Dragon Age II is best described as a conundrum: a sprawling and sometimes messy fantasy game that, in places, improves on the Bioware model, while taking admirable risks that don't pay off as well as their initial promise. This results in an experience that, for all my ambivalences, is something I intend to play again, but not until many months from now.
The Pros
- Characterizations are incredible
- Conversations are deeply engrossing
- Production design is much improved over predecessor
The Cons
- Overall story lacks direction
- Dungeon types repeat endlessly
- Combat is decidedly uneven
Dragon Age 2 Review:
Editor's Note: Adam's review is for the console versions of Dragon Age 2 only. To read our impressions of the PC version, click here.
Coming less than a year-and-a-half after its predecessor -- and in the wake of widespread acclaim over Bioware's Mass Effect 2 -- Dragon Age 2 comes with the baggage of expectation and apprehension that seems requisite for all major developers, especially one that has become as prolific as the Canada-based juggernaut.
The short gap between installments, the move to more console-friendly combat, and the legacy of dated game design and presentation from its predecessor (despite G4's 5/5 review I, personally, felt lukewarm about Dragon Age: Origins) have conspired to make Dragon Age 2 something of a curiosity.
Having now sunk around 75 hours into the game, Dragon Age II is best described as a conundrum: a sprawling and sometimes messy fantasy game that, in places, improves on the Bioware model, while taking admirable risks that don't pay off as well as their initial promise. This results in an experience that, for all my ambivalences, is something I intend to play again, but not until many months from now.
And In The Beginning, There Was Story...
In DA 2, the player takes on the human character of Hawke (Male or Female with the choice of Warrior, Mage, or Rogue). The tale begins towards the end of the introduction to Dragon Age: Origins, with the betrayal and sacking of Ferelden. Hawke and his family are racing to escape the darkspawn hordes by seeking refuge in the city-state of Kirkwall where, despite having family ties, they encounter people who are less than charitable to the throngs of survivors arriving at their gates.
Making a deal with one of two disreputable groups in Kirkwall to receive asylum, the prologue ends. Then, Hawke sets out one year later, after the events of Dragon Age: Origins, in a tale of climbing out of destitution and anonymity to become an individual of great renown and significance. Hawke becomes enmeshed in the politics of Kirkwall, which act as an accelerator to the wider concerns of the Drgaon Age universe: fear of outsiders, the repression of mages, and the general avarice that leads to conflicts with Darkspawn, demons, pirates, thieves, elves, and the like.
Anyone who has played more than one Bioware title will be familiar with the three-act structure of their games and Dragon Age II is no different; however, what ends up being a notable departure is how each act functions as a self-contained story with only peripheral elements informing successive chapters (major decisions and character interactions do flood forward but in less formal and surprising ways).
...But then, Disappointment
Initially, this approach is admirably audacious. Despite oblique warnings at the game's beginning of the dangers that await the characters, the all-too-familiar framing device of preventing the end of the world is wholly absent. This allows for a more mature and laconic growth of the narrative that, initially, seems to take full advantage of the game's significant length and content.
This ambition, however, gives way to confusion when, even forty hours in, no over-arching drama begins to take shape and the myriad of side-quests further complicate any attempt for the player to derive a coherent motivation driving their involvement in the tale outside of the acquisition of goods and experience. That, and the game's conclusion is almost stunning in its abrupt (and shockingly obvious) revelation, only serves to highlight how disparate the narrative components have been throughout.
A Ray Of Hope
Those components -- the self contained sections of story that make up the main and secondary quests -- are where the storytelling excels and, in many instances, exceeds the incredible writing in Mass Effect 2. The motley assortment of characters that comprise your party are among the most memorable in recent games, and are so carefully composed that they stay fresh throughout.
One quest, which posits you as an increasingly baffled go-between facilitating a teammate's junior-high level crush on a subordinate, is not only funny, but also quite endearing. A deeply naive elf provides some of the best ambient dialogue around, especially when coupled with a worldly and lusty pirate.
Varric, the dwarf, whose recounting of the games events frames the story, is perhaps the greatest achievement. He cuts a recognizable archetype, the outwardly selfish Bogart-type whose dry, cynical, and weary attitude to the game's events compelled me to engender his friendship through the game's conversation system and resulted in a quiet and touching transformation in his attitude.
