God, I love this game. I LOVE THIS GAME.

Okay, so the 5 star rating is biased of me. It does have flaws, which everyone else has already covered extensively - the repeating environments and the waves of enemies jumping out of the sky are the two that stuck out to me. We're not going to talk about how terrible everyone's hands look.

But that can't even nudge this out of its place as a firm favourite game of all time. I love the characters. I love the fact that rather than a generic Chosen One world-saving plot, it's centered around this small-scale storyline of one scrappy refugee and their friend group in one shitty little city. I love that the companions feel like an actual tight-knit group rather than co-workers forced together - they feel like they're there because they care about Hawke, even when it's inconvenient for them, not because they have some goal that aligns with yours and so they need to be.

I love the soundtrack, I love the combat (and if you know me you'll know how rare it is for me to say that about games), I love the atmosphere. I love the political machinations of it all, the way your companions have their own stories and motivations that may conflict with and throw off yours, the fact that the game spans ten years so you watch things change and improve and deteriorate and fall apart and be put back together again over time.

I love Hawke! I love that the game actually works the personality-type you lean towards more often into their characterisation, so that the deeper into the game you get, the more your typical approach to situations - diplomacy, humour, aggression - will show in their idle lines and what they do even without your input.

I love the friendship-rivalry system; it's so incredibly interesting, it adds replay value, and it shows you such different sides of each character, both in terms of a platonic connection with them and a romantic relationship.

I love that the story is framed through a narrative of Varric telling the story to Cassandra in the present-day, with her pulling him back at the beginning and end of arcs (and sometimes in the middle of them) to call him out on lies or evasions or comment on your actions, and how utterly Varric slots into the trope of unreliable narrator - not just because he wants to, or because it services the story, but because he's doing all he can to protect the friend he loves.

I love the quests, especially the companion quests. I even happily do the side quests every replay! And that's saying something, because I can't even count how many times I've replayed Dragon Age 2.

I've played it over and over, and I will continue to play it over and over. This game has such a special place in my heart. I don't care about the fact that every cave looks like different angles of the same location - DA2 is almost my perfect experience.

Favourite Male Character: Anders (I know!)
Favourite Female Character: Merrill (I know!!)
First Character I Liked: Fenris
Favourite Character Design: Isabela
Favourite Moment: The Chantry incident
Favourite OST: Love Scene, Fenris Theme, Rogue Heart
Least Favourite Character: Aveline

definitely overhated.

the gameplay was more enjoyable than Origins for me, the combat was faster, smoother and good looking, there is a lot of build diversity and the game was also much easier to get into something that was an priority to BioWare at the time and I think they have made it possible.

the three arc storyline set during 7 years of Hawke's life on Kirkwall was pretty interesting, the game gained an much tighter pacing as a result and the writing and characters throughout was pretty good, having an voiced and designed main character felt much more personal and enjoyable inside the narrative compared to Origins.

the presentation felt good most of the time, all the characters features great designs and the soundtrack is great though not as fantastic as in Origins.

the major flaw of DA2 is of course it's short development time, the game features copy-pasted locations for the entire game, the player will pass to the same looking caves, the same houses and dungeons and that can be definitely be attributed by the rushed development cycle at BioWare due to having to develop 3 different games at the time.

the spawning and wave based enemies does get annoying after a while though, exploration and combat loop gets a lot repetitive later on because of it.

but overall I think Dragon Age 2 is an great improvement over Origins simply because it actually got enjoyable gameplay and the story still have most of the qualities the previous game had while trying to do something new to the storyline's overall structure.

Yet another gaming litmus test. DA2 gets a lot and I mean A LOT of flak and is treated as the black sheep of the series. Despite its flaws like the reused zones for most of the game. The story is really really good. The modding is also alot easier than Origins or DAI. Its probably the most stable of the three as well as I have never gotten a crash on 2.
Most of the complaints people have for this game can be mitigated with modding and after all that its a very pleasant experience besides you get to be hawke and hes a bonafide badass. Importing from origins is way to go and make sure to input both game decisions into DAI so you can really feel the investment in this series and watch how your actions change certain things.

Dragon Age II is a game heavily damaged by the expectations placed on it by the success of its predecessors. Comparative to Origins, DAII feels incredibly streamlined, and not for the better, the combat feels far more action oriented rather than reminiscent of classic CRPGs.

The loot system is far more dumbed down, instead of being able to customize your companions and put any piece of gear on them, allowing a various amount of builds, in II, the companions only have their default armor, while you can find upgrades littered throughout the environments, it's incredibly limiting, meaning all the armor you find is largely useless.

The story itself is a breath of fresh air, where Origins and Inquisition had world-end stakes, DA II takes place within a single city; Kirkwall, and takes place over the course of several years, and the political drama that ensues. The Templar v Mage storyline is fascinating, and both sides are both right and wrong.

My main issue with the narrative is the companions don't feel like people, but rather slices of the world simply placed in your party to introduce conflict, while this makes sense within the context of the mage/templar conflict, it feels a little irritating when you catch onto it.

