Dragon Age II Reviews, Wave Eleven

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Written by BuckGB on March 18th, 2011

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Dragon Age II is sure to raise the ire of some more traditional RPG fans. Gone are the elaborate spread sheets and item juggling of yesteryear, but with The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim due later in 2011, those gamers needn't despair. The increased focus on combat, and the tighter scope of the story do lend the game an air of "Action RPG", but the depth of a full-blooded BioWare game still beats within.

Despite these gripes, Dragon Age II completely pulled us in with its story and characters, while the combat system kept us fully engaged. It's a very different experience from Origins, but still a good one. This is the kind of game that grabs hold and eats away at the hours because you want to jump into one more quest and see how something turns out, and we can't wait for more content to release in the coming months.

Frankly, while I think this game could have been great, it's drowned out in its mediocre visuals, story, characterizations, and game play. If a game is supposed to be an epic experience, it should play in a way to make me anxious to come back to play it. Dragon Age 2 makes me want to cut on myself instead. Maybe the fantasy RPG type game is becoming stale as a genre and I need to spend more time playing RTS's games until some young game development company comes up with a fresh new angle for players to explore. Until then I encourage Bioware to stop making a piece of crap like this.

Dragon Age II is a much better game on consoles than Origins, but doesn't quite live up to the legacy on PC. It's a vastly different game in many regards, with a completely streamlined gameplay experience that I prefer, but more serious RPG fans including those of Origins might despise. It also doesn't have the same allure by moving away from the spiritual connection with Baldur's Gate. Despite these minor quarrels, it's a great reboot, rather than true sequel, and continues to evolve the RPG genre as it becomes better suited to modern consoles.

They have good intentions, but ended up shooting themselves in the foot. I still find Dragon Age II to be a great game. The combat is really enjoyable and rewarding, but the hardcore RPG player in me doesn't like the overly simplistic aspects to everything else. If you enjoyed Dragon Age: Origins, more than likely, you have already picked up this game. I would still suggest it to any RPG fan. You will still have a blast. I just think by making the game simpler, they have created a fun playing game, but not a very deep one.

Dragon Age 2 is fun in the same way that your slab of value microwave Lasagne was palatable, the ingredients are adequate and the recipe is put together with enough competency to satisfy, but it will irritate because you know that with a bit more attention to the seasoning and details it could have been an unrivalled, definitive modern classic.

None of this should detract from the fact that Dragon Age 2 is still a thrilling, absorbing game to play, and for those left unsatisfied by Mass Effect 2'²s streamlined approach to combat and levelling up, it should still please. Us though, we'd have been happier with the upcoming Mass Effect 2 DLC while BioWare fleshed this out further.

I've heard a lot of criticism about DAII, and even though I agree with some of it, this is still a great game that's well worth your time and money. Like most of Bioware's games, there's plenty to pick apart here, but taken as a whole, Dragon Age II is yet another excellent game to come out of the studio.

Simplified customization and world with so little to appreciate really takes away from the beauty of what Dragon Age: Origins is. As I've said before, I've enjoyed the game and by all means it worth some time investing into. But I had very high expectations for this one considering how well BioWare meticulously crafted Origins. Dragon Age 2 does not seem like it was made for the fans of the first game but instead was made for a completely different audience all together.

Dragon Age II is no graphical showpiece, but the changes for the better to character designs go a long way in alleviating the technical shortcomings. What truly gets you through the unattractive texture work though is the fantastic level design and stimulating conversations. Complaints about the scaled back world are also valid but are brushed aside by just how much fun it is to go on the myriad of quests that are available. This is an incredible RPG that will please series veterans and newcomers alike.

There can be no doubt that Dragon Age II has major improvements over its predecessor in terms of graphics and combat, and the amount of choice given to the player within the story is unparalleled. However, this doesn't change the fact that certain aspects of the game have clearly been rushed in order to meet the release date, most noticeably the overuse of certain locations. This is a shame because, as good as it is, if BioWare were given a few more months on the game then we could have had something truly special on our hands.

Is Dragon Age 2 worth it? If you have 20 odd hours to spare and a willingness to put up with a few technical hitches then Dragon Age 2 is an excellent way to spend those hours. It's not a traditional RPG in terms of customizability and complexity and it could have clearly benefited from 3-4 months of more polish but it's hard to fault a game where so many of the charming qualities outweigh the bad ones. I can't help but shake the feeling that this is the Knights of the Old Republic 2 of this generation - an ambitious sequel marred by technical complications. With that said, I for one voraciously await the new DLC's with baited breath, because I simply must know why Varric decided to name his much-fondled crossbow Bianca.

Overall, the good outweighs the bad in Dragon Age 2. While the environments and fights may get a little redundant by the end, a well written story, plenty of side quests, and great character development save the day. Any time fighting gets boring, switching characters to use different tactics and abilities refreshes the feeling of combat. The main plot line sports a decent length, and exploring the various character stories and side quests along with it should take about 40-50 hours in an initial play-through. The story is structured in a way that events can play out vastly different based on your many choices, giving the game a good level of replayability. Since Hawke has three speciality talent trees that are completely different for each character class, a second venture is made more interesting by experimenting with these new specialities and playing styles. So, while Dragon Age 2 may not be the ultimate RPG of the year, it's fun to play through, delivers a good story, and is generally worthy of a purchase.

Dragon Age II is fun. It isn't perfect and it probably isn't exactly the game that Dragon Age: Origins fans were expecting, but that doesn't mean it's bad. There are a few undesirable elements, like the recycling, and it would have been nice if it was more like a 40 hour adventure. Personally, I loved it. I thought the story flowed better and relished every party member quest I got to undertsake. I wasn't even that bothered by the fact that you're pretty much trapped in Kirkwall for the entire adventure. It just worked. If you enjoyed Dragon Age: Origins, I think you'll enjoy Dragon Age II for what it is, and not what it isn't.

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