overdrive's Dragon Age II review

Great review of a disappointing game. I liked that you focused on the story and basically ignored the skill system and basicly just said combat was 50 hours of boring. I played a mage and it was just as boring.

Oddly I have a distinct memory playing the demo. The combat had a real energy the first time I saw it that felt exciting. Who would have known that was basically the extent of it. After origins, this game was so much disappointment.

Definitely agree. I'm a bit kinder on this game than most, because I liked the story, but the gameplay aspects were such a step down after DA Origins.

I loved the story, which is what made the gameplay so disappointing. You have this game's story with Origins' battle system and I'm thinking a 9 or 10 instead of a 6.

Believe me, if I wanted, I could have REALLY gone into the combat. I mean, if I did, the review would be 3000 words long with a sizable and very angry rant in the middle of it, but I could have!

One thing I use to kind of gauge my feelings towards games like this is seeing how I react to tough fights where I'm getting killed repeatedly. For this game:

Act 1: Ancient Rock Wraith: I fought it until I figured out to hide behind walls when it does its one red beam attack and then it wasn't so tough. Or quite as tough. At least I beat it shortly after, you know, not getting utterly wrecked by one attack.

Act 2: Xebenkeck or whatever the demon that's supposed to be this game's version of Gaxkang as a really tough bonus boss...that's in Act 2 instead of Act 3 despite being a really tough bonus boss -- remember what I said about this game's combat balancing? This is kind of the same, but in a different way. I died a few times, looked online, found the best strategy is to cheese it because the second wave spawns in her room. So you can make it two tough, but not brutal, fights instead of one protracted one where the Revenant and Rage Demons WILL wear you down.

After That: The final boss of both Mark of the Assassins and Legacy, as well as that Blood Mage/Pride Demon/Shades battle late in the game. Fought once, died, immediately went to Casual, won, went back to Normal. Or, in at least one or two of those fights, went back to Normal right before winning just as a personal "Screw You" to the game.

Which says to me that I started out with noble intentions, started taking shortcuts midway or a little farther through and then immediately caved after Act 2 and decided to just force my way through as quickly as possible. Definitely don't remember that happening in Origins because I was having fun fighting until probably Awakening and that was because I found my carried-over party to be a bit overpowered for most fights that weren't Mother.

The thing I hated most in this game were the bosses. You'd be swinging your weapon over and over and over and over and over and over again and their life bars would NOT be even moving because they had so much health. And that's not even getting into going ONE-ON-ONE with the Arishok as a Fighter. Something like 20-25 minutes of running while occasionally using a skill after his charge. Because you could punch him for 15 minutes straight and he'd tank everything, but you'd sure crumble like soggy cardboard if he got you cornered for 15 seconds.