This is an interesting topic as I consider DA II to be a disappointing, poorly-made and generally bad game, one which I certainly don't miss. Inquisition was also a disappointment for me, but I nonetheless consider it to be a well-made and generally good game.
I certainly prefer pretty much every aspect of Inquisition to DA II, but Origins still comfortably holds the crown as the best installment in the franchise for me.
Honestly, Prefer DA2 over DAI.
DAI might be the better crafted game at the end of the day, but DA2 is the more enjoyable one.
One major thing that I loved about DA2 was playing a scoundrel in a big city. Hawke is easily one of my favorite protagonists, because I often found her very amusing throughout the game, but the level of expression allowed in dialogue is what makes me gravitate toward the Inquisitor more. I don't get as much amusement, but I do get a greater level of attachment, far more than the previous two.
Combat is kind of a mixed bag, but that's the case for all three games. For me, DA:O is easily the worst. It's far too slow for my liking, and the battle calls are kind of annoying. At least DA2's were a bit more amusing, since after the fight is over, Hawke might say "So, we won?" What I do miss from DA2's combat, though, is that the characters can actually run when engaging the enemy. I didn't care for DA:O's slow-down when the weapons were drawn, and I was disappointed to see that this returned.
DA2 had a generally tighter story and more personal feel, which presumably is making people appreciate it more since one of the commonly-identified flaws with DA:I is that it seems overly large. DA2 was also the only one that tried to do a narrative that wasn't about saving the world, and it would have been nice for BioWare to try and hone that new direction rather than ordering the full-scale retreat they did (even though it was obvious that after the backlash and lower sales they would do so).
I agree with this part entirely. But my conclusion is different. I say: I loved DA:2 better then any of the other games, because for me the actions I did had way more consequence then in the other games (I never understood why people complain about lack of consequence, but probably my perception is just odd to them). So I find DA:2 to be the best in the series and I'd trade DA:O and DA:I both for a DA:2 next episode any time.
Alas I like all three games, so I am a happy camper.
Overall DAI is the better game for me, but DA2 I think had somewhat better dynamic. Like.. the novella style, the day/night idea, and the characters had a deeper connection to me, but it also helped that I find Sarcastic/funny female Hawke to be one of the best characters of all time in an rpg. It just worked incredibly well in the setting - and personally, I thought that Kirkwall was a great one for telling a family story rather than a grand adventure. However, the game was definitely rushed in the sense that it was reusing content a lot.
I think it's interesting to see criticism on the series, anyway. So many seem to use a series like ME to compare, but all three DA games have a different theme, it's not chapter 1-2-3 like ME. More like 3 (not 1-2-3) books in the same universe. I guess it's a case where that 2 could really have been called something else. 
I don't get as much amusement,
This is something I was wondering for a while now.
The most laughs I had in DA:O, and then in DA:2. DA:I is not a game that makes me giggle while playing, aside from a few occasions like Cassandra's hobby.
Even the banter is more sinister, or is it just me playing at night mostly?
The laughs I got in DA:O were generally never from the Warden, unless I did something stupid-evil, or that snarky line to the First in Awakening (first of your class. lol). But in DA2 I got a lot from Hawke, like when she asks "What's a Mekel?" after the guy just finished complaining that she killed him, and of course all the shenanigans at Chateau Haine. I think the writers could have done well to allow us to play a snarkier hero. I hope they try something similar in the next game, just without the dominant tone system.
I enjoy all three games and don't think that any of them are "bad" because I had fun playing them all and invested the same amount of time into each game. That being said, Origins is my favorite because the story had the most detail and made me feel emotionally more than the other two. It is a wide known fact that DAII should have had more development time. That being said the main story was still fairly good imo. In DAII the companions lacked compared to Origins because there weren't as many opportunities for dialogue. In Inquisition there are a lot more opportunities for dialogue but still not as much as DAO and the main plot line was well written but not as in depth as it could have been. DAI's weakness is what was supposed to be its strength: the open world feature. I love exploration as much as the next guy (invested 200+ hours into the last 2 Elder Scrolls games) but open world isn't what the Dragon Age franchise is about. It's about its storytelling ability. I think if half the amount of time and effort put into making an expansive world was put instead into the story and character development, DAI would have been perfect. I don't want to feel like I only just met characters by the end of the game. I want to feel like they could be my husband/wife, sister/brother, mother/father, or best friend. If Bioware can do that for the next installment, I will be extremely happy.
