3274 réponses à ce sujet

[Angangseh]

[rapscallioness]

What @Gaidex said a page back. Exactly that..so much. Thank you Gaidex for that well thought out comparison/contrast.

I'm only now playing DA:O. I played DA2 first. NOW I understand why so many fans of DA:O were...perturbed. It's a great world they created.

Of course DA2 combat is leaps and bounds better than DAO. Combine the two. DA2 had a great story, too. There was this constant feeling, for me, of impending doom. And a feeling of an almost futile effort to stave off these massive forces hurtling at you.

Idk if such a game as large as DAO could maintain that same sense of immediacy. But I'd like to see you try! Yeah, combine the best from both games (this goes for the mass effect team, as well), and Boom, Baby!

I love the banter in DA2, but would like to see the mini-cuts cenes when you talk to your characters like in DAO.

Anyway, time to get back to my playthru of DAO. I just got to Orzammar....wow

[ioannisdenton]

1) Combat. THE BIGGEST FLAW OF THE GAME noone mentions ASIDE FOR ASTHETIC issues like repeated enviroments. it NEEDS to become slower, this is rpg not hack n slash game, to ALL those of you who liked the combat's speed go and play Ninja gaiden or God of war.
also cross class combos, a mess.
But the biggest part is wavy combat, enemies coming from thin air constantly from all sides. You can issue NO strategy there becasue you do not know what is coming up next. enemy liutenants sounds like a good idea but it is a bad idea. Add the fact that cooldowns are HUGE, 1 healing spell , only 1 healer (anders) with a terribad cooldown, too many spells , talents that offer good customisation but for companions you will alsawys get thetir special tree. as for hawke. meaning why atre there so many trees?
Also because of the wave combat some abilities are kinda pointless , you use them in one enemy but at the same time there are 10 more enemies---> cooldown.
seriously i got all the trophies from the game and i HATE THE GAME. i REALLY wanted to like it.
2) Krikwall is boring, NOT because of repetition but becaseu it is ugly, it is full of uninteresting corridors, there is nothing pleasing to the eye. there is a 10 year span and kirkwall remains the same!!!!!!!!
the "cave" the "Docks" That "house" wounded coast lowtown darktown HIGHTOWN everything is boring to look at.In dao there was
- the windmill in lothering
-the big tree in brecilian forest
-callenhad docks with circle tower
-Denerim
everything was pleasing and not boring
3) Dialogue
FEW lines. nothing changes. also WE DO NOT WANT voiced protagonist. this is not mass effect. we DO NOT WANT radial dialogue choices with SYMBOLS so that we KNOW we are about to romance someone or .this is a BAD IDEA. bioware your core crowd from baldurs gate days likes many responces like in DAO
4) story . it was very good BUT nothing ever changes!!!!! i kicked fenriel out of the templars only to find him on the order in 3 act as if i spared him. I REFUSED TO help anders but he STILL blew the chantry! the story is JRPG like. pre-written and unchangeable
5) Loot. there is no LOOT here!!! why the hell there is junk loot in the frst place.
you were always going to get the set armors in every act but i was alsways looting some impressive unique armor-weapon pieces that i BET NOONE USED because you allready had a better one. was this intended for your companions?
I CAN TELL that the original plan was that companions would be customisable like DAO, hence the different armor pieces
6)hawke is unlikable, he is the champion of kirkwall regardless if he slaughtered every mage including his companions or simblings.
i could go on forever but i give too much credit in this game.
i am So dissapointed, i DO not regret the 100+hours i spent with DA2 neither the money , at least there was a good story.

[Guldor]

ioannisdenton wrote...

