1012 réponses à ce sujet

[christrek1982]

Carmen_Willow wrote...

who remains blind to her faults, even when her entire tribe is destroyed.

If you freind mance maril then you are telling her that she is right in what she is doing and that you agree with it but if you rival her then the outcome is diffrent and feels more stisfying.

[Nemis-Roidsavelt]

 First off. The romance scenes went to a E level not a Rater M.

The game feels small. Like Kirkwall is my prision.

The new Game Play is awesome. 

The game isnt to short. It could be a tiny bit longer though.

The characters feel alot weaker. The story up until the end seems rather boaring aswell. ( I need to mention right now though. The ending was spectacular and amazing. Blew me away. )

Things i was very frustrated about besides the love scenes were the fact that i never got to use the eluvian. It seemed like it should of went somewhere. I was also upset by the fact that i never got to face Isabela's main foe.



Overall i give this game a 7/10

I can only play this game once. I cant bring myself to play it a 2nd time. Hopefully the DLC makes things a bit better.

[Nemis-Roidsavelt]

I'm not sure if this has been posted yet. But the angry joe review almost perfectly describes my feelings.

[GU1LD3NST3RN]

Got some time to kill? Cuz I got 5 pages worth of review for you, Priestly.

http://plusfivecriti...agon-age-2.html

Do you see now what your request for fan feedback has wrought?

[Ingu]

What I hate the most about this game is that there's SO MUCH WASTED POTENTIAL!!!

Quite honestly I think you guys are onto something with this new format for the fantasy RPG, but by the Lord this should never have been marketed as a sequel to the first game. As it is it could've benefited from being an entirely new franchise or a gaiden piece or SOMETHING which isn't Dragon Age -2-. This isn't the formula for a successful sequel... sequels are meant to improve but most of all they're meant to build upon the old game, fixing the cracks in the wall and extending the experience, not tear the original game apart and rebuild an entirely new thing from scratch. Look at any successful franchise in all history across all genres, OBlivion, Assassin's Creed, Zelda, Mario, It's like tricking the consumers with false advertising and I really won't believe you guys if you say you weren't expecting this backlash.

As is I think Dragon Age 2 could have been an excellent game if it only had more to it, with all the possible improvements outlined already in the 20+ pages before me. I'm going to blame EA for this because I can (and makes me feel better).

I'm just hoping whatever you guys bring us next will be better than even DAO.

Please.

And also stop copying your other successes. DA2 = Mass Effect with Swords. Don't think we don't see that.  If you have to copy please make sure it works at the very least. I gave up on ME2 a few hours in because of the lack of immersion and the hideous landscaping. DA should not have the same issues...

[stobie]

It's a great game, with only one game-breaking bug. (the "friendship - ARGH, why am I moving in slow motion' glitch.) Other than the Origins love interest import problems, I'm really happy with DA2. At some point, in future games, I hope the world becomes a little more open, less dungeon-crawler mode, but this one actually felt bigger to me than Origins.

The fighting is all great - everything else is going to feel slow after this. The companions are really wonderful - maybe it's because of the time span in DA2, but I found them more independent & developed than the Origins friends. The friend/rival option is nice, though I went insanely out of my way to befriend them all. (I guess I don't like conflict in relationships.) The romances were really sweet, & sometimes, surprisingly passionate - rather more plausible & 'movie-ish' than Origins. (my mage girl picked Fenris, naturally, and my rogue has Anders. My man-warrior from Origins was always 'eh' about the Origins women, but Merrill was just perfect for new-man-warrior.)

I like the 'talk to me in my house' option MUCH better than the 'click on this tree' from Awakening. I'm also happy never to see rune-crafting again (I just replayed Awakening on my Dalish elf, to get a fresh import) This is probably the best crafting system yet, but it still feels a bit empty or vaguely unnecessary.

The first 2 Acts are great - I thought the 3rd was a bit rushed, & I never worked up much emotion for or against Orsino or Meredith. In contrast, I hated Petrice with the white hot intensity of 10,000 suns, & Grace was almost as bad. (which means they were great characters.) I couldn't find any reason to compel myself to side with templars at all - maybe just too right-brained to find their argument appealing? (Or I hate the idea of lobotomy-peace.)

I still feel most attached to my City elf rogue, but I understand giving us race options at this point would have been too much. I do hope I get to be an elf again, though! I was taken aback by the new elf look at first, but it grew on me - their eyes are just hauntingly beautiful. When the keeper arrives in the alienage, it's amazing & mystical & I keep a save of it - good job there! The Qunari look great, too.

DLCs - like the Mirror in TBE, love Sebastian's voice, which wasn't enough to keep me from wanting his head on a pike for general preachiness & rude-kill-friends-threats at the end!

The cameos were very welcome - it would be nice to have them fixed, of course, but I especially enjoyed Zevran's. (I wouldn't be so pleased if that had been on my 'Zevran's Warden' import, however.)

The game pacing feels much better to me than Origins, or any other game, really. There are no 'dear god not the fade again' places. For that reason, I'm finding it more enjoyable to replay. The 'origins' part of Origins was amazing, but after Ostagar, everything felt pretty much the same. I do miss those starts, & it would be great to have a different story to follow on other run throughs, but this has been satisfying anyway.

Last, I was thrilled to see Sandal & his dad back. I was quite upset when he suggested he might be headed west. I envision my mage clinging to his feet as they try to wedge out her front door.

[Cavalier753]

Hello.


Combat: a major improvement to the first game. It's faster and more responsive than the first game, which is a plus, but it feels too fast. Like unrealistically fast. It feels like everyone is super freaking strong, flinging two-handed swords as big as them with ease. I hope you find a good balance between paces.

Strategy: a lot like the strategy element from DA:O. Glad to see it hasn't changed much.

Story: pretty decent, but not astounding. There were far too many side quests which led ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE. It seemed 70% of the game was focused around side quests. These need to be brought down to an acceptable number and actually have some effect on the plot. The main story was about a 8/10 but the massive amount of side-quests killed it.

Inventory and items: the inventory screen is much more clean and quick, since you implemented the material sources such as elfroot, glitterdust, etc. But items, I did not like. The stars thing seemed like a good idea but I prefer sticking to tiers of materials, like iron, silverite, dragonbone. This new usefulness stats did not sit well with me.

Companions: the new armor designs were a good idea, it made the characters seem more their own when they actually got to choose what they wanted to wear, not what Hawke chose for them. The armor upgrades should have changed their appearance a little every time you acquired a new one. Now, companions themselves. I don't like the way you gave us dialogue options only at certain times, like in Awakening and DLC's. I wanted to talk to my companions more that the game allowed. Again, didn't sit well with me.

Bugs: far too many import bugs, so I've heard. People dying and what not but then making a recovery in 2. If there is a plot reason for this, then I am excited to learn what it is, but if it is a technical error, then that's something that needs to be addressed, even if it was due to being rushed by EA.

