3274 réponses à ce sujet

[hunterxx1xx]

Overall I'm extremely disappointed. Graphics were better and the dialogue between companions was hilarious/interesting. Everything else was pretty terrible. I beat DA:O 13 times, yeah I loved every second of it! Sadly im having a hard time finishing my second run through of DA2 for a number of reasons. How many times does bioware think we can go through these maps over and over and over......and over AGAIN!?!? So boring! DA:O had so many different locations to explore! The main storyline and companion quests were OK, but the side quests were terrible. All those dumb mining quests...eh. Hardly any customization! Freakin ridiculous right?! Sure upgrades are cool to get but getting those sweet armor sets in DA:O gave me something to look forward to when playing. There was a ton of decisions to make in DA:O, not so much in DA2 which is very disappointing. The ending is the same for the most part no matter what decisions you make. No epilogue either =[ Why this new direction?? Seriously guys, you made a great game...then you take it into a different direction? thats what you do if something needs to be changed in order to get something better...If you get good grades on tests then keep doing what you're doing right? HELLO! Whats the deal with junk items? sell them? wow awesome...Adventuring through kirkwall, sundermont, and the beach area for more than 50 hrs is incredibly boring. Honestly I just want to punch whoever came up with this new direction=] Thanks for nothing

ps i want my money back!

[Rajalia]

Ever since Star Wars: Knights of the Old Repbulic and even NWN, BioWare has proven their titles are worth buying if only for the depth of the storyline alone. So I will start with the negative feedback and end with the positive.

Negative:

1 - Lack of weapon choices. I have always been a sword wielding kind of guy and was highly disappointed that a greatsword I was lucky to find one with 28 dmg. Yet... if I grudingly went for the two-handed axes or battle hammers I could get something that did upwards of 45 dmg. BIG downer.

2 - More times than not the simple "generic" items had better stats than the unique/rare items. And by the time you usually found a unique item... it was generally already worthless when compared to something easily collected numerous times.

3 - Rune Slotted Items - Far too few, and not high enough leveled items offered with them. DA1 I could pack I think up to 3 in a high level sword and for all intensive purposes have a godly weapon. DA2... not so much. Most of the weapons/armors I found with rune slots were so much lower in stats when compared to my other gear, it simply wasn't worth my time using them. Also... DA1's ability to swap out runes without destroying them was far more prefered. If you came across a better rune, you could install that instead and perhaps swap the one you had to a companion. Doing it this way simply prevents people from daring to use their runes and at that rate.... why bother even having them in the game?

4 - Junk items? I can't say how infuriating it was to come up to a locked chest, open it and get junk. We're not talking junk as in a ring or belt that I wouldn't bother using.... but literally junk that had no use what so ever other than to automatically go into my trash can to sell to the nearest merchant so I wasn't wasting storage space. What is the point of junk items if they have no quest/craft value in the game?

5 - Assuming some aspects are still unpolished where Friendship/Rivalry are concerned. I took Merrill with me on a quest to the Fade, where if she's in your group she excitedly asks to come along. Logically one would assume this should earn Friendship points if you bring her, but instead earns you a good +10-+15 rivalry points. Had a few other instances of similar things like that. Even when referencing the official game guide which tells you what choices will earn what I'd find what should have earned friendship instead earned rivalry.

6 - Romance scenes. DA1 was awesome... almost ranked up there with the scene from ME1. Those two were more graphic and yet very tastefully done. They conveyed a greater emotional attachment to the particular character you were romancing. And let's face it... most of us playing these games, their first goal is to get to those scenes. DA2... the scenes were almost as bad as ME2's scenes. Without giving names to the female character choices... one's was more comedic, while the other was a little more on the tender emotional side... but either way it came off as being more disappointing as a reward for reaching that point in your character's "relationship".

7 - Companions - Can't really see why armor selection to characters was restricted when we were still left to apply weapons, rings, belts and necklaces to them. DA1 was nice because with the armor choice it changed the appearance of the character. I didn't much mind that I couldn't put someone like Merrill into a robe, but heck.... at least allow me some different appearance options in the spectrum for them.

8 - Originally it was said that your character is driven by family throughout.... without giving any spoilers... that was clearly lacking. The family members just felt like a side note more than characters that help to mold and shape your character.

9 - Maps. While it is understandable that larger general areas will remain unchanged when visiting (ex. Wounded Coast, Docks, Sundermount, etc.), places like the varying caves, underground areas, building interiors... there should have been greater creativity involved in those maps. As a person with a very visual memory... it should have been a HUGE no-no on BioWare's list to used recycled maps. You invest so much time and developement into story and such... why simply cut corners with this? One royal's home isn't going to be the same cookie-cutter blue print of another's. And simply blocking some passages from being accessed and spawning different creatures all while crossing your fingers that it worked for us players... shame on you there.

10 - Would have liked to see some more dramatic differences in the choices you make. Especially where the ending is concerned. Seems like no matter which way you go it inevitably forces you down the same resulting path. A little disappointing.


Positive Feedback:

1) I was really nervous about the new play style in this one. I still like the more strategic play style of DA1, but I understand why this method was taken. DA1 you could essentially point, click and set the controller down and it'd clear out anything in your aggro area essentially on it's own. This "button mashing" format immerses a player more deeply into the game play, allowing them to attack how, when and where at just about as fast as they can hit a button. So I give this a thumbs up even though I equally liked the other style.

2) Voiceover for the protagonist. It definitely added greater depth to hearing your character actually speak and get the sense of overall tone and mood to the entire conversation rather than it being one sided. I think after DA2, trying to play DA1 without your character having a voice will be more irritating now. lol. This certainly makes your character more real.

3) Family - To touch on the positive side of complaint #8. I do understand that most epic hero stories often involve epic tragedies to drive the character in some determined fashion toward a goal. So... I will forgive BioWare a little on this aspect.

4) While personally a heterosexual, I am a firm supporter of choice, and it is nice to see a company like BioWare being open minded enough to allow their games the ability to have their gamers choose if they want heterosexual or homosexual encounters with their characters. It shows that they're trying to include all ideals and real world concepts into their games.

5) Storyline... ever since BioWare stamped their name on Neverwinter Nights I've been a fan. After KotoR 1 & 2... I was driven more as a fan. By Mass Effect 1.... never having heard of it... I took a chance and absolutely loved it. So by the time DA1 hit the shelves I had come to one conclusion... anything that had a BioWare name on it was worth purchasing without question and I will continue to support that thought unless they mess up bad and god willing that doesn't happen.

6) I did appreciate the DA1 references and how they tied in. I even laughed and found myself doing some double takes with certain main stream cameos on characters. Even if I was hoping DA2 had you playing the role of Morgaine's child that was supposed to be some god of the old ways. That really would have brought things a bit more full circle in some ways, but I was still very pleased. You even did well to explain how Flemmeth could essentially be in two places at once/alive. Still trying to really figure out if she's good or bad.... or if it's like the character Riddick from Pitch Black where she's simply the lesser of two evils and therefore the best choice to go with.

7) Some of the inter character banter as always was entertaining. Almost wished to see it more often.

8) Was actually surprised to find that I had the Blood Dragon armor in this one since I had unlocked it in the first one. That was pretty cool. For the warrior I used it probably through the first half.

9) Friendship/Rivalry. I liked the change here. Rivalry didn't mean they hated you. You could still carry a romance with a rival, it just meant that they simply didn't agree with your own personal choices but were still an ally, unless of course you did something that totally went against what they stood for and only then they would cut and run.

Overall... a good solid game that has been satisfying twice through already and shall continue to be as I build my saves for all the possible outcomes so I'm prepared for any DLC as well as DA3. From some of what I've seen and what's hinted at.... would be cool if your character from DA1 and DA2 are actually playable together in DA3. At least if it's all going to come together and finalize the series as a trilogy... then it would be nice to get closure on all of it since the DLC for DA1 promised to extend the story of your grey warden and explain what happens to him/her but instead fell way short of that unless you managed to leave with Morgaine through the mirror... in which case that's about the only true ending to that one.

