Dragon Age II

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Dragon Age II review
Davneet Minhas

Review

Resting on your laurels

Lacking Character


Worst of all, no one ever seems to realize how much of an asshole Hawke really is. At one point, I became romantically involved with the innocent and adorable Merrill, and even asked her to move in with me, all while banging the voluptuous Isabela on the side. All my other companions seemed to know, but just laughed it off. It’s apparently not really cheating when you are cheating with Isabela. Outside of their idiocy for hanging around an asshole, the companions are far more interesting and better written than Hawke. They each have an intricate backstory, a unique personality, and well-defined motivations. They are all also excellently voice-acted.

But this is where Dragon Age II feels too familiar. Companions banter with each other while walking around, they predictably argue over major plot points, and each has their own quest that, if completed, will make them like you more. None of this is bad, of course – it is good to have active, well-defined characters. But it just feels old. This is the sort of stuff Bioware has been doing since Knights of the Old Republic. There’s nothing new. Even sex, once so controversial in Mass Effect, is now routine. It is simply “romantic dialogue option, romantic dialogue option, romantic dialogue option, lesbian sex scene, back to the game.” Sadly, lesbian sex scenes are far less exciting than they once were – but still more exciting than Dragon Age II’s visuals.

More Polygons


Dragon Age II looks like a 5-year-old game. At least. (I played on DirectX 9 with the Hi-Res Texture Pack. DX 11 seems to be unplayable, no matter your hardware specs.) Now, that isn’t a problem in itself. Pretty graphics are always nice, but I have never really been concerned with high polygon counts or high-dynamic range lighting or tessellation. There are, however, two problems that arise from these poor graphics.

One, the meatheads from Gears of War are more emotive than characters in Dragon Age II. Hawke’s expressions all end up looking silly, especially when her hair and facial models don’t play nicely and her hair ends up cutting through her cheekbone. Tension, desperation, poignancy – it all comes across as silly. Two, there’s no variety in environments. The entire game revolves around one city, Kirkwall. Every quest from the very beginning to the end of the game is executed in or just outside the city. There’s no sense of wonder or adventure when discovering a new environment, because there are no new environments. You constantly retread old ground. This is, of course, more than a graphical problem. It is a problem in overall design and writing. The lack of unique dungeons, however, is solely a graphical problem.

Bioware only created two or three dungeon designs and reused them over and over again in different locations. Visit a dungeon on one side of Kirkwall, then visit a different dungeon on the other side, and you will see they are exactly the same: Same stalagmites, same puddles, same stairs, same mine cart. It’s absurdly lazy on the developer’s part.

Resting on Your Laurels


Yes, “lazy” is the best way to sum up Dragon Age II. In some ways, the game feels too familiar. In others, it feels too simplistic. But in no way does it feel novel or impressive or even as good as its predecessor. With the exception of a few battles and one emotional decision, Dragon Age II just feels lazy – lazy in its design, lazy in its execution, and lazy in what it requires of the player.

This is what’s called “resting on your laurels.”

6.7

fun score

Pros

Combat is visceral and responsive.

Cons

It’s thoughtless and lazy, as are the story, visuals, and level design.