3274 réponses à ce sujet

[Lulia]

It's nice that you are asking for opinions

I just finished the game for my first play through and overall it was a good experience. I'm going to comment more on the characters and story because that is what i play for. Slap it on casual and watch things unfold .

ROMANCE:
1/ I'm not a total pervert (honest) but a good old romp is the epitome of courting someone after all the chasing and back and forth. That's how it actually is in real life.

The sex scenes are awsome in both ME's and DA1 was pretty decent too but in DA2 they are RUBBISH! No nekked, no throw down, no touching, no penetration - no nothing! I don't know why you guys took such a HUGE step backwards in DA2.

2/ The eligible men are total cookie cutters of DA1. One of them with a hidden purpose that is inevitable and will very likely lead to the continued romance being unrealistic and then the other one with deep seeded issues but then after coaxing they turn into lap dogs.

3/ Lack of subtlety. For example:

A - "I'm worried about the nasty spirit in me."
Me - "God your hot"
A - "I don't know if i did the wrong thing getting the spirit"
Me - "At least it went into a sexy body"

Ok, not the exact wording, but sadly it's pretty accurate. I suspect that is how you perceive guys want to be talked to - just slap it on a plate for them - but... please... give us ladies a bit of credit?

The female character should never comment on physical attraction like that! Nice eyes, nice smile, how very strong they are, how safe they make us feel.... Yes. The only female characters that should make such comments are the ones that end up at Anders clinic for treatment.

You seem to put the player on the pull and the NPCs all virginal and delicate.

4/ Players in a romance should be able to initiate kises and/or sex on command like in DA1 and some variety wouldn't hurt with the kisses.

CAMEO APPEARANCES:
What were you thinking? The only character that made any sense being there was working for the Divine. All the others... WHY?! They were pointless and looked weird.

Either give them a role to play or leave them where they belong.

STORY:

Ok... the story. I dunno... The whole story just felt like filler compared to DA1. Pretty insignificant.

In DA1 there was a constant sense of this unknown element. A bigger picture that we were aware of but couldn't bring it into focus. Always waiting for the next twist.

DA2 didn't seem to have any of that. Sure it covered issues that effects the whole of the world, but it just felt straight forward and inevitable. The twists were all in the last few scenes and at the end there was no more consequence to consider. What was done was done and what was going to happen was going to happen.

By far the most engaging part of the whole story was re Flemeth and then it was just more filler.

VISUALS:
I can understand you wanting to compete and use all the latest engines etc, but facial expression is sooooooo important and it wasn't there.

You replaced emotion with realism. It was painful to watch my character smile. The cameo appearances all looked like they'd had botox!

Please, tone it down. I'd happily trade a little bit of graphical prowess for my characters face not to look like it's about to crack every time they are amused.

ANDERS:

He was from the first game.
He is a grey warden who is breaking just about every rule going.
He an active apostate.
He has a spirit demon inside him.
He is a main character.

He just had too much going on and is a combination that it is very unbelievable.

Ummm, i think i'm done.

Honestly, really good game 8/10 but really lacked the impact of DA1 which i hope will be rectified in DA3.

CRAFTING:
WHY?!

[Charles Brasa]

Well, I for one liked the game at lot.

I had problems with the performance if I maximized it with Directx11 and all. My framerate would drop to the floor. And I do have the hardware for it.

I don't think that the game has been dumbed down. I have four playthroughs in DA:O (with all the extra contents) adding up to more than 210 hours. I played DA:O first on the console, and that was dumbed down. Then I moved to the pc and found it to be a different game. DA2 is simply different, or should I say, more intuitive. Quoting Morrigan: people are afraid of changes. We got to remember that in this same forum, when DA2 was announced, people were flaming that they wouldn't buy it because it wouldn't be about the Warden. People wanted Origins 2. I played the game using tatics in the fights, yes. And I had some really epic battles. Don't know why people complain about the battle system when everything is more fluid in DA2. The response to your comands is faster, like a lot, than in DA:O.

I liked the way the companions armor functions. In DA:O only Morrigan had that singularity in the way she dressed. It wasn't a problem until I played DA2. It's so good the way that each character is even more unique because of their own clothes.

Crafting changed and it didn't bothered me at all.

The story was real good. I loved the way you get more questions and intrigue leading up to the next game (please, make DA3). People that were afraid to play DA2 because they loved Origins too much (which I did) can rest easy. Your acts in Ferelden (or rather, the Hero of Ferelden acts) are remembered all the time in awesome ways. I won't say anything else because I can spoil. But I will say only that: I pity the one who plays DA2 without playing DA:O.

It's sad the excess of coppied areas. But that didn't ruin to me. It would be better if they coppied less areas in the next games. But that happened more in ME1, I think.

When I first played the demo I didn't like the overall art. Now I love it. That made the game more unique.

I've been waiting for this game for so long. Thankfully, it didn't let me down. I loved the way it was different, eventhough I loved Origins a lot (one of my top three games). The world, the lore of Dragon Age is incredible and it's so wonderful to know that we'll learn more. The only problem? The wait for DA3 has begun...

[Contempris]

   I want to like this game, I really do. So far however, (about 20 hours in) the only thing that can be "praised" is the combat system. With that said even the combat has its flaws, I will admit there is something oddly satisfying with Hawke yelling "NOW YOU FALL!" Then pulling out your two handed sword and owning everything around you. Everything else other than that can be called a failure, and quite frankly an insult to Dragon Age fans. Of course my opinion is totally subjective, and fanboys/girls will find some way to defend this lackluster title. With their best defense being "I just like it, IT'S MY OPINION! MY CLAIMS NEED NO EVIDENCE OR REASON!" /fanboyism.

  Maker's Breath, the game even though receiving a facelift seems so bland. Everything seems so uninspired, generic medieval non-sensical environments. That could be interchanged with any other sword and sandal game and no one would know the difference or even care. Simply put, this game lacks identity and loses the "soul" of the original game. Claustrophobia much? Kirkwall is boring, period.  It's just a bigger less engaging Denerium, with standard Grand Theft Auto "missions" that try to move a non-existent plot.

