" I'm also not impressed technically, as there are alot of things that just look dumb and/or wrong (especially the textures on character's clothing, which should be first priority). 
 
The achievements are bad in the same way that ME 1's achievements are bad, 
 
and the level up system has the same "dump all your early points into speech" problem that bugged me about ME1.
 
 Lastly, the actual gameplay thusfar has consisted of "press A to attack, press other buttons to use more powerful version of attack, drink potions when almost dead" which isn't compelling. "

" @nintendoeats said:

" @Undeadpool: Is there a way to pause the game and issue commands in the console game then? If there is, the game doesn't advertise it. "

yes, its either right or left trigger or button. i forget which. You can cycle through your characters while the game is paused and give commands to all of them. "

" @Zurv:  Maybe I'll plug away at some of those dumb ME1 achievements instead.... "

  
my take on the game, you bought it at the wrong time. 

it was a stop gap measure to ease the wait for ME2. 
obviously the dialogue is stilted and the models/lighting are straight up terrible.  
  
style of combat wasn't the greatest for me either, but i do look forward somewhat to the sequel IF they are putting more money in it to improve what i found were faults. 
  
in short, the game has a lot of faults, but without the hype of its initial release to where you thought maybe it could be a ME2 replacement, it kind of falls flat. i don't think you are incorrect in being luke warm with your impression of the game.

" @nintendoeats said:

" I'm also not impressed technically, as there are alot of things that just look dumb and/or wrong (especially the textures on character's clothing, which should be first priority). 
 
The achievements are bad in the same way that ME 1's achievements are bad, 
 
and the level up system has the same "dump all your early points into speech" problem that bugged me about ME1.
 
 Lastly, the actual gameplay thusfar has consisted of "press A to attack, press other buttons to use more powerful version of attack, drink potions when almost dead" which isn't compelling. "

1.) Not impressed technically?  This probably isn't the right game for you.  2.) who gives a flying fuck about the achievements?  this is the single nerdiest complaint I have ever seen about any game. 3.) I have never dumped all my early points into speech, so I don't understand this problem.  Maybe try playing a different way than you played ME1?  I would get bored if I played every RPG the same too. 4.) the gameplay is not "press A to attack..."  You might want to turn the difficulty up so you can experience the more tactical aspects of the game.  This is probably the part that you are missing.  The combat is actually quite engrossing on the highest difficulty, requiring tactics and planning. "

" @Supermarius said:

" @nintendoeats said:

" @Undeadpool: Is there a way to pause the game and issue commands in the console game then? If there is, the game doesn't advertise it. "

yes, its either right or left trigger or button. i forget which. You can cycle through your characters while the game is paused and give commands to all of them. "

Oh yes, duh. I never even though to use the wheel like that, which is pretty dumb of me considering that's how ME works. Thusfar it hasn't been nessecary, because "smack things on the head with sword" is still working fine, but I guess I need to learn early on before it gets really difficult. "

"   my take on the game, you bought it at the wrong time. it was a stop gap measure to ease the wait for ME2. obviously the dialogue is stilted and the models/lighting are straight up terrible.    style of combat wasn't the greatest for me either, but i do look forward somewhat to the sequel IF they are putting more money in it to improve what i found were faults.   in short, the game has a lot of faults, but without the hype of its initial release to where you thought maybe it could be a ME2 replacement, it kind of falls flat. i don't think you are incorrect in being luke warm with your impression of the game. "

Bone chicks on the daily. 
 
Life lesson.

I played and enjoyed it. What I recommend is setting it on casual, playing it fast and loose. What I mostly like was the story and the choices you get to make. On the console, it's not really fun to try to play it with a lot of strategy.

You don't go to DA for the combat, especially not the console versions. Just turn it down to casual and wait  until you get to another speech part.

" @nintendoeats: My advice to you: 1) switch out the console version of DA for PC and see if you like it more. 2) stop letting forum ragenaughts get you all worked up. It's what they want.   

Tri-mage Ice cone spamming:the true way to play Dragon Age.

" @Aronman789: @CharleyTony: I have a rule: Normal mode is the developers intended experience, normal mode is what I shall play (unless a game is way easy, in which case I might go up to hard). "

" @nintendoeats said:

" @Aronman789: @CharleyTony: I have a rule: Normal mode is the developers intended experience, normal mode is what I shall play (unless a game is way easy, in which case I might go up to hard). "

have fun with your rules, but you were asking about recommendations for enjoying this game... "

" @nintendoeats: This may be considered flamebait: but the best way to enjoy and play the game is to buy the PC version. Though the console versions are...somewhat competent to what they are trying to do, in the way of interface and, well, overall enjoyment, I found the PC was the way to go. "

I played Dragon Age on 360 as well. At some point I just turned the difficulty on easy and played for the story.

Yeah, I'm a console player, and even I prefer the PC.  Go for it. 

I played a bit of the PC version, but only played the console version for any serious length of time. I preferred the console version (probably because my PC wasn't quite beefy enough to run it well), but they didn't really seem to play all that differently from each other. If you don't like one, you probably won't like the other. PC version does look better, but if it's the gameplay that's a problem I doubt switching would make a huge difference. But you never know.

