Why all the Dragon Age 2 hate?

[MelodieOctavia]

Ooookay...so just be aware I am NOT talking about all the game breaking bugs that the game was launched with.


Why do people curse and gnash their teeth at Bioware for Dragon Age 2? I didn't really get into the original games, but I'm having a goddamn blast with DA2! I guess it's because I am a huge fan of the Baldurs Gate Dark Alliance / Champions of Norrath games and this seems to be a spiritual successor to BGA 2 rather than a sequel to Dragon Age Origins. (in gameplay, not in story)

Looking at it as a brand new game, rather than a sequel...what's so bad about it? Personally I love the game. I can't get enough of it.

 

[machomuu]

It was the gameplay that made me dislike it. I loved the battle system in DA 1. It felt like a highly upgraded version of Neverwinter Nights, and did so many things better. Also, how you progress the story. I felt in the first game that you were much more free by comparison, which made me love it.

 

[Phoenix Goddess]

I haven't played my PS3 version yet, but from what I've heard the elves are uglier and the character selection screen is just plain old black. Hawke's beard is so damn blocky(from what I've seen) that it looks bad.

I tend to judge things for myself though, so I'll give you a better answer when I play later this week if that's alright

 

[MelodieOctavia]

See the things that people say give them "freedom" I see as tedious micro-management. Equipment in DA1 really didn't matter when it came right down to it. What mattered was the weapon(s) ultimately. Sitting down and crunching numbers in the in-game inventory menu is a good way to kill the immersive experience.

DA2, you still have the equipment, but it matters much more in this game, and you can obviously see the differences between two pieces of equipment...instead of having five different chestplates with different names just to figure out they all have the same or close to the same goddamn stats.

 

[machomuu]

See the things that people say give them "freedom" I see as tedious micro-management. Equipment in DA1 really didn't matter when it came right down to it. What mattered was the weapon(s) ultimately. Sitting down and crunching numbers in the in-game inventory menu is a good way to kill the immersive experience.

DA2, you still have the equipment, but it matters much more in this game, and you can obviously see the differences between two pieces of equipment...instead of having five different chestplates with different names just to figure out they all have the same or close to the same goddamn stats.

But I wasn't talking about equipment...

 

[MelodieOctavia]

Yes, I know you weren't You were talking about the dialog trees. And I agree with you on that. The conversation wheel ala Mass Effect is a bit insulting (Hey! We know how to READ, Bioware!) And the character often says something completely different than the dialog option reads...and in some cases...says the same damn thing no matter what you pick.

This is one of the very few gripes I have with DA2.

 

[machomuu]

Yes, I know you weren't You were talking about the dialog trees. And I agree with you on that. The conversation wheel ala Mass Effect is a bit insulting (Hey! We know how to READ, Bioware!) And the character often says something completely different than the dialog option reads...and in some cases...says the same damn thing no matter what you pick.

This is one of the very few gripes I have with DA2.

No I wasn't. I was talking about actual freedom that deviated the game from linearity. Basically, the countless amounts of things to do (in a very tight nutshell).

 

[narutofan777]

i thought dragon age 2 was pretty good, jsut started on the first one dragon age origins and im alreday havin problems.. faking idk how u say framerate drop or some thing, its gettin annoyin. I want some action but the damn problems keep messing the "moment" up. im playin on ps3 btw.

 

[SylvWolf]

I was a big fan of DA but haven't picked up the 2nd yet. From everything I've read, though, the combat seems much faster and more hectic. Some might see this as a good thing, but others, who enjoyed the tactical, slow approach to the combat in DA, might not. I've also heard that the characters are less interesting overall and that the story never really picks up until right at the end, but these could be matters of opinion.

And I would wholeheartedly disagree on your point about equipment, especially in the harder difficulties. Having the right set-up on your party (especially your tank) was crucial in the later boss fights and dungeons.

 

[Sterling]

I loved the first one, and when I bought the second one, I didn't like it as much. Then, I looked deeper into the bad ass combat system. Then, I was in love. The characters also have a lot more detail, and sharpness than the first one did. It's definitely a 9+ and the best linear RPG for the 360 to date.

Also, Varric is a bad ass, and Isabella is who the character in the 4th Pirates of the Caribbean is based off of.

 

[Hells Malice]

The story isn't great in either game, but DA 2 is definitely funner and has a lot more to it character-customization wise. Though, combat is still fairly simplistic and incredibly easy even on the hardest difficulty. But it's no where near how terrible combat was in DA.

Doesn't deserve any hate, though I did lose interest in it about halfway through the game. Nothing really to keep me playing.

 

[RNorthex]

i loved the battle in da2, all characters, especially the mages had very satisfying animations, in dao it looked a bit awkward[characters barely hitting, mages shooting out tiny balls, everyone crouching, slomo-stabs...]
though i have to say, some more tactic-requirements wouldn't have hurt, in da2 u can basically just kill by yourself without caring about the others too much

i like both games equally
da:o for it's story, good looking/well-built world and for it's characters and multiple playable races with their own story
but in da2, the story is just good and the characters are ok, nothing bad imo
the only real thing i hated about da2 that it kept re-using same maps and places all over and over again and it really made the game boring if u are playing it for a long time