1) Combat. THE BIGGEST FLAW OF THE GAME noone mentions ASIDE FOR ASTHETIC issues like repeated enviroments. it NEEDS to become slower, this is rpg not hack n slash game, to ALL those of you who liked the combat's speed go and play Ninja gaiden or God of war.
also cross class combos, a mess.
But the biggest part is wavy combat, enemies coming from thin air constantly from all sides. You can issue NO strategy there becasue you do not know what is coming up next. enemy liutenants sounds like a good idea but it is a bad idea. Add the fact that cooldowns are HUGE, 1 healing spell , only 1 healer (anders) with a terribad cooldown, too many spells , talents that offer good customisation but for companions you will alsawys get thetir special tree. as for hawke. meaning why atre there so many trees?
Also because of the wave combat some abilities are kinda pointless , you use them in one enemy but at the same time there are 10 more enemies---> cooldown.
seriously i got all the trophies from the game and i HATE THE GAME. i REALLY wanted to like it.
2) Krikwall is boring, NOT because of repetition but becaseu it is ugly, it is full of uninteresting corridors, there is nothing pleasing to the eye. there is a 10 year span and kirkwall remains the same!!!!!!!!
the "cave" the "Docks" That "house" wounded coast lowtown darktown HIGHTOWN everything is boring to look at.In dao there was
- the windmill in lothering
-the big tree in brecilian forest
-callenhad docks with circle tower
-Denerim
everything was pleasing and not boring
3) Dialogue
FEW lines. nothing changes. also WE DO NOT WANT voiced protagonist. this is not mass effect. we DO NOT WANT radial dialogue choices with SYMBOLS so that we KNOW we are about to romance someone or .this is a BAD IDEA. bioware your core crowd from baldurs gate days likes many responces like in DAO
4) story . it was very good BUT nothing ever changes!!!!! i kicked fenriel out of the templars only to find him on the order in 3 act as if i spared him. I REFUSED TO help anders but he STILL blew the chantry! the story is JRPG like. pre-written and unchangeable
5) Loot. there is no LOOT here!!! why the hell there is junk loot in the frst place.
you were always going to get the set armors in every act but i was alsways looting some impressive unique armor-weapon pieces that i BET NOONE USED because you allready had a better one. was this intended for your companions?
I CAN TELL that the original plan was that companions would be customisable like DAO, hence the different armor pieces
6)hawke is unlikable, he is the champion of kirkwall regardless if he slaughtered every mage including his companions or simblings.
i could go on forever but i give too much credit in this game.
i am So dissapointed, i DO not regret the 100+hours i spent with DA2 neither the money , at least there was a good story.

Good review. Funny,  as I was reading your points I kept thinking "Not in Skyrim". Except point #1.

[rapscallioness]

Hmm. I just finished my DAO playthru. I'm sure just the first one. It was a great game, massive, with lots of stuff.. stuffed everywhere. (Orzammar was gorgeous). But I have to say, story wise, I liked DA2 better.

DA2 hit me emotionally. I cried while playing DA2. And cursed profusely a few times. There was a feeling of constant foreboding. And while DAO had the impending doom thing....it just didn't grab me. Why? Idk. DAO was a Great game. It really was, but I didn't even tear up, and that's saying something for me. I did cheer a couple times towards the end.

The romance in DAO was done very well. The way they interacted was great (Alistair . But somehow, besides the romance, I came away feeling like I knew the characters better in DA2. Was it the companion quests DA2? Something made me feel more connected to the characters in DA2, than DAO. As much as I liked the ones in DAO. And Lelianna's Song was an Amazing touch. One of the more emotional moments of the game.

DA2 was a tight story that kept me on the edge of my seat. DAO romance interaction was much better than DA2. But DA2 did a great job with the companions. You interacted on a deeper level. And they interacted w/ each other...apparently.

[PinkShoes]

Forgettable.

[bl0ww]

For a period of time, my life used to revolve around DAO, i put in hundreds of hours and had about 5 playthroughs. As for Da2, i played it once and never touched it since. compared to origins it is dumbed down as ****, and the atmosphere just isn't there. Not to mention the reusing of dungeons really sucks. Kills me a little inside to see what has become of the DA franchise

[TheRogueAmigo]

Ok before I start, yes I'm a DA:O fan, yes I will compare the two and yes I didn't like the second game. If your going to rage at me simply for disliking the sequel, please move on.

I must admit I LOVED the combat in DA:O. I FINALLY had to actually USE the characters, not just babysit them. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE Mass effect 1 AND 2, they hit all the right spots of why I play but when I boot up the dragon age games, its different "spots", if you will, that I want hit (Crappy metaphor i know). My point is why, why oh WHY did you have to fuse mass effect elements into dragon age? Dragon age's combat was great. Combining spells which create different effects? Amazing. I'll admit that I guess DA2's combat is alright but as previously mentioned, its not a "hack and slash", you don't need to roundhouse kick a grenade. It looks cool for five minutes, and then it dulls and you lose interest in it.. There was no need to speed it up either

The visual is.....well overall pretty meh. I mean there's nothing wrong with it per se but, I honestly preferred the original games graphics (which apparently weren't amazing either but I always loved and thought  they worked very well with the game). Definitely nothing special, worse IMHO

I was so excited for this game. I came late to DA:O, clocked in 100's of gameplay. When I finished it I immediately  made a new character and replayed it. Because it MATTERED.  The completely different skills and powers were amazing. A warrior was there to draw aggro. That was his first and foremost role. A rogue to do amazing damage. A mage to do area of affect spells and crowd control. If you didn't have the right balance of characters, you felt the loss. It was interesting and completely different gameplay with a new class in DAO. Whats the point of doing a different character in DA2? Ok fine the skills are "different", but the end result is the same. The dirty clown darkspawn is quickly and boring dispatched (Btw don't even get me STARTED on the darkspawn). It doesn't really matter what character you are, you'll live. And easily too. All three of you can be mages and it doesn't really matter, you won't have to "learn" how to use this specifc class effectively. Just mash the powers and you'll be grand..... No significant difference in the classes. No replay value in my opinion. 

