1012 réponses à ce sujet

[Melessqr]

Just got done with my first runthrough.

I liked it. It wasn't as Epic as DAO, but I don't think people are paying attention to the final cutscene. I'm now eagerly awaiting DA3.

[dreadpiratesnugglecakes]

I've been jotting down some thoughts intermittently as I've been playing DA2; this will serve as my review for the overall game.
Overally, I've enjoyed it; for the most part, the characters were interesting and fun to play; I enjoyed the unique story telling convention. I understood that this was going to be a different kind of game that Orgins was so the scope of it didn't bother me.
However, the things about the game that did bother me, bother me A LOT.
Second Look at New Look of DA2
I'm not a big fan of change and I don't like changing something that works fine as it is.
The Qunari
Yes, the new look looks cool. Did I like it? Not really. The Qunari have gunpowder, rudimentary chemical weapons, and a rigid caste society. Fierce warriors..yet for all their ferocity and advanced technology, the ones that do wear armor look like they made it out of stolen wicker lawn furniture.
They just seem to be a mish mash of conflicting identities; intelligent fierce warriors who walk around half nude like cavemen; advanced technology but they build their armor out of straw and duct tape. Why? What was wrong with Sten from DAO? He didn't look cool enough; I didn't really care about his look; I enjoyed his character.
Change for the sake of change; hey, let's give the qunari horns? WhY? It looks cool. Yes, like putting strips on a Yugo. It may look cool, but what's the point?
The Elves
Not sure what was wrong with the old elves; the new ones range in bizarreness from looking like the giant smurfs from Titanic guys movie, Benetar, or Avalon..or whatever it was to looking like Nosferatu vampires. They looked hideous.
Darkspawn
I liked the DAO Ogres. They were big and lumpy and scary looking; one of my favorite gaming moments is running into that one on top of the tower at Ostagar for the first time. They look sort of the same but they look..cartoony. The lines are too clean; Sponge Bob Ogre Pants; it didn't scare me; it annoyed me.
Why mess with something that works?
Combat
I liked the combat from a player standpoint; it was fast; you got a good visceral feel from bashing somebody with a shield. I don't care so much for the ninja mages though; rogues, ok, doesn't bother me; mages..no, not liking it so much. I liked the AOE spells in DAO because you had some casting time and you could get your guys the heck outof the way; magic happened
way too fast in this game. Exploding enemies..well..if Hawke was using a Phased Plasma Rifle in the 40 watt range, I wouldn't mind my enemies being reduced to a pair of boots..but stabbing a guy in armor and his head, arms, and legs fall off; that's too much like Dumb and Dumber than combat. It takes you out of the game.
Characters and Story
Over all, I enjoyed the writing and the interplay between the characters. The Hawke tragedy fest got a bit old though..brother sat on by an Ogre; sister taken by the chantry; mother's head removed and attached to a frankenstein by mage serial killer..whaaaaaat? Really? Why not have the dog get run down by a beer wagon while crossing the street? Tragedy heaped on tragedy with dubious
circumstances starts looking like farce; you guys went to far on that one. Anders...what the ****? He's doubting his sanity after almost killing a girl; overcome with guilt he decides to..blow up a church and bring down the wrath of the templars on to the people he's trying to help..that's not just crazy, it's stupid. It's overdone. It's not consistent for his character and it made no sense plotwise.

Now, as I said, I like the idea of following a character over a decade but the passing of time could have been better; does Kirkwall have seasons? Mafia II followed a character over a 8 year period and did a nice job of changing the feel of the city by alternating the seasons. Kirkwall just felt too small; couldn't Hawke have left to go to another city before rushing home to save Kirkwall? And the Orzammar expedition..it was supposed to be a deep long expedition yet it couldn't compare to some of the Deep Roads individual maps in DAO. DA2 just didn't feel big enough, and the c**k up with the repeated map used certainly didn't help.

So, I would say...B-. I like the lore, I like the characters and the idea of the story. It just felt too small; too rushed and the changes did not enhance the game for me. It felt like New Coke. Hey, we've got something that works. Let's just change it because we can. I could see the Bioware flourishes here and there but this game did not feel up to their normal standards.

[Aedan Lives]

So i've had enough time to think about the game after finishing it. I enjoyed it. It's a different experience but still dragon age. In short the dragon age team is heading in the right direction.

STORY.
- To David Gaider and the writing team, you guys did fantastic. The banter, the humor, the quests were all great. I expected the best and Bioware has never let me down. It's your story to tell so I won't complain or nag about direction or plot, however I want to point out a few things that I thought were strange.

I noticed that there was a greater focus on companion motivations and quests than on dialogue. For example I can't engage in conversation with a character whenever I want but in exchange I get more quests that shell out the character's motivations. I miss the option to talk to a character whenever I want but it isn't critical to me. If I had to choose I'd prefer quests that relate to the story over talking about the weather, or Oghren's fart jokes whenever I choose. I do miss that smelly dwarf though.

- Anders was the most compelling character. I chose to be his friend but then I killed him mercilessly. I knew he was plotting something bad. I didn't expect terrorism. I felt personally betrayed and horrified by what he did.  I felt confused in my own motivations for supporting freedom.  I couldn't ask for anything more from writers. Great Work.

- Isabela disappointed me. I felt like her story was done by Act 2. I romanced her, she fled, came back and overcame her selfishness. I felt her internal conflict over her own selfishness was more important than her external conflict with Castillion. By Act 3 she admitted her love and the fight with Castillion was almost an epilogue than an actual conclusion for her.  She's a great comic relief though.  APOSTITUTES!

- Hawke is an interesting character. I like that he's an ordinary guy put in an extraordinary situation and ends up changing the world. My one complaint is I didn't feel like his story ended. Hawke's story is about his rise to power and how he inadvertently caused a huge mess. You ended with a character creating his main conflict not resolving it. I'm left confused now wondering if Dragon Age 3 will continue with Hawke fighting the war between the mages and templars or if Hawke's story is going to be concluded by another character in another place at another time.

