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Generally favorable reviews - based on 75 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 2156 Ratings

  • Summary: EA announced that a new installment in the Dragon Age series will arrive in the first quarter of 2011.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 75
  2. Negative: 1 out of 75
  1. Mar 7, 2011
    100
    The advancements in RPG mechanics would be enough to set it apart, but the real achievement of Dragon Age II is in the story-telling. I could point out the improved combat and graphics till there's blood covering my face, but BioWare is one of the few companies that uses the advanced computing power available to modern game designers to let you actually play a role.
  2. Mar 11, 2011
    86
    Gripping, complex, and delightful, role-playing games are rarely this good.
  3. 74
    I can honestly say I had hoped for more from Dragon Age II. Considering Bioware have a history of nailing their sequels, I can't help but feel this was handed off to their reserves developers as the big guns work on Mass Effect 3.
  4. Mar 22, 2011
    25
    Defying all expectations, BioWare managed to take one of the most memorable Western RPGs in recent history and completely destroyed everything that made it so good.

See all 75 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. After hearing opinions and reading reviews, I'm convinced most people who despise this game do it for one reason only it is not Dragon Age: Origins. They try to justify their hatred for the game by blowing minimal flaws out of proportion. Here is my opinion.

    Dragon Age 2 has amazing combat. It is all subjective, and many would prefer the MMO-reminiscent auto attacking and occasional move selecting layout, but I highly prefer this more engaging, action-RPG "button mashing" style. The attribute trees have been cleaned up, the 3 classes now all have defined options and roles.

    The characters in this game are not shallow. I do get tired of listening to them all whine about their pasts and their personalities, but just because they are annoying does not mean they are weak. Most notably, Anders and Isabela have extreme character development depending on how your relationship with them is.

    And, yes, just to get it out of the way, the game has flaws. They overuse dungeons like there is no tomorrow, the NPCs eyes are unreasonably bright, the overall graphics are lackluster (but highly improved from Origins,) everyone has the same outfits and looks the same, the story is arguably weaker (depending on your tastes, I thought it was weaker,) and of course we were all led to believe Flemeth would play an important role in the beginning but she never showed up after the first act.

    The flaws are existent, but they are not deal breakers and they are not the meat-and-bones of the game. The combat is strong, the story is solid and the characters aren't a bunch of walking cliches. This is a GOOD game, it's just not Origins.
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  2. It is not fair to give this game a 0-4 score for not being as great as the first Dragon Age game. The game is still good, even if it does not match its predecessor. The graphics are an improvement from the first one. Even though I did have quite a few instances with texture pop in and during cutscenes characters would shake around occasionally, it didn't hamper my enjoyment. The dialogue is excellent, and the characters are memorable themselves. The story, well if you can call it that, is mediocre. Throughout the entire game I kept thinking that the game was just a bunch of sidequests piled together, but I see the game has rather three stories which are divided into three acts. The quest are fun and interesting, but do not really correlate to create an actually "story." The combat is a lot of fun on the consoles. Being faster paced and more involved than the first, which I could see others not liking, improved the experience. All in all, Dragon Age 2 is a very good game, with interesting characters and dialogue, improved graphics, and a more engaging combat system. It is certainly not without flaws due to a few glitches and the lack of a developed story, but Dragon Age II is still a fun game that you should definitely pick up. Expand
  3. This game will get a 5 or a mixed review from me. The game was such a mix of good and bad. On the one hand, the characters were awesome,( perhaps a little too exaggerated at times) the quests were fun and actually had a story behind some of them, the combat was greatly improved from the first game, and Bioware did something different, not the standard four to five main missions before confronting th final boss. The bad side is something that could have been fixed if the 'EA Overlords' allowed this game to become more than a cash grab: development for a couple extra months. Seriously, how hard is it to release a *finished* game? The game itself is so buggy, the last quarter of the game convinced me it was rushed out the door, no polish or final testing. I pre-ordered the Signature Edition, and enthusiastically looked forward to a game from the best developer of rpg's out there. They did put out a great story,but they also put out a mess of a game. As a college student/casual gamer, this game convinced me to put down the video games for awhile. I have sadly never been more convinced what a waste of time video games can be. Expand
  4. Even without comparing it to the previous title, it's not a good game. But taking into account it being a sequel, 2 is a generous rating. Really.

    Let us begin with story. Entirely forgettable, detached from the former title, it didn't keep me playing at all. The certain... decision in its presentation actually detracts much from the experience than adds anything. Characters were bland and forgettable to the point I only remember one of them. My own "avatar" behaved stupidly, mostly because of bad representation of dialogue options that always seemed to mean the opposite from what I've planned.

    The graphics were good. But! Level design... Ugh. Reusing the same and same and same dungeons over and over is a crime in AAA title. That alone is simply insulting. Not that there were any breathtaking sceneries out there, mind you - the locations are horribly limited. And I mean - horribly. Another stupid decision was to remove the option of giving your companions armors. No, they are instead limited to QUEST UPGRADABLE ones! So no giving them latest loot - that would brake IMMERSION. The fool who thought of this idea should be fired on the spot. Immediately.

    Combat. While having nice moves, combat is surprisingly dull. Really. Enemies appear out of nowhere, you usually get waves of them. Tactics are nonexistent, magic is weak, skills are boring, the only battles that require you to actually think are the bosses - but this doesn't save the game much. Whenever a combat occured, I thought: oh, another Generic Combat Filler.

    I would consider this game a refund fodder. It feels rushed, looks rushed and is rushed. If this is the direction future RPGs will go, I am out of this train.
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See all 900 User Reviews

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