  Who wrote this? I really want to know, it's like someone Okayed the first draft without even reading it. (Star Wars Prequel syndrome) BioWare you do understand that the writing process truly begins during the rewrites right? Oh I'm sorry was I supposed to care about person X? Well sorry, I didn't. Maybe you could try some I don't know CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Story telling doesn't work like the following, conveying tragedy then trying to get me to care about such issues/individuals for sake of the plot (?) when you didn't devote enough time for me to develop an attachment to such things.

  I will write a more detailed review when I finish this, finish this atrocity... BioWare you owe me and all of your Dragon Age fans an apology for insulting our intelligence and giving us a game that cannot be called anything less than a joke. With that said however, you did make KOTOR so I will not totally condemn you for DA2 as I did Capcom after Resident Evil 4/5 or Konami after Silent Hill 4. Everyone is allowed one foul up, but you’re the last developer I would expect this from.

Suggestions! 


1. Don't work on multiple HUGE games at once. Focus on one at a time, so the talent doesn't spread out.
 
2. Stop F*cking using your entire production budget on Mass Effect, and don't anyone try and tell me this is a lie it's evident even in the Origins/Effect 2 comparison.

3. Buy back every copy of Dragon Age II back from us then destroy them. Then start over (After you finish KOTOR online and Mass Effect 3 of course) so you can dedicate more time, compassion and just plain human dignity in an acceptable copy of Dragon Age II.

4. Pray to Andraste/The Maker that you will be forgiven, for this is truly a Blight on my senses.

/Rant

[BihotzAusarta]

Resume problems:

We are in an economic crysis, Bioware need´s money, EA need´s money and they drop a beta for 50 euros.

I buy it like my b-day gift. I made myself the worst B-day gift in history.
I wont buy another dragon age, Dragon age are just two. Origins and Awake.
this... this is "I dont care about my costumers I made some basic repetitive thing, a home made beta and sell it for 50 euros without an decent end or more than 2 types or mosters. just blood magic and one type of darkspawn." really... if this was some other game, will be...maybe ok. but as a dragon age 2... leave´s to much to wish. disapointed. very very disapointed.

[DarthTelvanni]

More thoughts. So far Merrill is the only character I actually like. Fenris seems interesting but does resemble a JRPG character who has wondering into a Bioware game. His back story also reveals more ham-fisted retconning. Anders has had a personality bypass which annoys the heck out of me.

Also kind of getting sick of this city now...

Modifié par DarthTelvanni, 14 mars 2011 - 06:08 .

[Stoicism]

I'm not sure my review will reach many in the development team or elsewhere, given the size of this thread, but I wanted to offer a constructive critique of the game as I've experienced it, having beaten it once as a warrior, and nearly finished with Act 2 on my second playthrough as a mage.

I'll start with the positives, of which there are many, and number higher than the negatives -

Positively -
1) Graphics and Soundtrack - I thought that game had excellent sights and features, and the music in certain areas was beautiful and seemed to pull at you.  My personal favorite zone is the Wounded Coast, which I felt had a "Myst-like" feel to it, beautiful music and artistry, depicting a truly natural and seemingly endless coastline of sunlight and adventure.  The overall feel graphically and audibly was a solid 9.5/10. 

2) Combat, Tactics and Menus - Given my aptitude towards micro-management, and having found enjoyment in toying with different skill trees and tactics for my characters, I can only say positive things about the way combat works in DA2.  I play a healer/controller as my Hawke in my second playthrough, and I'm glad that focusing on the healer role hasn't diminished my experiences in combat.  With glyphs, heals, haste buffs and auras, as well as a kick ass auto attack with my staff, I feel a part of the adventure just as if I were playing a rogue.  

The menu system is clear and concise, and offers the player a chance to further immerse themselves in their characters and customization.  My only criticism of the menu and inventory will be listed below in my review of what's not so great about this game.

3) Storyline - I hesitated to add this only because I'm torn on how I feel about the storyline.  If I were to have never played an RPG (of which I have played several over the last 15 years), I would be convinced that this was the greatest story ever told - and I actually felt that way when I played Origins - but I'm not.  The storyline was clearly powerful, beautiful and immersive for what it offered, but it was severely lacking in consistency, emotion and a clear conclusion.  Yes, we all love DLCs, but developing a major title without a stand alone ending is very trying on the emotions of the players who spend their time and money on your product.  I say "Stand Alone" because (and I'm wording this as best I can so as to avoid spoilers) DA2 as shipped is clearly directed towards a future, hopefully major expansion.

The fact that Sebastian Vael is a DLC is a disappointment as well, given his connections with the Chantry, and immersive character and plotlines.

HOWEVER, and I know I digressed, the storyline, especially in Act 2, was excellent when I was knee deep in quests and companion interactions.  In the middle of the game, I truly felt like a part of the inner turmoil boiling up within Kirkwall.

4) Companions - Another gray area for me, as I both love the companions i travel with, but find myself wanting more.  One of the best things about DA:O for me, and many many others, was sitting around camp, chatting with my companions and evolving their trust and satisfaction with me as both a leader and a person.  One of my fondest memories of DA:O was just learning about Wynne, guiding her through her troubles and eventually, unlocking her inner potential.  DA2, while offering some unique experiences with companions, falls short of the mark in its ability to incentivize true companionship.  While the new Friendship/Rivalry system is more rewarding to those who wish to dabble in the dark side, it also robs the player of the value of constructing true relationships in game.

Perhaps the only truly hashed out companion for me was Merill, and at a distant second and third both Varric and Aveline, but even these interactions seemed contrived and meaningless given the fact that I had to rely on quests just to speak with them.

