Just to set the record straight for Firky, who posted earlier.As its own entity, DA2 as a game is
"OK". Whenever I think of
"OK", I think of this Honda advert -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9B9UD5Hlp4Having really enjoyed everything I've played, that's been released by BioWare, DA2 felt like a slap in the face.Rushed development, poor continuity of a popular IP, far too linear with little weight on decisions making a tangible difference, utterly poor repeated use of areas, plus a gameplay overhaul that was perhaps too extreme for the IP it was marketed as the "sequel". Perhaps the one thing about the game I thought was good, was the voice acting. It gave
some life to what were generally, uninteresting characters, that you couldn't interact with as much as you would want t
verall, the game was just "OK". Not one I can be bothered to play through again numerous times, like other BioWare titles and that's probably what's the most disappointing thing of all.All that taken into account, that's why I have my reservations when it comes to gaming magazine and website reviews, who as a business, run on the advertising that publishers and developers pay for. The odd one or two might pick odd holes in a game to give the
impression their "review" is balanced and objective, but they really aren't going to risk offending the very people who contribute to the very existence of their websites or magazines.As for the blanket criticism that exists on these forums for DA2, it's no different than anywhere else and that can especially be found on the BioWare forums. Sure there'll be some element of...
"let's hope the little guy (CD Projekt) sticks it to the man (BioWare/EA Games)"...but on the whole, a great many people who I've seen be critical here, the BioWare forums, or indeed elsewhere, are simply disgruntled gamers who expected much, much better of a BioWare game.Personally, I do indeed hope that The Witcher 2 is a justifiably good enough product, that it exceeds the sales of Dragon Age 2. There's no "fanboy-ism" at play there. Just the hope that I get a great game to play and am totally happy with, plus the added hope that some of the bigger developers and publishers take a good, hard look at what has been achieved by a relatively small developer.Maybe... just maybe... others can take a leaf out of CD Projekt's book and get back to doing what they were good at doing before. If you've got more companies engaging as much, making quality products, instead of churning out stuff that's just "OK", then it's good for everyone, right?