Regardless of what other reviews say is the game mechanics with both feet in the RPG genre, but is greatly improved. That alone is (for me at least) not a KO criterion, since I with part User hostile operation with some training time had fun even on older games and have. For completeness, the worst mistakes are still listed. The sighting of opponents often does not work properly, AoE can hardly place reasonable, because the camera is not free seduced, fights are not faster or become more intense, but only hectic and confusing. The from DA: O familiar and Baldur's Gate tactical component is eliminated, since can not be fighting for the enemy waves and the poor user interface plan. Why are there so many capabilities yet, all of which must be selected individually, but to me a mystery is then especially since most are useless anyway. The skill system simply does not fit the intended combat system that cries out more like an interactive, God-of-War-like operation. It makes the game not playable (not even on the hardest difficulty), but if the gameplay stands on shaky legs, history and atmosphere for the fun to come up alone.
And both are scarce. I find it difficult to act in one or two sentences summarize, not because it is so complex, but because I have absolutely no idea what I actually worked. This is all the more surprising because the protagonist Hawke actually has potential for identification and not just a blank sheet in the midst of interesting NPCs, as was the case in the predecessor. It does not take much to a minimum of motivation to produce, but even that is never available. Why Hawke stiffened it on a caving expedition participate (Chapter 1)? What Hawke actually play it in the second chapter ambassador to the Qunari and would change anything if he did not do it? And why must the final act even exist and also still ends on a cliffhanger? Well just so the extension is purchased. Further, it is unreasonable to place the player on an already far too long for the meager history playing time constantly the same levels before the nose. As caught in a mouse wheel to Hawke works through the quests through, without the player gets to feel any effect. The problem lies not in the Handlungsort only the city Kirkwall is, but because the sterile lifeless city does not undergo changes. Kirkwall to be overflowing with refugees, while the city is deserted. Later in the game whine magicians and do-gooders that the Templar rule dictatorially. However, these are hardly more present than in the chapters before. The final boss battle cost the game any residual goodwill. Without going into precise details, the motivation of the final boss is threadbare and the fight itself exaggerated, silly and inappropriate in view of the serious issues that the play attest a certain maturity despite the undifferentiated presentation.
Not even the figures of Hawke and his colleagues make through a development. The only exception to this is the romances, which nevertheless are not good, since entering into the relationship and to obtain cost no effort and therefore is of little interest. Flirted three times, seen censored sex scene, hook under it and go on. Particularly acidic pushes me on this is that there is little difference in the relationship with male or female main character, which reflects the lack of interest of developers. If relationships are considered only as a mandatory feature for audience satisfaction, they should rather leave it out entirely.
The only atmospheric plus in my opinion are the new models for elves and Qunari. Here they act really different (elves have flattened nose and a high forehead, Qunari are now horned, stoic giant), which is why the racist attitudes and oppressions in the world are actually believable. Amid the general deficiencies that changes but little. Given the idiotic specifying EA, every year a new title settled in the Dragon Age universe to publish, I doubt it that the quality of the games that had been eased significantly with the expansion Awakening, improved. Hoped it would be ...
