Main issues that people are having: lack isometric view (I agree), locked default face in character creator (I agree), streamlining of skills/addition of skill trees, difficulty (guess they haven't tried hard/nightmare; much harder than DA:O on same difficulty), reuse of the same dungeons/areas multiple times (I agree), launch DLC, high res texture pack + outdated graphics (this is really subjective), companions, just to name a few of the common complaints. Personally, I loved the original, but in my first playthrough of DA2, I didn't quite like the structure of the Champion's story much because the 3 Acts interrupted the immersion by focusing on totally different problems in Kirkwall, instead of an epic "the world is going to end" storyline found in DA:O. Still, I'd rate it 9/10 just because it was fun, and also because the main game ending story arc was quite surprising and satisfying, and hopefully will lead to another epic installment in this series. Also, I must mention that quite a few decisions and events that occur in DA2 produce unexpected results, some of which are much more heart-wrenching than in DA:O.

I'm on my third playthrough and wouldn't rate a game so high if I didn't enjoy it, and DA2 is very enjoyable, if you can look past a few flaws, and stop comparing it to DA:O for PC. I'm certain that if the game was under a different IP and developer, the ratings would not be nearly as abysmal :O… Expand

Game - disappointing year. is certainly in the game and the good moments, improvements and new approaches, but unfortunately, disadvantages outweigh all its advantages. in pursuit of excess income, usually leaves the crude product, which subsequently will only exacerbate the situation and standard condemns the continuation of game to fail. ea company should reconsider marketing policy.

Dragon Age: PoczÄ

Days after finishing Dragon Age, I then moved to immerse myself into Dragon Age II. My main complaint was that I couldn't create a character from scratch, but that soon fell away as nearly inconsequential to the rest of the experience. My only standing complaint is the reuse of cave maps for too many missions, as well as some derivative music that seems lifted from Mass Effect 2. The characters, setting and immersion of the setting are what have drawn me in. The character back stories and concepts are interesting additions to the game's mythology.
While not completely unfounded to make complaints about the game being dumbed down to be accessible to a broder audience, I think it pretty poor form to rate any game a 0 for a few changes. gamers seem to get more and more jaded as time goes on. I was very entertained and look forward to a trilogy.… Expand

This sequel is really disappointment, absolutely not at the level of the first chapter. The gameplay is simple hack & slash console game, boring landscape, repetitive dungeons...

I personally play rpg mostly for the story and not so much for the combat, so i cant say much about the combat part. It does feel a bit repetitive, but overall it is not my biggest complaint.
Problem is they have tried to make Dragon Age 2 into a cross between Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age Origins. Problem is its not close to being as good as either of these games. Its stuck in the murky middle somewhere. There is little to no immersion, and you are stuck in one city with a few variations the whole game through. Apart from more side quests, which i think is good, the whole game feels like your just doing errands around the city, and not much variation in environment. I felt i had no control over (Shepard)Hawk at all. His companions are not boring per se, but the little you actually talk to them makes them feel disjointed from you and each other. The ME dialog wheel can make you frustrated, because it seems you can never convey the right emotions at the right time. Also the romance side of this game seems meaningless as you cant really talk much to them, and you get little heart icons on the wheel to indicate when its flirting time...DA:O was not perfect but it was far from this silly.
The disappointment for many is probably due to this being called a sequel. It just a completely sub-par and different game ( in a bad way). Its DA:O and ME light. They could have done better with this story. The writing seems good, but they did not have time it seems to implement it the right way. They had to get it out the door quickly , and it shows.… Expand

Story was my main concern and it is just fine. No cliffhanger in the end, not too short (although maybe a little short), not too straightforward. Several odd turns, but nothing major. Character development and interaction is quite natural, but it seems like designers didn't put the city entourage to much use. Each district varied too little from the others to leave an impression by itself. Overall city and its inhabitants are enjoyable, but again, it didn't seem like a job well done â… Expand

This game has been a serious disappointment. I was a big fan of DA:O, it had its faults, but all in all it was an excellent game. DA2 looks to me to be a rushed job, the story is...decent. Some parts are interesting and makes you want to see what happens, but its only a few. - The conversations the user have with the npcs are sometimes good, most times really really bad. The conversation wheel and its options does not reflect what Hawk says at all, and mostly this was annoying since the reaction i wanted to give during the game wasnt reflected by my character. This also helped to distance me from my character, and helped ruin my experience. The characters that was so good in DA:O, is by my opinion in DA2 just there to help you in the game and to progress the story. They are uninteresting and dull. Their stories of how they came to be doesnt grasp me at all. - Combat isnt all that bad. I like the fast pace, and the fact that mages actually do more than just stand still and point their stick looking angry at whatever needs to die. Rogues are superheroes, able to jump distances that would make spiderman impressed. They can also teleport, wich could be handy for a thief, but not viable at all in my opinion. This and the fact that warriors swing their swords as easy as a twig ruined the combat "feel" for me. But what they did with the mages was a plus. Tactics wise its idotic. The camera ruins it by making it a challenge just seeing where ppl are, not to mention trying to make a character attack a mob. The game was played in hard to mode to have any challenge at all. - Graphics is ok, alot don't like em but i found em decent, but the fact that i had to manually download high res graphics was for me personally a setback, and a sign that PC users was not their main target at all. Menu systems reflects this aswell as i see them made for consoles and not a mouse. The game developers decision to reuse areas got to the point of annoying, tedious and just showed a lack of imagination. My conclusion is that bioware and EA just simply failed this time. They tried and failed miserably. This kind of game might have been good enough in the 80s, but nowadays most users are expecting more than this. I can't even call it a good attempt since i personally spent more time wanting the game to be over than i wanted it to continue. Its for me definatly not worth a 2 playthroug, it was barely worth 1. i will not recommend this game to anyone. Simply because they had so much going for them with DA:O, but instead of improving the things that made that such a great game, they decided to remove everything and make a game of inferior quality.… Expand

One word, disappointed. The gameplay, story, mechanics are all just plain boring. Bioware should of took a page out of blizzards book and done an open beta prior to releasing this game. The huge backlash from the community could of been avoided if they would of done so. Is it the worst RPG Ive ever played? No. Could it of been better if it wasn't rushed out the door? Absolutely. To the critics giving it higher then an 8.. you should be ashamed of yourselves. I highly doubt they even played the game. Not one comment on how Bioware reused the same dungeon mapping over and over.. seems like something worth mentioning. DA2 gets a 4 just because Isabele is as hot as a videogame character can be.… Expand

Game is full of bugs, story is stupid and you can't affect anything, graphics are sometimes ok, often ugly, quests are usually stupid and blablabla. Game is worth 10â

After enjoying Dragon Age: Origins and Awakening, I've been waiting for Dragon Age II with much excitement. I grabbed my hands on a copy of DA2 on release date, went home, unwrapped the foil from the box and put the disc in my PS3. After setting up the options to my personal liking I was ready to start the journey. Let's start playing.

I'm writing this review while I am 18 hours in to the game, somewhere in Act II I presume. The reason I play RPGs are to feel immersion, connected to the main character and it's companion, a interesting story, to explore the world and to find epic loot. Dragon Age 2 is lacking major in every department. Let me tell you why.

The characters feel too generic, except for Varric and Anders. Their personalities are boring, their stories are boring and the fact that BioWare doesn't give you an opportunity to feel connected with them makes it even worse.

The story is telling the tale of how you become the champion, but to be honest I don't see it going anywhere. You do some side quests to make money, go on an expedition and after that do some more side quests. In my 18 hours of play I still don't have the feeling I am doing something important or amazing. To end with a positive note on this subject I do like the way they are presenting the story.

Exploring the word in DA2 is just drama. 90% of the game is taking place in a not so appealing city to say the least. So there's not a lot to explore, but hey we still have dungeons, right? You can scrap that from your list. There are just a few layouts and they are, sadly, reused for every dungeon. So there goes all your of exploring the world. While killing some mobs, you mostly find some loot. It might contain something epic, but sadly you can't wear it because it's another class. So you'd say let's equip one of my companions with it. But some genius at BioWare decided no one cares about equipping their party members, instead we let the player buy upgrades of armor for their companions. Thanks for not taking the weapon and accessory slots away. To end on a positive note the improved combat system is something I enjoy. It's a lot more action based and a lot smoother. From time to time you just don't want to pause the game to play it like a strategy game, but just like a hack 'n slash game.

All of the things really break the immersion for me. I want to equip my characters, I want to have cool traveling bunch, I want to explore the world and I want to feel that I am in something big. Sadly DA2 doesn't do any of that. ***Posted my review in the PC deparment, because for some reason it doesn't allow me to post it in the console department***… Expand

Dragon Age II is exactly what it promises. It's a sequel, meaning it's not DOA. It does inherit one thing from DOA however, and that is the exceptional character driven storyline. It also has extraordinary supporting characters and as is the Bioware standard; the game has exceptional writing and brilliant voice acting.

That's not to say the game is flawless. There is a pretty annoying map repetition, and the close up detail is a bit lacking, but the story more than makes up for it. Just remember it's not DOA...… Expand

A SHADOW OF ITS FORMER SELF! Normally bioware do a good job of upgrading their sequels (Example Mass Effect 2) they get rid of the probelms they had with the first. But i'm sorry to tell people but bioware have made a big boo boo with this sequel, they simplfied to the point of embarrassment and the element story that was so so solid in Dragon Age: Origins has all but disappeared, you seem to just do the quests because you want to see if the main story is going to get start and it doesn't! Big disappointment can't believe i preorder it!… Expand

This game is an abortion, I have never been so disappointed by a sequel... ever. They ruined the combat system by making a button smashing, roll your head on the keyboard mess. The story is made to seem like your decisions matter, when in reality the story is on rails the entire game. Even with the texture pack the graphics are nothing special, and it looks like they spent about 5 minutes on the environment. The two most frustrating things about this game are the fact that they recycle the same dungeons and levels many times over, and the new dialog system is made for people who failed 3rd grade reading comprehension. We don't need pictures telling us what effect our response is going to have on who we re talking to. Hopefully based on the awful scores this game is getting EA will let Bioware do their thing on the next installment of this game(assuming there is one). The bottom line, Don't let EA steal your money with this one, make them responsible, and tell them they need to give us worthy content when trying to expand upon a game as awesome as DA:O.… Expand

Poor writing, poor environments, copy pasted dungeons, bad graphics, awful fighting system, this game really is not worthy of being made by BioWare. The company that made Mass Effect and Dragon Age 1, should have known that this was an abomination, but they released it anyway. Truly a waste of money, steer well clear.

