Zero Punctuation: Dragon Age II

[crabdog62482]

I would say it is spot on, but for someone as brutal as Yahtzee and for a game as awful and incomplete as this, that was way too tame and generous. Dragon Age 2 isn't a game. It is an extended teaser demo for a game that has yet to be conceived. It has no purpose for existing and less content than a $10 dlc add-on pack from Bethesda. When Dragon Age 3 is inevitably made and released, there will be a 1 paragraph summary before the game that explains the existence of a Champion in Kirkwall who kicked Quonari arse and blah blah blah mages. That's it. That's what Dragon Age 2 will come down to; the introduction to a Star Wars movie. It is a complete waste of time with no purpose, terrible game mechanics, and nothing to add to the universe. I can't believe I bought this POS new. Sigh.

 

[honestdiscussioner]

Gosh darn it Yatzee you played it on a console didn't you?

That's like reviewing original Starcraft on Nintendo 64.

Play Bioware games on the PC.

 

[rsvp42]

What lore? DA2 has you in Kirkwall the entire freaking game. Exploration and DA2 in the same sentence is an oxymoron.

I never mentioned exploration or experiencing more of the world. By fleshing out more of the conflict between mages and the chantry, showing unique powers like Anders and Justice or Fenris' markings, and learning more about the Free Marches and Kirkwall in particular, you're getting more lore. All I'm saying is that if you dig the Dragon Age world, you'll appreciate the extra pieces of it you get from DA2. It's not as expansive as DA:O, but then again, DA:O was laying the foundation, while DA2 is simply exploring some facets of it in different ways.

DA2 has a much smaller scope than the first one, you'll hear no argument from me on that, but what it provides within that scope is fun and entertaining.

 

[Miral]

Loading screens, camera issues, and combat: that's what you get for playing the console version, instead of the far superior PC version. Which you should have known about going in, since DAO had the same issues, and this is BioWare we're talking about, after all. So you only have yourself to blame.

The story was great; it's refreshing to have the plot not revolve around saving the world, and to be unable to solve everything "perfectly".

The characters were well designed and their personal storylines and banter were well written. Things got a little disjointed with some of the cutscenes (Why are you welcoming me to your home and saying you didn't expect to see me again? We've just been adventuring together for the past hour!) but that's forgivable. And it's nice that this time the companions actually do seem to have a life beyond standing around in the camp until called on for combat duty (there's quite a few references to things they're doing in their off-hours when they're not in Hawke's party, and a few scenes where you see one companion talking to another one).

The gameplay is fun (since I didn't make the mistake of getting it for console), although the waves of enemies do get a bit silly.

The only real thing I don't like too much are the recycled environments; sure, they're dressed a bit differently each time, with loot and enemies in different places and different pathways open, but more variety in the actual locations would have been nice. It's strongly reminiscent of Mass Effect 1's generic warehouse missions, and that's not a good thing. I imagine this was some kind of budget or time constraint, but that's not much of an excuse.

Overall, though: good game. Thoroughly addicted.

 

[Mxrz]

The part I most liked about the game was the absence of any GIANT EVIL ENTITY THAT WE MUST GO ON A 40 HOUR RECRUITMENT ADVENTURE IN ORDER TO EVENTUALLY SAVE THE WORLD FROM. Ahem. It was nice to see an RPG get over that old hangup.

There was no mention of the boobs either. I am disappoint. But then Yahtzee apparently hated Demons Souls too, the greatest game of the last 5 years, so I am suspicious. Perhaps he's really just a KotoR/ME/DA:O-era Bioware fanboy with a mic. Durr.

 

[Frosty676]

I'm having an issue with the video, is it making an odd buzzing sound every now and then (noticed around 3:20 til 4:00) or is it my speakers?

I kept having to pause thinking my fan was clogged

Same here, really weird.

 

[Kyman102]

Ah, this review reminds me of some of the older reviews Yahtzee made. Yeah, we have differences of opinion about this game, but I can't fault a single flaw you pointed out. They were all more or less right on the money, ESPECIALLY the part about the game always respawning bad guys when you thought you were done.

 

[ranyilliams]

Why did this have to come out right before bioware goes up against mojang... the timing is awful -_-"

 

[bob-2000]

You know, watching Yahtzee's game taste disintegrate is actually sort of interesting.
Yes, Dragon Age 2 has some really, really big flaws. Yes the plot is unfocused, but at least it's not the ridiculous, narcissistic re-telling of the Lord of the Rings trilogy that ever single RPG seems to be. What Dragon Age 2 did was change the generic plot of "There's an evil hoard of monsters and you're the only one that can stop it!". It's really a shame that people can't see that removing this hideous cliche is a step for the better.

 

[Oro44]

It's always fascinating to watch the sheer scale of the love it/hate it controversy of this game. I liked it. I didn't really feel the plot was disjointed at all. If you pay attention, you can see the tension growing and it blowing up at the end is the logical conclusion. Plus the characters were interesting and the dialogue was good. So, hey, if I'm the base their pandering to with simplifications, I'm ok with that. And no I'm not some Bioware fanboy, I actually didn't care for Mass Effect 1 (combat was clunky and the inventory was needlessly complex) and I have no faith whatsoever in The Old Republic.