I'm actually in the middle of playing it right now, about 30 hours into my playthrough playing on normal.
I don't know how far into the game you are but I felt that the game has a bit of a slow start.  Like you said, early on its just x to attack others to use stronger attacks.  But once you get farther into the game your party is much more diverse and your range of attacks far greater.  Using the radial thingy (yeah, very technical... the L2 thing) seems awkward at first I found, but once you get used to it it is a great way to tactical command your character and also to command your party members as well.  
So I guess my advice would be to try and play a little longer and if you still don't like it, no shame in saying that the game isn't for you.  Try and play further, though, cause the more you play the more complex your character becomes (in a good way) and some of the story sections are really quite engaging.

Just cast Inferno through unopened doors, I watched my roommate do this, she would walk up to a door cast inferno or tempest on the mobs on the other side and go onto the next room. I watched her do this for pretty much 30 hours and aside from boss or event fights (or of course the few outdoor areas) the enemies didnt even get to fight back.

I loved DA, but I must admit that I didn't care for the combat at all. Mass Effect (both but especially ME2) is so much better in terms of gameplay. However the story and the characters made more of an impact on me in DA than in ME1/2. That alone made up for the bad graphics and archaic gameplay. I still played DA enough to get all of the achievements (except for some of the latest DLC) even though I really didn't like the combat. 
 
I'm all for if they dumb down the gameplay in DA2 on consoles, but I hope they don't dumb down the story, characters etc. in other words the actual role playing part. DA was like Persona 4 a game where I just rushed through the combat so I could get to the next dialog sequence. Not even ME1/2 or KotOR have as good dialog as DA IMO.

" Sit it down, I played the pc version and playing it felt like work. "

" I played Dragon Age on 360 as well. At some point I just turned the difficulty on easy and played for the story. "

" @nintendoeats:  wait mass effect doesn't have guns? When did this happen :P "

You taste in games is wrong. Please adjust it before attempting to play Dragon Age again.
 
Seriously, what the hell is with the responses you're getting here?

" @nintendoeats:  I think the problem is that you're trying to like the game. There's a difference between going into a game with an open mind and actively trying to find a game fun. The latter will just make you frustrated, especially if the game isn't for you. My advice: You tried the game, it didn't click for you, stop playing. I know it's blunt and I'm sorry if it comes off as dick-ish but to be honest that sounds like the best idea for you. If you want to try another fantasy RPG, there are about a billion, finding a replacement is no biggie. I highly recommend you check out Oblivion, Torchlight or the Fable games. They seem like your cup of tea. "

" @nintendoeats:  Streamlined = Made for idiots.  Maybe you should wait for Dragon Age II. It will posses a lot of dumbed down gameplay found in Mass Effect. "

" @valrog said:

" @nintendoeats:  Streamlined = Made for idiots.  Maybe you should wait for Dragon Age II. It will posses a lot of dumbed down gameplay found in Mass Effect. "

Oblivion is an example of a game being dumbed down. Mass Effect 2 simply felt streamlined.  The changes they made were done so to IMPROVE the gameplay, not to make it for idiots. "

" @WinterSnowblind said:

" @valrog said:

" @nintendoeats:  Streamlined = Made for idiots.  Maybe you should wait for Dragon Age II. It will posses a lot of dumbed down gameplay found in Mass Effect. "

Oblivion is an example of a game being dumbed down. Mass Effect 2 simply felt streamlined.  The changes they made were done so to IMPROVE the gameplay, not to make it for idiots. "

Dude, Oblivion isn't exactly for kids. It might not be as crazy as Morrowind, but its no Kirby's Epic Yarn. "

It becomes more addicting the more you play. Suddenly you'll find that you have played for dozens of hours and you can't stop.

Get it on PC, the Xbox 360 version is fucking horrible.  
 
Horrible stuttering graphics and horrible controls.

 @nintendoeats:
Well the best part of the game according to me was the story and narration. You've got to be looking for a beautifully crafted adventure, with politics, war, heroes love etc, and you'll find yourself wildly entertained by this game. The voice acting, plot etc make you actually forget that you are just playing a game.
I agree the game can be frustrating and stretched out at parts, but it's well worth it when you're done with it. It's the reason why I keep coming to these DA:O forums to look for a good discussion about this game and it's world I have so grown fond of :)  
 
@nintendoeats said:

" Dude, Oblivion isn't exactly for kids. It might not be as crazy as Morrowind, but its no Kirby's Epic Yarn. "

If you need some anonymous goon on Giantbomb to tell you how to enjoy a game then the game just isn't for you.  Just get something else and move on, you should never have to force enjoyment out of a game, you either get that spark or you don't

Still blows my mind how many people think DA's story was anything to write home about it was decent but it was no Baldur's Gate 2 certainly not Persona 4.  I felt bored like 5 hours in and it never went away I mean they do nothing innovative or surprising with the story and every character is a tired cliche except for maybe the Dog and Zehvran to a much much lesser degree.

" @valrog:  You seem full of hate. "

"

I'm actually playing this game now. I hope you know how to play it properly, it doesn't have guns. If you played the pc version, you can pause it and have alot of tactical decisions with the mouse.

"

Play the PC version.

" @valrog: No need to be condescending now...ME is certainly streamlined, but in the end you make more or less the same tactical decisions that you would in another RPG. I challenge you to play the game on insanity and call it dumbed down. "