3274 réponses à ce sujet

[SafetyShattered]

Huntress wrote...

Be redemmed? "Do something that compensates for poor past performance or behavior"
"Compensate for the faults or bad aspects of (something)"

My hawke have done nothing to feel ashamed of or guilty of, they should have added more for this character to do however. Now if you said: Meredith...This woman need to pray from dawn to dusk "and may she find redemption in the maker's light" lol!

Why would you think been a warden will make Hawke better? They* (bioware*) aren't going to make Hawke a warden because many people (let me say that again) many people do NOT want to play wardens. If they did we would have been playing our warden's today.

I personally wanted to play as a warden again because for me personally I loved to play as my warden a lot more then as Hawke. I want to see the continuation of DA2 story because at the end of DA2 in my opinion left a lot to be desired. Its obvious that Bioware wanted to continue Hawkes story. But Hawke feels kinda used up to me, I want something added to make him(or her) feel like a more complex character. Oh come on....who doesn't want to play as a gray warden again? Playing as a warden just felt much more epic then as uh.......Hawke.

[Crazey Kelt]

OK I am commenting on the PC version. I just finished the game for the first time. The conflict with the AMD video cards is a pain. load newest driver game locks up, Unable to update or create DA2 charter on the achievements part of online profile. Those are the problems I have run into. Wish was more to it thought seemed the=at was more to do in DAO. Well I finished with a male rouge so will try some other settings. No bash for mages or knock spell , same for warriors. No other races is a pain also. But I do recommend the game to others, was a WOW player but cost required me to drop account. Also was A Balder Gate and NWN player. So i do enjoy the games.

[gbvjh hm]

I posted on this thread beofe but since tried to play through a few more times, but never finished.  As a result my opinion changed. Here goes.

Combat.
Faster, this is good.

Takes no effort, just put it on autopilot, you do not need to strategize, there are no tactics. Don't have to worry about casting the right spell at the right time, using the right ability on enemies at the right time. Just go on autopilot and forget it.  The combat was better in DA:O, find a bottle neck on the map and cast inferno, or throw it on top the archers.  There is no reason to adapt to the combat and use the right ability at the right times, the AI is sloppy and the combat is just a button masher.  Abiities and tactics are not necessary.

Subscore 2/10. (You can go on autopilot, there are no tactics needed)

Inventory/crafting/enchanting.

Crafting. The crafting system on DA:O was not well done.  But it is more realistic to have to collect the flowers each time you make a potion, they acutally thought this was a major improvement. I disagree, but the system in DA:O wouldn't win any rewards.

Enchanting: Same thing, this had taken a more serious down turn though. There are fewer runes, and no rune levels, and you can only use it once,  if you take it off it is destroyed.  This is an obvious and silly attempt at streamlining, Again DA:O, did not have a good enchanting system, but this makes a bad system worse. 

FOR GREAT CRAFTING AND ENCHANTNG SEE NEVERWINTER NIGHTS 2.  You could find a mithril vain, send a miner to collect it, buy an armor mold, then hammer yourself some armor on an anvil, each armor needs a different mold, and different metals add different qualities. Then find a few magical gems and enchant the armor. Each enchantment is a different recipe. This is enchanting and crafting done right.

Inventory.  They made this like Mass Effect 2, I guess they thought it worked there so it will work here. Well the inventory system in DA:O was perfect, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  And the fact that you can't change the cmpanions armor, or unequip the basic weapons is just insulting.

Subscore, 0/10  (Way too dumbed down)

Ease of use/ Learning curve.

Okay, the game is easy to play, moving the character and using the interface is easy, it is so easy that I could have a lobotomy and still understand.  However, it goes too far, and loses major points for simply being too easy.

Subsocre 4/10  (Just too easy)

Overall gampley.3/10 (Too dumbed down)

Role Playing.

Skills And Atrributes.  Skills are the same as before, so there is no need to go there.  Attributes now have upgrades, this is good.  But they are also more useless, the combat is easy, overall it doesn't matter what attribute you take because the mechanics are not complex enough to worry about it.

Subscore 6/10.  (upgrades increases score).

class and Specializations. Too restrictive, you are a generic mage,rogue or warrior. The specializations make you more powerful, but they do not let you branch out and customize your character beyond the generic class.  Moreover the companions do not get specializations.

Subscore 3/10. (Generic clases, no real customization)

Choices. The choices you make have no impact on the stroy. I heard how they said it was the most reactive game to date. But there are no decisions to be made, if you solve a quest one way in chapter 1. You get an aditional quest in chapter 3, that is about as reactive as the game gets.  The most impact you can expect your average decision to have is how your party members respond.

Subscore 1/10.  (Choices have no impact)

Overall Roleplaying score. 4/10 (Character creation and lack of choices lower the score)

Gaphics/Sound.

Sound is great, I have a surround sound system, DA2 makes good use of it.

Graphics. Again great, could have been a bit better. They reused alot of maps. But really, if you go in a warehouse 3 years ago and return today, would you expect the layout of the building to change? No, then I don't think it would in Dragon Age 2 either.

Graphics/Sound Score. 8/10 (Done well)

Plot.

Main story. Confused. Each chapter has its own story that is different from the others. The last chapter in particular is rushed. While I can accept this, even if the main story if the main story of each chapter is a bit different, they should have a common theme in common hinting to larger picture.   It is not there.

Subscore 1/10 (loses several points because you have higher expectations from a Bioware game)

Side Stories/Quests.  Several quests are find and return that have no dialog. That said, several character related quests are well done.  Then there are the clean the gang quests that are just plain bad.   Then there are some mage/templar quests that are good. This is a mix of good and bad, I think the good wins out by a bit, but not much.

Subscore 6/10 (The good slightly outweighs the bad)

Companions.  Well Isabella,Merril and the downright taciturn Fenris are well done. Bethany is the better of the sibling, there is no doubt, Carver is not liking his older sibling much because he hates being in the shadow, but he also sided with the Templars which makes no sense since both his siblings are mages.  The rest are pretty straightforward characters, nothing special, nothing bad. With the exception of Anders who for a possessed mage is pretty boring (there was so much they could have done with that one character alone).


Subscore,  5/10 (The lack of ability to talk to them much, especially after they move in when you would expect there to be more unique dialogue, forces me to lower the score.)
This one could have been so much better.

NPCs.  The viscount, Meredith,Petrice, and Grand Cleric Elthina are all well done. Orsino not so much.  Flemeth, as always, shines.  This one category that is well done,  but even though they shine, they are out shone more by First Enchanter Irving, Anora, Cailan, Loghain Mac Tyr, Duncan, Arl Eamon, and several others. As a result, this must be given a lower score.

Subscore 6/10  (Good, but not up to the standards of DA:O)

Overall Plot and Characters. 5/10 (subquests and characters improve the score)

Overall opinion.

The game is rushes, shallow, dumbed down, over simplified, watered down, and generally poorly done. Logically speaking, the plot would call for the character to become Viscount at one time. This would put the character in a position of authority, so they would be part of the events going on in the game instead of being swept up along in them.