[DoNotIngest]

Well, I liked parts of the game.

Combat was pretty good, and though I could kill all dragons but the High Dragon running circles while it heedlessly followed and was ranged, that got me giggling anyways. Not really realistic with the 2h speed, but that's a little picky. Daggers were alright. Staff attacks were fun to watch. I could live with a little less speed, but I'm content with combat overall. Wave system was fine in my books, although larger waves would have been more of a challenge.

Graphics were largely great. I love how elves are now lithe and look different to a one from humans, instead of the pointy-eared humans from Origins. I couldn't stand Origins elves, in looks. Hurlocks look wierd, but as you don't actually fight them that often, it's no biggy.

Characters were hit and miss. I instantly loved Merrill, though I think those who are anti-Merrill just failed to pick up on when she seemed ditsy due to her "foreign" culture, or when she was only pretending to be ditsy (seemed to me, at least), which others wouldn't even notice most of the time. Varric was a great brother in all but blood, and Bianca was a nice touch. Isabella was pretty well done, too, with some depths, although since her true hearts Desire (Desire Demon's temptings from te Fade) was to have a big ship and a Desire demon to "play" with, she wasn't nearly as endearing. Anders was okay, Fenris did have some depth (although I didn't like him personally), and Sebastian isn't really worth mentioning. The siblings were pretty well done; At least, for Bethany and what I've seen of Carver (haven't played with a mage).

My biggest issue with characters is how few conversations you have with them. If you tally them all up, it may seem like a lot, but after the length of Dragon Age Origins, and how you could always talk even if nothing new was to be said, it feels like a gap. Besides admiring the chandelier and suspecting Sandel was watching her, Merrill doesn't really have much to say about moving in or being around, and I'd hazard a guess that the rest are equally written. No thoughts on the house? Where'd you get that new, much more expensive gear? The dog watches us in bed?... I didn't even know we were going at it regularly, has this been happening since Night #1? I never thought you left the Chandelier!

Story for Act 1 was alright, if simple, Act 2 was the best, in calming the Qunari, Act 3 was skin and bones. I'll go into more detail with my less categorised opinions.


Bottom Line: This should not have been called Dragon Age 2. If it were Dragon Age: Kirkwall, Sundering, Purple Moose, whatever, I wouldn't have had near as many expectations. Origins was made in, what is it, 7 years, and spans what, one single journey-filled story-crammed year? DA2 was made in 2 years, is it? And spans SEVEN years? With the tremendous amount of care and effort put into the first, this should not have been a legacy; It really isn't, anyways.

Dragon Age 2 is a completely new game, with quite low amounts of carried-over content. I could lose all memory and be fine playing DA2 to its cliffhanging ending. Truth is (Well, this is all the opinion of one mind in 7 billion...), Bioware or EA or their fusion, whatever, has made a completely new game. I daresay marketing it as Dragon Age: Something or other, rather than the sequel, would have made more money, as new people wouldn't be put off by the "Sequelness" (Ugh, I have to spend 100$ in games, plus DLC and expansions?!), and I'm sure old fans couldn't resist the hints of Origins and the continuation of story. If you plan on making "Dragon Age 3" as yet another set of "New Beginnings", instead of rewarding those who've already bought from you, you'll run out of customers; Gamers tend to research before they buy, and a rushed Dragon Age 4 won't sell; If more and more new-idea-games are made, and are rushed, Bioware will become a taboo name in no time. Even if sales remained solid, Legacy is certainly something to consider on your deathbed, and selling out for money won't seem so grand when all that's left of you is a rotting corpse and your impression on other humans.

Quite the rant. I'd give it 8/10 for a completely new game, but 4/10 for a sequel. If DA3 isn't a tie-in, I think Dragon Age is doomed.


Edit: Oh, and that Hitler vid was hilarious. I have a German-descendant gamer friend who played Origins and hasn't gotten DA2 yet, I'm deffinately ribbing him on that

Modifié par DoNotIngest, 26 mars 2011 - 03:40 .

[Xaenn]

Positive

•  Story:  Double edged sword for me stick with the positive note on this one while in the positive. The concept the the story was very well done, throughout Dragon Age: Origins I would think to myself, why would they tolerate the slavery? I've read every codec concerning Andraste and The Maker and have yet to see where it says they need to be enslaved. It touched on a politically and moral subject throughout Thedas.
• Combat: I really enjoyed thew new animations, they give the characters well character, stylish ways to do all your abilities give life to some of the older more stale abilties.
• Companions: Majority of all the companions had unique and fun personalities, enjoyed the casual conversations between companions (Miss Morrigan vrs Leliana/Alistair & Sten and Shale.)  Interaction between companions in some scenes was very fun albiet brief.
• Dialog: The investigate option was interesting.
• Inventory: It was tolerable.
• Crafting: I really can't say this was much better done then Origins, it is definitely more streamlined "dumbed down" for console short attention span fans. This isn't really a negative, Origins didn't have the best crafting system either.  It was fun for it's simplisitiy but annoying as a Western RPG(er). Neutral opinion?
• Items/Weapons/Armor: Visually as in more crisp, tighter pixels ectra. Thats always a plus especially in a RPG as they usually get the short end of the stick on the graphics.
• Abilities(talents)/Specializations: Mixed feelings; positive, the shapes to signify what talent(s) are sustained, activated and passive. Force Mage - Was an interesting addition to the specilization enjoyed the new abilities.  Reaver - Was vastly improved as abilities were more effective (with upgrades.).
  Area(s)/Textures: Overall the textures were very well done and the original places looked great.

Negative

• Story: The story was very predictiable within the first few hours I was in Kirkwall I pretty summed up a majority of the Side/Secondary quests were going to be Templars and Mages, even figured who was going to be directly involved in the end battle. It would of been nice to have an overarching party of the story to give you a feeling or a direction, I felt like a univerisal mediator, although maybe a successful carrer not one I'm interested in soley in my games. Last note,  never really got the feeling my actions matter or did much to interact within the story as well, but some actions did, not saying none did.
• Combat: Combat was almost 'too' fast and over simplified. Removed the tatical
  overhead view making it much harder or impossible in some situations to
  target the enemy of interest. Unbelievable animations of people blowing up from general melee attacks breaks immersion, although attacks like explosive strike/walking bomb ectra would of been perfectly fine.  Mages auto-attack, you can't break it early to cast spells (or at least it wont let me).  Sword and shield was very dull. Hack/Slash = BAD.  Auto-attack despite how mind numbling boring people say it is, just works for Western RPG's and for some reason its more fun and believable.
• Companions: You learned a little about them, but it wasn't very indepth and it felt rushed especially considering you had 7-9 years to get to know them.  When I beat the game doing all their side-quests, I had a grasp on who they were but not really in depth, just stuff you would learn from overhearing  conversations.  Wouldn't mind seeing casual conversations with the protagonist. Complete customization of their gear to maximize how I want them to play including armor.
• Dialog: This seems to be very controversial and I can tolerate it both ways, but I actually find it breaks immersion when using the dialog system, often if not at all he doesn't even say what you're clicking on or he says something that really doesn't give off the sense of what you even chose. The system rewards people who like pictures, not who are actually interested in interacting with the games content, the text options could of been improved on simply by adding a scroll menu in the textbox. When you read what you're going to say, you get more into the story because you can have a conversation and not play "Guess what I'm going to say LOL." Drastically over simplified.  As for voice, I perfer without, but it wasn't terrible and I understand why it works with the dialog menu. Text isn't hard to understand long as you put it in context and you have good writers this shouldn't be an issue.
• Inventory: Found the inventory rather boring overall and a hassle to deal with (wish I could go into greater detail, once I get my new Gcard I will go into more detail.)
• Crafting: Same comment as positive.
• [i]Items/Weapons/Armor: Although I hate to bring up Baldur's Gate, but as the sucessor is supose to be the Dragon Age series, I don't feel to bad about it.  Need to take a approach like you did in that game to items, weapons and armor.  Armor: The armor was very boring and very rare on unique items, I wen't through and checked nearly every plate peice of armor I had and nearly all of it looked the same with minor differences.  There needs to be substaintually more armor choices, having very high quality armor, making it benifitical to put together non-set with huge bonus's and having just more sets to choose from.  Weapons:  This is kinda like armor, simply lack-luster designs to it, very few truely unique ones at that in the 2hander department 2handers did less damage then daggers (aware of slower attack + multiplier) but and very few unique ones to grab.  Really wasn't an impressive aresonal for the 2H anded warrior end up using "bloom," being vague as possible as may be considered a spoiler.  Fav weapons were the ones you see the rogue with at the begining of the game ~.  Items:  This was severely 'dumbed' down to, although  I'm not oppossed to spending less time on it, just having junk period makes people feel like they are wasting their time if nothing else, especially going through thoes annoying traps at the docks just to find out you are a proud new owner of a Moth eaten scarf. 
• Abilties(talents)/Specializations: Healing abilities were just bad in this game, longer cooldowns but more effective heals.  Ultimately leaving you out from healing for long periods, making you feel less invovled even with offensive spells, chugging pots even on nightmare is possible if you tatically set up the feild properly without a healer.  I want to feel my healer is very, very important part of my crew.  Wasn't a huge fan of beserker in this one other warrior specializations were pretty good.  Lack of Shapeshifter! I know it wasn't good in Origins but it would of been a fun specialization if done right.  All rogues if nothing else should be able to auto-attack and abilities like auto-crit from should not be a talent/ability, that should just be common for a rogue. -.o (havent played a rogue yet extensively so cant comment on specilizations)
  Area(s)/Textures.  Only negative thing to say is city doesn't really change over 7 years, like at all nor do the people, lol.  Reeeeeeeeeeeeeused maps.