Not bad. Excellent screenplay and characters, good music and graphic. Boring gameplay, poor roleplay system (if compare with DAO). But the Story is brilliant. This is an interactive book.

There seem to be lots of mean-spirited, spiteful people who give exaggerated negative ratings and reviews for this game in particular. I'm coming to believe that many RPG fans are deeply conservative in their gaming desires. They want "improved' games, as long as the new version has all the same good stuff they had before, instead of breaking new ground. That's my theory, anyway.

Dragon Age II certainly isn't perfect-- what is?-- but it's extremely improved and refined in many ways over a product (DA:O) that was flawed but nonetheless outstanding. I play in Hard mode on a mid-level PC, and the sequel is greatly improved graphically. The storylines are somewhat less cliche, and at least as well-written and voice-acted as before. The cinematics, which I don't usually get into, are much MUCH better. DA2 is a smaller game than Origins, yes, but it's still a very big game. I'd certainly like more environments/locales, but I understand Bioware's reasons for focusing on Kirkwall. The environments are great.

What really baffles me is how anyone can perceive this product as tactically "dumbed-down" in any way. The only rational justification for such opinion is the fact that there are so many unpredictable new waves of enemies in some major encounters. I do find this a bit excessive at times, but if anything it requires MORE tactical finesse and situational awareness than before. I love the fact that it forces me to pace battles, reserving key AoE and crowd control, etcetera at times in case of emergencies. DA2 also often requires more aggro management than in Origins, depending on party structure. The class and talent designs are more well-defined and much more, well, awesome than before. Overall, the combat is by far the best tactical RPG combat I've ever experienced, although I haven't played (for example) Icewind Dale. My only serious criticism is that the game does indeed have some stability issues on my system (with nvidia 9800 GTS+) as well as others. It doesn't crash any more often than lots of other new games, though, and I expect that Bioware will patch for performance in the fairly near future.

Anyway, I don't know what else to say, except that you shouldn't be scared of all these whiny user reviews if you're interested in the game. Just don't expect it to be a conservative remake or update of the first Dragon Age.… Expand

This game starts out with well intentions. You are tasked to save your family from the incoming darkspawn, who would of thought that would of been the most epic moment in the game. From there you will see the same buildings caves and good ole beige kirkwall the rest of the game. now if we want to break down the game into factors like other reviewers i will so i won't get taken down for spam. I will be comparing this game to its predecessor.(although i probably should compare it to fable or god of war since thats the way this incarnation is set up.)
Gameplay: this game is nothing but a Spam R fest on most difficulties while removing most if not all tactical aspects of the game with the inclusion of respawning enemies. not to mention the lack of decent specializations for most classes. Sound: 7/10 i think this is the one aspect of the game that was done well so i will not bag on them more than i have to.
Graphics: Worse than the first game even with the Hi-Res pack explain that to me.
Story: it was going fine throughout act 1, but after and during act 2 and 3 the game just lost me and the ending was very sub par. When you complete the main story most people including my self are sitting there reading the credits thinking this is it? this is my epic 10 year story to end like this?
Replayability: With out Origins story i dont see this game being played much more than 1 or 2 playthroughs for most my self i didn't need more than 1 to know i was done with it.

All in all buy the first game if you haven't bought it and were thinking of buying this one. If you already have the first one save your money for the witcher 2 or skyrim, and give DA:O another run through cause its clearly a superior product.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game gets a 0 from me as a sequel to Dragon Age: Origins, which is among my favorite all-time games. As a stand-alone title I would give it a 7, but it isn't a stand-alone title, and it tarnishes a far superior game in its mediocrity.

Dragon Age 2 gets everything that Origins did right, wrong. The characters are great, but you don't get nearly enough time with them so they feel underdeveloped and rushed. The plot is excellent for the first two acts on the first play through, but the entire narrative falls apart in the third act and on the second play through you realize that you aren't actually being given any choices in the game, merely the illusion of choices. None of your actions affect the outcome of the story, which wouldn't bother me if this wasn't a Bioware game that is sold almost entirely on the story and characters. Worse than that is the fact that your choices in Origins are barely included, and some are completely disregarded. For example, if you kill Leliana or Anders, they both still appear in Dragon Age 2 as if that never happened. The environments are great, until you get to the second act and realize that they are all reused over and over again, so that every cave and dungeon looks exactly the same. This is a common theme in the game as a whole, things are just reused over and over and I guess the developers hoped you wouldn't notice. Items have the same generic names (ring, belt, boots), and vendor items all have the same trash can icon. The music, which at first is excellent, really starts to wear you down when you hear the same repeated 60 second track over and over. Dragon Age 2 was rushed out to capitalize on the success of Dragon Age: Origins. The game does not contain a story that needed to be told for its own sake, it's just a way to milk customers out of money while the franchise still has a lot of momentum. The narrative doesn't have an 'ending' as much as a full stop with no wrap-up, followed by a (metaphorical) "To be continued..."

If you loved Origins, Dragon Age 2 is going to be a jagged pill to swallow. I'd suggest waiting for an ultimate edition so you at least get the DLC for the same price, because as the game stands right now it isn't even close to worth your 50+ dollars.… Expand

Fantastic game. A masterpiece. Bioware as always have shown that they the best rpg developers. The combat, a plot, and characters are incredible. Game is ideal in all. Thanks for Fenris, Anders, Isabella and certainly Hawk. The original plot holds throughout all game. A one minus - repeating locations. But this isn't neccesary. I always buy your games. Thanks once again that you have made!

I liked the game ... I do not know why you are criticizing her so ... yes it is something new, but it does not mean that it is worse ... at the expense of graphics is nothing bad I can not say, if you download the patch, the graphics in the game becomes a normal By the way ... I do not care what you think at the expense of what I wrote

Dragon Age 2 seemed like it had a good potential at first, but ultimately feels like a rushed product that didn't receive the care and love it deserves. I wouldn't say I regret the purchase, but it certainly left me a little disappointed and lowered my interest in the franchise.

But there are some good points buried somewhere in there. The story is decent, albeit predictable, and presented clearly enough that it flows naturally without those "wait, why is this happening?" moments. Voice acting is for the most part remarkable and quite possibly the strongest point of this title, breathing life into our cast of companions. Nothing as memorable as Morrigan's personality, but characters such as Varric make for decent substitutes. Combat, while overall arguably inferior to its predecessor's, is more responsive and abilities more distinct from each other, which is a good thing.

However, there are more negative points than I'd like to list. Graphics are at best average, with low resolution textures that are very distracting, especially during cutscenes. Areas are reused over and over again (houses, caverns, warehouses) which totally kills the sense of danger, and any motivation you might have had to explore their world. Combat is more focused on killing hordes of weaklings and far too easy, bordering on hack & slash more than a strategy rpg, although some boss battles are interesting. Many fun elements from the first game have been removed (crafting, isometric camera, consumables diversity, companion conversations, etc), further supporting the hack & slash mentality while removing a great deal of depth. Menus design is inconvenient (talents all thrown together, no easy distinction between character-specific, general, unlockables), some informations are on different tabs for no reason (why are resistances shown alone on their own tab again?). At least the in-game UI is decent.

Long story short, they tried and didn't quite get there. I can only hope they'll be given all the time they need for whatever DA game comes next, instead of getting another rushed one.… Expand

This game is disappointing, no doubt. However what's even MORE disappointing is the fact that a bunch of inept little turds have given this game false zeros to drag it down. It's still a good game, there is NO denying that unless you are just irrational or dishonest.

The PC gaming market is disappearing and we are becoming more and more of a console based world. The PC had its prime but is is diminishing faster and faster with each passing year. When I bought this game, I did it with the trust that Bioware would not disappoint, but instead a worthy successor to the first game in the series. What I got for my $60.00 is a rushed game that has been stripped of immersible storyline, graphically simplified for idiots, a combat system that is cool for about 10 minutes, and in short a
game that I am having trouble finding the motivation to even finish. The game lacks an interesting story, interesting characters, interesting quests, interesting tech trees, interesting equipment. This game at best should have been an expansion on the first game simply following a certain character, much like Awakenings, but instead they have already tarnished this series with this deplorable piece of garbage. I had a lot of respect for Bioware until now and the only thing I have to look forward to on the horizon is Mass Effect 3, which I am now worried may have the same fate of Dragon Age 2 in being a rush job. Pasta save Shepherd.… Expand

Nothing I can really say except without a doubt the production company bought and paid for any decent critic reviews. There is no way a professional game critic could endorse this pile of crap. It's story is for a 5 year old, the gameplay is boring, and you can't even choose the equipment for your party (dead serious)

Bottom Line: Wait for a serious price drop. My price of admission was $70 because they are selling DLC that should have been in the core came (Exiled Prince) and having almost one hundred percented the game I can tell you it's worth $30 on a good day. Quality is very uneven. Endless waves of magically appearing enemies made of nitroglycerine and jello are just stupid. Story is meh. Dialogue has it's moments. My advice: Try Fallout NV, Batman Arkham Asylum or Just Cause 2 until it's $19.99.… Expand

Do not expect DA:O here!. After reading some of the critic reviews shortly after DA2 was released I was excited and decided to buy DA2 and boy was I disapointed. Do not believe everything you read! I am not sure why there is such disparity between the critic reviews and the user reviews but I wish I would have waited. They really dumbed this game down. There are some things that I consider improvements such as giving Hawke a voice, the lip sync is good and it fits the characters but the complete lack of dialog options kills it. This really is a watered down version of DA:O.