Timeline: a good idea and I thought it was a good take on a new game, if a little confusing when comparing with the Origins timeline.

Conversation: I hate the dialogue wheel. This is what truly made me feel like I was playing Mass Effect all over again, but with more swords and darkspawn. I would really like to see the return of the conversation tree from DA:O. This is one of the things that made me not want to play as Hawke, because he didn't feel like my character. He felt like someone that didn't really matter to me. Even if the mute protagonist makes a return, I'll be fine with that if it helps me establish a connection with my character.

Bethany: honestly, IMO, was the best character in the game. Bar none. I love who wrote her because she was a joy to have in your party, and when she got yoinked, I wanted to go on a darkspawn-slaying spree. It was an okay plot twist, but if you had to take her, it was at the wrong time. I felt like I was just forming a connection with her, and then -BAM- off to the Grey Wardens sis! I honestly, want her to be a companion LI in 3. No question.

Sorry for ranting a bit Bioware, but I hope what I and others have said, and if you read this, thank you for taking the time to do so. Overall, Dragon Age II gets a 8.4 frome me because it was decently thought out, but couldve done with some major improvements.

[Volaren]

I just finished playing the game through so now I feel I can give my opinion on it.

Likes
- I actually like the junk part in the inventory (it saves having to sort things yourself).
- Graphics were improved
- Combat was like a rich chocolate mudcake, at first you enjoy it then you start to feel sick. I like that combat moves were a bit more animated but then it became a bit too much and it was a little over the top. Too much of a good thing, if it were toned down a little you would actually be more impressive.
- I liked that the story was placed somewhere else in Ferelden. I liked that it was slightly more political and you had to consider your options. The three acts made sense to me and I liked the pacing. The templars/mage story was good although the execution was not. That I had to pick one side or the other isn't the issue. The issue was the responses of particular characters that didn't make sense (like the rivalry/friendship system). It made me feel like I had no control over the outcome) and all the consideration I gave to decisions during the game made no difference.
- The humor - Isabelle and Varic were very amusing. I liked the comedic value of some of the quests. Hawke lines were great too.
- Skill trees - easy to understand

Dislikes
- I really missed the isometric camera (getting stuck in a corner with the room spinning was unpleasant)
- The rivalry/friendship thing - a great deal of the interactions didn't actually make sense (eg Merill says "thanks for being a good friend" (or something like it) but then I get rivalry points. Very bizarre. It felt discordant to the actions of the character.
- Companions discussion and subsequent behaviours were discordent. Eg Merill - practicing blood magic and "ooh I like kittens" didn't gel for me. I liked the banter between party members when travelling but for some reason I didn't really like feel emotionally vested in them like I did in DAO.
- I wouldn't have minded the dialogue wheel except that the the responses wouldn't match the text description in the wheel and that there weren't nearly enough options. 
- DAO had charm and felt more immersive (storywise), where DA2 lacks "something". I can't put my finger on it but its not because of a lack of a good story.

Summary: DA2 was an improvement in some parts to DAO however the lack of connection between some of the actions/dialogue and subsequent gamplay made me feel like I had no control over my character and therefore had little emotional investment in the game.

Modifié par Volaren, 05 avril 2011 - 03:22 .

[tyrion55]

I have played through the game fully once(rogue), and up to act two with two others(mage and warrior) so far. Not going to mention bugs though as im sure you are aware of the major ones. Only encountered one myself but some of them sound bad My two cents(or maybe dollars since this is a long post):


Good:
The story from Act Two and Three onwards was intriguing. I really liked the character of the Arishok and the whole Templars vs Mages. A different kind of story from the old save the world, so it is kind of refreshing.

Loved how the sidequests ended up being interconnected with the main story. Was interesting to see how they played out.

I loved the hilarious banter between the companions in your current team when walking about. Top Notch. Especially loved Merril. 12/10 for these

The crafting system is superb. Much better. And the poisons are so much more useful now! Last 30 mins! Great stuff. Major improvement!

Returning characters who were alive from Origins/Awakenings. Always good to have a cameo. Was especially nice to see some of them turn up for the fight at the end too. Warm fuzzy feelings Also mentions from npcs that refer to previous companions (Shale and the pigeons from the barkeep). Got a good laugh out of that.




Neutral:
Im on the fence with the new combat. In some ways its good, e.g. cross class combos, , cool animations. However, one thing that really annoyed me was random teleporting monsters.....threw immersion out the window. And made strategy mostly a joke in regards to positioning. Dislked this alot. At least make them run in from some other room or something. Shouldnt be just appearing out of thin air.!

Also the combat is a little bit too fast paced but i guess this goes back to strategy planning etc. So combat gets a neutral.




Bad:
Act 1 just felt like a big fetch quest storywise. Collect 50 gold.

Massive reuse of copy paste dungeons is a given really. Havent read through the entire thread here but imagine it has been brought up alot

Lack of Companion Armor. Might not seem like a big deal, but I did enjoy equipping them. Seems kind of silly to take away the armor and leave weapons? Also makes all those other armors i pick up semi useful.

Dialogue choices: Disappointing to say the least. Didnt like how no matter which option you chose in a lot of cases resulted in the exact same thing(and in a fair few cases, the exact same dialogue spoken no matter what), even if those replies were opposite in nature. This happened a lot. Gives the illusion of choice rather than an actual choice(although i understand why being that it would be a lot of additional voice recording, but still a little annoying at times as it kills replay value).

The scope of the game did feel a bit....small being most took place in Kirkwall. But understandable for the story that was being told I suppose. I can understand the why, but still, it just made the locales seem repititive.  The years didnt change enough of the city. I noticed a few things changed(like where Lirines(sp?) shop was etc, but needed a bit more change. Think someone mentioned on the first page about Fenris's mansion and made a good point. You would think after 6 years he would clean up lol.

Repeats of where sidequests ended(although to be fair this is just one specific case). The amount of sidequests that all ended on that little island bit(where you find the Viscounts son in the first act) on the Wounded Coast was unbelievable. I mustve gone there like 6+ times for different sidequest battles. This is why you need more locations

Targeting: When playing as the Rogue or Warrior, sometimes it would not target the monsters at all. Even though I was looking right at it and standing right next to it. Was a bit frustrating. Only happened a few times but turned me of playing melee as i would be hitting my button or trying to use an ability and it would not go off because it did not recognise that there were 3 monsters right there! At least with mages I dont have the problem as i can AoE alot Whether this is shoddy targeting or a bug, i have no idea. Just mentioning it to bring attention to it.

Junk: Seemed kind of pointless. Was worth crap all and took up space. Although, presumably that was the point? Still, felt like a waste of time and space to be honest,


Suggestions: Champion Armor should have been a "Level up with you" Armor. Its supposed to be your best armor, yet i was finding random armor pieces that were better. I stuck with Champion armor anyway, looked much cooler

Super Suggestion: One thing I would like to see for DA3 (and ME3 for that matter) would be an optional choice at the start to CHOOSE what things happened in the previous game rather than having to do an obligatory complete playthrough for a save file just to see something a little different. Maybe a checklist that you can tick or not.  Or dialogue that asks you what happened previously. or something Maybe like the plot summary thing that pops up when you import except tickable.