Overall, I felt dragon age 2's story was more like a prologue to a much bigger conflict than a dark middle act. I think this for two reasons.
One, the frame narrative made me more interested in the mage war as it was happening in the present then how it began in the past.  As Varric gave more information on how this whole mess started I wanted to know how to end it.  Forty hours of prologue is A LOT of prologue and incredibly unsatisfying because it has no resolution.  On the other hand, the frame narrative had it's advantages.  I got the impression that Hawke was a larger than life character and I loved Varric's exageration of his personal quest in Act 2.  The truth is though , as a story telling device if you guys never do a framed narrative again I wouldn't miss it.  It was an interesting experiment but it didn't grab me.

Two, I think this feeling of DA2 being prologue has more to do with the fact that dragon age does not seem to be designed as a trilogy. It's a much bigger story. I like that. I however would much rather have played a game that let me fight the war between mages and templars than one that lets me begin it. Maybe next time. The last thing I want at the END of a story is "So that's how it all began."

It was an enjoyable beginning just give me an end next time. 

GAMEPLAY / ART
- The gameplay was an incredible improvement over Dragon Age Origins. I have no idea what people were/are complaining about. I played on an Xbox 360 and could control the combat tacticly. It played smoother and was much more responsive than Origins. The gameplay in dragon age 2 is definitely the right direction to be going in for this series.

The art and graphics were also a massive improvement. It felt a little cartoonish for me but you did create a game that has a signature look now. Origins was bland. If you show me random screenshots and art from Dragon Age 2, I can tell that it's Dragon Age. I would like to see that direction continue, but less cartoonish. The destiny trailer had awesome graphics. Maybe something closer to that. I'll write EA a nasty letter telling them to expand your budget. I'll buy the DLC as added leverage.

The Qunari having horns doesn't bother me.  I like it.  They needed to be a distinct race and you accomplished that. 

MAPS
The repeating of maps was really noticeable and made me less immersed in the game.  The scope of the game was more focused than Dragon Age Origins, but keeping the story within a City State really hurt the exploration factor that I enjoy in an RPG.  I'd hate for you guys to fall behind when competitors like Elder Scrolls and the Witcher are going for more depth in this area.  Whether they back up their claims remains to be seen but still...Give me more to explore. 

INVENTORY
- I have a gripe about the Inventory system.  Since I can only use armor for my specific class, I'd like to only pick up armor for my class.  I don't want to be a mage and loot plate armor.  It only reminds me that I can't use it on my companions.  Weapons and Trinkets I understand.  But useless armor that gets me minimal resale value just bugs me. 
- I don't mind the companions having signature armor.  In fact, I prefer it.  I remember I didn't switch out Morrigan's robes because they simply looked better.  The upgrade system worked great, plus I had runes for customizing.  What I'd like more is if we have choices of different presets for the character.  Or if the character changed their clothes from act to act but kept the upgrades and runes.   

BUGS
Finally, I want to talk about bugs. This is a massive game and I don't expect you to catch all the bugs but Dragon Age 2 had some notable ones. THe exiled prince achievements did not go through correctly. I did the fix Chris posted and am working on a second playthrough now, but I shouldn't feel like I have to play again because I got gipped the first time; I should play again because I want to play again.
There is one quest in Act 3 that is completely broken. It's where you rescue some nobles daughter in the Wounded Coast.
Also, my game doesn't recognize that Nathaniel lived in my warden playthrough. It recognized everything else from origins and awakening when I loaded the autosave from Witch Hunt. I can't get the Finding Nathaniel Quest.
The bugs need to be fixed.

CONCLUSION
I like Dragon Age. I wouldn't have written this friggin essay if I didn't. Period. You guys are awesome and are doing an awesome job. Keep up the good work and keep improving the game. Keep me guessing on what comes next and keep me compelled by awesome graphics and gameplay. You do that and I'll shell out $60 plus God knows what else for the DLC.

Modifié par Aedan Lives, 27 mars 2011 - 06:03 .

[Darth Krytie]

I thoroughly enjoyed playing Dragon Age: 2. I loved the story and how the conflict was political and not something you could kill with a spell. I think it's more powerful than having an outside force--archdemon--as the main conflict.

The companions are all wonderful. I loved all the Love Interests and found all the romances to be fun and meaty. It was especially wonderful to have the gay options all around. I was really disappointed to not have a m/m option in Mass Effect. And I love that the m/m romances weren't stereotypical and icky.

I thought the non-romance characters were great and funny and interesting. Aveline was awesome and Varric was possibly one of my favourite Bioware characters of all time. The inter-party banter wasn't canned or generic. It reflected everyone's characters.

It was the first time I managed to playthrough a game as a mage and not spend my entire time dying. I really liked that. I enjoyed the new talent trees and armor upgrades.

The voice actors were brilliant and I loved how if you said something sarcastic, it sounded that way. It was a great, new dynamic.

The ability to switch between day and night was really wonderful. I think it added a lot to the whole feel of the game. Normally, it's perpetual sunshine. The backgrounds and art of the game was gorgeous.

I felt that the reactive quests really made it feel like choices you made in previous games mattered, and weren't just for a throwaway dialogue bit.

Things I didn't like: I felt that the transgendered elf prostitute was offensive and only there for laughs. There are many people I know who are transgendered and they're not a punch line.

I hated that I couldn't access all my companions in a single place. Sometimes, I'd want to see where my companions were at on their friendship/rivalry path before I went on a quest and I had to leave and come back a bunch. I also wanted to be able to check weapons and accessories on my companions, and had to do it party-at-a-time, which was a major pain in the butt.

The bugs didn't really bother me. I spent years playing games where bugs were of the permanent variety. I get that it happens and wait patiently for patches.

I really loved this game and look forward for more in DLC and future titles. I love Bioware, in general.