DA:O's choices MATTERED. You were a "dirty, second class" elf and despised by many. How would you react to it? Would you be demomatic and make peace with these poor, misguided people? My particular favorite is a mage elf, poor thing never stood a chance. EVERYONE hated him. And he won EVERYONES respect. It was a good feeling when the game ended.............It MATTERED!. In DA2 I can practice BLOOD MAGIC IN A TEMPLARS FACE for crying out loud........... And he doesn't care. You get the illusion of free choice, but you know deep down the game doesn't give a damn what you choose, your getting the same ending if you liked it or not. In DA:O , there were some decisions I'd have to minimise the game and research what people did and why, because I was so completely and utter torn between two choices. You never feel this in DA2. Ok fine maybe thats slightly unfair, but it is NOT as immersive as the first game. Simple as. Not even close.

The regurgitated areas are boring. Enough said. What GENIUS had the bright idea to have everything in the same city? I mean REALLY!? SERIOUSLY? Are you TRYING to make me hate the game?

Look I could go on but I'd be here all night. I wanted this game so badly, SOOOO BADLY. Counted down the days till its release, but it was a total let down. Even as a standalone game its nothing special.... And as a SEQUEL? Its actually DEPRESSING to see the total downgrade. You want a game that will appeal to console players? Thats perfectly fine with me. Make a NEW GAME! Don't change EVERYTHING in a game your fan's love, stab them in the back and target a different audience!!!!!  I have a right to rant about it. Would Call of Duty players like it if in COD4 they changed it so the player didn't use guns anymore? Just melee weapons? My point is while that MAY be a good idea, you don't change key elements of a sequal. I've been a diehard Bioware fan for years, but you totally let me down here. Completely. So disappointing to play this.

P.S Characters were crap too. This is actually another huge beef of mine (Hurrah..... ANOTHER sexual innuendo from a totally transparent character, kudos there writers) but unfortunately its 2.22am and I'm exhausted lol. But to be brief, there mostly boring and the "romance" option....... If thats what we'll call it........ Has the depthness of a children's pool. All warm and fuzzy until you realise thats a nappy floating beside you and  your actually neck deep in pure erm..... Well...... You get the idea.................. <3<3<3 I love you Morrigan <3<3<3

P.P.S As a standalone game, I admit this is somewhat decent. All my
comments and opinions are as a comparision of DA:O, please bear that in
mind when I call characters boring and whatnot

P.P.S.S And while I understand that some people who have only picked this game up might enjoy it and then be angry and confused with all the rage directed at it from DA:O fans, I ask you to please see it from our side. How would you like it if your favorite game in the world was FINALLY getting a sequel only to realise it was totally BUTCHERED, everything that you loved about the first game ripped away and replaced with a......a FARCE of a sequel. Would you like it? I understand that YOU , the new fan, loved it, and I'm not belittling that. But please have some sympathy . And failing that, empathy . Cheers

Modifié par TheRogueAmigo, 08 décembre 2011 - 10:54 .

[TheRogueAmigo]

I wish this comment would matter, that someone from Bioware would read this and remember........Even just one thing. But the sad truth is it doesn't :-(........................................................... May you rest in peace Dragon Age.

[T-Money738]

Thank you so much for the help....i am new to this and was not sure what to do/ I figured starting my own was the best option:)

[ICEx21]

TheRogueAmigo wrote...

Ok before I start, yes I'm a DA:O fan, yes I will compare the two and yes I didn't like the second game. If your going to rage at me simply for disliking the sequel, please move on.

I must admit I LOVED the combat in DA:O. I FINALLY had to actually USE the characters, not just babysit them. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE Mass effect 1 AND 2, they hit all the right spots of why I play but when I boot up the dragon age games, its different "spots", if you will, that I want hit (Crappy metaphor i know). My point is why, why oh WHY did you have to fuse mass effect elements into dragon age? Dragon age's combat was great. Combining spells which create different effects? Amazing. I'll admit that I guess DA2's combat is alright but as previously mentioned, its not a "hack and slash", you don't need to roundhouse kick a grenade. It looks cool for five minutes, and then it dulls and you lose interest in it.. There was no need to speed it up either

The visual is.....well overall pretty meh. I mean there's nothing wrong with it per se but, I honestly preferred the original games graphics (which apparently weren't amazing either but I always loved and thought  they worked very well with the game). Definitely nothing special, worse IMHO

I was so excited for this game. I came late to DA:O, clocked in 100's of gameplay. When I finished it I immediately  made a new character and replayed it. Because it MATTERED.  The completely different skills and powers were amazing. A warrior was there to draw aggro. That was his first and foremost role. A rogue to do amazing damage. A mage to do area of affect spells and crowd control. If you didn't have the right balance of characters, you felt the loss. It was interesting and completely different gameplay with a new class in DAO. Whats the point of doing a different character in DA2? Ok fine the skills are "different", but the end result is the same. The dirty clown darkspawn is quickly and boring dispatched (Btw don't even get me STARTED on the darkspawn). It doesn't really matter what character you are, you'll live. And easily too. All three of you can be mages and it doesn't really matter, you won't have to "learn" how to use this specifc class effectively. Just mash the powers and you'll be grand..... No significant difference in the classes. No replay value in my opinion. 