Like was Alastair King? Tick. Did you sleep with Morrigan? Tick etc etc.

Some of us do not have all the time in the world to play through each previous game 5 or 6 times to choose different ways to do things. Would be AWESOME if this was added for those of us who playthrough 1 to 3 times max due to time restrictions(i guess im talking about us adults who have fulltimes jobs and kids etc heh), not to mention after the 3 or 4th time it gets a bit boring to play all the way through for the save file.


Conclusion:
Overall I am disappointed that you moved away from the traditional Baldur's Gate type rpg and went more action as thats why alot of people like Origins im guessing. Feel like you kind of alienated a huge part of the fanbase. Hopefully this can be rectified with DA3. If not, I most likely wont be buying it.. Ill definitely be renting DA3 before buying to see what its like instead of release day buying like I did this time(based on my experience with Origins). I dont feel like I wasted my money on this game, however I do feel like the game was definitely not worth the price I paid. Just felt too rushed and it shows unfortunately. Seriously, dont let EA rush you into churning out a DA every year like half of its other franchises. Take your time and create a great game like you did with Origins.

Apologise for the extremely long post and ramble

Modifié par tyrion55, 03 avril 2011 - 12:06 .

[Mira]

WARNING!!! SPOILERS!!!  (aka do not read if you didn't finish the game!)

Ok after 131 hours I have finished Dragon Age 2. Comapring it to my Dragon Age: Orgins playthrough which took 109 hours I'm very happy to say that Dragon Age 2 is in fact longer then Orgins which is awesome! 

The only quests that I didn't do were the book quest (since instead of destroying the first book  I read it), qunari swords quest (I'm not going to buy swords for some beggar - especially cause they were expensive) and the buged quest on Wounded Coast (the one with kidnapping)

1. Companions:

Seems like in every Bioware game there are folks I love and I hate.

Let's starts from my favorites.

Aveline, Isabela, Merill - the girl team (with female Hawke) rocks - I loved the conversations between the trio. Aveline - the protector, Isabela - rascal with a golden heart and Merril - the younger sister / baby lost in the woods.
(my favorite conversations was during Isabela's companion quest when the girls are considering and voting to use Isabela as a bait - Aveline agrees so does Isabela and then Merill says something like this [in reply for "do you agree to use Isabela as bait] : "Yes!" Merill says quickly ."Wait, what are voting?" she asks after a second - that was  hilarious) The evolution of Aveline - Isabela relationship (from enemies to best friends) and Aveline courting Guardsman Donnic were a lot of fun for me.

After playing the demo I really liked Aveline, but I hated Isabela. And then Isabela did the impossible - she won my heart through the first two acts - I just couldn't part with her at the end of act 2 (and IMHO her return was one of the best and touching moments in the game)

If you add Bethany then in a way it's a game about 5 sisters (if you play female Hawke that is).

I loved Morrigan as my warden's friend in DA:O - I was pleasantly surprised to find such 4 female frends in Dragon Age 2. Good work!

The only thing that bothers me with the girl team is the fact that Merill doesn't have a healing spell - that's just wrong!

Bethany - fantastic younger sister. It's a shame she's only present in Act 1 and at end of Act 3. I played the whole first act (up to the deep roads mission - I left her home) with her as a mage and I was really sad to see her go into the circle (though it's better for her then catching taint / becoming grey warden for sure)

Fenris - broody, grumpy and mageophobic, but one of the best written and interesting romances I've seen (kudos Mr Gaider!) The drinking scenes were epic.

Varric - very funny and witty companion. It's a pitty you can take only 3 companions per mission - if there were 4 slots in the party, Varric would come along. However as a team rogue I prefere Isabela almost every time (with exception of Deep Roads of course)

The ones I didn't like:

Anders - I loved him (and Ser-Pounce-A-Lot) in Awekening. He was great companion for my orleasian Warden-Commander and made her laugh many times. However merging with Justice (who I've always hated) totally broke him in my eyes. I wish he just stayed in Amarantine - that would be so much better. Instead he became an egoistic zealot. I didn't kill him only because I though I will need him as a healer in the final battle. He deserved a long, agonizing and very painful death...

Sebastian - the most irritainting and boring companion I've seen in Bioware games. I loved DLC companion Shale from DA:O - she made me laugh and she had very interesting story (being a golem and all). However Sebastian was just an exalted prince who wanted to avenge his family and serve the chantry - nothing else really intereseted / mattered for him. When he was betraying me after I spared Anders  I was like: "just shut up Sebastian and go away - no body wants you here". I hope that if he ever comes back with his Starkhaven's army I will have a chance to chop him into pieces.

Cameos:

Because of bugs Leilana didn't recoginze my warden as her lover and Nathaniel claimed that I spared Architect (which I didn't!) It was nice to see Leilana (she changed so much being sister Nightingale and all but I think her new job suits her well) and Alister (good to know he still has a sense of humor. I miss him as a friend. Without him swooping just doesn't feel bad) 

Others:

Leiandra - Bioware how could you kill mom??!! Bastards!! Both Hawkette and me were devasted and heartbroken when she died. I really liked her presence in the game. She didn't only feel like the mother of my character but also looked like a one - Bethany, Hawkette and Leiandra are very similar in appearance - great work!

I also really liked Cassandra and Knight-Commander Meridith. I think both girls would be great companions in future games (shame that in case of Meridith it won't be possible - damn you Bertrand!)  

2. Gamplay

I really like the new combat style - it's faster and more funny but it still plays like Orgins. Playing 2 handed warrior was great fun.

I didn't like the fact that only Anders had group healing / resurection - it limited my options during boss fights.

Cool timer for healing spell should be faster. It's too slow.

DA 2 is much harder then Orgins (which is IMHO good thing) I finished the game on hard. I tried playing on nightmare but with friendly fire it was too frustrating. (I used to kill my comapanions with mighty blow or my mages tend to freeze me which led to quick death) I like when the game is a challenging, but I need to feel that I'm also having fun - so hard was the best option for me.

I miss the isometric camera view - it's hard to fight big monsters like High Dragon (which was awesome!) without it.

3. What I really didn't like

BUGS BUGS BUGS. I'm sorry to say it but at current state the full game feels like a beta version. I had to edit save games with a save editor to fix "thumbs up!" bug which was no fun. Also my decisions from Orgins/ Awakening / Witch Hunt were not recognised which was really disappointing.

4. Summary

I really enjoyed DA 2. It was longer then DA:O and it gave me lots of fun - the game is totally worth the price. I give it 9 points out of 10. Hopefully, when the patch comes out and fix bugs I will raise it to 9.5 points

Currently, I'm planning my second playthrough - this time as a rogue. I'm going to try either Merill or Isabella's romance.   