[Groovehero]

Loved the game.  The changes from DAO were jarring at first but after a little while it just blended into the updated fabric of Thedas.  Of course there were a few things I noticed (reusing maps, Isabela bug, save import bugs) that affected my playthrough but days after having finished the game some are still bothering me and they're mostly story/plot grievances. 
I don't remember where I read that the game took place over ten years but I kept thinking during the third act that there would be an epilogue that picked up with Cassandra and Varric looking for Hawke and was really disappointed by the ending.  Could it even be called a cliffhanger? I'm excited that DA3 will probably deal with the war with the Chantry but I couldn't help but feel like the game didn't build to a satisfying conclusion.  The first two acts had the underlying thread of the Qunari that came to a big confrontation with the Arishok and felt well flushed out while not taking up too much time.  The templar or mage conflict has been a part of the game's world since Origins but the choice at the end of DA2 seemed like a huge event that never got enough time to hint at future consequences or even feel the weight of these decisions.  Maybe the full effect of the events of DA2 will be seen in DLC or DA3 but the concept of 'The champions rise to power' only really played out in act 3 after saving Kirkwall.
I guess my biggest problem is how the game felt like a bunch of different seperate events with Hawke and his companions rather than seven years in the life of a character we follow.  Mass Effect with the reapers and DAO with the blight had something to overcome or a small conflict to resolve along the way to propell the action forward.  And with Hawke vanishing at the end of our story we could either assume his story is over (without the player understanding his motivation behind his disappearance) or that there will be more Hawke in future DA storylines.  Either way makes me feel a little cheated out of a proper ending.

Quick things I loved:
Companion home bases and the conversations between companions that varry depending on your relationship with the character and the act in which it occurs.  Actually just companions in general were great.
The new armor system.
The estate was a cool idea but would've liked some customization.
Dialogue that changed based on the kind of character you were playing.  That was a huge plus.
Battle related dialogue (like when a character dies or runs out of mana)
The updated dialogue wheel felt limiting at first but i liked how the investigate option can change dialogue choices.
Graphics/character models/world detail was all awesome.

Overall, I love the game and can't wait to see where they take the story of DA.

[heyitsmike1218]

I totally agree with what XGrlGamerX said to the "T". She pretty much said everything I felt after running through Dragon Age II the first time. I would definately like to see what ever came of my warden and Morrigan, especially after you follow her into the Eluvian In the Witch Hunt DLC. Where did they go? What's the deal w/their love child? And what does Flemeth mean when she says she "has an appointment to keep"?


P.S. Did anyone else wonder how Flemeth went from looking like a tired old hag to a 60 year old w/the body of a 25 year old model?.....food for thought

[Ingu]

I really want people to have eyelashes...

would it be too hard? Because I REALLY think they should be in the game. D=

Eyelashes, that is...

[Melessqr]

Aedan Lives wrote...

I felt dragon age 2's story was more like a prologue to a much bigger conflict than a dark middle act.

Egg-Zackly.

And I think most people are missing this.

[Feirefiz1972]

Just finnished it and it was just epic, minor gripes with the lack of armor customisation for compagions and the extensive reuse of maps.
I can understand that it's an easy way to expand on playtime and eventhough i like my games to be lengthy the reuse of maps was overdone.
The combat system, the animations and the graphical changes were all very to my liking. The boss battles against Orsino and Meredith were great.
I did have a very annoying bug that kept returning quit frequently till the very end of the game, sometimes i was not able to select targets, i solved this by switching to companions forth and back.

[sevalaricgirl]

Second play through completed. Here are my results and thoughts:

1) Every player stayed with me when I sided with the mages. My play through was a female Hawke mage. It was easier the second time around to know where to take my companions and where I couldn't take them.

2) Art style, not a fan but mods are already coming out that fix some major issues, for instance fat Alistair (not likely since he was a GW or a King in my imports), elf design is really ugly. Their gaunt look and noses are really awful. Using the same areas over and over and over again, not a fan, but I understand it a bit. Notice I said a bit.

3) Love the combat. I am used to the leveling up and don't mind it as much as I did my first play through. I like being able to order potions but I don't like the lack of sufficient money, etc, to upgrade. More thought should have gone into that. For pity's sake, Hawke came out of the deep roads with treasure and owns a mine until it's obliterated.

4) The ending. I grow more fond of it after the second play through. I said what the heck the first play through but this time it was more powerful and more meaningful to me.   (I think Varrick's lying to Cassandra and knows perfectly well where his best buddy Hawke is.)

5) The DLC, Exiled Prince, well it was free so I guess I can't complain. I thought it was shallow. The writing was shallow and I certainly hope that future DLC will be deeper and more integrated into the story. BTW, I am not the only one who did not like this DLC. What a huge let down.

6) Mabari pet, loved it. I loved being able to take Hawke's mabari everywhere. Good job there.

7) Orsino turning into a harvester made absolutely no sense to me as did all the blood mages turning into demons (and this is my second play through.) I certainly would have toned all the demon stuff down. It was really boring to be constantly fighting demons everywhere.

8) Meredith, great job after I got a mod to fix her looks. She did not turn into a demon and I love that she was questioning what she was doing and questioning Hawke's strength during the battle. That fight was much more realistic than Orsino's was.

9) Too many bloody enemies. Too much combat and not enough story. It was boring, Bioware. If I want to fight all the dang time and hordes of enemies, I'll play a shooter not an rpg.

10) Not enough party banter. In Origins, I'd take all of my characters from the front of Orzammar to the commons and back again just to hear the hilarious banter. There was just too little banter for my taste. Some of it was funny, especially Varrick and Isabela on the subject of Bianca, but most was just average. I also want more pc and companion interaction.  This game needed a good 6 more months of development time or more.

Overall, I would still give it a 9/10 but there are many things that I'd change to make it better and fix the bugs, Bioware. Don't rely on the modding community to do it for you.

Modifié par sevalaricgirl, 27 mars 2011 - 02:53 .

[andgalf]

Hi Bioware. Just want to thank you yet again for an amazing experience!
I have most of your games and as usual you do not dissapoint.
A lot of people seem to hate this game and I seriously can't understand why. IMHO I think this game was even better than DA:O. I have played BG, NWN plus the expanions, JE, KOTOR, ME1, ME2 and DA:O and I'm always thrilled when you come out with something new!

