I am glad at least someone shares my opinion on DAO.
After all it`s hype I started thinking I might be sick or something disliking it.
To me it was pure boredome on a high budget, and even worse, I didn`t see the budget on screen.
I believe I know a bit about graphics since it`s my job, and DOA failed to impress me both technically and by design.
Divinity2/DKS on the other hand...it has soul in almost every department.
The storytelling keeps a great balance between being serious and funny.
The graphics remind me of Guild Wars a bit. They are technically alright, but far from super-polished stuff like let`s say Mass Effect 2. But the artdirection really makes up for the lack of sophisticated tech. It just has some sort of personality.
The music really stands out. Very unique themes, almost classics like the Tomb Raider theme. And I find it kinda couragous because sometimes it`s on the edge of not fitting to a fantasy game.
So, as for comparing recent RPGs, my fav remains Mass Effect 2, because it has both, budget and soul (although I am aware some voices say it`s not even a RPG).
Divinity 2 comes in second place for me, and after that a pretty large gap to the rest of the party.
