I?m not up there with the people that fervently hate the game, but I?m not rating it a perfect 10 either. I feel like Bioware designed DA II with the console demographic in mind, and not the PC gamers. It still fares well on the PC, but you often feel out of place.
The story is a much more focused scope, taking place mainly in Kirkwall and the surrounding areas. Instead of focusing on a hero leading a party to fell some great evil, it?s instead more of a life story, with events happening around the hero, and him/her getting swept up in it. Granted it doesn?t have the scope and epic feeling of it?s predecessor, but it?s still a worthy addition to the Dragon Age cannon.
The gameplay is one of the few things that have me feeling a bit unnerved. It?s catered to a much more ?hack and slash? and consolegoer demographic. It?s also dumbed down the customization of companions, and made combat be more about surviving waves of incoming enemies instead of using tactics and cunning to take out a roomful of enemies. The feature to zoom our completely and get an overhead view of battles is also absent from the PC versions, which takes the intimacy of battle down a couple notches. While this has benefited and opened up Dragon Age to console players, it still leaves us PC gamers feeling neglected.
The user interface is another thing that bothers me. DA:O had a beautiful interface that was fit for a fantasy game, but DA II has a much more bare and stripped down interface. While this helps by not distracting from the gameplay too much, it?s also visually unappealing, and very opposite of what you might expect from a Bioware game.
Dragon Age II is a great looking game that builds upon the style from DA:O. There are many beautiful looking locations, and the problem of low-res textures have been taken care of for the most part, though that doesn?t mean they?re entirely absent. Bioware has provided PC players with a high-res texture pack that fixes almost all and any low textures present in the initial release. However, at some points in the game you can really start to tell where the developers started recycling areas to the point of intense deja vu.
The stiff and wooden NPC movements from DA:O have been fixed for the most part. The overall movement of the characters is top notch, especially combatwise. My only complaint is that a warrior using a two handed weapon seems much too quick and sharp for someone using a weapon of that size. But the new casting animations for mages are fantastic.
Bioware hasn?t lost it?s touch when it comes to designing characters at all however. The men and women that accompany the hero still have that Bioware quality to them. The voice acting is stellar, and It?s still very entertaining to hear the banter among your party members, or have one on one chats with them (Varric, Isabella, and Fenris are some of my favorites). You?ll also see some familiar faces from DA:O and Awakening, but I won?t spoil that for you.
One of the bigger complaints from critics and players alike is Hawke. More or less the fact that you?re stuck with Hawke, and cannot make an elf or dwarf like DA:O. While it is a little dissapointing, it provides a lot more focus for the narration, and brings a level of interactivity into the game. In DA:O, when you conversed with someone, it always felt a little odd that all the Warden would do is stare blankly and the other person would respond. Giving Hawke a voice really fleshes out conversations more than before.
But while that?s a neat addition to the game, the addition of Mass Effect?s conversation wheel feels a little unnatural, especially for an RPG, and restricts players to more narrow dialogue choices. I can see how the wheel would benefit console players, but the PC platform should have had the standard dialogue choices.
Bioware certainly took a leap with DA II, and I respect them for not being afraid to try something different. I believe that Dragon Age II and Bioware do not deserve all the flak they?ve been receiving since release day.
I?ve been playing Bioware games since their 1998 release of Baldur?s Gate, and if Bioware has shown anything since those days, it?s that they can learn from their mistakes, and that they listen to their community*.
Wrapping up, if you?re a fan of Bioware games or casual RPG?s, pick it up. But if you?re a fan of the more suited to table top games and hardcore RPG?s, than this might not be for you.
Gameplay: 7.5/10
Graphics: 9.3/10
Story: 9.0/10
Extras: 8.3/10
Final Score: 8.7/10
*(The console players complained that DA:O wasn?t console friendly. They certainly fixed that)
The story is a much more focused scope, taking place mainly in Kirkwall and the surrounding areas. Instead of focusing on a hero leading a party to fell some great evil, it?s instead more of a life story, with events happening around the hero, and him/her getting swept up in it. Granted it doesn?t have the scope and epic feeling of it?s predecessor, but it?s still a worthy addition to the Dragon Age cannon.
The gameplay is one of the few things that have me feeling a bit unnerved. It?s catered to a much more ?hack and slash? and consolegoer demographic. It?s also dumbed down the customization of companions, and made combat be more about surviving waves of incoming enemies instead of using tactics and cunning to take out a roomful of enemies. The feature to zoom our completely and get an overhead view of battles is also absent from the PC versions, which takes the intimacy of battle down a couple notches. While this has benefited and opened up Dragon Age to console players, it still leaves us PC gamers feeling neglected.
The user interface is another thing that bothers me. DA:O had a beautiful interface that was fit for a fantasy game, but DA II has a much more bare and stripped down interface. While this helps by not distracting from the gameplay too much, it?s also visually unappealing, and very opposite of what you might expect from a Bioware game.
Dragon Age II is a great looking game that builds upon the style from DA:O. There are many beautiful looking locations, and the problem of low-res textures have been taken care of for the most part, though that doesn?t mean they?re entirely absent. Bioware has provided PC players with a high-res texture pack that fixes almost all and any low textures present in the initial release. However, at some points in the game you can really start to tell where the developers started recycling areas to the point of intense deja vu.
The stiff and wooden NPC movements from DA:O have been fixed for the most part. The overall movement of the characters is top notch, especially combatwise. My only complaint is that a warrior using a two handed weapon seems much too quick and sharp for someone using a weapon of that size. But the new casting animations for mages are fantastic.
Bioware hasn?t lost it?s touch when it comes to designing characters at all however. The men and women that accompany the hero still have that Bioware quality to them. The voice acting is stellar, and It?s still very entertaining to hear the banter among your party members, or have one on one chats with them (Varric, Isabella, and Fenris are some of my favorites). You?ll also see some familiar faces from DA:O and Awakening, but I won?t spoil that for you.
One of the bigger complaints from critics and players alike is Hawke. More or less the fact that you?re stuck with Hawke, and cannot make an elf or dwarf like DA:O. While it is a little dissapointing, it provides a lot more focus for the narration, and brings a level of interactivity into the game. In DA:O, when you conversed with someone, it always felt a little odd that all the Warden would do is stare blankly and the other person would respond. Giving Hawke a voice really fleshes out conversations more than before.
But while that?s a neat addition to the game, the addition of Mass Effect?s conversation wheel feels a little unnatural, especially for an RPG, and restricts players to more narrow dialogue choices. I can see how the wheel would benefit console players, but the PC platform should have had the standard dialogue choices.
Bioware certainly took a leap with DA II, and I respect them for not being afraid to try something different. I believe that Dragon Age II and Bioware do not deserve all the flak they?ve been receiving since release day.
I?ve been playing Bioware games since their 1998 release of Baldur?s Gate, and if Bioware has shown anything since those days, it?s that they can learn from their mistakes, and that they listen to their community*.
Wrapping up, if you?re a fan of Bioware games or casual RPG?s, pick it up. But if you?re a fan of the more suited to table top games and hardcore RPG?s, than this might not be for you.
Gameplay: 7.5/10
Graphics: 9.3/10
Story: 9.0/10
Extras: 8.3/10
Final Score: 8.7/10
*(The console players complained that DA:O wasn?t console friendly. They certainly fixed that)
