Since its release Dragon Age 2 has received mixed reviews from the community, websites, and magazines alike. Some, like PC Gamer gave it a fantastic review. Others, like GameInformer gave it less of a positive review. The current average review score for Dragon Age 2 is 84/100 according to Meta Critic.
PC Gamer gave Dragon Age 2 a score of 94/100.
Dragon Age 2 is not what you expect. Hell, even during preview sessions, I hadn’t anticipated it being this much of a traditional sequel. But by locking down the context – the world and the politics – BioWare were free to fill their creation with more character and vitality than any title in recent memory. The best RPG of this decade? Nine more years will tell, but for now, yes.
IGN gave it a score of 8.5/10.
Every modification to the gameplay and structure of Dragon Age II is a clear improvement over the previous game. The combat is more responsive and bloody, you don’t need to fight the inventory system anymore, and conversations are more engaging thanks to the adapted Mass Effect wheel. There are downsides though; the semi-linear story and repetitive environments have a negative effect on what is otherwise a great role-playing game. Despite these complaints, Dragon Age II is a game I’m eager to replay.
GameSpot gave the game a score of 8.0/10.
In certain key ways, Dragon Age 2 is a step back. Regardless of how you may feel about the changes to the formula, however, it's still a great RPG that draws you in, thanks to the power of choice. Here is a game in which decisions have consequences that ripple outward, producing effects you may not have seen coming. What makes them more effective is that there is not always a clearly bad or good path to take--not in this world in which greed and anger course through the veins of so many, regardless of their affiliation. Personal connections in your family and adventuring party further complicate matters, ensuring there isn't one obvious way to continue. It's a shame that these intricacies were tempered by unnecessary simplification and unfocused storytelling. Nevertheless, Dragon Age II makes a strong impression, pulling you through with the promise of another fun quest, another character to meet, and another beast to slay.
GameSpy gave it 4/5 stars.
My biggest critique comes in the form of companion customization; you can't upgrade armor for your party members. My jaw dropped when I tried to buy a new suit of armor for my tank, and got a "Restriction: Hawke" message for item after item. Belts, rings, amulets, and most weapons are fair game... but BioWare opted not to allow players to choose companion armor. It's a strange direction for an RPG, and in my book, a poor one. Even so, BioWare deserves credit for having the cajones to completely overhaul an award-winning tactical RPG andeschew stereotypical fantasy narratives and characters to create one of the most impressive video game tales ever told.
GameInformer gave it a score of 7.75/10.
On all platforms, Dragon Age II caters to an audience that didn’t connect with Origins, while alienating those who did. This may result in a better console experience, but considering that Dragon Age: Origins was a love letter to old-school PC RPGs, BioWare’s neglect of the sequel’s PC release is tragic. I appreciate the technical refinements, but improving the polish doesn’t do much good when the basics still need work.
You can buy Dragon Age 2 from most major retailers and the official Dragon Age 2 site.
61 comments
I would say that you get almost as much as in DA:O in the end; but most of these comes in act 2 and 3; so you are probably just starting out here.
Also you need a decent friendship/rivalry score to get it really rolling.
Personally I think DA2 here does it better than DA:O, but people are always twisted up about the companions, from those people that hated the DA:O companions (I know several), to those that now hate upon the DA2 counterparts, or for all those of us that have more balanced, less 'rigid' views of the characters, but still have our own preferences.
A small tip is to spoil the Merrill story a bit by finding out how to circumvent the bug she brings; or wait until they patch it (its not fixed in 1.01).
EDIT:
It just seems a huge step back after ME2 from a story point. Maybe I haven't gotten into the meat of the story and this is fixed later... but it's just what I'm noticing right now.
And to the people who complete the game in 16 hours... they either rip through all the dialogue trees and burn through the story just to get a race to the finish... I'm about 20 hours in and just dipping my toe into Act II.
Especially when other characters talk about going to other cities or Orlais or whatever. It makes you feel like you're playing the anti-social shut in while all the cool people around them see the world.
Personally I prefer the main story to be less epic, since it usually means I have to spend less time doing it; or stories like FO1 and FO2, but also FO3 and now DA2 are ideal, or just a few choke points and the rest are up to you.
Fallout 1 done in 10 minutes; just something simple that you the player then can do at your leisure, all while they dig themselves into the world.
The problem with DA2 is that the world in part is so-so (compared to the standards of today; FO1 is a bit old to compare against visually and so).
* To preface, I'm playing as a dual-wielding rouge.
Good:
1. Combat/Animations- I'm going out on a limb here but although the new combat animations bothered me a lot at first, I'm actually pretty into them now. They're exciting to watch and I like that the camera allows you to get closer in, so as not to miss the action. It is a quicker pace but i still am able to make use of the tactics. As many reviewers have said, the new animations are more exaggerated. But I don't know-- by their nature, fantasy video games are an exaggeration of reality, right?
2. Storyline- I really like the framed narrative approach. An RPG taking place over ten years is a refreshing concept and I think it was executed well, as it remains engaging throughout.