As previous poster said, as a new genre or 'action-rpg' I would give this game a 7.5-8/10 as a Western RPG 4.5/10.

With all that being said if I had my new card I would probably be on my 3rd playthrough or 4th, so despite my longer negative I still enjoy the game quite a bit!

Modifié par Xaenn, 26 mars 2011 - 06:29 .

[Feogrisha]

Overall the only real bad aspects of this game are locastions, same ones, same look over and over again. But besides that there's honestly nothing to complain about, interesting story, excellent graphics and fighting system, countless improvements over Origin. I love how companions have a lot of impact on the story, especially Anders, I love how every one has an unique specialization. Many people only complain because they wantend to play as The Warden...

Looking forward for future dlcs and expansions!

[Foley2222]

Sorry Bioware,
Dragonage 2 for me was to say the most dissapointing and really angered me...i always loved the fact of DA:O you could play any race or gender, but in DA2 you are forced to play a male/female Hawke...however the one counterbalance is the voice acting introduced for the protagonist.
Compared to DA:O IGN score of 9.2 i would give DA2 a 3.0
And before i get viral posted I knew the game had removed these features when i preordered it hoping it would be a decent tradeoff.... however.
The combat is much more graphical but winning combo is just spam A A A A (For xbox user's)
You destroyed a certain blond haired human mage and ruined the model for the Elf Race's turning them into some sort of Alien looking humanoid.
And mostly the story is far from what i'd expect from you guy's in Edmonton (i mean you guys are like one of the if not the top name for RPG's on the market.)
I also agree with an earlier poster that you had a winning 1st class storyline from DA:O that you could have went anywhere with and dont fix something that isnt broken (99% chance it will then break to spite you.)

DA:O story....Epic!
Mass Effect 1....Very Good!
Mass Effect 2....Omg Yay!!!!!

I feel as if the game i bought was a betrayal to the prequel and had to play the game on another's xbox to avoid gaining achievement's.
And for the massive overhaul in character model's...WHY!!!!!!


This is only my opinion however and anyone reading this should discover their own opinion's by playing the game, a demo or reading a few official reviews first.

[Marko GW]

Well I finished my first playthrough yesterday and I must say without an even slight overreacting that this game has disappointed me in a way I did not think it was possible.

Story, conversations, characters... I did not feel involved or better say I did not care for anything/anyone. 

Dialogue wheel, I choose an option to leave a certain impression and the jackass Hawke says something completelly inapropriate. From talking about Hawke in third person you can notice that I did not care about him, did not feel a bond. Felt like I was playing a pre-determined character and just helping him to become the Champion.

Companions, never got to know anything important about them - simply never got to know them. The fact that the story is like 7 years +/-, there was supposed to be a bigger character growth and changing along the way. 

Items, weapons and armor..?! What items, weapons and armor?! Can't even start talking about this without getting mad. Ring, ring, ring - Belt, belt, belt - Amulet, amulet, amulet. My whole inventory was like this and I had to scroll with my mouse on everything to see what they enhance since there are no original names (except a few).

The reused maps?!?!?!?! What is going on here?!?! Do you really think that we wouldn't notice or would mind this?!


All in all I was disgusted with this game. Too bad my english isn't good enough to get into more details.

[wojciec]

1. Storyline: Vey disappointing, when compared to DA:O and DA:A. Extremely predictable and boring. Would it kill you to give me more choices how to direct the storyline? I wish for Anders not to become a cold herted murderer but of course the choice is not mine to make because I only paid for  the game, I'm not the one making the story happen, no I'm just the champion. (LAZY)
2. Sidequests: Boring as all hell, repetitive, virtually no impact on the story - That's bull****. (and LAZY)
3. Locations: can be sumarised just by saying LOLWTFOMG!!! - That's what I call lazy, no I'm not being sarcastic here. It's not a modder that volounteers his free time to design like 4 different locations and then reused them in every single quest there was. Those are people who get PAID to design. What the hell Bioware? LAZY!
4. NPC's: forgettable and not as interesting as in toher Dragonage games. This is arguable, I know, it's just my impression and mind you, I like Varric and Merrill. Those two are the most enjoyable of the bunch.
5. Combat: Again, just my imressions but it's too fast, way too repetitive plus that 2 handed sword swinging... jesus christ, is it made of plastic or wood for the characters to swing it so fast? Come on... No finishers, why? (oh wait, I know why - LAZY)
6. Equipment + Inventory: Pure numbers, no item descriptions, not even an appropriate icon for various non-combat items. Gifts - wth is this stupid icon? DId I just find a ship model shaped like a downwards pointing arrow? LAZY!
7. Ending: No comment... that's just a slap in the face for those who played the original Dragon Age. (not to mention for those that spend 40+ hours completing all the side quests in DA II)

Overall, the game was not what I expected. Thank you Bioware, I hope you enjoy my money.

EDIT

Marko GW wrote...

Story, conversations, characters... I did not feel involved or better say I did not care for anything/anyone.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Modifié par wojciec, 26 mars 2011 - 11:54 .

[Stefanocrpg_rev91]

The game is good, although it's no masterpiece. But neither was DAO (nor any other BioWare game after BG2, although some are still very very good), to be fair.
Oh, and I played it on pc, of course.

Gameplay
Let's start from the combat. Basically it works almost the same as DAO, although the camera is worse now than before, making more difficult to cast area spells or to have a clear and tactical view of the battlefield. Combat works well, although in some things I preferred the DAO one, but the number of unavoidable fightings is too high. Same problem that was present in DAO itself. Here however there is also too much respawn that adds some more problems to the problem of the too much combats.
Combo spells have been removed and replaced by cross-class combos, which is a good introduction but maybe it would be better to have them both.
The character progression is good. Spells and skills (I don't know how they were named in the English version of the game, I had the Italian one) now can be upgraded and the ones who were useless in DAO are now gone. It works well at the end, although I'm not sure that removing social skills was a good move.
The interface works but I preferred the visual look of the former one, but it's not a very important point in the game's economy.