Update: I've started my second playthrough as an archer rogue - it's very funny, I'm constantly running away, shooting chasing me monsters. I didn't like archers in DA:O - nice to see they are pretty cool in DA 2. 

Modifié par sean-camel, 05 avril 2011 - 03:59 .

[ISnowdropI]

I'm sure some of these have been said numerous times but I will just go over them anyhow:

Main Concerns;
-I wished we could've gotten the chance to go outside of Kirkwall. On a whole, the story and plot felt...contained. I think that's the right word
-Re-used areas obviously.
-Not enough dialogue. Not able to talk to companions even the dog whenever you wanted takes some of the immersiveness out of the story. I loved being able to talk to them in DA:O.
Also, gift-giving was one of the greatest perks in Origins, but it was lacking in DA2.
-All the companions ever seemed to talk about was about their own problem at the time (Anders;magic, Fenris;slavery, Isabela;relic) I missed the more light-hearted conversations that really let you get to KNOW the character for less superficial reasons.
-More effort seemed to be put into Female romances like Isabela and Merrill. Straight male or lesbian gamers get to have a longer romance scene with Isabela and Merrill is in bed with Hawke whereas we never see Fenris or Anders topless
Also, the way Female Hawke poses and especially sits, looks a bit too 'masculine' sometimes - her legs are always apart. I know she is supposed to be an independent, strong-willed, forward leader but I think she should still stand like a woman, no?

Minor concerns;
-This is extremely minor but during dialogue between companions, the conversation fades when you turn the camera away from them. You then miss a part of the conversation. I preferred it in Origins where you could definitely hear it.
-Chest size for women, personally I just feel like they're too big, all the time. Perhaps some variation in the character creation would be good XD
-Unable to change Hawke's default look. I liked it, but I JUST wanted to tweak the chin or maybe the eye colour.
-Sometimes the dialogue wheel can be a bit misleading. When I wanted to say something, even with the indicating 'green leaf' or 'funny face', I still said something that I didn't mean, or wanted to say it in a different way.
Perhaps you could emphasise how/what the character would say more greatly?
-The sacks and crates with random junk in them were a little dull and repetitive much like the re-used areas. I would rather make money by selling random equipment I pick up than repeated junk like Torn trousers.

What was good;
-I liked both the graphics in DA:O and DA2, there was something to each
of them but DA2 improved a lot with the mouth animation, it was much
more realistic as if the characters were really talking (if that makes
sense). The facial expressions were just perfect, suits their character and was realistic. Overall, I thought the animation was much better done, even the small hand movements and stretches while the characters stayed still.
-I liked Hawke being self-voiced, although I wouldn't mind if it went back to the Origin's style either, but perhaps with the same animation style as DA2.
-I loved how you integrated past characters subtly but effectively.
-The scenery was amazing.
-The MUSIC was amazing I liked how it was played at certain times, such as when Hawke's mother died, the family song came up..epic.

To sum it up, in Origins I felt like the Warden was actually my own character. It has nothing to do with DA2 being fully-voiced or the dialogue wheel, either. If it had just opened with more of an insight into Hawke's life, such as in Lothering, I would havefelt like the character I was playing was more personal to myself, thusmaking the game more enjoyable.
    The time skip also made it less relatable, and more confusing because I felt like it was hard to catch up with what was happening, it was disorienting.  Like my Hawke had 'advanced' further without me realizing it, or knowing how she felt about it, the journey was not as in depth with the character, like the Warden was.
   For example, it was like getting into a relationship with Alistair, if there was a time skip straight after that, I would've felt like something had been ripped away, and inevitably make me feel removed from the game. But what was great about Origins, IMO, is the plot took you through every step such as being rescued by Flemeth and waking up in Morrigan's hut, to preparing for each battle and speaking to each character, knowing what they felt like at the time. This is what made it great for me.You felt like you were really involved in the story then, like you really were a Grey Warden, who needs to defeat the blight...in DA2, you were simply Hawke who wanted a bigger house and needed to protect his/her family. It WAS a great story in it's own right but still...disappointing. I can say that I am not sure if I'd want to buy a next game after DA3 (if there is one) if it followed in DA2's footsteps...
-

Modifié par ISnowdropI, 04 avril 2011 - 03:40 .

[Xemness]

Overall I liked DA2, but I would say it was forgettable, which is sad because it definatly had the potential for greatness. It just wasn't on the same calibar as many of your other games Bioware, such as DA:O, ME 1 and 2, and Kotor to name a few. I felt like the game was very hit and miss, some parts were very fun and awesome, and some were just bland and boring, which game me the feeling that the game needed to be worked on more then it was.

The gameplay was a vast improvment overall, it almost made me forget how many fewer moves you could get then in DA:O. The upgrade spells is a neat idea, but it was implmented wrongly I think, I just got tired of using the same 3-5 moves over and over, and that was on hard as a mage.

The art style and graphics were overall better then DA:O, which is why its SOOOOO depressing that you only get to go into one cave, and one house, and one forest for the ENTIRE game. That, bioware, was just so very beneath your calibar and is not easily forgiven.

The companions in DA 2 felt waker overall then your other companions in any other game, but they have moments were they shine through and almost felt real, like they did through all of DA:O, again giving me the feeling that the game was rushed and needed more time. And WHY can I not just talk to my companions when I want too, why is it only in some seculded area when THEY want to? This needs to go back to DA:Os style. The conversation wheel was a good addition however, you just need to give people a way to figure out what each symbol means other then in the manual only.

The story in DA 2 was overall forgetable, and this area is, imo, DA2s biggest failing. Compared to soooo many other stories Ive experiend and throughly loved (kotor was the whole reason I started playing RPGS non stop), DA 2 just didn't have that umph to make it great. Again, it felt rushed, espically in Act 3. I just didn't care that much at the end, where as in DA:O I was definatly cheering and tottaly sucked in to the ending of that story that I forgot anything else exsisted for three hours.

Overall, I think you need to take a step back Bioware, and remember what made your previous games great games and not just good ones. I hope you guys learn from this, and I can't wait to see what you do in Dragon age 3 and Mass effect 3.

Modifié par Xemness, 03 avril 2011 - 08:49 .

