Dragon Age 2 sits awkwardly in the world of RPGs. It's a much more limited game in scope than the first game, but because of that it feels like it's repeating the same thing over and over again... Which it does. However, Dragon Age 2 builds up the single city of Kirkwall and it's characters far better than Dragon Age Origins did... However I've taken one star off due to repetitious quests and battles which will tire many, but DA2 is certainly a good game but a very different one to DA1

A great game. If you like Bioware's previous titles there'll be something for you here. The game is heavily criticised for taking a slightly different path from its predecessor but I still think they made a great game that I got many, MANY hours of enjoyment from. The voice acting is generally good, the writing (as should be expected from a Bioware game) is amazing and the gameplay is fast and furious but with enough strategy involved that it doesn't become repetitive.

Some people claim that Dragon Age 2 is entirely dumbed down from it's first game but it isn't. The only thing Dragon Age 2 lacks is a bigger map and a more interesting beginning.

The combat isn't exactly hack and slash. It leans towards the World Of Warcraft style where you click on an enemy and your player will attack the enemy till he/she/it is dead. Anyone who claims that this game is just merely hack and slash is misinformed or just ignorant. I feel like the combat hasn't changed from the first game except for new cooler skills and a faster paced action.

You can still pause the game and decide on your strategy. Tactics are also available and you can assign them to each party member. When fighting bosses, assigning tactics is a must in order to win. If you've played World Of Warcraft, you'll be able to cope with bosses no problem.

Even though the dialogue style has gone towards the direction of Mass Effect , it still offers many choices for you to make. There have been many situations where things could have been different which gives the game more replay value. You will also be able to get into a romantic relationship with one of your party members.

The map size of Dragon Age II isn't as big as Dragon Age : Origins. In fact it focuses more on the city Kirkwall and outside of it. This is the downside of Dragon Age II because there isn't enough variety of new environments. However, the amount of quests and content make up for the smaller map size.

Another part of Dragon Age II's flaw is the story. The beginning of the story is actually the problem because players are confused into thinking what is the real threat in the game. In the beginning you fight off darkspawn as you escape Fereldon.

At this point, players think they will be facing the Blight threat but as the game progresses, you realise there are newer threats and once you complete one, there'll be another, sending the player on a rollercoaster ride.

But after finishing the game, I realise now that the game does not force the player into being the center of all things at the beginning. You work your way through to become a champion, like becoming a hero of Fereldon, however you are basically a nobody and aren't anyone's last hope of survival just yet.

The whole game in general focuses on the mages and templars and the right and wrong of each sides. You will later then be forced to decide who is right and who is wrong.

Still, Dragon Age II is a success from the first one.

In certain key ways, Dragon Age 2 is a step back. Regardless of how you may feel about the changes to the formula, however, it's still a great RPG that draws you in, thanks to the power of choice. Here is a game in which decisions have consequences that ripple outward, producing effects you may not have seen coming. What makes them more effective is that there is not always a clearly bad or good path to take--not in this world in which greed and anger course through the veins of so many, regardless of their affiliation. Personal connections in your family and adventuring party further complicate matters, ensuring there isn't one obvious way to continue. It's a shame that these intricacies were tempered by unnecessary simplification and unfocused storytelling. Nevertheless, Dragon Age II makes a strong impression, pulling you through with the promise of another fun quest, another character to meet, and another beast to slay

To be fair it not everyone cup of tea, I liked the storyline, my main complaint is that it could do with a few more areas to explore which would have given the feeling there was more to the area.

Does this mean Dragon Age 2 is a superior game that you need to play no, this is no mass effect 2 to be honest, but for me there was enough in this game to hint that this is really about laying the groundworks for game 3 which will hopefully be an equal to the first or even better.

I found Dragon Age II overall to be a rather enjoyable game. The combat can be fun and parts of the story and the interaction with companions can be enthralling. In particular the interaction with the companions I think was improved from Origins/Awakening.

The battle mechanics over all are the same as the previous installment. Although there are fewer options in terms of picking skins, some may call it stream lined others lessened, over all I think the skills that are there are much more useful and don’t end up thrown to the way side as the game goes on. What is worse is the options available with the camera during battle. There is no longer an option to zoom out all the way to an isometric view. It can be quite limiting during the battle and can make it quite difficult to keep all companions in sight.

The battles themselves are much faster passed and fun, the harder difficulty is actually quite difficult at times to. This is mostly due to the bosses though, there seems to be quite a big discrepancy between the difficulties to the bosses to the waves of enemies you get throughout the game. And when I say waves I do mean waves. They aren’t situated on the map, they spawn in and during a battle once you have finished off one lot of them another lot will spawn and drop down from nowhere. It does keep the battle flowing but it can be a bit jarring to suddenly see enemy drop down were they probably shouldn’t.

The environments over all I think are improved from Origins/Awakening, it’s very much a shame there aren’t more of them. The amount of areas you visit is severally limited and by the end of the game it becomes quite ridiculous, I think it even begins to mock itself about it.

