Dragon Age 2

[Monkeyboy]

Right, so I finally completed this.

Ending spoiler...

Anders, you complete shit! I was this close to killing him for his act of magical terrorism. Instead, I just told him to fuck him off. Then he turns up later, saying, "Hey! I want to help!" So I told him to fuck off again. The fight with Meredith was quite cool. The statues coming to life had a Ray Harryhausen vibe to it.

But honestly, as endings go... pretty depressing.

[Royshan]

The above is what I found online which summed up my ending.

I did finish this, and actually enjoyed it. My main gripe would be that rather than having constant interaction with teamates, it seems to be segregated. It just seemed less intimate than in da:o.

I may play again, and be everyone's rival. Just to see how it works out.

[df0]

I am doing that now on my Mage. Told

Fenris

to sod off, will dump

Isabella

as soon as possible, will certainly not help

the daft elven cow fix the mirror

and tie

the elven hippie mage

to a tree. Ow and be as as rude as possible to everybody I encounter. I work for gold, not for charity.

Bit sad to know that in the end nothing will change.

[Mallet]

What can you really change about Origins ending either though? I mean it doesn't matter what you do during the game you either accept the deal or you don't and while I realise you can choose who fights with you and a few epilogue notes ultimately it's a more or less a fixed ending.

[Talk Show Host]

What a bad third act and ending... Man... WoW...

The third act was all kinds of shit.

Isabella disappears because I don't let her keep the Qunari book. She doesn't appear again. Ever. No letter, no nothing. She doesn't even join the fight at the end.

I refuse to give the crafting tool to Merill for the Eluvian. She becomes a rival. I give here a gift and she's still gaining rival points. After 2 minutes I go back to my house and she is there to apologise. I tell her it's ok and she throws herself at me and in my bed - she is still a rival but now she is my "eternal love, too".

Almost every mage I meet is prone to corruption. It's getting ridiculous now.

So the end comes. And Anders blows up a tower. Wait, wha..?? Why? Because there can be no peace! Ah, now I get it. He is possessed! Ehm, no, not really. He has just become one with the demon (whatever that means) and he pretty much knows what he's doing. So he kills the Chantry. And other mages too. By blowing everything up. He doesn't want this to be peacefully resolved. He wants WAR now! So I let him go because I'm a good guy and not a cold blooded killer. Sebastian hates him though. Does he kill Anders? No. He just threatens that some day he will teach him the meaning of Justice. Some day.

So now I must choose. But I don't want to take sides. I want to remain neutral or kill Meredith, right there. She is the one who has become paranoid. Can I kill her, there? No. She leaves because I'm supposed to fight her later, killing both the Templars and mages of Kirkwall in the meantime. Both, you say? Both, I say, because despite me siding with the mages I end up fighting them on the streets.

So I'm running around killing Templars and mages. The streets are filled with demons, too. Why? Don't know. Ah, there's some apostate mages around, they must be responsible for the demons. Let's kill them. No, wait! I'm on their side, why are they fighting me? Because EVERY MAGE is evil says BioWare! Kill them all. But... Kill them! Here's some demons to fight, too, while the Templars escape to the distance.

The last stand takes place in front of the Keep. Meredith is there with some soldiers. Does she attack? No. She gives us the opportunity to prepare. Many thanks. Fenris -who has joined Meredith- comes back to fight for us because we change his opinion with one line (the Champion is cool like that).

The battle commences. Thank God the head of mages is cool. Well, not really. He decides to turn into an abomination/demon out of sheer frustration! Why is he frustrated? Because he hates Meredith and wants to kill her! Alright, he makes a sacrifice to kill Meredith, I get that. But there is no Meredith around to fight. So he turns into an abomination for no reason at all and me and my party have to kill off our most powerful mage.

Then we try to reach the courtyard. Still no Templars around, we're fighting demons. Why are we fighting demons?

Ah, finally. Here's Meredith. But, what is that? She has gone crazy! Why? Because of the artifact in the deep roads and its lyrium. Or something. She also has some statues who can turn into spider like things. She dies easily because she likes to stop fighting while my party is stunned and talk to Andraste.

Hawke walks into the sunset.

So, why is he the most important person in Thedas? What did he do?

It seems Leliana knows something, so does the seeker who has been hearing Varric's tale.

End credits.

Are these actually paid writers? What utter garbage.