[vantick]

Pros

- Companions felt far more fleshed out and relatable (at least for me) ; I actually felt compelled to argue with Merril about her blood magic and naivety or Anders with his over-the-top sense that there was no compromise whatsoever when it came to the final act
- The idea for each teammate to have a 'home base' of sorts was nice and suited the setting
- Dialogue and banter for each and every character was fantastic, as was the humour
- I think the implementation of a voiced protaganist was awesome, for both male and female Hawke. Facial expressions/animations were no longer static and didn't only consist of 'mouth agape and eyes somwhat-wide open'. Also, sarcastic Hawke is just so damn fun!
- I'm completely okay with the dialogue wheel over the what was previously used, even if it is just a short paraphrase.
- Related to the above, conversations were indeed much more cinematic. Playing around with the angles and such was a welcome change. I also could finally see my character's face when speaking and not just the back of their head 24/7.
- Romances were much better done compared to Origins, and it felt much more natural now that they spanned years instead of a mere month
- Graphics/visuals were a huge improvement, lighting was especially impressive, You guys succeeded in establishing a distinguishable yet likable 'art style' for the game. I've gotten used to the new elves and I thoroughly loved the new qunari. Though Fenris and Merril were the most human-like among some of the other downright alien-looking elves
- Combat definitey felt better and quicker-paced, no more shuffling around indeed
- It was nice not to have the usual 'end of the world'-type of plot that usually accompanies most RPG's, it was refreshing
- Although I might be in the minority, I loved the ending

Meh

- Still somewhat bummed you're restricted to playing a human. The mere option to play another race or background in Origins was really nice. But what's done is done, and I'm fine the way it turned out.

Cons

- The recycling of environments, need I say more?
- Kirkwall itself. It didn't actually feel like the bustling and crowded city it should've been. It felt empty and barren, the town squares and passageways should've beel crowded with hundreds not a dozen or so NPC's. It really took away from the immersion. (I guess the game engine is to blame for this) The 'markets' could barely be called such with only several stalls to fill them up. It would have been nice to see more NPC's interacting with each other or shop vendors. Also seeing no reaction from the crowd when there were balls of fire raining from the sky in the middle of combat was strange to say the least. (Maybe I'm expecting too much?)
- There weren't as many morally grey decisions to choose from, particularily during the final act of the game
- While the combat was nicely done, the battles were sometimes tedious. Seeing wave after wave of thugs jumping down from the sky soon was ridiculous. Boss battles usually came down to just whittling down their enormous amounts of health (Though this wasn't always the case, I enjoyed killing off the dragon in the Bone Pit for example) I found Meredith to be hardly a challenge when it came to dealing with her, it was kind of sad.
- Side questing was a huge disappointment. It was all just 'fetch this, return to Y' and it felt like the devs were simply lazy when they created them. There wasn't even any cutscene or dialogue to accompany most if not all of quests. I ended up not even caring to see or think about what I was giving back.
- The loot. Half the the time, all I had in my inventory was useless junk. I missed having item descriptions and soon it got irritating to see a dozen accessories in hand all labelled 'Belt' or 'Amulet'
- The 'star' system (when comparing armour and weapons) still confuses me, I've found the item tier system to be easier to understand
- Where did all the genlocks and female dwarves go?
- Some of the effects from the decisions that carry over from importing don't quite make sense. My Warden went with Morrigan into the eluvian during 'Witch Hunt', yet King Alistair (or was it Teagan?) mentions that the Hero of Ferelden is expected to be back in Denerim in the next few days? Yeah... wut? There were a few other inconsistencies, but I won't go into all them here. But hearing that Leliana shows up in-game even if you killed her in Origins is something that shouldn't have been overlooked.

Overall? I would give the game a B. It left something to be desired. Maybe if a year or more was put into developing and polishing the game... Ah well. It was an enjoyable experience nonetheless.

:happy:

Modifié par vantick, 05 avril 2011 - 01:04 .

[I.leary]

 I've finished the game playing warrior on the PS3, and I have and ongoing game on the same console and two on the PC.

pros

- Fast paced combat is fun; animations are nicely done (except for the eventual raider exploding after being hit by an arrow)
- Dialogue system: I didn't think I was gonna like this one, but it surprised me. In the good sense. I was afraid the wheel would limit my choices, which I didn't feel happening, and having a voiced protagonist is, in my opinion, a positive change. Great voice acting contributes to that. I was also afraid DA2 would go DA:A in terms of interaction with the companions, but it wasn't the case. Actually, I felt my companions interacted much more with me through the quest conversations than in DA:O, and this compensated for the limited number (and lenght) of chats you can have with them.
- Graphics are cooler; loved new art design. The odd, somewhat alien features of qunari and elves made the racial struggle they face seem much more tangible. 
- Leather armor and robes look better. The game even gives a few mage outfits that don't look like a night gown. While there should have been more, it's already a start.
- Interesting companions, and excellent companion quests. This was already a strong point in DA:O and they made even better. I particularly liked the way each of them has a house, and how they interact among themselves without your mediation.
- I enjoyed how some quests unfolded in the following acts, making them much more interesting. The serial killer one was one of my favorites.
- The frame narrative is an interesting change, and the eventual interruptions by varric and cassandra built up some tension here and there, informing me something important was about to happen.
- The music was awesome. Fenris's theme and the credit song, "I'm not calling you a liar", were my favorites
- The story. All right, I'll admit, this is totally subjective, but I has to do with the way I ended up playing. I've read here in the forums that the game doesn't really give you true choice. However,in my playthrough I must have accidently chosen to do something very similar to the 'intended' plot, because everything I did seemed to have mattered, and I felt I was responsible for Hawke's ascension. I'll try to do the opposite in a future playthrough just out of curiosity to see if my opinion changes. But regardless of that, I appreciate the attempt to escape from that chosen-hero-that-saves-the-world storyline that seems to be in vogue since LotR was first published. It really brought back the feeling I had when I played pen&paper RPGs, that feeling of being nobody and freely doing quests at my leisure with my beloved sidekicks with no clear goal ahead of us. Even if the game is indeed linear, it passed that impression, and it's the first time in a long while I felt like that.

cons

- Recycled enviroments
- Repetitive encounters. Basically each enemy group had the melee duds, the archers, the assassin and the commander, no matter who they were. As a result, a single strategy was enough to beat the whole game. Except for the boss fights; those were cool
- "Junk" items. Ok, even if they are useless, picking up cheap objects depicted as  litter bins seemed unsatisfying. At least give them another name--i don't know, "miscelaneous", "other", "general items". 
- Speaking of items, they shouldn't all look the same in the inventory. I was quite confusing at times
- Maybe to compensate for the lack of companion armor, the game was littered with hundreds of generic amulets and rings which did pretty much the same thing, and because they all looked and were named the same it was a pain in the neck to sort them out. The star system didn't help, and I had the impression that sometimes 5 star equipment had the same stats that 1 or zero star equipments i already had in my bag.
- Apostates running around doing magic in front of templars. And nothing happening
- Reactionless NPCs that didn't move even if an onslaught was taking place in front of them.
- Waves of enemies popping out of nowhere, falling from the sky, materializing from dust, etc. Also, as long as I recognise the wave system did indeed make the game more challenging, not every battle should pitch you against a horde of enemies. Nothing is more immersion-breaking than entering a hovel  to kill a single criminal and being greeted but a personal army of 150 mercenaries.
- Lack of skills. The ones in DA:O weren't good, granted, but I think it could be fixed, rather then taken out.

