Dragon Age 2 - Retrospective Roundup

I found two new retrospectives for  Dragon Age 2 this week. The first a one is from Wastelander75 of Enthusiacs with his second part of his new retrospective.

Final Thoughts: Beyond all the gripes and the grumbles I have with DA II, you may be wondering if this is a horrible game. Well, yes and no. Yes, it has its moments of shine and polish, and there are moments within that keep the tradition of Dragon Age: Origins‘ original plan intact. Revisiting some familiar faces with a much-needed engine remodel is surprisingly welcomed. I just wish there was more of them.

But if you were to ask me if this was a Dragon Age sequel worthy of the name, a sequel worthy of the loft height set forth by its older brother, then I’d have to say without a doubt NO. Dragon Age II is a step down for the genre, for the name itself. When it should have set a new benchmark in the franchise, it simply stumbles and drags. The positive changes they made came with way too many negatives. Negatives that I can only point to one reason for existing at all: It’s extremely tight developmental time set, in my opinion, by EA. There wasn’t any time to add anything substantial to the story. There wasn’t any time to add anything substantial to the characters. There wasn’t any time. Why? Again, the 400 lb. gorilla in the room is wearing an EA approved suit. I will admit to admiring the boldness of trying something new, but ultimately BioWare took those steps in the wrong direction.

Thankfully, from what I’m seeing of Dragon Age Inquisition, many of these negative traits have been forgotten. Do I expect DAI to be this mind-blowing, all-encompassing return to form that harkens back to past BioWare games? No. Sadly, most of the people responsible for those moments are now gone. But do I think that Inquisition will be a step forward after this…. brief stumble back?

Yes. And honestly, that is a positive thing to look forward to.

The second retrospective is a new podcast on ZTGD's Phoenix Down.

Phoenix Down is hosted by Drew Leachman and Matt Quinn. Each segment focuses on an older game the duo decides upon with another member of the ZTGD crew or special guest. They play through and discuss the mechanics and how well it holds up today. It is the ultimate in backlog elimination. This is the year of Dragon Age for Phoenix Down.