[Review] Dragon Age 2

[Pirandello]

NOTE: This is the first time that my review has been posted here, so I'll clarify. I judge from criteria that I took from Gamespot back when I was an active member there. I changed some stuff around to fit my own criteria, which is what you see now. Story is replaced by longevity when reviewing a multiplayer-focused game instead of singleplayer, like this review. Comments and criticism are appreciated.

 

 

 

 

Bioware's latest iteration in the Dragon Age series has you playing as Hawke, the Champion of Kirkwall, in his 10-year-long journey detailing his rise to power. But is it really worth the time?

 

Graphics: 8/10

 

It's fairly obvious to say that the graphics in Dragon Age 2 are worlds better than its predecessor. Bioware has taken special care to give the face textures an overhaul, so now just about every face is actually something to look at without disgust. This applies especially more so in Hawke's character as you can now actually use a preset that doesn't look like somebody dragged him out of the grave to save the world (or city, in this case).

 

The natural world textures in themselves are what you'd expect from Bioware: nice, clean, and detailed. Kirkwall, although seemingly a city built entirely of what appear to be sandstones from Minecraft, has a gritty charm to it that captures the spirit of the city, from the imposing chains on the Gallows and the fanciful tiled streets of Hightown, to the shady locales of Lowtown and the dark and dank alleys of Darktown (I'm sure you must be noticing the 'town' trend here), and to the bleakness of the Bone Pit strip mine and the melancholy strip of land that is the Wounded Coast.

 

Flashy effects galore are the new in-thing in this game, so do expect to see a lot of bright flare in this game (prevalent in the burst of flame from Fireball and the lightning rave show that is Tempest). Equipment has been given the standard fare of high-detail treatment, although the Champion's primary armor gained during the course of Act III definitely captures the feel of the class very well, instead of strapping the hero with a smorgasbord horribly-matched armor parts.

 

 

Gameplay: 9/10

 

Much has been simplified from Origins to make the game much more accessible to a wider audience and streamline the game's experience. Much less time is focused on maintenance and management of equipment and wares and instead channeled to combat, conversations, and quests instead, ensuring that the user gets as much action as possbile without having to worry about what colored hood his mage should wear from a choice of four.

 

Skills in particular have been given an overhaul, changing their effects from what was used in Origins or otherwise brought back for a second wind. All skills now have a particular use for any situation and you'll never find yourself lacking in something to use. Warriors have crowd control and tanking abilities, the mages have their nasty AoE spells and helpful buffs, and the rogues now have more leeway when using deadly dual blades or blotting out the sun with their arrows when using a bow. Classes can sometimes have combos with other classes with devastating results; exploiting these to their fullest potential ensures that even the toughest enemy can fall to your party with relative ease, and ensures that combat never gets stale and proceeds in fast pace as you prioritize the enemies you encounter.

 

Managing the equipment of your party members has been effectively turned into an automated process. Your companions wear their own unchangeable armor, although you can buy or find upgrades for them throughout the game's playthrough. The only things you can change are their weapons and accessories. Some would find that this lack of control over your party's defensive equipment to be a step backwards, but it does allow you to simply focus on what you want them to use in combat and what accessories would suit them best. There is a compromise, though; you can upgrade your companions' armor with runes that best suit their class, such as armor or dodge enhancements.

 

On to enhancements: everyone's favorite dwarf pair returns in Dragon Age 2! Having seen the end of the Fifth Blight in Fereldan, Bodahn and Sandal decide to come to Kirkwall to find their way, and eventually end up working for Hawke to pay off a debt. Bodahn sells his usual fare of standard wares (though this is dropped later on in the game where he just serves as a clerk to let know that Hawke has received letters), while Sandal deals with the enchantment of runes into weapons and armor.

 

For enhancement or helpful items, you can search through the game for crafting materials, which are then permanently stored for later collection. The more crafting items you have, the more you can make said items. They boil down to three things: potions, grenades, and runes. Generally, you won't have need of these items very much unless you're playing on the harder difficulties as you can make your way through without them.

 

However, the most prominent flaw in the game is it's recycling of maps. It shouldn't put you off from enjoying the game, but it may get on your nerves to have to fight through an entire cave again that you'd only just cleared a quest or two before.

