Dragon Age II PlayStation 3
User Score
4.0 out of 10

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 1060 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 350 out of 1060
  2. Mixed: 65 out of 1060
  3. Negative: 645 out of 1060

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  1. hcurrie7
    May 5, 2013
    10
    I know a lot of the Dragon Age fans did not like this game. I thought it was great. It is different but still one of the greatest games I have ever played. Choices you make actually do affect the game. I like the fighting much better than DA1. I was not as fond of my companions but the others were so great it is hard to compete. Still all in all this is a great game and great story.
  2. Yukari
    May 4, 2013
    6
    Dragon Age II is a huge disappointment, especially after the epic DA:Origins. Well to begin with good things...the combat system improved, and the graphics are better. And now the bad things, beside the graphics been better the environment and background are so simple that is stupid for a game like this, tha characters are not epic and fun anymore, they are all very winy and don't have much of a personality the only one that is an exception is Varric (thank god of the dwarfs). The story is so basic and not that memorable and what you will be doing in the entire game is babysitting and clean the streets from thieves and not much else, even the boss battles are not that amazing.… Expand
  3. thatkid1995
    Feb 6, 2013
    7
    A fantastic RPG experience. There are several negatives, however. The reuse of dungeons is very annoying. Really I would've prefered to wait another 6 months or so for BioWare to finish it rather than have it as it is. The story is quite good and kept me involved for a good 30 hours. The combat is deep and involving and the characters are all well written and interesting.
  4. gmpawesomeness
    Feb 6, 2013
    6
    I have mixed feelings about this game. I love Bioware and think they make amazing games. I enjoy the options you have and the dialogue. It has an interesting combat system although its wierd to use. I personally found it hard to get interested in the game, I hope if they make another one they will make some improvements
  5. 6xdandangp
    Dec 29, 2012
    0
    I expected MUCH more. Dragon Age: Origins had an excellent concept and was much more enjoyable overall. This game definitely does not deserve to be part of the main series. The fact that you're forced to be in one town for most of the game shows how lazy EA is getting.
  6. X_Matt_X
    Nov 4, 2012
    3
    Loved the first one, but this is just too much. If you liked the first one you can't pretend to like this one, despite the hype that was involved. Overall a waste of time, not the same feeling.
  7. Blyzzard
    Nov 1, 2012
    2
    This is horrible. The only people who could possibly enjoy it are die-hard Bioware fans (and while I do like Bioware, I'm not blind to their wrongs). Horrible story, horrible characters, horrible gameplay, horrible dialogue-wheel, horrible recycled maps, horrible everything.
  8. Abstractpurpose
    Oct 31, 2012
    2
    Here lies an example of a company creating a product people liked and as it started getting more attention the company says...hey lets change the core of the game cause people liked it...we cant have that. The first thing youll notice is the graphics are better and your character has a voice. Ok thats fine and good. However the next thing you notice is....omg did it just turn into a hack and slash game? YES IT DID. And let me say thats not a good thing. Yes iys smoother yes it apoeals to a bigger audience but now youve shown your avid fanbase looking for more of what you made them love last time that you dont care. Hack and slash cuts out a wide array of combat options from the first game and this company doesnt make it as good as other hack and slash games. The fans buying this are doing so because they actually liked the last game is conversation and it lacks the depth and effect of the last game. I cant understand creating a increasingly popular game then changing the mechanics so badly. Even if you like the hacking and button mashing bioware still took something that was established and enjoyed and scrapped it. Its a poor buisness choice to gamble on the now established fans to be acceptant of them unestablishing the core game mechanics. Very dumb move

    Then theres the setting. From last game involving several cities and lots of travel they built this game around 1 city and an immediate surrounding area. The only thing that carried over from the last game is.c    … Expand
  9. MrRPG
    Sep 13, 2012
    8
    This is a fantastic game, I don't understand all the negativity towards it, simply because it's different to the first one, it's a great game in its own right, But I guess the people just wanted a shinier version of origins..

    The combat system is close to the same with a little more depth in the actual combat..
    Characters are likable, but forgettable, this is one part where I will comp    are the 2, the characters of origin were some of the greatest and most memorable RPG characters of all time, while these ones won't take long to forget..

    The game is lengthy, the story is well written, and it's a lot of fun..
    If your not a fan boy, Hurrdurr different to Origins, definitely pick this title up..    … Expand
  10. Chris_DK
    Jul 8, 2012
    4
    Dragon Age II was a let down, I don't like that the game is being told through a completely new character as it was some storybook. In Dragon Age: Origins you were able to choose race and story setting unlike this sequel. The setting is also very boring, in the prequel you could travel to all kinds of different places but in this game you find yourself in a dull city called Kirkwall. The storyline is boring and cliché, it doesn't live up to it's expectation and it does surpass it's predecessor. To make it even worse Bioware were so lazy they reused the same locations over and over again… Expand
  11. RKotick420
    May 15, 2012
    2
    Horribly optimized, casual RPG with forced homosexual romance scenes, brown and bloom, casualized RPG elements, bestiality, and all sorts of sick debauchery. I highly recommend NOT buying this piece of crap.
  12. Vorch
    May 3, 2012
    4
    This game was the first hint that Bioware would be taking player choices and then removing them entirely from the equation.

    They removed everything that was enjoyable about DA, scrapped your choices from the old game, and then charged you the full price...

    GG, Bioware.
  13. Nichtswisser
    Apr 24, 2012
    3
    Behold one of the worst sequels in history: Dragon Age 2, the adventure of Hawk in copy&paste Land. If you ever wanted to see serious recycling this is the game for you
  14. Kaden101
    Apr 22, 2012
    5
    Didn't expect much from this after seeing some of the user reviews, but managed to get hold of it cheap, & you know what, it wasn't bad, but could have been so much better.

    Pros : Good acting, & characters, mostly convincing dialogue. Okay companion missions. In my experience bug free, which is more than I can say for some RPG's. Cons : Disgustingly lazy & repetitive level design. They re    ally cheaped out on this one using exactly the same levels for different locations, but just locked a few doors & opened some others. I saw in the credits when I finished this that there were 11 level designers/developers...they needed more. Main story - felt weak, & only held up due to the acting & characters. When I'd finished I just thought, is that it, wasn't very epic.

    Overall, it was a pleasant enough rpg, but not a patch on the first one. If you like a story for the dialogue & characters, you'll probably get on okay with it, otherwise it's probably not your cup of tea.

    I'd recommend it only if you can pick it cheap. I don't reckon it's worth £40 of anybodies money.    … Expand
  15. Lycanthropunk
    Apr 14, 2012
    10
    Why are there so many haters here? Origins is amazing, but so is this! Whilst it lacks the depth of the first, it is easily as good, and in fact it is actually more fun to play, which surely is the most improtant aspect of a game? It looks stunning, and whilst Skyrim reigns supreme as the ultimate RPG on a console, it can learn a thing or two from this game in regards to having streamlined missions which are never a chore and dungeons which are not identical to one another. 10/10.… Expand
  16. Bellicose
    Apr 10, 2012
    1
    Unbelievably disappointing. I can't fathom why they abandoned what proved to be an awesome style of game (Dragon Age Origins) in favour of generic garbage like this.
  17. skinny_mean_man
    Mar 26, 2012
    4
    if your a fan of the first game, there is a good chance you will not like this one very much. all of the original elements that made the first game great have been watered down. its more of a hack and slash experience which some may find better suited towards their tastes.

    i would give it a slightly higher score if it wasn't billed as a sequel to Origins. but the game has little to do w    ith original and , in my opinion, was just an attempt by bioware to turn the game into something more suited to a wider audience which in the end, ends up ruinining it for the games original fans.… Expand
  18. dragonagefan
    Mar 23, 2012
    1
    This should have been a different game, they should have named something else like the "Swords of Kirkwall", this is nothing like the first one and I was stupid enough to preorder it, I wont preorder the next one until I know what Im buying
  19. Starfucr
    Mar 14, 2012
    0
    I loved Dragon Age but I do not recognize the game anymore. What is this? Its a disgrace. I want to meet Morrigan again, I want to feel something. This is crap. Btw, I managed to play 10 minutes before i had to turn it off. Who the fsck was the project manager of this game? The person should never ever work with games again . ever. and ever. yeah. its not a very serious sounding review. But im just too disappointed to be rational at this point… Expand
  20. Staf
    Mar 6, 2012
    1
    If this game was called anything but Dragon Age it would have been a pretty decent game. Now, i say that because i wouldn't have judged it as a RPG game but rather a action-adventure game. If the aim for this game was to create a good action-adventure game with some minor RPG elements and it wasn't called Dragon Age 2 i would have probably given it a 6.

    With Dragon Age origins BioWare had     a successful concept where they found a way to make a cRPG work not only on the PC but on consoles. This is something which can be confirmed by looking at the sales figures of Origins, which is among the highest in the company history. You would think that the natural approach to a sequel would be to take the same system as their very successful predecessor and do minor upgrades to the games flaws. Instead BioWare did a 180 and did not only removed the flaws of the first game but removed the very foundation that made it such a success.… Expand
  21. Deiradinn
    Feb 28, 2012
    9
    To give a game a 0, you either have to moronic or completely biased some stupid reason... a third option just being clinically insane. 0 means the game is a complete mess, unplayable, glitches, severe anomalies and complete loss of design and function. People are stupid. Here's an honest review.

