Dragon Age II PlayStation 3
User Score
4.0 out of 10

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 1059 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 349 out of 1059
  2. Mixed: 65 out of 1059
  3. Negative: 645 out of 1059

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  1. xXAnthonyXx
    Mar 8, 2011
    4
    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.â… Expand
  2. Sagebeat
    Mar 8, 2011
    5
    Dragon Age II...where can I begin. Where along the lines of game development did Bioware think to themselves, we need to remove immersion, and role playing, from a role playing game? When did we think choices, false or real, taken from the character would make them enjoy a character driven storyline MORE?

    At what point did they think we wouldn't notice the re-use of the same map over 8 ti    mes in the beginning of the game, when being sent to different places? This isn't the postate cave, this isn't the qunari mine, this isn't even the cave the wayward son was in. THIS IS THE CAVE THAT I WENT THROUGH AT THE BEGINNING OF THE GAME WITH THE AMULET.

    Combat has been sped up at the cost of strategy, there is no more thinking in fights, there is no more friendly fire, you simply hack away, and drink a potion, which they've handily hotbar'd to their own UI, knowing this was all that was required to win. Fought my first dragon 3 hours into the game, it was a 2 minute fight, consisted of me watching auto attacks and popping the occasional potion, and that was it. No special achievement, apparently dragons are super common now, also it dropped 20s, and a hatchet. Not a unique hatchet, a regular hatchet.

    resources reused from DA:O, and resources reused again and again in this one make for non unique dungeons, landscapes, and immersion

    combat has been oversimplified to a fault, it's no longer hard or involving to do anything, which is a pity, due to half the content being waves of hapless enemies.

    Dialogue and conversation are a joke, no control, and even in the small glimpses where they game tries to give them to you, the wheel will screw it up by captioning what Hawke will actually say incorrectly. What you say either doesn't matter, or isn't what you wanted to say.

    I cant say much about the story as of yet, but its shaping up to be your standard Bioware fare, which isnt nessicarily a bad thing, but the graphics have somehow taken a step backwards on top of all this, and it runs even worse on my computer then DA:O did, which is a big slap in the face.

    The game feels rushed, incomplete, even with the DLC you pay an extra 15$ for, and everything in it minus some of the characters are just lowest tier in quality. Sadly characters do not make up for the rest of the games flaws.    … Expand
  3. BrutallyHonest
    Mar 8, 2011
    1
    Designed by focus group. By trying to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, Bioware has created game that never really develops it's own personality. Utterly forgettable, DA2 tries in vain to be darker, edgier and sexier, but only succeeds in trying too hard. The violence is bloody, the "sexiness" is a bit blatant and ham-handed, all the while giving the impression that behind the scenes is a 40-something game director saying "this is what the kids want, right?" Rather than focus on making a solid, entertaining game, Bioware tried to include all things for all gamers. They have created a game with something for everyone, but not enough for any one group to enjoy the experience.… Expand
  4. KhaaL
    Mar 8, 2011
    2
    I'm a big fan of the original DA and really got into the lore. Unfortunately that dosen't help me trying to like this sorry mess for sequel. The combat is extremely simplified (and meaningless), the story is told in a most unexciting way and the game just feel like a downgrade compared to the predecessor.

    Usually i belive "less is more", but not to the point when its so simplified it beco    mes braindead.… Expand
  5. zeister
    Mar 8, 2011
    0
    Terrible. To sum it up, every single mechanic has been dumbed down, Dialogue has become of the wheel type, and you can't put much thought into your choices. The story is cliche and it doesn't even feel like they are trying. The game play is simplified, it's easier, and even at the highest difficulty, not much thought has to be put into it. The graphics are absolutely terrible, compared to the old prequel, it's hard to believe how bad the graphics are, and they even advertise themselves on it.

    do not buy it, if you must, you could sate your curiosity by borrowing it or something.    … Expand
  6. Galeon22
    Mar 8, 2011
    1
    What a slap in the face to everyone who played and loved the first one...dumbed down combat, ugly graphics...does Bioware care anymore or are they just trying to reach a crowd so stupid it'll buy anything as long as its marketed en masse? Expect to have to pay many DLC just to finish the game, the cliffhanger ending and poorly crafted story seems to point to a number of additional episodes to explain backstories or events.

    You should be ashamed Bioware, how low you've dropped.    … Expand
  7. BarerRudeROC
    Mar 8, 2011
    1
    Horrible rehash,
    Honestly it plays like a standalone mod, Nothing but disappointment, it's even prompted me to sign up to meteoritic to voice my opinion because it's that much of a flop compared to the first DA
  8. Surematt
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Ive never reviewed a game on here before, but after about 10-15 hours into this, i just could not do it anymore. i needed to tell people not to buy this game. you might argue that that game has good RP systems, or whatever, and it dosent deserve a flat out 0, mabye a 3 or 4, but a game that when i play it, all i want to do is **** STOP playing it, deserves a 0 in my eyes. god i hope i can get my money back on this junk. it is a total insult to all DA:O fans, and PC gamers in general. terrible console port, from a company that once made such great games. Bioware, if you are reading this, do NOT let your DA team ANYWHERE near Mass Effect 3.… Collapse
  9. EMelo01
    Mar 9, 2011
    5
    I do feel like DA2 stepped back in SOME aspects and forward in others. They did 'dummy' down the whole RPG aspect of the game. There's a lot of little things that are over looked, that make a good RPG game. little things that became second nature in DA:O are gone and it leave DA2 feeling empty. Abilities, talents and spells are a lot better now and I don't mind the new combat system. The list can go on and on, about whats different about this game compared to DA:O, and if DA:O didn't exist and DA2 stood alone, it would have got better user ratings. So as a stand alone game its pretty good. but compared too... it falls short!… Expand
  10. tobi963
    Mar 8, 2011
    3
    Never good when you make a game worse than it's prequel. So many problems with the game. So much hype over it by DA fans. The "professional" reviewers are giving it a high score for some reason I do not know.
  11. Shodan
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    At the time of writing this, the user score (based on 143 ratings) is *3.6*; the critic score (based on 12 ratings (11 "positive")) is 8.4. You could not have a more embarrassingly obvious exposition of the vapid, dead vacuum-of-integrity that is games journalism. Really, it should be obvious to everyone now that the people who wrote these reviews don't have a single atom of sincerity or regard for truth. As far as the game itself is concerned, it's a lobotomized, bordering on the retarded, dumb-down of a game which was itself a lobotomized rehash (of the Baldur's Gate series). You really could not remove more depth from this if you were desperate to. We're at rock-bottom here, and hopefully that means the only way is up. Generic, unremarkable, uninspired, utterly forgettable fast-food for the masses. Nobody who worked on this should be proud.… Expand
  12. ravenXII
    Mar 8, 2011
    0
    Combat system is riddled with bugs which really show on nightmare difficulty like your commands reset multiple times during and before battle (seems to only trouble ranged characters) and you cant target aoe spells in tight spaces accurately due to lock in target. Crafting system is over simplified, can't set gear on followers, small amount of total followers fixed by premade dlc, hd textures are what they are, extremely idiotic sounding conversations if you pick multiple different conversation choices, other weird audio breaks when transitioning to next cutscene, still bioware quality character run animations (hopefully fixable by capable modder) and so much more.… Expand
  13. JRenalds
    Mar 9, 2011
    10
    I can't believe how much better this game is than Origins! The graphics are way better, the combat is actually enjoyable, and the framrate is smooth as silk. Another BioWare hit!
  14. jaysenedwinward
    Mar 8, 2011
    7
    It's still the same game in terms of combat. Having to press a button to swing your weapon, instead of auto-attacking is literally the only combat system change. On harder difficulties, I would give you a purple heart if you could beat the game without pausing and using the correct abilities. The potion system is excellent!!!!! No more potion chugging. Now you have to make correct decisions. Mana and stamina matter. No abilities are just silly copies of each other like part one was. (E.G. you had earthquake and blizzard which essentially did the same exact thing) They have a true combination system to make SURE you had one of each class in your party for max efficiency. (Brittle, staggered, disoriented people take extra damage from other classes)

    I DON'T like however, that you can only gear up the main character in detail. The other characters have stock gear sets they can equip.. The game is also much shorter (50 hours as opposed to 100). The most disappointing though is that for some reason, i never am given the opportunity to care about whatever is going on. I don't care about the story and the characters don't ever get a chance to become real to you since they removed the ability to talk to them during their time in your party. You feel alone most of the time.    … Expand
  15. hellogoodbye
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    From a company that made fun of FF13 about it being an rpg, they sure seemed intent on one upping Square in making one of the most horrid 'rpgs' of all time.

