Beware, if you epect something like Dragon Age: Origins 2, you might not like what this game as to offer.
While this game easily smeels and feels like DA:O, it as almost nothing beside a basis gameplay from the firts one. Lets face it, if Origins didn´t have such a awsome quest like it had, it just a basic RPG. But lets get to the facts:
Dragon Age 2
Good Points:
- Better looks and ambience,
The game places in Kirkwall, in the free marches, away from the Darkspawn rise up in Ferelden, a city that can be said to be very good both on dimension and design. Also light and shadows, map design and decals, blood and caracthers are much better thanks to dx11.
- Gamplay,
The gameplay has lost a bit of tactical behaviour, but it much more atractive and well performed in animations, with the lack of Kill Streaks, or whatever in DA:O, which can be missed.
- Side Quests,
The side quest are much more intuitive, much more, easily to finish and more satisfiying due to the better animations and interaction between the main caracthers and NCPs.
Bad Points:
- Story,
Lack of DA:O facts, leaves stories behind and many questions, like Flemeth quest, and brings a tale of "Rise To Power", when the story is only about politics and NO DARKSPAWN! In the end [spoilers] Hawke, the main caracther, will gone missing, leaving even more questions to be asked.
Besides, this game will make you wish for DA:O better connection and The Hero Of Ferelden, your caracther in the first one. Besides DA2 is one the most linear RPG's made by Bioware, ever!
- Lacks of companion interaction,
One aspect that made DA:O such a good game, was the interactions we could have with other members in the party, one which we can have a normal, relax break to talk! The only way to talk with others is in quest or by going on a like companion quest! No backround story or real romance to be added, as it becomes very linear. And you can change their customs, ever! Now, items have restrictions only for Hawke it self, and will not let you customise, any companion aside from their weapon.
- Same city
Caves, Dungeons, and city parts, are over and over, and over , and over basicaly the same, with differents layouts over a decade (DA2 timeline), and barely change. Even with a Night/Day routine, it just the same, as you barely will leave Kirkwall, beside sidequests in the outskirts.
- Play Time?
I have heard people saying that they take like, 40 hours, 50 hours, even 60hours (!), to complete this game. I took 30 hours, selling, searching every store in every corner of kickwall and completing every side quest, companions quest, ever rumors Varric tells you about. This made me realise that the campign should not take more than, 15hours? Maybe 10 at max?
Overwall: 7.5
This game is a disapointment, because as almost not to do with DA:O and will made you wish Bioware didnt care about EA presure and tought better about the Dragon Age series. The series is not broken, and even with this downside, the series can be interessing, if only the next installment only takes place in a actual DA:O sequel and in a 2 years production. Skyrim will now be the best RPG of 2011.