Poll: Dragon Age 2 into an Open World game?

[Vern5]

I keep reading these threads criticizing DA2 for several aspects of its construction. The most recent one I read was a criticism of the game's story and how you are basically led by the nose in whatever direction the plot wants you to go. I can understand that this would be very frustrating for those who want the freedom to act and make the story rather than listen and be told the story by Bioware.

So, this is my question. Would it be better if DA2 were more of an open world game akin to Fallout New Vegas? Would you, the players, have preferred to make your own story instead of listening to the one that was prescribed for you by the writers at Bioware?

 

[Casual Shinji]

DA: O wasn't an open world game, and it did just fine in conveying the sense of a large intricate fantasy world. DA2's mistake was that it was set in a boring, grey city environment.

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

The design of DA2 as a smaller, more linear game compared to DA:O was fine. The problem was that they reused the same 3 or 4 non-city areas over and over and over again. If there were another 4 or 5 different dungeon and cave designs, I'd have given that game a 10/10. It got really repetitive when you got to the 5th straight cave that was the exact same layout though. I didn't really mind going back and forth from district to district within the city, but there's no excuse for reusing dungeons like they did.

 

[Zhukov]

Nah. Open world games are boring. The maps always lack detail, the pacing gets fucked up and you have to travel for ages to get to the interesting bits.

 

[MeatShieldMan]

it didn't have to be open world it just needed to be bigger than the sets of a low budget sticom

 

[Ascarus]

As I said in a review I wrote about DA2, DA:O was a universe of exploration compared to DA2, and even Ferelden was somewhat linear. That lack of any change in location was one of the many letdowns in DA2.

 

[Ganthrinor]

Thedas has been built up as a pretty lore-rich and interesting world just with DA:O and it's DLC. DA2 doesn't really add more, since you don't really get out of Kirkwall much. There's vast potential for exploration and fantastic scenery within this IP.

I just hope it's capitalized on more in the future rather than getting stuck in one city with 8 combat maps for the next couple DLC and Sequels.

 

[SyphonX]

I can't believe the amount of time you spend visiting the same places in DA:2, even when you supposedly spend several in-game years, it almost never changes.

Most of the locales are used over and over, like that f-ing foundry interior, or the same disused mine cavern. Then some reviewers say it's varied and interesting. Interesting maybe, but varied it is not. After 20 hours, you're wishing for a meteor strike.