So how is DA2? No hyperbole please!
DA2 good?
DA2 good?
I was looking in another thread and DA2 came up with the favorite characters listed... How is this game? I heard awakenings was a bit dissapointing. I am waiting to upgrade my computer in a few years but I was curious about DA2.. That is to say I am playing 98-06 games until I get an update
So how is DA2? No hyperbole please!
So how is DA2? No hyperbole please!
Right Speech has four aspects: 1. Not lying, but speaking the truth, 2. Avoiding rude and coarse words, but using gentle speech beneficial to the listener, 3. Not slandering, but promoting friendliness and unity, 4. Avoiding frivolous speech, but saying only what is appropriate and beneficial.
Most people hate it with a passion from what I gather.
But I enjoyed the game allot, it isn't the sequel to Origins that I was expecting, but it is still good, I really liked the story of the game, it was allot more personal and felt better than the one in Origins, it was nowhere near as epic as Origins story.
I think the gameplay is better, it is allot smoother and more reactive, if you prefer the slower gameplay style that Origins has it may take some time to adjust, but it is well worth it, it is basically the the same gameplay only made smoother and faster, the only issue I had with the combat was the ''waves'' where all of a sudden a new wave of enemies would spawn, it would be fine if it was isolated incidents, but it happens in every single fight in the game. It also annoyed me that you could not change companions gear(only weapons, shield, rings and amulet, and belt i think, not sure about it), but there is a mod that fixes that so you can equip your companions with gear.
I didn't like how they reused the environments, as the years changed they should have had the areas change to reflect that, but they remain the same, but it wasn't to big of an issue for me.
If I had to give it a rating I would give it a solid 3.5 our of 5.
But I enjoyed the game allot, it isn't the sequel to Origins that I was expecting, but it is still good, I really liked the story of the game, it was allot more personal and felt better than the one in Origins, it was nowhere near as epic as Origins story.
I think the gameplay is better, it is allot smoother and more reactive, if you prefer the slower gameplay style that Origins has it may take some time to adjust, but it is well worth it, it is basically the the same gameplay only made smoother and faster, the only issue I had with the combat was the ''waves'' where all of a sudden a new wave of enemies would spawn, it would be fine if it was isolated incidents, but it happens in every single fight in the game. It also annoyed me that you could not change companions gear(only weapons, shield, rings and amulet, and belt i think, not sure about it), but there is a mod that fixes that so you can equip your companions with gear.
I didn't like how they reused the environments, as the years changed they should have had the areas change to reflect that, but they remain the same, but it wasn't to big of an issue for me.
If I had to give it a rating I would give it a solid 3.5 our of 5.
"I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses.''-Johannes Kepler.
I just finished it..
If you can play Two Worlds then you should be able to play DAII. In fact DA I was more of a system strain than II.
As for the game..
I'd give it a solid 5.5, with DA I a 7 and Awakening a 4.5.
It both is and is not like Dragon Age. Sort of a 2 steps forward 3 steps back for the sake of a development schedule. Not unlike Storm of Zehir when compared to NWN2 and MOTB.
Somethings are better - the dialog and scripting in particular. The menu system for it is *much* better, yet still inadequate (shades of neutral I'd call it, rather than a full system of Good/Neutral/Evil/Chaotic/Lawful).
The potion chugging problem (of I and Awakening) is fixed with cool-downs.
It all takes place in a city that feels more like a city than anything in I (..including Orzamarr).
Unfortunately that's pretty much all it is, that and ridiculous battle after battle.
You don't really change anything in the game. It's all pretty much scripted to the same conclusion, even the one companion you can "change" is either "you do or she leaves", not a change for the better or a change for the worse.
Most enemies aren't defined - just peep's that need to be removed. (..a classic error of any story-telling. Note however that there are several with backgrounds - it just that the vast majority do not.)
