From: rychu_supadude | #013
Well, that's certainly an opinion...
>_>
<_<
Thanks for sharing, man!
Oh, I'm not even close to being done.
From: Anagram | #002
Big Spoilers
I think the best parts of the game are how they unapologetically reuse environments and literally almost every single fight is just respawning waves of enemies that teleport in to attack you, making positioning of your characters almost pointless, and how the game was clearly not rushed out in a year to capitalize on DAO's popularity, and how if you choose the mage ending, Orsino turns evil with absolutely no foreshadowing whatsoever, simply because they wanted another boss. And then you have the masterful stroke of your DAO decisions mattering so much, not to mention Leliana showing up in DA2's ending even if she explicitly leaves forever with the Warden in DAO's ending.
My biggest complaint in this game is that the final boss is the same no matter which decisions you make. It's Meredith that should be the optional boss depending on whether or not you side with her against the mages. While Orsino's heel turn comes out of the blue, it makes perfect sense in the narrative of DA2. The "good" path would lead you to believe that mages should be imprisoned or constantly watched by the Templars just on the suspicion that they might lose control and hurt people... especially if you chose a Warrior or Rogue and you feel that your sister should not be punished simply for being born with certain abilities. The actions of mages in DA2 are there to show that while mages might have the best intentions, they cannot control their actions if they are influenced by spirits or demons. Anders possibly kills an innocent person, as well as countless other innocents due to his partnership with Justice. Orsino being the First Enchanter is thought to be unflappable, but even he cannot resist the temptations of using blood magic to reach his goals. I'll talk about Merrill in another section. The point is that most mages are not in control and that there is no "good" choice to make. You're going to end up hurting people with any decision you make, which follows the trend of "grey" decisions present in the DA series.
Speaking of series... DA2 is not a sequel to Origins either. It's simply another game set in the same Origin stories were one of the main hooks in the first game, and one of the first details ever revealed about DA2 is that it would feature a more focused, linear storyline centered around a character named Hawke. Hawke already had a story being a Fereldan refugee. Origin stories would not make sense when the focus was for a Human from Ferelden to become the champion of Kirkwall.
Also, the events of DA2 are most definitely connected. I'm not even sure how you could argue that they are "unrelated circumstances". Everything is already in motion before you even arrive at Kirkwall. The expedition is taking place with or without you... but without Hawke everyone probably would have died in the Deep Roads, the relic would never have been obtained and who knows what that would mean for the ending of the game. Tensions with the Quanri existed before you arrived as well, but without Hawke being there... the Qunari would likely have just slaughtered every human in the city and that would be the end of it. The last act should be self-explanatory. The events of DA2 would not have turned out the same without Hawke ever landing in Kirkwall.
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