быстрее проходил игру))
  15. Bone-Thugs
    Aug 20, 2021
    10
    Not as good as orgins or inquisition but still a great game and worth it if you are a fan of dragon age. Characters are great. the setting (cities etc) are solid. lots of abilities and powers to choose from. a lot of variety in how you play
  16. CloudStrife05
    Aug 20, 2021
    8
    Not as good as its predecessor but it was still an enjoyable game. Being able to bring your save file over with the decisions you made from the previous game and DLC was great.
  17. derek_
    Feb 21, 2021
    9
    Even though this game receive a lot hate, I got great times playing it and really enjoyed every single minute. Its great game once you free yourself from conviction that this game should use same game mechanics as in DA origins.
  18. ONI913
    Jul 29, 2020
    3
    как отдельная игра она получилось неплохо, как Dragon age 2 это кошмар... отношения с персонажами это единственный плюс игры, ибо играть в это больше 2х часов почти невозможно, а если вы только недавно закончили первую часть и ее дополнения то ваше впечатление о геймплее становится еще хуже.как отдельная игра она получилось неплохо, как Dragon age 2 это кошмар... отношения с персонажами это единственный плюс игры, ибо играть в это больше 2х часов почти невозможно, а если вы только недавно закончили первую часть и ее дополнения то ваше впечатление о геймплее становится еще хуже.
  19. mnKx
    Jun 23, 2020
    4
    Coming fresh from beating DA:O and all of it expansions it makes really frustrating playing this game
    It has basically the same type of combat and commands as DA:O but executed very differently.
    The combat (and the animations) got a lot faster mostly because of the way they design the levels and the combat encounters. Instead of having all the enemies placed on the map, you will find a    Coming fresh from beating DA:O and all of it expansions it makes really frustrating playing this game
    It has basically the same type of combat and commands as DA:O but executed very differently.
    The combat (and the animations) got a lot faster mostly because of the way they design the levels and the combat encounters. Instead of having all the enemies placed on the map, you will find a small group and when you start combat they will have spawning waves of enemies that come from pretty much everywhere in the surrounding area of the encounter, which would be fine if the gameplay itself was something more appropriate to this kind of design (something like Devil May Cry or even Diablo), instead we have very generic and streamlined gameplay mechanics that doesn't fit the type of game that was supposed to be.
    The gameplay changes are probably the worst part about this sequel (even though I liked the new animations compared to the dull ones from DA:O), but another thing that buggered me the most was the reused scenarios and the way they did it, because a lot of times you would do a few missions in a row that used the same scenario but in a different part of the map, which was very bad for immersion
    There are a few things good about the game, but as a Dragon Age title is a disappointment    … Expand
  20. iKen
    Apr 13, 2020
    8
    Played on XBOX 360.
    Gameplay: GREAT.
    Story: GREAT.
    Graphic: GREAT.
    Music/Sound: GREAT.
    Dialogue/Voice Acting: GREAT.
  21. Shimmeywill
    Feb 27, 2020
    5
    The lacking mission design, story and setting make this an overall mediocre RPG experience.
  22. Luccio26
    Feb 3, 2020
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Story: 1.5/3
    Let me begin by saying that this is not a bad game. This is not a sub 5/10 game and avoid completely. However for those coming from DAO you will be disappointed as I certainly was. The game starts by firstly taking you away from the massive choice of characters and options that DAO gave you. Rather than starting your adventure from different angles you are given the story and character of Hawke. Where you follow his/her story ark to take down the archdemon. It still has some incredible dialogue. It still has some meaningful decisions that need to be made. The ending sequence is also memorable without being anything too special. The character development of some of the companions are noteworthy and you will still enjoy taking the time to learn more about the different stories of each of them. It does feel stripped down however from DAO in terms of content. Compared to the 80+ hours per campaign you can put in to DAO, this one is only 25 hours, 35 if you do all the side missions and task content. Significantly less but once again this is not a terrible game. It is just not the best in the series.
    The Gameplay 1.5/3
    The clunky feel of melee combat is gone in the DA2. The spell caster combat is more fluid than before and the battles seem more entertaining than in DAO. The biggest problem in this game is how the difficulty scales. You see it isn't based on mechanics and different options you take in combat. However it is the quantity of enemies that are sent to attack you. Boss battles seem like they are just horde mode where waves of monsters/fighters will attack you until you complete the battle. Yes they improved the combat, but making every battle a horde mode fight is just lazy. The progression of the character is standard Bioware. Plenty to choose from and all of it seems meaningful enough.
    Art Design 1/2
    Look, this game actually looks great. The content that is there is really impressive and the graphics are a huge upgrade from DAO. The character models are fantastic and the weapons and cities look great. The only problem is there just isn't enough of it. There are the same maps you traverse over and over. The same enemies over and over. The same city although huge from the outset, seems hollow because of the lack of interactable NPCs.
    Sound/Music 2/2
    Where the game does its best is its voice acting. Bioware just get this right time and time again. I loved the dialogue in this game and probably the only thing that kept me going in the game. I Think the sounds from combat, ambient and sound track are all immersing and this department all in all did a fantastic job.

