This is my second time playing through the game after playing it on the 360 over 10+ years ago. Back then I came away from it feeling quite dissatisfied especially with the repeating dungeon environments. But this time around playing on PC with all the DLC and a better understanding of tactical RPG combat in general...I liked it a lot more.
The three acts all have a neat throughline that give the plot a more episodic feel than Origins and other RPGs where the narrative builds up to one big boss fight that's been telegraphed ahead of time. The Deep Roads Expansion, the Arashok and Qunari, and Mage/Templar conflict are all executed and built to well.
Companions are a nice shade of grey this time around compared to Origins, which were mostly composed of varying degrees of "good guy." Inquisiton has the same problem. DA 2's companions have a tendency to be self-serving and a few commit straight up atrocities in pursuit of their agendas. But all have redeeming qualities that help the player understand their perspectives.
Mark of the Assassin and Legacy are both fun DLC experiences. It's kind of crazy that Legacy wasn't part of the main game as it sets up the main villain for DA Inquisition. But the it does feel pretty detached from the main plot so maybe it's better that it wasn't. Cool weapon you get from that you get to upgrade as you progress through that. Funny to remember how Felicia Day was EVERYWHERE in games a decade ago. She's good in Mark of the Assassin though. The plot of that DLC kinda goes everywhere and involves a very clunky stealth gameplay sequence, and a fun sliding tile puzzle.
Combat is probably the big bummer here because it feels very oversimplified. They over-designed this game for a controller. Pausing and zooming out with the camera to give precise tactical movements is a chore, some skills are redundant (i.e. two Force Mage spells do the exact same thing). While it is satisfying to tear through crowds of enemies, they spawn out of thin air and routine encounters feel artificially lengthened by teleporting spawns of enemies.
Overall, better than I remember. Wish it was designed better w/ PC players in mind beyond having an action bar for skills. Hearing Inquisition kind of follows suit in the way it controls, but I'm curious to revisit it in preparation for Dreadwolf.
The three acts all have a neat throughline that give the plot a more episodic feel than Origins and other RPGs where the narrative builds up to one big boss fight that's been telegraphed ahead of time. The Deep Roads Expansion, the Arashok and Qunari, and Mage/Templar conflict are all executed and built to well.
Companions are a nice shade of grey this time around compared to Origins, which were mostly composed of varying degrees of "good guy." Inquisiton has the same problem. DA 2's companions have a tendency to be self-serving and a few commit straight up atrocities in pursuit of their agendas. But all have redeeming qualities that help the player understand their perspectives.
Mark of the Assassin and Legacy are both fun DLC experiences. It's kind of crazy that Legacy wasn't part of the main game as it sets up the main villain for DA Inquisition. But the it does feel pretty detached from the main plot so maybe it's better that it wasn't. Cool weapon you get from that you get to upgrade as you progress through that. Funny to remember how Felicia Day was EVERYWHERE in games a decade ago. She's good in Mark of the Assassin though. The plot of that DLC kinda goes everywhere and involves a very clunky stealth gameplay sequence, and a fun sliding tile puzzle.
Combat is probably the big bummer here because it feels very oversimplified. They over-designed this game for a controller. Pausing and zooming out with the camera to give precise tactical movements is a chore, some skills are redundant (i.e. two Force Mage spells do the exact same thing). While it is satisfying to tear through crowds of enemies, they spawn out of thin air and routine encounters feel artificially lengthened by teleporting spawns of enemies.
Overall, better than I remember. Wish it was designed better w/ PC players in mind beyond having an action bar for skills. Hearing Inquisition kind of follows suit in the way it controls, but I'm curious to revisit it in preparation for Dreadwolf.