Dragon Age II

Because much of this review may come off as more than a little bit harsh I'd like to preface all of this by saying that I loved Dragon Age 2. Now that that's out of the way, let's get into why I am constantly losing faith in what was once my favorite game company, Bioware. Bioware has been around for God damned ever. They brought us Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, KoTR, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age Origins. All of which are fantastic games, in fact, besides KoTOR (not because I didn't like it, but because I've never finished it) all of those games are on my top 10 list. But then something weird happened, Bioware sold out. While Mass Effect was definitely a very straightforward action shooter based game, it also focused very heavily on story and featured a relatively deep character advancement system with more (poorly managed) loot than you could shake a squirrel at.

But then came Mass Effect 2. Mass Effect 2 is a great game, a great action game, not a great role playing game. Instead of taking the praise of their loyal fanbase to heart, they took the criticisms of the gaming community at large. They listened to the CoD and Halo fanatics, all the guys who said "NOT ENOUGH ACTION TOO MUCH TALKY TALK, ME NO UNDERTAND TALKY TALK ME HIT GAME WITH STICK". So when they threw Mass Effect 2 out there we got a game that was not designed by Bioware or Bioware's fan-base, we got a game that was designed by the mainstream gaming community who it was specifically tailored for. Loot became a thing of the past, and the level up system was grossly simplified to the point that you could go through the entire game without allocating a single point to any of your abilities and still do just fine, yes even if you played an Adept. I could live with all of that if not for one thing, if not for the fact that they scraped the story down to a tiny little nub. The entire story of Mass Effect 2 will be summed up in the next sentence, if you haven't played it and want to continue to believe that it will be as rich and engrossing as the first, please don't read ahead. Shepard get's launched into space when the collectors attack the Normandy, both are destroyed, Cerberus rebuilds both and sends Shepard after the collectors (who are working for the Reapers) but tells Shepard to gather allies first, Shepard gathers allies and kills collectors, the end. And honestly only about 3 hours of the game actually deal with the overlying and incredibly thin plot, the other 9 of this roughly 12 hour game (as opposed to about 20 or more for the first) are spent running around getting allies and forcing them to like you.

I know I know "Alex, this is supposed to be a review of Dragon Age 2, shut the fuck up about Mass Effect 2 already.". No you shut up! I'm going somewhere with all of this and you just don't understand! The point of all of it is that Dragon Age Origins to Dragon Age 2 follows almost the exact same progression (minus the simplified leveling up). For the sake of keeping this to a standard R rating we'll just call this process streamlining, that's what the sheep seem to like calling it anyways.

Dragon Age 2 has seen nothing but controversy ever since it was first announced, being that it was given a release date mere months after the release of DA:O. We were immediately concerned about what kind of quality level it would be at if they were really releasing it that soon. Then came the gameplay videos and the new label of "Action-RPG" fans of Bioware felt their redemption slipping through their fingers and into the sewers. The gameplay on the xbox had been dumbed down to a simple hit A to swing system, fights were over so quickly that there was no way you could possibly have had time to use any kind of tactics or even micromanage your team, but no one much cared, because seriously who plays Dragon Age on the frigging xbox? Then we got wind of all of the "streamlining" that had been done to make the game move faster, and really some of it actually made improvements.

At least on the PC version of the game if you turn the difficulty up, combat still requires a careful and tactical approach, and cross class combo moves add another layer of potential micromanagement that can turn groups of enemies into paste with a few quick moves, and the quicker cooler animations make it that much more fun to watch. This is actually probably the biggest improvement that the game has seen. While I personally enjoyed the rather methodical combat of the first game, the animations were almost painfully slow. But what Bioware has done here is speed up the animations, while keeping the core of the combat in tact. The basics are the same, it's just a lot prettier and more flowing.

So you wrap up your awesome fast paced fight and you find all kinds of loot scattered around the bodies, like a suit of armor lying mostly undamaged in the dust. It isn't as good as what you're wearing but it will certainly be an improvement for that warrior you just added to the team right? Hmm... this is weird... I can't seem to give it to him? Maybe he isn't strong enough to wear it yet? Oh wait, what's that Bioware? We aren't allowed to equip our party members? Makes perfect sense Bioware! I hate having the opportunity to suit up my companions with awesome new gear to keep them up to speed for the next fight! I mean really! Who the hell plays an RPG for character customization? Only idiots who play trash games like Baldurs Gate! That's who!

