Your Dragon Age II Review *NO SPOILERS PLEASE*
#501
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:17
#502
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:18
In fact, when I first started playing DA2 I noticed little bits that were remarkably similar to DA:O and, for whatever reason, I wished Bioware had changed them, or updated them. I don't want to be playing another DA:O, I want to be playing a whole new game.
Which is great, because that's what DA2 is. The combat is really, really fun. At first I was a little thrown off by the speed and the enemies exploding stuff, but after a while I decided that combat is way more fun than DA:O.
The graphics for me are never a huge concern, and in DA2 I think they were upgraded pretty well. There's obviously a lot more detail put into the character faces, which is very welcome. The only part that I don't like are the hands. I remember in one cutscene Hawke raised her hand to her face and I was horrified because it looked like the hand of an 80 year-old. But still, I didn't care that much.
The story and characters are, as usual, great. There's a lot of depth and complexity this time around, and I feel like I'm honestly traveling with real people. In DA:O it was a simple matter of figuring out what characters liked what responses and what gifts pertained to them. In DA2 I actually have to think about what I'm going to say and how it's going to impact my relationships with the current party members.
In that way, I guess, almost every conversation involved a big choice. At least for me, companion relationships are a huge part of the game, so I spend a lot of time building them. This way, it makes is a lot harder to figure the characters out. I feel like I actually have to take the time to get to know them, instead of just throwing gifts at them and picking the right conversation options.
Oh, and the inventory is so much nicer this time! In DA:O it took way too long to go through everything to make sure all of the characters had the best armor and weapons. In DA2 you just have to worry about Hawke, mainly, which is great.
So overall, it's a great game. I haven't finished the first act yet, but I love the characters, the combat, the storyline, and all of the little mini-quests that are everywhere. Also, the voice actress for LadyHawke is amazing!
#503
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:18
Cancermeat wrote...
Im about 8 hours into it and some of the things i dont like are the enemy respawn thing. .
The "waves" of enemies in the same spot is jarring, yes. Not a good feature.
#504
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:21
Hawke:
I really love the voiced protagonist. I find it a lot easier to attach myself to a character with a voice and a personality than one without it.
Conversation:
I like the new conversation system. In DA:O, I often found myself chosing options that got completely different reactions from NPCs than I was expecting because the actual inflection used would be different than I was expecting. In general, the wheel does a great job letting me know exactly what I'm saying. Unfortunately, there have still been a few points where the tone and meaning weren't what I thought they'd be. A few times already I've been jolted out of character a little by chosing an option that I thought would be delivered one way only to have it delivered another way. I'm usually having that issue with the joking/sarcastic responses. I think I expected my Hawke to be more self-effacing than the "avoid answering the question by telling a joke" type answers you usually get. There were also a couple times when only two options would be presented, and neither was quite what I wanted to say.
Difficulty:
I don't consider myself a "hardcore" player in a lot of respects, since extreme difficulty usually just frustrates me and makes me stop playing the game. I'm playing the game on Normal, and it's generally really easy. At the risk of getting flamed as a noob, I'll admit that there have been a couple fights where my whole party has died (you guys who are playing through on Nightmare are amazing). However, I still usually pause a lot to consider positioning and ability usage. I'm enjoying this difficulty setting, since I still have to think a lot about hard fights, but can brisk through the easy ones.
Story:
This is probably the biggest thing I'm playing DA2 for, and so far I think it's great. I love how personal this story feels, especially when compared with DA:O and, to be honest, most games. The themes of family and focus on relationships between people throughout the game are great. There are some plots that seem really predictable, but I'm enjoying seeing how they play out instead of just how it turns out in the end. I'm still relatively early in the game, so I'm sure there are plenty of surprises waiting for me.
