Whoo man, look at the score spectrum on this one... Looks about right.
This game is super divisive, and I've found that the biggest indicator of where one's opinion is going to fall on this game is how much they liked Dragon Age Origins. Players who are expecting an actual sequel to that game that is similar in structure and scope will be very extremely disappointed by Dragon Age 2. Players who liked the strategic RPG elements of Origins and were hoping to see more of that will also be disappointed. Dragon Age 2 takes place entirely within the vicinity of one city, tells a much smaller and more personal story, and has a much more action-based combat system.
I had played Origins before Dragon Age 2, but really hadn't fallen in love with it yet. In fact I had burned myself out on it in such a way that my relationship with it had soured, and when I played it I was growing very bored of the formula that Bioware had settled into with KOTOR, Jade Empire, Mass Effect 1, etc. Dragon Age 2 was an impulse buy for me on its release, and I had not been following any coverage for the game before that. I didn't even know it was in development.
I had a fantastic experience with Dragon Age 2. I played it obsessively over the course of a weekend and I was enthralled. I had no particular love of Origin's combat, so I enjoyed the crunchy, satisfying, action-y feel of Dragon Age 2. I was completely drawn in by the story and continuously failed to predict where it was going to go next.
Now just because I happened to have a really good experience at that exact moment in my life, doesn't mean that this is an objectively well crafted game, and I find all the standard the complaints to be valid. I'd be interested to know what the reception would have been if it weren't presented as a sequel to Origins.
This game is super divisive, and I've found that the biggest indicator of where one's opinion is going to fall on this game is how much they liked Dragon Age Origins. Players who are expecting an actual sequel to that game that is similar in structure and scope will be very extremely disappointed by Dragon Age 2. Players who liked the strategic RPG elements of Origins and were hoping to see more of that will also be disappointed. Dragon Age 2 takes place entirely within the vicinity of one city, tells a much smaller and more personal story, and has a much more action-based combat system.
I had played Origins before Dragon Age 2, but really hadn't fallen in love with it yet. In fact I had burned myself out on it in such a way that my relationship with it had soured, and when I played it I was growing very bored of the formula that Bioware had settled into with KOTOR, Jade Empire, Mass Effect 1, etc. Dragon Age 2 was an impulse buy for me on its release, and I had not been following any coverage for the game before that. I didn't even know it was in development.
I had a fantastic experience with Dragon Age 2. I played it obsessively over the course of a weekend and I was enthralled. I had no particular love of Origin's combat, so I enjoyed the crunchy, satisfying, action-y feel of Dragon Age 2. I was completely drawn in by the story and continuously failed to predict where it was going to go next.
Now just because I happened to have a really good experience at that exact moment in my life, doesn't mean that this is an objectively well crafted game, and I find all the standard the complaints to be valid. I'd be interested to know what the reception would have been if it weren't presented as a sequel to Origins.