Sequels can get really messy. A balance must be kept between making appropriate changes and keeping in line with the series. Two audiences must be considered: fans, who may be sensitive to the minutest changes; and new consumers, who will hopefully become fans with time.
Needless to say, this can get complicated. The worst sort of vitriol and nastiness can spew from spurned fans, and there is only one sequel in the world which deserves such un-constructive criticism: Devil May Cry 2.
You’ll notice that Dragon Age 2 is not that game, and for good reason.
While there are a lot of changes made to the game, each was made with a purpose in mind. Most of them were done to keep the story from being hindered by gameplay, and that’s a reason I can get behind. While certainly not perfect, Dragon Age 2 is definitely enjoyable and a worthy addition to any RPG collection.
In the following, I’ll discuss the reasoning behind said changes, and also the aspects which do deserve some vitriolic feedback.
This is a really solid opinion addressing the faults and merits of DA2. I agree with a lot of the different points within it. For me, the story and characters are the most important part of any game I play, and DA2 knocked it out of the park. Were the environments repetitive? Absolutely. But to me that falls into a case of a style over substance. I’d rather have a game say something meaningful than just provide something visually stimulating. Ideally, of course, we’d get both. But in the end, I place more import on content rather than polish.
People who bash everything DA2 is because of combat waves and recycled areas should really give this a read. There’s a lot more to the game than just those elements. I would also add that there are other ways to view the story: as a deconstruction of the typical save-the-world plot, as a Heroine’s Journey instead of a Hero’s Journey (in literary terms, not in the sense that femme!Hawke is the only valid protagonist), etc. The bottom line is, DA2 did something wildly different from the norm, and I think that deserves some serious kudos.