There are also some quests where I've gotten confused about exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. There are a lot of quests that I usually have active at once, and sometimes I either forget what's happening or get confused about what my objective is. I would love to see more detail about quests in the journal, maybe giving a little summary of what's happened so far as things develop. The minimap and worldmaps are wonderfully helpful for letting me know where I'm going, but I wish I could hover my mouse above the quest markers on the minimap to show me which quest I'm heading towards.
So, to wrap up this ridiculously long block of words, I'm enjoying the game a lot so far. I think it's very immersive with the voiced Hawke and the new conversation system, even though I'm sometimes thrown out of immersion when things aren't quite as I expected or I get confused. Thanks for making a great game, Bioware.
#505
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:22
EddySpeddy wrote...
flee4urlives wrote...
Overall, I like the game. some things work, some dont. The one drawback for me is how it feels like im playing a damned console game on my PC. It is epically disappointing that all these new games in recent years are just ports. i feel claustrophobic in the level design because it has to work on these inferior console platforms. i tried to imagine what this game would've been if it wasn't console-handicapped and i died a little inside.
I did die on the inside, I have been looking forward to this for so long, was prepared to overlook quite a lot of things as there were a lot of good things, but then the bad just kept piling on, then I find out you can't customize companion's armour in a game where it would be natural for characters to constantly change to new armour/clothes, it adds style to it.
I don't want to see the same stuff over and over, I hate Isabella's clothes for a start... ahhh sighhhh... I've been ranting about this one thing for sooo long. Sick of console ports... not that I'm saying console gamers are happy with this either, but it still is a console port :/
I share some of your opinions, and like you, i was so willing to overlook certain things. and i completely agree with you that its just a port.
For those that are console-handicapped, i don't see why they aren't happy. the entire industry is gearing their products FOR THEM! I used to think people that bought consoles were stupid, but the industry is now making me look like the fool for building a gaming rig when there is no real product for my machine. All PC owners can look forward to from now on is the MMO.
#506
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:23
My issues are fairly small. The combat is perhaps a little TOO fast and the new darkspawn skin is dumb. I miss the creepy, permanent, "I'm going to kill you" smile from Origins.
But my number one complaint about the game: the dumb exploding enemies. WHY? Magic I could understand. But it's dumb that I smack someone with my sword and their arms, legs, and top of their head explode. Not to mention their feet just sit there. Every time I see it it makes me think of some cheesy movie where the blade moves so fast, you couldn't see it only for the enemy to suddenly explode in blood. I was really hoping for upgraded death blows from DA:O to go with the sexy new attack animations.
#507
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:23
#508
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:25
flee4urlives wrote...
All PC owners can look forward to from now on is the MMO.
Not for long. There seems to be a trend leaning towards bringing consoles into the MMO scene as well. The Final Fantasy MMO's are an example.
#509
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:27
Abigail Fenn wrote...
Can I just say that I love it so far? There's a ridiculous amount of haters on here. I think that the point of making a new game, even if it is a sequel, is changing it. I know I wouldn't be happy if everything looked and felt the same as DA:O.
In fact, when I first started playing DA2 I noticed little bits that were remarkably similar to DA:O and, for whatever reason, I wished Bioware had changed them, or updated them. I don't want to be playing another DA:O, I want to be playing a whole new game.
Which is great, because that's what DA2 is. The combat is really, really fun. At first I was a little thrown off by the speed and the enemies exploding stuff, but after a while I decided that combat is way more fun than DA:O.
The graphics for me are never a huge concern, and in DA2 I think they were upgraded pretty well. There's obviously a lot more detail put into the character faces, which is very welcome. The only part that I don't like are the hands. I remember in one cutscene Hawke raised her hand to her face and I was horrified because it looked like the hand of an 80 year-old. But still, I didn't care that much.
The story and characters are, as usual, great. There's a lot of depth and complexity this time around, and I feel like I'm honestly traveling with real people. In DA:O it was a simple matter of figuring out what characters liked what responses and what gifts pertained to them. In DA2 I actually have to think about what I'm going to say and how it's going to impact my relationships with the current party members.