The conversation system is another of the game's remarkable accomplishments and is an evolution of both Mass Effects 2's elegance and Dragon Age: Origins's diversity. Dialogue choices have no clear good/bad split; in fact, there's no easy overarching split to be found. Within each dialogue tree, your choices have color-coding that informs about the level of accommodation to a character, from generous to single-minded. In addition, there are a wide variety of symbols that highlight your motivation: a gavel for Solomon-style decision making, an olive branch for indulgent understanding, and the mask of comedy denoting sarcasm to name a few.
This immense diversity is immediately accessible and affords an amazing range of paths as to how you engage your cohorts and, depending on your understanding of and intentions with these characters, the results prove dramatically different. Lacking a clear roadmap as to how these choices will be received is a thrilling experience that brilliantly dissects the awkward social disconnect between the desire to present oneself as you are, and the innate need to manipulate your image in front of others. (After spending the night with a character, the awkward "What does this mean?" discussion that follows may prove more terrifying than anything in Resident Evil 4.)
The characterizations and conversation mechanic are given a proper platform for admiration from a production design that is light years from the original Dragon Age. Taking a cue from Mass Effect 2, scenes play out with camera moves, character movement, and facial expressions that bring life to the hours of dialogue that fill the game. The decision to move from the generic high-fantasy aesthetic of the original to a far more colorful and stylized one is essential in making the game compelling on the character level, the clear highlight of the
Dragon Age II experience.
I Feel Like It’s Déjà vu All Over Again
This triumph makes it all the more a shame that the presentation on the macro level does not fare as well. In the world of Dragon Age II, the city-state of Kirkwall is where you spend 80% of the game, occasionally travelling to the surrounding environs. Initially, the size and detail of the city, broken up into several districts that delineate the socio-economic and political strata of the city are impressive, as they are much bigger and far more detailed than the environments in Dragon Age: Origins; however, once it becomes clear that this one area is where the entirety of the game will play out, a fatigue creeps in as the layout of the maps become better known and the limitations of the details belie the mere simulacrum of a bustling fantasy city.
Once again, it's admirable to see an approach that diverges from the LOTR "journey of the ages” approach, but that also brings with it the obligation to balance out the lack of geographical variety with an evolving sense of mystery and discovery in a singular location. In addition, travelling between various locations in the city and to the countryside are accomplished through a similar static map used in DA:O, which loses the organic flow of one district streaming into the next and only serves to further keep the player at arm's length from the world where he is asked to spend so much time.
Where the limiting presentation of the world could have been balanced out is in the numerous dungeons where quests take place. Sadly, this opportunity is not only missed, it is the game's biggest disappointment. With one exception, all dungeons, whether they are in a mansion, cave, warehouse or coastline, are derivation from one of 5 or 6 preset maps.
Each visit to one of those maps is distinct only by certain doors being locked at different times, allowing for nominally alternate paths in always identical settings, settings that feel primitive when compared to DA:O. This backward step in design is somewhat astonishing compared to not only other Bioware games, but to similar western RPG's. The lack of attention to the spaces where combat takes place -- a major component to the game -- not only diminishes further the necessary sense of awe that is at the core to a fantastical setting, but places an insurmountable burden on the combat mechanics to carry those sequences, a burden that Dragon Age II cannot carry.
Fight Your Way To The Middle
Combat in DA II has been the source of much of the pre-release anxiety. It looked to take the old-school strategic depths of the Original Dragon Age for the PC, which were awkwardly implemented for the console releases, and reduce them to something better attuned to a controller, or the "Mass Effect-ization" of Dragon Age, if you will.
Whether or not that has happened depends on one's fidelity to the original game and their affection for ME, and I won't take the opportunity to chime in on the debate. What I will say is that I have left this aspect of the game for last in the evaluation because I still don't know what to make of it.
The real-time mechanics and significantly faster pace have moments that are visceral, satisfying, and compulsive, and at other times, especially with bosses and numerous high-level enemies, it becomes turgid and tiresome. How I grew my party's stats and who I took adventuring with me had much to with the quality of the experience; however, as the game progressed, it became clear that the admirable intentions of the game to appeal to all play styles all at once resulted in an thoroughly uneven combat experience.