    It's more action oriented, it is no longer an MMORPG clone but an button command issued and th    en they preform the attack. The design, literature, music, sound effects, character design and story are solid. How is this boring? If they're not fighting giant godlike monsters then I guess it's boring. It's more of a "your pace" kind of game. It doesn't throw myriads of locations at you all at once. Like real life adventure. It's up do you how the story progresses and the interactions of NPC's and your characters, which you can control if you choose to and some cases need to. I honestly don't see what the fuss is about. I love the game. Any RPG is redundant, how is assigning actions to a character in real time over automatically and hotkeys use an argument. I don't know, my opinion, people get their underwear in a bunch for no reason. Most of use have no idea how complex it is to even make a game, at all, beyond RPG maker and most fail horrible at that. So, stop being immature and rate it reasonably. Even Duke Nukem isn't that terrible. Rate it reasonably. I think if a game is clearly of worthy design, no major flaws, playable... then the option to rate it lower than a 5 shouldn't even be in your mind. Idiots think they know it all. Pfft.… Expand
  22. gamerblue
    Feb 20, 2012
    10
    I want to start and say the bad press this game gets is simply bitter gamers who think video game companies "owe them something." This is not a bad game, not even close. Its actually a good game that just isnt as good as the first game. It does has it's redeeming qualities though. I love the fact the main character has a voice now (ala Shepard). The characters are just as strong as Origins as well (Bioware rocks at characters). The story is good, not great, but still has its redeeming qualities. Overall, I say this is still better then alot on the market and needs to be given its due.… Expand
  23. vixvicco
    Jan 26, 2012
    8
    People don't give credit where its due. This game is constantly compared to its predecessor, which makes the opinions very biased. This is legitimately a good game, and it does improve on its predecessor in many ways. Whilst the storyline is nothing special, it can hardly be called awful and the game itself is quite enjoyable. I recommend playing this game with an open mind, and especially to those who have not played the previous one (though I do recommend playing the previous one as well). This game has less glitches/bugs, improved inventory system, and whilst the characters are somewhat bland, it is an addictive game and may even have you playing it twice.… Expand
  24. DurzoBlint
    Jan 14, 2012
    0
    Dragon Age 2 is more than just rushed. It is openly contemptuous of the player. It's lazy. It's sexist. It's written by a team whose idea of high literature is a selection of "for teens" Buffy novels. There's nothing here of merit. The combat is completely bereft of anything resembling depth, and the endless waves of reinforcements that spawn from nowhere serve only to remind you how little the developers think of you and what they believe it takes to keep you entertained. The story railroads the player and renders all their decisions irrelevant, without actually achieving anything while doing so, as most linear games will at least attempt to do. Don't trust the sycophantic paid-for reviews: Dragon Age 2 is not worth your time or your money.… Expand
  25. Loco
    Jan 9, 2012
    1
    Dear EA.............We all know that you corrupt the poor developers who join your money-making operation, and I don't mind any more. I don't even care that you have sucked the soul out of Bioware, who used to be one of the best developers in the industry. It hurts, but I can deal with you killing talent in the way that you do. It's in your nature. I'm beyond complaining.............. But killing Dragon Age? After all the promise the first game had? All that potential, just wasted? Even you, EA, must recognise that you've crossed a line too far this time.............. So go ahead. Kill my favourite developers. Drain the life out of the whole industry if you have to. But leave Dragon Age alone. For the love of Ferelden, please, stop Mass Effect-ing what was once the greatest RPG franchise of this generation. Even you have to draw the line somewhere. -Loco… Expand
  26. herman_toothrot
    Jan 8, 2012
    9
    Dragon Age 2 is a solid, enjoyable game, especially, those new to RPG's or looking for something different to the generic FPS's, but as many before have pointed out, have failed to meet the needs of the hardcore RPG fans, due to it's linear nature, repetitive locations and simplified fighting mechanics. The story moves along at a nice pace and the dialogue from your main cohorts is the best I have seen in any game. Around half way through the game I found myself picking my companions due to their personalities, rather than there skills with weapons. The fact that so much attention went into the script writing and actors is a superb addition to this game. If you're a gamer who skips past the dialogue sequence, then this isn't the game for you. But if you like fisting and dwarfs in drag references and smutty humor from your characters, then you might be pleasantry surprised, I know I was. Passed this game by when it first came out, due to the low metacritic score, but having played it, the user score of 3.9 does not reflect the actually quality of this game. Is it a quality RPG, no it's not but that does not stop it from being a great adventure game.… Expand
  27. krammerlock
    Dec 28, 2011
    0
    Horrible betrayal of their fans and just plain stupid business decision. This games adds nothing new of note and changes much of what was loved by fans. Without a story to propel you through the dungeons, there is no reason to be excited by the game play.
  28. Rayjaya
    Dec 25, 2011
    2
    Within 20 minutes of starting up this game i was greeted with "one year later" this is not the last time i see this, and that one skipped year could have been more entertaining then this whole game combined. But we are not so fortunate. In fact you don`t really make a character at all, you have to play as a slightly modified pre made character, and for a series that became famous because of the ability to create YOUR character, Your way this is sad. and to add insult to injury you have almost the exact same selection then origins, same hair style (a few new ones that are awful), same tattoos, no other races though. The first third of this game is one long boring fetch quest after another, no story at all really, you need to get 50 gold coins, if you do all these pointless side quests you will spend 20 hours doing nothing. The characters you meet make no real sense, and seem to be disagreeable simply to seem deep, disapproving of any random choice that should have no down side, take on a quest and half your party hates you, usually the warriors. the developers tried to make the game "fresh" and succeeded in destroying any continuity that this game had to the series. Killed that guy? hes back! saved her? She's dead. and some races now have horns for some reason that is never explained. On top of this you spend the entire time in a city, and all backdrops areas and quest locations are reused to the point that it becomes disgusting. The combat is almost improved, faster but more boring, you will be hitting one button a billion times an hour simply because most other attacks are completely useless and may result in a game over screen. If they wanted an action rpg then they should have added a dodge button and a block, and gave it a different name. Also in many ways dragon age origins looked a lot better, the slums in this game have clean streets, and the character models look sad when trying to express emotion. And everyone has chubby faces.... This game is an insult to gamers, gaming and rpg's, and its clear that most reviews are payed, this game is awful. i want nothing more then to give this game a 0, it deserves less, much less.… Expand
  29. Jiyeon
    Dec 12, 2011
    0
    This game is just shocking. I played through it once when it came out and I was so angry by the way the game was and the ending in particular that I put the game aside and never touched it again. I recently decided to give it another shot but I find myself remembering exactly why I got so angry at it in the first place. The battle system had the potential to be great but it just felt choppy/buggy and way to easy. My biggest gripe though out of everything was lack of companion interaction (specially on the romance end). I loved DA:O as I got so invested into my characters and the relationships/friendships they formed. In DA2 I felt no love or care towards any of my companions, even Anders who I loved in DA : Awakening (who might I add had the worst personality transplant in game history). The ending though is the biggest WTF slap in the face ever. I remember sitting watching the event that had just taken place and I was dumbstruck (for lack of better word to explain it). The game just feels disjointed with the same boring backdrop, lack of story and dialouge to be honest it almost felt like it wasn't even part of the same series. I try to forget DA 2 exists, I just hope in the future EA/Bioware take heed of our complaints on this game and go back to what made Dragon Age great. Why fix something thats not broken?… Expand
  30. Rhino3
    Dec 9, 2011
    9
    Honestly, I don't understand why this game has gotten some much grief from people. I avoided buying this game because of the terrible user scores on here. The game is actually great, the story is good, gameplay is fun,(if you don't like constantly pressing the x button to attack you can toggle it in the options to attack when you just press x) and the way dialogue is chosen(and the fact that your character is fully voice acted) is much more immersive. DA2 takes most of what DAO does and improves on it, and as expected from a Bioware game the characters are great; a lot of people complained about the characters for some reason, they are just like actual people who don't tell you every thing about themselves and don't wear their hearts on their sleeves like the first one. Despite being a great game it does do some things wrong; such as the repetitive environments, how the city just feels dead no matter what your doing, and the reworking of how some of the Darkspawn look. But don't be scared away by what the fanboys are crying about, if your looking for a fun game with a great story this would be it.… Expand
  31. Inuit_Dude
    Dec 3, 2011
    5
    i need to start off by saying i loved the first game and it is easily in my top 5 games for the PS3 and in the video game world sequals are usually better but that is defenatly not the case here. this game takes a big step back from the previous game in many ways for one they have taken out the combat system which was amazing and required strategy and thought and replaced with a button mashing system which makes you sometimes forget to watch your companions health and they sometimes die. they have also taken out the RPG elemant that i loved you make one desicion in the begining and that is it, it doesnt even affect the story all that much. on top of all this is the fact that you can no longer talk to your followers except at thier home base which sucks alot. as well as all this they have gone and made all the items you pick up to only be used by certain characters which made no sense and i went for a while with some people having really crappy equipment and some with really good equipment that they couldnt use because they already had something alot better on. now that all that bad is out of the way if you havnt played the first one you will probably like this game though because it is still an alright game with good graphics colors and voice acting and i also liked how the decisions you made in origions afect this world if you can rent this game before you buy it to see if you will like it… Expand
  32. FThickett
    Nov 8, 2011
    5
    A colossal let down. Dragon Age: Origins was a lot of fun and really captured the brilliance of KOTOR in it's own way (the two are quite similar but not so much so that it's a rip off or something). The characters in DA2 are just bland and, usually, unlikeable. The quests make you wonder why you're even doing anything, I understand the story, why the characters are there, but the quests pile on so much that you're running so much at a time that it just becomes banal questing. Just a really poor quality sequel.… Expand
  33. Sci-Fi-Dude1456
    Nov 1, 2011
    8
    Now that I played Dragon Age 2 again except on PS3 ( I sold my xbox 360 version), Dragon Age 2 is a good game if you forgive that the combat is dumbed down. The story is decent and graphics are pretty good. I dont like the main character Hawke and I just want my Warden from the 1st game. Not as good as the 1st game but I recommend you to go rent it or buy it when its cheaper.
  34. Lac3dHit
    Oct 30, 2011
    3
    They tricked me with the Demo into buying this game on release. I loved Origins so I expected another quality title. As you start playing it just becomes insanely boring. The story line is bad, the characters are uninspiring, and even the zones put me to sleep. This was a rushed product with no love put into it. I can't even bring myself to complete it.
  35. magcakpro
    Oct 12, 2011
    6
    The re-use of the same maps over and over was a disgrace, but the gameplay, combat, and story was engaging. While the story was weaker than the DA:O, it was still interesting and drove me to play the game to the end, not to mention the obvious lead in to DA3 which I am excited about because of this game. This game is very much worth a used purchase ($20 or less) or a rental. However, if DA3 does not provide actual level design, I will throw this series away.… Expand
  36. Dyavin
    Sep 27, 2011
    0
    I registered with this website specifically so I could give this game a 0 rating. Having just completed Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Awakening about a month ago, I was eager to dive into Dragon Age II and pick up where I left off.