3. Artwork/Graphics: The background environment in the demo really sucked and made me worried I'd be playing the game in this half-assed rendered, post-apocalyptic battleground. But the move to Kirkwall in the full game has definitely changed my opinion. The new environments are lush, more colorful, and have more character than Origins.
4. Voice Acting- As always with Bioware, the voice acting is great. Although I really liked imagining what my character would sound like in Origins, the voice acting ability of female Hawke (jo wyatt) more than makes up for this. Great intonation ,expression, and timbre. Like Maria callas, except with voice acting (just kidding).Some don't like the conversation wheel, but Hawke always says something that the corresponding icon intends.
Bad:
1. The User Interface/Codex- The things that I really, really hate are some of the details from the user interface. The generic trash can icon for various junk is really cheap-looking-- For a $60.00 game, Bioware couldn't have made icons for them?I really am irritated over the recycled codex entries also. I know a lot of the lore is the same from the first game, but at least paraphrase things a bit. These details, although small, reveal that this game was a rush job and make me a bit of a cynical gamer.
2. The Reused Cave- Okay, as I said, I love the environments but it's a little aggravating to have x amount of quests being in the (unintentionally) exact same cave. It's like when Oblivion used the same five voice actors for every NPC in Cyrodil. it's distracting and instead of thinking of the game, I'm thinking cynical-gamer thoughts.
3. Companions- Aside from Varric and Merrill, the companions are a little bland, especially compared to Origins' multi-faceted characters (Morrigan an Sten immediately come to mind). Isabela's appearance is a juvenile idealization of female sexuality and probably serves as a distraction from writing a more nuanced character.
4. As a Sequel- Since the one of the primary elements of Origins was the Grey Wardens, I find it odd that the Grey Wardens are only sometimes mentioned in the sequel (in a seemingly arbitrary way to boot). Maybe Bioware will tie these two games together better in the (certain) third installment, but until then, it's kind of like Ghostbusters II without any Bill Murray or Dan Akroyd. Still, I have a wait-and-see attitude with this one and the new story is good enough for me that it redeems itself.
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In general, I'm enjoying this game much more than I thought I would, especially after reading the endless reviews completely lambasting it. The game still allows me to think about and choose the progression of my character and have a strong investment into what happens to her. For me, this is the main reason I like rpg games. And the world, albeit riding on the Origins foundation, is still rich and compelling.Like, I really care about the fate of Kirkwall ,want to see it through, and will probably play through it more than once.
But, there are various flaws in DA2 and for me they center on elements of not being fully realized/developed because of a rushed release date: the companions, the interface, the Cave.Plus, there is the endless DLC that we will surely have to pay more for in the future.Clearly, the game-makers want as much money as possible and are going about it by taking advantage of loyal consumers of their product. It's difficult not to project anger towards Bioware/EA onto the game itself. I think I've gotten past this by feeling that this game is quite good, but not anywhere near great.
ps- sorry for the long post, I guess I had a lot of thoughts about this!!
Mind you I'm a bit of a plodding gamer myself, I'm still on my second character and I find myself not wanting to let her go, she's the good natured sarcastic sweetie I've always wanted to be. So props to BioWare and the actress on that at least.
It's still significantly shorter and less epic than DA:O though, but with games as they are nowadays few can be I suppose.
My first run ended at 59 hours, the 2nd is at 50 hours and only starting the last act, the third is 40 hours, and is starting the last act.
I feel its the same people saying FO3 only took 11 hours, maybe the same people would point out speed runs of FO1 and say that it can be done in less than 10 minutes (maybe it was 4 minutes) and thus its obviously a horrible game.
DA2 did not fulfill expectations , some improvements in the combat and interface, the graphics are good with DX11 (the only ones who complain are Windows XP users with DX9) and a few improvements , but neglect totally the essence of DAO... being generous only would get a rating of 5 out of 10.
DAO is still infinitely better than DA2!!
One being a group, firmly believing, game companies are their friends and stating, everyone should be content with what they are given. Honestly, I've read comments like that all over the boards for some years now. I for one can't believe, that this group paid for their games out of their own pockets, since forking out 60 bucks for something, normally raises the expectation bar.
Then there are those really being into fast paced and comical, rather than expecting an in deep immersing experience. That's totally OK, although I'm not part of that group.
And then there's the third group, expecting a hardcore RPG for their money. I admit, I'm part of that group and have a silent laugh at their ranting and raving, since I share most of their opinions when it comes to rushed games, catered to the fast paced market. But, and that's a big BUT - you don't have to buy. I didn't preorder any game, since I got seriously dissapointed by some franchise, four or five years ago. In general, one shouldn't expect to get something good, simply by the company doing it or by the supposed franchise. Better to have a good look before opening your wallet. That I did with the demo, and whilst I'm fully aware, it doesn't give me all the insights necessary, it gave me a good impression of how this game isn't made for me. The comments of the last few days only served to strenghten that opinion.