Don't expect to be able to equip more than a couple items on your party members or change how your party members look, don't expect to have any meaningful tactical combat it's just a hack and slash that requires little to no thought in that regard. Don't expect to spend as much time playing this as you did on Origins if you played it. Don't expect to get your money's worth. This really lacks the depth I felt in the original. I wasn't drawn into the game like I was in the original I was very disappointed, especially how critics claimed they made several "upgrades" fight like a spartan bull crap. Fight like your a god more like it. I wouldn't check this out until it hits the bargain bins or buy it used. Definitely save your 60$… Expand

I am really disappointed of the way Bioware is going with one of its major brands. The action parts are ok, but there is little to nothing left of the Dragon Age feeling. Story Failures, Decisions from DA:O are not correct imported. People alive that died... and such things. Boring Hack&Slay Action. DA2 isn't really a PC RPG Game anymore, it is a Console Hack and Slay RPG Action game. With bad Interface and technical Problems. Also the level design repeats constantly, i only counted 2 or 3 different maps for caves and buildings. Monsters and Models of DA:O/A and DLCs get reused, partially as Boss Monsters. Altogether they used what they had, made some little additions and sold it for the full prize.… Expand

Wow, where do I start? The characterization is fantastic. The story is genuinely thorough and engaging. The Voice talent is spot on. The Combat is tactical crazy, for lack of a better phrase. The speed at which everything happens just adds to the complexity. The only drawback is the recycled areas, but the story keeps them from being to distracting.

I was shocked by how bad this game was. I am not a hardcore gamer and don't follow all the industry news, but isn't this the same team that designed Dragon Age: Origins? How is that even possible? That was such a great game that I bought DA2 on Steam without even playing the demo. Shame on me. I'm a pretty simple gamer. I've bought buy every Civilization sequel and every Dragon Quest sequel since I first played those games in the 80's. I like a certain style of game, and I don't often take a chance and try a new game. I did for Origins and was quickly hooked. I bought all the DLC. The story and visuals were simply amazing, and the game was completely immersive. Dragon Age II is much too bland and boring to be immersive. I played five or six hours before deciding I was never going to get that feeling in this game. I know my rating is harsh, but that is my anger at the complete waste of money. They should not have used the Dragon Age name for this game.… Expand

Still a good game. It feels like it was rushed because it is so repetitive but the story is very good. The low score is probably because we expect Bioware to be very good and not like this. It is enjoyable but then again the use of the same assets again and again makes the game look bad. If you compare this to Dragon Age: Origins, it's like a younger brother who will never be better than his older brother. Compare this to non-DAO games and you get a very immersing game with a good story and better combat.… Expand

It takes a special talent to take something so good and to screw it up sooooo bad. If I didn;t know better I would think it was a deliberate attempt to sabotage the genre and the game as a whole.

Combat is unbelievable with exploding bodies and spamming adds at every turn. Complete lack of RPG content - cannot converse with companions or merchants as in DA:O, romances have gone back to the 1950's and the elves look like they were cross bred with the little green men from Mars. Inability to tweak companions gear and all the wasted inventory made me want to cry. Lack of any real coherence to the story, lack of consequence from your decisons and lack of any sympathy towards your companions (or should I call them what they really are? Swords for hire?) equals a boring game without anything that endeared the original to me. I will NOT be buying any DLC in the near future and will think a second and third time before buying anything else from EA/Bioware in the future.… Expand

This game has NO HEART in it. The world is boring. No NPC to talk to. Full of one liners. All you do is stare at the mini map and follow in one direction towards the marker. There is no exploration. There is no good loot. In fact they made it easy by letting you find a bunch of junk items and a "SELL ALL JUNK" when visiting a merchant. What's the point of picking up junks simply for selling? Normally junk is considered items you end up not using but could be used if you had plans or skills for it. They really took the "role playing" out of RPG. All that left really is just a vanilla game. You cannot customize your party equipment. You are forced into using certain roles for your companion if you want to maximize their potential. The actions of this game also go so fast that it feels like you're in a freaking shooter game with the ability to pause. Don't get me started on the DLC money making scheme either ... ... and be careful with these reviews. Google "dragon age Chris Hoban" and see for yourself. This game should rank somewhere in the low 7s as average score due to the graphics.â… Expand

DA2 is very impressive at first. A huge step up from Origins in terms of graphics and fluidity of the interface, making it much faster paced and exciting to watch. It's really beautifully done. However, the whole idea of a great RPG should be that it's like reading a great story (only better, since there's no reading!), so a great plot is an obvious necessity. Simply put, the plot of DA2 is boring. .
In comparison to Origins, everything is on a much smaller scale. Rather than moving across a country to thwart the apocalypse, all you do is move around a city increasing your fame, and putting out minor fires in your personal life and local politics. Sure, the political implications of the characters' actions are sort of interesting, but on a much smaller scale than, say, saving the world. .

My other complaint is that the setting is so limited. Spending the entire game in one city means they had to reuse the same settings over, and over, and over, and over. And over. I get that it's hard to design maps and textures, and that reusing them somewhat is necessary, but they really went to far with the recycling. We aren't just talking about going back to the market district a few times, or playing through a map once, then revisiting it later under different circumstances (that can even be cool sometimes, like in Origins you revisit a familiar city during a siege and all the familiar sites are burning). We're talking about repeatedly performing "new" missions in the exact same cave, with the exact same rooms, only you're supposed to pretend it's different. "Gee what a coincidence, this is the 8th quest I've been in a cave with a staircase EXACTLY like this one." There are times when they use map layouts designed for the deep roads as if they were sewers beneath the city. COME ON!! :(
.

It just feels like they wrote a game with about 10 hours of gameplay worth of plot, then tried to stretch it out with a bunch of filler missions, without drawing up new settings. I'd almost say it feels like an expansion pack in it's laziness, but that would be going too far since the graphics and gameplay engine really is all new. Maybe the best description would be to say this is an all new game, but just a really lazy one. One they wrote half of, got tired, and just threw together some filler in the end to round it out. .

I won't include any spoilers, but I will say that the game's claim that you rise to power to become the most important character in the world, is ridiculous. More like you rise to power to be "pretty important, I guess."… Expand

This game is so epic that bring tears to my eyes!

Everything it's perfect, story, characters, combat, world, polemic, the big pwned that the "Bioware can't go wrong" fan boys are taking. Play Dragon Age 2 it's watch the history being written!

I had some problems with Dragon Age: Origins - the story came off like it was written by teenagers who had just finished a George R. R. Martin book; the events were supposed to be dramatic or shocking, but they were more comical and predictable. The combat was difficult in the sense that it was an endurance test - a tedious exercise in patience and the amount of healing potions you were packing. I also didn't care for many of the companion characters.

Dragon Age 2 fixes all of these issues, and more. Bioware gives your character a family, roots in the world and a reason to care from the very beginning. The story is told in amazing fashion by one of the better written and acted characters in recent years, a dwarf named Varric. It takes place over the course of a decade in a city state, allowing you to see the consequences of all your actions. Talking to other friends also making their way through the game, it's like a collection of parallel universes. You don't need to wait for the epilogue to have an impact in this game.

The combat is a dream. I really think this is what Bioware has been shooting for with its fantasy games for 10 years now, finally realized in true form. At first glance it may appear simpler than its predecessor's - there are fewer talents, for instance; but they are arranged in unique trees and every one of them has significance. The interplay between the classes is extremely engrossing: there is real strategy here in cross-class combos, setting up your allies for thrilling maneuvers. A far cry from the first game's "strategy" of making sure you have enough potions to last the fight. The bosses are actually fun encounters, not the dreary exercises in patience they were in Origins.

Your character has a voice, which is a welcome addition. It also has to do with the reason I feel this game has so many low reviews: people were expecting an old school RPG in the style of Baldur's Gate, and this really isn't. It's a new game, an incredible game; but it is not Baldur's Gate. Unfortunately, few people seem willing to review it on its own merits. Having disliked Origins so much, I was dreading this release but it was a very pleasant surprise and here's hoping Bioware doesn't take the negative reaction to heart and continues to make bold, enjoyable games.… Expand

When considering the value of a sequel to a game that usurped such a loyal and respective fan-base, as that of Dragon Age:Origins did, people's expectations as to what was attractive, what made it stand out amongst its crowd of predecessors at the time, are held firm at the hip. Now for myself, remaining a casual gamer, Dragon age origins was a surprising recall to everything I had forgotten I loved, enriching fantasy and an RPG with surprising depth that pulled at my most sensitive heart, and brain, strings.

For so many others, based on its positive feedback, origins seemed to have one of those, you know, time and place circumstances to its release. The market for this genetic breed of game had been at a seeming standstill, if I recall, and Bioware began a roll. However, in this day and age when success snowballs everyone wants a push to add to it, but that's irrelevant right now.
I knew Dragon Age 2 was in development last summer but my focus was redirected until about two months ago, before its official release, when I remembered I never beat Origins. Taking matters into my own hands, I revived the title and conquered the Archdemon. I was excited again, but nothing near over-excited. The story was gripping and I wanted to know where it was going.
Now on to Dragon age 2, sorry I felt I just needed some background established as I think there are multiple angles to approach this Bioware title.

The initial impression was satisfaction, which did continue a few hours in as well. To clarify, I played on the ps3 platform. Buttons were mashed, graphics were displayed, dialogue was chosen and incurring in me was upon the urge and feeling more was just around the corner. And I kept going. And kept going. What I stumbled upon was the dust-ravished cliffs of never-ending. It all pulled its own weight up until I identified just what was unsettling inside me. It simply lacked. It had no bow; no shiny decor of paper with polar bears shaking snow globes. Maybe a fancy name tag, but that was about. After saving one entry, I noticed the gameplay hours were at about 20 then. What did I remember about those 20 hours? practically nothing. I was trying to understand the Arishock, predicting the next turn of events, and knowing the Wounded Coast had way too many quests for me to want to go back to the same dungeon for the 10th time. I found nothing really jumped, no lines very memorable, albeit the voice acting was entertaining and well done, and felt little to no sense of reward after I did anything for anyone. At the end of the day, it was primarily how much cohesiveness it lacked. It felt consistently uni-lateral, I knew I was going from point A to B and my options were noticeably clear cut. Perhaps this is because of the constant pick and chose business, such as with the mages and templars; the overall theme left a dry taste in my mouth. For the hardcore fans, it is a bit unrealistic to expect the same novelty the first game created, a modicum of change will always exist somewhere. For the Crew of producers or whoever, the respect in audiences across platforms for Origins was for a reason, RPG fans wanted its immerse experience, not button press equals awesome.

