Dragon Age II Review: Improvements, Innovations, and Irritations

Good evening, dearest readers of the best gaming blog in the galaxy! I’ve been given the chance by The Outlaw Himself to write a review for Dragon Age II, and, well, who could turn down such an offer? Exactly. I mean, Jesus could, maybe, though He wouldn’t want to. I’ve asked.

Anyway...Dragon Age II!

There is plenty to love about BioWare’s sequel to Dragon Age: Origins, namely its improvements upon its predecessor. The most conspicuous overhaul is the combat system, which I give twenty-seven thumbs up. Yes, there’s a black market for thumbs. I know a guy. Yes, I can put you in touch with him, but it’ll cost you...

Now, back to the topic at hand. Remember the unwieldy, frustrating, and generally lackluster combat system of Origins? Toss all of that out the window. You heard me, defenestrate it! DAII offers a completely new combat dynamic in which Hawke and his allies are so much more involved in battles. “I’ll just use the same six bloody abilities over and over again until all the bad guys are dead, like before,” you might say. Well you’d be wrong! Which ability you use (and which your allies use) in a particular situation matters a great deal, and can easily turn the tide of a battle. Stunning, marking, and flanking your opponents rather than hitting them in the face until your cooldowns are done is vital to combat in DAII, making it that much more involving, immersive, and thus immensely more enjoyable.

So....much....blooooooood....

DAII makes improvements beyond simply combat mechanics, however. Dialogue has been given its very own Mass Effect wheel instead of the old Fallout response box, meaning, of course, that now there’s voice acting for the player character! The wheel certainly makes dialogue choices easier, for the most part making it more readily apparent which lines are angelic, diplomatic, thuggish, brutal, romantic, or what have you. Hawke’s voice actors do well in conveying the appropriate emotions for each choice, adding a greater sense of realism and accessibility to the dialogue experience as a whole.

Further contributing to the immersion factor of DAII is the immediacy with which the impact of your decisions are felt. How you handle a certain quest often has an impact on another quest not too far down the road. If you help a certain faction early on, you’ll most likely be asked to help them in the next act. This serves to really show the player how important his decisions are and how they can influence the rest of this expansive game. It’s not just “Always pick the ‘good’ choice” or “Kill everybody I’m allowed to”, though this is a hilarious approach. DAII manages, however, to make you want to take the decisions seriously, to a degree at least, which is, in my opinion, something to be commended.

But I come to review DAII, not to praise it. There are a number of areas in which I feel the game fell a bit short...

Varric evidently didn't appreciate my "short" reference...

First of all, most of your allies are single-issue voters. They rarely, if ever, stray from one overriding platform; they’ll love you if you agree with them that all mages should be burnt at the stake on sight, or they’ll loathe you if you jokingly suggest that maybe the city guard of Kirkwall has no jurisdiction in the Deep Roads. This is a bit shallow and predictable, but there is enough progression in the companion dialogue that eventually it balances out.

Another lack of depth in DAII can be found in the cookie-cutter dungeons. Every bloody hideout or cave is nearly identical in layout. “Have I been here before?” you may ask. Yes, yes you have. For sixteen other quests. It’s irritating, and it makes me run around only looking at my minimap when not in battle. Though I do that in Kirkwall, too, but that’s just cos the streets are so damnably convoluted. Bloody Marchers...

Even with these weak points, however, I believe Dragon Age II is a thoroughly enjoyable game that is definitely worthy of a playthrough or three. It improves greatly upon the rougher aspects of Dragon Age: Origins while innovating in ways of its own, and thus is successful as a sequel and as a game in its own right.

El Jefe’s rating: 8.0