39 replies to this topic

[Zyraen]

Heyas Just wondering who thinks which is better.
DA2 > BG2 or BG2 > DA2 ?

I've been considering picking up DA2 and once and for all putting the ghost of BG2 to rest, since frankly I haven't played any proper RPG since BG2, and wondering if this would be the one to like, finally help me stop living in the past lol.

Obvious things are like graphics is much better, but in general don't have to give any reasons if you can't. BTW, I purposely excluded any 3rd Choice cuz it is just simply an A or B poll. If your mind can't be made up, just go with what you feel.

PS : what are the modding tools like for DA2 ?

[Tempest]

BG2 was awesome. DA2 is just mediocre.

[Galsic]

DA2 is just mediocre.

I, on the other hand, think DAII's a pretty solid game; I enjoyed it. Pretty sure there are plenty of people who agree with both of our opinions, though.

DAII doesn't really compare to BGII, however. Nope, nothing tops BGII, and that's a fact.

[Kulyok]

DA2 is worth a playthrough. One playthrough, anyway: I tried to replay it, but just got too bored.

I don't know why, but things that are awesome in BG2 - exploring, picking up treasure, doing mini-quests - are rather tedious in DA2. I guess half of it is in reused areas, and half in "randomized" treasure in chests and shops(say, you want a ring for 1,33, and you only have 0,66. You need this ring, so you go and do a quest and get some money, you come back, but the equipment in stores is randomized, so the ring is gone). DA2 has some great quests, though, and some very good voicework. But you have companions forced on you for an entire duration of the game, you can't get rid of Varric/Aveline/Merrill/Anders, not ever, so that's a letdown too. Not to mention Hawke's voice(which is fun at first, but if there was an option to go without, I'd take it).

BG1 and BG2 are definitely The Awesome. Well, like PS:T, but due to PS:T nature, you just can't replay it as often.

[Luridel]

you can't get rid of Varric/Aveline/Merrill/Anders, not ever, so that's a letdown too.

I've heard that you can actually ask Anders to leave after the resolution of his personal quest in Act II if it ends a certain way. This doesn't actually change what happens at the end of the game, though.

The other three, yeah, I'm pretty sure you're stuck with for a while. I think you can get Merrill to turn against you if you just don't have enough friendship OR rivalry and you pick a certain side. Same might, might, might go for Aveline but don't quote me on that.

Varric you're stuck with for life.

[the bigg]

I'd get Dragon Age: Origins if you want the "BG2 experience". DA2 mixes DA:O with the worst parts of Final Fantasy and Mass Effect (and none of the good parts thereof).

[Shaitan]

But even then DA:O are inferior to BG2. I tried a handfull of others RPGames but none are better than BG2.

[Kulyok]

I got madly fond of DA:O when it came out. Had to take a vacation. Had another DA:O playing frenzy a year and a half later. Dragon Age: Origins was good. Is good.

I am not sure the story/NPCs are as good as BG2(you don't lose your soul, Leliana and Wynne are bland compared to Jaheira and Viconia, etc), but if you want to dive into DA universe, take Origins.

[Archmage Silver]

Dragon Age II is a far cry even from Dragon Age: Origins, let alone Baldur's Gate II. It's more of an action RPG with jRPG flavor than a traditional RPG. Origins on the other hand is quite good (and traditional), and I can recommend it if you're looking for a break from BG II.

If you decide to get started with the DA universe, pick up Dragon Age: Origins Ultimate Edition. It contains every DLC pack released for Origins, and the Awakening expansion pack.

[Vicen]

I like many others would say BG2 is better then DA2...but imo DA2 is still a solid game...yes they reuse areas a lot and there are a number of nasty bugs (most are minor). But having a fully voiced gamed with pretty darn good graphics is always a plus. Id pick up both DA2 and DA:O and its expansion if you got the money.

People are sometimes too harsh a critic...then again I may myself be to lenient...or just easy to please heh...

[Choo Choo]

I also recommend DA:O over DA2, it's an awesome game... not as awesome as BG2, but still well worth playing. DA2 is worth playing too, sure, but it's not as good as its predecessor.

[princesspurpleblob]

In my opinion NOTHING tops BG2. So that's no brainer. BG2 > DA2.