At this point it may appear a negative review, however, this is not wholly my intention. It is still apart of the Dragon age franchise; it holds meaning (even if half of it will rely on buying all 10 dlc packs or whatever >_>) . The dialogue is not entirely nonsensical, I still thought about the answer and character relations were still a strong suite. One can suspend their ulterior schema for rpg when playing on console in this case, it can be enjoyable to randomly blow up enemies, but in context of seriousness...well.
In my own opinion, DA2 could have been more thoroughly developed, improving environments and progression but the fundamentals would be changed no matter what e.g the skill trees, inventory, combat, or what qualms have you. Being able to accept these qualities, it helps when in the casual gamer status, what only remains to be seen is if the true workers at Bioware will take the 'good' and the 'bad' from this series and release something great latter on.… Expand

Dragon Age 2 did disappoint me, because it's not as good, as Dragon Age Origins! There isn't ANY aspect that is be better, than DAO. That said, it's not a terrible game, but it isn't good either. Pros: - The Story is quite okay. - The characters aren't bad. - From the technical view point it's quite stable (expect for DX11). - The graphic is good enough. Cons: - Don't like the new combar system. It's too fast, the spawning of waves of enemies isn't realistic and it feels like stupid hack&slay.
- RPG features have been cut or removed. Character customization, char. development, inventory, equipment and the diolog wheel are probably the main issues here.
- Why the useless and ugly comic style? DAO looked much better! Realistic characters and dimensions of equipment build up much more atmosphere.
- Boring levels without any details. They weren't made with "love".
- The same boring places are repeated and repeated and repeated again and again and again.
- DX11 doesn't work correctly. Have to play it with DX9, even though my PC is extremely strong.
- The High Def. Textures Pack wasn't included in the released version.
- No Signature Edition on Steam...
- DLCs before release! Selling me have the pie again...
- The featured items are too strong/good. It's a balance problem. Summary:
- The game was released too early.
- The game has a very poor atmosphere.
- Too many aspects and features were cut or removed.
- The game has been dumbed down even more.
- Don't like the "evolution" from "rpg" to "action".
- It can't live up to DAO.

Remarks:
- Bioware/EA try to bleed the Dragon Age franchise out so that they have enough money for SWTOR. Shame on you! Dragon Age Origins was your most successful franchise so far? Why destroying it then by changing the winning team?
- Of course people have to compare Dragon Age Origins and Dragon Age 2! It's the same franchise and it shares the same name ...
- I was stupid enough to trust Bioware and pre-ordered the game. This is a mistake, I won't repeat. Where is the quality people are used to?… Expand

At first the game is enjoyable, but that turns sour once you complete your 20th or so fetch quest. The game hooks you in and grabs your attention, then your realize you have been in the same damn city/dungeon that you were in for the last five hours. Never have I felt claustrophobic in a video game. This game was rushed and it shows; big-time. In Dragon Age Origins, I felt captivated by the unique cities and landscape. In DA2 you feel trapped in a very small sandbox. The combat is improved, but the story, characters, art, lore, and scenerary are all half-assed. I expected better from Bioware, very disappointing.… Expand

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Dragon Age 2 is essentially a blatant money grab, destroying an interesting and original franchise that is rarely found. While Dragon Age Origins did not break any new ground for Bioware, Dragon Age Origins did show us how a well written game with an intriguing storyline can boost gaming past nerdom to the mainstream.

DA 2 shows us the greedy side of Bioware (while some may blame EA), regardless, DA2 is a poor (very poor) cousin (not even a sequel) to DA:O. Terrible plotting, less than interesting conversations, boring combat, no art direction whatsoever, it's like a uwe boll movie without a budget and a script.

It's almost as if DA 2 was developed by a 2nd rate development team fresh out of design school. A terrible sequel to a much lauded development firm. If I was EA, I'd have given Uwe Boll a call and given him the money to make a DA Movie rather than this drivel.… Expand

My real rating is a 9, but I felt like voting 10 to help balance out all those stupid 0's. DA2 is not as good as DA1. But all the rage is unnecessary. There are flaws - map layouts are repeated, camera control is horrible, and the story is less epic than the first. But there is alot of good stuff here too. Party companions have good depth and personality, and Hawke's personal tale is enjoyable with strong voice acting, and certain events had a genuine emotional impact on me. Took me 27 hours to finish which is 13 hours shorter than DA1 but still alot longer than some other games I've played recently. Please, give the game a chance, look past its flaws and enjoy it for what it is. Bioware deserve some critisism, but there is a right way to do it, and they are more likely to listen to *honest* opinions.… Expand

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

There's really only one good thing about Dragon Age II and that is its ability to reveal how the 'critics' have become next to useless when it comes to assessing the worth of a game. Especially so when the inflation of a game's rating is part of the marketing strategy utilised by EA and various other publishers to get you to purchase overpriced tedium (i.e. DA2). Want to know how good a game really is? Read the reviews made by people whose opinions aren't subject to scrutiny by these publishers.

As for the game itself, virtually everything that needs to have been said has been said. Dragon Age II is truly a celebration of the most asinine elements of game design. It's built on the principle that far less detail is somehow much more exciting. After all, why should game developers construct elaborate backdrops and diversify the environments that the player will roam through when they can simply copy and paste the same areas over and over again? It's not as if anyone will notice that they're running through the same buildings and the same caves if those areas are changed ever so slightly on each return visit.

Keeping in line with the graphical splendour, the gameplay of Dragon Age II is also wildly mediocre. The combat feels unpolished and oversimplified. With the addition of a 'wave' mechanic to fights, it becomes near impossible to tactically assess any fight from its outset. Once you've fought off all the enemies on screen, more simply pop into existence to fight you. There's no indication of how many waves you'll get nor how many enemies you'll fight in each wave. This is especially tedious when it occurs in every encounter. No thought seems to have been given to enhancing combat at all other than to extend its duration and give you less to do during a fight. Last time I checked, prolonging a bad thing didn't turn it into something magical and Dragon Age II is no exception.

If you were hoping that the narrative was the redeeming factor, hope no longer. It's not. The story could simply function as a long winded introduction to the protagonist and nothing more. There's no true climax in this game and the note on which it all ends sums up the entire experience; overwhelming blandness.

Keep the money in your wallet, don't embarrass game developers and publishers who actually make the effort to allow you to enjoy games and don't buy this game.… Expand

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 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

Ð

TDLR: A fun action game, but a sad disappointing follow-up to the rpg masterpiece "DA:O". It should had been named as a dragon age spin-off ( e.g DA: dynasty warrior/legend or something )||||

DA2 is a fun action oriented "rpg-ish" game which sadly failed as a sequel. Its only redeeming quality is perhaps the revamped combat system which is much more action and "button smashing". The lacklustre plot, the small set of repetitively recycled dungeons/environment/enemies and numerous glitches indicate a rushed unpolished product. The game has a long long list of flaws, but its cardinal sin was the failure develop any semblance of a role playing game. Most quest were simply reduced to a generic formula of "click me ---> teleport there ---> click/kill". The fame choice system of bioware games became a mere selection of your speech tone as opposed to any significant degree of plot branching. The game has simply been reduced to an excuse for button smashing. EA/Bioware should had just brand and market this game off as a dragon game spin off.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. An excellent successor to DAO2. The story is engaging and the conflict between mages and templars is compelling, forcing you to make some hard decisions. The combat has been streamlined in a good way, and although I personally find some of the combat animations abit over the top, I found that it was actually better than DAO after going back to DAO and comparing.

DAO's animations looked tortured and sluggish by comparison. I know this is what people call "realism" but seriously? The way people swing 2handers in DAO is full of defensive holes and quite unrealistic in its own way.

People who complain about the story not being as epic or good as DAO are simply expressing an opinion coloured by their butthurt over how this game has evolved over DAO. The story in DA2 is just as unique and entertaining. You just don't get to play the hero.

Also not being able to choose your race was negligible, having a voiced character is leagues better in terms of the role-playing experience.

In summary i'd give this about an 8. However actually I'll rate this full marks to spite the idiot band-wagon jumpers who thinks this is the worst game ever made. GTFO and take your butt-hurt with you.… Expand

Not quite the masterpiece that was Dragon Age Origins, but very far from being a terrible game. If this had have been the first game I would have given it a 10/10. However it did not improve at all on the original and removed some of the best features of the game. Lack of overhead tactical view, atrocious camera controls and nonsensical enemy spawns were what drove the score down for me. Bioware has clearly abandoned their loyal PC fan base in favor of the younger console generation. Shame.… Expand

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

Is it as good as DA:O? No. Ist it on my list of possible Game of the Year candidates? No. Was Bioware cutting corners left and right.. yes.. Let's face it, DA2 feels like it was rushed to the market without the care and attention to detail that made its predecessor special. DA2 suffers from repeating dungeons over and over again and disappoints me with a over simplified skill tree. Let's just skip over the whole party armor upgrading business and while we're at it, cram the stupid dialog wheel system from Mass Effect down the players throats. It's getting almost too casual now. Yes,I do feel like this title was produced with minimal effort, to rake in some more additional cash. And yes i do blame EA for it.

Act 1 unfortunately being especially bland, while Acts 2 and 3 do pick up a quite bit, with my party members finally starting to develop some actual profile. But does it deserve a meager 0-4 scores? Hell no. It is still an entertaining title that will keep fans of the old DA:O or faster paced W-RPGS entertained for a good 20h if not way more. My first play thru took 38h. It has a decent storyline, it's technically 'sound' - not great, mind you, just average. I haven't experienced any bugs, crashes or whatnot. I liked the story, it even does lend itself to be played at least a second time through. Plenty of quests to go around, too. I think this title is getting bashed a bit too hard here.… Expand

Plot is good, companions are at least as interesting as in the first installment, but probably because the game was rushed (its 1,5 year since Origins are on the market) its overly simplified. Interiors are repeatable, running around Kirkwall is boring after a while, and game stutters on DX11 mode when using GF cards. Throw in some bugs and glitches, and i recommend waiting for new drivers and some patching before trying it out. Don`t get me wrong - the game is good, but its not as good as Dragon Age one.… Expand

Combat system improved, but everything else is worse than Dragon Age: Origins.
Nobody needed a game like DA II. There are tons of titles like that.
We needed an improved realistic, revolutionary & innovative npc interaction. Because there wasn't an RPG like Origins for that aspect before.
In DA II you cannot talk to your company whenever you want, you have to wait for a Cutscene (quest or gift). You cannot talk to your party friends about your accomplishments, while the old good Origins did.
We got a step back to something pointless, instead to improve the innovation, they killed it.
A static location into the same city for the whole game and some anonymous random cave, BAD.
No longer an epic journey like Origins, but the dumb match Templars Vs Mages.
Efforts reduced on DAII, a team weakened to work on an other project like SWTOR. BioWare revealed in July that the ME2 system has been adopted cos the Dragon Age system requires too many efforts and resources, despite the higher quality / success of DA compared to ME2.