[poppa_f]

I think I must be pretty close to the end of this (last straw is showing in my main quest list now).

I've actually really enjoyed it, once the combat "clicked" and stopped feeling like random button mashing then it really chimed with me. Quite like the light tactical element of working out the optimum combination of characters to max out the cross-class combos- settled on a combination of Anders (heal + brittle enable + stagger exploit) / Merril (damage dealer + brittle enable + stagger exploit) / Aveline (tank / stagger enable / disorient exploit) / Hawke (2H Warrior / stagger enable / brittle exploit).

This seemed to work well except for a couple of boss fights where I had to drop the difficulty down from hard to normal in order to progress:

The Rock Demon thing at the end of act 1, the giant spider thing and the epic dragon fight towards the end of act 3

[Talk Show Host]

I think I must be pretty close to the end of this (last straw is showing in my main quest list now).

I've actually really enjoyed it, once the combat "clicked" and stopped feeling like random button mashing then it really chimed with me. Quite like the light tactical element of working out the optimum combination of characters to max out the cross-class combos- settled on a combination of Anders (heal + brittle enable + stagger exploit) / Merril (damage dealer + brittle enable + stagger exploit) / Aveline (tank / stagger enable / disorient exploit) / Hawke (2H Warrior / stagger enable / brittle exploit).

This seemed to work well except for a couple of boss fights where I had to drop the difficulty down from hard to normal in order to progress:

The Rock Demon thing at the end of act 1, the giant spider thing and the epic dragon fight towards the end of act 3

What difficulty are you on?

edit: I must be blind.

[NecroMorrius]

I have to say that this was the worst Bioware game I've played, that saying I was introduced to this developer with KOTOR and have not played the previous games, although they're all revered.

I found Dragon Age 2 to be generally, insipid and bland. just a very boring, plodding experience. That doesn't mean I was disappointed that the story arc wasn't some sort of flamboyant Tolken-esque epic like the first, I like to think I keep an open mind. I just found little engagement or fun from the whole experience.

Not to be a doom-sayer, but I am genuinely concerned about Mass Effect 3. That series is something special and a little precious and it would be painful to see the third game go the way of Dragon Age 2. DA2 seems to be obviously rushed to release to cash in on the popularity of the first and as a result we have a game that is half-baked in every way. In terms of design, writing and even technical stability.

Mass Effect 3 surprisingly short development cycle can't really be a good thing.

I'm nine hours in and I agree with you completely.

There is, no word of a lie, absolutely no story whatsoever. Likewise I don't need a world-in-peril setup to find it interesting, but it's playing out like a fantasy version of The Only Way Is Essex. What's the point of it?! I'm just wandering around the most dull in-game city imaginable, doing odd jobs for idiots. It's so far been nothing but a series of inane sidequests and tired moral quandaries, chock full of boring characters. It has this utterly offputting aesthetic too, like someone forgot to turn the lighting engine on before it went gold. I've yawned my way through nine hours of it out of a historical faith in Bioware, but it's been totally unrewarding.

Presumably there are several internal teams within Bioware, and the Dragon Age team were culled or moved about at the end of DA1, and they assembled a team of junior staff to make DA2 under a very tight deadline? I can only hope that this unambitious game demonstrates how much focus is going into ME3 at the cost of everything else.

Ughghghghghgh.

Also, this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ4C7lgya_0

Assassins of Kings indeed.

C'mon Bioware. I've loved every game you've put out, what are you playing at?

[deerokus]

I had 100% the same problem, simply couldn't bare to play it beyond about 10 hours of tedious nothingness interspersed with MMO-style fetch quests, and ended up trading it. A real shame.

[NecroMorrius]

Yeah. I'm not angry or indignant, just disappointed. It's so barefacedly lazy in every respect.

[JPR]

Legacy coming 26th July 800 BW points, 800 MS points, $9.99 New locations that don't look drastically different to what we got before, can't say I'm that interested will wait to see the reception it gets. I was hoping with the time it's taken and after all the criticism they might go straight to a proper expansion like Awakenings and try to make some real changes to the game.

Face all new darkspawn, forge a powerful new weapon and come face to face with an ancient horror.

Description:

Targeted by a vicious criminal cartel that are hunting "the blood of the Hawke," you must put an end to their relentless attacks. Leave Kirkwall, and journey to an ancient Grey Warden prison in order to find the source of the aggression and uncover the harsh truth about the Hawke lineage. Playable from any point in the DAII campaign, face all new darkspawn, forge a powerful new weapon and come face to face with an ancient horror.

