Dragon Age II Review

[Buizel91]

Man I see so many comments on the Internet about how the game craps in the face of all the players who still live in 1998.

Because god forbid Bioware try new things with their IP. If some fans think Baldur's Gate's format was the be-all-end-all of RPG gaming, they need to expand their minds just a little.

Well thank god someone speaks sense!

I've only played the demo, but i know simply by playing that half the problems people have with the game are false, it looks and feels beautiful.

Now the post i found the most laughable

Spoiler: Go team retard!

The game looks like shit even on the highest settings and with the high-texture pack. But it runs like a one legged dog on my computer ( Intel i7 920, 6 gig 1600mhz ram, Win7, HD5850)
The combat is dumbed down, and I really dislike the fact that Hard has no FF. Nightmare is a bit to much for me sometimes, but NO FF on hard just seems silly.

The character, well, I'm only an hour into the game, so they are good so far. But the fucking dialog holy shit it's bad sometimes. "I want to be a dragon".

The facial animations suck. HL2 did them way better six years ago. Overall it feels rushed and like a quick cash-in. (Probably to make up money for the HUGE failure that will be their mmo)

It is worse then the first in every single aspect in my opinion, and is everything that is wrong with RPG's nowdays. Worse combat that feels less rpg and more hack n´ slash,( Also, it looks silly with swinging a 2h sword like a stick. But at lest mages aren't demigods anymore), worse characters, worse dialog, and worse graphics. Also no isometric view.

It is still fun at some times, but yeah. I want a series to improve. Hope they make a DA:O 2 or something, more like the original, because this might be the biggest dissapointment of a game in recent years for me.


Ah well, at least shogun 2 looks promising.

The game looks shit?...

Yep because origins looked so much better!

I honestly don't see what peoples problems are, the dialogue has always been a bit off, even in Dragon Age Origins (but other than your character getting the speech wrong it was Flemmith, Alistair etc...)

And for another complaint I've seen...It looks likes ME2 because it's BIOWARE! they have the same formula for all their games! Origins had the same style as Kotor... yet no complaints? hmmmmm...

OT: Now for my view on the game...Only played the Demo, but it was enough to sell me, I really like the look of Flemmith in this game, makes her look more badass. Also the combat system is much better, i love the level up system =D i can now see what I'm changing <3

Can't wait to pick it up!

 

[deth2munkies]

I haven't even played the game yet, but my experiences with the demo, plus the user reviews that from what I've been seeing both from the demo and from gameplay stuff that I've watched are justified. I'm not a mindless fan prepared to pay for pre-orders and day 1 DLC without research, and this review seems extremely disingenuous and thus unhelpful to me in my decision-making process.

Saying that story is IMPROVED by a Paragon/Renegade/Sarcastic Bastard dialogue wheel seems like you don't know what story or RPG elements or choice actually means in games, and I'd suggest you go back and play games like Deus Ex, or even the original Origins that gave you halfway options of dubious morality but not completely evil.

I can't take you seriously when you give 5/5 and 100 on Metacritic to a game with flaws. Perfect scores should be rare enough to really mean something, and giving it to a game with established control and storyline issues makes you look like fools. I don't want to have to wait for Yahtzee to tell me the negative parts of this game and have to sort what's exaggerated for comic effect and what is an actual, legitimate concern with the game for myself. Get your lips off EA's ass so we can trust you.

Speaking of that, I've heard about negative feedback on the EA forums being punished by bans that prevent players from activating DLC or the game proper, which is fucking appalling. I don't have official confirmation other than a few people posting on a forum, so for all I know they could be violating forum rules and posting swear-filled rageposts and wondering why they got banned, but regardless the fact this is even an issue makes me not want this game even more.

 

[NSiky]

Well, I just bought and played this game (based partly on this review's reassurance) and can safely say that it's one of the poorest quality games I've played in.. well, several years.

I'm not going slam the author and he's entitled to an opinion of his own, but this is the last time I come to the Escapist for a respectable review.

 

[mrhateful]

Well, I just bought and played this game (based partly on this review's reassurance) and can safely say that it's one of the poorest quality games I've played in.. well, several years.

I'm not going slam the author and he's entitled to an opinion of his own, but this is the last time I come to the Escapist for a respectable review.

There is really only one reviewer to trust in, and thats zero punctuation. This guy Greg Tito says everything is good no matter how utterly crap it is. So in other words he is like 99% of all reviewers

 

[ZephrC]

I am honestly surprised at how divisive both this game and this review are. Okay, I get that not everyone likes this game, especially a lot of long time Bioware fans. That sucks.

