Review Jeff Vogel Reviews Dragon Age II

[Jaesun]

Tags: BioWare; Dragon Age 2; Jeff Vogel

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<p>Jeff Vogel has written up a small review for Dragon Age II on his blog:</p>
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<blockquote>
<p>Since I raved so enthusiastically in this space about Dragon Age: Origins (and Bioware games in general), I suppose I really should say something about Dragon Age II as well. This one is a bit trickier.</p>
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<p>A lot of skilled people worked really hard over an overly-short period of time to make this game, and I strongly suspect that most of its problems were out of their control, due to directives from above.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>The best place to see this confusion is over on Metacritic. As of this writing, reviewers have given the game an entirely respectable score of 82 (out of 100). Players, on the other hand, have given Dragon Age II a dismal 4.3 out of 10. That is a huge gap!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Dragon Age II is a flawed but basically competent and enjoyable action-RPG. 82 out of 100 is a B-, and Dragon Age II is a pretty solid B- of a game.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>In fact, suppose it didn't have Dragon Age in the title at all. Suppose it was called, say, "Bioware Presents: A Dude Named Hawke Buys a Big House and Has Wacky Adventures."</p>
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<p>If this was the case, I honestly believe the result would be considered a lesser but worthy member of the Bioware canon, something pleasing to pass the time while waiting for Dragon Age II.</p>
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<p>If you got Dragon Age II expecting something more like Dragon Age: Origins, you are going to face a period of harsh disappointment.</p>
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<p>Nobody puts great writing in games like Bioware. Dragon Age II didn't contain as much of that Dragon Age Magic (tm) as I might have hoped for, but it was a beautifully written game. The characters didn't grab me instantly in the way they did in the previous game, but they really grew on me, especially Varric. When my companions talked to each other, I always stopped whatever I was doing to listen.</p>
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<p>Considering how crappy most video game writing is, I really think we shouldn't take Bioware for granted!</p>
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<p>I loved the skill trees. The mix of abilities, constant effects, and passive bonuses, combined with being able to decide between getting new abilities and making old ones better, made training very interesting. I retrained my characters several times and found that it was possible to customize my characters for a number of different play styles, which is always good.</p>
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<p>The combat did involve a lot of button mashing, but the abilities were varied and dramatic enough that I was rarely bored.</p>
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<p>The way the game throws reinforcements into the battlefield deserves some mockery. They are scattered in at random, sometimes literally dropping from the sky before your eyes. If they had entered the fray in a less immersion-breaking way (say, running from deeper in the dungeon), it would have worked better. However, this basic idea of how to structure combat shows a lot of potential, and I hope other games explore it. (Which is my way of saying: &nbsp;I really should steal that idea.)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Damn EA. You can <a href="http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2011/04/dragon-age-ii-review-get-grip-folks.html">read the full review here</a>.</p>
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<p><em>Thanks Alexandros!</em></p>
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[Gondolin]

Good thing Vogel lacks the money to do the kind of games he admires.

 

[Havoc]

Who's Jeff Vogel and why should I care?

 

[Volourn]

HAHA! The BIO fanboy strikes again.. and, he's pretty much right.. Too bad he makes subpar games.

 

[Jaesun]

Who's Jeff Vogel and why should I care?

We don't like your kind here.

 

[MicoSelva]

You can read the full interview here.

Obviously, You meant 'review'.

 

[Carlos' Bitch1]

Good thing Vogel lacks the money to do the kind of games he admires.

 

[Havoc]

Who's Jeff Vogel and why should I care?

We don't like your kind here.

 

[Sceptic]

We don't like your kind here.

TBH reading his praise of the New Shit always breaks my brain too.

I clicked expecting a monumental flipflop like VD's, but instead he actually likes the game and thinks the reviewer score is well deserved. Interesting.

 

[made]

I wonder how many fruitless job applications he's sent to Bioware over the years.

 

[Jaesun]

I clicked expecting a monumental flipflop like VD's, but instead he actually likes the game and thinks the reviewer score is well deserved. Interesting.