I will resist the temptation to deconstruct the logic of the combat design in the game because knowing the grammar is not the best way to appreciate a sentence. When the combat is good, you can play primarily with Hawke. Using his special abilities in conjunction with the other party members to take down enemies gives you a sense of control over the situation that provides a great degree of satisfaction with your success. Your party members automate effectively with you, only stepping in occasionally to instruct other party members to attack in a particular way. This style of play works in conjunction with the fast pace of the combat and helps zip you through the dreary dungeons in their small battle arenas, while feeling powerful and clever.
It’s here that DA 2's accessibility is on display, while allowing more advanced players to micromanage and use their party to even greater effect. When the game throws endless enemies at you, absurdly powerful bosses, and numerous high-level enemies with an abundance of hit points, (starting as early as the first act) many players will suddenly wonder if they’ve been playing the game wrong, or if it suddenly shifted gears into DA:O without warning. Your mana/stamina bar, which regulates your special attacks, drains from all party members as the fights wear on, and the fast pace of the combat descends into visual chaos as you desperately pause the game to get your bearings. All the while, you’re watching party members die, leaving only Hawke to wail away on enemy after enemy with the A button -- your one basic attack.
It's in these moments, which happen with relative frequency throughout Dragon Age II, that the universal appeal of the combat emerges more as an unsatisfying compromise. The game provides a tactics menu to modify party member behavior in combat which is stripped from DA:O, but that's about as appealing to fiddle with as your Windows system folder. Meticulous management of you characters growth in stats and powers can also mitigate these problems but requiring such hardcore attentiveness without conditioning the player, in addition to seducing them with an initially intuitive interface for combat, is tantamount to inviting someone to a game of blackjack and switching over to 52 pick-up.
Not that the game shouldn't find ways to challenge players in combat, but here, the challenge isn't very fun. Long battles only stand out for their length and leaden pacing. Throw in the inelegant enemy placement and combat animations, and Dragon Age II's combat unfortunately proves most compelling when it isn't an impediment to the other aspects of the game. Thankfully, the game vacillates between manageable and overwhelming until midway through the third act when most reasonable players, who would like to see how their choices resolve the storylines, switch over to the casual setting.
The New Age of Dragons
Dragon Age 2 is decidedly uneven and most disappointing when you consider what the game would have been like if all its various components were as polished and considered as its best aspects. That's a tall order, even for Bioware; however, with the developer releasing games at such a remarkable rate and two more major titles with 2011 alone, it's not unreasonable to expect more ... much more.
Along with Bethesda Studios, Bioware has forever altered the landscape of the western RPG, if not all games. With each release it's easier for the player to see their design and mechanics at work, which puts an increasingly greater burden on them to not just improve, but to reinvent. Unfortunately, Dragon Age II is not that watershed. The game is a hell of a lot of fun to play but, for its 70+ hours, you can feel the need for something new.
Still want to play it? Why not rent it at Gamefly?
Dragon Age 2 PC Impressions By Leah Jackson
When Dragon Age: Origins originally came out for PC I was stoked. I love action RPGs, MMORPGS, and high fantasy so it was a perfect fit. I'm a PC gamer and I’ve been one for almost ten years now. A mouse and keyboard is all I need to be truly happy (plus a sick gaming PC, obviously).
My rig isn't the absolute best, but I'm running with Windows 7 64-bit, an AMD Phenon 9650 Quad-Core Processor ~2.3 GHz, 4 Gigs of RAM, with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX460 graphics card. I use a Razer Imperator mouse and an imported QSENN keyboard from China, not because it's “the best” keyboard, but because it looks awesome like a checkerboard. With this setup I can run pretty much any game on max settings at 30-40 frames per second.
Now that you know all that, I thought Dragon Age: Origins controlled wonderfully on PC, and it was simple to execute intricate strategies and tactics with its combat system. I heard that the gameplay mechanics on the console were clunky and hard to use, which didn't surprise me because things usually work better on PCs when they’re designed for that platform. I also got very heavily into modding my DA:O file until my characters looked nothing like the ones I originally designed, and I even changed some of my spells around to look cooler. Both of those are things you can't do on a console.
Dragon Age: Origins was an enjoyable experience, but, unfortunately, I can't say the same for Dragon Age 2. I've been playing the game on my PC and the controls that I once loved from DA: O are gone. They've been replaced with super fast-paced action that seems strictly designed with console players in mind, leaving PC gamers in the dust.
