Dragon Age 2 is a good game with a lot of problems. On one hand, I'd argue that it is one of the most innovative in terms of strategy. Contrary to some early criticisms, DA 2 is not a simple hack-slash RPG. Players need to strategically combine character abilities and exploit weaknesses in order to win fights whereas DAO and DAI could cruise through Nightmare with main character master builds. This integrates with the game's story as Kirkwall is a Wretched Hive that Hawke can only survive by relying on his/her teammates.
One of the main problems is that the game only had an eight month development cycle which meant many of its mechanics after release did not work properly. Environments were infamously recycled, often times players would find themselves in caves specifically built for certain encounters, only to be replaced with random splatters of enemies in later segments. The level scaling was by far the worst mechanic of the game because it essentially made enemies stronger as characters leveled up. Upon release, characters were glass cannons in the third act of the game, but even with the latest patch, enemies will eventually outpace character stats by a large margin, making what is supposed to be a rewarding mechanic, punishing instead. Players that bought the DLC would often have to replace their super-rare level locked items for vendor trash that actually scaled to their levels.
What I like about the story is it is much lower scaled with more common goals interlocked with fantastic situations. Players aren't fighting to save the world, they are trying to save their family from living on the street. They fight to protect family from oppressive order or from tearing itself apart. In DAO, characters had short term goals but these became irrelevant after the prologue. In DA 2, players' relationships to their family to their friends, and to the city of Kirkwall are all important and all overlap Hawke's background and history making this genuinely Hawke's story rather than an avatar of an escapist fantasy.
The friendship/rivalry mechanic is one of my favorite social mechanics as it allows you to disagree with certain characters and still forge a connection. In real life there are people that have completely opposite views yet remain friends due to shared interests and this mechanic captures this relationship perfectly. Sometimes, the character might even be influenced to change their views based on your arguments. Character quests are multilayered affairs that not only demonstrate the full range of character conflict but also tie into the story, either directly or metaphorically.
DA 2 is held back by unpolished game mechanics but demonstrates the dark fantasy roots that garnered the series attention. Its sequel, unfortunately, played it safe and was more or less another escapist fantasy. I play RP Gs to roleplay characters not be the Archmage, Listener, Harbinger, Guild Master of the World.
Unpolished, but the Most Intimate of the DA Games.
Dragon Age 2 is a good game with a lot of problems. On one hand, I'd argue that it is one of the most innovative in terms of strategy. Contrary to some early criticisms, DA 2 is not a simple hack-slash RPG. Players need to strategically combine character abilities and exploit weaknesses in order to win fights whereas DAO and DAI could cruise through Nightmare with main character master builds. This integrates with the game's story as Kirkwall is a Wretched Hive that Hawke can only survive by relying on his/her teammates.
One of the main problems is that the game only had an eight month development cycle which meant many of its mechanics after release did not work properly. Environments were infamously recycled, often times players would find themselves in caves specifically built for certain encounters, only to be replaced with random splatters of enemies in later segments. The level scaling was by far the worst mechanic of the game because it essentially made enemies stronger as characters leveled up. Upon release, characters were glass cannons in the third act of the game, but even with the latest patch, enemies will eventually outpace character stats by a large margin, making what is supposed to be a rewarding mechanic, punishing instead. Players that bought the DLC would often have to replace their super-rare level locked items for vendor trash that actually scaled to their levels.
What I like about the story is it is much lower scaled with more common goals interlocked with fantastic situations. Players aren't fighting to save the world, they are trying to save their family from living on the street. They fight to protect family from oppressive order or from tearing itself apart. In DAO, characters had short term goals but these became irrelevant after the prologue. In DA 2, players' relationships to their family to their friends, and to the city of Kirkwall are all important and all overlap Hawke's background and history making this genuinely Hawke's story rather than an avatar of an escapist fantasy.
The friendship/rivalry mechanic is one of my favorite social mechanics as it allows you to disagree with certain characters and still forge a connection. In real life there are people that have completely opposite views yet remain friends due to shared interests and this mechanic captures this relationship perfectly. Sometimes, the character might even be influenced to change their views based on your arguments. Character quests are multilayered affairs that not only demonstrate the full range of character conflict but also tie into the story, either directly or metaphorically.
DA 2 is held back by unpolished game mechanics but demonstrates the dark fantasy roots that garnered the series attention. Its sequel, unfortunately, played it safe and was more or less another escapist fantasy. I play RP Gs to roleplay characters not be the Archmage, Listener, Harbinger, Guild Master of the World.