    From the dumbing down of even the most simple features to some of the worst voice acting I've ever had to put up with and the difficulty that would even make a halo or cod player think it's just a tad too easy, it really made me symp    athise with the former lead developer that left Bioware because of the direction they took with this game. While the game had nothing but disappointment and failures to pick from, it was actually hard to choose which one I should start off with. Departing from the loveable old system of being able to choose what your character was going to say which really helped to define your Warden and the ability to immerse yourself with the character, Bioware decided it was a great idea to adopt the dialogue wheel from Mass Effect which has proven to be quite bad in this situation. I especially like it when my character would all of a sudden go on a random hate speech when all I wanted was for him to say yes.

    The amount of day 1 dlc has always been a hot topic when it comes to games, especially with Rockstars LA Noire recently showing that it has actual gameplay content up as pre-order incentives from different retailers. Bioware has decided to hop on to this gravy train and insists on showing nothing but utter contempt to fans by using the stick and carrot method of throwing day 1 dlc at fans to help advertise this 'game'. Apparently learning nothing from DAO, pretty much every piece of dlc breaks the game and makes it crazy easy, even at 'nightmare' mode. I'd place the games difficulty on par with the opening few hours of FF13 where you basically just pressed x to win.

    At this point of where I am up to in the game, I'm actually thankful that I hadn't bothered to register any of the dlc coupons that came with my signature edition yet. I've already put it up on ebay and it's going for $90, $50 more than I paid for the thing. I don't know if I should be happy or not that there's still people crazy enough to buy such garbage but hey, we live in a world where COD sells 7 million in 1 day.    … Expand
  16. Pancakes
    Mar 9, 2011
    4
    Dragon Age 2 is an abomination. The gameplay is boring and primitive, the story is linear and cliched, the writing is godawful fanfiction.net Naruto fanfics-level crap and the characters are ranging from mediocre to awful (especially Merrill, who is a disgusting moeblob without any personality). Oh, and it's ugly, and i'm not only talking about graphics - the artstyle is... bad. Very, very bad. DA2 looks like something that a 12 year old with ADHD could make.

    Oh, and the Nightmare difficulty that was hyped as being super great stuff for truly hardcore gamers? It's crap too. Instead of giving new abilities to the opponents and making them smarter Bioware just gave them really high stats and called it a day.    … Expand
  17. FourTHEO
    Mar 8, 2011
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Dragon Age II was terrible, I'm uninstalling it as I write this review.

    Please avoid this "game" if you want to keep yourself from spending hours fighting off boredem and being generally in a poor mood. This game is bad, the entertainment value cannot even be replenished some by laughing at the poorly crafted models and effect, the slap-in-the face linearity that one would expect wouldn't be there if your in-game decisions actually had any effect of the overall outcome of the game or minor scenarios. Not being able to change the equipment to be worn by your party is a minor but needed feature of a title such as this. I can't believe I wasted my money on this.

    If of course time equals money, I spend 2 hours downloading this game and that's 2 hours wasted, not to mention the bandwidth! I have a monthly cap, too.

    Spoilers: This game blows and Stens' race is changed for the worse.    … Expand
  18. Wildfire8
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Dragon Age II will be recorded as one of the worst blunders in video game history. Bioware somehow managed to take a promising series, and do a Tomb Raider with it. The game visually looks like a mod for Knights of the Old Republic, if that mod were to lower all the games textures and was inspired by minecraft. The writing in this game is exactly what you'd expect an autistic 12 year old farm hand. Gone are the "grey" moral areas, and choices that affect the story. Instead, a dialogue wheel now lets you choose between 3 options, Sissy school girl, comedic relief in b-movie, and complete jerkwad. With such rivieting dialogue options as "Hey, I wunna be a dragon too!" and "Boy, I'm hungry", it's hard not to believe that Bioware is doing a psychological experiment to see how much punishment masochistic fans will put up with. Most of the game takes place in the confines of a single "city". I say "city" loosely, because it is actually nothing more than a collection of buildings, devoid of life. All areas outside of the city and bland and repetitive. Let me be clear on this: EVERY SINGLE OUTDOOR AREA outside of the city consists of a rock wall on one side of the map, and a large, lifeless, poorly textured vista on the other. I've seen 2 year olds that can color better than the job Bioware did with this vista. Dungeons are frequently repeated. Yes, you heard that right, the exact same cave is used over and over and over again. You can no longer equip armor to companions, and the new companions are dull and lifeless. Every voice actor in the game sounds the exact same, and they all sound utterly bored with their jobs. Of course, I needed even comment on the combat to anyone who has played the demo. Bioware decided to strip out all tactical and RPG elements, and instead turn the game into a poor man's Dynasty warriors, complete with waves of spawning powder rangers running at you, while you perform the same over the top animations over and over carrying massive JRPG styled swords. I award this game no points, and may God have mercy on it's soul.â… Expand
  19. 2gameornot2game
    Mar 8, 2011
    10
    Bioware has done it again! DA2 is a brilliant game and fixes all the problems of Origins. The interface is much more streamlined (making it playable for console players) and the particle effects are especially dazzling on PS3. DA2 has everything a nerd could dream of in a sword and magic game. There is interesting story, romances you can engage in, crazy characters to meet, and really satisfying combat. On top of that, the game is extremely long and as a Bioware game, you can be sure that healthy servings of DLC will be on the way. Its going to take me weeks upon weeks to finish this game!… Expand
  20. Kihoshi
    Mar 8, 2011
    8
    I think it's very easy to dismiss this game because of its faster combat and intent wheel. I have welcomed these changes. I like to know the intent behind my replies. I like not watching my character stumble over and poke a darkspawn. I have enjoyed the five hours I have spent with this game. Your party members don't just show up and stand in one place. They make an entrance. I like the idea that your characters have lives outside of you. The frame narrative is an interesting concept to use and Bioware is using it wonderfully. I look forward to completing this game. I gave the game a score of "eight" only because I haven't finished it yet. I have only spent about five hours with this game, as I stated before. I felt the need to write this review because of the overwhelmingly negative reviews on this website. Thank you for reading this if you did. And if you didn't, thank you for reading at least the second to last sentence. :)… Expand
  21. rich
    Mar 8, 2011
    0
    oops forgot to put my score
    really dont like what bioware and EA have done to this game i really liked the first game but this one doesnt fill like an RPG to me it feels more like a action game.I got very bored very quickly of the combat in DA2 i dont like the dialogue wheel it is fine in a game like Mass Effect but not in a RPG its just stupid.Also why cant you change your teams armour al    l rpg in know have that option sorry but this game is poor.… Expand
  22. Websurfer
    Mar 9, 2011
    2
    DA2 simply, is NOT an RPG! It 's an "Hack & Slash Action RPG" with a grotesque amount of blood, a very poor system of attack, a ridiculous (console oriented) interface, a limited scenario, bad dialogues, an horrible rule-set ... Add to this that is technically worse than DAO and we have the biggest FAIL of this year!
  23. cryocore
    Mar 9, 2011
    2
    I tried to like DA2, but I cant. This console centric garbage isnt worth the effort. Yes it looks better, the combat is smoother, and im sure the story is good (Bioware always excels here), but come on removed customisation, NPC interactions, put big bloody flag on the next objective, quests are almost all self fulfilling. Its like an RPG made for 6 year olds. Bioware peaked with 2 epic games. Baldurs Gate II, and KoTOR. Both epic, complex and requiring intellect to play. DA2 breadcrumbs the entire game... garbage, utter garbage.

    After ME2 I thought Bioware would have learned, but it seems the EA dragon has once again put down the "APPEAL TO THE MASSES!!!!" mantra and ensured that a rich, deep and complex title wont get made by any dev under its umbrella of mediocrity.

    I'm sure there will be cries of "PC Elitist" or some such, but when the muelling mob is appeased by sunstandard and lesser entries from a previously high sepc developer its really hard not feel better than them.

    Just another example of the big publishers slowly eroding away the quality to lower the barriers so Joe Casual wont get lost.

    Well Bioware I WAS a loyal fan. BG 1 and 2 + exp. KoTOR, NWN, DA:O, ME1, and even Jade Empire were epic and enjoyable RPGs worthy of praise and what your reputation was built on. ME2 while an epic tale was the first obvious step down the path to Casual land. Strip out RPG mechanics, focus on twitch/non RPG gameplay and profit.