The other 2 that you can see in this shot, will look like that for the entire game. This gives them character, but takes your freedom.

Well since I don't have to waste any time equipping my team I guess that leaves me extra time to work on my crafting, guess I'll go out and gather up some elfroot and buy some vials so I can make myself some health potions, hmmm, I clicked that elfroot but it doesn't seem to be in my inventory.... Maybe I can only craft at some sort of crafting station? Oh wait, what's that Bioware? No crafting either? I just "order" potions when I have found ingredient locations? Makes perfect sense, I definitely don't like the feeling that my character has made these items for himself, that would be silly. The reason I mention that last one, is because it's basically the same system as crafting, only instead of doing it yourself you have someone else do it. This just seems so utterly pointless to me that I cannot even begin to wrap my head around why they did it. But merchants (besides the crafting ones) work pretty much the same way as before.

Enchantment?

But oh well, I guess I'll just stop and have a chat with one of my team mates! I wonder how Merril is doing! Hmm, this is odd, Merril won't talk to me? What's that Bioware? I can only talk to my party members in their homes? And even then only if they have something extremely specific to tell me about? Sure makes sense, talking to and getting to know my party is just one more thing that I hate doing in an RPG. 


But I think that's just about enough griping. There's so much here that's worthy of praise I don't want my complaints to make the overall package look bad. The first thing that I absolutely loved about Dragon Age 2, is the fact that it didn't have what you might call a straight-forward story. There was never any point during the game where I said to myself, "yep, that's the ultimate bad guy and I have to do this and this and this before I can go after him", as was the problem with ME2 and DA:O. That said there were some pretty significant omissions towards the end, but I'm willing to excuse them as I'm relatively confident that what was left out, was left out intentionally as a setup for the inevitable 3rd game in the franchise. But what this game is about, is not some huge threat to the world or some ancient evil reclaiming it's power so the amnesiac hero can go off to stop him. It's about Hawke, and it's about his rise to power and the people that influence his personality and choices. Don't take that to mean that there is no weight or excitement involved, because there is. There are actually multiple political and almost racial struggles that you are a key player in. And because the game spans a period of roughly 6 or 7 years, each of these struggles feels like a full story arc and is easy to get invested in. And that's not to mention the MASSIVE number of universally fun and interesting side quests that you will be sent on throughout the course of the game, most of which serve to further the overlying plot, or simply to give you background information about the people involved.

I'm pretty sure that look on his face is because he just can't believe how many side quests there are, and that HE got to be a part of one.

Another major improvement is a less obvious distinction between good and evil. For example, in the first game DA:O the templar were very clearly the oppressive and bloodthirsty watchers of the circle of magi. They had no good intent and were there because they were hoping that a mage would look at them the wrong way and give them an excuse to bash his skull in or suck out his emotions. The templar have not changed for DA 2, they are as blood thirsty as ever, if not more so (with a few exceptions) but the mages have. The mages in DA 2 are almost universally not worthy of any kind of sympathy. Just about every single one of them gives you the impression that they deserve to be caged like animals. At the drop of a hat mages in Kirkwall will resort to blood magic or making deals with demons. "Oh my god! There's a rat in the kitchen! I'm going to make a deal with a pride demon for the power to stop this creature!", or "Oh jeez a papercut! I'll need blood magic to save myself from this peril!". The mages just want an excuse to go bad. Or at least that was my take of the situation. The big question that is asked though, is this. Is it the templars fault that the mages so readily resort to such dire and suicidal measures? Or are the mages like this too begin with? Things like this that blur the line between good and evil are what make the choices in Dragon Age 2 so much more fun and interesting.

The overhead map has 3 sections, Kirkwall in the day Kirkwall at night, and the outskirts of the city. Locations with an arrow over then are quest locations.

