I… I … what? If LOTR was told the way DA2 was, the hobbits wouldn’t have even left the Shire until the end of the first book. Chapter and chapter would be filled with the same five thugs leaping out of thin air to assail the hobbits as they go about performing menial house tasks.

Once you chew past the grizzle, it’s a good story. If it wasn’t rushed, it could have been a great sequel. I was more then a little unimpressed.

What was so bad about Awakening? I thought it was the best piece of DA yet. Perhaps we’re coming at things from very different angles.

WHAT FROSTY SAID. The Dragon Age series was a total disappointment in terms of game mechanics and being on a rail. Bethesda has been happily eating everyone’s lunch for the past five years and will hopefully force everyone else to step up their game. In fact, Bioware has already admitted this is the case for them.

That’s not very fair. Bioware does a great job with character-driven stories. Dragon age and Mass Effect is filled with great, memorable characters. Yet, as great as Bethesda’s games are, they are NOT known for their intricate plots and characters.

Name a single memorable character from Oblivion or Morrowind. That crazy paranoid guy? The vampire hunter that was himself a vampire? What where their names again? Yet in Dragon Age we have truly interesting characters like Moragan, Varrack, and the best character in any RPG ever, Anders.

When it comes to exploring an open world with lots of little stories, Bethesda wins every time, but if you want a long, well-written story that weaves and bobs, Bioware can’t be beat.

I respectfully disagree with Mindy, both on her assessment of Dragon Age 2′s brilliance and her dissing of Awakenings, which I enjoyed even more than I did DA:O.

I am currently playing through DA2, trying to finish it, and honestly I have no idea how close I am to the end. I keep completing one seemingly-important quest line only to open a whole bunch of new ones, and I feel like I’m wandering in a desert, dying of a lack of nourishment and climbing dunes, only to discover more dunes once I reach the top. You know a game isn’t very enthralling when you keep hoping that this next quest is going to be the last one…

Things I disliked about DA2 include the way EA/Bioware streamlined the party system and character development and oversimplified the game’s combat – none of these were so badly broken in DA:O that they needed the overhaul they got. But what’s done is done.

DA2′s uncertain story has so far played out more like a biography of a somewhat noteworthy rags-to-riches noble embroiled in the petty politics of a forgettable fantasy world than an epic tale of swords and sorcery, and this is where it failed the hardest, in my opinion. This is especially unforgiveable with DA:O as its forebear. Even so, I want to finish it because I am curious about how it wraps up. There’s always the chance it will redeem itself towards the end.

Admittedly the voice acting is impeccable and the many cutscenes are very well done, but these alone do not a great game make. A grudgingly-okay one, perhaps, but certainly not a GOTY in a year that saw the release of Skyrim, Batman: AC and Uncharted 3 (to name but a few).

All that aside, Mindy, do yourself a favour and play Skyrim. It’s everything you loved about Oblivion and more, and it will blow your mind with sheer awesome. Prepare to kiss your social life goodbye, however, and warn loved ones that they may not see you for a while. It really is that good. You may even re-think your GOTY assessment, when you finally return to real life.

No prizes for guessing which game I support as 2011′s GOTY. Can’t wait for the inevitable DLC to arrive!

Dragon age 2 was probably the worst game ive every played from bioware. The EA influence in my opinion shines on through and its not worthy of the DA 2 title in the first place

And props to bethesda , there were a great many deep intricate storylines In oblivion,perhaps shorter than a full bioware main questline, but absolutely enjoyable for me . Skyrim has delivered so much more and continues to grow quickly with mods and community .