Dragon Age II

I'm 10 starring this game to do a little to counter the negative pile-on; it has a bad reputation but it's actually really worth a play, especially now at the price it tends to go for these days. I'd actually give it about an 8.

Is it as good as the first one? Nope. As open as the third? Nope. Is it short? For an RPG, yes. Are the maps recycled? Oh yes, I would call this the most deserved complaint of the game.

On the other hand, it has a decent plot (especially if you read the accompanying books), genuinely wonderful, well written companion characters ranging from adorable, to charming, to absolute anti-hero, a customisable protagonist who you can play in multiple ways (think Commander Shepard only with the addition of a third snark-master playstyle alongside paragon and renegade), the voice acting is fantastic, really engaging and actually pretty star-studded to be fair, it isn't long enough to get overly grindy, the graphics are dated now but their cartoonish style tends to fit well with the overall tone, the battle system is fast paced and has a fair amount of variety in difficulty depending on your settings, but most of all the whole thing is just *fun*. It hearkens back to the days when games didn't pretend to be sports or services - when they were immersion into a different world (and no teenagers claimed to have had relations with your mother), when they did dare to be a bit silly but still knew when to reign it in when the action got going. Honestly - if you've never played it don't be put off by all the negativity, just give it a go. Yeah buying it at full price (plus DLCs) when it was new only to find out that you could finish it in a week was annoying, but it's only about a tenner now for the whole lot, what's to lose?

Dragon Age 2 leaves mixed impressions. On one hand, it offers an interesting story, although it lacks the variety of choices from the previous installment. The visual design of the characters, especially the Qunari, is satisfying. The new combat animations are impressive and add dynamism, which is a big plus for the game. However, there is one significant drawback that considerably spoils the overall impression-the repetitive locations. No matter where or when you're completing a quest, the environments will feel familiar, as you've already been to them many times before. This lack of variety significantly diminishes the overall enjoyment of the game.

Despite this, the game has its strong points. One of the highlights is the visual development of the characters, particularly the Qunari. The developers have made significant changes to the design of this race, giving them unique features that make them even more interesting. The Qunari now look not only menacing but also quite charismatic, adding depth to their presence and making every encounter with them memorable.

Another important aspect is the combat animations, which have significantly improved compared to the previous game. The battles have become more dynamic and visually striking, adding extra excitement to the gameplay. Players can enjoy fluid movements, new special effects, and powerful strikes that make every fight engaging. This aspect of the game deserves praise, as it adds more adrenaline to the combat sequences and makes them more thrilling.

However, despite all these improvements, there is one major issue that significantly detracts from the game-the repetitive locations. This is one of Dragon Age 2's biggest flaws. No matter what quest you're on or where the events are taking place, it often feels like you've already been in these areas before. Many locations, both indoors and outdoors, are frequently reused, creating a sense of monotony. This can greatly diminish immersion in the game world, as the player constantly encounters the same environments. If Dragon Age: Origins brought new surprises with every location, this game sadly lacks that diversity.

This lack of variety in locations is a serious problem, drastically reducing the overall enjoyment. For a game of this scale, it's a significant downside, as the adventure atmosphere is partly lost due to the absence of novelty in the surroundings. Despite these drawbacks, Dragon Age 2 still has its strengths.

In addition to dynamic combat and well-developed characters, the companions' storylines are worth highlighting. Each of Hawke's companions has their own personal story, motivations, and personalities, making them more than just fighters in your party. They are full-fledged characters with their own dramas. Interaction with them, just like in the previous game, remains one of the strongest aspects. Your relationships with your companions impact the story's progression, and their personal quests add depth to the game.

Dragon Age 2 also explores the theme of social conflicts in Kirkwall, particularly the tension between mages and templars. These events play a crucial role in the game, forcing players to make tough decisions that can change the course of the story. This adds more weight to the game and encourages reflection on moral dilemmas.

In conclusion, Dragon Age 2 is a game with great potential, featuring both strong and weak points. If you're willing to overlook the repetitive environments and certain monotony, the game can offer plenty of enjoyment thanks to its intriguing storyline, dynamic gameplay, and excellent characters.

A truly underrated sequel to the wonder that was Dragon Age: Origins. Although I do agree that the game fails to match up with its predecessor in many ways - from player choice practically being ignored to reusing many areas and enemies, the game still manages to be a thoroughly immersing and enjoyable experience.

Although Hawke, the game's protagonist cannot be as well-defined as the protagonist in Origins, having a definitive background allows Hawke to be have the most personal storyline, as opposed to being isolated from the narrative as a savior archetype. Not only that, but Hawke themselves is a very personable character, whose personality can be defined and redefined by the dialogue choices you make, which do have some impact in dialogue and subplots.

Furthermore, restricting the game to a singular location allows you to have a more personable experience with the location, as opposed to simply stopping by for a few hours to save everyone, you experience what life is in Thedas, and you see how the narrative in the world around you progresses.

The narrative, although being my least favorite aspect of this game, especially due to the game's third act and how it handles the overarching conflict, still manages to be immersive - out of every Dragon Age game and DLC, this is the only game that has made me legitimately cry because the game managed to make me care about its more minor characters.

The gameplay is also the most enjoyable in the series. Some do not enjoy the more fast-paced and action packed change of style, but it personally made the game's combat more enjoyable for me - Dragon Age is partially notorious for having rather bland gameplay, and Dragon Age: II provides the most enjoyable combat experience.

Finally, the characters are what truly make this game my favorite of the series. Not only are there practically no restrictions of who you can romance - a win for player-choice and homosexual gamers, but your relationship with the characters is more three-dimensional, as you can either be a friend or a rival to them, and in both instances you can romance the character, leading to a lovey dovey romance, or a toxic relationship. The best part about the new relationship system is how rivalries might actually be better for those characters, as friendships often enable them to do dangerous things, whilst rivalries can prompt a change in perspective.

Dragon Age: II is truly an underrated gem, despite all of its flaws, much like Origins was despite its flaws.

The most overrated game of the decade. Don't believe the hype and so-called ''professional'' reviewers that were either paid by EA or were EA employees themselves. This game is a terrible garbage that tries to represent itself as Dragon Age and an RPG, but it's not either. Weak storyline, boring quests, copied and pasted maps, uninteresting characters, ruined qunari, terrible graphics, unbelievable and illogical scenarios. Don't believe the illusion, because this game is NOT an RPG. It's completely linear hack&slash with only one ending. Do not bother to import your saves from Dragon Age:Origins. Your choices don't matter at all. You might even meet some characters you have killed in a previous game. And there are DLC's that were actually part of the main game, but were cut out for extra profit and released just a few hours after DA2. RPG fans should avoid this game. And according to the Bioware itself, Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age 3 will be even worse. A shame on Bioware for selling it's soul to EA for profit.

Dragon age 2 you plays as Hawke who rises to power in the political chaos of Kirkwall. Dragon age 2 kinda took a step down from the first. Well the story isn't as engaging as the first and the story is slow the choices still are good unfortunately you don't really get to see the consequences of your choices you only get it mentioned once in the story. Your companions still have great backstories that have great quest that really change your characters hold character they can start out as the nicest person ever but depending on what you do they can change to someone who shuts themselves off from the world. Unfortunately combat got bad all it is that enemies keep spawning literally out of thin air it's just wave after wave which isn't very exiting. Overall could have been a better game but still fun to play.