    I hope EA rides Bioware into the ground, as I have lost all respect for the company.    … Expand
  24. KingNL
    Mar 9, 2011
    1
    This game is a disgrace, bioware spent a couple of months and churned out another copy of DA1 but worse.
    Also the day 1 DLC is just ridiculous and if you defend it you should be ashamed as you are helping the download of games.
    Bioware needs to learn to put some effort in their games and not just release broken, buggy games and hope they sell because of their blind hard-core fanboys.
  25. Nekator
    Mar 9, 2011
    2
    Sadly DA2 is no roleplay Game in my Opinion anymore. The only thing this game has is fighting (with much blood and exploding hordes of enemies - like the Marketing said.. for every button something flashy happens) also there are no Skills anymore, beside the fighting skills... The other thing is the story presentation, which Bioware still is good at.
    But things like the restricted inventor    y and kodex entries (50% percent of the things you find are nondescript junk?? really?), the MMO Interface.. this all makes it to an Action Adventure at best. As a roleplay game it sadly fails in nearly every way :(… Expand
  26. Friedhamster
    Mar 8, 2011
    0
    I'm not sure where to even start. How about the demo? The demo that barely loaded, the frame-rate was so bad (this on a 3.2GHz, i5, GTX 460 SE, 8gb desktop) it was unplayble. My brother, telling me that he liked DA:O enough to play... half... got me to delete the demo and reinstall. This time it worked, this time I played it to the end, and this time I wanted to stab my eyes with dull spoons.

    Gameplay: Mindless drivel
    Graphics: My eyes bled dry
    Sound: I don't remember hearing anything over the waterfall of blood pouring from where my eyes had been due to looking at this heap of trash that looks worse than games made in 2002    … Expand
  27. johnGamer34
    Mar 9, 2011
    1
    I'm giving this game a 1 because coming from Bioware this is just insultingly bad. Horrible. DA2 has to be the saddest excuse for either an action game or a roleplaying game, or a combination of the two. The glitches that result from trying to import the save file from Origins alone make it clear that Bioware wasn't even trying with this one. Just rush out a sequel as quickly as possible to milk your fans for all they're worth. Really pathetic. The gameplay is horrible, the graphics are from 2 generations ago at best, and the story is completely forgettable garbage. They even had the gall to end on a cliffhanger!!!! Probably just to sell more DLC that will hopefully end the story properly. Disgusting, Bioware. You've lost a customer.… Expand
  28. bugbear1
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    What a POS. Repeated environments, insipid dialogue banter between party members, empty dungeons with practically NO detail and get this: you cannot swap out gear for your party! that's right, u CAN trade jewelry and such, BUT you cannot "tailor" your party at all. extremely short, with little to NO exploration, overall trash story with pandering cutscenes, recycled locations, insta-spawning enemy rogues that can teleport across the little maps and on and on--

    this drek makes FFXIII "look" like the greatest game ever made- It's readily apparent that EA have finally converted BIOWARE to their way of creating games.
    -lackluster money-grab with no conscience and no-soul gameplay, DA2 panders to the ADD crowd with spamming, action-adventure combat, minimal RPG elements, and in-short: welcome to the suck!    … Expand
  29. Tizlor
    Mar 9, 2011
    2
    I'll preface this mini-review with: I actually like the game.

    I do, it's mindless. After working long days and my terrible menial job that saps my mental capacities; it's nice to sit down with a mindless game that takes absolutely no thought what-so-ever to get through.

    But that's a problem. This is a Bioware game. It's set to a higher standard than other games, it's supposed to draw you     in with it's story and setting; the characters are supposed to be memorable, witty, devious, intelligent.

    But none of that really applies here. What we got was a game so vapid, so unintelligent, so... test grouped, that it's now not much more than a mindless Facebook game.

    Re-used maps everywhere. Lack of personality in it's setting and characters. Plenty of loot, but only one character to equip it on. (Oh that's nice, a 'mage only' item that has stats that my rogue will never be able to equip. Maybe I'll equip it on to one of my mages on my team, oh wait..) Poorly written characters that are voice acted quite well.

    And what happened to the Qunari? I mean, what? I honestly thought they were Darkspawn. Who even thought that was a good idea?

    I'm starting to go off the rails, the game itself is not worthy of calling itself a sequel. The people who spent the passed year or two working on this game should not be proud of their work. They were forced to make a game that they I'm sure knew would be a big disappointment for the people who actually enjoyed the first game.

    Sorry fellas, people aren't trolling, they're genuinely disappointed that you (Bioware) made a subpar game.

    Borrow this from your friends if you really really want to play it, please do not spend your (or your parents') hard earned money on this.    … Expand
  30. nothere413
    Mar 9, 2011
    4
    The game on the whole is not BAD. It's just amazingly sub par. The dialogue and voice acting are ok, but characters really don't have anything important to say. The combat is fine, but there's not much variation in movesets, so after awhile it feels like a chore. The art style is nice, but at least half of the textures are REALLY low-res. The main plot points aren't established well enough. Conflicts come and go at the drop of a hat, which made me feel generally uncaring as to the outcome. There's not enough substance, and the framed narrative aspect feels like a gimmick.

    There was a lot of reusing of dungeon models, too. Which made the entire game feel half-assed. Almost like Bioware got lazy and stopped caring if the game felt repetitive or not.

    The ending was the biggest kick to the face of them all, though.

    I really can't see myself buying any downloadable content for this game. I don't hate it... but it's certainly not Dragon Age: Origins in terms of quality and enjoyability.    … Expand
  31. GHawke
    Mar 9, 2011
    10
    This game is AMAZING! It has improved everything over the original. Graphics, combat, story telling, its all better. I don't know what the rest of these people are talking about.
  32. RPGLover
    Mar 9, 2011
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What is this? I loved your games over years Bioware! Even Mass Effect 2, but this is horrible.
    Dynasty Warriors with more talking? no thx alot. No npc reaction for stealing, fighting, etc.?
    Level Recycling incl. NPC (thx for the big **** BW!) on mass in this small world?    … Expand
  33. RainmakerNL
    Mar 9, 2011
    2
    What can i say? This game fails on every aspect you can imagine. From promised DX11 graphics we went to watered down character models and a bland city which is the main course of the game. This game suffers from acute and extreme consolitis. Bad graphics, way to simple gameplay (whack a mole) and the interface is completely tailored for consoles! Do NOT believe any "official" review sources, they get paid big money by EA to give it a 8 or 9!

    Steer clear of this product and vote with your wallet!    … Expand
  34. uk_john
    Mar 9, 2011
    3
    Not worthy of the time to even type this! But I am told by Metacritic that I have to have at least 150 characters so here you go: Not worthy of the time to type this!
  35. Ramaah
    Mar 9, 2011
    1
    One of the most overrated games ever, second to Treyarch's works. You say graphics are good? In my opinion old Dungeon Siege looks better and juicier. Game looks like poor MMORPG. Dialogues are flat, boring, predictable, and trying so hard to be epic, that are actually parody of RPG genre. The whole history of hero's family is like "The Bold and the Beautiful" or "Dallas" with dragons. The most funny thing is the masturbation mode for 12 y.o.: dragon-sized boobs everywhere. Hell yeah, I just drowned in epicness, singing the song of the old days. What is good? I really don't know, maybe music here and there? This game is not BAD, it deserves more than 2.9 (user score at the time I'm writing) - I'd say it's something between 5 and 6 (7 if you really love dragons). It still offers adventure and ugly creatures to kill and for sure it's better than Arcania.. But in order to balance these crazy optimistic rates I give it 1. Because I have enough of this stupid trend, that if BioWare did this, or Bethesda did this, or some part of the title says "Call of Duty", than we give 8 or 9 at the very beginning and then we play the game. No, folks, all the glitters is not gold! And Dragon Age 2 don't deserve to be called VERY good game (8/10), fantastic game (9/10) or masterpiece (10/10). This game has nothing more to offer, than dozens of similar RPG games. My score is my protest against such practice mentioned above. (Sorry for bad spelling).… Expand
  36. Hunter-Wolf
    Mar 9, 2011
    9
    After trying both DA:O and DA2 i can say for sure that DA2 improves a lot of things .. and while few changes might at first seem a downgrade .. they simply are for the better to the overall experience ... removal of ability to choose from three races is compensated by a framed narrative (along with time skips) and a more rewarding story with a protagonist that actually has a personality and a voice .. it is nothing as simple as SAVE THE WORLD FROM EVIL plot in DA:O .. sure DA:O has all those morally ambiguous tough decision to cover up for the cliche "save the world" story .. but those still exist in DA2 and even better since many of them take effect after time skips and you have to deal with the consequences of your choices sooner than you think .. add that to a story about the rise of the main character from a refugee to a hero and all the political struggles and friction between the different factions in the city and you have a very interesting story.