    I somehow managed to finish the game, but it was only through sheer force of will and irrational hope that something in the ending would make it all wor    th it. The fact is, Bioware (or more accurately, EA controlled Bioware) took everything I loved about Dragon Age : Origins and removed it from the sequel. After that, they spent a few years living on corned beef and vodka in the bioware offices, all the while vomiting and defecating into a community trash bag, which they then compacted into a blue-ray disk and labeled "Dragon Age II".

    Dragon Age II removed any realistic aspect of customization from the game. All talents and stat points are close to irrelevant, and you can literally pick anything randomly and spam the X button until the game is over if you really wanted to. They also removed any gear or itemization options. Items dropped at the very end of the game with 5 stars (an arbitrary ratings system that was meant to tell players that they should or shouldn't equip the item if they couldn't read the stats) that had literally the exact same stats as items with no stars that I received in the first 10 minutes of the game. In all reality, gear and items are pointless and may as well have not even existed. With the exception of switching your weapon out occasionally, items were pointless.

    Combat was completely redundant and boring. You can (I did it) literally defeat the entire game by pressing 1 button. All of your talents and stats, as I said before, are largely irrelevant. The cross-class combo system was broken and awkward, and the lack of spells and abilities with any substance made combat absolutely painful to participate in.

    The overall visuals were appealing, and the voice acting was fairly well executed. The storyline, companion development, and scope of the game however, were absolutely terrible. They used the same setting for the entirety of the game, recycling and reusing about 6 environment maps (yes, the actual same maps, not the same texture sets, but the exact same floorplans) for the entire game. Let's recap. Terrible writing, terrible storyline, meaningless stats and talents, redundant and boring gameplay, redundant and recycled surroundings, and a completely unfinished ending with hundreds of loose ends and a lose/lose conflict. This game is quite possibly the worst sequel ever made. Shame on Bioware, they are better than this. DA3 is supposedly addressing the issues people like me have raised. Let's hope they do, because I loved the first game and am willing to try again with the 3rd.    … Expand
  37. DriftSpace
    Sep 4, 2011
    2
    The only thing Dragon Age 2 has going for it is that it looks better than Dragon Age: Origins; everything else is at least a step down.

    I personally have played most role-playing games as a rogue; stealth always factors heavily in my game-play style, and has become integral in my approach to role-playing games. In fact, many would consider the idea of playing a game in a specific way whic    h one chooses to be a hallmark of the role-playing genre; I choose a rogue, you choose a mage; I choose good, you choose evil, someone else chooses something in-between. BioWare (probably EA, with their track-record for killing smaller studios with corporate cash mongering and unrealistic deadlines) has effectively removed a significant amount of functionality in-favor of ... well, just less functionality.

    In Dragon Age: Origins I played as a rogue. I would assemble my party, venture out into the wild, leave my party in a safe area, go into stealth mode, scout an area ahead, plan accordingly, and then advance my party in a tactful manner. Dragon Age 2 (for the PS3) enables me to do none of these things; stealth has a short (10-15 second) time-limit, the "hold party" function doesn't work, and even while entering areas in stealth mode enemies advance on the party, even while out-of-sight and out of attack range.

    What's more is that Dragon Age 2 has taken the merit out of exploring areas to find rare/powerful items; 99% of items (which aren't potions or money) found from containers are just different varieties of pre-labeled trash; these items are immediately placed into your character's "trash" inventory, and are completely useless, other than to be sold for meager amounts of gold at a shop. These items include things like: a moth-eaten scarf, a stained bottle, moldy rag doll, etc. If you want the best items available: you buy them from EA via equipment packages, as you'll usually find junk while exploring.

    Earlier I said that Dragon Are 2 looked better, and this is true -- the graphics and textures are much better than its predecessor -- but as a world it looks worse than Dragon Age: Origins. For example: there are many caves to visit in the game, but there are only one or two cave-type maps; when you go to one cave, it differs from the other not in layout or appearance, but is in-fact the exact same map as the others, but different areas are blocked-off. In Dragon Age: Origins most of the areas were unique, with unique layouts and vistas, but this is not the case with Dragon Age 2, which recycles the majority of environments (even house interiors are the same) probably so EA could hurry-up and release a sequel.

    This is further evidenced by the lack of control players have over their party and character; in Dragon Age 2 you get a pre-scripted character (you don't get to design your own), with a largely pre-scripted story.

    I urge anyone who considers buying this game to read the user reviews over the "Critic Reviews," as there is one fundamental truth regarding "Critics," and that is that CRITICS CAN BE BOUGHT. EA has spent a lot of money getting people to believe that Dragon Age 2 is a worthy predecessor to Dragon Age: Origins, but the fact is that it's a poorly-designed and rushed product that more often feels like it's a chore rather than an enjoyable game.    … Expand
  38. Salamunic
    Aug 26, 2011
    7
    Dragon Age II does not feel like a true sequel. Despite the setting and references to Origins, it is more of a redesign of the series, a new start, with too many elements cut and pasted from Mass Effect 2. This isn't a completely bad thing, but it appeals to an entirely different audience and might leave fans of the original very angry and frustrated. From an oversimplified inventory system to sped up gameplay mechanics, it leaves little room for strategy and requires too much button mashing. While the action-rpg fan in me was still ok with some of the new changes, the game truly suffers from its bland characters. Fantasy stereotypes that are obnoxious and annoying, especially the emo elves whose whining never stops echoing in the big city of Kirkwall. Now understand that this is being compared to DA:Origins, a game that had characters you really cared about until the very end. So as a whole, Dragon Age II is still solid compared to other rpgs, it's just not comparable to its predecessor. Graphically, the game is much sharper with a smoother frame rate, but it suffers from poor, repetitive level design. For the 30 + hours of gameplay, you will feel like you've never left the surroundings from the first few hours of the game. Despite my heavy criticism, this is still a fun action-rpg. It's obvious that the developers worked with an unreasonable deadline but my hopes are high for Dragon Age III. Would I recommend this? If you have played Origins, I would recommend this as a small appetizer for DA III, but just make sure you lower you expectations. For anyone else, I'd highly recommend the fantastic DAL Origins first and wait till this finds its way into the bargain bin.… Expand
  39. Grrsawn
    Aug 23, 2011
    9
    If you loved Origins, then there is a 90% chance that you'll hate this...but it's a chance that I took and ended up not regretting. Basically, if you're looking for Origins, go play Origins because otherwise this won't be for you. It's a great game in all respects and has a lot of charm that its predecessor lacked, but also lacks some that its predecessor had. It's nowhere near as bad as some other reviewers say.… Expand
  40. grand_alpha
    Aug 20, 2011
    7
    I was initially put off from purchasing Dragon Age II purely based on the massive backlash that it had received from fans. Some of the user reviews on here would make you believe that it is the worst game you will ever play (it's not) and that Bioware (or EA if you will) is out to steal all your money and cares nothing for its audience. I can only comment on the PS3 version of the game which came with the Black Emporium as free DLC but I'm glad I ended up giving it a chance. While far from perfect and certainly not as good as Origins, it's still an enjoyable game that suffers from some admittedly baffling design choices. The first thing I noticed was the inability to fully customise your other party members with any armor that you purchase or find, instead replaced by one (or two) preset "companion armor" looks. Customisation should be one of the main focuses of any RPG and the limitations placed on it take away from the immersion and fun of discovering new items, especially when it's something that your main character can't equip. While the re-using of certain maps, some choppy cut scenes, the limited amount of locations and the emphasis on a more hack and slash style combat will no doubt annoy a lot of people, I still found the story engaging and spent many hours playing it right through to the end. Perhaps the brilliance of Origins and Bioware's other classics gave us high expectations but you could still do a lot worse than Dragon Age II. Here's hoping that they get it right with the third.… Expand
  41. Schuback
    Aug 5, 2011
    6
    Dragon Age II is a good game but for those who had an amazing experience with Dragon Age Origins, don't expect DAII to be DAOII. There are improvements to certain aspects of the first instalment and I can understand why many fans were furious about the changes made in DAII. In fact, those who have been following the Mass Effect series you'll probably understand too. Anyway, from what I gather, the storyline is not as epic. You play as a human named Hawke either as a warrior, rogue, or a mage and you can customise his/her appearance. The game spans over 10 years and you discover and learn how Hawke becomes the Hero of Kirkwall. The story has 3 Acts, mostly unrelated and therefore lacking a central theme seen in DAO (gathering arms across Fereldan against the Blight). And the story is quite linear though you'll be making a lot of minor choices throughout the game. Another flaw of this game is that the characters are not as interesting as the ones in DAO. This time they won't be telling you stories about their past or legends, nor will they share jokes. This time converstions with your companions are more about activating their individual quests and acknowledging that you have completed those quests. Some of the companions I found to be unlikable. And let's be honest here, Isabela doesn't hold the candle to Morrigan in every single way. Thirdly, this game uses repeated maps and dungeons. So while there are many quests to take up, you'll be completing them at the same area. Even the dull city of Kirkwall remains exactly the same throughout the ten year period. What's strange is that the graphics are sub par and the level of details and texture of buildings and environments are poor despite the game only having one city and reused caves.. The gameplay is more action oriented this time meaning that it is more fast-paced and requires button mashing (which is optional) to execute moves and attack which I felt was a good addition especially for one playing this game on a console. You'll be seeing some characters from DAO which brings back sweet memories. So despite all the flaws I found in this game, DAII does has it's charms and I certainly enjoyed playing it. It is a good game in itself and if there wasn't a DAO in the first place, this game would have been received much better by the fans.… Expand
  42. TheMainCritic
    Aug 2, 2011
    8
    This is probably one of my favorite games of all time. The only thing that pisses me off is not being able to continue to gain lvls after u beat the game... i mean wtf bioware....
  43. SanhMan82
    Jul 14, 2011
    0
    This game was the biggest disappointment in the history of Role Playing games. Bioware hype the game like it was going to be better then Dragon Age Origins, and honestly i want the game to be. The developer forgot what an RPG game really needs, Freedom to do whatever. Not being able to customize my companions gear, and restricting a Mage or Rogue armor to my main when hes a warrior was probably the stupidest role playing decision ever. I felt like an errand boy when i'm playing Dragon Age 2, the fact this game sold as well as it did because of fan base from Dragon Age Origins is the greatest injustice ever.… Expand
  44. jorge100
    Jul 6, 2011
    0
    One of the worst games I have ever played. Game play utterly boring, and storyline without any redeeming qualities. A lackluster performance by E.A. and Bioware. Attention to detail was nonexistent. I will no longer buy any E.A. or bioware title. Just not worth the money
  45. Nirke
    Jun 29, 2011
    9
    Easily one of the best games I have ever played, and the first one to actually make me feel like I was in the middle of a book. The charachters are extremely well written, and even though I can see that they perhaps play a bit too much on the stereotypes that's fine by me as long as the story is as enjoyable as this one is! The only thing keeping this game from a 10/10 for me is it's perhaps less than satisfactory inventory-interface and the fact that most places are disguised corridors that seem to not change even though the story is supposed to be for 7 years...… Expand
  46. Einsatzgruppen
    Jun 27, 2011
    9
    Please don't be fooled by the people who rated this excellent game so poorly - you would be cheating yourself out of an amazing gaming experience. This game was a lot of fun - and this is coming from someone who also owns Dragon Age: Origins and has played and continues to play every kind of game for decades. The characters are amazing and actually have depth, the voice acting is great, the animations leave nothing to be desired (well - it COULD look like FFXIII) and the gameplay was a lot of fun too!
    I think people give this game a bad rap because of the more simplified approach than the first game but this doesnt detract from its quality by any means - theres still a ton of room for customization and veteran and novice gamers alike can still have a lot of fun with it as I have.