Negatively -

1) Recycled Maps - This is the big one for me.  It was a very big mistake not to invest more time in the development of unique environments in the game.  While in Act 1, I felt like I was a newborn child, exploring the world for the first time, and each experience was bold and exciting, but as the game progressed I found myself tired of having to visit the same locations time and again, only this time having to re explore previously sealed passages in the same dungeons I had already cleared, or scout a zone once more for new chests and reagents at the start of a new Act.  It truly cheapens the experience and I honestly hope that the huge uproar you've received with regards to this particular problem is met with an open mind in future projects.  The maps are, for all their faults for being similar in many ways, are still very detailed and beautiful, and accompanied by good music both in and out of combat.

2) Companion Armor and Gearing Up - For Hawke, this experience is invigorating and only adds to the customization evident in the game.  For companions, the removal of companion armor slots was a huge disappointment for me.  Sure, finding a permanent but limited amount of armor upgrades for my troops is interesting for a time, but it detracts from their uniqueness, and most importantly, my emotional investment in them.  I want to take a piece of gear off Hawke that was awesome for him until I found that new shiny robe and hand it over to Merrill or Anders to get rid of his last hand-me-down.  I want to design and customize my entire companion, not just his weapon and accessories.

3) Storyline - While previously mentioned, there is one serious flaw in the way in which the story evolves over time in certain, seemingly important points in the game.  The lack of emotional attachment from Hawke for his family beyond the events of the first Act comes to mind as the most glaring issue - those of us who have experienced that plotline understand exactly what I mean.  There is also little to no change in the way in which the world acts towards Hawke, even, surprisingly, when playing an apostate mage.  The status of mages in Kirkwall is also disheartening.  In DA:O, while mages were feared and even reviled in some circles, they were, by all acounts, relatively well-received as long as they played by societies rules.  In Kirkwall, mages are pariahs, dissidents, evil, untrustworthy and power-hungry, all the while enticing Hawke to undergo a dramatic campaign of justification after justification just to express his rational beliefs in the Art and those who wield it.  

This review is not intended to upset, but to clarify, and overall, I have no trouble expressing my satisfaction with the game.  I really do love it, even with its flaws.  However, as bold, all-encompassing rating of the game as a whole, I would give it a 7/10.  There is much left to be desired with this game, and it is my hope that serious, constructive criticisms are met with equally constructive changes to the game in future patchs and DLCs.

My honest opinion and advice is to release a substantive DLC for free to the customer base that can act as a pathway to the official expansion which I assume is inevitable.  Take to heart the things your customers are saying and reward them with changes, even if it sacrifices some profit and increases development time.  

People like me stick with games mostly for their playability and immersion, but also due to the integrity of the developers who create them.  It's the reason I've invested my time in writing this, because as a company you've really captured me as a buyer, and I don't want to see good intentions lead to unforeseen failures.

Thanks for reading,

Stoicism

[chart4ever]

 8/10 or even 7/10
Don't get me wrong, I like the game, a lot. I definitly don't regret buying it but some things needs to be pointed out. To be more precise only 1 thing that made be take 3 points out of those 10.
Many ppl dislike the graphics or the combat system.

But the only problem of DA2 is that every cave, wh or dungeon you go in looks the same.

There was a moment when I started exploring a new dungeon and I tought "it looks cool" ! That was just before I realised thats its the same dungeon like the others but with a different template (colors/architecture). I was WTF this is the same ****hole again. I've played many other BioWare games and I just couldn't understand this... still can't.


I hope those bad reviews from gamers will open the eyes for some ppl and make them realise that there are things that should not be rushed.

Modifié par chart4ever, 14 mars 2011 - 06:08 .

[dynamicdandito]

I already posted a review on page 67, but I just finished the game and there were a couple things I wanted to point out/expand on.

In some cases I felt certain story lines were finished without a clear since of closure. Biggest case in point was Merrille's companion quest. It had a huge dramatic end, but it felt more like a cliffhanger. I was waiting for one more quest/conversation to see how Merrille internally resolved what had happend, but nothing. We came down the mountain and went grocery shopping.
Another problem was inconcistancy affecting imersion. Towards the end of the game there was a quest where I was supposed spy on a group of people. Before I even got close the scene cut to Hawke running up to them and freaking them out, causing a huge fight where I slaughter the lot of them. Then I did it again with a second group. Then the third. After killing 20 men along the way I meet with the man at the center of the quest and we have a friendly conversation about mage/templar relations amongst the bodies of his men.
In Origins, I got Alister and Anora to rule jointly, but in DAII Alister was ruling by himself. What the hell?

Big ass bug: I know there's a thread about this already but there's a bug towards the end of the game where Hawke is afflicted with perma slow. I had to cheat half the time and killallhostiles just to play through because my Hawke was deadweight.

Music: the music was good, but it wasn't memorable. Everyone reading this post, hum one song from the soundtrack. You can't? neither can I. This is something that Bioware seems to never be able to do, whether it's dragon age, mass effect or Jade Empire. I don't mean to plug someone else's work, but I think the music department could take a lesson from this guy.
http://www.escapistm...Videogame-Music

Unfair boss fight: To be spoiler free, the big boss fight 1on1 at the end of Act II is not winnable unless you're using a ranged character like a mage or archer. He can hit you from across the room and has an ungodly amount of hp, and I was playing as a rouge with daggers. the only viable way I could have won was by hitting him once, running away and repeating for 3 hours. killallhostiles. By comparison the final boss fight was way easier. Even with perma slow Hawke I never had any of my characters ko'd, and I had Anders and Merrille with me.

I'm changing my assessment to: 1 step forward, one step back. For everything DAII did better, it did something wrong. This is a good game, but Origins was great. Here's hoping that Dragon Age III fares better.

edit:  during the hype up too this game, I thought that one of the cool companion features was that Hawke's actions would be that Hawke's actions would affect my companions romances.  This appears to be limited to Avaline and an NPC.  I thought I could get Fenris and Isabella to hook up(there were some not so subtle hints at an attraction between them), or Anders and Merrille or something.  This did not happen.  The Bioware devs might want to consider this feature in the next DA.  Because it would be awesome.

Modifié par dynamicdandito, 14 mars 2011 - 06:18 .