The story has its highlights but it’s not over arching. Each part of the game seems to be moving to a new story rather than turning to the next chapter. Over all the side stories to do with the companions are much better; they do keep on developing all the way through the game.

So over all enjoyable but it has its problems and it seems like its setting up for the next installment rather than being a game in its own right. If you enjoyed the other games and are following along it’s worth a look.

This game is simply...incredible. I really hate the amount of bad press it's receiving at the moment. It not the same as DAO, and bioware is handling it's after release quite badly, but that doesn't make the game itself bad!

The amount of free choice and different actions you can take in the game are simply incredible, as is the amount of customization available for your characters.

The fighting is certainly faster that the first game, but that isn't definatly a bad thing, it's just different. It brings up the need to use different tactics, so it requires a different mindset.

The game is incredibly enjoyable, and don't let the bad press ruin your experiance of this game!

A step down from dragon age origins.

So far i don't feel i get to know the other characters in my group, so far all the tasks have been running errands from A to B in one small city, seeing the same scenery time and time again.

Flemeth and the qunari have gotten a "out of this world, Japanese cartoon look".

The elves have been beaten with an ugly stick and looks nothing like they did in origins, much like the qunari.

Story so far is just so boring, the city was boring, and now I'm in the deep roads, which i hated in origins because its so bland and repetitive.

I just felt the urge to just exit the game and find some thing else to play. I probably will go back, just to see if the game redeem it self.

Looks nice and shiny, but that's all superficial.

Skills and abilities are pretty much as you saw in origins, how ever i have not been able to equip my followers, every armor i have bought or found is restricted to the main character, the rest run around in the same armours and outfits.

Noticed the cool downs for skills are pretty long, if your a mage you don't have to worry about getting low on mana while healing, because it takes over half a minute for the cool down to go off and by that time your mana bar has refilled.

Same goes for potions, you use a potion and you have to wait for ever to use another.

But except for the boss fights, the battles are very easy, at least on normal.

In short, i expected more!

I must admit I'm disappointed.

Well the long-awaited sequel to one of the best-selling games of its genre has finally arrived. Apart from the usual minor hiccups with most version 1.0 of games these days (promo codes not working, strange messages to of missing disks in drives, etc.) the game finally loads to present a graphically pleasing experience. Note the word "pleasing" is chosen on purpose as it couldn't called spectatular even using the additional high quality texture download included. Whilst the feel of the game is similar to the original Dragon Age Origins (DAO), including the immersive storyline, there is something not quite right with the graphics. As you move your party through the detailed environments you experience a lack of smoothness in the rendering which can be distracting. Not quite a smooth as say, Risen but better than Two Worlds 2.

The interface is familiar with its array of hot key which can be bound to your favourite spells and abilities and the controls are simple enough, allowing you to focus on the battle strategy rather than tapping away at the mouse/keys repeatedly. Some of the spell effects are impressive too.

The storyline brings you into contact with some old acquaintances but introduces plenty of new characters with their varied and interesting personalities (and accents - Irish & Welsh sounding elves?) which develop during the game. Indeed the ability to endear yourself with someone or irritate the hell out of them is one of the many reasons why DAO was such a successful release. This also goes for the ability to select your party for each quest you decide to undertake, an aspect which added to the replayability of DAO. Although in some situtations you're able to have a party larger than your standard four controllable characters which is a bonus in certain battles. You even have the ability to summon your own Mubari hound!

One of the disappointments experienced, however, is the equipment interface. Gone is the ability to equip your party with armour and multiple weaponary. They now appear to have standard armour and although you can provide them with belts and rings to bolster their attributes, your cannot swap out boots, helms, gloves, etc., and they are limited to a single weapon or weapon set. No longer can your rogue have a bow AND a dagger as backup for melee. All of the juicy armour you can pick up along the way appears to be restricted to your main character. Also a bitter blow if, say, your promos and imports from DAO are suited to a warrior and you fancy playing a mage for a change. You can't equip one of your party "tanks" with your prized armour. It removes the micro management from the game but also takes away some of the fun when you find a cache of interesting stuff after killing the bad guys.

The attributes and abilities interface is very different too. Graphically nicer to use but not as easy to view quickly the differences between specific abilities. Perhaps its just a slight resistance to change, but in the end if your new to the Dragon Age phenomenon then it probably will still impress.

Overall the game is everything it promised to be (at least as much as I have played so far) and I look forward to spending some more spare time discovering the true plot that's contained within. I miss some of the DAO elements but still enjoy the way the storyline develops. Certainly worth it's 5 stars.

In Dragon Age 2 you can't create a dwarf or elf instead you play as Hawke who is a human.

The combat is much more faster paced but you can still pause the game and issue commands of your companions.

There are lots of different quest wich are very well written and fun for you to complete.

It is in Kirkwall most of the game takes place while there are a few areas outside of Kirkwall you can visit it is still in the city you will spend most of your time.

The graphics are great but you will have to enable directx11 and download the high res texture pack from the social bioware website if you want to turn

on very high settings.

+ Good story

+ Combat

+ Graphics

- Recycled dungeons

- Armor restrictions for your companions you can't switch their armor.