Overall score.

4/10.  Not as a good a game as my first impression thought it was.  Way to oversimplified. The lack of a decent cohesive plot overshadows some arguably strong characters.

Modifié par gbvjh hm, 29 juin 2011 - 09:48 .

[Carmineriley]

A lot of people have been getting into the technical parts of the game, and really breaking it down. I alas have not been playing RPG's for years so I do not entirely know the standards, but I will give my review based on what I thought of the differences between the first and second one.

There's a lot of criticizing of the second game being done, mostly when it's being compared to it's predecessor. But they are two completely different games. Sure you have your three classes to choose from, but in terms of story, it'd be like comparing Milton's 'Paradise Lost' to a shakespearian sonnet, Dragon Age II being the latter. Dragon Age origins just had more choices, from choosing what race, even to your back story. Whether you wanted to be a disgraced Dwarven prince, a spoiled human noble or an impoverished city elf, you would become the most well known person in Thedas due to your heroic and/or ruthless actions.

Dragon age II is a fantastic game, but for very different reasons. Gone are the varied choices. You must be a human in this game as the story follows the rise to power of a human man or woman by the name of Hawke. What made the second game so unique to me was the character dynamics with your party members. Because the story arc spans ten years, your teammates really become accustomed to one another, almost like a family, and it makes for even better party chats, and a sense of belonging. You're no longer saving a country, but looking out for your family, companions, and a city so full of corruption, you need only to turn a corner to find yourself cleaning up the streets once again.

Some features that really made the game for me were:

-Tone of voice(Depending on your dialogue options early on in game Good,Joker,charmer,Rude your character develops that tone of voice when conversing)
ex. (for people who haven't played the game) When you walk into a room, even before your dialogue options come up, Hawke will say something relative to the type of dialogue you've been using the most up until this point
-For the 360 the combat seems for responsive, and don't listen to people saying it's not challenging. My first run through was on hard, and you definitely need tactics. I cant imagine what Nightmare is like
-Companion interactions are realistic and amusing. You'll find yourself constantly bringing along 'Varric', you're dwarven companion as he's hilarious
-plot twists, betrayals, love interests, fights you name it!

Honestly, if you're like me where you play video games to have fun and aren't going to crucify a company for taking a different direction with a game. Try Dragon Age II, before you judge it too harshly. It's definitely not Dragon Age Origins because Thedas is no longer under threat from a Blight, but there is still a lot of fun to be had cleaning up the Port city of Kirkwall, drinking with your companions, or helping Apostate Mages get laid for their first time.

[alchemist42]

gbvjh hm wrote...

Combat.
Faster, this is good.

Takes no effort, just put it on autopilot, you do not need to strategize, there are no tactics. Don't have to worry about casting the right spell at the right time, using the right ability on enemies at the right time. Just go on autopilot and forget it.  Subscore 2/10. (You can go on autopilot, there are no tactics needed)

Combat review.   Played through 3 times

First time on normal – combat was too easy

Second time on hard – far more satisfying combat experience

Third time on nightmare – the business !!   The game really shines on NM, strategy, build and tactics come into play big time, you’re facing more waves, more elites, friendly fire, enemy immunity to fire, ice, spirit etc.  high enemy HP and attack damage and so on.  CCC tactics is essential for survival in many of the fights (never bothered with CCC on normal or hard). 

I had to try out 5 different builds before I could beat the boss at the end of ACT1 (deep roads) IMO the toughest fight of them all, simply because its early game, i.e. limited build / rune slots/ options.  The later bosses were easy in comparison.

Anyone who says you can play this on autopilot is either talking rubbish or playing on normal (in which case they should up the stakes to NM). 

Modifié par alchemist42, 30 juin 2011 - 10:03 .

[Shuma Gorath]

After playing the game I’m glad that I waited to buy it used. Here are my gripes with the game. Some advice Bioware taking away player choice is never a good idea and will not be seen favorably.

Combat Mechanics: I spend more time watching my companions and Hawke auto attack then actually using any active abilities or reacting from the tedious wave system that offers no challenge. Next time, you’re going to use such a weak mechanic I suggest that each wave is made up of different units and employs different tactics against the player. Also no more ninja’s and paratroopers.

Recycled Maps: The overuse of maps and the lazy approach to make them “artfully done” was very redundant. Did Bioware believe by blocking some access points that people wouldn’t notice this? I expect to see this from independent developers or companies that are starting out. Not by a company that  is known for making triple a games.  

Elves: Seriously Bioware what did you do to them? Did you purposely make them grotesque so everyone will want to be human in upcoming games? My god have you seen what Merril looks like when you romance her.

Darkspawn: Mutated Clowns or Army of Undead? What was wrong with them in Origins?

Race Customization: When I live in a world that has Elves, Dwarves, and Quanari. The game has to offer the player the choice to be one of these races just like in Origins. Humans are boring and if this is not rectified in DA3 my gaming groups and myself included will be looking elsewhere for our RPG’s.

Restricting Weapons: Dual Wield and Archery restricted to the Rogue class and are unable to use swords.  Sorry but this makes no sense, and restricts the player from building the character he wants to have.

Abilities/Specializations: You went overboard on your streamlining and created a game very similar to an MMO where we rely on auto attacks while specials refresh. You attempted to make this into an action RPG but you don’t have a clue on how that works. So it’s time to bring back all the active abilities and specializations that were available in Origins and awakenings. In DA3, we need to see the Arcane Warrior, Battlemage, Legionnaire Scout, Keeper, Shapeshifter, and Spirit Warrior return. Also Blood Magic needs to be able to mind control in dialogue scenes and be able to summon Demons just like the NPC’s. And since you decided to throw your lore out the window, we expect to have teleportation as well.

Party Role: The player is the leader and he is the one that issues the orders. If he wants a party member to fill a combat role and change his weapons or specialization it’s not difficult for a leader to do. Unless you want to force players to take specific companions while the others sit on the sidelines because the group already has a healer, a trap finder, a tank, controller, or ranged dps.

Companion Armor: Just like the player chooses the best gear/weapons for his character to face the different challenges in the game. The same goes for the companion because unlike the player they are not capable of understanding concepts like fire resistance, elemental damage, bonuses, stat increases etc..and until party members are capable of understanding and making choices based on the information available this has to be left to the player.

Companion Interaction: The cast of teammates feel like shallow sketches, rather than fully-fleshed characters. Meetings and events with them happen quickly and at no point did I feel connected with any of them. Heck they spent more time with the Malbari then me. The companion quests are tossed at the player with no buildup or foreshadowing, and the so called growth of the characters are mechanical or non-existent. On top of that, you can only talk to them when the game feels it’s necessary. At least we weren't insulted with companions doing calibrations for most of the game.

Story: The frame narrative destroyed any plot that DA2 had and made it into three short stories that were so disjointed that it made the player feel like a spectator. Player’s also want to see their labors come to fruition. Why is it that we don’t take part in Aveline’s wedding? Why is taking over the mine  pointless? Why do we not get any opportunities to get to know our family?