I've only played through DA2 once as a male warrior and here is my review:


Pros:
- Great characters. Better than in DA:O. I sometimes felt that Alistair and Leliana was somewhat bland in DA:O but in this game every character shines. Varric is super cool! Isabela also cool and
very hot! Loved the bantering between her and Aveline. I didn't care much for Aveline but she was a very believable character! Loved Merrill. So cute! Bethany also great. Fenris was cool and cynic...etc.
- Great story! I felt dragged into it from the start. I didn't mind that I didn't have a "let's save the world" goal. I found that just building a reputation and getting to know the city was totally great!
I'm actually surprised by that since I generally like linear games.
- Amazing VO and dialogue as usual!
- Great climatic battle that wasn't too hard. Just fun! I grow tired of boss fights that are incredibly hard. This was just epic fun.
- Graphics were better than in DA:O
- Battles faster with more fury!
- Better map than in DA:O. Reminded me of KOTOR.
- The junk system.

Cons:
- The reused areas.
- Not to fond of the look of the elves. Still, Merrill was adorable!
- It would be have been nice to change my companions armour.
- You could talk to your companions a lot but it would have been nice to have even more to deepen the relationships.
- Sometimes it was hard to click on some things when you were fighting or moving. I don't know why but it was a bit irritating some times.
- I got some bugs that required me to play through two fights several times because a cutscene wasn't triggered. I also couldn't finish a side quest because a cutscene wouldn't trigger.

I would give this game 9.5/10

[Frai]

Regardless of what I think of the new graphics, modern-looking interface, or revamped combat system, I think Dragon Age II is a bad game because of its weak plot. What I think happened during development is that the writers had some interesting ideas but were unable to pull them together coherently into a single, sufficiently epic plot. As a result, they used a framed narrative in an attempt to create a cohesive story. Unfortunately, this solution was not effective and I think this failure is the reason for a substantial amount of the criticism facing the game. 
 
To understand my criticism, consider how Act II (where the issue is what to do about tensions between the Qunari and the Chantry) fits into the rest of the game. Many player reviews I have seen think this is the best section of the story, and I agree. The reason that this Act succeeds, I think, is because the Arishok is an intriguing character with whom Hawke’s interactions feel important. Yet, this powerful plotline alone could not make a whole game, which created the need to use the frame story device to extend the player experience.
 
So, it was necessary to create filler of a sufficiently high quality to claim an acceptable long plot. But, Act I is surprisingly insubstantial—doing various errands for people until one raises 50 sovereigns and joins the Deep Road expedition. Admittedly, Hawke discovers the mysterious red lyrium artifact during the expedition but the failure of the artifact in the plot to become more than a doppleganger of the One Ring to Rule Them All ultimately means that this Act is little more than a way of setting up the very weak Act III.
 
Yet, Act I could be forgiven if Act III was a brilliant conclusion. The last Act has been panned by many people as being rather shallow and I think this is correct. In my view, one major problem is that turning Anders into Thedas’ Guy Fawkes is an ineffective storytelling device because the game never developed Anders sufficiently to show that he was capable of going that far. Of course, one might say that this hidden side to Anders’ personality is meant to recall to the modern growth of religious extremism and terrorism in our own world. Nevertheless, despite some small quests here and there, one never really gets the sense that he is a true revolutionary but rather a rebel at the margins. 
 
But, besides a failure of character development in Anders, there are other serious flaws in Act III. One that I find particularly disheartening is that the final outcome is identical regardless of the player’s decisions, which makes no sense under some circumstances. (Why does Hawke abandon Kirkwall a few years after seizing the throne even though the reason for siding with the Templars must have been to save his/her new home?)   I also find it troubling that Orsinio turns himself into a harvester even if Hawke sides with the mages, an extremely odd result considering that he is presented as a reasonable man. Yet, perhaps the worst aspect of this Act is that Meredith’s “insanity” is apparently caused by the mysterious artifact of Act I—thereby completely undermining the writers’ attempt to set up this segment of the plot as a study of extremism and its consequences. In short, I find little in Act III worth admiring and hence also think Act I’s relative insubstantiality unacceptable.
 
With all that said, there was one way that the game could have redeemed itself despite Act III: With a great Act IV, where Hawke puts the world back together. Given that BioWare promised a story spanning 10 years, I fully expected an Act IV in Year 10 when I finished Act III (and I gather many others players also expected a Year 10 Act). I was furious to instead see the epilogue and credits because the end of Act III was not an appropriate place to conclude the story. Given that fantasy RPGs are supposed to have an epic scale (as BioWare’s own Dragon Age: Origins did), it found it astonishing that the developers would allow the game to end before it had reached such a scale. Also upsetting, I felt upon completion of the game that it had been misrepresented as spanning ten years when it only contained an interactive plot covering seven years. (After all, going by how the game was advertised, the plot would be fairly described as spanning twenty years if the framed narrative occurred thirteen years after the events of Act III rather than only three.) Overall, the lack of an Act IV was a jarring experience whose absence reminded me how the game lacks the epic scale appropriate for its genre and how the game fails to conclude on a strong note.
 
So, one might ask, what should Bioware have done given that the writers clearly wanted the outcome to be open rebellion among Thedas’ Circles of Magi? I think the writers should have disaggregated the two plot lines because they do not sufficiently cohere beyond themes that elements of the Chantry foment extremism and that such extremism is bad. What I mean by disaggregation here is that the writers should have created two separate stories and had them playable separately with different protagonists. Thus, there would be one story about how a Ferelden refugee left Lothering and became the Champion of Kirkwall by defeating the Qunari and one about how the Circle of Magi were pushed into rebellion by Anders’ terroristic act and the player character’s response. Of course, these two stories alone would not have been enough for a full game so additional tales would have to be added and all of these separate stories could be tied together via framed narrative (perhaps with pilgrims telling stories to burn time while traveling on a religious pilgrimage to the Cathedral at Val Royaux or to the site of Andraste’s Ashes as the backstory as in Canterbury Tales). In doing so, one could take the good ideas that the writers had (e.g., Act II’s plot, the mage rebellion) and get rid of the weaker ones (e.g., the red lyrium artifact, the pointless Act I) while giving players a much greater sense of the world of Thedas.
 
Admittedly, my idea would not be Dragon Age II but rather some kind of “Dragon Age: Tales” game. (I note that many players who have written reviews suggest that Dragon Age II should have been designated as such in any case.) Nevertheless, given the limited development time and the issues that arise from an apparently fragmented set of plot ideas, I think BioWare could have made a more effective game in this manner. Players are, I think, more likely to forgive a limited number of environments and “simplified” combat system if at least the plot is strong.
 