DA:O's choices MATTERED. You were a "dirty, second class" elf and despised by many. How would you react to it? Would you be demomatic and make peace with these poor, misguided people? My particular favorite is a mage elf, poor thing never stood a chance. EVERYONE hated him. And he won EVERYONES respect. It was a good feeling when the game ended.............It MATTERED!. In DA2 I can practice BLOOD MAGIC IN A TEMPLARS FACE for crying out loud........... And he doesn't care. You get the illusion of free choice, but you know deep down the game doesn't give a damn what you choose, your getting the same ending if you liked it or not. In DA:O , there were some decisions I'd have to minimise the game and research what people did and why, because I was so completely and utter torn between two choices. You never feel this in DA2. Ok fine maybe thats slightly unfair, but it is NOT as immersive as the first game. Simple as. Not even close.

The regurgitated areas are boring. Enough said. What GENIUS had the bright idea to have everything in the same city? I mean REALLY!? SERIOUSLY? Are you TRYING to make me hate the game?

Look I could go on but I'd be here all night. I wanted this game so badly, SOOOO BADLY. Counted down the days till its release, but it was a total let down. Even as a standalone game its nothing special.... And as a SEQUEL? Its actually DEPRESSING to see the total downgrade. You want a game that will appeal to console players? Thats perfectly fine with me. Make a NEW GAME! Don't change EVERYTHING in a game your fan's love, stab them in the back and target a different audience!!!!!  I have a right to rant about it. Would Call of Duty players like it if in COD4 they changed it so the player didn't use guns anymore? Just melee weapons? My point is while that MAY be a good idea, you don't change key elements of a sequal. I've been a diehard Bioware fan for years, but you totally let me down here. Completely. So disappointing to play this.

P.S Characters were crap too. This is actually another huge beef of mine (Hurrah..... ANOTHER sexual innuendo from a totally transparent character, kudos there writers) but unfortunately its 2.22am and I'm exhausted lol. But to be brief, there mostly boring and the "romance" option....... If thats what we'll call it........ Has the depthness of a children's pool. All warm and fuzzy until you realise thats a nappy floating beside you and  your actually neck deep in pure erm..... Well...... You get the idea.................. <3<3<3 I love you Morrigan <3<3<3

P.P.S As a standalone game, I admit this is somewhat decent. All my
comments and opinions are as a comparision of DA:O, please bear that in
mind when I call characters boring and whatnot

P.P.S.S And while I understand that some people who have only picked this game up might enjoy it and then be angry and confused with all the rage directed at it from DA:O fans, I ask you to please see it from our side. How would you like it if your favorite game in the world was FINALLY getting a sequel only to realise it was totally BUTCHERED, everything that you loved about the first game ripped away and replaced with a......a FARCE of a sequel. Would you like it? I understand that YOU , the new fan, loved it, and I'm not belittling that. But please have some sympathy . And failing that, empathy . Cheers

I could not have said that any better, pretty much bang on what I thought of the game.

[T-Money738]

just my opinion.......but gotta say DA2 is one of my top 5 fav games ever!!!! the gameplay was fast and fluid and i got to tailor a party of 3-NPC's (unless ya want to play em') to fit any atyle of party i wanted. Character lvl up was often and loot easy to come by:) that being said with DA3 being talked about I would LOVE the same gameplay (fast/fluid combat) coupled with a deeper lvl up system, WAY deeper options to customize armour/weapons, and MUCH more maps/area to explore. I'd love to see my actions/choices make a larger game impact and see the consequences of desisions made be more profound. But most of all!!!!!!! I would love a system in place where i can actually start with selecting a blank weapon that i purchase or select at character customization (to look the way i want) and be able to FULLY customize it as the game progresses (I.E. build base damage, attributes, abilities, buffs, and power ups) so that I end up with a weapon that is built to my specs from the ground up with the visual appearance i want so that i'm not stuck with a (for example....) hammer b/c of more damage when i only like to use swords? or any other combination for that matter.  Any thoughts?