    My final score for this game is a 6/10. This is not a bad video game, it just isn't the sequel we all wanted from arguably one of the best RPG's to date in DAO. I would still recommend playing this game to any fan of the universe as there is plenty of interesting characters explored in DA2 that appear in DA:Inquisiton and will make that experience even better. However if you choose to skip this, the DragonAge Keep gives you enough of a synopsis in the choice section to clue you in on what you missed when you start DAI.    … Expand
  23. RidiculousDeath
    Oct 16, 2019
    1
    One of the worst sequels in the history of gaming. Also the beginning of a "woke" era in Bioware.
  24. gqmasters3
    May 11, 2019
    2
    I cannot give this game a "zero" because it IS playable and it has a mild amusement value, but it is the worst sequel ever. The game is clearly very rushed, dungeons are reused over and over (to the degree it is insulting to the gamer), you spend the entire game in one town and the plot is quite scattered and unengaging. I personally did not like the different battle gameplay, but it isI cannot give this game a "zero" because it IS playable and it has a mild amusement value, but it is the worst sequel ever. The game is clearly very rushed, dungeons are reused over and over (to the degree it is insulting to the gamer), you spend the entire game in one town and the plot is quite scattered and unengaging. I personally did not like the different battle gameplay, but it is not terrible.… Expand
  25. Daggerrim
    Mar 26, 2019
    10
    Do not listen to the haters of this game. I for one didn't really like Dragon Age Origins but this game even though the combat could use some work.
    It's better than what everyone else says so give it a try because if you're like me than you'll love it
  26. AutumnReviewer
    Sep 16, 2018
    2
    When I played the game for the first time I love it.
    But playing again, again and again (I played 7 times) we start to notice the flaws. Despite one of their main features being "choices" and diversity of gameplay, it don't exist much to do. It has almost no replay value after you play for the second time. They reuse the same map over and over again damage more the game replay value. You    When I played the game for the first time I love it.
    But playing again, again and again (I played 7 times) we start to notice the flaws. Despite one of their main features being "choices" and diversity of gameplay, it don't exist much to do. It has almost no replay value after you play for the second time. They reuse the same map over and over again damage more the game replay value. You really need to have a bad memory if you want to play this game again.
    The combat is very dumbed down than Dragon Age Origins. Despite I liked some stuffs, like the warriors skills tree, it's very noticeable they decrease the skills from the Mages. This lead to not have much to do when you play the game again with the same class.
    Nightmare mode apparently was not tested, resulting in a very infuriating level which you will die constantly and win mostly fights by luck.
    The personality trait, despite being a interesting idea, really don't suit Dragon Age franchise and limit your freedom to roleplay.
    I liked the characters and the plot was ok, but really it required more development to be someway be interesting. They constantly drop some characters to do cameos from Origins which I found kind annoying.
    The soundtrack is probably one of the best on the franchise.

    Conclusion: You probably will like to play this once and never more.    … Expand
  27. BigEvilSquirrel
    Aug 12, 2018
    6
    3 out of 5.
    Dragon Age II suffers from either being rushed, laziness, or both. Environment assets are reused so much it becomes painfully obvious. Enter a cave, and it’s the same map as the previous cave. Gameplay is fun, I really enjoyed playing as a mage. I do recommend giving it a play, but not at full retail.
  28. mikereview
    Aug 1, 2018
    2
    Dragon Age 2 plays like an unimaginative console port. The story is lackluster, the battle consists of brainless button mashing and the graphics are ugly and dated. They even recycled several maps. There's very little this game has in common with either DA1 or DA:Inquisition except the name. It is a turd sandwich so stay away from this game.
  29. iddqd4
    Mar 19, 2018
    8
    Конечно по хуже первой части, но не на столько плохо как может показать, если судить только по рейтингу игроков.
  30. Viktory_Gaming
    Jan 10, 2018
    5
    A disappointment. Compared to Origins and even other fantasy RPG's Dragon Age 2 fell short of the mark. The entire game is spent in a single city or the outlying areas around it even recycling and reusing those same areas many times. The main character who you create feels like a glorified errand boy instead of a champion and is completely boring. The story is basic and basically boilsA disappointment. Compared to Origins and even other fantasy RPG's Dragon Age 2 fell short of the mark. The entire game is spent in a single city or the outlying areas around it even recycling and reusing those same areas many times. The main character who you create feels like a glorified errand boy instead of a champion and is completely boring. The story is basic and basically boils down to 3 major events nothing more. Most of the characters are wasted potential. The graphics and art style make the areas so bland and uninteresting, I believe they were going for an acrylic painting style but it just looks bleak and devoid. If the art style and graphics were better it would certainly help make the reused areas of the game a bit more enjoyable to explore even though they would still get tedious. To be fair however there are a few positives. I like the change in combat style, it's more fast paced and fluid as opposed to the MMO like style we had in Origins. A few of the characters from Origins that we grew to love appear. And finally the events that take place here have an effect on the events, locations, characters and story in Inqusition.… 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

All reviews »
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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
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