In that way, I guess, almost every conversation involved a big choice. At least for me, companion relationships are a huge part of the game, so I spend a lot of time building them. This way, it makes is a lot harder to figure the characters out. I feel like I actually have to take the time to get to know them, instead of just throwing gifts at them and picking the right conversation options.
Oh, and the inventory is so much nicer this time! In DA:O it took way too long to go through everything to make sure all of the characters had the best armor and weapons. In DA2 you just have to worry about Hawke, mainly, which is great.
So overall, it's a great game. I haven't finished the first act yet, but I love the characters, the combat, the storyline, and all of the little mini-quests that are everywhere. Also, the voice actress for LadyHawke is amazing!
I agree with you in some of this, combat is fun, if not a little childish. (yes I'm looking at you mega huge jump distance, and sword that attacks air)
I like the Voice acting but hate the fact the story is being told by a dwarf and not 'Present time" if you get me.
Graphics looked quite nice imo.
Hate the dumbed down levelling system.
And some other minor stuff that I can't be bother going over again as I did in the demo section.
I thought hey not up to expectations but still worht my money, then they say you can't change companion armour, kthxbai Bioware, that was the last straw, like a guy said a few posts before this, it may as well be Dragon Effect II
#510
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:29
Abigail Fenn wrote...
Can I just say that I love it so far?
You can
#511
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:30
As a little background info, I am playing this on the 360. I played Origins, too. I've never played an RPG (with the exceptions of Gothic I & 2) on the PC. And I'm actually a person who almost always prefers turn-based combat (Dragon Quest/Warrior, for example). In note to that ... I see the term 'mainstream' being thrown around a lot. And 'consoley'. Eh. I've been playing video games since my Dad got me the SNES when I was four. Xbox 360 is my first non-Nintendo console.
GOOD THINGS!
1) The combat system. ZOMGORGASM. The characters look much more fluid and sleek in battle than in DA:O. I love the way my mage's spells look. I am super excited to learn new spells (and other new stuff for companions) to see how they look.
2) Voice actors. Just as I expected them to be from DA:O, honestly. I wasn't disappointed. I love the female Hawke's voice.
3) FLEMETH. YES! I don't really know what the hell is going on in regards to plot, but I am soooo excited for it.
BAD THINGS!
1) The text ... it is so small. Especially when I'm doing business with armor/leveling. ;_; I'm playing on a large, HD television, so I don't think it's my visual quality...
2) Character creation screen was so dark I couldn't really tell colors, like blush/shadow. I lived, though, and had a character I was happy with, but ... yeah, I much prefer the lighting in DA:O and how it 'snapped' to where you wanted to see.
Yes, not much to say, but it IS a first impression. ^^
#512
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:32
Abigail Fenn wrote...
Can I just say that I love it so far? There's a ridiculous amount of haters on here. I think that the point of making a new game, even if it is a sequel, is changing it. I know I wouldn't be happy if everything looked and felt the same as DA:O.
In fact, when I first started playing DA2 I noticed little bits that were remarkably similar to DA:O and, for whatever reason, I wished Bioware had changed them, or updated them. I don't want to be playing another DA:O, I want to be playing a whole new game.
Which is great, because that's what DA2 is. The combat is really, really fun. At first I was a little thrown off by the speed and the enemies exploding stuff, but after a while I decided that combat is way more fun than DA:O.
The graphics for me are never a huge concern, and in DA2 I think they were upgraded pretty well. There's obviously a lot more detail put into the character faces, which is very welcome. The only part that I don't like are the hands. I remember in one cutscene Hawke raised her hand to her face and I was horrified because it looked like the hand of an 80 year-old. But still, I didn't care that much.
The story and characters are, as usual, great. There's a lot of depth and complexity this time around, and I feel like I'm honestly traveling with real people. In DA:O it was a simple matter of figuring out what characters liked what responses and what gifts pertained to them. In DA2 I actually have to think about what I'm going to say and how it's going to impact my relationships with the current party members.
