Dragon Age II

 PC
User Score
4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 5032 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,390 out of 5032
  2. Mixed: 1,185 out of 5032
  3. Negative: 2,457 out of 5032
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  1. Plautus
    Mar 12, 2011
    6
    Going into this game, I had extremely high hopes, most of which were smashed against the cliffs of mediocrity. Dragon Age II is nothing more than a half-hearted attempt to cash in on the incredible success that was Dragon Age: Origins. That said, the game has both positive and negative features that one must take into account.

    First the negative: Dragon Age II takes place mostly in a    Going into this game, I had extremely high hopes, most of which were smashed against the cliffs of mediocrity. Dragon Age II is nothing more than a half-hearted attempt to cash in on the incredible success that was Dragon Age: Origins. That said, the game has both positive and negative features that one must take into account.

    First the negative: Dragon Age II takes place mostly in a single environment, the city of Kirkwall. Kirkwall is neither attractive nor welcoming in ways Bioware both wanted (art style, ambiance) and ways they most probably did not want (repetitiveness). The set pieces in this game repeat themselves at an unacceptable rate. The combat is more tuned to consoles than to PC gaming, and as a PC gamer, I found this entry in the Dragon Age saga rather boring in terms of combat. While there is blood and gore, it is at a ludicrous level, obviously meant to appeal to the ultra-violence/God of War crowd. What makes combat worse is the fact that enemies spawn in waves, often in absurd quantities, and the player will often have to engage in combat for no reason at all, as mindless thugs will spawn in the streets frequently. If you are a fan of Mass Effect, Dragon Age: Origins, or Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, you will be horribly disappointed by the game's background, writing, and pace as well. Dragon Age II is repetitive in the nature of its quests. There is little gray area to be seen in this game, and such themes as slavery, and "blood magic" (slitting one's wrists to conjure evil spirits or kill people) obviously denote evil, and place a decidedly moralistic overtone on the game. There is also nowhere near enough loot and new equipment to keep the scavenging aspect all-too-crucial to a role playing game interesting. Finally, the whole game is told retrospectively through the narrative of a secondary character, and the plot ends with a massive, pointless cliffhanger. Rather than write a good game with a sense of closure at the end (e.g. DA:O or KOTOR), Bioware has chosen to go the "Halo 2 route" and try to keep us guessing. If only I cared. Now for the good. The combat in this game is, I suppose, rather entertaining for Console players. Despite their repetitiveness, the set pieces are quite pretty. Also, the protagonist, Hawke, actually has a voice, and his dialogue works much like that of Commander Shepard in Mass Effect. Indeed, the lending of a voice to the protagonist actually strengthens this game's otherwise mainly weak narrative. Hawke is a very human character, who is well-acted and who responds believable to situations both grave and light well. On the topic of response, the lip-synch and character design in this game are also fantastic. Each of the game's secondary characters has a unique design, makes them the only visually appealing part of the game. If you wish to know, the secondary characters all have well-written back stories as well, which are actually more interesting than the game's main plot. Other than that, the game is fairly lengthy (my play through lasted about 24 hours) and technically reasonable, meaning that it doesn't crash and lag as much as a game like Fallout: New Vegas.

    In conclusion, Dragon Age II is a decent game. In my opinion, it is nowhere near as bad as other reviewers say it is. Perhaps, they are overreacting because they expected a game closer to the original. Honestly, I was as well. That said, I was able to enjoy this game by putting it aside from Bioware's other work. Such a title is far below their standards; however, it is still a serviceable game and a fairly good adventure yarn. My suggestion is don't bother with the PC version: wait a few months and buy it half-price or rent it for a console. Despite Dragon Age II's myriad flaws, it is still a serviceable game, just not one that is worth sixty dollars.    … Expand
  2. nIMrOD888
    Mar 13, 2011
    6
    An unworthy sequel to a great game. Dragon Age 2 falls short in every single way except the story, that being the story is vastly unrelated to the first game and waits for proper tie in with the expected next sequel. If you were expecting a new game with new innovations then you will be sadly mistaken. If you want closure to stories pertaining to those of Dragon Age Origins/ Awakening thenAn unworthy sequel to a great game. Dragon Age 2 falls short in every single way except the story, that being the story is vastly unrelated to the first game and waits for proper tie in with the expected next sequel. If you were expecting a new game with new innovations then you will be sadly mistaken. If you want closure to stories pertaining to those of Dragon Age Origins/ Awakening then you this will only cause more questions than before. My advice for any dragon age fan is to wait for the next one and then play this, this barely has any purpose as of right now.… Expand
  3. c0mputerus3r
    Aug 26, 2011
    3
    This game probably would have been better if they would have named it Hack and Slash 2. Because if you were expecting any of the greatness of Origins in this game, then dissapointment is all you'll find.
    It really is a comletely different game that happens to have a dragon age theme. This is not an rpg, but an action game. one of the worst aspects is the dialogue which is as unrealistic    This game probably would have been better if they would have named it Hack and Slash 2. Because if you were expecting any of the greatness of Origins in this game, then dissapointment is all you'll find.
    It really is a comletely different game that happens to have a dragon age theme. This is not an rpg, but an action game. one of the worst aspects is the dialogue which is as unrealistic and incoherent as it can be. That's tragic given that what made Origins a masterpiece is the fact the conversations/dialogue brought the characters to life. You could actually connnect to the characters as if they were real people. you could role play. I found myself hating my own character is dragon age 2. not to mention that what you pick on the screen and what your character actually says are two different things. also the fact that your main character speaks for himself doesn't allow you to role play. If you really want a role playing experience get Dragon Age Origins instead. The ultimate edition is 29 dollars on Steam and the game is far better than Dragon Age 2. Orgins is 100 times better for half the price.    … Expand
  4. Ramanujan
    Mar 12, 2011
    5
    A veritable tour de force of mediocrity, corner cutting and action gaming. I struggled to find any semblance of a RPG here. This is BioWare's hero, not mine. I felt as if they were playing the game for me for long periods. Good job too in some respects otherwise I would never have finished it and got at least some value for money. If this game wasn't rushed to hell then Bioware/EA need toA veritable tour de force of mediocrity, corner cutting and action gaming. I struggled to find any semblance of a RPG here. This is BioWare's hero, not mine. I felt as if they were playing the game for me for long periods. Good job too in some respects otherwise I would never have finished it and got at least some value for money. If this game wasn't rushed to hell then Bioware/EA need to start firing people - starting yesterday. Combat bereft of tactics, cave deja vu, camera angles, boring quests - I won't go on repeating what others have said. There were some good moments and this is not a 0/10 game, but neither is it a 10/10. It's definitely not worth paying full price for it - maybe when it's half price you will feel that spending your money was not in vain. My main motivation for signing up and writing this was after reading the Escapists review for this game which is absolutely shameful. Either the reviewer has an IQ slightly above Isabella's chest measurement or it's the other, obvious, less savoury possibility.… Expand
  5. gysa
    Mar 28, 2011
    5
    Quite a disappointment. Stagnant environments are but a tiny issue. While the combat has a decent flow to it, the exploding bodies cheapen the feel of combat after a time. Skill trees and leveling are well done and I didn't mind the unchangeable companion armor as much as I thought I would. The millions of generic rings and self labeled "junk" drops wear on the nerves.Quite a disappointment. Stagnant environments are but a tiny issue. While the combat has a decent flow to it, the exploding bodies cheapen the feel of combat after a time. Skill trees and leveling are well done and I didn't mind the unchangeable companion armor as much as I thought I would. The millions of generic rings and self labeled "junk" drops wear on the nerves. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    As far as story goes, Acts 1 and 2 were good enough and pretty enjoyable. When it came to Act 3 (the final), however, the fact that the player's choice is an illusion is made all too clear as one is railroaded down an unchanging series of events. This wouldn't be too bad save for the fact that it almost seems that Act 3 is unfinished, and that the two 'endings' are actually just one ending, stretched to fit two different alignment choices at the end. Because of this, one ending seems blatantly preferable to the other as it's the only one that makes sense. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    PROS
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    * Combat (Characters felt powerful)
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    * Voice Acting (Though voiced protagonist likely limited the storyline)
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    * Act 1, Act 2 are fun enough, if not fleshed out enough to shine
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    * Companions interact with each other in cut scenes and through banter
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    * The story telling method: a reflective narrative that adapts to the player's decisions (however minor they are)
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    /////CONS/////
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    * Character felt less like a 'champion' and more like a footnote in history
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    * Act 3 and its terribly assembled plot/ No satisfying ending
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    * Recycled environments (you will memorize loot spots, etc.)
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    * The game actually feels rushed, spotty, and hollow at points - I don't think anyone would say that this game would not have benefited from more development time. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    * Ridiculous Boss HP - makes some fights more grind than challenge
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    * Economy and crafting are limited and limiting
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    * No background humor, the world and lore are lacking personality (Just copy/pasted from Origins where it isn't bland)
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    * Quests are extremely repetitive
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    * Loot is overly simplistic and "Junk" is a terrible, terrible concept
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    Overall, this game isn't the worst thing in the world, but it falls short in many places. I hope the inevitable sequel can benefit by avoiding the mistakes of Dragon Age II.    … Expand
  6. somathegreat
    Mar 17, 2011
    5
    At first the game is enjoyable, but that turns sour once you complete your 20th or so fetch quest. The game hooks you in and grabs your attention, then your realize you have been in the same damn city/dungeon that you were in for the last five hours. Never have I felt claustrophobic in a video game. This game was rushed and it shows; big-time. In Dragon Age Origins, I felt captivated byAt first the game is enjoyable, but that turns sour once you complete your 20th or so fetch quest. The game hooks you in and grabs your attention, then your realize you have been in the same damn city/dungeon that you were in for the last five hours. Never have I felt claustrophobic in a video game. This game was rushed and it shows; big-time. In Dragon Age Origins, I felt captivated by the unique cities and landscape. In DA2 you feel trapped in a very small sandbox. The combat is improved, but the story, characters, art, lore, and scenerary are all half-assed. I expected better from Bioware, very disappointing.… Expand
  7. Aviod
    Mar 18, 2012
    5
    I am a fan of the DA:O and the expansion Awakenings. I wont go on a hate fest like soo many, I perfered the original dragon ages as they were mainly made for PC and in my opinion better made, You also had different beginnings for different classes which was a plus. I do not mind the gameplay of dragon age 2, or even the graphics. The thing that i really hated on dragon age 2 is the reuse.I am a fan of the DA:O and the expansion Awakenings. I wont go on a hate fest like soo many, I perfered the original dragon ages as they were mainly made for PC and in my opinion better made, You also had different beginnings for different classes which was a plus. I do not mind the gameplay of dragon age 2, or even the graphics. The thing that i really hated on dragon age 2 is the reuse. Basically 1 cave with blocked off areas etc etc and stuck in one town (going out to smallish places) limited the sense of adventure, that is my reason for the low score is because they cheapen out on this game and took a lot of shortcuts, the first made you feel epic, this it was barely on the positive side.… Expand
  8. Syrionn
    Mar 20, 2011
    5
    If you are into putting your money into something that is already horribly overpriced, no closer, a rushed feeling, a console port, and limited decision making when it comes to Bioware games then this is for you. This game is following the ever so trendy genre of a cliffhanger so they can milk the series as much as possible. They are taking a page out of Kotick's book and are wanting toIf you are into putting your money into something that is already horribly overpriced, no closer, a rushed feeling, a console port, and limited decision making when it comes to Bioware games then this is for you. This game is following the ever so trendy genre of a cliffhanger so they can milk the series as much as possible. They are taking a page out of Kotick's book and are wanting to get the most bang for their buck, which makes sense economically, but doesn't make sense when playing the game. Sure the original game had some moments that could be explored in the future but it gave closer to the storyline that it set out to tell. This sequel leaves too much out there and is pretty much if anything a bridge to a next game and isn't a real game itself. DA 2 would have a lot of these issues fixed if it wasn't rushed out. I am again sure it was good for a business stand point but for the player it just feels like a let down from the best RPG makers out there. I remember when games were actually made for the PC instead of us having to deal with an inferior console port. They limited the camera angle on DA2 so you are pigeon holed into playing as the consolers. This might just be an issue for me but eventually I got over it. The reason they said for this is because they didn't want to spend the money on making textures for the drop down camera. When all they really had to do was black out the screen in parts where they needed textures. Lastly I would except a lot more of Bioware from a game. A lot of the storytelling elements just don't make any sense. I am not going to go into any of them and if you want you can go to their forums and read what others are saying. Overall an average game and I have no idea how a score of 8 can be average. Corrupt game reviewers not wanting to give the game a score that it deserves is pathetic.… Expand
  9. Seorl
    Oct 4, 2011
    3
    As a person who absolutely loved games like neverwinter nights and all of its expansions, I naturally fell in love with Dragon Age: Origins. Playing Dragon Age 2 was a massive change of tone from the original to such an extent it doesn't seem similar at all. Massive amounts of functionality and customization were torn from this game when compared to its predecessor. I've tried numerousAs a person who absolutely loved games like neverwinter nights and all of its expansions, I naturally fell in love with Dragon Age: Origins. Playing Dragon Age 2 was a massive change of tone from the original to such an extent it doesn't seem similar at all. Massive amounts of functionality and customization were torn from this game when compared to its predecessor. I've tried numerous times with each class to finish this game, but i inevitably get bored and stop playing after only a few hours. Maybe i had too high of hopes to begin with since Dragon Age: Origins was just so awesome, but I feel now that my money and my time could have been better spent.… Expand
  10. anonVas
    Nov 10, 2011
    4
    To fans of Dragon Age: Origins be warned. This game does NOT do its predecessor justice. The first few hours of the game were fun, I enjoyed the smooth feel of combat and enjoyed Varric's humour very much. However the charm of DA2 wears off after you find yourself completing meaningless quests in the same area you had visited a couple of hours before. Bioware constantly recycle questTo fans of Dragon Age: Origins be warned. This game does NOT do its predecessor justice. The first few hours of the game were fun, I enjoyed the smooth feel of combat and enjoyed Varric's humour very much. However the charm of DA2 wears off after you find yourself completing meaningless quests in the same area you had visited a couple of hours before. Bioware constantly recycle quest environments and have put little effort into making the game as challenging as DA:O. In fact, every fight in the game is the same: You kill one wave of enemies and another instantly appears out of thin air. I am very disappointed in this game and it was no surprise to learn Bioware plans to create Dragon Age 3 by using the best parts of Origins and the best parts of DA2. I'll admit, combat is a major improvement for DA2, but the characters (except Varric) develop weakly. The story could have been soo much better (especially with regards to the Templar v Mages conflict) but it was just poorly executed. If you loved DA:O then heed this warning: The game has clearly been aimed at an audience difference from fans of the original. Do you remember the epic scene of King Cailan at the beginning of DA:O? Do you remember how mad you were at Loghain? You will NEVER feel that affectively connected with any characters in this game. This is a terrible, terrible piece of unimaginative work from Bioware.