I won't call DA2 solid game. It had potential to be solid game, but didn't quite make it. Most disappointing of all was, that this game was not really about you (Hawke). Most of decisions that Hawke makes were quite meaningless and it does not change anything. Also, lack of replaybility. You play once, and that's it. And to be quite frank, I think Anders was main factor that drove me to finish game. Conversely, if I didn't like Anders, I probably haven't finished the game in first place. I almost gave up in Act 1.

I would say DA:O was a lot more solid game. And (in my opinion) the expansion (Awakening) was a lot better than DA:O. Again, this is my opinion.

[Philiposophy]

DA2's alright. Worth a playthrough or two, I think. Has a fair bit more in common with BG2 than a lot of other BioWare games since, I think.

But in answer to the question, BG2 is basically the second best thing ever so I voted for that.

[Gomb]

I'm also with the people who say DA2 is alright, and it actually does a few things better than Origins, but then it also does a lot more things worse than it's predecessor. BG2 was absolutely a better game in it's time than DA2 is now, and if I had not played it to death back in the day I would still prefer it over DAO and DA2. But to be honest it does get a bit boring after such a long time, so I can understand you looking for a similar but fresh experience. (Just for the record, I, too, picked BG2 in the poll.)

Pick up Origins first, and by the time you get bored of it DA2 will be available at a price that equals it's worth.

[Gomb]

I'd get Dragon Age: Origins if you want the "BG2 experience". DA2 mixes DA:O with the worst parts of Final Fantasy and Mass Effect (and none of the good parts thereof).

Are there any good parts of Final Fantasy? The only real jrpgish influence I found in the game was Fenris. (And a few bits of the soundtrack.) The other bad parts I simply took as a result of a short deadline and bad game design choices.

[the bigg]

A lot of people like Wapanese, so I suppose there's something good in there. All DA2 ever took out of FF are the androgynous characters, uncustomizable equipment, and impossibly long health bars for enemies.

[berelinde]

I'd say that people tend to have selective memory when it comes to BG2, but in this crowd, most of us still play BG2, at least once in a while.

DA2 does have its merits. It is an entertaining game, at least for the first playthrough or two. It just doesn't have the replayability that BG2 had.

[Tempest]

For my part, my high regard for BG2 and considerably less regard for DA2 mostly has to do with the quality of the characters. BG2 had a terrific lineup of memorable characters, friends and foes alike. Sure, there were clunkers like Cernd, but then again BG2 also gave us Minsc, Keldorn, Jaheira, Irenicus... even Charname was an interesting character. DA2... I find most of the cast very forgettable. Anders is the closest thing the game has to a Big Bad, and while he's not bad once he finally gets rolling, he has nowhere near the presence of Irenicus. Varric is also a decent character, but I found the cast either generally bland or simply a retread of a character in a different game still fresh in my mind (Merrill, I'm looking at you).

DA:O at least got to be its own game, even if the "dark, low fantasy" thing was a joke. Sten, Oghren, and Zevran all stand out in my mind as distinctive, vibrant characters. It won points for that in my book. DA2 just falls flat for me.

[berelinde]

Just goes to show. I'd say the characters in DA2 are its strength. I liked all of them better than I liked anyone in BG2 except Keldorn, Minsc, and possibly Jan. Of course, I liked DA:O characters, too, except that I disliked Tempest's favorites, Leliana and Wynne, but we don't all like the same things. One thing is true...

Spoiler

There is no readily identifiable villain until the very end

... but that's kind of the point. Anders certainly doesn't count. He's more of a woobie freedom fighter than a villain. And I mean that in the fondest way imaginable.

I'm not praising the game to the heavens. It does have its faults, and I will be the first to admit disappointment with the game. I pales in comparison to DA:O, let alone BG2, but it is not completely bad, either.

[Tempest]

Anders is just an idiot with a chip on his shoulder and a stick up his rear for the most part. I do like Leliana and Wynne a great deal in DA:O, but they don't stand out in my mind the way Sten and Oghren in particular do.

To be honest, the near-complete lack of a villain is one of the things that I dislike most about DA2. I'm one of those people who loves and enjoys a good villain - or at least a good antagonist. Sarevok and Irenicus really helped sell the BG series for me, and the Reapers of Mass Effect have done a terrific job getting me interested in opposing them. Now, an overt villain isn't always necessary if the storytelling and writing are good enough (see: Knights of the Old Republic 2), but DA2's aren't good enough for that, in my opinion.