The DA2 sales are pushed by what people know about DA:Origins.
If DA3 will never ship, it will be a fail, because DA2 won't push anything.… Expand

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.

I played with demo only and i tried to read everything what i have found about DA2..now i am really really disapointed. DA:O was a dream me and i replayed and ended it some days ago..I really thank you Origins but understand fully the people why give you 0 point to DA2. I gave 6 point you because i know you havent made bad game. But i wont buy this game now because i would like to believe you never make bad game.… Expand

I have never written a review for metacritic before, but I figured this one was worth my time in order to give this game the fair review it deserves to hopefully balance out some of the incredibly harsh reviews that it seems to have unjustly gained. As a whole, I think DA2 does not live up to the massive shoes that it had to stand in being a sequel to DA1, but I still think it is a well designed game with a good combat system, driving (albiet short) plot, and plenty of reasons to play it at least once, if not more.
First off: The combat system. I honestly can't see why so many people are complaining here. Yes, it is different than DA1. I don't see that as a bad thing though. The DA1 combat system, although brilliant at its time of conception, grew rapidly tedious as you got into the game. DA2 fixes that by speeding up combat, and making it feel a little quicker and more intense. Normal difficulty is a bit trivial, and you can easily end up treating the game as an action title if you don't turn up the difficulty, but at nightmare mode it feels a lot like the first. You have to stop and think about things, plan out your tactics well, and play the game with an overall level of skill and competence that you would expect to be necessary at a high difficulty level. Nightmare on DA2 doesn't feel any more or less difficult than DA1, I played all the way through as a mage on this difficulty and it wasn't impossible as some people seem to suggest, or too easy as others say. As a whole, the combat system does a great job of keeping the game interesting and brilliantly bloody, and the different difficulty settings allow the game to be accessible to both newcomers who just want to slash their way through some darkspawn, and veterans of tactics games that want to think a lot about a fight before they can make their way through it.
Secondly: Graphics. Once again, I don't see why there are so many complaints here. For one, graphics are probably the least important aspect of a game. If everything else is solid, I really don't care about graphics, as long as I can tell whats going on I'm good. Even then, the graphics in this game are well done and have a very aesthetically pleasing look to them. The game does seem to have some issues if you turn it up to "very high" quality settings, however. Me and several of my friends bought this game, and we all have very good computers that should be able to run this game on very high with no problems, but all of us had to run it on high in order to avoid strange lag and crashes. When you drop the settings down to high, however, the game still looks great and I was able to play through the entire game 3 times with only two or three minor lag problems.
Lastly: Plot. While it is very true that this game does not have the epic feel of the first title, it still tells a compelling story and tells it pretty well. Towards the end of the game looking at kirkwall and its surrounding territory does start to get a little tiring though. The story was told beautifully, using Varric as a story teller that interjects throughout the narrative gave the game a very interesting and engrossing feel. I just wish the developers had allowed you to venture around a little more. In DA1 you had a whole kingdom to explore, in the sequel you only have one city and a few areas around it. If anything, this is the only place the game loses points for me. The plot is told well, but it many ways it felt like Dragon Age 1.5, not a full fledged sequel. Things just didn't feel epic enough to live up to the first one.

In conclusion, Dragon Age 2 is a well made game that features an endlessly entertaining combat system, shiny graphics, and a fun, well-told story that will keep you interested all the way up until the end. If anything, your biggest disappointment with this game will be that it ends too early. I know that's how I felt.… Expand

I`m big fan or RPG games, hell big fan of Bioware but come on, OK lets start with graphic really great (compered with DA-O)but i don`t think it has more than few maps and 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 you have 3 dialog and that is it? come on i have finish 5 time allover ahead Dragon age origins just because of story, and now i play DA II 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, and what the f*ck is junk. 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 allâ… Expand

Just played DA2 for a few days, absolutely horrid experience. It is nothing like the original DA. No depth, no interesting environment, and the combat is so boring. I mean if you are going to make a sequel, at least make the game play similar to the original, just improve upon it. If you are going to make something completely different, then release it as a different franchise please.

Dragon Age 2 though being a good game is a big let down for RPG fans. It tries to cater to a very large gamer base thus sacrificing a lot of which made DAO a huge success. The story at best is average, the voice acting is average though it does shine at times, the combat is more of a hack n slash, enemies explode in countless bits with one hit from a weapon. The combat consists of waves n waves of enemies spawning at you out of thin air which is absolutely immersion breaking and it continues throughout most of the game in the same manner. The environments are reused again n again n again n again....... The companions are not that great no feeling of attachment, romance is not implemented well, no companion customization, poor inventory system. I could go on n on but Ill stop. Please Bioware check you priorities you can't serve two masters at the same time...… Expand

Greates devil's trick on players in history !!!!!
I been playing rpgs for over 3decades an for WCgames Ut&Cs- so got got some exp with both forms of play(rpg+action). there is NO comment how dissapointing this CRAP is after DA game which i consider one of bestest rpg in gaming history since BG. i only created acount and write this to WARNN!!! all rpg players of this ABORTION of one of bestest games in history!! Tthough real CRIME is that they advertise game as so great succesor of DA that i got signature version without doubt and any worry it would be. what i got is greatest RIPoff i can recall !!!!!
Take heed in my advice if you are rpg player. for action players get dead space 2 or go for fine pvp like Leaugue of legends!!... ;D… Expand

Anybody that gives this game a score less than 5 needs to pull their head out of the extremely dark place it has wedged itself into. We gamers have all basically agreed upon a 10 point scale for universally rating our games. 10 means this game is so utterly fantastic it will more than likely be named in the all time greatest games list, 8-9 says this game is worth playing even if you typically do not like this genre, 7 shows this game has potential but for some reason has fallen short of the must play scores in other words completely average. 5-6 says this game is not really worth your time or money. Now a 4 means that this game is COMPLETELY BROKEN, this is Superman 64. So everyone that is reviewing this game with a score of 4 or less is saying that Dragon Age 2 should sit next to Superman 64 in the craptastic section of your video game library. I understand some people have a problem with the direction this game took but the majority of you are acting like a bunch of whiny and spoiled little bed-wetters. Please grow up because your little crusade is quite frankly proving to the rest of the entertainment industry that games are for kiddies.

Now onto the game. I like it! Have not finished yet as work has been hectic. The story so far seems to be highly personal and not the "we have an imminent danger knocking on our doorstep we must hurry" kind of story, I have no problem with the latter type of story and neither do I with the former they are just different. Let me say that there are things I feel were improved on and things which took a step back in comparison to origins and awakenings. I truly like the faster paced combat in comparison to origins but do miss the top down "pulled back view" that was lost from the pc version. I am seeing people gripe about the combat and how there is no tactics needed for most of the battles, well there were not very many battles in origins where tactics were needed either it is still mostly the boss battles where you feel you need to micromanage things. The speed is what I am really enjoying, especially if playing a mage. If you were a mage in origins you cast your spells then auto attack, in DA2 you cast your spells then auto attack but I look a heck of a lot cooler during the second part of this equation, which is the same for both games. The quest structure is intriguing and I do like it better than the 1 major quest per area of its predecessor. In origins it seemed you did the side quests for the major area, then went onto the major quest for the area and then onto the next major area. I am enjoying doing a portion of the major quest for the act, then some side quest sprinkled in between each scenario. I do not have a problem with the graphical style as some seem to. Elves look worse than they did in Origins but humans looks better and Dwarfs will always be ugly. The Qunari designs are very nice in my opinion as are most of the monster types. The environments are hit and miss, some look good some not so much. I do have a problem with the re-using of dungeons and interiors, just like I did for the original Mass Effect and most every game I play. I look past it and tell myself they must have pre-fab buildings in their universe as well. The spell animations are wonderful, a major step up from origins. The companions are great, nice writing so far. I have mixed feelings about the party members equipment. On one hand the character designs are wonderful and you avoid the cookie cutter appearance we had in Origins but I am old school and enjoy finding a helm and saying that definitely goes to Isabela, now it is just accessories so most equipment you find becomes vendor trash.

All in all this game so far has been a blast and all the boo-hoo's and "you're sellouts" barking is just getting on my nerves and making every gamer on the planet look like a bunch of children. Baldur's Gate is one of the greatest games of all time, but if someone made a game today like that I would say its crap and so would you. I am not saying all of the complaints are unfounded, I have some as well, but this organized effort to hurt this game is just crazy. They told us everything they were changing, if you have a problem with the changes its because you let them happen. If you don't like them voice your complaints but don't exaggerate as the majority on the net are doing. I assure you a score of 7 hurts a whole lot more than a 2. That 2 says a vocal minority of idiots are trying to make a point, a 6 or 7 says we really got some things wrong and need to address them.