    I cannot stress enough how bad it is that they reused the SAME areas over and over again for quests and how enemies materialise out of thin air. If you play on the hardest difficulty the enemies do not get smarter either, they are REALLY stupid.

    If you are about 15-16 or under, are a casual gamer who enjoys a quick 30 minute dip at a game each session, or if you like a quick action-orientated game then I could recommend this title to you. If you prefer detailed storyline, intricate characters, epic storytelling then DO NOT PURCHASE THIS GAME. I don't know how it is getting such rave reviews, but I'd imagine this is coming from its target audience (which is good I guess, considering that is what it was aimed at) but if you loved DA:O NEVER let this game EVER touch your Xbox or PC, EVER! It's quite funny to see how the XboX users found this generally positive than PC users (suggesting a consolified marketplace now).    … Expand
  11. Aemony
    Mar 12, 2011
    5
    The game, while good, doesn't live up to the Dragon Age game, but to the Dragon Effect name. Storywise it's _just_ fine but the rehashes (every area is reused at least 10x somewhere else), lack of dialogue freedom, boring repeated quests, and streamlined plus simplified gameplay elements help bring out the terrible fact for everyone to see. This game is not a sequel to Dragon Age andThe game, while good, doesn't live up to the Dragon Age game, but to the Dragon Effect name. Storywise it's _just_ fine but the rehashes (every area is reused at least 10x somewhere else), lack of dialogue freedom, boring repeated quests, and streamlined plus simplified gameplay elements help bring out the terrible fact for everyone to see. This game is not a sequel to Dragon Age and shouldn't be called DA:II. It's a complete spinoff of the original game and should be treated as such.

    While good enough on its own two feet the game is brought down by sharing the title of the best RPG of the former decade. If you, as like others, are intent on enjoying the game then do not go into it with DA:O fresh in your mind. It will shatter your every expectation and leave you numb from the betrayal of BioWare.    … Expand
  12. JustAGamer
    Mar 20, 2011
    5
    First of all: in my 20 years of C-RPG experience I've never written a game review before because I've never felt the need for it (by the way: apologies for my bad English, I'm not a native speaker). With Drageon Age 2 I believe a worrying tendency emerges I have to adress: short development periods (18 month for DA2), incomplete game world and story, simplistic gameplay to broaden theFirst of all: in my 20 years of C-RPG experience I've never written a game review before because I've never felt the need for it (by the way: apologies for my bad English, I'm not a native speaker). With Drageon Age 2 I believe a worrying tendency emerges I have to adress: short development periods (18 month for DA2), incomplete game world and story, simplistic gameplay to broaden the audience, demanding full prize while preparing DLCs that shall fill in the remaining gaps. Bioware was once regarded as "the bringer of rain" after a drought in the genre of RPGs (for the PC). But now they could play the opposite role: if they are the most prominent agents of the genre (besides Bethesda) and their games are setting trends, then other companies will follow their example, if they haven't already. To be more detailed I'll point out aspects that annoyed me the most: Game World:
    - The most insolent re-use in an state-of-the-art RPG I've seen so far: dozens of times you walk through levels which are IDENTICAL, and I mean identical. Every corner, texture, modell, architecture, lighting etc. are exactly the same, just with another label (for example "cave xyz" instead of "cave abc").
    - The main game world consists of just 15 to 20 small or very small locations in a city (small means an area which takes 20 seconds to 60 seconds to cross, very small means a simple flat)
    - There are no (more or less) diversified regions like snowy mountains, deserts, jungle, forest, real dungeons, castles, other towns etc., just this one city and three outer regions that are not noteworthy
    - The few existing places look sterile and somehow empty although there are a few people standing around, but they are just copies doing nothing. There are no animals, no interesting props, no interesting architecture, no waving foliage, no sounds of wind, loud chatter etc.
    - Most of the levels are extremely tubular: just one way, no possibility for exploration. If you use such level design, you should use it for thrilling script events like in COD to propell the storytelling, but that's not the case for DA2. A proper game world would have been to expensive...

    Gameplay:
    - 90% of gameplay consists of running and killing: go to place X, kill everyone, talk to person Y to have a reason for killing and then go to place Z and kill everyone. Most of the time there are no alternative ways to solve problems (the only exceptions are found in dialogues with companions). But hey: that's what's the world about, ain't it?
    - There are no possible interactions with the environment, just run, fight, talk, (rudimental) barter. No environmental riddles, no forging, no eating, no sleeping, etc. Would be to complex, eh?

    Items and Inventory:
    - Companions can't be equipped with armor, just with a weapon, a ring, a belt and an amulet. Would be to complex...
    - In the inventory and shops items look absolutely uninteresting and the same: each type of item has the SAME grey and white icon, for example the same symbol for a sword. The only difference are the values of the item. To much effort giving them a distinguishable look?
    - Most of the time the few items you can purchase outvalue the few items you find in your travels
    - There are no real item sets or unique items
    - Why does a plate armor take exactly the same space / weight in inventory (= 1 Slot) as a ring or an amulet (= 1 Slot)? Too much to think about?

    Combat:
    - Remember, you have to fight and fight and fight, and sometimes to fight, but don't worry: there isn't much to do, sit back and watch, no tactics needed (you could raise the difficulty but that just means opponents don't take as much damage and hit you harder).
    - No overview allowed: forget Dragon Age Origins or Baldur's Gate, not immersive enough, has to be a close look over the should like Mass Effect 2 or say COD!? Another "advantage": the game world seems to be larger than it is.
    - In many fights there are up to four or five waves of the same opponents like in good old arcade gaming. That's a challenge RPG-players really like. - If a fight ends successfully health, mana and stamina of all your companions are restored instantly. No need for rest, healing etc.... Waste of time, there are more interesting fights waiting 10 yards ahead.
    - Ammunition is for prigs: arrows and bolts are created the moment they are shoot, no buying needed.

    Dramaturgy:
    - The backgrounds and dialogues preceding and following missions are of high quality, BUT what about a larger conflict, to what end am I killing hordes of idiots? Is there any greater inner or outer threat than a killer whom the player seeks to kill? The Qunari are a threat, for twenty minutes of gameplay. Templar and Magicians don't like each other and there's a fight, but that's it. No threat and no thread. Calling Hawke "Champion" is an exaggeration to cover that he hasn't achieved much. The whole game is "unepic" and seems to be a chapter of an epic game.    … Expand
  13. drakkoone
    Mar 19, 2011
    3
    Origin was not perfect, but it was a good game. Here, on DA2, every aspect of the game is a downgrade. No more strategic battle, no armors for companions in inventory, no crafting (NPCs make it for you), no dialogue skills like persuasion or intimidation (you can ask a companion to interfere in conversation, but it's an automatic succes). This game is a waste, and I'm worried about Mass Effect 3.
  14. PlacidDragon
    Mar 12, 2011
    4
    Shortly summed up, i thought DA2 was awful.

    To go a little more indepth, Bioware has done away with things like companion equipment (apart from accessories), changed the camera to an "up your butt" forced view, and max zoomout isnt far at all, its extremely difficult to see much if you are playing a ranged character (like a mage). To top the insult off, they have introduced spawning    Shortly summed up, i thought DA2 was awful.

    To go a little more indepth, Bioware has done away with things like companion equipment (apart from accessories), changed the camera to an "up your butt" forced view, and max zoomout isnt far at all, its extremely difficult to see much if you are playing a ranged character (like a mage).

    To top the insult off, they have introduced spawning waves of enemies, and lots of "flashy" deathmoves with gore whipping all over the place. This has a lot more in common with an action game than it does a role playing game. Definitely the low point of Bioware's career :/    … Expand
  15. gulgamesh
    Mar 14, 2011
    4
    Dragon Age 2 is a step backwards in many ways from Dragon Age: Origins. DA:O was supposedly the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate and while it fell short of that lofty goal, it did manage to be a great step in the right direction and a great first entry for a new RPG franchise. A sequel merely needed to build upon that success by giving the fans more of the same with a new story to sinkDragon Age 2 is a step backwards in many ways from Dragon Age: Origins. DA:O was supposedly the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate and while it fell short of that lofty goal, it did manage to be a great step in the right direction and a great first entry for a new RPG franchise. A sequel merely needed to build upon that success by giving the fans more of the same with a new story to sink their teeth into. Sadly DA2 fails to do this. Many of the great features of the original have been removed. The origins choice and playthrough at the start where a race/class is chosen and it affects the character entirely, has been removed. Full dialogue options have been removed in favour of a simple good/bad/neutral choice. Combat has been made very simple and less tactical. The overhead camera has been removed.

    It has the better graphics that we would expect from a sequel but the substance and the depth and richness that would have been needed to cement this is as a great RPG franchise have been forgotten in favour of flashier animations, extra voice acting and simpler gameplay to appeal to a mass market.

    This is bad enough but the game was also rushed. The environments are recyled to a very noticeable extent that ruins immersion and the gameplay feels linear in comparison to better rpgs.

    I do not know if it is possible in the modern gaming market to produce something with love and care like BG was but Bioware, if you are listening - please go back to your roots and make a TRUE baldur's gate successor! Or at the very least make sure that Dragon Age 3 is more like it's origins.    … Expand
  16. not_good
    Mar 16, 2011
    3
    Alright, so I finished this, and while it may have been a good stand alone game from a lesser known developer, this is not a $60 epic from a critically acclaimed company that we were promised.
  17. garhent
    Mar 12, 2011
    6
    Do not pre-order anymore Bioware Games, I repeat, do not pre-order. Next, look at the gaming sites that advertise Bioware titles, you will notice they are also the ones that tend to satirize a bad game, ie Penny Arcade. Frankly, its a good thing Bioware worked with Penny Arcade before the game was released, because I have a feeling the guys at Penny Arcade would skewer the game.

    The    Do not pre-order anymore Bioware Games, I repeat, do not pre-order. Next, look at the gaming sites that advertise Bioware titles, you will notice they are also the ones that tend to satirize a bad game, ie Penny Arcade. Frankly, its a good thing Bioware worked with Penny Arcade before the game was released, because I have a feeling the guys at Penny Arcade would skewer the game.

    The problem I have is I don't think they actually play tested the game at all. Play on Nightmare mode as a mage and then try to get through intro, try it just try it. They've nerfed healing to the point where its Fecking useless. They put in a cool down on healing potions so can't use them when you need to use them now there is a shared timer. The AI is horrible, you turn off tactics and your fecking tanks run out of cover to get hit by crossbowmen.

    I truly hate Bioware now for this game. The positive non game player reviews of this game is crap, they damn well aren't from fans. If I have anything to tell Bioware it is this:

    1st) Fix TACTICS, give a switch to turn it OFF or ON without having to individually turn off a tactic per player
    2nd) When I don't give a character an order, they should damn well stay put and not rush into a fire of ranged fire
    3rd) Give me the DLC that I paid for at the beginning of the game, don't make me run all over the place trying to find it
    4th) Do actual play testing. I am your market, you took a fan boy who buys all of your products and turned him into someone who will NEVER PREORDER FROM BIOWARE AGAIN IN ONE GAME. Did you actually have people play the intro and see what they thought
    5th) Play test all of the difficulty levels ALL. Nightmare should be beatable by someone who is highly familiar with Bioware and understand the basics, but OH F no, you guys couldn't do that could you.