That's what I was expecting also. Then he played the It's all EA's fault!!!!111 crap.

 

[villain of the story]

HAHA! The BIO fanboy strikes again.. and, he's pretty much right.. Too bad he makes subpar games.

No. Bioware sucks, Vogel rocks, though the latter by necessity, as it appears.

 

[Sceptic]

Then he played the It's all EA's fault!!!!111 crap.

What is EA's fault? He loves the writing, he loves the companions, the skill system is great, he likes the combat and even though he admits it's button mashing it doesn't actually bother him at all, the game does have the Dragon Age Magic (tm)... he even thinks the spawning reinforcements are a good idea, just not implemented as well as it could be (and his beef seems to be purely visual). A "flawed product"? what flaws? he didn't mention a single one. Even what at first seems like a flaw turns out to be either something that's not a problem at all, or a great gameplay idea that just has a silly animation going with it.

The mini-"review" just doesn't make any sense.

 

[Archibald]

Good thing Vogel lacks the money to do the kind of games he admires.

 

[Gold]

Good thing Vogel lacks the money to do the kind of games he admires.

Amen to that.

 

[hoverdog]

Good thing Vogel lacks the money to do the kind of games he admires.

 

[Reptilian Shapeshifter]

However, this basic idea of how to structure combat shows a lot of potential, and I hope other games explore it. (Which is my way of saying: I really should steal that idea.)

Already "stolen" from 30 years ago.

 

[Yeesh]

Rabble rabble!!!

Rabble rabble rabble!!!

Rabble rabble!!!

Rabble rabble rabble rabble!!!

 

[Lord Andre]

The guy who wrote this is worthy of clinical retardation papers.

"It's the sequel to one of the best-written, epic, envelope-pushing RPGs pretty much ever."

That's proof right there. These inbred fucks who fap over DAO are a disgrace to the fucking human race.

DAO is, and always has been, a highway-prostitute-cheap knock-off of BG2 in anything but story.

Why in anything but story ? Because the story is too retarded to be a knock-off of anything. Calling it shit insults shit.

The one thing the whole fucking setting has going for it is the unreachable city in dreamworld. But does that get any attention ? NO ! Instead, we got Lord of the rings retardation and faggot ass templers vs fagott ass mages with a sprinkle of proud to be gay templar controlled mages. Fuck these semi-literate, barely-educated cock-suckers who label such shit as:

"They are about politics and power structures and compromises and how actions and decisions can shift history. It's a very cool and ambitious territory to explore, and Bioware has close to a monopoly on it."

Welcome to the age of zombie-brained consumerism. This cringe-worthy mediocrity deserves to burn in nuclear fire and let the wasteland winter sort the survivors.

 

[felipepepe]

The one thing the whole fucking setting has going for it is the unreachable city in dreamworld.

Indeed DA:O had a nice lore, it would be cool to enter the Black City or something like that after killing the Archdemon. But they were afraid to fully use it and be unable to release unlimited sequels, so you just do temporary stuff and wait for the next game. :godimsomadtheyremovedthissmiley:

 

[Micromegas]

The Black City is a cool idea. The basic premise of "Mad Wizards destroy Heaven" could create some awesome settings.Just that single idea would easily serve as the basis of an awesome DnD campaign or as a fairly original spin on the generic fantasy setting. Instead Bioware just went with a bland Middle Ages-lite setting being attacked by generic degenerate humanoids.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Guys, don't take Bioware for granted! Once they're gone who will you bitch about?

 

[Mastermind]

Even the most generic setting can be made interesting by a good storyteller. Which Laidfag and Gayder are not.

 

[Jasede]

Jeff Vogel is a bird that needs to be put down. It's nothing but an insane coincidence that he made his so-so games that some of you like. A stroke of luck, a monkey with a keyboard. How much more insanity does he have to spew before you'll see it?

 

[Malakal]

Jeff Vogel has shitty taste, more news at eleven.

Guys, we already knew this, no need to beat the dead horse.