DA: O combat was a bit slow, but that slowness fit well with the PC controls. Even though the action wasn't super fast, you had so many buttons to push it was fun to try different combos and keep an even pace.
In Dragon Age 2, the fights are so ridiculously speedy (to keep people with low attention spans entertained) that it's hard to even click on an enemy in the game on PC. On consoles, it automatically targets the next closest thing, making this completely a non-issue. On the PC, I have to constantly pause just to be able to target an enemy because they move around so fast.
Not only that, but on the console version the game automatically pauses for you when you do an area of effect attack, which isn't the same for PC where you have to do it manually. The one decent thing PC gamers get combat wise is an auto attack, whereas console players have to keep mashing their action button.
It would have been great if there was a tab target system, like in modern MMORPG's, to make this a bit easier for the PC gamers. As it stands now, it's insanely annoying trying to target enemies. I have pretty fast speed and good coordination when it comes to strategy games and first person shooters, so being unable to target something in DA2 is just bad design.
Then there's the new conversation wheel. In Dragon Age: Origins there was a number next to each choice on PC so you could just press that number key and the dialogue would follow suit. In DA2 you have to mouse click the choice you want on the wheel. Yes, it's a very small inconvenience, but nevertheless it's annoying when I'm sitting back to play and have to click one extra thing that I didn't have to in the other game.
All of this aside, DA2 on the PC allows for a lot more spells to instantly be at your disposal, unlike the console versions. You can have up to 24 abilities on your spell bar at once, whereas in the console version you can only have 6. So, that's nice. That was a great thing about Origins as well.
Another thing that annoyed me about the PC version were its video options, or rather, the lack thereof. There was no “full screen windowed mode,” and if you don't want to play in full screen the game window doesn't resize for some reason. Again, a minor gripe but enough to be annoying to someone who is used to playing most modern games in a windowed mode for easy alt-tabbing between the game and other things (like, for instance, browsing G4TV.com).
I think that while Dragon Age: Origins was meant to be played on PC, Dragon Age 2 is really meant for a console audience. Sure, it works on PC and you can play it, but it's not as fluid as it is on console, especially when it comes to combat or the conversation wheel.
I have to say that, not only am I disappointed by the fact the game is entirely too linear, but not making it as easily accessible for the PC users really stinks. Plus, BioWare didn't even release new modding materials for Dragon Age 2, so all the fun I had with old mods is a thing of the past as well.
I'm not saying that DA2 is a terrible game by any means, but if you have the option to pick the title up on console or PC, it saddens me to say, that console would probably be the better choice.
Comments
Displaying 1–20 of 168
1234567892
willywong
I Loved Dragon age 2
ZoMbIEx23x
Take a minute and think about the intimate scenes where hawk is getting it on with their significant other. Now take into consideration that this dwarf Varrik is telling that templar chick this whole story, including that part of it.
What, was he watching through a peephole or something?
solo788
So Adam I love you guy your awesome and usually I listen intently to your reviews, and as far as the reused environments I totally agree. However I feel that the game play (although different) is satisfying. When I got into those large boss battles with lots of adds I did the pause and strategy, it wasn't easy but it was enjoyable and I felt accomplished especially when the game threw a curve ball and I adapted. In fact I very rarely controlled just hawke I found myself constantly switching back and forth tossing glyphs, fireballs, freezing enemies and having warriors follow up and shatter them.
As for the story maybe I'm just different in the fact that I didn't go into this expecting super epic quest goodness. I went into this game expecting to follow my specific character from piss poor refugee to highly respected citizen and all the political intrigue in between. In this case kirkwall came alive with every different quest and the different factions rubbing each other the wrong way and making (some groups anyways) subtle moves and trying to use you as a pawn.
If you were going into this expecting a lord of the rings epic story this is not the game you will be expecting. I think you'll enjoy it but will be disappointed, however if you go into this game expecting the story about the complex city of kirkwall and one man/woman's struggle to survive and thrive this will blow your socks off.