Fetch Quests: Seriously returning people’s pants and ribcages.

Crafting: Please rename it to in store shopping because that’s what it has become.

Setting: Trapped in lifeless city where nothing changes over a 7 year timeline. Templars and Guards don’t react to an apostate mage roaming free in the city. Getting mugged in the city must be a daily occurrence since it doesn’t seem to get a reaction from any of the guards or merchants. The lack of change is extremely disappointing.

Replay Value: Choices simply don’t matter in DA2 and don’t impact the game in any way meaningful. The game has very little content to begin with and can be beaten under 30 hours. No Incentive to go back into the game and be the Diplomatic, Sarcastic or Rude Hawke since the story plays out the same no matter what you do. Heck Bioware didn’t even try to give you an illusion of choice.

Dragon Effect: It’s clear that Hawke was supposed to be a mediaval version of Shepard but he fails in so many ways that many have come to call him the poor man’s shepard. Hawke has more in common with a placeholder in a book then the most important person in Thedas. I can’t believe how many of the cinematics were cut/pasted from Mass Effect. And the introduction of the dialogue wheel that fails to match the responses chosen. I’m surprised we didn’t get paragon and renegade interrupts  but that would of required new cinemantics and DA2 is clearly a game where corners/costs were cut and rushed into production.

Modifié par Shuma Gorath, 04 juillet 2011 - 09:58 .

[Gillborn]

DAO was a very good rpg game that i still enjoy playing.Great story with depth that left me with questions about what is happening to this world and how my reactions will evolve it.It gave u a dark feeling as it should cause you were facing something that could taint the world and destroy it.And still even greater powers lurk in the swadows.Good combat mechanics that had meaning in the battle and could give u victory or change the battle in favor to the enemy.Interesting companions that all had a purpose and values and would react to every choise u made.And many more things that made it a great game.I was expecting to see something similar in DAO 2 but i was dissapointed.

No character customization.Which means that u are not the player,just reliving the past of someone.No moral choises just pick a side and act accordingly.The story is divided in 3 parts with many gaps.In the begining i dont even know what my purpose is.The second part felt like it was there just to justify the title of champion but i really didnt think i did something great.It was a matter of time before someone else stepped in and take the place of the ''champion''.And in the 3rd everything is going so fast like the game is saying ''ok time to finish the story''.Even then my actions/choises did not make any difference.10 years have passed and eveything is the same.Only part that made me feel that something big is coming was the appearance of the witch but in the end..........

Gameplay......um is this tactical rpg or just action rpg with flashy moves???Not many choises about character build.Tank goes with sword and shield warrior with two handed rogue with dual weapon or bow(i really like Varric and Bianca but if i cant change his combat style its like saying this char is for tank this for healer this dmg etc).Again no choises just follow a given path.Same as skills.Good idea having personal skeel trees but make them more interesting.Though i found interesting the class combos.Flying waves of enemies???Ninja templars really????Like a knight trying to sneak in the dark...Please bring back the fatigue system.It felt more real.I could have 3 sustained modes on and still have some mana/stamina for the fight.But even then i could somehow make up for the higher fatigue and skill/spell cost with armour that reduced it,for me and my companions.But w8 i cant change the armour of my companions.No freedom again just some given path with upgrades that made no difference(2-3 rune slots with little variety of runes).Crafting system not good not bad(awakening had some interested crafting quests).Items like belts rings amulets....well i set an example:belt +14attack-ornate belt +14 attack.I could not choose what to put on.

Interaction/Companion interaction.I want to talk to people get information from them learn about the current condition of the city what is going on around not just click them on the head and hear "damn Blight i left my home to rot here".But that was out of the question resulting to methods like map markers.Found a book get it there and ''the end''.Same goes with the companions.I feel they interact more with each other than with me.I cant talk to them learn about their past(reference to Varric.i cant change Bianca at least let him tell me how he got her and that name),about their hometowns.And when they have a problem they think ''lets get Hawke here to help because i cant alone" and even then a quest just pops up to inform me.Friendship/rivalry system is good enough to keep your companions around u nothing more.If someone cant agree with my actions why stay with me?????

Graphics/Music were ok.But i would prefer again the game to have a darker side.After all the city we are in has some trivial past.Darkspawn were more like brightspawn.In  DAO u felt that they possesed threat to the world but now they look like funny cartoons.

Closing i would like to add two lines:"Dont u feel like everything has become more simple from eating to fighting?" YES and "This warehouse again?Do u think the owners charge them rent for their meetings??"
My review is bad but its Bioware's fault(in a good way) because they gave a very good game DAO origins that set the standard high and is common sense that u keep the good things and change the bad for a better game not vice versa.

[Black Arachnia]

Here is my review of DA2 and may very well be the last of the series I purchase unless some major changes are seen in DAIII.

Companions: Would have been nice if they actually fleshed them out. Every meeting with them seemed to have been rushed or had no real point to the interaction other then “Hey, Did you forget about me?” Then for no reason they become silent and camera shy to the point that I would off killed just to hear some pointless dribble like “Can it wait for a bit I’m in the middle of some calibrations” It’s truly a shame, Bioware has some of the best writer in the business – and this was the best they could offer.

Companion Armor:  So we want NPC’s to dress themselves, that sounds interesting but can they tell the difference between leather and plate armors? Do they know what armor or dex rating means? Or the difference between fire and cold?  I will hazard a guess that they don’t and like the scarecrow If they only had a brain then it would be possible to give them choice instead of removing choice from the player. For me this needs to be returned in DAIII or I won’t be purchasing it.

Companion Roles: I prefer Merill over Anders, so every time I was forced to take him so that I can have a healer instead of using Merril who I adore just rubbed me the wrong way. If I want Fenris to tank for the party or I want Isabella to engage targets at range, or Anders to go die in a fire. That is my choice, and I’m getting tired of having choices taken away when I want them.

Race Selection: To this date I have never cared to play a human and still don’t. Humans are boring and are everywhere I look. If elves, dwarves, and mythical creatures were not popular then the world would not be filled with countless stories and art dedicated to them. This is another element if not returned to DAIII I won’t be purchasing it.

Restrictions: Warriors need to be given back the ability to dual-wield and use bows. Rogues need to be given access back as well to all weapons.

Setting: Kirkwall, the city of chains. Where a player is forced  to run a laundry list of errands for the city dwellers who do not change, move, and magically know who you are which leaves the player asking “Who the hell are you” over a 10 year period. And get used to living in Kirkwall’s city limits because you will be spending a lot of hours
trapped in a lifeless city built on low and high res textures.   

Story: Enough with the framed narrative, and skipping over events we should have been part off. Like the first year of servitude where we made a name for ourselves. Attending the wedding Aveline, a companion that has been with us since the beginning. Actually, seeing things come to fruition like the mind we acquired. No more side stories where we the player are a spectator, but instead give us a single story that evolves over time based of the choices that we make in game.

