Would you recommend Dragon Age 2 to someone who didn't like the original?

[LastCelt1989]

Im a big fan of Mass Effect and pretty much all Bioware games but there was something about the original Dragon Age that was like a brick wall preventing me from getting into it. I tried sooo many times to get lost in it like many other people have but I just found the graphics horrible (yeah I played the 360 version), the setting incredibly drawn and cliched and the combat kinda repetitive.

So I'm just wondering if the new one has been made along the same lines as Mass Effect (which I really liked), I know a lot of the user comments on Metacritic etc say its 'dumbed down' but I'm just wondering if thats your typical 'They changed it now it sucks' or whether there has been some fundamental changes to the game?

 

[Wolfram23]

Yes, I would. I didn't like DA:O either.

 

[MisterShine]

This is a tough one.. the combat is more or less the same, just faster, more responsive and with cooler abilities than before (at least the last one is in my opinion).

While of course the setting is still the same, it doesn't focus on the "Evil Consuming the Woooorld!!!!" bit that Origins was set on, a more personal look at one persons journey from refugee to top dog of a single city. I personally like this more personal focus a lot better, and I enjoyed the new character interactions and especially seeing relationships and the consequences for your actions (even the sidequests!) later on down the road to be really cool.

The graphics I think are somewhat better, especially with the HQ texture pack for the PC version, the new environments look a lot better (though they are often repeated for different areas), as do the characters, again IMO.

So if you really didn't like it, I'd say rent it or see if a friend has it so you can give it a spin. I enjoyed it a lot, but I also enjoyed Origins a lot as well.

 

[Irridium]

Depends on what you played it on. If on the PC then no, since it plays the same, just faster.

If on the consoles then yes, since the combat is much improved. Characters were better as well. Still have to beat it though.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Depends...

DA2 is really slow to pick up, forcing you to grind mandatory side-quests. That's gonna kill replay value to.

I'm 20 hours in and still don't have an actual "villain" or any sort of motivation at all, really.

You'll probably like the combat better, but this is Bioware's worst storytelling yet. Because there's not a story to tell, even after 20 hours.

 

[Smooth Operator]

The game is hell of alot easier, I played a couple of hours on nightmare and it's still simpler then DA1 on normal it seems.

So a rundown:
- The combat is now action RPG instead of old RPG style.
- The graphics seem to have gone downhill actually(characters were pimped out but the environments are empty and flat, honestly looks like an intern did it over the weekend), the 360 version is probably the same.
- Setting is your standard WRPG thing, elves, dwarfs, humans, darkspawn,... milf of the wilds.
- Conversations are now mass effected, you don't choose what you say just the flavor.
- Story, I don't know, hasn't got the the depressing feel of the first one, but now it mostly lacks any feel at all, lots of dramatic moments but noone really seems all too upset their loved ones died so you really can't connect or feel for anyone
- oh and all females have some great big stonking tits

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

You'll probably like the combat better, but this is Bioware's worst storytelling yet. Because there's not a story to tell, even after 20 hours.

There's definitely some pacing issues. There's almost no story to speak of in the first 2 Acts (~12-16 hours), then all of a sudden stuff starts happening really, really quickly in Act 3. It could have done with some more foreshadowing and maybe spread out a few of the marquee moments to Act 2.

I played Origins on 360 as well, and I can say with certainty that DA2 on PC is miles ahead of the 360 version of Origins. Then again, the 360 version of Origins looked like a super nintendo game and controlled like an airplane made of bricks.

 

[Zedar0]

Eh, I would say no. While I'm not hating the sequel so far (played both on PC, by the way), the endless, repetitive, and often petty sidequests, combined with the prospect of running through the same few areas over and over (especially caves and ruins and such, which all utilize the same exact map, with a few doors switched up), as well as the complete lack of any real enemy variation (if it's not giant spiders, it's darkspawn, thugs, or demons, none of which have the same variation within their respective groups that DAO had. For example, the Antivans used to be much different than the generic bandits, but no longer) just gets really old.

It's not that DA2 is terrible, as it certainly has its moments, but there are just far too many nagging issues that drag it down. So if you didn't like the first one, the second is not nearly enough of an improvement, and is actually somewhat of a downgrade in several areas.

 

[soulfire130]

Well, Dragon Age 2 story is not tied to Dragon age 1 and you don't need to play Dragon Age origins before Dragon Age 2. DA2 is a good game, so I would recommend this game even if you didn't play DA1 or origins.

So I'm just wondering if the new one has been made along the same lines as Mass Effect (which I really liked), I know a lot of the user comments on Metacritic etc say its 'dumbed down' but I'm just wondering if thats your typical 'They changed it now it sucks' or whether there has been some fundamental changes to the game?

It's metacritics saying the changes suck which is not true in my opion. some of the machanics that was in the Mass Effect series is in DA2 so that's a plus.

 

[rockyoumonkeys]

Nope, really wouldn't.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Depends...

DA2 is really slow to pick up, forcing you to grind mandatory side-quests. That's gonna kill replay value to.

I'm 20 hours in and still don't have an actual "villain" or any sort of motivation at all, really.

You'll probably like the combat better, but this is Bioware's worst storytelling yet. Because there's not a story to tell, even after 20 hours.

Yeah, the grinding 50 gold right out of the gate was a bad move on Bioware's part.

OP: Companions are handled so much better and in a unique way in this game. If you play games for the characters then get it.