Technical side
Here we have many, many problems. A lot of bugs, a not stable enough frame-rate, many problems with the DX11, and more.
Graphics is better than DAO, but not too much, and some textures are one generation old. The design though is better than DAO, Kirkwall is very, very much better than Denerim (Denerim was just bad), and the same for the characters design, the qunari one and so on.

Story/Companions/Quests
The story isn't so great but it's better than the DAO's one.
The compaions are good, very good in some cases. They're more interesting than many of the former chapter, but they should have more banters, both with the other compaions and with the player.
The flashback structure was a good idea, but it could be used in a better way. Good attempt, though.
Minor quests suck, as they were bad in Origins, while the subplot quests, the companions ones, or the others that had an impact on the story were good, though they should have had more variety, and some more meaningful choices. Their greater flaw however is that they always involved some fighting, and it would be good to have more ways to solve a mission, other than just kill enemies.

Overall the game is good and I enjoyed it. Maybe it's not good as Origins but there's a short distance between them, and maybe with more months to refine the game DA II could have been even better than its prequel.

On a side note, it doesn't affect my rating of the game, but BioWare why my character has to be the only one in the entire game to be called by surname? Give him both a fixed name and surname, it would be far better than this solution.

[Weavols]

The lack of isometric camera is unforgivable. Not because you didn't design around it, I understand that the console version sold more so this version was "console first", but because you aren't even allowing pc users to use it "as is" when it already exists and the engine is absolutely capable of it. An isometric view that looked awkward or behaved oddly at times would be forgivable. Having to adjust my camera 8,000 times a fight because it's tied to the stupid characters just to get them out of line of sight of the archers who magically appear from every direction IS. NOT. FUN. This sequel is unequivocally "less".

I will not buy another bioware game without playable proof of a non rage inducing control scheme.

[Solica]

I haven't the energy to write a proper review (which will be immediately buried on page 98, whatever). Not for this game. Early on I was shocked. And angry. Later I thought I had been too rash: Wait a minute, let's try to get into this, give it an honest chance. Then I realized hope was in vain. Still, I should offer some feedback, maybe.
So here it is, a list of things. Hates, dislikes, okays, likes and loves about Dragon Age 2. .

Hates:
* Combat movements so fast they're not animated, just frame to frame instant re-positioning, just like a Japanese fighting game. Silly. Embarrassing.
* Exploding bodies. - Oh please! For … sakes.
* Reused dungeons. Have never seen anything quite like it before. You gotta wonder about the head designer's personal view on RPGs, to allow anything like this. Destroys immersion.
* That the dialogue wheel constantly, intentionally tries to surprise you. Again you gotta wonder about the head designer... This is not funny. It's my-player char. I play. Let me choose the response. Destroys immersion.

Dislikes:
* Only four party members.
* Lack of control of party members equipment.
* Frame narrative. Feels like an excuse to use ready-made character and rigid story. And an excuse to make something else than a RPG. Even if it had not, it is still a bad idea. The questions it poses on the story are not “interesting” in any way. Destroys immersion.
* Auto-regen of health, mana & spells. Yeah, I know, it's standard now. But I've never liked it. Still don't.
* Lack of sexy thong-suit armor, where armor stats comes from magical enchantments. Yeah, I know, Bioware has never had anything so silly and obviously gratuitously in their games. But since DA2 now went totally downhill anyway, with exploding bodies and everything, why not at least let me strut around looking Heavy-Metal-sexy? (And I would get a mischievous kick from equipping something like that on a male char as well.)
* Story. Frankly, there was very little satisfaction in the story's ups and downs.
* Lack of player influence. This kind of story, the game tries to tell, only makes sense to tell at all, if the player has some influence. Since there's next to none, it all feels very meaningless.
* Lack of the old pull-out-isometric camera view. (whatever reasons, not worth them)
* Art of screens and UI. Very ugly, simplistic, drab and boring. Sets the mood for a miserable game perfectly. I don't care how 'arty' you think it is. It's still mainly just very ugly.
* Styling of outside city environment. That is not “better graphics”.
* Change in art style and visual feel, from Origin.
* Remade Elfs. They should maybe look slightly less human than in Origin. But not this.
* Remade JRPG- Flemeth.
* Combat styling. From the oversized swords to the action.
* Sameness of combat. The original Dungeon Siege first made this mistake. From the first fights to the last it was almost exactly the same. The higher stats of weapons, spells, enemies and chars was only a formality of matching. ...And the first DS was a long time ago.
* Waves of enemies. Just adds boredom, dismay and meaninglessness.
* General lack of variation throughout the whole game, in everything.
* The thing that the quests come first, then the story tie in, makes this game mostly feel like it's void of a story, while still being story-driven, and not a true sandbox.
* Hawke. (seriously, Laidlaw, you're so wrong about personality. The Warden that grew from our personal choices has, by an order of many magnitudes, more soul, blood, flesh and personality, than this ready-Hawke.)
* Hawke's name. “Hawke”. Might be a step up from “Ma$terKiLL/\\h666” but still pathetic.
* Hawke's silly “grim” (supposedly) face on the DA2 banner. More pathetic than tough.
* Hawke's silly blood smear across the nose bridge. More pathetic than sexy.
* Publicity images of Hawke hunched walking, facing towards us, looking like he's pooped in his pants.

Okays:
* Dialogue Wheel. I have not much to complain about the concept as such. Only that it constantly tricks me. (Besides, everything the wheel tries to accomplish could be done better with Troika's old dialogue tree with different fonts. All those years ago.)
* Leveling up system. OK. But absolutely no improvement, whatsoever in any single regard, from original Baldurs Gate's system all those years ago. Different. Not better.
* Remade dwarfs.

Likes:
* Combat system. It really seems to work. Combat is not a biggie for me. It just serves the purpose of providing dread to experiencing the story. I don't like the over-the-top-anime style. But I found the combat gameplay very playable and solid. It seems the most well-designed part of DA2. Could have been a huge winner in a DA:O type of game.
* Hires texture maps (the download)
* Remade Qunari. First I hated the horns and the big change in style from Origin. But it grew on me and is better, more fitting.
* Helmet hiding option.
* Graphics are well done, inside the city.
* Dialogue is often good.
* Pretty robust and void of bugs and glitches, right out of the box. Relatively speaking.

Loves:
* Dialogue is sometimes very good.

[LordUnBeliever]

 i Just finished dragon age 2, i really liked it, almost brought to tears, I love how much Bioware draws you into a story and then make it emotionally and morally tryin on you, this is my all time favortie game now along with Mass Effect, i have read all the books(novels) and am a die hard fan for life now, thank you Bioware, you  have brought meanin into my gaming life... haha

[wojciec]

LordUnBeliever wrote...

 i Just finished dragon age 2, i really liked it, almost brought to tears, I love how much Bioware draws you into a story and then make it emotionally and morally tryin on you, this is my all time favortie game now along with Mass Effect, i have read all the books(novels) and am a die hard fan for life now, thank you Bioware, you  have brought meanin into my gaming life... haha

Hey! I thought Bioware employees were not allowed to rate their game

Modifié par wojciec, 26 mars 2011 - 05:35 .