That's what I can remember right now. I think the game has more flaws than DA:O, but it also seemed more original.  While not all changes were positive, my general opinion is favorable, and I see improvements in some areas. I hope DA3 combines the best of both.

[Stradar87]

Ok heres my review of the game I have waited sooooo long to play!!

Things I loved!
Graphics A+ They really did well on the Graphics not a game changer for me either way.

Combat A++ The combat was the best I have seen soo far I mean I dont really play RPG games for the combat but the combat was entertaining for a while.

Armor sets A+ Really loved the armor sets they really looked soooo much better compared to DAO.

I know not really much things I loved with this game compared to DAO.

The Hates the dislikes the what ever you want to call it.

Ten years my butt.
First thing I want to remark is it does not even span 10 years!!!! it spand in my game only 7 years!! not 10 so that was a lie on there part Guess the next 3 will be a DLC or a X Pack I guess.

Confuseing Story.
The story just threw me in 200000 direction that I did not grasp it as well as I did DAO Me1 Me2. I mean the constant repetative Secondary quest really did no justice for this game. To put it bluntly I did not understand half of the story?????

I was really lost in this game. The ending was like ok great im done I guess............wheres the feeling of accomplishment????? I do not even know if I could prevent hawks mothers death kinda sucks!? This game really left me hanging and sad that I actully bought it!

I play these games for the story not for the flashyness of graphics and combat Id rather have a Solid story over the eye candy thats my review will add more if I have more to say. Im really sad about this really hoped for a epic game but it fell too short of just a rather dumbed down game with a unfished story.

I know theres like no good or bad alignment thing in DA2 but I felt like the whole game I was just makeing things worse like no matter what my decision was I still got royaly screwed over. Or just made things worse no matter what I did.

Sorry to say this but I wished this game came out PC first Console way later on. I think consoles have a little to blame for some of this crap.

I know now I have to play a second time to get a good grasp on this game becuase Im at a loss here with this fragmented story.

Modifié par Stradar87, 04 avril 2011 - 10:36 .

[I.leary]

Stradar87 wrote...


Ten years my butt.
First thing I want to remark is it does not even span 10 years!!!! it spand in my game only 7 years!! not 10 so that was a lie on there part Guess the next 3 will be a DLC or a X Pack I guess.

The impression I had is that Cassandra's interrogation occurs 3 years after the final battle. Thus, the total game time sums up to 10 years. That's just an hypothesis, however.

[Knightly_BW]

I think I can put my review after several play throughs. It will be more reasonable than playing once and comment something I didn't fully explore.

First, let's admit game is rushed (whatever your reasons were) so I don't really comment on over-used dungeons and some illogical bugs here and there. As a player I tend to play on Casual/Easy as I want to live story without burdening with combat tactics or deaths (on top of that I buff my characters with savegame editor/toolset) so I can't comment on difficulty or combat mechanics.

Combat :

New combat animations look nice. Fast paced combat makes DA:O feels like a turtle race. Whoever invented that "R" key should be blessed, it made my archer run so much fun. Trees are better than DA:O and I see them as huge improvements. In depth to combat related features:
(Finished game with an archer rogue, a primal mage and two handed warrior)
Fighters: At first I tought knockback from warrior attacks were annoying but when I found "R" key everything was peachy. Sometimes "R" key makes warrior run into obstacle between him and enemy. Not a big problem tho' just wanted to add here. I like new design of Templar powers, now it feels more intimidating for spell casters.
Rogue: Archery is best in any games I played so far. People tend to say it lacks damage but it isn't a problem for me. Two handed rogues looks promising but still not even near Archery in epic/artistic feel. Archers need their own speciality (like Ranger or Bard from DA:O)
Mages: New staff models and animations are biggest improvement from DA:O. Powers seems nicely packed. Many I win powers (Mana Clash, Crushing Prison, Cone of Cold) either drag down to reasonable levels or avoided. I wish there are more powers in trees, especially I loved Primal tree but lack of more powers eleminated building more tree specific characters. Maybe in future you can drop/change some trees and put similar powers to other trees. Let me explain with some examples: Let's take Arcane tree, Mind Blast, Elemental weapons, crushing prison all good powers. Instead of collecting those powers into one tree put similar powers in Elemental or Primal trees. Like Freeze in Elemental tree to hold critters, Electric brust/volcanic gases to Primal for stunning near by enemies etc. Mage specialities are lack luster to me. Spirit healer change makes sense but I didn't use it as much as DA:O. Never been a fun of Blood Mage and Force Mage feels like and odd ball. I missed Shapeshifter, Battle Mage or Arcane Warrior from DA:O

Story:

At first it is hard to grasp(like you need to play a fixed role) but one you get a hold of it, very enjoyable.

My usual reply(Not wanting any reward for doing a good deed) for many quest is completely dismissed which make me feel uncomfortable. I know Hawke trying to collect funds on Act 1 but ... still I don't like it. Some main quests doesn't really continue (like Keran in Best Served Cold. I was like "Hey! Didn't I made you cast out of Templar order, what the heck you do in templar armor?".

Jump between the years also need more polishing as it doesn't really feel like you spend time between Acts. Maybe some changes on climate, giving a level to player (so Hawke shouldn't be sitting on his hand during 3 years), a cosmetic change on companions or NPCs (like different hair styles/costumes etc.). Also maybe just for sake of adding more "you lived there 10 years" feeling instead of companions Hawke could romance with some specific NPCs. That potion lady from Lowtown, Idunna, Keran or other named NPCs we met on first act.

Possibly one of the biggest turning points for many players is "All that remains" and Leandra's fate. I liked that story all over... rising tension ties up to heart breaking final beautifully planned but what happens afterwards a bit lack luster. I'd like to see more reaction from companions not only Aveline. Varric is with you since you start the game, your sibling is totally ignored (I understand you can see him/her but at least she/he can write you a letter to share some feeling). You can't invite Gamlen to your mansion to live there (probably he wouldn't accept but still this kinda interaction provides more family feeling)

Importance of Champion of Kirkwall title doesn't polished much so people tend to think Hawke wasn't someone important.  Especially on Act 3 events go too fast and so little thing to do other than following main quests. So other than Meredith and Orsino's dependency on Hawke we can't get better idea about what Kirkwall people think about Hawke.

Plot protection to things makes DA 2 more limited than choice-wise DA:O. So you feel less impact from Hawke's decision. It made me feel like I must try and find best solution to make quest to tie it rest of the story. Why we can't kill Grace? She is a blood mage's sidekick and no matter what she says (On top of that stupid wench threatens you with ratting you out if you are a mage) I would never trust her. Why we can't turn Anders to templars after Dissent? Some stupid stuck on you quests made me annoyed as hell, too. Why no matter what I say I need to escort Ketojan? I said no but still that stupid thing stuck with me.