[OdanUrr]

 DRAGON AGE II: A REVIEW

 

It's been a few days since the much awaited sequel to Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age II, was released, and having played a few times around I feel confident enough to undertake the task of reviewing the game. The problem I'm facing right now is where to begin. How about the plot?


The story follows Hawke, as he flees with his family from a Blight-struck Ferelden and into Kirkwall, and his famous, or infamous, journey to become the Champion of Kirkwall. That said, you can expect a great deal of the game to take place in said city over a span of ten or so years. Is this story better than that of its predecessor? Well, no, in DAO you made the decision, rather forced perhaps, to become a Grey Warden and save the land from pretty much everything, though mainly the Blight. The story of DA2 is one of survival, you move through life trying to protect your own and get thrown into every mess imaginable, all the while wondering what you did to deserve this fate.


This leads me to the decision-making part of the game. While I can't be a hundred percent certain until I've played every possible combination of every given scenario - meaning, never - I'll go out on a limb here and say that no matter what you do, nothing, and I mean nothing, will change. Yup, be a saint or a badass, everything will go up in flames eventually and your companions will do whatever they want regardless of your opinions. I've even found a few bugs here, but let's not spoil it, shall we? Bottom line, only thing you can change is whether you want to side with them at every turn or not, to become their friend or their rival, anything else is beyond your power. Consequently, I must admit I was somewhat disappointed by my character not having the slightest shred of influence over his companions, well, influence that matters anyway. You can tweak a few minor decisions here and there but that's about it. At least ME2 got this part right.


Another con (as in pros and cons, don't go thinking something else). Did you ever notice when playing DAO's DLCs how every level was simply a rehash of existing levels from the main campaign and Awakening? It was a bit of a bother, yes, but these are DLCs we're talking about and, since level design for the main campaign was pretty rich and extensive, I decided to let it go. See where I'm going now? Yes, DA2's main campaign level design is a rehash... of itself! It uses the same scenarios over and over and over again. Outside of Kirkwall, which is relatively pristine, you visit the same two or three (and I think I'm being overly generous here) cave levels (among others) throughout the entire game, with the only difference being that some path or another is now sealed shut inside the cave. And the way it's sealed shut, god, please, it's too obvious! You can literally see a door with a slab of concrete blocking the way! I realize more time was invested on DAO than on its sequel but come on, when I have to go spelunking something in the order of thirty times it gets tiresome fast.


How about the combat part of the game? This is actually better than in DAO, I can see my character being the badass he should be, either when shooting bolts with his staff, stabbing an enemy from the shadows, or simply kicking butt. Perhaps it'd be even better if "combat combos" grew more complex as your character evolved, for instance, at a lower level the character uses the staff in a rigid fashion, gaining a bit of flair to his movements the tougher he gets. Just a thought. In any event, and despite the fact that my companions were a bit sluggish to respond to my commands, this kind of fast-paced action suited me just fine.


Okay, so we mentioned the wheel of fortune, we mentioned level design and combat, what else? Should we talk RPG a bit? I'm no expert so I'm gonna put it in layman terms. In DAO you had a starting point and an ending point (let's call that ending the Landsmeet since everything from that point onwards it pretty much linear). Not so in DA2, I get the feeling it's pretty much linear all the way, with lots of small branches here and there. Well, I suppose that since Varric is telling a story he's got to start in the beginning, follow through the middle and right to the end but, again, it seems there's less freedom to your character in DA2 than in DAO. I suppose that's up to the player and what kind of RPG he likes best, whether it's open world, action, strategy, whatever. I'm a fan myself of the open world type, which is probably why DA2 seems more of a constriction than its predecessor: you don't get to equip your companions (that took some getting used to, I was constantly buying stuff for them and then recalled I couldn't equip anything), can't make traps or potions, can't talk to them unless it's when they want to talk to you.


This is starting to sound like my review of TFU II. What's the feeling I get from this sequel? In one word: limitations. The core of DAO, or of any RPG for that matter, which is the possibility of making different choices and seeing how they affect your surroundings, be it characters or places, seems to have been stripped away. Nothing Hawke does makes a difference which, considering the darker tone of the game, is perhaps the point. It becomes also apparent that this simpler (what an awful word, sounds too much like dumb in my mind) sequel looks more console-like than PC-like, if it makes any sense, what begs the question, are we witnessing the beginning of the end of PC RPG?

Modifié par OdanUrr, 14 mars 2011 - 06:26 .

[TheDeanoRama]

 My initial take on DA2:
Pros:

• Bug free for me on the ps3 platform thus far. (I just finished Oblivion and the bugs were extremely annoying).
• Combat, as mentioned by others before me, feels more exciting.
• The graphics engine is smooth considering the detail offered
• The depictions of npcs and environments are also impressive
• The companions are a joy to have around again as they quip at each other, adds a dimension to the game that's missing out of a lot of party based RPGs
• Storyline and backstories (thus far .. about 8 hours in) has kept me compelled and at least right now there is plenty of quests to pick and choose from (more on this in cons)
• Voice acting was "good" but good enough to mention as a Pro (more on this in cons)
• I like the conversation wheel system (this looks like its a love/hate thing for most but I've not played the game(s) its compared to so I'm not coming in with pre-conceptions).

Indifference:

• Repetitive landscapes although personally not a fan, its also not a make it/break it with me. I understand the logic of repurposing and this is far from the 1st game that has utilized it and it won't be the last.

Cons:

• A largely non-interactive city (I'm only in Kirkwall so far). There are NPC's all over the place, but they are decorations. They rarely interact even with each other. Some NPC conversation even between themselves would go a long way towards livening things up. I see a little of it but not nearly enough, mostly they are pylons/space fillers.
• Background chatter (this includes companions), although the voice acting is good - its greatly diminished by the fact that it sounds like it was recorded in large empty chamber of reverberation. This is a very distracting element that will probably bother me all the way through.
• Camera angle (ps3 only as I don't know if this stands true on other platforms): I would like to zoom in a little closer to the action, the pulled back angle works well enough when navigating the environments, but when the action starts I would like the option of getting in a little closer.
• The inability to outfit the companions in different gear - probably the biggest con for me in the game. Yes they left us with weapon and accessory options but taking away all the armour slots is hard to get past (maybe in an update or DLC?). This is the biggest part of the game that feels "rushed".  It felt like the boardroom descision on this went a little like this: "Do we design all the custom graphics per companion do we make Spring Break of 2011?" Personally as a consumer I could have waited.
• To avoid a spoiler here I will use broad strokes: The "skip ahead" plot device in a stage of the narrative felt forced and the outcome did not feel to me as though it supported the amount of time allotted to this level of fast forwarding. Zero development in the time frame given, it may as well have been a day.