    As for the combat .. i don't understand how can someone in their right mind like the cumbersome laggy fest DA:O combat was .. having "dice based" combat mechanics in a real time game is an atrocity .. it isn't turn-based nor is it hex based RPG .. it is real time .. the combat system must be responsive and fluid not cluncky and laggy like in DA:O ... and DA2 did it just right .. you move and attack with the fluidity of an action game (and just like any RPG in real time MUST be like) and still have all the tactical depth and strategy of DA:O intact (pause and issue order, FF damage on any difficulty higher than normal, AI tactics assignment, cross-class combos .. etc etc etc) .. and all those who claim otherwise have no freaking idea what they are talking about.

    As for the Dialog and conversation wheel .. first i have to say i'm super glad the main character actually has a voice (because giving everyone and their grandmother a voice in DA:O except your own character was a bad joke) .. and the whole dialog wheel works just great and is slightly different from ME .. it rewards consistency and affects your tone and dialog even in conversations that doesn't involve much choice ... also the friend/foe system is quite nice and it rewards consistency as well .. just hoped there were bigger rewards than just a single passive skill .. but still quite a big improvement over DA:O.

    As for the items .. while it might seem like a step back that you can only fully equip Hawk .. it is actually a step forward .. now whenever you get a new item you won't spend 20 mins checking the inventories of your entire party to see if someone might benefit from it .. it is just cumbersome and annoying .. i'm not playing an RPG version of Sims .. i want to play the game itself not stare at menus for 20 and 30 mins arranging and managing a bazillion items for half a dozen characters .. blah .. you can still upgrade your characters gear and also quip them with accessories .. fair enough and makes the game far more accessible and playable.

    As for the grahpics .. yes .. it isn't top of the line indeed .. but for me a great art direction like in DA2 more than makes up for it ... i don't care if they don't use technology (X) or technology (Y) or if the shadows are or aren't dynamic .. only graphics junkies do care about this nonsense .. the art direction in DA2 triumphs the extremely generic fantasy art and soulless designs of DA:O and looks very close to the concept art.

    Finally i have to say DA2 is an excellent game that improved a ton of things from DA:O and is a move in the right direction .. the only thing it might be lacking in is content .. it should have been lenghtier than it is now .. but it is forgivven since you will replay it over and over again.

    a final note: to all the DA:O fanatics how keep making "zero" score reviews (probably using multiple accounts) .. you guys are a joke .. shame on you .. if anything you have shown how desperate you are .. really people .. get a life.    … Expand
  37. rzarbowski
    Mar 9, 2011
    10
    Bought the game yesterday at GameStop--wish I had known about the BioWare Signature Edition that everyone else was picking up. Started playing it at around 9:30 and the next thing I know it's 5am?!?!?!!! This game is AWESOME! Didn't play the first one, but hot damn this game rocks. Not sure what everyone is complaining about.
  38. aribter
    Mar 9, 2011
    10
    Improved upon in almost every way. More immersive, better storytelling mechanics (especially the fact that relationships develop over a series of years) and combat is just downright more fun. If you think the graphics are worse than the original, you are lying to yourself. The combat is strategic as ever, just FASTER AND MORE FUN. The abilities all actually DO something, unlike DA:O where you spent points on things you would never use. And if you really have a problem with the dialog wheel, go play D&D in your basement. Interactive cinema is what its all about.… Expand
  39. Someguy52
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Terrible graphics, terrible dialogue, forgettable music, bland characters, linear gameworld, uninteresting locations, terrible button-mashing gameplay. Overall: A very very bad game that you should avoid
  40. zwaps
    Mar 9, 2011
    1
    1. Rogue Archer is useless. The NPC dude is much better and it's almost impossible to run from mobs with two rogues and one mage. I had to cheese every single engagement. I hope you get a warrior if you keep playing because ****
    The worst thing: The difficulty on insane is not from tactical depth. All you need is luck and button-mashing (and running around in circles, if your party sucks).     At least I can spec the Dwarf to be melee if I want my character to be ranged. Oh wait I can't. That's right, **** your RPG-ism. You play like we want. 2. The gameplay has nothing to do with tactical RPG. Your only real option is when to press the ability buttons. Tactical placement of characters, stealth, backstab etc. doesn't mean **** All you need to do is press the button since _everything_ is an ability now. I don't even see what I could be doing differently. There are a few battles where you can chokepoint enemies in doorframes, otherwise there is little to do tactically. It feels like half of the elements of BG2 combat are missing. In BG2 I usually ended up planning hard engagements, leading different enemies into traps I set earlier, buying specific items and buffs just for that engagement. DA2 is so far away from that complexity. DA:O wasn't perfect, but it was at least a bit closer. Rogue used to be about using a few things like stealing, positioning and stealth. Now it's just like beeing a mage - a Rogue mage. Also, I hate the amount of enemies. The screen is littered with em and any amount of tacticality that remained is pretty much an efford in futility. Most mobs should have been about the size of your party, but with interesting foes. I don't even particulary analyze what enemies I am fighting, I am doing the same charade over and over again. Miles and miles away from previous RPGs. 3. You never get to plan ahead anyway, since ALL enemies just drop on you literally. This is the worst thing ever and I can't grasp how they thought this would be a good idea. It's almost like Mass Effect 2 now. "Oh look an empty room. Welp, ambush. How surprising" Preparation doesn't get you any further. I also haven't used any potions or buffs yet previous to engagements. Maybe it was too early in the game for that though. 4. Camera angle.. whatever. Isometric view wouldn't have salvaged the gameplay. 5. Everything feels so restricting. You have almost no choice in what your character does and how he looks etc. Inventory has become more or less obsolete. It doesn't even feel like an RPG in that sense. For some reason the character creation process and the initial RPG immersiveness has - for me- never felt so disappointing in any PC RPG. It feels like a movie. Everytime. Cutscene. Go somewhere, enemies appear out of thin air, second wave, cutscene. Repeat. Every.. single .. time. Immersion level is very low. If you care about those things. 6. Graphics are fine, voice acting is nice etc. 7. Art style is ****ed. The ****ing Dalish elves look like cartoon characters. This has bothered me the most. It's like an anime. I expect this will be even worse later on. Not that the gameworld is completely unattractive. It just feels like EVERY SINGLE THING they changed is worse than in DA:O. I HAVE to use that dwarf with the cyberpunk Machine gun in an high fantasy RPG? Yeah thanks, totally works for me. **** you. 8. You can interact even less with the gameworld. In the spirit of dumbing it down this is not too surprising. But there is so little loot, so little to pick up or see or get. You just don't get the feeling the enemies are actually carrying weapons or whatever. It feels like you get a generic reward, instead of actually "going through their stuff for useful ****". Feels wrong. 9. The interface is **** I don't even know why, but it annoys me hugely. Probably because back in the day the interface symbolized a backback or inventory or a spellbook or whatever. Now it's literally a list of computer buttons. Just like the loot is not actual loot, but a computer-given reward. Also feels wrong. With a decent story I could see myself buying this for 10â… Expand
  41. JaTochNietDan
    Mar 14, 2011
    7
    It wasn't as good as the original Dragon Age: Origins, it was very dumbed down fr the mainstream gaming crowd, it wasn't the hardcore RPG that Origins was. Although that's not to say that the game wasn't engaging and fun in its own way, there were plenty of fun moments and the combat was a little more fu-filling than the original game. Also, I didn't like the new way of handling dialog, I preferred when you actually selected the lines of dialog that your character would say, not when you are clearly choosing labled dialog which is either good, bad or just silly, according to the picture in the middle. It was more immersive and involving when you selected lines of text, without being told what they were going to do, as it was basically depending on you to decide what to say, rather than being able to see the likely outcome of what you were saying in the latest game.

    Either way I still enjoyed the game thoroughly, but do hope that they make some changes for us hardcore RPG fans, instead of making the game more casual.    … Expand
  42. Elvenhunter
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    just a terrible game! i totally agree with the people saying this takes out the "role-playing" out of the roleplaying game. hawke isnt even that cool and the story was flat out... well just that, FLAT. DA2 just destroyed what was to be a great franchise
  43. Jasko45
    Mar 9, 2011
    2
    a piece of chicken > dragon age 2
    (Preferably with sauce) Dragon Age: Origins is superior in ever possible way - Unfortunately I wasted my $65 crack money on this piece of garbage, and wasn't able to get a full refund - craigslist here I come.
  44. Maggeus
    Mar 9, 2011
    5
    I am extremely disappointed by Dragon Age 2 as a RPG game style, but if you can cast away the nostalgia of Baldur's gate, you'll find a good game nevertheless. Too bad this series have to continue like that, since the previous system was so much better... Why did they want to butcher the combat system like that ? They should have tried to improve it, not drastically change it ! On hard difficulty, it feels like a hack'n slash ! But sadly, this is how developers tend to do their games... And sadly, it works beautifully. I won't say this game is stupidly bad, it's not. It's a good game, but far from being a real sequel to one of the best RPG of these last years, The Witcher included. I guess we'll have to wait for The Witcher 2.… Expand
  45. x181
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Perfect for the knucklehead console gamer. Great for mashing buttons and smashing beer cans on your forehead. Console trash at its finest. Wait for the bargain bin or BUY THIS USED if you are thinking of purchasing this game.
  46. Chainer3000
    Mar 9, 2011
    1
    Game is insanely glitch for the PS3, with freezing occuring every 5-10 minutes. Have been unable to get past the customization screen - and that's if I get lucky and manage to get past the "new game" loading screen from the main menu.

