Dragon Age 2

78%
Game Brain Score Based on 100 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
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Dragon Age II is the sequel to Dragon Age: Origins and the second major game in the series. Like its predecessor, players can explore and engage in combat from a third-person perspective and will also encounter various companions who play major roles in the plot and gameplay. Depending on players' decisions and dialogue, a companion will either recognize the main character Hawke as a friend or a r…

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Reviews

78%
Audience ScoreBased on 100 reviews
story44 positive mentions
stability14 negative mentions
  • The graphics are lovely and improved over the last game, with nice character and area designs.
  • The companion uniqueness and ability trees have been significantly upgraded, allowing for more diverse gameplay.
  • The voice acting is top-notch, and the characters are mostly likable, adding depth to the story.
  • Exploration is limited, with many areas being reused and requiring constant backtracking, which can become tedious.
  • Combat can be frustrating due to mechanics that allow enemies to chain knock you down, especially for non-warrior classes.
  • The main plot lacks urgency and engagement, feeling more like a series of side quests rather than a cohesive story.
  • story158 mentions

    The story in Dragon Age II has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its character-driven narrative and moral complexity, while others criticize it for being less engaging and more linear compared to its predecessor, Dragon Age: Origins. Many side quests feel disconnected from the main plot, leading to a perception of repetitiveness and a lack of depth in the overall storyline. Despite these criticisms, the game offers a compelling exploration of themes like family dynamics and political tensions, which some players found refreshing and enjoyable.

    • “I very much enjoyed the main storyline and felt attached to the characters as a whole.”
    • “The story focuses more on the inner conflict of the city: brewing tensions between mages and templars, qunari foreigners that pose a growing threat over time, and you making a name for yourself and your party.”
    • “The family storyline running through the background was a nice change, and really added to the overall Dragon Age storyline between the templars and mages, by having you choose who to support - your brother or sister.”
    • “The main plot is not very engaging or sweeping.”
    • “My problems--sometimes the 'quests' or tasks seem a little random and not well integrated with the overall storyline.”
    • “The story ultimately seemed like little more than a device to move the game along from one quest to the next.”
  • graphics48 mentions

    Overall, the graphics in the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the improvements and vibrant art style compared to previous titles, while others note that they do not push the boundaries of the industry. Some players found the graphics to be a significant upgrade, enhancing the overall experience, while others felt they were merely decent and occasionally marred by technical issues. Despite the varying opinions, the consensus leans towards a positive reception, highlighting the graphics as a strong point, albeit not the standout feature of the game.

    • “The graphics are fantastic.”
    • “The graphics, while weak, are better than the previous.”
    • “Graphics: much cleaner and more vibrant.”
    • “The graphics on Two Worlds II were such a comedown that we had to stop the game for a while so that we would stop expecting FFXIII style graphics.”
    • “The artwork and graphics just weren't a focus for Bioware, I guess.”
    • “The load times are absurdly lengthy, and the graphics are well outdated for when the game was released.”
  • gameplay34 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its solid RPG mechanics, character customization, and engaging combat, while others criticize it for being less captivating than its predecessor, Dragon Age: Origins. Many players appreciate the faster-paced and smoother combat, though some find the mechanics simplified or "dumbed down." Overall, while the gameplay offers enjoyable experiences and hours of fun, it has not universally met the expectations set by earlier titles in the series.

    • “The gameplay is a strong and yet simple RPG style which works really well here.”
    • “I love the graphics, the gameplay is great, the characters are wonderful, the upgrading is fun, leveling up is awesome, and I love the new skill tree.”
    • “The gameplay is faster paced (mainly smoother) than DA:O and the 'wait 20 seconds after a battle to loot corpses' issue is nowhere to be seen.”
    • “For me personally, I prefer the gameplay of the first Dragon Age game than I do Dragon Age 2.”
    • “My only gripe with the gameplay is that the second wave of enemies in fights have an irritating tendency to spawn directly behind your weak supporting characters.”
    • “The gameplay is corny, the story is poorly written and executed, animations are stiff, terrible, and reused constantly so get used to everyone moving like dolls.”
  • stability14 mentions

    The game's stability has been criticized due to frequent freezes and glitches, particularly during dialogue, which can disrupt gameplay and even freeze the system. While some players find the glitches amusing or manageable, the overall consensus is that these issues are a significant drawback, detracting from the experience. Despite improvements over previous versions, the game is still considered not entirely bug-free.