This has been my first 8hrs in summation. I'm still enjoying the game, for me the pro's are currently outweighing the cons. I'll update this once I'm done once I'm well over the "at first glance" aspect of a new game.

[Kitsuki Noriyuki]

I'm not going to go with numerical values, they feel arbitrary, so heres something equally arbitrary, a C-.

Don't get me wrong I loved the game for 2/3s of the main story. It all fell apart in the last act in my opinion due to bad writing. It felt like what I had been doing the entire game hadn't really mattered and all of a sudden everyone was turning into raging jerks that made me want to kill them all. Even the most reasonable of characters were suddenly losing their marbles. It really made me want to hand the keys of the city over to the Qunari and walk away.

I liked that the graphics were somewhat improved on 360, but understandably limited as the systems hardware is the same so you can only push it so far without causing problems.

I thought combat was great, and I enjoyed some of the improvements. Case in point that I played a two hander warrior for my first play through. I couldn't stand two handed weapons in the first game, they felt awkward with bad hit detection and never seemed to equal the damage of two weapons. Between scythe, whirlwind and massive blow I was dominating the battlefield, sometimes before the mages got done casting there first aoe.

While I wasn't sure how I felt about not having a non combat skill tree for improving dialogue options it worked ok, though since it seems to have gone more for the ME2 dialogue style I wish they had gone all the way. There were a few instances when people were monologueing and I just wanted to punch them in the face to smack some sense into them or even get the drop on them if I had to. It also seemed odd at a few points that I can have a maxed out affection with someone, but I still can't talk people down from being crazy at times.

I really enjoyed the party banter and the setting flavor in general. Medieval cities were dirty, grimy, oppressive places and Kirkwall fit that to a t. The lack of anyone outside the main character that could be consistently good was a bit off putting though. If someone is a good person through every interaction the length of the game I don't like it when they suddenly breakdown and go nutters just for this one plot point so that I won't feel bad killing them because I can't talk them down (see previous complaints of the lack of a conversation based talking skill or even paragonesque persuasion). I also really liked what happened with the Qunari, they felt much better developed in this game, rather than just stoic and kind of flat like Sten. I also enjoyed how some of your party members can really steal the show, see anytime you can let Varric talk.

I didn't mind the recycled backgrounds that much, especially in Kirkwall itself as a well planned city should have a certain uniformity to it. Especially since portions of it were dwarven built I would expect that all the random underground parts should look the same. That all the caves outside of town looked the same was a bit off putting, but I dealt cause I can understand wanting to keep down production costs.

Mainly it was the number of serial killer stories and generally crazy evil that randomly cropped up that was what soured the game for me by the end. It made it go from something I was enjoying for the interesting glimpse into the cultural interactions that had been going on and sufficient tie ins to the preceding games, to something that felt forced and left me bitter at the end. That's why it got a barely passing grade. I still enjoyed it, but it could have been a lot more enjoyable.

[Jdogg9]

My take:

I did not like the lack of invetory for the party at all.

The repetitive nature of the areas made zones of attack predictable (i.e. large underground area = attack, keep everyone in next room and make the enemies go through hallway = smoking ruin) and it got boring. The story about same enviroments equaling more time for content is all well and good, but someone forgot to add the content.

Many of the conversations were useless, you did not have to listen at all to make a reply nor did it matter what the reply really was. Playing good guy, use good guy answer, doesn't matter what was the question was. Esc through the conversation till the end and get the quest . It was previously better when you had to listen(read)  to the conversation and choose an answer that you found fitting. I also detest having to go to someones special area to have a conversation with them, it seems much more natural and the story flows better when you do not have to detour everytime you want to talk to a different charactor.

There were no compelling or complex problems to solve and everything seemed so linear and scripted. Almost every facet of a good RPG has been removed. In short this game appears to be an okay action RPG (which I generally dislike) streamlined for the console, which is fine since Bioware is a business and businesses need to make money to survive. I will however read the comments and reviews before purchasing anything else from you guys. I know the console games is where the big money is at so make alot of money from the console types, but occasionally make something extrodinary. Rating = 5/10 

Thanks - J

[Marauder606]

Hey

Hey BioWare

Hey

Listen to me

Hey

I DIDN'T ENJOY DRAGON AGE 2.

Don't mind me, just checking out the moderation. I don't mind getting banned, I'm not one of those fools who actually added games to their account.

End of line.

[NedPepper]

I don't understand the hate. I really don't. Then again, didn't this happen with Mass Effect 2? Perhaps I am just the "dumbed down audience" Bioware is going for according to many of you. (Do any of you have any idea how insulting and pretentious you sound by labeling people for enjoying something you didn't)

I'm well into act 2 and I dig it. The game is more intimate. You feel connected to Kirkwall. I was a bit taken aback by the redesign of the elves, but I started to really like it. They aren't just humans with pointy ears. They're distinct now. And the lore and morality play is typical grade A Bioware. I love seeing what Sten talked about in the first game "in person." It's actually SMART writing. Extremely philisophical, just like DA:O and the alien races in Mass Effect series. The combat doesn't bother me at all. I don't EXPECT to play the same game over and over again. No creative person wants to keep telling the same story in the exact same way. Think about how much time and effort went into this. They TRIED something different. It's not perfect, no. But it's hardly as bad as this reactionary and contrarian uproar. Some people need to take a deep breath...Fallout: New Vegas was disappointing. Fable 3 was disappointing. Do you really think DA2 is THAT much worse?