To me the absolute worst part of the game is that it break's it's own rules - consistently. Can your party summon wave after wave of opponents? NO. Can your party create an incredibly powerful electrocution sphere? NO. Will anyone in your party have 10-20X more hitpoints than anyone else? NO. Will anyone in your party have near immunity to everything? NO.
Moreover the attacks are just repeated.. It's like the developers thought the bad-guys should have just one or two attack methods when you often have more than 30 with your party. Ex.. Blood mages seem to just do the spell Blood Wound.. err, Hemorrhage. Forgive me for thinking a Blood mage would be more than just the spells in the Blood mage category, and worse - there is also Blood Control.. err, Blood Slave. Be nice to see a Blood mage try that on one of my party for change, but nooooooo.
On the other hand as long as you are on a setting harder than "normal", it can be challenging enough to keep you entertained.. occasionally.
If you can play Two Worlds then you should be able to play DAII. In fact DA I was more of a system strain than II.
As for the game..
I'd give it a solid 5.5, with DA I a 7 and Awakening a 4.5.
It both is and is not like Dragon Age. Sort of a 2 steps forward 3 steps back for the sake of a development schedule. Not unlike Storm of Zehir when compared to NWN2 and MOTB.
Somethings are better - the dialog and scripting in particular. The menu system for it is *much* better, yet still inadequate (shades of neutral I'd call it, rather than a full system of Good/Neutral/Evil/Chaotic/Lawful).
The potion chugging problem (of I and Awakening) is fixed with cool-downs.
It all takes place in a city that feels more like a city than anything in I (..including Orzamarr).
Unfortunately that's pretty much all it is, that and ridiculous battle after battle.
You don't really change anything in the game. It's all pretty much scripted to the same conclusion, even the one companion you can "change" is either "you do or she leaves", not a change for the better or a change for the worse.
Most enemies aren't defined - just peep's that need to be removed. (..a classic error of any story-telling. Note however that there are several with backgrounds - it just that the vast majority do not.)
To me the absolute worst part of the game is that it break's it's own rules - consistently. Can your party summon wave after wave of opponents? NO. Can your party create an incredibly powerful electrocution sphere? NO. Will anyone in your party have 10-20X more hitpoints than anyone else? NO. Will anyone in your party have near immunity to everything? NO.
Moreover the attacks are just repeated.. It's like the developers thought the bad-guys should have just one or two attack methods when you often have more than 30 with your party. Ex.. Blood mages seem to just do the spell Blood Wound.. err, Hemorrhage. Forgive me for thinking a Blood mage would be more than just the spells in the Blood mage category, and worse - there is also Blood Control.. err, Blood Slave. Be nice to see a Blood mage try that on one of my party for change, but nooooooo.
On the other hand as long as you are on a setting harder than "normal", it can be challenging enough to keep you entertained.. occasionally.
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GoldDragon
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Part of the problem involved in the hatred of Dragon Age II that I noticed is that most people forget that it is told from the Viewpoint of the Dwarf you see in the very beginning: Varric.
In truth, the only "live, happening today" parts of the game are the conversations between Varric and the Seeker Cassandra. The prologue (part 1) is simply Varric getting carried away, and the rest of it happens more than 10 years previous, actually during Origins (specifically right after the Warden completes one part of the main quest, actually) and the final battle happens 3 years prior to the start of said conversation.
As to my personal views, it was a fairly good game, but didn't exactly live up to Origins. For the Record, I thought that Awakening was actually a bit better than Origins, if only the story seems slightly more realistic.... Assuming any story that has magic and darkspawn can be considered realistic, that is...
I rate Origins: 8/10
I rate Awakening: 8.5/10
I rate DA II 7/10 with side note that I don't have any of the DLCs
In truth, the only "live, happening today" parts of the game are the conversations between Varric and the Seeker Cassandra. The prologue (part 1) is simply Varric getting carried away, and the rest of it happens more than 10 years previous, actually during Origins (specifically right after the Warden completes one part of the main quest, actually) and the final battle happens 3 years prior to the start of said conversation.