In that way, I guess, almost every conversation involved a big choice. At least for me, companion relationships are a huge part of the game, so I spend a lot of time building them. This way, it makes is a lot harder to figure the characters out. I feel like I actually have to take the time to get to know them, instead of just throwing gifts at them and picking the right conversation options.
Oh, and the inventory is so much nicer this time! In DA:O it took way too long to go through everything to make sure all of the characters had the best armor and weapons. In DA2 you just have to worry about Hawke, mainly, which is great.
So overall, it's a great game. I haven't finished the first act yet, but I love the characters, the combat, the storyline, and all of the little mini-quests that are everywhere. Also, the voice actress for LadyHawke is amazing!
I think what i feel is not hate but sadness and fear because isnt Bioware making a low quality game one of the sings of the Apocalypse?
#513
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:32
Omatara wrote...
flee4urlives wrote...
All PC owners can look forward to from now on is the MMO.
Not for long. There seems to be a trend leaning towards bringing consoles into the MMO scene as well. The Final Fantasy MMO's are an example.
yeah i've seen the news about this as well and while i hope it fails miserably, there is too much money behind the push to make us all console users. When that day comes i will boldly strap up my PC and ride into the gaming sunset.
#514
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:33
The graphics / new art style. It's similar enough to DAO in style but unique enough to stand on it's own. Additionally they are significantly improved over DAO.
The new party members. I haven't spent much time with them but I'm really enjoying their interactions. I think my favorite so far has been the interaction between Hawke and his sister. I'm finding myself caring for her as a brother should quite a bit.
The combat. I'm playing as a Rogue and loving the speed and finess feeling they have. Additionally I'm a huge fan of the real time combat. The frustration of queing up an attack in DAO and getting hung up on a barrel is gone. The same can be said for dying because the turn based system couldn't get me to drink a potion quick enough.
The combat feels so much like Jade Empire's to me. I loved Jade Empire and this style of combat most definitely suits the kind I enjoy in RPGs. I've always been an action RPG fan.
The Dalish are Irish / Scottish now. Love it!
Kirkwall is both forboding and full of life. You've done a great job bringing this city to life.
Mostly I'm impressed that despite all of the gameplay changes this still feels very much like Dragon Age to me. I can't wait to get home from work so I can play some more!
I can't comment on the story line because I haven't finished the first year yet but so far the writing has been as good as ever. Great job to Mr. Gaider and his crew.
Overall very well done Bioware. You should be proud of making an enjoyable gaming experience.
#515
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:35
Erev Lace wrote...
I just started playing yesterday and decided to give my first impression when I'd just reached Kirkwall. And will go play it some more when I am done writing this! I've noticed the, how do you say ... underwhelming ... response from most, which baffles me, since I thoroughly love this game. Different cup o' tea, I guess?
As a little background info, I am playing this on the 360. I played Origins, too. I've never played an RPG (with the exceptions of Gothic I & 2) on the PC. And I'm actually a person who almost always prefers turn-based combat (Dragon Quest/Warrior, for example). In note to that ... I see the term 'mainstream' being thrown around a lot. And 'consoley'. Eh. I've been playing video games since my Dad got me the SNES when I was four. Xbox 360 is my first non-Nintendo console.
GOOD THINGS!
1) The combat system. ZOMGORGASM. The characters look much more fluid and sleek in battle than in DA:O. I love the way my mage's spells look. I am super excited to learn new spells (and other new stuff for companions) to see how they look.
2) Voice actors. Just as I expected them to be from DA:O, honestly. I wasn't disappointed. I love the female Hawke's voice.
3) FLEMETH. YES! I don't really know what the hell is going on in regards to plot, but I am soooo excited for it.
You've probably just listed the only good things in the game right there... even then it has it's downs.