 

Sound: 9/10

 

Sound is top-notch in Dragon Age 2. The effects of the skills and the voices of companions and acquaintances are great, but little is given in the way of ambience save for what characters comment on their current present surroundings. The voices of the Hawkes are relatively decent, giving the player-character some life, though mileage on this may vary. Besides this, there really isn't much to comment on; the game does a good job at this.

 

Story: 7/10

 

WARNING: SPOILERS TO FOLLOW.

 

The story follows Hawke's rise to power after the fall of Lothering as told by the dwarf Varric. It's just about as unusual as you can guess it would be: Hawke flees to Kirkwall with his family, gets past the city's lockdown by working for shady people, strikes it rich in a botched expedition into the Deep Roads, fights off a Qunari invasion because they think they know better than the people whose city that they're staying in (combined with them losing a relic and trying to search for it in Kirkwall), and then eventually brings the entirey of Thedas to the brink of war as he chooses to side with either the Templars or the Circle of Magi in a city-wide war, escapes from the city, and then eventually separates from his companions and disappears, forever written into myth as the Champion of Kirkwall. The Chantry seeks him to bring peace to the continent. This leaves much to thought as they don't even tell you how your companions, or you, end up, though that may be just a side effects of Varric's story-telling.

 

Companions in Dragon Age 2 now actually come in a wide variety and their own personalities to conform to. It's not as cookie-cutter as what you do can rub off either way with your companions, and as such, the player can choose to become friends or rivals with them. Do note that this does NOT MEAN that it's a love/hate relationship (as I did my first playthrough). They still like you, they just don't agree with your particular views on a certain subject.

 

Bioware did tout how choices made early in the game can come back to haunt the player. On several occasions, this is true, but for the most part, the choices you make that affect you later on can be heeded no attention because the player usually isn't heavily affected by it (or if it does come back to bite you, Hawke tends to end them with much force). It seems more of a system designed to bring the player through the game and allowing some extra twists to pop up later on than to immerse them in it.

 

Conclusion:

 

Dragon Age 2 is a game worth the buy if you're not squeamish about the changes from Origins, the recycled maps, and enjoy fluid and fast-paced combat. The story does a decent job at letting the player see Hawke's story and the choices that they've made, coupled with companions that never make things boring, and sets the pieces up for a continent on the brink of war in Dragon Age 3.

 

Verdict: 8.3/10

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

Why do you review graphics but not art style/design? The technical aspects mean nothing if it just plain doesn't look good.

[Pirandello]

Why do you review graphics but not art style/design? The technical aspects mean nothing if it just plain doesn't look good.

I find that opinions on art style are highly subjective, so it pretty much turns into my own personal opinion if I chose to delve into it.

[Strangelove]

if its not at least a 9.3, its not worth a buy.

no buy.

[Hot Heart]

Yeah, I would've settled for an 8.4. Shame.

[Johnny]

This is good stuff.

 

My personal suggestions / criticisms would be to drop the scoring completely as it is a complete waste of space, and just make sure the text itself properly tells of everything relevant.

 

Also - and this is something I myself have problems with - don't be so afraid to describe the subjective portions of your opinion. If I were to follow your writing and know your style of likes/dislikes, then statements on what you like about the art style for example would be equally useful as the more objective statements.

 

 

[Grimueax]

Excellent review. Maybe I'm spending too much time on Reddit, but it's nice to see someone that doesn't think this game caused the Japanese tsunami.

[Pirandello]

Thanks for the comments, everyone!

 

This is good stuff.

 

My personal suggestions / criticisms would be to drop the scoring completely as it is a complete waste of space, and just make sure the text itself properly tells of everything relevant.

 

Also - and this is something I myself have problems with - don't be so afraid to describe the subjective portions of your opinion. If I were to follow your writing and know your style of likes/dislikes, then statements on what you like about the art style for example would be equally useful as the more objective statements.

Many thanks for the suggestions. Yeah, I also thought that, after reading it, I did see how the points are pretty useless (most likely force of habit, but there are some out there that actually use that point system). And I will take into mind the subjective parts. I'm a budding reviewer, so I tended to cut out those parts because I thought it would seem unprofessional.