Dragon Age II Reviews, Wave Nine

One would assume that the avalanche of Dragon Age II reviews will start to taper off soon, but that doesn’t appear to be the case for the time being.

GamesRadar gives it an 8/10:

In the end, DA2 is sure to be a divisive game. The purist, PC-RPG crowd will hate it for “dumbing down” one of the last remaining hardcore RPGs, while the console clan will love it for making a fantastic series more accessible. Everyone should cotton to the clever, twisty story and fully fledged characters. It’s hard to say that DA2 is an overall improvement on Origins, but you can’t deny that it’s a bold step toward remaking the entire action-RPG genre – something we’ll have to evaluate the success of with Dragon Age III.

Hooked Gamers gives it a 6.7/10:

Yes, (lazy) is the best way to sum up Dragon Age II. In some ways, the game feels too familiar. In others, it feels too simplistic. But in no way does it feel novel or impressive or even as good as its predecessor. With the exception of a few battles and one emotional decision, Dragon Age II just feels lazy lazy in its design, lazy in its execution, and lazy in what it requires of the player.

Yahoo! Games gives it a 4/5:

This isn’t ‘˜Dragon Age Origins 2’, let’s put it that way. Combat is the centre-piece of ‘˜Dragon Age 2’, always spectacularly staged, so if building and managing relationships within a kick-ass team of heroes is your bag just don’t hesitate. On the down side a sense of time, place and consequence isn’t as strong as in the multi-faceted ‘˜Dragon Age Origins’, and this will disappoint some BioWare fans.

Softpedia gives it an 8.0/10:

It starts slow and fails to deliver an end game that feels as important as that of Origins, but it has a number of companion and sidequests that are very well written and force interesting choices on the part of the gamer.

But the overall simplification that BioWare seems determined to bring to the role-playing genre is a big disappointment for those who grew up playing six or seven times through Baldur’s Gate 2.

AusGamers gives it an 8.5/10:

But if there is a criticism to be made, which could apply to virtually any recent Bioware RPG, it’s in the linear level and quest design of the actual gameplay. This means that although Kirkwall feels like an actual city in the Dragon Age world, the disconnection between each area and their overall design never expanding beyond following simple paths, adversely affects the immersion. That and Kirkwall is built with a lot of brown and grey. This for a high-fantasy RPG, begins to affect the overall experience in a negative way. It also keeps a game that should feel epic and expansive in its exploration, well short of this mark. Which is a shame because Dragon Age 2 gets quite a lot of things right, with a story that is deeply engaging at multiple levels, and featuring a cast of supporting characters that develop over the course of the entire game. The story of becoming the champion of Kirkwall is great to be sure, but without the sense of momentum that comes with having to travel far and wide to stop an underlying threat, the end result feels just a little bit underwhelming. But on the plus side, you also fight a dragon at one point.

Orange gives it an 8/10:

Dragon Age II is one of the best RPGs we’ve seen in ages and its wide-ranging appeal to RPG fans of every type is sure to make it another massive hit. However while the trimming down is slight and in every area, hardcore traditional RPG fans that reveled in Dragon Age: Origins depth might feel a little underwhelmed.

Gamebrit gives it an 8/10:

Bioware have pulled another winning RPG out of their studios with improved visuals, a new striking art style and a intriguing story. However, Dragon Age II is undoubtedly a game that will split opinions. Some will prefer its streamlined and more instantly satisfying approach to combat while others may feel it lacks strategic depth and options, especially in comparison to Dragon Age: Origins. Whether you fit into the former or the latter there’s still plenty to enjoy and a rich adventure to embark on.

Titan Reviews doesn’t score it:

Mass Effect definitely appeals to more gamers because of its more tame RPG elements and that’s fine because that is what the series is about. However I always question any decision that takes away staples of a genre to appeal to gamers who wouldn’t normally play it. I think it’s obvious that Bioware is using some aspects of Mass Effect to redefine the Dragon Age series and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if they had to borrow anything from ME I would prefer it be the top notch graphics.

Eurogamer Portugal gives it a 7/10:

Dragon Age II begins with a firm resolution that can surpass its predecessor, but the more he played more disillusioned he became. It is less epic, more repetitive and less varied. The only thing that is really the better the match, because the rest is a game less than Origins. The story keeps the player stuck to the game because it is structured with this function, gives the feeling that something special will happen, and when it reaches the end of the game is not satisfied because we felt that we were deceived. Unlike Mass Effect 2, which increased and improved the series, Dragon Age 2 regresses, and is clearly a step backward. Continues to be a good RPG, with some flaws, much like the first, but if you are thinking of starting up in the saga Dragon Age, purchase Origins.

And then Origins designer Brent Knowles reviews the Dragon Age II demo:

As for the dialog itself, its what I expected. Some of it is visually beautiful but interactive movies have never been the kinds of games I wanted to play. So kudos to the team for the great work but, as always, I kind of wish the huge effort I know it takes to build those cinematic experiences could be spent on gameplay.

Overall I was impressed, the team really put together a strong title in such a short period of time. I don’t think some of the changes needed to happen (especially if Dragon Age has sold as well as has been indicated) but only the marketplace will tell us whether it was the right or the wrong thing to do.