My own issues? It would have been nice to expand the world a little more. Again, it's not something that's destroying my enjoyment of the game, but it does get repetitive. My main concern is that so far I'm not quite attached to the companions as I was in DA:O. They're just not clicking for me and they're not nearly as complex as the crew in the first game. And I'll be honest: I keep waiting for one of the old companions to show up. Maybe they will. But if they don't...I may be a little disappointed.

I realize that Dragon Age is more about the world and the lore, but I actually kind of miss the Wardens, the evolution of the darkspawn, and a sense of continuity. That's my biggest complaint. If I could put it in one word, and I do hope you guys at Bioware read this, it's Continuity. We played an epic in the first game. A lot of stuff happened. That lack of continuity leaves me feeling a little disappointed. If Shepard can go from game to game...I'm not sure why our Wardens couldn't appear, even as an NPC. It'd be groundbreaking really. And you could even give them a voice...I would get a HUGE kick out of that....

But I consider these to be minor quibbles. I am enjoying the game. I like Hawke. I like the brisk pace. I like the story. I don't even care that I can't change my companions' outfits. The bottom line: if the story hooks me, and it does, then I got my money's worth.

[Esoj16]

 So I just finished my first playthrough after 48h and I liked it, but sadly not as much as origins, still a really good game imo.  I played as a mage for reference.

Cons-
 -The ending felt rushed, Act 3 just wasn't as long or had as many details as the other two Acts

 -Reused environments, I can understand using the same looks since Kirkwall is just one place and I don't expect it to have varied environments, but some caves had the exact same layout except that you would come in from the opposite side and just go backwards from an earlier cave, come on Bioware I expect better than that <_<

 -Interactions with companions were not as good as in Origins, you had like 2 or 3 full conversations with your companions per act and that was only when they wanted to, I miss having camp time so I can talk to Alistair or Morrigan etc and get to know them better:crying: as it is, I only got attached to Aveline Varric and Isabela, though Isabela was probably because I romanced her.

 -I miss outfitting my companions with gear, I felt the vast majority of the loot I got was going to waste since I was the only one that could use armor and most of it was useless for my character. 

Pros-
 -The combat was awesome  my favorite spell has got to be petrify, I felt like a total earth bender  not at all hack and slash, but I played on hard for the whole game and while it started out easy it got progressively harder in act 2 and 3

 -I loved the story, at first it felt like it was everywhere with no central string to hold it together, but I loved the way my choices had consequences and that at the end of the game I still wasn't sure if I did the right thing.

 -I loved the family aspect of the game, there was this quest in act 2 with your mom that made me cry  it was really touching, I loved the rivalry aspect and eventual brotherhood feeling with Carver though I wish I could've spent more time with him, same goes for that other family member that you discover in act 3.

 -I liked most companions, I wish there was more dialogue for them but they all still felt like interesting characters, rivalry with them was also interesting, it made me feel like an ass to do the rivalry path with Merril but I thought that was the best thing for her. Anders is an ass......but I like everyone else 

 -Loved the new art style and graphics have improved from DAO but I'm not a graphics w**** so the graphics from origins never bothered me.

 -Loved the sound, not much more to say 

Ratings-
 Combat- 9.5/10
 Graphics- 9/10
 Story- 9/10
 Sound- 9.5/10
 Environments- 7.5/10   (Loved the ones in the game but they reused them too much)
 Companions- 8.5/10

 Overall- 8.8

[Vawugz]

Bioware - The Chantry and Templars
Woo - Meredith
The mages and first enchanter - The fans

The story of DA2 is about bioware itself. The fans are trying to escape prosecution by Knight Commander Woo. Some mindlessly go back like sheep, while others resort to ****posting/trolling (blood magic) out of fear for themselves. Eventually these forums will collapse and Woo will complete his transformation into a crazy ****.

[Xanatar2]

I don`t want to go into details, as several people seem to have very different opinions on DA II.
But i really like to come up with something different, not just "this is good, this is bad". Ok, i try this by comparing the game to other tripple A titles on the market since 2008.

Graphics... hm, what have we here, looks a bit low quality to me. I have seen Uncharted, Final Fantasy XIII, Fallout 3... and now there is DA II. Well, characters look ok i guess compared to old DAO, but still a bit generic. Landscapes just look like a worse Version of the Fallout 3 wastelands most of the time. A lot of element recycling. Whoho, this cave again? I have been here how many times? And the city... well, could not be more generic, no character of a busy trade city at all. Nice Architecture in parts though

Athmossphere... well there is none. I have played baldurs gate, neverwinter nights, DAO and so on and so forth, but i seldom had that a strong feeling of detachement from the main plot as with DA II. The city felt completely generic, no population of a real city, just puppets with no faces standing around not reacting at all to the player or anything else.

Quests and quest areas also felt generic... you had sidequests in DAO, but all main quests had some kind of dramatic and exciting plot and corresponding areas allowing to identfy yourself with the quest and the story behind it (remember the werewolf forrest with ancient temple in DAO?) which has gone missing somehow in DA II.... aaah that cave again, a do not want to see it anymore!!!

Side characters where ok, but not nearly as compelling to interact with as, lets say characters in mass effect 1.

Combat... i would love the more action part of the combat system, if it had not canabalized so much of the original tactical combat of DAO. I really tried hard to play with tactics first, but then realized very fast i don`t need to. It was always part of good rpg games to have a strategy to enter combat, and it was a real challenge to crack some of the harder boss battles say in BG II. Not so in DA II. Give me a warrior with some of the mid game abilities and the game plays on itself like a normal console hack and slay (with sadly worse animations... oh my, i really have to replay bayonetta again...) I did not get the game to play another heavenly sword or torchlight, but the successor of DAO! Ah, maybe i should start an mmo like wow, i think monsters keep spawning in random positions during battle there as well...

