Latest polls on Bioware forums and user reviews on the internet show just how utterly polarized this is.
Compared to polls from Origins (after it's release), DA2 is doing FAR worse.
Here's my longer review of it:
Where to even begin?
Now, to start off, DA2 is a decent game. But that's just it – barely decent. Nothing more. So let me comment on the good and bad things. I'll try to keep this short, so I'm brining up the most importnat stuff only.
Another note - atmosphere is utterly important for me.
BAD:
- Animations for the player are way faster than for the enemies. If the enemies attacked as fast then the player would be dead before he could react. But since they are so slow, the only way to offer a challenge is to have enemies with mountains of HP's or throw hordes of lesser ones at the player. A completely flawed approach. It's a party based game, so slow combat served a purpose - give the player time to react to what's going on the battlefield, while keeping enemies dangerous. Fast-pace and party combat don’t mix well.
- the whole enemy leveling and difficulty system. It just feel lifeless and artificial. AND THE DAMN ENEMY
WAVES. Worst thing added. EVER. It's just utterly boring and ridiculous. Hawke killed more enemies in just the first chapter than the Warden did in whole of DA:O. It just feels like padding that doubles the length of fights.
- oversized weapons.
They look horrible. Some weapons cannot even be held by characters, since the handle is thicker than their arms! And the design of some is downright silly.
- Multiple lore defilments.
EXAMPLE: We know from DA:O that when a mage enters the fade physicly, death in the fade is fatal. Then the Keeper tells us that killing in the fade makes one effectively tranquil. And yet if you kill a companion in the fade, they are perfectly fine after that.
- low weapon/item selection early in the game. I had to play the entire first part with a maul (and I hate mauls) because there wasn't a better weapon available. Weapon scaling doesn't work well.
- Inventory icons suck. I'm sorry, but that's the truth. They are all the same! Humans are visual creatures. It's faster to ID something by the icon than to read the items name. There's a reason why people loved the icon mod for DA:O
- no equipping party members. I understand limiting the equipment to what would realyl be usefull (like only medium/heavy armor on your warrior), but removing it completely????
- the skill tree is a hit-and-miss. Half of the upgrades shouldn't even be upgrades, but should come standard.
EXAMPLE: Why does one have to upgrade Mighty Blow to give extra damage to brittle enemies? It's a full-force swing with a giant metal object - exactly how do you "upgrade" that? Exactly why doesn't it do extra damage to brittle things to beign with?
- the whole attribute and item restriction system. Constantly dumping attribute points for insignificant gains is boring. And escalating attribute requirements for items suck. I yearn to make a strong character to start with…but that is impossible in this game.
- the game makes it hard to play a templar-supporter, as it pits you constantly against them. I'm not talking about side-quests either. The main quest forces you to kill templars (Anders quest), and with the game making demons and abominations into wusses (and thus not a credible threat), and templars into incompetents (given that you can have a party full of mages blasting away in front of templars and they can't figure you out) - it's no wonder people don't like em!
- repeats and re-uses of entire areas. Generally bland and lifeless outside areas.
- conversation wheel. It's badly implemented. The intention icons are good, but the short snippets still give the wrong impression..an you still have only 3 responses. Always only the same 3 responses! That is unacceptable.
-Removal of synergies between same classes (like mage-mage). Oh, I have nothing against inter-class combos, but why can’t two fighters have a combo too?
GOOD:
- companions having homes and the life of their own.
- passage of time. Too bad Kirkwall changes too little visually over the years.
- having a family is cool. Story-wise, it's like playing a more fleshed-out Origin story from DA:O.
- some witty banter.
LONG STORY SHORT:
Interesting setting, interesting premise, good writing - gameplay and delivery are mediocre.