[tvandyke]

    A little background.  I started playing computer RPG's  in the 80's
(yes, I'm in my 40's, married, kids, etc).   I remember playing Zork on
an old Tandy TRS 80, Ultima series and The Bards Tale on my Commodore
128.  Up until recently, the last good single player RPG I played on the
PC was Balder's Gate II.  For a while my wife and I got hooked on the
MMO Dark Age of Camelot but it was too time consuming and we ended up
quitting.  Outside of a few games like the Total War series and Age of
Empires, for the most part, most of my gaming was just playing whatever
my kids played on the XBOX and then the XBOX 360 (Madden, CoD, Halo,
etc).  But just recently, my wife and I became empty nesters when my
youngest daughter went off to college.  With the extra time on my hands,
I decided to find myself a good single player RPG for my PC. 
I realized there wasn't that much available but got my hands on DAO and
felt confident it would be decent since it was a Bioware title.  Played
the game and for the most part loved it.  So much in fact that it made
me go out and get ME1 and ME2 even though I'm not a big SciFi fan.  I
loved both games for what they were.  I wasn't expecting a Sword and
Sorcery RPG set in space, I was expecting something closer to a Halo,
RPG mix and that's what it was and Bioware did an awesome job, IMO.  I
was looking forward to DA2 and here's my thoughts.
     I'll start by
saying that overall, I enjoyed the game, but having said that, I can't
help but feel disappointed.  I think the reason I feel disappointed is a
combination of some of the changes they made from DAO and the overall
feeling that Bioware ran out of money and time.  It just feels
unfinished.  Here's some observations:


STORY:
     To be
honest, the overall concept of the story wasn't bad (in fact I liked
it), but when I play an RPG, Immersion is important.  I want to feel
like I'm taken away and playing a part in another world and the part I'm
playing is my Avatar.  After all, RPG means ROLE PLAYING GAME.  Bioware
did some great things with the story.  I like the family element, most
of the characters, the banter between them was great, the romances were
decent and not too cheesy (I like them to be somewhat adult and less
like something out of Twilight).  However, my Immersion was being
constantly broken.  This story takes place over 7 years, but nothing
changes around me.  My companions even wear the exact same clothes. 
Why?  In most RPG's, my companions get to upgrade as I do.  Even if I'm
not allowed to outfit them, couldn't Bioware have at least had an outfit
change for them at the start of Act's 2 and 3?  The city itself didn't
even change.  The worst example of this was Fenris's mansion.  Don't you
think he would have taken the time to remove the dead bodies from his
house after 6 years?  At the very least, shouldn't they have decomposed
or something?  Wouldn't Hawke or one of the companions mentioned
something about them after the 10th visit?  The other thing that
bothered me was for the most part there didn't seem to be much effort
put into the people of Kirkwall.  I didn't see anyone overweight, anyone
with missing teeth or with scars, face blemishes like acne, moles or
warts.  No one was disfigured with a missing eye or hand.  This lack of
attention to detail just screamed laziness to me.  The Qunari looked
pretty cool, except they all looked exactly the same, just clones of
each other molded from Conan the Barbarian.  The elf's now look
cartoonish to me, something out of a Nintindo game for 10 year olds. 

COMBAT:
   
I dindn't mind the changes to the player combat so much even if
I thought the animations were more than a bit over the top and childish,
however I hated the way enemy combat was.  There just didn't seem to be
any variety to it at all.  Just wave after wave of the same crap over
and over again thoughout the entire game.  I never felt like I had to
plan much for any of the combats.  Normally, I'm worried about what kind
of resistances I'll need fighting different kinds of enemies or what
kind of offensive strategies I'll have to employ.  Not once did it seem
to matter that much.  I never felt there was a difference between
fighting a blood mage versus an arcane horror.  Shouldn't there be?  I
was always fond of RPG's that make me think about how to fight.  I
should be asking myself, will physical damage alone be enough or should I
use fire?  Will using Fire make the enemy stronger?  If it made a
difference in this game, it wasn't enough to notice or care.  The combat
started becoming something I dreaded not out of fear, but of boredom.  

MAPS:
 
   One of the main reasons I play games like this is the sense of
adventure.  I wan't to feel like I'm going into unexplored territory and
never knowing what's around the next corner.  I have to say, re-using
the same maps over and over again killed this for me.  Again, this gets
back to the whole feeling that I was playing a game where Bioware ran
out of time and money.  I don't mind that the the entire game was set in
one place, but if the dungeons, mansions and outside areas were unique
this would have been fine. 

OVERALL:
     Decent enough game,
but not what I expected from Bioware.  With graphics and overall
technology improving all the time, I just always assumed that the
ability to immurse players into these polygon worlds would continue to
get better and better but it doesn't seem to be happening.  It's very
similar to the movie industry I guess.  Big, splashy special effects
don't always make a decent movie.  They can usually be a decent cash
grab, but classics they aren't.  It takes much more to be a classic and
DA2 had potential but came up way short. 

[Voronwer]

Overall, I am disappointed with the game. The gameplay wasn't bad. Neither was the story, but BioWare is capable of doing so much better than this title. It should have been fleshed out more. This truly felt like a rushed job and an attempt to force the series in a Mass Effect direction, but to me it failed.

The bad

- The entire ending. The game got cut short and I was left feeling like I was set up to pump more money into this series if I wanted to get the rest of the story this started. Unlike DA:O or Mass Effect, there was no real (if even temporary) ending. It was just cut short and we don't even know what this was all about. There was no satisfaction of having finished anything.
- The franchise. I have put a lot of money already in this series. I bought DA:O, I bought DA:A and then ended up buying the Limited Edition because I did want to play the DLC, despite my dislike for the entire concept. I felt then tha I was getting cheated and had bought half a game because BioWare kept releasing side stories. In the end, I found it worth it, despite my own dislike at how much money gets taken from players. DA2 added insult to injury by already having a DLC out before the game was even released. Add the open ending and I really do feel like I bought an unfinished game. This time, however, it's not even worth it and I have no desire to further encourage how these games are being turned into a franchise.
- Recycled dungeons/mansions/caves. The beauty of DA:O is how big and huge the map is. You can walk around and do quests and see something new every time. I feel like DA2 is taking a step back by forcing the player down the same map time and time again. It makes me less likely to replay the game and it gets tedious fast.
- Runes: not entirely bad, but I found the old way of working a lot better. I simply didn't bother with it this time.
- Interaction with companions. This felt a little lacking. I would have wished for more of it. You could only have an X amount of conversations and that was that. Even the love interest felt rushed as well, though it seems to depend on who you picked. After DA:O the game did feel a less orientated towards the adult gamers and I missed the love scenes from DA:O and ME.
- Conversation wheel. While I'm not against the concept and I enjoyed hearing the character talk, I could have done without the indications of what the remark would do. I already found it annoying to know that up is good, middle is neutral and bottom is renegade, not it was simply showing what it would result in. I like not knowing the reactions, it keeps dialogue more interesting.
- Choice. I missed being able to customise my character. I can somewhat understand narrowing this down to only human characters, but a lot of DA:O's strength was that you could make the character truly your own. You even had different beginnings depending on it. That was lacking here. I felt that even later on, my decisions had much less influence on the story than they could have.
- Console orientated. I'm just going to agree with what others have said before. I missed the isometric view in the fights so much. I was a bit astonished that a patch had to be made to increase the quality of the game for pc owners. It almost felt like an "oops, we forgot but remembered just in time that you're there"! I hope that's not the case.

The good

- The plot was strong as I've come to expect from BioWare. Despite my disappointment at the opening ending, I find myself just wanting more. I was sad to see it end and am looking forward to see what's next.
- Gameplay. After all the comments, I enjoyed it. It wasn't too easy to play and the style is just fancy. Watching the rogue move about was just awesome, and I want to see how I'll do with a warrior.
- New skill tree. It worked rather well to me. I felt like there was more chance to specialise, though I wouldn't have minded being able to invest more points. (But don't we always?)
- Love interests. BioWare continues to cater for everyone. Straight, gay and bi and that just deserves so much respect.
- Companions. I loved my companions and their personal issues. I liked the rivalry and friendship difference. I enjoyed the interactions they had with both each other and Hawke. Aveline and Isabela were always fun to hear sniping at each other.
- Junk items. I actually find it a good thing that the difference was made. With DA:O I was always left wondering if I was going to end up regretting selling things as I might need them for a quest later. It led to me checking the wikia a lot to see if I would. Now I could sell without worrying.