Conclusion:
The game is ok. You could say it is a good standard game product you would expect from a newcomer on the rpg market. But maybe not from the RPG specialist Bioware. And especially not as a sequel to DAO. Yes, i would say DA II may even be a good game for all those who haven`t played DAO, and, thanks to a lot of simplification in the gaming interface, it may appeal very much to more casual style players. There somehow evolves the impression that DA II sacrifices a lot of elements to make it more accessable to a broader audience... and scares away a lot of core Dragon Age fans in the process.

There is one aspect i want to point out that really really was strange.
I never could leave DAO, BG II, BG I before finishing it, it was compelling me to game on, to solve more riddles, to uncover more plots, to explore more hidden areas... After 15h of playing DA II i do not feel any compulsion to return to kirkwall at all, even while stuck in the middle of the game. I started installing DAO again and will probably start playing some of the dlc now available ...

Modifié par Xanatar2, 14 mars 2011 - 08:09 .

[Firetissue]

I was so hyped up for this game, mainly because I really love Dragon Age: Origins and was hoping for an even bigger, better world to explore. After having finished Dragon Age II just yesterday, here's my short review:

I quite like that my character now has a voice and a name (hearing the companions yell out "Hawke!" when I fall in battle is strangely nice), even though the conversation wheel thingy could be better. The graphics look very nice and the new battle animations are pretty cool.

My companions are... well, I like Varric and Aveline, because they're usually sensible, but other than that it feels like hanging out with extremists. Did not really like the personality change Anders went through either. The romances... um. Not as fun as in Origins, sadly. I dislike how you can't talk to them whenever you want - only when they want you to do something for them. And only in specific places? Why? It doesn't really make sense. Also didn't like how you cannot change their gear. I had so much great stuff that they couldn't use, so they were stuck with lousy armour.

The party banter doesn't feel as good in DA2 either, though the "brooding elf" conversations Varric and Fenris had amused me.

As much as I love the characters of Origins, the cameos felt rather sloppy and unnecessary. They served no purpose and you never found out why they were there, really.

The maps were repetitive, which I didn't like, and for two quests along The Wounded Coast I just couldn't find the items/people, despite going EVERYWHERE. A bug maybe? Perhaps I just missed them though. Either way it was horribly boring running around there.

The time-skips in the narration were a bit confusing. It didn't feel as if that much time had passed, since people immediately went back to talking about the same things as before.

Anyway, to finish this post: when the game ended, I was left wondering if that was all. I was actually a bit surprised when the credits rolled. The game felt a bit rushed and incomplete, as though I had only played half of what should really be the storyline. Honestly, I was disappointed. It's a good game, but not as good as it should have been. I would give it at most 7/10, but it's leaning more towards 6/10. It didn't meet my expectations. :/

Hoping for a deeper, more involving world for the third game, if there will be one. For now I'll head back to Origins, play that some more, and then maaaaybe make a new character for DA2. But just maybe.

[andyjamison1]

I enjoyed the game immensely, I did end up walking away with more questions then answers. I also was not to thrilled that the quantity of unique maps was limited, felt alot like they used the same maps just re-arranged the enemies and loot.

However I did enjoy the faster passed game play and the fact that most of the characters were no longer in the Idle Gorilla stance that all the DA:O characters were in, except may Fenris who looked constantly like he was doing an Ape impersonation. If you do not believe me put him in your party then move the camera so you can see him clearly.

Modifié par andyjamison1, 14 mars 2011 - 07:48 .

[techpan]

Most of the replies to this thread site the same thing, the boring fights, the repetitious settings, the go no where story, the lack of any sort of epic feeling to the game. so to avoid being repetitious, like the game, ill take an different road.

Replayability: I played all of the character's available in DA:O. I could gladly sit down and play the game again. The game was great.

With DA 2 i have zero incentive to replay the game. There is no compeliing reason to replay it.

Moneys worth: I felt that I got a great deal for my money when I bought DA:O. I liked it so much that i bought most of the DLC content.

I do not feel that i got my moneys worth in DA 2. I bought the first two DLC addons before i actually started fully playing the game. i feel now that was a mistake. I do not intend to buy any more DLC for this game as there is no reason to replay it. I feel that my money would be best spent else where.

Fun: The game was fun up to a point then it just got kinda boring.

I had high expectations for this game. i was looking forward to it. The game did not meet my expectations. I think bioware can, and has, put out a great product. This game is simply not a great product. At this point in time, i will not rush out to buy a product from this company until a few days after it has been released just to read the comments about it. If the comments are good i will buy it, if the commenst are like the ones that have been cited for 70 pages then i wont.

[KonradZ]

So I also did finish my first play trough. Took me 46 hours and I did enjoy them.
After that being said a quick like - dislike sum up:
+Companions story. I really had a feeling it was like becoming a group of influential friends in the city.
+Storytelling, some quests, graphics improvement, overall fun from playing
-Varric is the only non-gay (bisexual if you please) party member, seriously Bioware? And he isn't even a romance character. That was unexpected. (Not counting Sebastian - dlc)
-locations, locations, locations, I am afraid to go back to the optional dungeons in second play trough
-fetch quests (did not even bother once to read what was that all about)
Maybe it's just me, but it just did not come out the way i expected.
I go with 7 out of 10 because as I stated before, I enjoyed the game, but i hope that my money will contribute to a game with number 3 that is not done in a rush, to create income (well not solely at least).