    You get a 0 from me on this game. Read the reviews here from other posters and release a patch to fix the troubles or you are going to have an Elemental on your hands and destroy your Brand Name.    … Expand
  18. Teaser38
    Mar 11, 2011
    5
    Do not buy this game, yet wait until the GOTY or Ultimate or whatever crap the put out with ALL the DLC. You can especially tell it was rushed because the music was all from the original and the demons were just ported from the first and no Genlocks!. Many locations were simply copy and paste. While I can see the simplified inventory, combat felt stilted rather than simplified and hadDo not buy this game, yet wait until the GOTY or Ultimate or whatever crap the put out with ALL the DLC. You can especially tell it was rushed because the music was all from the original and the demons were just ported from the first and no Genlocks!. Many locations were simply copy and paste. While I can see the simplified inventory, combat felt stilted rather than simplified and had obvious bugs. I am very disappointed in Bioware. This is all too bad because I did find the story and the characters interesting.… Expand
  19. hello4
    Jul 19, 2012
    1
    After playing dragon age 2 I can't help but feeling a bit cheated.Not many games including skyrim can beat dragon age origins but it's the matter in which da2 failed that upsets me. The emotional attachment to characters compared to da:O is non existent,the storyline in my view is boring and the setting of the game leaves further disappointment.Background after background is overused andAfter playing dragon age 2 I can't help but feeling a bit cheated.Not many games including skyrim can beat dragon age origins but it's the matter in which da2 failed that upsets me. The emotional attachment to characters compared to da:O is non existent,the storyline in my view is boring and the setting of the game leaves further disappointment.Background after background is overused and predictable enemy spawning causes frustration.The first game in my view is bigger in size better in quality and nearly has more depth of story in the intros combined than all of da2Don't buy this game you'll regret it.… Expand
  20. Th3laugh1ngman
    Mar 8, 2011
    4
    While I would like to create a long, fully elaborated review on the game to explain the core features and everything in depth, I honestly cannot, as the game is without much merit whatsoever.
    The combat took a system which felt unrefined in DA:O and rather that improving it and making it better, just completely ruined it to make a system without thought or challenge. Unless you're on hard    While I would like to create a long, fully elaborated review on the game to explain the core features and everything in depth, I honestly cannot, as the game is without much merit whatsoever.
    The combat took a system which felt unrefined in DA:O and rather that improving it and making it better, just completely ruined it to make a system without thought or challenge. Unless you're on hard mode, there is nothing to discuss as far as combat goes, you may as well be watching a film.
    For which matter, the story is far, far below Bioware's standards. Ploddingly written with a conversation wheel that not only dumbs down decisions to their smallest parts with "GOOD BAD SILLY"~esque replies, but are poorly written as they are. Voice acting is a nice touch, however, though it's frequently done without emotion. I'd like to write more on the game, but after a mere few hours with it I honestly have no drive to play it any more. That didn't happen until Orzammar with DA:O.
    Graphics are an utter trainwreck. I'm not even going to go into this. Game outright bugs out, runs horribly or doesn't run at all, despite looking awful WITH an optional HD fix. Utterly pathetic showing on PC.
    If you want the game, do not buy it now. Wait for a sale or a GOTY version with a reduced pricetag. Putting out a game that's blatantly this unfinished and rushed in a year that has many, many blockbuster titles that look stellar is quite frankly a ludicrious move, and Bioware have proven in the past that they are better than this tripe.    … Expand
  21. jazzbrownie
    Apr 7, 2011
    0
    This is an incredibly disappointing game. The story isn't told very well, combat no longer requires much thought (nor enjoyment), and exploration isn't an option. When i played DA:O, I would have moments in which I would have to put down the controller and seriously think about the decisions that I made for my character and his companions. It challenged my values (albeit in a very smallThis is an incredibly disappointing game. The story isn't told very well, combat no longer requires much thought (nor enjoyment), and exploration isn't an option. When i played DA:O, I would have moments in which I would have to put down the controller and seriously think about the decisions that I made for my character and his companions. It challenged my values (albeit in a very small and easy to forget way). I didn't have one such moment in the entirety of DA2. Also, as others have voiced, playing through the same few and recycled dungeons was tiresome.… Expand
  22. Ashin
    Mar 14, 2011
    2
    A step back in every respect from Origins, if you enjoyed Origins, don't expect to enjoy this, it caters for a low tier of gamers, one day DLC is another slap in the face from a money grabbing company.
  23. laek
    Mar 11, 2011
    6
    Dragon Age: Origins was like a father, whom you haven't seen for 10 years, returning home one day, apologizing for his absence, bearing gifts, telling you many stories, resulting in the two of you bonding and having a good time. All is well until he mysteriously disappears again and turns up 1 year later as Dragon Age II, an abusive, burnt-out junky with only one thing on his mind: domestic abuse.
  24. Torashuu
    Mar 14, 2011
    3
    The game is decidely rushed as is apparent in repettitive scenery and combat, poorly fleshed out narrative with stereotypical characterization. It is basically the anti-thesis of what one expects from high quality RPG's from the company that used to set the bar themselves. Not only does the game itself have little merrit, the name behind it makes it all the more tragic. Poor show Bioware,The game is decidely rushed as is apparent in repettitive scenery and combat, poorly fleshed out narrative with stereotypical characterization. It is basically the anti-thesis of what one expects from high quality RPG's from the company that used to set the bar themselves. Not only does the game itself have little merrit, the name behind it makes it all the more tragic. Poor show Bioware, really hope you can step up your game.… Expand
  25. Zeliath
    Mar 17, 2011
    1
    Disappointing is all I can say to sum my experience with Dragon Age 2. For fans returning to the series be prepared for a shock because this is nothing like the Dragon Age Origins game you know and love.

    There are quiet a few detrimental cutbacks that cripple the enjoyment of the game. The first is the storyline which is in three sequential acts and made up of many uninteresting    Disappointing is all I can say to sum my experience with Dragon Age 2. For fans returning to the series be prepared for a shock because this is nothing like the Dragon Age Origins game you know and love.

    There are quiet a few detrimental cutbacks that cripple the enjoyment of the game. The first is the storyline which is in three sequential acts and made up of many uninteresting sidequests, there is no longer any main goal or purpose to the story which paints Hawke as less of a hero and more of a skilled warrior that people dump their problems on .

    The next flaw is that your adventure will most of the time will be spent in one city: Kirkwall. There is no spirit of adventure in Dragon Age 2 as you will see the same environments over and over again, which leads to the next point of the recycling of maps. I have never seen an rpg company worth its salt recycle maps to this extent, you will encounter the exact same maps with maybe a few doors locked or if in a cave a boulder in the way of some routes to change it up, but essentially it is the same map you saw maybe ten minutes ago. The next flaw is interaction, in Dragon Age 2 you no longer have the flexibility to say what you want as you had in Origins. You have three choices main choices most of the time which are peaceful, funny and aggressive, this leads to the same problems which were sometimes present in Mass Effect where you pick an option and your character says something you didn't want.

    Another major flaw which really kills it for me is the lack of customisation, you have a few options to customise your character and you can change up his equipment, however party member clothes cannot be changed unless upgraded in a sequential and rigid fashion as well as having some equipment only a specific character can equip. There are quite a few other flaws but I would be typing the list out all day. In summary this is a very disappointing sequel from Bioware, I wouldn't even expect this standard from some other rpg developers. If you're on the fence about buying Dragon Age 2 save your money there are so many better rpgs out there.    … Expand
  26. Azoteh
    Mar 14, 2011
    4
    It isn't Dragon Age 2. Where is the spiritual successor of Baldur's Gate?? If they had call it otherwise might be a good Action-Rpg but not at the expense of destroying his own saga.
  27. onward1614
    Mar 12, 2011
    3
    Only went half through the game and already lost interest. Can't believe this game comes from bioware and is entitled "DA". The plot is not even decent, and all dialogues are plain & boring. Staring to worry the trend bioware is adopting and the future of DA series.
  28. crogue
    Mar 20, 2011
    4
    Generally a very bland and disappointing experience versus other "RPGs" and especially vs its legacy. This game is a linear shooter, barely an RPG and only very distantly related to the first game, Dragon Age Origins, a very strong traditional CRPG. It basically feels like a completely separate team was told to build a console shooter based in the Dragon Age universe. At its core DA2 aGenerally a very bland and disappointing experience versus other "RPGs" and especially vs its legacy. This game is a linear shooter, barely an RPG and only very distantly related to the first game, Dragon Age Origins, a very strong traditional CRPG. It basically feels like a completely separate team was told to build a console shooter based in the Dragon Age universe. At its core DA2 a very simple refined shooter: 1) you run from nondescript environment to the next, 2) spamming AOE attacks to deal with the same waves of enemies, and 3) running circles around tedious boss fights. This is not however an RPG by any stretch: 1) the story is almost non-existent (I'm in Act 2 and no clue), 2) there is no character development, 3) the skill trees are there, but given how streamlined combat is, there is no strategy involved, 4) only the main character inventory can be changed (other than weapons) limited. In summary: Overall: 4 (Gameplay: 5, Story: 3, Graphics/Sound: 6, Fun: 2). Replay value: 0… Expand
  29. Tig
    Mar 19, 2011
    2
    In short, waste of time and money. This game has no strong points whatsoever. Graphics is bland, environment is the same everywhere, at first interior of some houses looks nice but it becomes tedious cos you run through the same looking rooms over and over again (~20 or so times, not kidding). Dialogues are dumb and options you chose rarely change outcome. Quests are the worst I have everIn short, waste of time and money. This game has no strong points whatsoever. Graphics is bland, environment is the same everywhere, at first interior of some houses looks nice but it becomes tedious cos you run through the same looking rooms over and over again (~20 or so times, not kidding). Dialogues are dumb and options you chose rarely change outcome. Quests are the worst I have ever seen in a RPG. Even free to play MMORPGs have better quests than DA2. Battles are nice till you notice that mobs spawn like in some arcade game... You won't have to control your companions so tactics is pretty much gone. They had to stick with Hawke and ditch other 3 party members from the game entirely. Action game fans would have loved that even more! So yeah very bad game, Sadly It has way more weak points than I've mentioned in this review...… Expand
  30. Fulminatrix
    Mar 11, 2011
    2
    This game is awful parody of the first game. The depth of my dissapointment is very big. I feel like I was robbed. Seriously the wrote "Dragon Age" on the box which contains absolutely different game. Not RPG even. And Metacritic score is now compromised for me. It doesn't correlate to reality.
  31. jhoncarmack
    Mar 12, 2011
    4
    I still do not believe in like Bioware sold out so well for EA, and transform one of the best RPGs of all time in a toxic **** like DA2 specially made based on the consoles, and the worst is that I played all versions and all are garbage.
  32. hypertension
    Oct 4, 2011
    4
    Having played to the end I can definitely say this is a step backward from the first game. While the original might have needed slight improvement many of the role-playing elements here are overly streamlined and are now lacking depth. The main problem for me though is the agonising repetition of locations which has held back any thought of going through the game a second time.
    I might    Having played to the end I can definitely say this is a step backward from the first game. While the original might have needed slight improvement many of the role-playing elements here are overly streamlined and are now lacking depth. The main problem for me though is the agonising repetition of locations which has held back any thought of going through the game a second time.
    I might have given this a 5 if I had a better graphics card but then graphics in these types of games aren't that important.    … Expand
  33. Rayofjudgement
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    Dragon Age II fails as a sequel to one of the greatest traditional styled RPGs of modern times.
    Combat is a pseudo hack and slash RPG in betweener which just seems to be the worst of both worlds.
    The dialog system has been vastly reduced. In Dragon Age: Origins all the choices had significant effects on the game world and at times were very difficult to make depending on your morals    Dragon Age II fails as a sequel to one of the greatest traditional styled RPGs of modern times.
    Combat is a pseudo hack and slash RPG in betweener which just seems to be the worst of both worlds.

    The dialog system has been vastly reduced. In Dragon Age: Origins all the choices had significant effects on the game world and at times were very difficult to make depending on your morals and values which you wanted to instill or try and play out. In Dragon Age II its reduced to Generic Good, Generic Bad and la Troll answer (i.e. "I want to Be a Dragon" this is a real dialog option near the beginning of the game). There are even icons to signify if its good, bad and trolololol. Taking out any ounce of decision making on the player part apart from I want to be Good/Bad/Neutral.

    The story is ok, but there are heaps of unnecessary arbitrary quests scattered mostly constists of kill x gather y or variations of which had little to no impact on the overall story where as Dragon Age: Origins almost everything had impact.

    Graphics are acceptable. Characters are done quite well but everything else is blegh.

    Music is not done well, it fits but doesn't stand out.