    The PC version works fine and is fun, though dumbed down. If this game WORKED I am sure it would get at least a 7 out of 10 from me but the reality is I w    as shipped a bug-plauged signature edition that is poorly dev'd. A shame.… Expand
  47. snafeer
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    I cannot believe what Bioware did.. they $#!^ on the entire community. This game screams "WE WANT MONEY". This game had little to no effort put into it, it feels like you are playing the role of an inbred retard who needs your help. Yes, your help. You need to help him stop repeatedly punching himself in the face, because he is so damn stupid. The visuals are also terrible, the repeated textures and horrible emotions shown on the slapped on character faces remind me of 9/11. Bioware, you should feel ashamed, this is not a game, this is a joke.… Expand
  48. dirtyfinger
    Mar 18, 2011
    3
    Combat is ridiculous. Animation speed increased to the point that no strike animations are visible. Intended to speed up combat ... which it doesn't, since the increased speed is offset by higher monster hitpoints and swarms of enemies.also, combat has been "coolified", meaning that every standard attack is the 'Fallout 3' equivalent of 'Bloody Mess', meaning that a killing stab with a dagger causes humans to explode.


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


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


    No, this game is a complete fail in the categories Bioware tried to improve.    … Expand
  49. 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
  50. qwertxy
    Mar 9, 2011
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is just a disgrace to the name Dragon Age and even more so to the name Bioware. Just stay away from this misery, it represents everything that goes wrong right now in the gaming industry. Dont buy Dragon Age 2, thank you!… Expand
  51. Mehter
    Mar 9, 2011
    1
    The first one was a lot of fun. The second one is decent, but still pretty terrible. Changing the appearances of already established races is never a good thing, and giving said races different accents was just silly.
  52. homer73
    Mar 9, 2011
    2
    There are more than enough depressing things about the world - sociopathic societal elites; rampaging corporations; climate change; ignorance everywhere you look (to name but a few); did Bioware really need to add Dragon Age II to the list?

    DAII stinks. It didn't remotely live up to the billing and attention it received in the wake of its release announcement. I've thrown away several     perfectly good hours on this steaming turd and I will not waste a moment more. Sunk costs be damned.

    Don't waste your time or money. It's not an RPG it's a button masher. Total disappointment. I'm sure Bioware is thrilled to see that people who can spell dislike the game; that means their target audience for this turd, an audience that I suspect consists of your very average 12 year old, will probably like it. Doubt I'll be buying Mass Effect 3.    … Expand
  53. 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
  54. Mattaclysm
    Mar 10, 2011
    7
    Another sequel that didn't quite live up to the original. Dragon Age 2 doesn't really improve anything from the first as many have said but it's still pretty fun. I actually rented the first Dragon Age and I liked it so much that I had to go out and buy it just because I knew I could put hours end into it as I did had the same situation came out for Dragon Age 2 I probably would not have gone out and bought it. Combat I don't mind it is pretty much the same except instead of being lazy you now have to mash the attack and throw in a few skills. Graphics are pretty much the same nothing better or worse. Voice acting is just as well as every other bioware game. I would have liked to see the story told differently. I find the whole scenario of a whole other person telling the story of a hero a complete turn off. I was definitely disappointed by that because in this way the story is not told well in Dragon Age 2. The one positive thing I could put is the hero rising through the ranks from living as a peasant to becoming a noble I think that idea was a good base, unfortunately it was clouded by bad ideas. Only having one major city is a let down as well. The areas and dungeons are mostly recycled so it gets kind of bland after a while. The big question is does this game live up to Dragon Age 1? Not really, it doesn't. By itself it is still an enjoyable 7.… Expand
  55. pppotamo
    Mar 9, 2011
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Terrible decepción. Se ha consolidado el juego en PC. ¿Ha esto ha quedado reducido el legado de Baldur´s gate?
    Graficos desfasados, falta la visión cenital.
    Parche con texturas de casi 1GB tras su venta.    … Expand
  56. RPGFan2
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Bioware has created what could go down as the worst "RPG" ever made. Of course, I have to say RPG in quotations, because all RPG elements have been stripped. It is a "role playing" game I guess, but that role is a very strict one laid down by Bethesda. There are no choices to make now, as has become a Bethesda trademark, and very few dialogue trees. The dialogue now is just a linear rambling between two bored sounding cookie cutter people, and the instead of influencing the conversation, you are only allowed to select whether the character will do the conversation angry, soft, or sarcastic.

    Gone is any hint of stategy of depth to combat. The game is a click fest, a poor mans devil may cry, that requires no skill to beat on hard or lower difficulties. On nightmare, a mode they obviously ran out of time on balancing, is just frustratingly impossible, not because it provides a good challenge, but because instead of balancing it, they just added 10000hp to every enemy and said "done".


    The graphics represent and huge step back not only from Dragon Age origins, but for the whole generation. This looks like something you'd find on the Playstation 2. The game lacks any art direction, and any sense for colors other than brown.

    Dragon Age 2 is not only a huge step back for the series, but a huge step back for video games in general. The dumbing down of the series marks the biggest leap in what has become a trend in video game design. I can only hope that Bioware listens to the fans after this outing and, pun intended, return to their origins as RPG designers in their next outing.    … Expand
  57. rawros
    Mar 9, 2011
    4
    Exploration has been completely removed from the game. Quests are just a sequence of go here and talk/fight with these characters. Most zones are reused along the game so you feel like going through the same places again and again. Conversations and characters are fine, same for the story, not as epic as the first one though (which is not bad at all). There are just three classes, which looks poor, and not much abilities to choose. Game is too easy at least on normal, too much: normal difficulty shouldn't be easy, there's an easy difficulty for that. Play it at hard or you will be missing the little combat deepness the game has. There are a few interesting combats though, like the one with the Ancient Rock Wraith that involves original mechanics like taking cover. Music is good, voices could be better but are fine. Graphics a little poor, they look good but a little more detail on scenarios would be good, everything looks too clean and not lively. Controls are a little messy, like characters moving even having "on hold" active or having difficulties to click on certain camera angles to move the character. Enemies, equipment and abilities could be more original and varied.

    Overall it's worth to be played but no a game to be remembered. Or in other words it will be remembered because of the marketing invested in it, not because it's really a great game. If you are planning to buy it, better wait for it to lower its price. Not worth the full price.    … Expand
  58. Tamarzan
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    Very bad. Sony has terrible sauce with stuff that makes everybody sad, and they cry because they think it's supposed to be good. TL;DR: very very bad, do not
  59. Jay44225
    Mar 10, 2011
    2
    i liked the story of dragon age 1 despite the mediocre graphics. what i really dont liked, was the straight forward level design its the same with mass effect which is exactly taken just "dragon age in space"

    after playing da1 i really felt like it was roleplaying for dummies. roleplaying for me ist always something like oblivion (or baldurs gate) or fallout (every part of it) different p    aths a open world linked with decision making and character development with different impacts.

    but what are the changes in dragon age 2? they try to make it easier and more simple to meet the casual gamers wishes. are you serious? show me one person who quit dragon age, cause it was too hard and too confusing...

    i hope this works out for EA its good that nobody is forced to buy this game. life is too short for another "run of the mill hack and slay" game    … Expand
  60. Roycon
    Mar 10, 2011
    4
    Fans of RPGs will find this a huge disappointment. It's falsely-advertised and very dumbed down in order to appeal to a younger audience.

    There's little good to be said. And there's a lot of bad things to known. Sadly, truth hurts.

    The most noticeable change lies in combat. It's faster, grittier, more responsive and... not very tactical. I kept using the very same tactic throughout the g    ame the whole. 'Cause it was the fastest way to slay my foes. It involved having one melee unit (in this case a warrior specialized in two-handed combat) and 3 ranged units (one, preferably a healer). It's simple. I would let the A.I. control the warrior, he jumped into the fray and did whatever he wanted - Gathering the attention of my enemies. At the same time I would have all my 3 units selected at all times. And order to them to focus fire on the same target and when it dies, move onto the next target. Most often combat lasted less than a minute using this method - It was very dull.