Equipment: By game’s end, your inventory will be filled with so many, nondescript Rings, Amulets, and Gloves, each with its own set of stat bonuses. Good luck sorting through them. Gone are the descriptions and the history of the items. Also because choice was removed from the player, you will have lots and lots of armor weighing you down because you can no longer give it to your companions or have tem hold onto it for you. Did it ever cross Bioware’s mind if you’re going to streamline these elements, maybe you should get rid of the useless loot. Nothing more fun, then finding a nice looking set of armor and selling it or storing it in a chest for the rest of the game.

Elves/Darkspawn: Are the new comedy relief in the game. Elves have more in common with fishmen and donkeys than actually elves found elsewhere in other games where they actually are magically and beautiful to behold. Which now brings us to the Darkspawn which look more like undead zombies or mutated dogs.

Recycled Content: Who at Bioware thought that forcing the player to experience the same map over and over was a good idea while adding very little exploration to the countless re-used areas that were made up of long hallways and dead ends that once lead elsewhere?  And would it kill you to add some variety to the beastiary.

Combat: Was the goal to make the game so responsive that we have characters teleporting, sliding, and leaping tall buildings in a single bound? Only to stand their watching them auto attacking for the majority of the fight, asking ourselves if this was a futile attempt to too show that the hand is quicker than the eye? Or did Bioware forget that specials still have cooldowns and that has to be balanced with the amount of actives at the player’s disposal to make the experience as seamless as possible. The waves have to stop, no more ninjas and paratroopers unless you’re going to make a game like Dynasty Warriors. And do try to vary the enemies that are pitted against us, I do like a challenge and if I wanted to cut threw them with ease then god help me I would instead play a game like Dynasty Warriors.

Specializations: Bring back all of them in Origins/Awakenings – players want choices. Players want to have a reason to replay a game and this is one way to go about it by offering multiple play styles. Each of which should offer a different option and unique abilities that should be present in and out of combat. Blood Mages should be able to influence minds in dialogue options. Rangers should be able to train and improve their animal companions. Bards should be able to perform in the street for some cash.

Stability/Bugs: Bioware forgot to actually polish the game before releasing it. The game crashes several times with no explanation to the cause, deleted saves/corrupted saves, companions just standing there taking no actions, Friendship bug and several others. At least some of these issues have been resolved.

Replay Value: Very little – choices made in the game were not meaningful in away or impacted the overall story. My Mage should off played differently when meeting the Arishok and the Viscout of a city that fears mages. And the choice to be Happy Hawke, Sarcastic Hawke or Angry Hawke, yet still unable to change the course of an action. Bioware for someone who talks a lot about how your choices matter, and how they will impact the world around you, all I have seen is a lot of nothing from a developer who has clearly taken this franchise in the wrong direction

 

Modifié par Black Arachnia, 04 juillet 2011 - 11:46 .

[Baiolit]

I would like to start my review off with a congratulations to Bioware for making a strong sequel to one of my favourite games of all time. Now even though I normally don't believe comparisons have a place in a non-biased review, for simplicity's sake I will add a few.

As I was waiting for the release date I had already come to the conclusion that I didn't agree with the direction Dragon Age 2 was taken in. I did not join the "haters", I just had no grand illusion that Bioware would cater to my desires and accepted the game for what it strived to be. I believe that despite my objections this allowed me to enjoy the game a lot more.

Presentation: This is where I believe the game excelled at. The voice acting was superb, all the way from the resonant and rich bass voice of the Arishok, to the charming and endearing accent of Merril. The graphics were a huge step up, adding a larger amount of colour and personality to its predecessor's muddy and largely stagnant palette. The models were well done, but it was easy to see that some had more effort put into them than others. Even though it is redundant to list any issues here I shall say them anyway: rehashed environments, uneven quality amongst NPCs and environments, and slightly odd dismemberment.

Story: It seems that a lot of nay-sayers have agreed that the plot was lacking. Personally to me that just seems like their refusal to even try and capture where Bioware was going with this. Well I didn't find it as engaging as (here comes the dreaded comparison) Origins, I think that the matter is up for debate. I believe it was from David Gaider that I heard that a successful plot stems from it's creator's ability to throw hooks to the player to immerse him into the experience, to make him care about the conflicts. Whether that's a party member, the main character, or just a character in the general setting. Here is where it went awry for me. I get drawn in to a plot by it's characters. They make the story matter, and cause me to lose myself within a world. In (queue another comparison) Origins many characters did this, Morrigan, Shale, Sten, Ogrhen, and most of all Teyrn Loghain Mac'Tir. DA2 didn't have characters that enraptured as much but they were still top-notch. I thought Carver was amazing but I didn't like playing as a mage, and I was forced to go as a rogue, therefore missing out on him. Still I think that beyond acknowledging that Bioware did a good job on the story, I am perplexed as to how to critique further.

Gameplay: I'll be to the point here. The gameplay was an aspect of the game that had a number of pros and cons. I loved the challenge, I found ( again) Origins a joke on nightmare, while the difficulty on DA2 was satisfying. But, and it's a big but, I hated from where the challenge originated (no pun intended). It seemed that a plethora of enemies was the means of dampening my ability to succeed. I found that often I could out manoeuvre the AI easily enough and make certain "hard" fights a cake walk by simply going to the next room, where the new spawns wouldn't chase me. I found the crafting system useful but it could some more complexity. The cross class combos were a good feature but I personally preferred the spell combos of (Insert another comparison) Origins. It encouraged tinkering and experimentation. Gear management was lacking, but I absolutely understand and support the decision of letting companions have their own armour, it brought out their personality and emphasized their uniqueness.

To wrap up the review I would like to address those, who to my endless irritation, deny their faith in what I believe is still an amazing company. Dragon Age 2 was a completely different experience, a different kind of story telling and I believe it was a great risk that mostly payed off. It may not adhere to my or many other customers' desires, but if boundaries were never tested Bioware would never have created the genre defining gems it has. My humble suggestions for any future installations would be an amalgamation of the two released games in the DA franchise. They are both great in their own right and if they can be made to complement eachother, all fans, present and future, will benefit.

[Zoso the Golden]

You asked for it - you will receive it (my review, that is).

First off, I liked a lot of the things Bioware did in the past (i.e., about ten years ago). Very,very much so.

I think ME was  an ok game, and ME2 was a huge improvement, especially as it did away with easily recognizable copy-and-paste-dungeons (i.e., space stations).

The opposite is true of Dragon Age 2. Why had this game to be released in such a rush, with such dumbed down story, interface, combat system, character development, just plain everything? After all the effort that went into DA:O, there was a huge fan base.  
With DA2, you put that at stake and lost it for a few fast bucks from everyone who was so sure it would be as great as it's predecessor and preodered it. Well, even on my PC, it feels like the quick-and-dirty hack-and-slash console hack it is and I seriously regret buying it. I would have paid a lot more for a true sequel with great story, tactical combat, character development options (e.g. why is pick-pocketing gone?), inventory (I had to see it to believe how incredibly dumbed-down it was), graphics (the textures pack helps only a little), the list goes on.
And I feel that I'm not alone in being a veteran RPG gamer who would have gladly spent a lot more money on a game as great as DA:O but feels so insulted by DA2 that I'm never going to preorder something Bioware ever again. (Well, I already had preordered ME3 and I'm sure I won't regret that - but that's it).