    I don't recommend this game at all. Its simply shovelware. Play the original Dragon Age. It is a masterpiece. This sequel is not good enough at all.    … Expand
  34. Helper12000
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    I should have waited for the reviews. However I have been counting down the days for this release and didn't think twice about buying the game. I agree with the users they have strayed from the original game and the negative reviews are going to be pouring in!!! Wish they stuck to what made DAO great!!
  35. Carpenter
    Mar 14, 2011
    3
    This game is not an RPG, and it is not what we expected from the Dragon Age Franchise to develop in. It focus on combat and resembles more and adventure game, aimed at teens, that its predecessor, Origins. This game is a let down, and in certain way I'm happy they take over a new history, and not ruined the one builded back in Origins. The game es short, and dumbed down. Do your self aThis game is not an RPG, and it is not what we expected from the Dragon Age Franchise to develop in. It focus on combat and resembles more and adventure game, aimed at teens, that its predecessor, Origins. This game is a let down, and in certain way I'm happy they take over a new history, and not ruined the one builded back in Origins. The game es short, and dumbed down. Do your self a favor and don't buy it.… Expand
  36. JJDrakken
    Apr 10, 2011
    3
    Reason it's getting such a High Critic review, E.A./Bioware are literally throwing money at them to write anything nice & give it high numbers. Trust the User's, we know how much this game failed us.

    This game should never came out when it did, they just wanted to make money & be damned of the issues, they'll just throw more money at it, say look see have this great game, expect stupid    Reason it's getting such a High Critic review, E.A./Bioware are literally throwing money at them to write anything nice & give it high numbers. Trust the User's, we know how much this game failed us.

    This game should never came out when it did, they just wanted to make money & be damned of the issues, they'll just throw more money at it, say look see have this great game, expect stupid awards for it, because more money is being thrown at the judges.

    JJ    … Expand
  37. Sfx
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It not the dragon age 2, is a dragon age 1,5 maximum. A console crap.… Expand
  38. Synplasm
    Mar 11, 2011
    4
    Bring me the head of the guy who sanctioned the release of this one. A rush job and not much more. How some supposed professional reviewers are giving this game scores in the 80s or 90s is beyond me. I spent several hours doing tedious quests in order to fund an expedition to get......some more money. I think. Whilst doing said quests I was interrupted on a far too regular basis by hordesBring me the head of the guy who sanctioned the release of this one. A rush job and not much more. How some supposed professional reviewers are giving this game scores in the 80s or 90s is beyond me. I spent several hours doing tedious quests in order to fund an expedition to get......some more money. I think. Whilst doing said quests I was interrupted on a far too regular basis by hordes of easily despatched nobodies whose time would have been better employed raging against whoever dared call this an RPG. My character, his mind numbed by such repetitive combat, was then bamboozled by several overpowering outbreaks of deja vu, before being seduced by a rather bizarrely rendered elf who had pipe cleaners where her arms should have been. My character shrugged all this off, after all he had free will didn't he? He didn't have to do this. But some guy and some woman kept telling him how his life was planned out from the start and what will be, will be. Somehow he made some friends and they wanted to come along for the ride for no particular reason at all (maybe they thought I would be able to get them out of Kirkwall or perhaps even get them some new armour - sorry about that). Let's plod on. Or maybe let's not eh? This game fails to deliver on many things. It's biggest fans will be people who aren't legally old enough to play it. That's your choice Bioware. Fair enough. Goodbye.… Expand
  39. snowstorm
    Mar 11, 2011
    4
    Dragon Age II plays like WOW in sigleplayer. that is, it is a completely nobariner, there are no need to apply tactics, skills or or any thing like that. so if you are in for some point and click action, it looks good and plays well, if you were hoping for a great story, intelligent gameplay and a level of sofistication beyond tetris, then you would be wasting your money.
  40. StThanksgiving
    Mar 12, 2011
    3
    Listen, I have never taken the time to actually sit down and write a review for a game before, and I've been playing both PC and consoles for years. This game actually pissed me off to the point that I'm going to say something. I am actually angry I paid 60 bucks for this game. I have never complained about spending money on a game... even bad ones... ever.... and I bought NFL HeadListen, I have never taken the time to actually sit down and write a review for a game before, and I've been playing both PC and consoles for years. This game actually pissed me off to the point that I'm going to say something. I am actually angry I paid 60 bucks for this game. I have never complained about spending money on a game... even bad ones... ever.... and I bought NFL Head Coach! Who thought it was a good idea to make a sequel to a game by REMOVING content from it? Am I crazy? The story is fine, and just like Mass effect 2, I will finish the thing and just chalk it up to an expensive day at the movies, which this has basically been. I will not however play the game again. Once I know what happens in DA2, I will go back to Origins and start a new game, or maybe dig Neverwinter Nights out of a closet.
    A couple of bullets:
    + I am not an RPG purist. The new talent trees is fine, I could care less about the DPS of a dual wield warrior vs Dual wield Rogue. The new COMBAT however, is ridiculous. Why does everyone turn to red jello? Why do I feel like im fighting waves of Foot Soldiers from the Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles arcade game? I thought the final battle of ME2 was stupid, but there isnt a single fight in this whole game that wasnt retarded. Why are people repelling from the rooftops? Why am I fighting random gangs of people every time I walk around at night? Who are these people? why are they angry? Why do they insist on fighting me if they are all dead after two swings of the sword?
    +Why is every environment I walk through identical to the last one? I actually read a forum post where a Dev said they removed the overhead view to allow for more detailed environments... ALL THREE OF THEM! WHAT A LOVELY WAREHOUSE! WHAT A LOVELY STREET! WHAT A LOVELY CAVE! I swear to god, on my last run through the same exact cave in the mountain I swear I saw Hawk yawn.
    +Why have three conversation options if they all have the same result? Why talk at all? chances are the person im talking to will be red pudding after one hit with the boom stick.
    +Why cant I choose my race? why cant I dress my team in the stuff I want? Better Question, WHY AM I PICKING UP LOOT THAT NO ONE CAN USE?!?! Just have everyone drop coin! why am I carrying junk?!!?
    +These things wouldnt bother me if the game title didnt have a "2" at the end of it. Why would you remove content from a game in the sequel? Why would you limit the options and level of involvement in a game THAT HAD IT IN THE FIRST INSTALLMENT. I heard the Dev's were streamlining the game because it sold well on consoles and they were appealing to that group. Did the console people ask for less of a game? Did anyone ever consider that the console people bought DAO because it had a lot of immersive elements that other games didnt have? again

    I PAID MORE MONEY FOR LESS GAME. I would have posted this review on Biowares social site, but I dont want to have my accounts locked and game accounts voided for daring to criticize my betters.

    the three points I gave this game are out of loyalty to the Bioware I once knew.    … Expand
  41. DAOfan
    Mar 13, 2011
    3
    This is game can not be termed as sequel to Dragon Age :Origins. Period. Normally I never write on public forums but the way DA series is being treated after such a great game like DA:O saddens me. Origins had it owns short comings but hey BIOWARE should have improved on them rather stripping Origins completely and making DA2 a hack & slash game with few rpg elements.
    Why I am    This is game can not be termed as sequel to Dragon Age :Origins. Period. Normally I never write on public forums but the way DA series is being treated after such a great game like DA:O saddens me. Origins had it owns short comings but hey BIOWARE should have improved on them rather stripping Origins completely and making DA2 a hack & slash game with few rpg elements.
    Why I am disappointed, - Re-used maps, I mean same place over and over again ? what happened to exploration ? -Communication System - hello this is rpg right ? so why is the interaction with npc so restricted ? how do I build relationships with them or actually feel anything, right now I dont feel or give a damn if any of the the companions live or die
    -Weapons,Crafting,Loot - You can not equip companions the way you want, damn restricted, the loot you get after killing seems meaningless ... Crafting .... well there isnt any !
    - Voice Over : Some may like it , some may not but this Hawke is not me or atleast certainly not my warden. I dont feel connected with this guy
    -Companions - well, the characters arent deep either, I mean really they are shallow, I feel like I am playing an action or adventure game not an RPG

    Combat System : Well I must say it is more fluid and I liked it but they took it TOO FAR, this is not suppose to feel like HACK & SLASH game. They have almost killed the tactical aspects of the battles, which I hate it. It is not a shooter with swords... come on ! The combat is a mixed bag, you like some you dont like some things. I will take it with a pinch of salt

    Verdict --- If you loved DA:O for what it was with its shortcomings - then you will hate DA2    … Expand
  42. Mts2148
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    The game is a major disappointment compared to the original. Dragon Age I felt at least somewhat close to the Baldur's Gate it claimed to be the spiritual successor to. On the other hand, DA2 imitates Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, the ugly action RPG stepchild. Note: action RPGs suck when you have a party of four PCs with braindead AI. Just awful. I'm done with Bioware.
  43. JadeyJoestar
    Mar 22, 2011
    4
    Dragon Age 2 is not a bad game; it just devolved into something that is unworthy of carrying the "Dragon Age" title and the burdens that comes with it. The previous game was a marvelous and a near-perfect take of what a next-gen RPG could be, probably not too great on the consoles, but its as true as an RPG gets on the PC. Fans of Origins have to lower their expectations or rather set itDragon Age 2 is not a bad game; it just devolved into something that is unworthy of carrying the "Dragon Age" title and the burdens that comes with it. The previous game was a marvelous and a near-perfect take of what a next-gen RPG could be, probably not too great on the consoles, but its as true as an RPG gets on the PC. Fans of Origins have to lower their expectations or rather set it accordingly, because to be honest, it's just that different.

    I don't really like to compare games to other games and franchise, but I do compare them when it comes to sequels, because the purpose of a sequel is to surpass the previous one, and in this case Dragon Age 2 fails to please. It just feels like a different, less impressive franchise. The improvements are only a little bit on the graphics, I really do enjoy the faster pace of the battle, and the span of 10 years the story takes. That said, the rest is just regression, as Bioware erased away the defining feature of the previous game such as; customizable party member's equipment, multiple races to play, multiple endings, unique builds that you can come up with (such as dual-wielding arcane mage and warrior with bow), varying areas, and that is not all, unfortunately. I give it an honest score of 4, as it is less than a half of what Origins were. To be noted that this is not a rant of rage, its just a lament of a dissatisfied loyal fan of RPGs and Bioware itself as a great video game studio.    … Expand
  44. josshykins
    Mar 9, 2011
    5
    Think of everything that made Dragon Age Origins a great game. Now subtract all of that and you have Dragon Age 2. The EA Games hammer of crap has really taken it's toll on poor Bioware, and it shows. It's a complete lobotomy of the RPG genre. Striped down to nothing more than a casual action RPG.

    For shame I say.
  45. acylus
    Mar 10, 2011
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. While DA:O was actually interesting story wise, it really didn't have engaging combat.