    But what about the story? I can tell you it's great, though disappointing. It's a lot like the one in Mass Effect 2. Dragon Age 2 lacks a real [visible] plot. Instead you'll follow Hawke and company for years in the city of Kirkwall. While playing, it will feel like a giant side quest, that contains side quests. It's not too bad, as there's a lot of good moments in the game, some that comes completely unexpected, depending on your relationship to your companions. The ending is however very disappointing and makes the game seem like a pro-logue.

    The visuals are mostly dull. There's very little to be seen and the animation is stiff and awkward, which is strange seeing how we've had, and it still is, outstanding animation in games that was released in the early 2000s. And there's a total of 3-4 dungeons in the game that you will be visiting, over and over and over again (in side quests). AND THE BLOOD IS STILL AWKWARDLY APPLIED TO YOUR CHARACTERS FACES.

    To summarize the whole game. It traded in the strategic and tactical thinking that Dragon Age: Origins had for a hack'n KITE and some slash game. Story is hidden and it will feel like a side quest, but you'll go "ah" when it's all revealed and probably disappointed. The interactions between you and your companions are better than ever. But even that won't save the game from it's flaws.

    5/10. Bioware made the same mistakes in Mass Effect 2. Which you'd think they learned anything from. But it couldn't be further from truth. They are forsaking the RPG players tactical play, characters customization and much more in order to appeal to none-RPG players.    … Expand
  61. DA2sucks
    Mar 10, 2011
    3
    DA2 is misdirected.

    DA:Origin generates so much hype before it's release was due wholly to BioWare's legacy of the Baldur's Gate series. To dump this all down into a sanitized, mass effect like non-RPG is just doing a disservice to it's fanbase. I am the very few that hated the Mass Effect series. Hated the sanitized look and feel, hated the linear progression, hated the radial based conv    ersation option.

    Here it's just Mass Effect: Fantasy. Combat is unengaging, strategy is non existance, graphic is not as impressive as ME and for all it's marketing effort to label this as a RPG. It is not even close. It shouldn't even be categorized as an RPG. A more apt category is a fairly competent Diablo clone. A hack and slash.

    So if you love DA:Origin you would hate this. If you love Baldur's Gate, you will deplore this and banish it to the attic while you wait on Witcher 2. And never believe for a second that BIOWARE would come back to it's glory days of D&D type RPG or for all the hype they would generate for another so-so hack & slash.

    Seriously, what are all these critic's smoking?    … Expand
  62. aadms
    Mar 24, 2011
    4
    Is it a weak RPG game? Is it a weak action game? It's both!! Bioware took a great game like Dragon Age and made it into an average game with it's sequel. The lackluster artwork is a step back to two dimensional caricature, the combat is a button mashing experience for more than half the game until you level up, and frankly they're are much better action games out there without continously pushing one button (ACreed!), you can only talk to your compains when it's time to do their quests, and the disjointed stories that add up to nothing more than just a bunch of dlc wrap around in a forgettable flashback narrative. The game is full of bugs and the importing of your Origin game doesn't work, so I'm going to have to wait for months until Bioware patches this? I can't believe I got burned by pre-ording a Bioware game. This game has Highlander II all over it.… Expand
  63. Thederaci
    Mar 21, 2011
    0
    I've always thought of Bioware as a safe choice when buying a game. When EA took over I was worried that they were going to ruin another good game company, but surprisingly most of the games came out were good ol' Bioware (maybe abit rushed) with some useless DLC content that I did not care about. That was uintil I came across this joke of a game.
    First of all the world feels soulless and     small. Well actually, the world feels small because it is small. Quoting a critic "You cant have an epic story on your backyard". That pretty much sums it up.
    The game feels more like a grind than a RPG - You're basically running the same linear dungeons over and over again with enemies that have slightly different color and name. Even the bosses are recycled.
    Combat requires no strategy at all, you can basically buttons mash your way trough the game. Increasing difficulty just requires the player to have more potions and the patience to spam the buttons longer. Sure the people looking for a simple game might enjoy it more, but anyone actually looking for a challenge should not bother with this game.
    Something that Bioware has always gotten right is the story, but not this time. Most of the charaters feel hollow and boring, charater cameos from DA:O just makes you wish you were playing DA:O instead.
    The story itself is rather non thrilling and the side quests are very repeative.
    The graphics are outdated (PC) to say the least and there are some annoying gliches with some of the older graphic cards. If the game looks like it was made 10-years ago, it should atleast work with older hardware.
    I could go on pointing out flaws in this game, but I think i made my point - Dont bother paying 60 bucks for a crappy game. If you absolutely must play this game, then do yourself a favour and wait for the GOTY version with all the DLC content and bugfixes.
    When compairing to other games this game does not deserve a 0 though, but on a Bioware scale it absolutely does. It is definitely by far the worst game they have ever done.    … Expand
  64. Nishiki
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    My favorite RPG game now. Thanks Bio ware for best 40 hours of my gaming life! The best characters ever, the best gameplay and the best storyline. Dragon Age 2 > Mass Effect 2 and all rpg (gothic, oblivion etc)
  65. GodlikeSlayer
    Mar 9, 2011
    0
    This game was a poor attempt at an Rpg even for an action Rpg it's dated graphics and poor gameplay let this title down, when compared to the original dragon age origins it is indeed seen as being an inferior sequel.
  66. omgwot
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Its hard to make a game worse than this nowadays. Any decision-maker who played this and approved it for release has either the wrong job or was under heavy pressure, or maybe he had a moment of silly or was on drugs, or both. Maybe they just wanted to deliberately piss off their user-base and destroy their image, forever.
  67. Stark123321
    Mar 10, 2011
    10
    Nice game, i like everything in it: graphic is coll, fight is fast and bloody, story is epic, every characters has own point of wey, all in this game call player to stay with it!!!)
  68. Rizla
    Mar 18, 2011
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's sad that this game has turned out how it has. Where i would play DA:O hours on end cause it immersed me into a beautiful world with diversity and a compelling story, i have to take a break from DA II every half hour because of the fatigue the game gives me, it's the same thing over and over, covered in bland and repeating surroundings and a general 'meh' feeling toward anything character or story wise.

    I miss bird eye view alot when positioning party members, which is a shame since you haveto reposition alot due to enemies spawning out of nowhere. Simplified loot system is so uninteresting and easy to get around with that it's an annoyance to be bothering with.

    Managing companions has been reduced to giving them jewelry. I never liked Massive effect to start with and the introduction of that wheel selection thing is just horrid to me.

    In the end i felt like all options that would activate some braincells have been reduced to such simple tasks that i can't find it more challenging than setting one foot in front of another. It's so straightforward and linear :-S

    The character selection system is restrictive and doesn't offer in any way what DA:O did, not at all. I don't feel like i'm playing a unique character at all in this game.

    This game might of been received better if it hadn't been named the sequel to DA:O. But even if you take the first game out of the picture it still doesn't add up to a very good game in it's genre. I'd say i would rate it a 6 without ever playing DA:O. It's just not good. :(    … Expand
  69. cred1984x
    Mar 12, 2011
    8
    I will be the first to admit that when Dragon Age: Origins release, I lost friends.....and almost my wife. I cant put into words the love I had, and still have for that game. When I heard about Dragon Age 2, you can imagine my excitement. Now its been almost a week since its release, and while I do actually like this game a lot, I wish I felt about it the same way I did Origins. DA2 is not a bad game.....far from it. The game has been what Bioware would like to call: "Overhauled" The graphics do look a lot better, the combat has been re-worked, and conversations use the Mass Effect style wheel. The epicness seemed to have been lost in the fire, and while I like to new approach to combat....It feels a little too fast or arcadey for my taste. I would still recommend this game to any rpg fan, but as I a die hard Dragon Age fan, I would be lying if I said I wasnt let down only a little.… Expand
  70. sulsa11
    Mar 9, 2011
    9
    I am a die hard PS3'er and I enjoyed the first game except that the combat was cludgy and difficult to manage tactics between characters. This version, imho, has taken and rebuilt the combat issues into a manageable console experience that I find very immersible and fun. I loved ME2 and the feel of DA2 just elevates what they did right in ME2 to make this game find its place in my library. I tend to agree with Tesseract, this may not be what the PC gamers wanted, but it is exactly what I was looking for in an rpg. I am just disappointed in the tactics that EA uses to stop the resale and re-playability of games by issuing codes that have to be purchased to experience the full gaming experience. There are ways of trying to stop piracy without compromising our efforts to resale or loan titles to friends. EA you are stepping over the line.… Expand
  71. N19ofEld
    Mar 10, 2011
    10
    An excellent game. Very engrossing and time consuming. An improvement over the first in both graphics in combat. Fighting enemies is faster, and surprisingly more violent. Definitely worth the sticker price. I guess I can see why some would be upset at the changes but for this gamer they are a welcome improvement. Even the Facebook game you gain access to is fun.
  72. Zarafan
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    For me? i score it 9/10

    i must say that this game is one of those, that you must play based in what you see and NOT in what you read. i just toke a risk buying it, and im pretty happy i did. Certainly the dislikes from ppl came because of the change on the direction on history line and some gameplay changes. i have 7 Hours Playing already, and as RPG fan, this change was quite enjoyable.     i was waiting for a little more of graphical improvement, but the changes are OK to me.