I'm just wondering two things:
* Who came up with the idea to make DA2 a hack-and-slash console ego shooter with swords?
* Is this really the direction Bioware is taking? Doesn't making quality stuff cut it anymore? That really sad!

[choleck_]

This is my review.

General likes:
-The combats are faster.

General dislikes:

-The story is simply worst if you compare it with dao origins story, it's less deeper and it's not such addictive as it, the maps are often repeated and the fact that you almost can't go out of the city it's terrible.

-In my opinion, the new graphics makes the game looks like less serious, i don't like the aspect of hurlocks and there aren't new creatures, it's just a copy of origins.

I sincerely hope that dao 3 will be just a little better game that dao origins, but without following the steps of dao 2.

In conclusion, I think that dao 2 have been even worst than dao origins.

[Madde]

I though it was extremely fun! Which is the point of games. People complain about the combat being ridiculous or cartoonish: it's a friggin' fantasy game. There's giant fire 'splosion spells and elves and things, a bit of exaggerated jumping around isn't something to whine about. Lots of people were saying the plot/writing sucked. Really, I thought it was well done; it made me want to play through all the options.

My complaints are the recycled area layouts (big killjoy) and how ridiculous most of the elves and darkspawn look, as well as the generic "shapeless clayface" people littering Kirkwall.

[Cruehitman]

I had posted this under the general section as DA:O vs DA2. Got some great feedback, but had a few people say that this should be posted under both review, and the criticisms section, so that's what I've done! Hope it's ok!

First off, I want to say that I played through DA:O, DA:A, and several of the DLC fully twice. I sank over 180 hours into that, and could not wait until DA 2 came out. After reading all the horrible things about it, even though I bought it day one, I waited for awhile to play it. Well, I have finally completed the game, and NEEDED to talk about it with fellow DA lovers and players. Here are my main bullet points:

1) Is it fun? Overall, I'd have to say a sort of yes. As a RPG, its a pretty good time and I got a lot of bang for the buck. My one playthrough lasted over 55 hours. I finished with just over 80% of all trophies and I felt like overall it was worth the money. HOWEVER, I will say this much... for me, there is no replay value. As I noted above, I sank over 180 hours into the first DA and it's expansion. Even after that, I will gladly play it again a third time. The game is a thrilling adventure, in a huge world, where I felt like I was on a huge quest of epic proportions. Even a few hours in, I knew what my main objective was and felt very connected to the story. DA 2??? Over 20 hours in, I still couldn't really tell you what was really going on or what my main goal was. DA 2 felt more like a chore so often. And that's sad. I can not and will not play through it again, regardless of what might change.

2) Streamlined = more aggravation. It's been mentioned a billion times, but the truth is the truth. I can't STAND the new inventory system or look. I play on the PS3, and I LOVED the old system. You click L2 and you can access everything including your inventory right from the wheel. Now, you have to hit start to pause the game and then you can access the inventory system. On the first game, just hit the select button, and you are in your inventory automatically, and can access ALL info, including skill sets, stats, inventory and items, and of course codex, and all quests. Once again, the supposed streamlined system actually makes things more of a headache and requires more button presses. Kind of ridiculous for a system that is "streamlined". Quests are now in one seperate area, inventory in another, skill sets in another, and again, you have to hit the start button now and pause it to access it all. NOT a good idea. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go back to the old look and accessibility!

3) A giant world to explore vs a city. WOW... I don't know who thought this was a good idea, but it was NOT. I spent over 70 hours in my first playthrough of DA:O, but I was constantly experiencing new sites, new adventures, new areas to explore. VERY WELL DONE! The sequel gives me 55 hours in one place??? I was about to fall asleep half the time! The wonders of traveling though HUGE wooded areas, ancient ruins, cities and towns, castles, icy snow capped mountains, etc kept me glued to my tv throughout the original. The sequel gives me a bunch of... dirty city roads, clean city roads, busy city roads, empty city roads, etc etc etc all in one place. Again... WOW!

4) Campsite vs Scattered all over... I loved being able to "set up camp" whenever I wanted with my old team. Everyone was in one place, so it was easy to talk with them all, and get to know them. Each character you could talk to whenever you wanted, and they had a HUGE wealth of information, opinions, news, quests, etc. It made things feel like a real unit, and its what made it so easy to fall in love with the characters in the first game. This game... For the love of all that is holy... they're all over the damn town!! So if I want to talk with each one (if the game even allows it!), I have to go through 20 loading screens... walk in place A, talk, leave place A, go to place B, talk, leave place B, go to different area of map completely, walk in place C, talk, leave place C........ and on and on.... if you wanted streamlined, the campsite made things fast, easy, AND it was fantastic! I want to build a camp again!!

5) Gifts vs Gifts? I enjoyed being able to find tons of gifts in the first game and expansion that I could give to my teammates! The sequel has 1-2 for each character and that's it. Small thing, but again, lame.

6) Original vs Repeat... I won't spend long on this, since it's been beaten to death, but this game includes the laziest game design I have EVER seen for a game! Wow... every warehouse the same... every cave the same... I laughed hysterically at the "sewers"... what sewers??? They looked the same as every other underground dwelling. Unbelievable and extremely embarassing. There was more originality and new stuff to explore in 10% of DA:O than all of DA 2 put together.

7) Random encounters vs random nothingness... I loved the little encounters you'd sometimes come across in the first game. I actually spent some time running from location to location just to try and trigger some of those random encounters... Here... I got two "random" events that were just laughable. Again, the first game made it appear as if you were really traveling around and anything could happen. Here... I never felt like anything could happen. Way to kill another good thing.

8) Equipment vs equipment or lack thereof... Why for the love of God did they remove the ability to upgrade and give my teammates new equipment. That was a MAJOR part of the fun with the first game and expansion. Every piece of equipment could have the potential to open up new possibilities for each team member. Who would I give what to? Now... ZZZZZZZZZZ... sorry, fell asleep there. Now it's just stupid. Not being able to equip my team was a HUGE let down! And not only that, but 2/3 of the equipment Drevin could get was also useless because I wasn't a Rogue or Mage. So most of the equipement is useless, and you can't equip your friends. I can only shake my head at the lameness. One quick final note... "torn trousers"??? "moth-eaten scarfs"??? Really??? Looting itself got a major downgrade period. They managed to ruin looting, equipment gathering, etc.

9) Romance vs the worst "sex" scenes ever created... After playing through DA:O, I felt a connection with not only my character, but actually felt as if he and Leliana were a real couple. I could feel the connection and "love" grow throughout the course of the game through their conversations, and when they finally consumated their relationship, even though they kept underwear on, it at least looked like a sex scene and the relationship felt real and connected. DA 2 felt like nothing. I ended up successfully romancing Isabela, but even near the very end of the game, she was still talking about banging some other guys and how much fun it would be, yet we were in a "relationship"... and the sex scene... HAHAHAHAHA... They fall on the bed fully clothed, and the camera pans upward... WOW. Ridiculous... and it never NEVER felt like a relationship. It's just another example of how they removed all the real closeness you could feel and get with your friends and teammates. After 55 hours in this sequel, the relationship felt fake as hell, and I still couldn't care less about most of my team. Just 20 hours in, I loved Alistair, Morrigan, Leliana, etc... the dialogue was great, i felt like I really was getting to know them, and I felt as if we were truly in this together... you NEVER get that feeling in DA 2.

