Generally I rate an RPG on the properties that make it myself for a few hours in another world to kidnap. But I do not expect necessarily the latest or most spectacular graphics, Baldur's Gate 2 is finally over eleven years old and I play it today. The decisive criteria are quite simple for me: plot, gameplay and interaction
ACTION:
- Identification with the main character: This is simply the heart and soul of an RPG. If you can not identify with the main character, the story and the whole trappings, the game has failed in its core MMN. Unfortunately creates not DA2 is to create a real identification with the main character. This is partly because it is dictated by plot and background ago: It is no longer like in DAO his "Origin", so select its origin, but you have to swallow, wass Bioware served and there we have no alternative: you MUST a person with a given origin play, because there is no more discussion.
Secondly, the story of the hero in Backflashes of a dwarf named Varric is told. What was perhaps meant creative, unfortunately turns out to be as the game progresses as more conducive little humor, as it interrupts the action to partially absurd manner and dismembered downright. This removes you unfortunately also more and more of its main character, as the dwarf makes often "time jumps" of several years in his stories: we still stand up as a penniless refugee outside the saving city Kirkwall and entry would thus work that is done for two different groups for one year contracts. If you, however, for a group decided (mercenaries or thieves), carried the dreaded "time jump", it is one year has elapsed from now on afterwards and we may in the city; the current tension is so rudely interrupted and you do now on a completely different point something else entirely. Very bad!
- Story: There are quite a few interesting ideas, such as the invasion of Qunari and why they are not so easily be able to return to their homeland, they are, however, told almost entirely superficial and contained little depth. The main story revolves around the conflict between the Templars and magicians or the question "Quis custodit Custodes", ie "Who watches the watchmen". The Templars act as guardians and watchdogs for the applicable dangerous magicians who are under the constant surveillance, restriction and persecution of fanatical Templars and thereby rebel more and more. To make a long story short about spoilers without too much: The story is well told and you have to ask yourself quite some places the question of what is more important: Personal freedom, strives for every person and every human being is entitled to, or the safety of society if people can become a danger that company, even if it is unintentional. And how far should go to protect society from such people? Here Bioware but no black / white solution before, as both sides have quite comprehensible arguments and these are presented by Quest and events sometimes quite dramatically. Ultimately, the player must choose a side and the choice is not really easy.
Thus, the main story is well told and fascinating history, but the largest of its kind is simply not enough to carry a complete game. It has at the end neither feel done something special or the world to have saved, but it was just only part of the power-political circumstances in a single city. I'm sorry, but something I have also in our daily local politics. With the task "kidnap me into other worlds and let me be something special" is DA2 totally overwhelmed.
- World: A good RPG created in me the feeling and the thought "in this world I will sometimes be". If this were in DA2 is the case, then you would probably rank among my favorite places built according to the book series resettlements. Almost all cities and dungeons were recycled and are similar as peas in a pod. This testifies not only to laziness, but also from the fact that the manufacturer holds the customer probably stupid or hope has, that this does not really stand or "it already was not so bad." False: It's bad, because it takes the game every visual variety and simply does not generate the feeling of a living, large and open world. Instead, you get the feeling, you play a product in the beta test phase. This is so blatant, unabashed and brazen intrusive that I had given alone for this reason the game prefer only one star. I have no idea what Bioware was thinking.
GAMEPLAY:
- Fight: The fight sequence was significantly accelerated and it will feel the ghosts. I personally find it more a Verschlimmbesserung because fights, similar to the level design, without exception, all run according to the book. The opponents will now attack in waves, each wave contains constantly stronger opponents. This would not even be so bad, but the enemy dive often just out of nowhere, which is not only unrealistic, but the fight course absolutely unpredictable and unnecessary hectic does, because it has also still rationalized away isometric view of tactics. At least you can still struggles but still pause.
Overall my fight in DAO has fallen considerably better: In DA2 runs and jumps a warrior with a kilogram, meter-long two-handed sword on the battlefield, hitting his thing on so fast that me feel like a bad anime film. Also known from DAO and evocative "Deathblow" animations are completely absent. Was in DAO the Darpspawn with a "Muhahaha" - or "wow" effect spectacularly defeated the beet from the hull, the opponents burst instead now like exaggerated in thousandfold bloody chunks that I have repeatedly asked myself honestly if I here a role play with entitled "Dragon Age" have before me or a Devil May Cry - waste.
On top there is so little variety in terms of opponents that you can count them on two hands well.
- Items: Again, much of the "simplification" fallen victim to, because you can no longer equip them with items found his companions, this luxury is only the protagonist reserved. For companions you can throughout history buy / find different armor pieces that are fitted automatically. I find a great robe for my mage? Well, I have to sell well, unfortunately, because friend mage is too stupid to put on robe. Here was probably forgotten sheer simplicity that is just collecting items or equipping and improving one's own party is an integral part of any good RPG. Games like World of Warcraft owe their success almost exclusively this circumstance operant conditioning. In DA2 but you probably had too much afraid of the player to overwhelm with such a simple recipe for success. Incredible!
- Quests: And again the dreaded scheme F. In most cases you need to collect or kill things. The background to why we need to collect or kill things is almost always 0815 standard fare. Lame!
INTERACTION:
- Interact with the companions: This is also an important point for the success of an RPG, because you can build a bond with his colleagues and a downright grow throughout history to heart. In DA2 the interaction limited unfortunately only in situations when companions have a quest for the player or want to talk to you. Independently and at any time to initiate the campfire a Interatkion or conversation is no longer possible. So you can no longer question the object of his desire to learn its history or other things from him. Desires, ambitions, background and motivation of your companions are so treated only superficially and so your fellow unfortunately stay the entire game about a little pale and colorless. Generally it is found that Bioware has given at DA2 far less trouble with the character of the script figures as in its predecessor. Also missing real popular figure such as Oghren or Zevran.
But to comfort you could say that some dialogues between the party members are quite successful. These activate randomly at certain points, if one explores the world. I was with three women in the party on the road, could not be more different; since Zickenkrieg was inevitable ;-)
- General Interaction: The dialog options have been copied directly from Mass Effect. I call it at this point simply times "Dialog for Dummies" because you can see how the main character respond and will respond immediately: either good, funny or just aggressive / angry. Simple, but boring. It takes the conversation any tension and makes the outcome far too predictable. Although you had multiple response options in DAO, but the reaction of the characters was not always so clearly foreseeable. Even if you wanted to give a well-intentioned answer, you could annoy someone or part get quite violent reactions and vice versa. I still remember well the "discussions" with the Qunari Sten, I have unintentionally annoyed more than once, because I complicated its philosophy and vision was not aware of at the beginning.
CONCLUSION:
DA2 is a prime example of an attempt of a company to make a quick buck with a big name and former laurels. Ultimately, the player gets here a product which not only feels unfinished, but ultimately is. The game has good approaches and partly also a nice story that would, however, matched by size and in scope in a larger side quest in DAO. But in this day and age I expect for my hard-earned euros and for a full price not only good ideas, but quality and not quickly dahingeschludertes Marketinprodukt.
The explanation of the manufacturer, they wanted to "make it easier, easier and better" everything I take them from a single second. Ultimately this important content was simply left out and as quickly and cheaply produced a game in the hope that it will sell Due to the popularity of its predecessor and the name of the game company already. Here the customer is considered absolutely stupid, because the manufacturers probably assume the client does not recognize in a direct comparison the difference between "very good" and "Below average".
Therefore: DO NOT BUY! Not because the game is exceptionally bad, but because I as a consumer simply find it an insult if pisses me the manufacturers on the back and then I want to explain that it was just raining!