I like where they went with the combat, DA:O was a bit too sluggish, but they went overboard on gore and jump distance and what not. Gore is good when done right, stabbing someone in back, then them exploding is not good gore...
Modifié par EddySpeddy, 09 mars 2011 - 04:36 .
#516
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:35
#517
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:40
There is one thing, however, that feels just as painful as a finger stuck in my eye: why noone, completely NOONE recognizes my character a Blood Mage? Is it some sort of discrimination? Even Merrill is always pushed for that fact, although she's not using that magic in combat! But when Serah Hawke spills gallons of his own blood to devour corpses on battlefield, mind-control his foes and paralize them - noone gives a damn about it! What a shame...
Oh and the absence of finishing moves is a terrible loss(explosions are fun, yes, but the fact that every spell makes enemy explode in just the same way is quite... weak), just as much as the fact that I havent yet found a way (if there is one at all) to summon two huge demonic arms to tear my foes apart.
#518
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:43
complaints/questions from the first 10 minutes of the game. Why would
you not make the "default" character appereance customizable? Mind you
they look wonderful! I would just like to tweak them a little. Throw on a
tattoo...Tweak the hair color. I'm just saying. Then,
WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU MAKE THE BACKGROUND OF THE CHARACTER CREATION BLACK!?!?
Anyone go to an art class? Hello, Contrast!? "Ah, I'll make her hair
dark. (click, click) Where'd her hair go? All I see is a face!" Poor
design. Fix it.
#519
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:43
Cancermeat wrote..
I think what i feel is not hate but sadness and fear because isnt Bioware making a low quality game one of the sings of the Apocalypse?
I LOL'ed
#520
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:47
Its no bloody wonder there are rumors of Bioware staff quitting over this piece of comercialized #@$. Dragon Age: Ass Effect.
#521
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:47
Cancermeat wrote...
Abigail Fenn wrote...
Can I just say that I love it so far? There's a ridiculous amount of haters on here. I think that the point of making a new game, even if it is a sequel, is changing it. I know I wouldn't be happy if everything looked and felt the same as DA:O.
In fact, when I first started playing DA2 I noticed little bits that were remarkably similar to DA:O and, for whatever reason, I wished Bioware had changed them, or updated them. I don't want to be playing another DA:O, I want to be playing a whole new game.
Which is great, because that's what DA2 is. The combat is really, really fun. At first I was a little thrown off by the speed and the enemies exploding stuff, but after a while I decided that combat is way more fun than DA:O.
The graphics for me are never a huge concern, and in DA2 I think they were upgraded pretty well. There's obviously a lot more detail put into the character faces, which is very welcome. The only part that I don't like are the hands. I remember in one cutscene Hawke raised her hand to her face and I was horrified because it looked like the hand of an 80 year-old. But still, I didn't care that much.
The story and characters are, as usual, great. There's a lot of depth and complexity this time around, and I feel like I'm honestly traveling with real people. In DA:O it was a simple matter of figuring out what characters liked what responses and what gifts pertained to them. In DA2 I actually have to think about what I'm going to say and how it's going to impact my relationships with the current party members.
In that way, I guess, almost every conversation involved a big choice. At least for me, companion relationships are a huge part of the game, so I spend a lot of time building them. This way, it makes is a lot harder to figure the characters out. I feel like I actually have to take the time to get to know them, instead of just throwing gifts at them and picking the right conversation options.
Oh, and the inventory is so much nicer this time! In DA:O it took way too long to go through everything to make sure all of the characters had the best armor and weapons. In DA2 you just have to worry about Hawke, mainly, which is great.
So overall, it's a great game. I haven't finished the first act yet, but I love the characters, the combat, the storyline, and all of the little mini-quests that are everywhere. Also, the voice actress for LadyHawke is amazing!
I think what i feel is not hate but sadness and fear because isnt Bioware making a low quality game one of the sings of the Apocalypse?
