I initially thought we’d probably get through the next couple of days without another Dragon Age II review round-up, but since they aren’t showing any signs of slowing down, a mid-weekend round-up is a necessity.
WorthPlaying gives it a 6.5/10:
Dragon Age II does not have much to recommend. It doesn’t technically do anything extremely wrong, but it doesn’t do much right, either. It feels like it’s trying to mesh together Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2, and the result is more of a bland sludge than a tasty peanut butter-and-chocolate combination. The characters are cookie-cutter, and the combat is dull and repetitive. Aside from a few interesting moments here and there, Dragon Age II feels like it’s been spread too thin. There are occasional strong moments, but unless you’re desperate for more of the Dragon Age setting, it would be best to replay Dragon Age: Origins or Mass Effect 2 instead.
Gamereactor UK gives it an 8/10:
It might not be the sequel we had been hoping for, though. I can only hope that Bioware doesn’t rush out a Dragon Age 3, instead taking their time with the next chapter. I’d love to see a Dragon Age as often as we see a Call of Duty, but sadly I don’t see that happening without the quality taking an even further nosedive. Ubisoft showed that it could be done with Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, but that seems to be the exception to the rule. So while I’m still a Dragon Age-fan, I don’t want to see a sequel until 2014.
The Koalition gives it a 5/10:
Some of the new ideas Bioware tried to implement in Dragon Age II, such as the new combat system, sound great on paper, but the execution of it all ranges from unsatisfactory to downright bad. It feels like a rushed product with the copy-paste environments, the lack of varied enemies, the fact that most of the side-quest content is all based around kill quests, all of these reasons show that there wasn’t much of an effort in creating a truly successive game to the original. A sequel should be at least on par with its predecessor, and in this case Dragon Age II fails to even be an okay game and ends up below-average.
TheSixthAxis gives it a 9/10:
BioWare have made a glorious return to the world of Dragon Age. A much improved game engine and a new art style gives the realm a cleaner, more attractive look and its inhabitants a more distinctive appearance. Minor niggles aside, this is without a doubt the best story-driven fantasy RPG available on consoles at the moment. Fans of Origins will enjoy the many references to their previous adventures and the return of familiar characters, while those new to Dragon Age will find an engaging and well-realised fantasy world to adventure in that requires no prior knowledge of events in the first game.
Gamekult gives it a 5/10:
The developers have announced the deal: with Dragon Age 2: Rise to Power, the license would take a serious turn toward simplicity and action at the risk of disoriented fans of the first hour. At least we were warned. But with a legendary studio to whom we owe masterpieces like Neverwinter Nights, Baldur’s Gate or Mass Effect, and a solid foundation led by a first installment to the gameplay and a world requiring mature and well-done, everything came together for hope, despite everything, an experience worthy of inclusion in the pantheon of great RPGs BioWare stamped. Instead, he will settle for an RPG interventionist and uninspired in his quests, environments and enclosed areas recycled ad nauseum, cutting a halberd which made its wealth and identity, and so oriented that baston ‘he would pay almost in the hack and slash from bottom floor. Of course, not everything is thrown into this and Dragon Age 2, with its frenetic fighting and its simple interface and intuitive particular, it might even satisfy those who seek to fully get a foot in the closed universe of role playing. For others, the purists, those bidding for a wallop and other effects and statistics, this second component is still a wicked stab in the back. This may mark the company’s race to the bottom.
Pocket-lint gives it a 3.5/5:
The hardest thing about playing Dragon Age 2 is that it sets itself up as a streamlined, blockbuster thriller of an RPG, only to bog you down in the city that doesn’t just sleep – it barely wakes up. Give it time, however, and the pieces start to come together, producing an RPG that’s still as immersive and compelling as they come. We’ll have our fingers crossed that Dragon Age 3 manages to combine what works about this game with what worked in Dragon Age: Origins – perhaps with a bit of Mass Effect magic dust sprinkled on top. For now, however, this is just not the best Dragon Age we know that Bioware can make.
Games On Net gives it a 4/5:
Whichever way you slice it, Dragon Age 2 is a quality RPG that boasts solid mechanics, a brilliant cast of characters (perhaps with the exception of Fenris), and a deep, divergent storyline. But it’s not the old-school romp that Origins was, and for a game with such high production values, it feels strangely shallow and devoid of atmosphere. It’s like Dragon Age grew up and became a complex, emotion-riddled teenager – if you look deep enough you might see a glimpse of the kid you used to know, but that innocent childish glee was pushed aside to make room for its own personality and style. Whatever Bioware have in store for us with Dragon Age 3, it’s going to be interesting.
Strength Gamer gives it a 6.5/10:
So you then ask yourself, “Is it any fun?”. The answer is unfortunately no. It’s incredibly disjointed, and feels more like a series of unfortunate events than a streamline story. There simply aren’t enough combat scenes to make this an enjoyable experience. The graphics are a vast improvement over the first Dragon Age, which is great – except that they still aren’t anything to brag about. Combat has been dumbed down to a button masher, and the inventory system is about as bare as one can get. As Ryan mentioned in his review to the left, Dragon Age 2 suffers the same disease of Mass Effect 2 – it’s over simplified. I was a huge fan of the first Dragon Age, and I simply can’t stand playing Dragon Age 2. I can’t recommend a purchase to anyone out there. If you liked the first, go rent it. Just don’t get your hopes up.
Gamepur gives it an 8.5/10:
As a whole, Dragon Age 2 has simplified some of the combat and inventory management, and the gameplay is also faster. Graphics and visual in the game are also good as compare to first game in the franchise, but still they looks kinda dated. Story wise, its really very good, however the dialogue, cut scene tend to go on for a longer time period.
In short Dragon Age II is lot easier and simpler in terms of gameplay when it is compared with Dragon Age: Origins.
And Just Push Start gives it a 4/5:
Dragon Age II is pretty much what the fans wanted after they finished Origins a sequel that expands the world of the series. From the hours of gameplay that I’ve spent, I have a mix of emotions about it. While the new features feel refreshing to the series, the things like recycled environments and a story that seems too short can disappoint the fans who are expecting more from BioWare. The ability to just be in one big town and access a few dungeons are not the things that fans want; we expect to see much more. Nevertheless, Dragon Age II is still a must-purchase for fans of Origins, despite some of its shortcomings.
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