[T-Money738]

P.S. some ppl need a game that is easily picked up month's after the last play? I work full time and go to college to full time? I do not play shooters like call of duty b/c other than new weapons or maps they are ALL exactly the same in my opinion? Origins was an OUTSTANDING game but the gameplay on consol was vary SLOW (aren't rogue's supposed to be fast?) and a mage was almost impossible to play due to the slow cast time even for the basic attack? Some ppl do not want to HAVE to find a party that works. some of us want to run the combo we enjoy playing and want to run? Some of us enjoy the approachability in this regard. I fully understand the dissappointment from some fans and while they may have dissapointed some of you they have COMPLETLY won over some of us and brought new fans to the game w/ DA2. You have to understand that NO game can please everyone and compromises must be made and the slower more strategic gameplay worked for pc it does not on the console. I agree the depth of the game could be much more!!!!! I remember 2- disc games for older consoles? Why not do that bioware? I'd even pay a lil more if the game was so massive and the story so deep it required 2 disc's? but overall for me as a fan of DAO i was extatic for DA2 and even happier when i saw the balanced the classes and party members so it did not matter who was in my party and i could get away with any party I want? Who wants to have to be restricted to certain combinations of party members just to be able to play the game anyway? All games should be approachable in that regard? Should we not be able to play any game we choose with any class we choose paired w/ any class we choose? Are these not our games that we pay good $ for and should not be restricted to dropping a mage in favor of a warrior for the tanking? Again, just my oppinion but I APPLAUDE bio ware for making a great game and And Can't wait for DA3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ELTIGRE1994]

Ok i would say that in general DA2 i felt was an awsome game, but it had a lot of negatives with the positives. First off i thought that the story in DAO was a bit more epic than the one in DA2. I thought that DAO had such an amazing story and DA2 had a good story it just wasnt on par as much as the first game. I would go into to more detailsand list specific stuff but i dont want to spoil the game. I liked the combat system of DA2 better than the first game, and that is because i am more of a faster paced player and i thought that in making the combat like they did it increased the speed of battles. Though in saying that i thought that in speeding up the combat it made the tactical aspect of the combat almost unneeded unless playing on the hardest difficulty. I think that they shouldve made auto attack and the manual attack an option. Also i think that there should be a toggle helmet button also. I was personally satisfied with the character customization in DA2. In fact i thought that the default Hawke looked badass enough. I thought the companion characters were all well developed enough i liked all the side quest for the companions i thought that each quest added to the characters and made me feel for them. I enjoyed the fully voiced Hawke it made me feel more like the character unlike the Warden in DAO who wasnt voiced. All in all DA2 is a great game and i cant wait for the next installment. Hope this helps :happy:

[T-Money738]

ya the story in DAO was way deeper and i did miss that in 2 but for me the faster more fluid gameplay was enough of an upgrade to make DA2 a better game to me. I reallt do wanna stress my idea for a FULLY customizable weapon from its color and appearance all the way to base damage and upgrades and possibly powers! as you progress through the game you should pick up "blanks" to ransfer the stats too if you visually like the new "blank" better. I've never seen this in a game yet personally and think it would go awesome with the lvl up system where you'd escentially lvl up you sword or bow or whatever you choose to use! Any thoughts?

[artifact]

I just finsished DA and a reminder starting replay of DA0 for comparison -- PS3 version. Just in case things are still on the planning board for DA3 and feedback is still desired...

Pros:

• Graphics overall, especially the people. I remember thinking DAO looked like a PS2 game the first time I played. The distant views continue to be beautiful.
• Watching my rogue do ninja combat moves.
• Faster Combat. I remember thinking DAO combat was really slow and not very interactive. I'd played Dark Souls recently with its blocking and dodging and DAO felt so boring.
• Voiced. I didn't think I'd care about this but the DAO replay had me missing it.
• Combat waves. You think its over but .. nooo! I'd like to see a longer pause where you catch your breath (but healing and cooldowns don't reset) to heighten the intensity level and strategy. Do you use that area effect now or wait just in case another monster is coming?
• Non combat story. I like it wasn't about killing the big bad evil.
• Banter. One of the best and unique things about the DA line. More, more more!
• LORE! A barrel of cookie to whomever fixed the lore to make it a pop up so I can actually read it easily and not have to go rummaging through the cumbersome ever growing list. This was one of my big annoyances in DA0.
• Non-humans that look non-human.
• The haunted house. Totally minor thing but for some reason it was my favorite area.
• Gifts. The DAO gifts felt like bribes to get them to like you despite the fact your completely opposite choices in the game. DA2 gifts felt more real.
• Rivalry. Three cheers for not having to always agree.
• Companion input conversation option and chiming in. I loved that they'd speak up (I think they did this in DAO as well) or that I could turn matters of their expertise over to them. I would have liked more discussion options. IE Fenris, Anders, an Merril each had things to comment on about the bloodmage.
• Wasn't as short as rumors claimed. I got 60 hours of gameplay with my open every crate, look in every corner, follow every plot explorer nature.