When Origins came out I felt it was a game that deserved and 8.5 rating, I feel the same way about DA2. Once the modding community and expansions and DLC came out for Origins I felt it was deserving of a 9.5 rating, I feel confident that will hold true here as well, so long as people grow up and quit trying to cause this game to fail.… Expand

Well now, I'll be honest to say that its quite a bit different than its predecessor. Does it mean its bad? No, its just DIFFERENT but done quite nicely. It's kinda beyond me why sequels (apparently) have to be the same as the original. Doing the same trick over and over gets dull (just look at the CoD series). If you're looking for a good solid action-rpg, DA2 won't be disappointing just don't expect it to be an exact copy of the original DA.… Expand

MadJackMcMad
Earl


A fair and balanced review. Although choice is the epitome of recent Bioware offerings, choice is not given here. Three races are reduced to one, and six origins are reduced to one. As such, I could only play as the queasily named â

The first 5 hours of this game SUCKS as you can see from my initial impressions below. But it gets better. Much better. By the second act I was really enjoying it. The story and characters are excellent, much better than Origins. If you could skip the first 5 hours I would give it an 8. This is an excellent game once it gets on its' feet
_________________________________________________________
Downloaded it and installed all the extra content.
They wrecked the combat. Randomly appearing spawns, too much mana, etc. There are no tactics whatsoever.
Most items so far are Hawke only. WTF is that? Items are screwed.
The game has lost all the tactical tweaks that made RPG's different from shooters. It's just some crappy console game. Maybe it gets better.… Expand

I can certainly understand why there is so much hatred for this game after finally playing it through. Rarely have I experienced such an anger while playing a game. Dragon Age 2 is a shockingly pathetic combination of a weak story, retarded game mechanics, ugly graphics (compared with ALL current games) and extremely annoying companions and NPCs. It is unbelievable that they dare charging 60 bucks for this piece of trash. I would rather cut both my hands and legs than to ever buy another Bioware "product" again ("work of art" my ass!). To the extremely lucky who have not yet bought the game but are curious to try (curiosity here only brings more pain than good), I humbly advise you to torrent the hell out of it (Dragon Age 2's shoddy quality doesn't even justify your patient waiting for its price tag to drop to 10%!). Just torrent, try and then utterly forget it!… Expand

I give this game such a low score because I absolutely cannot review it in a vacuum, as a stand-alone game that has nothing to do with DA:O. Even if it was not in any way related to DA:O, I would still have to give it no more than a 5, because this is not an RPG. It's a flashy, anime-esque hack'n'slash game with a few RPG elements. And that is just not my cup of tea. But because this is called Dragon Age 2, I have to compare it to DA:O. It may not be a sequel, per se, but it is still supposed to be the same universe with the same lore, and that is where Bioware went staggeringly wrong. For starters, the artwork and rendering of various races, characters, and creatures have been drastically changed. Elves look like rip-offs of Avatar's Na'vi, Qunari have horns, darkspawn look like humans with stupid skull-mask faces that aren't the least bit scary or revolting, and Flemeth is an armor-clad Disney sorceress. Not only have they turned into cartoon caricatures of themselves, it is practically inconceivable that Bioware would actually expect us to believe that this is in fact the same world. To add insult to injury, Bioware took some serious liberties with the lore of DA:O (e.g. when people are infected with the taint, they no longer simply go insane and die an agonizingly slow and painful death, they actually turn into darkspawn). Call me a fanatic or a purist, but I feel as strongly about this as I would about someone taking liberties with LOTR lore. What makes for great fantasy or science fiction is its internal consistency, its adherence to the reality of its own world. Start taking liberties, start introducing contradictions, and we stop believing in the reality, which is the real magic. I could have dealt with a few cosmetic changes if they hadn't messed with the lore. But this game is disappointing for me in other ways as well. Everything feels "dumbed down." Combat is an over-the-top gore fest with little to no tactics (or thought) required. Enemies constantly explode into little meaty bits, limbs flying in all directions. Two-handed weapons are larger than the characters that wield them. Rogues execute Bruce Lee-style gravity-defying spins and kicks, leaping twenty feet to close with an enemy. The basic rules of physics are non-existent. The story-line is similarly non-existent. While I do like the new Friend/Rival companion system, where a companion will stick with the main character even if they disagree about everything, there is no compelling reason for the Rival companion to stick around. This would have made much more sense in DA:O. Stopping the Blight and killing the Archdemon is precisely the kind of world-at-stake pressing goal that would realistically override hurt feelings, petty squabbles, and political disagreements. In DA2, there is no such overarching world-at-stake goal, so the "I'll stick with you even though I hate your guts" mechanism just doesn't ring true. Everything else RPG fans love about the genre, from armor, weapon, and item systems to skill development, is also "dumbed down." A little "star-rating" system tells you at a glance whether the item you just picked up is "better" than the one you have equipped. Crafting has been vastly simplified, and the need to gather, scavenge, or buy crafting materials virtually eliminated. You can no longer equip companions in any armor, or (in some cases) with any weapon; they are limited to their specific "companion armor." Again, all this does is take the need for thought and tactical planning out of the game. As for the UI, it is obviously designed for consoles, which is extremely aggravating for PC gamers. We don't play consoles for a reason -- because we don't like them! -- and when we are forced to click around in a console UI on our PC, it is just infuriating. This game has left me very sad. Considering that Bioware has been *the* RPG leader of the industry for the past several years, I worry that the future of this beloved genre is bleak indeed.… Expand

Well, honestly, I can not understand why people are so worked up on the combat mechanic. I never played DA:O in the top-down view except when I need to, because I lost one of the chars somewhere. I set up the tactics and then it was the Warden only except once to get the healing spell right when I wanted it.
And to be honest, 2handed looked way to awkward in DA:O. So ok it is a little over the top with that "rush into combat" but at least I do not need to be frustrated because Alistair got stuck on a table.
The story so far is well written and also more down to earth (which I like). As I have not completed it yet, I can not comment on everything but a 1 is something different than that. And do not forget, even ME:2 was a nice ROLE-playing game. And nobody said an rpg needs to have combat like Drakensang.… Expand

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 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

DragonAge2 kind of reminds me of ME2 its not much like the first one, but its still a great game.
Yeah its shorter and has no origin story, the gameplay is a lot faster.But the way it tells the story is something new and kind of cool.Buhuhu its not a Dragon Age "Origins 2" but its still a good game, better than the most common rpgs.If you not just rush the mainplot you really can enjoy the game.It absolutely has its moments.… Expand

BEFORE YOU BUT DRAGON AGE II READ THIS ***********This is not a bad game.*********** That is what i want to say right from the bat. Compared to Dragon Age Origins though, it is probably better in a few ways, and worse in a few, and i think this is what is pissing everyone off. Let me start with the good. --- The Story --- This is up to every person i guess, but i thought the story was fine, pretty epic feel, took a little longer to get into than the first, but other than that not too bad.
--- The Combat ---
Loved it, everything reacts when you click it, it looks good, took a while to get used to the slightly different roles of the classes this time, but i much preferred the combat.
--- The Leveling ---
It was different and i was skeptical at first, but i really enjoyed the leveling. The abilities menu was good and allowed for awesome customization of the character, by level 20 my character was exactly what i wanted.
--- Crafting ---
Much better, rather than have to collect a million elfroot, you find sources of it, and can craft things using money once you have find enough sources. Much cleaner more efficient and i actually used crafting this time round.

Now the the bad, and i apologize in advance to Bioware for this, but i only do this because i love you.
--- The Maps ---
Oh god please please PLEASE give me some different **** maps. I was SO sick of playing through the exact same cave maps over and over again the only difference being some pathways are blocked off in each one. And if you are going to use the same map over and over PLEASE at least change the minimap to only show the paths you can reach, that way it might take me a little longer to work out its the same map. Seriously, the exact same mini map for every cave, for ever vault, for ever house, it gets so old.

--- The Character Interaction ---
Now i want to make a point clear here, i actually liked most of the characters, sure everyone thinks Anders is a bit of a whiney **** sometimes, but every game has one of them, however the interaction was a real letdown. I also liked how they talked to each, other some of their conversations were great.
The first game was great you could take so much time talking to the characters learning about them any time you want.
This game, they only talk to you if your getting a quest, otherwise its the same canned lines spoken back to you.

--- The "Choices" ---
Oh man did this annoy me on my second playthrough. Its just lazy developing. First time i played through i was thinking, hmmm maybe if i do stuff different i can improve that. People who have finished the game will know that there is an event towards the end of the game where it gives you an illusion of having played a part in it, but there is really no way to affect the outcome.
There were a few things in the game that did this, and it feels like it only did it because they couldnt be bothered making different endings.

--- The Setting ---
Kinda ties in with the maps, but i think deserves its own criticism, there are what, 4 places you can go, and only one of them is a city. Whoopde friggin do. DA:O was interesting because it gave you a very diverse number of places you could go, the forests of the elves, the caves of the dwarves, the castle of the humans, or if you had DLC, the mysterious keep you could conquer.
This game just used the same 4 areas, and a few other locations that were all pretty identical, and chucked different bad guys in them.

--- Conversation Wheel ---
I know there are some people that love this, but i am so sick of trying to say something and my character saying something else, especially if you are trying to make the conversation flow and don't notice the symbol on the wheel.
Example: (Slightly paraphrased)
Fenris: Mage guy wanna kill me good, wont be happy till he sees my cold dead body
(I look at my choices and choose "Thats a shame", which is exactly what it says in the game, thinking i will be nice and supportive)
Hawke: Thats a shame.... you have a great body ;)

I mean come on, really? Sure there are the symbols, but thats just one example of when i didnt check it, and there are many others of me clicking the option that says "No i wont kill him" and Hawke says, "No i wont kill him, ill kill you instead RAHHHH" and i just sit there going oh balls.


I could go on forever here but i wont, there were a few more good things, and many more bad, eg
- lazy romance options, ie everyone is bi-sexual
- every single combat situation has some SURPRISE guys attack you from behind EVERY TIME!!!
- those damn quests where you find **** and give it to people for money that made no sense

But in the end, i played the game through and am halfway through playing it through again, it is not a horrible game, but when you make game like DA:O and have that as a starting point, we set our expectations pretty high, and Bioware, you really didnt impress...… Expand

fast paced combat, tapping 'a' to win, some romance, simple gameplay, yea i think some might like da2.
but for me, da2 it's just a piece of filth and horrible way to spend $60. I ain't gonna buy me3 or da3. ;p

I love DA:O very much, it's one of the most impressive games I've ever played,. I'm not at all impressed with DA2, however. In DA:O, I could log in, and immerse myself for 12 hours without realizing it - here, I have to fight to want to play an hour at a time. The graphics are pretty, but otherwise, this is a step backward from DA:O in almost every way. It feels like a fairly primitive console game thus far, and the inability to swap nearly any armor on your party members is beyond stupid. The questing is vapid (One never even knows what you're actually doing half the time, or why) with many quests being things like "Go talk to X group member at the tavern" when that group member is, in fact, in your travelling party and standing right next to you. The storyline, while potentially intriguing, is so broken up that it isn't particularly enjoyable. Everything feels like an excuse to go from one cut-scene to the next. In DA:O, it felt like you, the player, actually controlled the flow of the plot, and could make a difference in what would happen. In DA2, everything is preordained, and you're just along for the ride, being pushed from one step to the next, whether you will or no. Also, you felt an attachment to your character - you understood and helped shape the back-story that would be with your throughout the game. In DA2, you're some random nameless person, back-story already established, and everybody already knows everything about you... except you the player. They forget the part where they tell you about yourself.