    But for DA2, it had amazing combat, but most of the time the quests are boring where waves upon waves of enemies are thrown at your repeatedly, and the story is sooo terrible. There isn't many places to explore either. It looks like Bioware didn't even try to do anything about the story.    … Expand
  46. Oper
    Mar 10, 2011
    2
    It`s not RPG. Primitive 2004 graphics, primitive linear locations, primitive dialogues, primitive slasher, uninteresting gameworld, uninteresting story, primitive 2-button gameplay for idiots... BioWare is now very fond of money, but do not like their gamers. This game is a clear example on how a company maximizes profits and minimizes costs using a brand name. Money, money, money... TheIt`s not RPG. Primitive 2004 graphics, primitive linear locations, primitive dialogues, primitive slasher, uninteresting gameworld, uninteresting story, primitive 2-button gameplay for idiots... BioWare is now very fond of money, but do not like their gamers. This game is a clear example on how a company maximizes profits and minimizes costs using a brand name. Money, money, money... The love of money has killed real RPG.… Expand
  47. Edelweiss
    Mar 22, 2011
    4
    this game is mass game culture triumph:
    1..all game aspects are simplified - EA has to attract mass consumers
    2. game was made really fast - productivity is important
    3. Just about everything in this game feels as being below average due to above-mentioned; Playing this game is like eating Mcdonadl;s junk food; how about new term for this type of games - Mcgame? RIP Bioware
  48. Tabby
    Mar 10, 2011
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Being a fan of both Dragon Age Origins and the Mass Effect series I looked forward to this release with glee, but after completing Dragon Age 2 I am sorely disappointed with it. While at first the faster game play while in a battle was refreshing by the end of the game each battle felt hollow, in comparison with Origins each battle requires much less thought or strategy and I would often find myself simply pressing the same combination of number keys at the start of a battle, using a health potion if needed then repeating the same actions until the game decides weather it would send an additional 8 enemies into the fray after the first group had been dispatched or allow me to continue a quest. The game seemed content to throw a large army at the player simply for walking along a path between quest points and to do so at every possible opportunity, one stretch of road I remember would have taken the players group a mire 30 seconds to traverse unopposed but instead it took the better part of 10 minutes because the group was set upon by a band of undead, short distance up the road another pack of undead would attack and after they had been dispatched a third group of miscellaneous rouges decided there number was being served. I expect a game to throw a large group at the player once in awhile but must a quest involving the retrieval of a herbal plant or an unimportant crystal require the attention of a horde large enough to sack a moderately size town Every Time? The enemies the game presented me with end up not acting the part of a band of rebels or thugs intent on kidnap or slaughter of innocents but as pebbles in the bottom of my shoe, striped of character in my mind by the sheer tedium of having to fight the same groups of 7 or 14 enemies every turn of the corner to finally reach a bag containing ultimately worthless and trivial items. Dragon Age 2 shares more in common with an MMORPG than it does it's predecessor in that you will be spending a large amount of time doing fetch quests like returning a lost piece of clothing or freeing some damsel in distress until you reach some arbitrarily decided point where the main plot is allowed to resume. Dragon Age 2 greatest weakness is in the way it treats the story, while Origins had a somewhat cliche but warm over arching storyline, giving vaguely defined goal that slowly solidifies as you make progress, Dragon Age 2 there was very little to grip my attention or engage my curiosity, the game leads the player forward by glimpses of coming glory told from a future vantage point where the actions the player had taken or had suffered were judged and debated for there merits and sucked all mystery and opportunity of total surprise out the window, you were constantly made aware of what you would become and the story completely skipped so many of the small but vital aspects of storytelling. For those of you that have played DA2 Demo, I felt that the Hawke responded in a cold and matter of fact way to your siblings death no matter which conversation option you pick, that there was lack of effort from some of the voice actors and that sense that the event lacks in gravity never left my mind through the game, Bioware seems to have forgotten how to create realist characters that actually give the impression of life, all the companions conform to one trait of there character at all times, for example one companion will join you as an outcast of their people due to their one core trait and at the end of the game and personal quest line they carry and react the same way they had upon first meeting the player, caring for their people but never says anything if in the course of their quest line you end up killing their people or not, they just feel like a cardboard cutout and unfortunately this is not isolated. As for the main plot itself, I went from one major plot to the next without feeling any real need to do the involved quests because it is hard to feel that my main characters attempt to save up the money to Buy A House (Act 1; Hawke attempts to get on the property ladder.) is worthwhile after running fetch quests for pennies nigh on 4 hours. To boot the ending to the game had me questioning weather or not my characters moral choices had anyway bearing whatsoever on anything at all, aside that it all lead up to what was in essence a promotion for Dragon Age 3. Before this game had I asked myself what was the worse Bioware game I had ever played, I would probably not answer that question very well, And unless Dragon Age 2 is the beginning of a downward spiral, I can answer that question without thinking. fans of Origins story and lore should stay well clear of this game, and to anyone one else I'd say wait for a drop in the price.… Expand
  49. Nabende
    Mar 11, 2011
    4
    Dragon Age 2. What could possibly have been more exciting than a new bioware rpg? True, I wasn't impressed with Mass Effect 2, but the changes in that game (stripped down inventory, character interaction, ammo, etc) still worked because Mass Effect was a new game and the changes felt right to what they were trying to create. Unfortunately, this same ideology does not apply to a game thatDragon Age 2. What could possibly have been more exciting than a new bioware rpg? True, I wasn't impressed with Mass Effect 2, but the changes in that game (stripped down inventory, character interaction, ammo, etc) still worked because Mass Effect was a new game and the changes felt right to what they were trying to create. Unfortunately, this same ideology does not apply to a game that is supposed to be primarily an RPG. Rpgs are a very hard creature to pin down. Somehanics then a lot of games become rpgs. More relevantly, according to Bioware, this includes games such as Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed, which by the way, are not rpgs in any sense of the word and unfortunately were used as models for DA2. My defense for this position is that you have no freedom in those games to create a character who is your own. The ending has been decided for you, who your character is has been decided for you, where they've come from has been decided, and where they're going has been decided. An rpg must allow for freedom in the universe and DA2 fails horribly at that.

    My biggest problem with DA2 without thinking about it as an rpg is that combat is terrible. Yes, they "streamlined" it and it moves faster. But you know what the sped up version of tactical combat is? It's hack and slash. And the game becomes a hack and slash not because of the way combat is mechanically implemented, but because each battle in DA2 begins with maybe 4 or 8 people appearing out of thin air, and then when you've killed a certain number of them another 4 to 8 pop out of thin air. What this means is that there's no planning or positioning involved in combat as no matter what you do, there's just going to be more people popping up out of nowhere to deal with. Aggro doesn't work as well as it should, there's very little healing (and it all has huge 40-120 second cooldowns), and the best option for winning a fight is to spam aoe spells until everything is dead. The story isn't compelling. A huge part of the game is just you running around trying to get as much money as possible. This doesn't go away throughout any part of the game. In additon, the choices in the game aren't anywhere near as important as they were in any previous bioware titles. But the worst part about it is that there's no freedom to really choose. This an RPG, which means there must be a certain level of freedom. Well, when you've decided who my character is and what they're doing and how the story ends (there's only one ending) I don't really have much choice.

    This game is not an rpg. It is an action adventure game. If the Dragon Age series was supposed to be an adventure game this game would be better, but unfortunately it is supposed to be the spiritual successor to BG2. and the sequel to Dragon Age Origins (hence why there is a 2 after the title). The fact that it fails to be an rpg is heartbreaking and leaves you out in the cold asking, how did things get like this?    … Expand
  50. crsib
    Mar 11, 2011
    4
    Worst Bioware game ever. Balance is absent, RPG elements are generally absent. Some minor, yet sometimes strange improvements could not overcome the casual game play.

    So in short: 1. It is not Dragon Age 2. It is generally not an CRPG 3. GUI absolute sucks. Looks much more like road sings than the fantasy RPG GUI 4. Game balance is awful 5. Most of the "improvements" are making the game    Worst Bioware game ever. Balance is absent, RPG elements are generally absent. Some minor, yet sometimes strange improvements could not overcome the casual game play.

    So in short:
    1. It is not Dragon Age
    2. It is generally not an CRPG
    3. GUI absolute sucks. Looks much more like road sings than the fantasy RPG GUI
    4. Game balance is awful
    5. Most of the "improvements" are making the game close to unplayable 6. Game play is generally lame and way to casual for CRPG

    Still cant believe, that this is game by Bioware...    … Expand
  51. alltoohum4n
    Mar 11, 2011
    3
    Pointlessly removed the overhead "isometric" view from the PC version. Hacky, unmotivated writing and mediocre graphics. Cut and pasted quest areas. Bioware took a good but imperfect first game and turned it into a focus-grouped monster.
  52. TwiTu
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    I give it a 1 for the effort. The rest is honestly a typical and shallow console game. This doesnt even deserve to be called an RPG. On top of it the DX11 support is a draconic way to get people with a DX9 or DX10 card to buy a DX11 card. Why else would the textures (amongst many other things) be extremely bad with DX9?

    Im not even starting on gameplay because it is what I already said.    I give it a 1 for the effort. The rest is honestly a typical and shallow console game. This doesnt even deserve to be called an RPG. On top of it the DX11 support is a draconic way to get people with a DX9 or DX10 card to buy a DX11 card. Why else would the textures (amongst many other things) be extremely bad with DX9?

    Im not even starting on gameplay because it is what I already said. Shallow and boring with console controls and gameplay. This is BioWare now? I am pretty pissed how the gaming culture is being dragged down by corrupt developers and publishers who dont even know their own product.    … Expand
  53. TheDeadHeart
    Mar 13, 2011
    3
    The Dragon Age franchise has been tossed into the corporate machinery and spat out as a bruised and crippled shell of its former self. The game manages to deliver a thoroughly mediocre and disappointing experience to both RPG and casual gaming fans alike.

    The combat could possibly be the largest flaw with the game, however it is but one of many large flaws. Many skills and abilities    The Dragon Age franchise has been tossed into the corporate machinery and spat out as a bruised and crippled shell of its former self. The game manages to deliver a thoroughly mediocre and disappointing experience to both RPG and casual gaming fans alike.

    The combat could possibly be the largest flaw with the game, however it is but one of many large flaws. Many skills and abilities present in DA: O which made the game an overly tactical, challenging and rewarding experience have been removed in favor of more 'exciting and fast paced' combat. In Dragon Age 2's case 'exciting and fast paced' equates into the mindless ability bashing. Combat now relies heavily upon 'wave' mechanics. Where instead of individual mobs of enemies the player will be bombarded by wave after wave of enemy turning an epic skirmish into a tedious exercise of endurance. Most side quests are trivial and generic which furthermore offer no further insight into the game world and hold little other responsibility other than keeping the player distracted for a few extra hours collecting X number of items..

    The visuals have undergone an upheaval, yet surprisingly manages to look worse than its predecessor.
    The combat now resembles something out of a Devil May Cry game, rather than the style set in DA:O. The visceral and realistic style of Origins now replaced with an over sensationalized gratuitous flood of warrior aerobatics and bloody explosions. Many Caves, mountains, roads used again and again presumably due to constraints imposed by the soulless suits over in EA pushing for a speedy release and a fast cash-in. Dragon Age: Origins was a modern day throwback to classic RPG games: It incorporated engaging Tactical gameplay , interesting characters and appropriate use of dialog selection and an immersive fantasy setting imbued with a touch of gritty realism to provide a satisfying fantasy experience. Because of this the game was critically acclaimed and sold very well.
    Now letâ    … Expand
  54. EricNeo
    Mar 15, 2011
    4
    No multiplayer, very short, HUGE amount of copy paste, allot less skills, allot less items, enchantment system could have been flushed out and made far better then it is, and worst of all this game will not have a toolset.
  55. Kozal
    Mar 10, 2011
    1
    DA2 confirms the turn taken with ME2, this does not reassure the future of RPGs from this studio. Bioware is a turning point in its history, abandoning his philosophy to produce evoluted PC games for simplified console games (it is their right, no worries on that point, but Bioware must not hide behind the notion of RPG who died in this game).

    DA2 is not an RPG, the story is    DA2 confirms the turn taken with ME2, this does not reassure the future of RPGs from this studio. Bioware is a turning point in its history, abandoning his philosophy to produce evoluted PC games for simplified console games (it is their right, no worries on that point, but Bioware must not hide behind the notion of RPG who died in this game).

    DA2 is not an RPG, the story is transparent, the city of Kirkwall is almost empty, spaces are duplicated (for reasons of economy ? Why ? It's a shame for this great studio), poor gameplay and poor level graph, strategic and tactical disappear, it is not worthy of Bioware (the bitter feeling of having a game not finish â    … Expand
  56. MinDokan
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    I don't want to be rude, but is a piece of ****
    No one in good shape wastes his time in this Action RPG. Because is not a RPG game, nor a action game.
    Graphically is mediocre. Some textures are great, the rest, 8 bits. I think people who said the game is excellent, didn't play as a Warrior. Did you see how Hawke cuts the air with that sword? First time I saw it, "lol". For moments I    I don't want to be rude, but is a piece of ****
    No one in good shape wastes his time in this Action RPG. Because is not a RPG game, nor a action game.
    Graphically is mediocre. Some textures are great, the rest, 8 bits.

    I think people who said the game is excellent, didn't play as a Warrior.
    Did you see how Hawke cuts the air with that sword? First time I saw it, "lol".
    For moments I forgot that it is Dragon Age and I think I'm playing Devil May Cry.

    I feel sorry for Bioware.    … Expand
  57. Securion
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    Plays, looks and feels like a Korean hack n slash now and is nothing like Dragon Age 1.

    This is the first ever disapointment ive had from BioWare and is nothing close to what I had expected from this company.

    Its really weird how any reviewer could give this game more than 50% in score...?

    All in all; It really feels "console".
  58. Jobawa
    Mar 11, 2011
    2
    Where to begin?

    Dragon Age 2 is a rushed game. That's not an opinion, the game released in a ridiculously short amount of time, and Bioware staff have commented on the rush (look for articles on Kotaku and elsewhere about this). To put this in perspective though, a little bit about the first game: Dragon Age: Origins was Bioware's atttempt to create a new fantasy IP which they could    Where to begin?

    Dragon Age 2 is a rushed game. That's not an opinion, the game released in a ridiculously short amount of time, and Bioware staff have commented on the rush (look for articles on Kotaku and elsewhere about this). To put this in perspective though, a little bit about the first game:

    Dragon Age: Origins was Bioware's atttempt to create a new fantasy IP which they could control. Meant to be a spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate (a Forgotten Realms property, Dungeons and Dragons/alignments/classes/etc.), they stated upfront their desire to have a grittier, darker, and less fantastical fantasy. They spoke influence by George R.R. Martin's series (A Song of Ice and Fire), and said they didn't want it to be the sort of the world where things can be explained away in a "a wizard did it" sort of fashion (avoid death not being permanent, have magic grounded as far as what it makes possible.. and relatively more rare).

    The game they released was solid, and went on to be very popular. Bioware has typically been known for strong stories, and the tale in DA:O succeeded greatly on a few levels. The titular origins allowed players to start their PC among any of three races, with a possible three different classes. The origins stories were all different, and served to personalize the world for the player - tell what being a "city elf" or a "dwarven noble" is about. The story itself was reasonably flexible about where and what order you did things, with every area having at least one major choice that would have "some" impact on later events. The characters were both well-voiced and written.