[Essalor]

Dragon age 2 review PC
Okay, I’m right now in the very middle of the game, probably closer to the end so maybe this review will change when I finish it all, but here’s my take.
First Dragon Age or Dragon Age:Origins was a very very awesome game. It had a gorgeous huge world, epic battles, and a great story with a lot of difficult choices that your character could make that influence the whole world.
Now I have finished the Origins twice, last time just about two weeks ago to set the story the way I wanted it to be and import it in DA2. Now I’m playing the second game and seriously: I’m loving it.
Okay, well maybe it would be fair to go point by point, starting with the things I liked.
I don’t understand why people complain about graphics. They’re awesome, and colourful and vibrant. Sure they could be better (I’m thinking like a PC player now) but honestly, if I want to max out my graphic card, I’ll buy Crysis 2. The art design is very nice, and while the initial darkspawn may seem a bit weird to some people, rest assured that the rest of the game looks quite well, elves got thinner, Qunari (for those who know) got larger, the city environments are detailed and unique for each territory. In games like this art and scenery is more important than raw power or shader effects.
Let’s say a few words about combat. Dragon Age: Origins might have been a “return to roots” for someone, me, personally, I’ve never played Baldur’s Gate, so I wouldn’t know. The combat was quite fun, although I agree with the devs point of view that slow-mo kills and special decapitations became a huge nuisance towards the latter half of the game.
Another thing about DA:O is that it was easy. No. seriously, it was hard until you reach level 4 (on Normal), 6 (on Hard) or 8ish (on Nightmare) and after that unless you have a huge case of stupid going on or you try some interesting builds e.g. without a healer (or are just there for the story, you’re not stupid, don’t get offended  ) you could run in almost every combat victorious.
Now DA:2 seems to be on the easier side at first, I started on Hard and was going smooth until the first boss DECIMATED me and made me it’s (censored). Now, I passed through that after some tries but still, don’t trust those who say that DA:2 is “easy”. Just crank it to Nightmare like I did after a while just try it out and weep when you instantly die if fail to coordinate every single battle. Personally, I love the challenge so I put it in the pros list.
The party you get is alright, there’s no Morrigan although I don’t really think Alistair or Orghen were all that good (seriously a drunk dwarf and a knight with a heart of gold? cliché?). But the new guys fare well, they’re growing on me and they constantly chat behind my back, good job on voice acting (although Bioware doesn’t get points for voice acting any more, sorry).
Now to cons: story is fun, I’m a completionist kind of guy and the side quests are very well implemented some even link you to the DA:O story which is very nice. The problem is of course that the main story feels disjointed. I don’t think it’s BAD, but it’s so not rewarding (!!!MILD STORY SPOILER HERE!!!) to miss the whole first year of Hawke’s life in Kirkwall just to get a small banter on how “he made his name throughout the city”. I could’ve done that!! That would be so rewarding to slowly progress through the ranks of the Kirkwall hierarchy. Instead guys in Bioware probably thought it would take a lot of time for not very interesting questing and just cut the whole progression out leaving us with movies that link the years together. Not a disaster but a shame: surely.
I’m going to join the club of those people who want the tactical camera. Could be a game changer on Nightmare, although I think someone said they would have to redo the design of all the levels to allow that, so well… whatever, I still manage, and the gory mess looks cool from the front lines.
Other than that, in a nutshell: the game is good, you still walk around questing, making important decisions and fighting tactical battles. Personally I’m not going back to DA:O; probably ever. This game is better although surely if you have doubts, you can always write to me 
Sorry for the huge amount of text, hope it helps. Have fun!

[LeraG]

4 out of 10, my question is does Bioware have any integrity of work Product?

[-Sidone-]

Ok I DO like the look of the graphics and the style in which the backgrounds oog are done.

Its also clear to me that the Bioware writers are still on their game.

However, I hated this departure. The faster combat makes this game a more mainstream and dumbed down version of DA:O. For me, less thinking means less immersion in the game and less fun. I hated the story interruptions because the story you were supposed to be living was being told. All in all this game has turned me off DA -probably permanently- because every change they made took away from the interesting and engaging feel of DA:O and turned it into an insult to my intelligence. Don't whine at me about how you can make it hard, the tactics in this game are all preparation and not combat based. Nightmare becomes painstaking number crunching and preparation for a fast whirling and visually stimulating but ultimately boring fight.

Congrats Bioware I am sure you have discovered brilliant cash cow. However I now think you got lucky with DA:O and will be returning to my less popular little corner of gaming to try and forget I ever had faith in your company.

Oh... teclo stop telling people their experience of the game is wrong. They aren't stupid and wrong for liking different things than you. I'm glad you've found a game that suits your tastes, but 'correcting' people's opinions is like trying to tell them their own name.

[RoboSprog]

I know that this will not be paid attention to but..
Dragon age 2, is miles better than DA:O.

DA:O was a nod back to KOTOR, clearly. The combat was slow and unentertaining. The story was brilliant, but you didn't connect to your character as much as in Mass Effect. The graphics were great on PC - I had console ver but planning to get PC ver - and had a nice style. The choice was great, most characters weren't very deep, par Morrigan, Alistair. It was a step back.

Dragon Age 2 comes back with a dark, witty, and intriguing story. A dark atmosphere and tense conversations. The combat was fast, entertaining, and fun. You felt powerful, you dominated battles at lower difficulties, but at higher it became harder. It was less tactic oriented - but this isn't Warcraft 3 or Starcraft. This is an Action RPG. And it is faithful to that.

The combat was quick. It wasn't slow, and at later levels you had a great choice of combos and abilities. The UI was simple and easy to understand,
The companions each had deep stories, and brilliant personalities, unfortunately there was not as many romantic choices I believe, and the sex scenes were lacking, Mass Effect had nudity - but no pornography, and indeed, the nudity wasn't too explicit, it was perfect. But they got flak for it and now the scenes are bad, and uninteresting.

The storyline was intriguing, dark, and as I said earlier: witty. Your voiced character adds a lot to your connectivity with the game, and the atmosphere. People gravitate around you, but we don't know why. The story ties in well, and the ending was great - people hated it for it left a few questions open.. as usual *cough, halo 2, cough*

The graphics and engine are better - however animation is worse.
The enviroments are good BUT static, and reused too much, needs more dungeon options.

(To people who say it reused them and that's bad - it is, but KOTOR reused their ver of dungeons, and so did origins.)

I would, rate Origins at a 8.1, and DA2 at a 8.7. Easily improves..

Now to all the PC elitists: I got in on PC, I loved it, and it may be a console port - but if you know anything about the industry, almost any multi-platform game is a console port because consoles make more money, has been for years. No company isn't about money, accept it, live with it.
Because it's not going to change anytime soon.