While there are many other points that could be made about the graphics, combat system, etc., I conclude here as I think that the plot is the most important element in a fantasy RPG and that discussion of the flaws in the plot is the most important discussion to be had with BioWare if Dragon Age III is to be a better game. As this is not so much a review as a short critical essay, I will not give a numerical score. But, I will say this: I ended up preordering Dragon Age II a few days before its release because (1) that Dragon Age: Origins was quite a good RPG despite its flaws and (2) that BioWare had a very good reputation for quality RPGs. Dragon Age II has changed the equation in my mind. I am disinclined to spend $60 for Dragon Age III without a review and I may not even buy the game if it turns out to be the missing Act IV of Dragon Age II. 

[coinop25]

Dragon Age II is a fine game that has the unfortunate burden of being a sequel to a game that was extremely ambitious in its scope. I've enjoyed it, and replayed it more times than I'd normally play a game (once for each class). Most gameplay alterations since Origins were welcome changes to me; most changes to the style of storytelling, unfortunately, left me very disappointed.

Mind you, I've enjoyed DA2 more each time I've played it, but this is largely because the story is so convoluted that it took me more than one playthrough to actually understand what was supposed to be holding the thing together. Dragon Age Origins had a strong overarching plot that unified all the various quests. All the major "hub worlds" were there as part of a mission you knew about in advance: gathering allies to prepare for the Blight. DA2, in contrast, has no obvious connection between its three acts aside from enigmatically written frame story interludes implying that this was all headed ... somewhere. In retrospect, AFTER playing the game, I can say that Anders's actions in the finale, and the choosing of sides that follow, were spectacular, and certainly implied by many of the earlier conflicts – but while playing, it was hard to care about what was going to happen next in the story. After all, an act of side quests to gather money, followed by an act focusing on Qunari relations, didn't really imply that this story was going anywhere in particular. And, as so many others have pointed out, the repetitiveness of the set pieces was extremely disappointing after the varied and colorful world of Origins. I also really missed Origins' multiple odd quests that go beyond the usual conversation-followed-by-murder formula (e.g., the puzzles to achieve Andraste's Ashes, or navigating the Fade with a new set of powers). That's the stuff that convinced me this was not just another generic RPG.

Moreover, interface and signposting issues made it even harder to follow the story. It's easy to get confused about what quest you're doing at any given time, which makes it a lot harder to keep track of plot points and goals. The stories in Origins were easy to follow because, while you could do them in any order, there was plenty of gentle guidance. You're not actively invited to leave Redcliffe, for instance, until someone recommends dropping by the Circle of Magi. And while you could theoretically interrupt your venture into werewolf land to go look for Andraste's Ashes, the design of the world – including a map that implied travel was long and potentially interrupted by bandits – encouraged you to wrap up local matters before moving on. In DA2, taking care of everything in a single area before moving on is basically punished: It's tempting to address all the little "quest arrows" in your area before leaving, to cut down on loading times and walking time to the nearest exit, but doing this means interrupting your current quest to continue another. Plus, if you need to leave the area you're in to continue a quest you've started, you must remember to check your journal before going to the world map, as the names of quests aren't always a sufficient clue for where you're headed next. For me, this resulted in a lot of quests I lost track of and did in a strangely convoluted order, completely losing track of any kind of story.

To the writers' and developers' credit, there were things about the storytelling in DA2 that seemed a great improvement to me. Having a protagonist that actually speaks is essential to me in a game with cinematic storytelling; the blank-faced and mute (except when opening chests) protagonist of Origins was my absolute greatest disappointment with that game. Plus, another major reason my enjoyment for DA2 increased on replay is that I like following down those "what else could have happened" paths without reloading every few minutes. Like Origins, DA2 has some satisfying branching options. I was also very impressed with how the dialog system adapted with the attitude I'd been cultivating for Hawke, such as auto-selecting smarmy dialog for me in cut scenes when I'd been picking humorous options, or making even my "nice" responses a little bit more abrasive when I'd been more aggressive. It allowed for a character who had a consistent attitude, but a little more depth and sense of choice. (In one of Hubert's quests, for instance, I enjoyed that Hawke would slap a guy around to get some info, but then threaten somebody else who'd take it a step further and actually kill the guy.)

I also rather enjoyed several of the changes to mechanics and animation. I found the combat system much more dynamic and engaging than the click-and-wait system of Origins. I didn't care that you can't dress up your teammates, but I did find it ridiculous that this meant that 2/3 of the armor I picked up was useless to me. And while there's something silly about "rogue" basically meaning "ninja," and mages dancing like they're at a rave, I must admit that this stuff makes fights feel more fun. Combat in Origins was practically sleepy in comparison.

Overall, I'd say that Dragon Age II is a collection of greatly enjoyable moments, but not an enjoyable story as a whole. I hope that Dragon Age III integrates what worked here with what worked better in Origins.

Thanks to Bioware for actively soliciting fan opinions on this.

[Redneck1st]

Chris Priestly wrote...

Hi everyone

We want to hear from you about what you liked or disliked about Dragon Age II. As this is in teh Spoilers forum spoilers can be revealed in the reviews, spo read them at your own risk.

Please remember that simply saying "This game sucks" or "This game rocks" is not all that useful. You can love DAII, like DAII, dislike it or hate it, but please tell us what we did right or what we did wrong. Saying "I dsiliked X" is fine, but saying "I disliked X becasue etc etc" is even better.

We want to hear from you. So let us knwo what you thought of Dragon Age II.

Thanks.

Well now will have to agree with some of the others that this should have been a DLC. Don't get me wrong the graphics were great and had no problems at all with the game crashing. There are a few bugs that I found one of the bugs is the regeration of the health-stamina/mana not working in the game either with items you wear or the devour upgrade when you select reavor which I think needs to be fixed with a patch. Also the fact that you couldn't dual weild in the game was a big let down for me.