The voicing of the main character is unnecessarily lengthy, and appallingly inaccurate - you almost never say anything resembling the option you selected, and conversations take twice as long as they used to, because you have to wait for (or ESC through) constant banter that you apparently have no control over anyway. The whole chat-wheel thing is a damnable console derivative that needs to die in a fire, and makes it unclear what number keys to use for keyboard chat control. To top it all off, there is no non-combat skill-tree! This isnâ… Expand

I'm quite disappointed tbh. I managed to finish it in 17hrs on normal, doing most of the side quests. After playing the Mass Effects, I was expecting something a little longer. Thought the story was a bit so-so.

A disappointment compared to Origins. While I did enjoy it im not going back for a 2nd playthrough anytime soon, this is the complete opposite of origins which i could not get enough of. The responsiveness in combat was nice but i felt it made the game play more like an action than an tactical rpg. The problem with Dragon Age 2 is that it sorta sits half way between origins and mass effect and this results in players interested in either 'genre' being disappointed. I find it strange that bioware completely changed the game rather than improving on it like they did between mass effect and mass effect 2.… Expand

This game is very very good to be honest. I know that some people throw some bad scores at it but the fact is that it does provide a very good experience. Now, having said that, i am a huge dragon age and bioware fan in general. This game is moreso like a mass effect game when you look at the speaking options in the game and also the way that you interact with things. It is stll a dragon age game but it just doesnt feel like the first one at all, i 100% find dragon age origins to be one of the most fun games that i have ever laid my hands on, and even though dragon age 2 doesnt live up to it hardly, it is still an amazing game that is recommended for anyone who likes rpgs.… Expand

Hot trash , they took every good feeling and interesting aspect of origins and decided to dump it , companions are now a specific event only affair; no more talking to them as and when you please. gifts are quests now and totally retarded, random encounters? what random encounters? and as everyone has noticed , reused maps.. gets to the point you sometimes forget what the hell you are in the dungeon for.. was i killing dragons? spiders? rescuing idiots? whats the diff anyway it all looks the SAME. totally would not recommend, screw bioware and EA , never getting my money again… Expand

Boring combat system, boring story, boring graphics. I thought bioware turn everything into gold but I was wrong. Mass effect 2 and Dragon Age 2 have both been disappointing for me. Compared to the RPGs of the past, you cannot put this in the same category. Baulders Gate and DA:O was captivating making me wish the game would never end, Dragon Age 2 on the other hand, I find myself pressing ESC button a little too often to skip speech so I can mindlessly press 12345 while right clicking on boring enemies at every corner, just so I can finish the game and be done with it. lol. Give this one a miss or at least try the demo first.… Expand

I loved DA 1. I waited with great anticipation for this sequel to the point where I marked it on my calender lol
I have never been so disappointed in a sequel before and that is saying a lot lolol
The characters were flat and uninteresting. The characters were so whiney I cringed when I had to pick which ones to take with me. The plot was extremely messy to the point it seemed act 3 was thrown together last minute and not actually a part of the original plot. The combat was much worse then the first DA. There was no real stradegy thinking to kill mass amounts of low grade uninteresting monsters.
There was only 1 decent boss fight in the whole game (the high dragon) and that wasn't "great". Overall I was beyond disappointed in this game! When will game designers give us combat with boss monsters that are interesting to fight?! Don't keep throwing more of the same thing at us and expect us to be thrilled ~ give us great boss fights and plenty of them! As another reviewer said, going more into my review for this game isn't worth my time.… Expand

- The high respawn rate destroys the immersion and the tactical part of the game
- The combat is boring, because of the long cooldowns, the high costs and waves of standard enemies
- The quest design is sometimes great and sometimes bad
- Many skills are useless (Dispel Magic, Panacea (40 % cost for +50 health regeneration), ...)
- The recycled areas destroy the immersion and the need to explore the game… Expand

I have no idea why people hat this game so much. '4'? '1'? I can only assume that's in comparison to other Bioware Games, and not RPGs in general. I've played a lot of RPGs, and to me Baldur's Gate is the king. This game is NOT Baldur's Gate. That's fine. I don't mind trying different games.

This RPG is a surprisingly refreshing breath of air. It's certainly more playable than Origins, which I quit half-way through. Frankly, I'm kind of over most of the 'meta' games that are RPG tropes - equipment, elaborate tech trees, etc.

What Dragon Age 2 DOES do, is gets what I like about RPGs - Character building, interaction between characters, and a sense that quests matter - to someone, at least. I LIKE the conversation wheel. Puzzling out what each sentence means in the traditional conversation tree is another un-fun metagame, and it breaks the flow of a fully voiced game. Dragon Age 2 is a lot like watching a movie, and THAT'S A GOOD THING. That means to me it's engrossing, while still allowing you to effect the world. The only thing that draws me in more than movies is Books, and saying that a game plays like a movie is a rather large compliment in my books.

I'm not sure why people would say this story is worse than the previous game. The last one (dragon age: Origins) was so cliched, I expected Origins to have a huge surprise ending... but it didn't. This one, I'm actually drawn to the characters, and the plot keeps me guessing. Aveline's plot line is hilarious, and VERY different. I love how the different characters chatter with each other so often, a refreshing return from games of yore.

As for combat, it's fast, and visceral - Very enjoyable, compared to the snooze-fest that was Origins. Hard does not equal fun, nor strategically interesting. I'm done with RPGs that claim to be strategic. If it doesn't say 'strategy' on the box, I don't trust it to deliver on mind-bending fights. Just give me fun, which Dragon Age 2 is, and I'll get my strat dose elsewhere.

There are a few places that it falls short - Re-used environments, equipment not feeling epic, and a lack of visual flare, but it doesn't stop all the other things I enjoy from making it the best RPG I've played in a long time.

If you're looking for 'traditional' crpgs, as in, Baldur's Gate 3, look elsewhere. But if the idea of a fun, fast-paced, character-driven game that plays like a movie appeals to you - This game delivers.… Expand

Spawning enemies in front of your eyes, repetitive locations, boring quests, lots of the same demons from Dragon Age: Origins, no ability to change armor of your companions, money make no use in this game anymore, the ending of the game is quite the same and no matter what path you choose, imported saved games from DA:O make no significant role. Final word: this game is bad sequel.

Origins had a lot more epic and exciting story. Idea of putting story in one city, with 2-3 locations near it is really catastrophic. Combat is not that satisfying as it should be and inventory is awful. In Dragon Age Origins we didn't have so much restriction for armors and weapons like here. I was really surprised by that, but in the wrong way. Graphics, well, I can't complain too much about it because my graphic card doesn't allow me to experience high or medium quality settings. Characters...there's only one worth mentioning and that is Varric because it seems they only finished him and that the others were in work by the time game was out. Main character is finally voiced and it doesn't seem so dumb like in Origins, but I expected more. I really wanted to like this game, especially because it is from Bioware. But call of money and greed from EA made this game the biggest flop this year. I will give it a 4, only because it gave me 35 hours of gameplay and because the main character isn't so dumb. I really hope this won't happen again, this rushing and placing a half-finished product on the market with Mass Effect 3.… Expand

Copy/Pasted dungeons and building interiors : Check Inability to customize companion armor : Check Very limited companion interaction : Check Uninteresting protagonist : Check Less than half the abilities/spells compared to its predecessor : Check Lack of tactical combat : Check Mediocre storyline : Check Boring side quests inserted into the title for the sole purpose of increasing the playtime: Check

To sum all the above up, Bioware going down in flames : Check

I had high hopes for this title and I really thought that it would improve as I continued to play the game. I was bored from the start, but instead of writing a scathing review after just 10 hours of play I decided to give the game a chance and played the game to completion before writing this review. At times during the game play experience I found that I was trying to force myself to enjoy it. The game really does feel incomplete and buggy at times and never truly draws the player into its world. I loved Dragon Age : Origins despite its few flaws and I was hoping that this game would improve upon that winning formula, instead of taking one step forward it seems that Bioware has taken 2 steps back with this title.

Bioware and/or EA were not generous enough to give this product the extra year of development that it probably required, so I'll be generous and give it a 5 out of 10 score which is more than it deserves.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Story was my greatest disappointment. I understood that Bioware wanted to make a smaller story this time, but rpg is about making choices which have effect. I did not feel like I had the ability to choose in this story. Certain things happened no matter who I sided with, and the ending and main story remained the same. No replay value here. Different dialogue choices were just for flavor, sarcastic Hawke will have the same story as heroic Hawke.

Lack of build-up with companions and family. I would have expected that time span of ten years would have added more depth to relationships instead of losing it. There was very little companion interaction.
The family focus was a joke.

Recycled areas. All caves look the same, all ruins look the same etc. Only some doors won't open, depending on location. Irritating.… Expand

Simply the best RPG of the last 10 years, together with Dragon Age Origins.

Incredible plot
Incredible OST
Incredible gameplay
Incredible storytelling

Bioware learns how to create games, as always.

10.0

Simply the best RPG of the last 10 years, together with Dragon Age Origins.

Incredible plot
Incredible OST
Incredible gameplay
Incredible storytelling

Bioware learns how to create games, as always.

10.0

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'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

The PC version of Dragon Age 2 suffers from severe consolitis, most noticeably in the lack of the isometric camera known as the "tactical view" in Dragon Age: Origins.