    There hasn't been a solid RPG on the PS3 for a long time in my opinion and Dragon Age II was a really welcome addition to the genre from what I believe has been a long hiatus.    … Expand
  47. pyrocloud7
    Jun 19, 2011
    9
    I felt the Dragon Age II was a fantastic RPG adventure game. I am writing this review fresh after beating it. I think many of the negative reviews for this game stem from the fact that purists wanted a DA:O clone, when in fact, BioWare is going more in the direction of a medieval mass effect, which is not bad at all. Many of the original elements are there, the combat has not changed dramatically, and the level system has been improved in my opinion. There are a few things that I did not like, such as the lack of ability to change your companions armors, but little details like that are overlookable. If you want a DA:O clone, play some more DA:O, there are like a million possible outcomes, but if you want a new and refreshed Dragon Age experience with a fantastic story line (although at time some optional quests are boring and unnecessary for the story) pick up DA2. The events about to unfold in the DA universe will shake the very ground of Thedas, don't miss out!… Expand
  48. ShoCh
    Jun 4, 2011
    7
    Reading all the whiny complaints about this game (not just here - everywhere!) is starting to get on my wick. The game isn't perfect - but it's also nowhere near as bad as people would have you believe. The characters are great (especially the elf, Merrill) and the graphics and game-play are definitely way above average. If this was the 1st game and Origins didn't exist, everyone would be raving about how great this game is. My one complaint is that they haven't put enough effort into creating the locations. One house is exactly like another, as are caves and warehouses - if more effort had gone into making each location different to the previous one you were in - I would give this game a 9.… Expand
  49. Topster
    Jun 2, 2011
    2
    Ladies and gentlemen, this is the result of attempting to market to the masses. The result of rushing production to "capitalize" on a loved franchise. The result of completely misunderstanding what made the first Dragon Age popular in the first place. This kind of thing is to be expected of that horrid producer EA who, let's face it, would be almost unheard of if they hadn't secured the rights to make almost exclusive games for the major sports leagues so long ago. But it is NOT what is to be expected of BioWare, the company that gave us KotOR, Baldur's gate, and Neverwinter Nights. This is not a bad game relatively speaking, but the reason I give this a 2 is because of how much of an utter disappointment it is. Where to start? Dumbing down combat? The copy-pasted environments? The worse inventory system? The dialog wheel that seems more interested in telling its own story regardless of what the player chooses? Hell, they couldn't even get whether consoles had the auto-attack feature fight, which it didn't. Because nothing is more immersive than monotonously having to mash the X button the entire combat. Let's start with combat, shall we? From the very first dev interview I knew something was wrong. This sales guy said something along the lines of "Combat will be streamlined so casual players will be able to just fight their way through without the menu, but for older fans, you can still set up tactics and use the menu!" Essentially, this douchebag told us that you can succeed in combat by completely ignoring tactics and menus, but for some reason they give us the option to use them anyway. The result of this brilliant stratagem is a hack & slash Dynasty Warriors-style game where you mash X through endless hoards of enemies while even more respawn around you who, funnily, go after the closest enemies they spawn near, which is usually the mages handing out in back. Yes, this game PUNISHES YOU for relying on tactics. People say that these issues can be solved through cranking the difficulty up, but I can't fathom how this is the case, since all that accomplishes is making your squishy companions die FASTER. The environments. Need I say more? "Oh, but BW didn't have enough time! It was EA's fault!" Yeah, well I don't see how that changes the fact that after you beat the first act of the game, you have literally seen all there is to see. I wonder what else you could excuse with this logic; "Twilight would have been good if the author didn't suck!" "The Star Wars prequels would have been awesome if George Lucas didn't go insane before writing them!" The fact of the matter is that it sucks. It doesn't matter *why*, because it still does. And to touch on something one of the devs said in defense of the environments, how it was "artfully concealed"? No, it wasn't Having you enter and exit through the same dungeon 30 times from different areas is not "artfully done". Hell, they didn't even bother to alter the minimap to not show areas they block off. The inventory....Can you believe that even though they dumbed the crap out of this system, it STILL gets mired in useless crap you have to micromanage? They take away exchangeable armor for party members, they restrict what kind of weapons they can use (if you want an NPC that can use a bow you pick up, you need to pay for one.) and they don't ever let you change weapon styles. Varric can only ever use his crossbow. Isabella can't use a bow. Aveline can't use a 2h and Fenris can't use a shield. Why. The. Hell. Not? AND YET you still have to micromanage all the loot you pick up to make sure that all your party is still equipped with the best possible gear. BW has made an inventory system that is simpler AND still requires as much micromanaging as the first DA. ow do you DO that? The dialog wheel. Dear GOD the dialog wheel. I will never understand BW's obsession with that system. Why? What is so good about a circular select screen that gives you a few little blurbs of dialog you want to say before your character winds up saying something that only vaguely matches what you picked? If BW doesn't want our input, just make the game action-adventure and make the main character a handsome everyman with short brown hair and stubble who spouts cliched action-movie quotes. That's the direction they seem to have gone anyway. EA is cancer and BW is the willing carrier. Before this game, I was psyched to pick up TOR, ME3, and yeah, DA3. Now? I'm waiting for the reviews to come out before I even consider renting any of those. Vote with your money, people.â… Expand
  50. halo_on
    Jun 1, 2011
    0
    I'm 34 years old and have been gaming since the original Nintendo came out. I absolutely loved Dragon Age: Origins. This game is an abomination. Could the developers have been MORE lazy? It seems all of their efforts were focused on the graphics and combat with VERY little attention paid to content. I could go on and on about how bad this game is. Literally the only redeeming quality are improved graphics. Just about every other aspect of the game trails Origins by a mile. Pretty sad.… Expand
  51. rego
    May 25, 2011
    4
    I must reluctantly agree with a very low user score. The Origins made me wet myself it was that great. Ive played every DLC and can honestly tell you it was the RPG of the year for me with Witcher following it on the second place. Grim unforgiving world, gripping fighting mechanic, ive had multiple main heroes specializing in different magic schools - game was that replayable. Making ugly choices and facing the consequences, reading about a boy that went missing during the fight in a village that was never found after a missing ive never completed, blackmailing and making a living from being a general a$$hole - "***** YEAH!" ive cried, this game is awesome. So why?! WHy did you do this to us, your loyal loving followers bioware. Why TF are you always, ALWAYS placed is in the fcking middle spot on every ffing fight?!. I cant believe how lobotomised the main hero and his gang were to ALWAYS end up there. It was a feature in Origins to pick your spot and fight from there. Fighting became tedious and annoyingly predictable with wave after wave AFTER WAVE of enemies, making mages less than relevant and even less relevant in boss fights, which are btw are even more tedious than normal fights. i didnt care about it anymore. Set the difficulty to Casual - that part of the game was dead to me, well done. Also thanks for dumming down dialogue options, they felt quite irrelevant after that as well. Such little investment in building your reputation and consequences when dealing with NPCs made that part dead to me as well. Do I support mages or templars, I didnt care which, they were mirror images of each other with betrayals and mad masterminds around every corner. So anything good about it? Yeah, id say engine is a major improvement, shading and lighting - nice. Models - very nice. Well done coders and art team - thats the only thing holding the game there. But with huge chunks of the game leaving a sour taste in the mouth that isnt enough unfortunately. Why did you take away all that was good in the game and had to dumb it down and make it incredibly annoying?! Bad marks for the game, Bioware!… Expand
  52. daishi86
    May 24, 2011
    9
    While the game lost some atmosphere to things like area recycling, simplified equipment/inventory system and the action-focused combat, it's an overall appealing RPG, telling a great story from one of the best fantasy-universes of our decade.
  53. KsidE
    May 24, 2011
    0
    Dragon Age 2 is an R.P.G because: It's [R] = Recycled, has [P] = Poor graphics, and story-wise is a [G] = Gasbag. You can make Neverwinter Nights once, twice but the fifth time is just BORING.