Also what I couldn't figure out is how in the world did the come up with the Attributes? Heck you need a 40 cunning to open all chests and to disarm all traps. Plus for a dual wielding rogue you need at least a 38 or better in dexterity just to wield the good daggers. But the time you get a dual wielding rogue up to having a 41 Dexterity to wield Finese and a 40 cunning they need to unlock all the chests disarm all the traps. the game is about over with and you get no time to use the daggers. So why have them. You would have to be dual weilding a rouge and either use them as simple to build up their dexterity or cunning which would make them weak at the other one. So than that would mean that you would have to bring two thieves along in the latter part of the game to take care of everything/

Unlike DAO where you had to do what you could to gather an army to stop the coming blight there was no over all objective in DA2. It was like a bunch of random quest thrown together to make DA2. I for one didn't think Hawke had a real purpose in the game like that for which my Warden did in DAO. Still can't grasp how Hawke is the Champion, champion of what solving other folks problems that they can't solve themselves. At least the quest and side quests for which you did in DAO had a purpose you were trying to gather an army to stop the blight.

I was very disppointed in DA2 as I thought that it would have been done better than DAO and found that not to have been the case. Hopefully The Witcher 2 will be more satisfying. As for Skymor not buying it cause I'm not sure if it's an online game or not and I don't have time to play the online games.

[akileos]

Finished the game. I played it some on  nightmare and some on casual.

First the strengths. Characters are strong and well depicted. Loved the Arioshok and wished that the game had been built around him as the final villain. But fair enough, Meredith was a fine final villain.

The companions were good. Companions with strong motivations that will not be swayed by the charming PC are a good implementation.

The cut scenes were fun. The Chantry blowing up was a wow moment and in no small part because it built to that point with Anders becoming more fanatical.

The battles were energetic and the buttons are nice way to add variety to  pushing the mouse attack button. But on Nightmare the fights are hard mostly because they are tedious. How do you make them more fun? I don't know.


I won't discuss the weak dramatic choices. The writing is actually Bioware's strength and I have nothing to say except good work. Except, please next time build the tension from the first act to the third act. Oh, and Orsino. Really? That poor character had no transition.

The world is small. I do not get the sense that the city is a living breathing city. The merchants are superfluous and actually seem to be there to remind me that they could be used as minigames. But not in this game. Going to the merchants reminds me that I couldn't buy most of the things they had. Bummer. I can't outfit my team in accordance to my taste.

There is a disconnect between the game lore and the game mechanics. I could be a blood mage, Merill is a blood mage. No risk from game mechanics. What's the danger again? It's a problem from DA:O, let's make the best magic cool and say it's evil. Wink, nudge. Go and be evil, buddy. It makes no difference one way or another.

The fade was there just to remind us the fun way the fade was presented in the original. A plane of existence where anything can happen. Here's a couple of cut scenes that give you a little taste of that. Now back  to whacking!

The only wow moments occurred in cutscenes. The game world game has no wow moments.
Please, keep improving the fun factor in the combat. And make the game world into a better illusion of a large world.

Dragon Age 2 is a good small game, not a great big game.

Modifié par akileos, 27 mars 2011 - 08:19 .

[ekkaja.marta]

So I finally finished my first playthrough of the game. Seeing how many people nitpick on it I wanted to share how much I enjoyed it. I know that the reception of a game is always subjective but I found myself disagreeing with some of the points others brought up. Know that there are players who thought the game was great.

Things I loved about it:

The story – I liked that it was more personal journey which focused on figuring what to do with my life and experience first hand the very conflicts that make the world special. It was refreshing compared to traditional story where you have to cut your way through hordes of bad monsters to fight with ancient evil. I'm not sure which part I liked more: with family, Qunari or Mages. It's good I don't have to choose.

Companions, all of them. The fact that you knew them for many years and that they had their own lives. It felt that they were people around whom you build your life rather than travelers who just happened to help you with the quest to save the world. I don’t have to mention party banter which is one of my favorite things in Dragon Age series and one I badly wish Mass Effect had. I loved Isabela, Anders, Varric… And Carver with all his rivality and the way we came to agreement at the end. And enjoyed the constant argument between Fenris and Anders.

Rivalry path was a good idea, but I found it a bit confusing. I traveled a lot with Fenris but supported mages, and got a lot of rivalry points. He didn't need to agree with me but it didn't mean I wanted to be rude to him. So when I
was nice to him in conversations I got friendship points. This of course got me nowhere and in the end, when I at least hoped he would leave - he choose to fight me. It just seemed quite illogical that two people who disagree on something can't be friends on personal level.

Kirkwall. If you aimed to create unique and recognizable setting, for me the city of Kirkwall did the trick. I loved those building with high ceilings and windows, and the Darktown with light reaching only form mine shafts (or it looked like one). I do believe that more unique locations to explore would add to the game experience, but personally I didn’t mind at all that it was only set in Kirkwall. On the contrary in time I knew the city so well that it did felt like home worth defending. And I truly regretted making such a mess in the end.

Family. For me it added a whole new level of character development. I liked to roleplay my mage as someone who was very close to her family, never forgetting to take care of their best interest. Once she lost them she needed to find a new goal in life. And I admit that mother quest was the most emotional point in game and left me heartbroken. You are evil Bioware, brilliant but evil.

Lady Hawke. Fully voiced character adds so much to the experience that for me it is simply impossible to go back to mute character anymore. I loved her voice. I thing the writing and delivery of sarcastic tone was brilliant. It was so much fun to roleplay a character with similar approach to life as Isabela or Varric. If I had to pick only one
thing to see again in next game this would be it. I also loved her idle animations as well as during cutscenes. Although I noticed that during few cutscenes she did walk disturbingly similar to Warden. The facial expressions were great – both Hawke's and companions, and expressed emotions very well. I thought I’d never say that – but
I enjoyed Hawke even more that female Shepard.

Mage gameplay. For a long time I couldn’t decide whether to play rouge or mage. In DAO I enjoyed engaging in close combat and was afraid playing as a mage would be a bit boring or that the repeated animations would annoy me. Thankfully I worried to much. Mage gameplay was fun as hell.

Romance or should I say relationship. I romanced Anders and really enjoyed experiencing a loving relationship that lasted for a longer time. It felt that the LI is important part of Hawke’s life. I loved that he was there for my character when she dealt with her loss. Also the fact that romances lasted till the end of the game. Please don’t ever change that. There is nothing more disappointing than to finish a romance in the middle of the game and spend the rest hoping that it will still have some impact on the story. Oh, and love scene was just sweet and
beautiful. Great job on that.