    The game was iffy in some aspects too. The origin stories, while fantastic, often were poorly followed-up on in the remaining story. For instance, a betrayal of your family might amount to little when you return home later, making being "blase" your only "choice" about something like... murder, when the game regularly lets you kill people for very petty reasons. In the end, they just weren't as integrated as they could've been. The combat attempted to replicate the feel of commanding multiple units in a similar fashion to Baldur's Gate on the PC, however this wasn't practical for non PC players. So, the combat on consoles wound up more bastardized with awkward bits like repeated pathing errors and a seemingly slow pace for something that had an "action-type" camera. It was a still a good game, the dark atmosphere was well-done, and the world was realized.

    DA:2 would ideally have fixed and expanded on the first game (isn't that what we all hope for in a sequel?). Indeed, there seems to have been attempt to rectify the combat, but the result was not to make it more tactical or responsive - rather, they attempted to speed things up and make it more Action RPG, more "extreme". Difficulty in the 2nd title seems to be more about throwing massive numbers of troops at you, rather than better scripted encounters (ergo: rushed in both planning and balancing). The pathing frustration is removed, but the resulting combat is mindless and dull.

    The earlier complexity of the origins has been dropped altogether, the player is given exactly one "origin": you will always be a human member of a specific family; with your class playing little role in your background. To be clear, they went from 6 possible starting stories to 1. You can change your gender and class.

    Aside from the origins, the world and story are just generally more shallow and less-developed. The darker more detailed graphics of the first title have been traded for a more cartoonish style this time around, which gels poorly with the gritty world they attempt to convey. The Darkspawn (a series bogeyman) manage to look LESS menacing, dropping pointed teeth for flat ones, and getting a more even skintone. The story-telling is more trite and less-engaging. The magic and abilities have been made more ridiculous and over the top; a far cry from the "realism" that was seemingly championed in the first title. The ability to customize your companions has been dramatically restricted. You no longer outfit them. They removed the ability to talk to your companions at any time, inquiring about their past.. it only happens at set points now. You revisit the same areas over and over again, with the same map even. The maps wind up being pointless as what is currently the "visitable" area in the "new" area is never marked off.. you always see the same map. Your character simply lacks the agency they seemed to in previous game. In opting for a voiced Main Character, they seemed to have restricted your conversation options, relatively.

    This game isn't the worst game ever, but it's horribly shoddy for a huge budget studio known for great RPGs. It's a slap in the face to the lore and world created the first time as well.    … Expand
  59. peroxxi
    Mar 12, 2011
    4
    This game in crap. No exploration, tons of bugs, tons of more bugs, awful difficulty calibration, crappy graphics. They made this game in few months just because EA command it!
    It's turned to a great rpg to a casual action rpg.
  60. Birous
    Mar 18, 2011
    4
    Dragon Age 2 is a huge step back from the first game. While you get to explore a whole country, with lots of different scenarios, and do all sorts of different missions on the first game, here you will only visit half a dozen places and only do missions that feel like side quests. There are 2 things that I thought were improvements, the main character with a voice is one, and the newDragon Age 2 is a huge step back from the first game. While you get to explore a whole country, with lots of different scenarios, and do all sorts of different missions on the first game, here you will only visit half a dozen places and only do missions that feel like side quests. There are 2 things that I thought were improvements, the main character with a voice is one, and the new combat system, but the combat itself wasn't very well explored. It is too predictable, and there is no variation with the enemies. The main plot is very week, it gets interesting in the last 2-3 hours of the game, .. but the rest is simply there to fill some space (so about 30 hours of filling) The developers obviously rushed this project, and the game just looks like it was made by lazy people. Rings that are just called "ring" but with different specs, "belt", etc.

    overall the experience isn't terribly bad, but it's not up to DA:O standards and not up to bioware's reputation.... I find it hard to believe that bioware thought this was a good game to release.    … Expand
  61. paketep
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    Unworthy of being the successor of DA:Origins in every single way. Bioware whored itself to EA, and this is the result. Another mighty company killed by consolization.
  62. colhabdluke
    Mar 10, 2011
    3
    Very boring gameplay your in the same location for most of the game i got very bored of the fighting tactics very quickly it is simply not an RPG it is more of a hack and slash game very linear paths to follow dumd down dialogue wheel like mass effect 2 cant change your parties armour like the first game no over head camera all in all this game is no were as good as the first game veryVery boring gameplay your in the same location for most of the game i got very bored of the fighting tactics very quickly it is simply not an RPG it is more of a hack and slash game very linear paths to follow dumd down dialogue wheel like mass effect 2 cant change your parties armour like the first game no over head camera all in all this game is no were as good as the first game very dissapointed.… Expand
  63. Rendercat
    Mar 11, 2011
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. epic fail. game is really stupid and knee-made. The recipe is simple: copy-past and nothing more. No more story, no more characters. Just simle lots of neverendin' respoun… Expand
  64. Toxic_Terror
    Mar 12, 2011
    1
    I expected much more from Bioware... DAO was a great RPG, i've finished it 8 times, but DA2 - this is miscarriage from game industry. So, we have a stupid boring hack'n'slash (it's enough to press 1,2,3,4,5 on 'nightmare' difficulty - no tactics at all!) with some castrated rpg elements. Locations are absolutely dead - a labyrinths with couple of boxes containing trash and some uselessI expected much more from Bioware... DAO was a great RPG, i've finished it 8 times, but DA2 - this is miscarriage from game industry. So, we have a stupid boring hack'n'slash (it's enough to press 1,2,3,4,5 on 'nightmare' difficulty - no tactics at all!) with some castrated rpg elements. Locations are absolutely dead - a labyrinths with couple of boxes containing trash and some useless neutral npc's. Additional quests are awful - 'go there, kill somebody, come back', repeat couple of hundred times or until uninstall the game. Battles become schizophrenic because of respawn - killing last enemy from previous wave - a new wave appears just from air. There's also still a lot of bugs. This game is the biggest disappointment of the year. Possible target audiens - kids 8-12 years old for not to overstrain their fragile brains.
    I've bought DAO, but i already regret a lot of times about downloading this cracked "game" from torrents. The only thing it's worthy - uninstallation as soon as possible.    … Expand
  65. 1010101
    Mar 15, 2011
    1
    Dragon Age 2 is a disappointing sequel to one of the best cRPG games of all time (Dragon Age: Origins). DA2 fails on many levels. I'll pick two reasons: 1) recycled content. Numerous bland quests send you back to the save cave, warehouse, or sandy beach over and over again. 2) tactics have been removed. Tactical combat has been replaced with a fast-paced hack & slash system. On the plusDragon Age 2 is a disappointing sequel to one of the best cRPG games of all time (Dragon Age: Origins). DA2 fails on many levels. I'll pick two reasons: 1) recycled content. Numerous bland quests send you back to the save cave, warehouse, or sandy beach over and over again. 2) tactics have been removed. Tactical combat has been replaced with a fast-paced hack & slash system. On the plus side, the game is very stable.… Expand
  66. Oran
    Mar 9, 2011
    1
    This game is such a wasted potential. Bioware made a fortune off of preorders of fans of the original knowing full well that by over-streamlining the game and the pervasive console first attitude they would only alienate those fans. This game looks and sounds better than Orgins but that isn't what I want out of a PC rpg, I want a massive world, mountains more stats, the ability to seeThis game is such a wasted potential. Bioware made a fortune off of preorders of fans of the original knowing full well that by over-streamlining the game and the pervasive console first attitude they would only alienate those fans. This game looks and sounds better than Orgins but that isn't what I want out of a PC rpg, I want a massive world, mountains more stats, the ability to see background calculations as they are happening and mod friendly design. Once again consoles **** things up for PC gamers who want a product that utilizes their machines full capabilities.… Expand
  67. esiaschdeprap
    Mar 10, 2011
    3
    I'm too tired to be angry any more...Now I'm just sad. It's fun...kinda. But it is a gesture of disloyalty to the avid fans of Bioware. It's basically Dynasty Warriors meets the Dragon Age Universe. And the lore IS the absolute only reason I'm playing this game. I'm going to hold out on condemning Bioware. They are my favorite gaming company and I really hope they get the message that theI'm too tired to be angry any more...Now I'm just sad. It's fun...kinda. But it is a gesture of disloyalty to the avid fans of Bioware. It's basically Dynasty Warriors meets the Dragon Age Universe. And the lore IS the absolute only reason I'm playing this game. I'm going to hold out on condemning Bioware. They are my favorite gaming company and I really hope they get the message that the people who have been buying their games year in year out are hurting right now. I understand companies make money, that's what they do but this is not going to gain them the popularity vote. I mean, Jesus Christ look at the damn user metacritic score! Hell, look at the critic score, 8.3 for a contemporary Bioware game? That's the first time in a while that a Bioware game wasn't automatically slated for a nomination in all of those RPG of the year titles. Truth is, I love you Bioware...And I have to believe that you won't cheat on me with those Australipithicene Afarensis console gamers anymore but...OH MY GOD YOU'RE A WHORE!!!! (crying ensues)… Expand
  68. DAOFan11
    Mar 10, 2011
    2
    As a side note before I start this, NO, this game did not live up to my expectations, but I am trying to judge this game as a standalone, and not as a successor to DAO. We should look at "What is" instead of "What could have been" or "What's not".

    Anyways, first and foremost, i'm not a fan of the gameplay change in the slightest. Too point-and-click-esque for me. Some people like that    As a side note before I start this, NO, this game did not live up to my expectations, but I am trying to judge this game as a standalone, and not as a successor to DAO. We should look at "What is" instead of "What could have been" or "What's not".

    Anyways, first and foremost, i'm not a fan of the gameplay change in the slightest. Too point-and-click-esque for me. Some people like that play style, but I certainly don't. The combat is fun but simple. Not complicated, not intricate, not detailed, just simple.

    The graphics are fine. They could be a little bit better, but I'm not letdown or anything by them.

    The dialogue is just morbidly terrible. It seems like they spent about 2 seconds writing each of the lines without even brainstorming or giving them any thought (AT ALL!). They are really shallow; you can tell almost no thought was put into it.

    The CGI is cool I guess. A little much of it, but when i'm high it gives me something to look at.

    All-in-all, not a game I connect with at all, but fun for a short amount of fun before I move into something more enthralling.    … Expand
  69. Spalle
    Mar 14, 2011
    0
    If this is a game with some different name and from some new and unknown developer, then I would probably not even look at the game like this, and I would probably give it 2. But when game like this comes from Bioware, and it is named Dragon Age I would give it 0 because it is complete disappointment. Sad thing is that Bioware made their best game 10 years ago, and many people look to getIf this is a game with some different name and from some new and unknown developer, then I would probably not even look at the game like this, and I would probably give it 2. But when game like this comes from Bioware, and it is named Dragon Age I would give it 0 because it is complete disappointment. Sad thing is that Bioware made their best game 10 years ago, and many people look to get similar game from them. I think that anyone who want good rpg must look other way… Expand
  70. FilthyGround
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Compared to DA:Origins this game is a great disappointment.
    Compared to Baldur's Gate it's a mere insult.
    Even if you take it for what it is without comparing it to the greatness of former Bioware games, you end up with a not much of a game at all. The art work is sloppy, the gameplay lacks depth, the moral choice system is a joke and the story is cliché on cliché    Compared to DA:Origins this game is a great disappointment.
    Compared to Baldur's Gate it's a mere insult.
    Even if you take it for what it is without comparing it to the greatness of former Bioware games, you end up with a not much of a game at all.
    The art work is sloppy, the gameplay lacks depth, the moral choice system is a joke and the story is cliché on cliché on cliché.
    Adding to that the story is so blatantly cut off to provide them with content for the mandatory launch day DLC. I never pirated a Bioware game out of respect for they great games they made.
    This ends now.
    This game is bad enough to end more than a decade of loyalty.    … Expand
  71. DungnCurmudgeon
    Mar 11, 2011
    2
    DA2 has value as a game. That value, however, is heartbreakingly destroyed when viewed in light of it being a sequel to DAO. Others have listed its faults, but I would like to point out that the game makes the most rookie DM mistake there is; it *tells* you instead of *showing* you.
    EA may have ruined Bioware. I hope not, but I will not buy another Bioware product without first checking    DA2 has value as a game. That value, however, is heartbreakingly destroyed when viewed in light of it being a sequel to DAO. Others have listed its faults, but I would like to point out that the game makes the most rookie DM mistake there is; it *tells* you instead of *showing* you.
    EA may have ruined Bioware. I hope not, but I will not buy another Bioware product without first checking the reviews.    … Expand
  72. Sovereign
    May 27, 2011
    0
    go play the witcher 2, punish bioware for this nonsense. copy paste everywhere, flemmeth talking crap without sense, horrible graphics, boring characters, horrible dialog tree, everyone is bisexual? (doesnt make sense, no discrimination here) and forced cammeos of all the DAO characters! everything in one place Dragon Age "2"............
  73. Poodlejumper
    Mar 11, 2011
    3
    The only honest review I saw of this game from a pro was Adam Sessler (THANK YOU ADAM.) He kept it honest that it has a great story but the combat ruined it. Between the flashy animations that looked like the damn Power Rangers fighting grey faced goons to (speaking of the Power Rangers) how about that Rita Repulsa...I mean newly designed Flemeth?