    So it has voice-acting. And that sums it up. What is the your [R] Role ?, what about the [P] Play ?, how about the [G] Gaming feeling ? Everything is overly-scripted, and your choices are like a f    ew options to say towards the same outcome.

    So it's like 40 hours long. But those are boring hours. Fighting never got beyond the turn-based phase. It is not suppose to be like a J-RPG where everyone is some kind of girl waiting for the next combo while you read a block of text with the story...

    So it's mature because it has blood. Not because the story is mature, not because the caracters are mature. There are romantic quests... yes while trying to keep the below mature rating, even kids will be bored.    … Expand
  54. OddityAngel
    May 22, 2011
    7
    Oh, the hyperbole and the hysterics! Dragon Age II is not the best RPG ever, nor is it the worst. It does not deserve a score of zero. It also doesn't deserve a full ten. Obviously subjectivity is an issue, some people look for certain things in a game, while other players are judging by a totally different set of standards, but the extremes in scoring may say more about the fanbase than the game itself...

    The Good (things I considered enjoyable)

    The characters. Bioware typically shines when creating party members, and this game is no exception. Are they better than the DA:O characters? Well, let's just say I liked SOME DA:2 characters better than SOME DA:O characters. The conflict: Dragon Age II does not try to create another Blight level threat, instead it focuses on more complicated issues. There are no clear good guys here, only extreme views and scared people. The typical 'horde of evil' fantasy trope has its place, but it's nice to see a more nuanced conflict. I found it to be quite engaging.

    The combat animations: Gone are the slow moving mages. No longer do I feel the need to mutter 'pew, pew' as they seem to slowly fire ineffectual bolts at their enemies.

    Voiced PC. The voice acting in general is superb. The dialogue wheel could have been better utilized, but it is a step in the right direction. New designs for the fantasy races. Why even have elves if they're just going to be pointy eared humans? Take advantage of your visual medium and create something unique! Good on Bioware for deviating from the typical design.

    The Bad: Reused maps. Uninspired environments. Kirkwall itself boasts a more unique design than most locations in DA:O, but it is static, unchanging and sterile. DA: II is supposed to take place over a number of years, that should should show in the city itself. There should have been changes in scenery, weather, ANYTHING! Total lost opportunity, Bioware. Disjointed quests. Sometimes you complete a quest without even realizing it because there is so little distinction between them. You stumble across your goal. Predictable fights. There is no variation and very little strategy involved. Weak third act. After an impressive amount of build up (and a strong second act) the climax of the game falls flat due to some heavily forced character moments. It loses it's organic feel. The Ugly:

    Game breaking glitches. Many of these have been resolved with patches, but they should not have been an issue in the first place. They were just another sign that the game was rushed.

    In conclusion: Dragon Age II is a polarizing game. It benefited from its brand (the oddly high early reviews and exceptional preorder sales), but perhaps that same pedigree has hurt it. People had high expectations, and when those expectations were not met they responded with (disproportionate) anger, and the backlash has been amusingly ferocious in intensity. You will likely find something to enjoy in this game if you REALLY enjoy the Dragon Age setting and would like to visit again (being more interested in a good story than a great game), or if you are a casual fan of RPGs. I find it has a fair amount of replay value. I would not recommend paying full price for it if you do not belong to one of these two groups. Wait for it to go on sale, keep your expectations reasonable and you may enjoy it. I did. Or you may not. If these reviews are anything to go by most people probably make up their mind well before they sit down to play.    … Expand
  55. obrion
    May 21, 2011
    0
    what a stupid game i cant beleive i brought it the music is baaaaaaaad the graphics are baaaaaaaad the story is baaaaaaaaaaaaad the whole game is baaaaaaaaaad
  56. Frorfvoid
    May 20, 2011
    0
    It's not often that a sequel comes out worse in every single way to its predecessor, yet the brilliant minds at BioWare have managed to accomplish just that with Dragon Age 2. This game is clearly rushed, likely due to the influence of EA, and doesn't even remotely resemble all of the greatness that Dragon Age Origins was known for. Try harder next time, BioWare, and you might win back my business.… Expand
  57. Jimbob
    May 20, 2011
    0
    One of the most dissapointing games that i have ever had the misfortune of playing. Most of us loved DAO and we hoped that we finally had a game series that would give us the fulfillment that we all were looking for...alas we got Jade empire 2. I really dont know where to begin..the awful recycling of environments, the linear plot which gives ONE ending, yes thats right ONE, The forgettable companions or fed ex quests that are scattered more than generously all over the game. Bioware are renowned for their great storytelling , guess what they dropped the ball this time, the plot is disjointed to the extent that at the end of the game you will be left scratching your head in confusion. To me it felt like a cash grab and also a betrayal from a dev that i have followed since 98.… Expand
  58. Fanton
    May 18, 2011
    0
    I had high expectations with this game after Dragon Age: Origins, the game was done without any care for the story, being short and leaving holes that may have been playable and interesting! The worst of it is repeating the same maps in the few places to go! I very much hope that Mass Effect 3 will not turn that same garbage!
  59. brisbanesimon
    May 17, 2011
    0
    this is such a bad game,absolutely pathetic attempt at creating an rpg,shame on you bioware,i will be never ever ever again purchasing any of your products after this abomination of a game
  60. Kyojinmaru
    May 17, 2011
    0
    A total garbage game that pretends to be an RPG like the wonderful The Withcher 2 but its nothing more than a pure repetitive hack'n slash with some conversation. Suck it down BioWare employees.
  61. gorkys
    May 17, 2011
    5
    I was very disappointed. I expected game much more like RPG than Hack&Slash. Shame on you BioWare. This game is very overrated on all platforms.!!! That was waste of my money!!
  62. AgentGoodwrench
    May 13, 2011
    9
    Dragon Age 2 is a game that old school RPG fans love to hate. I approach it from the same perspective as I do all games. A perspective of a gamer. Not an RPG gamer, or a shooter gamer, but simply a gamer. It saddens me to see it being ripped apart just it is not exactly what some players expected, and they need to take their anger out on the poor game.

    Is DA2 perfect? By no means. Howev    er, it is an enjoyable experience that few video games can provide. True, changes from Origins have been made which turned DA2 into a more actionized sequel. The speed of combat has increased and attacks became flashier, though otherwise it is about the same as before. It does not take away from the tactical side of the gameplay, nor does it make the game feel any less of an RPG. What is different from the prequel is how companions are handled. The player can no longer equip their armor and choose their combat specializations. Instead, each companion maintains a unique appearance which can be upgraded by finding and buying certain armor upgrades. You still can choose which weapons the companions wield but on a more limited scale. Certain rogue only uses ranged weapons, while the other only daggers. To someone who used the default weapon styles of the companions in previous Dragon Age releases it is not worth fussing about. Each companion has access to a unique to him/her specialization tree. This spices up each character and separates them from one another.

    The story, characters, and dialogue are standard Bioware fare. As usual they're pretty much excellent. The main difference is that you're no longer able to choose the origin of your character and she or he has a voice now. Some would argue that for this release the story is on the weaker side, and in a certain way I'm inclined to agree. The final act seemed a bit rushed and some interesting opportunities for story development were missed. The antagonist could have used more screen time and character development as well. That's not to say that the game wasn't filled incredible moments that just tug at the player's hear. DA2 is filled with tales of love, hate, betrayal, and horror.

    The game looks quite good for the most part though everyone has the same gripe about it. Bioware reused maps way too generously. By the final act you can run trough them with your eyes closed. Definitely not a good thing. That's the biggest problem I experienced in the game. Sure, there were a few glitches here and there but most were minor and there was less of them compared to Origins (from what I experienced in my several playtroughs at least). DA2 also runs much smoother on the PS3 than it's predecessor, and does not have that irritating save lag of Origins.