10) Silent Hero vs Speaking Champion... Unlike a lot of people here, I had no problem with the fact that my lead character had a voice. In face, it was nice and I kind of enjoyed it... HOWEVER, I did NOT like they way they stripped dialogue down to basically nothing. Now I have no problem with the Mass Effect style dialogue wheel. I really don't. But even using that, why can't it include a ton of options that I could use whenever I wanted. Again, in the first game, I could wipe out a hoard of Darkspawn in a cave, and then turn to Wynne or my girlfriend Leliana and talk with her right there on the spot. That is now completely gone. If I try to speak with someone now, they'll just sit there looking stupid saying something like "we don't have time for this" or "let's get going". That's it??? It's no wonder why I never felt close to any of my team this time around. Unless there was an event or quest going on, I was forbidden from talking with my friends. You can combine the best of both worlds you know. I have no problem with  the wheel and spoken hero from this point on IF IF IF, they can make it feel like real conversations with a TON of choices, and I can speak to them whenever I feel like! Otherwise, they're just lame people that follow me around. And THAT I don't like.

11) Real Choices for Companions vs Stuck the way they are Companions... They've even dumbed down the skill set trees. In the first game, I loved creating not only my character, but my companions into whatever kind of warrior, rogue, or mage I wanted. Now, so many options are for Hawke ONLY. That's just lame and took all of the fun out of fine tuning my team. For a small example, the Berserker and Templar and Reaver options are ONLY available for Hawke. This killed a lot of the motivation I had for leveling up my characters. Again, instead of fun and strategic even, it became a chore. And the dumbing down of certain things like lockpicking... you have to put points into cunning, and every ten points unlocks a new lockpicking level... Really? Pathetic when I think about it. And what happened to little cool touches like picking pockets? Sigh..........

12) Opening Dialogue choices vs pre-determined dialogue... Another little thing I loved about the first one, building up my coercion stats to open up different options for my dialogue which could even effect quests and open up possible quests. Now........ gone.

13) Epic Story vs Political Story... Some people say that the storyline for the first DA:O was pretty generic. Regardless, I felt a small part of this huge and epic storyline, and I truly felt that the things I was doing was making a difference. It felt like a struggle which it should feel like. That's what made it so epic and rewarding. The sequel is basically people that can't get along, and spend the ENTIRE game ****ing and moaning and whining. There was no motivation. What was my purpose? It felt small and lost all the charm, and removed the journey aspect.

I have a lot more, but, that's it for now. I have played a TON of RPGs throughout my 37 year life. And i can honestly say that Bioware created my favorite one of all time with Dragon Age Origins. The epic storyline, the huge world, tons of great sidequests, so many great things to see, the best companions in all of gaming, great dialogue, actually being able to feel the friendships and romances grow, and on and on. I have no problem with sinking another 90 hours into it and it's expansion pack. I'm just at a loss then, when I see what is quite possibly the greatest RPG out there, being reduced to T-H-I-S. Everything great about the first game was actually removed in this sequel. This game should not have the Dragon Age name on it. I understand upgrading, moving forward, and trying some new things to BETTER the experience. Instead, they sat around and thought it was great to remove everything epic, fun and strategic about it to give us this instead. I have a special place in my gaming heart for Leliana, Morrigan, Alistair, etc. I couldn't give a crap about anyone in this sequel. That is not good!

Look... overall, the game is ok. It's worth a playthrough one time.There are some good things. The "updated" graphics are fine... the combat system is fun... some of the quests are pretty good.  But I would suggest renting it, or borrowing it, or waiting a little longer and buying a used copy. I can only hope, and pray that Dragon Age 3 will fix this mess. Bring back my Hero of Ferelden! You can give him a voice... that's fine. Just open things back up! Bring back the epic DEEP feel of the first game. I want to know my companions... form real bonds and have real romance for them. Open things back up. Let me tweak their full skills, let me equip them all the way. I would gladly sink another 100 hours or more in the next game if it was more like the first. But... I will not make the same mistake I made this time. I will not pre-order it or buy it the day it comes out. This time, I will wait and see what things are like. If it's like a great amped up version of Origins, count me in for endless hours of play and replayability. If it's like Dragon Age 2, I think it'll be time for me to move onto other pastures. And that would truly be a shame!

[Siven80]

I have just played through DAO again recently, along with ME2 and DA2 and i below is an updated view on what i
liked in the games in relation to DA2.

In the last few weeks i have played DAO/DAA and the DLC twice for 2 new imports for DA2, and i found myself prefering a lot of changes DA2 made.


I like loot when its useful, and so hate junk thats just there for cash and to make it feel like there is loot. So when playing DAO i got annoyed with all the useless loot and then the swapping of gear on companions. Sure its occasionally nice to change the way a companion looks, but imo there are better ways.

So i love the unique armor the DA2 (and ME2) companions wear. It helps differentiate them from npcs and helps reduce loot swapping and the annoyance of junk/useless loot.

Yet you can still pick up weapons which you can equip them with, which i like and keeps a degree of customization in the game. Accessories are there too but i found them in DA2 to be a bore.

In relation to armor drops and upgrades, i like the ME2 system of upgrading. This could be made into a crafting system in DA by gaining armor scraps from opponents to be made into certain armor kits which could also upgrade the armors appearance also.

On the subject of crafting and skills, i too never used traps and never made poisons in DAO, part of the reason was i never needed them, and also that i found it quite boring. I really only made the occasional health pot. And dont get me started on the terrible runecrafting system on DAA....god how tedious and boring can you get?

Yet i liked the crafting system in DA2 for its simplicity. They made it easier to craft items and less tedious
which is a good thing.

Complexity for the sake of it is a terrible design. Simplifying things doesnt means dumbing down either, everyone prefers things that are easier to access.

The combat i found more fun in DA2, its more fluid and fast paced compared to the slower, sometime ponderous nature of DAO. 
The slower system in DAO didnt make it more tactical, the pausing to make decisions did that and i can still be tactical in DA2 by pausing.
But i do think it was just a bit too fast and a good comprimise would be a mid point between the DAO and DA2 combat speeds.

But i really did hate the waves of enemies in DA2. I dont mind the odd wave here and there, undead, demons and darkspawn i can understand waves if enemies appearing, but to use them in every fight and for mercs to appear from thin air got really boring and annoying.
Used well, waves are good, the way DA2 used them was bad.

Another combat related improvement i liked in DA2 was fewer abilites to use.
Often in DAO my mage could have a full bar (on the PC) of spells, yet really only used a handful of them making a lot of them useless. So i really liked the change DA2 made by having fewer abilites and spells, making each one more useful and then having the ability to upgrade them was fantastic.