The game is set in the city of Kirkwall and it's direct surroundings. You will be in the actual city for approximately 80-90% of the game. This is made even worse when it becomes clear that Dragon Age 2 is a rush job. This is painfully evident in the level design. There are several caves and interiors you will fight your way through close to 10 times each, that are supposed to be different locations. By the time you finish the game, you will have thought to yourself "this cave AGAIN?" more than once.… Expand

Disappointed at how Bioware could deliver a half-finished game. The intention was there, with the interesting characters and some development, but the game feels rushed and unfinished as whole.

Ñ

A grand let down. From the reused locals, to the lackluster quest lines, Dragon Age 2 never stops feeling stale. If your looking for a engrossing depth defying role playing game, Dragon Age 2 can't fulfill.

I must admit, that DA:2 is not what I would call an improvement compared to DA:O. But that doesnt necessarily mean, that its bad. There are a few things that put me off a little bit in the beginning. There is the combatsystem of course... lots of blood and pretty much the same every time. you kill the first bunch, then suddenly another wave appears out of thin air. then, no customisable armor for the other partymembers. for me that was an extremely big annoyance. Also kinda got on my nerves when I played ME:2. but that is also understandable to some extend. In terms of story telling it is an important part that the characters wear something that reflects their status( for example evelina...if she walked around in some kind of Bandit armor, that would be kinda weird oO).
The Story: well, people can say what they want, but I actually liked it. Sure, it is not the most complex story there has ever been, but then there arent many games that even make it as far a DA:2. I liked that a lot of the Companion-,secondary- and side quests played into the main story line to some extend. Also, you've got to hand it to bioware. even if the story wasnt all thaaat complex it was very well staged with the tension building up until the end.
now, my final point: the thing that annoyed me the most and where I couldnt find a reasonable explanation for....WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO THE INTERFACE??!!! I mean, its not like its too complex or anything, but it just doesnt fit into the setting at all. I liked it the way it was in origins. had a nice fantasy-ish feel to it. But this?? it looks like it was designed for SWTOR or ME3 but then it was decided that DA2 desperately needed some Sci-fi elements (?????) and thats what happened.

Well, all in all though, I still enjoyed playing it through till the end alot. I mostly forgot about those thing that annoyed me at first while I was playing ( except for the interface >:O). And I think you cant say its a bad game just because its not as good or different from the first one. If there wouldnt have been a tag on the box saying " Dragon Age 2" I bet most people here wouldnt have been half as mad about the combat system etc. It would've probably been praised a a game that found the line between traditional RPGs and Hack n' Slay games Like the Diablo.
Its not perfect, but its still very good.… Expand

Like many others here, this is the first time that I've been motivated enough to write a review for one of these games. Mostly, it's because of where the game fails. Also, I have to say right away that I've been disappointed with how Bioware has responded to user criticisms. Please get a crisis management consultant, who will give you a much better approach to this, which will start with "oops, we tried our best but it didn't work for a lot of you so let's figure out how to improve in the future." This would have added to your credibility instead of the current reputation-killing approach.

To the game. I've been playing RPG games for decades and Bioware has been among my favorite companies. So I guess I'm among the many disappointed in part because my expectations were higher. Though perhaps Awakenings should have warned me, since I found that game had some similar flaws. 2. I like the idea of a talent tree, but it could be a lot better. And where are all those talents that help with something other than #245th way of blowing something up. I miss stealthing to scout out a territory or to take down a crucial mage by surprise while my partners rush in to distract. Sidekick wise, Varric and Aveline are great characters. Merrill is not bad, though not as memorable as the DA:O crowd. Carver isn't bad, either. Bethany, on the other hand, was bad enough that I restarted a game to back to Carver. Isabela made me cringe and I like adult-themed games. . The last two battles are the last straw that break the camel's back. Ugh. To put it bluntly, when I play through again, it's likely I'll stop around the beginning of Act 3 and hope that the writers are replaced for any sequel that comes (which I will NOT pre-order).

Staying in the city wasn't a bad idea, but it needed more life and depth. I found the repetitive scenery a big minus. I found the endlessly similar battles with the more and more boring waves of unrealistically appearing enemies to be harder and harder to accept. The 123 "rings" and "amulets" really took almost all value out of the items we collected and used. It also led to the other complaint, that so many things that were named still look the same. I would rather have a few, quite different and interesting items that I can grow to love for a while. I like overall the tension between the different factions and I would have liked the game to focus on and develop these even more. It worked much better for Act 2, and I was ready to stop the game by its end (though I would have liked to see that plot developed even more; it would have been worth it). Act 3 as a build up of the earlier other tensions could have been great, but it was defeated by the apparent need to make every encounter a battle with something bad. So instead of a gripping choice between two imperfect, human, and sympathetic sides, I get numbed out by endless, unjustified, and similar battles.… Expand

With all these "negative reviews" I don't see where all the fuss is about. This is an amazing game! I just completed game on normal a few hours ago and now playing on nightmare mode which isn't breezing by. So far the DA2 has great story telling which kept me guessing through out the whole thing. The pause option provides you a more tactical view of the battlefield instead of blindly stumbling into a fight. If I wanted to play through a 1 button hack and slash game I would be playing Dynasty Warriors. I enjoyed the dialogue very much and having options to choose from instead of a set in stone story line. The cross combo tree lets you customize how the player wants to play. Instead of just do 1 thing and 1 thing only, I can DPS with an optional support role or crowd control. I enjoy the micro of the game between characters, why only use 1 character when you can manage 4 and control what they do. Good game, lots of fun, worth your money.… Expand

Everything about this game has been improved. Combat, UI, and even the story. This is not a sequel, really. It's not Dragon Age : Origins 2.0. It's a story within a story. Pick it up.

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. 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

What a waste. This could have been a great franchise. I love DA:O very much and regret every single cent spend on DA2. In a nut shell: the graphics are obviously better, but taking a closer look it's pretty clear: money was saved in production by receycling NPCs endlessly. Females (even parents) are ridiculously sexed up in order to serve a adulescent male consumer base. The controls and all relevant RPG aspects are seriosly dumbed down, "Consoleros" will find it great. Dungeons are mainly based on the same basic model reused over and over again.

I'm sorry for every single cent and won't preorder any future Bioware Games. I despise the greed of the producers and my own naiveté. Believing Bioware would stick to the high quality standards of the series while it was able to cash in on a inexpensivly produced cash cow was plain dumb.

I'm giving this game a score of 2.0 but metacritics system is not accepting it. (Error "Score (10.0) id must be a floating point number.") This leaves a fool taste...… Expand

MAIN PLOT: This game's storyline is a slow build, but once I got to Act 2 everything changed. I started appreciating the plot and the almost gentle progression. SIDE QUESTS: I dont think I've had so much fun playing the side quests before. I basically ignored most of them in DA1. COMPANIONS: (a) Voice Acting. Awesome. (b) Subplots. I like that we have subplots with them in every act. Fenris and Aveline's subplots were very well done and definitely memorable (and funny!). (c) Same-Sex Romance: I still feel the need to thank bioware for including this again and in full form.

(c) Romance in General. I romanced Merril, and the only thing I kept thinking was that I wish I had a chance to talk to her more. I felt as through the romance was based on very limited dialogue (more like a mass effect 2 kind of romance as opposed to DA1). BUT the romance scene itself was so well executed that I forgot about how little I spoke with her before that. The pillow talk after the scene was *great* too! Also, as it goes with romance pacing, it was strange to have Merril move in after our first sex scene, especially since we weren't really dating or anything like that. And now that we've moved in, nothing is being said about it.

(d) Dialogue: There feels like much less companion dialogue in this game. BUT I also like that I haven't exhausted the dialogue yet either. Being able to speak with your companions of the fly was nice. Merril has very few things to say about herself, the past or the Dalish. Also, I found the flirting lines with Merril really cheesy, and only did because I wanted to proceed with a romance.

(d) Banter. Lots of good stuff here and with the number of companions, I don't think I'll ever hear all of the banter.

(e) Character designs. I love how distinct everyone looks and acts. The new body types are great.

(f) Comforting Hawke. I am soooo grateful that someone asks me how I am!

(g) Companion Interactions. Its refreshing to see the companions visiting each other and seeking their guidance. Like everyone else, I love that dog is there. The fact that now I can ask a question to my party while in conversation with someone else is a good thing.

THE WORLD: I have no problems with being in one city, but I guess I expected the city to change more than it does. I don't mind the reused areas too much. I'm fine with there being a few places you always visit (the bone pit and sundermount) but its when I go into other places that seem very similar to each other, that's when it loses flavour for me. I would have appreciated more fantastical locations (like in DA1 Sacred Ashes quest). I will insert thought that I love the fact that mines/maps/areas have multiple exits now and that leaving a dungeon is so much easier.

INVENTORY
(a) Companion Inventory: The fact that I can still equip my companions with their own weapons saved the day for me. If they were completely static, it would have been boring, but I am still able to upgrade their weaponry. As for their armour, I also like the idea of upgrades. I sort of wish I'd see the upgrades though, as a different colour of armour or *something*. The fact that I didnt have to equip the upgrades myself was nice too.

(b) Junk: This container has gotten a lot of heat, BUT it does serve a purpose. i can now mark items as junk and sell them all with one button when I get to the store, how convenient is that? Very!

TIME JUMPS: This left me feeling disconnected from the game. I believe its because I'm not filled in on what happened during the jump with myself or my companions (or perhaps the lack of control). The game tries to remind me that 3 years have passed, but its hard to "get into" that.

ACTION: I loved the speed and looks of the action. This game is so much fun to play, now I actually enjoy the battles unlike in DA1. The skill trees are fun as well.

WHAT ITS MISSING
Its hard to explain what this game is actually missing for me without saying its missing "charm" or "soul". What I think has happened to create that feeling is the mix of: 1) not enough companion dialogue/backstory/progression, with 2) the fact that I'm not sure why my companions are still following me around.

In DA1 we were a group of people thrown together to save the world. Even though its not unique, the fact that we were drawn together and that we had that camp common space created a feeling of "we're in this together" and "us against the world" which is missing from DA2. In DA2 I just feel like "stuff happens" and maybe some of my companions will be around later. They, currently, don't feel integral to Hawke, not even my LI.… Expand