    Even past the initial stage its just    The only honest review I saw of this game from a pro was Adam Sessler (THANK YOU ADAM.) He kept it honest that it has a great story but the combat ruined it. Between the flashy animations that looked like the damn Power Rangers fighting grey faced goons to (speaking of the Power Rangers) how about that Rita Repulsa...I mean newly designed Flemeth?

    Even past the initial stage its just Kirkwall...and limited dialog that does have some impact on the game...but the damn thing isn't long enough to really make you get into it. Only in the 3rd act does the story pick up.

    We expect more from developer Bioware. The publisher EA? Not so much.    … Expand
  74. RobertG
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    I had read previews for this game and although I was dubious coming in, I was still willing to give it a fair chance because I really enjoyed Dragon Age: Origins. I am extremely disappointed in the final result. I prefer to play the Infinity Engine RPGs and DA:O on the highest difficulties because of the challenge. The combat mechanics really haven't changed that much from DA:O, but theI had read previews for this game and although I was dubious coming in, I was still willing to give it a fair chance because I really enjoyed Dragon Age: Origins. I am extremely disappointed in the final result. I prefer to play the Infinity Engine RPGs and DA:O on the highest difficulties because of the challenge. The combat mechanics really haven't changed that much from DA:O, but the nightmare difficulty in DA2 is flat out broken. The encounters are the driest and most uncreative things I have experienced in an RPG in a long time. *Every* fight ends up with the initial group of enemies plus two to four waves of additional NPCs that materialize from nowhere. The fights become less an ability of tactics and more of an endurance battle where you are whittled down and praying that another wave of enemies isn't coming. Another major problem is the lack of an isometric camera. In the Infinity Engine games and DA:O, the camera was placed overhead which allowed easy command of your characters. In DA2, you do not have access to such a feature and targeting becomes an arduous event. It is apparent that this is a console game first and the PC version was merely an afterthought. The storyline is also disappointing. The game starts out in an unnamed mountain with characters we know nothing about and within fifteen minutes, something happens to a major NPC. I am guessing that Bioware wants us to feel sympathy during the event, but there is no way to have any sort of connection with the characters because you do not know them. The story is also supposed to take place during a ten year period, but there are jumps in time spanning several years and you never see any of the characters age, therefore you are left confused. Sadly, Dragon Age 2 is a product of Bioware being bought by a corporate giant and being forced to rush out a game and appeal to a specific demographic. The days of wonderful fantasy RPGs are long gone for this developer. I am in greatly disappointed that the creators of the finest RPG of all time has fallen from grace in a mere decade.… Expand
  75. TheHfay
    Mar 12, 2011
    0
    A rushed out game with tons of recycling and poor game design. Bioware is only trying to milk the franchise with this botched dung of crap.
    Running 4 times the same dungeon?
    2/3 of the game taking place in the same city?
    No crafting system?
    Who are you kidding, Bioware?
  76. 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.
  77. abbeyramms
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Completely awful in every way imaginable. Avoid like the plague. And yes, I have beaten it, and it is an experience I am not likely to ever repeat. Please bring on Witcher 2 to wash this nightmare from my mind.
  78. 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 theDesigned 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
  79. Arragon
    Mar 8, 2011
    4
    Critics, wow 80+ review average.
    Us poor saps that believe them and have to spend money on the game 60- review and that is probably only because of people voting 100% for no reason other than Love of the dev's previous work.
    Personally combat is terrible- stats, skills, crafting all useless. There are no tactics required. The Story and characters are poor to laughable, don't even get    Critics, wow 80+ review average.
    Us poor saps that believe them and have to spend money on the game 60- review and that is probably only because of people voting 100% for no reason other than Love of the dev's previous work.

    Personally combat is terrible- stats, skills, crafting all useless. There are no tactics required. The Story and characters are poor to laughable, don't even get me started on the childish "romances".. And honestly I've said enough, not wasting anymore time on this abomination.    … Expand
  80. napalm
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    It is too bad they removed some of the KEY RPG elements. The game is more of a Mortal Combat hack and Slash with stats now. The Sole has been ripped from DA and now all that is left is a shallow button masher.

    It is so sad that consoles ruined another great game. DA:O was amazing, good thing Elder Scrolls is coming out this year. I do not recommend DA2 if you like in-depth old school    It is too bad they removed some of the KEY RPG elements. The game is more of a Mortal Combat hack and Slash with stats now. The Sole has been ripped from DA and now all that is left is a shallow button masher.

    It is so sad that consoles ruined another great game. DA:O was amazing, good thing Elder Scrolls is coming out this year. I do not recommend DA2 if you like in-depth old school RPG's. If you like an action game, then you may like it.    … Expand
  81. Frostlance
    Mar 11, 2011
    3
    1. Shockingly disappointed beginning with character creation

    Recycled hair styles from DA:O used in DA:II character creation (this is especially awful because the modding community has already produced a vast number of beautiful hairstyles for DA:O available through mods) Tattoos from DA:O were re-used in DA:II and not improved upon -No freedom to choose race Only 3 classes Unable to    1. Shockingly disappointed beginning with character creation

    Recycled hair styles from DA:O used in DA:II character creation (this is especially awful because the modding community has already produced a vast number of beautiful hairstyles for DA:O available through mods)

    Tattoos from DA:O were re-used in DA:II and not improved upon -No freedom to choose race

    Only 3 classes Unable to customize default Hawke face (can't even change his eye color)

    I went from my first playable experience as hawke being totally awesome, high level with skills/spells/armor to being 100% useless and weak in a span of 2 minutes...this approach made me feel like playing my low level pathetic hawke was lame.


    2. Uninspired introduction to game (I didn't care about Hawke's family)

    Hawke's family didn't seem interesting to me, at all, except for bethany who was actually kinda hot and interesting but my sister...so yeah awkward...

    Hawkes mom has the same voice as my human noble mom in DA:O...wtf?

    DA:II failed to capture my interest from the get go, leaving me feeling unmotivated to play the game, and disinterested. Whereas, ME1, ME2 and DA:O all managed to capture my interest early and in a powerful way

    3. Playing an entire game in 1 city... is failure.

    Playing 80% of the game in the same city removed the feel of exploration and adventure (it would be like removing every location from ME2 and forcing Shepard play the entire game on the citadel, epic fail)

    Re-used dungeons, locations etc, this is so beyond fail for many reasons but when I think back to diablo 1, even way back then they had an awesome randomized dungeon/location concept working so you never felt like you were in the same spot twice, why not use this approach?


    4. Companions were much weaker than in DA:O or ME1 or ME2!

    Maybe you set the bar too high with Morrigan, Leliana, and Alistair and shot yourself in the foot? Because these DA:II companions just don't cut it, by any standard.

    ME1, ME2, DA:O companions blow DA:II companions out of the gaming universe

    DA:O chatting with companions was vastly superior and more personal to DA:II approach.

    I hated not being able to dress my companions and change their items


    5. The Story is...where?

    Hawks story is a bit uninspiring. I don't really care about Hawke or his rise to power. It feels insignifcant to me. Poor story, especially compared to DA:O, ME1, ME2 etc. The best part of playing DA:II is the comfort that at least I have Elder Scrolls: Skyrim to look forward to.    … Expand
  82. Darrggon
    Mar 10, 2011
    3
    I say briefly - this is not a RPG game, it's a true slasher. Beautiful, dramatic, easy slasher with a very simple plot. Epics? It is not. Romance? Very little. Tactics in battle? Minimal. Conversations with the characters - in its infancy.
    Make a better once more DLC for the first part, please.

    Excuse me for my poor English.
  83. slymenstra
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Interview with the man behind DA:O and DA2's score. Guess what he said in an unrelated question?

    "Unlike other titles from Bioware, this score was kind of a rush job. EA really wanted to capitalize on the success of Origins, so the game was really being pushed hard to be released now" My opinion: Abysmal cookie-cutter, **** fantasy world and characters. Everything is bland, the area's,    Interview with the man behind DA:O and DA2's score. Guess what he said in an unrelated question?

    "Unlike other titles from Bioware, this score was kind of a rush job. EA really wanted to capitalize on the success of Origins, so the game was really being pushed hard to be released now" My opinion:
    Abysmal cookie-cutter, **** fantasy world and characters. Everything is bland, the area's, the details, the conversations, the voices, the enemies. This game lacks ' soul'.    … Expand
  84. Snubort
    Mar 10, 2011
    3
    Dragon Age 2 is RPG lite. A significant amount of what made the first game, Dragon Age: Origins, endearing has been either removed or watered down. Combat is unfulfilling, it is very difficult to lose. Battles are won by keyboard mashing, not tactical planning. The synergy between the Classes has been decreased, and you are left with the feeling that your party members are onlyDragon Age 2 is RPG lite. A significant amount of what made the first game, Dragon Age: Origins, endearing has been either removed or watered down. Combat is unfulfilling, it is very difficult to lose. Battles are won by keyboard mashing, not tactical planning. The synergy between the Classes has been decreased, and you are left with the feeling that your party members are only following you to provide comic relief. However, even their comedy is no relief. The dialogue in DA II is stilted and the characters are poorly developed. In many cases, the main character's dialogue options are reduced to oversimplified stereotypical one liners. Oh, don't worry if you lack basic communication skills and cannot discern the meaning of simple phrases, DA II tells you when the main character is joking or serious. Bioware no doubt attempted to create something greater than Origins. Sadly, the changes they made to the original were unnecessary or poorly executed. DA II feels like a B-rate movie. After the novelty fades away, you will want your money back.… Expand
  85. Lascelle
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    What reason do we have to believe Mass Effect 3 won't be given the same shoddy treatment as Dragon Age II? So disappointed. Bioware has bought into their own hype and is throwing their well-earned reputation into the proverbial toilet.
  86. richard_31
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Everything I feared the game would become - Dragon Effect is in da house. It's like EA took the worst parts of both games and put it into one awful game. Simplied, linear gameplay. Way too many recycled maps. It feals like I'm playing someone else's character in someone else's game. Story is not epic, I mean why do I even care about "The Champion"? Combat is inspid. Rogues flyingEverything I feared the game would become - Dragon Effect is in da house. It's like EA took the worst parts of both games and put it into one awful game. Simplied, linear gameplay. Way too many recycled maps. It feals like I'm playing someone else's character in someone else's game. Story is not epic, I mean why do I even care about "The Champion"? Combat is inspid. Rogues flying 30 feet through the air. Warriors flitting around as if they had a rocket up the arse. Enemies exploding with one hit from a dagger. Super Jedi ninja combat. Dumb. It's like an interactive movie with some random things to do in between scenes. There is no challenge at all. Endless waves of cartoonish enemies that simply pop up out of nowhere. Everything that made DA:O good was stripped out. No redeeming qualities. A turd foisted upon the gaming public by EA.… Expand
  87. syn44
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    This game is a shadow of its former self. The graphics look 5 years old and the gameplay is an absolute downgrade from the previous. The power tree is absolutely stupid. There is no way to change companion outfits. The story is lame and feels like a drag. There is also no toolset available at the moment and there is a very small chance they will ever release it as they want to go the ME2This game is a shadow of its former self. The graphics look 5 years old and the gameplay is an absolute downgrade from the previous. The power tree is absolutely stupid. There is no way to change companion outfits. The story is lame and feels like a drag. There is also no toolset available at the moment and there is a very small chance they will ever release it as they want to go the ME2 route and cash in on the DLCs rather than letting us create community content. If you were a DAO fan stay away from this absolute crappy excuse of a sequel.… Expand
  88. gas
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    Im not a huge fan of last Bioware releases, i consider DAO a good game with something really interesting and something to be improved (like the menus,inventory, crafting, linearity and more), and the mass effect serie too, not masterpieces tbh for me, but anyway good, and different games.
    I was and i am i huge fan of old Bioware rpgs, as im a pc player and im no more a kid i remember and i    Im not a huge fan of last Bioware releases, i consider DAO a good game with something really interesting and something to be improved (like the menus,inventory, crafting, linearity and more), and the mass effect serie too, not masterpieces tbh for me, but anyway good, and different games.
    I was and i am i huge fan of old Bioware rpgs, as im a pc player and im no more a kid i remember and i own every rpg with Bioware involved in, and i have to admit i prefer a lot the old titles, no doubt about it.
    This DAO2 prolly wanted to be a mix between DAO and Mass effect as idea, to be something fresh going to please more the console mass then the old style rpg geeks, at the end its all business.
    But the result im sorry will not please everyone im sure about it, on console you get nowadays much better action titles then this one, especially if you consider the graphics and average fps cant compete even with non so recent titles and also the market is crowded with action oriented games, and about the pc geeks there is nothing to tell, no one will even play this more then couple of hours, prolly less.
    Its a real shame to see Bioware involved in a project so damn crap like this one, this game is not a sequel of DAO, its just a laggy linear arcade with minor rpg elements programmed for consoles and badly ported to pc.
    At least it was more honest if they realized to skip the pc release and present this game as an arcade spin off of DAO, like it actually is.
    Its interesting btw to see how the "professional critics" are nowadays controlled by those majors, look at the scores... bah.
    Even if you consider this game a brand new only console game its couldn't get more then a score of 4/10.
    But as im talking about the PC version, dear DAO2 you deserve a full zero.    … Expand
  89. Sailon107
    Mar 10, 2011
    2
    Dragon Age 2 just parody on Japanese-style slasher with elements RPG.
    Roleplaying completely absent, the dialogues are boring, dull one type lokatsii.Eto just soulless piece of code on which I wasted attention and spent their hard-earned money.
  90. lolla1
    Mar 10, 2011
    3
    I'm a girl and I finished the game so I'll write from my perspective. I like smart games and this one wasn't so smart. The conversations were boring, hardly no wry humour, romance (Hawke and Anders) was rushed. The worst part was that you weren't able to speak to your heroes unless you went to their room AND you were lucky enough to see the yellow arrow above their heads. The tinyI'm a girl and I finished the game so I'll write from my perspective. I like smart games and this one wasn't so smart. The conversations were boring, hardly no wry humour, romance (Hawke and Anders) was rushed. The worst part was that you weren't able to speak to your heroes unless you went to their room AND you were lucky enough to see the yellow arrow above their heads. The tiny conversation was held and then it was just "back to normal". I've played Dragon Age: Origins and I know that they could do better. Srsly, were you saving money on voice actors? I also missed the camp or at least some house where EVERYBODY hangs out.
    Secondly, I hated how the game felt like an action game. Well, it is. I hated it. It should be an RPG, not Half Life.
    I hated the ending. There's hardly any continuity of DA:O and on top of all that, there's this unresolved ending. "so this is the story about the champion" - kthxbye. The story feels unfinished. And no, I won't buy the DLCs.
    Revisiting old locations was boring. The city was awesome with the day/night system, but it was still sometimes boring.
    The game was too dumbed down. Where was the button for selecting all party members? There wasn't any. I had to hold shift and click every one, which was annoying. Sometimes I selected all members and just clicked on an enemy and waited 2 minutes until they kill him. Boring.
    I missed the camera from above. I missed being able to equip all party members. Collecting armor was no fun.
    I liked the cutscenes, the loading screens, the art, the music. That's it. I suggest to Bioware that they merge DA:O and DA2 for DA3, if there will even be one.    … Expand
  91. hitaisin
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Linear slasher with copy/paste locations :(. - Story is boring, only some times you will see something interesting (only few last moments).
    - no CG videos, only some "animated pictures" like in cheap games
    - Dialogs are boring - Answer variants in dialogs doesn't affect anything - party member relation (friend or foe) is fiction... + battles are dynamic, I finished game only because liked    Linear slasher with copy/paste locations :(. - Story is boring, only some times you will see something interesting (only few last moments).
    - no CG videos, only some "animated pictures" like in cheap games
    - Dialogs are boring
    - Answer variants in dialogs doesn't affect anything
    - party member relation (friend or foe) is fiction...