Features:

Uncover the harsh truth about the Hawke lineage

Adventure through several new locations including a prison constructed by the Grey Wardens

Obtain a powerful class-specific weapon to which you can apply upgrades of your choice

[Talk Show Host]

It's funny how they make a good epic trailer with proper music for the DLC, while the real game was all metal guitars and shit.

[The Sarge]

Stage demo from the Summer Showcase,

[hebejebe]

Anyone got the dlc yet?

[Rayn]

Ok, so I've gathered from the Steam thread that this game is worse than the original (which I loved, on PC at least. X360 version was a bit shoddy). Can someone highlight the negatives, plz? If it's the writing that's bad, then I'll give this a miss, because the writing is almost the most important aspect of games like this, for me.

[Gambit]

Anyone got the dlc yet?

I have.

It's okay so far. A lot of fighting and walking through corridors. If you liked the content of the main game then you'll enjoy this, if not then it won't change your mind.

[revlob]

Ok, so I've gathered from the Steam thread that this game is worse than the original (which I loved, on PC at least. X360 version was a bit shoddy). Can someone highlight the negatives, plz? If it's the writing that's bad, then I'll give this a miss, because the writing is almost the most important aspect of games like this, for me.

I wrote why I thought it was bad here:

http://www.rllmukforum.com/index.php?showtopic=227748&view=findpost&p=7762901

Outside of battle though, I struggled to emotionally engage with my team. I was never sure what Merril's drive was, didn't understand Isabella's plight, and Fenris was one-dimensional. Anders' motives later in the game never made sense and Aveline was shockingly dull. Varric always had the best lines, but rarely was I brought to laugh at his jokes, or ponder his musings. The game encouraged me to visit my companions often, but these conversations failed to reveal the depth I was looking for, often amounting to little more than a few paltry comments on the last quest. Much of the game feels forced, with a lot of content shoe-horned in, and boy is it shoe-horned. A great deal has already been said of the asset recycling, but for me it all comes to a head at the start of Act 2. I spent a good 20 hours running errands in the first Act, and as soon as I was released back into Kirkwall after the Deep Roads, and saw it was unchanged, I felt dismay at the idea of running around, searching every nook and cranny, again. Having a single cave map is frankly insulting.

It's entirely possible to build an RPG of epic proportions around a small, confined space. Anyone who's played The World Ends With You will tell you that. The trick to doing it though is to bring that space to life, and make it interesting to be in. Kirkwall is not an interesting place. It is empty, vacuous. Where are all the people? How am I supposed to believe this is one of the great City-states of the Free Marches, not some stone hamlet occupied by only a handful of faceless plebs? Noticing the differences between the city at night and day would be hard, were it not for the lighting, there are that few souls about.

At the end of the game, I didn't feel particularly compelled by either side of the "big" decisions you're asked to make. I rushed through the last act with trepidation at the thought of scouring the Wounded Coast once again, or revisiting that same sewer for the nth time. When it was all over my victory felt extremely hollow, and it was only then that I felt something approaching emotion towards one of the characters; I felt pity for poor Varric, who had to try and turn this tale into a legend.

TL;DR: The characters are flat and boring, and despite being faced with several important-sounding choices throughout the game, none of your decisions really matter in the end.

[poppa_f]

It's basically like a soap opera centred around a greedy amoral mercenary who hangs out with a bunch of weirdos and gets dragged in to wizards v non-wizards gang war.

I actually really enjoyed it, mainly as the combat has just enough depth to keep you interested and it breaks down in to nice 30 min gameplay chunks as you chug through the "story" arc.

The engine is good enough, just needs more locations, a decent story and good characters added to the mix and it could be pretty special. If we ever get a Dragon Age 3 and they put a bit more time and effort in then could be up there with the Mass Effect series IMO.

[Swallow]

The engine is nothing like "good enough", especially now that The Witcher II has been released. TWII highlights BioWare's laziness in every aspect of this game. Dragon Age II is one of the most disappointing games I've ever played and the first to leave such a bad taste in my mouth. Avoid.

[revlob]

Yeah don't start praising DA2's looks now or you'll summon Morrius and his Witcher 2 comparison shots again.

