There may be spoilers ahead.
With the exception of Sonic and the Darkspawn Origins DLC, I've played and enjoyed all of Bioware's releases since Shattered Steel. Over the last three weeks or so I've played through DA2, Origins, (and almost all it's DLC) DA2 for a second time and most recently DA2 for a third, (Act 2 at time of writing).
It's therefore somewhat saddening to say the one word I come away from DA2 with is disappointment. That's not to say I've not enjoyed the experience - hell, I'm still playing and still eager for more - just that the overall impression I'm left with is it could have been so much more. Much like Troika's glorious swansong, Bloodlines, a lot of the enjoyment is ruined by a sense that rather than the developer, it was the publisher deciding the product was ready. Certainly for my peace of mind, I tell myself that's so and hope it won't be again, (since I'd imagine a particular time/money sink you've been tinkering with for a while now - something about lightsabers or somesuch shenanigans - won't be looming quite so prominently for DA3).
I think I paraphrase Minsc when saying : This behaviour must not continue. Feel the burning stare of my hamster and change your ways.
Many of the following have been stated in previous posts, but I'll reiterate those that troubled me, both to add another voice, but also in the interests of catharsis. Some are merely niggles, others not.
A couple of PC issues to start with, (the format I play all games on).
A pet bugbear of mine, but would it be too much trouble to remove the "Press start to start" screen on the PC version. It's presence is always quite jarring and seemingly pointless, beyond the indication that the console version came first. Also, on the character customisation screen, please bring back the arrows on either side of the selection bars. It's sometimes quite awkward to settle exactly on the change you want with only a mouse drag, especially when there are many options available for a bar, (the colour of blush for example). This only gets worse with added 3rd party mods too.
Some old reliables.
The reuse of incidental maps is horrendous. Far more that any of your previous titles, the effect is incredibly distracting. A lot of the joy from exploration is lost when visiting the same cave, warehouse or home for the tenth time. Of course there are situations where you revisit the same location and similarity is to be expected, but I suspect even the Maker would have gotten bored populating the Free Marches with the same cave network throughout. To compound the situation, there seemed very little attempt to disguise the fact, the only one I recall being Sebastian's personal quest in Act 2, where some alternate textures and skullpile blockages made all the difference. It was disheartening to see the minimap show the default layout each time and the grey blocks that were sometimes doors and sometimes non-interactable scenery act as dividers. Had the minimap been suitably trimmed and a few alternate textures added to disguise the doors, ambient barrels, crates and the like jiggled around to hide the copy-paste it would have been something, but as it stands it was glaring and given Bioware's track record, shocking. Overall, disappointment.
On the subject of maps, the lack of change between acts within Kirkwall itself was depressing. A scattering of new lootables and a change in the position of the sun didn't serve to give the impression that years had passed since you last visited despite the addition of an arch or statue here and there. Since it's understandable that in the absence of a natural disaster or war, little is likely to change on a major architectural scale that wasn't too unexpected, but crates stacked outside houses and such are, as are the people and vendors. This was further impacted by the fact that regardless of whether you helped your fellow refugees or cleared the nighttime streets of thugs, or let it all rot, nothing changed come the next act. Some sense of having a tangible effect would have made a welcome addition.
The lack of impact upon the world is something that bears mention for the story as a whole. None of the decisions you made seemed to make the blindest bit of difference to the path the story followed. Sure there were subtle changes in some of the side quests that became available as a result of the factions you favoured in a previous act, but for the main narrative, despite Varric's opaque précis at the start of the act, no matter what Hawke did, it ends the same way. After the profusion of choices you were able to make with Origins and the impact they had upon an individual playthrough, this was again, a disappointment. Given the "Rise to power" tagline associated with the game's press, it's somewhat ironic that Hawke felt so powerless, (moreso when compared with the Warden).
Combat is also something that I feel the need to comment upon. On the whole the increase in pace over Origins is welcome, though for my taste, it's perhaps a little too fast overall. Combined with the most unwelcome addition of waves of enemies to far, far too many encounters to be justified however, it takes combat from the fun, (at least on normal - the difficulty I most often play on) to the button-mashingly mindless. Despite the more viceral and dynamic nature of battle in 2, I find the more sedate combat of Origins far more enjoyable over an extended period as things stand. I rarely found myself frustrated or bored in Origins, even ploughing through the Deep Roads, yet frequently caught myself gritting my teeth as yet another wave of trash spawned in 2. To my mind, however, a reduction/removal of the vast majority of waves, (not all, by any means - the odd encounter here and there with reinforcements arriving adds a welcome change - even if they seemingly magically appear from nowhere
) and an ever so slight reduction in pace would see the combat in 2 take the crown. In all honesty, the combat in a Bioware game is not really something that's overly important as long as it's functional - since it's fundamentally a hurdle that needs to be crossed in order to get to the next chunk of story for me, rather than a prime focus, (with the exception of the epic boss fights
.
That being said, the removal of a tactical, overhead view, especially combined with the inability to disable the "sticky" nature of AoE attacks are two aspects that would also, to my mind, need to be addressed. From a tactical combat point of view, not being able to have a clear sense of the battlefield layout made targetting a frustration on many occasions, certainly quelling any desire to play on harder difficulty levels as a result. For example, one character can see a trap around a corner, but you can't change to the rogue to disable it, because with them selected, you can no longer align the present camera in such a way to be able to interact with it. Perhaps that's intentional, "That character can't see it themselves, so of course they can't interact with it" you call. Humbug, I reply, please leave such "realism" as the purview of Counter Strike clones. On the flip side, sticky targetting was equally frustrating - though rather than from a tactical approach, this time from a real time one. Instead of being able to poop my miasmic flask or fireball where wanted in real time, I'd often have to pause, just to find the sweet spot I'd want the AoE land. Again, a frustration that detracts from enjoyment.
In an ideal world, I'd like to see both the reappearance of the tactical view for those days I want to Nightmare and at least the option to turn off sticky targetting for those when I want to Casual, but as things stand at the moment, please, at least one of them patched in.
Also of note for combat is the death animations. Here it has to be said 2 has taken a sharp backstep compared to Origins. Whilst it's understandable that the faster paced combat doesn't lend itself to finishing move animations, neither does the pace increase imply that foes are in fact blood filled baloons. Foes exploding is silly. Silly and distracting. It's another of those small things that serve to sever the suspension of disbelief. Should a "messy kills" item be equipped, or a mage's odd spell, (walking bomb and such I guess) be the cause, then fine, I suppose the whole exploding corpse thing is valid, but to explode from a dagger stab is poor. Combined with the overly fast 2-handed weapon attack speed and the gymnastic approach of a rogue, I'm left with a sense that the target demographic for such "features" is well below the PEGI rating of the game itself. I'd hope the slow and devastating 2h'er and more restrained rogue make a reappearance in future releases. As things stand, there seems little point in making any sort of choice over character class - since all attack just as fast regardless of weapon type, whereas with Origins, the decisions you made mattered to your sense of combat pacing.
Related to combat are the talent trees. Although they are an improvement over Origins, there are a couple of aspects that I feel bear mention. Firstly they're a little on the small size per tree. Whilst Origins did suffer from a surfeit of skills - especially with Ascension, as things stand in 2, the generic trees feel a little too small to truly shape a character. Rather than having 3 trees with 4 abilities each, I'd have rather seen 2 with 6, (and their associated upgrades) Leaving a maxed player character with perhaps 1 filled generic and 1 specialist tree, rather than 2 or 3 generics and 1 or 2 specialist maxed. Perhaps it's merely an aesthetic quibble, but Origins gave a character more of a sense of role than DA2 - something that's welcome in an RPG. With 2, I'm left feeling a warrior, mage or rogue - regardless of where I stick my talent points, whereas in Origins I was dual wielding warrior, an elemental mage or a ranger. That greater sense of character is missed.
My other niggle with the talent trees is in relation to your companions. Especially with access to respec pots, it's frustrating that certain characters are entirely unable to access certain skills. As an example, and probably an often cited one at that, I'm not a fan of Anders. I didn't particulary enjoy his character in Ascension, (apart from Ser Pounce-a-lot) and he does nothing to endear himself with me in 2. As a result I'm loathe to use him as a party member outside of the "you must bring x" quests. However, for a goodly portion of the game, more or less depending on various choices you make, he's the only character that's able to heal. Thus I either hamstring myself by not bringing him along, or bring him and get irritated by his attitude. The same is true of Aveline and Fenris. Far preferable would have been the ability to spec Merril as healer and Fenris as sword and board. Yes, they'd not be as good as Anders and Aveline when considering each character's unique talents, (something I was glad to see included, as it adds character to characters
but I suspect a lot less frustrating than none at all. I don't see the reasoning behind such restrictions, since a character's actual talented abilites have no impact on the story. Certainly, compared to Origins, it feels like a step back, rather than forwards.
It can be argued that a healer or a tank aren't needed. You can pot, shield and stun lock as alternatives and that's true. You can. But it would be nice to have the choice not too, without limiting your enjoyment using a companion you don't care for.
All of which brings me to my next subject. Companions. Two aspects of companions I feel are the worse for the changes between Origins and 2. First off, interaction. I've seen it mentioned, that one for one, there's a lot more dialogue per companion in 2 than there was in Origins. The trouble is it doesn't feel like that at all. Yes, the random party banter is a great improvement and the greater frequency of interactions in quests as they comment on this and that, or are asked for advice is most welcome, but it rarely serves to advance your relationship with that character. Sure, Anders, for example, will pipe in on occasion during a quest, but it's uncommon he'll say anything other than "mages have a hard time y'know." It's only during the all too infrequent companion quest pickup or completion dialogues that you're given a chance to get to know a little more about them and Maker forbid you don't follow every option trail at that point, else it's gone - never to be discussed again in 7 years. Sorely missed are the leisurely talks in camp from Origins, or enquiries while wandering the world. Discovering Sten's love of cookies, or Leliana's shoe fetish were moments of joy that helped breathe life into your companions. I think only the Long Road has offered that same sense of wonder in 2 and that's sad. Half the fun of returning to camp after a hard days darkspawn slaying was doling out the accrued gifts and hopefully getting to know your fellows a little better.
Similarly disappointing were the romances. Whilst the ability to romance a multitude of characters is to be justifiably praised, the 3 flirts and you're in scripting was a little on the spartan side. Sure it could be justified for the likes of Isabela, as it was for Zervran in Origins, given their personalities, but a more meaningful process for some would also have been welcome. Leliana's minefield of conversation options are an example. Also, once the relationship had been formed, it would have been welcome to be able to engage in banter with said person, as it is, the relationship feels lifeless outside of the acquision dialogues. Asking Merril to move in, (an option - even if automatically refused by certain characters - would have been nice for all) leads intitally at least to a flower pot in your room and handprints on your chandelier. Not quite in the same league as having the Blight wait 10 minutes while you have a snuggle.
Again it adds to the sense of detatchment from your character. Nothing you do really seems to make a difference to you or the world outside of the dialogue involved with it.
My second issue with companions is the lack of ability to equip them. I can understand the desire for them to retain a unique look, hell, in Origins I'd often hold off equipping someone just so they would retain their appearance, (Maker bless the person who added the hide hat option!) Indeed, when their costume did change as a result of events, it was welcomed - some tangible effect to your actions at last! But 75% of the items you garner in 2 are no better than the trash loot as things stand. It would have been nice to be able to add the stats from those items at least to their eqivalent slots, or if not that, some choice in the nature of the upgrades you apply to their armour, rather than a fixed, unchanging, four items per character, per game. Along with those conversations in camp during Origins, distributing new loot to your companions was also all part of the fun during the breaks from saving the world.
With regards to equipping companions, the inability to access them all at one location was also an added frustration, rather than an improvement. Having the option to call everyone over to your home or somesuch, so you could distribute rings and such between them, (as you could in your campsite in Origins) would have been appreciated. More so since you couldn't even form a party at your home, (where you have access to your storage and enchanting facilities).
On the subject of loot, the new inventory system is, overall, I think an improvement, but the absence of flavour text is missed. Star ratings for gear, however, I'm dubious about. Their addition seems to be for the benefit of those new to RPGs, fair enough. A larger consumer base leads ultimately to more cash for development, at least so one would hope. Then why is the system so spurious? A ring, for example, that I loot at level 5 with 3% physical damage will have 0 stars compared to 3 for the exact same ring looted at level 15. This seems somewhat counterintuative.
A few other random issues.
Crafting has, overall, changed for the better. It was often quite annoying gathering all the required materials to craft
something in Origins, especially initially, when unfamiliar with the location of various vendors, so the find and forget nature of crafting nodes was appreciated. However, the inclusion of said nodes in areas that were potentially unreachable was, I think, a poor desgin choice. By all means stick them in places you don't have to visit, but not in those you can't.
Hawke's home was also somewhat souless. Largely unchanging for 6 years, lacking random rooms, (no kitchen!) and little indication of time passing. Personally, I'd have loved to have seen something of the scale of the Arl's Denerim estate from Origins, with the option to invite all your companions to move in over time, new trophies added as quests are completed, (High dragon head over the fireplace!) or even something as simple as Shep's fish tank from ME2 - something to give a sense of progress and achievment. Not to mention the ability to change costume - a plusher outfit as your successes improved your lot in life.
A small niggle on the subject of clothing, both in Origins and DA2. Mage robes and hats - shudder.
In relation to mages. Given the overarching story, it seemed strange so little comment was made if the player was one, let alone if the party consisted of a mage PC or Bethany with Merril and Anders. It seemed inconsistent that everyone and their uncle would harp on about mages, yet nothing was done about you.
The dialogue wheel I like. Occasionally, it was quite difficult to judge the nature of a statement in Origins, but the wheel in 2 means even if what you say bears little relation to what you expect, at least the nature of the comment is in line with your intentions. However, the 3 choices often felt a little restricting, moreso with the absence of persuasion and intimidation. Whilst the change to the nature of your character based on your most frequent tone was welcome, the lack of special options as a result of that was noticable. Focusing on a tactful/agreeable approach for example, rarely led to the ability to calm a situation down and resolve it non-violently.
My final point relates to the bookends of the game and framed narrative structure. The introduction to your character, at least from the point of view of getting to know yourself and your family wasn't best served by the baptism of fire you enter after character creation. A prelude along the lines of the human noble origin story would have served to introduce you to everyone and as a result, perhaps, have some emotional ties with them, before they started dropping like flies. As it was, the sense of detachment from your family was great, to the extent that there was no emotional ties to the sibling that dies so soon into the game. Similarly, the lack of an epilogue and general spartan feel of Act 3 left me with the sense that something was missing. Far, far too many loose ends, as if the final bite of pie was snatched from my grasp, just as I was about to bite.
I enjoyed Varric's narration, especially his occasional exaggerations, but the transitions between acts didn't have the weight of time passing between them, especially since your character had so little impact on the development of Kirkwall.
Overall then, some welcome changes, some not so. I feel purged and able to resume that third playthrough now, but hovering over it all is still a sense of disappointment. Thank you for a good game, it's a shame it wasn't a great one though.
... I WAAAANT IIIIIT.. Ill walk the dog more often.." That or you can just start singing sensual seduction
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