    Overall, Dragon Age 2 is two steps forward, two steps back. It is better than Origins in some areas, while worse in others. It is not a worse instalment, just slightly different. All in all, it is a good game worthy of several playtroughs.    … Expand
  63. frikkingsweet
    May 13, 2011
    7
    This is a great game from the get go ... but the longer you play it the more it feels like your doing the same thing over and over... lack of different areas to check out and no way to really free roam in between locations is kinda a big downer...
  64. mamous_04
    May 12, 2011
    4
    Iâ
  65. bconde
    May 11, 2011
    3
    I am a victim of this piece of crap. I got fooled because I am a DAO fan. Please spare yourself. Please Save your money. This is an insult to Dragon Age Origin Fans, and a sly move at cashing in on the original DA's success. Supporters are usually brainwashed diehard fans of the original Dragon Age game, but frankly this sequel is a cheap shortcut to everything DAO has established. It's poor in every respect, and this I say without exaggeration. So please spare yourself from buying such a worthless game, just get yourself some Red Dead, or Batman AA, or Dead Space 2.… Expand
  66. Talos84
    May 10, 2011
    0
    Shame bio-ware let EA get there hands into dragon age such a waste. wish they would have keep it more along the lines of dragon age origins it would have been really awesome
  67. Mezinger
    May 9, 2011
    4
    I don't bother to play most games, I'm very selective with respect to what I buy and play on my consoles. Bioware used to be a developer I could trust to make great games every time. But the things started to change ME2 was more shooter-ized, for a mainstream crowd, Dragon Age Origins: Awakenings was just terrible, and then Dragon Age 2 with so much promise was a complete let down... don't get me wrong it's still better in my opinion than that vast majority of games out there, which I know is just a matter of personal preference. But it is just full of mistakes, the worst one being is that nothing you do effects the outcome of the story, it's the DA2 railroad, it's awful, don't waist your time here it has no replay value and it is a sorry excuse for a story driven role playing game.… Expand
  68. skydigger
    May 8, 2011
    6
    I bought this game the day it was released. I HATED it in the beginning. However, it has grown on me a little bit. The characters, dialog, acting and plot are all pretty good. Not quite up to the DA:O standard but DA:O is hard to beat in those areas.

    The combat is DIFFERENT. They've eliminated some of the stalling and freezing that plagued DA:O but they've turned it into a button-mas    her.

    As others have reported the maps are quite repetitive. This game is NOT a 10 or a 1..it's somewhere in the middle.    … Expand
  69. trophy_hunter
    Apr 30, 2011
    6
    First of all, Dragon Age 2 is by no means a terrible game. Itâ
  70. Vorcia
    Apr 22, 2011
    4
    Dragon Age 2 has improved it's story telling with fully voiced dialogue, however this is hindered by overall fact that is a button masher with RPG elements. Even on the hardest difficulty, this game proves no challenge. The overall story is weak with uninteresting characters. The story is barely linked to the first game and the game feels more like an expansion pack. Pros:
    Better, Redesign    ed graphics
    More fluid and pick up and play combat
    Fully voiced story
    Great Storytelling
    Cons:
    Weak story
    Short game
    Too easy
    Button Masher    … Expand
  71. HypeUsNotThem
    Apr 21, 2011
    3
    Pros:
    + The clear abilities points distribution system is a improvement
    + Voiced protagonist dialogs
    + "Sell All Junk" button (Only a requirement when you have junk)

    Cons:
    - Cheap dungeon design
    - Excessive gore and unnatural moves in combat animations
    - Spiders drop gold (What?)
    - Shallow characters and dialogues
  72. Merci357
    Apr 21, 2011
    9
    It's better then the hate driven metacritic score indicates, but it's still a somewhat decent game. Since it's now available as a budget game, it's worth a look, despie numerous flaws. Most bugs and glitches are patched by now, and if you get used to the constant area re-use, you'll find some marvelous quests, little stories and funny dialogue/banter hidden in a mediocre shell.
  73. GrumpyReviewer
    Apr 20, 2011
    10
    People, PLEASE, get back to your senses! What's up with all this **** about Dragon Age 2?! What is not to like? Graphics, good! Characters, good! Plot, good! Gameplay, good! Bioware may not be perfect (and it isn't) but it is clear to me they tried their hardest to give us the best work possible in such small time. I much rather play this Dragon Age 2, now, then this GOD-MADE-VERSION you all want in God knows when. People should open their minds to innovation. Games are supposed to do that. Reinvent themselves even if this means breaking a couple of (*cough*fanboys'*cough*) hearts. I'm currently in my second playthrough and I dare say Dragon Age 2 is going to be one of the best games of 2011, period.… Expand
  74. dragonheart
    Apr 20, 2011
    10
    Sure it was different from DA:O, but luckily, they have been talking about this for months, and even released a demo, that way i knew what i was getting into, and not walking in blind thinking it was gonna be DA:O clone.

    if you don't have it, and are thinking about it, i highly recommend it. (as if my words mean anything) its a nice chapter in the DA universe. seeing things from a non Gre    y Wardens P.O.V.
    was a nice change. The combat shift, if you can even really call it that, is the same as DA:O only you don't auto attack, and any one saying different must be WANTING to play this like a hack 'n slash, because most of the times i'm blowing cool-downs, and managing my team and hardly have time to sit there mindlessly spamming base attack.)    … Expand
  75. likeitsillegal
    Apr 19, 2011
    6
    I enjoyed how fast the action seemed to be in this game - it was a massive improvement as a person who frequently plays a two-handed warrior. I really enjoyed the new Elf and Qunari designs - because no longer did the Qunari look like muscular tanned guys with white hair. But that was almost ALL I enjoyed. I still can't buy the change in Anders' character, and a lot of the story just seemed silly. The dialog just got stupid at times. It's an alright game, but I'd definitely recommend to anyone to wait till it is 30 dollars or less. Especially since there are only a handful of unique maps, which are just recycled over and over. By the time you're at Act II, it becomes painfully apparent. With a lot of the negative out of the way (which basically comes down to bad writing), I really did like some of the party dialog.… Expand
  76. PoisonZO
    Apr 19, 2011
    9
    It seems this game is getting a lot of criticism by fans of the first game. I usually look at the review history of the posters that give 0's and most have reviewed less than 5 games and usually they are multiple systems of a same game.

    I actually prefer this game to the first. I played about 30 hours of the first but just finally got fed up with what I felt like was a very unpolished g    ame (still great but just not for me). The sequel just feels better. perhaps the story isn't as deep or "wall-o-texty" as the first but I still find it very engaging. The combat is not as deep but then again I don't find myself mired down in overly complicated UI for a simple fight with what should be an easy enemy.

    Ignore the somewhat over hyped reviews and definitely ignore the over sensitive fans of the first and just try it out for yourself.    … Expand
  77. Dreepa
    Apr 17, 2011
    4
    The game tries hard to appeal to a wider audience. Tries to go the story route more than the strategy route. Unfortunatelly even on the story part, the game lacks depth. You have nor real background info on your character, you do not know why you are doing what you are doing and the things you do often seem artificial and not natural. One example: Instead of gathering 50 gold to make a living you gather 50 gold to invest them in something. In order to get to those 50 goldcoins you do a lot of different quests. A few of them are good, but most of them involve running around for ages seeing the same stuff over and over again... back and forth back and forth.... the story has it peaks, but is overshadowed by really bad character integration. The class you play doesnt matter much do the dialogues. Even the world does not react if you are using magic on the streets, which is forbidden in the game. Combat wise, the game is very chaotic. There is no top down view anymore, so you often have problems with controlling the party or getting a good overview. Handling of NPC equipment is reduced to a minimum and there is no "common goal" that unites your party, but rather loose ties that dont really justify the actions of the companions. To me it didnt make much sense in most cases.

    The game didnt develop naturally but feels forced by guidelines: "We need to have this, we need to have that... " In the end they should ve listened more to their stomach I think. Mediocre game with some good story moments, but lacking in most other areas.

    I can only say this:
    "If you try to please everybody you will end up pleasing noone"    … Expand
  78. EhRaD
    Apr 15, 2011
    2
    If you still believe in specialized critics, this game is the definitive example of how far they are from the user's opinion. I think that some people in the video game market still think that there are only children below 10 buying games and for this (and other) reason they can do whatever they want. There is one word for this game: Bugged. Bugged gameplay, bugged graphics, bugged storyline and even bugged trophies. Talking about trophies, I decided to go in for the platinum because the trophies could give another dimension for DA2 and save me from total sadness. But after end the game for the second time, the EPIC trophy did not appear. I need to say that I'm already in my third PS3 console (I've got two YLODs!) and of course, I lost all my previous DA:O saved games. Considering that Bioware has the complete records of my DA:O game, including all trophy history (and my DA:O Platinum), I can't understand why they are penalizing gamers forcing them to finish that boring DA2 two times if you can't import your previous DA:O save. As a result, Bioware spoiled the good image that I had from Origins and I will think a thousand times before buying another game from them.… Expand
  79. galadriel777
    Apr 15, 2011
    2
    I loved Dragon Age:Origins. I felt "Awakenings" was a bit less strong in terms of the story, however, I loved it too. But Dragon Age 2... BIG disappointment. Yes, the original game is a bit complicated, but once you get to know it, it becomes an experience to remember. However, with DA2, BioWare took the fun out for intelligent people. In addition, the graphics are not so good. It feels as I was playing a version of the game released for a previous console, let's say PS2. I can't believe it.