Cons:

• Starting out with the action combat. Wow was that a shock and put me in a negative feeling from the start about the game even expecting to to be more of an action RPG. Once I hit Kirkwall and I could run around and be an explorer in my initial panic settled.
• Starting out with a stock PC and not letting me customize her look right away. I could see this bugging non-caucasians even more than it bugged me. It had me thinking there was no customization.
• Cartoony graphics, especially trees. Where are the leaves? Compare with Skyrim. Was this due to a lack of time to do better rendering?
• Reused dungeons. It wasn't a huge deal to me beyond the fact it seemed like lazy corner cutting.
• Empty city despite the story saying its full. I didn't really think about it until reading other reviews. Compared with Skyrim, NWN,  or even DA0 something is lacking. Assasin's Creed makes superb cities.
• People illogically popping out of nowhere. Falling from roofs and windows or running in from doorways worked for me. Even the stealth assasin who suddenly popped out of invisibly hiding to backstab my mage, but people running in from behind out of areas I'd cleared or dropping through ceilings was annoying.
• Overly fast combat. Yes, I had the combat as a pro as well -- it was a bit over the top and lost some RPG feel.
• Area effects which made it hard to see and target. Perhaps when pause is hit the blood splatter or the flames could go away.
• Hard is the new normal -- the difficulty scale should have been centered higher. Even then the only big challenges I had on hard were the Ashirok and a deep roads dragon (latter due to a bad party choice.) I don't like to deal with friendly fire so nightmare wasn't an option.
• 0 replayability. I had to replay Origins over and over just to see how my race,  origin, choices, and personality influenced the story and outcome.  There will be little different a second time I play DA2.
• Banter that cuts off when you pause or save. That woman in the Chantry says I'm free to marry... WHO???
• Shallow companions. I found myself making up off-scene conversations in my head between my sympathetic to mages but blood magic hating rogue and her love interest choice Fenris. 'But Bethany isn't bad, you even said so yourself in banter. So not all mages deserve to die' or  'What if we have kids one day? You have Lyrim in your skin and we Amells breed mages. Are you going to kill your own child?' and so on. There are lots of obvious plot things there that could have been explored. Plus I missed the pointless chatty talks about shoes or why mages wear dresses. I even missed Wynn's preaching.
• Generic classes. I played a rogue and there wasn't a reason for me to keep another rogue around as there was no way to specialize them. IE in DAO I could max out Zev's poison and trap making, Leliana's persuasion, while I was the stealth lockpicker, Wynn was the healer mage while Morg was the damager, and so on.
• Skill trees. I found the new skill trees both lacking in variety (survival, trap making) and lacking a uniqueness among the specializations that were there. I really had no clear reason to pick Category A over B. DAO, or Skyrim, win. I don't need 20 versions of how to do the same thing while loosing the abiilty to set up ambush points of my own.
• Finding things and psychically knowing who they belong to. The first time I thought I'd missed something or it was a badly designed plot that auto-completed if you went at it backards. It would have been far more interesting to have to track down who the item discovered in the cave or crate belongs to.
• Lack of companion armor. On the one hand I like their unique looks, on the other I miss micro-managing. I always felt like they were lacking.
• Strange ratings for accessories. Why is a ring +3 I picked up at the start of the game 0 stars while the one I just got 3 or 4 stars? 
• Pointless loot that should be significant. Why does Orsino give me a robe I can't use? Why did I get a book from the Keeper that she says is rare but it goes immediately into junk?
• Locked skill options for companions. If I want a healer I have to keep Anders even if I hate him. If I'm a range fighting rogue Varric is just baggage because I can't swap out Bianca.
• No way to hot-swap weapons. I had planned to be an archer but without a way to quickly switch to melee and back made it so annoying I quickly went dual weapon.
• No crafting. Crafting is a huge deal in many RPGs and I felt the lack of it even if I tend to not do much of it myself.
• Speech summaries that don't match what you end up saying. Go back to DA0's spelling it out presentation.
• The mood icons. These are good in that you get the tone you want, but also bad in that they take out some choice and surprise as well as loosing some immersion. I was totally blindsided by Alister's rose in DAO because I had no idea he was falling for me or that I'd done something flirty with him and the unexpected situation made a great moment. DA2's icons  turns subtlety into an obvious sledgehammer.
• BG information tied to romance. After looking at some youtube videos I see I missed out on some interesting story aspects about my companions because I didn't flirt with them. Karl and Anders' history being one example.
• Shallow companions vs. DAO. Its been mentioned many times before but well worth repeating.
• Lack of character options and customization. This was a big negative for me during the pre-release hype. I pre-ordered DA:O, I didn't buy DA:2 until it was in the bargain bin.
• Railroaded story line. It worked for my PC but I could easily see where a different  IC outlook would clash with the ending. The story really beat you over the head with Meredith rumors and you hear almost nothing about Orsino and either you or your sister is a mage. Seems Bioware really wants you to be pro-mage.
• Lack of impact. You felt you made a difference in DAO, expecially with the little ending summary blurbs.
• Inconsistances with the promised DAO/Awakenings inclusion. I picked the stock 'mercy' BG and they still got some aspects of that wrong by referring to a living warden , I imagine its far worse for actual imports.
• Lack of emotional commitment. I never felt very connected to the story and could easily set the game aside.I really felt the end of DAO and immediately went back to replay it with a different origin. There were no emotional moments for me in DA2 as there were in DAO.
• The huge plot hole of apostates and blood mages in robes and staves running around casting spells and not a single templar NPC reacting when the story is about mage-templar conflict. I imagine with a mage PC its laughably silly.