The way that you gather your party is also handled extremely well. I never felt like a new guy was being thrown at me just because the game knew I only had 2 warriors and wanted a 3rd. They always showed up at appropriate moments that made sense within the games story, and everyone (with maybe 1 exception) has a vital role to play (get it?) in Hawke's story.

there are somewhere around 8 total party members, you can choose 3 to come with you at any given time. It just takes a trip to any characters home base.

DA 2 is also a relatively long game. It took me 26 hours to finish, and I tend to get through games quicker than most (the average time for DS2 was about 10-12 hours I finished in 8). So probably figure somewhere between 25-35 hours if you're relatively thorough. This is a bit shorter than the original which I believe took me 38 hours to finish from start to end. But as my computer died I don't have those numbers right in front of me. But considering what they left out to make room for the sequel, the length felt just right (that's what she said).

The graphics are still a little bit behind the times which strikes me as strange considering that these are the same people behind the creation of Mass Effect 2, which is one of the finest looking games ever made. But that's not to say that they look bad. What they lack in technical prowess they make up for in great art design. Some of the new environments are pretty enough to just stop and admire for a few seconds before starting the next bloodbath.

there be pretty in them there hills.

Which actually is another thing worth mentioning graphically, though the short comings are noticeable when you aren't fighting, it all goes away when the fire starts flying. Everything to do with combat looks absolutely fantastic. Basic attack animations are fast and brutal, your enemies deaths are gruesome and bloody.

I mean like, really REALLY bloody (and this was all from one swing)

Did I mention bloody?

 And all of your spells have fantastic colorful animations. When all of these elements are combined in a full on fight this game looks really great.

Fire and blood?!

It also shines during the closeups in conversation, faces are brilliantly detailed and display their emotions perfectly. And at the very least it is a very big improvement graphically over its predecessor.

Close up faces are well detailed and expressive. (and frequently covered in blood)

And that brings us to the voice acting. As is par for the course with a Bioware game, every character is voiced perfectly, and the writing ranges from bitingly sarcastic and witty, to deep and emotional. There are really no short comings here. By the far the most noteworthy part of the ensemble is Varric Tethras, your beardless dwarven companion. His writing is hilarious, and his delivery is flawless. He was my favorite character in the whole damn game the minute he opened his mouth. I also like that Hawke has a voice, though I still think I would have preferred having race options instead (even though I'd still play human), and Hawke's voice actor is really pretty great, one or two of his lines come off as very flat and kind of fake sounding but you have to give the guy some credit for how much work he had to do for this. The fact that only 1 or 2 lines sound kind of flat is damn impressive if you ask me. Another awesome aspect of his voice is that depending on which dialogue options you choose most often (sarcastic, ruthless, cordial, and other) Hawke's combat dialogue will change. For example if you tend to be more sarcastic Hawke will joke about how many he has killed or say things like "oh look, more enemies, I'm SO surprised". Whereas if you tend to be more ruthless he will revel in the bloodshed and just generally do a lot of shit talk such as "give the maker my regards". This isn't a significant feature but it's fun to have the character you have developed be reflected in more than just your chosen dialogue.

A standard set of responses

I'm not going to do a breakdown of this one as the review above is pretty much already broken up into those sections anyways. So overall, Dragon Age 2 is a great game that could have been better had it not placed so much stock in the mainstream market. I'm sure this helped it to sell better, but it came at a cost. And from what I hear the mainstream douchebag gamers still don't really like it. So come on bioware, listen to the people that love you, and make the games you WANT to make, not the ones that will appeal to the most people. Anyways, I'm getting off track. I give Dragon Age 2 an 8 out of 10. The features that were inexplicably removed and simplified were enough to drag this back out of the realm of perfection. But it's still a great game and one that any gamer, who wants something intelligent in their game, should absolutely buy.

and honestly, when just slapping someone with a SHIELD can do this, HOW COULD YOU GO WRONG?

Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Knights of the Old Republic, Baldurs Gate and Neverwinter Nights are all property of Bioware (And EA for Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Origins and Mass Effect 2)

All else is ©Alex Jenkins 2011