Difficulty:

Easy

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Disappointing"

If you found DA:O to be too complex and time consuming, you'll probably enjoy this game. If you found the previous game to be strategic and enjoyable, you'll hate this game.

DA2 is a simpler version of DA:O. There's really no better way of describing it. Your party members' armors are locked. There's less places to explore, even across different acts. Most importantly, the combat is easier in terms of both enemy difficulty and complexity of abilities.

Unlike in DA:O, pre-programmed teams can now win most fights without you having to lift a finger. I made a team that, even on the hardest difficulty, only lost one fight while on auto-pilot. Obviously I was managing their equipment and their upgraded abilities but that's hardly as challenging as DA:O. It might be a balance issue as I was able to build a monster team with a tanker, that could distribute all damage across the party, and a healer, that could increase everyone's regeneration.

There's also a lack of effort put into the game design, which becomes more apparent as you play more quests. The same maps, with different paths blocked off, are used over and over for different "dungeons". Maps with Dwarven statues all around are used for natural caves, sewers in human cities, etc. The developers didn't even bother programming the minimap to hide the blocked off parts so there's absolutely no doubt that it's the same map.

Overall, the game doesn't seem as solid as DA:O. I can see people who like simpler gameplay enjoying it, but it's a step back from the strategy and complexity offered by the previous game.