Despite the nitpick list above, overall I liked the play and think it was worth the bargain price I paid. More enjoyable than Awakenings, falls short of DAO and Bethesda RPGs. The game felt more like an expansion to me than a full release RPG. It has no replay value in itself, but as its a different feel for an RPG I'll keep it around for that reason and in case I want to play again after a year or two when I forget the story. I could easily see myself selling it to the used game shop if it had cost me the original $60.

[sriv99]

played DA2 over 250hrs with all classes and still going on.

I love how they improved warrior and rogue class (especially rogue with bow ) .
the gameplay is much improved than DA:O and is faster.
the powers are well refined and most of the companions are amazing as DA:O.
DA:2
story = 8/10
gameplay = 8/10
squadmates = 8/10
Lead Role = 9/10
Best specialization = Rogue
its better than DA:O. although i miss Morrigan and Oghren they are well replaced by Isabella and Varric.

the only thing that bothered me was recycling of environment. 

my DA:O rating is below as posted in other forum.
played only 75 hrs and got bored.
story =8/10
gameplay = 6.5/10
squadmates = 8.5/10
lead role = 8/10
Best specialization = Mage
deeproads sucked after playing a couple of times.

Modifié par sriv99, 26 décembre 2011 - 01:57 .

[sriv99]

im going to miss HAWKE in DA3.

[Riffuel_Raffit]

I´m currently playing Dragon Age 2 for the third time on PS3, so I guess it´s time for a review ^^
First of all, I do enjoy playing the game a lot - otherwise it´d be pretty illogical playing it more than one time.
Since this is a review thread where I put all the thinks I personally don´t like, I think it´s better to make this clear beforehand.

In comparison to DAO there are some things I think are an improvement and others I´m not particularly fond of.
I start with what I do not like:

 - The recycled terrains. God, everytime I´ve started a new playthrough I thought of the same caves and dungeons I had to go through again and again and again and almost dropped the game.
The maps themselves are done beautifully, but after the 13894578382th time you stop appreciating it.

- Combat is too fast for my taste. In DAO combat was too slow - I remember all that shuffling around, especially with an archer, before he/she started attacking. But in my opinion you went over the top in rectifying this, the middle ground would be ideal.

- Rogues lost their... well, roguishness. I know this is entirely my personal taste - many people like the change - but rouge has been my favourite class because you had to play them differently - they were capable of doing a lot of  damage, but you had to play them more tactically then, say, warriors. Now they are just warriors with different abilities and strange ninja moves.

- The Conversation wheel and the voiced protagonist. I thought a while about this and I think the wheel-idea itself is a good one, but in a game in which you create your own character from the scratch I prefer a silent protagonist.
I always feel disconnected to Hawke because it does seem impossible to make him/her MY Hawke.
In games where you play with an established character - like the Witcher, Gothic, etc. - I like a voiced protagonist.
Though, just like with the rouges, I am aware that this is simply a matter of preference.

- I can´t understand Hawkes motivation after Act 1. I don´t want to spoiler anything so I won´t go into details, but unlike in DAO, there is just no incentive for Hawke specifically to keep meddling in others affairs.

- The ending scene was a bit dissapointing - too sudden and short.

- and I know this is completely trivial and I haven´t thought much about it, but I miss the characters saying something when selected...

Puh, this has gotten longer than I originally thought... Now to the things I appreciate:

- The Friend/Rival system. It´s simply brilliant, I´ve been waiting for something like this!
Finally I can tell my companions what my character thinks without completely loosing the opportunity to further the relationship or lossing their friendship.
I wish the same system would have been established in DAO - i know it was there rudimentary with hardening the characters, but this is deeper.
The different conversations and reactions, the way the companions stories are influenced regarding which way I choose - it´s just so much better.

- Playing a mage feels better and more rewarding than in Origins. My favourite class in DA2 - in replacement for the rouge...

- The gap between the levels of difficulty is bigger, they were too alike in Origins. While "normal" is easier than "normal" in Origins, "nightmare" is more challenging. Tactics have been improved nicely.