Soundtrack. I honestly can’t get rid of the family theme form my head.

DAO characters cameos. Especially Alistair as Grey Warden. When I heard that he will have a cameo I assumed that I won’t see him again, as I never made him a king. What a nice surprise it was to meet him. Also thanks for
all the references to Mahariel.

Sorry for the wall of text. Just had to share what’s on my mind. I’ll leave nitpicking to others. For me there was not a single thing that would ruin the game for me. I truly enjoyed it and thank you for making it. 

Modifié par ekkaja.marta, 27 mars 2011 - 07:52 .

[hexonxonx]

Pros

I liked the new fighting style. It felt more interactive than just targeting and waiting for everyone to slowly finish them off. 

The new look was interesting. Some characters looked better, such as flemeth and the quanari. Others not so much, particularly the elves, but all in all I didn't mind the attempt to make things look different. 

I liked the idea of the framed narrative and I thought it was executed well from a story telling point of view.

The new menu system is easy to navigate and easier to figure out what's what.

I thought I would hate the voiced hawke, but at least for the female version it was very well acted and I can see the utility of having it. 


Cons

Everything was very un-interactive. You can't talk with party members during missions and most NPC's in the world just give you a one liner. In DA:O I really enjoyed that you could talk to your companions whenever and even most people on the street had something to say. It made things more realistic and submersive. In this game I just felt like I was surrounded by empty AI drones. The few times an NPC actually was interactive I intitated it entirely by accident since I'd given up on running around clicking everybody. 

Relationships were shallow and forced. There were very few instances to even get to know anyone.  In DA:O it actually felt like relationships built up over time, here romances came out of nowhere within the first 5 mins of meeting the person. The flirty lines were cringeworthy and you had to be pushy about it which made me feel like a creeper that wouldn't take no for an answer.
I also originally liked that Alistar initiated things himself if you let him. It made the relationship feel like part of the story. Here maybe it's not possible since everyone has a bisexual option, but if you could select your sexuality at the beginning maybe it would still allow for this to happen.

It would've been nice to see the world keep up with the framed narritive. No one changes clothing or appearance, the city doesn't change and Fenris has left those dead bodies in his entrance for 7 years. I didnt even realize you could look up what's happened with individual characters until the very end of the game. 

The general landscape and objects were way less visually detailed, and at least on the console only fenris' face had any texture, which was weird.

I would've like to be able to customize my party characters' stuff and clothing. 

The story was less epic but I realize the first was likely pretty hard to follow. However I do think the ending was abrupt, it felt like the story had just gotten started. 

It seemed like most of your actions in the game all came to the same enevitable conclusion. The ending was far less variable than DA:O. Even selecting different dialogue options mostly resulted in the exact same response from other characters. 

And of course the repetitive dungeons got old fast. It's very coincedintal that the same 3 places can serve so many devious functions. Maybe anders could've blown these up instead.


Overall DA2: 6/10  DA:O 9/10
I felt like in the rush to release the game a lot of important features got left in the dust, and there really wasn't anything new to take their place. I hope the third one will be better but I'll definitely read the reviews before I buy next time. 

[Statulos]

After a couple playthroughs on the game and after trying different approaches to the whole game, I think why I know this game failed to grab me tight like DA:O did: the interplay between game mechanics and narrative was not as well done as DA:O while the whole script and its premises are (I think) better and potentially more interesting in DA 2 than in Origins.

How would I have done it? Well, let´s go step by step.

Act 1.

You´re in Kirkwall being poor, marginal and eager to change that. You have the chance to do so by funding an expedition to the Deep Roads to become wealthy and make a difference. You also discover that you have a legacy to claim (the Amell family) and people you care for to help and support that, at the same time may help you.

In the game you are forced to run errands for different individuals to gather the money, errands that aim at presenting the issues that will cover the whole game. However, those "chores" dilute the sense of direction: you need the capital to invest in a job that can set you for life (a plot resource similar to BG2 payment to rescue Imoen).

The best way to not be sidetracked in terms of goal is drawing from the very source that got you in Kirkwall: your employers. 50 bucks is a lot of money, and you should know that because Bartrand, a wealthy and prosperous merchant cannot afford the whole expedition by himself.

To gather that money you do not only aim to work again for your employers, but to actually rise in their ranks and become the person that really moves the coin. Be brutal and ruthless or gentle and subtle becoming the "king of the lowlifes" (being them mercs of smugglers) effectively transforming those lowlifes and yourself into a force to be respected in Kirkwall. On your way up, get conflict with your companions (Aveline and Varric) about your methods, compete with your market niche against other lowlives (the Coterie, Pirates, other mercs...) and make sure your name is well known before going underground. If you do well not only you´ll be rich and famous, but you will also have a group of people that fear/loves/admires you as individual and that can be under your leadership (mercs or smugglers) plus a group of very close individuals attached to you more personaly (companions).

Act 2.
Now you have the capital and the manpower, but not the social recognition nor the political importance. This is your time to get there thanks to the Qunari issue. Become a noble in Kirkwall, but again, becoming a "man of the people" or a ruthless profiteer from other´s misery is up to you. The mine venture is a perfect venue to access wealth and position by acquiring a respectable bussiness that also builds on the mining tradition of Kirkwall: you have the retainers and this is the moment to put them to good (or profitable but unfair) use. Depending on our actions, the phisical aspects of Kirkwall should even change thus being capable of aleviting some of the misery from Darktown or making lowtown less dangerous.

Companions should have been able to move on and progress their own agenda leading to more interactions. Varric should have been able to acquire the Hanged Man, Aveline is now captain, Merrill should be known and loved/hated (probably both) in the alienage. Also, allow us to actually make the mansion in hightown our own little place and customize it. Give Bhodan a bigger role as steward, allow the mansion to reflect our rising power and even more important, make it bigger. Some quests could be related to this (acquiring art from shady sources, hiring personel since you actually can offer a slave a maid position...). Now that you´re on top and important, this is the moment when all that remains makes sense: you´re still vulnerable, now you have something to loose. Now you´re part of a comunity and the events in that community affect you. That should be the call to finally, solve the qunari issue.