It's not that DA2 is a bad game. It is that it's a decent game that could have been epic if only BioWare had put more time and effort in it. There must have been pressure somewhere to produce a sequel as fast as possible and the game suffered tremendously because of it. There is so much potential here, some innovations that could have made it truly awesome, but they never got a chance. It was a rush job with a limited setting and a limited amount of choices. The solid story writing saved this from sucking, but it feels like it could have been so much more.

I pray that you're not rushing ME3 like you are doing with this game. I'm looking forward to it so much, it'd pain me to have the end be as disappointing as this one. Please, stop catering to a franchise and a deadline. BioWare is capable of great games and we'll wait to let you finish them truly because it's worth it.

[OozeMaster]

 10/10.

Please stop downrating a game just because its not like another.

This is the first game that made me pause. Stand up. Consult other people. Then come back. Just to pick a dialog option.

This game is a new step in video games. DA:O was written by J.R.R. Tolkien. DA2 was written by Victor Hugo.

[Xaenn]

OozeMaster wrote...

Please stop downrating a game just because its not like another.

People need something to base their experiences off of in a genre or else it's hard to rate a game accurately.  Dragon Age 2 was also the successor of Dragon Age: Origins and Origins was to be the sucessor to Legedary Baldur's Gate so I think it would be natural to compare them no? Not to mention I've seen plenty of negative unbiased opinions.

OozeMaster wrote...


This is the first game that made me pause. Stand up. Consult other people. Then come back. Just to pick a dialog option.

WTF LOL.  The game practically makes your choices for you, some are hard to choose but generally if you're playing a harden protaganist now that it tells you what you're doing, you don't have to think much at all *click fist, drool, burp*.  I think people would find you confusing if you were switching tones per dialog chioce.

Even direhard fans really haven't given them 10/10 you sure you're not a sneaky employee 

Modifié par Xaenn, 26 mars 2011 - 06:41 .

[PDiagram]

Having grown up playing CRPGs such as Baldur's Gate 1 and 2, Planescape Torment, Icewind Dale, and Might and Magic, I understand why many Bioware fans are disappointed with Dragon Age II; especially because its predecessor Origins was much closer in play style to those older games.  While I will agree that those old games had a certain charm to them that has not yet been matched, I do believe that people are simply being far to stuck in their ways to appreciate anything new.  I think it is unfair to say that Origins was better; it was simply a different game. 

I was looking at the user reviews on Metacritic and after a few pages of extremely negative comments, I noticed a few key complaints:
1. The game is not strategic enough
2. The characters are too simple
3. Lack of good Romance options (and complaints about there being too much gay romance and not enough for straight males.)
4. Boring quest system
5. Poor graphics and reused dungeons

I wish to tackle each one of these complaints seperately:

1. I honestly think that many of the people who think Dragon Age II is not strategic have simply played it on casual or normal settings and bludgeoned their way through it.  Also, I think they have mistaken the auto-attack/hotkey setup of the first game  as being more strategic.  The first time I played Dragon Age: Origins on normal difficulty, I bludgeoned my way through it, but felt like I was playing an extremely strategic game.  It's quite the illusion really; but a well made one.  Older games such as Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights I will admit, are much more strategic, and not in illusory ways.  So if you liked those games and are too stubborn to reinvision anything then you will not like Dragon Age II.  I think the main problem people are having when trying to accept Dragon Age II is that they are simply creatures of habit who grew up with a certain type of game and refuse to be adventurous.  It's like holding on to a security blanket or believing in God; it's comfortable and you never have to question or learn anything new.  Why should CRPGs always follow the same formula?  For instance: Deus Ex is considered by many to be one of the better RPGs ever made, and it was a shooter; heaven forbid!

I personally felt much more involved in the combat of Dragon Age II.  Auto-attack in RPGs has always irritated me and I am glad that I have to actually press a button to attack; even if it makes my thumb really sore.  The battles are more action packed and I find that this does not take away from the possibility of using strategy to win.

2. The characters are simple in most RPGs I have played (except for Planescape Torment), not any more so in Dragon Age II.  Having played Origins through many, many times, it has become apparent that none of the characters really had any more personality than in any other RPG I have played; including Dragon Age II.  Morrigan: the hardened witch who slowly regains her humanity through romance.  
Leliana: The girly-girl they threw in to balance out the Morrigan character.
Allister and Ogren: The comic relief.  
Zevran: The scoundrel.
Sten: The duty-bound warrior.

All these personas sound like archetypal D and D type fantasy characters to me. 

Dragon Age II's characters, while I will admit they are not any more complex, are certainly not any less complex.  I think the main reason people think they are less complex is because you can't talk to them any time you want in the game.  You have to go see them in their houses.  But really, there isn't any more dialogue in Origins, it just seems like there is.  In fact, it seems to me that there is way more idle banter between party members in Dragon Age II.  

3. First of all, people have posted that the female romance options Merrill and Isabella are opposite extremes.  This I will not deny.  BUT, were Morrigan and Leliana not the same?  Second of all, the complaints about the gay options are just a side effect of the fact that there are many homophobic gamers (probably why many of them are gamers, because they are socially retardeddue to their illogically held and conservative views.)  Why do games have to cater to the "Machismo" crowd?

4. The quests were no more boring than in any other RPG I've played.  I went back and playe Baldur's Gate 2 recently and found many of the quests to be totally and utterly boring.  Origins was no better.  I am actually finding my third playthrough of Dragon Age II to be much more interesting than subsequent playthroughs of Origens (shudders at the thought of having to do The Mage Tower and the Fade again.). 

5. The fifth complain is the only one I find with some sort of a case.  The graphics are better than the first game, period.  The environments look better, the refections in the water actually move with the view, and the armor has much more flair to it.  A MAJOR problem with the graphics and presentation is the reuse of the same dungeon over and over.  This frusterates me.  Many of the dundeons are the same, but simply have a door closed that was open in another dungeon, or a new area open that was not open before.  Or new objects and decorations placed into a reused dungeon layout to make it look like it is not EXACTLY the same as the last dungeon.  I am hoping that this was not planned and that it was simply a side effect of having to push the game out quickly in order to please all the whiney gamers who want it NOW!  Games are often released too early because the fans with it quickly; and then they complain when it comes out and it's not what they wanted.  It's the sad truth.


Overall, Dragon Age II is a good game which has suffered because it is being compared by some to old school CRPGs, and by others to its predecessor.  People need to give it a chance and stop clinging to the same old style of play that has always been spoon-fed to them through the years; game developers stuck with not being able to truly envision something new and unique as a result.  Either that, or don't play it if it is not your cup of tea, but let the rest of us enjoy it.  It's sad that many people probably will not give the game a chance simply because there are dissappointed 40 year old virgin D and Ders ranting on forums and Metacritic about how it differs from "what they played as a kid."  People also need to drop the illusion that other RPGs have any more depth of dialogue and story to them; at least Dragon Age II tried to change the dialogue tree system a little.  Origins' system was simply Baldur's Gate 2 with a few more choices whether you want to believe it or not. 

Modifié par PDiagram, 26 mars 2011 - 06:56 .

[Lord Ozric]

Short and sweet answer is

graphics are good, combat maneuvers and skill trees are good
the combat is so fast it makes poisoning and bombs and all the alchemy stuff fairly useless
the constant sh*t loot is so annoying I want to slit my wrist if I find another "bag of pebbles"
Not able to upgrade the look and armor of your companions is boring, so much less in the customization portion of the game. And then for bioware to want you to pay for a decent set of armor is an outright slap in the face. Oh and lets not forget the same areas you fight in over and over again I am so sick of going to the same warehouse, same cave or sewer given a new name to "be different"....definitely does not have the epic feel of the first game.
Most of the quests are boring, THE PLOT IS WEAK!!!! The storyline seems so random for most of the game, crap quests thrown together and then occasionally one that seems structured. I bought the game, preordered actually, did not wait for reviews or to rent first because I was so sure of Bioware's ability to make a good roleplaying game. But after this offering I will be waiting on the next installment (if there is one) and any other game including mass effect 3. I will not be playing MA3 if it is like this and I will not be replaying this crap rpg twice, i'll be trading it off for sure. I am a rpg guy, 37 year old rpg guy .. I buy 2-3 games a year and most of those have been bioware.. I will be rethinking before I do so again. Any chance for a refund??

