Dragon Age 2 - Legacy Reviews @ GameSpy, Eurogamer

Dhruin

Dhruin

SasqWatch
Joined
August 30, 2006
Messages
11,842
Location
Sydney, Australia
Here's a pair of new Legacy reviews (which haven't exactly been flowing out) and the results aren't what BioWare would be looking for.
GameSpy says "An all-too-brief downloadable adventure without a significant challenge", with a score of 2.5/5:
So how does it play? Legacy does offer a bit of a change-up in regard to the types of enemies you face and the tactics they use while attempting to cut the lives of Hawke and his chatty companions short. It's as if Legacy's Darkspawn went to Dragon Age: Origins boot camp, learning the basic tank/shield, ranged attack, and support class alignment. You'll see it often, specifically when you encounter a new shield-toting Darkspawn who takes his tank role very seriously, allowing his ranged and magic-using cohorts to do their dirty work at a distance while you focus on getting around the veritable snowplow.
It's a fine effort to get back to the tactical origins of Dragon Age: Origins, but it falls short because the veteran players that would most appreciate the "pause, plan, and play" approach are likely already too powerful to be more than slightly slowed by the hordes of Darkspawn inhabiting the ancient Grey Warden prison. You see, Legacy is set before the conclusion of Dragon Age II... and it seems like it's intended for those who aren't even close to becoming the Champion of Kirkwall.
Click to expand...
Why release a DLC months after the main game that's aimed at people who aren't close to finishing the main game? Anyway, Eurogamer has a similar score of 5/10:
The actual shape of the gameplay is hardly imaginative, though. It's a linear crawl, with sporadic dead-end diversions that mostly serve to deliver objects and plot points for the three optional side quests. There are mini-boss encounters and some new Darkspawn variants, although these are more like remixed versions of familiar foes than anything dazzlingly fresh.
The highlight for the adolescent-minded will probably be an encounter with an armoured bronto called Wanka. This is almost as good as discovering that Han Solo once had a robot companion called Bollux.
Click to expand...
More information.
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
11,842
Location
Sydney, Australia
The DLC can be played at any time and doesn't have any real story elements I know of that make it better for the beginning. I think he just means it's so easy that high level characters will blow right through it.

DA2 can be difficult when played on hard though... reviewers never do that.
 
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
1,830
DoctorNarrative said:
The DLC can be played at any time and doesn't have any real story elements I know of that make it better for the beginning. I think he just means it's so easy that high level characters will blow right through it.

DA2 can be difficult when played on hard though… reviewers never do that.
Click to expand...

Nah you're actually unable to enter it with a save that progressed too far in the original story and would have to reload an earlier one (before the point of no-return) to play it. That is to say you can't load an endgame save or even a very-close-to-endgame save. Though really the end of the main campaign was easy enough that this doesn't mean you'd have to replay anything all that difficult to create a new endgame save with dlc completed (for the expansion.)

I found the story for this DLC somewhat amusing though since it does explain (sort of... a little) why everyone in the city is so unfathomably stupid and crazy. It still doesn't explain why you can't say anything about the VERY FAMILIAR and not-too-subtle weapon Meridith walks around with in the final chapter of the main game. That annoyed me so much. I mean it was right there... glowing at me... but i guess the PC wasn't immune to this boss's stupefying effect either.

/rant
 
Last edited:
Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Messages
1,710
You can't use the post ending save that was put there for DLC, just like Mass Effect 2? I find that hard to believe. Actually the Joystiq review even mentions doing it after the ending for bonus content.
 
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
1,830
Grandor Dragon said:
I remember that some demo video Bioware produced explained that you can use a post-campaign save.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I just confirmed it myself.

I assume he could not start it during the endgame sequence and assumed that meant he could not play it anymore at all.
 
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
1,830
My playthrough was done on a post-game save (level 25) so I can confirm that to be untrue as well.
 
Joined
Jul 5, 2011
Messages
4
I don't understand it. DA2, the original game was so mediocre and still it got super ratings. Now the DLC is a huge step forward but reviewrs bash it. It's all upside down!
 