Guest_DOJA_*
I just finished DA:I, and in MY opinion, technically DA:I is a better game that DA:2, but DA:2 is a more memorable game that DA:I
this is hard to say, but in for me DA:O > DA:2 > DA:I
DA II has some good parts (especially the story concept - not the execution though) and many flaws. The same counts for Inquisition, but in the end I had more fun with Inquisition. Hopefully BioWare'll learn for DA 4 and further how to build an open-world game that doesn't need to rely on so many boring side quests and can connect the world through a strong main story. This is by far my biggest issue with DA:I. I know it's boring and annoying, but Bethesda is at least two leagues above BioWare in creating a strong open world.
One (in my opinion) easy and worthwhile step would be to present the codex entries waaaaaaaay more interesting. Not some caps lock lines on black background that comes across like a command console. While I don't necessarily like the route they went with Inquisition ( it just doesn't convey the Dragon Age feeling), this could be working well in the future. But after three titles Dragon Age as a franchise needs to find its identity. Every title is like a reboot. So just stick with the Inquisition way. It won't be the Dragon Age I adored, but at least one would know what to expect from it.
Needless to say Origins > DA II/DA:I
I might be wrong, but after I saw a few comments in dozens of threads in this section, it's raising the question if people just miss Hawke and not the game, cause quite frankly, the game was really rushed and bad,
Some people say cucumbers taste better than pickles.
I decided to replay DA:O and DA2 while intermittently playing DA:I.
All three are pretty good games.
One major thing that I loved about DA2 was playing a scoundrel in a big city. Hawke is easily one of my favorite protagonists, because I often found her very amusing throughout the game, but the level of expression allowed in dialogue is what makes me gravitate toward the Inquisitor more. I don't get as much amusement, but I do get a greater level of attachment, far more than the previous two.
Combat is kind of a mixed bag, but that's the case for all three games. For me, DA:O is easily the worst. It's far too slow for my liking, and the battle calls are kind of annoying. At least DA2's were a bit more amusing, since after the fight is over, Hawke might say "So, we won?" What I do miss from DA2's combat, though, is that the characters can actually run when engaging the enemy. I didn't care for DA:O's slow-down when the weapons were drawn, and I was disappointed to see that this returned.
pretty much this for me i did treasure the combat a lot in DA2
Chalk it up to nostalgia. People will be saying DAI is better than the next sequel when that comes out as well. At least DAI has massive areas to explore unlike DA 2 which recycles maps.
As of now, DAI is the best in series as far as I'm concerned regardless of the streamlined tactical cam, which I wasn't a big fan of in DAO in the first place.
The one thing that stands out the most to me is the obvious feminist, homosexual, influenced design of all the female romance options in DAI. Why even give us a romance reply for Vivienne only to troll us by having her dismiss us?
Bioware needs to stop puckering up to the gay community and grow a pair. Making a big announcement about a genderless hero on the cover art? C'mon Bioware.
DA II would have been a nice DLC to DA:O or a prequel for DA:I for $ 18,50.
The game per se was not bad at all, but a playtime of approximately 20 - 30 hours was simply impertinent.
I liked Hawke, but I like the Inquisitor, too.
My dream: DA:(x) with the Warden, Hawke, Inquisitor and dog's daughter in one group.
As many have already said in this thread, it's pretty useless trying to determine one game as absolutely the best, as all games in the DA trilogy have their merits and flaws, with features in both list changing depending on how is making those lists. For example, personally I can easily name several things DAI does better for me than DA2 and vice versa. However, as the features DA2 excels in, again in my experience of the game, are also features that are more important for my enjoyment of the game and that is why for me DA2 is a better game than DAI. It still doesn't mean in anyway that I don't enjoy DAI. Also, I don't quite get why it would bother anyone if someone else enjoyed a game they didn't.
Having written that, I kind of have to comment on how DA2 fans just can't seem to win. When DA2 came out, you couldn't make a positive thread about it here at BSN without having it turn out to be extremely hostile almost instantly due to a bunch people who felt it was their sacred duty to make it clear to everyone that the game was an affront to all things good in this world. Now that DAI is out and people are bringing up what they may have enjoyed in DA2 more than in DAI, there is a lot of comments basically saying it's a trendy thing or people just looking for things to complain. Which to me is really weird, as the comparisons to DA2 have been nowhere near as toxic as it was when DA2 and ME3 came out, but that is of course just from my biased perspective.
On a side note, it has been great to have been reminded about the many Hawke quotes again. I had forgotten about their reaction to Cory's name, which was kind of awesome.
I dont know.
I liked Hawke a lot. I liked my Romance, Merrill, more than anyone in DA:I. I never took Issue with Kirkwall, and I liked the more personal story.
I dont think DA2 is a better game, but i might like it more.
Well, I did miss Merrill; I thought she was a great character. A good person who refused to abuse her blood magic abilities, supported helping people in need, voiced concern for the elves in the Alienage, and was driven to end the plight of the People through revolutionary technology that could irrevocably change their lives.
Does no-one understand the concept of personal taste anymore? Why do some of you think your opinions about how any game is good or bad are facts and are aghast that there are others who disagree with you? Get over yourselves already. So there are those who prefer DA2 over DA:I.
So what?
Well, I did miss Merrill; I thought she was a great character. A good person who refused to abuse her blood magic abilities, supported helping people in need, voiced concern for the elves in the Alienage, and was driven to end the plight of the People through revolutionary technology that could irrevocably change their lives.
or unleash the horrors of whatever lies beyond that particular Eluvian on unprepared civilians
6 of one half dozen of another really
I thought it was funny, that when viewed in hindsight, Merrill was perhaps the most overtly EVIL companion you could party up with. Her heart was in the right place, sure... but she was a blood mage and aspiring abomination, and nothing you said could change that.
Blood magic isn't inherently evil, and Merrill never uses it for anything malevolent; she learned it to cleanse a shard of the taint. I also don't see how she's an 'aspiring abomination' when she's remained in control of her faculties for a decade in Kirkwall (which is literally a Tevinter Hellmouth) and long after she parted ways with Hawke to look after the elves who were left homeless in the wake of the Mage-Templar War.
I also don't see why Hawke's word should sway Merrill when he's completely ignorant about her culture, and particularly about the Eluvian. Merrill has lived her entire life as a Dalish, she understands the hardships and the sacrifices her people have made over the centuries, and she's made painstaking research into the lore of the Eluvians. I don't see how his ignorance trumps her knowledge.
Seriously, she simply wasn't living her life correctly.
Making friends in the Alienage (like Nyssa), supporting the protection of human mages, wanting to stop a serial killer who was preying on elven children from the Alienage, helping out Hawke and their friends when they needed aid... I thought she was doing pretty well for herself.
The one thing that stands out the most to me is the obvious feminist, homosexual, influenced design of all the female romance options in DAI. Why even give us a romance reply for Vivienne only to troll us by having her dismiss us?
This is not "trolling". Not every "person" has to be attracted towards the player only because you can flirt with her/him. It's the same in real life, but there are also people who doesn't understand this.
Chalk it up to nostalgia. People will be saying DAI is better than the next sequel when that comes out as well. At least DAI has massive areas to explore unlike DA 2 which recycles maps.
As of now, DAI is the best in series as far as I'm concerned regardless of the streamlined tactical cam, which I wasn't a big fan of in DAO in the first place.
The one thing that stands out the most to me is the obvious feminist, homosexual, influenced design of all the female romance options in DAI. Why even give us a romance reply for Vivienne only to troll us by having her dismiss us?
Bioware needs to stop puckering up to the gay community and grow a pair. Making a big announcement about a genderless hero on the cover art? C'mon Bioware.
And this is why BioWare needs to keep doing what it's doing. Keep on truckin', guys.
I kinda like DAI more, but not by much.
I didn't mind replaying DA2 because I can always look forward to good moments and companion banter. In DAI, replaying is some serious hardwork. Getting all that stuff all over again. The world is too massive.
I also liked my DA2 romance a lot better than my DAI romance.
Lastly, Hawke had more opportunities to show his/her personality compared to the Inquisitor, resulting to Hawke being the more likeable character for me.
I wouldn't say DA2 was a bad game, just "small minded and inconsequential," as Angry Joe says. However, it WAS a fun diversion.
In comparison to Inquisition, the only thing I MIGHT say I preferred in DA2 was the orientation blind romances (anyone could romance anyone). However, I would say the quality of the characters in Inquisition were higher. Still, I look forward to going back and playing the trilogy back to back at some point. Can't wait for some content-rich DLC (SP of course, MP mode can sod off)!
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