14 DAY TRIAL // Dragon Age 2 has received a lot of negative feedback, some even from our own diary series, which pointed out the underdeveloped Qunari, the changes to Anders or the missed opportunities with having Varric as the narrator.
One of the major aspects that was heavily debated since the game's release is its length, which is shorter than the previous Dragon Age: Origins, fact that makes the title, at least in the eyes of some, not worthy of their acknowledgment.
I'm here to tell you that yes, the environments are recycled time and time again, yes, there were some things that needed more development or quest lines that should have been explored some more, but, in the end, it's still a pretty long game.
During my first playthrough with a two-handed warrior, I managed to clock in around 36 hours.
Yes, it doesn't come close to Origins' 60+ hour campaign, but don't forget that, when compared with other games these days, Dragon Age 2 still brings a massive story with adequate length that doesn't outstay its welcome.
Would you have preferred to spend over 50 hours while doing mostly menial tasks or trying to wrestle with the huge map of Origins or would you spend time exploring interesting quests (albeit in the same environments) while hastily moving about the smaller Kirkwall city?
Yes, I would have preferred a longer game with more experiences, but, for a game that was made in around 18 months, Dragon Age 2 manages to deliver an adequately epic campaign that doesn't wear thin and keeps you on your toes through all of its three acts.
You can nitpick on some parts of its campaign, but BioWare really pulled it off and managed to improve on Origins, introducing new things, making you feel a part of Hawke's journey to being the Champion of Kirkwall and even setting up the bigger story for another game.
No matter how time-obsessed you might be, Dragon Age 2 is still an admirable game with a long story, and supplies plenty of things to dwell upon, like we did in the 20 gamer diaries released up until now.