[Cosmic_Guru]

I think I will pass on the DLC this time.

I disagree with Revlob in respect of the characters in this game compared to the first DA - I thought they were more interesting (other than the comic relief stereotype of Isabella) and since they were given loads more incidental dialogue you felt you got to know them in a more natural way (compared to interrogation in the campsite). I thought the combat and the menus were excellent. I liked the overall sense of claustrophobia. I liked the bookending story telling.

I didn't like the way that many of the caves and interiors were lazily cut down in size by cementing over doors and not adjusting the mini map (I didn't care so much there were only a few designs). The town could have been more densely populated for sure - think of Assassin's Creed, Two Worlds II or Fable for what is possible. I also feel the events around the end of Act II were unclear, even after 2 playthroughs, and then there is the overall conclusion of the game which pissed me off mightily the first time but isn't so bad when you know it's coming. That's a shame because there is quite a bit of scope to take different approaches with NPCs during the game itself and you won't see everything in one go.

It's certainly a curate's egg of a game which should have been brought to market under a different name Dragon Age: A Hawke's tale or something similar might have helped revise expectations. A rushed job but one which shouldn't be missed altogether by DA fans.

[Gambit]

The last boss in the Legacy DLC is a cunt. Managed to do it on my first go, BUT when you have to avoid certain hazards that keep happening it becomes a fucking chore when your dumb shit AI buddies keep walking into them.

I'm also a little dubious as to what difference the choices you make actually have on the end of the mission. It seems like no matter what choices you make you still end up at the same finishing point. Kind of the same problem with the main game then.

[Hexx]

I like story driven gaming.

Will I like the DLC?

[Anubis]

Yes, if you find the Dragon Age lore interesting, I really enjoyed it, But then I liked DA2. Legacy's story and atmosphere, encounter and level design is better than almost everything in DA2.

[Talk Show Host]

I like story driven gaming.

Will I like the DLC?

Don't give them any money or they'll think they are on the right track.

[Anubis]

Don't give them any money or they'll think they are on the right track.

I thought it was a big step back towards the right track, what specifically didn't you like about Legacy ?

[Talk Show Host]

I thought it was a big step back towards the right track, what specifically didn't you like about Legacy ?

I was talking about buying Legacy as a way to support the atrocious DA2.

[Janski]

Sorry if this has already been covered...

Just started this and doesn't seem to be a way to weapon switch in mid combat a la Dragon Age 1 where you could switch under advanced in the radial menu

Am I missing it somewhere?

I'm on 360 btw

[Jimmy Shedders]

Nobody tell Talk Show Host;

Mark of the Assassin DLC announced, coming 11th of October

Dragon Age 2 will welcome new downloadable content pack called Mark of the Assassin on 11th October.

It will be available for all three platforms, PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Mark of the Assassin stars the voice and likeness Felicia Day, the former Buffy actress who found fame after creating MMO-related comedy web series The Guild. She worked with BioWare on a web series for Dragon Age called Redemption. It's her green elven assassin Tallis that Mark of the Assassin recreates.

Mark of the Assassin follows Tallis and Hawke as they attempt to steal a jewel called The Heart of the Many from an Orlesian Baron. The only problem being that said jewel is hidden deep within a vault that's protected by magic and a private army, abd housed inside a fortress designed to be impregnable. Oh, and it's also surrounded by monsters.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-09-16-dragon-age-2-dlc-mark-of-the-assassin

[Talk Show Host]

Nobody tell Talk Show Host;

Mark of the Assassin DLC announced, coming 11th of October

Dragon Age 2 will welcome new downloadable content pack called Mark of the Assassin on 11th October.

It will be available for all three platforms, PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Mark of the Assassin stars the voice and likeness Felicia Day, the former Buffy actress who found fame after creating MMO-related comedy web series The Guild. She worked with BioWare on a web series for Dragon Age called Redemption. It's her green elven assassin Tallis that Mark of the Assassin recreates.

Mark of the Assassin follows Tallis and Hawke as they attempt to steal a jewel called The Heart of the Many from an Orlesian Baron. The only problem being that said jewel is hidden deep within a vault that's protected by magic and a private army, abd housed inside a fortress designed to be impregnable. Oh, and it's also surrounded by monsters.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-09-16-dragon-age-2-dlc-mark-of-the-assassin

Oh, I know my dear friend. I know all about it since this morning.

Damn you BioWare!