Anyway I don't want to go into a lengthy tirade about game decisions, in short. Story is good but as a reading metarial not for a game especially with forced decisions or plot armors which force you to play things according to some plot and make you realise it terribly. In Pen and Paper games this kinda storyplay means inexperienced/bad DM/GM. Maybe your story rocks but if you can't tailor it for different choices/players than your story lacks.

Companions:

First, I hate Anders. It has nothing to do with his terorist tendecies. I hate him since the moment he opened up his mouth in the Awakenings. Let's say you gave in fun girl/boy screams and put him in game what's the idea of dismissing player choices made in Awakenings? Awakenings was a pityful excuse for a Bioware game but if you put that fact aside why did you made player pick options if you wanted to go with your own devices later. You covered his death but why assume everyone made him a warden? Do you think he is that loveable? Making a story which will cover his non-Warden status is easy but I guess you didn't bother with thinking it.

You took a big step back from "Your party" to "Our party we forced on you". Many companions stuck you like a glue, I hate that forced companionship idea of RPGs. DA:O was best on this depertmant (I hate to admit but also the Awakenings). Yes you can prevent two companions to your party but tragedically those two are the most fun characters.

Aveline: Maybe one of the forced characters but writer really made her loveable and passed the feeling she is one your family too good. My favorite companion in game. With her flirtable but not romanceable status she really stands out.

Varric: Bearable guy but with limited party space he loose his place to Isabela quickly. As a rogue (same applies Isabela and PC too) if you don't buff his cunning neither good on traps nor locks. Not one of my favorites but doesn't hurt to have around

Merrill: She is an odd-ball. I like her accent and how naive she is but she is stupid beyond belief and uses blood magic. From the first moment of DA:O magi origin you guys give us more and more reason why blood magic is evil but still want us to run around with a blood mage in party? Not my favorite but still fun to listen in party banter.

Fenris: He looks like jumped out of an Anime but his good background/romance makes this annoyance dismissable. Good contrast to Anders and mages. He lacks shoes and his feet check animation is not what I call favorable. I understand Merrill but Fenris lived in a city in most of his life no need for him to run around like a gypsy child. 

Isabela: I didn't like that girl in DA:O but in DA 2 she is most useful/loveable rogue companion. Has funny banter, insight to many events. Thanks to thumbs up bug you are afraid to max her friendship so if you don't use console/savegame editor/other 3rd party application you destined to loose her on Act 2. Such a waste.

Carver/Bethany: Bethany has a personality of a flower pot. Looks nice but filled with nothing but mud. Carver on the other hand, has personality. He can be annoying sometimes but once you understand what he's been thru he is forvigeable and more enjoyable than Miss Pothead. I wish you guys gave us an option to pick our sibling so I enjoy my rogue/warrior runs more.

Anders: Finally my hate for this idiot justified. Only good thing about him is killing him at the end tho' that scene should be more gruesome in my opinion. Simple murder knife ain't enough to cut his head off.

Romances (other than Anders) are good and well written. Doesn't feel too chatty like DA:O but with their limited dialogs in acts they still achieve to pass their over all personality to you.

Over-all DA2 has a good story but bad screne play. Unlike earlier Bioware games DA 2 feels like a Beat'm Up game with several waves of enemies on each encounter. Certainly not a great RPG but an action game with nice story/less player talent needed.

[Tinxa]

Likes

Story - I really liked the personal approach to the story and how a lot of different things were going on. It wasn't just about gathering allies, fighting the big bad ancient evil and saving the world but you had the qunari problem that slowly gets worse, a murderer running around and the templar-mages conflict. You also had  time and reasons to sidequest (I especially liked the money gathering for the expedition:p)

The faster paced combat - it makes combat more fun to watch and I especially like the rogue cartwheels and jumps.

Voiced PC - the silent protagonist in DAO didn't bother me but I really liked the femHawke voice:)

Companions - I thought they were really interesting but I miss more conversations with them. It seemed that when they had something to say it was mostly about their sidequest and it's resolution. I miss the Leliana shoe talks and stories and Wynne being against your relationship.

Day/Night map change - I think it's a great way to use areas more than once. To have all warehouses and caves look the same - not so much.

Junk - I don't have to wonder if that scroll of vellum I found is useful for something later

Dislikes

Cliffhanger ending - I hate, hate, HATE endings like these!!! After I invest all that time in a game I want a feeling of closure and achievement and not "Oh, by the way Hawke disappeared for no reason". I thought the epilogue in the throne room in DAO was great. It wasn't just "stab the boss - the end" but you got a chance to talk to all your companions and you got all those epilogue slides detailing what happened to people and places. I also really hate the disappearing hero. What's wrong with an ending slide saying he/she lived happily ever after and died of old age??? Especially if there's a new main character in each game.

Nothing changed in Kirkwall - in the 10 years the only change I noticed was the statue at the Docks. It also bothered me that my house stayed the same - no new pictures or trophies showed up and Fenris' mansion especially bothered me. In 10 years he still had corpses that were part of the scenery next to his door and the house was trashed.

Not being able to equip and look at the inventories of all companions when you're home - after a while the belts, amulets and rings piled up so I wanted to check what each member had equipped and give them the best gear while also putting stuff in storage. But no, I had to leave Hawke's house and find one of the "change party" flags and equip three of them then change them for the other three and equip them while trying to remember if it wouldn't be better to give that belt I gave to Varric (in the previous three) to Isabela whose inventory I was looking at. It really was a blessing they didn't wear armour.

Merril having no healing - so I wonder why Merrill is missing the creation tree??? When she's the mage in the party instead of Anders I just get butchered a lot. I like to be able to change the partymembers up to see what the others are like and not be tied to one partymember because he/she's the only one that can do something (like only Leliana picking locks). Her having different spells is fine but why is she handicapped and unable to do something only mages can do - heal.

Finding the remains of X - I don't mind the little find trinket and return it to owner quests, but it just gets silly when the "trinket" is a corpse of someone and you return it to his family member and they go:
Hawke: "I think you lost this"
Mr. X : "Oh my, I'm so forgetful"


Minor complaint
I'd also like a little warning to know when you've messed things up with a companion permanently. It was my first playthrough and I was avoiding the internet like the plague because I didn't want spoilers. I was gathering friendship with Isabela and was convinced that when she disappeared at the end of act 2 that it was part of the story and she would be available later like Bethany. Well I was wrong, finished the game and went to look what I did wrong only to realise I was missing 5 points of friendship for her to come back so I'm replaying the game from act 2 to get Isabela back

[Stradar87]

Id like to add that they should of added the extra companion for free or something becuase haveing to pay for that is a insult if you ask me. Dao gave us stone prisoner for free so I dont understand this.

Modifié par Stradar87, 04 avril 2011 - 10:08 .

[Aliciatron]

I didn't like the fighting, it took too long to get used to since I was used to the way things were in DA:O. I also didn't like how you made Zevran and Alistair really ugly

Something about the game felt rushed, I just felt by the end that there was supposed to be something more. Overall DA:O was a better game.