    Anyway, I have read that BioWare management is pretty convinced that they will never adjust 180 degrees back to DA:Origins. However, I just hope they adjust at least 179 degrees back to its Origins.    … Expand
  80. tallanx
    Apr 13, 2011
    1
    For another company I would probably give it a 4, but I expect better from Bioware so I'm giving it a 1. I've played both the PS3 and PC version. The graphics are worse than DA:O and yet at the same time it runs worse(for PC). Combat is pretty much just pressing X over and over again with one of the other buttons occasionally. Story is really weak. Losing the ability to play as a non-human was a huge mistake. The dialogue wheel is annoying and so is the fact that everybody calls you Hawke. You might as well call this game "Mass Effect 1.5: No Guns, Just Swords". I'm glad I borrowed this game from a friend and didn't spend any of my own money on it. The only good thing I can say about this game is that the voice acting work range mostly from good to excellent. If you've never played DA:O or hated it, then you may like this game. If you liked DA:O chances are you will hate this game.… Expand
  81. IamLegion
    Apr 12, 2011
    9
    I really don´t understand all this hate from so many gamers. Seriously. I loved Dragon Age Origins and I played it all the way until the end. I loved it so much that I even finished Awakening and pretty much all its DLC. When I started playing Dragon Age 2, of course I had my expectations. And, yes, the game feels different. It looks different; it plays different. But does this really matter that much? It´s core and soul remain untouched. It is sitll an AWESOME game THAT SHOULD NOT BE MISSED. I love the new characters, the whole "Mass-Effect 2-thing" going on, the improved graphics and the gameplay too. For PS3 users, Dragon Age Origins - although excellent - felt I little clunky for me, I mean, to play with a controller. Now, I REALLY feel empowered while fighting my opponents. I REALLY feel I AM doing it and not just pointing and clicking. Serious, guys. It´s ok to have our own opinions about what we play. But we must be honest with ourselves. Dragon Age 2 is a BLAST (and you know it!) and it does not deserve such bad reviews. It is not perfect, but it is still a gaming gem. I give it 9 out of 10.… Expand
  82. JenniferGoo
    Apr 12, 2011
    2
    The crticial reception of Dragon Age II is one of the most glaring examples of just how terrified the enthusiast video game press is afraid of upsetting publishers. They wouldn't dare tell you at what point this is a focus-driven rushed-to-market insult to video game consumers everywhere. I never played the original Dragon Age so I'm not an irate fan of the original... there is just not much to defend here. There isn't a single battle in the game (including bosses) that doesn't involve waves and waves of enemies spawning out of thin air waiting for you to mow them down. Sometimes, even when you give them a gentle whack, they explode into a dozen pieces... which I guess is suppose to make me feel like a bad ass. The entire game takes place in one city made up of a few small disconnected areas and the same two or three dungeons that are reused for the entire game. They even try to trick you into thinking this is a new area by blocking off doors you were previously able to go through and opening other ones. Why can't you go through that door you see this time around? Who knows! You just can't click on it! Look, when asked about this problem in an interview, the developers claim they had two choices: give us all original content and cut the game length down to a couple hours or reuse the same areas over and over until the game lasted twenty-five hours. If that doesn't give you an idea of how rushed this product is, I don't know what will. There is not 60 dollars worth of content here and yet so many people have already bought this game because the video game press is looking out more for themselves and not for us. The sad part of this is that underneath it all, the character interaction is great even if the overally story arc, like the rest of the game, is not well thought out at all. It's clear there were talented people working on Dragon Age II, but they weren't given the liberty or time to make this into a good product. Buyer beware.… Expand
  83. padavid10
    Apr 12, 2011
    7
    I'm quite surprised by the disparity between the critical reviews and the user reviews.

    Dragon Age 2 is a good game, not a great game but another fun adventure through the Universe they've created. Writing this review after 40 hours of gameplay (story and many side and companion quests completed) I enjoyed it. Production values are high and it feels like a solid enough game.

    On the     plus side, the fighting is quick and mostly pretty enjoyable although it is a bit of a button basher at times and the characters are great, I could happily spend much more time playing with Isabella and the team.

    On the negative side, the maps are used and reused so much you get little sense of adventure at times and the story lacks any real antagonist; without the Archdemon to work towards killing the story does lack something.    … Expand
  84. TrueGamer2011
    Apr 7, 2011
    0
    Utterly disappointing. I was intending to write a long thought out review explaining in detail my dislike of this game. But why should I bother? Bioware obviously couldn't be bothered to spend time creating a faithful sequel, so likewise I won't bother spending time writing a thorough review. I have totally lost faith in Bioware.
  85. Blastfurnace2k
    Apr 5, 2011
    5
    I wrote a review for the 360 version (wasn't paying attention when I did it) but I have the PS3 version. May as well post my thoughts here. I won't give this game a ridiculous rating of 0, but I'm not going to artificially inflate the score either with a completely undeserving 9 or 10 in some nerd rage fueled attempt at "justice". The game falls short of many expectations, and it should being as people DID have expectations. Let's not forget this was a sequel folks. To think many people didn't expect DA:O with a new story and gameplay improvements is pretty naive. When people loved Mario Kart, Nintendo didn't turn around for the sequel and remove half the weapons, turn it into a strategy game and focus on just Mario driving around his house (see what I did there?) they built on the strengths and offered more of what the FANS loved. I'm not gonna say this game is horrible, but after playing through it once and starting 2 more characters just to pick up some remaining trophies, I can say it's boring. The feeling of boredom started less than halfway through my initial playthrough and hasn't stopped. The same boring flood of enemies pour in from every nook and cranny or just poof into existance every battle. The same environments are rehashed nonstop and in a completely ridiculous manner, like the Bone Pit mines where one minute there a stone door blocking access (completely unexplained) and when it's time for the "story" it's suddenly open, but then shut again once you're beyond that point in the game. The "quests" are ridiculous as well. I'm sorry, but it's not a quest if I find someones perfume bottle in a barrel in lowtown and they throw a sovereign at me when I randomly talk to them, that's called lazy programming. I don't want to hear anything about time constraints either. Bioware are adults and their time limit isn't part of some self help "attain that goal by 'x' date", it's part of a cash in attempt on success of a former game. Kill, rinse, repeat, same map, rinse repeat, pointless item for a sovereign and some xp, rinse repeat. That sums up DA2. Stripping down character interactions and relationship building was stupid as well. The instances where you actually get to interact are extremely limited. Also, just as in DA:O half the time I chose one path in the dialogue, the outcome and resulting companion reaction made no sense. Lastly, the decision to take away my freedom of gearing my companions was stupid. I haven't spoken to anyone nor read any reviews where anyone was happy with that design choice. Bioware can b.s. and say it was because they wanted to companions to retain a personal look, but at the end of the day, you make the game for your fans, not yourselves and we hated the restriction. Actually to add one more gripe, I'm pretty sure the stats mean absolutely nothing. Bumping my stats didn't seem to have any affect whatsoever, but that's possibly because of the poor design choice to have the gear "degrade" as you level or the fact that the enemies grow stronger with you. No matter how you slice it, there were a ridiculous amount of bad decisions made when developing this game. The only positives are the excellent casting of the voices and the somewhat improved combat, although mashing the x button repeatedly is pretty damn tedious. There is some decent game here, but all in all this was a huge disappointment.… Expand
  86. Zagor
    Apr 5, 2011
    10
    After spending over 70 hours, I'm on my second playthrough and still haven't had enough. Dragon Age 2 is by far the best work Bioware has released and I am looking forward for Dragon Age 3.
  87. Fair34
    Apr 4, 2011
    2
    Worst Bioware game ever. Rushed and pandering to the lowest common denominator. Feels like they just dialed it in and tried to dress it up with lots of frills but no substance. I worry for Mass Effect 3 and The Old Republic.
  88. prettyoptimist
    Apr 3, 2011
    7
    I'm a huge fan of EA/Bioware games. I would pretty much give it a 8 but must I must say I'm a little dissapointed. I played DA:O alot and I had huge expectation for the main story. It turned out it's not even related. I mean yes we see a few wink at the first game but not more than that. The story is not evolving from DA:O to DA2. It takes a whole different direction.

    Why 7 and not 8? B    ecause the graphics are much more elaborated than in the first one but they traded a few interesting things makes it looks more alive. Example : All items picked up from loots all have the same icon. A two handed sword that is worthless is the same icon as a pretty good one. Only the colors of the icon change to difference it. Gems and stuff that you can't actually use have all the "garbage" icon and so on. Althought,they made the characters look more human and that's a plus.

    The land you are growing in is pretty much the same all game long but still, I had fun evolving in it. I hope that they will make a bigger one on the next episodes (Like they did with awakening) or on the DA:3 (if ever there is one)

    As for the characters that follow you all along the game : They're just so funny and different one form another. (Too bad Oghren is not back though...Hehe)

    Why 7 and not 6 or below? Well they did a great job with the the ending (all spoilers appart) and I just hope they're going to fix things noticed above before making a suite.

    Bottom line : I liked it even though it was not what I expected from it.    … Expand
  89. rottencat
    Apr 2, 2011
    0
    I'd imagine that the main reason that people are paying to play this is because its main character on the poster looks like Gordon Freeman.

