Dragon Age II Reviews, Wave Seventeen

The simple fact that we’re up to a seventeenth review round-up for Dragon Age II makes me realize just how many people have taken their love of video games to the Internet, for better or worse.

Wired gives it a 5/10:

That’s not to say Dragon Age II is all rotten. The city of Kirkwall looks spectacular if you can manage to wrest your eyes away from the mini map. The banter is witty and entertaining. You can customize Hawke to your heart’s content, and much of the voice acting is phenomenal. Some of the game’s cut scenes are poignant and moving.

But Bioware has stripped away the veil of grandiose adventure, and what’s behind the curtain is a truly uninspired RPG.

News10’s Game Guys give it a “B”:

When it comes to gameplay, DA2 is quite the departure from playing DA:O. The sequel plays much more like an action RPG than did the original, with combat seemingly focused on keeping up a fast pace. The player is able to manage tactics, though, through the game’s pause menu. Also, the characters can be hot-swapped at the press of a button whereby giving the player control of any character in the party. This can be quite helpful when the usually-fairly-bright A.I. looses track of the action or the player simply wants said character to be doing something else right away.

RPGamer gives it a 4.0/5:

Although Dragon Age 2 is a step forward in most ways, the recycled level design makes it clear that BioWare really didn’t have a lot of time to polish the game up properly. Ultimately, how much one enjoys the game will likely rely on their ability to overlook this transgression and certain issues with the story. Beyond that, Dragon Age 2 is another example of what BioWare does best, and it’s definitely not a game to pass up.

GameShark gives it a “B”:

Although I question Bioware’s prioritization of interactive cinema over interesting and variable gameplay, that doesn’t mean Dragon Age 2 isn’t worth experiencing. This game grabs and tears at your emotions like few others can and that is worth a lot. For all of its lack of broad gameplay, it’s got plenty of style to go around and, though repetitive, the visceral thrill of the combat keeps the experience chugging along even after the actual routine gets old. This is not remotely a bad game, but its supreme lack of ambition with regards to gameplay, combined with the shocking number of cut corners, left me with the impression that it’s a compromised effort that was built with more emphasis on speed to market than substance.

Platform Nation “confesses” to being disappointed:

Is it just me or does it seem the game stops just before the really good part starts? I really really really hate cliffhangers or obvious set-ups. It’s cheap writing and should be thrown to the trashheap of writing clichés along with the (it was all a dream) and anything M. Knight Shyamalan writes. I hope Bioware release DLC sooner rather than later or announces the Dragon Age 2.5 or Dragon Age 3 very soon (and it better use more of Morrigan and/or Leliana).

Thaddeus the Sixth gives it an 8/10:

I’ve got very mixed feelings about Dragon Age 2. I think it was rushed and suffers for it, but despite this it makes strides forward in some areas. I’m not sure it could be called better or worse than Origins, but as the Moon must constantly accelerate to maintain the same speed so games must constantly improve to be held in the same level of regard.

Warp Zoned gives it a 4/5:

Though the decision to narrow down the plot and focus on a singular character is risky, it works, and the result is something you’ve likely not see before in the genre. It’s definitely got some issues that make the game seem a little rushed, but somehow the actual quality isn’t harmed by this. So long as you can deal with the repetitive dungeons and the move from turn-based combat, Dragon Age II is a great game that mixes things up quite well. It’ll never be mentioned as a Game of the Year candidate, but it’s definitely $60 well spent.

Lucidlan gives it an 8.5/10:

Dragon Age 2 has a number of modification to the gameplay and it’s a great successor for the first release. The inventory system has been improved along with the combat system. The mixing of conversations was a neat touch. Despite the linearity of the story and some graphical polishing, playing Dragon Age 2 was a fun ride and can’t wait to replay it.

Newsarama doesn’t score it:

The ending will leave you speechless yet dying to know more. When I finally could come up with a word to describe my experience with Dragon Age 2 it was simply, “Epic.”

And Scott is Always Right gives it a 4/5:

Overall, Dragon Age II is a great RPG but not Bioware’s best. It’s fun to play, fun to look at and fun to listen to. If you can get past seeing the same dungeons for about 30 hours, then this is definitely worth the buy. And with achievements and future dlc, you could be playing this one for months to come.