Act 3.

Finally you have become a very important person in Kirwall. You have the manpower (your retainers from act 1), wealth (mine from act 2), the social recognition (your mansion, being declared champion...) and you´re in the right place at the right time.
Thus, it makes sense that with the rising tensions between templars and mages, both sides look at you for help (again, you have the funds, the leadership, the contacts in the form of your companions and the public fear/support) to turn the tide in one side, the other... or none. Keep events running and give us the possibility of taking sides or beat everybody into submission for personal, profit or whatever reason you see fit.

Basically this should enforce the idea of personal agency, rise to power and influence, You can now be feared or loved, but by the end of the game it has been made clear that you were not just a withness and bystander, but an actual participant (willing or undwilling) in the huge events taking place.

[hanoobken]

The point of playing RPGs is to become someone else and go on a journey, a fantasy that takes you away from just sitting in front of your monitor to a world you can only see in your wildest dreams. DA:O made that possible.

You became the hero and traveled all over Ferelden to gather the most unlikely allies and no matter what race you chose there were always prejudices that made the game oh so interesting and real.

In mass effect 1 and 2 you travel the entire galaxy to find allies to aid you in your seemingly impossible quest to stop an ancient race from obliterating all life. EPIC!

Dragon Age 2 takes away all that. You're stuck in a city for over 10 years doing missions on the same maps over and over. I mean, a guy or gal of Hawke's caliber could have easily made a name for himself outside of Kirkwall.

Combat is fun, but that's probably the only thing that made the game somewhat cool, if not a bit exaggerated. I didn't know my dagger can cause darkspawn to explode into tiny bits!

The only love interests as a male are a whorish pirate captain who seems to sleep with every crew member and looks like she has rashes on her skin, a guard captain with the jaw and chin worse than Jay Lenno (but otherwise a pretty solid character), or a crazy blood mage obsessed with a worthless eluvian. Or you could go M to M which is not really an option for straight guys.

As a female you get the lunatic Anders, who I turned over to the templars in DA:A and still somehow becomes a warden, and even better, he meets the spirit justice and merges with him even though he was nowhere in the events of DA:A (at least in my playthrough). Then he kills the grand cleric who was probably the only chantry who was truly neutral. Your imported save files mean almost nothing.

Fenris is kinda cool but hates mages so yeah my female mage was loveless.

Varric is great but I don't like the idea of bringing half-man/half-dwarves into the world if ever our relationship bears fruit.

Then your entire family dies. The prettiest face in the game was Bethany who happens to be your sister... oh that sucks... and she dies too. How tragic, I mean there's no need to go overboard with the tragedy, we get it already!

I know it seems all I did was complain. I did actually enjoy the game more after my 2nd try. I like the smooth combat system and the auto-targeting system was really a neat feature.

I know this is probably a prelude to something bigger, but still the story could have been more interesting.

Comparing this to DA:O I'd give it a 5.5/10.

Hopefully when DA3 comes out Bioware doesn't mess up our achievements in DA 1 and DA 2, otherwise just remove the import save feature.

[mysamuraiFIGHT]

It's somewhere in the mid 70's out of 100. I may do a full review latter, if i get through a second playthrough and if I can muster the courage to face the extreamists on both sides.

Haters who think anyone involved with the game should have thier family shot. And the fanbois who think it's the greatest, and single most important work of art in human history, and anyone who disagrees is a heretic who should be crucified.

As it is now. solid 75/100

[Foolsfolly]

Melessqr wrote...

Aedan Lives wrote...

I felt dragon age 2's story was more like a prologue to a much bigger conflict than a dark middle act.

Egg-Zackly.

And I think most people are missing this.

I think most people who were disappointed by the game realize that. They just wish we were doing that bigger conflict, the more interesting story. Prologue's are the beginning of a story not a 60-65 dollar game that you thought would be a full complete story.

[pbpirate29]

I'll begin with my biggest gripe of the game: the incredible reuse of environments, respawning enimies, and even character interactions...really Bioware, every one in Thedas is going to react to Hawke the same way, male or female? I have not seen anything like this since Halo. This would be unforgivable in an expansion pack let alone a major title.

Rant #2: How can I play as a mage seriously when I get no mention or notice of my "mageness" by a templar untill the end of act 2? Hello, Templars I 'm carrying a magic staff and slinging fireballs at your feet, shouldn't you arrest me? Give me a stern talking to? What, too busy planning your next pillow fight?"

Rant#3: Looting. This is one of if not the primary joy of rpg's and Bioware, you killed it! Now, 90% of all items found are junk. In fact, now junk now comes in two forms: unsorted and presorted(who locks rags in a chest anyway). Why not just eliminate any customization of Hawk's appearance and weapons. Just give Hawk a fixed clothing and weapon layout like Varric, then you can scatter a few upgrades in Kirkwall and be done with it. Wait, forget I said anything.

Rant#4: The plot was weak, characters were uninspired. I can honestly say this was the first Bioware game that I developed no feelings about any character what so ever. Whether this was a result of the game's shortness or the inability to talk to anyone outside of their "home base" the end was the same, a big yawn.

Rant#5: Combat is faster than Origins and yet it is duller and button mashing repetitive. Spawn high damage skills, press a,a,a,a,a,a... watch enemies reappear out of the air and repeat.

The only really positive thing I can say is the graphics are improved over origins(which isn't saying much) and I enjoyed the music.

For a major title from a company like Bioware this was utterly dissapointing and meh worthy.
I give it a 5.9 out of 10 because I laughed at a few lines, the music score was nice, and I enjoyed the fight with the Arishok. For reference, I give Two Worlds Two (not a good game) a score of 6.5 out of 10 for a better loot system(see Bioware even junk can be usefull), more quests, and more character developement options.

[Critical Miss]

Not going to go on about reused areas and whatnot, but thank you, Bioware, for giving me a game where my playable character isn't your typical hero vs. dragon pumped up legend. I loved the idea of Hawke not being central to events, but being associated with people that moved the story forward. The story felt real, that sometimes things don't go to plan and you have to make the best of it, and you're not the center of the universe. Refreshing. I love this game.