- I love the companions in both games, they are top writing - no matter if you love or hate a character. The voice acting is superb. One of the biggest strenght of the Dragon Age games.

- I know this clashes somewhat with one of my "bad" points (the voiced protagonist), but I do like the more cinematic presentation in cut scenes. One of my favourites is the one with Fenris and Hadrianna, it´s very intense.  Awesome work!

- The way conversations, at least witch companions, branch out more. In Origins - with the exception of Sten - you where just taking loops with your answers  and ending up again in the same dialogue tree. This is true for practically every RPG, it´s great that the conversations in DA2 really take different roads regarding what I say.

I´m sure I could bring more to my mind if I´d think longer about it, but the post has gotten long enough as it is.
Sorry for any mistakes, english isn´t my native language and I have still problems expressing myself in it.

Modifié par Valaun, 27 décembre 2011 - 02:42 .

[Jingles360]

I haven't been back to these forums in quite some time since I posted my review. I've read a few more after my post now (a couple pages) and the overall verdict for the game still seems to be pretty dismal. Furthermore, the majority of complaints seem to follow a common theme for the most part. The same issues keep coming up over and over. I don't think that anyone, at this point, can say anything that hasn't already been said.

The point I am trying to make here is that the major key issues that players had with DA2 have pretty much all been set on the table. Now I would like to see someone from EA/Bioware jump in here and address these issues and how they plan to improve upon or avoid them in any future titles from Bioware.

As I said, it has been a while since I have come to these forums, so I apologize if this has already happened and I missed it. If anyone does happen to know where I, or anyone else, might find official Bioware posts addressing our concerns, please direct us to it. Thanks!

[jcainhaze]

This game was terrible for me. When I first cracked open the case I was in a state of nerd bliss. Even for the first 5 hours of gameplay I was happy. Maybe from being in denial or maybe because I hadn't yet realized the game would be so small and limited. Early on I had pangs of worry that maybe this story was not so epic and I would be perma stuck and Crapwall....I mean Kirkwall.

Eventually I started to hate it. It's not like it was the worst game ever released or anything but it was nowhere even near being in the same class as DAO.

Graphics were an obvious improvement but the design was a total downgrade. Much less attention to detail. Much less effort to creat and interesting environment that I wanted to be in. Everthing was just bland and I had to look at the same ugly boring poo over and over and over and over and over again. WOA.....terrible. Kirkwall was so boring guys. It's obvious very little time was invested in the world you were building. Some places were cool but even those areas were missing the extra TLC that put Origins over the top. It's all about the detail. The extra people, extra places, exra everthing.

It felt like with DAO the dev team wanted everyting to be perfect. DAO has such an awsome ambiance. It felt real and magical!!! DA2 was not magical at all....not even a tiny bit.

The story for DAO was one of the very best ever in any game. I know the writers must have taken time crafting and recrafting the story. There's no way it came out so good without putting that extra care towards it. Ferelden was astonishing. It was BIG. It had a very gritty desperate feeling and I was the only one who could save it with the help of my good companions. The Wardens are one of the most epic groups ever imagined. How epic. Only a few can become Wardens. Just finding out kills most people when they drink the blood. If you pass and become a Warden your basically become a certified bad*ss but your fate is also sealed because you know you will die from the same thing that protects you from the blight. The blight was awsome and there is soooooo much more story to be told there. Ferelden towns and castles were awsome. The elven story lines had massive potential. Orzammar was so cool. I could go on forever.

DA2 abandoned everthing. DA2 was like an tiny arcade hack and slash version that didn't really have anything to do with DA. It seems more like a cheap little DLC that could have slightly expanded the DA universe. Should not have been named Dragon Age 2. A better name would have been "Hawke&Slash Tiny Adventure of Kirkwall".

Oh and seriously. If you're in charge of the sequel to one of the most epic games ever and you decide to name the main character Hawke you should never be allowed to posses the title "Creative" anything ever again.

Don't want DA to become a hack and slash.
Don't want less customization..................we want more.
Don't want dumbed down versions of everthing interesting in the first game.

Modifié par jcainhaze, 28 décembre 2011 - 03:34 .

[GamerGirl19]

hello i'm new to this site and i didn't know where to post this at but i was thinking about downloading dragon age 2 from the psn store but i don't know anything about it i was wondering if there is something you guys can tell me about it

[jcainhaze]

GamerGirl you should probably just read around a bit and decide for yourself. You're definitely in the right place. DAO and DA2 are very different and opinions seem to be extremely different from person to person.

[Sylfschiffer]

It's not mine, but this critic is 100% my thought: http://www.1up.com/d...try?bId=9074145
Don't mind the "Why all the hate" thing, it's not a critic saying that "omg it's so goooood" thing =)