Overall, the game has a good narrative, with repetitive combat that had me reaching for console commands to just finish the game.

Dragon Age 2 is not a game for everyone. But if it IS for you, Kirkwall will stay with you forever.
Few games let you just live the life of someone slowly figuring their life out across 7 years in a fantasy setting.

Even fewer can say they are not about winning and saving the world, but trying to save the little peace of it that you know and love. You can't really save Kirkwall, or change the world in a meaningful way. But you were here for a while, loved some people for a while, and that's all that mattered in the end.

In the end, the best way I can describe it is a little quote your character can say about the city it's taking place in: "A city of people living their lives, good or ill."
So with all of it's flaws maybe that's what the game is all about. And that's what makes it feel so real to me.
An RPG about life, the good and the ugly.

It has almost been 10 years since I last played DA2 as a 15 year old and now as almost a 25 year old, going back to DA2 felt like rather weird, but at the same time cozy and comforting. I don't remember much about my experience back then, but I think it most likely mirrored the way I felt about it now. DA2 is surprisingly a good game, even though it was made in 16 months, with lovable cast of characters, likeable protagonist and interesting city to explore. The combat feels better and more impactful than in Origins and it felt easy to build an efficient rotation that would work in every encounter. The story isn't amazing and the timeskips (that I think could have been utilized better somehow) felt jarring, but I still found myself wanting to play a bit more every time I shut off my xbox. This time around I also played the DLC, really liking Legacy, but Mark of the Assassin really missed the mark (hehe) and if I'm being honest, it is my least favorite out of all BioWare DLCs so far. I just couldn't stand Tallis and I just found the story of the DLC very uninteresting and unimportant regarding the bigger picture.

The game doesn't come without its issues though; repeating environments, acts that feel disjointed from each other (every act has its main plot that are all separate from each other, which leaves a bit weird feeling. For example something big that happens in act 2 is never really discussed again in act 3, even though it would have impacted Kirkwall greatly), some rather annoying bugs (Hawke wouldn't drink a health potion no matter what), clunky AI and weird difficulty spikes with some of the bosses prevented this game from really shining. I think DA2 does suffer a little bit from being in a middle of a trilogy, not doing much to it in general, but it is still worth of playing and experiencing at least once.

Playtime: 30 Hours
Score: 7/10

After many years I have finally beaten the only Dragon Age game I have never finished previously. I'm a big fan of the DA series as well as Dragon Age Origins being one of my favorite games of all time. Dragon Age 2 is a game that is very divisive amongst fans and I have always wanted to complete it so I can form my own opinion.

To start with the good I really enjoyed the narrative for this game for the most part, as it kept my interest throughout the games three acts. I also really enjoyed Hawke as protagonist, and found their family story to be very engaging. Companions as well were very cool and Varric will always be one of my personal favorites. I also enjoyed the little nods to Origins and the cameos of old characters. Also having the "Enchantment" dwarf boy back was awesome to. The music as well is also a stand out and is second only to Origins in my opinion.

Combat is also fun even though it can be hack/slashy. It does lose the tactical nature of Origins, which I think Inquisition was able to find a happy marriage of the two. I made a note in my Bound By Flame review that I found that games melee combat to be a lot better in its flow and feedback. I still stand by that as DA 2's combat can feel floaty in the beginning but once you level up and unlock more abilities it can feel a lot better.

While many complained about DA 2's linear nature and you being restricted to one city, I found it a little refreshing as it can be a nice break in between Origins and Inquisition's end of the world plots. This is still my least favorite game of the trilogy, but I do still enjoy it for what it is.

My only real complaint is how they restricted you a lot in roleplaying and your choices. They wanted to make this game more like Mass Effect which is very apparent. While I don't mind RPGs where you play as a set character, it can be a let down going from Origins to this in terms of roleplaying mechanics. I also felt like my choices didn't matter with the final choice as the game felt like it was forcing me into one ending with only slight variations based on other decisions I made. I also started to grow bored of the Templars vs Mage's plot line. I don't mind it being a side plot in a DA game, but for it to be the main focus can get frustrating especially when you feel like your choices don't matter.

Ultimately I do enjoy this game for what it is, but it is my still my least favorite DA game. I'd understand if this series started out like Mass Effect in terms of its mechanics, but Dragon Age is different and it should be left to do its own thing, which I'm glad they rectified in Inquisition. At the end of the day it will just come down to your own personal tastes in RPGs which will determine how you feel about this game. For me its good, but can be better.

i think one of the things i loved the most about DA2 is how it all happened in one place. i liked that things were so political, i liked seeing hawke's life--and the lives of their companions--change over the years. i especially liked how every story-line, even the ones that seemed inconsequential, were all tied together in the end.

it doesn't stand up to da:o, but i don't want to compare them because it feels unfair. but i will say that even if the entire game sucked, it would all be worth it just to see alistair towards the end and hear him talk about his wife back in ferelden, my grey warden <3

Uma evolução, que regridiu.