    IS NOT A BAD GAME, but they changed the direction about to DAO. They did Add a little more action to it. They did it more like Mass Effect Style, and that its what some DAO´s fan dont accept. i Love DAO and ME as well, so this DA2 is great for me.

    Could be Better? of Course, we can allways Want more from Bioware, this time we was waiting for a lot more. and i think that is the real problem.    … Expand
  73. NeeKo550
    Mar 12, 2011
    8
    Dragon Age 2 in my opinion is a much better game than DA:Origins. I never finished Origins because of the horrible combat system. And i'm plenty pleased about the armor situation. How many hours do u want to spend fiddling with your companions outfits! Jeeze! The bad reviews say much more about the reviewer than the game. Get a life! Get outside your parents basement and get some fresh air. Might clear up your clouded heads. While not a great game, its definitely bettter than the first.… Expand
  74. Rooksarii
    Mar 16, 2011
    7
    DA:2 is a fun game. It has some good parts, some bad parts, and some buggy parts -- like any other game-- but overall, a decent enough title. The problem I and many of the other reviewers of this game have is that it does not feel like it was a sequel, but more of an offshoot game. More action, less RPG and story, to be honest. "Dragon Age: Champion's Quest" instead of "Dragon Age 2". It could be saved with much more substantial DLC (nudge nudge, free "we are sorry" DLC couldn't hurt) or expansions, but they will need to regain a lot of ground with their core audience, this reviewer included, in order to do so in my book.… Expand
  75. Tyrant_T100
    Mar 10, 2011
    2
    While Dragon Age Origins was fun if not short of it's goals.
    Dragon Age 2 takes a step back to become inferior in nearly every way, even visually despite it coming out a year later.

    I would very rarely give a game a score as low as this but DA:2 Deserves it, it would have scored higher if DA:O didn't exist but considering this is a sequel it has no excuse why it should fail at things the     previous game accomplished.… Expand
  76. SKYRIM101
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    Dragon Age 2...feels like its a prologue and an epic won at that...after the ending i kind of got the feeling that there is something epic coming to the dragon age world...something that would make an RPG game that would set the standards for years to come..and this is coming from a adamant bethesda fan...if bioware make a Dragon Age 3 its going to be the game of the century based on the fact that bioware in the last two games have been subtly building up to something...in fact dragon age 2 feels more like a dragon age 1.5 in story terms. i wont spoil the ending for you, and although your kind of suprised by it, it will leave a impression and get you wanting more.… Expand
  77. Puma_Mexa
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Previous game was miles better. This one is just average at best, definitely not worthy of a good score. But I can see EA payed every relevant reviewer to have a descent score on Metacritic, though If you see the user scores It clearly shows the discontent of gamers about DA2, too much hype and all we got was a game where the only descent point is the combat mechanics (just at hard). Even the graphics are really bad. I have a high end PC were I can run Crysis at max at 60fps, but DA2 consumes a ridiculous amount of resources even on medium settings, and it's not like it has state of the art visuals or employs real time physics in every interaction either. I was going to give it a 5 but now. Bioware, banning a gamer and not letting him play the game just because he talked bad about your overlord, EA? That's low, and not just Activision low. See if I ever buy another game from you.… Expand
  78. psychobudgie
    Mar 11, 2011
    8
    The game is far better than a lot of commenters are implying, however the game is ruined somewhat by some bugs that seem to have made it into the final release. Some bugs that bear a remarkable resemblance to bugs in the PS3 version of ME2. It would appear that Bioware are now dependant on their users to beta test their games. The freezing bug in-particular is an astounding oversight on their part. The game itself is essentially Dragon Age with a dumbed down inventory system and unnecessary change to combat mechanics to appease console users. Still, the story is good, gameplay is good and graphics are a significant upgrade from the original. If they can sort the bugs quickly it would certainly help the reviews.… Expand
  79. hafini
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    there is nothing much to say about this game because EA has corrupted its from the inside. The first game is a success but the second game is only a money machine for EA's devils
  80. BioWareEmployee
    Mar 11, 2011
    10
    BioWare has done it again with their most fantastic title to date! Everything from the character interaction to the graphics have been fleshed out making Dragon Age IIâ
  81. assmaster69
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    I wrote a detailed review about all the things wrong with the game earlier, and gave it a score of three. This is a revision to balance out the bioware employees and shills giving it 10s.
  82. steveANARCHY
    Mar 16, 2011
    9
    this game has it's good and bad. 1st the bad, i don't like that i have to have anders in every party. he's designed to be the healer, unless your MC, is a mage then you can make him the healer. that's really weak, i don't want to be a healer i wanna destroy the enemy as a mage. not all mages can learn the same abilities, weak. aveline is designed to be the tank, well i don't like her character she's what sten was in the DA:O, never used. i don't like the fact that when i'm at the estate, which is like party camp in DA:O, i don't have access to all of my party members. IMHO it feels like enemies don't drop enough coin. have you seen the prices of some of the gear? ridiculous! oh and the same map for every dungeon, warehouse, and mansion come on really?! now for the good, i really like the covo wheel. the party members have some really interesting things to say while running around. the story i think is great. combat system is awesome and yes i button mash until i have to micromanage, hate if you want. the graphics are better. i like that i don't have to micromanage everyones armor just their weapons unless it's bianca, dirty minx. i haven't beat the game yet and i have over 45 hrs. in the game. i've only heard that the cap level is 50, i haven't confirmed it though. DA:O cap was 20 something w/o the DLC, that's lame. don't listen to all the critics and user reviews. instead read them and decide if it's for you or not. you're the only person who can say, for you, that this or any other game is fun, great or horrible. i am enjoying it.… Expand
  83. bsNYC
    Mar 16, 2011
    10
    As with all things, my expectations shape my over-all view of the product's quality. Judged on its own, Dragon Age 2 is a fantastic game. I found the game-play to be extremely enjoyable insofar as I was able to strategically plan out my attack and then get in on the action by taking direct control of a character. Funneling enemies into a trap or a crossfire never gets old and the combo-attacks are very satisfying. This is the foundation for what could be the best form of RPG combat--at least for my tastes. The graphics are bit lackluster compared to such games as Mass Effect and Uncharted but do not prohibit the player from being immersed in the game. The voice-acting is top notch and the story-telling is superb. The fact that I enjoyed the story so much is a testament to the direction, script, and acting since the plot was lackluster--oscillating between vapid and banal with only a few exciting points (though those points are really exciting). Then why not give the game a 9? Unfortunately, the more defined my expectations, the harder it is to be accepting when those expectations are not met. I loved DAO so much and have never been so immersed in a videogame's story before. Accordingly, I had some expectations about the trajectory of the sequel, including expectations for answers to questions, filled-in plot-holes, and further developed story-lines. None of these were addressed in DA 2 and what made it worse for me was that DA2 has certain parts, which unfortunately turned out to be minor,that ostensibly could have been tied to those plot-lines (an example of a missed opportunity that quickly springs to mind are the lyrium relics in the deep roads somehow connected to the Architect from Awakenings). Am I disappointed? Depends on my perspective. I liken my experience with DA2 to a date with a girl who you've placed on a pedestal but ended up just being friends with. Lovely woman who is a great friend but turned out to be nothing like you expected, romantically. If anything less than the girl of your dreams is a disappointment then I'd be disappointed. If I appreciate gaining a wonderful friend, then DA2 is by no means a regrettable experience (not to mention a lesson about tempering my own expectations) and was worth the $60. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys good storytelling but caution fans of DAO to view this game not as a sequel but as a game simply within the DA universe.… Expand
  84. Loonknight
    Mar 22, 2011
    4
    I found this game a complete disappointment. The voice acting is abysmal, and gameplay left me wondering what happened to the original game that I loved. I've had to restart the game using each class just to be sure that I was not missing something, regrettably I was not. I wouldn't advise picking up this title for less than $25.00 and only if you are a fan of the series.
  85. 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
  86. 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
  87. tnometac
    Mar 10, 2011
    10
    I think it's a great improvement over the first one! I don't understand what everyone else is b*tching about. The combat system is noticeably improved, and I like it. I love the new graphics as well.
  88. teras
    Mar 10, 2011
    10
    Dragon Age Origins was a good game. It had an interesting story, interesting characters and quests and good tactics combat. However it suffered from ugly outdated visuals, lack of proper controls for the ps3 (controlling a character with the stick felt very loose and the characters themselves felt weightless), no sense of immediacy (you sent someone to do an action, you didn't do the action with the press of a button) and ..tactics combat. I didn't like the strategic tactics combat of the first, it never drew me in and although I have put more than 70 hours in that game it felt like a choir and I only did it for the story. It also suffered from a lot of micromanagement and combined with a bad font type that was just too small for a 40 inch LCD it resulted in sore eyes. In this respect Dragon Age 2 is a major improvement to say the least. This time the game looks good, in fact at times it looks great, the character models are good and detailed, the background is nice, the buildings and castle walls look great. The controls are tight this time, the characters have some weight and although they move fast and swing great swords with much ease, the feel is right. The combat is a lot more action oriented with the immediacy that I mentioned earlier. You hit X and the character lands a blow. This way the combat is a lot more satisfying although tactics fans will disagree. The excessive micromanagement is gone, and the menus are well designed. Overall the game is more streamlined and console friendly but that's not a negative thing for ps3 owners. Also gone are the endless lines of petty dialogue that led nowhere. The conversations now are more to the point and this time thanks to the mass effect wheel it's easy to understand the motions that hide beneath the phrases so you know what to choose.