    • “Game freezes in dialogue not 'often' but it happens.”
    • “We had a number of freezes.”
    • “Freezes are unacceptable in my mind, and are a big turn off.”
  • humor9 mentions

    The humor in the game is generally well-received, with characters like Isabella and Varric providing entertaining moments and amusing dialogue. However, many players feel that the humor does not reach the heights of its predecessor, Dragon Age: Origins, and some find the characters less engaging and funny in comparison. While there are highlights in party banter and some hilarious glitches, the overall comedic impact is seen as lacking.

    • “Some glitches are hilarious (I 'completed' one quest 6 times before it finally registered as complete, by simply giving an item to a person over and over).”
    • “But other than that, it still had delightful dialogue, hilarious party banter, romance, a much-improved combat system, an interesting plotline, and a main character that you could customize.”
    • “I will say I do like that Hawke now has a voice and much of the dialogue is very funny; however, that does not make the game worth playing.”
  • character development8 mentions

    The game excels in character development, with a strong focus on deepening relationships and personal growth, particularly for the main character. While the character designs are praised, some players feel that the customization options are limited in favor of a richer narrative experience. Overall, the character development is highlighted as a standout feature, enhancing the gameplay and storytelling.

    • “The character development is great and the game's difficulty is just right.”
    • “Instead of having more options in personalization of your character and their origin, they seemed to focus more on the depth of the character development and the relationships with other characters.”
    • “I played the first, and while the story was wonderful and some of the animations were great, the fighting and character development (Hawke really comes to life with his responses) in DA2 is what I like.”
    • “Instead of having more options in personalization of your character and their origin, they seemed to focus more on the meatiness of the character development and the relationships with other characters.”
    • “Artwork/graphics/character design: this is where the game blew it.”
    • “Main character development.”
  • music7 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while some praise the composer for his impressive background and the quality of the score, likening it to his previous works in titles like "Prince of Persia" and "Fallout 3," others find it underwhelming and overly reminiscent of Bioware's "Mass Effect." Overall, the soundtrack is noted for enhancing the gaming experience, though opinions vary on its originality and impact.

    • “I am a fan of film scores and a fanatic of classical music.”
    • “He has composed music for a large number of other video games, and I hadn't realized how much of his music I had heard before—Prince of Persia, Dragon Age: Origins, Fallout 3—and I will now make a point of listening to his scores.”
    • “Great graphics, great music, good storyline, combat a little on the basic side, and limited upgrading options make this a cut above for the average gamer.”
    • “The music is blah & Bioware infused a little too much Mass Effect into this standalone franchise.”
  • replayability6 mentions

    Overall, the replayability of the game is considered high, particularly in comparison to other Bioware titles, though some players feel it lacks the depth of alternate origin stories found in Dragon Age: Origins. While many enjoy the game enough to return for multiple playthroughs, others note that it doesn't quite match the replay value of similar RPGs or other games in the genre.

    • “Replay value, much like all Bioware games, is huge.”
    • “Dragon Age 2 is a fun RPG with moderately high replay value.”
    • “I found this game to be extremely entertaining with enormous replay value.”
    • “Also, there's not nearly as much replay value as Origins since there were no alternate origin stories. I went back to playing Red Dead Redemption almost immediately upon finishing DA2.”
    • “Would have been nice though if there was the inclusion of further free roam style aside from progressing the story, like in games such as Sacred or Diablo. But even so, the game has loads of replay value!”
    • “Replayability doesn't match either.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be a significant part of the experience, often feeling that leveling up requires considerable effort. However, the engaging combat, appealing visuals, and enjoyable characters provide enough motivation to explore and engage with the game's systems, making the grind feel worthwhile.

    • “Leveling is grinding most of the time.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The game's combat is well-optimized, delivering a smooth and engaging experience without overwhelming complexity.

    • “The combat runs smoothly and is exciting, but not too complicated.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
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Negative mentions (%)Negative

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