Após o término do Origins, fiquei muito animado em iniciar DA2 pra saber como a sequencia daria continuidade a uma história que pra mim era perfeita no 1, tive medo, muito medo!

Porém ele aprimorou muito no quesito de história, ele traz pontos importantes para a saga, mesmo construindo um novo plot com outro personagem, os feitos do nosso herói anterior é sempre mencionado e deixa claro que pra entender uns pontos da história, é necessário jogar o Origins ou ao menos ter conhecimento do que ocorreu no jogo anterior.

Uma construção de história que eu achei ousada, se centrando apenas em Kirkwall mas ao mesmo tempo apresentando bastante de todo canto que vai, personagens novos que são tão carismáticos e únicos quanto os do jogo anterior, é impossível jogar DA2 e não se encantar por um dos personagens dele porque ele aplica muito bem a essência do jogo anterior, sobre cada um ter seus próprios pensamentos, fé, convicções e desejos.

Seu desenrolar da história é rápido e é bem mais curto que o anterior, eu achei o plot dele mais fraco e pouco animador, mas não deixa de ser bom e legal de ver, pois ele toma um rumo diferente, seu personagem continua sendo importante mas.. sei la não me passa uma vibe tão poderosa assim.

Bom agora indo sobre a gameplay do jogo.. bom ela melhorou, ela é bem mais jogável do que a do anterior e sinceramente eu não passei tanto problemas pra se adaptar a ela, porém continua uma gameplay meio travada e sem ser tão action rpg assim, prosseguindo com suas raízes de CRPG no talo.

Pra mim o que me chateou de verdade em DA2 foi a respeito de sua construção de cenário, como o jogo tem o centro da história em Kirkwall, você literalmente só anda por la e em alguns cantos das floresta.. o que sinceramente se tornou um tanto repetitivo e sem graça ao decorrer do tempo, deu um certo desânimo passar sempre pelos mesmos lugares e não ver tantas mudanças, portanto, neste pontto o jogo é bem vazio.

Mas algo que eu gostei muito em DA2 é que eles deram mais personalidade ao nosso personagem principal. No anterior você apenas selecionava uma parte do diálogo e o NPC dava sua resposta, isso tornava o jogo mais rápido e com menos linhas de diálogo, em contraparte, também tirava e ocultava um pouco a personalidade que ele devia ter, graças ao Criador, em DA2 isso foi corrigido, agora nosso personagem fala, interage, zomba, xinga (nesse caso, só se você quiser).

Sobre as questões românticas dos personagens eu achei ok, acho que deveria ter tido mais opções e uma interação melhor no romance, por exemplo:

No DA Origins se você se relacionar com um certo companheiro e depois entrar em um relacionamento com outro, vai ter diálogos de ciúmes e vai surtir em um triângulo amoroso, com interações bem reais e que da todo aquele ar de imersão no game.

Porém, no DA2 isso não ocorre, você pode ter relações com seus companheiros e no fim ainda assim, se casar tranquilamente, algo que poderia ser totalmente quebrado no Origins. nesse ponto achei bem paia, são coisas pequenas mas que quebram um pouco a imersão do jogo, poxa eu queria muito ver um dialogo de triangulo amoroso ou alguns papo romantico mais aceso no jogo.

Em 2023, o jogo já ta velho?

Não, acredito que seus gráficos deram uma envelhecida assim mas o jogo continua bom pra se jogar hoje em dia, não tive nenhum problemas olhando pros detalhes dos modelos ou algo assim, quase não me incomodei com texturas pois elas continuam bem polidas.

Sua jogabilidade também não envelheceu, apenas suas animações que são um pouco duras demais que pode causar estranhamento, mas nada que realmente incomode a ponto de ter feito eu achar o jogo péssimo pra hoje em dia.

A falta de tradução

Bom, aqui sigo com a mesma crítica que fiz no DAO, o jogo não tem uma tradução em portugues, claro que a gente pode falar pela questão do tempo, mas em 2011 você já tava começando a ver jogos vindo com traduções e alguns inteiramente dublados, isso me chateou muito em DA2, mas é claro, segue a dica de sempre.

Se tiver no PC, nada que um modzinho de tradução feita pela comunidade não resolva ;)

Ele fica mil vezes melhor se tiver em PT-BR, afinal é um jogo puramente com foco nos textos, se for jogar no PC, recomendo muito botar a tradução!

Before anyone murders me for rating this higher than Origins, hear me out. Yes, Dragon Age II has its well-documented issues: It reuses assets all over the place, the setting isn't as diverse, the third act was clearly rushed in development...

HOWEVER, it is a fantastic Bioware Action RPG that holds up really well in 2022 if you can look past those issues. The writing and characters are great, the combat is super satisfying & weighty and I loved seeing the progression of Kirkwall over the 10-year story arc. DLCs were fun too, though I preferred Mark Of The Assassin to Legacy. Super invested in the Dragon Age world and intrigued to see how Inquisition's move to Open World tackles it.