But i would still like them to go further with it. Have fewer abilities still but give each one more upgrades and upgrade paths. This could help with even more customisation while also imo, help with the lack of buttons on the console versions.

For example you could have a base attack tree (autoattack) with say 2 different paths each with different passives abilities. One could improve backstabbing if your behind an enemy and the other path could chain attacks and then do a big hit after so many attacks land.

You could then also have a shield sustainable which has several paths that each focus on a more defensive or offensive nature.

Also a rather wild idea is to get rid of stamina/mana and just use cooldowns for ability use. Many times in both games i found stamina/mana to be a pain and more annoying than its worth and wished it was more like ME2
with just cooldowns.  This could make combat more lively and fun.

Now the art style i preferred in DAO. The DA2 style is just too cartoonish/anime style and i didnt like it at all, along with the bland areas and look of the game. Also many characters looked bad which i think is down to the art style and lack of time.

The elves of DA2 im not keen on either. They are way too thin, stick thin, and lack the beauty of the DAO elves. Though the dwarves and Qunari i liked, though the Qunari could do more more variations of individuality.

Plot, story and gameworld i prefered DAO again. I think part of that is because DA2 didnt really have a main antagonist that was always in or around you like Loghain and the Blight was in DAO. DA2 just felt to me that i was going through the motions waiting for something or someone to appear and do something. If Orsino and Meredith were more involved with you or atleast in cutscenes it could have improved the game.

I also prefered the quest hubs of DAO to the more open way the DA2 quest happened as i found the story flowed better than it did in DA2.

So even though i like and dislike aspect of each game, i still play them as they all offer something different.

Modifié par Siven80, 08 juillet 2011 - 02:54 .

[Sir Kharras du Lac]

I just finished the Warrior play through for DA2 this morning. I found the game to be overall rewarding, with just a touch left wanting.
The Good:
- The battle engine worked great for me.
- I liked the more simplified version of the classes and ability trees.
- The characters looked good and thier interactions were entertaining and kept me interested.
- I like changing up my armor, so that was good too. I always wanted more!
- Lots of quests, which keeps me interested.

The Not So Good:
- I felt like the storyline left me hanging just a touch too much. The ending came too abruptly to me. It almost seemed to need another chapter or something of the like. Different stroke for different folks I suppose. Or perhaps it was the fact that we lost like 9 years in cut-scenes...

Overall:
The moment I finished, I started the on the Mage.

Modifié par Sir Kharras du Lac, 08 juillet 2011 - 08:48 .

[KennyJ20099]

Ok i have to say, that over all i liked Dragon Age Origins better. Dragon Age 2 was pretty awesome, and i loved the fighting style, but the story line is nothing like the first one. compared to the first one, the story line sucked.

[Snubbles]

Having recently finished my second playthrough of DA2, I felt it was very apropos for me to post my review, so here it is. I apologize in advance for the possible wall of text that is about to follow. I suppose the best way for me to start off on this review/rambling/whatever is with pros and cons:

The Good:

+Combat, character building and UI are much improved and have been streamlined for the better. That said, they don't need anymore streamlining. I'm repeating that: THEY DON'T NEED ANYMORE STREAMLINING.

+The redesigns of the races--especially the elves, who look much more distinctive now, whereas before I sometimes got them mixed up with humans in Origins.

+The First and Second Acts of the Storyline--IMHO, the Qunari story arc is one of the best plotlines Bioware has written. I actually liked the focus on my Hawke and his personal problems. I liked the fact that he wasn't really a hero, but that he was dragged into the Qunari mess. It was just a great political story to me, one that I personally found more interesting than another generic "let's save the world" plot. The Third Act is not so great to me--more on that later.

+The characters--unlike some I found them just as engaging as the cast of Origins, sometimes even more than. I adored the whole party despite their quirks, but extra props for the work put into Varric and Aveline. They definitely felt the most realistic out of the lot, and I l'd love to see more of Bioware's characters written in this fashion--down to earth, having problems but not needing the PC to give them bandages for each wound.


THE BAD:

-The maps are simply TOO repetitive. It wouldn't be so insulting to me as a player if it weren't so blatantly obvious by the fact that the map shows areas that are blocked off in one scenario that I've been able to visit in another before. I understand it takes time to code these things and whatnot, but that is just, at lack of better wording, ABSOLUTELY LAZY.

-Act 3 in general. This is where the game lost points from me. There's just so many problems with this act in particular. The pacing was much too abrupt--something that could have been fixed if the game wasn't rushed. My Hawke had just come off of the end of Act 2 and resolved that, and things looked promising at first. Things went down hill from there though, especially when I realized that after, like, three or four main missions, that was basically the end of the game, which, as I said earlier, presents problems with pacing, which dominos into a lack of development to the conclusion of the main conflict in the game, mages vs. templars, and even worse, a lack of development for the NPCs who were THE faces of this conflict.

-THE END. Without spoilers, the very end after the ending scenario (which was actually good and could have been GREAT with better build-up), is...well, it's not conclusive. I paid money and I spent time with my Hawkes. I want a finished main story, DLC or no.

And to finish up my thoughts (which will probably been an unpopular opinion):

OVERBLOWN THINGS (or stuff I think got way blown out of proportion):

1) The different race choices from origins. Yes, I enjoyed playing as a non-human, and in fact, my canon Warden is a dwarf noble. However, I feel the story of DA2 benefited from having just one focused character. I sincerely believe that players got seriously spoiled by having all of the different origin stories in DA: O, and that Bioware created marketing problems for themselves by flip-flopping their story-telling aspects in this regard. If they want to reach a happy medium, I suggest having a more generic main character like Shepard from Mass Effect, and being able to choose their background that way. At least this way, it's a happier balance of player input and the focus of DA2's story.

2) The choices. It's true that DA2 does not have as many choices as, say, Planescape: Torment, but I don't think it's a detriment to the game at all. To me, it's not about the choices that are presented to us, but how the player acts in terms of roleplaying in their decisions. In that sense, DA2 really succeeded for me--I literally spent 15 minutes trying to decide one of the later decisions in-game...in-character.


Overall:

It's not perfect, but I don't regret buying this game for a moment. I give it an 8/10.

Modifié par Snubbles, 10 juillet 2011 - 02:24 .

[Cyclone Prime]

 I'll just cut to the chase...

Buying Dragon Age 2, I was a strong & loyal fan of Dragon Age:Origins. BUT that DOESN'T mean I'm an irrational fanboy. DA2 had many features that made if different from DA:O. Some I support and Some I don't

COMBAT 

As a fan of the first game, I feel the combat was a major improvement. As a console player, it felt more responsive and fast paced then Origins. However a major design flaw for DA2's combat is the exploding enemies. In an attempt to appeal to the casual gamer, Bioware decided exploding chunks of enemies would be a great design choice. If this were gears of war, the chunky exploding people would have been great. But in a game like Dragon Age it really broke immersion. From a role playing fan point of few it made Hawke seem weak. IN DA:O enemies didnt explode in chunks they either fell from an attack or were defeated by interesting executions. Enemies seemed more human and stronger making the Warden feel like he was fighting worthy foes. Hawke's exploding marshmellow enemies just made hawke seem like he was fighting a bunch of weak thugs.