    The game looked very promising- but this was anything but fun. The fact that this game was allowed to advance past the "script writing" stage is beyond me.
  90. dbcooper
    Apr 2, 2011
    2
    Huge disappointment. A role playing game, with no role playing involved, just hack and slash your way through a bland recycled environment. The skill progression and inventory management are stripped back and the characters that join you along the way are boring. Ultimately if you are expecting the same brilliance as DAO - forget it.
  91. markeras
    Mar 31, 2011
    1
    This game is just another step forward to the destruction of classical rpg. I really love Dragon age:Origins, I think that it's really the successor of Baldur's Gate. But Dragon Age 2 has betrayed that spirit. Rpgs have not to be for a great audience, this is a big mistake!!! Big audience wants games like god of war, call of duty,... I can not talk with the pc's every time i want, and when I have the chance to do it i have a stupid symbol that tells me exactly the kind of answer i'm going to choose. The length is shorter than Origins(I suppose I will have to buy a lot of DLCs if i want to play longer). And i can not dress my pcs as I want. I only can choose one race, there are less talents for every class, and a long etcetera. Please, Bioware, if someday Dragon Age 3 is made, return to the system of Origins. That game was for me a great surprise, but Dragon Age 2 has deceived me a lot! If i want to play a jrpg i will play Mass Efect, but Dragon Age is another kind of game, do not destroy this saga only because you want to sell more!… Expand
  92. Deathbehind
    Mar 30, 2011
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What sucks is all the hype around this for a lackluster game. "Oh DA2 is da best game ever!" Then once you play it, you trade it in and say "I can't believe I gave into hype." I can't believe the words "hype", "improvement", and better yet, "critics." Improvment. What? I thought this was the first game. Hype. Yeah, hype over nothing. Critics. They're just jumping on the "big name" bandwagon that critics jump in. They give alot of positive reviews to crappy games. Just because it's a big name. Do yourself a favor, and avoid. Rental at best. Score 4.0… Expand
  93. knisone
    Mar 29, 2011
    7
    I have finally had a chance to play this game and was not disappointed. There are a few frame issues but tolerable. I am well into the second act and and the story seems to be a bit convoluted. I am willing to take a ride with a story as must as the next guy however this story leaves you just wondering. I do not like the new armor system at all. All the armor you buy and pick up as loot is for Hawke while you have to purchase upgrades for your team, yeah that sucks big time. In an RGP I like trying to find the best combination of armor and weapons for my characters. I thought I wouldn't like the button mashing battle system they have but I was wrong about that. It is pretty much like DCU Online. where every now and again you have to use a special power to get through a fight. I have gotten my team to level 22 and Fenris is ridiculous. Easily the most powerful slugger on the team. Hell with him in the line up baddies barely have a chance to lay a finger on any of the characters. All and All it is pretty decent for what they were attempting. However the frame issues, the story, and the voice acting weren't all they could be at all.… Expand
  94. LadyDumrotten
    Mar 29, 2011
    4
    There is a lot about this game that I love. It has excellent characters and an addictive, refined battle system... It's just a shame that the ridiculous amount of recycled content really kills it for me. There aren't even that many explorable areas in the game, and those that are there are all narrow corridors that are re-used over and over for the entire game. Also, the storyline apparently spans nearly a decade, except the only way you would know that are the cut-scenes at the end of each act (of which there are three) telling you a number of years have passed... except, NOTHING, literally NOTHING changes over the years. At the beginning of Act 3 your party starts off standing in the exact spot where you finished Act 2 as if no time had passed at all. Laughable. This game could have been a classic had only more time been put into development. As it is, it's only recommendable if you think you can overlook these huge flaws and enjoy the strong combat and fairly interesting cast.… Expand
  95. SC00per
    Mar 28, 2011
    10
    Great game... Once again nerd-rage strikes and some "fans" of DAO are angry that DA2 is well.... different... Some people just can't cope with change.

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

    10/10 - Probably the best RPG current;y available for PS3 / 360    … Expand
  96. Marcoo_PL
    Mar 28, 2011
    7
    In my opinion it is 100x better than the first one. Combat system is great for me, dialogues are masterpiece, even better than in mass effect 2 for me. I hope BioWare will keep going the right way (action rpg) because this is what they are doing great..... ANOTHER GREAT GAME BIOWARE!!!!
  97. DaReviewDude
    Mar 27, 2011
    7
    As you can see from the user score, every rpg fanatic has been **** about how this game isn't very good. They need to realize that Bioware is a business. As a business you try to make your product appeal to a large audience so they can make a profit. Bioware did not want to create dragon age II with the exact same gameplay as Dragon Age Origins. People tend to say if its not broken don't fix it but that doesn't work all the time. People would get bored of it and then complain that nothing had changed. Its a lose lose situation really. So in order to appeal to a broader audience they added more of a hack and slash feel to it rather than just choosing an ability and then watching (Which really doesn't appeal to fans of o lets say God of War). As much as it is very linear compared to most role playing games it still is a fun game. It isn't the best rpg out there on the market but it definitely isn't the worst. If you are a fan of the Mass Effect style of dialogue, then you will enjoy this game. Don't listen to any of the user critic's who are giving games 1s or 0s because these are the hard core fanatics that didn't have the game the exact way they wanted. And they also need to realize the amount of work that goes into creating a game like this.… Expand
  98. Hugodastrevas
    Mar 27, 2011
    10
    This game is really really really good, yes it has some issues but all games have them.
    The story it's pretty refreshing, without the usual cliches and one dimensional characters. The gameplay it's actually fun. This game is NOT "dragon age : origins 2.0" or "mass dragon age effect". It's something new altogether and i effin love it.
  99. Surenkin
    Mar 26, 2011
    0
    I have enjoyed almost all the games Bioware has produced in the past. Hardly anyone can deny that games like Baldurs Gate II, Dragon Age Origins and Kotor provide tons of entertainment. They received high ratings from professional reviewers and the community was pleased.

    What happened? How is it possible for a gaming company to take such a nosedive in one year?

    It would have been UNFATHO    MABLE to even consider that the average community score for a Dragon Age sequel would be less than 60/100 but here we are.

    How is it that in almost every single installment before Dragon Age 2 we had the ability to impact the world around us and the ending of the game would change depending on our choices? But now it doesn't matter who you support, not one bit. One tragedy after another isn't the core problem here but that you can't do anything about it.

    What's the replay value people? Really, what is it? What can I do differently? Have sex with Merrill instead of Isabela and change my tone of voice while speaking during pre-determined events?

    And how is it that romances have devolved into *press heart symbol to have h0t s3x*

    What happened to gameplay? What happened to stealing, creating potions, collecting resources and having a connection with the world around us?

    Where is the possibility to lie, intimidate and charm during conversations? Isn't that what roleplaying has been all about in your previous releases? You dont even need to read your own lines in DA2 (nor can you). Just choose one option from *calm*, *joke* or *angry*. Talking yourself out from a bad spot isn't really an option if the game has already decided what is going to happen.

    What happened to being able to choose your own race. What's the point of having racism towards elves if you cant even play one anymore?

    Customizing the armor of your companions might not seem like a big deal to many people since we are forced to use the best armor sets anyway and sell all the junk. But it does look completely stupid to have some pirate woman in a prostitute uniform fighting against a high-dragon. This is something I expect to see from square and Final Fantasy, not Bioware.

    And the worst thing is that after investing over 40 hours of gameplay, there is no real ending or closure. So what's the idea behind this? Rip us off with DLC's?

    And people really need to stop being naive. I hardly doubt this is going to be a prequel to some epic tale. Why should I believe that a savegame import would matter now when it has never had a major impact in the past? It's just going to be another set of cameos, letters from the people you saved and a couple of mentions about what happened in the past.

    This game does its job as a linear adventure hack'n'slasher but that's it.

    Just one year ago Bioware put square on blast by stating that "Final Fantasy XIII is not an RPG yadayada". And here we are now....I hope CD Projekt stays silent and walks the walk with Witcher 2, because you guys need a reality check.

    On a scale from 1 to pretzel, I'm mad salty lol. I guess it's time to go back to hyping the upcoming Mass Effect 2 DLC, because atleast you still have dev-teams that know what the hell they are doing.

    Bioware, I am dissapoint :(    … Expand
  100. Corraine
    Mar 26, 2011
    8
    After replaying through the initial Dragon Age multiple a time, it was a no brainer to pick up DA2 as well. While the openers magic is slightly lost along the way the sequel does a lot right. The story itself is written nicely, albeit missing out on a lot of potential drama and interesting scenes. Characters are all around nicely done and actually have a lot of unexpected reactions and decisions which make the game feel genuinely interesting.

    On the minus side the game has a bit too much of fighting going on. After you learn the gimmick of the fight, it does get nice. Yet wave after wave of extra enemies per each fight does get kind of tiresome. Either way a very well done sequel and a way lengthy as well. Clocked at 90 hours on nightmare after completing about every quest I could find.    … Expand
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 52 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 52
  3. Negative: 0 out of 52
  1. GamingExcellence
    Aug 3, 2011
    85
    I'll give Bioware points for trying to do something different in their world, but they really did have it right the first time in terms of character building and the scope of the story.
    Read full review
  2. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    May 27, 2011
    80
    Ultimately Dragon Age II feels like a one step past, and two steps back from Origins. It has been specced purely with us console gamers in mind and now has a low barrier of entry that will rally new fans to the Dragon Age banner. That's admirable, but fans who did get into Origins will lament the less masterful storytelling and the noticeably uneven visual presentation. [May 2011 p.78]
  3. Gamers' Temple
    May 16, 2011
    85
    A smaller gameworld and recycled environments make Dragon Age II feel less expansive than Origins, but a number of console friendly game changes may make it more appealing to console gamers than its predecessor.
    Read full review
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