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There is no mistaking a Bioware game and Dragon Age 2 is most certainly shaping up to be the refinement of everything that the RPG giant is known for.
Cutting edge visuals? Check.
Epic soundtrack? Check.
Unforgettable characters? Check.
Customized experience? Most definitely. Check.
When Dragon Age: Origins released, it suffered from surprising detriments. Visuals were decidedly outdated. The dialog system was a huge step backward from Mass Effect’s immersive character experience. For console players, the lack of an overhead camera view didn’t mesh with the more tactical nature of DA:O’s epic battles.
Despite all of these drawbacks, Bioware succeeded in creating the living world of Ferelden. The narrative of the first outing in the high fantasy series gave players the sense that much had happened before their arrival. Details were fleshed out, not only through tomes and scrolls littered throughout the world, but also via complex character interactions that revealed age-old prejudices and political rivalries, the likes of which George R.R. Martin should be envious.
When Mass Effect 2 released, many people (myself included) wondered how two games released by the same company, so close together, could be so very different. Bioware must have been listening. Dragon Age 2 has borrowed quite a bit from Mass Effect 2 with regard to the user experience, without sacrificing what made the high fantasy title such a refreshing RPG experience.
It should be no surprise to anyone, at this point, that DA2 follows Hawke who, much like Shepard, will be sculpted differently by each player. The demo has locked out visual customization options, but all six gender and class combinations are available. The inventory screen is also locked out in the demo but, early on, players are given the option to switch up fighting style, if it is class appropriate. My first time through, as a Male Rogue, gave me the opportunity to test out dual wielding and archery. Each suggested a different skill path. Class choice plays a role in how the story plays out with regard to your family, providing additional reasons to go back and play the demo.
The first thing I noticed was that the storytelling has been refined. Bioware has taken Ferelden out of the dark ages of the cutscene and into the world of cinematic narrative. Once you gain control of Hawke, the action begins immediately. Button prompts take you through attacking with A/X, activating special moves with the other three face buttons, and toggling between ability trays with RT/R2 to access even more flashy attacks. Left trigger brings up the radial menu, offering options to direct a characters movement or trigger an ability. Bumpers/R1 and L1 rotate among party members. The combat is more fluid, with none of the waiting in between pressing an attack button and the on-screen realization of the command.
Returning skills have brand new animations. My personal favorite is Back Stab, which now causes your Rogue to disappear in a puff of blood only to appear behind the target, blades embedded in the unwitting Darkspawn. Even normal attacks include stunning flourishes, giving us something to gape at even while special abilities recharge.
The skill trees have received a much-needed overhaul, similar to what players of the Dragon Age: Legends Facebook game have already experienced. Each skill path branches, with clearly marked passive and active abilities (those in a circle represent passives, squares represent actives, and hexagons mark states that can be toggled on and off).
The dialog system should be familiar to anyone who has played either Mass Effect game. Thankfully, Bioware has also corrected the one minor complaint blemishing this nearly-perfect mechanic. Anyone who has played Mass Effect 1 or 2 has surely found themselves choosing a response, only to be surprised that the words displayed didn’t match the desired intent, thereby inadvertently offending an ally or making peace instead of war. The right side of the wheel still drives conversations forward, while the left leads down a clearly labeled investigative path. The top still represents the more heroic options and the bottom the more sinister. Now, though, each response includes an icon. There is far less mystery over options in the middle, which will minimize accidental slips of the tongue.
The demo masterfully accomplishes its task of introducing you to Hawke, highlighting the changes and improvements, and reinforcing that the narrative experience will give Shepard’s saga a run for its money.
Despite all the changes, this is still Dragon Age. Tactical elements remain and allies can be directed to move and use abilities. Characters converse while covered in blood. Existing prejudices and alliances we learned about in Origins are still as charged as ever. Dragons remain enormous, scary, and supremely destructive. Yes, there is a dragon in the demo, and a reminder that things are not always as they seem. Everything has a price. The catch for us? Waiting another two weeks for Dragon Age 2 after getting such a tantalizing taste.
One final note: once the Dragon Age 2 demo has been downloaded 1 million times (across all platforms), Bioware will unlock items for all players. I have no doubt we’ll get there, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t remind you to do your part. Now, go slay some Darkspawn!
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Angry Fan
The PC demo was crap. The characters were sucky, the art direction was horrible. The Mass Effect Dialog style is shitty. The worse offender is the camera and controls.
Dragon Age was awesome on PC because it was a spiritual successor to the classic RPG game.
You screwed up in every way Bioware, fuck you.
Ken
Actually, my opinion of the demo was the polar opposite. Like the reviewer stated, there is a similarity between the transitions of the Dragon Age series and the Mass Effect series. In both the first games, I felt weighted down by the masses of menus, inventory screens, and items to sort through, and while Mass Effect 2 stripped out so much it was almost damaging, Dragon Age 2 has successfully streamlined the entire experience without damaging the game.
Also, the game is stunning in terms of appearance. What graphical level were you running it at? If you were running at Low, then it’s obvious where your complaint is based. My suggestion is that if you’re one of those people to whom graphical quality matters, buy a better computer so you can enjoy the visual experience at its finest.
It’s ironic, in a way. You enjoyed DA:O because it was like the original RPGs, but then you complain about graphics. You can have classic RPG gameplay, or stunning visuals, but not both. It’s the nature of the modern game development beast.
Michael Futter
I’m not even sure we could have been playing the same demo. Granted, I played on the 360, but even there, the graphics were on par with the best looking games on the system.
I disagree with you about the characters and dialog system. Those are certainly matters of opinion.
As for the camera and controls, I’m not sure what your gripes are. Can you be more specific? In a game where you can pause, rotate 360, and get an idea of the terrain and oncoming forces, there is little to complain about. If you are lamenting the lack of overhead camera, Bioware went into detail.
It certainly isn’t an omission. Rather, in order to improve the environments, Bioware chose not to make the dome retractable, so to speak. This will give players something to look at when they tilt the camera up. They have assured us that we won’t be sorry. I think the second half of the demo was included to assuage those fears.
With regard to the controls, I found them significantly improved. There is a 1:1 correlation between button presses and on-screen action now. DA:O suffered from the same control problems that KOTOR did. If you’d like a turn-based RPG, we can recommend many new entries in the genre. Bioware games aren’t those.
DA2 looks to be the pinnacle of everything their brand of roleplaying is known for.
HacknSlash
I thought the PC demo was technically very polished and the graphics were great. Having said that, I’m not sure I’m happy with the direction they took Dragon Age. I felt more like I was playing a console game than a PC game. It reminded me of the play style of the demo of Dante’s Inferno, what with the over-the-top animations and emphasis on action over tactics. I know you can still pause the game and give orders, but I still feel like much of the tactical element of the game was removed. Of course the demo emphasized play style over story, so maybe the game will be more immersive, but the game felt pretty shallow in the demo. I’m sure I’ll end up playing this, but I’m in no hurry to finish up more traditional rpgs to get to it. BTW, I couldn’t get into Mass Effect; no sword, no sorcery, no thanks! :/