Completely agree, easy way to put it is I am rather upset. I'm hoping Bioware reads through all this ****. I loved DA:O, I sort of like what they were trying to do with DAII, but it failed. I would gladly buy a Dragon Age 3 if it didn't seem so half assed. They turned this into Mass Effect 2, won't bag Hawkes voice acting though, I like that you brought that in to Dragon Age 2. But at the very least, let us equip armour to our companions please. Hell if you fixed that in a patch I'd friggen go out and celebrate.
#522
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:47
Abigail Fenn wrote...
Can I just say that I love it so far? There's a ridiculous amount of haters on here. I think that the point of making a new game, even if it is a sequel, is changing it. I know I wouldn't be happy if everything looked and felt the same as DA:O.
In fact, when I first started playing DA2 I noticed little bits that were remarkably similar to DA:O and, for whatever reason, I wished Bioware had changed them, or updated them. I don't want to be playing another DA:O, I want to be playing a whole new game.
Which is great, because that's what DA2 is. The combat is really, really fun. At first I was a little thrown off by the speed and the enemies exploding stuff, but after a while I decided that combat is way more fun than DA:O.
The graphics for me are never a huge concern, and in DA2 I think they were upgraded pretty well. There's obviously a lot more detail put into the character faces, which is very welcome. The only part that I don't like are the hands. I remember in one cutscene Hawke raised her hand to her face and I was horrified because it looked like the hand of an 80 year-old. But still, I didn't care that much.
The story and characters are, as usual, great. There's a lot of depth and complexity this time around, and I feel like I'm honestly traveling with real people. In DA:O it was a simple matter of figuring out what characters liked what responses and what gifts pertained to them. In DA2 I actually have to think about what I'm going to say and how it's going to impact my relationships with the current party members.
In that way, I guess, almost every conversation involved a big choice. At least for me, companion relationships are a huge part of the game, so I spend a lot of time building them. This way, it makes is a lot harder to figure the characters out. I feel like I actually have to take the time to get to know them, instead of just throwing gifts at them and picking the right conversation options.
Oh, and the inventory is so much nicer this time! In DA:O it took way too long to go through everything to make sure all of the characters had the best armor and weapons. In DA2 you just have to worry about Hawke, mainly, which is great.
So overall, it's a great game. I haven't finished the first act yet, but I love the characters, the combat, the storyline, and all of the little mini-quests that are everywhere. Also, the voice actress for LadyHawke is amazing!
Ok first of all. Ofcourse you can say you love it and rock on if you are enjoying it so much but we are not haters. We are disappointed with reason and I am glad to see there are so many DA:O fans protesting. Perhaps atleast some of this will reach the ears of the right people and make an impression. It may be too late for DA 2 to change but hey I would be glad if it affects the next franchise we get.
This game is not called Kirkwall:Rise to power or some such, it is called Dragon Age 2. As such most of us do NOT want a brand new game. We want a sequel to DA:O and that's what most people here payed for.
As for the rest that you say about the characters and story, with all due respect, I can not believe we are talking about the same game here. Sure DA:O had it's flaws in that reguard such as the gifts and so on but I can not comprehend how this is any improvment at all. For crying out loud how are you supposed to enjoy any kind of conversation when you constantly have to reload because you character did not say what you thought they would. Building relationships...seriously where does that happen in DA 2 I must have missed it entirly. Ah anyway I shall stop here I am starting to repeat myself and I hate doing that. Just please keep in mind that most people complaining here are giving real arguments as to why not just randomly hating the product
#523
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:48
aftohsix wrote...
The Dalish are Irish / Scottish now. Love it!
Please be trolling. Please, please, please be trolling.
#524
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:49
Modifié par Cancermeat, 09 mars 2011 - 04:49 .
#525
Posté 09 mars 2011 - 04:51
This game has fully addressed my concerns and far exceeded my expectations. So far I am really enjoying this game.





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