Dragon Age II Legacy DLC Reviews

We have another batch of reviews for the lastest add-on to BioWare’s much-discussed Dragon Age II, the DLC Legacy, which has received mixed impressions from the press so far.

Joystiq, scoreless, seems to like it.

As you make the noticeably linear descent into the mountain’s belly, you’ll clash with Darkspawn that have, just like you, wandered into an inescapable trap. It’s a nostalgic pleasure to cut through so many emissaries and genlocks again — a fact that won’t be lost on certain party members (should you choose to bring them along). One of the best things about Legacy is how attentive it is to the state in which you left Dragon Age 2. The game unlocks unique dialogue if you bring along a romantic interest, for instance, and triggers a bonus battle should one of your spiritually unstable companions take a turn for the worse.

If you’re the sort that enjoys perfecting the party’s automatic tactics, slotting their abilities into a dungeon-crawling killing machine, you’ll be happy to test it against the great variety of enemies in Legacy. The combat encounters feel far less random compared to the main game, with deliberately positioned archers and heavily armored monsters (including a new type of bronto) calling for specific classes and instructions. You don’t have to micromanage to win, but there’s always opportunity to act efficiently, and that’s half the fun.

IGN, 6.5/10.

Dragon Age II Legacy see-saws between going-through-the-motions and meaningful character development. I suppose Legacy’s character-centric exploration of the Hawke family’s dark secrets is just the kind of story downloadable content is made for, but after wading through several hours that felt as much like a checklist of Dragon Age IITM ingredients being tallied up as a meaningful addition to the game, I have to wonder: why wasn’t this in the game in the first place?

This is my joystick, “Buy it!”.

That being said, I enjoyed Legacy. Yes, it’s short, and yes the story is limiting, but ultimately, I had more fun with the few short hours I spent with Legacy, than I did for some thirty hours spent in Dragon Age 2. Bioware have listened; they’ve gone back to what was good about the Dragon Age series, and delivered. Whether it is worth 800 points or not is up to you, but it definitely made me feel more positive about the future of the Dragon Age series after playing it.

Now all Bioware have to do to make me happy is release an add-on for Dragon Age 2 that is akin to Awakening in size and depth. That may go some way in soothing the wounds of disappointment I endured back in March.

GameSpy, 2.5/5.

With full Champion Armor, champion-level weapons, and a group of similarly leveled and equipped companions, you simply won’t find a challenge in Legacy, no matter how tactical the Darkspawn are. Even when BioWare threw flames, specters, ice, electricity and one very pissed-off magistrate at me all at once, my battle-hardened Hawke barely broke a sweat. Worse, with the aforementioned high-level characters, none of the new loot you score in Legacy tops the weapons and equipment you’re already lugging around, resulting in a disappointing treasure hunt for seasoned Dragon Age II players who were hoping for something new.

The good news is, BioWare is on the right path; Legacy is a promising development for fans hoping the franchise’s third installment will feature a return to the tactical gameplay of Dragon Age: Origins. Unfortunately, it’s a bit too late for Dragon Age II, and Legacy’s legacy is as a $10 reminder of the full game’s shortcomings.

The Escapist recommends to wait for a Game of the Year edition, scoreless:

I played through Legacy on normal after having completed the main game, and breezed through the entire thing in about five hours without ever really being challenged. I was momentarily frustrated by the final boss not because it was particularly difficult, but because my AI posse apparently thought the best approach to dealing with geysers of fire was the bunny approach: stay perfectly still and hope they don’t notice you. If you actually put some effort into using cross-class combos or directing your AI companions, Legacy will be even more of a cakewalk. The class-specific weapon you get – and customize – is a nifty bit of kit, but not dramatically more than the trinkets you likely picked up during your playthrough of the main game.