[1000questions]

Well I after hearing alot from people who like the game and gave scores like 8,9,or even 10 I decided to finally get my hands dirty. I was never convinced or liked since the begining of DA2 when they first release the art work and darkspawns looked stupid ( well they still do ).I was very disappointed by the demo and when I saw news,articles that EA banned people from playing their rightfully bought copy of the game I canceled my order. However I did tried the game (courtesy my stupid friend who bought the standard edition inspite of me cancelling my pre-order).
Here is my review after completion. I played as Warrior with romance interest of Isabela (which I regret ).
******************************************************************************************************************
#Game Play : 4/10
Playing As Hawke - I am hugely disppointed by the game play of DA2.It is clear that DA2 is rushed out game for console gamers to cash on the success of DA:O. I loved DA:O and yeah I know it had its own drawbacks but it was there around 9/10 or 9.5/10 score. The voicing of main character sounds exciting but honestly it took me away from the character , may be because of the story or environment of game etc. I dont see Hawke remotely as close as my warden from Origins. So I would take voicing with a pinch of salt.

Dialogues/Communication - You can not interact at will with so many characters in kirkwall city etc. Dialogue Wheel straight from ME2 was awfull to say the least in DragonAge.In Mass Effect the game was different,the feel was different but this is DRAGON AGE not ME series. I agree that banter between the npc while traveling is good but that it is the dialogues taking place during events involving your character which are key not the party banter. It may give you an illusion that it is going to be creative and great but it is not.The WORST thing about it is that you dont know what you are going to SAY. I mean COME ON I am picking a choice and I do not know what the heck my character is going to say during delicate and decision making dialogues ????? Is it rational ???? In many situations I picked the first option or 3rd option and my character said which I do not think reflects the true sentiment or it was off target. It was pretty lame to give symbols to choices. You pick leaf option you are getting "PARAGON" points , you pick red hammer you get "RENEGADE" points, if you get an option with "HEART" it will increase your chances to have romance/sex ... this is DUMB.Is this RPG game for adults or some button mashing shooter game ?

NPC characters: Another thing which I dislike is that I can not talk to my npc at my will ! The npc do not react to the location in the game. In Origins if you remember, Oghren/Shale would have something to tell you about deep roads when you are travelling. Alistar used to talk stuff about redcliff or would give you some info about it.Leliana at lothering etc. Here the npc characters input or reaction to their native places is negligble. The characters are hollow bots... if you are not keeping them in your party on quests they are like any other character in story which you come across like "Batrand / Arishok /Meredith " ... they do not even feel like your companions during the story. There is definitely lack of reltionship element in the interaction.The game doesnt give you many chances to build your relationship with the character or to know them more on personal level.It more feels like you are in a bunch of mercenaries to complete tasks.

REUSE of Locations: Do I even need to say anything about the excess use of locations without any change in them. Over the period of 10 years the city looks same.Nothing changes.THIS IS A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT. PERIOD

Art Work: The human characters definitely looked better than origin,on elf I am neutral they dont look better or worst,just different but what happened to dwarf ? Look at their eyes... like vampires or something.The darkspawn looked disappointing.I mean honestly they looked like they have applied telcom powder on their faces to look white. Where is the feel of rotten body or flesh,dirt etc ? The look was really stupid.They looked like they bathe twice a day Unlike many I did like the flemeth in her new avatar but they should have kept the look of Origin's character's same.
The look and feel of inventory was bad too I prefered Origins approach. Every loot glittering in gold was lame.In origins most special named weapons had their own image icons.

SKILL TREE : I didnt like. I prefer more linear approach in skill which Origins had.It is a personal choice so I wont say it was a drawback.

#STORYLINE : 6/10

I liked the refreshing storyline.Origins was a classic HERO/LEGEND/FEEL GOOD/Win of GOOD over BAD kind of story.Whether the critics like it or not but we love them.It is a undisputed fact. Now coming from that kind of experience to the DA2 world which I feel was more focused on clashing, poles apart kind of opposites characters,sides etc was interesting. You have extreme characters which feel strongly about certain aspects of life or concepts.The pool of npc characters which the story gives you to play with are very interesting.The characters are absolute opposites and keeping two companions who are so aggressively against other's stand is a delightful juggling experience. The story was not about just plain old GOOD VS EVIL. It was focused more on the grey side where you have people are are not absolutely positive or negative, Who have their evil side as well as good side. The characters were passionate about what they were after. It was intriguing experience. Though the story has been divided into 3 acts which gives breaks to the free flow which helps player immerse into the game is a drawback. Its like you get involve into the story and CUT ACT2 starting like fresh from a save point... then you immerse yourself you kill hard boss in boss battle, then cut and its Act3. It breaks the mood, flow of a player and give kindof speed breaker experience to players.All this can be taken with a pinch of salt and treat it as variety. There was no epilogue unlike origins and I also feel like many others our choices didnt matter much in the end but still story was good.

However the only major drawback to the story I felt is they truly killed the family base.They developers did not do justice to family concept in the story.If they had decided to use family in the story then they should have used the family better.You start the game without the father of the central character, then you have barely begun your adventure and you loose your brother/sister, by the time you have completed half of the game you loose your mother, your uncle is a worthless cheating #$#$*@# and if you opt certain choices in the game your only living brother/sister left in your family can not be in your company during the final quests of the game. What the heck was that ?????????


Combat System: 8/10

I liked the new combat system.As totted by many it is fluid probably a bit too much for my personal taste but it was refreshing. It is different from DA:O. It is fast,your movements are fast, though its more like hack and slash but that can be understood because EA wants to target console players too.In DA:O pc gamers enjoyed the most in DA2 I think both pc and console players will enjoy at same level.I know many people have expressed their concerns that its too flashy,hack-slash.bodies bursting like blood bubles etc especially when you use special attacks like deathly blow,swirl,synthe etc etc but it was still fun to play.

The reason I am not cuting 2 points in combat system is because of insufficient camera/angle options and tonned down in tactics. I personaly dont see ENEMY WAVES DROPING FROM SKY as tactical in nature.

#Customization ( The heart and soul of RPG games ) : 2/10 YES THAT IS TWO !

Character Customization : You have 3 classes but no races. Certainly a drawback.Agreed the story fits more and make sense for Human character so I am neither against nor in favour of this.

Armour: I can not equip my companions with different armours which is a drawback. The look and interface of inventory was a let down too.It was disappointing. There are not many armours either in the game which you can aquire in time and add runes to customize your style of play and party strengths.

Crafting /Runification : It is clear they just killed the concept of crafting and runification. You can acquire limited raw material for creating potions,poisons and other items etc like elfroot,deep mushroom etc. I dont think you can even set or create traps in the game ( which is again a tactical let down ). If you add rune to your armour or weapon then you can change it without destroying the rune ( which are very rare in the game as a matter of fact ).There is no more options for your player to learn herbal or poison or trap making skills.

The game doesnt give ample opportunity to customize your player till it fits your style of play. The time you feel some what content to acquiring skills, weapon, armour the game is already well ahead in ACT3 and you have little time left to get acustomed with player,skills and prepare your overall general strategy for battles. The game is so focused on button mashing console players that it doesnt do justice to people who like to fine tune their characters,players to suit their play.Just look at the fact that in Standard edition on varic is another npc who has archery talent.Anders can only be the healer.Merril is only one with blood magic. If your own character is not rogue then no one can use BOWS.

I wonder HOW & WHY people have scored highly this game on customization and similar criteria.It is a BIG DISAPPOINTMENT on this aspect of gaming.