But seriously? What the hell is up with all this garbage about how the game is awful and the review is dishonest or incompetent and no one likes this game? I like this game. The review seems to be in line with my experiences while playing it so far. The whole game has been pretty much exactly what I expected, and I love it.

I'm fine with people not liking it, and I'm fine with them saying it here, but I am sorely disappointed with all the people screaming like Greg Tito murdered their mother because he really liked a game that they didn't. It's disappointing, especially from a community I've come to like as much as this one.

 

[Necromancer1991]

Frankly I don't see why people have to call Greg's mental competence or integrity into question, sure he gave an oddly positive review, doesn't mean he's been bribed or held at gunpoint, maybe he just likes it, like me & many others. Look if you don't like it, well fine you have a right to say so, but you don't have to insult people who disagree with you, I'll repeat myself, I ENJOYED THE GAME THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS, okay I'm sorry if you felt like you wasted your money, but than again that's your own damn fault. I'll admit the engine still has it's rough edges and the plot's not quite as good as the first, the environments ARE recycled (But they are all unique so I personally let it slide), but in spite of those shortcomings people enjoyed the game, and again that's all that matters.

 

[PopcornAvenger]

I guess, for my part, I held the Escapist up on a bit of a pedestal.

The big splash page the DA2 site has up, with the Escapist "5/5! What videogames are meant to be!" . . . . saddens me.

Oh, well, just a game. And just another gaming site.

 

[AnteGravity]

I am saddened that this review is so overwhelmingly positive to the point of ignorant bliss. I understand that Yahtzee is supposed to be the big critical review guns for the Escapist but this just smacks of Candy-mountain thinking. At least make an attempt to play devils advocate and have a wide frame of reference to discern opinions from instead of portraying a never-ending honeymoon with a perfect soul mate.

If this is a pinnacle of gaming then what is The Witcher II or TES:Skyrim going to be when released this year? Two games that have a much high quality of both developer investment and refinement.

Sad day for The Escapist, I'm honestly sorry to say.

 

[AnteGravity]

[ Accidental Double Post ]

 

[Pinkjello]

I am saddened that this review is so overwhelmingly positive to the point of ignorant bliss. I understand that Yahtzee is supposed to be the big critical review guns for the Escapist but this just smacks of Candy-mountain thinking. At least make an attempt to play devils advocate and have a wide frame of reference to discern opinions from instead of portraying a never-ending honeymoon with a perfect soul mate.

If this is a pinnacle of gaming then what is The Witcher II or TES:Skyrim going to be when released this year? Two games that have a much high quality of both developer investment and refinement.

Sad day for The Escapist, I'm honestly sorry to say.

Totally agree. Dragon Age 2 has an awful story and the game takes a difficulty dive so severe the last encounters are just funny to play through. 30 hours of an act one waiting to get to the important parts of the overall important story which abruptly ends just as a true catastrophe happens (and the primary story arch being revealed) is piss poor story progression primarily concerned with setting up future expansions that will resolve this conflict over a two year period in which dollars will funnel to an undeserving development team. The lack of depth to the final choices within the game reflects the inept writing and hurried finished to an overall lackluster game.

 

[ScoopMeister]

Awesome Game. 'Nuff said.

 

[sir.rutthed]

I honestly don't know what half you posters are smoking. This was a great game (I got it on PC so maybe there's something to that...) with great characters. I liked the story better than DA:O because it wasn't just like every other fantasy RPG ever made with raising an army to fight off the hordes of darkness. I liked the political aspect of it, the characters were all great (except Fenrris, but I just can't stand emo characters) and the narrative style was interesting and kept me involved. Like any other high quality AAA game, it's gonna have a lot of praise and detractors just because it's a quality AAA game. Aside from that, the only real complaints I have are really the same ones I'd have for any other RPG ever made, but not as much because everything is so well executed.

If this is a pinnacle of gaming then what is The Witcher II or TES:Skyrim going to be when released this year? Two games that have a much high quality of both developer investment and refinement.

Sad day for The Escapist, I'm honestly sorry to say.

Maybe this just means it'll be a great year for Western RPG's? Honestly, this game may not quite be the most revolutionary thing for the genre, but it's a well made and well executed game. You may have a fair point here come November when both those games you mention are out, but until then it's not fair to compare a game that's out now to games that don't come out for months and just assume it'll come out the worse for it.

 

[Pinky's Brain]

I don´t know, maybe it is just me, but I found the video supplement somehow very.... off.
What was said did not really seem to match what was shown.
Especially whenever he mentioned the brilliant writing. It was always accompanied by someone saying something utterly unfunny or uninteresting.
And when he mentioned how awesome Kirkwall looks, the video shows a beige blocky building, sorrounded by a couple of blocky, undetailed gardens. Not to mention the statement "one of the best looking games of its generation", which is accompanied by unconvincing, lifeless faces.