As to my personal views, it was a fairly good game, but didn't exactly live up to Origins. For the Record, I thought that Awakening was actually a bit better than Origins, if only the story seems slightly more realistic.... Assuming any story that has magic and darkspawn can be considered realistic, that is...
I rate Origins: 8/10
I rate Awakening: 8.5/10
I rate DA II 7/10 with side note that I don't have any of the DLCs
-- GD
It's just a "staging" tool to get you into the plot. I rather liked that, but like anything that presents itself as a past event - for some it will "blunt" the experience.GoldDragon wrote:Part of the problem involved in the hatred of Dragon Age II that I noticed is that most people forget that it is told from the Viewpoint of the Dwarf you see in the very beginning: Varric.
In truth, the only "live, happening today" parts of the game are the conversations between Varric and the Seeker Cassandra. The prologue (part 1) is simply Varric getting carried away, and the rest of it happens more than 10 years previous, actually during Origins (specifically right after the Warden completes one part of the main quest, actually) and the final battle happens 3 years prior to the start of said conversation.
Of course it was absurd that you did all the things that you had in what couldn't have been more than a few months for Origins.. The 3 year breaks in II are fare more reasonable.
Beyond the fact that it kept breaking it's own rules, I kept lamenting the fact that here was a city, with all sorts of "shady dealings" and you can't really play a thief. No real crimes to solve, no real crimes to commit, no sordid contacts - and no freak'n skills to use or traps to set! Sort of a sanitized Thieves World. Unlike Origins, this is a game that needs a lot of MOD's.. and is actually worthy of them.
I've played DA2 four times now and have enjoyed every game! I've enjoyed switching companions around, trying out different tactics and abilities as well as the fighting. Each time I've played, I've increased difficulties; I also keep finding items that I somehow missed the time before. And of course, the game depends upon how you played DA:O; as well as the decisions you make during the game.
It's sure given me the most bang for the buck. I just wish the game was as epic as DA:O.
It's sure given me the most bang for the buck. I just wish the game was as epic as DA:O.
Thanks for the info.. Thylein I'll keep the dlc in mind.
Right Speech has four aspects: 1. Not lying, but speaking the truth, 2. Avoiding rude and coarse words, but using gentle speech beneficial to the listener, 3. Not slandering, but promoting friendliness and unity, 4. Avoiding frivolous speech, but saying only what is appropriate and beneficial.
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Illusive Man
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The hatred for DA2 is what kept me away from the game up until recently. Saw it for a bargain price over Christmas and took the plunge. Boy, was it worth it. I guess I'm in the minority, but I think it's a vast improvement over DA:O (one of my biggest RPG disappointments after it was hyped up as the 'spiritual sequel' to Baldur's Gate). Better voice acting, more interesting NPC companions, inventory system is less cluttered, and I just care about my character more than I did the vanilla cipher I was playing in Origins.
Oh, and no Alistair in sight. That's awesome. :laugh:
Oh, and no Alistair in sight. That's awesome. :laugh:
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GoldDragon
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IF there really is no Alistair in sight, then you got him killed in Origins.
Spoiler alert for Alistair!
Spoiler alert for Alistair!
Spoiler
If banished: he appears in the Hanged Man, Bann Teagan will eventually come and summon him back to Ferelden.
If a Warden: He will appear with the Wardens, in place of Stroud.
If King: He appears in Act 3, asking Hawke to meet him in the Chantry. He is also mentioned in Act one if Hawke says she is from Ferelden. If the Warden was HUman, Noble, Female, and Married him, she is also mentioned. Hopefully, she doesn't hear what he said, tho....
If a Warden: He will appear with the Wardens, in place of Stroud.
If King: He appears in Act 3, asking Hawke to meet him in the Chantry. He is also mentioned in Act one if Hawke says she is from Ferelden. If the Warden was HUman, Noble, Female, and Married him, she is also mentioned. Hopefully, she doesn't hear what he said, tho....
-- GD
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Illusive Man
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GoldDragon
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