Wednesday 3 June 2015

Dragon Age II - Game Review


Dragon Age II
by BioWare and Electronic Arts


What is it about:
Set in the same mythical world introduced in Dragon Age: Origins, the player assumes the role of Hawke, a human mage, warrior, or rogue who arrives in the city of Kirkwall as a lowly refugee but becomes its legendary champion over a turbulent decade of political and social conflict.

What did I think of it:
I got totally addicted to Dragon Age: Origins, so I wanted to give the next game in the series a try as well.

Dragon Age II does have a very different feel than Dragon Age: Origins.

In the first game you have a very clear goal: save your country from the Blight! This game however is about the rise to fame of your character. This makes that at first the story feels a bit aimless. There's lots of questing, but I didn't feel an urgency like I did in the first game. Only later in the game it felt like I was working towards something more than just the end of the current quest.

The mood of the story was darker, while stupidly enough the graphics and fighting got a bit of a Manga feel, making the fighting feel less realistic than in DA: Origins. I also wondered why suddenly most Elves became Irish!

There's again the opportunity to romance some of your companions, but even the romance was dark and angsty! That might have been because I picked the most difficult love interest though.


There were some cool companions (I especially liked Varric, who also is used in cut-scenes to tell the story you're playing.), but I will confess I liked the companions in DA: Origins better. I also liked the way you could interact with your companions in DA: Origins better. It felt more natural than in DA II.

The ending was quite epic and sets itself up perfectly for a sequel. Depending on the choices you made for Hawke there will be lots for him/her and others to do.

Although I might sound a bit negative about some things, I overall enjoyed Dragon Age II. It's a cool Fantasy RPG with lots of possibilities. I will most certainly play it again, but DA: Origins is my clear favorite of the two.

Why should you play it:
It's a fun Fantasy RPG


1 comment:

middle grade ninja said...

This one has been on my list, but I'm always behind on my gaming. Will have to try. You might dig Witcher 3, which I'll probably be playing for the next two months as it's endless and I only play an hour a day:)