Like aside Adam mad respect but aside from the overly used environments i found this game almost flawless
Chocobear2010
Having finally beaten the game myself I can safely say that I wasn't completely disappointed (at least not as much as the Sess was anyway). On the contrary I was quite pleased with it. I do agree that the combat could have been balanced better than it could have and they should have spent more time on dungeon designs; but, besides that I can't complain. I really enjoyed the story and the characters as well. The story fit well with overarching story of the series and sets a sequel up quite nicely. Even with all the negatives I still enjoyed this game and I am looking forward to a sequel.
mike_kosa_333
Leah your review is dead on. Now I might not have the best gaming PC, i have a 8600gt overclocked to 750mhz, a dual core 2.21ghz cpu and 4gb of ram, i can still play this on all high with a good 25fps.
Now my point is that for me after playing 37hours on DA2, I never really felt that this was a game made for PC gamers. On Origins it never asked me "press any key to continue". Anyway this game was Good. I'd give it a 4/5
Whisper715212
I just wonder what charicters from origins appear in number 2. also how much your choices really carry over.
Klypto
IMO the review was to harsh! 4 yes, not a 5 and not a 3, but this game is a 4!
The worst part about this game once you realize it is not a continuation of Origins just another game set in the Dragon Age of Thedus, are the "Dungeon types repeat endlessly" and the bugs. This a fun game and a good story and tells alot about the world we play in if you take the time to pay attention.
ShabuShabu
My only complaint with the game is the invariability in regions to explore.
Other than that, I had a lot of fun with this one, a 4 at least in my book.
TGFKAMAdmaX
ALso i would like to give praise to Adam Sessler. You are an excellent reviewer that gives logically thought out opinions and are the one i always go too for impressions of games.
TGFKAMAdmaX
After beating th game 3 times and halfway through the fourth i can honestly say i have never enjoyed a game more. While the story can be disconnected at times it still has the best storytelling i have experienced. It has high points that hit on a much more personal level than origins and most missions seem to have more significance on the world than in origins. The convo system being reformatted was a great decision. They now convey intent through your dialouge options and the voice acting is surperb. The characters seem much more human and real than the previous installment and i have never enjoyed a party more( my favs being merrill than fenris.) The musical score is outstanding and i have had a few sleepless night because "liar" has been stuck in my head forever. The game (in my personal opinion) has an amazing combat system which in very thrilling and still manages to retain the strategy in origins. i would advise playing on higher difficulties for a challenge though because the A.I. is improved which makes the game easier. However the game has glaring flaws. The most obvious being the reuse of environments. If it merely was the setting of kirkwall i would not mind much. But they reuse the same handful of caves throughout the game which can really make the setting feel old fast. The ending is very abrupt which leaves one wanting more (and not in a good way). The city lacks a feeling of life because despite the size it seems the village of lothering in origins has more residents. The worst issue is the lack of polish. There are many bugs in the game which can be very annoying. Some quests at the moment cant be finished because of glitches. The game has froze or crashed a handfull of times. So missions happen out of order or you will start out an act with them already completed. Sometimes after completing character missions those characters will become locked.
Overall i would have to give this 8/10. The game has improved in all areas in my opinion and also makes Dragon Age have its own universe instead of the cliche that was origins. The game seems to have been rushed out the door though. If a few more monthes had been invested in polishing the game i would easily give it 9.2/10. A must play. Just wait to purchase after the bugs are fixed.
:)
will3792
just finished it. i give it a resounding "meh". but it seems that there are bigger things afoot...
DrowNoble
Finally finished DA2 (on PC) and I have to agree with everything said. The game definately feels like it was ported from consoles, the combat is broken up since I have to keep pausing all the time to target and use abilities.
Plus the story wasn't as interesting as DAO. Since I finished DA2, I don't have any real desire to replay. Imported saves don't seem to do anything except refer to the Warden from DAO as he or she. Certainately not to the effect that importing saves into ME2 did. Some events in the game I have no control over, which is odd since many Bioware games offer choices and the consequences of your chioces. In DA2, regardless of what you do or don't do certain characters will die for example.