I'll add more once I've gathered my thoughts better~

[BeckShort]

I loved the writing. It was real, blunt, and had an element of...ugh I'm going to actually say it..."gritiness" to it that Origins sometimes lacked. The combat was AMAZING, and playing as a mage was incredibly rewarding, a shock for me in an RPG. I loved the companions and the sense of time and place. Kirkwall was a great city, though I would have liked to see it change over time.

But most of all, the art direction was sublime. The elves were alien and uncomfortably 'other", the Qunari *made* the game, and the art of the game was unique and immersible. Please keep that.

[ITzHam7]

Ive beaten the game a couple of times. Overall I was quite pleased but there were things that annoyed me. Here were a couple:

*On Normal/Easy you could pretty much get through the whole game by button mashing

*The reuse of maps got very annoying. I was always thinking "havent I been here before?"

*It was bloody, too bloody. I'm a sucker for a game with blood and gore, but its too much when an opponents body explodes after you hack them with a sword or shoot them with a bow and arrow.

*I was often confused about the storyline my first time through. I understood it all at the end, but some of the time in the middle I was thinking "why am I here again?" Which I guess could be my own fault, but whatever.

*On Easy/Normal there seemed to be no "hard" boss fights, only long boss fights that got very dull quickly.

*Graphics were ok, but I expected better.

hope I didnt accidentally spoil anything

[ewajew24]

This game is horrible. By Bioware's standards? Yes. Make a better game! You guys think this game is sub-par because you don't know what Bioware can really do. Frankly I'm dissapointed.

[Grey Duke]

Enjoyed the game but it wasn''t what i expected from the successor of DA:O. Many changes felt unnecesary and made the game less of a succesor and more of a new game entirely. My main points:

+ Story told inside a story. Was a fun addition and I liked Varric. The game could have used more of this. Not just summaries at the end of each chapter.
+ Overall nice art style. Liked the new Qunari, elves could use a bit more work. Please change the darkspawn back to DA:O style. They look... bleak and uninspired.
+ As always with Bioware games: good voice acting.

- Speeding up combat wasn't really neccesary. Takes away a lot of strategic thinking. Worst problem: groups spawning out of nowhere (cant really plan for that can you? It anoys when you wipe out a strong group with a good strategy only to see another spawn while you used all your good spells and skills.), and "superhero" combat. I dont want all my enemies exploding, or me leaping across the battlefield all the time. I'm not superman. Bring back the "realistic" gory combat with finishers. The whole blood, sweat an tears thing you see in Lord of the Rings. This makes the game more mature, realistic and interesting.
- Don't re-use dungeons all the time. We notice and we dont like. It makes the game feel rushed.
- Make the world to explore bigger and more varied. Constantly looking at Kirkwal removes the sense of exploration and progress.
- Do more with the 10 year time span. Kirkwall physically changed little over time. Neither did the characters change much.
- Completely voiced protagonist limits character customization. A strong voice forces you to make a strong character because otherwise it sounds off the entire game.

Too add, I still have faith in Bioware - one mediocre game doesn't sully a good company's name in my oppinion. However, I will not pre-order DA again without seeing reviews of it first. DA2 was too much of I surprise in how much it wasn't like DA:O.

(and yes, my English needs work)

[retypeNick]

Just finished the game on hard, nightmare tries there and here. And casual couple of times, got lazy

Technical kudos:
- Crossfire scaling is amazing!
- Graphics look great, compared to DA:O vanilla textures

The good:
- Had real trouble "getting in" for the first 1/4 of the story, the beginning just didn't suck me in. After the story started unfold more, the immersion took me over. In some point I had to make a reboot on my mindset, and not compare this to DA:O, just play and enjoy. After that, and story unfolding, really enjoyed the game!
- Cannot compare story to DA:O, different beast altogether, but I felt it was _very_ entertaining and good story.
- Personally, I loved the characters. Varric hilarious, oh my Isabella Excellent voice acting.
- Combat was very refreshing. Me like.

The bad:
- Too dumped down on many occasions.
- Inventory, big MINUS. Let me choose armor for everyone!
- Interactoin with NPC, come on! Let me have conversation with my party anytime. And let me speak to NPCs in this empty world, if I manage to find one
- Restrictions on skill trees / weapons, not good. I mean you don't know how to shoot with bow, if don't specialize?
- World felt empty, too simple. No reaction to any actions around NPCs, real bad.
- Re-using the same maps and areas over and over again was a crime against RPGs.
- No real affects to story, no matter what I do.

Overall:
- 8 / 10. The more I played, the more I enjoyed. I could forget all the comparing and nitpicking about dumping down. Just concentrated on the story.

For Bioware:
- In DA3, please remember, sometimes more is more. Use A LOT more maps, A LOT more interaction. No restrictions, on either skills/weapons or inventory wise. Keep fighting engine, and fine tune it. Make the world more vivid.
- Maybe take some notes from "the-game-you-know" on how different decicions affect story.

[sg1fan75]

I will say the Magic powers were better in D2 I never played as a Magic user for long in DAO for long it was to weak.
I dislike only being human not much replay value it feels to restrictive.Thestory was bay far one of the weakest and simply boring and yes I finished the game I always do, I just hated the story for DA2, DAO the story was the best thing about it.The party in DA2 is a group of uninteresting types. the Party in DAO was fun I cared what happend to them. That is only my thoughts on the game in hopes of DA3 being fun and a much deeper story, and much more RPG depth, and some combat that feels real less pg and more like Lord of the Rings or Conan watch them then work on combat system not some JRPG bighair huge sword mess.

Modifié par sg1fan75, 16 juillet 2011 - 05:02 .

[Crono567]

captain.subtle wrote...

Its simplified to the level of dumbing down. There are no longer skills, crafting (you have to go to vendors to craft stuff). The combat is repetitive and needs no tactical thinking whatsoever. All you need to do is spam attacks/spells. There is a clear copy pasting of maps. For a game with this large a budget you should expect cleat detailed maps. But NO.

I am heavily disappointed. What is the use of wasting so much money into a rushed game? i hope other games from Bioware do better.

I agree, no special talent came into play when the maps were created. Button mashing a lot of x button because I like warriors and it does tend to get repetitive quickly. I like the game but a lot of glitches in quests and acquiring some trophies can really ****** you off. Mainly if you miss something in act 1, why not make it availabe in act 2 and so on. Sorta like the resources for crafting. I use a certain website as a guide for anytime i need help with trophies, but this once it screwed up on providing the right information for the craft resources and because i followed it i will not get the trophy. It's so frustrating that i can't go back without a previous save file or buy the resource except from the black emporium in which buying the ones im missing doesn't give me the trophy. Meaning I must play through the game all over again which is bull crap. Make a patch to fix this problem, and I hope for Dragon Age 3 they put some time into really making sure the bugs are fixed.