[ransompendragon]

I started out the game disliking it quite a bit but mostly for things I knew I wasn't going to like either from reading about it or playing the demo.

As I played I got used to the combat (but other than the responsiveness think DAOs is better and in DA2 the clipping is horrible why aren't people upset about that??). Anway, I started liking my characters and the story. I never felt like it was my playing my story but me playing Hawke's story but I accepted that.

But from the point where Anders did what he did through the end of the main quest I thought this game went into the toilet. And it didn't have too! There was enough tension there with Merideth and Orsinio, etc. to have actually had a meaningful conflict instead of everyone going bat-**** insane and the over the top bizarre and totally out of place effects. What a steaming pile of crap.

[Papa Lente]

Carver was the only person my partner cared about because he felt like he "needed to care about somebody". 

Modifié par Papa Lente, 05 avril 2011 - 08:00 .

[Zan Mura]

Been playing the game over and over for several times now and I decided I might finally pop in here. Hopefully this won't get too long, I'll try to keep things in a nutshell which will of course create misunderstandings. But better that than a post so long nobody even bothers reading.

tl;dr; First. On a 1 - 10 scale, 10 being the best, I'd say DA2 deserves something around 7. Where ME2 might have been 9, and DAO an 8 - 9. DA2 is a good game, but it has flaws and I admit that I might have even ranked it higher on that scale than it should be, simply because where storytelling, romances and character depth goes... it's not as if I have a whole lot of choice. These kind of games just don't exist beyond BW pretty much.

Most important positives:

• The storytelling style is rather unique, spanning such a long while and being focused on a single location. Just for being uncommon and offering a new kind of experience, I think it's a good thing.
• The main stories on each act were very good, and especially ACT 2's events and their culmination in the finale was just great.
• Hawke has a family, bringing a new kind of personal connection to the events in the game.
• Combat system has some very good aspects to it, the CCC's are fun and the physical & elemental effects add a new kind of control to the battle, making most of combat extremely fun.
• Warriors and rogues were buffed from DAO not only in power but in terms of gameplay enjoyment. They were heaps more fun to play.
• The characters are good and DA2 has produced some great memorable characters into my personal BW hall of fame such as Varric and the Arishok. The other companions were great too, I could bring myself to like every single one.
• The whole rivalry aspect was a *great* idea, one I absolutely hope to make it to future BW games too (especially where romances were concerned, every romance I've played so far has been far better as rivalmance).
• I loved the changes to the ME dialogue wheel. The icons are clear and self-explanatory, and it was very rare to misunderstand the wheel's tips and pick an answer completely to the opposite than what was my intent. Also the whole sarcasm response line and the idea to instill a personality type depending on your answers was great, and easily made Hawke one of the top-protagonists of any RPG ever.
• FemHawke's VO was also quite simply the very definition of the word perfect (the depth granted by the sarcasm lines helped). I have never bumped into a VO that did not have at least a few emotionless or otherwise out of place feeling lines, including the stellar Jennifer Hale. The great facial expressions also emphasized this, giving Hawke great personality.
• The new feature of being able to include companions in dialogue, such as letting Aveline or Varric reply for you, was just great. And gave your companions a lot more personality. The automatic party banter as you were walking around town also fleshed them out a great deal.
• Inon Zur had too many rather average musical themes in DAO. In DA2 on the other hand, pretty much all of them were at least good. And there were several downright amazingly great themes. The Keeper's coming to Alienage, the Qunari theme with Ketojan, Arishok, and loads of others I don't remember.
• Anders' terrorist act. It was a powerful moment, and something I personally consider among the highlights of the RPG's within the last decade.

Then to the negatives:

• Using the same location throughout the game got quite boring. There was zero sense of adventure, or variation in the surroundings, weather, and views. Less so than in almost any RPG I've played to date.
• The extreme recycling of the same dungeons, caves etc completely took me by surprise. It's not something that belongs in modern games, and definitely not something that should belong in a BW game that's supposed to be an AAA title of all things.
• Even though just including Hawke's family was great, it felt a lot like it was just something tacked on and forgotten. Things like losing your siblings or mother, and their variations (death vs. gray warden vs. circle vs. templar) should have been powerful themes, yet were just basically skipped and referred to once in some random meeting and dialogue in the very end of the game. Wasted potential.
• While the end result with the mages fighting for their freedom all over the place was rather cool, the actual events of the game took place on a miniscule scale. Even as I respect the idea of doing something new, Hawke was *far* too much of a local phenomenon. The game left me feeling like I had experienced a cool random episode of a TV-series as opposed to having watched an epic and memorable whole-night movie.
• The almost complete lack of choice. The ending, the quests... I don't think there has been another BW title where there was so little choice as in DA2.
• The other side of the combat mechanics: Mobs spawning out of thin air, waves upon waves of them completely disregarding your tactical preparations. Random resistances like all the mercs being basically fire / frost elementals with regards to their immunities for no even remotely believable reason at all. How the lore and enemy mages didn't at all match the reality of the player mage. The player vs. monster HP differences and how it affected friendly fire in ridiculous ways. 2h auto-attack hitting friendlies. There's a lot here that I won't even bother listing.
• The same problem with audio and music as DAO had. Combat music is relatively *far* too loud compared to out-of-combat music, especially in deep roads. This means that in order to not break my ears, I had to keep toning the music up and down in order actually listen to the GOOD musical themes going on outside of combat. Eventually I just left the volume down and missed out on the out-of-combat musics. It's a shame.
• On the flipside of the positive automatic party banter was the fact that there was very little in-dialogue banter. While the companions were well developed and fun, there was also this distanced feeling thanks to not being able to talk to them personally as often as one could in previous games.
• Boss fights. If a boss needs over 10 minutes to beat, I think there's something wrong. Considering things like the Arishok duel, I think the bosses in general were more unfun, than fun. Which quickly led me to just use "killallhostiles" to skip those parts of the game. I have *never* done that as regularly and as comfortably as I did in DA2. Usually I enjoy those fights. Here, I absolutely did *not*.

So... I think that covers all the essentials. Anyway, it's a good game. With some absolutely great features that should make it to all future BW titles. Even if to be honest as a whole, it is one of BW's weaker performances.

Modifié par Zan Mura, 05 avril 2011 - 08:19 .

[Marny63]

Little dissapointed in the sence the game was not more like DAO with more interaction with your party members, A stronger more exciteing story line , I mean how depressing to slow lose your whole family .... I do love the Graphics and updates to the  interface , But I have to agree with some previouse post that this was a little let down after playing DAO, you shouldn't have changed your formula from the original but that my opion.

 I may be dissapointed but I will say I enjoyed playing it the first 2 times after that it got a tad repetative. Now if there is a DA3 you'll go back to it and bring the Builder back !! I had a blast with some of the mods other player created!!!

  Unless your gonna be surpriseing us all with some Large DLC Which I hope you do!!! I doubt I'll be paying  to add on more dlc to it.