    + battles are dynamic, I finished game only because liked battles
    +/- graphic is nice, but locations are lack of details it is not RPG, it is slasher with dialogs    … Expand
  92. soldier99
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    Bioware threw in all the bad bits in DA:O and Mass Effect 2 in a blender and gave us this abortion they call Dragon Age II. If you want a game that makes you feel bad for wasting your time playing such a piece of garbage then listen to all those paid for reviews. I will warn you that your efforts to want to love the game because it's DA2 will be futile.

    Now I truly fear for Mass Effect 3.    Bioware threw in all the bad bits in DA:O and Mass Effect 2 in a blender and gave us this abortion they call Dragon Age II. If you want a game that makes you feel bad for wasting your time playing such a piece of garbage then listen to all those paid for reviews. I will warn you that your efforts to want to love the game because it's DA2 will be futile.

    Now I truly fear for Mass Effect 3. I can't believe Bioware actually agreed to put its name behind this shoddy product and dared to call it a RPG.    … Expand
  93. Berk_Berkly
    Mar 11, 2011
    2
    I laughed when I noticed the 84 metacritic score. Not from amusement but from a sense of irony. I don't know the going rate or method of review credibility for so called game critics, but anything outside of Rock-Paper-Shotgun is probably going to be heavily "persuaded" by more than just the game features if you know what I mean. As for the game itself, it simply did not impress or evenI laughed when I noticed the 84 metacritic score. Not from amusement but from a sense of irony. I don't know the going rate or method of review credibility for so called game critics, but anything outside of Rock-Paper-Shotgun is probably going to be heavily "persuaded" by more than just the game features if you know what I mean. As for the game itself, it simply did not impress or even live up to the mediocre flavor of the original I'm afraid. Bioware is really losing the touch, and this game is a victim of EAs policy toward game development more than anything… Expand
  94. imperita
    Mar 11, 2011
    0
    I've played this all of the way through before writing anything. I've always been a Bioware fan, but seriously, DA2 is disappointing and I cannot see how the bulk of review sites can ignore some its fundamental flaws. Granted I can see how the combat has improved for console platforms, but it's really the rest of the game that leaves me feeling irritated. For instance, the dialogue optionsI've played this all of the way through before writing anything. I've always been a Bioware fan, but seriously, DA2 is disappointing and I cannot see how the bulk of review sites can ignore some its fundamental flaws. Granted I can see how the combat has improved for console platforms, but it's really the rest of the game that leaves me feeling irritated. For instance, the dialogue options and conversation interactions have really been dulled down - I assume this is due to the fact that Hawke is now voice-acted. I would love to sit down and talk with whoever came up with the 'sarcastic' replies for Hawke - he just sounds like an idiot. Taking the character of Isabella as an example - we get it, she is a sex addict - there is no need to constantly remind the player over and over again aside from the obviously intended hit with the younger male audience. There is no connection with the characters, you just don't end up caring what happens to them. The exception to this in my opinion is Merrill, whose dilemmas and underlying story fit in more with what I'd come to expect from Origins. The constant 'cameos' from older characters only reinforce the lack of interest with the supposed main cast of this installment. The story is definitely a lesser scale than origins, which makes me feel quite angry as to the marketing propaganda hinting at some sort of epic ascent to 'power'. Whilst the combat mechanics are a little more streamlined, as is item and inventory management in general, this doesn't fix the issue of repeated zones, reuse of assets, the low variety of enemies and the incredibly annoying 'walk-into-an-area-and-keep-spawning-stuff' ideology. Perhaps it is my fault for having expectations that were too high, or not checking beforehand that the entire game was essentially going to be set in one relatively bland city with a few outdoor areas which would be reused at periodic intervals as 'years' progress. I see a lot of the positive reviews being given here with scores of '10'. I just don't see why. Especially the 'OH MY GOD IM LEVEL 7 AND THIS IS AMAZING' - I too was still 'giving it a chance' at that stage hoping that it would open up and improve. Others suggest increasing the difficulty somehow compensates for the bad storyline and being locked into only a few zones just so that you can engage in slightly harder repetitive combat where on occasion people jump randomly from the sky, up from the ground or pop out of nowhere. I'm not a professional review writer - and I've never posted a review on metacritic before despite being a deidcated PC gamer for well over a decade. I just felt massively let down as a player and as a fan of DA:O that the experience of DA2 was quite simply a let down. Honestly it feels as if they sat down after the Awakening expansion and thought 'lets do that again with a new character and implement some of the ideas we couldn't fit into the scope Awakening - we'll call it Dragon Age 2'. P.S. Bring back more of the mage schools and spell combos. Why remove them?… Expand
  95. Freland
    Mar 11, 2011
    1
    I'm just so disappointed after loving Origins very much. The game was hasted and you can see that at every part of the game. EA should be ashamed of ruining such a fantastic brand like Bioware.
  96. WauOatmeal
    Mar 11, 2011
    2
    BioWare seems to be trying to go green with Dragon Age 2. Most of DA2's art assets, character design, item design are reused from Dragon Age: Origins. The game's level design is reused to the point that repetitious doesn't even begin to describe it. The combat is maybe the single saving grace this game has but even it starts to get tedious after an hour. Rushed, unfinished, released with DLC, $60.
  97. Masterhummel
    Mar 14, 2011
    3
    Dragon Age II feels like it want to statisfy the customers basic needs but nothing more. You can buy it and may get up to eight hours of basic entertaiment. However, it's not enought for me. This game doesn't look finished after one and an half year. It hast a great story development but all ends up in some mess of trivial stuff. Freedom of choice is only an illusion - nearly no one of theDragon Age II feels like it want to statisfy the customers basic needs but nothing more. You can buy it and may get up to eight hours of basic entertaiment. However, it's not enought for me. This game doesn't look finished after one and an half year. It hast a great story development but all ends up in some mess of trivial stuff. Freedom of choice is only an illusion - nearly no one of the huge ammount of descissions you doing have any effect. So, why a 3 out of 10 when it is 'basically statisfieng'? Because i think Bioware doing things in a bad way. Someone there may've got that you only have to do 'the basic things' to get the customers money, but it's the wrong way. I really wish that the next Bioware product get the time it needs.… Expand
  98. Larkin90
    Mar 15, 2011
    0
    this is the worst game made by bioware. graphics, animations, character design, dialogues...all i really crappy. if i wanted to play a action rpg, i would play diablo, but i expect MUCH more from bioware
  99. Tukku
    Mar 17, 2011
    0
    Greates devil's trick on players in history !!!!!
    I been playing rpgs for over 3decades an for WCgames Ut&Cs- so got got some exp with both forms of play(rpg+action). there is NO comment how dissapointing this CRAP is after DA game which i consider one of bestest rpg in gaming history since BG. i only created acount and write this to WARNN!!! all rpg players of this ABORTION of one of    Greates devil's trick on players in history !!!!!
    I been playing rpgs for over 3decades an for WCgames Ut&Cs- so got got some exp with both forms of play(rpg+action). there is NO comment how dissapointing this CRAP is after DA game which i consider one of bestest rpg in gaming history since BG. i only created acount and write this to WARNN!!! all rpg players of this ABORTION of one of bestest games in history!! Tthough real CRIME is that they advertise game as so great succesor of DA that i got signature version without doubt and any worry it would be. what i got is greatest RIPoff i can recall !!!!!
    Take heed in my advice if you are rpg player. for action players get dead space 2 or go for fine pvp like Leaugue of legends!!... ;D    … Expand
  100. Gavinn
    Mar 10, 2011
    0
    I'm sorry Bioware, but you just took the most promising video game IP of the past decade and completely destroyed it, whilst losing most of your loyal fans and supporters in the bargain.

    The cosmetic changes and the combat revamp would have actually been fairly amazing if they had been implemented without watering the entire concept of a role-playing game down to the point where I    I'm sorry Bioware, but you just took the most promising video game IP of the past decade and completely destroyed it, whilst losing most of your loyal fans and supporters in the bargain.

    The cosmetic changes and the combat revamp would have actually been fairly amazing if they had been implemented without watering the entire concept of a role-playing game down to the point where I literally can't continue playing past the ten hour mark without beginning to feel guilty'traitorous about doing so.

    There is too much wrong here to forgive. The city where you spend 90% of the game is completely devoid of life. Constantly recycled maps. Dialogue wheel instead of real conversation options. Extremely limited loot/items. Lack of ability to fully customize companion gear. And that's just scratching the surface. (Magically instant respawning enemies zomg!)

    It seems like everything you did with this game was aimed at having fewer options for the player. My question is....why? It is beyond asinine to limit the player's choices in a role-playing game. Creating and then fully fleshing out/realizing a character or party is what games in this genre are supposed to be about! If I wanted another point and click action RPG/ FPS, well, they're a dime a dozen these days. You guys were special because you were one of the last companies around still making REAL role-playing games.

    And if that's not bad enough, on day 1 you're trying to charge players for in-game content instead of just...you know...putting it in the game to improve the experience for your customers.

    What a crock.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

35
#35 Best PC Game of 2011
5
#5 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
18
#18 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 45 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 45
  3. Negative: 0 out of 45
  1. PC PowerPlay
    Apr 18, 2011
    90
    Moving even further from the classic RPG, strong story and clever combat are nonetheless still found within Dragon Age II. [May 2011, p.52]
  2. Gaming Nexus
    Apr 12, 2011
    58
    Despite some advancement in storytelling approach and liberal borrowing from Bioware's Mass Effect approach to gameplay, Dragon Age 2 on the PC has a lot of bugs and is populated with re-used settings that make this feel like a play performed on a stage with two sets.
    Read full review
  3. CPUGamer
    Apr 11, 2011
    85
    For a rushed product that is still battling bugs, the currently offered product still provides 40 hours of challenging and engaging gameplay. This combines to provide a good, but not great gaming experience.
    Read full review
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