    So, to sum things up I would say that DA2 is a more streamlined action RPG game than it's predecessor but without sacrificing depth for looks. The tactics game is still in there for those that prefer it but now it appeals to the action gamer as well. Unless you are a die hard old school RPG player that refuses to accept its changes, you will probably like this game.    … Expand
  89. ZieGentleman
    Mar 11, 2011
    4
    So terribly dissapointed. Don't we have enough watered down mainstream games out there? That might even have been okay if this game was a good mainstream game. But its not. It tries to be a hybrid between an action game like God of war and a classical rpg, and it ends up failing at both. The story is also the worst I have seen from Bioware. The story never picks up a main goal and all you do ALL game is run around in one city and do quests that all feel like side missions. Suddenly the game ends with a bam and a cliffhanger... Not only that but they reuse every dungeon like 15 times, and there are only like 6-7 small dungeons. Any real rpg elements are taken out, you never even get the opportunity to talk your way out of a fight everyone just charge you. If I want an action rpg I will rather play diablo or titan quest.... this is a bad action rpg and it shames the dragon age franchise. I might be a little harsh, its an okay game, but nothing more... don't expect anything.… Expand
  90. Klim
    Mar 10, 2011
    1
    Really, bioware? Really? This is a disaster, and such a step back for Dragon Age (and RPG's in general).
    The game is still buggy, and graphics are just lazy (don't know how they look on high resolution pack, hope the people who have two polygons on their faces now have at least 4), I'd like to review music, but there is NONE. At battle is rarely noticeable, but if not in battle all you hav    e is silence.
    Bioware stated that FF 13 was not really a RPG, because you can't really feel like the character, or make any important choices (which I agree with, don't get me wrong.)... and what happens with Dragon Age 2?
    You have already a character chosen for you, the only option you get is how he looks and what is his/her gender. While in first game you could choose between races, multiple backgrounds, and really feel like it's a character YOU created. Now we just get someone we don't know, we're supposed to care about him and his lost home and family, even though we didn't get to know them more for a minute.
    And the whole dialogue dumbed down to basically 3 choices? How is that an improvement? Not like the choice really matters story-wise anyway, so what bioware just accused of in another game, is doing itself to Dragon Age. What a shame.
    Dumbed down RPG with one-day DLC's and consolized game-play.
    Sorry, but I have to say no to that.    … Expand
  91. Evil_Jeff
    Mar 10, 2011
    10
    So, Dragon Age 2. This is an amazing game which involves a great story, interesting characters and fantastic action. Great job Bioware! I can not wait, Mass Effect 3!
  92. Mickdaggerman
    Mar 10, 2011
    2
    I liked everything about Dragon Age: origins except playing it. The gameplay was awful. Imagine my suprise when not only is the gamepla in DA2 worse; everything else is too.
    In what was apparently a desperate attempt to recreate the qualoty of Mass Effect 2, Bioware have tripped over their own feet and have poisoned what might have been a good game with lacking gameplay and atrocious writ    ing.
    I am suprised I expected anything else.    … Expand
  93. omega_relay
    Mar 10, 2011
    2
    Playing this game after playing DA:O was the most disappointing moment in my gaming life. Never have I seen such a steep decline in every possible aspect of the game. The visuals look like a launch title, the voice acting sounds like they were in a warehouse, and the animations are generic. I could look past all of these things if the gameplay was exceptional, but it is most certainly not. "Press X to win!" is NOT an entertaining gameplay method. 90% of the quests are "collect A,B,and C to get 10 gold!", almost every map is a linear corridor, and there are just a few locations that are recycled over and over. Launch DLC is like a kick in the balls after being punched in the face. If you happen to read this, save your money and DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. It's as if Bioware got half way through it and just quit. I don't know how they spent their development budget, but it wasn't on this. If it had come out by some no-name studio, it would be getting reviews of 4-6 at best. I will never trust a "professional" game reviewer ever again after this debacle. I want my money back.… Expand
  94. WINNING
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    Gameplay is fluid, fun and easy to learn. There's enough variation too keep you intrigued. Some stuff could get stale, and the story starts off somewhat annoying which is why a 9/10 and not 10/10. After playing DA:O on the PC and enjoying it I'm glad I still picked up for ps3, it is just as fun of an experience but this time I don't have to dish out $400 to upgrade my PC in order to run it on max. Don't listen to the people giving it 1/10, they're just pcfanboy trolls who are upset that Bioware understands the importance of a large market.… Expand
  95. Naka
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    I'm a big fan of the original DA and really got into the lore. Unfortunately that doesn't help me trying to like this sorry mess for sequel. The combat is extremely simplified (and meaningless), the story is told in a most unexciting way and the game just feel like a downgrade compared to the predecessor. Usually i believe "less is more", but not to the point when its so simplified it becomes braindead.â… Expand
  96. pantherfan4389
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    Everyone needs to stop be whiny little babies about the changes. I played Origins four times through and I loved that game. I did the side quests, got into the story, and enjoyed the battle system. With that being said, I just finished Dragon Age II and I can tell that it's just as good as the original. People are picking up the game for the first time and coming on here and complaining about it because it's not the game that they fell in love with in the first place.

    I finished the second game and it has so many of the same things as Origins that you people haven't even realized yet. The story seems a lot less epic, but it really isn't. Once you start getting into the story points, it really brings you in. The combat is faster and doesn't seem like a game out of the '90s like Origins. Choices are still there, so I don't understand that complaint at all. I actually feel like choices are a bigger part of the story than they were in the first game.

    I'm not trying to insult people, but the majority of these reviews came in the day the game came out. Get over yourselves and actually play the game and give it a chance before you run to the internet to complain about it. After beating this game, I can say with certainty that I like it just as much as the original. Sure, some things could have been fixed. I don't need to see what emotion each conversation choice is conveying. I like to be able to figure those things out myself, but all in all the game is an improvement in many areas.    … Expand
  97. egiptologo
    Mar 11, 2011
    3
    The first game was a true work of art. But ... this game is a real **** I could not play more than 2 hours, is the worst game I've played a long time.
  98. monkeyboyme
    Mar 11, 2011
    9
    Improved on Origins in almost every way... not sure why some people don't like it but IMO it was awesome.
    I can't wait for some more DLC to come out.
    Very Satisfied!!!
  99. Anubisan
    Mar 11, 2011
    8
    I loved the original game and I have thoroughly enjoyed this one as well. That being said, I think DA2 falls short in a lot of ways. Many of the RPG aspects I enjoyed about the first game have been inexplicably dumbed down for seemingly no reason. The storyline is also not nearly as epic or involving. Still, the game is very fun and I have had a blast playing it. I would have given the first game a 10, but this one I will only give an 8.

    My main purpose for creating a metacritic account and writing a review of this game is to offset the horde of obvious Bioware-haters who are obviously trying to trash this game. No fair and un-biased review of this game would give it a rating of 0-4, yet the majority of reviewers here have done so? And nearly all of those are brand new accounts. Something is fishy...    … Expand
  100. johann1978
    Mar 11, 2011
    9
    If you play more than 6-8 hours it is good, if you play more than 12-15 hours it is really good, and if you play 35-40 hours are you finished :( Its a nice game, down play the demo and say it sucks ore play 2 hours and say it sucks...after a while it gets really exciting and tactical more than DA:O.
    PS: I not kidding you i have played each RPG the last 20 years, Dragon age 2 is good!
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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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