All those weeks and months of waiting are over and BioWare's Dragon Age II is finally here. So... is it any good?
From the initial rush of reviews, the answer is an emphatic "yes," though nearly every outlet tosses some qualifiers on the praise. Let's take a closer look to see just how far DAII has come since Dragon Age: Origins, shall we?
The opening hours are "clumsy" and "messy," writes the Telegraph, but after the introductory sequence DAII finds a comfortable stride.
"[O]nce Dragon Age II finds its rhythm - finds that focus - it begins to take hold over you, willing you to dance to its tune. Much of its charm is entwined with the astonishing lore that BioWare have created with their own version of Middle-Earth, Thedas. The foundation may be cliched Tolkien lyricism, but the meticulously detailed theology and politik of Thedas builds a highly charged, tremulous fantasy scape that is as much under threat from its own people as it is the vicious Darkspawn that was vanquished in the first game. Bigotry, slavery and oppression form the themes of a world that is as morally grey as they come."
While IGN writes that it is happy main character Hawke gets a voice, it's your companions who really make the world come to life.
"One of the best things about Dragon Age is stopping and listening to what your companions have to say. That remains true in the sequel, where the background chatter between party members is often hilarious and sometimes heartwarming. It adds authenticity to their personalities despite their occasionally stiff movements. Assembling a team isn't a light decision in Dragon Age II as your companions aren't just there to aid you in battle. They can also partake in conversations, opening up new dialogue options."
And what of battle? It was a mixed bag for many reviewers, either too easy or too difficult, but Joystiq found rogue combat to be just right.
"With no auto-attack, fights feel more fast-paced and chaotic, thanks in part to the fact that I was playing a rogue who flipped wildly between enemies in a hypnotic shower of blood. It's action-heavy, sure, but also requires some tactical forethought. A straight fight between an enemy and my sneaky duelist would rarely pan out well, which required me to constantly be aware of my tougher warrior buddy's actions and location. I'm not a big proponent of the "stop and give orders" approach to combat, but Dragon Age 2 provides just the right blend of strategy and stab...egy for my tastes."
Unfortunately, nearly everyone complained of the recycled environments and the loss of epic-ness that comes with the diminished size (though not length, reviewers easily clocked more than 30 hours on a playthrough). Writes MTV Multiplayer:
"The abundance of recycled interiors in "Dragon Age 2" is, frankly, more than a little surprising. There's obviously going to be some shared characteristics between locations when you're spending most of your time in a single city, but it goes overboard here. Maps are flat-out reused again and again, with variety coming from different doors and pathways being locked or blocked off. Since you're already spending a lot of time revisiting the same locations, having to explore identical maps in any potentially fresh ones is unfortunate."
To sum up, G4TV says that DAII is a game with excellent parts. They just don't come together in quite the way they should.
"Dragon Age 2 is decidedly uneven and most disappointing when you consider what the game would have been like if all its various components were as polished and considered as its best aspects. That's a tall order, even for BioWare; however, with the developer releasing games at such a remarkable rate and two more major titles with 2011 alone, it's not unreasonable to expect more... much more."
What are your thoughts on the game?
And keep up with Ology's DAII coverage here.
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