Dragon Age II

[Paddyjack]

I thoroughly enjoyed DA:O many times, I did all the different origin stories on nightmare mode, etc. I did a few DLCs but at some point I had the impression I was getting ripped and so I stopped there. I was waiting for this new installment but some reviews I’ve seen made me pause. Apart from the things people already mentioned, one thing that bothered me the most was that the entire game is inside the same city? One thing I liked about most RPGs is the exploration part, and being in the same city is removing the fun out of it.

I remember years ago I did a game called Bard’s Tale I that was occurring also in the same city, and I didn’t like it as much because of it.

So I may wait a bit before getting DA2

[metacide]

one thing that bothered me the most was that the entire game is inside the same city?

Well... yes and no. There are multiple parts to the city, each as big as the explorable areas in Denerim in DA:O if memory serves. There is also Daytime and Nighttime maps, while they're the same basic map some features are available at night that arent during the day, and vice versa.

There is also the wilderness areas outside the city (where the Dalish camp, the mining pit, the coast line, etc etc) which are all fairly large as well. While you keep coming back to the city, to turn in quests and what not (at least in ACT 1 which is all the further I've managed to get so far... damned busy schedules), to me it doesnt seem limiting, really it seems more focused than wandering all over the country for weeks on end while a horde of invading monster that wishes only your destruction very slowly strolls up to the Main City.

[BigBiker05]

So apparently to suck more money out of us they made a Dragon Age II facebook game called Dragon Age Legends. As you play Dragon Age Legends you can even unlock items for your Dragon Age II account. (see screenshot)

VIEW CONTENT:

[Ixtab]

So apparently to suck more money out of us they made a Dragon Age II facebook game called Dragon Age Legends. As you play Dragon Age Legends you can even unlock items for your Dragon Age II account. (see screenshot)

VIEW CONTENT:

Okay, that is simply ridiculous! I kind of like DLC, microtransactions, and the like.... I am getting used to that sort of stuff, since it's a must these days, but I miss the old days where you buy a game, you get the whole game, and off you go. Everyone has the same thing.. maybe an expansion or two later is fine. But having to make a facebook account, to play a silly browser game (i know, i know, some browser games are fun, but still) to be able to get items for the game that you actually want to play... That's all kinds of dumb.

And yes, I said "create a facebook account" I DO actually have one, but I havent been on it in years, becasue i never used to... so I don't know if I could even remember the stuff to log back in... IF I cared. bah!

[ShadyJane]

I don’t like that Bioware is banning people from playing their game if they post anything negative on their forums. http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Dragon ... 12371.html

I don’t like that they submitted 2 self reviews for the game giving it perfect scores and undermining other people’s criticisms. Nor do I think their response defending the reviews. http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/35981/EA ... elf-review

I don’t like that they reused the same layout for every single cave in the entire game.

As someone who loved Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 I thought DA:O was a dumbed down version of that. DA2 seems to be a dumbed down version of DA:O.

For those that have enjoyed the game, do you enjoy it to the point of recommending others to buy it all full price?

[BigBiker05]

Supposedly there was some accidents made here. I have yet to play DA2 since I'm still finishing up DA:A. However, I hated Baldur's Gate but loved DA:O.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/03/15/drago ... -forumite/

Supposedly they temp banned him for foul language and there was a glitch that was doing perma bans instead of temp bans. IE: the people posted negativity without foul language were not getting bans.

The meta-critic thing is just sad . (

[metacide]

I don’t like that they reused the same layout for every single cave in the entire game.

That is an inaccurate statement. There are reused maps but there is more than 1 map layout. The multiple points of entry nicely disguises the fact that many of the maps are repeats. There's also the trimmed down maps, so while maps A, B, and C are all part(s) of Master Map Alpha, they are not exactly the same. It was a good idea I thought to cut back on the massive amount of space DA:O took up.

Saying that there is just one map is like saying DustBowl is just one map over and over and over again. While vaguely true there are different sections of the map that can be played so it's a slightly different map from round to round.

Also there is more than one Master Map for caves... so yeah.

If you didnt preorder it, I would recommend holding off until it comes down in price a bit. I enjoy it a great deal but if you're on the fence you will just be angry about paying full price.

[Boss Llama]

DA2 currently running a 4.2/83 on metacritic, vs an 8.3/91 for DA:O.

People are not at all happy with it. As a matter of fact, as of this posting, both games have the exact same number of positive reviews, but DA2 has more than 11 times as many negative ones.

If you haven't bought this yet and are intersted in it, wait til it's on a $20 sale. I mean for goodness sake, it's not even an RPG anymore. There is NO non-combat skill tree. It's just virtua-fighter with better fx.

[BigBiker05]

Wow Alizee, that really saddens me . ( Is this a sign for Mass Effect 3?

[Bronze Fox]

So reviewers are loving it, but actual players aren't?

[Boss Llama]

So reviewers are loving it, but actual players aren't?

The reviewers are afraid they won't get any more high profile interviews with the people at big daddy EA, nor free reviewer copies of games, exclusive access, etc. The players have no such concern, and are therefore honest.

Truth be told though, an 83 from critics is nothing to write home about for a game like Dragon Age 2. If this was a small indy studio making its first game, it'd be a great sign. For one of the most highly regarded RPG makers out there, it's a sympathy vote for a bad product.

Also, of the more than 1000 PC game titles ever to receive a green (positive) rating from critics on metacritic, only 6 at any level have had a worse rating from actual players. That puts DA2 squarely in the lowest 1% of performers for games that should have been good, even lower than Spore, which was hit with an organized review-bombing campaign. :-/

[Bronze Fox]

Also, of the more than 1000 PC game titles ever to receive a green (positive) rating from critics on metacritic, only 6 at any level have had a worse rating from actual players. That puts DA2 squarely in the lowest 1% of performers for games that should have been good, even lower than Spore, which was hit with an organized review-bombing campaign. :-/

It's hard to imagine the game is that bad.

[Clay Pigeon]

Wow Alizee, that really saddens me . ( Is this a sign for Mass Effect 3?

If DA2 tanks, they may actually put more than half a damn worth of effort into ME3.

[bz]

We can only hope.

[MateoTheBold!]

Like a lot of others, I am on the fence and will probably pick up DA2 when it goes on sale. Either way, its a little depressing to see the 1 step forward, 2 steps back that people have been reporting regarding their experience with the game. At this point I am looking forward to the Witcher 2 being released May 17 for my RPG fix.

http://pc.ign.com/articles/115/1155558p1.html

I played and loved the first one.