 

[Ayjona]

Even when taking Yahtzee's charming exaggerations into account, this game sounds truly awful. The hope for a next-gen Baldur's Gate grows ever more dim...

 

[JayDeth]

THANK YOU, Yahtzee. Even though I almost certainly could have predicted how this review would have turned out, it's nice to see a review where the reviewer isn't throwing out an 8 or 9 score simply because they're mystified by the complex combat i.e.: mashing the A button until it breaks.

congratulations!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDajqW561KM





you just criticized a game that you haven't played. feel special now?

I haven't? But why would Gamestop sell me a game that comes in a Dragon Age 2 case and says Dragon Age 2 on the disc and the title screen declares it to be Dragon Age 2 and it credits everyone who worked on Dragon Age 2 after you beat the game, when it's not really Dragon Age 2?

Something's fishy here... I'd better call Gamestop and find out what's up. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.

 

[rankfx]

Even when taking Yahtzee's charming exaggerations into account, this game sounds truly awful. The hope for a next-gen Baldur's Gate grows ever more dim...

Wasn't this what Dragon Age: Origins was supposed to be? Once I noticed it, it was pretty hard not to see it everywhere. It's too serious and brown for Minsc though.

One thing he didn't notice that I thought he would is that there are a lot of things presented as choices, but you actually have no power to say no to. For everyone who has a copy of Dragon Age 2, see how many of the quests at the first part of the game actually let you say "No, I'm not doing it" out of all the ones that give you a red X option.

 

[A Curious Fellow]

You're limited to a human?

How could you not know that?

Anders is GAY?

He's not gay, he's bi. All the LIs are. Again, I find it odd that you do not know this already.

wtf. Now I don't want this game. I'll just replay Origins.

If these two reasons alone dissuade you from playing the game, then I guess it just wasn't for you, and neither are most games out there.

I think you have the wrong idea. Or you're dim. Either way.

My points are, 1 why is the sequel more limiting, 2 Anders wasn't into men in Awakening and it seems unnecessary to rewrite his character in such a way now, and 3 I already sank so much money into the apparently far superior Origins so I'm gonna ignore this one.

New point: you don't think its really weird that every single love interest in the game is happy to have sex with either gender and they really don't care? That there isn't a single non-asexual character that doesn't have a preference? Seriously?

 

[unwesen]

Every change from the first I read about seems to be changing exactly the things I like into things I don't like. I still told myself I'd play it, until I tried out the demo and realized things were worse than I had expected. Pass.

 

[Ayjona]

Wasn't this what Dragon Age: Origins was supposed to be?

Yah, and for a short while, it seemed to fill those pixelated and outdated but somehow still magically sated shoes. But it didn't take me many hours to start wishing I was back in the Friendly Arms Inn. Perhaps the brown seriousness and serious brownness had something to do with it.

Once I noticed it, it was pretty hard not to see it everywhere. It's too serious and brown for Minsc though.

Normally, I wouldn't argue that comic relief was an asset to any good game, but yeah, the Minsc needs deep, lush green forests and open, blue, endless skies. What space hamster would ever choose to touch down in Dragon Age's bleak landscape?

One thing he didn't notice that I thought he would is that there are a lot of things presented as choices, but you actually have no power to say no to. For everyone who has a copy of Dragon Age 2, see how many of the quests at the first part of the game actually let you say "No, I'm not doing it" out of all the ones that give you a red X option.

Bleh. I used to enjoy arguing against those who would say that the games of the past are somehow better than those of today, but many of the past three years' AAA titles is making that sentiment more appealing. I'm off to Avadon: the Black Fortress to remind myself why I still (albeit rarely) game...

 

[Tontomanzz]

Dungeon recycling was also mentioned in a ton of gamespot player reviews. Love the first one, no way I'm getting this one. Also with the combat system seems to be made for console and ported to PC instead of the other way around. That's fine, good for them, but I don't want button mashing combat.

Even Dragons Age was simplifed from their earlier games (BG etc.). I missed the tactical magic fights. All the magic shield levels, anti magic spells, shield piercing spells, time stop, hung spells etc. Those magic battles were EPIC, just hammering on the big guys, breaking the fabric of space stuff . Now another level even more simple, I'm not interested.

If it's due to EA and their usual 'faster and cheaper' approach to game making, I hope BW can throw off the influence and get back to their old selves and not end up like so many other developers. Being forced to make worse and worse games and then having the poor sales used as an excuse to break up the group and get spread all over the EA machine. RIP Bullfrog etc.

 

[JayDig]

I think enemies should surrender more often in video game battles. In this and many other games I find that after murdering fifty evil dudes the final low ranking grunt is still trash-talking with only half a health bar. Goody-Two-Shoes Hawke would happily take them to prison or give them a stern talking to...

Come to think of it, I recall shooting a lot of 'fleeing' bandits in the back during Fallout 3, and I was being RPing as 'good'.

 

[dragonburner]

No Mike Hawke jokes?????!?!?!