#Duration/Playthrough Value : 3

The game is not epic as DA:Origins is which is a drawback but it is not too short that you feel cheated for your money if Duration is only criteria ( here I am including useless, pointless side quests after which you get 50 silver coins and some lame amount of experience points ). After completing it once I hardly see any point of replaying it HONESTLY. I think even the over-zealous people will find hard to go for another playthrough after playing as warrior,rogue and mage ( which is 3 play throughs where as in origins it gave opportunity to play 5 playthoughs 3 for different classes and another 2 for elf or dwarf origin if but if you are one of those over-zealous sorts then you can play 3 origins with 3 different classes which comes down to 9 play throughs ). In comparison DA2 is well beaten by DA:Origins ... it is like DA2 with 3 playthroughs Versus 5/9 playthroughs of DA:Origins.Just to add salt to the injuries people still play DA:Origins even after knowning almost all dialogue choices and clocking more than 500 hours of gameplay. It does speak alot


So overall for me this game gets 4/10 but since I am DA fan I will give it another 1 point as leverage and in hope that in future EA/Bioware will deliver better content and maintain the standards atleast set by DA:Origins.

The game would have scored more IF IT WAS NOT SOLD AS 2nd game in DA series.

My Final score is 5/10 for DA2 .
******************************************************************************************************************

[The Grumm]

OozeMaster wrote...
 
This game is a new step in video games. DA:O was written by J.R.R. Tolkien. DA2 was written by Victor Hugo.

So, one was written by the father of modern fantasy who most fantasy authors for the last thirty years or so have copied while the other was written by someone who, while a good author as well, had little influence on literature?  Without Tolkien there would be no Dragon Age.

[Pix]

My Review (just finished the game-and some of this is "ticky" but it mattered to me.)

Likes:

I LOVED/thoroughly enjoyed the battles.. and I'm not a "battle person." Battle bored me in DAO and in most games. Very exciting battle.

don't have to listen to vendors repeat same stuff, just click on wares

I really liked my FemHawke's personality-as charming and funny as Alistar's was

I really liked the format for clicking on quests, the way it was all laid out and easy to see and make choices from.. DAO was a mess of quests to keep up with and confusing.. also, the codex was more clear and organized in DA2

Side-quests very interesting and not just dull, routine and "something to do to get points." Fun.
Companion quests especially long and interesting.

Loved having most of the stuff you could possibly need in one place (The Hawke Estate)-- like the stuff you could order

Clothes and armor--BEAUTIFUL on my character.. I just like who designed them

I liked most of the companion characters overall (except Bethany, of course)

Some did not like the plot-- and it was not as unified as DAO, true.. but each act was a plot within itself that was important (like a trilogy) and so I can say I liked the plot.

Dislikes:

The beginning is absolutely terrible.. a let-down from the get-go for anyone who liked DAO.. too bare and stark and boring.. Bethany is particularly dull and uninteresting. I was disappointed in the game until a few hours into it.. gives a bad 1st impression.

absolutely no point to Flemeth being there in my opinion, and no point at all to what happened to Mother (I'm not putting in any spoilers here, just general opinions)

Junk-I'm along with 99% of the commenters here reeling with the question of who came up with the junk idea and who went along with it at Bioware.. had someone put something in the kool-aid that day? The developer of that had to have a lot of charisma to pass that lame idea.

Companion problems-- far more limited dialogue than in DAO.. but to give it credit, far better companion quests

I loved the music in DAO-how to describe? The music that made you proud to be a grey warden.. gone in DA2.. although some music did continue.. oh the creepy music from the Fade from DAO.. for some reason is just played randomly when nothing creepy is happening in the plot. why?

Fave characters from DAO who appear in DA2 just didn't look the same.. the "look" of the graphics was just alienating until I got used to it.. and it really wasn't as good as DAO although it was good.

The battles at the end were more just too long than challenging-- they went on and on

Plot and choices were very confusing in Act 3... like why was I having to battle the people I sided with, for example

I hardly believe I'm doing this, but I'm giving it 8.5 out of 10. Why? It was incredibly FUN, even more than DAO to me, despite the faults I mentioned..

If I rated it only on fun, it would be a 9/10.

[Frenrihr]

Pix wrote...

My Review (just finished the game-and some of this is "ticky" but it mattered to me.)

Likes:

I LOVED/thoroughly enjoyed the battles.. and I'm not a "battle person." Battle bored me in DAO and in most games. Very exciting battle.

don't have to listen to vendors repeat same stuff, just click on wares

I really liked my FemHawke's personality-as charming and funny as Alistar's was

I really liked the format for clicking on quests, the way it was all laid out and easy to see and make choices from.. DAO was a mess of quests to keep up with and confusing.. also, the codex was more clear and organized in DA2

Side-quests very interesting and not just dull, routine and "something to do to get points." Fun.
Companion quests especially long and interesting.

Loved having most of the stuff you could possibly need in one place (The Hawke Estate)-- like the stuff you could order

Clothes and armor--BEAUTIFUL on my character.. I just like who designed them

I liked most of the companion characters overall (except Bethany, of course)

Some did not like the plot-- and it was not as unified as DAO, true.. but each act was a plot within itself that was important (like a trilogy) and so I can say I liked the plot.


If I rated it only on fun, it would be a 9/10.

OH... a dummie!

Dragon age for dummies!

[NightRaidca]

I Wanted to play through the whole game before I gave an opinion, in case any of them changed in the process.

I was not too thrilled with the darkspawn in this one, I even thought it was a waste to change them. They looked like they were into some S&M club, or maybe removed from Brutal legends. Along with the ogres, the moment I saw it's face my response was "what happened? why were they changed?" Before, I thought the ogres and a swarm of darkspawn were intimidating looking, now they just look a little ridiculous.

The moment I saw the Qunari I thought they looked great. Very inimidating and strong looking, like any warrior race should be. At first, I was caught off gaurd with the change the elves went through, and did not like it. But it grew on me. I like the change, and the theme you went with, such as their accents.

The music was disappointing, nowhere near as epic sounding as in origins, especially when fights started. And I swear I heard Mass Effect music in there. Next time I hope they have more time to work on it.

I understand you wanted to pick up the pace of combat, as a lot of people thought it was too slow. But I preferred the origins combat style, as every hit, and strike looked more like a hard hit, as if there was force being put behind the weapons, and shields. But I found the combat here too fast, especially with 2-handed weapons, being swung around like they had the weight of a dagger. And I often had trouble keeping track of what was going on because things seems to be a blur, and needed to frequently pause the game.

I'm not a big fan of recycling evironments all the time, it get's old, and seems like a lack of immagination. That and it just gives me flashbacks of playing the first halo. When you're in a building, and see the exact same thing in another area, or quest, it's like "huh, I've been here before"

I did enjoy the cameos in there, although was disappointed in some of them. Wont get into it in case of a percieved spoiler.

Some of those quests were quite good, especially some of the companion ones, there was one that I got a good laugh out of. But breaking the game up into chapters like that, was, well for me anyways, disjointed. I get where you wanted to go with it, and I like the idea, as I've played other games like that and enjoyed them, but how it happened, seemed out of sorts, I couldn't really get into the story.

Throughout the game, there were other graphic trouble areas, such as NPC's scattered around the city. They all looked like they had low-res graphics for their heads, elves were the most glaringly obviouse, as anytime I passed them, they looked like they could be a goblin or something from Final Fantasy. But it wasn't only them, and I had my graphics on a high level. Although the people you interact with were very well done, such as the eyes.

Now I know I have a lot of what I don't like on here, but I'm not saying I hate it, I really don't. But I don't think it's better then origins in my personal opinion. But there really isn't anything that can really stand out to me and say "Hey, this was great, I'm glad that was done".

I've never made a review on anything before, but I thought, I might as well voice my opinion for a change, and say what I thought. Thanks for hearing me out.

Modifié par NightRaidca, 27 mars 2011 - 02:02 .