I agree it's a 3/5 game. Bioware can do better, so I'm wondering if the short development cycle for DA2 was the result of their EA masters pressuring them to pump out more games.
samusco
I hate how G4 seems to have a boner for console games. From all the sources where you can get your information about video games, G4 for some reason seems to be the least informed and has the most biased opinions. Why would you release the review and not have a comparison between the console and PC versions? Now don't get me wrong, I've been a fan of G4 sense it was called Tec TV. But I also get my opinions from tons of other sources, and lately, watching all the soap boxes and the feedback show and really delving into the opinions of the G4 crew... sometimes there's just a significant lack of information on some games, or game developers or whatever that I'm screaming at my monitor for them to understand. Bottom line, because you don't get all the facts all the information and all sides of the story, it comes off as unprofessional journalism and somewhat amateur. I'm not getting into specifics because that would take up 20 pages, but with this game specifically, look at PC gamers review of it! Now I don't quite agree with that review either, however, wouldn't playing the game on the PC provide a new perspective not available on the console?
I feel many games have been "consolized" and this sort of reporting and reviewing just panders to the general public rather than giving a clear idea about what both platforms have to offer. If a game is better on the PC... thats a bummer for console gamers, but I'm sure PC games don't give a crap and want to know how THEY will enjoy the game. You did the same thing with fallout new vegas, and in your Feedback episode, nobody had an opinion about the PC version of the game..... WHHHHHHAAAT?!!?
I'm losing my long found faith in G4. I'm not saying I hate this review, but it proves a point in how uninformed some of G4's opinions are.
sonicwind510
it looks like a mouse and computer game. i can't watch the game and not fall asleep. i think bioware makes lullaby games that people go gaga for. wanna go gaga for a game? hit the eastern developers.
RPG-fan
Finished DAII and the ending was hugely disappointing after playing it for over 70 hours. EA and Bioware were hoping to sell an expansion and/or DLCs to get a complete ending but with the backlash this rushed garbage is getting, they probably decided to hold back any news of any DLCs or expansion. Simplited combat, inventories, dialogue, recycled environments, waves of enemies appearing out of thin air in an attempt to be challenging, most of the companions were uninteresting, graphics that's barely an improvement (not way it's better lookiong than ME2), medicore story along with a disappointing ending, DAII is just pure trash of a video game. If Bioware screws up with SWTOR and Mass Effect 3, I'm finished with Bioware games after more than a decade of playing their games.
NIX36
I finished the game this week and totally agree with this review.
ghetto2u
lets be real honest this game didn't deliver on what it was suppose to. story wasn't bad but there are moments that you stop caring about them ( and this is a matter of preference ). the dungeons, come on really, that takes away any immersion you probably could have had in the game. there is no difference between the console version and the pc version other then control interface and prettier graphic quality. bioware cut the dev cycle for this game you can tell its a console port which is sad, cause i had extremely high hopes for this game
Aephor
Oh, great. The expectant generation makes gripes about small changes from the original, expecting a clone with a new story instead of the wonderfully characterized masterpiece that this game had to offer. All of the 'perks' of the modern video game are expected in every release. As well, the PC reviewers choice to focus on her seemingly scathing opinion on console gamers and their design elements is nothing short of insulting. The games scope has been reduced significantly which brings the story to a more personal level for all those involved, and the characters are so well integrated into the world (for example, the fact that you visit characters at their home) that you would be hard-pressed to find better immersion in a video game elsewhere.
This being said, it does have it's faults. One would think that Bioware would have learned from Oblivion's use of repetitive dungeons enough to not consider that an option. However, I never really felt like I was repeating the same thing because the side-quests in this game are so well integrated into the rest of the story, it just feels like a more fleshed-out world with each one. Each side-quest has a story to tell, and each story helps to bring the story home for your character. Even the main story, while feeling less far-reaching and "epic" addresses the concerns of one man in his rise to power, the choices he makes and the journey of one who escaped The Blight to make a name for himself.
In the future, it would most likely be wise to expect differences in game design between sequels. Especially in the case of Bioware who continually attempt to improve on the experience to create ROLE PLAYING games, and not the convoluted systems of math and organization that us dungeon delvers enjoyed in our youth. The idea is to create a story which enthralls the player and draws him into the shoes of his character, creating a memorable experience that becomes unforgettable because of the attachment that the player holds for the world and every character in it, and in the case of Dragon Age 2, these characters are what make the game enjoyable.
keyonte0
I guess they didn't pay you enough for a good review this time, eh?
badguydz
Does anyone feel like bioware perfected the dynasty warrior s formula? Cause I do
Displaying 1–20 of 168
1234567892
Add a Comment