I´m sure it is a very nice game and all, but you really should have chosen better examples to illustrate your points.

Maybe it was his attempt at rebellion?

Whether it's a good game or not ... it's not a polished game. It's clearly rushed, that alone should detract enough points to put it below DA:O. Programmer art (compare the party selection screen between DAO and DA2), copy pasting and selective bits of insanely poorly modeled/textured/animated art (the famous low poly elf, the famous low poly skeleton, some areas are just boxes with a single out of place wood grain texture on the wall and ~10 polygon shapes on the floor plastered with more wood texture ... the eternally haunched elf in your party looks pretty daft as well). How can a review not mention any of that? The fact that most of it looks good is no excuse, if it's not consistently so it should be mentioned.

The only theory I can come up with is that EA needed a couple high visibility reviews which declared the game better than DA:O, PC Gamer and The Escapist in were the "lucky" ones to be showered with money to make it happen I think :/ Maybe I'm attributing to malice what I should attribute to incompetence? Either way, this review reflects poorly on the reviewer.

 

[MaartenVC]

5 stars ? ...

 

[isma1990]

The thing is, when you are reviewing something you can't just post things like: OMGOGASGOMGGGGG ITS SO FUCKING AWESOME I WANT TO LICK THE GAME COVER. Why? Because reviews must say what's good and what's bad regardless if you like it or not so that people will know how good it is. A review must be as objective as possible and this game has points that a decent review should punish severely such as repeating maps a hundred-fold the amount mass effect did.

What has the world come to? A "professional" reviewer acting like a mindless fanboy who will shun away obvious flaws just because DA RULEZZZZZZZZZ. I'm not saying reviewers should be merciless judges like yahtzee, but he is the ONLY one who speaks his mind and has the balls to say THIS is good whereas THIS OTHER SHIT is fucking HORRIBLE. This review has no more credibility than a fanboy nerdraging at EA forums about it's awesomeness.

 

[Buizel91]

The thing is, when you are reviewing something you can't just post things like: OMGOGASGOMGGGGG ITS SO FUCKING AWESOME I WANT TO LICK THE GAME COVER. Why? Because reviews must say what's good and what's bad regardless if you like it or not so that people will know how good it is. A review must be as objective as possible and this game has points that a decent review should punish severely such as repeating maps a hundred-fold the amount mass effect did.

What has the world come to? A "professional" reviewer acting like a mindless fanboy who will shun away obvious flaws just because DA RULEZZZZZZZZZ. I'm not saying reviewers should be merciless judges like yahtzee, but he is the ONLY one who speaks his mind and has the balls to say THIS is good whereas THIS OTHER SHIT is fucking HORRIBLE. This review has no more credibility than a fanboy nerdraging at EA forums about it's awesomeness.

You do know a Review is an Opinion of something? in this case a game? maybe he didn't find any bugs or glitches during his play through? maybe nothing annoyed him?

If you don't like it, read another review, don't blast this guy because he reviewed a game he thought was excellent. if you don't agree then Boo-Fucking-Hoo

 

[Lord Servius]

I just cant see that at all. To me DAO looks so superior to DA2. The graphics in DA2 are to non human like now in my book. Scenery graphics are meh and I have done studies on many games for my course to see the difference. Fighting to me bugs me and as some one else pointed out earlier which I never looked at death kills. Thats not even in DA2.

Also some one else stated castle vainia never played but got my mate to play it for me while I watched over live stream. Now many things taken out of that.

To me jumping 5 foot in the air with a huge sword has taken the game out of the point that even is close to a realist view.

To me there is a point you should not cross with rpg's of this type and they have and its just killed it for me. Bioware has always had my backing with its games. But if I had to rate it outta 5 its a 2.5 outta 5 from me. If a percentage I would say 45% - 50%

There is a lot more on this game that should have been done extremely better and even tho DLC's add some more to it. I do not see them really boosting the game anymore.

Rushed shortened and just done concentrating on the console players. To my view on games for pc and consoles they should be done separately. Why? Making something for a console to have it on a pc no. PC can provide much more. The base came from there and one should be done soley on pc and one for consoles. To suit those who play what. No doubt my comment might start up the war that has been going on with pc and consoles. I have a 360 and an old ps2. I rented out DA2 on the 360. But even on there. Niggles I got from the PC bugged me on there to.

But as I said if I had to rate it outta 5 its a 2.5 outta 5 from me. If a percentage I would say 45% - 50%. Sorry bioware you have disappointed me in this game.