I hate EA launcher, game doesn't start

Superb! That's the only word I know plausible enough for this situation. This game is nothing less and nothing more than superb. Contrary to all the reviews I've seen of it, it managed to surprise me in unexpected ways (all positive). Without further ado, let's get into the specifics that make this game, Dragon Age 2 (and its two DLCs), such a memorable work:

Gameplay - Dragon Age 2's gameplay isn't exactly the game's highlight. As opposed to its predecessor, Dragon Age: Origins, which focused on a more tactical approach, Dragon Age 2 follows a more fast-paced one. The game is still, at least on PC, an RTS. You can pause the situation in the middle of combat to analyze and choose the best course of action for victory... However, the surprise here is that the game no longer calculates attacks as sequences of possible hits. What do I mean by that? It's quite simple, I swear! In the previous game, enemies' attacks were considered “something that will hit” as soon as they passed the game's internal prediction test (anyone who has played Origins knows that most of the attacks there miss precisely because they don't pass the test). In other words, if the game calculates that it will hit, it will hit! That said, this calculation is made before the enemy actually hits you. In other words, if the calculation took place only at the moment of the hit, you could move before the blow and dodge it, but this doesn't happen in Origins. In Dragon Age 2, on the other hand, they've adopted a different logic. Attacks now only go through this calculation (almost everything in this game hits) after the blow hits you (except for some magic and archer attacks). What does this change? It means that if it's a physical attack (or some magical attacks), you can simply leave the hit zone and dodge! As you can imagine, this makes the game have a faster pace than before. You'll still need to pause a lot in certain battles, thanks to the difficulty spikes in some areas (on hard and nightmare), but the overall pace is much less tactical and much more action-packed.

The game features three classes: Rogue, Warrior and Mage. Having played as a Mage, I can't comment on the other two classes. That said, the Mage class offers vast freedom in the spells and passive abilities available. You can do almost anything you want, and the attacks are all very interesting. My mage controlled the field with AoE spells, and it was fantastic! Unfortunately, the whole game ends up being relatively easier than Origins. I played both on hard mode and I can say that I died a lot more in Origins than in DA2. That's not a demerit in itself. Both games are known for their difficulty spikes in certain areas, so it's not very organic (especially if you're playing on nightmare).

Overall, I'd say that DA2's gameplay is more “boring” than the gameplay present in DAO, but that's down to personal preference. I prefer more tactical games and I didn't feel much need for tactics in DA2 (except for a few fights), so I ended up finding it more “boring” than the gameplay of its predecessor. That said, DA2 still delivers a fun approach here and deserves an 8/10 for its gameplay.

Story - Goodness, the game shines here. But, before I go any further into this point, I must make an addendum. Dragon Age 2 follows a much more contained storyline than its predecessor. While we could explore the continent of Ferelden almost entirely (in the parts that really mattered, of course) in DAO, the same is not present in DA2. Almost the entire game, save for the DLCs, takes place in the city of Kirkwall. As you can imagine, this makes the game much more contained than its predecessor. You'll see the same city, the same characters and the same locations throughout all three acts, but don't take that the wrong way! Thanks to the plot focusing on a more restricted region, we've seen an improvement in the writing of the characters. All of your companions, without exception, are much more organic than in the previous game (and Origins was already 10/10 in this respect).

Dragon Age 2's story is impeccable. The way in which we can feel that we are part of Kirkwall took me by surprise. It made the game much more alive, and I felt that all the side quests I completed really made a difference. Seeing the consequences of things that could have been resolved in the previous act come back to haunt us in the next act because of our negligence was fantastic. The cast of companions is also very rich here. I liked every one of them. The sentimental moments were also incredible. The story is definitely 10/10.

Sound - Just like the previous game, the voice acting here is simply heavenly. I can't think of even ten games that come close to what was delivered here, let alone surpass it. That said, on another note, the soundtrack left something to be desired. Don't get me wrong, there are no really “bad” songs in the game. They're all of very high quality. The problem is the lack of variety and the fact that, although they are good, few of them are truly extraordinary. It wasn't exactly a bad point, but it could have been better. By the way, before I forget, the credits song “I'm Not Calling You a Liar” is incredible. I would have liked to have heard it throughout the game rather than in the credits, but it is without a doubt the best song in the game. Final score of 8/10 (given by the voice acting).

Features - The game reuses a lot of assets on several occasions. It's likely that after the first five hours, outside of the DLCs, you won't see any new dungeons. They're all reused here and there. That said, it wasn't exactly a problem for me. The low variety of dungeons didn't bother me, thanks to the high level of writing provided. I saw it more as a trade-off.

DLCs - MoTA is fun and features interesting gameplay segments. We have an entire stealth stage and it's a good routine-breaker. The problem with it, at least for me, is its final boss. That fight is stupidly easy (on hard) and yet takes forever for no reason. It's one of the worst boss fights in the game, and I find it ironic that two of the three worst fights in the game are in its DLCs and not in the base game. MoTA is a 6/10 DLC (nice and fun story, refreshing gameplay segments, but the boss fight brought it down a notch).

Legacy is the DLC that contextualizes the story for Inquisition. It's of the utmost importance to the narrative... but I didn't really like its linear structure. This DLC itself is almost like a linear hallway of events. You enter the temple, make your way through the floors, fight, fight, fight... The choices you make in it don't change the final outcome, and then there's the final boss. That final fight is horrible. The boss itself is easy, but the game throws in a mechanic where you have to deal with a few other things during three parts of the fight. Thanks to this, even though the boss was stupidly easy, my fight with him lasted more than 20 minutes (and I claim that at least 15 minutes were spent running around the map!). That said, the final scene of this DLC... oh my! Having already completed the game, I finished it, so it weighed on me even more. Seeing my Hawke closing his eyes and imagining a conversation with a certain someone important to him almost made me cry. Even if you're strong and do everything you can, you can't protect everyone, and the game shows that very well. Legacy is a 7/10 DLC (excellent story, but meh gameplay).

Conclusion - Dragon Age 2 tries to be a more contained and linear story than its predecessor. This means that everything, no matter how small, ends up being important in the overall context of things. The game conveys a feeling of closeness and familiarity with its characters and keeps you interested until the end. I feel like I've made friends with most of them and I've been saddened by certain losses. It's a spectacular game and, although not in the same sense as Origins, it's very worthwhile. It's a 9/10,

For those having issues getting the DLC to work: logging into the EA account in game worked for me! (Windows 10 desktop)

As for DA2 itself, while some areas are repetitive design-wise the overall story is great and the companions are a gem. I would definitely recommend getting this on sale when possible!