Joined
Aug 24, 2007
Messages
555
Location
Germany
Ah sorry for the wrong information. Turns out my end save was just corrupted and can't be loaded at all with or without the DLC. So err… yay?

elikal said:
I don't understand it. DA2, the original game was so mediocre and still it got super ratings. Now the DLC is a huge step forward but reviewrs bash it. It's all upside down!
Click to expand...

Maybe they're overcompensating? The DLC, while linear, did have different enemies, a different map, and plot that explained partly why everyone in that damnable city was so incredibly stupid. So it improved on things that many reviewers seemed to mention but then ignore in their final scoring of the original campaign.

Lucky Day said:
Han Solo had droids?
Click to expand...

Not after the sexual harassment lawsuits nearly bankrupted him. Maybe that's why his longest employed subordinate is a harry nudist with a speech impediment?
 
Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Messages
1,710
elikal said:
I don't understand it. DA2, the original game was so mediocre and still it got super ratings. Now the DLC is a huge step forward but reviewrs bash it. It's all upside down!
Click to expand...

A day late and a dollar short?

The original reviews were blatantly overinflated by the gaming press because EA is basically the Godfather and you don't mess with the Godfather when he's trying to make a money grab before the end of the fiscal year.

With the DLC I don't think EA cares as much about reviews. None of the Dragon Age DLC have ever been especially high rated by critics.
 
Joined
Jan 24, 2011
Messages
966
I'll just leave DA2 on my bargain bin watch list for the future. When the game and all the addons are bundled up on sale for less than $10 on steam, I'll play...
 
Joined
Jun 30, 2011
Messages
56
It's really interesting because at the DA forums at the Bioware site, people really like this game, saying it is clear that Bioware listened, they like the story etc. This is all topsy-turvey, it seems.

As for the DLC, yes it can be played any time; Luke Barret, however, wouldn't recommend doing it before that start of Chapter 2 and he also recommends that you be at least level 7 - or else... (well, let's just say the end fight will be very very difficult at least according to Luke Barret).

The story changes a bit, depending on when you do it, who you have with you in your party and also some other stuff that I have forgotten right now ;) - the people that have played it on the Bioware forums, they praise this feature a lot...
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
2,147
Location
Denmark, Europe
aries100 said:
It's really interesting because at the DA forums at the Bioware site, people really like this game,
Click to expand...

Of course this is so.

In game/gaming forums, you usually only see fans.

Critics are elsewhere - but not in forums on specific games.

At least that's how it usually goes, I assume.
 
Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Messages
21,954
Location
Old Europe
Alrik Fassbauer said:
Of course this is so.

In game/gaming forums, you usually only see fans.

Critics are elsewhere - but not in forums on specific games.

At least that's how it usually goes, I assume.
Click to expand...

Yes but have you read or visited those said forums. I shudder every time I read them and realize this crowd are the ones changing the games. Not for the best.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Oct 1, 2010
Messages
36,351
Location
Spudlandia
Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Messages
21,954
Location
Old Europe
Alrik Fassbauer said:
Of course this is so.

In game/gaming forums, you usually only see fans.

Critics are elsewhere - but not in forums on specific games.

At least that's how it usually goes, I assume.
Click to expand...

Well don't forget there are also Dragon Age Origins fans there and many of them dislike Dragon Age II so there is criticism there also. The difference is that any criticism will likely start a flame war at the Bioware forums and ultimately end in the thread being locked by Bioware staff while criticism of Dragon Age II pretty much anywhere else is met with mostly nodding heads in agreement or at most an 'It had potential if they would have put a little more effort into it' opinion.
 
Joined
Jan 24, 2011
Messages
966
There are plenty of people on the Bioware forums who disliked DA2. The problem is they post once or twice about it and then move on. The fanboys keep posting over and over and over again.
 
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
1,830
-ehm- no.

I have seen many, many angry fans at the Bioware DA2 forums, regarding DA2. Personally, I don't understand it. I've played maybe about 22 hours now, and so far the game, to me, surpasses any Bioware game I've played, at least with regards to the story, the characters, the dialogue etc.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
2,147
Location
Denmark, Europe
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom